Chapter 19 Face to Face

Deep in the night, at the foot of Tian Shen Mountain.

The 20,000-strong garrison, dispatched from Desola, the Red Hat Army's capital city, had successfully reached the offensive line.

Upon arrival, the entire force swiftly deployed. After a quick division of the assault area, they immediately advanced towards Fei Pingsheng's forces on Tian Shen Mountain, with armored vehicles leading the charge.

The 20,000 soldiers surged towards the mountain under the cover of darkness. It wasn't long before the two sides clashed, and gunfire echoed across Tian Shen Mountain!

From the very beginning, the battle had escalated to its most intense phase. The garrison had received a direct order from Bahia Qiao: spare no cost to eliminate this infiltrating force as quickly as possible, with the support of aerial helicopter squadrons. Otherwise, if the Renmin Army's forces broke through the defensive line and reinforced this location, it would become a major problem.

...

Midway up Tian Shen Mountain, at the Renmin Army's temporary command post.

Fei Pingsheng, Xing Yao, Lao Qian, and four or five officers were all crouched in a hastily dug trench, observing the battlefield below.

Fei Pingsheng, using binoculars, watched the dense ranks of garrison soldiers and the advancing armored vehicles, along with the flamethrower squads clearing obstacles from the hidden bunkers, deep in thought.

An officer beside him couldn't help but exclaim, "Damn it, they came fast! There must be at least 20,000 of them!"

Xing Yao lay on the ground, chewing on beef jerky, his gaze fixed on the battlefield below. He quietly remarked, "A lack of clear thinking renders speed useless."

Hearing this, Fei Pingsheng lowered his binoculars, turned to look at him, and asked, "Xiao Xing, what's your take on this?"

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Just as Xing Yao was about to speak, a series of thunderous cannon shots erupted from their own artillery positions behind them.

"Rumble!"

The shells landed at the foot of the mountain, instantly igniting a sea of flames.

The garrison's attack line was bombarded with intense artillery fire, causing heavy casualties and disrupting their offensive rhythm.

Fei Pingsheng and the others quickly turned around, looking towards the rear, and saw about three of their own artillery positions unleashing a barrage of fire.

"Damn it, who told them to fire?" Xing Yao frowned and cursed under his breath. He then turned to Fei Pingsheng and said, "Chief of Staff, we can't fight like this!"

An officer next to them spoke up, "The enemy has already launched a large-scale attack. Shouldn't the artillery positions be firing?"

Xing Yao explained, "In a localized war, we can't just follow the enemy's rhythm. Just because they're being aggressive, doesn't mean we have to be too. We have to consider the actual situation. General Wang's troops are still on the way, and we don't know when they'll arrive. We don't have air superiority, and we have a limited supply of artillery shells. Each shell we fire is one less we have! From now on, we have to be meticulous with our resources!"

Hearing this, Fei Pingsheng said, "Xiao Xing, tell us what you think we should do."

Fei's strengths and abilities mainly lay in leading troops, expanding the ranks, and developing the scale of the forces.

It could be said that the Renmin Army's rapid expansion in recent years was inseparable from his contributions. He had helped Zhao Weihu absorb numerous scattered soldiers and bandits, and within a short period, he had transformed these recruits into combat-ready forces, instilling in them a sense of belonging to the Renmin Army.

He possessed exceptional personnel management skills, understood flexibility, knew how to brainwash, and had a deep understanding of the armed groups living outside the controlled areas. However, despite participating in numerous campaigns with Zhao Weihu over the years, his military acumen in responding to battlefield situations was not particularly outstanding.

This required learning and accumulation, and becoming a top commander wasn't something that could be achieved overnight.

But this also had its advantages: Fei Pingsheng was acutely aware of his weaknesses. He was a sensible man and was willing to listen to others' opinions.

Xing Yao pointed to the Red Hat Army garrison troops organizing their attack below and explained, "Chief of Staff, look, as soon as the enemy arrived, they quickly deployed their forces, assigned their firepower, and launched a desperate assault! They're even sending armored vehicles mixed in with the infantry. What does this tell us? It tells us that they're too impatient! And Tian Shen Mountain is a decisive battleground personally chosen by Commander Su. The location is incredibly complex, easy to defend and difficult to attack! We occupy the high ground, giving us an absolute advantage. As for them, they haven't even cleared pathways for their mechanized units to advance, and the forward troops haven't left a fire zone for a convenient retreat. They're just rushing upwards… To put it bluntly, these garrison troops don't see us as a threat! Chief of Staff, my suggestion is to order the artillery to cease fire, let them come in close, and fight them face to face!"

Hearing this, a more cautious regiment commander voiced his concerns, "Wouldn't that increase our casualties?"

Xing Yao looked at him and waved his hand, saying, "We're in a defensive position, with natural cover and fortifications protecting us. Are we afraid to fight them face to face? There will definitely be casualties, but their casualties will be much greater! We need to hit them hard and leave them dazed for at least a few hours!"

Fei Pingsheng remained silent for a long time before nodding and saying, "We'll do as Xiao Xing says! Notify the artillery positions to cease fire! All units, according to their assigned zones, independently block the enemy from advancing up the mountain! If we're going to fight, we're going to hit them hard!"

"Yes, sir!"

...

Meanwhile, at the foot of Tian Shen Mountain.

Inside a command vehicle, the garrison commander sat with a satellite phone, talking to Bahia Qiao. "Reporting, Commander-in-Chief, my forces have arrived at the designated location, and the troops have moved up the mountain and launched an attack on the enemy! They only have a little over 10,000 men. I'm confident I can take Tian Shen Mountain!"

"Excellent!" Bahia Qiao replied immediately. "You are the most courageous general under my command! I believe you can crush this infiltrating force."

"Yes, sir!"

An hour later, as the artillery fire on Tian Shen Mountain subsided and certain openings were gradually exposed, the Red Hat Army's garrison troops continued to advance into the mountains.

However, they soon discovered that the roads leading up the mountain were heavily mined. These booby traps were designed specifically to destroy the tracks of their mechanized armored vehicles! Furthermore, they hadn't cleared pathways for their mechanized units in advance, so the armored vehicles were rendered useless and came to a complete halt.

In the end, they were forced to abandon their armored forces and continue their attack up the mountain on foot.

...

On the right flank of Tian Shen Mountain, Xing Yao's 2,000-strong defense force was fully prepared for battle!

In their sights, they could already see the enemy troops ascending the mountain road.

Xing Yao immediately stood up from the trench, holding an automatic rifle. With a click, he fixed his bayonet and said through gritted teeth, "Damn it! Here they come! Let's fight them face to face!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Da-da-da!"

Immediately, a fierce barrage of gunfire erupted as the 2,000 soldiers unleashed their firepower!

The garrison soldiers fell one after another, but they fearlessly continued to charge forward. The two sides immediately engaged in a fierce battle!

...

After nearly three hours of bloody fighting, the foot of Tian Shen Mountain was shrouded in plumes of white smoke, and the sound of gunfire gradually subsided.

Xing Yao, covered in blood, stood in his assigned defense zone, holding his rifle with its bayonet attached. Exhausted, he reached out a trembling hand, pulled out a cigarette pack, and tried to light a cigarette.

"Snap, snap, snap!"

Shakily, he tried three times but failed to light it. His right hand was even struggling to hold the lighter.

A guard stepped forward and helped him light the cigarette.

Xing Yao took a drag, feeling a sense of relief. Then, looking at the dense array of corpses from both sides, he said through gritted teeth, "...Assess the casualties!"

"The assessment is complete."

Lao Qian, also covered in blood, walked over and said, "The casualty ratio is one to three. Their attack has lost momentum, and a large number of troops have already retreated."

Xing Yao immediately asked, "Are you sure they've all retreated?"

Lao Qian nodded. "Yes, I've contacted the other defense zones, and they've all retreated."

"Good!" Xing Yao suddenly regained his strength and waved his hand, saying, "Immediately notify Chief of Staff Fei and tell him to prepare the artillery positions! When the enemy retreats down the mountain, unleash a barrage of fire and wipe out their armored vehicles and fleeing soldiers!"

Lao Qian's eyes lit up and he said, "You really are cunning!"

Xing Yao grinned, revealing his teeth, and said, "That's how artillery should be used!"