Chapter 571: Long live the 571 tank
Chapter 571 571 Long live the tank
Near the Donghe Bridge, the troops of the 2nd Paratrooper Battalion were watching inexplicably. They really don't know why the two Qi armies started fighting among themselves.
When these Qi troops finally figured out what was going on and knew that they had hit the wrong target, the Tang army had already put their guns on their foreheads.
In the bridgehead where Battalion Commander Qi Guo was located, the Qi army, which lacked automatic weapons and had no grenades, quickly lost its outer position and the first floor of the bridgehead.
The Qi army trapped on the second floor still wanted to struggle, but their efforts were in vain with the explosion of a grenade.
The Qi soldiers who were knocked upside down by the bombing had not yet reorganized their defense lines, but were beaten into pieces by the Tang army that rushed up.
Soon they lost the second level, and then the third level.
There was no way to hide, and the battalion commander of Qi was a bachelor. He looked at his own people guarding the stairs at his feet, and finally took off his feathered hat.
"No more fighting! We surrender! Don't shoot! As long as you promise not to kill us, we will surrender!" he shouted below.
Soon, the voice of Tang Jun came up from below: "Hand in your guns and don't kill! Our battalion commander said that as long as you surrender! Your lives will be guaranteed!"
Hearing what the other party said, the Qi Guo Battalion Commander immediately agreed: "We surrender! Come up, you guys!"
After shouting, he ordered his men: "Put down all your weapons! If you continue to fight, you will die. There is no need."
The Qi soldiers hiding in the bridgehead heard what their commanders said, so they all cooperated and put down their weapons.
They were already in disarray, and now someone took the lead in surrendering, which was in line with their hopes.
With almost no objection, these Qi soldiers handed over their rifles one by one, then threw away the bayonets on their waists, and walked down the stairs one by one.
Under the stairs, the soldiers of the Tang Army holding submachine guns also avoided the danger of attacking the building. They had limited grenades and were worried that the bridgehead would be destroyed by grenades, so they were happy to see the Qi army surrender.
The Qi army chose to surrender. This time, the Tang army's paratroopers did not choose to kill them, but let the Qi people who surrendered their guns get out of their defense line.
On the other side of the railway, the Qi army, which had just killed one of their own, was not deterred this time. They continued to fire, trying to prevent the Tang army from crossing the railway.
It is a pity that the Maxim machine gun they deployed outside soon lost its sound. To these Qi people, the snipers of the Tang Army were simply invisible demons, devouring everyone's life.
The Qi soldiers who didn't know who was attacking them no longer dared to go over and operate the Maxim heavy machine gun. They felt that there was a devil lingering next to the machine gun.
Without the support of the machine gun, the firepower of Qi's troops has obviously dropped by a notch. The sporadic rifle shots were almost inaudible, masked by the crisp sound of typewriters.
Originally, the Qi army always used numbers to overwhelm the Tang army on the battlefield. The strength of both sides could sometimes reach ten to one or even fifteen to one.
Even so, the Qi army often suffered losses and was suppressed by firepower. Now, the Tang Army had more than 400 soldiers in one of its three battalions, but the two companies of Qi State had less than 300 soldiers. The Tang Army had become the numerically superior side.
With the advantage in strength, the Tang army attacked fiercely and lost seven or eight people. They just rushed across the railway and rushed into the Qi army's position.
The battle instantly turned into a one-sided massacre. The Qi army retreated steadily, and some soldiers even began to retreat towards the railway bridge.
The Tang army did not give them a chance, and blocked them with fire from the other side, blocking them back. Those who insisted on running fell on the bridge, and some bodies even lay directly across the railroad tracks.
Seeing that there was no hope of escape, the remaining Qi troops also began to surrender. They dropped their weapons and waited for the arrival of the Tang army.
Sure enough, the firepower of the Tang army stopped, and the battle seemed to have ended so dramatically. There were more than 250 Qi soldiers in two companies. After more than 70 people died, the remaining people chose to surrender.
They are just the second-line troops of Qi State and do not have much combat effectiveness. There are still many new soldiers in the camp who have just been recruited.
These people have not undergone rigorous military training and have only been equipped with new weapons for a few days. It seems a bit too much to expect them to fight against the elite Tang Army paratroopers.
So, after suffering about one-third of the casualties, they naturally chose to hand over their weapons and gave up the bridge they had to guard.
In fact, they have tried their best, because before this battle broke out, no one could have guessed that the enemy would descend from the sky and raid an important facility in the hinterland. Not to mention having experienced this kind of battle personally, I have never heard of it.
Under normal circumstances, isn’t it common sense to place second-line troops on the second line? Even the most idiotic military commander would not think there is anything wrong with this arrangement.
But after today, after this battle, when deploying the second-line troops on the second line, we must think carefully about how to deal with such enemy paratroopers falling from the sky. Just a few minutes after the fighting ended here, and the second battalion commander was still thinking about how to reach the other side of the bridge and deal with the Qi State bridge guarding troops on the other side, the troops of the first battalion arrived.
Although it looked a bit embarrassed, a lot of people were lost. However, the news brought by the 1st Battalion cheered up each of them.
“We defeated the Qi army near the manor, and now we should be safe behind us for the time being.” 1 The battalion commander was exhausted from walking along the way and sat on a position to rest.
He looked at the multiple companies of Qi soldiers who were being guarded on the other side, and said with some emotion: "You have captured prisoners here?"
"There is no way. They surrendered. The damage to the bridgehead will be less, and at least they can leave us some bunkers." The 2nd Battalion Commander pointed at the bridgehead and said: "We can't fight to the other side of the bridge. If we want to hold on here, We still need the bridgehead here as a position.”
"Give it a try? We have at least 800 people together. We should be able to fight through it." The 1st Battalion Commander looked at the bridge where there were many corpses lying there, and said to the 2nd Battalion Commander.
"The casualties will be huge. At least 20 people will die if they touch it. This loss is too painful." The 2nd Battalion Commander sighed.
"It doesn't matter. Anyway, we have killed the King of Qi and the Prime Minister of Qi. Even if we lose 20 more, it will not be a loss." The 1st Battalion Commander smiled and said proudly.
“Really?” The 2nd Battalion Commander was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly became pleasantly surprised: “Then our paratroopers will make a lot of money this time!”
“What are we paratroopers? That’s our 1st Battalion, okay?” the 1st Battalion Commander teased his old friend.
"Get out of here! Are you not a paratrooper? Are you not a paratrooper?" The commander of the 2nd Battalion became really angry and said, "If I hadn't been easy to talk to and given you the opportunity to kill the King of Qi, it would have been us from the 2nd Battalion, you know?"
“You have such a big face.” The battalion commander had long expected what he would say. He punched the opponent with a smile and looked at the other end of the bridge.
"Don't look at it. I'll have people plant explosives. If the other side uses a train to break through, we'll blow up the bridge. If they fill it with people, we'll make this place a river of blood!" The 2nd Battalion Commander pointed at the area between the two bridgeheads. said the paratrooper who planted the explosives.
“It’s also a way.” The 1st Battalion Commander thought about it and felt that there was nothing wrong with the 2nd Battalion Commander’s arrangement. Just leave the bridgehead over there, they won't be able to get through anyway.
Although the other side would occasionally fire two shots to scare people, there were snipers here staring at them with sniper rifles with scopes. The shooters on the other side of the bridge did not dare to show up after a few people died.
In order for subsequent troops to use this railway bridge quickly, the Tang army would use paratroopers to seize this strategic point.
Otherwise, it would be better to just drop a bomb and blow it up. It would not be enough to kill so many people. The paratroopers' job was to hold the bridge and wait for subsequent troops to arrive.
But if, as a last resort, the main force of the Qi army arrives at the bridge before the subsequent reinforcements of the Tang army, the paratroopers will have to consider blowing up the bridge.
At the same moment, the commander of a No. 4 tank standing on the turret of a No. 4 tank, the vanguard of the 4th Armored Division of the Tang Dynasty, put down the telescope in his hand.
He had already seen the towering city walls of Qi Wangcheng, and at the same time he also saw the industrial area of Qi Wangcheng where thick smoke was still rising.
There are hundreds of chimneys standing there, some of which are also emitting thick smoke: many factories are still working, and are still working hard to support the normal operation of Qi's war machine.
"They are really evil-minded guys!" He got back into his tank turret, only half of his body exposed: "Go forward! Let General Redman spend the night in King Qi's city tonight!"
“Isn’t the 1st Battalion faster than us? Isn’t it too late for us to get to the Royal City now?” the gunner picked his nose and said in the tank that started to shake.
"Hahahaha! Because they rushed too fast, they were transferred to the right wing to support those lunatics who were desperate for their lives." The commander said proudly: "Don't worry, this time, the credit for entering the royal city first belongs to our battalion. No one can take it away!"
“Long live the Tang Dynasty!” On the radio, the commander of another tank shouted excitedly. Soon, more captains shouted: "Long live your Majesty!"
“Long live the tank!” Unknowingly, someone suddenly shouted: “Long live the tank soldier!”
In the jungle, one No. 4 tank rushed out one after another. Behind these tanks, there were also self-propelled artillery modified from the No. 2 tank.
“Hahaha!” Many tank commanders laughed, and then more people cheered together: “Long live the tank! Long live the tank crew!”
These tanks broke branches and ran over bushes. They were riddled with mottled bullet marks and stains of blood that could not be wiped clean, and they rushed towards the city shrouded in smoke and dust in the distance.
(End of this chapter)