Munitions Empire

Chapter 590: 549 The Miserable Third Prince

His Royal Highness the Third Prince was utterly bewildered. Throughout his life, he had been clothed in silk and fed with jade, growing up in the Royal Palace and enjoying the sustenance provided by the nation, practically one of the most fortunate few in the world.

Although the court curriculum was extremely strict, and his father was very stern, his life was undoubtedly happier compared to those who couldn’t afford enough food or clothing.

If he wished, there would be beauties willing to undress for him every night. If he so desired, treasures of inestimable value would be presented to him with both hands.

In fact, from a traditional standpoint, the three princes of Qi Country were still quite capable. At least, they were much stronger than the few incompetent fools in the royal family of Zheng Country.

This was also the reason why King Jiang Xian had always relied heavily on his three sons. From the perspective of cultivating successors, he was clearly excellent and a victor.

All three of his sons were quite impressive, having studied military knowledge, possessed a certain level of tactical experience, and capable of leading troops on behalf of his royal father to alleviate his worries.

And the Third Prince thought so too; he felt that he was a competent commander. He had always believed that even on the most brutal battlefield, he would have the courage to face the fiercest enemy.

Just now, the injured Tian Heng, who was holding the Third Prince, made him recall his life, and he felt that he should not die here, absolutely not!

But at this moment, as the pampered Third Prince truly faced the enemy close at hand for the first time, the thing beneath him almost gave way, nearly leaking all the liquid stored in his bladder.

This was the first time the Third Prince had seen Tang Army’s tanks up close, and also the first time he saw them from such a short distance. The enormous vehicle was right before him, its tracks rolling, drawing ever closer.

The terrifying pressure made the Third Prince finally understand why his position had been breached in a single day. He finally comprehended how his soldiers, mere flesh and blood, could stop such steel behemoths?

So he wanted to shout, to surrender, to turn and run. But he was still sitting on the ground, held by a bloody damn fool.

“Your Highness! Are you alright, Your Highness?” The Third Prince’s guard anxiously asked the bloodstained prince while watching the Tang Army’s tanks charge over.

The Third Prince didn’t know if he indeed was injured, so he could only shout at Tian Heng, “Let go of me! Let me up! Let me up!”@@novelbin@@

Tian Heng, enduring the severe pain in his back, rolled over and moved his body aside. It was only then he saw a Tang Army’s tank less than ten meters away from them.

He, too, was seeing an enemy tank at such a close distance for the first time, and he could clearly see the dense bullet marks on this tank.

For a moment, as a commander, Tian Heng’s mind flashed with a thought: How long would one have to fight on the front lines to get hit by so many bullets?

It’s a pity that now was not the time to dwell on these things. He struggled to get up, propped himself with one hand while shouting to the people behind him, “Take the Third Prince away! Get him out of here! Quick! Get him out quickly!”

As a commander, he truly dared not imagine how troublesome it would be if the Third Prince of Qi Country were to be captured on the battlefield.

Once the Third Prince was captured, the Tang Army could make a big deal out of his identity, then use this royal relative as a bargaining chip in the subsequent peace negotiations to demand massive benefits.

What was even more frightening was that the capture of the commander of the western front would deal an unimaginable blow to the morale of the Qi Army. The Qi Country’s western front would be leaderless and unlikely to recover within five days.

Given the Tang Army’s rate of advance, they might even conquer Nanye and secure victory after five days!

In fact, the Tang Army’s determination to attack Nanye was greater than Tian Heng imagined, and their advance was also much faster than he envisioned.

The 4th Armored Division, with ample supplies, was now less than 20 kilometers away from Nanye. The vanguard troops had even reached the outskirts of Nanye and engaged in combat with the local Qi Army sentries.

Surrounding the Third Prince were the guards from the Royal Palace. Their duty was to ensure the safety of the royal family members. So upon hearing Tian Heng’s order, this guard officer immediately began to drag the Third Prince, trying to get him to leave this damned place as soon as possible.

The Third Prince also hurried to cooperate. Having been scared witless by the Tang Army’s tanks, he allowed his guards to drag him away, retreating awkwardly in the opposite direction of the tanks.

Liu Guozhu knew that the officials from Qi Country were in front of his tank, as anyone not blind could recognize the flamboyant clothes they wore.

Although the explosion’s dust made the brilliant fabric look bedraggled, their attire still set these flamboyant individuals noticeably apart from ordinary soldiers.

At that moment, Liu Guozhu wanted to go out and capture these Qi Country officials who looked very important. But before he could lift the hatch of his tank, several brave Qi guards charged over without fearing death.

Bullets hit Liu Guozhu’s tank one after another, which brought back some not-so-fond memories of fighting in the civil strife at Luo Town.

“Hull-mounted machine gun fire! Fire! Take down everyone around us!” Liu Guozhu ordered his electronics operator to continue firing.

Since there was no possibility of taking prisoners, then they decided to eliminate all these officials from Qi Country right here. Liu Guozhu certainly couldn’t let go of this chance, and he immediately gave another order, “Gunner! Coaxial machine gun! Kill them all!”

“Understood!” After pressing the button to rotate the turret, the gunner began to control his coaxial machine gun, firing in another direction.

Tracer bullets instantly sliced through the fading dust and smoke, weaving through flesh and leaving behind only overturned bodies and the desperate screams of the dying.

Almost instantly, the sound of bullets hitting the tank was greatly reduced, leaving only the roar of the machine gun continuing. Liu Guozhu watched with his own eyes as tracer bullets flew by, hitting a Qi Army officer right in front of him.

While firing, Liu Guozhu’s Tank No. 4 did not stop. The tank rolled over the collapsed tents, and the caterpillar tracks screeched as they pressed over the wooden poles supporting the tents.

The commander of the 3rd Army of Qi Country had just been stunned by the blast of an aerial bomb and was only now coming to his senses. But when he opened his eyes, he saw a solid mass of steel bearing down on him.

He didn’t even have time to scream before his head was crushed into the mud by the caterpillar tracks of Tank No. 4.

Blood instantly splattered, spraying onto the slightly yellowed, muddy canvas of the tents, a glaring crimson shocking to see.

On the other side, the bullets from the coaxial machine gun blew away a Qi Country royal guard who was firing a Mauser pistol nearby.

These guards were all issued with the Shireck Model 1 pistols, which were the Mauser bolt-action rifles that Tang Mo had given to Shireck.

At this distance, such a weapon was essentially a rapid-fire weapon, very powerful and capable of continuous shooting.

These Qi Country guards, holding their weapons, fired at the tanks; even knowing that their weapons could not damage the target, they could not stop.

In battle, whatever weapon you have, you use. What sense does it make to not fight just because the weapon in your hand isn’t suitable?

Moreover, they were protecting the Third Prince! It was their duty, the most important mission they had to complete!

Like mowing grass, these guards who had not fled were one by one knocked down by bullets, as if they were wheat sheaves cut down by the scythe formed by tracer bullets.

In front of Liu Guozhu’s Tank No. 4, the bullets from the coaxial machine gun showed no mercy as they swept across the targets directly ahead.

Tian Heng watched in despair as the flames burst from the machine gun on the left side of the Tang Army tank in front of him, Then, as darkness swept over him, he collapsed straight onto the ground.

His head was penetrated by a tracer bullet, and the blood spurting from the back of his head flowed everywhere. Until his death, this Qi Country general hadn’t closed his eyes.

The very next second, the Third Prince, whom he was devoted to serving, had his chest pierced by bullets and stumbled, falling onto the body of a guard.

That guard had been vigorously pulling the Third Prince, hoping he would get up quickly. But suddenly, the prince jerked backwards, and the excessive force used by the guard made him tumble to the ground.

When he stood up and saw the Third Prince, with his chest cavity shattered by bullets, lying there, he knew he was finished. Jiang Xian would not let him off, and not just him, but his family as well.

But he no longer had a life to wait for Jiang Xian’s disposals, because in the next second, another bullet arrived, shattering his head as well.

The vehicle electrician, operating the machine gun, would not miss such a clear target so close by. He too had thought about taking prisoners because he knew they only had two tanks.

There was no point talking about taking prisoners; if it weren’t for the fact that the enemy had voluntarily stayed behind, fleeing in all directions, these people from Qi Country couldn’t have been caught or finished off.

Moreover, taking prisoners requires some kind of communication, right? How would the enemy know whether you wanted to take prisoners if you kept firing and charging forward without stopping?

Pop open the hatch and loudly declare, “Throw down your weapons, and don’t kill, surrender quickly?” Stop joking… Try sticking your head out and see! Even the tank commander, who’s such a “stubborn” guy, wouldn’t dare, let alone anyone else…

So he obeyed the orders and continued firing, completing his task — killing enemy officers was no small feat either, and safety first, right?

And so they continued firing and advancing until all the Qi Country guards in front of them were completely wiped out. Only then did an excited shout finally come through the headphones from the platoon commander of the 2nd Company: “1st Company, 1st Company! Where are you? Where are you?”

Thank God, in such a chaotic battle, the unstable radio… it finally worked!

“I’ve passed the Qi Army’s artillery position! I’ve just ambushed a section of the Qi Army’s artillery!” Liu Guozhu was overjoyed and, pressing the throat microphone, responded loudly.

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