Munitions Empire

Chapter 605: 564 has a big fish.

Xiang Ziyu was loading the third new magazine into his weapon when he saw his squad leader and was very happy, “Squad leader!”

“When did you get here?” The squad leader leaned at the edge of the fortification, observing the Qi Army soldiers moving through the trees, and asked his subordinate.

“Me? When I landed, the machine gun position over there was laying down suppressing fire. After I took out that position, I found another machine gun nest… It’s that one over there!” Xiang Ziyu replied.

The squad leader looked at Xiang Ziyu, genuinely not expecting that this one subordinate had single-handedly taken down such a large defense position, “Two machine gun positions, did you kill more than thirty people all by yourself?”

“More or less, but someone helped me out later. He’s not from our platoon; I don’t recognize him,” Xiang Ziyu honestly answered.

“You really did well, kid! You’ve made me proud!” The squad leader grinned and then saw more paratroopers gathering nearby.

After all, there were no gunshots here, so it seemed to be relatively safe. Some paratroopers who landed later naturally gravitated here to find their comrades.

“Did you find anything? There’s something off about the Qi Army here!” The squad leader took another glance at the Qi troops in the forest behind the position, who seemed to still be maneuvering, and continued to question Xiang Ziyu.

“They have too many machine guns, and their combat will is pretty tenacious!” Xiang Ziyu looked down at the bodies at his feet and said, “No one surrendered. They fought fiercely and were eager to engage in bayonet combat.”

As he spoke, he remembered the three Qi soldiers who had charged in with bayonets, desperate to fight. These Qi soldiers didn’t retreat and attacked recklessly, clearly not ordinary Qi soldiers.

“I think so too, they shouldn’t be here,” The squad leader pulled back his head and said to Xiang Ziyu, “We’re some distance from Donghe Bridge, and far from King City of Qi Country. Hiding a force in a place like this is obviously not reasonable!”

“And this Qi force is too elite. So there must be a reason worthy of deploying so many troops here!” Xiang Ziyu added.

“We need to figure out the reason!” The squad leader frowned and then gestured, “Are you willing to risk your life?”

“I am not.” Xiang Ziyu replied very straightforwardly.

“Good! You have three minutes to collect ammo. We’re going to have a look in the woods and see what’s really going on!” The squad leader completely ignored his subordinate’s answer and directly issued the order.

Xiang Ziyu immediately dashed along the trench to where he had landed, where his discarded parachute and rucksack were located, along with spare ammunition; he had to retrieve these supplies.

By the time Xiang Ziyu returned to the trench and found his squad leader again, he saw two other comrades.

The squad from the neighboring section had taken another stretch of trench not far away, and this time they had captured two prisoners, finally clearing up the situation.

The platoon leader coming over from the other side was excited. He had gathered all of his soldiers and announced shocking news, “Stationed here are the Imperial Guards of Qi Country! Behind them in the forest is a manor! King Jiang Xian of Qi has been hiding from the bombing there all along!”

“That’s a big fish!” Xiang Ziyu’s squad leader got excited too, feeling that this must be an opportunity given by the heavens for them to make a significant accomplishment.

“The Company Commander and I both think this is an opportunity!” The platoon leader pointed his finger in the direction of the manor, “The Company Commander wants us to launch an attack and take that manor as soon as possible!”@@novelbin@@

“Are there enough hands for the attack on Donghe Bridge?” The squad leader knew their mission was to destroy the bridge, so he asked with some trepidation.

He didn’t want to miss out on this big catch, yet he didn’t want to miss the real objective because of greed for merit.

“The 2nd Battalion is closer to Donghe Bridge; let them go first. We here, whether successful or not, will retreat within two hours to help them!” The platoon leader explained.

“Xiang Ziyu?” After speaking, he looked at the young soldier standing nearby, a smile on his face.

“Yes, sir!” Xiang Ziyu immediately responded.

“Well done! Truly my soldier,” The platoon leader clapped Xiang Ziyu on the shoulder, as if applying a thick layer of gold to his own face.

“What do you think about us trying to snatch up King Qi? How about it?” The platoon leader praised himself and then asked Xiang Ziyu.

Xiang Ziyu was quite sober, saying immediately, “If we ignore this elite Qi force here, they might come after us from behind after we seize Donghe Bridge. A fight here would be good; hurt them and our rear will be secure.”

“Look at that! Our platoon really has talent!” The platoon leader grew even more proud and turned to Xiang Ziyu’s squad leader, instructing him, “Train him well! This kid definitely has a future!”

Yes, anyone would know, after this battle, as long as anyone survived, they were bound to have a future! The squad leader couldn’t help but scoff to himself.

…

On the other side, within the forest and close to the manor, the Qi soldiers were still in disarray at this moment. They could never have dreamed that their enemies would descend from the sky, appearing right beside them.

Originally, what concerned the Qi commanders the most was the threat coming from the direction of King City. They were worried that the Tang Army might charge towards King City at all costs, hoping to end the war as quickly as possible.

However, despite all the precautions taken by these guards’ commanders, they never imagined that their enemy would appear right above their heads, throwing all their plans into disarray.

Since the bulk of the military had already been deployed to defend King City, only a battalion of Imperial Guards was left to protect the suburban estate where King Jiang Xian was located.

This guarding battalion was not small, with a total of 2,000 troops. However, they were spread out in four directions since they were stationed in the suburbs.

Ironically, the Tang Country Paratroopers had landed right along the periphery of the guard’s defensive line, and a fierce battle had ensued with the guards.

“Quick! Quick! They’re on the east side! We lost the machine gun position there!” A Qi officer, holding a pistol, yelled to his subordinates: “Recapture the position we lost!”

While he was organizing his troops, another Qi officer stared dumbfounded as maids screamed chaotically, and numerous Ministers frantically asked passing soldiers what on earth had happened.

“The Tang Army… The Tang Army… They’ve attacked us!” explained a Qi officer. “They descended from the skies, attacking us on the eastern side!”

In the midst of the chaos, a Minister panicked, surrounded by servants and followers, grabbing a passing officer and asking incessantly, “Where’s His Majesty? Where’s His Majesty?”

That was actually one of the better reactions; at least he thought to ask about the condition of his King. Others had lost all composure and were shouting, “Why still fight? Quick, cover our retreat back to the city!”

“Where is Captain Ma? Where the hell is Captain Ma?” Nearby, a Minister who had been terrified by the sound of gunfire was pacing aimlessly, much to the annoyance of the surrounding officers.

But they dared not complain about these high-ranking officials they ordinarily revered, and instead kept explaining that the enemy was still far away.

Watching as the Prime Minister walked out with some officials, several bewildered Ministers immediately surrounded him: “Prime Minister! Ensure His Majesty returns to the palace at once!”

“Prime Minister! What should we do now?” another Minister stepped forward, clutching at the Prime Minister’s sleeve, asking anxiously.

On another side, a Minister, no longer concerned about appearances, directly urged in disheveled clothing, “We should return to the city! It’s safer there!”

“Step aside, I must see His Majesty. You all wait here for the time being!” Though the Prime Minister tried to appear calm, it was clear he was also nervous.

At the manor’s gate, soldiers with rifles slung over their shoulders were pulling on the reins of warhorses. Beside them, an officer was gesturing to his subordinates: “Get the carriage ready! Hurry, prepare the carriage!”

Cars were available, plenty of them. But at a time like this, many still believed carriages to be more reliable; at least they wouldn’t break down halfway…

While some were preparing carriages to escape, others were thinking of repelling the Tang Army. On the outskirts of the courtyard, Qi officers, armed with guns, were directing their subordinates to quickly set up a new defensive line: “Don’t panic! Don’t panic! Set up the defenses by the courtyard wall! Don’t let the Tang people infiltrate!”

“Where’s my official hat? Where’s my official hat?” Ironically, amid all these commands, some incongruous voices could be heard.

“Ah!” The shrill screams of maidens pierced the sky as the distinctive rat-a-tat sound of Tang Army Thompson Submachine Guns grew increasingly intense, gradually drowning out the turmoil.

“Is it safe to return to King City?” Jiang Xian’s face looked dreadful as he eyed a group of generals in the room and asked.

“Your Majesty! It’s uncertain how this will turn out,” replied the head of the guard battalion, Captain Ma, his face contorted with distress. “Previously, I could guarantee safety, but… but the Tang forces outside have descended from the heavens. I cannot be certain now, especially if we encounter Tang people on the way…”

“So, the travel back to the city might not be safe either?” Jiang Xian squinted his eyes; he felt a suffocating pressure in his chest.

“I am willing to sacrifice my life to ensure Your Majesty’s safety,” declared Captain Ma solemnly, bowing to Jiang Xian.

Jiang Xian, feeling unwell, clutched his chest and ordered, “Then hold the ground first! Find out how many enemies there are, and where they are!”

“Yes!” Captain Ma quickly bowed and then prepared to leave the room.

Just at that moment, the Prime Minister entered through the door. He bowed to Jiang Xian before saying, “Your Majesty! The situation is critical; shouldn’t we head back to the palace first?”

Jiang Xian found a seat to sit down and waved his hand, “The enemy situation is unclear; the Imperial Guards believe it’s inadvisable to act rashly…”

The Prime Minister understood upon hearing this: with unclear enemy intelligence, being attacked on the road would be even more troublesome. It might be better to stay put for now, especially since they had well-fortified defensive structures, didn’t they?

COMMENT
0 comment

Vote
3 left

SEND GIFT