Chapter 251: The Enemy's Pincer Offensive

The front line of the Sun Country's northern sector, 4:00 AM.

The battlefield before dawn was shrouded in an eerie Silence, the air permeated with damp, cold mist and the smell of gunpowder.

Long Country soldiers huddled in trenches and foxholes, gripping their weapons tightly, their expressions tense and exhausted.

Days of continuous, fierce fighting had depleted their stamina and ammunition, while reinforcements and supplies were long overdue.

"Damn it, this hellish weather, it's as cold as sitting in an ice cellar," an old soldier muttered, rubbing his hands together.

"Stop your damn complaining," squad leader Liu Ergou glared at him, "keep it down, the enemy is less than a kilometer in front."

Suddenly, the ground began to vibrate slightly; it was barely perceptible at first, but soon became obvious.

"Listen!" a young soldier pricked up his ears nervously, "Tanks!"

Liu Ergou immediately grabbed his binoculars and looked toward the front through the morning mist, his face turning deathly pale in an instant:

"Damn it, it's not a tank... it's a tank group!"

On the distant horizon, a Steel Torrent composed of dozens of M46 Patton Tanks came roaring toward them, their tracks grinding out a deafening rumble on the frozen earth; behind the tanks, a large number of armored personnel carriers and infantry followed closely.

"Quick! Report to the Company Commander!" Liu Ergou roared, while pulling at his communicator.

"Hello! Company Headquarters? This is Squad Three, a large-scale enemy tank group is approaching, at least three companies in size, requesting instructions!"

The Company Commander's urgent voice came through the communicator:

"Intelligence received, superiors order immediate organization of defense, the engineer company is laying mines, artillery is preparing fire support, you must delay the enemy until reinforcements arrive!"

"Understood!" Liu Ergou put down the communicator and turned to his terrified comrades,

"Brothers, the situation is bad, but we must hold this position, at least until the reinforcements arrive! All anti-tank weapons ready, everyone else aim at the enemy infantry!"

At this moment, countless flashes of light suddenly erupted from the enemy positions, and seconds later, shells fell like raindrops onto the Long Country lines.

"Get down!" Liu Ergou roared, but his voice was drowned out by the deafening explosions.

Dozens of shells exploded on the position, mud, shrapnel, and flesh flying everywhere; several foxholes were hit directly, and the soldiers inside were blown to pieces before they could even scream.

After the first round of shelling, the enemy tanks accelerated, their main guns firing continuously, 90mm shells leveling one Long Country fortification after another.

"Where are the anti-tank guns? Where are the anti-tank guns?" Liu Ergou shouted in despair, but only more explosions answered him.

Behind the position, two anti-tank guns had just been positioned, but before they could fire, they were destroyed by a volley from the enemy's Self-Propelled Rocket Launchers, and the gunners died on the spot.

"Company Commander! Have the reinforcements arrived?" Liu Ergou shouted into the communicator, but only a chilling static came through—the communication had been cut off.

The tank group had advanced to within 500 meters of the front line, the armored vehicles in the rear also began to accelerate, the doors opened, and fully armed enemy infantry jumped out, charging forward under the cover of the tanks.

"Prepare for battle!" Liu Ergou raised his Submachine Gun, a look of determination flashing in his eyes, "Let's fight to the death!"

Long Country soldiers poked their heads out from behind cover and fired at the enemy infantry, but their light weapons were useless against the tanks.

Several brave soldiers charged toward the tanks clutching cluster grenades, only to be mowed down by machine-gun fire halfway there.

One tank rolled over a trench, crushing the soldiers inside into pulp, while another rammed directly into a bunker, burying the soldiers inside alive.

Even more terrifyingly, several soldiers carrying bulky devices appeared among the enemy infantry; they raised their nozzles, and scorching flames sprayed out, turning the Long Country soldiers' bunkers into a sea of fire.

"Flamethrowers! Watch out!" someone shouted in terror, but it was too late.

The flames, like the long tongues of demons, licked at the foxholes one by one, and the soldiers inside let out blood-curdling screams as they turned into human torches.

"Retreat! Retreat to the rear!" Liu Ergou gave the final order, but very few soldiers could hear this order and carry it out.

Similar scenes played out simultaneously on the northern and southern lines; the enemy's Steel Torrent was unstoppable, and the Long Country's defensive line was torn open like paper.

Inside the enemy's forward command post, the intelligence team kept a close watch on the real-time information coming in from the front.

"Report, sir, the northern line has broken through the Long Country's first line of defense, the speed of advance meets expectations, and we have penetrated 5 kilometers. The southern line has also achieved a breakthrough, advancing 4.7 kilometers."

"How is the Long Country reacting?" asked Colonel Douglas, the commander.

The intelligence officer wore a smug smile: "According to intercepted radio communications, the Long Country army is in total chaos. They keep requesting reinforcements and weapons support, but it looks like their main force is concentrated in the center, and the two flanks are indeed almost defenseless, just as we expected."

"Perfect!" Douglas clapped and laughed, "It seems our intelligence analysis is very accurate. The Long Country people have concentrated their precious new weapons in the central assault group, while the two flanks only have old equipment, which simply cannot withstand our new tanks and firepower."

He walked to the map and drew two thick arrows on both sides of the Long Country salient with a red pen:

"Continue to advance according to the plan, form a pocket within 72 hours, and cut off the supply lines of the Long Country's central assault group. Then, we can leisurely annihilate this elite force within the encirclement."

The intelligence officer was somewhat worried: "Sir, will the Long Country mobilize the new weapons from the center to support the flanks?"

Douglas shook his head: "They won't take that risk. If they weaken the center, we can break through from the front at any time. They are in a dilemma and can only watch helplessly as we form the encirclement."

"Understood, sir." The intelligence officer saluted, turned, and left to prepare to relay the latest orders to the front-line troops.

Douglas stood before the map, the light of Victory flashing in his eyes:

"General Maise is right, everything will be over before Christmas. The Long Country people's little tricks end here!"

At the front, inside an armored command vehicle, Major Taile, the enemy tank Battalion Commander, was issuing orders to each company via radio.

"Continue the advance! Red Wolf Company, flank from the left; Black Panther Company, maintain pressure on the front; Blue Shark Company, keep watch to cover the right flank. The Long Country people have already started to retreat, don't give them a chance to catch their breath!"

"Sir, there is a large swampy area ahead, should we detour?" a Company Commander asked for instructions.

"No need!" Taile answered confidently,

"Our new tanks are equipped with widened tracks and an improved suspension system, fully capable of handling this terrain. Advance in a straight line, speed is Victory!"

A few minutes later, a surprised report came over the radio:

"Sir, we just intercepted a communication from the Long Country army, they said 'ammunition exhausted, unable to resist, requesting emergency retreat'!"

Taile laughed heartily: "See? They have already collapsed! The whole army, advance at full speed, aim to reach the designated position before sunset!"

The enemy tanks accelerated forward like hounds, chasing the retreating Long Country troops, their morale high, as if Victory were already within reach.

However, no one noticed that on the path of their rapid advance, several figures dressed in ordinary peasant clothes had quietly slipped into the bushes by the roadside, dragging some strange, long, strip-shaped objects behind them...