Chapter 255: Firestorm

Dozens of Rocket Shells soared into the air, tracing beautiful yet deadly arcs as they lunged toward the Long Country positions.

The sounds of explosions were continuous, and the Long Country positions were filled with smoke and dust; the enemy commander, believing they had achieved success, immediately ordered:

"Armored units, follow up! Take advantage of their chaotic footing to break through the defensive line!"

However, as the smoke and dust dissipated, the enemy forces discovered in horror that the Long Country positions were almost completely unscathed!

Li Mingyuan had long anticipated that the enemy would use rocket launchers and had ordered his troops to construct reinforced bunkers at key locations; most of the Rocket Shells had landed on open ground, causing minimal casualties.

Even more terrifyingly, just as the enemy rocket launchers were preparing for a second round of fire, a behemoth slowly drove out of the woods on a distant hillside—the Long Country's Self-Propelled Rocket Launcher had finally made its debut!

This Self-Propelled Rocket Launcher, bearing the codename "Firestorm," looked like an armored vehicle packed with rocket launch tubes.

Forty 122mm rocket tubes were neatly arranged on the vehicle bed, swaying slightly with the movement of the vehicle and shimmering with a cold metallic luster in the morning light.

"Target locked, enemy rocket launcher position!" the gunner inside the vehicle quickly adjusted the firing parameters.

"Fire!"

In an instant, forty 122mm Rocket Shells soared into the air almost simultaneously, dragging long trails of flame behind them to form a spectacular "wall of fire," whistling as they lunged toward the enemy rocket launcher position.

The enemy rocket launcher operators did not even have time to react before they were swallowed by this sudden Firestorm.

The forty Rocket Shells covered an area of approximately 400×400 meters, completely destroying the enemy rocket launcher position.

The massive sounds of explosions merged into one, with flames shooting into the sky and smoke filling the air.

"This... what kind of terrifying weapon is this?"

A surviving enemy officer stood dumbfounded, watching his pride and joy, the multi-tube rocket launchers, being destroyed in an instant.

The Long Country's Self-Propelled Rocket Launcher did not linger; it started up immediately after firing and disappeared behind the hillside at an astonishing speed. The entire process took less than a minute, and all of the enemy's counter-battery fire missed.

This scene completely shattered the enemy's morale.

Seeing that even their most advanced rocket launchers were easily destroyed by the Long Country, the remaining tanks and infantry began to retreat spontaneously, and the chain of command collapsed entirely.

"Retreat! The whole army, retreat!"

The enemy commander finally issued this painful order, but it was too late.

The Long Country troops had already launched a full-scale counterattack, and infantry squads equipped with RPG-2s hunted down the retreating enemy tanks like hunters, destroying them one after another.

……

The enemy's scientific research and analysis team urgently sent a report to the rear:

"The situation is critical! The Long Country has already equipped a full set of anti-armor weapon systems, including high-performance rocket launchers, directional mines, recoilless guns, and Self-Propelled Rocket Launchers! Every time we introduce new equipment, they seem to be able to immediately develop targeted weapons!

It is recommended to immediately re-evaluate the Long Country's technical capabilities and battlefield threat!"

General Maise looked at this urgent report, his face turning ashen:

"This is impossible... how could they develop so many new weapons in such a short time?"

……

Three days after the battle ended, the Taiyang hung high, shining down on the tank wrecks and scattered equipment covering the battlefield.

Li Yunlong inspected the battlefield with his staff team, looking at those destroyed enemy tanks, and could not help but marvel:

"Good heavens, this battle was fought beautifully! The Di Guo fellows' tanks are like paper; once they run into our RPG-2s, they're finished."

Zhao Gang flipped through the battle results summary report:

"On the northern and southern lines, a total of 137 enemy tanks, 85 armored vehicles, and 6 Multi-tube Rocket Launchers were destroyed. Over a thousand pieces of various weapons and equipment were captured, and 215 enemy soldiers were taken prisoner, including 23 officers. The enemy's two-flank offensive forces were almost completely wiped out."

Li Yunlong nodded with satisfaction: "Good, this battle was fought beautifully! Pass on my order: all participating troops are to be rewarded double!"

Not far away, several Long Country soldiers were inspecting an M46 Tank destroyed by an RPG-2, their faces filled with unconcealable pride.

"Look at this hole," one soldier pointed to the penetration hole on the side of the tank,

"It went straight through, melting everything from the armor to the parts inside. This RPG-2 is truly powerful!"

"You're not kidding!" another soldier patted the RPG-2 hanging on his shoulder,

"With this treasure, those Di Guo fellows' iron coffins are nothing! Four hundred meters away, one shot and it's soul-destroyed!"

Several veterans gathered around a recoilless gun, recalling the battle scene.

"I saw it with my own eyes that day," the gun captain said excitedly,

"A reinforced Di Guo tank, supposedly their newest model, was crippled by us in one shot! The Tungsten Core Armor-Piercing Shell went in, and the whole tank just went 'bang' and exploded like popcorn!"

"The best part was the Self-Propelled Rocket Launcher," a Company Commander interjected,

"Forty rounds in a volley, and the Di Guo fellows' rocket launcher position was just gone, like it had been hit by a Cloud Bomb—nothing but scorched earth!"

The soldiers laughed, their eyes shining with the joy of Victory and awe for the power of technology.

This Victory was not just a tactical success, but a psychological breakthrough—the Long Country army had felt for the first time the crushing Victory brought by technological superiority; this feeling filled everyone with confidence and pride.

Li Mingyuan arrived at the front line to personally inspect the destroyed enemy equipment, taking photos and notes from time to time with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Chief Engineer, what do you think of these battle results?" Lao Liu asked curiously.

Li Mingyuan squatted down and carefully observed the armor structure of a destroyed tank:

"The Di Guo people are indeed not simple; the design of this composite armor is very advanced. If our weapons weren't so highly targeted, it would be hard to penetrate it so easily."

He stood up and looked around:

"But the Di Guo fellows' problem is arrogance. They rely too much on their existing technological advantages and refuse to believe that we could achieve a technological leap in such a short time. This mindset is their greatest weakness."

Li Mingyuan walked toward an enemy Self-Propelled Rocket Launcher that had been hit but not completely destroyed, climbing up to inspect the launch mechanism:

"This design is actually not bad; the firing accuracy is well-controlled. It's a bit cruder than ours, but more reliable."

He turned to Lao Liu: "Write it down. Our next-generation Self-Propelled Rocket Launcher can borrow from this stabilizer design to improve long-range accuracy."

Lao Liu exclaimed: "Chief Engineer, you're still thinking about 'stealing techniques' even after the battle is over!"

Li Mingyuan smiled: "Scientific research knows no enemy or friend, only who is first and who is second. The Di Guo indeed have many advanced technologies worth learning. We must be good at absorbing, integrating, and then surpassing them."

He looked at the "Firestorm" Self-Propelled Rocket Launcher parked on the distant hillside:

"That one was a makeshift product. Although it caught the enemy off guard, it still has many shortcomings. I already have a design concept for the next generation; it will have greater power, higher accuracy, and better mobility."

As they were speaking, a Communication Soldier hurried over: "Chief Engineer Li, an urgent telegram from the General Command Headquarters; please return to the base immediately, there is an important mission!"