Chapter 49: Bitter Battle

The battlefield north of Victoria.

Amidst the roar of artillery, a steel torrent composed of MS units and various armored vehicles launched a charge along the dense forest by Lake Victoria toward the ZAFT defense line.

The 5th MS Composite Brigade was merely a small part of this, and Li Boyong's 3rd MS Combat Company was but a tiny ripple within that torrent.

Yet, even such a ripple encountered fierce resistance.

As the first wave of the 5th Composite Brigade's offensive, the four Strike Daggers of the 3rd MS Combat Company, under Li Boyong's command, advanced in pairs, covering each other while holding up their shields. As they approached the ZAFT defense line, they were met with a counterattack.

On two separate cliffs, a GINN stood up on each, holding a 500mm recoilless rifle, and fired two shells toward the 3rd MS Combat Company.

One shell directly destroyed an armored vehicle, while the other struck the shield of Li Boyong's unit, obliterating the shield entirely.

"Damn it, get moving, all of you! Charge to the designated engagement position."

At Li Boyong's command, the entire 3rd MS Combat Company accelerated its advance.

Maneuvering his Strike Dagger in a serpentine run, Li Boyong dodged two more shells under the cover of the dense forest before rushing behind a rock near the base of the cliff. The other units also arrived one after another at positions near the cliff that could serve as cover.

These were the spots Li Boyong had selected yesterday; they could serve as cover for the MS, barely allowing them to stand off against the enemy on the cliffs.

Everything was barely within the plan, except that he had taken a direct hit, not only losing his shield but also losing the use of his left arm, which now hung uselessly at the side of the machine, sparking with electricity.

Li Boyong cursed the cut-rate mass-produced junk under his breath and began to counterattack the cliff with his 57mm beam rifle. The other units, having reached their pre-selected positions, also began their counterattack.

For a time, the ZAFT forces on the cliffs and the Alliance forces below were locked in a lively exchange of fire.

However, the Alliance side had more than just Li Boyong's MS squad.

Once Li Boyong had established a foothold in the front, the other units of the 5th Composite Brigade pressed forward, with the 1st and 2nd MS Combat Companies flanking from the left and right.

But these two MS squads were quickly met with ZAFT artillery fire. Judging by the sound, Li Boyong guessed it was ZAUORT cannons, and more than one.

The two flanking MS squads were shelled, their momentum halted. Then, a CGUE that had been lying in ambush suddenly burst out from the dense forest on the left.

Compared to a standard CGUE, this one had an extra shoulder shield on each side, carried a 500mm recoilless rifle in one hand, and charged into the formation of the left-flank Alliance MS squad with a heavy blade in the other.

Is that a CGUE Assault Type?

A commander's unit?

Li Boyong also noticed the commotion on the left. He hadn't expected an enemy commander's unit to be lying in ambush in such a godforsaken place...

The sounds of battle erupted on the left, but before two minutes had passed, Li Boyong noticed the loss of signals from two Strike Daggers over there.

Damn it, four against one, and they still lost two units that quickly...

Don't tell me this commander's unit is going to take out all four Strike Daggers over there by itself and then come around to flank my squad...

Li Boyong felt uneasy. Commotion came from the MS squad on the right; they must have stepped on pre-laid anti-armor mines.

Listening to the chaotic communications from that side, it seemed two Strike Daggers had suffered leg damage.

Then, a new GINN appeared on the cliff, suppressing them with fire. Dragged down by the two damaged Strike Daggers, the entire MS squad was pinned in terrain without cover.

Li Boyong couldn't help but smile bitterly. Today was supposed to be just a probing attack, yet they had already lost five Strike Daggers before the fighting had really begun.

As expected, there was still a significant gap in experience between the Alliance and ZAFT regarding the use of MS units.

Li Boyong had no way to help; the flanking offensives were stalled, and he was already engaged at the very front line, leaving him no time to support the left or right.

Fortunately, the 5th Composite Brigade had more than just these forces. After the offensive was stalled, two more MS squads were dispatched to support the left and right flanks, replacing the two squads that had suffered heavy losses without achieving anything, fully demonstrating the advantage of having superior numbers.

Facing the newly reinforced Strike Dagger squad, the CGUE Assault Type on the left retreated back into the dense forest after a brief engagement. Although it managed to damage one Strike Dagger with its recoilless rifle before leaving, it couldn't stop the 5th MS Composite Brigade's advance.

Unfortunately, the Alliance hadn't even had a minute to celebrate before the roar of heavy artillery sounded from behind the ZAFT defense line.

It turned out that a ZAFT Petrie-class medium land battleship was hidden in the dense forest behind the cliffs.

The ZAFT forces had held back, only using this trump card after they had gauged the Alliance's movements through the initial engagement.

The follow-up units of the 5th MS Composite Brigade were continuously hit by precise heavy artillery fire, losing three more Strike Daggers in just five minutes.

The brigade command had no choice but to issue a retreat order.

"Damn it, how am I supposed to retreat at a time like this..."

Li Boyong was full of complaints, but he still had to execute the order.

It seemed today's probing offensive would end here; the ZAFT garrison on the other side had far more troops than anticipated.

"Bob and I will provide cover; the other two retreat first."

Whether it was the effect of his Commander skill or not, the three rookies on their first battlefield didn't make any mistakes and obediently followed Li Boyong's orders.

The two Strike Daggers retreated first, while Li Boyong kept his eyes locked on the top of the cliff.

Sure enough, the two GINNs on the cliff began firing at the retreating Strike Daggers. Li Boyong, having prepared for this, blew the head off one of them with a single shot.

Li Boyong then unleashed a continuous barrage of suppressive fire, pinning the GINNs on the cliff for a short time, before retreating with Bob.

Just as the ZAFT forces showed signs of pursuing, artillery support from the Alliance rear rained down, successfully covering Li Boyong and the others as they retreated to a safe position.

Half an hour into the battle, the 5th MS Composite Brigade's first wave was repelled with significant losses, but they had managed to gauge some of the enemy's force disposition.

The MS units that participated in the first wave, including Li Boyong's, retreated temporarily to regroup, and damaged units underwent emergency repairs.

The 5th MS Composite Brigade called in air support, suppressed the enemy, and then launched a second wave with the remaining dozen or so Strike Daggers.

With the probing of the first wave, the second wave didn't have as hard a time and held out for a considerable period, but they still couldn't take the two cliffs and retreated after three Strike Daggers were damaged.

This wave lasted quite a while, giving Li Boyong time to have the maintenance crew fix his unit's arm and even eat lunch.

Then, at 1:30 PM, the third wave began. ===== CHAPTER 50 =====