Chapter 513: The Vanguard Unit's Setback

During the Counteroffensive Mandalay Battle, his Tank Regiment, as the Vanguard Unit, was the first to break into the city of Mandalay, shattering the Japanese Army's defenses and becoming the first force to enter Mandalay and the first to recapture it.

That sense of glory still lingers in his mind to this day, and it fills him with confidence in his Tank Regiment, even making him somewhat smug.

But now, barely after setting out, this Tank Regiment that once earned great battle honors has fallen into such an awkward situation, turning from a trailblazing Vanguard into a hindering burden, and Hu Xianqun feels a mix of emotions.

Hu Xianqun is filled with countless sighs; he does not understand a single thing.

Why is it like this?

"Regiment Commander, think of a solution quickly! If this continues, more tanks will get stuck!" a Tank Commander stuck his head out of the cockpit and shouted loudly.

Rainwater streamed down his helmet, and his voice was full of urgency.

Clank clank clank!

The downpour hits the face, a sharp sting!

Hu Xianqun took a deep breath, forced himself to stay calm, and shouted orders to the soldiers beside him: "Everyone, move! Get the stuck tank out! The Infantry Squad is responsible for finding planks and stones, the Tank Soldiers will assist with towing; we must get the tank out as quickly as possible, or we will delay the main army's southward advance!"

"Yes, Regiment Commander!" the soldiers replied in unison and sprang into action.

In the rain, the soldiers braved the pouring downpour, searching everywhere for usable planks and stones; some soldiers trudged through the mud with one foot deeper than the other, the sludge up to their ankles, making each step exceedingly difficult.

Other soldiers jointly lifted the heavy planks, carefully carrying them to the tank stuck in the mire, drenched to the skin yet daring not to slacken.

"Quick! Place the planks under the tank's tracks to increase friction!" a Squad Leader shouted, and several soldiers immediately gathered, jointly shoving the planks beneath the tracks.

"Driver, start the tank slowly, don't slam the throttle, move forward gently!"

The tank driver nodded at once, carefully starting the engine; the tracks turned slowly as he tried to use the planks' friction to pull the tank free of the mire.

But unexpectedly, as soon as the tracks moved, the planks were engulfed by the mud, turning with the tracks; not only did they fail to work, they made the tank sink deeper, the hull tilted a few degrees, and mudwater had already reached the tank's bottom.

"It won't work, Squad Leader! The planks are wrapped in mud and are useless!" a soldier shouted, his face full of anxiety and helplessness.

The Squad Leader gritted his teeth and said, "Find a few thicker planks, stack more layers! Also, pile stones on both sides of the tracks to prevent the tank from slipping further!"

The soldiers obeyed at once, fetching several thick planks and layering them under the tracks, while piling the gathered stones on either side of the tracks, attempting to secure the tank's position.

"Again! Driver, move slowly!" the Squad Leader shouted again.

The tank driver took a deep breath, started the tank again, and the tracks turned slowly.

This time, the tank indeed shifted a little, but it moved less than half a meter before sinking again into deeper mud; the planks cracked, the stones were crushed into the mud by the tracks, and all effort was wasted.

"Damn it! How could this happen!" the Squad Leader couldn't help but curse, slamming a fist into the tank's armor, his hand smeared with mud, "We've tried every method, but this mire is too deep, the tank too heavy, we simply can't drag it out!"

Not far away, another group of soldiers was attempting to use two tanks to pull each other, trying to drag the stuck tank out.

They used a thick steel cable to link the two tanks together, one tank leading as the puller, the other stuck in the mire acting as the follower, attempting to use the towing force to escape the mud.

"Ready? Begin the tow!" the Tank Commander of the leading tank shouted, then started the tank, driving forward at full power.

The steel cable was pulled tight, emitting a "creak creak" sound, as if it might break at any moment.

The tank stuck in the mire also started simultaneously, its tracks spinning wildly, trying to cooperate with the leading tank to break free.

But unexpectedly, after only a moment, a crisp "bang" sounded as the steel cable snapped.

The leading tank, due to momentum, surged forward a few strides and also sank into the adjacent mud, while the tank that had been stuck was not pulled out but sank even deeper, its hull nearly submerged by the mudwater.

"It's over, another one got stuck!" the soldiers exclaimed, their faces full of despair.

A young soldier stared at the tank in the mire, his eyes reddened, his voice choked: "We've tried every method—planks, stones, towing—but nothing works; this tank is too heavy, the mire too deep, we simply can't get it out!"

Hu Xianqun stood in the rain, watching the scene before him, his heart filled with helplessness.

The Counteroffensive Mandalay Battle is not supposed to be like this.

He looked at the tanks sinking in the mire, at the soldiers' exhausted and desperate faces, feeling both anxious and guilty.

Barely after departing, his Tank Regiment's 36 T-34 tanks already had more than ten stuck in the mud.

The remaining tanks could only trudge painfully through the mire, advancing at a crawl; the former trailblazing Vanguard now lagged at the rear of the Expeditionary Force's southward column, becoming a burden to the army's advance.

"Regiment Commander, we really can't do it," a staff officer said as he approached Hu Xianqun, his tone heavy, "the rain keeps falling, the road will get worse, and if this continues, the remaining tanks will keep sinking, and eventually the entire Tank Regiment will be trapped here."

Hu Xianqun remained silent, saying nothing, wiping the rain and sweat from his face again, his eyes full of resentment.

He recalled the glory of the Mandalay battle, his expectations for the Tank Regiment, but now all of that had turned to bubbles.

He didn't understand why his Tank Regiment always broke down at critical moments, why after fighting well in Mandalay they would encounter such trouble on the southward road.

The Vanguard Unit is now stuck in Myanmar's mud, unable to move at all.

The key is, it severely affects morale.

"Try again!" Hu Xianqun snapped his head up, his tone resolute.

"Use every plank and stone you can find, involve every soldier, even if you have to dig by hand, we must get the tank out! We are the Vanguard of the Expeditionary Force; we cannot be a hindrance to the main army here!"

The soldiers, hearing this, though their faces were full of fatigue and despair, immediately rallied their spirits and threw themselves back into the rescue.

In the rain, their silhouettes moved through the mud—some digging with their hands, some carrying planks, some hauling the steel cable, each giving their all.

But the muddy road seemed like a massive trap; no matter how hard they tried, they could not pull the heavy T-34 tank out of the mire.