Chapter 530, Battle of Zhongbei River
boom! boom! boom!
A series of explosions rang out in Xiong Lei's ears.
But he was no longer moved by it.
As long as it didn't explode directly at his headquarters and didn't kill him, there was nothing to be alarmed about.
In fact, he was not so physiologically aware of the vibrations of the explosion. On the one hand, it was a habit, and on the other hand, his right ear had been half deafened in the previous battle.
He is a member of the 5th Army Group of the Alliance Army, which is also known as the 'Korojan Legion'. The troops have a history of fighting and making contributions in the Korojan Plague War.
Xiong Lei also participated in that war. That was 23 years ago, when Xiong Lei was only 19 years old.
He still remembered the decisive battle outside Mingyan City.
He was promoted very quickly.
At first he was just a private, but after following the troops into battle, he became a squad leader half an hour later, and a company commander three hours later - all his previous superiors had died, and as long as he was alive, he would be promoted quickly.
After surviving the hellish battlefield, he still felt like he was in a dream.
Too many people died, and in the end he no longer had any hope of surviving, and only hoped to drag a few more plague zombies to die with him.
He survived in a daze, and then officially became a company commander and was awarded the rank of lieutenant; then he had the opportunity to enter a military academy, and after graduation he was promoted to battalion commander and his rank was raised to captain.
Later, he participated in many wars with the troops, made some military achievements, and also led the troops in training and garrisoning during peacetime...
All in all, he had been in the alliance's military career for twenty-four years, and now he had risen to the position of division commander with the rank of colonel.
Then, he followed his army group to the northern part of Menghe star field.
At the beginning, they were the attackers, and he led the team in several offensive campaigns against several planets. In almost a year, they passed through three planets. Although the alliance was in an offensive posture as a whole, it was definitely a steady and cautious move.
In Xiong Lei's opinion, the rebels on the opposite side were not strong enough to fight. The so-called "Princess Legion", which was said to be adapted and developed from the mortal auxiliary army of the Iron Armored Corps and was a good opponent for the Star Army. However, the number of the Princess Legion was too small, and most of them were traitor troops with officers of the Princess Legion as the backbone, recruited from the local area, and many of their equipment were locally produced.
These local troops may be stronger than the regular planetary defense forces, but they definitely cannot reach the regular level of the Astra Militarum.
His division was often able to maintain the offensive, defeat the enemy, or even achieve encirclement and annihilation even when facing enemies three to five times its number.
The farthest place they fought was the 'front Beihe Star Region'.
Going from the North River to the north, you will be able to enter the Proud Claw Star Region, the southernmost part of the Spider Web Universe.
During the period when the war was going well, he even felt that the strategy was a bit too conservative.
They could have marched forward in big strides.
But now, after winning a battle, the enemy is always defeated before we can even feel the satisfaction; then, we have to start tasks like clearing out the defeated soldiers and suppressing local unrest on the spot.
The most important task was to assist the navy's transport fleet in evacuating the population from the local area.
But in the first year, I felt that the war was going so smoothly that it was a bit boring. In the next two years, I was beaten and ran away everywhere.
He believes that this is a strategic issue from above.
Strategically, they were shrinking, and many planets began to evacuate forces when the enemy was about to approach. He followed the retreat twice, and often did not even see the enemy when he left.
There are successful evacuations, and there are also failed evacuations.
Although a failed evacuation would not mean the end of them, not evacuating would mean that they would have to face the enemy's endless attacks on an isolated planet with a lack of food and medicine and without reinforcements and supplies. The outcome would not be a good one.
Although this misfortune did not befall him, Xiong Lei still couldn't help but feel sad for the other party.
He thought that they should just hold on to the various planets and fight the invading enemies head-on!
What are you afraid of?
Can't we defeat him?!
Then, he realized that it was not that he could not defeat the enemy, but at least it was really difficult to defeat him.
He and his troops withdrew to the Zhongbeihe Star Region, to a planet named Yuehe VII. This was the southernmost planet in the Zhongbeihe Star Region, and was also a planet on the blockade line before the Alliance launched an attack on the rebel-controlled area. It was a world that had undergone several years of fortification construction.
Adequate defense means that when the enemy hits you in the face, the defending side will have a greater home advantage.
Especially when the naval power is inferior to that of the opponent.
Adequately constructed anti-aircraft orbital gun fortresses and space stations in space can provide cover for the ground when naval forces are insufficient.
Xiong Lei knew that his naval force was indeed insufficient. After the enemy's forces entered this star field, his fragile fleet was forced to withdraw, otherwise it would be annihilated.
But it is precisely because of the defenses on the ground and in orbit that the ground troops are free from, or at least greatly reduce, the threat of orbital bombing.
Xiong Lei himself is a beneficiary.
Otherwise, the fortress where his division was stationed would probably have been destroyed by orbital bombardment without the enemy even having to attack.
Then, the enemy's ground offensive began.
A large number of rebel troops were dropped to the ground in relatively safe airspace and began to attack various stubborn defense nodes on the ground.
During the ground combat phase, his division had a total of 50,000 people, but the number of enemies he faced in the fortress area was several times his number.
The defense forces urgently recruited from the local planets had been completely defeated in the fierce battle. These low-level temporary forces were completely unreliable.
But Xiong Lei could also get a glimpse of the enemy's combat effectiveness.
The way these genuine "Princess's Legion" rebels fought the Alliance's recruited Allied Forces was similar to how the Alliance Army beat the Planetary Defense Force trained by the Princess's advisors.
And in the real close combat between the two sides, these main forces of the rebels also clearly demonstrated the strength level of their authentic Star Army.
Coupled with the numerical advantage, the 5th SS Division under the 311th Army Group, which he led, faced great pressure.
However, the complete defense facilities once again helped him a lot.
During the fortification construction in the past few years, not only anti-orbital defenses were taken into consideration, but also the possibility of encountering ground attacks.
The entire fortress was well-designed, with ample space inside to accommodate the artillery of the 311th Division. The heavy artillery fiercely struck at all invading enemies.
On the contrary, the enemy's long-range firepower and air superiority were not very effective.
The 311th Division also had its own aviation unit, so it had the ability to resist. The air defenses in the fortress were also sufficient, so the rebel fighters could not launch attacks recklessly, let alone drop bombs accurately without distraction. The precious missiles were also very easy to be intercepted.
The artillery firing in return was no match at all.
Although the rebels' heavy artillery was equally good in terms of specifications and quantity, the difference was that the rebels' artillery could only be placed in the wild, at best in field fortifications and with a little cover, how could it compare with the artillery of the 311th Division placed in a fortress with permanent fortifications?
If a falling shell hits within forty or fifty meters of a field fortification, it can kill the artillery operating team; if it is closer, the artillery itself will be damaged.
At the same distance, if the attack reaches a fortress, it may be blocked by the intricate and solid walls.
The strength of the Princess's Legion was not exaggerated. Under such conditions, they still seized the opportunity, brought some siege weapons, blasted open the main gate of the fortress, and destroyed part of the fortress wall.
But this was not a war of the cold weapon era, and victory could not be achieved by simply breaking down doors or blowing up walls. The rebels who entered the fortress, in a complex and unfamiliar terrain, engaged in brutal street fighting with the allied forces who had taken full advantage of the terrain, and suffered heavy losses.
Even Xiong Lei seized the opportunity and showed his fangs after holding on for two months.
He dispatched the armored units that were not very useful in defensive battles, and took advantage of the specially designed expressway in the fortress to launch an active attack. Under the cover of concentrated rapid artillery fire, he defeated a part of the enemy reinforcements, destroyed not only the enemy's siege machinery, but also two artillery positions, and temporarily cut off the connection between the enemy troops pouring into the fortress and the outside world.
The various infantry regiments closed the door and took this opportunity to completely wipe out the enemy troops in the fortress.
This combination of attacks dealt a heavy blow to the rebels. The huge loss of manpower and the damage to heavy equipment would significantly reduce their subsequent siege capabilities on the fortress.
After the first battle, the defensive pressure faced by the 311th Division suddenly eased.
The army even sent him reinforcements. The 077th and 240th Infantry Divisions also joined him and were under his unified command.
Although it was said that the war situation on the entire planet was still very tight for the Alliance, at least in the fortress where Xiong Lei was stationed, the situation was relatively good. He patted his chest and assured the general of the group army that his troops could defend the fortress until the end of time, and the enemy would not capture or destroy the railgun array in the fortress.
But you can't say everything.
As soon as he made the promise, he suffered a disaster.
Unexpectedly, the enemy launched another fierce attack.
He was a little confused at first.
We haven't detected the enemy's reinforcements coming, and there is a lack of cover from heavy vehicles such as tanks. The number of artillery in the rear has not recovered, resulting in poor fire cover. In this situation, wouldn't it be a waste of life to attack the fortress that has just been reinforced?
However, he soon found out what the rebels relied on.
Space Marine.
There are reports that a team of orange-and-yellow painted Space Marines have sneaked into the fortress and started killing people.
The super soldiers from the Fury Regiment brought immediate changes to the battle situation.
For a moment, Xiong Lei, who originally thought that his defenses were extremely strict, immediately felt what it meant to be overwhelmed.
Not until such great losses and chaos had occurred did he realize the exact number of enemies - five.
Just five Space Marines were enough to turn his world upside down!
Usually two or three partners would attack. They would move in a mysterious way, and once they found a high-value target or strategic point, they would attack decisively. After defeating or destroying the stronghold, they would often be able to evacuate before the alliance's reinforcements arrived. If they were really surrounded, they would break through without hesitation and fight their way out.
In just a few days, at least a thousand soldiers died at the hands of these five angry men.
The loss of personnel is secondary. After all, Xiong Lei now has three divisions. His own 311th Division is still a skeleton division of more than people, and the two newly added infantry divisions each have more than people.
However, where these deaths occur is critical.
Several firepower points that were originally easy to defend but difficult to attack were eliminated, allowing the enemy to rush into the fortress more smoothly; a regiment headquarters command post was beheaded, causing the command system to become disordered, forcing Xiong Lei to send a staff officer to take over the command; a small artillery position was attacked, and three Furys slaughtered half of the artillery battalion and blew up the artillery...
These losses triggered a chain reaction, resulting in greater casualties and the loss of multiple peripheral defense blocks.
The advantage of defensive terrain was reduced, and the two sides began to be gradually pulled to a relatively fair level to fight.
But this is not the result Xiong Lei wants to see.
Casualties increased sharply, and positions were lost one after another. His staff had already given the worst estimate: if they continued to fight like this, they would lose all their positions within two or three months and be driven out. The rail guns that they must not lose would also be occupied by the enemy.
That would be terrible, worse than being destroyed. The orbital gun with the muzzle turned around could be used to attack the space station in the sky, and the opposing naval fleet would work together from the inside and outside, which would double the pressure.
So he came up with an idea.
He wants to kill these angry people.
"The Fury Group is nothing more than our alliance's defeated enemies, who were driven out of the Dragon Eagle Star Region in disgrace. If we can drive them away once, we can do it a second time!"
He encouraged people in this way, but he knew in his heart how difficult this task was.
He deployed a mobile force, and the sentinel mechas at the division headquarters were gathered together, and a small number of elite feedback power armors were also ready to go.
These were all he could bring to fight against the Space Marines.
Moreover, you cannot get stuck into fighting in a particularly narrow area, otherwise the larger Sentinel Mechs will not be able to enter, and you will not be as flexible as them, so you will be slaughtered.
Finally, the right opportunity was seized.
When the two Furys were about to evacuate after assaulting a firepower point, they were surrounded. During their breakout, the mobile force prepared by Xiong Lei arrived.
More than thirty Sentinel mechas and ten elite Skeleton Division soldiers wearing feedback power armor engaged in a life-and-death battle with the two Furies.
----
I fell asleep after dinner... and woke up at two o'clock...
(End of this chapter)