novelnext Chapter 105: War is not a game; it's always harder than you imagine.
Chapter 105: War is not a game; it's always harder than you imagine.
With the continuous roar of artillery fire, the Imperial Army's advance came to a halt.
Garan methodically issued the orders for rotation of troops:
The infantry formation at the forefront slowly retreated to rest behind the third line of positions; the two rear ranks of the legion advanced in an orderly manner to fill the vacant positions.
The new first rank of soldiers raised their makeshift shields.
It was called a shield, but it was really just a thick steel plate with a handle welded on. This was all the work that the entire Chaodu team had rushed to produce two days before departure.
These simple steel plates formed a solid metal wall in front of the position.
This was exactly Ronin's plan: shield bearers wouldn't have to lead the charge during marches to avoid slowing down the troops; once the battle transitioned to positional warfare, these shields would become the most convenient temporary cover, protecting the soldiers from most stray bullets and shrapnel.
The entire legion operated like a sophisticated machine.
More and more Greenskins are surging in like a tide, their numbers being five times that of the battle of the Old Mine of Vatos VII.
Huge green-skinned behemoths and oddly shaped, dilapidated tanks, mixed among ordinary boys, charged madly toward the Imperial Army's positions.
However, faced with the crossfire network woven by the Ronin Legion, they couldn't even break through the 500-meter death line.
Bullets and shells rained down, turning the enemy at the forefront into mincemeat, and the dark red earth was quickly stained deep black by green blood.
The only force that can currently pose a real threat to the Imperial Army is the green-skinned artillery boy.
They hid behind the charging troops, piecing together makeshift cannons from steel pipes and bombs, with a range almost equivalent to that of the main guns of the Leman Rustank.
A single shell landing in a crowd can instantly cause hundreds of casualties.
The moment the battle began, Victor released all the servo skulls.
Dozens of mechanical priests operated these flying probes, scanning every corner of the battlefield clearly, with the data synchronized in real time to Ronin's command panel.
Their primary objective is to locate the hidden artillery lads and then guide the petrified lizard self-propelled artillery for precise strikes.
With such perfect coordination, the threat of the artillery boy's sneak attack was quickly reduced.
However, maintaining the front line was not as easy as it seemed.
This large green-skinned tribe clearly already had a rudimentary command system.
The servo skull floating above the battlefield quickly became the target of the green-skinned anti-aircraft boys.
They fired modified shotguns and rockets randomly into the sky, and although their aim was extremely poor, servo skulls were being shot off every moment.
Fortunately, Viktor brought enough troops to prevent battlefield reconnaissance from being paralyzed.
Beneath the surface, even more undercurrents are surging.
Under the command of the war boss, the young miner is frantically digging an underground tunnel.
They are naturally adept at digging, and can accurately locate the Imperial Army's positions even in complete darkness underground.
In the heat of battle, the soldiers were suddenly horrified to discover that the ground beneath their feet had been hollowed out.
Suddenly, the openings burst open, and young miners wielding pickaxes roared as they crawled out, among them a number of suicide squads carrying explosives.
Explosions and sounds of fighting began to echo throughout the battlefield.
Even the mobile command post located in the center of the front line was attacked.
"boom!"
The ground beneath his feet suddenly trembled violently, and the ground in front of Luo Ning collapsed, revealing a hole a meter wide.
A young miner, his body completely blackened, jumped out of the hole, his explosive pack already sizzling with sparks.
At this critical moment, one of Luo Ning's guards suddenly rushed out.
He held onto the young miner tightly and dragged him back into the cave.
With a violent explosion, the entire passageway collapsed instantly.
Amidst the swirling dust, only a pool of dark red blood remained.
Luo Ning stood there, staring at the collapsed opening, somewhat dazed.
He tried hard to recall, but all he could remember was that the guard was always taciturn and always stood in the most inconspicuous position behind him.
He didn't even know the soldier's name.
Such sneak attacks continue to occur.
Although the main force maintained strict discipline and never stopped attacking the Greenskins on the front, Luo Ning's heart would clench every time he heard the explosions and cries from the position.
These soldiers were never just cold numbers in his eyes.
They were the foundation he had built up bit by bit with all his might.
Meanwhile, new situations continue to emerge on the other side of the main battlefield.
Unexpected explosions occur from time to time within the charging green-skinned troops.
It wasn't the artillery fire from Leman Rustank, nor the bombardment from the petrified lizards, but rather the green-skinned creatures that had been hit by the soldiers, which exploded into fireballs on their own.
He's the Explosives Kid.
These reckless individuals, strapped with explosives, move at incredible speeds and pose a significant threat to armored forces.
This is also one of the reasons why Luo Ning always only allowed tanks to be responsible for long-range firepower suppression; his resources were too meager to withstand any unnecessary losses.
Moreover, he never agreed with the Empire's foolish tactics of using tanks as close-combat weapons.
WAAAAGH!!
Just then, a furious roar echoed from afar, resounding throughout the entire battlefield.
All the greens roared in response, and the energy field of WAAAGH! instantly enveloped the entire battlefield.
They became more frenzied, more bloodthirsty, and fearless, their charging speed suddenly doubling.
In the center of the green-skinned ranks, dozens of green-skinned leaders, each over three meters tall, charged out.
Clad in heavy armor pieced together from scrap metal and enemy armor, they wielded enormous axes and chainsaws, leading an elite force of hulking men like a sharp dagger, piercing straight into the Imperial army's positions.
"Infantry corps, change formation! Concentrate on both flanks! Tank units, advance and prepare to engage the enemy's elite!"
Luo Ning gave the order sternly.
The soldiers immediately sprang into action. Following the pre-arranged battle plan, the originally orderly square formation quickly moved to both sides, leaving an open space in the center and forming a huge bowl-shaped encirclement.
Facing the Greenskins' elite forces, we must concentrate all our firepower and cannot afford to be careless in the slightest.
He turned to the combat nuns behind him and bowed slightly: "Nuns, would you please join the tank unit in the charge and take down the enemy's green-skinned leader?"
"For the glory of the Emperor, we have no choice but to do so," the captain of the battle nuns replied succinctly.
As soon as they finished speaking, they flipped over and jumped onto the roof of the tank.
The sanctified power swords gleamed with golden light in their hands, like sharp blades about to be drawn from their sheaths.
"Tank units, charge!"
Garland suddenly swung his arm down.
Thirteen Leman Rustam vehicles roared simultaneously, their tracks grinding across the scorched earth and kicking up clouds of iron ore dust.
Like thirteen steel behemoths, they charged headlong into the green tide without hesitation.
The clash between steel and flesh is about to unfold in the most brutal battle on this hellish land.