Chapter 648: A crushing advance
However, everything is not over yet. For the dwarf defenders on the road of hardship, this is just the beginning of a nightmare.
With the detailed intelligence provided by Cassius, the military engineers of the Burning Empire knew the internal structure of the fortress well and developed targeted tactics.
For the current empire, as long as it obtains accurate intelligence, it can basically seal the victory of the war.
"Boom——"
The engine roared, steam filled the air, and the steel behemoth let out a dull roar, grinding across the ground of the grinding road.
The traps such as trip ropes and hidden nails set by the dwarves were ruthlessly crushed by the tank's hard tracks, just like a joke.
The triggered poisonous arrows, burning stones, and iron spikes falling from the sky were unable to break through the thick armor of the steam tank.
In past wars, the dwarves used various methods to deal with the orc army, causing huge casualties and accumulating a lot of experience. However, when these methods were used on the imperial army, they had no effect at all.
Instead, the empire's bullets fired a barrage of bullets, causing heavy casualties to the dwarves hiding in the dark.
"Corder, go to Darkroom No. 3!"
"Quick, start the rolling stones!"
"We smash these iron bumps into pieces, otherwise we won't be able to stop them at all!"
"Damn, how on earth did they make such a big piece of steel move? What the hell is this!"
The dwarf warriors shuttled back and forth in the passage, anxiously communicating with each other, using their special skills, but they were helpless against these terrible "iron lumps".
Listening to the intensive sound of bullets and looking at the dwarf corpses piled on the ground in front of him, Cord's legs trembled, but he still went to the darkroom and turned on the mechanism at the urging of his companions.
Huddled in the observation tower at the top of the valley, Cord murmured to himself: "It must be possible. Even the strongest beast giant will be crushed into meat cakes when encountering the rolling stones I designed. Those iron lumps are impossible" < br>
With a crisp sound, the lever was pulled, and the mechanism was triggered instantly.
"Click!"
After a series of ingenious chain effects, boulders weighing hundreds of tons rolled down one after another from the top of the grinding road, causing dust to fly, stone chips to fly, the ground to tremble, and a muffled sound to be heard.
"Boom——"
These heavy boulders were rolling and roaring towards the steam tanks, and due to the narrowness of the valley, there was no room for them to avoid.
Looking at the boulders that were approaching and accumulating terrifying power, Cord's heart was beating fast and he muttered: "Quickly, crash through them and drive these imperial people out of the mountain kingdom."
In previous wars, the rolling stones designed by Cord had caused huge casualties to the orcs.
Facing boulders weighing hundreds of tons, even the strongest beast giants are powerless. After all, they are only flesh and blood.
A huge boulder rolling down can often cause hundreds of enemy casualties and crush a large number of orcs into meat pies.
However, at this moment, a sudden change occurred. The steam tank slowly rotated the main turret, and the black muzzle was aimed at the boulder, bursting out with fierce and dazzling fire.
"Boom!"
With a loud bang, the boulder was hit by the cannonball and exploded on the spot, turning into countless pieces of rubble under the stunned eyes of the dwarves.
Under such an explosion, the entire valley was shaken, and even the top of the secret passage had gravel and dust falling.
In the cockpit, a goblin was sitting in the main gunner's position and said excitedly: "Boss, we hit it!"
"Ouch!"
The commander behind him, Bill, who was a dragon-veined goblin, slapped him hard and angrily said: "I never said before, don't fucking fire in the valley! Do you want to bury us all in it? ”
The goblin covered the back of his head and shrugged, while the tank observer next to him shouted: "Boss, the next wave is coming!"
Bill ordered angrily: "Activate impact protection!"
The remaining boulders also rolled down one after another. As the steam tank in the front row, Bill's crew had to bear more defensive pressure.
And just when those boulders were about to hit the armor in front of the tank, several sharp tooth-like steel thorns suddenly stretched out, and their sharp tips shone with the aura of magic - it was the constant disintegration technique.
"Keng——"
The moment it came into contact with those iron thorns, dense cracks suddenly appeared on the boulder, and then it shattered and turned into powder in mid-air.
"What on earth is this? Moradin is on top, the God of Craftsmen is on top, how can there be such a thing."
On the observation deck at the top of the valley, Cord gasped. These invulnerable iron lumps were far beyond his imagination.
He had also heard about the terrifying steel golems of the Fadlan Empire, but even Fadlan would not send out hundreds of steel golems at once.
——But the Empire's steam tanks were different. At this moment, they broke into the grinding road one after another, rampaging and tearing apart the dwarves' defense line.
At the end of the grinding road, there are dwarf heavy infantry holding huge shields like city walls. But can they withstand the impact of the empire's steel frenzy?
The tragic scene in the cave just now appeared in his mind. The corpses of the dwarves were piled on the ground, their bodies were covered with bullet holes, and the smell of blood and pungent gunpowder filled the cave.
Cord's heart suddenly sank to the bottom, and endless despair filled his heart.
Can they really resist such an army?
Outside the plain, Dror looked at the valley where gunfire continued, and said to the adjutant next to him: "Have all the thirty tanks of the first armored battalion gone in?"
"Yes, General, they have all entered the training path and are in good condition." The adjutant replied solemnly.
Dror smiled ferociously, then turned on the intercom and said softly: "The time is almost up, let these dwarves have a taste of the empire's special barbecue."
The hobgoblin general gave an order, and several metal barrels protruded from the sides of the steam tanks in the valley, emitting the pungent smell of gasoline.
Suddenly, a bad premonition arose in Code's heart at the top of the valley, and he felt something was not good.
Having seen the power of machine guns and main cannons, the dwarf craftsman did not dare to underestimate those mysterious metal pipes, and he also smelled the smell of kerosene
Cord murmured to himself: "Isn't it bad!"
"Boom!"
Along with the sound of air bursting, long dragons of hot flames suddenly shot out of those cannon barrels, pouring straight into the secret passage of the dwarves.
This is the empire's specially customized gift for the dwarves who like to hide in secret passages - the flamethrower, which is affectionately called the "BBQ Expert" by the imperial military.
This is not a magical flame, but a technological creation that can spray a mixture of napalm and certain thickeners. It will emit burning liquid that flows around, effectively hitting various shooting dead spots.
When the driver pulls the trigger, a spring-loaded valve opens and high-pressure flammable liquid flows through the ignition device and out of the nozzle.
"Hoo ho!"
The terrible flames poured into the secret passage of the dwarves. Those dwarves lurking in the secret passage were unable to avoid it, and their whole bodies burned. Even the dwarves hiding behind stone bunkers will be contaminated by the spray of gasoline and burn quickly.
"Fire! Flames everywhere! Damn it!"
"I'm on fire! Where is the water?"
"I, I can't see clearly! There is thick smoke everywhere, Moradin is on top, is this hell?"
Thick black smoke filled the cave, and thick and short figures were burned all over. They struggled and wailed in the flames and smoke, and were eventually burned to death, turning into charred corpses everywhere.
And that's not the most terrifying thing. The napalm sprayed by the flamethrower continues to burn, constantly producing thick smoke and consuming the oxygen in the secret tunnel.
Soon, thick smoke poured into the connected secret passages, causing many dwarves to cough repeatedly, suffocate to death, or even choke to death.
"Hell. This is hell! We are trapped here!"
Listening to the wailing of the dwarves, Bill, the dragon-blooded goblin in the tank cockpit, couldn't help but hum a popular ditty.
Bill grinned: "Hey, hey, let these stubborn dwarves have a taste of gasoline and fire."
At this time, the secret passages extending in all directions on both sides of the grinding road had become a purgatory on earth, filled with flames and smoke everywhere, and the dwarves' whines and coughs continued one after another.
Cord was lucky enough to be at the top of the secret passage and at the air outlet, so he was not greatly affected.
"No, not really."
But listening to the crackling sound of the burning flames, hearing the cries and coughs of the dwarves of the same race in the secret passage, and feeling the acrid smoke and heat waves coming towards his face, Cord's psychological defense almost collapsed.
"The traps I made and the secret passages I made are obviously perfect."
The dwarf craftsman did not know that while they were forging repeatedly in the mountains day and night, the world had quietly changed.
I saw the fire dragons spurting out of the steam tanks, like brutal red dragons, mercilessly slaughtering the dwarves in the secret passage.
Thick smoke filled the valley and continued to pour out of the caves.
The secret passage that the dwarves are proud of, this defensive position that once left the orcs and giants helpless, has now become their burial cemetery.
"Charge, charge, crush these dwarves, capture Avendeldan!"
In the cabin, the dragon-veined goblins cheered enthusiastically. They screamed and howled as they drove the steam tank through the thick smoke and headed in the direction of Avendeldan.
Cord looked at the huge black figures in the smoke screen with a deathly expression, and stretched out his trembling hand in the direction of Evanderdan.
"Evandeldan must not fall"
"Bang!"
There was a gunshot, and a small hole flowing with blood appeared between Cord's eyebrows, and his body fell to one side.
Just like that, the body of the dwarf craftsman fell from the top of the valley, making no sound anymore. On this battlefield, life is so cheap.
The old dwarf, who called himself "Master Craftsman" and "Trap Master", never imagined that he would die so easily.
"Hit!"
The Imperial soldiers holding rifles below let out a cheer.
According to the tactics specified by the Imperial Staff, tanks were responsible for the main offensive advance, while infantry would follow behind the armored forces to cover and finish.
They should have experienced a round of artillery bombardment first, but considering the special characteristics of the valley and fearing that it would collapse, they did not do so.
These soldiers who followed the tank troops and carried out the finishing work were basically half-red dragonmen covered in scales. They were not afraid of flames and smoke and could move freely in them.
In this way, even if there are dwarves who escape from the secret passage and hide above the valley, they will be easily taken over by soldiers with superb marksmanship.
"Cord, Cord died like this!" At the top of the valley, another dwarf warrior witnessed the death of the old dwarf, his master, and suddenly fell into a huge panic.
His name is Burne, and he is also a dwarf craftsman. He is not good at fighting and is often called a "coward" by his fellow tribesmen.
Having seen his master's miserable situation, Bourne shivered and shrank between the gaps in the stone, trying not to expose his body to the imperial soldiers below.
Suddenly, Bourne felt his eyes go dark, and some kind of smelly and viscous liquid dripped on his face. He touched it and suddenly felt something bad.
"This is...no way."
The dwarf raised his head in despair and saw an incredibly large bipedal flying dragon landing on top of his head, saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth.
"Roar——"
The flying dragon spread its ferocious wings and let out a roar, and the smelly hot wind hit his face.
"No, don't eat me, our dwarves' meat is very hard!" Bourne was shaking violently, covering his eyes with his hands, and trying his best to squeeze into the cracks in the stone.
But soon, the dwarf was taken out by the flying dragon and torn into pieces in mid-air. The bloody limbs were scattered like rain.
At this time, hundreds of bipedal flying dragons were already waving their wings, descending on the top of the valley one after another, constantly falling from the sky, killing the dwarves on them.
The dwarves never imagined that they would not only have to face the fire underground, but also face attacks from the sky.
"Boom——"
The steam tanks are still advancing ahead, and they are about to break through the obstacles of the Grinding Road and arrive in front of the walls of Avendeldan.
The observers in the cabin could even see the light at the exit of the valley and the majestic fortress built against the mountains in the distance.
But soon, a wall appeared in front of the tank corps - that was the dwarf heavy infantry.
These dwarf heavy infantry were wearing shiny heavy armor and holding huge shields. They lined up in a dense formation to block the exit of the valley, with a determined gaze in their eyes.
This legion has withstood countless orc attacks and repelled the tidal wave of beasts.
But for the nearly three-meter-tall tanks of the Empire, these dwarves blocking the exit are not walls at all, not even a low wall, but can only be regarded as a low slope.
If they were closer, the driver in the cabin wouldn't be able to see them.
In the cabin, Bill looked at the dwarf heavy infantry in front of him and showed a ferocious smile: "It's so bizarre to want to stop the empire's tank charge with my flesh and blood body!
(End of chapter)