Chapter 148, Take the initiative to attack (6k please subscribe!)
Regarding Governor Gu's request, Martins accepted it without hesitation.
This is indeed what they are good at - at least one of the things they are good at.
Space Marines are great, but their lack of numbers is always a big disadvantage. On any battlefield of a certain scale and intensity, it would be extremely foolish to throw elite but scarce Space Marines into frontal combat to compete with others, and the Space Marines themselves would not accept that kind of order.
No matter how hard the power armor is, to be honest, it can't withstand a 155mm grenade blast; no matter how powerful the bolt gun is, it won't be a big problem to penetrate the locally produced 'Challenger' tank, but if it encounters the regular Astra Militarum on the top battlefield, The Lion Tank and even the Lion Tank are just scratching people’s itch.
They are sharp knives and should not be used as hammers.
Taking advantage of the fact that Gu Hang needs three days to prepare his troops and launch a counterattack, the five Phoenix warriors will sneak into the enemy's rear to find and mark high-value strategic targets.
Accompanying them were 28 soldiers from the 'Storm Squadron'. They were the elite Marines on the original Quintet. Now they have been trained by Gu Hang to the T3 level. Their individual strength is guaranteed. Even if they are fighting in close combat, it will not be a big problem to kill an ordinary green-skinned boy.
They will accept the temporary leadership of the Phoenix, follow orders and act together.
Without further ado, thirty-three people in total set off under the cover of night.
They started from the southernmost side of the entire north-south front. In order to cover their actions, the 4th Infantry Regiment of the 7th Garrison Division stationed there also launched an active attack.
An artillery battalion was allocated to the joint artillery position in the rear. Thirty artillery pieces advanced five kilometers and fired twenty rounds of fire coverage in the direction where the infantry regiment was about to attack.
The first five rounds were fired rapidly, and the next four rounds were fired almost every three or four minutes, maintaining the overall bombing rhythm.
Those greenskins were blown away.
It’s not like they haven’t been bombed in the past. But generally speaking, when they launch an attack, those shrimps will ask for artillery support from the rear. At that time, there will be relatively fierce firepower to cover their attack or retreat route.
The main goal is to block their attack and cause damage.
Or after their iron barrel artillery fires, there are many cases where the shrimps will fight back.
Like today, it's not like I never fired at my own position, but I only did it occasionally.
Like this moment, within an hour, 600 rounds of heavy artillery were dropped on a small area. This was really a situation that had never been encountered before.
At least, I haven't seen any greenskins stationed here.
The orc leader here, named Gu Li, was not killed. The fortification he was in was built on the ruins of a reinforced concrete building by further transporting various construction waste materials. It was quite strong. Unless the heavy artillery hits the fortification where he is, just fragments and shock waves will not be able to do anything here.
However, there are not many fortification structures in the entire position that can reach this level of protection. In addition, the shelling came too suddenly, and the casualties may not be small.
Of course, the main casualties came from the early stage, and those who were still alive later were all hiding in various anti-gun fortifications. It is true that there will still be a lot of losses, but they will always be within an acceptable range.
However, even after he understood this, Gu Li was still anxiously pacing left and right in the fortification, spitting out all kinds of green-skinned curse words.
He knew that the inexplicable violent firing of those shrimps was definitely not for fun. In his green head, he could clearly think that this was probably the prelude for those shrimps to take the initiative to attack.
But he couldn't run out of the fortifications at the moment and kick the boys' butts to cheer them up and prepare for the battle.
The artillery overhead will blow up every few minutes, and if you leave the fortifications, you will be killed easily.
You can't fight if you're killed by a bomb.
He could only hold back his anger and continue to hide.
But soon, the opportunity for a fight came.
After the last round of shelling, no new shells were seen falling within ten minutes, but the sound of gunshots and shouts of fighting were heard.
He cheered up and rushed out of the fortification with a few boys.
Arriving at the ground that had been blasted by heavy artillery, the heat and smoke had not had time to dissipate.
He looked towards the direction where the gunfire came from, and not too far away, he vaguely saw the shrimps rushing over.
Those shrimps moved forward quickly, constantly detaching manpower to clear out the debris of every fortification and building they passed.
In Guli's impression, there are many places where his own boys are stationed. However, fighting took place in only a few of them.
In those places where there was no fighting, the shrimps just went in for a while and then came out again.
Gu Li could think that the boys he sent to guard those places were probably killed in the previous bombardment. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to watch Xiami walk in and ignore him.
How many boys died?
He doesn't know.
He shouted loudly: "Waaagh!! Boys! Get out of here! Xiami is coming! It's time to show how capable we are! Don't let Xiami look down on us!"
"waaagh!!"
The war roars of many green-skinned boys came from the surrounding area. A group of green-skinned boys crawled out of the bunkers where they had been hiding. Some even drove out armed pickup trucks that had survived the previous bombardment, and some pushed out iron buckets. A bundled 'artillery'.
However, the overall number seems to be much less than the estimated bone strength.
Half the people didn't come out.
Those big booms of shrimp are still very powerful.
But it doesn't matter!
Even if only half of the people are left, they can still kill all the shrimps who dare to come out to fight!
Gu Li leads the boys under his command and charges forward!
……
Observing the situation on the front line, Ryder Mesheko couldn't help but shook his head.
He was a sergeant in the original Cody Company. Later, he signed up as a trainee political commissar during the recruitment of Lieutenant Colonel Thaddeus, and then was sent to the 7th Garrison Division during the reorganization in Junk Town. 4th Regiment, served as political commissar, and his military rank jumped directly to captain.
The military ranks rose very quickly, but this was a very common situation among the old troops who had followed Gu Hang for a long time. The army is expanding very quickly. As long as veterans are loyal and willing to improve, they will be promoted very quickly.
When the rear headquarters asked them to fully cooperate with the Phoenix Chapter's actions, and Chapter Commander Martins asked them to launch a covering frontal attack, Mesheko resolutely carried out the task.
He knew that their captain was not willing to do this, even when the adventurers were transformed into regular troops, the organization was disrupted as much as possible, and the personal attributes of the adventure captains who became officers were stripped away. However, the nature of these former adventurers is still not so easy to erase.
They will instinctively fear such tasks that require a lot of sacrifice, especially to cover the actions of others.
However, this is the difference between a soldier and an adventurer.
Under his strong pressure and military orders, the 4th Infantry Regiment launched the attack.
Before a fight begins, both soldiers and officers are fearful.
In the past, the shadow brought by the green skins to them was too great. Even if hundreds of artillery shells hit them in front and opened the way for them, they would still be instinctively afraid when they came up.
This is where Ryder Mesheko is dissatisfied.
But fortunately, after the fight started, the resistance the troops encountered face to face was not strong.
The greenskin troops were obviously stunned by the explosion. A large number of greenskins died in the fortifications. There were not many that could form resistance in the first place.
Those greenskins still showed a strong will to fight. In close range shooting, it often took the lives of two or three people to kill a greenskin; if they were caught in close range, they were not Even if the soldiers of the Beast Slaughter Corps have bayonets, they often don't dare to fight.
This is not a question of technical tactics or military skills, but a question of morale and courage.
But in the end, the 4th regiment defeated the greenskins with their greater numbers.
It turns out that greenskins can also run away. When three or five greenskins emerged from the fortifications and saw hundreds of human soldiers coming towards them with guns, they would run away with their heads in their hands.
Some were beaten to death from behind, and greenskins like this were the most looked down upon.
Soon, the few green-skinned boys who escaped alive came back to kill them. Behind them, a large number of greenskins rushed out, the total number must be upwards of two hundred.
The greenskins howled and laughed at the fleeing boys, and the greenskins who were laughed at rushed back in anger.
During the exchange of fire, greenskins continued to fall, and soldiers continued to fall.
This is a bloody fight. When one greenskin falls, two or three human soldiers will be beaten to death.
If the fight continues with this exchange ratio, of course the human side will still win. Especially when they also took out weapons such as rocket launchers and mortars. An armed pickup truck that rushed over was blown to pieces halfway.
It would only cost about five hundred casualties at most.
This is based on the worst-case scenario. In fact, when a certain number of greenskins are killed, their threat level will decrease sharply, and their morale will collapse and they will turn around and run away, just like the ones they encountered just now.
If we keep fighting, humans won't be able to kill so many people.
But even so, the first to shrink back and not dare to move forward were the human soldiers.
The comrades whose bodies were beaten to pieces by the green-skinned powerful firearms made them terrified. After suffering over a hundred casualties, they actually seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
Ryder Mesheko was furious.
He roared at the regimental commander beside him: "Look at these soldiers! What a shame!"
The leader of the 4th regiment was in trouble and could not tell.
Didn't he give an order, requiring all troops to maintain the front line and push forward hard, but what should I do if they just can't push?
He didn't dare to talk back. This red hat was a direct officer sent by the governor, like a military supervisor.
Seeing his appearance, Mesheko was even more angry.
"Go to the front line! Let's go to the front line together! We must lead by example!"
He took out his pistol and grabbed the leader.
The two men, as well as the guard company, began to press forward in person.
Mesheko knows that as a commander, the biggest responsibility is to direct the battle, not to be on the front line. Even if he is at the front, how different is his combat ability from an ordinary soldier?
But this is a special moment and there is nothing to direct. What the soldiers lacked was not strategy or tactics, but courage.
That requires senior officers to lead by example and take the lead.
While pressing forward with the guard company and regimental commander, he encountered a team that was fighting and retreating.
Mesheko was so angry that he found the company commander of the team, grabbed his collar, and roared loudly: "The military order given to you is to advance! Advance! Advance again! Who told you to retreat?" ? ”
"I..." The company commander turned pale and was speechless.
Mesheko kicked him in the stomach, kicked him down, and raised his pistol to his head:
"Retreating without authorization and refusing to advance will be regarded as deserters. As an officer, the crime will be increased!"
"No, no..." The company commander was still trying to argue, and the regiment commander standing next to Mesheko also wanted to persuade him.
But Mesheko didn't bother to listen and just pulled the trigger.
The bullet passed through the head of the officer who had just obtained the rank of second lieutenant, and his body fell weakly.
Then, Mesheko shouted to the company instructor who was looking a little dumbfounded: "You take over the command now! Follow me with your company!"
The instructor nodded suddenly as if waking up from a dream, and quickly called the team.
Mesheko waved his hand again, motioning for the guard company to follow, and at the same time said to the regiment commander next to him: "For the governor! We must win! You can't do what you did before! We are soldiers! We are not looking for food in the garbage dump. Scavengers!”
"I...I understand."
"Take up the gun! Fight like a warrior!"
Seeing that the regiment commander had taken the plunge, Mesheko picked up the mobile phone again and issued an order to the instructors of each company in the regiment, strictly ordering them to ensure that the troops were always in an offensive posture. If they were afraid of fighting, they could be executed immediately.
Then, Mesheko raised his pistol and fired into the air, roaring towards the surrounding area: "Comrades! Charge with me!"
Under his stern orders, and after he and the regiment leader led the guard company to personally participate in the battle, the timid attitude of the entire unit was finally reversed. Under the leadership of officers at all levels, especially the political chiefs under the instructor system, the team began to resume its offensive posture.
As the distance between the two sides got closer, the battle quickly became more bloody and cruel. The advantages of the greenskins in close combat were brought into play, and the casualties suffered by the human soldiers became greater. However, at the same time, the advantages of the human side with more people and stronger firepower were still maintained, and the accuracy of close-range shooting was still maintained. Also higher.
Human soldiers continued to fall, and some officers even died in battle, but the greenskins fell also faster.
When the loss of the 4th regiment reached 15%, that is, when more than 200 people fell, there were only about 70 or 80 greenskins left.
Gu Li clearly knew that they had fallen into a desperate situation.
Since they were too close, retreat was impossible; but the bloody battle had fully activated the warlike factor in his heart. His skin became greener, and his size also grew slightly during the battle.
"Waaagh!" he howled, rushing out of the bunker and towards the nearest position occupied by human soldiers.
Under his infection, all the greenskins who were still alive entered a violent state.
The final charge began.
Armed with a heavy gun, Gu Li opened fire six times during the charge, killing five soldiers. At the same time, he was hit by at least hundreds of bullets. He was bleeding from everywhere, almost hiding his green skin; one of his eyes was blinded, but the remaining one became more ferocious.
He rushed into the position where the infantry platoon was located, and instantly turned into a meat grinder on the battlefield. The thick-backed machete in his hand rotated like a whirlwind of death. In just a short time, the soldiers here were killed. They were slaughtered.
Although the human soldiers had followed the tactical ethics and attached their bayonets to fight him as soon as he approached, the two sides were not on the same level in terms of strength, ability to withstand strikes, or even flexibility. He was stabbed seven or eight times by the bayonet, and his bones showed no signs of exhaustion. However, he killed all the soldiers who dared to fight closely with him with his backhand.
When all the courageous people are gone, the rest will have no will to fight.
After all the sergeants were killed, the few remaining members of the infantry platoon fled in panic; after the company instructor who came to support also had his upper body shot off, the entire company began to collapse.
This formed a chain reaction. The greenskins who charged with Bone Force, after paying more than 20 casualties, defeated a company that was attacking from the front. Then the two companies next to them were caught off guard and faced them. The green skins that rushed towards him with a ferocious look also showed signs of collapse.
Ryder Mesheko observed the signs.
He will never allow the victory he has gained to appear to be lost again. He immediately led the guard company to block the gap, and strictly ordered several surrounding companies to block it as well.
In his words, the remaining fifty greenskins could be killed at the expense of human lives.
Guli also saw the red hat who kept shouting, and he howled and rushed towards it. The loaded gun fired wildly in the direction of Mesheko.
In a moment, three or four soldiers around Mesheko were killed, and the green-skinned leader, who could not be defeated no matter how hard he hit him, came straight towards him.
Mesheko's mood was very calm at the moment.
He knew he had made a mistake, that he had forcibly raised the morale of the entire regiment, and that he was now so close to the front that the enemy could charge directly at him. If he died here, the morale of the entire regiment might collapse.
At that time, it will really become a joke about thousands of numbers being overwhelmed by dozens of greenskins.
But this mistake has to be made. This unit, which had just been reorganized from adventurers, had not yet had time to implement the ideological work, and its morale was not high. If he had not done this before, I am afraid that it would not be able to reach the level it is today.
He knew the odds were against him, but he couldn't escape either.
He could only take out his pistol and stand still, his black coat swaying in the wind.
He held his head high and kept firing bullets at the greenskin rushing towards him.
Even if you die, you must die standing.
He hoped that his appearance before his death would affect the soldiers around him. The enemies are just at the end of their powerful crossbows. As long as they hold on for one more breath, they can all be killed.
The pistol ammunition's damage to the green skin was quite limited, and it could only be said to be a symbolic resistance.
But at this moment, a blast of gunfire came from behind him.
Immediately afterwards, heavy footsteps approached quickly and quickly passed him.
It was a giant wearing red power armor.
The Emperor's angels have arrived.
The gunshots in front were obviously blasters.
The flying bombs hit the three greenskins behind Bone Li, killing them all with one shot.
At the level of a Space Marine veteran, at a distance of tens of meters, the bullets were flawless. The power of the bolt gun cannot be compared to the small water pipe of the G9 rifle. A shot hitting a green-skinned person would be fatal.
However, the two explosive bombs that hit Guli did not kill it. The previous shot, he turned around and dodged at the critical moment - it was not that he could actually dodge the bullet, but that he made a pre-judgment action when he saw the Space Marine rushing out from behind the red hat firing.
As for the shot that hit him later, it hit his right chest solidly, opening a big hole. However, the orc leader, who was caught in a rage, only paused for a moment, but was not weak at all, and continued howling and charging.
Gu Li had never seen such a shrimp that looked similar to his own, let alone that guy's whole body wrapped in red cans. But he already felt that it was a powerful enemy, and he was excited that he could face such a powerful enemy!
He raised his thick-backed machete high and slashed at the red-armored giant.
The charging phoenix warrior twisted his waist to dodge the slashing attack, then revealed a combat blade and stabbed it into the green-skinned waist and abdomen. Following the force of the charge, with another swipe, a large amount of blood mixed with internal organs sprayed out.
But Gu Li is not dead yet! He even has the energy to fight back!
He grabbed the Space Marine's arm with one hand, pulled it suddenly, and with a twist of his feet, he actually fell to the ground.
Gu Li turned over and pressed forward, grinning ferociously, as if he couldn't feel the pain in his waist and abdomen. He pressed the lower edge of the Space Marine's helmet with one hand, and raised the thick-backed machete high with the other hand, as if he was going to cut off the head of the phoenix.
However, this knife could not cut it down.
During this process, the Phoenix, who had fallen to the ground and was pinned down, had quickly stabbed Gu Li several times in the heart and neck with a combat dagger, completely ending his life.
Pushing the corpse away, the red-armored warrior stood up and looked around. The battle was almost over.
(End of chapter)