Munitions Empire-Chapter 1021 - : War of 943 Mercenaries

Chapter 1021: War of 943 Mercenaries

The weapons used by the Dahua Empire’s snipers are the precisely made Shireck bolt-action rifles. After the battle began, the Fengjiang snipers gradually switched to the G43 semi-automatic rifles previously equipped by the Great Tang Empire, which come standard with a four-power scope.

The performance of this rifle for the Fengjiang snipers is actually quite remarkable already; it does not require pulling the bolt to chamber a round and can fire continuously. Aside from a slight lack in accuracy, it excels in all other aspects.

From the perspective of weaponry, the Fengjiang snipers are somewhat more formidable than those of the Dahua Empire, especially since they have all undergone training by snipers from the Great Tang Empire, making their tactics sharper as well.

These Fengjiang snipers have also inflicted substantial casualties on soldiers of the Dahua Empire. Although they themselves have suffered heavy losses, the cost to their opponents is evidently greater.

Since the invasion into the Fengjiang urban area, the casualty rate of Dahua Empire’s soldiers has been sharply increasing. Every day, over 100 people die from snipers’ surprise shots, while the Dahua military’s advancement speed has literally become a joke.

This number might not look significant, but the cumulative effect is already very troubling: corresponding reports have been submitted to Zhao Chen, who is now extremely perturbed and unsure of what to do.

It’s important to note that although the number of troops under his command continues to grow, he’s starting to feel stretched thin. On one hand, he has to handle the pressure from Wanliang, and on the other, he has to expand his positions on both flanks of Fengjiang, clearly beginning to feel overwhelmed.

“What are our snipers even doing?” Moving his headquarters from Hezhe to the outskirts of Fengjiang, Zhao Chen irritably began to question his subordinates while looking at their reports.

Now he is less than 20 kilometers away from the Fengjiang frontline, which is actually very close to the contested area. This also demonstrates his determination, or rather the determination of the Dahua Empire.

“Please calm yourself, Your Highness! Our snipers are also trying their best to locate enemy snipers, but this is a very difficult task and they need time,” an officer explained.

“I also need time!” Zhao Chen angrily retorted and then realized he might have reacted too harshly, so he suppressed his anger and continued with a more stable tone, “His Majesty is awaiting news of our victory, and we as his subjects, of course, must relieve His Majesty of his worries.”

“You are right, Your Highness. Our snipers have killed at least 80 enemy soldiers in these days; they indeed have tried their best,” the officer insisted, steeling himself as he again spoke a few words in defense of his subordinates.

Zhao Chen waved his hand, indicating that no more explanations were needed: “Tell them to eliminate more enemy snipers as much as possible. We cannot bear such losses anymore; do you understand?”

“Yes! I understand, sir!” Knowing that saying anything more would be futile, the officer could only respond with a bow.

It’s not entirely fair to blame Zhao Chen for his irritation. When he heard that the Great Tang Empire was actually constructing a gigantic steel bridge in Sword Pavilion, he started feeling agitated.

Previously, they had always believed that Hidden Sword Gorge was an impassable barrier, and it would be nearly impossible for the Tang Empire to cross it.

Thus, if they could capture Fengjiang, the connection between the Great Tang Empire and the Fengjiang rebels would be mostly severed, turning the whole situation in favor of the Dahua Empire.

But now the situation has changed; if the Great Tang Empire manages to finish building that bridge before the Dahua Empire captures Fengjiang, all strategic plans of the Dahua Empire would become a joke.

Then, having Sword Pavilion as its support channel would make the Tang Empire’s supply lines much safer, and the chaos in Fengjiang would transform from a minor irritation to a severe threat.

This would completely depart from the script Zhao Chen had in mind. At present, his forces are already struggling to take Fengjiang, let alone moving south to attack Shanping and Guiguang, and then targeting Sword Pavilion… How much would remain then?

If the Tang Empire entered the war halfway through, how could his battered troops hold back the overwhelming forces of the Tang Empire? Could they rely on what remained of battered Fengjiang?

…

When the soldiers of the Dahua Empire charged towards the first reinforced concrete building they saw, they felt inexplicably nervous.

This building was very special; it wasn’t destroyed by artillery fire, or rather, it wasn’t completely destroyed by intensive artillery fire—the majority of it was still intact, with only many holes punctured in its walls.

The Fengjiang defenders used this place as a dominant observation post and had deployed some troops nearby, creating a rather solid defensive position around the building.

The Dahua Empire’s troops hoped to seize this location, evict the enemy from this sturdy building, so they could use this elevated point to observe the surrounding urban area and gain some advantage.

So, the fight began with madness: braving the harsh firepower of machine guns, the soldiers of the Dahua Empire first launched an attack on a wooden building next to the large structure.

Dozens of soldiers struggled fiercely in the narrow ruins, and eventually, the Dahua Empire’s soldiers, by a slim margin, achieved victory in this assault.

The brutal battle truly began, with the goblin mercenaries stationed in this ruin stubbornly defending every room of the building from a high position, while the outer perimeter Dahua Empire soldiers utilized their numerical advantage to continually launch attacks on this location.

Dahua Empire’s soldiers threw hand grenades into the building, clearing one room at a time of the defending forces, while the defenders also killed Dahua soldiers one after another outside the rooms.

Bodies from both sides were everywhere. Outside the building were the corpses of Dahua soldiers, and inside, the goblin corpses also piled up like mountains.

Ultimately, the soldiers of the Dahua Empire captured the first floor of the building, but the goblins stationed on the second floor still refused to surrender.

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Around the staircase and some broken holes, the two sides engaged in another round of fierce fighting. At its peak, the staircase leading upstairs was filled with corpses from both sides.

“Surrender! Just lay down your weapons! We guarantee your safety!” The Dahua Empire soldiers on the ground floor shouted to the goblins upstairs.

The goblins upstairs were indeed running low on ammunition and supplies. However, they still hoped to resist a bit longer because after today, they could receive double the reward.

“You don’t need to shout anymore! We won’t surrender! If you dare, charge up here!” The goblin officer on the second floor, holding a razor-sharp blade, refused to surrender.

After he finished saying this, a new battle began: the Dahua soldiers downstairs charged again, carrying bayonets and stepping over the bodies of their comrades, they rushed up to the second floor once more.

The goblins on the second floor did not retreat; they also took up their bayonets and met the enemy. The two sides engaged in hand-to-hand combat at the narrow staircase, turning the battlefield unbearably bloody.

The Dahua Empire soldiers had the advantage in strength, but the goblins had the advantage of agility in the confined space. With an equal face-off, the goblins also had more numbers and bayonets.

As such, both sides ended up in a stalemate, with casualty rates approaching one-to-one. After another five or six people from both sides died, the charge by the Dahua Empire ended unsuccessfully again.

“If you don’t surrender now, don’t blame us for being ruthless! Bastards!” An officer of the Dahua Empire downstairs shouted angrily.

“If you retreat today, we will give up this place to you tomorrow!” The goblins upstairs didn’t really want to die there either; they also negotiated, obviously to maximize their benefits.

“No way! Just a few days ago in the previous block, you said the same thing! I know your plans!” The commander of the Dahua Empire downstairs roared angrily.

He had suffered such losses before; the goblins had defended a location just to make the Dahua Empire troops delay their attack, just for a day.

The next day, the goblins indeed retreated, but only after blowing up everything they could, leaving nothing for the soldiers of the Dahua Empire.

Furthermore, after wasting a whole day, their higher-ups were very dissatisfied with their cowardice, which is why their unit was tasked with assaulting this building as punishment.

If he let these goblins escape again, he estimated he wouldn’t be able to continue as an officer; he might even be court-martialed.

“I’m telling the truth! What if we promise not to blow up the building, will that work?” The goblin upstairs said earnestly.

To be honest, they were all mercenaries; as long as they completed the mission, they would get paid, so risking their lives was actually unnecessary.

If it wasn’t for the Dahua Empire’s army attacking too fiercely, they wouldn’t need to fight so desperately. Can’t we just discuss this properly? You pause your attack today or just make a symbolic attack, and tomorrow, after I complete my task, I’ll retreat and leave; wouldn’t everyone be happy?

This kind of situation is not always available: the Great Tang Empire has snipers and artillery observers that often appear on the front lines, and if caught in such situations, they might be fined.

Now that such an opportunity arose, why not talk business… No need to fight to the death; we earn money, you gain military honors, isn’t it beneficial for all?

“You mean it? Truly won’t blow it up?” The officer of the Dahua Empire downstairs was somewhat tempted. Honestly, he had already lost nearly 100 subordinates here, and he really couldn’t keep fighting.

“Really won’t blow it up!” The goblin upstairs slapped his chest to assure. He had already lost 80 of his men here, which pained him immensely.

The two began to chat and felt more in sync; if business cards were available, they probably would have exchanged numbers for future contact…

This is war, this is war through the eyes of mercenaries: as long as there’s something to discuss, then a discussion can be had. They came here to make money, and of course, they have no shame about that.