Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1231 The Vanished Artillery Position

Chapter 1231 The Vanished Artillery Position
Once the order was given, the positions of the "Liberation Forces" militia organization instantly sprang into action, like sophisticated war machines.

On the hilly battlefield, the soldiers quickly took their positions.

The machine gunners placed boxes of ammunition belts within easy reach, while the anti-tank missile team lifted the camouflage netting and adjusted the launcher's sights.

The howitzer and mortar units quickly calculated the firing range, taking heavy shells out of their ammunition boxes and arranging them beside their positions.

All the fortifications were reinforced to the last minute, the sandbags were piled higher, and footsteps echoed quickly and orderly within the trenches.

Song Heping stood in front of the screen in the command post, arms crossed, calmly watching the images transmitted back by the drone.

Two waves of enemy troops, one from the east and one from the west, are like two giant pincers opening, attempting to outflank and encircle Hurmatu's flanks.

"The eastern cluster consists of about 500 vehicles of various types, mainly armed pickup trucks, mixed with a small number of trucks equipped with heavy machine guns. The force is estimated to be more than 5,000 men, and they are moving toward the rear of my 3rd Battalion's position at 'Vulture Ridge'."

"The western cluster, of considerable size, about 480 vehicles, is targeting the flank of my 5th Battalion's defensive line in the 'Sawtooth Valley'."

The drone operator calmly gave the report.

"Cannon pointing."

Song Heping connected to the artillery command post.

"Target: Enemy flanking groups on the east and west. Calculate their possible assembly areas and attack launch positions. The 122mm howitzer group is responsible for covering the east flank, while the mortars and 155mm heavy artillery batteries in the 'Sawtooth Valley' direction are to focus on the west flank. Give me three basic loads of ammunition for preparatory fire! I want to skin them alive before they launch their attack!"

"Understood! Coordinates received, parameters calculated... Loading complete! Artillery group, prepare—"

The rough voice of the artillery commander echoed in the artillery channel.

Just then, a muffled rumble suddenly came from the direction directly in front of Hurmatu!
Through the binoculars, one could see a dense mass of infantry, under the cover of fire from dozens of armed pickup trucks, surging out of the city ruins like a tide and pressing towards the "Liberation Forces'" front lines!

A feint attack from the front, combined with a main attack from the flanks—Basmü was employing standard tactics.

But what he probably didn't know was that none of the actions escaped Song Heping's eyes; the drones in the sky were keeping a close eye on the movements of the various assault units of the 1515 Armed Forces.

"The front has moved too!" Jiang Feng exclaimed in a low voice.

"Why are you panicking?"

Song Heping's tone remained unchanged, "We occupy advantageous terrain; they simply outnumber us. Tell the first and second battalions on the front to hold their ground, use machine guns and mortars to engage them, and if they spot their suicide bomb trucks, focus on taking them out with anti-tank weapons. Just don't let them get too close. The key is on the east and west flanks!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a chilling shriek echoed through the sky!

"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—boom!!!"

The first to speak was the 122mm howitzer deployed behind the position.

The thick cannon barrels spewed out huge fireballs, and the shells, like invitations from the Grim Reaper, tore through the sky and slammed into a relatively flat Gobi desert about three kilometers away from "Vulture Ridge" on the east side with destructive force—the very area where the enemy forces on the eastern route were trying to deploy their formation and prepare to launch an attack!

boom!
Boom boom boom! ! !
The earth is shaking!

Huge fireballs shot into the sky one after another, black smoke mixed with sand rising straight into the clouds.

The power of a 155mm high-explosive grenade is terrifying. Each one is like a small earthquake, and people and vehicles within a radius of tens of meters of the blast center are destroyed!
The shockwave, like an invisible giant hammer, flipped and tore down the approaching pickup trucks like toys! Broken tires, twisted gun barrels, and human remains were scattered everywhere in the smoke.

At almost the same time, even more mortars joined this symphony of death.

Shells rained down on the enemy forces on both the east and west sides like hailstones. Especially on the western side, in the "sawtooth valley" direction, the terrain was relatively complex. The vehicles of the 1515 tried to use some low hills and dry riverbeds as cover, but the mortar shells, with their near-vertical angle of impact, seemed to have eyes, accurately hitting these natural "fortifications" and sending the enemy hiding behind them, along with their vehicles, to their deaths.

The intensity of the shelling far exceeded that of when the probe company was destroyed.

The entire outer area on both the east and west sides of Hurmatu was instantly covered by explosions and flames, as if the entrance to hell had been opened there.

The footage transmitted by the drone was violently shaky, showing only patches of fire and billowing smoke. The once-aggressive convoy was instantly shattered and thrown into chaos.

"Good fight!"

Someone in the command post couldn't help but growl.

This unusually fierce artillery barrage clearly disrupted 1515's offensive rhythm and severely damaged their morale.

However, the madness of the 1515 militants was also on full display at this moment.

Despite suffering heavy casualties and having their formation broken, under the pressure of the rear command and driven by religious fervor, the remaining vehicles and densely packed infantry, like locusts with bloodshot eyes, roared "Allahu Akbar!" and charged out of the smoke, launching a desperate assault on the east and west flanks of the "Liberation Forces"!
"The enemy is coming! They're 1,500 meters away!"

"Machine guns ready!"

"Anti-tank team, lock onto high-value target!"

On the battlefield, commanders at all levels were shouting at the top of their lungs.

"Hold your ground! Get closer and fire!"

Song Heping's voice was transmitted through the communication network to every front-line commander: "Prioritize taking out their pickup trucks and technical equipment! Let the infantry get close and use crossfire to finish them off!"

On the eastern route, the positions of the "Bald Vulture Ridge" and the "Liberation Force" Third Battalion.

The battalion commander, watching the enemy troops surge towards him like a tidal wave, licked his chapped lips and roared into the radio: "All units, listen up! No one is allowed to fire without my order! Let these lunatics get within 500 meters!"

A dense array of armed pickup trucks roared as their heavy machine guns blindly swept across the hilltop positions, making sandbags thud and kicking up clouds of dust.

Behind the pickup trucks were thousands of infantrymen wielding rifles and rocket launchers, shouting wildly as they charged forward.

800 meters... 700 meters... 600 meters...

The position remained deathly silent, save for the whistling of enemy bullets and the ever-approaching roar of engines and shouts.

Five hundred meters!
"Fire!" the battalion commander ordered abruptly.

In an instant, the "Vulture Ridge" position was like a hedgehog awakening, its entire body bursting with deadly spikes!
The heavy machine gun positions positioned on the flanks opened fire first!
"Boom boom boom!"

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

12.7mm and 7.62mm bullets, like a storm of scorching steel, formed a crossfire that instantly covered the pickup truck convoy at the forefront!
The pickup trucks' thin armor was no match for the tearing of the heavy machine guns. One after another, they were riddled with holes, overturned on the way to the charge, exploded and caught fire, becoming obstacles for the infantry that followed.

Almost simultaneously, anti-tank missiles, trailing white smoke, accurately struck the modified armored vehicles attempting to breach the weak points of the defenses.

boom!
boom!
Several loud explosions followed, and the most threatening vehicles were turned into burning fireballs.

Without the cover of vehicles, the infantry were completely exposed to the defenders' firepower.

Rifles, light machine guns, rifle grenades... all weapons rained bullets down the mountain.

The 1515 militants who charged forward fell in droves, like wheat being cut down.

They were frantic, but lacked effective tactical coordination and fire support. Faced with well-prepared defensive positions that held the advantage of terrain and firepower, their charge turned into a one-sided massacre.

The fighting was equally fierce at the Fifth Battalion's position at "Sawtooth Cliff" on the western front. The terrain there was even steeper, making it difficult for vehicles to directly attack, so the 1515 battalion committed more infantry for an uphill assault.

Using rocks and craters as cover, they slowly crept up the hill, occasionally bombarding the positions on the hilltop with RPGs.

The battle reached a brutal stalemate.

Relying on its superior numbers and relentless pursuit regardless of casualties, 1515 was repelled in one wave, but quickly organized a new wave to continuously assault the positions on both the east and west flanks.

Just as the "Liberation Forces" were giving their all to support the front lines, an unexpected change occurred!

"Boom!"

A shell, with a sharp whistling sound, flew over the front line and slammed into an open area about one kilometer behind the position, exploding into a huge column of smoke!

Immediately afterwards, more shells followed. Although the impact points were scattered and the accuracy was poor, they were clearly aimed at the artillery positions and logistics areas!
"Artillery fire! Enemy artillery fire!"

A report from the logistics unit came over the radio, indicating some panic.

"They are attacking our artillery positions."

Several shells even landed not far from the forward command post, causing dust to fall from the ceiling.

Although no major losses have been caused yet, the presence of enemy artillery is undoubtedly a huge threat. They will interfere with our artillery firing and may even strike logistics and command nodes.

Reports of artillery fire on the front lines and rear areas began to come frequently through the channel.

It seems that Bakdadi has spared no expense in sending troops to Hurmatu this time, as they are equipped with large-caliber artillery.

Judging from the intensity and ferocity of the shelling on their side, the quantity and quality of the artillery of the 1515 armed forces were no worse than those of the "Liberation Forces" militia!

"How could this be?"

Song Heping turned to Jiang Feng in surprise.

"Didn't we send out drones to scout ahead? It seems they don't have any artillery pieces larger than 122mm!"

"Yes, no. We've been scouting with our drones for days and haven't found any of their artillery positions. They only have mortars, which shouldn't have such a long range to hit our positions!"

The "Liberation Forces" use 122mm Soviet-made D-30 howitzers. If the 1515 armed forces can shell their own artillery positions, it means that they also use artillery of this caliber or even larger caliber with a longer range.

Where is it?
"Drone company, immediately search the outskirts of Hurmatu city and areas where artillery positions may be hidden! Find their artillery talons!"

"understand!"

The drone unit immediately sprang into action, deploying more "Cruiser" drones that hovered over the battlefield like falcons, their high-definition cameras and infrared detection equipment carefully scanning the ground.

Time ticked by, and the fighting ahead continued.

The sudden appearance of long-range artillery by the 1515 armed forces resulted in heavy casualties on the Liberation Front's positions.

Reports of casualties kept coming through the channel.

"No enemy artillery positions detected..."

Twenty minutes later, the drone unit delivered the latest report.

"We dispatched all our long-endurance reconnaissance drones to conduct a thorough search behind their lines, but found no artillery positions..."

"you sure!?"

Samir couldn't hold back any longer.

"Then tell me! Where did the shell come from!?"

Jiang Feng sighed: "If only we had counter-battery radar, we could calculate where their artillery positions are..."

Counter-battery radar, also known as artillery reconnaissance and positioning radar, simply uses radar technology to track enemy artillery shells and deduce the location of the firing position based on the trajectory of the enemy artillery shells, providing precise location coordinates of enemy targets for friendly fire counterattacks.

Song Heping knew this was a good thing, but it was not easy to get his hands on.

I definitely need to get a few sets of these sometime!

No matter how much it costs, I have to get my hands on it.

It's a real loss not to have this thing.

"Old squad leader, how about we find the Americans and ask them to provide intelligence?"

Jiang Feng suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Even if we can't find it ourselves, the Americans' powerful reconnaissance system will surely be able to find it.

"Forget it, it's better to rely on yourself than to ask others for help."

Song Heping sneered, "Do you think someone like Kurt would provide it? Even if he did, he'd drag it out. You'd better figure out a way yourself..."

"But we can't find it now..."

Jiang Feng was getting anxious.

Song Heping didn't utter a sound, but his brows furrowed.