Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1258 Supporting the "Artillery Barrage"

"What can we do? Say it quickly!"

Upon hearing that Song Heping had a better solution, Kurt eagerly pressed for details.

"I have a directly subordinate artillery battalion deployed inside the city of Hurmatu, equipped with Soviet-made D-30 122mm towed howitzers."

Song Heping finally gave a "difficult" solution.

"While this old-fashioned artillery can't compare to your advanced American artillery in terms of accuracy and rate of fire, its maximum range is still around 20 kilometers, more than enough to cover Checkpoint Four and its surrounding area. If..."

"If you agree and authorize, I can immediately order the artillery battery to launch a barrage of artillery fire on the main enemy assembly points, mortar positions, and possible command nodes around the checkpoint, to reduce the pressure on Captain Sanders and his men's frontal defense as much as possible, and perhaps... to buy them valuable time."

Artillery support?

Kurt paused for a moment on the other end of the phone.

This is indeed the fastest way to provide support in the current situation.

But he instinctively became wary: would Song Heping really be so kind?

Why waste precious artillery resources on rescuing Thunder Defense personnel whom he dislikes?

"Shelling?"

Kurt's tone was full of worry and doubt.

"Can the accuracy be guaranteed? The D-30's dispersion area is quite large! Could it cause friendly fire? What if a shell lands inside the checkpoint..."

He couldn't imagine the catastrophic consequences of having his own men's shells fall on Sanders' already precarious defense.

"Colonel, regarding the accuracy issue, I can only assure you that my artillerymen and I will 'do our best'."

Song Heping emphasized the words "do his best" slightly, but it still sounded like a promise.

"But you must understand that these D-30 cannons are operated by my local militia. They have limited training time and are not very skilled. It is inevitable that there will be some errors or that the bullet impact points will be scattered in a certain range when it comes to this kind of long-range indirect aiming fire. I think that with your soldiers' rich battlefield experience, as long as you make appropriate anti-artillery preparations in advance, you should be able to minimize the risks."

Song Heping once again used the words "insufficient skill," "error," and "spread" in a way that seemed helpless but was actually meant to emphasize, as if he were giving a heads-up or laying the groundwork for a possible scenario.

Kurt was caught in a fierce internal struggle and weighing of options.

He knew perfectly well that accepting Song Heping's artillery support was tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst, and it contained enormous and uncontrollable risks.

Just as he was hesitating, Song Heping very "timely" and "considerately" offered a word of advice: "Ahem, actually I was just saying that. I'm also afraid that my artillery might cause some damage to Sanders and the others. Let's forget about it and let Samir and the others keep pushing and see if they can get to the checkpoint as soon as possible."

These words put Sanders at a crossroads.

Song Heping seemed to be about to end the call immediately.

Do I have any other options?
Waiting for Samir?

Is this some kind of international joke?

Those militia members would love for Sanders and his men to die.

It will probably take at least half an hour to get to the checkpoint.

But Sanders and his team might not even last the next ten minutes!
Air support is out of reach, and ground support would also take even longer.

If Sanders and his men accepted artillery support, they might have a sliver of hope; if they didn't, they were almost certainly doomed.

This is essentially a multiple-choice question with no real choice!
"……All right!"

Kurt gritted his teeth, as if swallowing a fly, and said:

"On behalf of Thunder Defense, I authorize your unit to immediately provide artillery support to the area surrounding Checkpoint No. 4! Please...as soon as possible!"

He ultimately agreed to this clearly toxic "deal," his heart filled with humiliation and resentment.

"Received. I immediately ordered the artillery battery to prepare for firing and coordinated with forward observers to provide target guidance."

Song Heping's answer was concise and to the point, without any hesitation, and he immediately hung up the phone.

"Click."

The sound of the receiver being put back into the landline was crisp and decisive.

The moment the call ended, Song Heping couldn't help but burst out laughing.

He quickly shouted towards the door, "Samir, come here for a second, I know you haven't left yet."

Almost the instant he finished speaking, the somewhat dilapidated wooden door of the command post was pushed open, and Samir's tall figure darted in, his face showing no surprise—

He had clearly been waiting outside the door for a long time, and may even have been eavesdropping through the crack in the door.

Their eyes met, and without a word, the barely suppressed smiles on their lips said it all.

The others in the command post wisely lowered their heads, pretending to be focused on the documents or radio in front of them, ignoring the silent exchange between their superiors.

"Boss, that old man Kurt is probably so anxious he's going to pull his hair out, isn't he?"

Samir stepped closer, lowered his voice, and asked with undisguised mockery.

"Um,"

Song Heping responded casually, raising his hand to look at the somewhat old military watch on his wrist.

The luminescent hands on the dial are clearly visible even in the dim light.

"Order the artillery company: targets are the pre-set strike zones A, B, and C outside checkpoint No. 4. Ammunition load: three. Don't rush. The first round of artillery fire will begin precisely in ten minutes. Firing data should be based on pre-calculated parameters. 'Necessary' minor adjustments are permitted based on the 'actual battlefield situation'."

He gave subtle emphasis to the words "necessary" and "fine-tuning".

He paused, then continued to give instructions:
"At the same time, have your previously 'prepared' infantry battalion immediately put on the highest state of combat readiness, with all personnel boarding vehicles and ready to depart at any time to 'provide support'. Remember, 'at any time'."

Samir's face showed a genuine surprise upon hearing this:

"Sir, are you really going to... give those Thunder Defense guys a hand?"

He originally thought Song Heping's strategy was to sit on the sidelines and watch the two sides fight until one side was completely drained of blood.

Song Heping turned to look out the window, his gaze falling on the area shrouded in firelight and death, and calmly analyzed:

“Samir, you must remember that on the surface, we are still ‘allies’ with the Americans and Thunder Defense. Although we are outwardly united but inwardly divided and each has our own agenda, we haven’t reached the point of completely tearing off the mask and turning on each other. If Sanders and his men are all dead tonight, we will have a hard time explaining ourselves to the Americans, and it will cause a lot of unnecessary trouble and investigations.”

He tapped the table lightly and continued:

"The shelling will begin in ten minutes. This timing is crucial. It will maximize the casualties and deplete the 1515's manpower, clearing obstacles for us later. It will also allow our 'carefully prepared' ground troops to arrive on the battlefield 'just in time' after the shelling ends, when the enemy is disoriented and their organization is disrupted, avoiding a brutal close-quarters battle with the main force of 1515 and reducing our own casualties. At the same time, it will 'timely' save Sanders and his gang of poor wretches who are already halfway to their deaths, silencing everyone. This is a win-win situation."

A look of realization and admiration flashed in Samir's eyes:
"Understood! Boss is very insightful! I'll make the arrangements right away to ensure everything goes smoothly!"

He turned and was about to leave quickly.

"and many more."

Song Heping called out to him.

"Boss, is there anything else?"

Samir immediately stopped and turned around, his face asking a question.

Song Heping walked to the window, looking out at the darkness of the night, as if admiring the not-so-beautiful night view of Hurmatu. His voice was calm yet profound:
"Also, when notifying the artillery company, you can give them an extra 'reminder.' When providing support firing, there's no need to be too precise or pursue the ultimate killing effect. After all, the artillery operators are local 'native' militiamen, and their 'skills' are not yet proficient. Some 'reasonable' errors might occur. For example, a few shells might 'accidentally' deviate from their intended targets and land in the checkpoint's yard, hitting some insignificant flowers and plants, or... just happen to destroy some vehicles, fuel, or equipment storage points belonging to Thunder Defense parked in the yard... This is a common occurrence on the battlefield and is understandable, right?"

Samir was taken aback for a moment, seemingly not fully understanding, but then a look of complete understanding appeared on his face, and he nodded emphatically:
“I understand completely! Boss, please rest assured! 'I'm still learning,' and 'errors' are inevitable! I will definitely convey your 'instructions' to the brothers in the artillery company exactly as they are!”

Checkpoint Four. Just as Samir took his orders and left, and Song Heping's "instructions" were about to be transformed into precise "errors," inside Checkpoint Four, Sanders and his men had truly fallen into a desperate situation on the verge of collapse.

The 1515 militants, like a pack of hyenas that have smelled blood, launched wave after wave of attacks.

Bullets swarmed the exterior walls of the main building like locusts, and the vibrations from the occasional rocket explosions caused dust to fall continuously from the ceiling.

The painful groans of the wounded and the gasps of the dying echoed in the narrow space, mingling with the smell of gunpowder and blood, creating a scene of hell.

"...Checkpoint No. 4, this is the Thunder Command Center. Hold on! We have urgently coordinated with the 'Liberation Forces' in the Hurmatur direction, and they...have agreed to provide artillery support! Repeat, artillery support is arriving soon!"

Suddenly, the voice of the communications officer from the Bakda command came through the radio, tinged with uncertainty, but to Sanders it was like heavenly music!

Artillery support!

Hurmatu!

Song Heping?!

Sanders could hardly believe his ears!

That guy who had been watching coldly and might even have been secretly sabotaging things, actually agreed to take action?

After the immense shock came the ecstatic joy of escaping death!
"Artillery support! It's artillery support! Artillery fire from Hurmatu!"

Sanders roared with all his might, his voice trembling with excitement, and he practically lunged at the communications officer.

"Quickly! Connect me to the 'Liberation Forces' command channel immediately! Send over the coordinates of the enemy's most concentrated assembly areas that we previously marked! Quickly! Quickly! Quickly!"

After a brief wait, amidst the noisy communication and confirmation sounds from the radio, sets of coordinate data representing impending death were sent to the Hurmatu artillery position dozens of kilometers away.

"They replied... Coordinates confirmed! Shelling... Begins in ten minutes!"

The communications soldier looked up, his face unable to hide the relief of surviving the ordeal.

ten minutes!
Sanders looked out the window at the tide of enemies surging in, and those ten minutes felt like an eternity.

He suppressed his anxiety and gave the order in a hoarse voice:

"Everyone! Hear my command! Abandon all outer positions in ten minutes! Retreat the defensive line! Everyone back into the main building! Reinforce doors and windows! Find sturdy corners! Prepare for artillery fire! Repeat, prepare for artillery fire! Quickly!"

The surviving mercenaries, guided by their long-trained instincts and will to survive, supported each other and dragged the wounded, abandoning the outer fortifications that could no longer be held as quickly as possible, and retreated into the relatively sturdy concrete main building like a receding tide.

They reinforced the doors and windows with everything they could find, then huddled tightly behind load-bearing pillars, in corners, and other places they considered safest, silently praying that the artillery fire from their "ally," with whom they had never truly cooperated, would be accurate and fierce enough.

Time ticked by, each second accompanied by the heavy pounding of my heart.

The gunfire and explosions outside became clearer and closer as the defenders retreated. The 1515 armed members clearly noticed the abnormality and their attacks became more unrestrained and frenzied. Some even tried to directly storm the main building's main entrance.

Sanders stared intently at the second hand on his watch, feeling his nerves stretched to their limit, almost about to snap.

He began to suspect that this so-called artillery support was just another cruel joke played by Song Heping to toy with them.
Just when the defense line was about to be completely breached—

call out--

Woo——!
A sharp, unique whistling sound came from afar, tearing through the night sky filled with the sounds of gunfire!

All the veterans who had experienced the baptism of gunfire, including Sanders, reflexively made the same move at that moment—

He suddenly curled up, covered his ears tightly with both hands, and opened his mouth wide to balance the rapidly changing pressure inside and outside his eardrums.

boom! ! !
A deep, muffled explosion rang out about 300 meters outside the checkpoint!
A clear tremor came from the ground, and a fireball mixed with mud and smoke rose into the air. Broken limbs and weapon parts were thrown high into the air and then fell like raindrops!
It's a D-30!

122mm howitzer!
Its unique trajectory and explosion sound are highly recognizable to people familiar with various firearms!

call out--

Woo——!
call out--

Woo——!
call out--

Woo——!
The first shell was like a test firing horn, followed by a barrage of sharp, denser whistling sounds coming from the direction of Hurmatu!

The sounds blended together, like the death knell of hell being tolled madly!

boom!
boom!
boom!
boom!
boom!
……

The next second, the entire area surrounding checkpoint number four seemed to have been thrown into the crater of an erupting volcano!
Countless orange-red fireballs burst forth in a frenzy on the attack positions surrounding the checkpoint!
The explosions became incredibly frequent, the intervals between individual shots indistinguishable, merging into a continuous, deafening roar that assaulted everyone's eardrums and nerves!
The towering flames illuminated the night time and time again, making the sky as bright as day!

The black smoke column, mixed with the mud and gunpowder blasted into the sky, quickly formed a huge smoke wall that obscured half of the battlefield sky, even eclipsing the moon's brilliance.

Each 122mm grenade explosion can instantly wipe out all signs of life within a radius of 20 to 30 meters!
The powerful, visible shockwave sent the unsuspecting 1515 militants flying, torn apart, and even vaporized in large numbers!
The metal jets formed by the pre-fragmented debris and the fragmentation of the projectile were like the scythe of death, shooting wildly in all directions with a piercing shriek, mercilessly reaping all the fragile lives within range!

The extremists who were just yelling and launching an attack instantly fell into extreme chaos and instinctive panic!

They searched in vain for any place that might serve as cover.

Craters, mounds of earth, even the bodies of comrades...

But under such intense, almost overwhelming artillery fire, any act of exposing oneself to the ground would be tantamount to suicide!

Human bodies were torn to shreds, and makeshift shelters were easily overturned and destroyed like children's building blocks...

Inside the checkpoint's sturdy main building, Sanders and his men huddled against the cold walls or behind solid load-bearing pillars, feeling the violent tremors from the floor beneath their feet and listening to the continuous loud noises outside.

Dust, debris, and small pieces of cement fell from the sky, causing people to cough incessantly, and the air was filled with a strong smell of dust and gunpowder.

However, unlike the despair before, at this moment, in addition to tension and physical discomfort, everyone's face showed a hint of relief at surviving a disaster.

"Well done! Bomb! Bomb! Bomb these sons of bitches to death!"

Rex excitedly pounded the ground with his fists. Although he was also shaken so violently that his blood was churning and his internal organs seemed to have shifted, his face was filled with almost manic excitement.

"Damn... this Song Heping actually has some real skills..."

While pressing down on a wounded soldier whose wounds had reopened due to the shock of the shelling and who was groaning in pain, Hansen listened to the devastating symphony outside and muttered to himself.

Sanders remained silent. He cautiously approached the observation hole, poked half his face out, and peered cautiously outside.

The once densely packed enemy figures have now thinned out considerably amidst the flames and smoke of the explosions, leaving only a few scattered stragglers struggling and fleeing like headless flies among the sea of ​​fire and shell craters, only to be quickly engulfed by the next round of falling shells.

"God bless……"

He breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that Song Heping is serious.

He really did lend a hand.

I had actually doubted the other party's sincerity just now...

Just as he was about to feel ashamed, a sudden situation immediately poured a bucket of cold water mixed with ice crystals over his head!
call out--

Woo——!
A particularly sharp, seemingly more penetrating whistling sound approached from afar, its trajectory...

Does it seem too straightforward?

Too close?

Sanders' heart skipped a beat!
An ominous premonition instantly enveloped my heart!
　Asking for a monthly ticket! Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)