It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 147 | Buried with Him!
The earth is shaking!

The violent shockwave swept in all directions, shattering all the remaining glass in the civilian buildings surrounding Heroes' Square into dust.

Three dark gray mushroom clouds surged and rose, gradually spreading outwards.

The formation of heavy bombers in the sky began to turn around and slowly return to base.

Three huge craters appeared on the ground, and the towering statue of Archangel Gabriel shattered into pieces, leaving only the base.

A few dozen seconds later, the nearby Imperial Russian soldiers were still in shock when some of them felt their faces and hands getting wet.

It's raining?
He looked down and touched it, only to find that the liquid that had dripped onto him was bright red and had a strong fishy smell.

Countless drops of blood and bits of flesh fell from the sky, while mushroom-shaped clouds of smoke rose and spread hundreds of meters high.

"Well done! Send those sons of bitches to hell!"

In the observation post next to the starting position of the attack, Major General Barannikov, the front-line commander, couldn't help but cheer.

As the Chief of Staff, Major General Barannikov was actually a man of few words and a pragmatic man, always calm and composed. However, after such a long and bloody war, he had become irritable and easily angered.

The three battalions that were to participate in this operation were the last offensive force of the 36th Infantry Corps. All the other divisions and regiments had suffered heavy losses, with many infantry companies having only 40 to 50 men left, making them incapable of attacking and only capable of defending.

The number of front-line combatants in the 36th Infantry Corps had dropped to a dangerous level and was on the verge of collapse, so the army group headquarters prepared to replace it with the 41st Infantry Corps.

The corps commander and Major General Barannikov were unwilling to give up and were determined to seize Heroes' Square before retreating, even swearing oaths to it.

Damn it! Thirteen attacks and they still couldn't take it! How can they possibly go back?
Major General Barannikov refused to accept defeat and used his last reserves, intending to end this regret before leaving.

What just happened is the 'devastating air strike' that Tukhachevsky promised, and it has proven to be truly terrifying.

Three Filippov FB-3 heavy bombers dropped three FAB-3000 super-heavy aerial bombs on Heroes' Square.

【Picture】

This seemingly bulky and heavy aerial bomb weighs about 3 tons and is filled with as much as 1.45 tons of TNT, which is more than 240 times the explosive charge of a 152mm grenade with a charge of 6 kilograms!
As for the FB-3, it was an outdated four-engine bomber that looked very rudimentary and had an unusually slow flight speed, with a cruising speed of only 180 km/h, but it had a large payload.

The Imperial Ivanos Air Force frequently used it for transport missions, rarely for bombing, because its slow speed made it an easy target.

With the Hungarian Air Force now almost wiped out and the potential threat greatly reduced, these old aircraft made their first appearance at Tukhachevsky's strong request.

"Boo-hoo--"

With two red signal flares launched into the sky, the fourteenth assault on Heroes' Square began.

Large numbers of Imperial Russian infantry deployed in loose formations and launched an attack from three directions.

Dozens of tanks were positioned near the starting line, their cannons pointed at the square. The tank crews inside stared intently through their periscopes, quietly waiting for the Hungarian firing positions to be exposed.

However, the Imperial Russian soldiers encountered only sporadic resistance.

"No one is alive! Charge in and take the square!"

"They're all dead!"

"Take down the plaza and go home!"

The officers cheered excitedly, and the soldiers felt victory was in sight.

Immediately, the attacking troops launched an assault with extreme enthusiasm, and shouts of "Hurrah!" resounded throughout the battlefield.

Just then, the defenders' resistance intensified slightly. Several machine guns opened fire, and a few bursts of bullets felled about ten men, followed by a small number of mortar shells.

The Tsarist Russian soldiers dropped to the ground, half firing at each other, the other crawling forward. Was that all?
With such weak resistance, everyone knew that the defenders of Heroes' Square were almost gone, and victory was within reach.

The tank units behind them continued to fire, completely suppressing the few remaining Hungarian troops...

At roughly the same time, on a mountaintop in the Buda Mountains on the west bank of the Danube, war correspondent David's team was giving a passionate speech from their observation post.

"...The invaders' planes dropped terrible, massive bombs on Heroes' Square. Good heavens, thick smoke rose a hundred or two hundred meters into the sky."

"...The explosion was too powerful. I don't know if the defenders of the square are still alive. Oh, some are still alive. They are firing at the invaders."

"...I see a large number of invaders besieging the square, too many, perhaps a thousand. I'm afraid the square is about to fall. Will there be a counterattack?"

David's assistant was writing rapidly with a pen, their coordination was excellent, while another photographer was operating the camera to record the video.

As he spoke, David noticed a large group of people moving about on the west side of Heroes' Square. He guessed that it might be a counterattack force.

The war correspondent team saw the 3rd Battalion of the 'Hungati' Gendarmerie Regiment and the Royal Guard.

The actual situation was even worse than Shang Ke had anticipated.

While launching a fierce attack on Heroes' Square, Ivanos's army also laid down three or four lines of fire to the west and northwest of the square, hindering the Hungarian army's movements.

"The Third Battalion claims they cannot launch a counterattack from the Zliny district. If they abandon that position and counterattack from the adjacent direction, they can only deploy a company," Reka relayed anxiously.

Shang Ke stared intently at the map, simulating the battlefield situation in his mind and weighing the pros and cons.

A counterattack would inevitably come at a huge cost! Should we defend Heroes' Square to the death? Is retreating to the Opera House acceptable?

Reason told him he must not give up.

The square connects many surrounding blocks, making it easily accessible. If such a hub is lost, communication between the North, South, and East districts will become difficult, and they will quickly turn into a situation where each district fights its own battle!
Now, our long-range firepower is also bombarding the area east of the plaza.

Although it caused some trouble for the enemy, it was clear that the enemy was determined to take down this thorn in their side.

A decision must be made immediately—whether or not to retaliate.

How is this any different from gambling? Shang Ke sighed inwardly.

Suddenly, Reika grabbed Shank's sleeve and spoke in a low voice, giving him the latest update...

At this moment, on the west bank of the Danube, in the Blood Field Square in Buda, in the command post of the Second Temporary Field Artillery Group, a female sergeant was also urgently relaying the same information.

Wired communication has long been interrupted, leaving only this unconventional and unique method.

“I…I am Sergeant Major Nicole Wright. There are hardly any survivors left in the Plaza Defense Zone.”

"The enemy is close to the position... Bombard this place, kill them all, and go to hell together!"

"All artillery...fire directly at the square! They're less than thirty meters away! Hurry!"

After speaking, the female sergeant added tearfully, "Lieutenant Colonel! She's been coughing up blood!"

Shelling themselves?

The artillery commander beside him trembled slightly, hesitated for a few seconds, and was about to give the order.

"She's dead! She was shot! Lieutenant Colonel! Give the order!" the female sergeant shouted.

(End of this chapter)