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

Chapter 158 | Still dare to fix bayonets on cannons?

Shank bent down, picked up a steel helmet from the ground, shook off the dust, and then put it on his head.

Then, he picked up the Browning Auto-5 semi-automatic shotgun he had reserved for himself, grabbed two 12-gauge shotgun shells, and stuffed them into his pocket.

"Tell everyone that after sunset we will break out under the cover of tanks and rendezvous with the main force heading towards the Capitol. We must hold out for the last five hours."

Seeing that he also looked ready to take up arms at any time, everyone felt a little relieved and nodded, saluted, and accepted the order.

With less than five hours until sunset, there were no more doubts.

In such a small area, there was no possibility of trading space for time. Faced with enemies attacking from three sides, all the royal guards and remnants of the gendarmerie could do was fight for every inch of land and every house they could find.

The fierce battle continued into the afternoon, but due to slow progress, the unwilling enemy regrouped and launched a new offensive.

Colonel Belyaev managed to concentrate seven or eight T-26 and T-35 tanks at the nearby crossroads, using them to suppress the Hungarian counter-fire from the Mamara Hotel, thus escorting a 203mm howitzer to a very close distance of less than 300 meters.

"boom!!!"

Compared to previous long-range firing, this bombardment was clearly more terrifying.

The concrete-breaking bomb smashed through the exterior wall between the first and second floors, and after penetrating inside, it exploded on a load-bearing column and beam!
The main load-bearing components of reinforced concrete structures are beams, columns, and shear walls. If the dozen or so shells fired in the previous days were just meant to scare people, then this shell truly posed a threat.

Upon seeing this, Shank immediately ordered the mortars to return fire.

However, it was clear that the Imperial Russian attacking forces were determined to kill the Hungarians inside the building. When mortar shells came, they would hide in the ruins on both sides and wait for things to calm down before continuing to operate the artillery.

Seeing that the enemy was willing to risk a hail of bullets to blow him up, Shang Ke felt utterly speechless.

No, buddy, why bother?

"Colonel! If this continues, we're doomed!" A sergeant rushed over, crouching low, and said anxiously, "Let me lead a squad for a counterattack!"

"Cough cough cough cough—" Shang Ke took a breath of air filled with dust, choked and coughed. He waved his hand and said, "Okay, you guys stand by. I have another idea we can try. If it doesn't work, then you can attack!"

"Understood! Sir!"

After saying that, Shank picked up his shotgun, climbed the stairs to the third floor, and called over one of the remaining anti-tank squad members.

His first question was, "Are you confident you can hit the shell at this distance?"

"Huh? Fire artillery shells?" the anti-tank gunner hesitated. "It's a bit difficult, but I think it should be possible."

Upon hearing this, Shang Ke waved his hand and said, "I don't want such an uncertain answer. Tell me, is it okay or not?"

So the archer backed down, saying, "I'm not sure, Colonel, but Emilia is."

"Then let her come!"

"Yes."

Before the war, Emilia was just a taciturn bank clerk. She was among the last batch of Category 4 soldiers assigned to the military police to receive a full training program. Shang's impression of her can be summed up in two words—cold and aloof.

After being summoned, she put down her semi-automatic rifle and listened to Shang's instructions.

“Shells usually don’t explode from bullets, but we can try shooting the fuse to detonate the detonator, causing the entire shell to explode,” Shank explained, gesturing. “Those heavy artillery shells have base fuses, so you have to aim for the tail. If that doesn’t work, I have another way…”

“Understood,” Emilia replied simply and directly.

She then set off with the anti-tank rifle team, leaving the hotel through the back door and going around to a partially collapsed building next door.

Several men struggled to move across the rubble, carrying heavy anti-tank rifles.

There were actually two or three concealed firing positions set up in the ruins, so the group had to stay far away to avoid exposing their positions and endangering their comrades.

After the team members set up their anti-tank rifles, Emilia lay prone on the ruins, aiming her gun into the distance.

The howitzer fired again, and the billowing smoke immediately enveloped the surroundings. Emilia waited quietly for the smoke to clear, and could vaguely see a dozen or so Imperial Russian artillerymen busily loading shells and propellant charges.

"Boom!"

As she pulled the trigger, a 20mm armor-piercing incendiary round flew from the muzzle and accurately struck a 203mm concrete-breaking round on the ground.

In an instant, the artillery crew members were dumbfounded as they stared at the bullet hole, about the size of a thumb, that suddenly appeared at the tail of the shell.

what?
Ruined!
I'm about to meet God!
Uh... the shell didn't seem to explode?

Although the bullet hole was emitting wisps of smoke, there was no significant movement.

This near-death experience terrified the dozen or so Imperial Russian artillerymen.

Emilia frowned slightly on the ruins in the distance. She saw that she had indeed hit the tail of the shell, following Shang's instructions exactly.

She hesitated for a moment, then remembered what Mr. Shang had said: "There's another way."

So she fine-tuned the muzzle, aimed at the propellant charge, and pulled the trigger.

What would it be like to see a whole bunch of colorful fireworks explode at once? Like this.

The armor-piercing incendiary bomb ignited the nitrocellulose propellant pack, causing an instant explosion and a large burst of flames!
Nearby Imperial Russian artillerymen were engulfed by the scorching flames, instantly turning into a dozen or so terrified fire men, screaming as they ran around or rolled on the ground.

"Damn it! This is so satisfying! Let's see if you dare to play with cannons and bayonets again." Shang Ke's desire for revenge was greatly satisfied.

“I think burning them to death is more suitable for these guys than blowing them up,” Captain Zeno said bitterly.

Although the hotel's most trusted support was destroyed as a result, two large holes were blown into the first floor of the Mamara Hotel, wide enough for a truck to drive through.

Seeing this, Colonel Belyaev sighed.

To be honest, the hard-fought battles of the past few days had almost worn down his temper, and at this moment he only felt mentally exhausted.

He put down his binoculars and said calmly, "Organize the attack on the breakthrough point, and have the assault team launch an operation to sweep through that building."

Tank firepower suppression.

Smoke grenades provide cover.

Infantry advance in coordination with engineers.

Upon approaching the Mamara Hotel, Imperial Russian engineers carrying flamethrowers began setting it on fire.

With a whooshing sound, a terrifying fire dragon surged toward the building, bursting through windows and holes.

Screams and curses echoed all around as both sides used every weapon at their disposal to fire wildly and hurled every swear word they knew at once at each other.

Russian infantrymen charged forward in small groups, throwing grenades into the room, and then rushed in all at once after the loud explosions subsided.

Flickering flames still lingered on the ground, which was littered with cement rubble. Charred corpses and severed limbs were scattered everywhere. The surviving Hungarian military police continued their stubborn resistance from the corners of other rooms or behind load-bearing pillars.

"There are still enemies in that room!"

"Beware!"

Six or seven German-made egg-shaped hand grenades were thrown from somewhere, rolling on the ground while emitting blue smoke.

After a series of muffled booms, more than twenty Imperial Russian infantrymen who had stormed into the hotel lobby were either killed or wounded, while the rest fled in disarray.

Several figures, men and women, jumped down from the second-floor balcony window, brandishing submachine guns and firing wildly at the Imperial Russian infantrymen around them. In the blink of an eye, they felled nearly ten men like wheat being harvested...

(End of this chapter)