When Jiang Xian transferred his Second Army back from the eastern front and prepared to strengthen the defense in the direction of the royal city, the residents of Nanye City saw a scene they would never forget.
Hiding behind the windows of their homes, they saw a Panzer IV rushing past a deserted street.
Immediately afterwards, there were cars filled with Tang Army soldiers and trucks pulling cannons. They did not stop and rushed through the streets of Nanye in a mighty manner.
The 4th Armored Division did not waste time on the Qi troops on the periphery. After learning that Nanye's troops were empty, they immediately rushed into the city desperately.
Although Nanye was defended by city walls, the commander of the only remaining garrison infantry regiment finally chose to surrender honorably.
The few troops Qi has deployed here are not enough even for street fighting.
What's more, with the combat effectiveness of the Qi army, if they really break up and engage in street fighting, there is a big question mark as to how long they can last.
In order to increase their bargaining chips for surrender, the Qi commander and local officials handed over all the supplies hoarded in Nanye to the Tang army. They did not carry out any sabotage, not even the thought of sabotage.
By the time the 4th Armored Division entered the city, enough food was stored here to feed 100,000 people for four months, as well as a variety of ammunition, and the entire train station was fully preserved.
What surprised the Tang Army commanders even more was that because they were afraid of being attacked and bombed when they went to the front line, there were 20 locomotives parked here and more than 100 wagons stored there.
These trains suddenly filled the transportation gap of the Tang army in Qi State, and at the same time saved a lot of time and cost in transporting grain.
With the grain captured in Nanye, the Tang army could fight continuously in Qi for at least a month and ensure food supplies for its own troops.
Jiang Xian didn't know that Nanye had changed hands at this time, and he didn't know that the Tang Army's tanks had already passed Nanye at this moment and were heading towards his royal city.
The battle in Luozhen continued under such circumstances. The Qi army, who did not know that Nanye had been lost, was still preparing to recapture the crucial Luozhen.
However, after losing the 3rd Army, it was not until General Qin Xiong arrived at the front line that the Qi Army regrouped and began to organize a decent attack.
But at this time, the Qi army discovered that the Tang army in front of them had strengthened its defensive positions, replenished its troops, and deployed its armored troops on the flanks.
After reaching this state, Qin Xiong also knew that it was impossible to break through the defense line in front of him. So the first thing he did when he arrived at the front line was to send a telegram to the eldest prince, asking him to take a detour from the east line and lead his troops to retreat.
"Today, it is futile to continue to increase troops to Luo Town. A position that cannot be recaptured by 100,000 people can also be recaptured by 150,000 people!" He said in the telegram: "Follow-up troops continue to pour in.
, it will also bring logistical pressure, which is obviously unwise."
Qin Xiong suggested to the eldest prince: "I am attacking here. If I can make a breakthrough, I will just fight to Nanye and return to the royal city. Your Highness, if you take a detour on the east line, you will also return to the royal city. There is no difference."
After sending a telegram to the eldest prince, Qin Xiong learned in detail the whole story of the attack on the 3rd Army headquarters. Then, after he confirmed that the 3rd prince, Tian Heng and his party should be gone, he immediately Then began to organize follow-up troops to launch an attack.
The two regiments of the Qi army once again tried to attack the Tang army's position, but after being greeted by Tang army's artillery fire for more than ten minutes, the two attacking regiments of the Qi army retreated.
In addition to dropping more than two hundred corpses, this attack achieved almost no effect. Qin Xiong, who was watching the battle in a hidden trench on the front line, finally knew what kind of combat effectiveness the Tang army in front of him had.
"Well-trained..." He put down the telescope, looked at the Qi officers beside him, and gave his own evaluation: "Before we entered the killing area, they were very restrained, with almost no machine gun positions exposed and no rifles. Fire, that's a sign of experience."
"Their artillery fire was very continuous, which shows that the opponent has no logistical pressure. Their artillery shells are sufficient and they are not forced to exercise restraint." Qin Xiong rubbed the telescope in his hand, as if talking to himself.
The telescope in his hand was imported from the Tang Dynasty and was considered an expensive military luxury item. It was of much better quality and more accurate than the telescope provided by Cyric.
Qin Xiong likes this telescope very much and often hangs it on his chest. Another thing he doesn't want to leave is the collectible PPK pistol exported by Datang Group.
As long as he patrols his troops or participates in important activities, he is willing to carry these two things.
"Let our tanks launch an attack?" A Qi general said anxiously: "We don't have much fuel, and time is very tight..."
"No matter how anxious you are, you can't just put your chips on the gambling table! My child." Qin Xiong smiled, shook his head and said, "Give the 3rd Army a chance to take revenge! Inform them that all of them will be responsible for this morning. Responsible for the attack. If the attack fails, military action will be taken!"
"At least we should know the enemy's firepower deployment on the first layer of defense. Rushing in tanks will only increase losses." He said and picked up the telescope again and looked at the Qi artillery fire that was washing the Tang Army's position: "The impact points are too scattered. , a waste of ammunition!”
The artillery currently being fired are all the artillery of Qi's second-line troops. The artillery training is insufficient, and the artillery models are also very old. Most of them are second-hand goods given away by Cyric for free. The quality can be imagined.
But even these second-hand goods that Cyric gave away for free are already much more powerful than the Cyric muzzle-loading cannons used by the artillery of Qi State before.
A large number of 130mm caliber howitzers bombarded the Tang army's positions on the battlefield, as if they were venting the hatred in their hearts.
Qin Xiong is a veteran general with rich experience. He is an artilleryman himself and is very familiar with artillery operations. With the help of consultant Sirik, he also has a good understanding of modern artillery operations.
It can be said responsibly that among the generals of the Qi State, Qin Xiong can be said to be the most capable of fighting, and the one who is even worse is Tian Heng. Unfortunately, Tian Heng, who is capable of fighting, has now returned to the west, and he can no longer continue to fight for Qi. The country went to war.
Soon, Qin Xiong, who was coming from the middle line, saw what the troops on the western front called "the howl of death." Above his head, a heartbreaking whistle suddenly sounded.
"Woo...buzz..." The continuous, harsh sound made Qin Xiong frown. He subconsciously raised his head, only to find that above his head was a roof lined with logs.
But the next second, a huge explosion shook the roof, and wisps of dust fell down, making Qin Xiong squint his eyes.
"Quick, come help!" A guard took off his water bottle and started to help Qin Xiong wash his face. By the time these people were busy washing Qin Xiong's eyes, the Stuka dive bombers raging overhead were already far away.
went.
"What the hell is that?" It was also a Qi officer who was seeing it for the first time. He looked dissatisfied at the Qi regiment commander next to him.
The regimental leader looked embarrassed and quickly reported: "Sir, Tang's planes have always been like this. We are all used to it."
Fortunately, Qin Xiong had never met a Stuka along the way. Only then did he realize that the reason why they could not take the Tang Air Force seriously was because the Tang Air Force had never regarded them as a key target.
If the howling sound just now appeared on the central battlefield, Qin Xiong didn't think his troops would be much better than the friendly troops on the western front.
"Seize the time to attack..." Qin Xiong spat out a sentence with an ugly face, paused for a while, and then continued: "Add another regiment! The next attack, at least 3 regiments! If you don't touch the Tang Army's position, you won't be able to attack."
Retreat allowed!"
Soon, the Qi army began to attack again. The huge crowds of infantry climbed out of the simple trenches and began to move forward. They braved the continuous artillery fire of the Tang army and stepped on the corpses left behind. It was extremely tragic.
They had no other choice but to risk their lives to test the strength of the Tang army. Soon they were covered by artillery fire, and the Tang army's mortars joined the battle, making the artillery fire instantly airtight.
The position was filled with fireworks, and even the figures of people could not be seen clearly. The artillery of the Tang Army obviously had very precise scale parameters, and could calmly spread its firepower according to the firing chart.
Compared to the Qi Army, which was constantly being harassed and seriously lagging behind in training, the Tang Army's artillery unit was professional and advanced, and the combat effectiveness it displayed was on a completely different level.
The Tang Army's long-range and powerful 155mm caliber howitzers were simply a nightmare for attacking the Qi Army.
After only three rounds of volleys, the Qi infantry on the battlefield lost the will to attack. The supervising team also fired a few shots at will and then withdrew. Once again, they failed to test the strength of the Tang army.
"The morale of the troops on the Western Front has collapsed. It is probably just a waste of time to rely on them." Qin Xiong's adjutant reminded him anxiously when he saw the retreating troops.
"You're right!" Qin Xiong also knew that relying only on these messed-up guys wouldn't be enough, so he had to readjust his deployment: "Let the tank troops come up and give it a try! At least, give the opponent
For a change."
He pretended to be relaxed and made a joke: "If we continue to fight like this, these damn Tang people will probably be sleepy."
However, just when the Qi officers in the headquarters were preparing to cater to their superiors and laugh together to lighten the atmosphere, the inappropriate howl of the Stuka dive bombers was heard again.
Then came the trembling of the earth and the deafening explosion... Needless to say, another unlucky artillery position was probably sent into the sky by a 500 kilogram aerial bomb.