Chapter 1666: Chapter 1583: The Loss of One Night
For the Dwarven 4th Group Army, the situation in Eternal Winter City can be described as a rapid downturn, with the Tang Army attacking continuously for three days, completely annihilating their troops stationed outside the city.
Moreover, a large number of Tang Army soldiers infiltrated the city, severely disrupting the command of the Dwarf Troops and paralyzing their supplies, causing nurous casualties to the Dwarf Troops.
In the core part of the city, within the command post of the 4th Group Army, Moss, the army commander, and his chief of staff were listening to the battle report from last night.
Frankly speaking, they were startled to the point of disbelief. The chief of staff stretched out his hand to grab the report from the officer below, scrutinizing it carefully. Moss clenched his fist and remained silent for quite a while.
Finally, it was the 4th Group Army’s commander who spoke first, helplessly asking, “Are you saying I lost nearly 30 company commanders, 12 battalion commanders, and 2 regint commanders in one night?”
“Yes, General.” The officer answered awkwardly, “The enemy silently breached our lines last night and raided multiple command posts. They killed people everywhere, and our sentinels were almost helpless.”
“It must be that damned equipnt! Their people all have such gear! They can see us at night, but we’re as blind as bats.” Moss finally spoke, his words startling the several officers next to him.
“The enemy has a huge advantage in night battles. We were using flares to counter them before… But in urban combat, the flares really aren’t effective.” The chief of staff put down the report with a sigh after speaking.
They now roughly understood how the Tang People were able to fight effectively at night. The enemy didn’t need any light sources, just that damn equipnt.
In such circumstances, the Dwarves had almost no ans of countering. They could only passively endure the attacks, especially in urban combats.
In field battles, maybe firing flares overnight can barely cope, but within the city, flares aren’t effective. The light is blocked by buildings, unable to cover large areas, and there are still so blind spots.
Even so, it’s the easiest thod to implent in the short term. So the 4th Group Army commander imdiately said, “Distribute the reserve flares; we’ll use them for as many days as we can.”
Their stockpile of flares wasn’t high to begin with, and a large portion had been used up in field battles. Now what’s left is insufficient for unlimited use.
“Not much is left at all… Sigh… I’ve been blaming the frontline for using too many flares wastefully, but now it seems that these are the only things that can sowhat counter the Tang People’s shaless tactics.” The chief of staff sighed once again, he seed to have been sighing continuously since Eternal Winter City was encircled.
Currently, they lack everything, large-caliber artillery, tanks and anti-tank weapons, anti-aircraft guns, various weapons and ammunition, personnel, and supplies…
Because most of the Dwarves’ stored supplies were in the Steel Rampart’s bunkers, Eternal Winter Port isn’t particularly well-stocked now. Although they have so reserves, they’ve dwindled down due to the operations.
Eternal Winter City originally had a population of over a million, but as the war dragged on, it has dwindled to less than eight hundred thousand. Many people fled the city, leaving behind empty buildings.
The bigwigs abandoned their properties here, only the civilians were still hiding in their rooms, praying for an end to this catastrophe.
“I have to promote 30 company commanders again… It’s not an easy task. Without those experienced commanders, my troops’ combat effectiveness can’t be guaranteed.” The commander of the Group Army reminded Moss worriedly.
The 4th Group Army wasn’t an elite unit in the first place. If it loses its backbone, the remaining rank and file soldiers’ combat performance would be even more unpredictable.
“There’s no other way, we can only promote temporarily; we don’t have better thods to stop the enemy’s combat tactics.” Moss smiled bitterly as he walked to the map. The periter defense line at Eternal Winter Port that he carefully laid out had vanished without a trace.
The outermost field fortifications were lost without playing any role, and the enemy’s armored corps shattered these defensive positions in just a few hours.
Afterwards, the suburban defensive line didn’t hold for long either. The Tang Army’s breakthrough tactics swept past this line, which crumbled due to supply issues.
The fighting is now mixed in the city area, and the frontline is less than 4 kiloters from his command post, though this number is uncertain—perhaps a Tang Army infiltration squad has already reached within 2 kiloters.
As the battle ensued, the Dwarf defenders at Eternal Winter Port had been penned into a relatively small area. Their options dwindled, the only thing supporting them to keep fighting seed to be the invaluable nature of this location.
If the Tang Army were to occupy Eternal Winter Port, given their transport ability, the Empire on Eastern Continent, even if united, might not be a match for the Tang Army.
As they conversed, the Tang Army bombing resud. It was not a widespread bombing but precise, rhythmic explosions from a distance.
This indicated that many critical areas were being destroyed and many crucial weapons were being wiped out… For the Dwarves, this was certainly not good news.
The earth trembled with the blasts, the ceiling light shook with the vibrations, and everyone was on edge, waiting for the ground-shaking tremors to gradually subside.
As dust fell from overhead, striking the docunts on the table with a soft patter, an officer walked in holding a telegram.
“General! A ssage just ca in…” he said while handing the telegram to Moss. Moss took the telegram, glanced at its contents, and his expression shifted dramatically.
He closed his eyes and handed the telegram paper to the chief of staff next to him. The chief of staff glanced at the telegram and realized its contents: The remnants of the 1st Corps had their retreat cut off by the Tang Army’s 9th Armored Division, which suddenly advanced north, eventually encircling and destroying them.
In other words, the only “remnants” outside the encirclent that could have held the Tang Army or assisted in relieving the pressure on the 5th Group Army were gone.
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