It’s already past 3 a.m., and the paratroopers have launched their assault on Saint Luo Fortress from two directions. However, with more defenders joining, their pace has slowed down.
The captured Allied Forces Commander-in-chief of Saint Luo, Vankelus, was rather straightforward. He knew he wouldn’t be returning to the Poplar Empire, so he decided to speak openly and honestly.
After a simple interrogation, the Tang Army beca fully aware of the troop positions inside Saint Lo City. Including secrets like the allied forces being more nurous than previously thought, Vankelus confessed everything he knew.
This Elven General had only one request: not to be handed over to the Poplar Empire. He knew that if he returned, Poplar The First would surely not spare him.
He even envisioned his own future: to live incognito, using all the intel he knew as leverage for survival. After all, Poplar The First was in na the father-in-law of the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire. If this father-in-law indeed held a grudge, he might retaliate against this fool who ruined things when he becos a fallen monarch.
So rather than chasing high ranks and riches, Vankelus felt that his future in the Great Tang Empire wouldn’t be promising—he didn’t seek a bright future, only to save his own life.
"This person is quite interesting," an officer said with a smile, handing the interrogation records to the Division Commander of the 1st Paratrooper Division of Great Tang: "He said everything, answered anything asked, and even added more..."
"With such a cooperative attitude, we won’t have to work so hard," the Division Commander briefly skimd the interrogation records, smiled, and placed them on a nearby table: "Share any valuable intel with us too."
"There are about 50,000 allied troops in the entire Saint Lo. Although their combat strength isn’t great, their numbers are actually quite large. We underestimated them, which is why the fight is becoming more strenuous," the officer explained: "The 2nd Division stumbled upon a big win in the south."
"Because Vankelus thought the coastal defense battery was useless, he withdrew the two regints stationed there, leaving only two companies as guard units. So, the 2nd Division successfully penetrated the port, and the battery was easily captured," he said, full of envy, as those were genuine achievents.
"As previously estimated, the north is their most valued area, with the strongest forces there. It’s expected that reinforcents will soon co from the north, and we’ll have to wait for their attack," he paused and continued: "That guy marked the artillery positions, so we should send people over early to try to destroy those heavy weapons. This way, when the allied counterattack arrives, things will be easier for us."
"You’re right, have Xiang Ziyu and the battalion commanders sweep through, don’t spare any big ones, blow them all up if possible," the Division Commander slamd the table, making a firm decision: "Let’s take the initiative under cover of night, make them suffer more."
...
Xiang Ziyu, who had just rested for 10 minutes, received a new mission. They were to march on foot to an artillery position about 5 kiloters from the airport and destroy the 15 pieces of 152mm howitzers stationed there.
These artillery could potentially threaten the airport at daylight and create problems for the Tang Army’s defense during the enemy’s counteroffensive.
He imdiately gathered his troops, and over 300 paratroopers quickly checked their ammunition and set out: three battalions carried out similar tasks, while naval forces were dispatched to clear the remaining 15 targets further away.
Actually, the sky was brighter than expected at this ti, as sothing still burning in the distance cast a dim light on the horizon.
The 152mm howitzers, the mission target, were evidently Dwarf equipnt, as the Elven side used 150 calibers: under Tang Country’s technological export principles, the Elven had mostly German-style weaponry, while the Dwarves had Russian-style armants.
This disparity aligned with the requirents of both nations: neither wanted the other to use their ammunition, so their weapons were not designed to be interchangeable.
With both nations being adversarial, this was no issue, but now in alliance, one sees how intentional differences complicate things: although unified, the two armies still operate independently, and logistical support can’t be simplified.
Actually, the situation around Saint Luo was sowhat better: the Elven troops, having been defeated along the way, left behind most of their heavy weapons, so they had to rely on the Dwarves’ reserves at Saint Ro for heavy weaponry.
This led to an interesting phenonon near Saint Luo: Elven infantry were often paired with a Dwarf artillery unit, though the level of their cooperation was anybody’s guess.
This ti, Vankelus’s capture left Saint Luo’s plans with no secrecy against the Tang Army, making the already clumsily assembled ad-hoc forces appear even more sluggish.
The airport had been under attack for several hours, yet the nearby Dwarf garrison hadn’t reacted, and the artillery positions a few kiloters away were equally silent.
Perhaps they feared that rashly firing at their own airport might cause misunderstandings, so they chose to remain silent, seemingly waiting for daylight to assess the situation.
But these artillery positions with few guards wouldn’t last until daylight, as the paratroopers launched a swift march, driven by clear intelligence, directly launching a fierce attack on these positions.
The Dwarf and Elf troops stationed nearby fell into chaos, and the artillery crews had to abandon their equipnt and join the retreating forces.
Having captured these artillery positions, the Tang Army used explosives to destroy the large-caliber guns and then constructed their own defensive positions at appropriate locations, preparing for the enemy’s counterattack.
Xiang Ziyu busied himself throughout the night and finally found a spot to close his eyes for a short nap at dawn. He originally planned to sleep for half an hour to recover his condition and face the impending enemy counterattack. However, he surprisingly slept for a full four hours.
"Why didn’t you wake up?" Xiang Ziyu asked with a start when he opened his eyes and checked his watch, fearing he might have missed sothing important.
"There were no new tasks, and the enemy didn’t co... so we didn’t wake you," his subordinate paratrooper replied with a smile, raising a canned fruit: "Oh, by the way, our supplies arrived an hour ago."
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