Liu Guozhu was very satisfied with his position, as it was the first ti he had co across such an advanced war machine.
For such a skinny young man like him, Tank No. 4 was indeed a behemoth.
This tank was equipped with the most advanced communication equipnt, with frontal armor exceeding 60 milliters, which was incomparable to those tanks and armored vehicles from other countries.
Having the chance to command such a tank filled Liu Guozhu with happiness. He could never have dread that one day he would be able to maneuver a steel beast across the battlefield.
Initially, he could have chosen a safer position because he had studied literature and technology in school, which would have allowed him to stay in a safer rear area.
But he had no hesitation whatsoever and enlisted at the first opportunity during the draft selection, becoming an honored mber of the Armored Troops.
Because he was educated and understood various terminologies, was able to execute tactical orders, and could read operation manuals, he was appointed as the tank commander, responsible for commanding Tank No. 4.
When he first set eyes on this gigantic beast, he was completely stunned by the steel monster before him. But once he truly learned how to command such a tank, he fell deeply in love with this advanced war machine.
Honestly speaking, being in the Armored Troops wasn't that great, and wasn't comfortable at all. When the hatches were closed for battlefield maneuvers, the inside of the tank was just like a huge sauna.
The heat from the engine churned in the cramped space, making every soldier unable to resist stripping off their upper clothing to fight bare-chested. Enjoy exclusive content from My Virtual Library Empire
Due to insufficient smoke extraction equipnt, after firing, a pungent, unpleasant odor instantly filled the tank and lingered for a long ti.
The dim lighting inside the tank was rely symbolic, dimly lit and only getting used to after extended training sessions.
However, compared to the infantry who only had steel helts, at least they had a thick steel plate in front of them to shield them from bullets whizzing directly towards them.
It was precisely for these reasons that Tank No. 4 was designed with as many as five hatches, allowing all mbers the chance to stick their heads out to get so air when it wasn't too dangerous.
Such a plethora of hatches significantly impacted protection, but even so, Tank No. 4 was still considered the best-protected tank in the world—without equal!
Having so many hatches had its advantages; for one, crew mbers could rapidly escape the tank if it was destroyed, and on the other hand, it indeed made it easier to resupply ammunition.
Compared to the first generation of Tank No. 4, Tang Mo made so basic improvents. One of which was the installation of a stowage box at the back of the turret.
This stowage box was supposed to be added in subsequent upgrades, but Tang Mo went ahead and installed it on the first generation of Tank No. 4, providing so extra storage space for less important items.
To maintain secrecy, the Armored Corps of the Great Tang Kingdom were deployed in rather desolate areas, with other troops on alert nearby.
Within this scarcely visited military restricted zone, new commanders like Liu Guozhu tirelessly trained in the basic operations of the tank.
Thanks to the most intuitive and experienced World War II German Army tank operation manual, the Armored Corps of the Tang Kingdom had a wealth of real combat experience from the start.
These details were the culmination of six brutal years of war by the German Army, each one was a matter of life and death, each one proven by countless instances of bloodshed.
Following the manual, every march route had to be carefully selected, with tanks on guard going uphill and advanced scout armored vehicles providing safety verification.
During the column's movent, which tank was responsible for watching which direction, and how all tanks should disengage from an area in the event of a sudden attack, and so on.
Every rule was intricately designed, every detail refined and reconsidered—this is what real combat experience is, truth forged through relentless practice.
At this mont, Liu Guozhu, wearing his headset, watched the distance from the bouncing tank. He pressed his throat mic, reminding his driver, "Watch your speed! There are trees on the left front, don't break the antenna!"
"I can't see the platoon leader's vehicle!" ca the sowhat anxious voice of the driver through the headset: "My visibility isn't great!"
"I can still see his antenna! The terrain here is complex, not suitable for combat!" Liu Guozhu complained, pressing the intercom, "1 number! 1 number! This is 3 number vehicle! We have no visibility! Our firing range is limited!"
"3 number! 3 number! This is 1 number vehicle! I also think this isn't a good spot! Speed up! Reverse!
Reverse!" The platoon leader's sowhat urgent voice ca through the headset.
"Reverse! Reverse! Clear the spot! Fast!" Pressing the intercom, switching to the internal channel, Liu Guozhu loudly reminded his driver.
"Clang..." The tracks of Tank No. 4 stopped rolling, the entire tank shook, and then it ca to a stop.
Shortly after, Liu Guozhu's tank began to reverse, the slender communication antenna swaying along with the movent of the vehicle body.
"Damn it! Too late!" The platoon leader's complaint ca through the headset, followed by an announcent on the public channel that vehicle number one had been destroyed by enemy forces.
"Vehicle one has been hit and is on fire! Visibility is obscured!" the referee announced loudly over the channel, and Liu Guozhu could only order gloomily to continue reversing.
"Stay away from here, watch the flank! There's definitely an enemy machine gun position on the side!" he reminded his comrades while issuing loud combat commands to his gunner: "Three o'clock! Three o'clock direction!"
"Tank three, tank three! This is tank two! You're about to crash into ! Damn it!" As Liu Guozhu was directing his gunner to rotate the turret, another tank commander's roar ca through the headset.
"Damn it! Stop the tank! Stop the tank!" While rotating the turret, Liu Guozhu shouted loudly. Along with his shouting, tank number four ca to a sudden stop, its body shaking slightly.
"Referee! Referee! I have aid at the three o'clock direction! I'm sweeping the enemy machine gun position with the coaxial machine gun."
"Judgent valid! The enemy's ambush machine gun position is suppressed..." Finally, so good news ca through the headset.
"Tank two! Tank two! Reverse! Make room! We're going to advance in a different direction! Vehicle one has been destroyed!" Holding down the talk button, Liu Guozhu yelled loudly.
"I'm reversing! I'm reversing!" The tank two commander seed equally irritated, as their tank platoon was having a run of seriously bad luck in this exercise.
First, tank four was randomly judged to be immobilized due to poor maintenance, and was ruled out of the fight, followed by tank five being judged to have hit a mine and was damaged on their way to the offensive.
Fatefully reaching the battlefield, they imdiately fell into a passive situation due to the terrain, and vehicle one was 'killed' by the enemy upon entering their position.
"Turn around! Follow ! We're going to charge through the side of the position!" Having turned in an open space, Liu Guozhu discussed with the commander of tank two.
"I'll listen to you!" The commander of tank two, who was a rookie like Liu, had no idea what to do at this mont and was happy to follow soone's lead. After all, it was just an exercise. Whether it went well or poorly, he wasn't going to lose his life, right?
After finally circumventing the mound, a vast area finally opened up before them. Through the gaps of the observation window, Liu Guozhu managed to get a rough grasp of the battlefield!
"Eleven o'clock direction! Eleven o'clock direction! Enemy tank spotted!" he alerted his gunner loudly, then ordered his driver, "Turn! Face the enemy head-on! Face the enemy!"
After issuing two commands, a thought suddenly flashed in Liu Guozhu's mind: It was unlikely that the enemy tank would expose its side in such an open area!
In the blink of an eye, he imdiately revised his command: "Stop rotating the turret! Stop! Look carefully at the flank! Search carefully! There must be a tank covering at two o'clock! Watch out!
Tank two! Tank two! Do you see anything? Do you see anything?"
"I don't see anything but bushes, I can't see anything else!" The commander of tank two beca anxious, ceaselessly searching for potential targets.
"Tank two is destroyed! Stop the tank! You're out!" the referee's voice ca, and Liu Guozhu knew he was now left as the only rookie.
"Two o'clock direction! Suspected camouflaged bushes, coaxial machine gun fire to confirm target!" Liu Guozhu loudly reported his actions.
"... Shot effective, camouflage confird," the referee announced after a brief two-second silence.
"Fire!" Liu Guozhu imdiately ordered his gunner, who also shouted over the radio, "Fire!"
"Attack judgent effective!" This ti without hesitation, the referee imdiately declared, "One enemy tank destroyed..."
"Ten o'clock direction! Ten o'clock direction!" After eliminating the threat on his right side, Liu Guozhu imdiately ordered to rotate the turret.
Unfortunately, he was still one step too late; the referee group's decision ca through the headset: "You've been hit, you are out!"
"Damn it!" Liu Guozhu pounded his fist against the side of the cannon's breech, very dissatisfied with his performance.
Having lost three tanks on his side and knocked out only one of the enemy's, this looked like a crushing defeat.
"Not bad fighting!" Surprisingly, over the radio, his platoon leader seed quite sanguine, and as the exercise had ended, he simply encouraged him over the radio: "Managing to knock out one enemy tank is already very good."
Liu Guozhu hadn't co to his senses; he paused, lifted the hatch over his head, and saw that the enemy tank camouflaged as a bush had also opened its top hatch.
The opponent gave him a friendly thumbs up.
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