great-warnovel Chapter 266 The Attack of the Fengtian Cavalry Division
Chapter 266 The Attack of the Fengtian Cavalry Division
"General! You mustn't!"
The chief of staff cried out in terror, clinging tightly to Zhang Shizong's leg on horseback:
"Chen's army's firepower is too insane! Our artillery was wiped out before we even opened fire! Charging in now is just suicide!"
"Get out of here!"
Zhang Shizong, his face contorted with rage, kicked his chief of staff off his horse.
"More than two hundred cannons are gone! How am I supposed to explain this to the commander-in-chief? How am I supposed to keep my position and my head?!"
He brandished his sword in a rage, spitting bloody saliva all over the ground:
"Pass down the order! Bring out the most elite heavy cavalry division! And those two armored trains, weld the steam valves shut, they must advance at full speed!"
"All troops, launch a desperate charge! Anyone who dares to retreat even half a step, I'll shoot their entire family on the spot!"
"Don't you guys even realize that even if Chen Zijun were truly a god of wealth descended to earth, capable of blowing all two hundred-plus cannons at the front lines into scrap metal, he couldn't possibly blow our entire army into scrap metal!"
"That's a heavy cavalry division. If we break through, can they even mount bayonets on their cannons?"
"When we take Xuzhou and capture the heavy artillery, Commander Zhang will have to reward me!"
"Get them all down to the front lines and oversee the battle!"
The chief of staff cried out in despair, "General, Chen's army's artillery is firing with incredible accuracy! If we don't run now, we'll lose even the troops escorting us back!"
"Withdraw to Jining? Where the hell do I have a way out now?!"
Zhang Shizong suddenly yanked his collar, his eyes red as he roared:
"Chang Guangtou and Fengtian are both watching me! If I can't break through Xuzhou today, I'll be a sinner against the Fengtian clique! Twenty thousand heavy cavalry—that's the foundation I built up with five years' worth of taxes! Once the warhorses charge into the trenches, even if the Chen family army has extraordinary abilities, they'll have to fight hand-to-hand! Anyone who dares to take a single step back will be executed on the spot by the supervisory team!"
A muffled rumbling sound suddenly rose from the ground at the northern end of the plains surrounding Xuzhou.
That was the sound of two heavy armored trains accelerating wildly on the tracks. The exhaust pipes of the steam locomotives spewed out thick black smoke that blotted out the sky, and inside the locomotives, the red-hot furnace flames made the stoker's face look incredibly ferocious.
On both sides of the train, the mountains and plains were filled with tall and mighty Fengtian heavy cavalry. More than 20,000 warhorses trampled on the withered yellow grass, raising a sandstorm that was more than ten meters high.
"Hiss!"
The fierce neighing of warhorses and the roar of the train merged together, overwhelming Chen's army's first line of defense like a tidal wave.
Meanwhile, inside the forward command post of Chen Jiajun's army.
Chen Zijun stood by the window, clearly feeling the cement ground beneath his feet trembling slightly, one tremor after another.
Instead of panicking, he calmly picked up his teacup and took a small sip.
Then, with a thought, he brought up the light blue system panel.
[Unlimited Pay-to-Win System Panel]
Current funds: £6,543,876
[Daily Increase in Funds]: £1.5 per second (continuously soaring)
【当前兵力】：国防军五个德械满编步兵师、中央整编第4、6、12、19师；中央独立混成第5、6旅；税警总团、宪兵团、中央警卫旅；独立重炮旅，第二独立重炮旅、第一装甲师、第二装甲师、第一摩托化步兵师、海军驱逐舰大队、巡洋舰大队、潜艇部队
"A fortune of over 30 million pounds is a waste of resources to deal with a bunch of horse-riding bandits."
Chen Zijun looked at the numbers flashing on the system panel, a cold smile appearing on his lips.
"Reporting to the young marshal!"
Zang Keping rushed in, his face contorted with a ferocious grin that screamed with battle lust.
"Those old fogies of the Fengtian clique are getting desperate! Emperor Zhang Shizong has brought up both armored wagons and dispatched over 20,000 of his old-timers' heavy cavalry, who are charging relentlessly along the railway tracks!"
"Young Marshal, should the heavy artillery brigade launch another sweeping attack?"
"No."
Chen Zijun closed the system panel, turned around, and said calmly:
"The brothers in the heavy artillery brigade have just finished a battle, let them rest. Besides, heavy artillery shells cost money."
He slowly walked to the map and drew a circle in the middle of the Xuzhou Plain with his finger:
"Didn't Zhang Shizong think he was very powerful because he had armored trains and tens of thousands of cavalry?"
"Pass on my order: have the tank formations of the 2nd Armored Division move out of their fortifications along the entire front. Where in Fujian has the 1st Armored Division ever had the chance to experience the sheer power and imposing presence of a large-scale armored vehicle charge on the plains?"
He raised his head, his eyes revealing a ruthless coldness:
"Tell the brothers of the 2nd Armored Division to trample these remnants of the old era, men and horses alike, into the dirt."
"yes!"
Zang Keping puffed out his chest, his face flushed with excitement, gave a military salute, and then turned and rushed out quickly.
At this moment, on the main battlefield of Xuzhou, the bugle calls for the charge had become a continuous chorus.
On the Jinpu Railway, two giant Fengtian Army armored trains sped along the tracks like madmen.
The heavy iron plates installed on the outside of the carriages are fixed with rivets, and even the windows are fitted with iron bars, making them look like two moving steel monsters.
"Quick! Keep adding coal! Bring the gas pressure to maximum!"
The armored train commander roared hoarsely, staring intently ahead.
The steam valves were completely welded shut, and the steam locomotive's power was squeezed to its limit. A piercing white steam stream spewed from the bottom of the locomotive, propelling the heavy iron wheels to produce a screeching metallic friction sound on the rails.
On both sides of the armored train carriages, rows of 75mm field guns and heavy machine guns had their firing ports extended, their dark muzzles pointing directly at Chen Zijun's defensive line.
On both sides of the railway line stood more than 20,000 of the most elite cavalrymen of the Fengtian clique from beyond the Great Wall.
These cavalrymen were all strong and robust, holding their gleaming sabers high in their hands, and uttering all sorts of unintelligible, savage cries.
Tens of thousands of warhorses galloped at the same time, their hooves crushing the hard soil. The earth trembled, and the dust they raised covered the sky and the sun, like a yellowish-brown sand wall that was pushing forward.
"My God, that was a huge commotion..."
In a foxhole on the front line of Chen Jiajun's army, a new recruit, his face pale, gripped his rifle tightly with trembling fingers.
He could hear the thunderous hoofbeats and the roar of the train merging into a deep, resonant sound that seemed to shatter his eardrums.
"Don't panic! What are you shaking for?!"
The old sergeant next to him grabbed his shoulder and sneered:
"We have cement shells behind us, and the Young Marshal's heavy artillery. These mounted bandits are just walking meat to be delivered to our deaths!"
The veteran sergeant patted his helmet: "Rookies, remember this: as long as we have our weapons, they're sitting ducks if they cross the red line. The heavy machine gun the Young Marshal gave us—we could take them down in a row with our eyes closed!"
The platoon leader, crouching low, ran past above the trench and shouted:
"Put the dust covers on! Heavy machine gun crew, take cover, and unleash a barrage of fire once they've breached the defensive line!"
With a whoosh, the shells fired by the Fengtian Army train plowed several craters in front of the position!
The pungent smell of sulfur made people cough uncontrollably.
The recruit swallowed hard, pursed his lips, and finally wiped the sweat from his palms...