Chapter 140: The War Begins

Time quickly reached past 10 PM. At this time, in Hu Hao’s command center, most of the staff officers had gone to rest. Only a few staff officers on duty and Hu Hao remained.

Hu Hao stood by the observation port, watching the situation on the opposite bank. The night was quiet, terrifyingly quiet. There was no movement at all on either side of the river, not even the chirping of insects. It was very oppressive, yet the starry sky above was clearly visible, the stars still twinkling.

“Heavens, what exactly did you bring me here for? Do I have to keep fighting for another half a lifetime?” Hu Hao looked up at the sky, sighing inwardly.

Hu Hao looked at the sky, thinking of his brothers and relatives. But he couldn’t go back now. He had already grown old and passed away on Earth; the person he was no longer existed there. Hu Hao stood there, gazing at the sky and the stars, somewhat entranced.

An unknown amount of time passed before a staff officer walked over with a bottle of cold water. Handing it to Hu Hao, he said, “Hao-ge, there are some lights on the Allied side!”

“Hmm? Oh! Thanks!” Hu Hao took the water and began looking through the periscope at the opposite bank. Sure enough, he spotted lights. He raised his hand to check his watch; it was already past 11 PM.

“It’s almost time!” Hu Hao said, walking back into the command center.

“Notify the logistics units to deliver food immediately!” Hu Hao told the staff officers on duty.

“Yes, sir!” A staff officer immediately picked up the phone to contact logistics.

“Hao-ge, should we wake up our staff officers?” another asked.

“Not yet. Wait a bit, let them rest for now!” Hu Hao shook his head.

“Yes, sir!” The staff officers continued with their tasks, while Hu Hao sat there. In truth, he didn’t have much to do right now. All necessary orders had been given. Now, it was just a matter of waiting—waiting for the Allied forces to attack.

Over twenty minutes later, the defensive positions began to bustle with activity. The food had arrived, and the soldiers had to eat as quickly as possible before inspecting their equipment and ammunition.

Wang Yao was currently helping with the inspections. He still had no idea what tonight would be like, but his Company Commander did. His Company Commander took him along, inspecting each air-raid shelter one by one and giving instructions.

“Remember, don’t panic. If the Allied forces unleash a heavy artillery bombardment, get into the air-raid shelters. The moment they stop, head out immediately. That means their troops are preparing to cross the river.

“Also, when you go out later, don’t stand straight up. Keep your backs hunched. When you lie prone on the positions, keep your heads down. If you’re scared, just shoot straight ahead. Firing a few rounds will help you calm down.

“Furthermore, if there are wounded, yell for a medic. We have quite a few medics here. If you get injured yourself, shout once or twice, but don’t keep yelling continuously. Constant yelling will expose your position. The Allied forces have mortars too. If they drop a shell on you, both you and whoever comes to save you will be in trouble.

“Lastly, if a medic asks you to help drag a wounded man into the air-raid shelter, lend a hand. Once you’ve dragged them in, get right back out. Remember, keep your bodies low and don’t panic!” The company commanders instructed their soldiers inside the air-raid shelters.

Wang Yao and the others followed their respective company commanders, listening to the instructions. After making the rounds, Wang Yao and his Company Commander returned to the company headquarters’ air-raid shelter.

“Motherfucker, it’s going to be a fierce battle!” Wang Yao’s Company Commander swore.

“How do you know?” Wang Yao asked.

“Hao-ge had logistics deliver food, and it was too quiet earlier—terrifyingly quiet. This is the rhythm of a major battle. We all know it. We’ve encountered situations like this before when fighting alongside Hao-ge!

“Later on, make sure to stay safe. I might not be able to look after you. If you’re scared, keep your head down, but whatever you do, do not back down. Otherwise, the soldiers will look down on you, and you’ll never be able to lead troops into battle in the future!” the Company Commander advised Wang Yao.

“Yes, don’t worry, I won’t back down!” Wang Yao nodded, his voice firm.

“Also, if I die, the entire company falls under your command. You must stay calm. You have to lead the men to block the Allied attack. We cannot let them break through our lines!” the Company Commander instructed.

“Ah, that won’t happen. You have so much experience, Company Commander!” Wang Yao looked at him in shock.

“Experience? Haha! Experience can’t beat luck. If it’s truly your time to die, you can’t dodge it. Just remember what I said. Anything can happen on the battlefield, and someone can die at any moment. It’s no big deal.

“I’ve killed enough to make my life worth it anyway. If I die, I have nothing to complain about. Compared to the brothers we lost before, I’ve still come out ahead!” the Company Commander told him.

“Yes! Company Commander! But I think we’ll be fine, right? We have permanent defensive fortifications. How could the Allied forces possibly charge up so easily?” Wang Yao asked, looking at his commander.

“I just told you, anything is possible on the battlefield. Don’t let your guard down. What good are permanent fortifications? If they say they’ll break through, they’ll break through all the same. Those things are just illusions; what really matters is the command!” Wang Yao’s Company Commander chuckled. He tossed Wang Yao a cigarette and lit one for himself.

…

Meanwhile, back at Hu Hao’s location, Hu Hao had been keeping a close eye on the opposite bank. Deputy Division Commander Xiao Quan and the others had woken up and were now busy. As Hu Hao stood there watching, he heard the sound of vehicles starting up on the other side.

“Notify the troops! Everyone into the air-raid shelters!” Hu Hao turned his head and shouted inside.

“Yes, sir!” The staff officers were startled by his sudden shout for a moment, but quickly grabbed the phones to notify the units below.

Hu Hao stood there watching as more and more headlights flickered to life on the opposite bank, accompanied by the growing rumble of engines. He knew the Allied offensive was about to begin; tonight’s fierce battle was starting.

“It’s starting?” Xiao Quan walked over, looking into the distance.

“Their tanks, armored vehicles, and engineering vehicles have likely all started up. The Allied forces still have a few artillery regiments left; they will definitely open fire!” Hu Hao gestured forward. Xiao Quan also looked at the opposite bank and saw that the vehicle lights were indeed all on.

“Whoosh—” Barely three minutes later, the piercing sound of several artillery shells tearing through the air could be heard.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” Explosions immediately erupted on Hu Hao’s defensive line. This was the Allied forces’ ranging shots. Just over a minute later, a massive barrage of artillery shells came screaming toward their positions. Hu Hao stood there, watching the distant headlights slowly advance.

“Hao-ge, let’s head inside. It’s still dangerous out here!” Xiao Quan urged.

“You go in first. I’m fine, I need to take a look!” Hu Hao replied to Xiao Quan and the others.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” By now, explosions were going off everywhere across the positions. Dirt and sand were blasted into the air, clouding the sky, and Hu Hao’s line of sight was completely obscured by the smoke.

However, through the headlights, he could still gauge the speed of the approaching Allied forces. On the opposite bank, the Allied forces had committed three infantry divisions at once to assault Hu Hao’s defensive line.

The infantry closely followed behind tanks and armored vehicles. Trailing behind them were numerous pontoon bridge units. Once they reached the riverbank, they would construct pontoon bridges to allow their infantry to cross the river and fight.

“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!” The Allied bombardment continued relentlessly. Meanwhile, in Hu Hao’s positions, the soldiers hid inside the air-raid shelters. They sat there, waiting for the artillery barrage to cease.

Mo Qin and his group were also sitting on the ground. This was their first time encountering such a situation. The Allied artillery shells screamed right over their heads, shaking the ground so violently that dirt rained down from the ceiling.

It was only now that Mo Qin truly felt fear, or at least a deep sense of worry. They had never experienced anything like this before. Suddenly being thrust into this reality finally made them understand what war truly meant.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!” The explosions were continuous. The Allied forces bombarded them for nearly 15 minutes. The entire defensive line, which previously had some trees and looked quite orderly, was now pockmarked with massive craters. Many of the trenches were heavily buried under the displaced soil.

Suddenly, the Allied artillery fire stopped. Many company commanders rushed out of the air-raid shelters and saw that the Allied forces had already reached the opposite riverbank.

“Out! Everyone out, hurry!” the company commanders, along with the platoon leaders who had also emerged, shouted loudly at their troops.

“Fire! Open fire!” The moment the soldiers rushed out, the officers roared.

“Rat-a-tat-tat!”

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

“Rat-a-tat-tat!” Soon, both sides began exchanging fire.

“Fweee—” Flare after flare was launched into the sky, illuminating the battlefield so the defending troops could clearly see the movements of the Allied forces on the opposite bank.

“Fire! Keep your bodies low and fire! Hurry! Heavy machine guns, suppress them! Rocket launchers, get ready, keep your eyes on the sky in case helicopters approach! Hurry up!” The company commanders ran along their trenches, shouting orders to their soldiers to commence firing.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” The soldiers took their positions and began firing at the Allied forces. The Allied forces were, after all, the attackers. To break through, they had to cross the river, which meant they had to provide cover for their pontoon bridge units to construct the bridges.

“Rocket launchers, take out those tanks! Those tanks are covering their pontoon bridge units!” a platoon leader shouted.

Meanwhile, Wang Yao and the other officers who were on the battlefield for the very first time drew a complete blank. Wang Yao was even sitting in the trench, utterly lost on what to do.

“Fire! Open fire, did you hear me?!” a squad leader roared at Wang Yao as he ran past.

(End of Chapter)