NCCnovel Chapter 1376 Opening the City Gates! Welcoming the Prince
Chapter 1376 Opening the City Gates! Welcoming the Prince
These mechs cannot be mounted on reconnaissance aircraft; they can only be transported by reconnaissance motorboats.
Several hours later, as the cold night deepened, the command post was brightly lit, and everyone's morale was not affected by the immediate halt of the attack.
These soldiers were nothing more than strangers to Han Da.
At this moment, the heavy curtain in the central command tent was suddenly thrown open, and the cold wind carried Wei Wuji's figure in.
His military boots were covered in snow, and his brow bore the weariness of a long march, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle's, and he clutched a thick, newly compiled intelligence file and several drawn maps in his hand.
"Marshal!" Wei Wuji said earnestly, "The reconnaissance results are complete, and the situation... is shocking! Thank goodness we didn't attack..."
"Speak! What happened?" Han Da asked succinctly.
Wei Wuji strode to the sand table, and Han Da, Fu Niu, and several adjutants followed him!
He spread out several images under the light, covered with dense markings in different colors. He pointed to the vast area surrounding Everwinter Fortress.
"Marshal, Captain, just as the Prince predicted, Shahar, this trapped beast, is sparing no effort and using the most despicable and insane means to try to delay us and buy us time!"
He pointed heavily to the main roads and hidden paths south of the fortress where the Allied forces might advance:
"First, they're still using the same trick! There are many disguised refugees along the way!"
"Captain Axe Bull's reconnaissance mech is very powerful, capturing at least seven well-disguised small groups of soldiers, ranging in size from fifteen to thirty people."
"They were dressed in tattered civilian clothes, mixed with a small number of women and children who were suspected to be coerced or voluntarily involved family members of the suicide squad. They had abandoned their standard weapons and were fleeing along different routes toward our pre-arranged assembly points and supply lines!"
"According to Captain Axe Bull's mech reconnaissance, they are carrying high explosives and melee weapons close to their bodies! Their intentions are obvious. Clearly, they are waiting for our army to approach, infiltrate those under our control, or get close to the marching column, and seize the opportunity to create a suicide bombing and internal chaos!"
Han Da's eyes suddenly turned icy cold: "Hmph! Just as I thought, it's that same despicable trick!"
"Shahar has fed the last shred of his humanity to the dogs!"
As he spoke, Han Da also reached a higher level and said to the adjutant beside him, "Notify all departments to conduct thorough checks on all approaching refugees, establish deep isolation zones, and immediately take control of anyone found carrying weapons or behaving abnormally, without warning!"
"Better to wrongly detain than let one go! We absolutely cannot allow even a single venomous fang to slip in!"
"Yes, sir!" The adjutant acknowledged the order and left...
After Han Da finished giving his orders, Wei Wuji continued his explanation.
His finger then moved closer to the fortress, pointing to several key passes, valleys, and woodland edges, at which point his expression turned solemn.
"They're no longer human. To stop us, this madman sent out a huge force! These people are poorly equipped, but they're fearless."
"Taking advantage of their familiarity with the terrain, they laid ambushes at more than a dozen pre-arranged ambush points here, here, and here!"
"They built makeshift shelters using ice caves, snowdrifts, and broken walls. Our reconnaissance revealed that they were carrying a large number of explosive charges, Molotov cocktails, and homemade landmines."
"The tactical intent is clear: trade lives for lives, trade lives for time! Based on my observation, those soldiers should all be a suicide squad..."
"Based on my guess, they will not engage our main force head-on, but instead plan to launch a costly surprise attack and suicidal blocking action against our vanguard and supply train during our advance!"
"Their goal is to slow our operations, cause casualties, and disrupt our rhythm!"
"If it were us, every step we took would likely be met with sniper fire, artillery fire, and the attacks of desperate criminals!"
Axe Bull gritted his teeth as he listened: "Damn it! These lunatics! Marshal, send my mech squad out to clean up? I guarantee we'll wipe out these rat burrows one by one!"
Han Da raised his hand to stop him: "No rush. The Prince is arriving! There must be a reason why the Prince wants us to stop!"
"The more frantic Shahar is, the more it shows his fear. These suicide squads are expendable pawns. Killing them is easy, but it will expose our reconnaissance capabilities and response methods, and may also alert the enemy."
"We'll remain inactive for now, and there won't be any danger. We'll just have to wait and see what the Prince decides. The Prince's order to investigate the other side definitely means he has a backup plan!"
Upon hearing Han Da's words, Wei Wuji and Han Da asked in surprise, "Is the Prince coming?"
Han Da gave an awkward smile, then said, "I was just guessing..."
Wei Wuji nodded, then looked towards the open area surrounding the bridges and fortresses on the map, which was covered with glaring red triangular markings.
Then they continued talking!
"The most troublesome thing is this: Shahar mobilized all available manpower, including a large number of people who were forcibly conscripted, and laid an extremely dense network of landmines in all possible roads, gentle slopes, and even seemingly safe snowfields within a five-mile radius of the fortress!"
"The types are mixed, including trigger mines, tripwire mines, pressure mines, and even a large number of booby traps modified from old mines we seized from the Tianji Academy!"
"The snowstorm has covered most of the excavation marks, and low-altitude reconnaissance can only identify some shallowly buried or laid locations. The number... is difficult to estimate precisely, but it is enough to make any infantry or light vehicle unable to move an inch!"
After listening, Axe Bull cursed and said, "Damn it, these bastards! We provide them with supplies, and they come to attack us! How amusing!"
Wei Wuji smiled helplessly, pointed to several specially marked bridges and mountain paths, and continued speaking to them.
"What's even more ingenious is that they deliberately blew up at least three secondary bridges leading to the fortress and created man-made avalanches and landslides in several narrow mountain roads!"
"The aim is to completely paralyze all our mobility routes except for the main attack route, forcing us to launch a frontal assault through their pre-planned, mine-filled, and ambush-ridden death corridor!"
"This is a scorched earth tactic that trades space for time, turning the area around the fortress into an impassable wasteland!"
Han Da frowned as he looked at the outer perimeter of the Everwinter Fortress on the sand table, which was marked like a hedgehog.
"What a Shahar! They've really gone all in this time!"
Axe Ox chimed in, "Besides, what they're doing is actually only slowing us down; it doesn't really have any real effect."
Upon hearing what Axe Ox said, Han Da and Wei Wuji, who were standing nearby, said almost in unison, "It's simple, they're stalling for time, waiting for reinforcements?!"
After seemingly understanding Xiao Ce's words, Axe Ox nodded and then said nothing more.
Wei Wuji pointed to the fortress itself and continued, "The defenses of the Everwinter Fortress have also been greatly strengthened. The crenellations have been reinforced, and there has been a noticeable increase in the reserves of logs, stones, and oil. The morale of the defenders... is strange. Although they are clearly exhausted and fearful, they seem to be held together by something, and their will to resist is exceptionally resolute, almost to the point of madness!"
"in addition..."
He paused, then continued with a grave expression, "Near the watchtower at the highest point of the fortress, Captain Axe Bull's reconnaissance mech detected several extremely brief but energy-level anomalies far exceeding those of ordinary soldiers. The characteristics... are similar to those of the robots that were destroyed before! However, the reconnaissance mech says that these robots seem to be even more powerful!"
Axe Bull snorted coldly: "What do I care about robots? As long as they dare to show their faces, my axe will have a good time!"
Han Da remained silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the red markers symbolizing death traps on the sand table and the model of the Everwinter Fortress standing tall in the wind and snow.
Wei Wuji's report confirmed his premonition: Shahar's resistance was more frantic, more reckless, and more targeted than expected.
"It seems that Shahar is really desperate..."
"The Prince's order to halt the attack is truly insightful. If we fall into their inescapable trap, even if we win, it will be a very difficult victory..."
"What if we get stuck there? The weather in the Slavic countries is so bad... It would really be a dilemma if we actually went!"
Han Da slowly opened his mouth!
"If we had advanced rashly as planned, our vanguard would probably be deep in minefields by now, our flanks would be harassed by suicide squads, and our rear would be thrown into chaos by the imposters. Our casualties would have been heavy, our morale would have been low, and our entire offensive would have been disrupted."
He raised his head, his gaze regaining its firmness: "Wei Wuji, immediately compile the most detailed report on all the coordinates, ambush points, minefield distribution maps, and road damage points you have scouted, and prepare it to submit to the Prince. At the same time, order all departments:"
"First, we must rely on the existing defenses, strengthen our fortifications, and guard against any possible sabotage or infiltration by the Saharans in a desperate attempt to launch a counterattack or infiltrate."
"Second, engineering units are on standby, with sufficient mine-clearing equipment and rapid bridging equipment prepared. Engineering mechs are ready to provide support."
"Third, air power will maintain continuous surveillance."
"Fourth, continue to monitor the ambushes of the disguised refugee squads and suicide squads that have been discovered. Hold off for now, but prepare contingency plans to eliminate them at any time, and wait for the prince's decision."
"Fifth, strengthen internal security and screening within our army! We now need to await further instructions from His Highness; whether to attack or hold our ground, we need to be prepared!"
"Yes, sir!" Wei Wuji and Axe Ox said in unison.
The two of them then hurriedly went out.
Han Da looked in the direction where Shahar and the others were and muttered to himself, "Shahar, when the prince arrives, it will be the end of you!"
The next morning, Han Da woke up and went to inspect the entire city.
Firstly, to check for any unusual activity; secondly, to assess the soldiers' morale...
Just as they were halfway through the patrol, some scouts said there was a situation in the rear.
Han Da climbed directly onto the city wall, and heard a low and strange buzzing sound piercing through the howling wind and snow, faintly coming from the southeastern horizon.
The sound was different from the roar of armored vehicle engines and also quite different from the shriek of glider attack aircraft. It carried a unique rhythm of metal and energy resonance, steady and full of pressure.
Han Da suddenly looked up, his sharp gaze fixed on the source of the sound.
He quickly used his binoculars and saw a huge convoy breaking through the snowstorm and approaching at an astonishing speed on the gray horizon.
The leader, with a tall and straight figure like a pine tree, rode ahead on horseback, his black cloak fluttering in the cold wind—it was Xiao Ce!
At this time, Xiao Ce was not piloting a mecha. In fact, after piloting for a while, Xiao Ce wanted to come out and experience the Slavic weather.
However, Han Da's gaze was instantly fixed on the vanguard army behind Xiao Ce, and his pupils suddenly contracted!
That wasn't the Federal Field Army he was familiar with; following closely behind Xiao Ce was an entire square formation of ten thousand men.
The soldiers wore streamlined, new-style exoskeleton armor that shimmered with a cold metallic luster. This armor was thinner and more form-fitting than the previous standard equipment, and the joints were covered with intricate energy conduction patterns, which obviously provided greater strength and mobility.
What they held in their hands were no longer old-fashioned gunpowder guns or bulky energy rifles, but new energy weapons with a more slender shape and a muzzle condensing a ghostly blue light!
This must be the armed force that Xiao Ce mentioned earlier; their equipment was taken from the legendary Hidden Dragon Armory...
The tens of thousands of soldiers stood silently, their movements perfectly synchronized. The exoskeleton joints emitted a deep, harmonious hum, like a sophisticated war machine grinding across an icy plain, each step crushing the snow and wind with an overwhelming force.
But this is just the beginning.
What made Han Da and all the generals and soldiers around him who witnessed this scene gasp in shock was the figure behind this 10,000-strong infantry formation.
That was... a forest of steel, a mobile fortress!
Thousands of mechs! Not the specially made, small-scale elite assault mechs of the Axe Bull Squad, but a true, large-scale mech legion!
They are slightly smaller than the defensive mechs of the Axe Bull Squad, but have smoother lines and a more streamlined structure.
Covered in a uniform dark gray paint, the mechs gleamed with a cold, hard luster under the faint light reflected from the snow. As they moved, the engines roared deep and powerfully, and the vibrations of thousands of mechs advancing in unison could be faintly felt even from a great distance, as if the earth itself was trembling.
Han Da had already witnessed this mecha legion once before.
However, even seeing it again still made Han Da's blood boil.
Because Xiao Ce's side made such a big commotion, Wei Wuji and Axe Niu both came over this time.
They wanted to speak, but then they saw the steel torrent before them! Energy-armed!
They all know!
Their god has arrived!
Their hearts pounded with excitement, and an indescribable sense of awe and pride instantly dispelled the gloom in their hearts.
This is the prince's true trump card! This is the power that can completely crush Shahar's last illusions!
"Open the city gates! Welcome the Prince!"
Han Da's voice rose slightly with excitement; he practically charged down the city wall and leaped onto his horse...