novelaction Chapter 1384 Enemy Attack
Chapter 1384 Enemy Attack
"Even in victory, let them suffer unbearable losses with every win! Drag him into the quagmire of guerrilla warfare on the ice plains."
"Yes, Your Highness!" Wei Wuji and Axe Niu responded in unison, their eyes filled with admiration for Xiao Ce's strategy.
Han Da fully understood the strategic intent. His impatience was replaced by composure and a resolute determination to execute orders. He said to Xiao Ce, "This subordinate understands! Your Highness's plan is brilliant! Trading 'retreat' for attrition!"
"This subordinate will immediately select the most astute and resilient veterans to form this 'bait' force! I guarantee that before Xiao Dingshan's iron hooves reach the Prince, they will first have to be worn down several layers of skin in this icy and snowy landscape!"
As Xiao Ce spoke, he looked at the axe-ox on one side.
Axe Ox watched as Xiao Ce excitedly rubbed his hands together; he knew Xiao Ce was about to give him an order...
"Your Highness! Tell me! What do you want me to do?! Do you want me to lead the brothers to charge up there and smash those lumps of iron to pieces? I promise, one axe blow each, no hesitation!"
Axe Bull was now truly experiencing the power of this mech.
Xiao Ce slowly shook his head, pointing to the majestic, undulating mountain ranges covered in thick snow on either side of Yongdong Fortress on the sand table. The mountains were steep, and the wind was biting cold; ordinary people simply could not survive in such an extreme environment.
"Do you see these mountains?"
Xiao Ce's voice carried a cold calculation as he said to Axe Ox, "Xiao Dingshan's steel torrent is rushing straight towards us along the Icefield Road, its momentum fierce and unstoppable. Even if we win a head-on confrontation, it will be a Pyrrhic victory. We can't afford to lose our trump card in a war of attrition so early."
He paused, his gaze sharp as a hawk, and locked onto Axe Bull, saying, "I want you to take your mech squad and three hundred elite mechs selected from the New Army's mech regiment, the ones most skilled in mountain and snow mobility, and secretly infiltrate these mountains."
Axe Ox was taken aback, looking at the precipitous, desolate snow-capped mountain, and asked somewhat puzzled, "Your Highness, going into the ravine? That place is a godforsaken place, covered in ice and snow, even a rabbit could hardly survive there, what are we going to do hiding there? Are we waiting to get frostbite? Of course, if you just say the word, I won't hesitate, I'm just simply curious..."
"Precisely because that place is a no-man's land!"
Xiao Ce nodded and explained, "Ordinary people, and even most soldiers, simply cannot survive and remain hidden for long in such harsh environments with extreme cold, lack of oxygen, and insufficient supplies. But you are different! You are piloting mechs! Those people won't suspect anything; as long as Han Da and the others' performance at the front lines is realistic, they would never suspect anything..."
He patted the model of the mountains on the sand table: "The mechs are your mobile fortresses, warm barracks, and fighting claws! They can withstand the cold, climb steep ice walls, and sneak through deep snow."
"No matter how strong Xiao Dingshan's reconnaissance capabilities are, he would never have imagined that we would drive an elite mech unit into this 'rear' territory that he considered absolutely safe, like a nail!"
As Axe Bull listened, the confusion in his eyes gradually gave way to a wild excitement.
He seemed to have vaguely grasped Xiao Ce's intentions.
Xiao Ce drew a circle on the sand table at the location of Yongdong Fortress, then suddenly pointed towards the Southern Federation-controlled area: "Xiao Dingshan's target is me, to annihilate our main force."
"If he captures Don Fort, Ust, or even the Slavic capital, he will have to divide his troops to garrison them and secure the supply lines. At the same time, his main force will continue to pursue southward, trying to catch up with our retreating main force."
His cold smile carried a cruel undertone as he continued, "Now is your chance! When his main force leaves Everwinter Fortress and advances southwards, your mech unit hidden in the snow-capped mountains will be mobilized!"
"Our target then: Everwinter Fortress! And the Don River Fortress, Ustj, and other strongholds he's captured along the way! Give him a good whack on the backside!"
"Wonderful!"
Axe Ox slapped his thigh hard, the force of which shook the sand table. He roared excitedly, his spittle almost spraying onto the sand table!
"Your Highness, your move is too insidious..."
"No, that's brilliant!"
"If those lumps of iron take up the space, we can't just leave someone to guard the place, can we? If we leave too few, hehe, it won't even be enough to fill our teeth!"
"We charged down the snow-capped mountains like tigers descending the mountain, smashing all the broken copper and scrap iron he left behind to pieces! We burned his grain supplies, bombed his warehouses, and dismantled his artillery forts! Every city he occupies is another bleeding wound!"
Axe Bull danced with excitement, as if he could already see his mech rampaging through the enemy-occupied fortress!
"If Xiao Dingshan gets scared and leaves behind a large force to guard the area, that would be even better! His fists chasing our main force will soften! Marshal Han and the others can then turn around and give him a good beating! He'll be caught between two sides and exhausted! Your Highness, you're truly brilliant! This idea is ingenious!"
Looking at the impatient look on the axe-ox's face, as if it couldn't wait to dive into the snow-capped mountains!
Xiao Ce's smile deepened, and with a composed air of strategist, he continued, "This is only the first step."
"Your actions must be swift, ruthless, and sudden! Once you've struck, regardless of the outcome, immediately utilize the mechs' high mobility to retreat deep into the snow-capped mountains and disappear into the vast snowstorm, leaving him unable to catch or touch you."
"Once he's exhausted from running around and turns back to besiege you, you'll slip away like snow foxes. This will happen repeatedly. I want to make him feel like he's sitting on pins and needles every time he captures a city, unable to eat or sleep in peace! I'll drag his seemingly powerful iron army down in this icy wasteland!"
"I understand! I understand perfectly!"
Axe Bull slapped his chest armor loudly, brimming with confidence, and said, "Your Highness, rest assured! When it comes to navigating ravines and ambushing people, I, Old Bull, am an expert! And our mech brothers are all masters at traversing mountains and valleys!"
"I'll make sure Xiao Dingshan regrets it! Let him know who's in charge here on this ice plain!"
The axe-bull's guarantee is full of wildness and confidence!
Xiao Ce nodded in satisfaction.
He had faith in AxeBull's execution capabilities, and even more so in the destructive power of this elite mech squad. This kind of special operations was the perfect stage to showcase their strengths.
Seeing the appearance of the axe-ox, Xiao Ce continued, "This time, I will personally lead the team and go with you."
"Wha...what?!"
Axe Ox could hardly believe his ears. Overwhelmed with surprise and disbelief, his rugged face flushed crimson, and his eyes widened like saucers: "Your Highness! You...you're going to come with us to explore the mountain ravine?! This...this won't do! It's too dangerous! In those snow-capped mountains..."
"Danger?"
Xiao Ce smiled slightly, a smile that carried an arrogance that looked down upon the world and a confidence that ran deep in his bones, and said, "Where isn't dangerous? Isn't it dangerous to sit here in the central command tent and wait for Xiao Dingshan to come knocking on our door?"
"The army has Han Da, and I believe he's more professional than me, while I'm better suited to doing unexpected things..."
After a pause, Xiao Ce continued, "Moreover, our opponent is Xiao Dingshan. He may not be good at other things, but he should be good at fighting."
In fact, Xiao Ce wasn't quite sure whether that person was Xiao Dingshan, whom he knew.
Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that he bears some resemblance to the Xiao Dingshan he knew...
Of course, Xiao Ce wouldn't voice these concerns...
“Axe Ox, remember, the strongest fortress is sometimes the most dangerous place. And the most treacherous environment may well be the safest refuge. Besides…”
As he spoke, Xiao Ce's aura became even more imposing: "Where I am, the enemy is in danger. Xiao Dingshan wants my key, so I'll personally go to his backyard and set it on fire to see if his lock can withstand the flames!"
Axe Bull felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head, and all the danger and hardship were instantly thrown to the back of his mind!
The prince himself is leading the team! What does this mean?
This means it will be a spectacular surprise attack!
A legendary battle worthy of being recorded in history!
Following the prince, when have we not been involved in the most earth-shattering events? Wherever there is a major battle to be fought, there you will find the prince!
"Good! Great!"
The axe-bull was so excited his voice was trembling!
"With Your Highness personally overseeing things, our courage will be ten times stronger! We don't care what kind of dragon's den or tiger's lair, what kind of mountain of knives or sea of fire we encounter, we'll follow you and tear a hole through it! That old bastard Xiao Dingshan, we'll smash his iron turtle shell to pieces this time!"
The ox's excitement almost overflowed from the camp.
After Shahar and his men returned to the fortress, they set off again.
Xiao Dingshan didn't want to waste any more time.
After all, he felt he had wasted too much time here...
So they set off again without resting.
However, the first attempt also didn't go smoothly...
Xiao Dingshan rode at the front of the group, his dark cloak fluttering in the wind, and the half of his face exposed under the hood was so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.
The tens of thousands of robots behind him still marched in unison, their joints emitting a deep, harmonious hum. But upon closer inspection, many of their bodies bore charred marks and tiny cracks left by the explosion. These were medals—marks of friendly fire—from the saturation bombing of the minefield outside the Tsar's ruins.
Even more disheartening is that they are now walking on a death trap laid by Shahar himself.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it, Shahar!"
Kornev was riding at the very front.
Seeing the team ahead stop once again, carefully clearing mines with engineering robots, he couldn't help but curse, his scars contorted with rage!
"The more satisfying it was to bury them back then, the more pathetic it is to dump them now! This junk is all useless!"
He dared not curse Xiao Dingshan, so he could only vent his anger on the old thunderbolts from the Heavenly Mystery Institute.
Shahar's face was deathly pale. He wrapped himself tightly in a thick cloak and followed behind Xiao Dingshan with a sullen expression, not daring to even breathe loudly.
In order to delay Han Da, he ordered the laying of a massive number of landmines and explosives on the main road leading south from Yongdong Fortress and on all possible paths!
Now, things have turned out differently. Han Da didn't manage to blow up the bomb, but instead became the biggest obstacle to his army's southward advance.
"Night Owl! How much longer!"
Xiao Dingshan's icy voice pierced through the howling wind and snow, carrying obvious impatience.
Time was passing, each second wearing down his patience and giving Xiao Ce, who was holed up in the southern fortress, more time to prepare.
The Night Owl team, responsible for scouting and mine clearance ahead, responded immediately, their voices completely flat: "The mine density ahead is extremely high, and it's mixed with a large number of booby traps and cascading triggers. It's estimated that completely clearing this section of the safe passage will take at least two hours... and that's just this area ahead..."
Two hours?!
Prince Igor, standing beside Shahar, exclaimed in despair, "At this rate, when will we arrive? They say speed is of the essence in war, but we..."
Xiao Dingshan turned his head sharply, the shadow beneath his hood piercing Igor like a tangible frost. Igor shuddered in fright, swallowing the rest of his words, his face paler than snow.
"Shut up."
Xiao Dingshan uttered only two words, yet the surrounding air seemed to freeze.
He looked again at the slowly moving engineering robot in front of him, and the anger in his heart burned even more fiercely.
But he knew that rushing wouldn't help; these minefields were physical obstacles that had to be cleared little by little with time and skill.
Although his robots were powerful, they could not break through the massive physical traps, especially the minefield he had laid on his own side, whose distribution and triggering mechanisms were chaotic.
The team could only move slowly, stopping frequently, crawling across the ice field like snails.
Every time a landmine was detected, the "beep" sound was like a slap in the face to Shahar, and also a blow to Xiao Dingshan's patience.
Although the explosions were sporadic, they were continuous, each one signifying some degree of loss...
Either the Slavic soldiers who were scouting were blown to pieces, or the mine-clearing robots were damaged due to improper operation or the treacherous design of the booby traps.
The charred craters and twisted metal debris dotting the pristine white snowfield create a tragic yet ironic scene.
Just as the team was forced to stop due to the discovery of another dense minefield, the engineering robot carefully moved forward to work!
"Whoosh whoosh-!"
A sharp burst of energy tearing through the air suddenly rang out from a half-hidden, snow-covered crevices on the flank!
A dozen or so eerie blue energy beams, like the fangs of venomous snakes, shot precisely and fatally at the robots guarding the perimeter of the group!
puff!puff!puff!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only the dull tearing sound of energy penetrating the armor!
Several black combat robots on the perimeter were instantly hit!
Their energy shields were pierced like paper before they could react, and their sturdy armor melted like butter under the focused fire of the new energy weapons!
The eerie blue beam precisely penetrated their joint connections, energy pipeline nodes, and even the head sensor arrays, clearly indicating that they had come prepared.
"Enemy attack...!"
Shahar's terrified scream rang out almost simultaneously, but the robot's reaction was even faster than his voice.
Blinding sparks erupted from the attacked robot...