CHAPTER 456: CHAPTER 219: [CANNONS AND BAYONETS] THE ROUT OF THE US 8TH CAVALRY REGIMENT (4K)

In just 20 minutes, the foremost defensive line organized by the United States was on the verge of collapse.

However, with a brief respite, the U.S. forces restored communications and regrouped, with the rear tank units launching a counterattack from their positions.

Facing the U.S. tanks, the Volunteer Army’s rifles seemed fragile.

For a while, both sides were locked in a stalemate, and were even pushed back a distance by the U.S. tanks.

However.

Soon, the Volunteer Army came up with a counterattack strategy.

A cannon was pushed to the front of the battlefield, less than 100 meters from the U.S. tanks, aimed directly at them.

This scene.

Made Peng Feng’s eyes widen in shock, while the Blue Star viewers in the live broadcast were stunned:

[Shooting from 100 meters flat? Is it being used as a sniper rifle?]

[Wow, this is like using a cannon to fight with bayonets!]

[Volunteer Army: Not enough range? Then push the cannon right up to the enemy’s face!]

[Tank: I never thought I’d get my lid blown off by a face-to-face cannon blast!]

["On the Ultimate Solution to Insufficient Firepower" — Up close and personal, one shot, one soul!]

[Are they close combat mages or something???]

Evidently, unaware of Peng Feng and the Blue Star viewers’ shock, the U.S. tank unit also didn’t react to this maneuver.

Boom——!

Accompanied by a loud bang, when the shell hit the tank precisely, even the turret was blown off.

It was only then that the U.S. soldiers realized what the leveling of the cannon was intended for.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Cannon fire rang out one after another; the original plan of utilizing tanks for a counteroffensive completely fell apart, and instead, the tank wrecks clogged the road, providing cover for the Volunteer Army.

The battlefield became a meat grinder.

Who would have thought the Volunteer Army would use the most primitive tactics to shred the U.S. steel torrent.

The battlefield situation quickly reversed.

The blown-apart tank wrecks became natural roadblocks, trapping the U.S. armored units on the narrow mountain paths.

Volunteer Army infantry took the opportunity to flank, rolling satchels and grenades under the vehicles to explode.

Amid the thick smoke.

The surviving tank crew abandoned their vehicles and fled, while the pursuing Volunteer Army shot at their backs, ensuring no enemy escaped.

The battle raged for hours, without any sign of abating.

And as night fell.

The fight entered its most brutal phase.

The 8th Cavalry Regiment found itself gradually overpowered by the Volunteer Army’s assault; mechanized forces couldn’t spread out in the mountains, neutralizing their advantage.

Not to mention night fighting was the Volunteer Army’s strong suit.

Wave after wave of bugle calls.

Like the horns of death, each sound elicits a stress reaction from the U.S. soldiers.

Peng Feng continued mingling among the soldiers, streaming the situation live.

The bravery of the Volunteer Army was vividly displayed in the broadcast.

One Volunteer Army soldier, after exhausting his rifle ammo, picked up a shovel from the ground and charged into the crowd, hacking down three U.S. soldiers, before finally being cut down by machine-gun fire.

But he still shocked many soldiers on the U.S. side.

And that was just a corner of it.

The entire battlefield was filled with such intense combat.

Until after midnight, the battlefield gradually went silent.

The command of the 8th Cavalry Regiment finally issued its most humiliating order:

"Abandon all heavy equipment and break out in small groups!"

This unit, hailed as "founding heroes", gave up the fight instantly upon receiving the order, and the steel torrent fell apart in an instant.

Armor and supplies were scattered everywhere as the entire unit fled southward.

The "founding hero division" with over a hundred years of honorable history in the U.S. had its myth of invincibility shattered.

Rifles against tanks?

Something that Blue Star viewers deemed impossible in the livestream yesterday.

Yet the Volunteer Army actually accomplished it.

Shovels, rifles, and flesh fought against the completely mechanized enemy, tanks, aircraft, artillery, delivering near annihilation.

Over half the 8th Cavalry Regiment was lost, and more than 70 percent of their heavy equipment abandoned.

In Peng Feng’s livestream.

In stark contrast to yesterday’s ease, the 8th Cavalry Regiment now lay deathly silent, their eyes scanning over half-empty ranks, not to mention missing equipment.

Almost every tank was destroyed, over 100 artillery pieces lost, more than 100 vehicles vanished.

The soldiers who just talked about returning to Tokyo for a Christmas feast were nowhere to be seen, likely perished on the Yunshan front.

Even now, the soldiers of the 8th Cavalry Regiment couldn’t believe it.

Why did those who didn’t even have shoes suddenly gain such combat prowess?

Little did they know....

Their opponents had already been swapped out from shattered remnants to the Republic’s pinnacle Volunteer Army.

The combat effectiveness naturally differed greatly.

....

With the main force of the 8th Cavalry Regiment mostly annihilated and fleeing south, the lines at Yunshan collapsed.

The U.S. commander ordered other U.S.-allied forces to retreat southwards to the Cheongcheon River, while the Volunteer Army pursued northward.

At this moment.

On Cheongcheon River Bridge.

Zhou Hao’s British Allied Army’s 27th Brigade was stationed, tasked with rearguard duties, waiting to retreat after all U.S. forces had withdrawn.

The soldiers of the British Allied Army’s 27th Brigade tightly gripped their rifles, their expressions heavy as they watched the northern bank.

In the distance.

The defeated U.S. troops stumbled messily across the bridge; each head hung low and despondent, shocking the soldiers of the British Allied Army’s 27th Brigade.

This was supposed to be the most elite U.S. mechanized unit.

Beaten to such a state?

Even the heavy equipment was all gone?

Where were the tanks?

Where were the armored vehicles?

Was this still the reputed "steel torrent" of the 8th Cavalry?

How was this battle even fought?

Did they just wet their pants and run?

A few soldiers couldn’t help but whisper amongst themselves:

"Good God....where are their tanks?"

"Even the armored vehicles are gone....did these Americans run back on foot?"

They developed an unwarranted fear of the enemy on the northern bank:

"Damn it, losing all their heavy weapons, what kind of battle was that?!"

The disgraced U.S. soldiers, covered in dust, some even losing their shoes in retreat, were not laughed at by the British Allied Army’s 27th Brigade.

Only a deep-seated fear.

The "steel torrent" 8th Cavalry was defeated to such an extent.

What kind of enemy were they up against?

All superhumans?

Nobody knew, but facing the unknown enemy made the British Allied Army’s 27th Brigade soldiers tense up, as they were the rearguard.....bound to face them directly.

Days later.

As the U.S.-allied forces gradually retreated, the British Allied Army’s 27th Brigade, being the last to leave, breathed a sigh of relief.

Days passed without the enemy pressing the attack, and during this time, they learned that the opposing forces might be from the Republic.

Thinking of the Republic’s status, although they couldn’t fathom how they could’ve battered the 8th Cavalry like that,

they were relieved that the enemy wasn’t superhuman.

If the Republic’s soldiers could manage to do that, it seemed this "steel torrent" 8th Cavalry was just an empty shell, lacking combat capabilities.

The preconceived notion of the Republic for the British Allied Army’s 27th Brigade was still stuck in the era of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

After all, propaganda for years had always emphasized marching into the Forbidden City, and nothing else was known.

Now that the 8th Cavalry, beaten so badly by the Republic soldiers, many from the British Allied Army’s 27th Brigade, couldn’t help but belittle them as hopelessly weak.

Even some elements from the British Allied Army poked fun at the 8th Cavalry.

With that? Got elite status?

Even dogs could win with that equipment, right?

How’d they get beaten like that?

Such equipment was wasted on them.

However.

The British Allied Army soldiers mocking the 8th Cavalry had no idea they would soon face an assault from the Republic’s Volunteer Army.

(Sorry, I’ve had toothache again these past few days, swelling my face on one side all night from pain, just finished typing, and need to go to the hospital soon.)