amaotonovel Chapter 1358 He's here!
Chapter 1358 He's here!
They were no longer abandoned pawns forced to stay behind; at least in terms of slogans and momentum, they became the "last shield" and "hardest nail" in the Tsar's words.
They shouted with all their might, vowing to live and die with the cold fortress beneath their feet, as if to dispel the shadow of death with their deafening roar, or as if to brand themselves with the mark of certain death.
They weren't afraid, nor did they see themselves as expendable pawns, after all, those robots, whom they considered like gods, were also there...
Shahar was quite satisfied with their performance... and then he left with peace of mind.
Of course, he knew very well that these people could not possibly come back alive.
...
They are currently inside the Ust-i fortress.
The air was filled with a strong smell of burning, blood, and the pungent chemical odor of coolant.
Amidst the ruins of the Ustj fortress, soldiers from the Xiao Kingdom and the Turks were silently cleaning up the battlefield.
The snow was stained with a filthy black and red color, mixed with broken bricks, twisted metal, and frozen corpses, creating a hellish scene.
This is the scene that Han Da has seen most often these past two days.
He trudged through the half-melted, dirty snow, his boots making a crunching sound.
He didn't go to see the bodies of his fallen soldiers being moved around, but instead went straight to a cleared area in the center of the fortress.
There, the wreckage of a completely destroyed robot lay scattered.
Han Da called over several experts from the Tianji Academy who had come to see the robots.
After some investigation, some conclusions have been reached.
"Han Shuai!"
An elderly courtyard manager, his hair white and his face covered in coal dust, walked up to Han Da, carrying a torn piece of metal from a joint. The intricate servo transmission structure inside the joint was exposed, and some parts had been deformed and shattered from the impact.
"Similar to our previous analysis, joints are one of the fatal weaknesses, especially stress points at the junctions. A blunt force impact is far more effective than a bullet. And this too!"
He pointed to the white powder, like frost, that had condensed on the inner wall of the joint!
"The low temperature! The extreme cold has drastically reduced their energy transfer efficiency, and the joint lubricant has even solidified, slowing their movements by at least 40%! This awful weather has actually been a huge help to us!"
Han Da squatted down, his rough fingers brushing over the cold, dented alloy fragments, then rubbing the white powder between his fingers.
His gaze swept around as soldiers struggled to pry sturdy limbs and severed bodies out of the rubble using crowbars, sledgehammers, and even entrenching tools.
Han Da asked the military officer beside him, "Battle damage report."
Han Da's voice was low and deep, revealing little joy of victory.
The lieutenant general strode forward, his face grave: "Marshal. Preliminary statistics show 371 dead and 209 seriously wounded. Of these, over 150 died directly from the high-energy weapons on the simulated humanoids. Four gliders were lost, five armored vehicles were completely destroyed, and 12 are damaged and awaiting repair. Ammunition consumption has been enormous, especially aerial bombs and mortar shells."
Han Da fell silent; he had actually considered the possibility of significant losses.
But, to my utter surprise, it was this big...
Behind the cold, hard numbers lies the loss of vibrant lives and the enormous price paid.
Ten, just ten of these tin men, plus a group of demoralized and poorly equipped Slavic defenders, inflicted such heavy casualties on them, almost exhausting the morale of the vanguard.
He couldn't even imagine if there were any more...
He didn't know if he had won or lost...
What about Shahar?
"He fled towards the Don River with his remaining troops. Our air force is monitoring him from high altitude, but the snowstorm is too strong and low-altitude tracking is difficult, but the direction is certain. He has at most a few dozen bodyguards with him, and... intelligence indicates that there may be two or three wounded dummy soldiers following him." Wei Wuji added, "The Don River fortress is the last decent stronghold they have along the way."
Han Da nodded upon hearing this, seemingly organizing his thoughts.
After a moment, he began to speak.
"First, General Batur's headquarters shall immediately take full control of the defenses of Ustj Fortress. All city walls and the main structure of the fortress shall be renovated according to the latest defense and reinforcement plan provided by the Tianji Academy! Just like the Iron Wall Fortress!"
"Key points: Install double-layered composite armor linings on all corners, gun emplacements, and entrances! Deepen and widen the outer trenches, and lay spikes and trigger mines at the bottom! Establish dense tripwire flares and anti-personnel minefields within a 3,000-meter radius of the fortress! I want to turn this fortress into a steel nail driven into the enemy's throat, and it must never be easily taken back again!"
He said with a ruthless look, "Also, Wei Wuji, your air force needs to get more explosives from the Turks... We need to fill this underground space with explosives and hide them, then leave detonation points in the distance. If they capture it, we'll blow them to bits..."
Shahar said this with a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes.
The generals standing nearby nodded in agreement after hearing this.
Shahar continued giving orders: "Wei Wuji, your air force will take off in shifts, day and night! Use every means to monitor the Don River area! Especially the remnants of Shahar's forces and any unusual energy signals or flying objects that may appear! Report any movement immediately! Don't be stingy with fuel and manpower!"
Wei Wuji nodded.
Shahar's gaze fell once again on the pile of cold metal wreckage on the ground!
"Collect all the remains of the androids, every single fragment!"
"Gather all the craftsmen from the Heavenly Mechanism Academy and the accompanying military technicians to form a special analysis team. Disassemble it! Disassemble every single part! Where are the weaknesses in their energy cores, transmission structures, weapon systems, protective force field generators...?"
"How was it made?"
"How to destroy them most effectively?"
"I need a report! The most detailed report! Especially..."
He emphasized, "How to turn these things into a pile of scrap metal with the lowest cost and the most conventional weapons! Blunt weapons, cold, overload... that's not enough! I need to know their Achilles' heel!"
"If this doesn't work, then have the Turkic Khan use their dedicated line to contact the Heavenly Secrets Institute!"
The deputy commander on the side nodded.
Shahar continued to give orders!
"All units should rest and replenish supplies, and inventory combat materials. Wounded soldiers should be evacuated. Fallen soldiers should be registered and properly resettled."
His voice lowered to the last sentence, carrying a subtle heaviness.
"Marshal!" Wei Wuji hesitated for a moment.
Seeing Wei Wuji's appearance, Shahar asked疑惑地问道, "Shahar fled to Don River Fortress, should we immediately organize a pursuit? Before he establishes a firm foothold..."
Han Da slowly shook his head, his eyes sharp as an eagle's.
“Don’t pursue a desperate enemy, especially with the snow blocking the way. He still has those robots with him; a hasty pursuit would be suicide for a small force, and the main force would be vulnerable to ambush due to the difficult terrain. He fled to Fort Don to use its strong fortifications and natural defenses to delay us while we wait for the vague reinforcements he speaks of. Let him wait!”
A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips: "Let him suffer slowly in that cold stone fortress, tormented by despair and fantasy. As for us, we need time."
He gestured to the fortifications underway and the busy craftsmen at his feet: "Fortify this place, consolidate our gains, thoroughly study our new enemy, and await the Prince's return from the Dragon Armory with enough power to completely crush them. Meanwhile..."
His gaze swept over the crowd: "Let the enemies in Don Fort slowly erode their strength in fear. No matter how strong the fortress, morale will crumble. The men Shahar left behind will not all be suicide soldiers."
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines, understanding Han Da's intentions: no rush, but to overwhelm with sheer force, wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, and simultaneously hone their new tactics against the simulated humans. The next attack would be a thunderous strike, and perfectly prepared.
"Go, carry out the order."
Han Da's real intention was to wait for Xiao Ce to return; attacking like this now would result in too many losses...
He wanted to win, but victory shouldn't be achieved by sacrificing lives...
The following day, both sides were caught in a tacit balance.
On Han Da's side, everyone was resting and recuperating.
However, the assassins in Don Fort were truly gripped by deep fear...
Every second that passed was agonizing for them.
The next day, while everyone was busy at the Ustj fortress, Handa, partly wanting to wait for Xiao Ce to arrive...
However, he was also prepared for the possibility that Xiao Ce wouldn't come...
On one hand, it's about defense, but on the other hand, it's also about offense...
So he gathered his men to discuss the matter...
Just then, an anxious voice came from outside the door: "Report..."
A scout came to report: "Marshal! Something terrible has happened! An unidentified large force has been spotted in the east! Densely packed... all... all huge steel monsters! The number... the number is probably several thousand! They are rapidly advancing towards our Ustj fortress! They are less than twenty miles away!"
"What?! Thousands of steel monsters?!"
Han Da's heart felt as if it had been gripped by an icy hand, and he instantly sank to the bottom.
Could it be that the real reinforcements from Shahar's mysterious master have arrived?
And on such a terrifying scale?!
Their defenses weren't prepared at all!
The previous dozen or so robots had already caused them significant losses...
Today, thousands...
"General Wei, your air force! Scramble immediately to reconnoiter! Determine what's coming! All troops...! High alert! Prepare to engage the enemy!"
His commands carried a barely perceptible hoarseness, a result of the psychological trauma left by fighting the androids.
Inside the fortress, alarms blared, and the soldiers, who had just been resting, instantly sprang into battle positions like ants thrown into boiling water.
The heavy machine gun muzzles were pointed eastward, the mortar crew was nervously adjusting the firing angle, the armored vehicle engines were roaring and warming up, and an atmosphere of apocalyptic tension permeated the fortress.
Wei Wuji's expression turned grave, and he immediately ordered all glider reconnaissance aircraft that could take off to take off immediately.
A dozen or so nimble reconnaissance planes swiftly soared into the sky, heading east towards the billowing, sky-obscuring cloud of dust...
Time ticked by amidst the heart-pounding roar and the deathly silence of waiting.
Han Da's palms were sweating as he gripped his sword tightly, his eyes fixed on the eastern sky, waiting for a signal from the reconnaissance plane.
Every second felt like a year.
Images flashed through his mind of androids easily tearing apart armored vehicles with energy weapons, thousands of similar ones...
Even more powerful steel monsters?
He couldn't imagine how long the Ustj fortress could withstand such a torrent of impact.
A profound sense of powerlessness and a premonition of impending annihilation nearly crushed the battle-hardened marshal...
He had actually considered running away... because even in war, there is only one outcome: defeat.
However, he knew very well that even if he ran, how could he possibly escape?
Just when things were extremely tense, finally, a reconnaissance plane took the lead in returning and almost dove down onto the runway that had been temporarily cleared inside the fortress.
The pilot jumped out before the plane had even come to a complete stop, scrambling and crawling towards where Han Da was.
His face no longer showed fear, but rather a mixture of extreme shock and an unbelievable ecstasy.
"Marshal! Marshal!"
The pilot's voice trembled with excitement, almost cracking, "It's mechs! They're all mechs! Not the enemy! It's...it's His Highness! It's Xiao Shen!"
He...he's back with a massive army of mechs! Densely packed, stretching as far as the eye can see! Exactly the same mechs the prince saw before! They're our people! They're our people!"
"what?!"
Han Da trembled violently, as if struck by a thunderbolt.
The surprise was enormous; the extreme contrast almost made him feel faint.
The immense shock and the ensuing overwhelming ecstasy instantly dispelled all the gloom and despair.
He grabbed the pilot's shoulder suddenly, his voice trembling as well, "You saw it clearly?! Is it really the Prince? Is it really our mecha? Are you sure it's not from the enemy?"
"It's absolutely true, Marshal! The Prince has already made contact with us..."
The pilot nodded vigorously, his eyes gleaming!
"Marshal Wei's other reconnaissance planes are guiding them, and the signal is confirmed! It's the Prince! It's our mech unit!"
"Quickly! Open all passages! Lift the alert! No...no, maintain perimeter security! Prepare to receive them!"
Han Da practically roared the order, then could no longer contain himself and strode towards the fortress's east-facing main gate. Generals Wei Wuji and Batur followed closely behind, their faces filled with shock and anticipation...
The heavy gates of the fortress slowly opened. Han Da stood in the center of the doorway, trying to remain calm, but his slightly trembling fingers betrayed the turmoil within him.
Meanwhile, the smoke and dust on the distant horizon were getting closer and closer...