Chapter 21: Artillery Bombardment

Nirei left with more than a hundred bandits he had personally trained for several months, while Yang Xiaolin remained with Sui Bing's unit. With him present, the bandits naturally calmed down significantly. Yang the Ghost's reputation alone could instill confidence in them, and they used this brief window of time to reinforce the somewhat unstable tunnels, hoping to withstand the attacks of the Russian heavy artillery when the time came.

The squad and platoon leaders leading the charge were veteran bandits tempered by the fires of war. Knowing that it was already too late to dig new tunnels from scratch, they decided to make improvements from both the inside and outside. They reinforced the structures and added secondary exits to the tunnels that previously only had a single entrance and exit. These did not need to be large; their sole purpose was to allow airflow to circulate within the tunnels when subjected to artillery bombardment. Furthermore, they constructed simple thatched shelters outside the tunnel entrances, or propped up heavy bluestone slabs when necessary, to prevent enemy shells from detonating directly inside the tunnels.

While the bandits made their preparations, the Russians were likewise gearing up for an offensive. Upon receiving the distress signal from their frontline troops, a force of five thousand Russian soldiers quickly converged, surrounding Tukanzi Village from all sides.

The Russian lieutenant colonel who had initially fought the skirmish with Yang Xiaolin stood before Major General Grigoryevich, looking somewhat uneasy as he reported, "General, my unit met with their resistance and suffered heavy casualties. Moreover, they possess artillery and heavy machine guns, with a troop strength of around fifteen hundred men. I did not dare to launch a rash assault."

Major General Grigoryevich raised his binoculars and glanced into Tukanzi Village. From his vantage point, apart from the two heavy machine guns spotted at the entrance, nothing else within the village could be seen! This indicated that the adversary possessed a certain level of military common sense.

He lowered his binoculars and said, "Lieutenant Colonel, you have done exceptionally well! I believe the bandits before you are likely a regiment under Yang the Ghost. Their commander is Sui Bing, Yang the Ghost's most trusted subordinate, and they possess considerable combat capability. I think you have cornered him, and now we are going to eliminate him!"

Hearing the major general speak thus, the lieutenant colonel felt a heavy stone lift from his heart. He had feared that the setbacks in his advance and his dragging down of the entire military operation would inevitably incur punishment, yet the general actually praised him for doing a good job!

The corners of Grigoryevich's mouth curved into a smile. "If nothing unexpected happens, I believe we are about to fight the first annihilation battle of our entire army, meaning we shall harvest our first prey. Lieutenant Colonel, I entrust this glorious task to you. Are you confident?"

The lieutenant colonel immediately saluted. "Thank you for your trust, General! I am ready to lead my men to eradicate this band of bandits!"

Grigoryevich expressed great satisfaction with the lieutenant colonel's attitude. "Very well, then prepare yourself. In five minutes, I will unleash ten minutes of artillery bombardment on the target to pave the way for your victory. The rest will be left in your hands."

The lieutenant colonel shouted loudly, "Understood!"

Major General Grigoryevich did not waste any time. Five minutes later, the rear artillery positions were ready, and the frontline soldiers pushed forward their close-range support mortars. Seeing this movement through his binoculars, Yang Xiaolin knew the attack was about to commence. He hurriedly instructed the bandits to retreat into the tunnels—whether fully reinforced or not—leaving only two squads outside to maintain watch.

Just as the bandits slipped underground, the Russian artillery opened fire! Ten minutes of bombardment meant little in the grand scheme of warfare, especially for the Russian military, which was accustomed to half-hour or hour-long barrages in battles against Western nations; this ten-minute stint was clearly small beer.

Yet, how large was Tukanzi Village after all? Ten minutes of artillery fire obliterated almost every house within the village, and the hastily constructed makeshift fortifications built by the bandits were blasted to smithereens. When the shelling ceased, many who had taken refuge in the tunnels were killed—some because the tunnels caved in directly from the blasts, others from the concussive shockwaves, and a few because artillery shells fortuitously found their way straight down into the tunnel openings!

When the bombardment stopped and the Russians launched their charge, over a hundred men from the regiment remained trapped underground, unable to emerge. However, the bandits who did make it out rushed rapidly toward the forward positions under the leadership of Yang Xiaolin and Sui Bing.

As Yang Xiaolin leaped into the trench, he saw the Russian assault force halt a little over five hundred meters ahead of them, after which a Russian commander shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ura!"

A detachment of over two hundred Russian soldiers, holding their rifles at the ready, surged forward shouting, "Ura!"

Sui Bing's eyes lit up. "Commander, our 'heartless mortar' can just about reach them right now. Should we give them a taste of it?"

Yang Xiaolin shook his head. The destructive power of the improvised explosive mortar was immense. If he hurled a few explosive charges over, at least half of the charging Russians would be blown to pieces, causing them to fall back, which would not serve their current objectives.

He needed a sufficiently long interval between the Russians' first and second artillery barrages to allow Nirei to locate the Russian heavy artillery positions and destroy them. Judging from the trajectory of the heavy shells fired earlier, their artillery battery should be located over five kilometers away!

Fixing his gaze firmly on the advancing Russians, Yang Xiaolin spoke softly, "Tell the brothers to let this wave of Russians come within fifty meters of our positions. Make them feel that sending just a few more men will break through our defense line."

Sui Bing nodded and immediately patted the brother beside him on the shoulder. "Tell the first platoon to engage these Russians, but no other brothers are allowed to fire!"

According to Yang Xiaolin's organizational structure, a platoon consisted of four squads, numbering around eighty men, with each squad equipped with a heavy machine gun. Their firepower was formidable. Therefore, when the Russians closed to within a hundred meters, the bandits suddenly opened fire. Although Sui Bing had withheld part of the force, the gunfire instantly dropped dozens of the two hundred-plus Russians!

It was at this moment that the tenacity of these Russian troops became apparent. The survivors did not fall back; instead, they continued their advance utilizing various tactical postures, while the light mortars positioned at the front of the main Russian force began firing toward the flashes of the heavy machine guns. The muzzle flashes of the heavy guns were highly conspicuous, providing the Russians with a clear target, and several incoming shells quickly knocked out both machine guns.

The bandits' artillery fired back in retaliation. This time, they used the Russian-made 76-millimeter guns, directing their shells toward the impact points of the Russian artillery to strike the main Russian array! Unfortunately, the bandits' artillery tactics were severely lacking; out of ten rounds fired, only two hit the mark, while the rest fell either too short or too long.

An artillery shell exploded not far from Major General Grigoryevich, causing the surrounding Russian officers to panic slightly. "General, you should step back a bit. We can command the battle here!"

Grigoryevich pushed away the Russian officer who was trying to pull him back. "There is nothing to worry about. Just look at the landing points of their shells and you can tell their level of proficiency. Rest assured, gentlemen, they cannot harm me. Look, our boys have already charged right to the edge of their trenches. Fifty meters more, and we will break through their defense line!"

A colonel immediately stepped forward and said, "General, shall we commit additional troops?"

Grigoryevich shook his head. "We need not worry ourselves with that. The lieutenant colonel at the front will handle it. What you gentlemen must do now is order your soldiers to prepare. The moment the lieutenant colonel breaks the bandits' line, your units must follow up immediately!"

The lieutenant colonel's tactics apparently mirrored those of the observing Russian commanders; he too believed that throwing in a few more reinforcements might achieve a breakthrough, and promptly dispatched an additional squad of five hundred men.

To the frustration of the Russians, that fifty-meter stretch seemed to be an insurmountable barrier. It constantly appeared as though a breakthrough was imminent at any second, yet wave after wave of committed troops met with a bandit firepower that intensified bit by bit.

Fifteen minutes passed, and Major General Grigoryevich finally sensed something was amiss. These bandits were evidently stalling for time! They were organizing their counterattacks based on the volume of troops he committed! He did not know what benefit delay could possibly bring to the bandits, but war was such that whatever the enemy intended to achieve, one must simply ensure they failed to do so!

Lowering his binoculars, the major general began to direct the battle personally. "Order all frontline forces to commit to the battle, and have the second assault team ready to follow up at any moment!"

Upon receiving the order, the lieutenant colonel at the front charged forward leading more than a thousand men in a massive surge!

Yang Xiaolin checked the time. From the beginning of the bombardment to the present, twenty-seven minutes had elapsed! This timing was just about right! He turned to Sui Bing and said, "Get ready!"

Every variety of weapon within the village was immediately brought to bear; bullets were chambered, grenades had their safety caps unscrewed, bayonets were laid close at hand, and pistol safeties were flicked off.

The opposing Russians rushed forward like a roaring mountain torrent, continuously firing as they advanced and shouting at the top of their lungs, "Ura!"

One hundred meters, seventy meters, fifty meters!

Yang Xiaolin waved his hand down sharply. "Fire!"

The bandits' weapons unleashed a furious barrage of gunfire. Grenades flew out one after another, while the artillerymen inside the village received orders not to hoard shells any longer, as they would soon be breaking out and could not take the captured Russian ordnance with them.

This development genuinely shocked the Russians beyond measure! Not only were the charging Russian soldiers stunned into disarray, but even the generals observing and commanding from the rear could hardly believe their eyes! The firepower of these bandits was overwhelmingly fierce, and their heavy machine gun deployment clearly exceeded that of the regular Russian units!

Watching the frontline soldiers fall in swathes under the unrelenting fire of the bandits, Grigoryevich realized he had made a slight error—he had somewhat underestimated his adversary. However, this miscalculation seemed to have no major impact on the overall situation. This was the advantage of a hunt: once the prey was surrounded, if the first shot missed, one could calmly take a second.

Counting on the lieutenant colonel's force to break through was no longer realistic. To prevent unnecessary casualties, Grigoryevich ordered all assault units to fall back.

"It appears we underestimated our opponent. No matter, we shall simply do it again. Have our artillery prepare; five minutes from now, another bombardment—this time, for twenty minutes!"

A twenty-minute artillery barrage was enough to demolish not just a village, but a moderately sized fortress! As the Russian assault units retreated, Yang Xiaolin knew the critical moment had arrived. Above all, he had to withstand this upcoming round of Russian shelling!