Chapter 1749 - 1358: Crimson Dawn (4)

He saw a rebel soldier unusually fierce and fearless, actually using the gap while the defenders were reloading to suddenly leap out of the shell crater and, at astonishing speed, charge into a Light Machine Gun position of the defenders.

The gleaming Bayonet stabbed viciously into the side of the machine gunner's neck, blood spraying wildly.

But the next second, the assistant gunner beside him swung up an entrenching shovel and, using every ounce of strength, hacked it down on the back of the rebel soldier's head, smashing his brains out on the spot.

He saw a BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle going crazy, its 30mm autocannon continuously raking a fire point on the upper level of the fortress, shells blasting stone chips everywhere, and that heavy machine gun was on the verge of falling silent.

Suddenly, an RPG round streaked out from the side slope, accurately drilling into the vulnerable side armor of the IFV.

The IFV jolted violently, its hatch blown open by the blast shockwave; flames and thick smoke spewed out from inside, quickly engulfing the whole vehicle, with none of the crew managing to escape.

The cloying, almost solid stench of blood, the nauseating reek of scorched muscle and viscera, and the acrid mix of cordite and dust were all carried by the mountain wind into the command post, the thick, sickening smell assaulting everyone's noses and nerves.

Little Masoud felt his stomach churn like a storm-tossed sea.

"Mr. Song!"

The signalman's voice went shrill with tension: "Report from Left Wing Position Three! They've repelled two company-strength assaults! But they've taken over fifty percent casualties! The squad leader is KIA, ammunition is critically low, and they only have two anti-tank rockets left! Requesting reinforcements!"

Song Heping stood at the map table, his voice still steady but his speech clearly faster:

"Order 1st Platoon of C Company to immediately reinforce Left Wing Position Three, carrying extra ammunition and anti-tank weapons. Tell the remaining personnel at Position Three to contract their defensive perimeter, concentrate fire on holding the key strongpoints, and abandon secondary sectors. Mortar section of B Company, conduct three rapid-fire missions on the lower left slope, from coordinates 'Red Zone-7' to 'Red Zone-9', and disrupt the enemy's next assault assembly!"

"Right Wing Sniper Point Two was hit directly by a tank main gun! The bunker collapsed, and two snipers are confirmed KIA!"

Another signalman reported.

"Have backup sniper point 'Eagle Eye 3' immediately take over surveillance and suppression. Inform B Company's anti-tank team to concentrate their fire and prioritize knocking out that T-72 on the highway, weaving in an S-pattern and pounding our upper works with HE shells, callsign 'Iron Claw-07'. It's the biggest threat."

The battle roared on in this blood-and-fire Hell until exactly 0800 hours.

Relying on Nasur Fortress's forbidding terrain, pre-built strong fortifications, carefully planned tactical deployment, and the shock of their initial strike, Storm Battalion successfully pinned Mountain Cat Battalion's vanguard inside the Death Corridor, making it impossible for them to advance an inch.

But the price was brutal.

The KIA list had already risen to twenty-one, with thirty-nine seriously wounded; almost every platoon-level position had taken casualties, and among those lightly wounded, there was hardly a man unscathed.

The most fatal problem was ammunition consumption.

In particular, the expensive "Short-Horn" anti-tank missiles and disposable rocket launchers had already burned through one-third of their stockpile.

The consumption of machine gun rounds, grenades, and hand grenades was also far beyond expectations.

Although the rebels had lost four tanks, four IFVs, and over a hundred infantry, they still had eight tanks and large numbers of infantry maintaining combat capability, and using vehicle wrecks and terrain, they had formed a relatively solid defensive ring along the highway and its flanks, locking into a stalemate with the defenders.

More importantly, the real threat was closing in.

"Mr. Song!"

The signalman in charge of monitoring the drone data link suddenly looked up, his face unnaturally grim, even tinged with panic.

"Latest drone footage shows that Barzani's main forward elements have already reached the east side of the battlefield… less than five kilometers away!"

He swallowed hard and said with difficulty:

"Confirmed strength of at least one mechanized infantry regiment! They… they're showing no sign of halting to wait for the vanguard to open a corridor! They're rapidly deploying into assault formation! Artillery units are leaving the march column and maneuvering toward the flanks! Looks like… they intend to use absolute numerical superiority to simply crush us and tear open our defensive line by force!"

The air in the command post instantly dropped back to freezing.

Even Song Heping, who had remained composed all along, saw his pupils constrict sharply.

He took a deep breath and turned to Little Masoud beside him.

"Everyone, the real test…" Song Heping said in a low voice, "has arrived."

Little Masoud's Adam's apple bobbed: "How… how much time do we have left?"

Song Heping glanced at the map: "For them to complete deployment, establish artillery positions, and conduct trial shots and corrections… fifteen minutes at the fastest, twenty at the slowest. Their first barrage will be falling on our heads by then."

He immediately grabbed the radio handset:

"Major Faisal, order all forward positions to prepare for artillery bombardment at once! Aside from necessary observation posts, all personnel are to withdraw from exposed positions and enter reinforced bunkers, underground tunnels, or the deep interior works of the fortress! Repeat, this is not a drill! The enemy heavy artillery groups are about to enter firing range! We're going to endure at least fifteen minutes of intense preparatory fire!"

"Understood!" Major Faisal's voice came back. "Executing now!"

The order, like a retreating tide Signal, rapidly swept through every corner of Nasur Fortress.

Gunfire at each position visibly thinned and slackened. Those still able to move helped one another, carrying wounded on their shoulders, dragging what heavy weapons and ammunition remained, and withdrawing from exposed fighting positions at maximum speed, filing into the reinforced bunkers.

The whole mountainside seemed to be drained of life in an instant, leaving only a few well-protected observation posts still watching the rebels' every move down the slope through periscopes or narrow gaps.

In the command post, Song Heping looked at Little Masoud and several staff officers: "We should get down to the shelter as well."

They quickly gathered up the most important maps, radios, and documents, and moved down a narrow, dimly lit stairway.

The deeper they went, the safer it felt—

The core shelter was a space of roughly forty square meters, with walls and ceiling given extra reinforcement by thick round logs and steel rails. A field telephone and a backup radio were the only channels linking it to the outside world.