The anti-tank cannon turned again, but before it could fire, more than two hundred people rushed out from more than ten shops and launched a crazy counterattack on Li Zhi's side. They were not afraid of death in the dense rain of bullets, and they did not make any tactical movements against the bullets. They were like ancient soldiers, charging forward with their chests puffed out.
These people died row by row in the dense rain of bullets. The people in the front row fell, and the people in the back continued to charge. One by one, they fell like dominoes. Before they fell, they only aimed at the anti-tank cannon and opened fire.
Sparks flashed on the surface of the armor plate like sparks from an electric welding. The temporary artillery soldiers hiding behind the cannon shrunk their necks, shook the rods, lowered the barrels, and quickly loaded the shells and bolts. A huge cloud of white smoke immediately enveloped the artillery team.
Explosions rang out in the middle of the crowd, and a huge pit was blasted open on the ground. Dozens of people were shot and killed by the flying rubble. Some of the remaining soldiers continued to charge forward, but most of them turned around and fled. Regardless of whether they were fleeing or charging forward, all of them fell to the ground under the rain of bullets, spraying blood everywhere.
When the last gunshot stopped, the whole street became hell on earth. Countless corpses piled up on the ground, and blood gathered in the middle of the corpses, forming a blood river that flowed to the side of the street and seeped into the sewers.
Corpses, fire, smoke, rifles, blood river, large and small pieces of cement dregs, and the wailing wounded soldiers made both sides fall into silence again. Just when everyone was shocked by this cruel battlefield, a few heavy machine gun shots came from the rooftop. Amidst the screams, a corpse without any body above the shoulder fell to the ground, one leg stuck on the signboard tripod, swinging back and forth.
"Hiss …"
The soldiers on both sides sucked in a breath of cold air at the same time. The army did not know the specifics of the situation, but the rookies on Li Zhi's side were all shocked. Rather than saying it was a battle, it was more like a massacre. When they opened fire, everyone was focused and naturally did not have the time to think about how many people they had killed. But when the battle ended, they clearly saw how many people they had killed.
"Charge! Charge! They've lost! Fire the mortars and cannons! Fire all of them!"
Li Zhi was used to killing, and he had seen many people die. He immediately reacted, waved his pistol, and shouted. The artillery team immediately fired again, and mortar shells exploded behind the fortifications on the opposite side. The heavy machine guns also fired at the fortifications from above. The sandbags that could stop ordinary bullets could not stop large caliber bullets. One by one, the sandbags scattered in the air, and the soldiers hiding behind the fortifications were hit in the chest by the bullets.
"Boom …"
The outer shells of the cars that were piled up on the opposite side of the fortifications exploded. Dozens of sandbags flew in all directions along with the outer shells of the cars. The soldiers who were shouting jumped out of their positions and rushed towards the opposite side like a group of bandits. They didn't care if they could see the enemy or not, they just rained bullets down on them.
Li Zhi led his men to the front, and he couldn't help but think of a poem that said, "It's better to chase after the enemy." Behind him, almost all the soldiers abandoned their positions and attacked from above. Even the platoon on the roofs did the same, and they cooperated with the ground forces to attack from above.
Along the way, bullets were constantly fired from the shops that were previously blown up. They were the survivors who did not die in the explosion. These people's bullets attracted even more vicious retaliation. One by one, the soldiers were dragged out of the shops and used to smash the walls. Some of the soldiers in the shops voluntarily surrendered, but they were all shot dead by the red-eyed soldiers.
When they rushed past the stacked position, they saw that there were also mountains of supplies and vehicles behind the position. Needless to say, Li Zhi continued to charge forward with his troops, all the way to the temporary command post that had just received him. Along the way, they captured many wounded soldiers, personnel who were transporting supplies, and maintenance personnel.
By the time Li Zhi came out of the command center in confusion, the battle here had basically been cleared. Other than more than 30 soldiers and a logistics team of more than 600 people, there were no other soldiers. According to their initial contact, there were at least 500 people in the military's vanguard. Where did all these people go?
While he was thinking, scattered gunshots came from the original position behind them, and at the same time, there was an alarm. Suddenly, Li Zhi's back was covered in cold sweat. When they were fighting fiercely, half of the military's main force took a detour and attacked from behind. In other words, they exchanged positions with the military.
When Li Zhi rushed back with his men, they were forced back by their own anti-tank missiles. For a while, it became a new stalemate. The battlefield was still the same as before, but the positions of both sides had changed. The streets were still full of corpses, and the clouds of smoke were still hovering above everyone's heads.
"Count the casualties and prepare to counterattack. This time, it's time for us to split into two groups …"
Li Zhi immediately gave the order. Although they were ambushed by the enemy, they didn't suffer any losses. Only a few dozen wounded soldiers and a few hundred logistics personnel fell into the enemy's hands. They also had prisoners, not to mention they had reinforcements.
It didn't take long for the casualties to be counted. Including the wounded left behind in the camp, their 1,200-strong battalion had less than 200 casualties, leaving about 1,000 people. They had brought mortars and heavy machine guns. Although they didn't have enough bullets, it was enough for a counterattack.
Just as they were preparing to counterattack, an unarmed officer walked over from the opposite side. This second lieutenant officer walked over the mountains of corpses and came in front of Li Zhi. Under Li Zhi's scrutinizing gaze, he saluted.
"Are you here to surrender?"
Li Zhi repeated what the white-haired officer said to him earlier. The second lieutenant was slightly stunned, then shook his head and said:
"I'm here to persuade you to surrender …"
"Hahaha, it seems that you still don't understand the situation. The corpses on the street are all your people. There are at least 500 of them, right?"
Li Zhi taunted loudly. Who knew that the second lieutenant didn't feel guilty at all. His young face turned red, and he suppressed the anger in his eyes with great difficulty. He pointed behind Li Zhi and said: "Behind you, an army of 2,000 people is about to arrive. They are carrying paratrooper assault vehicles, recoilless cannons, anti-tank missiles, rocket launchers, and 25mm double-barreled anti-aircraft guns. Can you stop them?
I advise you to surrender quickly. Otherwise, you will die a horrible death if we attack you from both sides. If you surrender, all the officers will be executed, but the lives of the soldiers will not be in danger … "
"Pfft …"
Li Zhi spat out a mouthful of saliva and glared fiercely at the Second Lieutenant's eyes.
"Men grow up scared. Tell that white-haired guy to surrender right now. Our army of a hundred thousand is about to arrive. If he performs well, I'll leave his corpse intact. Why doesn't he take a look at himself first …"
The soldiers who tried to persuade the second lieutenant to surrender were chased away, and the soldiers who were scouting behind brought back news that the enemy's main force was approaching. Li Zhi knew what was going on and was naturally not afraid. The plane would arrive in half an hour, and the enemy would arrive in half an hour as well. If they were entangled together, they might not be able to differentiate between friend and foe. Li Zhi brought more than a thousand soldiers and prepared to retreat to a nearby 28-storey building.
"Captain, we found ammunition …"
Suddenly, a joyous cheer came from beside him, and Li Zhi was immediately attracted by it. Among the piles of supplies, there was a pile of supplies stacked separately in a sturdy building. After the soldiers discovered these supplies, they realized that they were a large amount of ammunition and other ammunition supplies.
Li Zhi's eyes turned red when he saw the amount of ammunition. Although the weapons in their hands were Type 81 and Type 56, the base was currently using these 5.8mm bullets. He wanted to bring them, but he was afraid that there would not be enough time. Thus, he found some 7.62mm and 12.7mm bullets and brought them along.
Half an hour later, Li Zhi and the other captives were surrounded in the building. More than two thousand fully armed soldiers surrounded the building tightly. The besieging troops did not attack immediately, but gave Li Zhi ten minutes to surrender. Li Zhi waited anxiously as time passed, but the helicopter did not appear.
Once the ten minutes were up, the attack immediately began. Thirty-six Type 107 rockets hit the outer walls of the building, causing dust and debris to fly everywhere. Following that, anti-aircraft cannons and other heavy weapons fired continuously, forming a chain of fire that whipped the windows. In an instant, the entire building was filled with smoke and fire.
The next moment, the building's counterattack arrived. Countless bullets were fired from every floor of the building, scattering within a range of several hundred meters. Mortars and recoilless cannons also exploded on the attacking side, forcing the infantrymen who were waiting to attack to hide in their own bunkers.
The army did not seem to be prepared to use the infantry so quickly. The continuous firing caused the smoke to grow thicker, and some of the floors were almost set ablaze. The counterattack also became weaker with the rapid depletion of ammunition. This was the third hour since they entered the building. After the continuous firing, the army tacitly stopped the 12.7mm and above firepower, and the infantry also began to prepare to attack with the paratroopers.
At this time, Li Zhi had already cursed the ancestors of the helicopter pilot a hundred times. After more than three hours of firepower, almost every floor was covered in smoke, and the number of casualties was not small. In these three hours, they had suffered at least 150 casualties. One must know that in the intense battle just now, they only suffered less than 200 casualties.
Seeing that three teams of 800 people had gathered in an open space a kilometer away and were ready to attack with the 12 paratroopers, Li Zhi helplessly gave the last order. All the soldiers were ready to fight to the last man, and to resist to the last floor.
The sound of the tracks could be heard as the paratroopers suddenly leapt towards the building. Recoilless cannons and mortars were fired from the building, and every time a firing point was exposed, it would be recalled to retaliate like a storm.
At this time, Li Zhi stopped all the firepower and calmly waited for the infantry to enter the building to prepare for the street battle. Just as everyone watched the paratroopers approach the building, two black shadows suddenly accurately hit the two paratroopers at the front. The two paratroopers instantly turned into huge fireballs, and then exploded continuously. The bodies of the paratroopers were like toys that had been torn apart, scattering everywhere.
Everyone looked up at the sky, and at some point, there was a slight tremor in the sky. In the time it took for the tanks to reverse, the sound became louder and louder. Just as everyone was guessing what was going on, another two black dots flew out from the smoke-covered sky and hit the two paratroopers at the back. The bodies of the paratroopers exploded like the previous vehicles, and the sputtering metal flames and explosive ammunition caused heavy casualties to the surrounding soldiers.