Munitions Empire-Chapter 1009 - : 931 boredom is the norm
Chapter 1009: 931 boredom is the norm
Before dawn the next day, Cao Fei and his spotter returned to the place they had chosen yesterday. After meticulous preparation, they climbed back to the position they had crouched in the day before.
It was time to test their patience. The sun rose behind them, gradually illuminating the positions in front of them. In the morning, many soldiers of the Dahua Empire moved around in the trenches, and the observer saw several steel helmets moving back and forth.
The small pit that seemed ideal for a sniper position was just as unchanged as yesterday. Cao Fei wasn’t in a hurry; he continued to crouch in place, as if he himself were a stone here.
From time to time, the sound of insects could be heard, and the distant cannons roared tirelessly. At this moment, the outskirts of Fengjiang had probably turned into a wasteland.
Cao Fei thought about the bustling city he had seen just ten days ago, then remembered the burning edges of the city he saw last night, and felt sorrow for those houses that had likely turned to ash.
He also remembered the days when he was fighting on Dongwan Island, where they took a long boat ride and suffered miserably with seasickness.
During the landing, they unexpectedly encountered the troops of Mirage Country, and fierce battles ensued. Then they gained a foothold on Dongwan Island, where he met a kid named Liu Guozhu.
He heard that the kid later went to school in Dongwan Port, where he performed very well academically. Later, that kid even wrote to him, saying he had become an officer in the Armored Corps of the Great Tang Empire.
In many instances where glorious deeds within the military were recounted, Cao Fei had indeed heard Liu Guozhu’s name several times, and every time he heard it, he would smile contentedly.
Every time he remembered the battle on Dongwan Island, he would think of that little boy who used to call himself Liu Zhu, who was just a guide at the time.
Now, the little boy was no longer a child, but a star in the Armored Corps of the Great Tang Empire: it was said that the enemy tanks destroyed by Liu Guozhu had already exceeded eight-zero in number! This was an astonishing figure; according to the organization of the Great Tang Empire, it amounted to about two armored battalions!
One tank destroying two battalions’ worth of enemy tanks… Such achievements were indeed glorious from any perspective. Every time he thought of the face of that frail child who had walked in front of his team, Cao Fei couldn’t help but smile.
A few days ago, he received a letter from Liu Guozhu, who had been promoted to commander of a tank platoon. In the letter, Liu wrote of his envy for Cao Fei, who was able to participate in the battle of Fengjiang, saying his own Armored Corps had been on second-line standby, with no holidays even cancelled.
Liu Guozhu also cautioned Cao Fei to stay safe in his letter and wished him more kills—a pride of growth that filled the lines from the once little boy.
“Spoiled brat, not even cherishing the hard-won peace back home. It’s only been a few years, and he’s already so cocky.” Cao Fei scolded the young man who had written to him with fondness in his heart and once again focused his attention on the area he had been monitoring.
The artillery battle in the distance intensified. Last night, Fengjiang soldiers nearby said that the Dahua military had torn open a gap further north, and now it was less than nine kilometers from Fengjiang city center.
Zhao Chen, eager to enter Fengjiang swiftly, had concentrated the offensive effort there, so it seemed the battle here might not erupt for some time.
The distant artillery battle also attracted the aircraft of Fengjiang, and in the distant skies, there were always Yir Attack Aircraft circling incessantly.
After losing more than a dozen Yir Attack Aircraft, the Elf Pilots participating in the battle of Fengjiang had made some progress. Now these pilots, flying the attack aircraft striking ground targets, were very proficient.
The Yir Attack Aircraft were not only capable of using cannons to attack armored ground targets but also could use rockets or bombs. Although their attack precision was not as good as the Stuka, they were also a very formidable ground-attack aircraft.
Having mastered these aircraft, the Fengjiang side often deployed them to attack the Dahua Empire’s artillery positions, inflicting heavy casualties on the Dahua Empire’s artillery.
To prevent the Dahua troops from entering Fengjiang, the Air Force of Fengjiang attacked ground targets at all costs, winning some breathing space for their own ground troops.
Both sides continued their relentless battles, and by now, both could be said to be exhausted. However, relying on their larger force, the Dahua military still stubbornly continued their fierce offensive.
Frankly, at this point in the battle, the notion of a swift and decisive victory no longer applied. Having taken Guiguang, the Fengjiang military now threatened Wanliang and Shanchong, forcing the Dahua military to divide their forces to defend these two strategic towns, which actually reduced the support for Zhao Chen’s troops.
The battle of Fengjiang had already lasted two months and had long since lost the so-called advantage of speed—even if Zhao Chen entered Fengjiang now, quickly capturing the entire city of Fengjiang would not be an easy task.
The Fengjiang city area close to the west was already in ruins. Zhao Chen recklessly concentrated artillery fire to bombard Fengjiang, aiming to psychologically shock Zhao Yu and crush his will to resist, prompting him to flee Fengjiang quickly.
Whether fleeing to the Great Tang Empire or to Shanping, as long as Zhao Yu leaves Fengjiang, the troops steadfastly defending Fengjiang would undoubtedly feel their morale waver, and his chances of capturing Fengjiang would be greater.
Listening to the increasingly fierce artillery fire in the distance, both men felt a touch of drowsiness—this was indeed very boring, and this kind of boredom actually permeated every corner of the war.
Take submarine warfare, for example. Hearing about a submarine captain sinking hundreds of thousands of tons of enemy ships feels very impressive. But in reality, a submarine drifting in the ocean might not even spot an enemy transport ship in three days.
Then there’s the infantry, who charge following behind tanks during an assault and retreat in disarray behind mechanized units. They might not even see an enemy for months during a campaign, and it seems like victory or defeat has nothing to do with them.
Likewise, even Hartmann, the ace of aces in the air battles of World War II, when dividing the number of days he served by his kills, averaged only one enemy plane every two or three days… Other pilots, maybe would not encounter an enemy plane for over ten days, and even if they did, they might not necessarily take it down.
Thus, in a war, boredom is the norm, death is commonplace, and romance is but a rare glimmer.
“I think today is yet another fruitless day.” In an effort to stave off drowsiness, the spotter began to speak with some listlessness to Cao Fei, “It’s nearly noon, it’s not possible for anyone to come at this time, right? According to the sniper regulations, unless the terrain is extremely safe, snipers are not allowed to enter their positions at this time.”
“That’s our sniper regulations. If we were to follow our sniper regulations for judgment, we wouldn’t need to sit here waiting for the enemy,” Cao Fei said motionlessly to his observer.
“If nobody comes today, then we’ll change spots tomorrow and try taking out a couple of small fry,” Cao Fei continued as he received no reply from his spotter.
“You’re the boss! I’ll listen to you,” the spotter said to Cao Fei, dragging his words out with boredom. Within the sniper team, the sniper is the commander, while the spotter is responsible for covering and coordinating with the sniper’s actions.
From an equipment perspective, besides possibly not being as skilled in sniping, this observer probably had all other skill BUFFs stacked.
Firstly, the observer is equipped with a Type 56 assault rifle, able to provide continuous fire at critical moments to cover the sniper’s retreat.
Secondly, the spotter also carries a high-precision, large-size telescope, providing a wider scouting vision, being vigilant, and identifying high-value targets.
Next, the observer is also equipped with a new type of individual communication device, roughly the size of a forearm and using a bulky battery, which can directly connect to the command center within Fengjiang City.
In short, this observer seems to be a jack-of-all-trades responsible for cleanup, but without such a person, it seems that things would really not work out.
Tang Mo was familiar with the two-man sniper tactics that became popular at the start of World War II, and facts proved that this combination was scientific and effective.
During World War II, the Soviet Army, which had good results in sniper warfare, continued to use the two-person or multi-person sniper tactics, gaining tactical advantages over German snipers.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
After the war, U.S. sniper teams also adopted two-person combinations, which proved to be more efficient than acting alone—whether Tang Mo’s originality would work is another question, but he was good at copying. Since both the United States and the Soviet Union used these tactics effectively, he directly copied them.
Just when both believed that the day would still yield no results, they saw something move in the shallow pit next to the Dahua military trench far away.
“Shh! Prey might have appeared.” Cao Fei alerted his observer and then carefully watched through the scope the place that had just shown activity.
When a steel helmet carefully emerged from the trench, Cao Fei finally confirmed that what he saw was not an illusion, “Do you see that steel helmet? The one with the camouflage net on it.”
“I see it, he’s being very careful! Should we wait a bit? What if there are two people?” the spotter asked.
“Of course we wait a bit! We strike after he fully enters the shallow pit!” Cao Fei answered as a matter of course, “We don’t know if the enemy is moving in groups or just one person alone.”
“Check the wind speed again… I need precise data! 400 meters is not a stable hit distance,” Cao Fei reminded his spotter through the scope, watching the Dahua military sniper move slowly, “Be gentle with your movements! Don’t get spotted!”
——–
I’m not feeling well today, I am in poor condition, so the update is postponed until tomorrow, apologies.
