Wasteland Commander-Chapter 429 - 120: The Money-bringer Returns

Golden trails darted all over the battlefield, the whistling sound of bullets piercing the air made it too dangerous to lift one’s head.

The Dawn Army’s artillery and the Alliance Army’s artillery were incessantly exchanging fire.

The reconnaissance units performed their tasks to the fullest, as artillery units not only had to relocate after firing but also needed to detect the enemy artillery positions.

Both sides aimed to wipe out the other’s artillery in one fell swoop, but neither found it easy.

Tank units, armored vehicle units, and infantry launched assaults, encirclements, countercharges, maneuvers, and more within a radius of several dozen kilometers.

The air force did not join the battle, as both sides were tangled together, and neither wanted to rashly bomb and risk losses to themselves.

In this battle, the Dawn Army lured the enemy deep, gaining the upper hand, and eliminated over a hundred thousand enemy troops in one go, severely crippling the forces of Bashu and Jiangnan bases.

However, the enemy’s numbers were ultimately overwhelming, especially as reinforcements from Jiangzhou arrived, leading the battle to enter a stalemate.

This battle lasted over a dozen hours.

Ye Fan had to admit that although the enemy was inferior to the Dawn Army overall, they were honed by the post-apocalyptic world enough to be considered a regular army.

Both sides were somewhat fatigued after the prolonged battle.

The Dawn Army had consumed a large amount of ammunition, and with insufficient troops, the soldiers needed rest after continuous fighting.

The Alliance Army had suffered even greater losses and urgently needed to recuperate and recover.

Chu Yuan and others seemed to realize the Dawn Army’s ammunition reserves were running low and launched another offensive against them.

But, coincidentally, it was midday the next day when the Dawn Army’s free ammunition was refreshed.

After receiving ammunition replenishments, the Dawn Army’s sudden burst of firepower taught the counterattacking Alliance Army a harsh lesson.

More than twenty thousand assault troops were left stranded on the battlefield, a deceptive tactic that was difficult for the Alliance Army to cope with, forcing them to choose a retreat.

Ye Fan also felt that this was not the way to continue consuming resources.

The enemy was determined to fiercely protect the Bashu and Jiangnan troops, while he had little money left.

Pretending to let the adversary leave would delight them immensely, prolonging the standoff.

What Ye Fan needed now was time, for the Dawn Army’s ammunition was refreshed daily, and if the battle dragged on for ten days or so, Jiangzhou would be exhausted.

Even if no major funding came in over the next few days, ten days would be enough for Ye Fan to accumulate around twenty million in funds, making prospects much better.

As night fell, the tens of thousands of Bashu-Jiangnan Alliance troops finally broke free from the Dawn Army siege with the aid of Jiangzhou and Lingnan forces, retreating to their rear positions.

In this fierce confrontation, Alliance Army losses exceeded 250,000, and although not crippling, it was enough for them to halt and lick their wounds.

The Dawn Army wasn’t relaxed either, with nearly fifty thousand troops engaged, and the number of casualties exceeding ten thousand.

Among these, over four thousand were killed, and more than two thousand were seriously injured.

Such significant losses forced Ye Fan to temporarily take a breather.

Meanwhile, the naval and air force units of both sides remained in a standoff at Celestial River, with the Dawn Army’s navy refraining from attacking upon learning of the missile defense systems deployed by Jiangzhou.

This battle on the Great River was unlike one at sea; with such limited space, only a surprise attack could be effective, otherwise, it’s easy to become a target yourself.

Both sides were apprehensive, focusing on the ground forces struggle, with little involvement from naval and air forces.

......

"Damn it! Ye Fan, the bastard, really screwed us over this time."

Song Yuchang was rescued and ranted about Ye Fan upon his return, venting his frustrations.

He still couldn’t fathom why the gas bombs had failed.

No one could provide him an answer, and this failure cost the Alliance Army 250,000 men, nearly 100,000 from his Bashu forces, a devastating loss.

These were troops he had brought from afar for his safety and existence, and such massive losses made his heart ache.

Jiangnan’s Xu Wei felt similarly disheartened, having barely survived, only to find his morale now in tatters.

Knowing how formidable Ye Fan was, he regretted getting involved in this mess.

Chu Yuan ignored their despondency and continued discussing the earlier engagement with Liu Jingyan.

"Leader Liu, what are your thoughts on the upcoming battle?"

Liu Jingyan pondered for a moment: "Young Commander, based on today’s observation of the Dawn Army’s performance, it’s undeniable that they are a formidable force. Whether in tactics or individual skills, they outshine us by a margin. If it wasn’t for their insufficient numbers, today would have been hard for us to handle."

"Yes, I’m aware of that. What’s the plan going forward?"

Liu Jingyan thought for a while: "The defense at the Dawn Army’s position is solid, attacking their strongholds might not be feasible. We must draw the Dawn Army out, get them to fight on our grounds. This way, our defense puts us at an advantage during their attack."

Song Yuchang countered directly: "It’s not that simple. If the Dawn Army was willing to come out, would we have ended up in this situation?"

Liu Jingyan sneered, "That’s your tactical mistake. This time, listen to me. You still have gas bombs, right? Mount them on the rocket launchers, and tomorrow, use the range of the rocket launchers to fire in the direction of Dawn Island. I doubt Ye Fan could withstand it."

"What! Fire at Dawn Island? Are you mad? Turn civilians into zombies?" Song Yuchang was somewhat shocked by Liu Jingyan’s ruthlessness.

Liu Jingyan snorted, "Do I look that stupid to you? You can adjust the aim, make Ye Fan think we are going to attack Dawn Island, that way he’s forced to come out."

"Oh right, right, scare him a bit, that’s a good plan. But are you sure Ye Fan won’t throw a Mushroom Bomb?"

"What are you afraid of? Our positions spread over dozens of kilometers, our forces are dispersed, the effect of a Mushroom Bomb isn’t that great, and we haven’t really used gas bombs on civilians, he won’t have a reason to use the Mushroom Bomb."

Liu Jingyan’s words opened a new perspective for Chu Yuan and the others.

Yes, this way, the Dawn Army’s defensive advantage is gone, and their position has been solidly built. The Dawn Army, as the attacking side, almost has no chance of winning.

Soon, the Alliance Army’s tactics were formulated, ready to be attempted the next morning.

......

On Ye Fan’s side, he was quite troubled too. He replenished his forces once again, leaving him with less than three million in Money.

This was still just an army battle; if it were a navy or air force battle, the consumption would be even greater.

Just as he was at a loss for Money, news came from Dawn Island.

Ma Guoxing, the former leader of Jiangnan Base in Zhonghai, had come again.

Upon hearing this news, Ye Fan stood up immediately.

"That Leader Ma has come again? Has he collected funds again?"

Ye Fan looked towards Zhonghai. There had been no typhoon these days, so the method of using stormy weather to obscure zombie detection couldn’t be employed.

But under such circumstances, how did Ma Guoxing get Money from Zhonghai?

One must know that Zhonghai’s environment is much more challenging than a city like Nandong, especially with the presence of the Corpse King.

Ye Fan was really curious about how the group in Zhonghai survived there.

But currently, Ma Guoxing’s return intrigued him even more.

Returning to Dawn Island overnight from the battlefield, Ye Fan met Ma Guoxing once again.

Just like last time, Ma Guoxing brought 180 million worth of Gold to trade with Ye Fan.

Following Ma Guoxing’s list, Ye Fan provided all the supplies needed and received these funds.

After the transaction, Ye Fan grasped Ma Guoxing’s hand, "Leader Ma, facing Jiangzhou’s blockade and warning, you still trust me so much. Today, you must let me treat you to a good few drinks."

Ma Guoxing shook his head like a rattle drum, "No, no, there are still matters in Zhonghai."

"Hey! Can’t a meal wait? My front lines are at war, and I came back anyway."

"Not the same, not the same, Prince, you act on your own, but on my side... ."

"Hmm? Can’t Leader Ma make decisions in Zhonghai? Are there other people in charge there? Someone with higher status than Leader Ma?"

Hearing the flaw in Ma Guoxing’s words, Ye Fan immediately pursued.

Unexpectedly, Ma Guoxing fell silent, and no matter how Ye Fan tried to persuade him, he was adamant about leaving.

Watching Ma Guoxing’s departing figure in the night, Ye Fan felt a bit puzzled.

"The situation over there in Zhonghai, we can see on the radar map, there are only a little over ten thousand survivors. Why do they need so many supplies? Sir, I think this person is very suspicious."

Not only was Ye Fan puzzled, but Director Shen of the Military Intelligence Bureau was also surprised.

Ye Fan nodded, "Indeed suspicious, and if they could come from Zhonghai, it means they can bring survivors to live on Dawn Island, but they didn’t. Could their living conditions in Zhonghai be better than on Dawn Island?"

"That’s absolutely impossible. Now the conditions on Dawn Island are no worse than before the apocalypse, no place can compare to here."

Ye Fan smiled, "Exactly, there’s definitely something wrong with this Ma Guoxing, it’s just that I don’t have time to investigate this matter now, let’s finish this war first."

With the funded replenishment, Ye Fan felt invigorated, like he’d been injected with adrenaline.

First, he glanced at the Iron Curtain device, which would be completed in another day.

Looking at the over one hundred million funds in his hand, Ye Fan felt confident.

In previous battles, his side had fewer numbers and lacked firepower, suffering some losses.

Now with the Money, Ye Fan decided to reinforce his troops a bit.

Before he could figure out how to replenish, an unexpected incident occurred.

Air raid sirens suddenly blared on Dawn Island!

The Alliance Army launched an attack on the homeland of Dawn Island using the range of their rocket launchers!