50: A great victory in the first battle of the self-defense counterattack!

Behind Dong Dang.

The Mengshi Composite Brigade's Third Battalion was concealed in the mountain forests on both sides of the road.

Liao Hong served as the commander of the Third Composite Battalion.

He was also the former Chief of Staff of the 163rd Division.

After being airlifted by Z-8 helicopters to the rear of the Viet Cong in the early morning, they concealed themselves in the mountain forests near the rear of Dong Dang.

Although before the war, the Dragon Country's army had already obtained the defense maps of military strongholds like Dong Dang through reconnaissance and special agent infiltration,

the Third Composite Battalion led by Liao Hong did not act rashly.

Dong Dang City was built in an area of three mountains and two valleys.

The surrounding mountains were simply too vast.

Even if the defense map showed the approximate locations of several hidden artillery positions on the mountains, it was impossible to confirm them precisely on the ground.

Therefore, the Third Composite Battalion had been waiting for these hidden mountain artillery positions to expose themselves.

At ten o'clock in the morning.

As the Guitun Fort's location came under artillery fire,

the Viet Cong's 3rd Division Artillery Regiment finally couldn't hold back their impulse.

They began to actively engage from their concealed artillery positions, unleashing artillery barrages on the Dragon Country's 55th Army, 163rd Division, which was launching an assault.

The reconnaissance detachment of the Third Composite Battalion quickly marked all these positions and the specific distribution of the enemy.

At eleven o'clock.

After an hour of continuous artillery fire,

the Third Composite Battalion had already assigned the enemy's various positions to its companies and platoons.

At the same time, the radio also received orders from the General Combat Headquarters.

"Act!"

With a command from Liao Hong, "sickle" suicide drones, loaded on the Mengshi Protected Assault Vehicle, were launched first.

What the Composite Brigade needed was short-range precision strike capability, so these "sickles" were all equipped with 100-kilogram class thermobaric warheads.

Four suicide drones were boosted into the air by rocket engines and immediately flew towards the Guitun Fort.

The fierce gunfire, artillery fire, and combat completely masked the peculiar humming sound of the "sickle" engines.

Not long after they began flying, the first "sickle" struck the dome of the Guitun Fort!

Following closely were the second, third, and fourth!

Although the accuracy of two of the "sickles" was slightly problematic, it didn't matter!

Because the powerful killing range of the thermobaric warhead was enough to compensate for that slight lack of accuracy!

The moment the "sickle" attacked from above, the air seemed to be sucked out!

The warhead disintegrated in mid-air 30 meters above the ground, and milky-white ethylene oxide fuel poured down like heavy rain, seeping into every cavity of the concrete fortress through the fort's firing ports, ventilation ducts, and cracks!

Three seconds later, the secondary fuse ignited all the thermobaric agent!

At that instant, a 2500°C incandescent fireball expanded and exploded from inside the fort!

The three-meter thick concrete dome was instantly blown off!

The incredibly powerful blast wave repeatedly refracted in the confined space, shattering the internal organs of the Viet Cong soldiers hiding three floors underground!

The high-temperature air current, mixed with rebar fragments, instantly carbonized human bodies into charred remains!

Even if survivors huddled in the deepest part of the Guitun Fort's tunnels, blood-tinged foam oozed from their mouths and noses, their respiratory tracts were burned by the high temperature, and they convulsed to death amidst suffocation and shockwaves!

The soft-kill capability of thermobaric weapons against enemies inside bunkers and fortifications is absolutely paramount among all weapons!

And at this moment on the ground, it was even more a scene of hell!

Within a hundred meters around the dome of the Guitun Fort, tropical vegetation instantly vaporized, and exposed rock melted into glassy crystals!

The anti-tank guns of the Viet Cong, concealed in surrounding trenches, were twisted into pretzels by the shockwave, and the fire from cascading ammunition box detonations intertwined with the orange-red mushroom cloud of the thermobaric weapon as it ascended!

This terrifying explosion and the fiercely rising mushroom cloud filled all the Viet Cong on the Dongdang position with fear and shock!

But this was merely the prelude to the Third Composite Battalion's attack.

Because the Viet Cong Artillery Regiment was worried about the Dragon Country's shelling of the mountain peaks.

Therefore, all their artillery positions were built halfway up several large mountains.

This way, they could both rely on natural barriers to resist shelling and conceal their artillery positions in places difficult for the Dragon Country's army to detect.

However, they completely overlooked that this would hand over the mountain peaks.

So, when the Z-8 airlifted the Third Composite Battalion, Liao Hong made a bold decision.

All the Mengshi and Lynx, carrying heavy firepower, were to land on the mountain peaks and conceal themselves there.

Now that the battle had begun, the Guitun Fort was bombed, and the Composite Battalion's heavy firepower unit, occupying the high ground, no longer remained hidden.

The box-type multi-barrel rocket launchers were directly erected on their chassis, launching direct top-down attacks on the Viet Cong artillery positions on the mountainsides!

The muzzles of the 120mm rapid-fire mortars glowed red hot, and shells likewise rained down on the enemy positions below the mountain!

Occupying the high ground, all firepower was unleashed furiously, covering the enemy's artillery positions!

After expending all their rockets and shells, the soldiers of the Composite Battalion's heavy firepower unit immediately abandoned their vehicles.

They picked up their Sniper Grenades, shouldered their Individual Thermobaric Weapons, took their assault rifles, and immediately launched an attack from the mountain top in the rear towards the various positions down the mountain in front.

At the same time, when the Guitun Fort and most of the hidden artillery positions were covered by firepower,

the Mengshi and Lynx, concealed on both sides of the road in the rear, also moved out.

They traversed various terrains, suppressing enemy positions with 12.7mm heavy machine guns.

They also launched Individual Thermobaric Weapons and Sniper Grenade for fire coverage.

Often, the enemies on these Viet Cong positions were still suppressing the 163rd Division's assault from the front.

Their rear was unknowingly attacked by the Third Composite Battalion.

The Viet Cong thought they had mastered the essence of the Dragon Country's guerrilla warfare and had graduated.

But now, the Third Composite Battalion began to use mechanized mobile guerrilla warfare.

Leveraging the mechanized advantage of the Lynx All-Terrain Assault Vehicle, each of their squad's firepower did not linger in battle.

After launching a wave of fire coverage and surprise attacks on one position, they immediately hit and ran.

Then they moved on to the next position to continue the harassment!

Under normal circumstances, defending Viet Cong soldiers, suddenly attacked from the rear, would suffer heavy casualties.

Compounded by the panic of being attacked from behind, their original suppressive fire on the front would suddenly weaken or cease.

And taking advantage of this gap, the 163rd Division's infantry regiment began to charge like mad!

The front of the defending positions was being fiercely pushed by the Dragon Country's main forces.

The rear was being subjected to heavy firepower surprise attacks and guerrilla tactics by mechanized units.

Coupled with the top-down bombardment of artillery positions and the destruction of the Guitun Fort, the elite Soviet-equipped division responsible for Dong Dang's defense had completely fallen into chaos!

Enemies were everywhere—front, back, left, right, and on the mountaintops—they no longer knew how to fight!

Furthermore, with the psychological warfare conducted by the Dragon Country yesterday and the propaganda leaflets distributed,

many surviving Viet Cong soldiers were now in a state of extreme doubt!

The rear of the position was full of enemies!

Damn it, could it be that our allies really gave up resistance and defected?

The more they fought, the more the Viet Cong army became psychologically unnerved!

The more unnerved they became, the weaker their firepower became!

Additionally, due to the Viet Cong's excessive reliance on defensive fortifications like the Guitun Fort, they even boasted that the Dragon Country would not be able to take the Dongdang position in three months.

So, when the core positions were breached, the Viet Cong army's defense line rapidly collapsed.

The so-called elite Soviet-equipped division, without a front-line command post, fought in scattered companies, platoons, and squads.

They simply lacked the ability for mobile defense!

Three hours later, the elite 3rd Division abandoned their positions and retreated into Dong Dang City to engage in street fighting!

Around six o'clock in the evening.

Dong Dang, this crucial military stronghold, was completely occupied by the 163rd Division, the Mengshi Composite Brigade's Third Battalion, and other units of the 55th Army attacking from the flank!

Moreover, similar battle situations also occurred along other Viet Cong defense lines and in military strongholds like Lạng Sơn, Cao Bằng, and Đông Khê!

Aside from the First and Second Composite Battalions of the Mengshi Composite Brigade, which were responsible for blocking the Viet Cong from repairing transportation hubs like roads and railways,

the other composite battalions launched attacks in the rear of various military strongholds.

All achieved remarkable results!

At ten o'clock at night!

The main assault force achieved a great victory!

...Lingxi Operations General Headquarters.

"Dong Dang has been taken!"

"Lạng Sơn, Cao Bằng, and Đông Khê have also been occupied!"

"Counting from noon yesterday, when the war started, it only took us a full 34 hours to break through the Viet Cong's so-called 'East Wind Maginot Line'!"

"If we count from the general offensive launched at four in the morning, we only used 18 hours!"

"A great victory in the first battle!"

Inside the command room, the Chief of General Staff said with immense excitement.

When the front-line troops relayed this news, he even jumped up in the command room!

Dong Dang was the "life gate" and "northern lock" of the Viet Cong Capital's northern defense line!

Now that the "lock" had been opened, the Viet Cong Capital was essentially wide open!

Upon hearing this news, General Xu Liyou, who had not slept for over thirty hours, instantly became full of energy.

He looked at Peng Lin with immense excitement, his eyes filled with shock!

Because this masterpiece of warfare was the work of Peng Lin, the Chief Advisor for the Eastern Front Operations!

"Immediately contact Yanjing!"

"Since the start of the war, our main forces on the Eastern Front have taken the Dongdang position, and the Viet Cong Capital is wide open!"

"Additionally, military strongholds such as Lạng Sơn, Cao Bằng, and Đông Khê have all been captured!"

"The first battle of the self-defense counterattack has achieved a great victory, our forces have gained the initiative in the war, please rest assured, Yanjing!"

General Xu Liyou stood up and said loudly.