138: Chapter 138 Beneath the Fortified City, the Clash of Steel and Flesh

8:30 AM, north of Mandalay, east bank of the Irrawaddy River.

The first line of defense, built by the 150,000 Myanmar Army troops along the riverbank, was currently enduring the most intense shelling since the war began.

The 24 guardian-2d rocket launchers and 36 M109A7 self-propelled howitzers of the "Thunder God" Brigade were continuously pouring a rain of death onto this position, which was 25 kilometers long and 3 kilometers deep.

But this time, the performance of the Myanmar Army exceeded the expectations of Zhang Cheng's troops.

In the command vehicle, Zhao Yuxun stared at the footage transmitted by the drone, his brow slightly furrowed: "They are using tunnel tactics."

The screen showed that although surface fortifications were constantly being destroyed by artillery fire, a large number of Myanmar Army soldiers had entered the intricate tunnel system in advance.

These tunnels were three to five meters deep, reinforced with logs and steel plates at the top, capable of effectively resisting the vast majority of artillery fire, except for bunker-busting shells.

After the shelling, when Zhang Cheng's troops began to advance, the Myanmar Army soldiers drilled out of the tunnels like gophers and quickly entered the remaining firing positions.

"Interesting." Zhang Cheng nodded. "Min Aung Hlaing has become smarter this time. Knowing he can't compete in terms of raw firepower, he's started playing with earthworks."

"Do we need to adjust our tactics?" Zhao Yuxun asked.

"No need." Zhang Cheng shook his head. "Tunnels can stop artillery, but they can't stop our armored assault. Order the vanguard troops to advance as planned. If you encounter tunnel entrances, use thermobaric or incendiary weapons to solve them."

The order was issued.

The 30 M1A2s of the 1st Heavy Tank Regiment of the Titan Division formed a wedge formation, rumbling across the land that had been plowed by artillery fire.

Behind them, infantry fighting vehicles followed, and the embarked infantry were ready to dismount for combat.

When they were two kilometers from the front of the first line of defense, a sudden change occurred.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Dozens of explosions erupted on the ground in front of them! They weren't artillery shells, they were landmines—and smart landmines at that!

"Report! Trigger-type anti-tank mines! There are a lot of them!" the vanguard company commander shouted over the radio.

"Engineer platoon, move out and clear the mines!" Zhao Yuxun ordered.

Three "Bison" armored engineering vehicles drove out of the formation, their mine-clearing plows digging into the soil. But just at that moment—

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"

Dozens of smoke trails rose from the Myanmar Army positions!

"Anti-tank missiles! TOW!" the early warning system screamed.

In the Myanmar Army's tunnels, there were at least 20 TOW anti-tank missile launchers hidden!

Although these second-hand pieces of equipment provided by the USA were old, they still posed a threat to tanks within a 500-meter range.

"Activate active protection systems!" the tank commanders ordered almost simultaneously.

"Bang, bang, bang—!"

The "Trophy" active protection system's interceptors fired, forming barriers of explosions around the tanks.

Most of the TOW missiles were blown up in mid-air, but a few broke through the interception—

"Boom!"

The side armor of one M1A2 was hit! The composite armor blocked the metal jet of the shaped charge, but the massive impact caused the tank to jolt violently, and the left track fell off.

"Vehicle 3 damaged! Track broken! Crew unharmed!"

"Damn it, they came prepared." Zhao Yuxun's face was grim. "Order all vehicles to maintain spacing, don't bunch up. Hurricane Brigade, it's your turn!"

...

In the sky, the apache formation led by BigDecimal own was already in position.

"Twelve anti-tank missile launch points discovered, coordinates marked." The lead pilot reported calmly. "Most are hidden at tunnel exits, camouflaged."

"Use Hellfire." BigDecimal own said. "Bunker-busting variant, send them to hell."

"Copy that."

Six apaches fired missiles simultaneously.

The AGM-114R Hellfire R9X — this special variant carries no explosives but instead carries six deployable sharp blades, designed specifically for precision decapitation, but it can also penetrate a certain thickness of cover through kinetic energy.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"

The missiles drilled precisely into the tunnel entrances, deploying blades in the narrow space, cutting the Myanmar Army soldiers and equipment inside into pieces like a meat grinder.

But the Myanmar Army's counterattack wasn't over yet.

"Warning! Man-portable air-defense missiles! Igla!" the airborne warning system suddenly blared.

From several hidden tunnel entrances, more than a dozen Soviet-made Igla anti-aircraft missiles dragged white smoke into the sky!

Although these man-portable air-defense missiles had short range and slow speed, they were still a threat to helicopters at low altitude and close range.

"Release flares! Evasive maneuvers!"

The apache formation simultaneously released infrared flares, and the aircraft performed violent maneuvers.

Most of the missiles were decoyed, but one apache was hit in the rotor by near-miss shrapnel—

"Titan-7 damaged! Rotor vibration! Requesting emergency landing!"

"Emergency landing approved! Nearby units, rescue immediately!"

The apache wobbled as it lost altitude, making an emergency landing 500 meters behind the front line.

The two crew members quickly left the cockpit and retreated under the cover of the infantry fighting vehicles that rushed to rescue them.

Less than half an hour into the war, Zhang Cheng's troops lost a 30-million-dollar armed helicopter.

...

In the Naypyidaw command post, Min Aung Hlaing received the frontline battle report and finally revealed a faint smile.

"Well fought! Tell the frontline soldiers, shoot down one apache, all participating personnel will be promoted three ranks, and awarded a bounty of 10 million Myanmar Kyat!"

He walked to the map and pointed at the first line of defense: "Zhang Cheng thinks his steel torrent is invincible? Today I will let him know that flesh and blood can also block steel!"

"The General is wise." The Chief of Staff flattered. "Our tunnel system is intricate, with a total length of over 200 kilometers. Zhang Cheng's tanks can't get in, and if his infantry comes in, it's suicide. As long as we drag him out, wait for the international community to apply pressure..."

"Not enough." Min Aung Hlaing shook his head. "Just dragging it out isn't enough. I want to counterattack. Order the armored units on the second line of defense to prepare for a flank attack. Zhang Cheng's attention is all on the front, we'll stab him from the side!"

"But... our tanks..."

"T-72s can't beat M1A2s, I know." Min Aung Hlaing sneered. "But what if there are enough of them? Forty T-72s, attacking from three directions simultaneously, I don't believe he can handle every single tank."

This was a risky plan, but it was also the only way to break the deadlock at the moment.

...

Frontline, Titan Division command vehicle.

Zhao Yuxun received the drone reconnaissance report: "Division Commander, detected Myanmar Army armored units assembling on the flanks. Twelve T-72s on the east side, fifteen on the west, and thirteen are flanking from the south."

"Want to try an encirclement?" Zhao Yuxun laughed. "Order the 2nd and 3rd Tank Battalions to turn to the east and west sides and prepare to engage. The 1st Battalion will continue to break through the front."

"What about the ones on the south side?"

"Leave them to Lightning and Hurricane." Zhao Yuxun said. "Wheeled combat vehicles are more suitable for mobile warfare than tanks."

The order was quickly conveyed.

The situation on the battlefield began to change.

On the east side, twelve T-72S tanks painted in jungle camouflage rushed out of the woods, launching a charge toward the flank of the Titan Division.

Although these old Soviet-made tanks had backward performance, within two kilometers, the 125mm smoothbore gun could still pose a threat to the M1A2.

"Distance 1,800 meters! Fire!"

The M1A2's 120mm smoothbore gun fired first.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

High-explosive shells accurately hit the three leading T-72s. One had its turret blown off, one caught fire, and another had its track broken and was paralyzed on the spot.

But the remaining nine continued the charge!

"Are they crazy?!" a tank commander exclaimed.

These Myanmar Army tank crews were indeed crazy. They knew they couldn't win, so they simply didn't hide or dodge, charging straight in, trying to close the distance for a desperate fight.

"Armor-piercing rounds! Load!"

"Distance 1,200 meters!"

"Fire!"

The second volley.

Another four T-72s were destroyed. But the remaining five had already rushed within 1,000 meters!

"Bang!"

A T-72 fired. The 125mm armor-piercing shell hit the frontal armor of the M1A2, sparking blinding flames—it didn't penetrate, but the massive impact left the crew inside dizzy.

"Damn, they're tough." The commander cursed. "Gunner, strafe their aiming equipment!"

The 12.7mm heavy machine gun began to roar, bullets clattering against the T-72's turret. Although it couldn't penetrate the armor, it could interfere with the enemy's aiming.

The fighting on the west and south sides was equally intense.

The stryker wheeled combat vehicles of the Lightning Brigade utilized their high mobility to weave through the battlefield. The vehicle-mounted javelin anti-tank missiles fired continuously, picking off the T-72s attempting to flank one by one.

But the Myanmar Army's numerical advantage began to show.

Although tanks were constantly being destroyed, more than twenty still broke through the fire net and rushed into the Titan Division's positions!

"Infantry dismount! Anti-tank teams!"

Mechanized infantry rushed out of the Bradley fighting vehicles, carrying AT4s and Iron Fist 3 rocket launchers, launching close-quarters attacks on the Myanmar Army tanks under the cover of their own tanks.

The scene seemed to return to the tank battles of World War II.

Except this time, one side had modern M1A2s and well-trained Death Soldiers infantry, while the other had old T-72s and Myanmar Army soldiers determined to die.

...

In the sky, BigDecimal own watched the chaotic battlefield below, his brow furrowed tightly.

"Attention all aircraft, descend, support ground troops. Prioritize attacking enemy tanks that have broken through the line."

The apaches began to dive, their 30mm chain guns acting like the scythe of death, strafing the Myanmar Army infantry following the tank charge. But the Myanmar Army infantry had also become smart—they hid behind the tanks, using the tank hulls as cover.

"This is too slow." BigDecimal own switched to another frequency. "Swarm battalion, report location."

"This is Swarm-1, 300 attack drones are in position, hovering in the holding airspace."

"Authorization granted. Target: All enemy armored units that have broken through the line. Saturation attack."

"Understood."

Three minutes later, the sky darkened.

It wasn't dark clouds, it was drones—a full 300 medium attack drones, like a migrating Swarm of locusts, swarming toward the battlefield in a black cloud!

Each drone carried two small anti-tank missiles; although their power was not as good as Hellfire, they were enough to penetrate the top armor of a T-72.

"What... what is that?!" a Myanmar Army tank commander saw the scene in the sky through the periscope and screamed in horror.

The next second, his tank was locked onto by at least five drones simultaneously.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!"

Ten missiles fell like raindrops.

"Boom, boom, boom—!"

The tank turned into a pile of burning scrap metal in the chain reaction of explosions.

The same scene played out across the entire battlefield.

The more than twenty T-72s that had broken through the line were all destroyed within five minutes under the saturation attack of the drone Swarm.

The remaining Myanmar Army infantry lost their armored cover and were exposed to the firepower of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.

"Surrender! We surrender!"

Someone threw away their gun.

But more people were still fighting stubbornly—or more accurately, fighting in despair, until they were deprived of their lives by bullets or shells.

...

10:20 AM, the first wave of the Myanmar Army's counterattack was completely crushed.

All 40 T-72s were destroyed, and over two-thirds of the more than 3,000 infantry who participated in the charge were killed or wounded.

And the losses of Zhang Cheng's troops were: two M1A2 tanks destroyed (one with a broken track, one with damaged side armor), five stryker wheeled combat vehicles destroyed, one apache destroyed, and forty-seven drones lost.

Casualties: 189 killed, over 300 wounded.

This was the battle with the highest single-engagement casualties since Zhang Cheng began his uprising.

In the command vehicle, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

"The Myanmar Army is tougher than we imagined." Zhao Yuxun said in a low voice. "They used flesh and blood to drag out our armored assault. With this method of fighting, if we fight all the way to the Mandalay city area, the casualties might be even greater."

Zhang Cheng looked at the battlefield situation map, silent for a moment.

"Order the troops to pause the offensive and build defensive fortifications on the spot."

"Pause?" Zhao Yuxun was stunned. "But..."

"We haven't completely broken through the first line of defense yet." Zhang Cheng said. "Min Aung Hlaing's tunnel tactics are very troublesome; a direct assault incurs too many casualties. Let's change our approach."

He looked at Old K: "How many Iron Claw units are still available?"

"372 units, of which 120 are heavy types, equipped with rocket launchers and engineering modules."

"Move them all up." Zhang Cheng said. "Since they like digging tunnels, we'll accompany them in the tunnels. Order the Iron Claw units to cooperate with the engineer troops and carry out clearing operations on the Myanmar Army's tunnel system."

"Also..." he paused. "Notify the rear to mobilize the 'Mole' engineering machinery units. Don't they know how to dig holes? Then I will turn their holes into their graves."

The new order was issued.

The battlefield situation changed again.

Zhang Cheng's troops stopped large-scale armored assaults and turned to a more patient and cruel tactic—tunnel clearing.

Heavy mechanical dogs crawled into the tunnels, clearing every cave with machine guns and flamethrowers. Engineer troops used directional blasting to collapse the tunnels section by section. When they encountered stubborn resistance nodes, they directly poured gasoline and ignited it, or destroyed it from above with bunker-busting shells.

This method of fighting was slow, but steady and systematic, advancing step by step.

And every section of tunnel occupied meant the Myanmar Army's defensive depth was compressed by one more point.