253: Chapter 253 The Steel Torrent: Seventy-Two Hours

On the plains where the morning mist was dissipating, a torrent of steel was rolling in. Leading the way were more than thirty T-72 main battle tanks painted in desert camouflage, their 125mm smoothbore guns glinting coldly in the morning light. Behind the tanks were dozens of BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, followed by an endless stream of Armed Pickup Trucks and troop transport trucks. Even more terrifyingly, several kilometers behind the convoy, twenty-four D-30 howitzers had been deployed, their dark muzzles raised high.

How was this a tribal militia? This was clearly the prototype of a modern armored assault force!

"Fire! All artillery, fire!" Khalid roared hoarsely.

The government army's artillery positions fired in a panic. The shells fell sparsely in front of the advancing column, kicking up clouds of dust and smoke, but they were completely unable to slow down the speed of the steel torrent.

Inside Houssa's command tank, he coldly watched the screen showing footage of the enemy positions transmitted back by a forward drone.

"Artillery, provide suppressive fire and take out their fire points. Tank battalion, outflank from the left wing and tear a gap. Infantry, follow up and clear the area."

The orders were concise and clear.

Twenty-four D-30 howitzers roared simultaneously, their shells raining down with precision onto the government army's high-ground positions and artillery sites. Immediately following them, twelve "Grad" rocket launchers joined the chorus, their rockets trailing tail flames like the Grim Reaper's comb as they plowed through the preset positions.

The light of explosions and thick smoke instantly engulfed the government army's front lines. Brigadier General Khalid's command post was shaken by a near-miss, sending dust cascading down as communications were instantly severed.

As the artillery preparation shifted deeper, the T-72 tank group on the left wing charged forward like tigers released from a cage, using skilled tactical formations. Most of the anti-tank missiles hastily fired by the government army were jammed or missed their mark, and the few that hit were deflected by the T-72's reinforced frontal armor. Conversely, the T-72's 125mm armor-piercing shells could easily tear through the thin armor of T-55s and M60s.

The clash of steel, the roar of explosions, and the scream of machine guns instantly resounded through the corridor. Faced with absolute firepower and armored superiority, the government army's defensive line collapsed rapidly like a sand dike washed away by a flood. Soldiers abandoned their weapons and fled in all directions. Brigadier General Khalid tried to organize a retreat, but a mortar shell from an unknown source landed right next to his command vehicle...

The battle was largely over before nine in the morning. Most of the government army's 9th Armored Brigade was annihilated, with over eight hundred prisoners taken. The abandoned tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery became the spoils of war for Houssa's troops. The northern army barely paused; after replenishing fuel and ammunition, they continued to surge forward along the main highway at a speed of over one hundred kilometers per day.

The garrisons of towns along the way either surrendered upon hearing the news or were easily crushed after a brief resistance. Houssa strictly enforced military discipline, ensuring not a single hair of the civilians was harmed, giving preferential treatment to those who surrendered, and resolutely eliminating those who resisted stubbornly. As the news spread, the will to resist further disintegrated.

The Eastern Route, the oil-producing region.

Ali's eastern route group made even smoother progress. Most of the garrisons in the oil-producing areas were local warlords and tribal militias with varying combat effectiveness and a fragmented will to fight. Faced with Ali's four thousand well-equipped troops with clear tactics, many places were settled almost by the mere delivery of a proclamation.

Ali strictly executed Houssa's order of "control rather than destruction." Every time an oil field or facility was occupied, troops were immediately sent to protect it. If technical personnel were willing to stay and serve the new regime, they were given excellent treatment. A few die-hards who attempted to sabotage the facilities were quickly suppressed. In just two short days, major oil-producing areas such as Marib and Al-Jawf changed hands one after another, and precious oil resources began to provide lifeblood for the Yemen Liberation Front rather than foreign interventionist forces.

The Western Route, along the Red Sea coast.

Hussein's western route group encountered some trouble. On the way to Hodeidah Port, they ran into mixed resistance from pro-government local militias and small units of advisors from the Saudi Arabia coalition. Relying on towns and complex terrain, the enemy put up a relatively stubborn resistance.

Hussein's aggressive style manifested here. He did not get bogged down; upon realizing that a direct assault might result in high casualties, he immediately split his forces to bypass the enemy, using mobile forces to cut off the garrison's logistics while the main force conducted non-stop harassment and precision strikes day and night. At the same time, he summoned a battalion from Mustafa's "Desert Cheetahs" reserve for a brilliant nighttime flanking assault, directly taking out the enemy's frontline headquarters.

The western line of resistance began to collapse in the early hours of the third day. Hussein's troops arrived at the outskirts of Hodeidah Port.

Hodeidah Port, the night before the decisive battle.

Hodeidah, Yemen's most important Red Sea port, was also the last solid fortress of the Saudi Arabia coalition and the pro-Squid Nation government army along the Red Sea coast. Not only were there several thousand garrison troops inside the port, but more importantly—on the waters outside the port, two warships were patrolling: one was the Squid Nation Navy's Sa'ar 6-class corvette, the Eilat, and the other was a Saudi Arabia Navy Medina-class frigate.

The port's garrison commander, Major General Farouk of the government army, was currently in a video call with the Squid Nation Navy liaison officer on the ship.

"Rest assured, Major General." The captain of the Eilat, Squid Nation Navy Commander Ophir, appeared quite confident on the other end of the screen. "As long as those hicks dare to approach the port, my 76mm main gun and 'Typhoon' remote weapon stations will turn them into sieves. My Barak-8 air defense missiles and 'Harpoon' anti-ship missiles are enough to ensure the safety of these waters. Unless they grow wings, they can forget about threatening you from the sea. As for the land... hold your fortifications and wait for reinforcements."

Major General Farouk felt a bit more at ease. Yes, with a powerful navy supporting them from behind and the port's solid defenses, the opponent's tanks and pickups were nothing more than toys in front of naval guns.

However, none of them knew that in a hidden coastal cliff cave fifteen kilometers south of Hodeidah Port, six vehicles covered in camouflage nets had been quietly lurking for three days.

Those were YJ-12 supersonic anti-ship missile launchers that Houssa had summoned through the system and disguised as being "unsealed from a secret arsenal." Each vehicle carried two massive milky-white missiles, with Arabic markings on the bodies reading "Victory-1," perfectly fitting the background setting of "captured or secret aid."

Operating these launchers were elite coastal defense missile soldiers from the system's Death Soldiers. They had already used drones and agent reconnaissance to figure out the berths and speed patterns of the two warships outside the port with perfect clarity.

Houssa's order had been issued: "After the general offensive begins tomorrow, once the enemy ships show signs of firing to support the port, launch immediately. Take out that Sa'ar 6 and heavily damage or force back the Saudi Arabia warship. Clear the way for the army's assault."

The dawn of a unified morning had already reached the breakwater of Hodeidah Port. The most difficult and most glorious battle was about to arrive.