Chapter 981: Chapter 529, Zhongbei River Warfare_2

Then, the enemy ground assault began.

A large number of rebel forces were deployed to the relatively safe airspace and began attacking the various stubborn defensive strongholds on the ground.

In the phase of ground combat, his division had as many as fifty thousand men, but the garrisoned fortress area faced an enemy force that was several times greater than his own.

The emergency conscription of the Planetary Defense Force had already been completely crushed in the brutal battles. These poorly trained and temporary forces were utterly unreliable.

But Xiong Lei was also able to get a glimpse of the enemy’s combat power.

These legitimate “Princess Legion” rebels fought the Alliance conscripted Pact forces much like the Alliance Army had previously beaten the Princess’s advisors’ trained Planetary Defense Force.

In the actual hand-to-hand combat between the two sides, these rebel main forces clearly demonstrated their rightful Star Realm Army’s capabilities.

Furthermore, with numerical superiority, the 311th Skeleton Division under his command, part of the 5th Army Group, faced significant pressure.

However, the comprehensive defense facilities greatly aided him again.

During the fortress construction years ago, consideration was given not only to orbital defense but also to potential ground attacks.

The entire fortress was very reasonably set up, with ample space inside for the deployment of the 311th Division’s artillery.

Heavy artillery fiercely attacked all incoming enemies.

In contrast, the enemy’s long-range firepower and aerial superiority did not achieve much.

The 311th Division also had its own air force, capable of resistance; the fortress’s air defenses were robust, preventing rebel aircraft from launching indiscriminate attacks or dropping bombs with impunity. The valuable missiles were also very easily intercepted.

In artillery exchanges, they were no match at all.

Although in terms of specifications and numbers, the rebels’ heavy artillery was not inferior, the difference was that the rebels’ artillery could only be placed in open fields, at best building field fortifications and some covering, which could not compare to 311th Division artillery in permanent installations within the fortress.

Incoming shells landing 40 to 50 meters near field fortifications could inflict casualties on artillery crews; closer hits could damage the artillery itself.

At the same distance, shells hitting inside the fortress could be blocked by its intricate and solid walls.

The Princess Legion’s strength was not exaggerated; under these conditions, they still seized the opportunity, bringing with some siege equipment to blast open the fortress gates and demolish part of the fortress walls.

But this was not a war of the cold weapons era; breaking the door or blasting the walls did not ensure victory. The rebels entering the fortress fought brutal street battles with the entrenched Alliance Army in a maze of unfamiliar terrain, suffering heavy losses.

Xiong Lei even seized the opportunity to reveal his mettle after holding out for two months.

He deployed armored units, which were not very effective in defensive battles, utilizing specially designed rapid routes within the fortress to launch a proactive attack, routing some enemy reinforcements under the cover of focused artillery fire, not only destroying the enemy’s siege engines but also two artillery positions, while temporarily cutting off communications between forces entering the fortress and the outside.

The infantry regiments then “closed the gates to beat the dog,” seizing the opportunity to eliminate the enemy forces inside the fortress completely.

This series of combined strikes delivered a heavy blow to the rebels. The significant loss of personnel and destruction of heavy equipment drastically reduced their subsequent siege capabilities on the fortress.

After the battle, the defense pressure facing the 311th Division suddenly lightened.

The army group even dispatched reinforcements to him. The 077th and 240th Infantry Divisions were incorporated under his command for unified direction.

Although it was said that the situation on the entire planet for the Alliance side was still quite tense, at least in the fortress defended by Xiong Lei, the situation was relatively good. He patted his chest and guaranteed to the army group’s general that his forces could hold the fortress indefinitely and would not let the enemy capture it or destroy the orbital cannon array inside.

But one should not make too strong promises.

No sooner had he given his assurance than they suffered disaster.

The enemy launched another unexpectedly fierce assault.

Initially, he was somewhat at a loss.

There was no reconnaissance of enemy reinforcements arriving; lacking heavy vehicles such as tanks for cover and insufficient rear artillery not providing effective fire support, attacking the recently reinforced fortress in such a situation seemed suicidal, no?

However, he soon understood the crutch upon which the enemy rebels relied–

Space marines.

Reports came in that a squad of orange-yellow clad Space Marines had infiltrated the fortress and were on a rampage.

The super soldiers of the Furyflame Battle Group changed the battle conditions with immediate effect.

All of a sudden, Xiong Lei, who thought his defenses were impregnable, was confronted with a state of chaos.

It wasn’t until significant losses and turmoil that he realized the enemy’s specific numbers–five.

Just five Space Marines turned his world upside-down!

They typically worked in pairs or trios, moving stealthily, and upon finding high-value targets or strategic points, they would decisively strike, rout, and eliminate outposts, often managing to retreat before Alliance reinforcements arrived. If surrounded, they would decisively break through, carving a bloody path.

In a matter of days, at least a thousand soldiers perished at the hands of these five Furyflames.

The loss of personnel was one thing; after all, Xiong Lei had three divisions, with his 311th Division alone being a 50,000-strong Skeleton Division, and the two newly supplemented infantry divisions each having over 40,000 men.

However, the locations of these deaths were all crucial.

Several initially impregnable fire points were eliminated, enabling the enemy to move more smoothly into the fortress; a regimental command post was decapitated, disrupting the command system, forcing Xiong Lei to dispatch staff to take over command; a small artillery position was raided, with three Furyflames slaughtering half the artillery battalion and destroying the artillery…

The chain reaction of these losses resulted in even more considerable casualties and the loss of multiple defense sectors on the periphery.

The advantage of defensive terrain was reduced, with both sides gradually drawn into a relatively equal footing.

But this was not the outcome Xiong Lei wanted to see.

Casualties skyrocketed, positions fell one by one. His staff had provided a worst-case scenario: if things continued the way they were, they would lose all positions in two to three months, being driven out, and the essential orbital cannons would also be seized by the enemy.

That would be terrible, worse than being destroyed. The orbital cannon, if turned against them, could attack their orbital space stations and collaborate with enemy naval fleets for immense pressure.

So, he plotted a plan.

He wanted to kill these Furyflames.

“The Furyflame Battle Group was nothing but a defeated opponent of our Alliance, driven in disgrace from the Dragonhawk Star Domain. If we could drive them out once, we could do it a second time!”

That’s how he motivated his people, though he knew well how difficult the task was.

He assembled a mobile unit, collecting the sentinel mechas from the division headquarters, while the few elite in Feedback-Type Power Armor were also ready for action.

Facing off against Space Marines, this was the best he could muster.

And, they couldn’t get trapped in particularly narrow battle sections, or the larger sentinel mechas couldn’t enter, lacking the flexibility and getting massacred.

Finally, the opportune moment was seized.

Two Furyflames were surrounded as they retreated from raiding a fire point. During their breakout attempt, Xiong Lei’s prepared mobile units arrived.

More than thirty sentinel mechas and ten elite Skeleton Division members in Feedback-Type Power Armor engaged these two Phoenix Marines in a fight to the death.

——–

Fell asleep after dinner… only woke up at two…