Munitions Empire

In fact, the Tang Army's special forces didn't know where General Feng Kezhi's command post was located; they raided one building after another, capturing Dahua military officers within for careful interrogation.

"You'd better start talking! Where is Feng Kezhi?" looming over a Dahua military officer who was kneeling on the ground with his hands over his head, a Tang Army special forces soldier questioned fiercely with an assault rifle in hand.

The officer was clearly terrified, as he was a civilian officer in the military, who had never been on the battlefield and didn't dare gamble with his own life.

So he immediately confessed, answering the Tang Army's question, "Across the street, in a courtyard over there, there's a basement..."

As a civilian officer, he had previously attended meetings at General Feng Kezhi's command post and even met General Feng Kezhi.

There were also some antennas for radio use in that courtyard; one glance, and you could tell it was a command post, that was something they couldn't hide.

More interestingly, there were also some temporary phone lines connected, a new thing that hadn't been there in Fengjiang City before. With the progression of the war, General Feng Kezhi had set up his command post here, and that's why there were so many temporary phone lines deployed.

Even in an attempt to conceal, there were camouflage nets hung up, disguising it as ruins—an apparent hiding of a critically important target.

"Looks like we're getting close! That courtyard should be the location of General Feng Kezhi's headquarters; otherwise, there wouldn't be so much communication equipment." Looking toward the distant command post, the special forces commander signaled to his team, "Handset!"

A special forces soldier carrying a handset came forward, handing over the bulky communication device, larger and heavier than a 2.25-liter cola bottle, resembling an old-fashioned mobile phone, to his superior.

"This is Team 1, reporting now... coordinates..." he said, looking over at a sergeant who was checking a map and a compass.

The sergeant looked up and stated two numbers directly. The commander relayed the coordinates to the allied forces on the other end of the handset, "Carry out an attack according to these coordinates... help us neutralize the nearby defense forces."

"Understood!" the voice from the handset came through, slightly distorted by static, "Deploy smoke to mark your position... to avoid friendly fire."

"Received!" the special forces commander handed the handset back to the signaler and then pointed to two soldiers, "Roof! Yellow smoke!"

Less than a minute later, the Il-2 attack aircraft and Stuka Dive Bombers, which had been circling over Fengjiang City, immediately began their dive.

Using artillery for such a target seemed somewhat inappropriate, as it could easily cause friendly fire, or outright destroy the important target.

So, generally, such cover attacks were entrusted to the Air Force, because their attacks were a bit more precise—at least, they didn't have such a high probability of leveling an entire area.

The attack method of the Il-2 attack aircraft was different from that of the Stuka Dive Bombers. These planes were better suited for a low-angle approach to the target area, followed by a strafing run.

Two Il-2 attack planes cut in from another side of the battlefield, using their under-wing rocket launchers to flatten the two buildings on the north side of the structure engulfed in yellow smoke.

Soon, another two Il-2 attack planes joined in the strafing, using their four 20mm caliber machine guns to fire directly at the coordinates, turning the camouflage net covering the courtyard into shredded rags.

The Dahua troops, now almost devoid of anti-aircraft fire, could only watch helplessly as the eight Il-2 attack aircraft took turns assaulting them.

They had initially held a numerical advantage and were trying to eliminate the infiltrating Tang Army troops. But they were quickly overwhelmed by the aerial attacks, hiding in various buildings that were all turned into ruins by machine-gun fire and rocketry.

The soldiers on the street were even less fortunate because two Stukas dropped large bombs, leaving two craters more than ten meters in diameter on the nearby streets.

The nearby Dahua troops suffered heavy losses. Originally covered in camouflage nets and hiding in shadowy places, the Dahua Empire's vehicles and carriages were now fully exposed. The blast wave from the explosions lifted their disguises, and all the vehicles suddenly became visible to the pilots of the Tang Nation Air Force.

Another Il-2 attack plane flew low overhead, riddling the entire street with its four machine guns, turning a dozen vehicles parked on the street into mangled wrecks. Underneath the flying debris, at least 20 Dahua soldiers were killed.

"Careful! Careful! Don't hit the yellow smoke area! That's friendly territory! Friendly!" came the voice of the operations commander in the pilot's headset.

The lead pilot also continually reminded others to evade bullets sprayed by the enemy's anti-aircraft machine guns.

His evasion was a bit late, and the opponent's machine gun bullets pelted the heavy steel plate at his side, making a clattering noise.

His aircraft's fuselage had been punctured, and it seemed the fuel tank might have been leaking slightly, control was dwindling, and the plane's response time had become slower.

Fortunately, he was still able to fly, so the Il-2 attack aircraft, trailing wisps of smoke, broke away from the assault squad and headed back toward the Tang Army-controlled area.

On the ground, the routed Dahua troops no longer had the capacity to deal with the infiltrating Tang Army soldiers; they were being herded eastward by the Tang aircraft's machine gunfire, resembling a scurry of rats crossing the street.

"Advance, advance!" The Tang special forces, seeing the enemy in front of them in disarray, immediately moved forward. They laid down a heavy screen of yellow smoke in front of them and swiftly crossed the streets under the cover of smoke, rushing into the Dahua military headquarters where the walls had already collapsed.

In the courtyard, the remaining Dahua forces were still desperately resisting, but they were quickly overwhelmed due to the superior firepower of their adversaries.

Some Dahua soldiers hid in the buildings, shooting out of the windows, others piled the contents of the rooms into barricades, trying to stop the Tang soldiers from storming inside.

In the basement, the intense gunfire from outside could now be heard clearly, and the recent bombings by the planes had terrified the clerical officers hiding there.

The innermost room's door remained firmly closed, with General Feng Kezhi still in his room, cleaning the sophisticated handgun he held.

"Great General, it's time to leave! We can't hold this position any longer!" The adjutant, who had just stepped out to assess the situation, was once again urging his superior officer to flee.

He really hoped that General Feng Kezhi would heed his advice and escape immediately. If Feng Kezhi wouldn't leave, he too would have no choice but to stay...

No one wanted to die for nothing; if there was a chance to live, most people would choose the path that let them cling onto life. Even if it meant only living for one more day, wasn't that better than nothing?

"Go on, I..." Looking at the handgun in his hand, Feng Kezhi, without raising his head, spoke somberly to his adjutant, "I am prepared to stay here and not leave."

"I promised Chief of Staff Shen that I would not be taken prisoner... it's also a way to give an account to the esteemed Chief of Staff," he said, and after finishing those words, he let out a long sigh as if he had exhausted all his strength.

"Great General!" The adjutant took a step forward.

Feng Kezhi gestured with his hand, signaling the other to leave quickly, "Go! Go! I hope I will be the last to die in this war. If you want to surrender, do it quickly. Don't throw away your lives in vain."

Outside the door, the gunshots grew even fiercer. The unique sound of the Tang Army's Type 56 assault rifles was at close quarters, and the submachine guns equipped by the Dahua Empire forces kept firing continuously.

A hand grenade rolled into the room and exploded by the window; the shrapnel tore apart the crowded Dahua officers and soldiers nearby.

The gunfire began to thin out, but the remaining Dahua forces still put up a stubborn fight, defending every room, vowing not to retreat a single step.

"Great General!" Inside the basement, the adjutant still wanted to step forward, "You can't just die in vain like this."

As the adjutant, he had followed Feng Kezhi for over a decade; how could he not have feelings? Asking him to leave Feng Kezhi behind to die alone was unthinkable; he would rather stay with Feng Kezhi to the end.

"You are still young; you might even get promoted if you go back. Go on... go now!" Feng Kezhi continued to wave his hand, insisting as he gave the order, "This is my command! Carry it out!"

Just as he finished speaking, the room's door was pushed open. A Dahua officer wielding a handgun burst in, shocking the two men inside.

Without hesitation, the officer fired his gun, and a bullet struck General Feng Kezhi in the chest as he stood up. Feng Kezhi raised his hand and shot back, but after being hit, the officer shot Feng Kezhi again.

In the chaos, the adjutant finally realized that this Dahua officer, lurking within the headquarters, had been waiting for this opportunity! This person... was the true mole planted by Emperor Zhao Kai!

Subconsciously, the adjutant drew his pistol, shouting for help while firing at the officer who, despite having been shot, kept firing at Feng Kezhi.

Feng Kezhi collapsed in the chair, falling backward; the third bullet from the officer went straight into the solid wood table, scattering the documents on top.

However, the wounded assassin was then hit by Feng Kezhi's adjutant. He turned around as if he wanted to fire back, but riddled with several bullets, he lost strength, stumbled backwards, and then fell.

The adjutant, having nearly emptied his magazine, rushed to Feng Kezhi, who had fallen behind the table. One bullet had hit right below Feng Kezhi's right collarbone, another in his abdomen, and blood had already stained his Great General uniform.