In the rain of bullets, the wolf light tank slowly advanced, and the oncoming bullets hit the steel plate, making a terrifying loud impact sound, as if the magic sound of death kept ringing, bluffing the crews of the 60-mm field artillery crew, they had never experienced such a battle.

Bian Chunsong drove the tank forward steadily, and threw a "Anla" look by the way.

Compared to the terrifying scene when he took the lead in the Battle of Consby Plateau, what he encountered now is a little Kiss.

At that time, the ubiquitous artillery bombardment set off one powerful shock wave after another, and the stumps of the human body were broken and bloody, mixed with a large amount of mud and rubble, and the light tank was like a boat sailing in the stormy seas, and it could only charge forward.

After more than a dozen battles, large and small, Bian Chunsong has been able to calmly control everything he faces, and there is no fear for the tank crews, because when the enemy's artillery fire hits, even the people and tanks will be reimbursed in an instant, and there is no time to think at all.

"Oh my God...... Haqikis cannonballs, suppressing ...... Heavy machine gun suppresses ......" Captain Bian Chunsong observed from the periscope of the German-made artillery that two French-made Haqikei 1.65-inch guns appeared at the main entrance of the church in front of him.

For tank crews, large-caliber guns with slow firing speed are not terrible, it is difficult to hit a light tank that is mobile and flexible, and heavy machine guns that fire wildly are not terrible, because it is impossible to break through the heavy frontal bulletproof armor of a light tank.

The most terrifying thing is the small-caliber fast gun, this kind of small-caliber fast gun direct fire is extremely lethal for light tanks, as long as it hits, it is a dead shot.

The tank crews of the 2nd Squadron, who were at the forefront, obviously also saw the great threat they were facing, and immediately gave up suppressing the heavy machine gun fire from other directions, turned their guns and launched a frantic strafing fire at the main entrance of the church.

The crisis was lifted and it was safe for the time being.

Bian Chunsong looked carefully through the German-made artillery mirror in horror, and when the camera turned to the apartment building in the other direction, his eyes widened in horror.

It's over, and I fell for the enemy's plan to divert the tiger from the mountain.

Four artillery groups appeared near the rubble pile under the apartment building, and the four French 1.65-inch fast guns were quickly pushed out, and the shells were quickly pushed into the chamber and fired.

Although the two sides were very close, due to the hasty firing, only one of the four shells hit the tank of the second squadron at the forefront, and the tank was immediately blown up into flames, and the smoke billowed and burned violently.

Some of the other three shells carved a large hole in the wall, breaking the bones and tendons of several Chinese soldiers, and some hit the rubble pile, setting off a rain of rubble, blocking the loneliness.

At this time of life and death

The few remaining tanks immediately turned their heavy machine guns in an attempt to suppress the enemy with heavy fire.

However, the artillery of the Southern Army also fired fiercely, and quickly reloaded the second shell, and after a slight adjustment, another shell came over.

Three of the enemy's four guns fired shells, and the crew of one gun was bloodied and stained with rubble by heavy machine-gun fire, and the shells were stuffed in the chambers of the guns before they could be fired.

The hand-to-hand combat with bayonets on the cannon was tragic and bloody, and the enemy fought back with all his might to die, and another tank of the 2nd Squadron was hit by the tracks, and the powerful explosion knocked the light tanks to the ground, and the broken steel tracks dragged out like dead snakes.

The explosion destroyed the rear tailgate of the light tank, and the driver, whose face was covered in blood, was thrown out and lay motionless on the stone road.

In the blink of an eye, two more light tanks were reimbursed, and Bian Chunsong's heart was so painful that he wanted to drip blood.

After a month of continuous fighting, the tank battalion of 36 tanks (including two backups) in addition to the nest battle damage, all the way to Flinders Street there are only 15 left, for the victory, too many comrades who accompany each other day and night have paid the price of their lives, and now two more are reimbursed at once, how not to let him feel painful.

The No. 2 Tank Squadron suffered heavy artillery fire, and the artillery of the Southern Army, which had come out of nowhere, was not much better, and the remaining tank heavy machine gun fire was concentrated in the past and fired wildly, sparks flew everywhere in the scalp-numbing steel impact, and flesh and blood flew everywhere, and the artillery crew of the Southern Army was almost dismantled by heavy machine guns, and the corpses were everywhere.

In this day and age

Neither artillery nor heavy machine guns had reliable cover, not even steel shields, and the soldiers operated completely out of the air, with extremely low survivability under enemy fire.

At this point

The Wolf Light Tank's heavy machine gun has an absolute protection advantage, easily gaining the upper hand in enemy fire, and can be called a sharp weapon to suppress enemy firepower.

"The second squadron is withdrawn and reorganized, and the third squadron is on top."

Bian Chunsong issued a flag order, and the second squadron, which had only two light tanks left, retreated, and if it really continued to fight, the second squadron should cancel its number.

Flinders Avenue is spacious enough to accommodate a troika running alongside.

The Wolf Light Tank is much narrower and smaller than the Four-wheeled Carriage, so it can easily and slowly retreat.

"Yingza, it doesn't look like the sixth is going to work, my second squadron is almost gone, you have to avenge your brother!" The squadron leader of the second squadron was Lieutenant Wu Baoli, who pushed the tail baffle and shouted with grief and indignation, tears drawing two clear marks on his face full of oil smoke stains.

"You go down and rest first, I won't spare them." Bian Chunsong gritted his teeth and replied, and when he stepped on the accelerator hard, the Wolf Light Tank emitted thick black smoke and drove up, dragging a 60mm field gun with a rope behind him.

Coming to the back of the tank position of the 3rd Squadron, Bian Chunsong found a high pile of rubble and stopped, opened the tailgate to let the members of the artillery crew hiding inside come out, and quickly untied the tow rope under the cover of the tank to check the set artillery.

Taking advantage of the heavy machine gun fire on the side to suppress the enemy, the 60-mm field gun was quickly pushed out, aiming at the heavy machine gun position erected by the enemy on the roof.

The roof of the apartment building was covered with debris and smoke.

Although it did not hit, it caused a great shock to the other side, and just when the smoke and dust were everywhere, the 60-mm field gun slightly adjusted its firing Zhu Yuan, and the "tom tom tom" fired three cannons in succession, blowing up a large part of the roof of the apartment building, and the enemy's heavy machine gun crew also fell down and became a wreckage.

The fire of the attacking troops was so fierce that the enemy could not raise his head.

Colonel Duan Qirui's tactics of arranging artillery fire to open the way immediately achieved remarkable results, and the direct fire of the 60-mm field guns at close range was powerful, and several of the enemy's exposed heavy machine gun positions were eliminated one after another, so that most of the resistance of the Southern Army was dumbfounded.

Subsequently, 60-mm field guns began to concentrate fire on the enemy's fortified barricades, the main entrance of the church and the fortified long wall.

In the midst of the roar of artillery

The enemy's stubbornly defended apartment building was blasted open several large openings, and the main entrance of the church was also blown to pieces, but the sturdy stone wall still stood despite a few small holes.

Through observation, it can be seen that the 100-meter-long wall of the Church of the Virgin Mary is not a wall, but a stone corridor-style building, which is very solid.

This is the early Norman style of British architecture in the 19th century, known for its solidity and heaviness, and with the power of a 60mm field gun, it was impossible to stop it for a while.

Hundreds of soldiers of the Southern Army occupied the church building, climbed to the top of the stone covered bridge, and fired condescendingly, causing great problems for the attacking troops.

Without destroying them, it will be difficult for the attacking forces to advance.

Duan Qirui looked at his watch, it was already 8 o'clock in the morning, no matter how slow the enemy's reaction was, he should have realized that something was wrong, and there was not much time left for the attacking troops.

It's the heart of the white South, and it's heavily armed.

"Is the mortar coming up?"

"Report to the chief, Major Wu Haishan has personally gone to adjust the artillery, but the mortar truck is behind, and I am afraid that it will not be able to come up for a while."

"Time is urgent, so I can't take care of it so much." Duan Qirui's eyes showed an anxious look, and after turning his waist twice, he made up his mind decisively; "Blow the trumpet of the charge, take the church ahead and fortify it at any cost, and now carry out the order."

Duan Qirui ordered a charge with a wave of his hand, the tanks rushed to the front, and the infantry swarmed to follow and charge away, and after paying a considerable price, he finally occupied the four-story apartment building, attacked the Church of the Virgin Mary, and engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy.

Ten minutes later

At the intersection of Flinders Street and Warehouse Street, the attacking Northern Army soldiers had occupied the building in three directions and were engaged in a fierce battle with the Southern Army soldiers entrenched in the Church of the Virgin Mary, and the gunfire was incessant.

"Report to the sir, a large army of ghosts is coming up."

"Where?"

"We're assembling across the river, and we could call at any moment."

At this time, the communication soldier brought bad news, Duan Qirui sweated profusely and walked out of the church with a gun, casually stuffed the rifle into the arms of the communication soldier, and took a few steps forward to look out through the window.

I saw that on the stone bridge on the other side of the Yala River, countless black and oppressive heads flashed, swords and guns were like a forest, and countless soldiers were forming a team under the commander's order, driving a horse-drawn gun cart to run over the hard stone road, people shouted and neighed, and there was a solemn atmosphere.

Just by looking at it, there are no less than a few thousand people, and I don't know how many are in the city streets farther away?

"Hurry up the construction of barricades, and order the soldiers to occupy favorable terrain and prepare for battle."

"Yes, sir."

"Immediately report to the Mobile Corps Command and request reinforcements."

"Yes, sir."

"Let the second battalion stop the attack, build fortifications and confront the enemy, the building of this monastery is too fucking evil, I am afraid that this turtle shell will not be knocked open without mortars, so I can only let it go."

"Yes, sir."

The herald rushed out to carry out the order, Duan Qirui looked out along the warehouse street, and the stone barricades, which were mostly half a person high, were being formed, and the soldiers were carrying sacks full of dirt to pile up, making the barricades thicker and more durable.

As for the materials, of course, they were removed from the barricades under the apartment buildings, and when they turned around, they were piled up in front of the stone bridge, forming a new solid barricade to block the frontal onslaught of the enemy.

Damn, you still have to do your old job!

Duan Qirui cursed in his heart, his independent regiment of the railway cavalry division was taken care of by the top, with a total of more than 2,300 people, and more than 4,000 white captives were also allocated as cannon fodder, but these white captives followed the action of the large army, and they could not arrive until the evening of the day after tomorrow at the earliest.

The soldiers are fast, the mobile corps is all composed of elite Chinese soldiers, what is needed is to open the situation with the most rapid movements and the most fierce offensive, as for the casualties of the soldiers are not a priority, how can you not die in a war!

The operation was a great success, and the more than 30,000 troops of the Mobile Corps now spread like a flood, initially occupying the West Melbourne area, which is almost a third of the weakness of the entire Melbourne core city, and the officers and men fought all the way to the Yarra River at a very small cost, and the enemy was undoubtedly shaken.

The more than 60,000 troops hoarded by the Southern Federation in the forward defense line became an ornament, which was no less than a slap in the face of the other party.

It is completely conceivable how fierce the counterattack after being annoyed and angry!

"Camp Commander Bian, I want to discuss something with you." Duan Qirui beckoned Captain Bian Chunsong with a kind face, hesitated, and still spoke.

His attitude made Bian Chunsong a little confused, and he hesitated and replied; "Commander Duan, please make it clear that everything that the tank battalion can do is not to be followed."

"Thanks to Battalion Commander Bian's full support, we were able to fight all the way to the stone bridge and successfully complete the set task." Duan Qirui organized his words, stared at Captain Bian Chunsong and said sincerely;

"I take the liberty of raising a big name, call you Brother Chunsong here, everyone is a fateful friendship who rolled down from the battlefield, I won't say polite words, the ghosts on the other side of the river have gathered a large force to prepare for a counterattack, and our vanguard will be under great pressure.

My independent regiment has already suffered 1/4 casualties here, and there is also a battalion that has been pinned down by the enemy in the church of the Virgin Mary, which is equivalent to saying that the meat in the mouth cannot be swallowed, and there is another pig or a group of pigs outside, and the independent regiment may choke to death.

Now we are most in need of fire support, so I want all the heavy machine guns of your tank battalion to participate in the defense of the riverbank, I wonder what you think? ”

"This ......," Bian Chunsong hesitated after hearing this.

Such a request is indeed quite excessive, the only weapon of the Seawolf light tank is a Maxine water-cooled heavy machine gun, take away the heavy machine gun, can this tank still be called a tank?

Duan Qirui's request is equivalent to disarming the tank battalion, if he hastily agrees, Bian Chunsong will eat melons if he is not good, not to mention the strong opposition of the brothers in the battalion.

The tank battalion, as the vanguard of the entire corps, has its own glory and pride.

In terms of status, it is not inferior to an infantry regiment, and even surpasses it.

Even the roaring ironclad chariot regiment has to charge behind the butt of the tank battalion, from another point of view, this is also a manifestation of status, without diamond diamonds, you can't do that porcelain job!

"Brother Chunsong, you have also seen the combat environment here in Warehouse Street, the section from Warehouse Street to the estuary stone bridge is limited by the houses on both sides, and there is very little room for manoeuvre.

The Confederate forces on the opposite bank concentrated a lot of artillery fire, and if the tank battalion fought in this area, it would inevitably suffer unnecessary losses.

Judging from the existing firepower of our regiment, it is difficult to suppress the enemy's artillery coverage.

Once the enemy forces surprise over, we will not be able to hold the position with this manpower no matter what, so the key to this battle is fire support, and we must deal a heavy blow to the opposing attacking infantry to let the enemy know how powerful we are. ”

Duan Qirui's painstaking persuasion and analysis were in place, which made Bian Chunsong a little moved, he thought about his expression for a while, and asked cautiously; "Commander Duan, we have already asked for help from the Mobile Corps Headquarters, and we have occupied a favorable terrain defense at the mouth of the river, how can we hold out for two or three hours, right?"

Duan Qirui shook his head solemnly; "Things don't look like this, first of all, my second battalion is staring at the enemy in the church of the Virgin Mary, and it must not move, otherwise once the enemy blasts through the high wall and carries out a counterattack, and the enemy attacking on the other side of the river is flanked inside and outside, our position will fall in an instant.

Secondly, the Corps is deployed throughout the West Melbourne area, although it controls most of the situation, but the fierce fighting is still going on non-stop, you can just listen to the gunfire in the city, even if it is not easy for any unit.

There are a total of 7 bridges over the Yarra River, including 5 bridges in the city, and the mobile regiment must at least place a regiment next to each bridge to prevent the enemy's counterattack.

Coupled with the battles taking place all over the city, and the need to guard against the enemy's mobilization of heavy troops from the defensive line, the strength of the mobile corps is not sufficient, so it must be considered from the worst-case perspective.

Our task is to hold our ground, at least until dusk, and wait for reinforcements from the rear to arrive to resolve the crisis.

Other words;

In the worst-case scenario, we must hold out until dusk without reinforcements, and it will be difficult to complete the task with these thousand men in my hands alone, so I beg your tank battalion for support. ”

"Okay, my tank battalion can send eleven heavy machine guns to you, and the heavy machine gun team will also participate in defensive operations to resolutely defeat the enemy's counterattack momentum." Bian Chunsong is also a very decisive person, and he decisively agreed.

His answer is still very skillful, the tank battalion has only 13 tanks and 14 intact heavy machine guns (there is no loss of overturned tank heavy machine guns), and the eleven heavy machine guns that are supported cannot be regarded as the disarmament of the tank battalion, at least the combat effectiveness of three tanks is retained, right?

At the very least, he, the tank battalion commander's car, cannot be disarmed, this is the last insistence and glory of the tank battalion, as long as the battalion commander's car remains, then the tank battalion will always exist.

Duan Qirui is a smart person with a lot of know-how, how can he not know Bian Chunsong's thoughts, a feeling of sympathy rose in his heart, and he reached out and patted Bian Chunsong on the shoulder and said; "Okay, have courage, have determination, and be righteous enough, brother, I will accept your love today, if you can get lucky after this battle, I hope to be able to marry Brother Chunsong Jinlan, as long as I Duan Qirui does it, I will definitely not let Brother Chunsong go hungry."

"So I don't dare to ask for it!" Bian Chunsong dropped the bookbag in a crepe, and the two looked at each other and laughed.

In this era of war with the golden iron horse, the feelings between men are warm and pure, and they are often entrusted with their lives, which is as intoxicating as mellow and strong old wine.