Chapter 1467: Chapter 1384: They Can Only Rely on Themselves

“Good! Let’s do it this way!” Zhang Xuan looked gratefully at Sun Guang; this was the biggest “support” he had received today.

As long as Sun Guang could launch a counterattack in the direction of Qingluan Port, everything would turn for the better! That was Zhang Xuan’s thought and his greatest hope. He was truly moved, happy that Sun Guang could prioritize the bigger picture at such a time.

In his view, the Qin Country should have generals like Liu Zhian and Sun Guang, as such generals deserve victory!

To attract the attention of the Tang Army, Sun Guang decided to send out a luxurious lineup: including the 1st Division of the Dorne Expeditionary Force, the two most main infantry divisions of Qin Country in the Qingluan direction, and two tank regiments organized by Sun Guang from a mix of temporary forces.

Among them, the 1st Division of the Dorne Expeditionary Force had gradually arrived at Qingluan over the past few months as part of the Dorne support troops. This force consisted of about 20,000 soldiers, including a regiment of tanks, all veterans, with considerable overall combat strength.

Previously, Sun Guang was planning to have this force play a major role in the battle to stubbornly defend Qingluan Port. Now, to support Zhang Xuan, he played this trump card.

The other two Qin Army infantry divisions had maintained their combat strength well, belonging to the mid-level infantry in the Qin Army sequence, relatively capable compared to second and third-line fill-in troops.

Additionally, with Sun Guang’s painstakingly assembled “armored group,” this attacking force included nearly 500 tanks and armored vehicles of various models, with infantry close to 40,000 men; one could say the force was strong and vigorous.

Seeing Sun Guang pulling out all his stops, Zhang Xuan naturally was not stingy: this battle was originally fought for him, so he naturally had to exert all his strength.

Zhang Xuan’s troops had just escaped from the Chu Territory a few days ago, with heavy losses in heavy equipment, but he still managed to muster all the main forces he could.

These included the most capable divisions in Zhang Xuan’s group: the 5th Armored Division, the 15th Armored Division, the 4th Infantry Division, the 20th Infantry Division, and the 86th Division.

These troops were the main forces within Zhang Xuan’s main force, rich in combat experience, with many having followed Zhang Xuan in quelling the Shu Territory.

Despite suffering heavy losses during the retreat and the combat ineffectiveness of the newly recruited troops, he still had these five divisions, which were the most capable in Zhang Xuan’s hands.

Despite having two armored divisions, these two now had less than 300 tanks left. What gave Zhang Xuan some comfort was that these remaining tanks were generally of relatively advanced models, unlike the junk in Sun Guang’s hands.

The combat strength of the other three infantry divisions was strong, all having engaged with the Tang Army, had just received their military pay, added ammunition, and morale had somewhat recovered.

In conclusion, it seemed that this time, the Qin Army’s counterattack plan involved only about 100,000 troops in total from two directions, but indeed it was the most elite 100,000 soldiers under Sun Guang and Zhang Xuan’s command.

Their offensive target was the recently landed Tang Country 7th Corps, which naturally put pressure on Eric.

On the day the Qin Army began to move, Eric, commanding at the frontline, received a “warning” from the intelligence department.

Reconnaissance planes from the Air Force discovered unusual movements of the Qin Country garrison, which had been in a defensive stance in the direction of Qingluan Port. On the ground, some tanks and armored vehicles, not commonly seen before, appeared.

Subsequently, the Qin Army began frequent communications after using a new set of codes. Although these were encrypted communications between small groups, the Tang Army intercepted them but could not ascertain the enemy’s intentions.

Eric, analyzing alongside the previous retreats of the Qin Army, concluded that the Qin Army’s earlier retreats had been a lure deep into the territory, and this time was intended for a counterattack against the Tang Army.

Based on Qin Army’s activity details, Eric assessed that the total mobilization did not exceed 100,000, within the endurance range of his frontline forces.

Thus, the command of Tang Country’s 7th Corps issued an order that same day, instructing the Tang Army attacking in the direction of Qingluan Port to be cautious of enemy counter-strikes.

Soon after, Eric heard of a threat from the northern defense line of his troops: Zhang Xuan’s forces, having just fled back to Shu Territory, with some heavy armored units, were starting to move south.

The numbers detected by the Tang Army reconnaissance units included the most capable 5th Armored Division under Zhang Xuan, as well as the relatively formidable 15th Armored Division of the Qin Army… this explained a lot.

Eric, the Supreme Commander of the 7th Corps, knew that his troubles were arriving: the Qin Army seemed to regard him, who was too far forward, as an easy target.

“Damn it, why attack the 6th Corps, don’t flank the 8th Corps, and come hammering me?” Eric stared at the map, looking at the single line serpentine formation along his coastal position, indeed seeming most ill-positioned here.

If he were in their shoes, he would also choose to strike himself. As long as the counterattack was successful, severing his 7th Corps, at least a massive victory of “10,000 Tang troops encircled and annihilated” could be noted.

Perhaps such a situation could indeed shift the battle situation in the Shu Territory, buying a month or even two months of adjustment time for oneself.

But Eric soon sneered: Surround and annihilate 10,000 Tang troops? Have you calculated how many Qin troops those 10,000 Tang troops could fight? Your appetite might be big, but can you swallow it all?

If 10,000 Tang troops were truly besieged, they could single-handedly fight their way to Qingluan Port! To be conservative, these 10,000, backed by the coastline and shielded by the Great Tang Empire Navy’s fleet, could retreat from the sea at any time.

“Let them come! Let them get acquainted with our 7th Group, and let those who claim the Great Tang Empire has only three main corps see!” Eric placed his hand on the map and ordered, “Order the northern alert troops to build defensive positions…not to retreat a step!”

“Yes, General! Not a step back!” The officer who received the order repeated it and then left.

With his command, the troops in the north of the Great Tang Empire’s 7th Corps, which were attacking, immediately transitioned into defense. They built defensive positions, carefully arranged their defensive lines, and awaited the upcoming battle honors coming to their doorsteps.

However, soon an unexpected message reached Eric: The Great Tang Empire Navy was ordered to leave the Shu Territory coastline, proceed to Dorne after resupply, and commence the second phase of a counterattack plan. Destroy Winterless Port to pressure the Dorne Empire.

Now, the 7th Corps had lost more than half of its air cover… they would have to rely on themselves.