The world outside the hatch was pitch black, but the glow of the instruments and screens illuminated Alvin and Hans's faces.
The two flew over fifty kilometers and reached within bombing range.
The laser targeting pod's integrated thermal imaging channel transmits images of Balmira's main city, ten kilometers away, to a downward-facing display screen positioned in the center of the rear seat.
Hans skillfully zoomed in on a section of the screen and then selected their first target for the day.
The Black Army members who had finished their day patrol were preparing to go back for dinner, while the night shift members, having just finished eating, came out to change shifts. Both sides were enjoying the last moments of peace before the battle.
But the tranquility was shattered when Hans pressed the pickle fire button and the first GBU-16 was dropped.
"Whoosh!"
They were too far away to hear anything, but in the last few seconds of their lives, they heard the whistling sound of air rubbing violently against the projectile.
"boom"
A three-story building was penetrated from the second floor by a tilted GBU-16, and the 191-kilogram explosive charge was instantly detonated by the triggered fuse.
Visible shockwaves, flames, and smoke instantly engulfed the entire building.
This is the most efficient demolition method in modern warfare. There will be far fewer fragments, but the yield is equivalent to more than twenty 155mm high-explosive shells hitting the same spot at the same time.
"Whoosh!"
Before the smoke could clear, a second GBU-16 was right behind them.
Amidst the earth-shattering earthquake, all the windows in his room shattered, and Hussein, who was having dinner, nimbly hid under the table.
He had experienced air raids, both American and Russian bombs, and these things were more memorable than artillery.
Even if a 155mm shell hits you, buildings can provide cover and protect you from most of the shrapnel. But aerial bombs are unpredictable; if they just graz you, you're dead.
The only good news is that fighter jets have a limited payload capacity, and their firepower is not as sustained as that of a howitzer with a basic load of dozens of rounds.
"Whoosh!"
The airstrikes continued, but after the initial few loud explosions, the noise subsided by half.
The GBU-12 isn't as powerful as the GBU-16, but it's more than enough to bomb bungalows. After the F-4K emptied its weapon racks, the marked area below it was already a pile of rubble.
Even the surviving buildings suffered varying degrees of damage; leaving aside the exterior facades for now, the injured inside were groaning in agony.
Those with bad luck had their main arteries severed by shrapnel flying in from outside the window, and died from excessive bleeding without even screaming.
"Bombing completed, visual effect good, Fruit Bat crew requests withdrawal."
Alvin called out as he circled in the air.
"Withdrawal permitted. Drone team prepares to launch Sparrowhawk A."
Xia Yu issued new instructions over the radio.
"Yes, boss!"
The F-4K began its return journey, while the Sparrowhawk A was ejected from the launch vehicle and headed to Balmira to reconnoiter the latest movements of the Black Army.
Casualty assessment is difficult because most of those killed in the bombing were reduced to mangled pieces, and whether they could be put back together was no longer a matter of time.
However, the injured were able to receive some medical assistance. They forcibly conscripted all the doctors from the local hospital, and also stockpiled a lot of medical supplies through black market channels.
"Those who are not injured should be vigilant, as they may come back. Also, everyone should avoid gathering together."
A disheveled Hussein shouted to everyone on the internal public channel while holding a walkie-talkie.
"Calling Jamil, how's the situation on your end?"
He switched to the channel for Balmira Castle and asked whether there were any signs of coordinated ground attacks by the enemy after the airstrikes.
"Jamir received. Everything is normal. No enemy detected."
Jamil answered as he looked away from the Sophie thermal imager mounted on a tripod at a crenellation on the castle.
Any vehicle traveling in such an open area would be tracked by thermal imaging, indicating that the enemy was not being reckless.
As an organization dedicated to spreading holy war and expanding rapidly, AceAce recruits members worldwide.
Among them, women were good at logistics and gave birth to children for the soldiers. A group of brides came from England. Men who were not very capable were given guns to serve as the grassroots, while those who were capable and had received military training served as the backbone, like Jamil.
They are generally well-equipped and know how to behave on the battlefield.
During the day, we can keep a close watch on the enemy coming from the south with the naked eye, but at night we must rely on technology.
This is also why the government forces' several night raids all failed; Ace had accumulated a lot of dirty money by smuggling oil and people and collecting private taxes.
With the advice of professionals, they had the financial means to purchase suitable equipment, which is one of the reasons for the high intensity of the Syrian battlefield.
In Afica, only a few officers and sergeants among the rebels were proficient with anti-tank missiles, unlike here where they are readily available and all sorts of captured weapons are easy to use.
"So this was just a routine airstrike."
Hussein muttered to himself.
More than a dozen aerial bombs landed on their personnel gathering area without them even noticing the enemy's fighter jets flying overhead; clearly, these were precision-guided munitions dropped from a distance.
When did the people of Osman become so rich?
This has nothing to do with money; the main problem is insufficient production capacity leading to a shortage of ammunition. Russia not only fights economically in Syria, but also makes a profit.
After all, the military industry also needs to be revitalized. The daily military spending can only keep things afloat, while additional budgets for military operations in the Middle East are a real shot in the arm.
However, expedited production also takes time, and the concentrated fire defense system with its own ammunition fills the gap in this process.
Hussein only knew that an armored convoy had arrived at the outpost, but he had no idea that an additional fighter jet had been deployed at the T-4 base. He simply assumed that the bombing was carried out by the Ossians.
This won't do; he has to get revenge.
If airstrikes become routine, no amount of precautions will prevent the loss of life from escalating.
According to the data his deputy had just reported to him, at least 120 people could not be contacted.
Hussein saw and felt the pain of losing 5% of his manpower in one go!
With only 2,000 troops, many were killed before they even saw anyone. It was truly tragic to have no air superiority.
However, they were not without means of countermeasures, and fortunately he held back from making a move, so the other side was unaware of his trump cards.
Just as Essace planted spies in the Barmira Castle, the government troops and Ossians at the outpost camp would patrol the area day and night to prevent being ambushed.
He had sent people to investigate this distance, which fluctuated between 8 and 12 kilometers.
Because their most visible long-range firepower is that M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer, which occasionally fires a few rounds at the outpost camp, only provoking the enemy's anger and not encouraging them to advance recklessly.
But he has a multiple rocket launcher.
Hussein also wants at least a hundred of the enemy's people killed!
"Splash!"
"Quickly, load the rockets immediately."
He shouted to his men, tearing off the green tarpaulin covering the 40 122mm directional tubes that disguised the Romagna APR-40 multiple rocket launcher as a six-wheeled transport truck.
This Eastern European-made, improved version of the BM-21 Hail was also stolen by Ace from Elakor. It was also transferred from headquarters to supplement the Balmira's artillery power when it was insufficient.
The government forces and the Ossi people had not launched a general offensive against them, so Hussein kept his plans to hold back, preparing to deliver a major blow at a crucial moment.
But plans can't keep up with changes. The other party, lacking any sense of martial ethics, delivered a heavy blow to him first.
Then don't blame him for unleashing two rounds of rockets at the enemy's outpost from a distance of seventeen or eighteen kilometers.
Oh, and bring the M109 too. Keep the firepower going during reloading intervals. A skilled operator can reload in 6 minutes, but his men will take at least 15 minutes.
However, compared to the daytime when people are scattered, they will be able to achieve greater results by launching an attack in the early morning when they are asleep.
Hussein's calculations seemed fine, but this time his opponent was neither the government forces nor the Ossians, but Xia Yu.
This became the biggest problem, because daring to outsmart a weasel takes real guts.
"Calling the boss, a convoy has left the city, and it contains... self-propelled howitzers and multiple rocket launchers."
The drone team, which had been on duty until the early hours of the morning, hurriedly shouted in the channel.
Xia Yu, who had almost fallen asleep on the Mi-24V, instantly perked up. "Finally, I've been waiting for you."
Just as he expected, these terrorists didn't hold grudges overnight.
They even hid multiple rocket launchers, which wasn't mentioned in the intelligence. They really have patience!
Besides the guaranteed M109 self-propelled howitzer, Xia Yu has caught another big fish.
"Splash splash"
He started the helicopter engine and took off in the shortest possible time, speeding towards the long-range strike convoy more than ten kilometers away.
The Balmira team has undoubtedly deployed all of Ace's long-range strike capabilities today, so we can relax our monitoring efforts in this area during the upcoming general offensive and allocate more battlefield resources to other areas.
A few kilometers outside the city, about 18 kilometers from the outpost, a convoy consisting of M109s, APR-40s, ammunition supply vehicles, and several modified Humvees stopped.
Both types of artillery have an effective range of over 20 kilometers, but the closer the distance, the better the accuracy.
However, 15 kilometers is too dangerous, so 18 kilometers is just right.
"Calling the commander, this is Usamah, we have arrived at the designated location."
Hussein took this retaliation very seriously and specifically sent his deputies to oversee it.
As his men adjusted the firing parameters, Usamach, carrying a portable anti-aircraft missile, got out of the vehicle and reported.
I'm somewhat on guard, but not too much.
Xia Yu is the kind of man who can withstand portable anti-aircraft missiles head-on, and this time he won't even show his face.
"Understood. The attack will begin in 5 minutes. I await your good news."
Hussein offered his blessings into the microphone on the radio.
The last fire in the city had just been extinguished, but the flames of anger in the enemy camp were about to rage, and his heart was filled with excitement.
After flying more than ten kilometers and arriving within 5 kilometers of the Black Army's long-range strike convoy, Xia Yu raised the nose of the Luhu aircraft, found the right angle, and directly pulled the rocket launch button.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh"
The six pylons on both sides of the stub wing carried four B-8V20 rocket pods, which fired 80 S-8 air-to-ground rockets in one go toward the convoy's location.
If you want to wash me away, then I'll strike first and wash you away instead.
Is everything ready?
Usamah asked his two artillery crews.
"We're all set."
Having gained experience through numerous surprise attacks, the crew of the M109 were the first to complete the setting of firing parameters.
The rocket artillery crew over there seemed a bit flustered, since they hadn't fired a single shot since the Balmira rockets were brought in, and they were a little rusty with the operation.
"Hurry, get it done soon..."
"Splash splash splash"
Just as the squad leader of the rocket artillery team was about to answer, a dense whistling sound came from afar.
They subconsciously looked up and saw a series of small bright spots flying towards them in a curved path.
"Boom boom boom boom boom"
The 80 S-8 air-to-ground rockets instantly covered the entire convoy.
Apart from the M109 self-propelled howitzer, which still had some armor protection, the APR-40 multiple rocket launcher ready to fire, and the 40 122mm rockets on the ammunition truck next to it were all ignited and detonated, turning into even more beautiful fireworks.
The outposts at Barmira Castle were the first to observe this scene, and then the main city and the outposts on the other side heard some of the commotion.
"Splash splash"
The sound of the propellers was nearing its climax, and Death, hovering low in the sky, focused its gaze on the resilient M109 Paladin.
Because it used ordinary high-explosive shells, the old gun's thin armor blocked the shock wave and shrapnel from the explosion, but the crew obviously did not have the awareness to seal the vehicle body.
Seeing the half-open car door, Xia Yu knew that the people inside were either dead or half-dead, but that wasn't enough.
He continued to activate a HOT-3 on the wingtip pylon.
"Whoosh!"
The 155mm shells inside the vehicle exploded with even greater force than those inside the tank, sending flames soaring into the sky accompanied by deafening explosions.
Perfect. These old self-propelled howitzers from the last century are interesting, especially the A6 and A7 models. Xia Yu doesn't even have the desire to collect this old version, let alone operate it for combat.
He'll have better options in the future; for now, he can just blow it up and watch the fireworks.
A real man loves playing with fire since he was a child, and he won't fall in love with someone else when he grows up.
There are 3 anti-tank missiles left, but the targets are all gone, so Xia Yu can call it a day.
Turning its nose around, the Mi-24V flew towards the outpost camp.
"Calling Usamah, this is Hussein, please respond, please respond!"
Hussein, who was in the main city, called repeatedly, but received no reply, and he had a bad feeling.
"This is Jamil. There was a violent explosion in the direction of the convoy. I saw the enemy's helicopter; it launched a missile."
The report from the castle's observation post shattered Hussein's last shred of hope.
He fell for the trap; the other party did it on purpose.
He deliberately did nothing after the bombing, pretending it was a routine bombing, and then, like a fool, he went to retaliate in the middle of the night and took the bait.
Xia Yu's tactic was to lure the potential threat out of their hole and eliminate it. He fully exploited the terrorists' impatience and wishful thinking.
They clearly hadn't heard of the saying, "A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years!"
Taking revenge without waiting overnight is the act of a reckless fool, and Xia Yu is clearly not a reckless fool.
"Brilliant, what a brilliant battle!"
At the outpost camp, old Yev, holding a bottle of vodka, spoke to Xia Yu.
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