Chapter 25: The Assault Fails!

As the Zeon forces fell into chaos upon entering the minefield, less than a thousand meters directly in front of them, Red Dragon Two and Three poked their massive heads out from behind the hillside.

"This is Red Dragon Two. Data transmission synchronized. You are clear to fire!"

As the ultimate ace of Earth Federation ground vehicles, the Type 61 tank actually possesses a considerable number of interesting features, such as satellite-guided precision strikes or the ability for one unit to designate targets for another. Unfortunately, the protagonist of this world is not a tank, but fortunately, at least for now, the era of mobile suits has not yet arrived. Red Dragon Two and Three activated the independent targeting channels located atop their turrets. These were specifically designed to guide allied fire without conflicting with their own fire-control systems, allowing Red Dragon Two to continue firing independently while designating targets.

"I see them. I have eyes on the enemy as well!"

Sitting in the driver's seat, Yudin knew instantly that his boss had begun spouting his eccentric catchphrases again.

Red Dragon One’s fire-control system locked onto a target via the guidance data, and a 150mm marking shell soared out of the smoke, striking a Zeon infantry fighting vehicle.

"Anti-tank team! Target enemy armor!"

Several Zeon infantry squads, lugging magazine-fed shoulder-fired rocket launchers, struggled across the barbed wire in an attempt to engage Red Dragon Two. However, they soon found that several of their comrades had triggered mines. The soldiers who avoided the mines finally reached their firing positions, only to be suppressed by machine gun fire erupting from the smoke.

After suffering heavy casualties, a rocket gunner finally seized an opportunity created by his comrade’s sacrifice and launched an anti-tank round. It merely left a scratch on Red Dragon Two’s turret; even without an umpire, the Zeon cadets could tell the attack had been completely ineffective.

When the gunner carefully aimed to fire a second shot, Red Dragon Two actually reversed. He could only watch helplessly as the tank retreated, leaving only a sliver of its silhouette behind the ridge to continue guiding fire for its allies.

"This feels great, just like that time in Siberia!"

Inside the fighting compartment, Makarius grinned from ear to ear as his fire-control system locked onto another Zeon vehicle providing cover for infantry in front of the minefield.

"Indeed. The Third Battalion was picked off like target practice when we flanked them!"

"Infantry fighting vehicle, eleven o'clock. Its turret is turning toward us!"

After the Zeons deployed smoke, the driver, Yudin, seemed to become the most relaxed person in the unit. He no longer needed to worry about maneuvering the vehicle, only about pointing out targets for Makarius.

Moments later, the Zeon fighting vehicle—which had just been firing blindly into the smoke—was struck and forced to withdraw from the exercise.

"Twelve o'clock, Zeon tracked transport. Looks like that one is tangled in the barbed wire and stuck!"

"Target spotted, destroyed!"

Yudin’s eyes were like the divine gaze of judgment; whatever he saw, Makarius would strike down with his lance of judgment, Gungnir, the very next second.

Under the relentless strikes of the Federation tanks, the Zeon forces stalled before the minefield, forced to constantly deploy smoke to cover their combat engineers as they cleared a path. After losing nearly one-fifth of their vehicles, the Zeon engineers finally managed to carve several channels through the chaotic minefield for the attacking force.

"Good, charge! Once we're locked in close quarters with the Federation forces, we can win!"

Upon hearing that the channels were open, the commander of the elite guard was overjoyed. At that moment, he transformed into a sprinter, weapons in hand, and charged forward, leaving his own infantry fighting vehicles behind.

"Lord Garma, this is the first victory I dedicate to you!"

Then, he heard the long-awaited sound of a massed artillery salvo.

During the earlier sniping, Makarius had strictly limited the tank team's rate of fire, requiring them to use single-shot mode. This had the dual benefit of reducing barrel wear and deceiving the Zeon forces. But once the Zeons opened the channels, this restriction was lifted.

As the elite guard commander led his men through the channel, two 150mm shells whistled over his head. Turning back, he saw the infantry fighting vehicle that had just emerged from the channel get hit. Even though the driver desperately tried to steer the vehicle aside to clear a path for those behind him, a second tank fired, destroying the vehicle following behind him.

"The channel is blocked! Reverse, reverse!"

"Red Dragon Three, Four, the rear is yours!"

"Firing now!"

It was a textbook "pincer" tactic. The lead and rear vehicles of the Zeon force passing through the channel were destroyed, leaving the remaining vehicles trapped in the middle, unable to move.

"John!"

After neutralizing the Zeon forces in the channel, Makarius immediately called his ally over the radio, not even bothering with their call sign.

John didn't mind. "Copy, leave it to us!"

The tank team pivoted to the next gap, while the Zeon forces at that breach were left to the hungry infantry brothers waiting in anticipation.

"Fire!"

At the command, a mass of round heads, colored almost exactly like the mud, suddenly popped up from the previously empty trenches and bunkers. The Federation infantry had gone to great lengths to conceal themselves, wrapping their helmets in mud-soaked rags until they looked no different from clumps of rotten grass in a swamp.

Then, the sound of M299 machine guns, M76 automatic rifles, and Queen missile launchers erupted into a magnificent chorus.

"Gap one, enemy unable to advance!"

"Gap two, enemy unable to advance!"

"Gap three, enemy unable to advance!"

The Zeon engineers had expended immense effort to carve out those three paths, only for all of them to be sealed shut. The Type 61 tanks fired at such a high rate that their barrels were beginning to glow red.

"Retreat! Mortars, fire everything! Provide cover for them!"

Following Garma's orders, the mortar units in the rear dumped as many smoke shells as possible into the center of the battlefield, creating a barrier for their allies. The trapped Zeon vehicles also deployed smoke, and in that instant, the roar of gunfire abruptly ceased.

"They're retreating!"

"Yes, they're retreating."

Listening to the fading engine sounds, Makarius nodded. He opened the hatch of the fighting compartment, poked his head out to smell the thick scent of gunpowder in the air, and looked toward the distance.

"So, what will you do next, Char?"