"You bet! Grandpa, just watch. If even one gets away, you can beat me with a board!"
Li Chengzong patted his pectoral muscles, his face resolute in his guarantee.
One hundred and fifty Type 59Ds against the enemy's thin-skinned metal coffins would be as simple as Zhang Fei eating bean sprouts.
The enemy's armored brigades mostly consisted of Type 91 armored cars, equipped with three 6.5mm machine guns, while their tanks were predominantly Type 97.
However, their tactical deployment of armored forces still remained in the phase of infantry-armor cooperation; there were no recorded instances of large-scale armored group warfare by the Japanese throughout World War II.
"With mere toys like these, they dare to charge at us? Who gave them the courage?!"
"Hahahaha, that definitely wasn't Liang Jingru..."
"Come on, let them get closer before we fire, don't let the little devils behind them get scared and retreat!"
Through the radio, several jests reached the ears of Li Shimin and Cheng Yaojin.
"I want to go back..."
Li Shimin's expression was tinged with melancholy. Compared to the approaching enemy armored corps, most of the Tang Dynasty's armies were utterly helpless.
Yet, in the eyes of those soldiers from the future, it was merely a game.
Then, what did the Tang Dynasty amount to?
At this moment, he deeply understood Fang Er's insistence that the Tang Dynasty must never be exposed.
At the very least, if the enemy forces charging out of Taiyuan City were to reach the Tang Dynasty, they could undoubtedly sweep through everything!
Yuchi Jingde, puffing on a cigar, a man outwardly rough but inwardly meticulous, discerned the unspoken sentiment in Li Shimin's words and waved a hand to comfort him.
"Hey, Commander, you're overthinking it. With Anzhi around, would he just sit by and watch others cause trouble?"
"His wife and children are still in the Tang Dynasty. Don't even mention such a day, but if it ever came, he'd be the first to object!"
Li Shimin sighed, flicking ash from his cigar, leaning back against the tank turret.
"Alas... it's not that I'm clinging to imperial power, but I cannot bear to see the common people suffer!"
"As you all saw these past two days, if we and Huang Tugu hadn't arrived, the common people of SX would have endured terrible lives."
"To put it bluntly, they were worse off than livestock. People could kill them or rob them at will, with no safety whatsoever."
"If the Tang Dynasty were to reach such a state, then I too should learn from that lad who scavenged lard and hang myself from the southeast branch!"
Cheng Yaojin and the others exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.
They never expected that Li Shimin, who was usually unyielding, would also have moments of such sentimental melancholy.
If this were to get back to the court, those in power would surely be dumbfounded!
Especially that old fellow Fang Xuanling; his bright green false teeth would undoubtedly shatter on the floor!
"Commander, let's not worry about that for now. Let's enjoy the present!"
Qin Qiong smiled slightly and crawled into the tank through the open top hatch.
"Hahahaha, good, let's enjoy the present first! Let's just see who can shoot faster and more accurately!" Li Shimin seemed to feel he had said too much and, laughing heartily, jumped onto another nearby tank.
The enemy armored brigade advanced, firing their cannons aimlessly.
Equipped with the Type 97's 57mm short-barreled howitzer, its range was less than two thousand meters. Before the Type 59Ds, it was like a poodle baring its teeth at a Tibetan Mastiff.
It was only noisy, but utterly useless...
An armored brigade comprised two tank regiments, with a combined total of about a hundred tanks and armored vehicles.
Under such a disparity in strength, their continued reckless boasting was utterly inexplicable.
Rumble...
When the distance between the two sides narrowed to about a kilometer, Brigade Commander Yanagi, wielding his command saber while seated on his Japanese horse, his short legs barely reaching the horse's belly.
Seeing that his army's short-barreled cannons could finally accurately hit the enemy tanks, he immediately, like a clown, raised his arms and shouted with excitement.
"The Empire will prevail! Long live the Emperor!"
"Kill them all!"
With infantry-armor coordination, the armored brigade's own two thousand infantry, along with the Gou Ba Regiment and the Ye Shi Regiment.
A total of nearly ten thousand Japanese soldiers, carrying guns and cannons, followed in small squads.
Long-range weapons like grenade launchers and mortars, upon entering firing range, began to find suitable positions to establish their emplacements.
"Bang bang bang..."
The short and weak Type 97 cannons shifted from menacing bombardments to targeted, precise strikes.
Dozens of shells whistled towards Li Shimin and his companions.
"Don't rush, don't panic, if something happens, post to your Moments first..."
Wang Xuance calmly took out his phone, pointed it at the sky, and began snapping pictures, followed by the formation of the enemy armored brigade.
"Ping..."
A shell landed on the armor of a Type 59D, making only a crisp sound before being deflected by the reactive armor.
Xue Rengui, following behind the Type 59D, peeked at the shell on the ground and shook his head contemptuously.
"This thing, it's not even as thick as mine, and it's called a cannon??"
"Smack!"
Wang Xuance slapped him back in response.
"Always showing off. What good is it being thick if you can't even find a wife..."
"No matter how thick, it's just for display..."
Xue Rengui covered his head and rolled his eyes at him unhappily.
"Damn... I heard from the Prince that there's a young lady named Liu who is my destined love. I'll go find her when we get back."
"Unlike you, who likes that tea egg seller but is too embarrassed to speak up. I'm worried for you..."
The roar of artillery made him unconsciously raise his voice. Fang Er, not far away, instantly thought of a woman's figure.
It was Lan Niang, who had held tea eggs and thanked Li Shimin for his kindness when they were in Qufu.
Good heavens, no wonder he was always humming and hawing when asked if he had anyone he liked; he was actually pining for the tea egg girl.
"All troops! Target all enemy armored forces, fire!"
A loud shout came through the earphones.
It was Xiao Ge, the deputy commander of the Third Armored Division of the Jianbing Military Region, brought by Huang Tugu.
Now, all the tanks and fire support vehicles were driven and operated by his subordinates, with a mastery as if they were extensions of their will, hitting precisely where they were aimed.
After holding back for so long, the rabbits, disgusted by the enemy's clumsy performance, instantly cheered.
"Boom..."
"Boom..."
"Screeeech..."
A total of 400 Type 59Ds and QN506s opened fire simultaneously. The loose stones on the ground vibrated, and dust flew, obscuring the sky, as if a sandstorm had erupted.
Small animals on the distant mountains were startled and fled in all directions, while flocks of birds took to the sky in panic and flew far away.
Oh my goodness!
The sky was falling, the earth was collapsing, and King Yama was out to catch ghosts...