Chapter 1 Late Night

It was late at night, around 9:30 PM.

The Warhammer Mercenary Group received orders. Their First Army, boasting ten thousand soldiers, began to move south. The marching route stretched for over twenty kilometers. Light mechanized units led the way, followed by heavy armor and logistical support. It was a truly awe-inspiring sight.

The First Army's southward movement was the latest decision from the higher-ups, mainly to prevent the Ruler Army (Chi Jun) from launching a surprise attack while the Second Army was pressuring Bana City's military activity space.

...

About two hundred kilometers south of Bana City, there was a natural harbor called Ta River. The Warhammer Mercenary Group had seized it about a week ago, using it as one of their maritime landing supply lines.

Why seize a maritime landing supply line?

Because the Warhammer Mercenary Group's area of operations wasn't on the Bana City side. They were essentially conducting a long-range expedition, and massive amounts of supplies had to come from the sea or be directly airdropped.

As a result, it took the Warhammer Mercenary Group a significant amount of time to expand outward and occupy territory.

In modern warfare, the supply line directly affects whether a unit can sustain combat operations! Simply put, if your mechanized units want to move, they need fuel, right? If a soldier runs out of ammo, they need to resupply, right? After a few rounds of concentrated fire, a rocket unit's ammunition is depleted, and its combat capability is almost zero. If they don't resupply, how can they fight?

Therefore, the establishment of supply lines is crucial and tests the layout capabilities of the military commander!

After entering the outer areas of Bana City, the Warhammer Mercenary Group had been in a cautious state. It took them a week to slowly expand, occupy favorable offensive positions, and gradually complete the construction of their supply lines.

Today, the Warhammer's forces of over twenty thousand men were split. One wave headed south to defend against the Ruler Army, and the other headed north, preparing to slowly pressure the Blackwater Legion's activity space around Bana City.

Around ten o'clock.

Along the highway near the Ta River harbor, more than a hundred mercenaries from the Warhammer Group stood on both sides of the checkpoint, conducting routine Level One security.

"Buzzing!"

Dust billowed from the south as a convoy of military vehicles slowly approached. At a glance, there were about thirty vehicles, mostly large off-road military vehicles with strong mobility.

The convoy sped along, and soon arrived near the checkpoint.

"Whoosh!"

The Warhammer soldiers on both sides of the road immediately went on alert, loaded their weapons, and looked forward with serious expressions!

In truth, the difference between regular troops and mercenaries is like the difference between a state-owned enterprise and a private enterprise.

One has an iron rice bowl and receives a fixed salary! The other relies on performance and ability to earn a living!

For the latter, if you don't perform well and frequently make mistakes, the boss won't use you anymore. They'll just fire you without any room for discussion!

Therefore, aside from professional combat capabilities, mercenary organizations generally have impeccable work attitudes, and corruption and bribery are relatively rare. It's also difficult for soldiers to gain personal benefits through nepotism.

On the dry dirt road, the two sides met.

The Warhammer's black officer stood inside the position and shouted through a loudspeaker, "Hey, brother, why are you going the wrong way?"

Inside the off-road vehicle, an officer yelled, "We're from the 75th Regiment of the First Army! Our defense zone has been transferred to the south... Damn it, we need to come back to get some supplies!"

"Okay, okay, one person come down and show me the electronic password!"

"Wait a moment!"

"Only one person!" the black officer repeated.

Inside the vehicle, a man wearing a Warhammer Mercenary uniform looked around and waved to the signal officer in the back.

The signal officer sat in the back seat, wearing a headset, his ten fingers rapidly tapping on the keyboard!

Three seconds later!

A clear response came from the walkie-talkie: "Ready!"

"Operation Beachhead begins!!" The officer in the front, holding the walkie-talkie, shouted concisely: "Gentlemen, we only have twenty minutes!! Fire!!"

"Swish!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the convoy claiming to be the 75th Regiment returning to retrieve supplies suddenly started. Three multi-functional combat vehicles covered in black cloth suddenly surged forward, blocking the road diagonally!

"Stop!! Stop, or we'll open fire!" the Warhammer personnel shouted.

"Rocket artillery cover!!" The officer in the lead vehicle pushed open the door and jumped out: "Attack, attack!!"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh...!!"

As soon as the officer claiming to be from the 75th Regiment finished speaking, a large number of rockets suddenly launched from a dense forest in the direction of Bana City, targeting the Warhammer checkpoint!

"Da da da...!"

The sound of machine guns swept across the area as the 75th Regiment began their attack without warning!

In just four or five seconds, a large number of rockets accurately landed within the checkpoint's defense zone, and earth-shattering explosions rang out in a continuous chain!

The rocket artillery unit ceased fire after firing its volleys, and the soldiers from the 75th Regiment who had rushed down from the vehicles shouted in unison as they advanced: "Long live the Blackwater Legion!!!"

South of Bana City, at the mouth of the canal!!

The commander of the Blackwater Legion's Gray Bear Regiment waved frequently: "Fighters, take off!!"

Forty helicopters took off from the inspection platforms on both sides of the canal, quickly advancing towards the Ta River harbor!

Along both banks, dense formations of small speedboats rushed out from the shore, charging towards the Ta River landing site in an orderly fashion!!

...

Inside Bernardo Manor.

Tago didn't even bother watching the real-time feedback from the Ta River battlefield, only focusing on the long supply line and the enemy First and Second Armies' deployment lines.

"Here!!!" Tago frowned, pointing at the sand table, and said concisely: "Our border troops must not move! Using eight thousand men to leverage the entire southern battlefield will surely lead to our defeat. We must confuse the enemy, so they can't find their target!"

"Yes, General!"

"What did the Easterners say?!" Tago turned his head and asked the staff officer.

"They are arrogant and believe we are already at an absolute disadvantage!" The chief of staff shrugged: "I made a bet with them that within three days, we will force the Warhammer Group to withdraw from two offensive areas!!"

Tago put his hands behind his back and said, "Then let them see our military capabilities! Gentlemen!"

...

At the Warhammer Mercenary Group's headquarters, a white general frowned and asked sternly: "Are you sure the Blackwater Legion's troops on the border aren't moving on a large scale?!"

"Absolutely not!! Their main forces are holed up in the defense lines, and another ten thousand are holding firm in the urban area!!"

"...Then where did they conjure up these men from?" The white general looked at the electronic map with his hands behind his back: "Did the Ruler Army join the battle?"

...

Ruler Army base.

Jiangzhou put down the phone and said, "The inside source says the Ta River harbor was attacked?"

"Who did it?" Xin Xiaodong was a little confused: "The Blackwater Legion has so few men?! They wouldn't proactively attack, would they... Damn it, are they crazy?!"