Chapter 1439: Chapter 1356: The Old Capital Falls

“Stop that tank! Otherwise, we’re all finished!” The Qin Army captain shouted loudly, pointing at the distant Type 59 main battle tank.

The section of the battlefield ahead of him had already been torn apart by that tank. Seven or eight Qin Country soldiers had fallen, and some were kept from lifting their heads by the machine guns mounted on the tank.

Not far away, Qin Country soldiers were adjusting a 76mm anti-aircraft gun, though the power of this artillery was insufficient to penetrate the armor of the Tang Country tank.

The Tang Army soldiers accompanying that tank coordinated perfectly, covering each other. Upon reaching cover, they used hand grenades to clear out any remaining Qin Country soldiers.

Soon enough, these Tang Country soldiers seized a trench, also taking control of a nearby shell crater. The nearby Qin Country soldiers had been eliminated, their bodies lying haphazardly on the ground.

“The first platoon’s position is finished! The second platoon on the flank is running out of ammunition…” The deputy captain ran over, bent over in the trench, pointing at the position in the distance that was already smoking.

The MG42 machine gun over there hadn’t made its fabric-ripping sound for some time. That seemingly fine machine gun had a terrifying ammunition consumption.

“Retreat! Have the second platoon withdraw! Third platoon cover… where’s our anti-tank gun on the ruins of the flanks?” The Qin Country captain asked with a sobbing tone.

The original defense plan was for their anti-aircraft gun to cover their flanks and fire upon the advancing Tang Army tanks.

But since the start of the battle, that much-anticipated anti-tank gun hadn’t fired. They didn’t know that the Qin Country troops there had fled at the onset of battle, leaving only an artillery gun and some unopened ammo crates behind.

“Yes!” The deputy captain immediately went to relay the message, with soldiers from the original garrison unit fortifying the entrance to the underground bunker behind them.

The steel-reinforced concrete door was still solid, forming a large bunker in conjunction with the nearby sandbags.

Since there was ample ammunition inside the underground bunker, firepower kept streaming out. The tracer bullets hitting the Tang Army tanks sparked flares.

Quickly, the Tang Army dealt with the surrounding routed Qin Army and turned its attention to the continuously firing “bunker.”

From both sides, they approached the entrance of the bunker and easily dealt with the guards at the door using hand grenades. Immediately, cries came from inside: “We surrender! Don’t shoot!”

Subsequently, one Qin Country officer after another, along with guards and civilian personnel, emerged. Finally, seventy or eighty people were captured by the Tang Army, and the Tang Army also took control of the former imperial palace of the Dahua Empire.

Looking at the once-glorious but now ruined buildings, the completely abandoned rockery, and the courtyard full of bodies, the Tang Army soldiers had disdain in their eyes. Frankly speaking, the parks near their homes might be more beautiful than this old imperial palace.

“Liu Zhian left here about ten minutes ago, burning most of the documents.” A Tang Country officer approached his superior, reporting the intelligence gathered from interrogations.

“The enemy ordered all troops to burn documents… looks like we won’t get any useful files.” The officer spoke, pulling out a half-burned document, brushing off the ashes, and handing it to his superior.

The leading Tang Country officer glanced at the charred cover of the document and the mostly burnt sheets inside, tossing it at his feet: “No worries, just capturing Liu Zhian will suffice.”

As he spoke, he glanced around and asked: “Has your troop completely secured this place?”

“We have full control of the imperial palace, though there aren’t any decent buildings or valuable items left.” The subordinate immediately replied: “We need to wait for additional supplies here and wait for the flank troops to reach their positions.”

“Report Liu Zhian’s movements! Don’t let him escape!” The leading officer ordered: “Also, clean up this place; after all, it’s the old imperial palace of the Dahua Empire, maybe His Majesty The Emperor wants to have a look.”

“Yes!” The subordinate perked up immediately upon hearing that. If His Majesty visits, he will certainly inquire which troop seized this place first, and they will undoubtedly be mentioned, which would be an honor greater than heaven.

Frankly speaking, everyone has seen the Army Blade Medal often; for some officers, getting a First-Class Blade Medal isn’t too difficult. But to show up in front of His Majesty The Emperor is far more prestigious than the Blade Medal.

“Get back here!” Seeing his subordinate about to run off, the leading Tang Country officer immediately shouted, “I haven’t finished speaking yet!”

He pointed into the distance and continued to command: “Control the surrounding ruins and buildings! Establish a defense line! Once stabilized, let the follow-up troops organize the palace ruins! Rebuild the courtyard walls first; recover anything retrievable!”

“As for this underground bunker, seal it up for now… perhaps General Strauss will find it interesting.” After saying this, he waved his hand to indicate that his subordinates could leave.

Soon enough, the Tang Army tanks left the clearing. In the distance, the sounds of helicopter engines roared, followed by the explosions of rockets.

The Tang Army continued their attack, with the gunfire around the imperial palace gradually receding. The Type 59 tanks rolled away through a collapsed gap in the palace walls, making way for the follow-up operations.

The captives were escorted to the rear, and the blood-red Dragon Banner was raised. Amidst cheers from the Tang Army, the imperial palace of the old capital became a de facto control area for the Great Tang Empire.

That evening, most of the Qin Army was driven out of the old capital, and Tang Country’s TV and radio stations announced to the outside world that the Tang Army had occupied the old capital, also known as Yongping.

The Qin Country, however, refused to acknowledge this outcome, insisting in their records that they were only driven out of the old capital three days later.

In reality, both sides’ claims had merit. The remnants of the Qin Army did hold out in the suburbs until three days later, but the Qin Army within the city was indeed annihilated on the day the Tang Army occupied the imperial palace of the old capital.

Liu Zhian relocated his command post to a field bunker outside the city, continuing to lead his troops in resistance.

However, the Tang Army had already compressed Liu Zhian’s group’s space from both wings, and he was nearly surrounded by the Tang Army now.

The Qin Army had constructed new defensive fortifications near Wangdu. Thanks to Liu Zhian’s stalling and the use of mines, the Qin Army’s preparations this time were more thorough, and their positions were more robust.

Ying Duo and Chen Li both hoped Liu Zhian would hold out for another month or two, allowing them more time to continue reinforcing the defenses near Wangdu.

But Liu Zhian knew he might not be able to last that long.