Chapter 233 : The Great Bombing
Chapter 233: The Great Bombing
Both army groups were among the more elite forces of the Church Army. Their composition consisted of one Mechanical Body Division, several Mage Corps, heavy artillery regiments, and tens of thousands of ordinary soldiers mixed together. They possessed both overwhelming firepower and sheer numbers.
When they unleashed their firepower, they showed no restraint whatsoever. The bombardment of artillery and magic lasted throughout the entire night, only ceasing by the next morning.
The commander glanced at the mountain, which seemed to have “slimmed down” by an entire layer, and nodded in satisfaction. “Order the troops to move in and occupy it.”
Although the chaotic and dispersed magical elements interfered with detection spells, he did not believe that any unit could survive under such dense firepower coverage.
But he was quickly proven wrong.
As soon as the bombardment stopped and the Church Army launched their assault, the supposedly annihilated 112th Infantry Division suddenly emerged from various parts of the mountain. They set up machine guns and rifles and began a fierce counterattack.
Scattered firepower points across the mountain rapidly converged into a dense storm of bullets, pouring down toward the Church soldiers charging uphill. In a single exchange, the front ranks collapsed in large numbers. The once-enthusiastic charge signals were instantly drowned out by screams of agony.
The Church’s Mechanical Body soldiers fared no better.
Whenever they attempted to use guided magic to eliminate fixed positions, a figure carrying a launcher would appear within their line of sight and fire directly at them.
As the Red Army soldiers pulled the trigger, the black powder inside the launcher ignited instantly. The resulting pressure propelled the warhead out of the barrel.
Small stabilizing fins deployed at the rear of the warhead, maintaining its trajectory as it slammed heavily into the Mechanical Body soldier’s shield.
The impact triggered the detonator. The explosive charge ignited, and a shockwave traveling at 6,000 meters per second struck the conical copper liner.
The detonation pressure converged at the tip of the cone, causing the metal liner to collapse inward and form a high-velocity metal jet. It pierced through the shield and armor, reaching straight into the cockpit.
The terrifying high-temperature jet incinerated the pilot on the spot.
Watching sparks spill from the gaps in the Mechanical Body, hearing the inhuman screams from within, and even smelling the burnt flesh, the scene delivered an overwhelming psychological shock to the Church soldiers.
They swore that even the stake burnings used by the Inquisition back home against witches were not this brutal. The Ernesto soldiers’ cruelty was comparable to demons.
No—far more terrifying than demons.
Because these weapons were being used against them.
—
Valok State, located at a junction of waterways, possessed excellent transportation convenience. It was also designated by the Allied Nations as the largest logistical transit and distribution center for military supplies.
All supplies raised by the Britian Empire would travel along the canal routes to Valok, from where they were distributed to supporting forces and intervention forces in surrounding areas.
Such a crucial location was naturally heavily defended.
Air Cavalry, new monoplane Magitech Fighter Aircraft, and the latest rapid-fire anti-air magic cannons were deployed in large numbers across Valok State.
Even the city’s defensive construction standards were equivalent to those of an imperial-level military fortress city. In terms of defense, aside from lacking top-tier powerhouses, it even surpassed the imperial capital.
After obtaining intelligence, the Alliance took the matter very seriously.
However, Mitia did not immediately dispatch the Air Force to strike.
There was essentially only one opportunity. She intended to inflict irreversible damage on the Allied Nations in a single blow—so naturally, she allowed them to stockpile and build up as much as possible.
Moreover, deploying special forces and gathering detailed intelligence also required time.
Only after special operations units had infiltrated the outskirts of Valok in small numbers—gradually mapping out its field airfields and anti-air positions—did she authorize the Air Force Command to formulate routes and launch a large-scale operation.
Departing from Alliance territory, the fleet would fly to field airfields near the royal capital of the Kingdom of Suria for refueling.
All aircraft were four-engine long-range Flying Fortress bombers. With a fully loaded combat radius of 3,800 kilometers, their one-way range was just barely sufficient to reach Valok’s airspace.
Fortunately, by using Magitech Engine systems dedicated to defensive energy supply, they could extend their range by an additional 1,000 kilometers—enough for the fleet to land safely within the Ernesto Republic.
Twelve aviation divisions assembled and took off from military airfields across the Alliance’s continents, forming into formations before flying in batches toward the Kingdom of Suria.
The total number of aircraft approached 3,300—this was essentially the entirety of the Alliance Air Force’s active strength.
Among them, eight aviation divisions were assigned to support the Suria frontlines, while the remaining four divisions comprised the ultra-long-range bomber force.
Of the eight divisions, three escorted medium bomber divisions, while the other five were mixed formations of fighter-attack aircraft and dive bombers. They carried out massive bombardments against Allied frontline offensives and naval ports within Suria.
In particular, the large Allied forces advancing toward Suria’s royal capital were targeted. The medium bomber divisions carried cluster munitions, which would be densely dropped from the air to maximize disruption and reduce the enemy’s mobility and safety.
Wave after wave of aircraft formations darkened the skies as they passed over Sera Capital. Only then did all Alliance citizens truly realize that a massive war was underway.
—
Three hours later—
At Pebes Port, which had only recently been occupied, hundreds of warplanes burst out from the clouds and charged toward the Puyi United Fleet anchored below.
Alarms blared across the harbor, accompanied by panicked shouts.
Different squadrons carried different payloads depending on their mission and range.
Since Pebes Port was relatively close to the Alliance, fighters did not need auxiliary fuel tanks. Instead, each wing carried a 250-pound bomb.
Dive bombers carried 500-pound aerial bombs, along with four electrically ignited rockets mounted under each wing to increase firepower density.
As the panicked Puyi forces fired wildly into the sky, the dive bombers had already angled downward and launched their rockets in a single volley.
The dense anti-air barrage formed by cruisers was instantly torn apart, leaving large gaps. Firepower density dropped drastically.
Then came the vertical bombardment—
Under the penetration of 500-pound bombs, warships and docks were engulfed in explosions and seas of fire.
The joint Air Cavalry of the Puyi nations proved to be nothing more than a joke.
Although fighter aircraft did not vastly outpace them in speed, their compact and streamlined forms made them extremely difficult to hit.
Even when struck, magical shields would often deflect the damage. Only in rare cases—when hit by more than a dozen attacks simultaneously—would a fighter be destroyed midair.
Meanwhile, the four heavy machine guns mounted on each fighter unleashed torrents of bullets, tearing through cavalry formations and creating bursts of blood in the sky. The enemy did not dare engage too closely.
During this brief delay, the fleet they were meant to protect had already begun to sink one after another.
The harbor was filled with thick smoke, along with the desperate cries of sailors struggling in the water.
Although this port did not contain the entirety of the Puyi United Fleet, the loss of five cruisers and numerous medium and small vessels caused the First Fleet—out of its total fifteen cruisers—to lose over 30% of its combat strength.
For a joint navy unable to receive new warship reinforcements in the short term, this was a devastating blow.