Iron Dynasty

Chapter 1160

Bonat put away his binoculars, and a heavy feeling suddenly arose in his heart. His line of sight passed through the Austrian trenches, and he saw a strange army entering the battlefield. According to his understanding, this army was the Imperial army.

In the French civil war, he had witnessed the power of the three Imperial snipers. At that time, every time an enemy officer was shot and killed, he would feel a surge of excitement. But now, he was probably going to be the target of a sniper.

“Is it really the Imperial army?” a lieutenant under Bonat asked worriedly. Now, every French soldier was unwilling to fight against the Imperial soldiers.

“Looking at their military uniforms, there’s no mistake,” Bonat said. France had used 70,000 troops to attack Austria this time. The 10,000 men of the French Seventh Division that he led were only one-seventh of the total. Since leaving France, they had advanced triumphantly all the way here, but the Austrian army had built fortifications here to slow down their attack.

The officers were silent. They looked at Bonat, waiting for him to make a decision.

“We must fight. This is His Majesty’s order. From now on, everyone must be vigilant. Immediately send soldiers to dig trenches.” Bonat said. As the attacking party, the French army did not have trenches and only had a camp opposite the Austrian army. Now, facing the Imperial reinforcements, he was very nervous, so he ordered his soldiers to dig trenches just in case.

But just as he gave the order, he suddenly heard a sound of metal friction from the opposite side, and then he saw eighteen deep-green metal chariots pass through the Austrian army’s trenches and appear on the battlefield.

“Tanks!” Bonat was horrified. The news of the Tsarist Russian border being breached had long spread throughout Europe, and the weapon the Empire used in that war was also quickly learned by everyone. This indestructible and incredibly hard battlefield monster could tear any army apart.

The French soldiers’ breathing became heavy the moment they saw the tanks. They stared intently at these steel monsters that might attack at any moment, ready to attack and also ready to flee.

“Colonel, what should we do now?” The officers were all waiting for Bonat’s order. Thinking of the order from Paris, Bonat braced himself and said, “Transmit this intelligence to Paris, but until the order arrives, we must fight.”

As his words fell, the tanks suddenly started to move slowly forward, and the Imperial soldiers followed closely behind the tanks, hiding their bodies behind them.

“Boom, boom, boom…”

The eighteen tanks fired one after another, and the shells fell into the French army’s camp and exploded. Some tents were immediately set on fire. At the same time, the machine guns in the trenches started to fire frantically at the French camp, and bullets flew toward the French position like rain. At the same time, the mortar shells drew a perfect arc and exploded in the camp. For a time, the French army was completely surrounded by the Empire’s firepower.

In the Austrian trenches, the Austrian soldiers and officers watched the Empire’s fierce and overwhelming firepower in a daze. Under the dense firepower, the French soldiers were in a panic. They all looked for cover to hide from the Empire’s attack.

“Commander Ye, no wonder the Empire can defeat Britain. In my opinion, the Imperial army is truly the best army in the world.” Obina watched the battlefield from the rear of the battlefield. At this moment, he praised them from the bottom of his heart.

Ye Qingyun smiled and said, “The military power the Empire is showing is just the tip of the iceberg.”

“This is just the tip of the iceberg?” Obina asked in surprise. He fell into deep thought as he looked at the bloody battlefield. There was no doubt that if Austria wanted to break the treaty, it would have to consider the Empire’s military strength.

A faint smile flashed in Ye Qingyun’s eyes. The purpose of the Empire sending troops to Austria this time was to prove the power of the Vienna Convention Organization to Europe and attract more European countries to join. Of course, the Empire would decide who joined the convention organization. Countries like France, Britain, Prussia, and Tsarist Russia would not be considered.

“That’s right. In a few more years, you will see the Empire’s true strength,” Ye Qingyun said. The Empire’s technology was changing almost every day now. Besides the military weapons that had already been produced, no one knew what other monstrous weapons would appear in the future.

After a few casual words, Ye Qingyun focused his attention on the battlefield. Faced with the Empire’s fierce firepower, the French army was suppressed and could not raise its head. At this time, the French artillery began to fire at the Austrian side. However, the Empire’s snipers quickly locked onto the French gunners. Every time a French soldier tried to load a shell, a sniper would shoot and kill them. Soon, the French artillery position was paralyzed.

At this time, the Empire’s tanks and infantry were constantly advancing. This tank-infantry tactic had proven to be very successful on the Tsarist Russian battlefield. Now, Ye Qingyun was using it again on the battlefield.

French position.

The moment the Empire’s attack began, the place was thrown into chaos. Officers were shot and killed by snipers, artillerymen were shot and killed, machine guns fired, and mortars bombed. In a very short time, this elite army from the French civil war had lost thousands of men. The Empire’s tanks were now getting closer and closer. Bonat could even see the flames from the machine guns at the bottom of the tanks.

Facing the rapidly deteriorating battlefield situation, Bonat began to waver between obeying orders and retreating. He now had no doubt that the Imperial army would kill all of them. And what made him most desperate was that he could not find any way to counter the Empire’s method of attack. He could only watch helplessly as his army was defeated.

“Charge!”

When the Imperial tanks tore apart the French position, the Austrian soldiers rushed out of the trenches. They shouted Franz’s name, their eyes red with fury, and charged at the French. It was these invaders who had killed their comrades, their relatives, and their friends. With France, they had an irreconcilable hatred. To fight for Vaduz, Austria and France had been in a standoff on a front that stretched for dozens of li in Vaduz.

Knowing this situation, Ye Qingyun decisively ordered the Austrian army to cooperate with the Imperial soldiers to break through the center, split the French army into two parts, and then encircle them to completely “make dumplings” of the French army. A large number of Austrian soldiers joined the charge, and the tank-infantry combination tactic was immediately used to its fullest.

When Bonat saw the Austrian soldiers rushing toward them like a tidal wave, a look of despair appeared on his face. It was already difficult for the French to concentrate their firepower on the Empire’s tanks. Now, the overwhelming number of Austrian soldiers made it impossible for them to focus on anything else. Without the advantage of firepower, France suddenly lost its color on the battlefield, while the Austrian soldiers, with the support of the Empire’s firepower, appeared extremely brave.