Anti-Japanese War: My equipment is infinitely refreshed

In a tense and solemn atmosphere, with the commander's order, the Leopard tanks that had been ready for action suddenly let out a deafening roar, with their guns all aimed at the ancient city of Rome.

In an instant, flames flashed, and one shell after another roared towards the historic city like angry steel beasts.

The sky was filled with artillery rain that poured down like a torrential rain, launching an inhumane bombardment on the city of Rome.

Dozens of tanks seemed like tireless war machines, firing shells frantically in a short period of time.

Every time a shell was fired, it was accompanied by a huge recoil that caused the tank to tremble slightly. The whistling sound of the shells crossing the sky and the subsequent loud noise of the explosion in the city intertwined to form a chilling symphony of death.

In a short period of time, thousands of shells rained down on the streets of Rome.

Those ancient buildings were reduced to ruins under the impact of artillery shells.

Stones, bricks and tiles flew everywhere, raising a cloud of dust.

The residents of the city were caught off guard and fell into a huge disaster.

Cries and shouts for help came one after another, but were ruthlessly drowned out by the roar of artillery fire.

At this time, the city of Rome had been bombed beyond recognition.

The once bustling streets are now littered with ruins; the once lively squares are now covered with bomb craters.

Corpses were scattered all over the ground, and blood dyed the earth red, mixing with the flying dust to form a horrific picture.

Billowing black smoke rose from all over the city like the devil's tentacles, filling the entire sky, as if it was going to swallow up the city.

From a distance, the city of Rome looks like a huge ruin ravaged by countless artillery shells, bringing a strong visual shock and impact to people, making people deeply feel the cruelty and ruthlessness of war.

Standing next to the command vehicle, Catherine stared at the scene in front of her, her eyes revealing a hint of coldness and determination.

Watching the city of Rome gradually turning into ruins in the artillery fire, he nodded with satisfaction, then waved his hand vigorously and said in a firm and cold voice: "Order the armored forces to continue the attack and annihilate all resistance elements, leaving no one behind."

"Including the king?" The staff officer beside him asked cautiously in his ear, with a hint of caution and doubt in his eyes.

"It depends on his luck." Catherine raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a sneer that made people shudder.

In his mind, the empire was at a critical moment of life and death, and this damn old king jumped out to cause trouble for them at this time, which was simply unforgivable.

He would never show mercy because of the other party's identity. In his eyes, anyone who hindered the progress of the empire would be ruthlessly crushed.

As Catherine's orders were given, tanks began to charge forward like a steel torrent.

Their heavy tracks left deep marks on the ground, making creaking sounds, as if announcing their arrival to the enemy.

The machine gunners on the tanks were also on high alert, their eyes fixed on the front, ready to open fire at any time if they spotted any suspicious targets.

At the same time, more than 30 Stuka bombers that had just arrived at the battlefield circled in the air for several circles, found their targets, and launched a fierce attack on the artillery points in the city.

The distinctive scream of the Stuka bombers, like the call of death, terrified the defenders in the city.

Bombs fell from the bomb bays of the bombers, accurately hitting the artillery fire points hidden in the corners, reducing them to ashes in an instant.

In the defenders' camp of Rome, seeing the 26th Armored Division rushing towards them like a tide, the soldiers showed a look of fear on their faces.

Their eyes were filled with despair and helplessness, and their bodies trembled involuntarily.

They have heard countless legends about the German army. In those legends, the German army was like a devil, with extremely terrifying combat power, leaving no trace wherever they went.

Now, seeing the huge and majestic figure of the Leopard tank rushing towards them with their own eyes, the defenders were so frightened that they could hardly hold their guns.

They were fully aware of the gap in strength between themselves and the other side, and their hearts were filled with despair.

"Major, what should we do now? We can't stop them at all. Should we surrender immediately or continue to fight the enemy?" A second lieutenant looked at the major beside him anxiously, with a trembling in his voice.

His forehead was covered with sweat and his eyes revealed deep fear.

At this critical moment, he urgently hoped that the major could give a clear instruction.

The major was also frightened by the scene before him and was at a loss for words. His face was as pale as paper and his lips trembled slightly.

His eyes were fixed on the group of tanks rushing towards him, and his mind was in a mess.

"I, I don't know either. The order given to me by my superiors is to counterattack." His voice was full of hesitation and helplessness. Obviously, he also knew that with their current strength, they could not withstand the German attack.

"Let's surrender. We don't have any combat capability now. We are allies with them. We are just soldiers. Politics has nothing to do with us." After a brief panic, the major quickly came to his senses, suppressed his inner fear, and spoke decisively.

He knew very well that in this situation, continuing to resist would undoubtedly be a futile death, and only surrender might give him a glimmer of hope.

"But, we resisted fiercely just now. Will they let us go? Will they accept our surrender?" The second lieutenant's eyes were still full of worry. He frowned, and there was a hint of despair in his voice.

After all, they had just engaged in a fierce firefight with the Germans, and he was afraid that the Germans would be so angry that they would refuse to accept their surrender.

"You're asking God, but I think resistance will be even more miserable, so we'd better surrender." The major battalion commander replied with a wry smile, his eyes revealing a hint of helplessness and sadness.

In the face of war, the fate of these ordinary soldiers is often not in their own control.

"Surrender and prepare the white flag." The major took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and then gave the order loudly.

Following the major's order, the soldiers who were trembling while holding their rifles couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

To be honest, they didn't want to fight each other from the bottom of their hearts.

The cruelty of war has made them feel extremely terrified. They long to survive and return to their hometown to see their loved ones.

"It's a good thing we surrendered. If we fought back, we would have died a miserable death." An old soldier said with lingering fear in his eyes.

He had experienced countless battles and knew well how powerful the German army was. In his opinion, this surrender was the most correct choice they had ever made.

"Are they so terrifying?" a new soldier asked curiously, his eyes full of doubt. As a new soldier who had just joined the army, his understanding of war was only theoretical, and he had no personal experience of the horror of the German army.

"Terrible? No, they are simply demons from hell, too terrifying. I have seen a platoon dare to charge at an entire battalion." The old soldier seemed to have remembered something terrible, and a look of fear appeared on his face, but in the fear, there seemed to be a hint of yearning.

The experience was both terrifying and shocking to him.

"Oh my God, so brave? A platoon dares to charge at an entire battalion? That's amazing." The recruit said with admiration.

"There's something even more powerful. Their tanks are so powerful that they can destroy enemy tanks at a distance of one thousand meters. A position like ours can be destroyed with just one shot. If we had continued to fight back just now, we would have definitely been hit by a shot." The old soldier obviously knew a lot about it and spoke very logically.

The soldiers surrounding them were all scared pale and looked terrified.

At this time, homemade white flags appeared on the Italian army's positions.

Since he joined the army, he has been taught that attacking should only be done when the forces are equal, company against company, battalion against battalion, otherwise attacking is a suicidal act.

And we need the support of artillery and air force, otherwise we cannot attack.

When the enemy launches a charge, you must retreat and not fight with an enemy who is ready to die.

It is precisely these so-called "tactical principles" that have led to them being called the "noodle army" by the armies of other countries, meaning that their fighting effectiveness is as fragile as noodles, breaking at the slightest touch and becoming rotten beyond repair.

At this moment, facing the approaching German army, they chose to surrender. This might be a wise choice in their view, but it was undoubtedly a shame for their country and army.

However, in the face of brutal war, the instinct of survival often prevails.

Outside the city, the tanks of the 26th Armored Division were getting closer and closer to the defense line of Rome.

The roar of the tanks was deafening, as if it was going to shatter the entire earth. The tank commanders stared at the enemy in front of them through the periscope, with their fingers on the fire button, ready to give the enemy a fatal blow at any time.

When they saw the white flag slowly rising on the city wall, the tanks did not stop advancing immediately, but remained vigilant and slowly approached. Only after they confirmed that the other side had indeed surrendered did they gradually slow down.

Catherine sat in the command vehicle, looking at the white flag on the city wall, a satisfied smile on her face.

He won this battle with absolute advantage.

Although he knew that the war was far from over, this victory undoubtedly cleared away some of the haze for the empire.

As the tanks slowly drove into the city of Rome, the scene inside the city did not cause much reaction from the German soldiers, they even got used to it.

There were ruins and corpses everywhere, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder and blood.

They moved forward cautiously, always alert to possible dangers.

The surrendered defenders were now standing aside, with their heads down, their eyes filled with shame and helplessness.

They looked at the German soldiers with mixed feelings.

They once fought to defend their country, but in the face of cruel reality, they had no choice but to surrender.

In this war, no one is a real winner.

Both the victorious German army and the defeated Roman defenders paid a heavy price.

And those innocent civilians became victims of the war.

Rome, this ancient and beautiful city, has lost its former glory under the baptism of war, leaving only ruins and endless pain.

Perhaps, only when the war truly ends can this land regain vitality and peace.

At this time, inside the armored command vehicle, there was a busy and orderly scene. A combat staff officer hurriedly walked up to Catherine, saluted straight, and reported: "Your Excellency Marshal, the enemy is now surrendering to us, do we accept it?"

Catherine frowned slightly, looked away from the battlefield situation map, looked at the staff officer, and asked calmly: "Have the high-level officials of the Kingdom of Italy been caught?"

"We didn't catch them. They ran away." The operations staff officer looked a little nervous and responded quickly.

"Assholes, they actually let them get away." A trace of unwillingness flashed across Catherine's face, her fists clenched unconsciously, and her tone was full of regret.

"What about those who surrendered?" The combat staff officer was slightly frightened when he saw that the marshal was in a bad mood, but he still had to bite the bullet and ask again because it was his duty.

Catherine pondered for a moment, narrowed her eyes, and said coldly: "Accept it, there is no point in killing them. Send someone to ask where those senior officials have fled to. If anyone is willing to tell the whereabouts, you can give a reward."

"Yes, Your Excellency Marshal!" The combat staff officer nodded quickly in response, then turned around and walked away quickly to carry out the order.

After the staff officer left, Catherine held the latest telegram in her hand and slowly said, "Let's go into the city. The Supreme Command just sent a telegram appointing me as the commander of the Southern Theater. Italy is under my jurisdiction."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the command center instantly showed a hint of joy on their faces.

This is undoubtedly great news for them, because the positions of all of them present will be promoted with Catherine's promotion.

However, Catherine immediately changed the subject and said solemnly, "Don't be too happy. The Supreme Command will not give us any additional troops. All the troops we need will be recruited and trained from Italy and other countries."

At the end, a hint of helplessness appeared on his face.

After hearing this, everyone's originally excited expressions gradually froze.

After all the confusion, they still had to deal with these Italian troops. To be honest, the German army really didn't want to deal with them. Replacing them with a group of French troops would be much better than these Italian troops.

At least the French army's combat effectiveness is much stronger than that of the Italian army, and its frontal attack capability is still very strong.

These Italian troops didn't know how to fight without their artillery fire, and they dared not charge without the cover of tanks.

"Okay, stop complaining. At least you all have one more star on your shoulders." Catherine interrupted everyone's jokes and said seriously, "From now on, order the entire army not to oppress women. Anyone who dares to trample on them will be killed without mercy."

"Yes!" Everyone shouted in unison. (End of this chapter)