Why would I join the army if I can’t drive a Gundam!

Chapter 147: Overthinking isn't a good thing!
Although Makarius's abstract tactics seemed unorthodox, they were actually quite effective. The Assault Steel Tank already had thick armor, and with two GM shields attached to the outside, it could withstand a significant amount of firepower.

Moreover, the steel tanks that directly engage in close-range fire are not greedy. They aim at the nearest firing point, fire a shot, and then retreat. In any case, the follow-up troops of the 29th Division have already pressed forward, so there is no need to worry about the supply problem.

After dozens of rounds of firing into the cave, the Zeon defenders inside finally couldn't hold out any longer. If things continued like this, they would be crushed to death by the collapsing rocks before they were even killed by the artillery fire.

"Where the damn reinforcements are? We're doomed! Can you hear the artillery fire outside? The Federation's cannons are practically pointed at my head!"

"Hang in there a little longer, we'll be there soon!"

Although the Zeon reinforcements supporting the Yamaguchi garrison had grown wings, they dared not directly charge the Federation forces in the front. Instead, they chose to flank the Federation forces from the rear, attempting to force them to retreat by outmaneuvering their rear.

"We see the highway, guys, follow me!"

The Tiger Squadron, which had circled around to the side of the Federal Army, soon spotted a Federal Army convoy traveling on the highway. There was no heavy armor for cover; only about a dozen Type 74 hovercraft trucks were mixed in with the convoy, keeping watch around.

When the Union soldiers in the vehicle saw the Dedeys flying overhead, they immediately grabbed their radios.

"Report! We've encountered Zeon forces!"

"Retreat according to the plan, don't worry about supplies!"

Amuro, who hadn't shown his face for a long time, calmly ordered the Federation soldiers to abandon everything and retreat immediately, while he led a reserve squad and quickly headed towards the location of the attack.

Subsequently, the Type 74 air-cushioned armored vehicle lowered its cargo ramp, filled the convoy with all the personnel, and quickly turned around and ran away before the passengers were even seated.

On their way out, these hovercraft armored vehicles did not forget to randomly fire their 20mm cannons into the air to drive away the Dedays that wanted to attack them.

"Leave the fleeing enemy to us; you go and destroy the convoy!"

Looking at the long line of supply trucks, Captain Tiger felt an indescribable envy. The ammunition and supplies on those trucks were exactly what they desperately needed, but unfortunately, they had no way to take them away. So, they could only blow them up completely to prevent the Federal Army from using them.

Tiger then separated from Dede and chased after the retreating convoy, while Dede stayed behind to destroy the vehicles with machine guns and bombs. If Zeon couldn't get these supplies, then the Federation forces couldn't use them either.

However, Captain Tiger clearly underestimated the speed of the Type 74. These hovercraft truck drivers were speeding with the accelerator welded to their feet. Speeding might kill them, but being caught by a tiger would definitely kill them. So, these drivers could still distinguish between what was more important and what was less important.

The Tigers could only use their 35mm twin-mounted guns to spray bullets from a distance. Although the accuracy was not high, the Tigers still managed to destroy two Type 74 tanks by sheer luck.

"Boss, have we chased them too far?"

"Indeed, everyone return. We're going to support the 7th Regiment at Yamaguchi!"

Seeing that they could not catch up with the fleeing Type 74, the Tiger Squadron returned to the landing point to prepare to rendezvous with Deday, who had already blown up the supply convoy.

Just then, Amuro's squad arrived.

"Want to escape?"

Seeing tigers leaping onto the saucer-like flying machines, Amuro immediately grabbed his favorite rocket launcher.

The 380mm quadruple rockets then flew out with a whoosh, heading towards the Zeon forces.

"missile!"

At this moment, in order to carry mobile suits, these Deda aircraft had already reduced their speed to a very low level. Faced with the incoming rockets, the aircraft, which had no energy available, could only barely rely on the little maneuverability they had left to tactically evade the attacks. However, several Deda aircraft were still hit and blown down by rocket launchers.

The tiger they were riding on also fell from mid-air.

"Damn it, is that a Gundam?"

"How did we end up with a Gundam here? Have you identified who it is?"

"It's not a red dragon, it's a white demon!"

"?"

"Oh no, this is a trap!"

Captain Tiger suddenly realized!

As everyone knows, there is only one unique unit in the Federation Forces that has two high-spec Gundams. Anyone who has fought against this unit knows one thing: the White Devil is usually an accessory to the Red Dragon. Whenever the Red Dragon appears, the White Devil will inevitably be there.

Of course, these two mobile suits aren't together every day, and there are exceptions. But every time this happens, the Red Dragon will appear out of nowhere and deliver a thunderous blow to the Zeon army's vulnerable groin.

Now, there are two battlefields at the mountain pass, and Red Dragon is not there. So, where is the enemy?
Thinking of the ground troops advancing behind him, Captain Tiger instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

"The main force is in danger!"

At this moment, Captain Tiger was absolutely certain of his judgment, especially with the appearance of Amuro, which made him believe that the Red Dragon had deliberately sent people to hold them back, because if the main force behind them was attacked, they would be the only force that could quickly return to provide support!

"First squad, you leave immediately!"

At that moment, a strong sense of mission compelled Captain Tiger to pilot his mech and leap off Dede.

"Go and inform the regimental commander that this is a trap. I'll cover the rear!"

"Sir?"

"Come on!"

Seeing the Gundam abandon its rocket launcher and charge towards him, Captain Tiger swung out his right-hand electric whip and then drew out his signature thermal longsword with his left hand.

"Just a mere Gundam!"

With a roar, Captain Tiger led his men in a charge towards the Gundam, and even the Deda, which was supposed to be his, followed him into the fray.

Under the beam of the light gun, Tiger Captain's teammates were quickly taken down one by one. By the time he rushed to the Gundam, only two mobile suits remained by his side. Looking at the Gundam in front of him, Tiger Captain swung out his electric whip in an attempt to lock down its movements.

But what he didn't expect was that Amuro suddenly jumped while controlling the Gundam, and then the Gundam flew into the air directly on the tiger's shoulder.

"Drink!"

With a roar from Amuro, Gundam raised its free right hand into a chopstick shape and slashed down at Deddy, who was using its machine gun to scratch the Gundam.

"Damn it, you actually used me as a stepping stone!"

Seeing the Gundam being knocked down from mid-air by a single chop to the neck, Captain Tiger angrily turned around and lashed Amuro's leg with his electric whip, trying to pull the falling Gundam off balance.

Amuro immediately drew his beam saber and slashed downwards, cutting through the whip binding him. Then, after landing, he maneuvered the Gundam with a nimble roll, dodging Tiger's machine gun fire. Once the Gundam stood up, propelled by its rear thrusters, Amuro immediately turned the tables and launched a counterattack against Captain Tiger.

Faced with the downward beam saber, Captain Tiger instinctively tried to parry it with his thermal saber, but Amuro swung it up, and the beam saber sliced ​​off the triple-mounted machine gun hanging on his left arm.

Then, Amuro grabbed another saber with his left hand and delivered a horizontal slash, pinning down the unrestrained beam saber once again. With his free right hand, he decisively stabbed into the opponent's chest through the opening.

"Impressive, but it's alright. I've already seen through your plan!"

As Captain Tiger lay dying, he smiled smugly. What did it matter if he died? As long as he prevented the main force from being annihilated, he would have accomplished a great feat!
The fleeing Tiger Squad didn't hesitate for a moment, accelerating all the way to the back of the mountain pass. Soon, they entered the friendly forces' fire range.

"Sir, please order an immediate halt to the advance!"

"What do you mean?"

"Based on the squadron leader's reconnaissance, we suspect that Red Dragon has led the Federal Army troops around the 7th Regiment at the mountain pass and is lying in ambush ahead!"

The slot machine operator then reported the situation in detail.

Upon hearing his report, the Zeon commander felt a chill run down his spine. Sure enough, they had stormed the Yamaguchi Fortress in just one day. This was something that no ordinary Federation army could accomplish. However, the absence of the red G3 Gundam meant that the enemy was definitely lurking somewhere.

The squadron commander couldn't help but swallow hard. At that moment, the magnificent green forest that had appeared before him suddenly turned sinister in his eyes.

"Sir, my friend in the 2nd Division also said that the Red Dragons like to do this kind of thing, especially when they ambush our mobile suits. We have to be careful!"

"But what about the Seventh Regiment?"

"They have the cover of the fortress, so they should be able to hold out. I also saw the construction going on. As long as they give up the passage and retreat inside to hold their ground, they can buy us some time!"

"If we are ambushed, then the entire mountain pass will be without any mobile forces!"

"I understand. Get me to headquarters first!"

Soon, the Zeon army's front-line command learned that the Red Dragon had infiltrated behind the defensive line.

"Halt the Third Regiment!"

"Can the Dabude-class destroyer be deployed?"

"No, our forces failed to maintain air superiority. It would be best if the Dabude-class destroyers operated at night!"

"Hold the 7th Regiment until nightfall!"

Although the Red Dragon was nowhere to be seen at the front lines, the Zeon command dared not gamble. Makarius had already inflicted countless bitter defeats on them. For the Red Dragon, any military adventure that allowed the enemy to exploit a weakness would inevitably lead to a severe defeat. Therefore, at this moment, holding firm was the best option.

Since the other party likes to find fault, then we shouldn't give them any faults to find.

It was already noon, and there were only seven or eight hours until nightfall. As long as the 7th Regiment held their ground, they would receive fire support from the Dabude-class destroyers hidden in the mountain bunkers. At the same time, the 3rd Regiment would be able to reach the fortress.

"How can I hold on?"

The Zeon commander inside the cave was devastated upon receiving the communication. The Assault Steel Tank was completely different from mobile suits and tanks. Despite its many problems, it was the perfect complement in the confined environment of the fortress. Especially after switching to Assault Gun mode, its bulletproof shape was further enhanced, and its 220mm cannon was extremely intimidating. No part of the fortress built by the Zeon army could withstand its direct fire.

It's good that the Zeon defenders have made great sacrifices to block it from entering the gate. But once they break through the defenses of the fortress gate and let this thing in, the Zeon army won't even need to fight. They can just wash their necks and wait to be blasted into the sky by cannons!
But expecting reinforcements was no longer an option. The infamous Red Dragons had prevented them from advancing an inch. They were only thirty kilometers away, a mere twenty minutes' drive, but the enemy dared not move forward at all, and even chose to hold their ground.

"Now, we can only rely on ourselves!"

Seeing that even the cooks in the mess hall had put down their ladles and picked up their rifles, the commander immediately summoned his last few mobile suit squads.

Then, when the Steel Tank Squad resumed its artillery barrage, the Zeon forces' counterattack suddenly weakened considerably.

"The enemy has retreated?"

Just as the pilot was wondering, suddenly, rows of smoke grenades were thrown out from the depths of the cave, instantly covering the cave and making it impossible to see anything.

"Damn it, the enemy released a thick cloud of smoke, mixed with rice grains!"

"Back off immediately!"

Marcarius then strode forward, maneuvering his machine forward, and dragged the Gundam out.

"Sir?"

Before Makarius could answer, a flurry of footsteps echoed from inside the cave.

Immediately afterwards, a Zaku ground combat vehicle, flashing red lights, emerged from the smoke carrying a large bundle of bombs.

Sniper Jim decisively raised his shield forward and thrust it forward, then his beam saber pierced through the Zaku's cockpit, creating a large hole. Without hesitation, Macarius kicked the Zaku back into the cave. Then, he raised his shield, making the machine kneel on the ground, protecting most of its body behind the shield as much as possible.

"Be careful of explosions!"

Then, intense flames and shockwaves burst out of the cave, and countless pieces of rock struck Macarius's machine like bullets.

"Sir?"

Seeing that Makarius had taken the brunt of the impact for everyone, Jim immediately rushed forward as well.

"Watch out for the cave entrance! Watch out for the cave entrance! I'm alright, I'm alright!"

Markarius, seeing his headgear completely smashed, shouted loudly. Then, before the smoke cleared, seven or eight more Zaku emerged from the smoke through the hole, which had been expanded considerably by the explosion.

"Fire, fire!"

Makarius laid his mech face down on the ground, then raised his MG79 and began firing at the entrance of the hole. The other mechs also raised their weapons at the same time, and dozens of gun lines immediately locked the entrance tightly.

These Zakus, who attempted to launch a surprise counterattack by self-destructing, had no chance to escape the cave entrance and were riddled with bullets on the way.

Then, looking at his external equipment and the unusable Sniper GM, Makarius felt a pang of sadness, because he had to go pilot the Gundam again!
"I've never felt happy piloting a Gundam!"

Although he said that, his body obediently picked up the communication device and called Sakaki Kiyoshi, the maintenance chief, who was waiting in the rear.

Then, when the Zeon commander saw the G3 Gundam appear outside the cave entrance, he was dumbfounded.

"The G3 Gundam is with me, so what's that with the Third Regiment?"

(End of this chapter)