Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 311 Swallowed by Whales
“There are still 4 hours left…” Milton roughly calculated the takeoff time and the remaining ammunition reserves, and replied, “The other attack aircraft have already used up all their ammunition. The next wave of attacks should be in about an hour, which can cover your river crossing operation timeline.”

Ishimaya said over the radio, "Received, the river crossing operation will begin in 5 minutes."

It wasn't that she didn't want the soldiers to rest, but this was the moment when the enemy was at their weakest, and the opportunity to minimize losses during the river crossing operation!

Cross the river with the routed enemy troops!
These coalition soldiers fleeing across the river are not the poorly equipped conscripts who were sent to their deaths earlier, but rather the "elite" of the northern warlord group, "mercenaries" who are actually the Honduran regular army in disguise.

If the supervisory team dares to fire, these two factions will first fall into internal chaos.

"Very good, I will continue to provide air support."

"..."

……

Meanwhile, at the front line, the First Infantry Battalion and the First Infantry Company.

The company commander has just relayed the command's order—complete preparations within 3 minutes, immediately cross the Tagu River, and completely annihilate the enemy forces in the battle of Beishan!

Unlike the enemy's term "eating up" which refers to scattering a few enemy soldiers, Milton's "eating up" refers to the complete annihilation of the enemy, a loss that cannot be recovered.

“Get in the car, get in the car!”

Near a reverse slope, four infantry fighting vehicles were hidden by tree branches. Xenophon, the platoon leader of the first infantry platoon of the first infantry company, was hurriedly arranging for his soldiers to get into the LAV-25 infantry fighting vehicles!

Milton's infantry is now largely mechanized, with each infantry platoon having a standard configuration of four infantry fighting vehicles.

Wow…

The soldiers, wearing heavy body armor, looked up at the "gunships" circling overhead like lighthouses, and felt a surge of confidence. They boarded their infantry fighting vehicles as quickly as possible.

"The general offensive begins in 50 seconds... If support is needed, determine whether it's Level 1 or Level 2 support." Xenophon glanced at his watch and instructed, "Level 1 support is emergency support, provided by 'gunships,' and support fire will arrive within 10 seconds; Level 2 support is regular support, provided by our mortar or howitzer positions, and support fire will usually arrive in 1 minute. Understand?"

The soldiers, thinking that Mr. "Hell Tax Collector" was watching them from above and could bring death to the enemy at any moment, couldn't help but become excited: "Understood!"

"Charge! Charge!"

Boom boom boom!
Almost simultaneously, 12 infantry fighting vehicles from the 1st Infantry Company of the 1st Infantry Battalion rushed out from the reverse slope, followed by various engineering vehicles, mine-clearing vehicles, tanks, and the remaining infantry.

After the infantry fighting vehicles cross the Tagu River and stabilize their positions, the pontoon bridge company will lay down a floating bridge, followed by mine-clearing vehicles and a tank battalion—as long as this process is completed smoothly, it is only a matter of time before the enemy's positions are breached.

As the infantry fighting vehicles advanced, the heavy artillery battalion behind them finally began to roar!

2个D-20组成的重炮营和1个2S5组成的自行炮营开始急促射，覆盖对岸的一切已知和可能的防御阵地——这样的火力会持续到步战车登岸之后，以压制对方一切可以对步战车造成伤害的防御阵地。

Once the pontoon bridge is completed, mine-clearing vehicles and tank battalions will be on top, and the remaining two mechanized infantry battalions, along with at least 60 infantry fighting vehicles, will surge towards the other side like an iron torrent.

The most dangerous and crucial part of this mission is the initial infantry company.

They need to be at the forefront, establish beachhead positions, and face the most intense enemy fire and the least friendly support.

But no one was afraid.

"Come on!"

"Don't forget, we are saving the entire country!"

"Liberate all people from the tyranny of the old government! We will drive out drugs, crime, poverty, and hunger, and we will bring prosperity, order, and freedom!"

"Long live Mr. Godfather!"

Listening to the roar of heavy artillery behind him, Xenophon arranged for his four infantry fighting vehicles to enter the water in a wedge formation, with their thrusters turned to maximum speed, and charged toward the opposite bank without hesitation.

Xenophon had a clear view from his turret: the opposite bank was being bombarded by intense firepower, while the "gunship's" 25mm Gatling guns were sweeping away any threatening infantry targets.

However, one of the enemy positions still managed to fire an anti-tank missile.

Xenophon saw a red light flash by quickly, followed by a white trail of smoke – indicating that the target was not him. He instinctively turned his head and looked at the friendly forces through the thick bulletproof glass on the side of the infantry fighting vehicle.

The next instant, a fireball exploded from the front of an LAV-25 in the second row. An anti-tank missile had penetrated the explosive reactive armor and the metal jet poured into the vehicle, rendering the entire LAV-25 unusable in an instant.

On the radio, Xenophon heard a slightly somber voice: "This is the second infantry platoon. Our command vehicle has been hit, the platoon leader has been killed, and the enemy's position coordinates are..."

Xenophon's eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins: "Gunner, fucking fire that way! Fire until they drop dead!"

"Yes!"

Boom boom boom! ! !
However, Xenophon had just seen a few machine gun shells fly past when a very fast shell, which was being fired diagonally from the sky, slammed straight into the position where the anti-tank missile had just been launched.

The "gunship" directly blasted that position into the sky with 105mm howitzers.

Xenophon took a deep breath, looked towards the opposite bank, and shouted, "Keep charging!"

At this point, they had even caught up with some of the enemy soldiers who were swimming to escape!
After eliminating some of the enemy soldiers who were still armed, the river-crossing team did not devote their remaining energy to executing the disabled soldiers who had lost their weapons.

"Full speed ahead!"

Given the precedent of being instantly killed upon showing their faces, and the fact that the advancing troops were mixed in with many of their own, the offensive pressure from enemy firepower was significantly reduced.

Eight minutes later, Xenophon's first LAV-25 was the first to leave the icy river and land. As the platoon leader, he took the lead and led the infantry out of the vehicle. They buried bombs and first blasted out several simple trenches and foxholes. They quickly set up simple machine gun positions and mortar positions.

On the battlefield, one could even see the dismembered remains of a large number of enemy "conscripts".

This gives you an idea of ​​how brutal the battle at the Tagu River must have been.

Meanwhile, an engineering platoon nearby was clearing landmines from the beachhead to help the infantry fighting vehicles continue their advance.

Xenophon was frantically digging holes and setting up cannons when he glanced to the side... The remaining two platoons had also successfully crossed the river and were urgently establishing beachhead positions.

Just as Xenophon was about to continue working diligently and hold out until the main force landed, a sharp shout suddenly came from behind: "What are you doing there! Get back!"

Xenophon grabbed the AKM in his hand and suddenly thrust it over his shoulder!

Before him stood several thin men, shivering in the cold wind, wearing tattered life jackets and soaking wet—behind them, soldiers continued to climb out of the icy river, looking at the platoon leader with fear and pleading on their faces.

"Sir, how...how do we retreat? Should we retreat to the river? We're freezing to death."

Xenophon's expression remained unwavering. Just as he was about to say something, the man spoke up timidly again, "We...we have nowhere to go. If we go back, the supervising team will definitely kill us. If we stand here, we'll freeze to death. We have no way to survive..."

"You, give us a shovel... no, we'll use our hands, we'll dig the trench for you with our hands. As long as we finish the work, you can give us a few clothes and some biscuits, okay?"

"I was forcibly taken to the battlefield. I have a wife and children at home. I don't want to die... Sir, please!"

Xenophon looked at these people, thinking of the cannon fodder who had been slaughtered not long ago, and remained silent for a moment. Finally, he turned to his adjutant and said, "Having more people working will indeed make things more efficient. You go and supervise them. If there is any problem, you can open fire at will."

The adjutant warily raised his gun, crouched down at a slightly distance, aimed at the prisoners of war, and replied, "Yes, sir!"

Xenophon wasted no more time and turned back to continue setting up the beachhead. Amid the gunfire, the three platoons of soldiers, relying on fire support and infantry fighting vehicles, finally gained complete control of the beachhead, which was about 200 meters wide and 50 meters deep, and established several simple positions.

Behind them, the pontoon bridge company was setting up a floating bridge at top speed, and the self-propelled artillery had moved to within 1 kilometer of the riverbank, simply laying the muzzles flat and providing the strongest fire support to the beachhead with direct fire.

"..."

Boom boom boom...

Boom!
Before Xenophon's eyes, another infantry fighting vehicle's armor was penetrated and it caught fire, but fortunately, all crew members managed to evacuate before the vehicle exploded, resulting in only two minor injuries.

The enemy is doing everything in its power to compress the beachhead and is trying every means to eliminate this beachhead force!
At this point, the coalition forces disregarded the AC-130s circling overhead and were determined to stop the beachhead troops, even at the cost of heavy casualties.

Even with fire support, Milton's three infantry platoons suffered heavy casualties, with a casualty rate exceeding 30%.

"Hold on! Our tanks are on their way!"

"'Winter Wind,' we need Level 1 support, coordinates..."

“This is the ‘tax collector’. Request received. Strike will be delivered in 10 seconds.”

Boom boom boom…

The sounds of various explosions on the battlefield made the prisoners dizzy as they dug on the beach.

After another strongpoint was taken out, Xenophon steadied his headphones and crawled forward with difficulty in the crater: "Go to that place ahead, direction... distance... that place is easy to defend and difficult to attack!"

"Yes!"

Xenophon watched as a soldier beside him answered. He intended to straighten his body slightly and crouch down to approach... However, after only two steps, a wisp of white smoke appeared on his body, accompanied by the sound of shattering ceramics and a cloud of dust being kicked up from the ground!

The veteran who survived the guerrilla war fell to the ground.

Xenophon clenched his fists: "No! Damn it..."

"Cough cough!" The soldier on the ground coughed twice, rolled over, and rolled to a safe place. "Sir, I'm not dead... The bullet from the other side hit the plate, but I have a big bruise on my stomach now."

"The mounting plate still works, let's continue... Boom!" Another 105mm shell from the AC-130 fired, clearing the position less than 50 meters from the two men. After the loud bang subsided, the soldier wiped the mud off his face and continued, "Keep charging!"

"Watch out for mortars..."

“Their infantry charged straight down. We can’t hold them off. We have to retreat a bit… no, we need to request support from gunships.”

"No, the firepower is too intense... My power strip has been hit by five shots, it's almost ruined! Damn it, are my ribs broken?"

Xenophon clutched the spot where he had also been hit, rubbed it hard, and said fiercely:
"We cannot retreat! We must hold on, even if it costs us our lives!"

"Let those bastards see what a 'soldier' ​​really looks like!"

The battle became increasingly intense. The assault team, which relied on its superior equipment and supporting firepower, finally succumbed to a powerful barrage and was forced to retreat behind a very disadvantageous bunker.

Once the enemy forces surround them, Xenophon's four-man squad will inevitably be wiped out.

Meanwhile, the "gunship" was busy supporting another squad that was also in danger and had no time to spare for anything else.

"Damn it..." Xenophon cursed, putting down his assault rifle, taking two grenades from his tactical vest, pulling the pins, and holding them in his hand. "Let them come and kill me. If I die, they'll be blown up by me too!"

The other team members didn't say anything, turned around and sat on the ground, shoulder to shoulder, and each took out a grenade, pulled out the pin and held it tightly in their hands.

Suddenly, the group heard several cannon shots coming from the Tagu River and the beachhead.

It's not a machine gun... it's a cannon!
boom!
The shells flew in, and the enemies chasing Xenophon were blasted away by the explosive shells, leaving only a pile of bones on the ground.

In the instant Xenophon was stunned, an extremely encouraging message came through the radio: "This is the First Infantry Battalion. Our first batch of tanks has successfully crossed the river. The beachhead is safe. The first assault team is withdrawing. Repeat, the entire assault team is withdrawing!"

"...Sir?"

"We won!!!"

"Retreat, retreat! It's time to hand over the assault mission to the tanks."

"Are you stupid? Throw away the grenade you're holding before you go back. Do you want to blow up all the friendly forces on the beachhead?"

"..."

Xenophon led his soldiers back carefully, arriving safely at a temporary position, where he sat down with a sigh of relief.

A military doctor quickly stepped forward and began to perform a simple examination on several soldiers who looked as if they had been pulled out of a pool of blood.

Ahead, tanks are leading other armored vehicles in a beach assault; in the distance, a second wave of attacks, composed of Su-25s and A-37s, is hurtling towards the battlefield at high speed, while gunships continue to unleash their full firepower...

Everyone knows that the war is still ongoing, but the war has ended.

Xenophon narrowed his eyes and a smile appeared on his lips—next, Milton's army, which had successfully crossed the river, could easily annihilate the Northern Warlords' coalition.

Then, turn around and help Brandon defeat the garrison of Guatemala City in the field, take over the empty city of Guatemala City without fighting in the streets, become the legitimate government of the country, and swallow up most of Guatemala!
The “Hell Tax Collectors” are about to become the legitimate government, and they are about to become the “Guatemalan National Defense Army”.

Xenophon was about to close his eyes and rest for a bit when a group of thin men cautiously walked over – they were “prisoners of war” who had just dug trenches by hand, but now they were wearing slightly thicker clothes.

Of these faces, at least a third were not found by Xenophon.

The leader looked at Xenophon humbly, rubbing his wounded fingers, and pleaded in a fawning tone, "Sir, sir... do we... do we deserve a couple of bites of tortilla?"

After being forcibly taken to the battlefield, this was pretty much their life: if they didn't do enough work, didn't flatter the officers, and didn't shine their shoes, they would just wait to go hungry and be sent to the most dangerous battlefield.

There were no medical resources for the wounded; being injured meant death. The "conscripts" had no dignity; they were practically slaves and cannon fodder.

Even if they complete all tasks perfectly, at the cost of numerous casualties, whether they can eat, whether they live or die, still depends on the decisions of their superiors.

Xenophon took a serious look at these people.

"You'll eat with us later, and you can eat whatever we eat."

"thanks, thanks……"

“But!” Xenophon raised his hand to interrupt, “there is one more condition.”

"What are your orders?"

“From now on, stand up straight—in the armies of the New World, soldiers and officers are not master and servant, but comrades-in-arms.” Xenophon handed them several bags of rations. “Eat and drink your fill, register your identities, and collect your equipment…”

Xenophon patted his bulletproof vest and the national flag on his uniform: "Comrades, let's smash the old society together."

(End of this chapter)