Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

With sufficient pay and the looming threat of dismissal and death, the Jiangnan region was teeming with displaced people due to the economic crisis and industrial development. The army, which had dwindled to only a few hundred men, transformed into a massive force of thousands of well-armored soldiers and marched to the mountain pass within a single day.

Whether or not the enemy would collapse after they engaged in combat is another story; at least when they set off, it seemed like the case.

This finally put the civil engineering masters, who were guarding the mountain pass and watching the ever-growing army of sea monsters outside the pass with trepidation, at ease.

Those estates delayed the sea creatures for quite some time. After all, the latter attacked the land only to plunder food and store organic matter for their colonies. Naturally, they did not have the strategic thinking of humans to seize high ground and dangerous passes. Instead, they slowly devoured and killed people and various creatures everywhere.

This digestion process bought the Great Yan time to mobilize, and troops of up to a thousand men arrived one after another.

It must be said that whether these soldiers recruited from civilian laborers and refugees are good at fighting is debatable, but they are certainly adept at civil engineering work.

"All the armories in the Great Yan have been unusually active. Armor factories that have been dormant for decades are recruiting civilian craftsmen on a large scale. The old fleet is also being rapidly renovated. Soldiers who have become beggars and farmers are being conscripted again. Abandoned fortresses and a large number of pacification corps have all entered a state of mobilization. I wonder who will become the target of this awakened giant."

This was a message from the snake scales, which gave the black snake a headache. What was the Great Yan doing? They hadn't moved for decades, and now they were making such a big commotion. Were they putting on a show of the awakening of a fallen empire?

The thought of thousands of military production factories in the Great Yan Dynasty operating at full capacity, along with the armor and weapons stored there over the years... made Black Serpent's head spin.

According to Serpent Scale's report, the Great Yan was sending tons of heavy armor to the front lines, making it seem like everyone had a set of armor with auxiliary power.

It's like a group of servants and big-headed soldiers who suddenly turned into a huge SM canned food. Whether the sea monster is afraid or not is unknown, but the nearby black snake is definitely scared.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Daze, Blow Me Up!

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While the Great Yan was being attacked by sea monsters, Letania declared war on Kazdel and sent troops to block the trade route from Ursus through the Longnan Desert to Kazdel.

Leitania has a small number of combat personnel because it lacks Originium mines and is heavily reliant on Ursus and Victoria for energy supplies.

To this end, they divided and annexed part of the former Gaul, but still did not solve the energy problem.

The Longnan Desert is an area where agricultural production is very difficult, but it is rich in Originium. Natural disasters from time to time have left behind a large number of Originium crystal clusters and solid Originium rock piles.

The mining crews of Letania never stopped illegally mining here until New Kazdel began to cultivate the wasteland and use some strange crops to enrich Originium and improve the land. The illegal mining work could no longer continue.

Initially, the weapons and guards provided to these mining teams in Letania were sufficient to deal with the sheriffs and local Sarkaz herders who came to drive them away.

But soon, Kazdel strengthened its security forces in the north, especially the patrol cavalry equipped with molten lances and light electromagnetic crossbows.

Subsequently, the mining companies in Letania were forced to reinforce these guard forces again.

Then, the Sarkaz replaced their cavalry with replicas of the Thunderhammer Chariot and new versions of the Odin Tank to crush their enemies. After losing a large amount of mining equipment and experiencing a significant drop in Originium production, they could only watch helplessly as energy prices rose and profits plummeted and costs increased due to the Great Depression.

Businesses within Letania had long been persuading the noble council to wage war, to fight for their land with their own swords.

Therefore, after declaring war on Ursus, they decisively used the war zone as a pretext to send troops to blockade the area.

Kazdel was left with no choice but to declare war on Letania and Victoria, who in turn declared war on him and deployed an entire army group to the south, across the border between the two countries, with the intention of seizing the mines and ranches north of the Satti Oasis.

Kazdel, however, did not make corresponding military deployments, mainly because the simultaneous outbreak of the Sea Tide to the south tied up a significant portion of their resources. However, this did not mean that Letania could advance with unstoppable momentum.

"Is this the defense line of those demons? It doesn't look very good..." Opposite the gentle slope of the hill was a long defensive wall, inside which were the agricultural facilities of the Xia Group. The land seemed to be divided into two parts by this low and thin wall.

On one side is a gray-yellow desert with jagged rocks, and on the other side is a lush green landscape, with colorful glass-house-like vertical greenhouses and CNC planting towers dotting the spacious planting area.

Straight roads and even a long train track separate the various planting areas. Vehicles can be seen crossing the roads from time to time, delivering loads of raw materials to the numerous processing plants.

Further afield, swathes of saplings are thriving under the care of drones and automated sprinkler systems.

If nothing unexpected happens, in a few years they will become a windbreak forest about 20 kilometers wide.

This kind of forest layer by layer blocks out the sand and dust containing Originium dust, and then gradually transitions from shrubs and pasture to drought-resistant corn and wheat, and finally to rice, which consumes a lot of water.

From outside the low wall, you can see the Kazdel Defence Force camp and the defensive line under construction. There are no giant mobile fortresses, nor giant anti-land-ship trenches and roadblocks.

Moreover, the camp was not very wide, mainly serving as a checkpoint. The continuous tents and barbed wire formed a rough mixed structure of a refugee quarantine area and a military camp.

"One charge and we'll crush these demons and those country bumpkins into the mud!" What use is that thin wall if it lacks anti-armor and anti-large vehicle facilities?

"Tonight, I'm going to stay in that tallest building and wash my feet in their irrigation canals."

“No problem, General.” Meanwhile, on the other side, “When do you think these guys will start their attack?”

A mobile infantryman, clutching a support assault rifle, stuffed a sweet grass root into his mouth. Smoking was prohibited on the position, so this was the only thing he could use to satisfy his craving.

"Before dinner," the platoon leader shrugged, "after all, we look like the kind of people who could be crushed with a single step."

"But we could be crushed in one step, Captain. Does that thing even work?"

"Who knows? I only went to a basic school." The captain also said that he didn't understand what those technicians were doing. "Besides, our cars are better than theirs. At least they can run without any problems."

"Yeah, the old ones wouldn't work." The old Titans were great for offensive operations, but when it came to advancing and large-scale maneuvers, they were a nightmare for everyone, including the crew and logistics.

The new Odin tank is lower than the Titan and has a shape that is closer to that of a modern tank.

However, it still uses the four-track design, and the entire tank is spread out like a large pancake. There are several main weapon combinations, including an electromagnetic composite cannon that enhances anti-armor capabilities, a traditional Originium railgun that enhances anti-crowd capabilities, and a short-range volcano cannon that can quickly wipe out infantry and light armor.

Recently, an anti-ship missile platform has been added, making it quite versatile. The one under the camp's camouflage netting is equipped with an electromagnetic composite gun.

The blade cooler and weapon power unit were replaced with a giant wet battery, powered by four energy tubes, which could fire at maximum power for about 30 times.

A 9-kilogram tungsten steel rod traveling at 14 kilometers per second is powerful enough to penetrate the thickest armor of a land-based warship, earning it the nickname "warship drilling machine."

While openings have little impact on land-based ships, they are somewhat ineffective against surface warships and even large armored vehicles.

However, given the height and maneuverability of this type of vehicle, it is only necessary to penetrate the skirt armor of the land-based ship and blow away the internal running gear. The fixed targets are the job of the anti-ship missiles, and several such missile positions are set up behind the wall.

Without using Covenant materials and tools, the arc jet engine could only operate for less than 120 seconds before becoming unusable. In addition, the flight control was very difficult, so it was simply made into the shape of an ultra-large V2 rocket.

If the terminal velocity cannot be increased, then increase the explosive charge. The insane 850 kg charge is enough to blow up half of the superstructure of the Great Flame Tower, or capsize the entire ship to one side.

However, this also means that the projectiles are extremely large and can only be launched vertically. The launch silos disguised under the grass behind the wall are all filled up. Once Letania fires the first shot, these behemoths can guarantee that every subsequent shot will be fired from this side.

The ground trembled slightly as a large swarm of vehicles approached the wall. "They're here!" This was quite different from land battles on Earth.

Because Terra has land-based ships, the offensive front for army groups is not too large. A large number of personnel move with land-based ships and various large transport platforms, such as mobile fortresses and mobile outposts.

Even for an army-level offensive, there would be about 200 land-based ships of various types on the front, along with an equal number of mobile fortresses and mobile troop stations, and various armored vehicles spread out over a radius of several tens of kilometers.

Of course, no general would directly deploy an army group to the battlefield just to attack a border node. That would be like trying to crack a walnut with a 10,000-ton hydraulic press, and you might even get surrounded and beaten up.

Therefore, the attack that Letania launched against this border post was only probing, and consisted of only about two battalions.

However, the artillery preparations before the attack were indeed at the corps level. It's just that this artillery fire was spread across the entire border, covering an attack area of ​​hundreds of kilometers.

Simultaneously, probing attacks were launched at multiple breaches along the hundreds of kilometers of border. Once a weaker defense was identified, superior forces were immediately concentrated to break through. This was both an advantage for the attacker and a disadvantage for the defender.

You need to station troops in every possible location, while the enemy only needs to choose one point to concentrate their attack.

However, once the first line of defense is breached, the defender's advantage becomes apparent when it comes to subsequent flexible defenses and further opening up of the battlefield.

If the attackers cannot withstand the attacks from the flanks or distract the defenders in time, their subsequent forces may be pinned down by the flanks, and they may be completely surrounded.

Moreover, flexible defense also leads to repeated battles between the defending and attacking forces for some important defensive lines and nodes. Compared with the defending forces, which have well-constructed fortifications and logistics, the attacking forces will face much greater pressure and losses. They may have a numerical advantage in some areas, but they are still at a disadvantage overall.

This is why, in warfare, it is best to launch a surprise attack rather than a direct, head-on assault.

Because such casualties would be very high, and the fighting would be very troublesome. If you don't have an advantage in manpower, morale, and equipment, it's easy for things to go wrong.

Moreover, an overly successful attack could lead to a disjointed front, leaving the defenders vulnerable to a well-rested and prepared counterattack—and winning a decisive battle requires considerable skill. Conversely, surprise attacks and blitzkriegs are generally easier.

"Rapid Artillery Barrage!" The whistling of shells echoed in the sky. Victoria's cluster piercing shells avoided the problem that the power of Terra propellants and explosives would decrease as the proportion of propellant increased due to the energy absorption of Originium.

It is somewhat similar to anti-personnel ballistic missiles on Earth. The launched projectile is cone-shaped and explodes at the terminal point, igniting the secondary charge and launching dozens or even hundreds of sharpened, hollow steel arrows toward the target, covering an elliptical area.

However, compared to the shrapnel and steel balls blasted away by explosives, this type of shell has a very small coverage area, is too heavy, and has an excessive armor-piercing capability, making it incredibly lethal to infantry behind simple cover.

However, for skirmishers, the lack of coverage means that a single shot won't hit many people.

This meant that such shells could only be fired from the large-caliber guns of warships. However, when a large number of heavy guns from a warship were concentrated to bombard and cover a small area of ​​the defenders' fortifications, the effect was terrifying.

"Take cover!" Before they could even lie down, a large honeycomb-like hole appeared on the steel wall panel. The infantrymen hiding inside were instantly torn to pieces. The hollow metal tubes easily pinned the soldiers to the ground one by one. The designed porous hollow structure made this thing incredibly effective at draining blood.

Moreover, treating the wounded would be extremely troublesome. Medics would need to use a handsaw to cut through the metal pipes in order to move the wounded, and they would also need to give blood transfusions immediately. This would be a devastating blow to the enemy's logistics and morale.

"Whoosh...bang—" After the sharp whistle, the sound of the warhead exploding and the blast of the directional piercing rounds being launched echoed continuously above the position. For the crew members hiding inside the Odin, each sound felt like their hearts were being squeezed tightly.

Fortunately, these anti-infantry munitions were meaningless to Odin's Dragonsteel armor. Apart from the occasional clanging sound, nothing happened. The steel pipes that hit the armor would immediately rupture due to their thin outer walls, causing shrapnel damage to nearby infantry.

"It's time for us to set off!" "Put-put-put!" Odin's engine started running, and the waste heat from the tower furnace spewed out a cloud of sparks carrying unreacted Originium fragments from the rear of the vehicle. The chariot rolled over the collapsed camouflage structure and appeared on the battlefield.

"Target distance 3 kilometers, keep a steady pace!" The gunner loaded a shell into the breech, and the electromagnetic gun turned towards the tracks of the accelerating land assault ship and mobile fortress in the distance. "Fire!"

"Bang!" The sound of the electromagnetic gun was more muffled and peculiar than that of the artillery. The ammunition left a vortex-shaped hole in the dust kicked up by the land-based ship. "Clang!"

"Hit, ineffective, try again!" The skirt armor of the land-based warship was pierced by a single shot, but the shell passed through the running gear and hit the chassis truss. Although it damaged the structure of the land-based warship, it was meaningless to a city moving on the ground like this.

The sound of the hit was masked by the noise of the land-based ship itself, and the smoke and dust from the previous shelling provided the crew with excellent protection; no one realized the enemy was firing at them. However, this camouflage and cover could not last long.

Even though the vehicle's height is much lower than most vehicles in Terra and it is protected by desert camouflage, it can still be detected by the enemy. For one thing, the swirling spiral holes in the sand are enough to attract the attention of the observation department.

"Watch out, the enemy has light armored units lying in ambush!"

"Escort the armored vehicle convoy to intercept them!"

"Whoosh! These Letanian idiots have finally realized what's going on. I say, are you even up to par? How many shots have you fired already?" The commander glanced at the gunner next to him, who rolled his eyes. "Boss, the enemy's tonnage is more than 1,900 times ours. It's like we're killing a pig with steel needles. Have some patience."

"Reverse! They're catching up! Switch to conventional ammunition!" Odin's superior mechanical design quickly switched the suspension and power modes, flipped the front and rear drive modes, and the tracks kicked up a cloud of dust on the sand as he immediately reversed.

This amazing flexibility comes at the cost of huge costs and processing difficulties. Master Nian did not make things difficult for the logistics and repair personnel. Most of the mechanical parts were designed to be modular and easy to replace.

However, she was making things extremely difficult for the engineers and technicians at the military factory, as well as for Little Snow Pheasant.

Reliability, maintainability, and cost form an impossible triangle. The Kalashnikov rifle is a prime example of a rifle designed for ultimate reliability and maintainability. Don't mistake it for a poorly made product. In fact, it's a masterpiece of precision engineering, with actual production costs exceeding its design value.

Odin is a typical example. Its complex structure requires more advanced materials and more robust cutting processes to achieve sufficient reliability, rather than casting or stamping processes. To achieve the fastest maintenance, it needs to be designed to be quick to disassemble and replace as a whole.

This means that the logistics department only needs to prepare enough kit parts to quickly replace the armor, suspension, tracks and various equipment of an Odin in 30 minutes—and then the procurement and finance departments will have to kill people.

However, soldiers on the battlefield don't care how much it costs to maintain this thing or how many hours engineers have to spend producing it. Flexible, reliable, easy to repair, and fast equipment is their favorite equipment. As for the money... it's not deducted from their military pay.

For Letania's escort convoy, these opposing vehicles were incredibly slippery, with four independently driven locomotives allowing them to perform all sorts of bizarre maneuvers on the ground.

Sudden stops, sharp turns, S-shaped drifts, front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive reversing maneuvers—it's as if their drivetrain and main shaft are free!

Okay, but it costs money. The consequence of playing like this is a significant reduction in lifespan. The running gear that would cost enough to buy three Leitania escort tanks would be ruined after a maximum of 200 hours under such intense torture.

"This is the fourth one. These idiots actually dare to chase it?" It has no advantage in range, speed, or agility, not to mention its low center of gravity structure laid flat on the ground and good shooting stability. They still dare to chase it up and attack it with that outdated magic cannon. Isn't that just sending them to their deaths?

"Bang!" A standard armor-piercing bomb cleanly left a hole in the six-wheeled vehicle, and the next instant, it flew into the air. "The fifth one..."

"Time to deal with that landship." The landship had already crashed into the hidden obstacles in front of the wall, paused only briefly, and then started moving again.

With a loud crash, one land-based ship tilted violently and came to a stop, followed by a second one.

It must be said that the piles of Odin chariots hidden in Kazdel really gave the Letanians a tactical lesson called "how to use light armored units".