Doctor, I'm really strong!

The Colombian, Victoria, Letanian, and Kazimir legions in the vicinity are all moving towards this gap. If the Ukrainian army holds out for half a day, the western defense line of Stalingrad will be completely torn apart. Then they can join forces with the Eastern Kingdom to encircle the community from both sides and win the war.

The plan was fine, but the details were beyond Gregory's control.

For example, he didn't know what the Red Army's trench defense system looked like.

If he had a diagram of the Red Army's Iron Grid defense line at that moment, he would have immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.

From the day he designed the defense system, Liu Jiuli never expected an invincible defensive line. Historically, all such lines have collapsed. A true defense should be flexible, allowing any area to be abandoned at any time, but also easy to recapture quickly. The gain or loss of a city or place is completely irrelevant; the key is to kill the enemy's manpower.

This design philosophy resulted in the Red Army's defenses being composed of modular units that could be replaced by one another, and the collapse of one unit would not affect the adjacent defenses.

In other words, when a defensive line fails and enemy infantry has already broken through, that part can be completely isolated, and then our heavy artillery and mortars can be used to deal with it.

Faced with a defensive line that requires personal identification even to enter the artillery bunker, the enemy has nowhere to hide.

Especially with mortars, once the coordinates are set in advance, they are incredibly accurate, and there's no way to escape.

Moreover, when the defensive line faced the Red Army, its design was easy to attack but difficult to defend. The enemy thought they had captured the defensive line, but in reality, they were in a very unfavorable position.

Moreover, these defensive lines have many hidden doors and passages, which will be used during the counterattack, and the enemy has no idea that enemies can emerge from under the stove.

The Ukrainian army, which had been riding high, was quickly stunned by the barrage of bullets coming from all directions. They couldn't understand why these Red Bandits could still mount such a sharp counterattack when they had already broken through the enemy's defenses. It didn't make sense!

At that moment, something even more devastating happened to the Ukrainian army.

The bugle calls, full of offensive rhythm, rang out all around, and all the Ukrainian veterans instantly turned pale.

"Hurrah!"

The entire position seemed to explode instantly, and in an instant, people surrounded us, seemingly endless.

However, upon closer inspection, these men were attacking in groups of three, providing cover, advancing, and preparing in an orderly fashion, and they were spread out widely. This gave the enemy the illusion that there were men everywhere. In reality, there weren't many men scattered along the long front line. But when they launched their charge, the Ukrainian troops had only one feeling—shock.

At this point, the disparity in individual weaponry between the two sides became obvious. The Red Army's weapons, whether melee or firearms, were far superior to the Ukrainian army's grey-skinned beasts. In terms of equipment, the two sides were not even in the same league.

Furthermore, many Ukrainian soldiers suffer from malnutrition. An army fed with feed cannot compare to an army that eats braised pork with caramelized sugar. When the actual fighting begins, the physical disparity will end the battle instantly.

This was still in bayonet-to-bayonet combat. Don't forget that the Red Army was heavily equipped with submachine guns and shotguns. These weapons and shotguns caused the Ukrainian army to be routed in a single encounter.

Both sides entered close combat, but the Ukrainian army fought individually, while the Red Army formed groups of three. Their weapon choices were also diverse. Some exceptionally talented fighters used a knife and a pistol to cut down those they could, and fired their guns when they were far away, showing no regard for martial ethics. However, the most dangerous were the heavily armored assault troops. Their high-powered exoskeletons could leave a gaping hole with a single punch, making them human tanks.

The battle quickly shifted from a situation where the Ukrainian army seemed to have the upper hand to a one-sided pursuit. Large numbers of Ukrainian soldiers screamed as they crawled out of the trenches and fled towards their own positions, only to be overwhelmed by an even denser barrage of bullets.

The Red Army's heavy artillery was cutting off the enemy's lines of troops. The Allied reinforcements that arrived later dared not lower their heads in the face of the heavy artillery bombardment zone, which was more than ten kilometers wide. The vanguard troops that were trying to advance had already been blown to pieces by rocket artillery.

Katyusha's shriek will become the survivors' eternal nightmare.

The timely assistance from the International Army thwarted the Ukrainian offensive, and the Battle of Misyyan Pass ended in a rout fueled by fear. The Community once again held its line.

but……

"Comrades, lunch is served! Lunch is served!"

"Today's meal is stewed beef with potatoes and braised eggplant. Everyone, come on over!"

The cooks of the 3rd Company, 4th Battalion, 3rd Regiment of the International Army shouted loudly, but no one came over even after they had been shouting for a long time.

At that moment, a political commissar covered in mud and gunpowder smoke walked over.

The cook squad leader quickly went over and asked, "Political Commissar, have you seen any of our Third Company members?"

The political commissar nodded with red eyes, then gestured for them to follow him.

The cooks immediately brought the prepared food and followed the political commissar to the front line, where they saw a mass of corpses covered with white sheets.

Official records: The 3rd Company, 4th Battalion, 3rd Regiment of the International Army, with 121 men, held off the Ukrainian army's fierce attack on Position 7 for three hours during the Battle of Misiyang Pass, and the entire company was killed in action.

Ten years later...

"We immediately shouted, 'Company commander, political instructor, comrades, dinner'! Today we have stewed beef with potatoes and braised eggplant, come and eat quickly...'"

At this point, Dutko, the head of the mess hall, was already sobbing uncontrollably as he spoke to the reporter.

The sacrifice of the Third Company was just a microcosm of the International Army's battle at Misiyang Pass. More than 10,000 comrades fell on this land far from their homes, all for a common belief.

The attacking Ukrainian forces paid ten times the price of the international forces, with two-thirds of their land-based naval vessels failing at the Misyyan Pass. From then on, the Ukrainian forces were no longer able to launch large-scale land-based naval offensives, and the two sides entered a stalemate.

However, the Battle of Misiyang Pass was only a small part of the entire Battle of Iron and Steel. With the full-scale advance of the Yan Army, especially the large-scale offensive of the Yanlong Army, the eastern defense line of Stalingrad began to shrink continuously. Both sides began to send more troops to Iron and Steel, and the situation began to tilt in favor of the Allied forces.

At this moment, Yan Jun also revealed his trump card.

On February 7, 1100, the Yan army assembled 2 sorcerers and, with the assistance of Yan's unique Originium Arts, launched a localized Originium Catastrophe attack, forcing the eastern defense line of Irongro to retreat into Irongro.

On February 8, Yan Army stormed into Steel Grid, and street fighting began.

Section 220: Poisoning!

(Second update! (～￣▽￣)～, comrades, where are the comments and votes? (?ω?) More coming soon!)

What constitutes the profound heritage of a great power? Yan has proven it through its actions.

The combined power of sorcerers to unleash Originium Arts, triggering a small-scale Originium catastrophe that destroys the defenses, demonstrates the profound strength of a great nation.

The prepared Yan army rushed into the breach, only to be blasted back by the Red Army's heavy artillery.

In fact, from the beginning of the war to the present, the Red Army's heavy artillery has been a persistent shadow over all countries, frequently launching precise artillery attacks from 40 to 50 kilometers away from the front line, causing them heavy losses each time.

Haven't you noticed that countries are now starting to master skirmish tactics? This is all experience gained from being bombed.

Yan, which launched a strategic attack, did not fare well either. Liu Jiuli was not the kind of person to suffer losses easily. After Yan launched a strategic strike, hundreds of cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles, along with long-range rocket artillery, bombarded the area where the high-energy reaction had occurred, instantly wiping out more than one-tenth of Yan's precious sorcerers.

However, Yan Kingdom had already achieved its strategic objectives, and the land-based ships equipped by the Yanlong Army were surprisingly comparable in weapon range to the Red Army's heavy artillery. The two sides quickly became embroiled in a fierce battle.

This situation made Liu Jiuli take it very seriously, and a large number of scouts and reconnaissance aircraft began to collect intelligence from the front. Just then, Wei Renmin sent over a piece of intelligence through the encrypted channel between the two of them. After reading it, Liu Jiuli was so angry that he cursed loudly.

"These damned traitors are using the people's steel against the people!"

In terms of the Originium industry, the gap between countries is not that exaggerated. The reason why Yan Kingdom can produce weapons of higher specifications is due to the civilization inheritance from Xinhua, or rather, the war reserve and military supply depot.

These artifacts were unearthed during archaeological excavations. After being modified by the Yan Kingdom according to its own technological level, they incorporated some scientific research results stolen from the Wei people's team back then, creating the Yanlong Army and the Yan Kingdom's special heavy equipment system.

You can think of it as a youthful version of the fear of insufficient firepower.

Admittedly, such weapons and equipment cannot be mass-produced, but Yan can use time to refine them and create a powerful elite army. As long as time is on our side, even handicrafts can produce armored units.

Yanlong Army is the culmination of Yan Kingdom's Origin Stone industrial system, and can be said to have taken the spirit of craftsmanship to its extreme.

How extreme is it?

Every soldier in the Flame Dragon Army has a corresponding Originium Artisan to serve them; it's truly a miracle of human resources.

Such an army, when deployed on the battlefield, can often have a decisive effect.

The direct result was that the Red Army's long-standing advantages vanished. Of course, its air power was still considerable, but on the ground, the Red Army was overwhelmed by the Yanlong Army. The eastern defense line of Steel Grid was completely breached. However, the limited number of Yanlong Army troops meant they could not continue to expand their gains. They could only act as a spearhead to penetrate Steel Grid and then, with the help of the main force of the Yanlong Army, completely conquer the city.

In their view, once they take this place, victory is not far away.

The only problem is that the Western Front of the Allied Forces, especially the Ukrainian army, which launched the attack earlier, was badly beaten and is currently suffering from severe psychological trauma. They are unable to continue their attacks and can only hold off the Red Army on the defensive line, tying up Red Army forces. The offensive can only be postponed until next time.

However, there are exceptions. For example, the Colombian Legion is more proactive because they recently acquired a batch of new equipment from Rhine Labs and want to test it on the battlefield.

The test results were remarkable; the Red Army's exoskeleton powered armor completely dominated them.

This is quite awkward, but against ordinary soldiers with only simple armor, these exoskeleton individual armors produced by Rhine Lab are still quite good, at least doubling their combat effectiveness.

However, this stalemate is definitely not going to work. Everyone knows that if they don't encircle and flank Irongrad from both sides, and the battle turns into a mess, everyone will suffer. Their soldiers don't have the same terrifying willpower as the Red Army.

Honestly, all countries are now filled with envy and resentment towards the Community. What kind of terrifying Originium Arts is this that can brainwash such terrifying soldiers, reaching a level where they can surpass ordinary people with their physical bodies? It's truly incomprehensible.

"In this regard, we at Rhine Life do have some products we can recommend, such as PX nerve agent."

Ferdinand, the head of the Rhine Life Energy Department, proposed chemical warfare to the coalition leadership.

Initially, people did not agree, not because these powerful and wealthy people were humanitarian, but because no one had ever used similar tactics before, and the effectiveness of the strike could not be guaranteed.

So the Habsburg prince of Letania suggested that they find a few commoners to test the waters.

The soldiers quickly gathered hundreds of unfortunate infected individuals and threw them into a transparent box to test the effects of the poison gas.

After confirming the gas's powerful lethality, the Allied forces immediately decided to purchase a large quantity of PX nerve agent from Rhine Labs, but this was met with fierce opposition from researcher Olivia Hemer.

"This is a massacre! An absolutely unforgivable massacre! I vehemently oppose it!"

If it were her teacher who said this, it might have some effect, but she, as a researcher... clearly couldn't stop the company's higher-ups from making money, especially since there was support (orders) from the Colombian military behind it.

As long as PX nerve agent can prove its value on the battlefield, official orders will continue to pour in.

So on the afternoon of February 9, 1101, the Allied forces released PX nerve agent on a large scale on the western defensive line of Irongrad. The Red Army soldiers were caught off guard, and the number of casualties exceeded 2.

But this was PX nerve agent's only achievement, because Terra Red Army was caught off guard, which caused such heavy losses. In fact, a full set of flexible exoskeletons with a filtration system and full-body protective suits would have been enough to render PX nerve agent helpless. Moreover, once you use such underhanded tactics, you can expect retaliation.

During the release of the poison gas, the Allied forces did not launch an attack due to insufficient protective equipment. By the time the poison gas dissipated, the Red Army was already on high alert, and the attack was ineffective.

However, its stimulating effect on Liu Jiuli is absolutely top-notch.

"They dared to release poison! They're asking for trouble! Fight back!"

For a Chinese person, the enemy's use of chemical weapons is an absolutely intolerable taboo, because the Japanese devils used the same method back then. They did all sorts of things that trampled on the bottom line of humanity, and this is an unhealable wound in the hearts of every Chinese son and daughter. Just a breath of theirs is enough to make people grit their teeth.

The Terra Red Army did not have any biological weapons, mainly because Liu Jiuli hadn't considered this at first, so the enemy's shamelessness made it impossible for him to retaliate in kind.

But we have incendiary bombs, white phosphorus, and gasoline.

Section 221: The Allied Forces, We Are Familiar

(Third update. I've been so diligent, but where are everyone's rewards? I'm so sad (?﹏?))

They say karma comes in this life, and now the allied forces are getting their just desserts.

The appearance of poison gas made the Red Army grit their teeth in hatred. Although they did not have poison gas bombs to counter it, incendiary bombs were also an excellent option.

On the afternoon of February 12, the Red Army's air force and heavy artillery bombarded the enemy with large quantities of white phosphorus incendiary bombs and napalm bombs. In an instant, the ambient temperature of the entire battlefield reached above zero, and Li Mei showed a relieved smile.

That afternoon, every Red Army soldier had many more "familiar faces" on the Allied side.

This bombing also helped Rhine Life understand another problem with PX nerve agent—its flammability and explosiveness.

PX nerve agent decomposes rapidly at high temperatures and then acts as an accelerant. In a confined space, this instantaneous combustion results in a massive explosion.

So the Red Army watched as the enemy's position burned and suddenly a mushroom cloud rose up.

This also suggests that the enemy had stockpiled a large amount of poison, or that Rhine Life had stored a large amount of poison in the Allied front-line warehouses from the beginning, just waiting for an opportunity to sell it for a good price.

A little-known fact: the actual purpose of PX nerve agent is to euthanize patients in the late stages of Oripathy.