Chapter 1280
Battle of the Talai Alluvial Plain: Wolf Pack Tactics
Talai alluvial plain.
Lord Vijay sat in his brand-new GAZ military jeep, humming a folk tune from the Punjab countryside.
His expression was even more relaxed than if he had drunk Ganges water.
Of course, he also had his reasons for being proud.
A while ago, the fortress he was defending was breached by Li Yunlong, resulting in the loss of a large amount of equipment and personnel. Fortunately, he ran fast and managed to save his life.
Instead of being scolded, he was promoted and given a higher rank when he ran back!
The reason is quite good: among all the troops facing Li Yunlong, Vijay held out the longest, although it was only for half a meal's time.
When luck comes, there's no stopping it.
So, the "1st Guards Tank Assault Corps," which was established with the help of Big Brother, has just begun to take shape. Mikhail is the chief advisor, but the nominal commander is still someone from our Indian side.
Thus, Lord Vijay became the leader of this steel torrent.
Who else but me?
Are you suggesting that those lowly Dalits should command noble tanks? That would be blasphemy against the great god Shiva!
"If I can break into their territory this time, even if it's just to steal a few yaks, I can become the Indians' war god!"
At that time, the family's glory will be as lofty as Mount Everest, hahaha!
Vijay was secretly making plans in his mind.
The jeep jolted, interrupting his daydream.
"Where are we?" Sitting in the back seat of the jeep, Mr. Vijay felt drowsy.
"Reporting to the lord, we have reached the plains."
"We've been traveling for several days, we should rest a bit. I'm getting hungry, let's stop the procession and have a good meal." Lord Vijay rubbed his big belly.
"But... sir, Advisor Mikhail's orders are that we must reach the important town thirty kilometers ahead before we can rest."
Why don't you try to hold on a little longer?
If we stop now, the consultant will get angry again.
The adjutant looked troubled.
"Damn it, am I the leader or is Mikhail the leader? Go tell Mikhail to stop and rest immediately."
Besides, this is a plain, perfect for tank assaults. I just don't believe Li Yunlong's gang would dare to cause trouble here." Vijay instantly bristled.
Vijay had long harbored resentment towards Mikhail, the Russian commander who was old-fashioned and particularly disliked the troops he brought.
These are the best young men in the Indian family!
Although they would occasionally steal fuel from the tanks to exchange for alcohol, or hang their soaked headscarves to dry on the gun barrels, that was still a sign of their energetic spirit!
However, Vijay knew in his heart that he was just a figurehead, and the real leader of this steel torrent was Mikhail.
So he usually tolerated it, but today his stomach was growling so loudly that he just couldn't stand it anymore.
The servant had no choice but to drive the jeep after them and find Mikhail looking at a map on the turret of a T-62 tank.
At this moment, Mikhail was on the verge of exploding.
Since arriving in this magical land, his worldview has been constantly being challenged.
Just now, he saw with his own eyes several Indian soldiers surrounding the exhaust pipe of a tank, doing something he didn't know.
A tank driver, unable to find a rag, actually pulled down his underwear to wipe the periscope.
Several maintenance workers, instead of checking the tracks, were bowing and worshipping a passing sacred bull.
"These idiots! If this were during the Great Patriotic War, I would have sent them to a disciplinary camp long ago!" Mikhail was so angry that he broke his pencil in two.
At this moment, Vijay's servant nervously relayed the order that "Master wants to eat."
"Make him stay in the car! This is a march, not a picnic on the Ganges!" Mikhail roared.
At this moment, the adjutant came over and whispered, "Sir, calm down. We've been marching for three days straight, and the tanks really need maintenance. If we don't clean them up soon, they'll break down."
Besides... we're absolutely certain of victory this time; those little guys in the east are no match for us at all. There's no need for us to antagonize the Indians."
Mikhail took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.
The adjutant is right. This surprise attack is so powerful that even if Manstein were to be resurrected, he would have to kneel down and sing "Katyusha" in the face of this fully armed armored force, let alone those guys in the east.
These Indians aren't good at fighting, but they're world-class at shifting blame.
If the Corn Emperor finds out, it will be troublesome.
With that in mind, Mikhail nodded and gave the order: "Alright, notify the troops to halt their advance and rest in place!"
Have the repair shop inspect all vehicles immediately, especially those damn exhaust pipes!
Also, set up sentries, don't let these idiots be so busy cooking curry!
The order was given, and the long steel train slowly came to a stop.
Just as Mikhail was about to use this time to study the battle map again, determined to launch a classic blitzkrieg that surpassed Marshal Konev's, Vijay's servant came running again.
"Commander Mikhail, our master invites you to dinner, saying it's to celebrate our upcoming great victory."
Mikhail frowned, intending to refuse, but his stomach also gave a disapproving growl.
He sighed, put away the map, and led his adjutant toward Vijay's carriage.
After passing just a few tanks, the scene before him nearly made this seasoned tank warfare expert drop his jaw in astonishment.
In the open space surrounded by several tanks, a luxurious tent with an exotic style had been erected!
Inside the tent, thick carpets were laid out, and four or five Indian girls dressed in brightly colored saris, their waists exposed, were carrying silver platters as they moved about.
The air was filled with the rich aroma of spices and roasted meat.
Milk, mutton, and various snacks—this is no longer a military campaign, but a camping trip.
Lord Vijay was reclining on the soft couch, holding a plump leg of lamb in his hand, his mouth dripping with oil.
"Oh, dear Mikhail! Come on, come on! Don't just stand there like a wooden post. We need to eat and drink our fill so we have the strength to teach those Easterners a lesson! Here, try this. It's a local specialty from my hometown, a delicious roti!"
Vijay gave a wink, and two beautiful young women immediately stepped forward, pulling Mikhail to sit down on either side.
“General Vijay, this is the battlefield…” Mikhail tried to remain serious.
"Hey, relax, my friend."
"I was just unlucky back then; otherwise, Li Yunlong would be my defeated foe by now. With you here this time, our combined strength is like Shiva descending upon the land—who can stop us?"
Although Mikhail knew the truth about the battle on the plateau, he was too lazy to expose this braggart and could only awkwardly pick up his fork to deal with the curry on his plate.
Just as the two were exchanging toasts and Vijay was talking animatedly, a scout stumbled into the tent.
"Report...Report! Something terrible has happened! Tank units have been spotted fifty kilometers ahead from the east!"
"What?"
Just moments ago, Lord Vijay was full of vigor, but in an instant, he was like a limp shrimp whose tendons had been pulled out, his legs went weak, and he sat down on the ground with a thud.
"Is...is it Li Yunlong? Is it that devil?" Vijay's voice trembled.
He was so large that even two maids couldn't help him up. In the end, it was his adjutant who helped him stand up, albeit awkwardly.
What a coward!
Mikhail glanced at him indifferently, then turned to the reconnaissance personnel and asked, "What's the panic! What's the specific situation? How many tanks does the other side have? What models are they? Are they T-34s?"
The scout, panting heavily, reported, "There are approximately... approximately two hundred vehicles!"
A small portion of them were medium tanks, which looked somewhat like our T-54, but had strange metal rods standing behind the turret, which were probably antennas.
"The rest... most of the rest are old-fashioned T-34s, and some are even older models!" Upon hearing this, Vijay, who had been terrified, paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! You scared me to death!"
"More than two hundred pieces of junk? They think they can fight us with this garbage? I think their brains have been soaked in the Ganges!"
It should be noted that this steel torrent of tanks had 216 tanks.
Among them were newly produced T-62 and T-10M heavy tanks, as well as more than 100 Centurion tanks that India had purchased at a high price.
This is absolute domination! This is a dimensional reduction attack!
Mikhail breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt a sense of boredom.
I thought that since the East dared to take the initiative, they would definitely bring out all their hidden treasures, but I didn't expect this.
“It seems they really have no one left.” Mikhail stood up, straightened his uniform, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"In that case, let me, the elder brother, teach this disobedient 'little brother' a lesson and show them what Kuzma's mother is all about!"
****
the other side.
At this moment, Li Aiguo had half of his body sticking out of the turret of the Type 59 tank.
This tank has been specially modified and has become the nerve center and command vehicle of the entire armored group.
"Command vehicle, command vehicle, can you hear me? This is vehicle number 1, enemy tanks spotted ahead!"
Upon hearing Li Yunlong's voice through the intercom, Li Aiguo replied:
"Roger that, vehicle number 1, proceed with the operation according to our established strategy!"
"Got it! Haha, just you wait and see!"
Li Yunlong slammed the microphone down and roared at the crew, "Comrades, charge! Let these bastards taste our might!"
****
Although Vijay felt confident that he could easily deal with the east, he still secretly went to a high place, smoking a cigar and looking down through binoculars.
"Let's just wait here for the news of victory, maybe we'll even make it in time for dinner curry," Vijay said confidently, exhaling a smoke ring.
In the field of vision, a torrent of steel roared into action, its tracks kicking up dust that blotted out the sky.
"Look! This is the masterpiece of Advisor Mikhail! I must say, the Russian tank warfare experts really know their stuff. This level of command, this reaction speed, it's simply an art!"
He could almost picture those old tanks on the other side being mercilessly crushed into scrap metal by the T-62s.
however.
Just a few minutes later, Vijay's smile froze.
Not right.
Something's really wrong!
Instead of launching a large-scale charge as described in textbooks, the Type 59 tanks opposite them strangely dispersed.
Twenty tanks form a combat unit, tightly packed together, like mobile steel fortresses.
"What kind of unorthodox approach is this? Do they think tanks are toys? Simultaneously commanding 20 tanks in micro-management? The communication channels alone would be overwhelmed! Don't they know how terrible the delays in hierarchical command are?"
It's important to understand that in that era, tank command followed a rigid hierarchy of "division → regiment → battalion → company".
Slow order transmission and poor resistance to interference mean that if orders are not delivered in time, the entire army will be wiped out.
However, what he saw completely overturned his understanding.
"My great Shiva, this...how is this possible?!"
Vijay was so shocked his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
The twenty tanks in the group seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand, and they rushed towards the Indian tank group in perfect unison.
Even when the first tank slowed down slightly when it encountered a ditch, the second tank behind it seemed to understand its intentions and made an evasive maneuver in advance, smoothly bypassing it, and the entire formation remained completely intact.
In contrast, the Indian tank force...
Although they charged fiercely, they still used the old company-level organization, their formations were scattered, and they fought independently, completely unaware that a huge "wolf's mouth" had already been opened.
By the time the frontline commanders realized they were surrounded, it was too late.
Vijay forced himself to calm down, reassuring himself, "No rush, no rush."
The Type 59's 100mm rifled gun is useless; it can't penetrate the T-62's frontal armor at all! The advantage is still on our side!
Lord Vijay felt he was worrying too soon.
however.
Reality struck him like a resounding slap across the face.
The Type 59 tanks, which had already completed their encirclement, all pointed their guns at the T-62s trapped in the center.
There was no test firing, no calibration.
Open fire!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
More than twenty tank cannons roared simultaneously within two seconds, and the flames instantly merged into one, as if a thunderbolt had exploded from the ground!
More than twenty tanks opened fire on the five T-62s simultaneously; even an impregnable wall of steel couldn't withstand it.
Boom boom boom boom!
The scene was filled with smoke and the ground shook violently.
This is not a battle, this is an execution!
Even if the T-62's frontal armor were as solid as a fortress, it couldn't withstand such a dense barrage of fire!
Even if one shot doesn't penetrate, what about ten? Twenty?
Those twenty Type 59 tanks, like a pack of wolves, turned around and charged toward their next target.
Smoke filled the air, and flames soared into the sky.
When the smoke cleared, the five T-62 tanks had been reduced to a pile of burning scrap metal, their turrets blown off and their bodies twisted and deformed, a truly gruesome sight.
Those twenty Type 59 tanks, like a pack of wolves that had just tasted blood, didn't stop, quickly turned their guns around, and pounced on their next prey with a suffocating sense of oppression!
The same massacre is unfolding in every corner of the battlefield.
Upon hearing the news from the tank crew at the front that an enemy tank had been destroyed, Li Yunlong excitedly raised his fist: "The wolf pack tactics devised by our patriotic brothers are truly impressive!"
At this moment, the sound of artillery fire outside was still deafening.
Originally possessing stronger armor and firepower, the T-62 was as clumsy as a fat pig waiting to be slaughtered in the face of the agile and cunning "wolf pack," suffering heavy losses.
Mikhail also learned about the situation at the front from the commanders below.
"How...how is this possible?"
What terrified him was not the destruction of the T-62.
He knew very well that there were no invincible tanks on the battlefield.
What made his soul tremble was the tactical prowess displayed by the opponent.
That was a conducting art that transcended its time!
As a tank warfare expert, no one knows it better than him.
To command twenty tanks with such precision and tactical coordination in the chaos of a battlefield requires incredible communication capabilities and command skills!
How did they do it?
(End of this chapter)