Very Wrong Reincarnation: Isekai with Game Nation

Vol.3 Chapter 22

The weeks passed.

It was now the 26th day of the war.

The 67th Panzer Division of the Cignus Federal Army had arrived at the outskirts of Nephritis. The city stood ahead of them, walls damaged, smoke rising from different sections after weeks of airstrikes and sabotage.

Inside his command Panzer II, Colonel Mann-Whitney looked at the city through his binoculars. The tank's long 100mm gun pointed toward the skyline. Extra armor skirts had been welded onto the sides weeks ago. Originally, the entire 67th was supposed to be shipped to the Yugoslavian front, but orders changed at the last minute. They were diverted to Valur instead.

"Finally here, huh?" he said quietly.

Captain Anova stood beside the tank, helmet tucked under his arm.

"Should we begin the bombardment?" Anova asked. "We've completely surrounded the city. The 156th and 122nd Infantry Divisions are already digging in. Their guns are aimed. We can flatten the place at your order, sir."

Mann-Whitney lowered the binoculars but did not answer immediately.

"How about the last surrender call for the rebels?" he asked. "We still haven't found the former empress."

Anova hesitated. "Is that necessary? Whether we find her alive or not doesn't change the objective."

The colonel shrugged. "I understand removing political enemies for His Excellency. But if we can avoid destroying this city, we should try. Better to find who is actually leading this mess and remove them directly instead of leveling everything."

"No confirmed identity yet," Anova replied. "Some reports say Duke Alva and a few others. But we bombed his estate in the east. Confirmed dead. Still, the resistance continues."

Mann-Whitney groaned softly. "Fine. Give them an ultimatum. At the same time, if they refuse, I want all heavy guns aimed at the castle. Flame thrower tanks forward with infantry support. We clear it block by block."

"Yes, sir."

They both watched as the first armored vehicle rolled forward toward the main gates of Nephritis. A large white flag was mounted high so it could be clearly seen. Behind the frontline tanks, 105mm artillery pieces were being dug into firing positions. Several tanks were placed hull-down behind earth mounds, guns trained on the city.

"How much ammunition do we have ready?" Mann-Whitney asked.

Urban fighting was not something this division had much experience in. Most of their operations so far involved smashing lightly defended positions, military camps, and small towns and villages. Along the march to the capital, they destroyed several fortified sites with direct fire and air support. It took them a full week of stops and clearing operations just to reach Nephritis.

Anova answered, "The 32nd Division fired around 8,000 shells over three days to force a city to surrender. About ten percent of that city was destroyed. Fires spread and burned nearly half of it."

"And us?" Mann-Whitney asked.

"We have around 2,000 artillery shells ready. Tank ammunition is about four times that number. Each 100mm tank gun carries 29 high explosive rounds. That's enough to break walls and provide direct fire support. The city population is roughly 200,000. It's not large. We have plenty of small arms ammunition in urban fighting"

Mann-Whitney nodded slowly. "Enough to break them if they want to be stubborn."

The radio beside him crackled.

"Colonel, reporting from the gates, over."

He picked up the receiver. "Go ahead, over."

There was a pause. Then the reply came.