diymy Chapter 739 I Want to Try Indian Food
Chapter 739 I Want to Try Indian Food
Wang Guojian's eyes lit up.
"Alright! Order the tanks to advance at full speed! Infantry, follow! I'm having lunch in Glad tomorrow at noon!"
The order was passed down, and the team moved even faster.
The tank engines roared even louder, the trucks reached their limits, and the soldiers clung tightly to the sides of the truck bed, being jolted and disoriented. But no one stopped, and no one fell behind.
Wang Guojian got into the jeep and said to the driver, "Let's go and take a look ahead."
The jeep sped across the sand, kicking up a trail of dust.
He wanted to see Glad with his own eyes, to see the city that was about to become a battlefield.
At 3 p.m., the advance troops had advanced to a point 50 kilometers from Glad.
The sun was beginning to set, but the heat showed no signs of abating. The desert was like a sauna, and the soldiers' uniforms were soaked with sweat, clinging to their bodies. They had drunk half the water in their canteens, but there was still half the journey to go.
A tank suddenly stopped. The driver poked his head out of the turret and shouted, "Engine overheating! Needs to cool down!"
The vehicles behind also stopped.
Wang Guojian's jeep caught up, and he jumped out and walked to the tank.
"What happened?"
The driver, his face covered in sweat, said, "Commander, it's too hot. The engine can't take it; it needs a break."
Wang Guojian looked at the sun, then at the map.
Fifty kilometers. I must get there before dark, otherwise I won't have time to have lunch in Glad tomorrow.
He gritted his teeth: "All vehicles, stop for twenty minutes. Add water, cool down the engines, check them. We must depart in twenty minutes!"
The order was given, and the entire team stopped.
The soldiers jumped out of the trucks and squatted in the shade to drink water. Some simply lay down on the sand, panting heavily. The tank crews opened the hoods and poured water on the engines, which hissed and emitted plumes of white smoke.
Wang Guojian stood in the shadow of a tank, drinking water and watching the sand dunes getting closer and closer in the distance.
Chen Dalei walked over and said softly, "Commander, will the British discover us?"
Wang Guojian shook his head.
"Discovered? They didn't even put out any sentries, how could they have discovered them? The Indian soldiers are so incompetent, the British ordered them to guard the city, they'd rather bury their heads in the sand and sleep."
He paused.
"By the time they wake up, we've arrived."
Twenty minutes later, the team continued their journey.
The sun sank lower and lower, and the sky grew darker and darker. The tank turned on its headlights, creating a long band of light in the darkness. The trucks followed behind, their headlights blending together, like a fiery dragon crawling across the desert.
At 9 p.m., the advance troops arrived five kilometers outside the city of Glad.
Wang Guojian ordered all vehicle lights to be turned off and the vehicles to take cover. The tanks and trucks stopped in a depression, and the soldiers got out to rest, but they were not allowed to light a fire, speak, or make any noise.
The scouts changed into civilian clothes and crept toward Gerard in the dark.
Wang Guojian leaned against the tracks of a tank, smoking a cigarette. The glow of the cigarette butt flickered in the darkness like a firefly.
Chen Dalei walked over and said softly, "Commander, you should get some sleep. There won't be any movement before dawn."
Wang Guojian shook his head.
"I can't sleep."
He gazed at the dark night in the distance and remained silent for a long time.
"Chen Dalei, tell me, what are the British doing right now?"
Chen Dalei thought for a moment.
"Go to sleep. This is when people are most sleepy."
Wang Guojian nodded.
"Then let them sleep. Once they wake up, they won't be able to sleep anymore."
At four o'clock in the morning, the scouts returned.
They brought Glad's intelligence: the British army indeed consisted of only one battalion, about eight hundred men, all Indian soldiers. They were stationed in a barracks north of the city, and only a few sentries were dozing on the city walls. The city gates were open, and there wasn't even a sentry post.
Wang Guojian smiled after listening to the report.
"Order all units to prepare for the attack. We will move out at dawn."
As dawn broke, the outline of Glad gradually became clear in the morning light.
It was a typical small Indian town, with earthen-yellow walls, low houses, and a few mosque minarets piercing the skyline. Outside the town, wheat grew in the fields, lush and green, a stark contrast to the surrounding desert.
Wang Guojian held up his binoculars and looked for a long time.
Then he put down his binoculars and said to Chen Dalei beside him, "Give the order to attack."
The tank started.
More than a hundred tanks split into three groups and advanced towards Grad. The roar of their engines was particularly jarring in the morning silence, and their tracks rolled over the sand, kicking up clouds of dust.
The sentries who had been dozing on the city wall were startled awake. They rubbed their eyes, stared blankly for three seconds at the approaching torrent of steel in the distance.
Then they threw down their guns and ran away.
When the tanks stormed through the city gates, the Indian soldiers inside were just getting out of bed. Some were still putting on their trousers, some were running out barefoot, and some were raising their guns to resist, but before they could even aim, they were riddled with bullets by the tank's machine guns.
The battle lasted less than an hour.
Of the eight hundred Indian soldiers, more than two hundred died, and the rest were taken prisoner.
Wang Guojian stood in the city center square, looking at the prisoners squatting on the ground. They held their heads in their hands, trembling all over, their eyes filled with fear.
An Indian officer was brought before him. The man was wearing a crisp military uniform, but his face was covered in ash, and he had a large bruise around his right eye—it was unclear who had hit him.
"Are you the commander?" Wang Guojian asked.
The man nodded and said in broken English, "Yes. I request compliance with the Geneva Convention—"
Wang Guojian waved his hand, interrupting him.
"The Geneva Convention? Come talk to me when you British people abide by the convention."
He turned to Chen Dalei and said, "Keep a close watch on these prisoners. Once Yang Guoyan takes Mokran Port, send them all to the rear."
Chen Dalei nodded: "Yes!"
Wang Guojian glanced at his watch.
10:30 a.m.
He smiled.
"Chen Dalei, I said I'd have lunch in Glad City. There's still an hour and a half until lunchtime."
He patted Chen Dalei on the shoulder.
"Let's go find a restaurant and try some Indian food."
At the same time, in the outer sea of Karachi.
As dawn broke, a thin layer of morning mist shrouded the sea. Waves gently lapped against the ship's hull, making a rhythmic lapping sound. In the distance, the outline of Karachi Port appeared and disappeared in the morning mist, like a city floating on the sea.
Li Te stood on the bridge of the Zhenyuan, holding binoculars and watching the approaching coastline. He had been standing there for two full hours, motionless.
Chief of Staff Lin Huaiyuan walked to his side and said softly, "General, the reconnaissance plane reports that there are no British capital ships in Karachi harbor. There are only two old cruisers and a few gunboats."
Li nodded without saying anything.