Chapter 0209: The Escape Route is Cut Off

"Oh God! What should we do? Should we keep attacking?" Some of the Cossack cavalrymen faltered.

Even the bravest of men would lose heart when faced with such overwhelming odds. Their courage waned as they watched comrades fall one by one.

Under the relentless onslaught of German firepower, the casualties among the Cossack cavalry surged, and fear took hold.

Yet, a few fearless Cossacks still charged into the storm of German bullets. Some even succeeded.

One tank's coaxial and forward-facing machine guns overheated and ceased firing simultaneously, presenting an opportunity for a few daring Cossacks. They galloped the last hundred meters and reached the German tanks.

"Damn you Germans! You devils! Die!" one Cossack cavalryman roared, raising his saber high and slashing furiously at the tank.

"Clang!"

A crisp sound rang out as the saber, believed to be indestructible, struck the tank. But all it accomplished was a chipped blade and a minor scratch on the tank's paint.

"This... How is this possible?" The Cossack stared, speechless, at his broken saber.

The other Cossacks stood frozen in disbelief.

"It's the devil's weapon. But even if it's the devil's weapon, we must destroy it," another Cossack declared.

They slashed wildly at the tank, sparks flying with every blow, but their efforts were in vain. The tank remained unharmed. Inside, the German tank crew, initially tense, began to relax upon realizing the Cossacks posed no real threat.

Once the machine guns cooled, the tank crew resumed their attack.

"Rat-a-tat-tat!"

The Cossacks in front of the tank were cut down by the forward-facing machine gun. At the same time, the tank's turret rotated, and the coaxial machine gun finished off the remaining Cossacks, tearing them to shreds.

"Foolish men. Did they truly believe sabers could pierce armored steel?" Colonel Guderian shook his head, exasperated.

"They've paid the price for their folly. Though I must admit, they are brave warriors. But such bravery will only lead to their deaths," Colonel Rommel remarked, shaking his head in turn.

"Order all tanks to advance and finish them off," Guderian commanded.

More than a hundred tanks rumbled forward. Though their pace was slow, their overwhelming firepower continued to decimate the Cossacks. To the terrified cavalrymen, these tanks had become the embodiment of demonic force.

"Run! Run for your lives! We can't defeat the Germans—they'll slaughter us!"

"Retreat! Retreat immediately!"

Even the brave Cossacks had lost their nerve. Before the 8th Panzer Division, they could no longer muster the will to fight.

"We're beaten. It's over. We must retreat," Major General Andrei said, his face ashen.

"Retreat immediately!" Major General Karsky nodded, giving the order.

But by now, there were barely any soldiers left in the two Cossack cavalry divisions. Over half had been killed or abandoned on the battlefield to die from their wounds.

Many had scattered in the chaos, and in the end, Andrei and Karsky could only gather fewer than two thousand men. Those two divisions had effectively been crippled in this battle.

Qin Tian, along with General Hindenburg and others observing from the rear, were stunned when they learned the Russian Cossacks had actually charged the 8th Panzer Division's tanks.

Qin Tian was especially shocked. He had once thought that the tales of Polish cavalry charging German tanks were mere fabrications of history books. But now it seemed such events were indeed real.

"Your Highness, the 8th Panzer Division's victory over the Russian Cossacks must be the final straw. The Russians will surely lose the will to continue fighting. I suspect they will flee soon. Has the 20th Army reached its designated position? If they can block the Russians' retreat, we'll secure a great victory," General Hindenburg said, clearly excited.

"Send a telegram to General Mackensen to confirm. They must move quickly and give the Russians no time to escape. Otherwise, our victory will be incomplete," Qin Tian ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness." Major General Ludendorff immediately arranged for the telegram to be sent.

Half an hour later, a response came from General Mackensen. The 20th Army had reached its designated position and was hastily fortifying its defenses, preparing to intercept the Russian forces.

This news brought a sense of relief to Qin Tian and the others.

While Qin Tian and his commanders were confident in their impending victory, the Russian 2nd Army's headquarters was shrouded in gloom.

"Commander, the Germans' secret weapons are too formidable. Our two cavalry divisions launched an attack, but both were defeated. Now we have fewer than two thousand men left," Major General Andrei reported with reddened eyes.

"Even the Cossack cavalry couldn't stand against the Germans? How can we continue this battle?" General Samsonov sighed heavily.

"General, we must find a way to retreat. The Germans are advancing, and our forces along the way are collapsing at the first sight of them. If we don't retreat soon, they'll overrun us," one officer suggested.

Clearly, the heavily depleted 2nd Army was no match for the Germans anymore. Any further resistance would only lead to more losses.

"Very well. Order the retreat. Have the 22nd and 23rd Infantry Divisions stay behind to delay the Germans. No matter what, they must buy us at least a day," Samsonov commanded.

He knew that if they all retreated at once, the Germans would pursue and turn the retreat into a rout, resulting in complete defeat.

"Yes, General." The commanders of the two infantry divisions had no choice but to accept the orders.

But just as they were preparing for the retreat, a staff officer rushed in.

"General! We've spotted a large force of Germans to our rear!"

Immediately, everyone's faces turned pale.