In the following days, Li Mu still flew the Hawker 75 fighter plane equipped with a camera to the front line every day.
This time his purpose was not to annihilate the enemy, but to collect intelligence and survey the terrain. Although he encountered Japanese planes twice more, he was able to escape easily.
Other times, I spend most of my time studying the videos I shot.
This has two purposes:
The first is to be familiar with the terrain, topography and cities. Flying a fighter jet these days has no navigation, no radar, and it is impossible to recognize the road. What's more, during a night attack, the field of vision at night is not as good as during the day, so it is even more necessary to be familiar with the terrain.
While watching the actual terrain conditions in the video recorder, he compared it with the map, studied the layout of the mountains, rivers, and cities, and tried to memorize it in his mind. He tried to remember it so well that he knew the coordinates so that he could clearly see his surroundings when he closed his eyes.
On the other hand, through video recording, you can also observe the battlefield situation from another angle, combined with the intelligence from the Military Intelligence Department and the information you have seen before. Try to grasp the dynamics of the battlefield and the movements of the notebook, and wait for opportunities to dispatch.
In the past few days, a lot of things have happened. Due to the recent invasion of Xuzhou by the Japs, the eastern Henan region has been under great threat and is in danger of falling.
Local middle schools also organized manpower and began to move inland. Nanyang, the rear area of Henan Province, now has such good conditions that it has become the first choice.
Li Mu attached great importance to this matter and made a special trip back to Nanyang City to convene a meeting with various departments and ask them to do a good job in receiving and resettling them.
One is an artillery regiment, with about 30 to 80 guns. The exact number is unclear. Many places are dark, and even with a telescope, it is difficult to see clearly. The other target is armored vehicles, with more than 30 armored vehicles and tanks.
vehicle.
I know that this kind of artillery shell is difficult to produce, and it is quite difficult to imitate it compared with ordinary artillery shells.
As for seeing with your eyes, it is night, even if there is starlight, it is fine for close-range targets, but it is really not good for targets five thousand meters away.
Soon, the plane started slowly and flew into the blue sky, speeding towards Xuzhou and Lunan.
…
A few days ago, Chief Li of the Fifth War Zone has sent General Zhang and his 59th Army from eastern Henan to the Jinpu line for reinforcements. However, in the face of enemy bombing and obstruction, it will take at least three days to arrive on March 12th.
Linyi.
As Banheng's fifth division moves south, Linyi is in danger. Linyi is 90 kilometers away from Taierzhuang and serves as a barrier to the northeast of Xuzhou. If Linyi cannot be secured, Banyuan's division can go straight from Qingshi to Tai and Xu, threatening Longhai and Jinpu.
Security and strategic position are of paramount importance.
Since Xiao Benzi's invasion, they have always carried out air strikes. How many times have domestic aircraft conducted air raids? Most of them are used for defense and reconnaissance. This has also made Xiao Benzi develop a habit and rarely care about threats in the air.
Starting from the end of February, a fierce offensive and defensive battle broke out between the two sides in Linyi. Xiao Benzi, with the superior strength of one division, attached to a mountain artillery regiment and a cavalry brigade, rushed towards the Forty Army. Five regiments of the Forty Army occupied the city.
Hold on tightly. Xiao Benzi spent several days and nights repeatedly charging and killing, but could not move forward one step.
Li Mu said: "You should contact the north. They have strict underground organizations in northern Jiangsu and southern Shandong. Ask them if they can provide us with some information about the fifth theater, especially the specific situation of the war against Japan."
Commander Li of the Fifth War Zone is in Xuzhou at the moment. There are many war reporters there. They heard that the old Ban Heng Division was frustrated by a little-known motley crew, and many people wrote reports.
Regardless of the high price, these shells are really heavy. Just like high-explosive grenades, each weighs about 43.5 kilograms. There are less than 23 shells in one ton. Calculated, one ton of shells is worth about one kilogram of gold.
Through Far Eastern Commercial Bank, Li Mu ordered another 40,000 Mauser 98k. This time, no bullets were required, and the price was $25 a shot.
After several back-and-forth conversations, Li Mu finally chose two types of anti-aircraft weapons.
After thinking for a moment, I spent $450,000 and directly ordered 10,000 rounds of artillery shells, a total of four to five hundred tons, enough to last several years.
Soon they arrived near Tangtou Town. At an altitude of 5,000 meters, Li Mu slowly slowed down, opened the hatch, took out his telescope, and let the plane hover nearby while constantly adjusting the angle of the plane and looking down with the telescope.
To be honest, I'm really not afraid.
The Forty Army was very different in terms of weapons and numbers, but they all relied on perseverance to persevere. Faced with Xiaobao's lifeless attack, the situation was in danger.
Another advantage of this light tank is that it is relatively cheap.
If you accidentally lose Linyi, you will not know how many people are left in the army.
The Sulotong ST-5 cannon weighs 80 kilograms, has a maximum range of 5,600 meters, a maximum shooting height of 3,600 meters, and a rate of fire of 220-300 rounds/min. It is easy to operate, has a fast rate of fire, and can penetrate 30 mm at a distance of 500 meters.
Steel plate. It is said that the armor of a small armored vehicle is only 6 mm thick.
Among these targets, the one that poses the greatest threat to Li Mu is the artillery. Because they have several anti-aircraft guns designed to deal with air targets, they can naturally attack him first.
Currently, various countries are very strict on the export of these two weapons, especially heavy artillery. However, it is not impossible. For international arms dealers, as long as the money is available, it is still no problem to purchase a small batch in the name of a small European country.
It is an important military town that must be fought over, and gains and losses have a bearing on the overall situation.
One unit costs about 18,000 US dollars, so Li Mu ordered 30 units to try out with an armored battalion first.
Li Mu looked at the time and saw that today was March 9th. He found more detailed information and began to study and read it.
Since the invasion of Xiao Benzi, the war has been going smoothly. Each department has become more and more arrogant and values face. Who can stand this and start to supervise the war and attack quickly.
Although the Forty Army is an army, there are actually only five regiments, and it is still a miscellaneous army. Even so, facing Ban Heng's division, its momentum is not lost at all.
Pang's 40th Army, which originally guarded Haizhou, was transferred to Linyi to defend and block the enemy's advance.
In this way, I studied and memorized the terrain for several days, until I could almost recognize southern Shandong and northern Jiangsu with my eyes closed, and then I stopped.
Subsequently, the 5th Infantry Division of Xiaobenzi Banyuan made forcible landings at Laoshan Bay and Fukushima in Qingshi. After occupying Qingshi, they marched west along Jiaoji Road, turned south to Weixian, passed through Gaomi, followed Zhucheng, and Ju
On the county front line, they advanced towards Linyi. In response to the Isotani Division on the Jinpu line, they advanced together.
One is the Sulothong ST-5 20mm machine gun. In China, anything with a caliber less than 20mm is generally considered a gun, and anything with a caliber over 20mm is called a cannon.
Some machine guns, heavy machine guns, and mortars were also ordered as reserves. However, they can also be given to the reserve militia for training and learning.
In addition, in order to improve the firepower of the army, Li Muhua plans to purchase a batch of heavy weapons, heavy artillery and armored vehicles.
Li Mu wanted to rely on these two weapons to form an air defense battalion to defend against Nanyang's air threats.
The second type is the Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun, which is a well-known ground-based air defense weapon in World War II. During World War II, the Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun was widely equipped in the armies and navies of allied countries, with extraordinary results. It can be said to be the best in World War II.
Medium caliber anti-aircraft gun
Li Mu said: "Don't worry, I will write you a note later. You go and get a batch of gasoline, steel, and gunpowder raw materials. Get two radio stations and send someone to deliver them. Don't be surprised if there are many people."
At 4:20, the ground crew had already refueled the fighter jets and made maintenance and various preparations.
After flying a fighter plane for a while, he realized the huge threat in the air. He could air attack the enemy, and the enemy could also air attack him. With the current prevention and control situation in Nanyang, there was no way to stop him.
"Pei Ming!"
When the goods arrive, we can form a heavy artillery battalion.
In addition, the rotation training of militia reserve personnel cannot be done without weapons. Even if several people have a gun and they are handed over again after training, they still need guns.
The tank has a total weight of 9 tons. It has a crew of 3 or 4 people. It is equipped with a 37 mm cannon and 2 7.92 mm machine guns. It uses a Praga 125 horsepower gasoline liquid-cooled engine with a top speed of 42 km/h.
He did not stop and flew to Tangtou Town, north of Linyi.
The Itagaki and Isoya divisions are both veteran units in the book. Almost all of the officers and soldiers are militants, and the young men who launched the 226 coup were almost all in these two divisions.
After thinking about it, someone called the Military Intelligence Department.
This gun is equipped with two types of shells, high-explosive grenades and armor-piercing shells. The price of each shell is 40 to 50 US dollars.
I don't know if there are any residents in Tangtou Town. Li Mu is a little wary about bombing. There are several good targets outside the town.
So the defenders went south and defended along the north bank of the Huaihe River to block the enemy's northward advance. Qingshi's defense could only adopt a passive attitude.
After hanging up the phone, Li Mu continued to study the information in front of him. Soon, news came from Liu Peiming that Beibian agreed.
During the Anti-Japanese War, the Sulotong ST-5 machine gun participated in almost every major battle and achieved certain results. Although the shooting height was not high enough to deal with high-altitude fighters, it still posed a great threat to low-altitude targets.
The Surroton cannon is nominally made in Switzerland, but in fact it is German technology. After World War I, the Treaty of Versailles imposed strict restrictions on the production of German-made weapons. The German Rheinmetall Company and the Swiss Surroton Company entered into a dispute.
The series of cooperation bypassed relevant regulations and achieved the purpose of borrowing money from others.
After several exchanges of telegrams, the price quoted by the international arms dealer was US$45,000 per unit, which is more expensive than a fighter jet. However, it is normal for a middleman to offer this price. However, the quantity that can be obtained is not large.
More than twenty doors.
First, the man named Han from Lu Province fled without a fight, and the small book on Jinpu Road could go south at any time. Qingshi has become a strategically isolated point with no value in defending.
This time, Li Mu was lucky. There were not dozens of planes in one plane, so the noise was not loud. And at an altitude of 5,000 meters, it took more than ten seconds for the sound to reach the ground, so the noise was even smaller.
Return to the airport mansion and immediately contact the Far East Trading Company of Singapore to order weapons on your behalf.
There are currently not many targets for tanks to choose from. Li Mu chose the Praga LT-38 light tank. As the standard light tank of the Czech Army, it is relatively easy to purchase. The Czech Republic also welcomes exports.
It was four o'clock in the morning on March 10th. It was dark outside. Li Mu woke up early, got dressed and washed.
Although recently a military aircraft was attacked and a military supply depot was bombed, it was just an accident and has not been encountered many times since the invasion.
…
After circling for several weeks, Li Mu finally used his binoculars to see clearly the situation below. Except for a group of Japanese infantrymen stationed at the position, the rest were stationed in Tangtou Town and surrounding areas.
This kind of heavy artillery is really difficult to get, and sometimes you can't buy it with money. Since it can't exceed twenty, Li Mu directly ordered twenty.
I don't know whether Xiao Benzi is too arrogant or too confident. There are many lights on the ground and the deployment of the army can be seen clearly. Is it true that he is not afraid of air raids? What a good goal this is.
There were not many targets for heavy artillery. Li Mu finally chose the Rhine-style 315mm heavy howitzer. The principal seemed to have purchased this type of heavy artillery before.
Liu Peiming did not hesitate at all: "Yes, I will contact you right away."
Li Mu flew over the artillery position and looked down. It was too high and it was easy to miss.
Such data is very common in Europe, but compared with smaller tanks, it is still quite strong.
After summarizing various information, Li Mu also had a clearer understanding of the dynamics of the battlefield. It was now the early stages of the Battle of Xuzhou, and the Battle of Taierzhuang was about to begin.
Even if people on the ground can hear it, if they don't distinguish it carefully, they may not be able to tell that it is the sound of an airplane.
Xiao Benzi's plane searched several times in the past few days, but found no clues. He thought that Guofu was bold once in a while and left it alone.
Next, Li Mu began to look for suitable targets. However, the Military Intelligence Department was established not long ago, and the information was relatively rough. The information he had seen before, as well as the images taken by airplanes, were also relatively one-sided. Moreover, due to his participation, there may be
Butterfly effect, the data seen in the real world may not be accurate.
…
On the other end of the phone, Liu Peiming said: "The staff department is here."
Not only can it be used for air defense, but it is also a powerful weapon against armored vehicles and tanks. It is an accurate weapon against small thin-skinned tanks and chariots.
More than an hour later, the plane arrived near Linyi. The entire county was quiet, with traces of the aftermath of the war everywhere.
Li Mu ordered another batch of aerial bombs.
After dealing with this matter, I couldn't help but sigh when I thought about the increasingly tense situation. The stability in Nanyang area was hard-won and must be preserved.
The two sides took Taierzhuang as the meeting point and coordinated the enemy's offensive in the southern section of Jinpu Road in an attempt to jointly attack Xuzhou.
The last target was the cavalry brigade, which was stationed far away from Tangtou Town. Because this brigade had war horses, it seemed to be more alert. Li Mu did not dare to get close, but only observed it a few times with a telescope from a distance, which could be used as an alternative target.
Li Mu took a deep breath, stopped his excitement, and climbed onto the fighter jet.
After circling in a circle and descending to a position of more than 2,000 meters, the soldiers on duty below seemed to hear something and stretched their heads to look at the sky, but found nothing.
Li Mu chuckled and stretched out the fighter plane with one hand. In an instant, a piece of wool appeared in his hand, and a 250 kilogram aerial bomb appeared more than seven meters away.
The next moment, the aerial bomb carried the wool and fell straight downward.
Half a second later, the space opened again, and another 250 kilogram aerial bomb fell.
Seeing that he flew out of the artillery position, Li Mu circled for half a circle. Then within a second, the space was opened twice in succession, and two 250-kilogram aerial bombs fell one after another.