Finally, Li Yunlong and Li Changfu made an appointment to carry out artillery bombardment and attack in the middle of the defense line.
This is mainly because the enemy's defense line is pointed at both ends and rounded in the middle. Hitting both ends will not have much effect. It only needs to shrink a little toward the middle, but hitting the middle can divide the enemy into two parts and surround it.
On the other hand, the Japs' headquarters is likely to be located in the middle. If they break through, they can go straight to Huanglong and paralyze its command center.
The military situation was urgent, and Li Changfu only gave Li Yunlong fifteen minutes to prepare. Li Yunlong immediately asked the correspondent to order Laojiu to prepare.
When Laojiu heard this order, he was confused: "Fifteen minutes? What's the range of this cannon? What's the range? What's the point?"
Hardware spread out his hands and replied: "Nothing. This cannon has just been assembled. The main point is to number it according to the number. The cannon with the number will fire the shells of the box with the number!"
Laojiu rolled his eyes and looked as if he was about to die.
I heard that one of your fucking arsenal technicians is also the director of the branch factory, and he came here just to say this?
Laojiu finally figured it out. The caliber of each cannon and even the size and weight of each shell were different. So, wouldn't a fight be like a blind man riding a blind horse and running into each other randomly?
If Laojiu is given some time to figure it out, he might be able to grasp some rules, but now he is completely blind and doesn't know anything. Isn't this embarrassing?
However, after hesitating for a while, Laojiu finally had an idea. He ordered: "Pick out three cannons and fire one round each, and let the other side cooperate to observe the explosive points and make adjustments!"
What follows is a series of intense operations: Use the regimental phone number to contact the Hundred Battle Group and ask them to prepare observers. Here, Laojiu sets up three cannons to fire one shell each, and the other side reports via phone that the explosive point is close to the target.
Still far away.
This process can only be described in a few sentences, but to be completed within a few minutes without making any mistakes requires a soldier who has fought in a war to be able to do it.
And there are some ways to do this.
For example, the cannon fired by Laojiu is adjusted to a 45-degree firing angle. The cannon fired at this angle has the longest range.
If the impact point is far away, move the artillery back; if the impact point is close, move the artillery forward.
After the maximum range is determined, the other guns can roughly estimate their maximum range based on their caliber. Although it is not accurate, it is better than shooting in the dark.
Laojiu led a group of capable artillerymen and had a great time running around. He actually deployed seven cannons and more than a hundred rounds of artillery shells within fifteen minutes.
On the Japanese side, Takeda Kazuo had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
Kazuo Takeda is a veteran who has been on the battlefield for a long time, and is very sensitive to the whistling sound of artillery shells, because on the battlefield, he always judges the explosion point of the artillery shell based on the whistling sound to consider whether to avoid it.
At this time, he was in a hurry to send a message to the military headquarters to inquire about the arrival time of the second batch of airdrops. If the supplies were not in place, he would have to order the soldiers to drive the enemies out with bayonets.
At this time, there was a sudden roar of artillery shells in the air. Although it was not loud or harsh, and it was not even obvious among the gunshots and explosions, Kazuo Takeda still noticed it.
"Did you hear that?" Kazuo Takeda asked the staff officer.
The staff officer did not answer. He did not understand what Takeda Kazuo was referring to.
"The sound of artillery shells!" Takeda Kazuo said, and he moved closer to the window and listened carefully.
The staff officer was even more confused. The imperial army was fighting against the Eighth Route Army. Isn't it normal to hear the sound of artillery shells?
Kazuo Takeda seemed to see the confusion of the staff, shook his head and said: "No, no, it's not what you thought. This shell... flew from the west to the east! This is very strange..."
Before he finished speaking, Takeda Kazuo frowned and said: "Another shot!"
The staff officer listened carefully, and sure enough he heard the barely detectable whistling of artillery shells, which were indeed fired from the west to the east as Kazuo Takeda said.
However, the staff still thought this was normal.
"Perhaps the Eighth Route Army missed the target!" said the staff officer: "Given the quality of the Eighth Route Army, it is not surprising that such a situation would occur."
Takeda Kazuo also hoped that this was the case, but he had a very bad feeling.
Then, Takeda Kazuo heard another roar of artillery shells, which almost confirmed his idea.
"You are wrong, Ito-kun!" Takeda Kazuo jumped up as if he was electrocuted: "This is a test firing by the Eighth Route Army artillery. Three artillery shells came from the same direction and pointed at the same area, which means..."
As he spoke, Takeda Kazuo's face instantly turned pale.
He knew what the Eighth Route Army was up to. They were going to use artillery to bombard the Japanese eastern defense line from the rear.
Takeda Kazuo only glanced at the map and ordered: "Order Yoshimoto Squadron to disperse immediately and prepare to avoid artillery fire!"
"Yes!" The staff officer did not dare to neglect and immediately rang the phone of the Gibbon squadron.
The Japanese army was more advanced than the Eighth Route Army in this regard. Their telephones could be extended to squadrons, while the Eighth Route Army's battalion-level units rarely had telephones, and communication basically relied on people.
Squadron Leader Yoshimoto was confused when he received the call:
"Avoid artillery? Report to the captain, we have always paid attention to avoid artillery!"
"What? Artillery in the rear?"
Captain Yoshimoto didn't believe it. The enemy to the west had never had much firepower. The previous artillery attack was also due to the capture of the Japanese 92nd Infantry Artillery, but those shells had also been fired.
But before he put down the phone, the roar of artillery shells came from behind...
Squadron Leader Yoshimoto only had time to look back at the sky with his fearful eyes. The next second, artillery shells hit his position in pieces.
"Kill!" At the same time as the sound of artillery sounded, the soldiers of the Hundred Battle Group jumped up from their hiding places and rushed towards the Japanese position. They took advantage of the Japanese soldiers to panic and avoid the shells, and threw a row of grenades at the Japanese soldiers.
He rushed forward and fought hand-to-hand with the Japanese regardless.
This was something Wang Xuexin did not expect, and it was also not what Li Yunlong expected... They all thought that the Hundred Battle Group would follow the procedure, that is, prepare the artillery fire and then rush up. Unexpectedly, they rushed up during the bombardment.
In fact, Li Changfu originally planned to do this, but when he thought about it, he felt it was wrong.
The Hundred Battle Group and the Japanese have been fighting until now, and the casualty ratio is only two to one, or even three to one.
When had the Hundred Battle Group ever fought so cowardly?
What's more, this batch of artillery shells is probably the Eighth Route Army's only chance. If it fails to successfully break through the enemy's defense line this time, the consequences will be disastrous. The troops of the five regiments will be trapped in the east and be surrounded and annihilated by the Japanese. Li Changfu cannot afford it.
This responsibility!
Thinking of this, Li Changfu smashed his fist on the shell box, gritted his teeth and ordered: "When the cannon fires, rush forward! Trade your life with the Japanese for your life!"
The staff officer only hesitated for a moment, and Li Changfu urged impatiently: "Execute the order!"
"Yes!" the staff officer could only respond and pass on the order.
Li Changfu didn't tell Li Yunlong about this situation, so Laojiu didn't know about it.
If Laojiu knew about it, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to fire this gun.
Because every time a shell is fired, the artilleryman will think in his mind whether it will blow up his comrades? Are there still soldiers rushing up at this moment? I don’t know whether the Japanese have been killed, but they are still firing.
?
I don’t know if there would be no such psychological pressure, but I would still shoot one shot after another.
The Hundred Battle Group rushed forward, and the Yoshimoto Squadron had to stand up to fight.
Then an extremely tragic scene appeared on the battlefield: the enemy and we were fighting with their chests raised in the shells, the sound of killing was everywhere, dust was flying, and the smoke was mixed with shrapnel flying everywhere, just like the sickle wielded by the god of death, ruthlessly harvesting life
, and soon there were corpses and blood everywhere.
Li Changfu was right about one thing. No matter what happened in this fight, the casualty ratio would not exceed the previous three to one.
Soon, the defense line of the Yoshimoto Squadron was breached. Captain Yoshimoto was stabbed with several holes in his body by bayonets and fell in a pool of blood. The angry soldiers of the Hundred Regiment poured in from the gap like a flood that broke a dike and faced him.
The Japanese were hacking and killing indiscriminately.
Takeda Kazuo knew that the situation was over, and his only regret was that he should not have been defeated at the hands of the Eighth Route Army, which he despised.
Perhaps unwilling to face this, before the Eighth Route Army rushed into the headquarters, he raised the Southern Fourteenth pistol and pointed it at his temple...