"Boom..." A thunderous explosion suddenly sounded next to a bunker not far away.
The squadron leader was startled and quickly looked up.
A thick black smoke column wrapped in flames rose from the ground, rose to an altitude of tens of meters, and then quickly spread around, forming a huge mushroom cloud.
Looking at the ground again, a huge crater with a depth of more than three meters appeared next to the stronghold, and the crater extended directly to a bunker.
The solid and thick bunker was as fragile as paper in front of the thunder cannon, and a huge gap was blown out.
A soldier with only half his body left was hanging in the gap, blood flowing out from the wound, which was very tragic.
"It's a thunder cannon!" the squadron leader subconsciously exclaimed.
It is no secret that the Eighth Route Army is equipped with thunder cannons, and most of the Japanese and puppet troops know about it.
The Eighth Route Army attacking us was definitely not equipped with heavy weapons. The only weapon that could cause such great damage was this homemade flying thunder cannon.
After saying this, the squadron leader turned his attention to the Eighth Route Army offensive position that was about to take shape two hundred meters away.
Several soldiers carried flying thunder cannons made of gasoline barrels, bent down and got into the position, and then disappeared from their eyes.
The squadron leader immediately ordered: "Our artillery will immediately open fire, mortars, and grenades, all shooting at the Eighth Route Army position. Their torpedo cannon is still there. We must destroy it."
Two mortars and six grenades fired together.
The Eighth Route Army position was quickly bombarded with artillery fire and filled with smoke.
Looking at the rising fireballs on the position and the blown-up bodies of the Eighth Route Army, the squadron leader looked much better. As long as the flying thunder cannon was not carried out of the area by the Eighth Route Army, it would definitely be blown into scrap metal, and the stronghold would be destroyed.
Threatened.
"Boom boom..."
I was happy for only three seconds before the explosion went off again.
The sound was not as violent as the thunder cannon, but it was very dense and came from inside the stronghold.
"Boom boom..."
Before the squadron leader who quickly turned around could say anything, a second round of explosions rang out, and then the explosions on the Eighth Route Army's offensive position weakened.
"Sir, our artillery position was covered by Eighth Route Army artillery fire. One mortar and two grenades were blown up. Other artillery had to stop running in and move to new artillery positions." An observation post reported.
"Bagya Road..." The squadron leader clenched his fists and cursed through gritted teeth.
"Boom..." Just as he was about to continue scolding, the explosion of the thunder cannon rang again.
This time the explosive pack flew into the stronghold from behind.
In the violent explosion, a bunker was blown to pieces on the spot and became silent.
"Sir, the Eighth Route Army seems to be equipped with more than one thunder cannon!" the second lieutenant reminded with a panic look on his face.
"Do you still need to tell me? I'm not blind!" the squadron leader cursed with dissatisfaction.
A Cao Chang climbed up the tower panting heavily and reported with fear on his face: "Sir, we are finished!"
"The thunder cannon was so powerful that all our soldiers hiding in the bunker were killed, not a single one was left alive."
"If we can't find a way to stop them from continuing to use thunder cannons, the bunkers and gun towers in the stronghold will definitely be named one by one by the Eighth Route Army."
"Don't panic!" The squadron leader forced himself to calm down: "Give me the order to leave only machine gunners and ammunition handlers in all gun towers and bunkers. All other people should withdraw and set up a temporary defense line behind the bunkers to wait for reinforcements."
"Set up our losses immediately. The more detailed the better. I'll want the results in ten minutes."
"Now go back to the headquarters to report to the general and ask for reinforcements. The enemy is too strong, and we are definitely no match on our own."
At the Japanese brigade headquarters in Baoding, except for the staff officers on duty, everyone went to bed and it was very deserted.
"Ding ring ring..." The phone rang suddenly, which seemed particularly harsh in the dead of night.
Several staff officers on duty immediately became energetic and at the same time focused their attention on the staff officer who was about to answer the phone.
The communications staff officer put down the phone after two minutes. His relaxed expression just now was replaced by solemnity in the blink of an eye. He strode to the deputy chief of staff on duty and said, "Sir, something happened at the Nanyan Town stronghold outside the city!"
"They were heavily attacked by the Eighth Route Army, which was not only equipped with mine cannons, but also mortars and heavy machine guns."
"The troops stationed at the stronghold fought for more than half an hour, but not only failed to defeat them, they also lost more than fifty people and lost three bunkers."
"The Eighth Route Army is using thunder cannons to blow up the remaining bunkers one by one. The situation is very critical. We request the brigade headquarters to immediately send troops to reinforce Nanyan Town to relieve them from the crisis."
The deputy chief of staff felt nervous and began to issue orders: "You should immediately find out all the information about the Nanyan Town stronghold. It will be useful later."
"The communications staff keeps in touch with the Nanyan Town stronghold at any time to understand their latest situation."
"I'm going to wake up the brigade commander now. He is the only one who has the right to send troops out of the city."
The brigade commander, wearing the uniform of a major general, walked in and asked anxiously: "What is the situation at the Nanyan Town stronghold now?"
"Report to the General that another bunker was destroyed by the Eighth Route Army."
"The garrison is shrinking its defenses, leaving machine gunners to guard bunkers and gun towers, while others have withdrawn to the back to build new lines of defense, just in case."
"This is a good idea!" the major general nodded in approval, and then continued to ask.
"How far is the Nanyan Town stronghold from us and how many troops are there?"
"Hi!" The combat staff officer had already been prepared for the deputy chief of staff's order, and the major general blurted out after asking.
"Take the official road, which is fifteen kilometers from the county seat to the stronghold of Nanyan Town. We can kill them by marching in two hours."
"The Nanyan Town stronghold is responsible for the security of the surrounding 38 villages and two towns. It is stationed with a reinforced squadron of the Imperial Army and three companies of the Imperial Association Army."
"According to the current loss rate, as long as the Eighth Route Army has enough ammunition, the garrison will be almost exhausted in another three hours."
"I suggest you send troops immediately to reinforce the Nanyan Town stronghold and try to kill it before it is breached. Maybe we can also attack from inside and outside to severely damage or completely annihilate the Eighth Route Army that attacked the Nanyan Town stronghold?"
The major general didn't waste any time and gave an immediate order: "The Imperial Alliance Army's combat effectiveness is too poor, but they can still defend the city. Attacking in the field will not only not help the Imperial Army, but will also be a big burden, so they should not go."
"Chief of Staff, you immediately deploy two infantry squadrons, strengthen a heavy machine gun squad, and a mortar squad, march quickly to reinforce the battlefield, and eat them for me."
"If the imperial army doesn't show off its power, it really treats us like sick cats."
"We should use this opportunity to teach the Eighth Route Army an unforgettable lesson so that they will never dare to operate within our jurisdiction."
The deputy chief of staff quickly accepted the order: "The general is wise and humble. Go and arrange the troops now to ensure the complete annihilation of the entire Eighth Route Army."