Liang Jian: Commander, save some for me

At noon, the Japanese in the northwest direction took the lead in launching a fierce attack on the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army here.

Boom boom boom......

Shells fell into the position like raindrops, and the soldiers of the Shanxi Suiyuan Army hurriedly hid in the anti-artillery caves.

Because the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army had no heavy artillery, the Japanese even set up artillery positions in open areas. Several powerful howitzers fired directly after the Japanese artillery shells were loaded with ammunition.

boom! ! !
Boom! ! !

The sound of the artillery fire alone was deafening. When the huge shells landed on the positions of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, a huge explosion occurred.

The positions built by the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army were destroyed by artillery shells on the spot, and the nearby anti-artillery holes collapsed directly, forming a huge deep pit!
The soldiers within a radius of twenty or thirty had their internal organs shattered and died on the spot, with their brains scattered. Soldiers who were further away were also deafened and had their internal organs damaged.

The power of this howitzer is terrifying.

After the bombardment ended, the Japanese launched an attack on the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's positions.

They attacked in an orderly manner, suppressing the fire while also moving to avoid being shot by the heavy firepower of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army.

Renkyu Matsushita was on a mountain about three kilometers behind, observing the situation on the battlefield with a telescope.

When he saw his own howitzers causing such great damage to the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's positions, a smile appeared on his lips.

If the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army also had such heavy artillery, they naturally would not dare to place the artillery positions in open areas, otherwise it would be difficult to move the artillery positions.

Heavy howitzers are not so easy to move!

"Division commander, it's a good thing that the 155th Division allocated us a few more mm howitzers this time. Otherwise, we would not have been able to cause such great damage to the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's positions in one go." The Japanese regiment commander laughed.

Compared with the Empire, the National Army, except for the Central Army, other troops did not have heavy howitzers.

"I heard that the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army has its own arsenal and can produce guns and artillery. Unfortunately, they are not on the same level as us." Matsushita Lianjiu said with a bit of disdain in his tone.

Although the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army’s arsenal could also produce guns and artillery, the other side was not able to manufacture heavy howitzers.

Boom boom boom......

Da da da………

Bang bang bang…

The sound of gunfire resounded throughout the area. The Japanese launched a fierce attack on the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's positions, and soldiers fell from time to time.

The soldiers of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army were also fighting desperately to stop the Japanese advance.

…………

From a farther distance, Kong Jie used a telescope to see the large crater created by the howitzer blast, and his mouth opened in shock.

"Damn, the Japanese howitzer is so powerful!" Kong Jie said after a while.

The Japanese howitzers did scare him a little. If one shell was fired in an open area, it would probably kill all the soldiers within a radius of dozens of meters.

The shelter is useless in front of this kind of shells!

"Yes, I estimate that these dozen or so howitzer shells killed at least hundreds of people." After Li Wenying finished speaking, he swallowed nervously.

It was the first time he had seen a howitzer of such power. It was truly terrifying.

"No, no, we have to seize the Japanese howitzers and take them away! Our Eighth Route Army must also have this kind of heavy artillery!

If there is no threat from heavy artillery, it will be troublesome if the Japanese use this kind of howitzer against us in the future." Kong Jie said seriously.

As long as they also have this kind of heavy howitzer, the Japanese will be afraid.

"Yes, during the Battle of Changsha, I heard that Commander Xue made great contributions by deploying two heavy artillery pieces on Yuelu Mountain. It would be great if we could also seize two heavy artillery pieces." Li Wenying also agreed because there was already a precedent.

"Yeah." Kong Jie nodded.

"Come to think of it, doesn't the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army have this kind of heavy artillery?! These little devils are a bit too arrogant,

They actually dared to set up the artillery position in an open area. Aren't they afraid that the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army will also fire a few shells at them? "Li Wenying was a little curious.

"Probably not. The Shanxi-Suiyuan Army cannot produce heavy artillery of this level, and it will require a lot of money to purchase it." Kong Jie shook his head.

If you want to build such a powerful heavy artillery, the cost will be astronomical just thinking about it. What's more, it cannot be built domestically.

The Central Army’s heavy howitzers were purchased from abroad at great expense. They may not be manufactured, but they must be available.

"Yes, the Japanese brigade-level troops can only be equipped with two guns. It can be seen from this that this kind of heavy artillery is extremely expensive for the Japanese." Li Wenying said.

If the Japanese could easily build a heavy howitzer of such power, then it would not only be equipped to the brigade-level troops, but also to the regiment-level, and even the battalion-level would want to have one.

Of course, transporting such howitzers also requires a lot of manpower and material resources, which battalion-level troops cannot afford.

.........

At the headquarters, Commander Yan was also startled when he heard the deafening explosion, and dust was shaken off the roof.

"Damn it, the Japs, they brought in the heavy howitzers too?!" Commander Yan couldn't help but curse. As soon as he heard the explosion, he knew what was going on!
The Japs must have brought the heavy howitzers with them as well.

"That should be correct. It will probably be difficult to fight on the front line!" Commander Zhang said with a serious expression.

When the Japanese attacked Taiyuan, they also used this level of heavy howitzers. He had witnessed with his own eyes how powerful they were.

One artillery shell can destroy many houses and even create a huge hole the size of a basketball court on the ground. It is extremely powerful.

"It's a pity that we can't make this kind of cannon, otherwise, why would the Japanese be so arrogant! The one above,
We spent tens of millions of dollars to buy dozens of heavy artillery pieces from abroad, but we didn't get any, they were all in the hands of our own troops." Commander Yan was also somewhat helpless.

How could that person possibly give them such a heavy artillery? It would be ok to loan it to them for use, but as for giving it to them, they'd better stop dreaming.

In the afternoon, the devils from the other two directions also launched attacks on the positions of the Shanxi Suiyuan Army. These devils also had heavy howitzers in their hands, causing huge casualties to the Shanxi Suiyuan Army. Throughout the day, the devils from the three directions launched attacks one after another, and they were also stubbornly resisted by the Shanxi Suiyuan Army!
.........

"Division Commander, the resistance of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army is very fierce, and there are quite a few people participating in the battle. This means that they must have reinforcements behind them! Otherwise, they would never dare to confront us head-on." The Japanese regiment commander analyzed.

Judging from the number of people involved in the battle, this should not be a force sent by the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army to simply carry out a blocking operation.

"Well, this must be the Northeast Army that will come to cooperate with the other side." Matsushita Renkyu nodded. He didn't expect that the plan would go much more smoothly than he imagined.

"Send a telegram to Division Commander Nakajima immediately and tell him that the situation here with the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army is extremely fierce. It is obvious that the other side has reinforcements." Matsushita Renkyu said with a serious face.

He could already imagine the scene of annihilating the Northeast Army. This army had always caused them huge losses here, and this time they could finally destroy the enemy.

"Hi!" The Japanese regiment commander quickly called the telegraph operator to send a telegram.

"Send a telegram to the troops in the other two directions, telling them to be careful of the enemy's sneak attack! Don't let the enemy's sneak attack succeed!" Matsushita Renkyu continued to give orders. He knew that since the enemy chose to attack, there was a high probability that they would launch a sneak attack on them.

Therefore, they must guard against the enemy's sneak attacks and not give the enemy any opportunity to take advantage!

"I understand!" The Japanese captain nodded in response!

.........

At the same time, the 16th Division was about 70 or 80 miles away from the 20th Division. They did not dare to get too close to avoid being discovered by the enemy.

By then, their plans would be ruined.

Nakajima Imao was in the tent, staring at the huge sand table in front of him and began to calculate the possible attack positions of the enemy.

After several calculations, he concluded that the enemy would most likely choose to launch an attack from the rear of the 20th Division.

"Division Commander, the 20th Division sent a telegram!" The Japanese brigade commander hurried in with a telegram.

"Is it good news?!" Nakajima Imao took it, but did not check it immediately. Instead, he asked.

Because he was worried that the content of the telegram was not what he wanted to see.

"It's good news. The telegram says that the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army's resistance is fierce and a large number of people are participating in the battle. It is impossible that they are a blocking force! This is very telling, division commander!" At the end of his speech, the Japanese brigade commander could no longer suppress the smile on his face.

"Hahaha, yo! Now it is basically certain that the Northeast Army will definitely bring the New 1st Regiment and the Independent Regiment to attack!" Nakajima Imao laughed.

This time, not only can the Northeast Army be eliminated, but the Independent Regiment and the New 1st Regiment can also be eliminated. Moreover, the 358th Regiment will not be able to hold out for long.

"Division Commander, our mission here this time will be completed soon." The Japanese brigade commander also said happily.

"Not so fast. There is also the Eighth Route Army. We are not here just to deal with the Northeastern Army." Nakajima Imao said slowly. As long as they can destroy the Northeastern Army, the remaining enemies will be no problem for them.

"As for the Eighth Route Army, they can't cause any trouble without the help of the Northeast Army!" said the commander of the Japanese brigade. He still looked down upon this army that could only fight guerrilla warfare.

"That's not the case. They still have a certain level of combat effectiveness. At least they are stronger than the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army." Nakajima Imao said.

The reason why they chose to attack the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army to train their troops was that they felt it was easier to attack the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, while there were still some troubles with the Eighth Route Army.

"What the division commander said is right. When do you think the Northeast Army will launch a surprise attack on the 20th Division?!" asked the commander of the Japanese brigade.

"It should be a few days before they take action. After all, if they take action too early, they will have to face more people. So, Mu Jin will probably choose to sit on the mountain and watch the fight for the time being, and wait for the 20th Division to relax their vigilance before taking the opportunity to take action!" Nakajima Imao thought about it and then expressed his guess!
.........

Around six o'clock in the evening, the sun set, and the setting sun dyed the entire battlefield red. A breeze blew, rolling up a few fallen leaves. Corpses were lying on the battlefield of the floating city.

There were Japanese soldiers as well as soldiers from the 358th Regiment. The air was filled with smoke and the smell of blood, which was disgusting.

After a day of fierce attack, the Japanese still failed to capture the position of the 358th Regiment and suffered a lot of casualties. Therefore, they had to choose to temporarily cease fire.

Of course, the 358th Regiment was not having a good time either, suffering heavy casualties throughout the day.

In the trenches, the soldiers from the kitchen squad carried large pots of cooked meat porridge and began to feed the soldiers.

Only when they were at war could they eat meat for every meal, even though it was only minced meat, but for them, it was already very satisfying.

Many of the surviving recruits had their eyes numb after a day of fighting. Their faces were dirty and their clothes were covered in dust and blood, some of which was from the Japanese and some of which was their own.

Today's battle made the new recruits understand the cruelty of war. It can easily take away anyone's life, or rather, it can take away most people's lives.

Watching those familiar faces leave one by one, the recruits felt an indescribable sadness in their hearts. They wanted to cry, but they couldn't.

In the city gate tower, in the temporary operations room.

"Commander, the statistics are out. A total of 158 soldiers died at the North Gate today, and 86 were seriously injured! Those with minor injuries were not counted!" Fang Ligong held a casualty report in his hand and read out the data in a serious tone.

Among the eighty-six seriously injured people, a small half may not survive tonight. Their casualties reached more than two hundred in one day.

"What about the casualties at other city gates? Have they been counted?!" Chu Yunfei asked after hearing this. The casualties were within his expectations.

If the casualties at the other three city gates were the same as at the north gate, then they would have sacrificed thousands of people today!
The 358th Regiment had more than 4,000 people, and today we lost a quarter of them. It can be said that the casualties were heavy.

"We're already counting, and we'll probably have news soon!" Fang Ligong said.

"Well, then just wait." Chu Yunfei nodded.

"Commander, thousands of people died in one day. The casualties are a bit too high." Fang Ligong looked heartbroken.

It took a lot of effort to build the 358th Regiment to a size of more than 4,000 people, but now it's lost thousands of people. The strength has dropped too quickly.

It cannot be said that their strength has declined. Generally speaking, as new recruits gain experience, they become veterans. Their strength has increased, but their number has decreased.

"We're having a hard time, and the situation on the Japanese side isn't much better. We've killed at least four or five hundred Japanese today!" Chu Yunfei said slowly.

We can't just look at the surface of things. Besides, they have already held on until the end of today's battle, and Xu Qingfeng will attack the Japanese tonight.

(End of this chapter)