People are shining their swords, secretly helping the Iron Triangle in Northwest Shanxi

Chapter 186 The Power of Shrapnel
The south gate of Xinxian County was blasted by the guard company before, and there was not enough time for repairs because of the wooden gate.

Of course, it is possible to block it by stacking sandbags, etc., but Chen Ziyun did not do so.

With the continuous bombardment of the Japanese artillery, the South City Gate was instantly destroyed, and a gap appeared directly here.

As long as the little devil can advance to the south gate at this time, he can easily enter the city.

Major General Tsuda Mitake, head of the Independent Mixed Fourth Brigade, was conducting the operations in person. When he saw this scene, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"This Jinsui army is really arrogant to a certain extent, they didn't completely block the south gate."

"Do they think that our troops will never be able to advance to the South City Gate?"

"They made a fatal mistake, so let the warriors of the empire, with sharp bayonets, let them repent in hell."

"The warriors of the empire, kill them, rush into the city quickly, and completely annihilate their troops."

Tsuda Mitake drew his saber, and he swung it forward.

The second, third, and fourth brigades of 3000 troops, already prepared for the independent field battle, quickly moved forward.

They are organized in brigades and advance in three echelons, with a certain distance between each brigade.

Of course, when these brigades charged, they didn't push forward in a swarm.

There are distances between them, front, back, left, and right. These Japanese troops fight in squadrons.

Each squadron has its own area of ​​attack, and within the corresponding area, each squadron advances completely dispersed.

Because these little devils were stationed in the Xinxian County area before, they are very familiar with the surrounding terrain.

Therefore, each squadron generally adopts a triangle attack formation.

One squad is in front, and two squads are advancing on both sides of the rear.

For a while, the entire outer area of ​​the south city wall of the county seat was densely packed with troops of little devils.

They advanced very fast, and as they got closer, the little devils began to pause and set up various heavy weapons.

The Japanese army has a strong ability to summarize. After the battle, they will summarize their lessons and absorb the reasons for their failures.

The Independent Mixed Fourth Brigade fought fiercely with the Independent 48th Brigade several times, and they have killed more than 1000 people so far.

Under such circumstances, they summarized the operational characteristics of the independent 48th Brigade and made targeted deployments based on these characteristics.

The artillery squadrons directly under the three field brigades are completely dispersed.

One infantry gun and one rapid-fire gun completely opened the distance, and actively built a bunker.

When advancing to less than 800 meters from the outer positions, the machine gun squadrons under the three field brigades also began to set up machine gun positions.

In the past, when the little devils attacked, the heavy machine guns of their machine gun squadrons were deployed in a concentrated manner.

This way they provide cover fire and can focus fire to launch an attack.

The little devils usually face troops that lack sufficient artillery. They have a machine gun squadron with twelve heavy machine guns, and they can completely grasp an overwhelming advantage.

Twelve heavy machine guns focused their fire on the battlefield to suppress and fire fiercely. It is conceivable that it is almost difficult for the defenders to find a chance to counterattack.

But now the 48th Brigade of the Jinsui Army facing the Japanese army has a strong firepower configuration.

The 358th regiment has six Jin orogenic cannons directly under it, and the reserve 11th regiment has an artillery battalion under its jurisdiction.

Moreover, each battalion has 81MM and 82MM caliber mortars, which pose a great threat to the Japanese heavy machine guns.

So now the little devil's heavy machine guns are not setting up positions in a centralized manner, they are also scattered, and they immediately build bunkers.

"The front is the outer position. Each squadron sent an advance team to attack and attract them to expose their firepower."

"The cover team paid close attention to the dynamics of the position. After discovering the light machine guns and submachine guns of the Jinsui Army, they immediately launched firepower strikes."

"Special shooters, light machine gun shooters, grenadiers, we must completely kill the main firepower shooters of the Jinsui Army!"

"The grenade shooter pays attention to concealed shooting and maneuvers at any time to avoid being destroyed by the firepower of the Jinsui Army."

At about 12:500, the [-]th Field Battalion advanced to a position less than [-] meters away from the outer positions.

The captains of the four infantry squadrons immediately issued combat orders.

According to the previous combat summary, the little devil has changed his combat tactics.

When each squadron is close to the position, they will send a squad to act as the advance squad.

The advance team is mainly responsible for luring the Jinsui Army to fire on the position, exposing the location of their firepower.

The remaining two teams acted as cover teams, and they would quickly launch a fire attack after the Jinsui Army exposed its position.

The Independent 48th Brigade gave full play to its weapon advantages in several battles.

They waited until the little devils' assault troops approached, and concentrated the light machine guns and submachine guns of each squad to shoot violently.

Platoons of grenadiers, battalions of heavy machine guns, and mortars provided cover.

All the riflemen started shooting around light machine guns and submachine guns.

Many little devils still attacked according to the old routine, and a large number of riflemen charged with rifles with bayonets installed, wanting to start hand-to-hand combat.

However, at a distance of tens of meters, the firepower network formed by a large number of light machine guns and submachine guns easily suppressed their advance and caused them heavy losses.

Various other weapons are light machine guns, grenades and other weapons that suppress the rear of the Japanese army, making them unable to effectively support the Japanese infantry in front.

After summarizing, the little devil found a solution.

They sent a small number of troops to attack and lure the defenders to expose their firepower in advance, while the main force launched an attack from the rear.

In this way, the Japanese army was able to give full play to their individual shooting skills, which caused heavy losses to the defenders.

It is well known that the little devil rifleman, machine gun shooter, and grenade shooter all have a high hit rate.

The most terrible thing is that these hit rates of the Japanese army are not achieved in training, but can be perfectly displayed in actual combat.

The independent mixed fourth brigade is organized according to the field troops. Not all of them are recruits, but there are a certain number of veterans.

And even for the recruits of the little devils, it is now 40 years, which means that they have enough time to train.

Only at the later stage of the war would the Japanese army recruit soldiers at will and quickly replenish them to the front line.

In the early stage, all their recruits will still undergo rigorous training before being added to each depot.

And when they are in the military depot, these recruits will arrange to see blood.

The little devils are very cruel. They will select prisoners of war and let these recruits undergo bayonet training.

Therefore, within tens of meters, the Jinsui Army can rely on its firepower superiority to shoot violently, causing casualties to the little devils.

However, in the face-to-face shooting over hundreds of meters, not to mention the second theater, it is all theaters. No unit can be an opponent of the Japanese army.

The four infantry squadrons under the 12th Field Battalion dispatched four advance squads successively, and more than 100 little devils quickly advanced towards the outer positions.

200 meters, 100 meters, 50 meters, the closer these little devils are to the position, the more cautious they are.

A large number of little devils behind are hiding in different positions. They hold different weapons and pay close attention to the situation in the outer positions.

As long as the outlying positions start shooting here, they will immediately launch fire suppression.

The captain of the Shaozuo brigade raised his binoculars to observe from behind, with a serious expression on his face.

He knew that this battle was of great importance, and if he could win, his morale would be improved.

But if you continue to lose battles, it will cause morale to continue to drop.

"Contact the artillery unit, the heavy machine gun unit, and get them ready for cover."

"Even if it is a waste of some ammunition, we must ensure that we can easily capture the outer positions."

"Communication Corps, contact the 13th and 14th Brigade Headquarters in the field, explain our thoughts here, and ask their troops to cooperate."

Captain Shaozuo took a deep breath and immediately gave the order.

All the little devil's weapons were ready to cover and shoot, but there was no movement in the outer positions.

When more than 12 little devils from the 100th Field Brigade advanced into the position, they did not encounter any firepower.

Chen Ziyun completely gave up on the deployment of the outer positions. All the little devil's prudence was in vain.

Captain Shao Zuo watched his troops enter the position without encountering any blows. He frowned with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Nani? They actually gave up their outlying positions. Do these Jinsui troops want to stick to the city and fight?"

"Or is it that they have no intention of defending Xinxian County at all, and once they are attacked by us, they will withdraw quickly just for symbolic resistance?"

"Order the attacking troops to move forward. If there are any signs of fleeing from the Jinsui army, a complete blockade will be carried out. They must not be allowed to escape!"

Major General Mitake Tsuda, head of the brigade, was also surprised, but he immediately issued a combat order.

After the 12th Field Brigade received the order, the captain of the Shaozuo Brigade did not hesitate, and he ordered the troops to advance quickly into the city.

The Jinsui Army and other troops defended the town, mainly on the periphery and the city wall.

Once the perimeter and the city wall positions are breached, fierce street fighting rarely occurs in the city.

Therefore, the Japanese army attacked the town, and basically entered the city to fight, which meant capturing the town.

Chen Ziyun gave up the outer positions, which made Tsuda Mitake have to suspect that the 11th Reserve Regiment was going to give up Xinxian County.

The head of the major general's brigade had such an idea, and the little devil who attacked in front would inevitably have such a guess.

"Warriors of the empire, advance quickly, lest this Jinsui army flee the county quickly."

"Hahaha, did you see that, these cowards also know that they can't bear the main attack of our brigade, and now they must retreat."

"Kill it, quickly enter the city, so that they have no chance to escape, and completely eliminate them."

"The Jinsui Army is still the Jinsui Army. They have achieved some results, but they still cannot change the fact that they are timid and afraid of fighting."

Several captains and squadron leaders of the 12th Field Battalion brandished sabers, and they shouted orders.

A large number of little devils began to accelerate towards the city wall. They were about to pass through the city gate and quickly enter the city to start fighting.

At a distance from them, the 13th Field Brigade and the 14th Field Brigade following behind also accelerated to follow.

Of course, these two brigades are still some distance away from the city wall, so their formation has not fully expanded.

At this time in the city, Chen Ziyun was directly observing from the city wall.

Even if Chen Ziyun, the acting regiment leader, was like this, Shi Yujia, the commander of the Sixth Battalion, who was in charge of the defense of the southern city wall, would naturally not hide behind.

"Communications, contact the artillery battalion and ask the observation team to provide the data of the little devils in the rear, and the artillery battalion will use shrapnel shells."

"Captain Shi, did you see that the little devil's tactics have changed. Fortunately, we didn't deploy defenses on the periphery."

"Otherwise, we will suffer a loss in this battle. You should immediately contact the first defensive position and start shooting at a distance of two to three hundred meters."

Chen Ziyun saw the actions of the Japanese army through the telescope, and then he quickly issued an order.

The signal soldier contacted the artillery unit immediately, and Shi Yuframe hurriedly arranged for the messenger to convey the order.

At around [-]:[-], a large number of little devils were still advancing towards the city gate.

But at this moment, without any warning, the artillery battalion began to shell.

Li Yang commanded six Bofors mountain guns, and Sun Xiong commanded five [-]-style mountain guns to start shooting.

The Artillery Observation Post is stationed for accurate measurement and provides relevant shooting data.

There are detailed shooting parameter tables for the second company of mountain artillery and five nine-four-type mountain artillery. They only need to find the corresponding card to quickly adjust the artillery to hit the target accurately.

The mountain cannons have continued to fight with six Bofors mountain cannons, and they have enough experience up to now.

However, according to the regulations, Li Yang still directed a company to start the test firing.

A shrapnel shot was fired first, and then the other five mountain cannons fired for verification.

Six rounds of shrapnel fired at the 13th Battalion of the Japanese Independent Field Fighting Group one after another.

The warheads of the shrapnel were timed fuzes, and one after another fell on the Japanese army and exploded.

With the sound of the explosion, the thin wall of the shrapnel shattered instantly.

The shock wave generated by the explosion of the gunpowder inside instantly released countless small steel balls and small steel arrows in the shrapnel.

For a moment, there was wailing in the little devil's army, and these small steel balls and small steel arrows pierced through the bodies of many Japanese soldiers in an instant.

Many wounded little devils fell to the ground and rolled back and forth, with painful expressions on their faces.

After the mountain cannon fired, the artillery battalion began to launch effective fire following the news from the artillery observation post.

One after another, shrapnel shells were fired from the Bofors Mountain Cannon and the Type [-] Mountain Cannon.

These shrapnel shells all adopted timed fuzes and exploded over the Japanese troops one after another.

A large number of small steel balls and small steel arrows quickly spread around, and the 13th Independent Field Battalion still adopted a relatively dense formation at this time.

For a while, countless little devils fell to the ground one after another, screaming like pigs being slaughtered.

A lieutenant and squadron leader had just drawn out his saber to direct the troops to disperse, but a small steel ball hit him in the eye instantly.

Bright red blood flowed out of the eyes, and the captain of the captain wailed in pain.

He couldn't help throwing away the saber and covering his injured eyes.

At this time, a shrapnel exploded near him.

Small steel balls and small steel arrows shot over in an instant, and the squadron leader of the captain opened his mouth.

He wanted to howl, but he didn't have any strength left.

Blood flowed out from his wound, and after a while, the squadron leader's whole body was stained with blood, and his body fell limply to the ground.

Six Bofors mountain guns fired a full sixty rounds of shrapnel.

The five [-]-style mountain guns fired forty rounds of shrapnel.

One hundred rounds of shrapnel caused the 13th Field Brigade to suffer heavy casualties.

Of the four squadron leaders, two were killed and one was seriously injured.

The only squadron leader who was not hit was because his subordinates tried their best to protect him, otherwise he might not have survived.

The artillery battalion's precise shelling this time caught the little devil off guard.

In the area where the 13th Field Brigade was located, there were corpses everywhere, and many little devils screamed in pain.

They killed more than 100 people, and more than 200 people were injured.

As for the more than 200 people, because the small steel balls and steel arrows were attacked from mid-air, they were mainly injured on the face and upper body.

Many people have completely lost their combat capabilities because of injuries to their eyes and hands.

Seeing this scene, the 14th Field Brigade at the back immediately dispersed and took cover. They were too frightened to continue advancing.

The Major Commander of the 14th Field Brigade was completely stunned in the rear, his eyes widened, looking at his troops in disbelief.

That is to say, when the artillery battalion stopped firing, the 12th Field Brigade was less than 300 meters away from the city wall.

The two infantry companies of the Sixth Battalion deployed here assembled eighteen Jin-made Czech light machine guns.

And as Chen Ziyun discovered that the Japanese army's main attack was placed on the southern city wall, the sixth battalion's machine gun company had four heavy machine guns made in Jin Dynasty, and all of them were transferred to join the battle.

22 light and heavy machine guns dug shooting holes in the city wall, and the battalion commander Shi Yujian gave the firing order.

Jin-made light and heavy machine guns fired, and a string of flames sprayed out.

The dense 6.5MM bullets hit the little devil like raindrops from a torrential rain.

The little devils of the 12th Field Brigade were completely dumbfounded.

First of all, they felt that the Jinsui army in the city might flee, and secondly, they thought that the Jinsui army would follow the previous routine and wait until they advanced tens of meters before shooting.

However, at a distance of more than 200 meters, a large number of light and heavy machine guns fired through the firing holes.

The dense bullets attacked, and a little devil who was still advancing forward was hit by the bullets instantly.

The 6.5MM bullet is not very lethal, but it has strong accuracy.

Bullets hit the little devil's body, and all the little devils fell into a pool of blood instantly.

"Hidden, hide quickly!"

"Grenade launcher, fire smoke grenades, cover their sight of shooting."

"Light machine guns, suppress their fire, the riflemen advance quickly."

The little devil officers took command quickly, and they gave orders quickly.

The light and heavy machine guns of the Sixth Battalion were still firing, and the little devils continued to suffer casualties.

However, as the grenade launchers fired smoke bombs quickly, the city wall was instantly filled with white smoke.

The sight of the shooters was obstructed, and it was temporarily impossible to start shooting.

At the same time, the little devil's light machine gun continued to suppress fire, and a large number of riflemen began to accelerate.

At this time, the tactics of the Japanese army returned to the previous routine.

A Japanese army corporal quickly installed a bayonet on the rifle, and they looked towards the city gate.

From their point of view, since they entered the city from here, the battle was over.

(End of this chapter)