The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 349: The Mine Show
"Yes! Sir, according to the intelligence we have, the Chinese army's key defensive passes, Banbi Mountain and Tianjia Town, should be ahead. Although our fleet has just destroyed the enemy's Fuchikou Fort, we must be careful if we launch an attack on the Banbi Mountain line!"

Although the naval lieutenant commander reminded Masaichi Tsuboi to be careful, his tone and eyes were full of excitement and arrogance.

In just a few dozen minutes, a relatively sturdy Chinese military fortress equipped with many artillery pieces was completely destroyed by the Japanese fleet's extremely fierce artillery fire. After achieving such a dazzling result, it was impossible for the Japanese fleet to continue fighting with a cautious attitude.

Tsuboi nodded and said, "Well, we should be more careful, but based on the experience of the attack on the Fuchikou Fort, the Chinese army's river defense fortress is solid, but the artillery it is equipped with is insufficient. I have observed the explosion effect of the enemy's shells falling on the river surface during the bombardment just now. Most of them were 75mm caliber artillery. The Chinese should have pulled the army's mountain artillery to the fort. This kind of land artillery is completely unsuitable for anti-ship combat missions. However, the fighting spirit of the Chinese army on the fort is very tenacious."

An officer echoed: "In the face of the artillery fire of my Imperial Navy, no matter what kind of artillery the Chinese army is equipped with, it will eventually be reduced to dust!"

Looking at the Fuchikou Tousai shrouded in smoke and flames, Tsuboi Masakazu smiled and ordered: "Order the fleet to speed up, with the minesweepers leading the way. If I remember correctly, the Yangtze River channel near Banbi Mountain will quickly narrow to 500 meters in width, and the fleet will not be able to advance in a horizontal formation. When the fleet reaches the narrowing of the river, change the fleet formation to a single column, with one minesweeper in front, four destroyers following behind, and the remaining four minesweepers following behind the four destroyers."

"According to intelligence, the Chinese have also built forts and artillery batteries in Banbi Mountain and Tianjia Town. Compared to Tianjia Town, Banbi Mountain is further forward. As our fleet advances, it is inevitable that we will first come into contact with the Chinese troops guarding Banbi Mountain. At present, it seems that the Chinese army's fortress artillery fire is not to be feared, but we must be careful of their mines. Tell the minesweepers that are clearing the way to carefully search for mines in the river and clear the channel for the fleet."

The major stood at attention and said, "Yes, sir, I will send a telegram to all the ships immediately."

Tsuboi Masa nodded and said, "Well, the entire fleet should set sail as soon as possible and speed up!"

In this way, under the command of Captain Masakazu Tsuboi of the Yaeyama, the flagship of the Japanese minesweeper fleet, a small fleet consisting of five minesweepers and four destroyers quickly stopped the attack on the Fuchikou fortress battery after the huge explosion of the Fuchikou battery ammunition depot.

The rain-like falling bombs and continuous explosions on the Fuchikou Fort came to an abrupt end. Then, the nine Japanese warships, which had achieved the tactical goal of destroying the Fuchikou Fort, sailed away in the billowing smoke of the Fuchikou Fort. The nine minesweepers and destroyers that had entered the shelling quickly adjusted their scattered formation to a sailing search formation with the minesweepers in front and the destroyers in the back, and headed back to the center of the Yangtze River.

However, after returning to the center of the river, the Japanese fleet did not return, but continued to accelerate toward the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. As long as the Japanese ships continued to travel a few more kilometers, they would enter He Wei's Banbishan defense zone.

In the observation post at the front line of the 18th Division, the deputy commanders Luo Guangwen and Zhao Zhanhai were both shocked by the swift actions of the Japanese ships, especially Zhao Zhanhai. He was originally planning how to make the Japanese ships leave as quickly as possible after laying mines in the rich inland waterway, or what kind of tactical deception methods should be used to encourage the Japanese fleet to continue advancing upstream towards Banbi Mountain.

But Zhao Zhanhai didn't expect that he didn't need to use any tactical deception at all. Before even the mines in the Fu Shui River were laid, the Japanese ships withdrew on their own initiative and began to attack towards Banbi Mountain in a hurry.

Luo Guangwen, the deputy commander of the 18th Division, was an honest man. When he saw the Japanese warships heading towards Banbi Mountain, he immediately reminded Zhao Zhanhai, "Brother, the Japanese warships are heading towards your Banbi Mountain. Hurry up and make a phone call to remind your Captain He."

Although Zhao Zhanhai was somewhat shocked by the departure of the Japanese warships, he was more excited as "after searching high and low for something, finally he found it without any effort". As he held up a telescope and watched the Japanese fleet go away, the corners of Zhao Zhanhai's mouth curled up, leaving Luo Guangwen standing beside him completely confused.

Putting down the telescope, Zhao Zhanhai immediately nodded excitedly to Luo Guangwen and said, "Deputy Division Commander Luo, although the Japanese ships have left Fuchikou, the mines still need to be laid. Please send someone to cover the mine-laying team in laying mines. I will inform Captain He of the movement of the Japanese ships."

After saying that, Zhao Zhanhai excitedly ran to the phone and called the Banbishan Garrison Command.

Looking at Zhao Zhanhai who excitedly rushed to the field telephone, Luo Guangwen felt very strange. Thinking of Zhao Zhanhai's suspenseful answer when he had asked Banbishan how to fight against the attacking Japanese ships, Luo Guangwen felt even more confused.

However, Zhao Zhanhai's various performances made Luo Guangwen feel that the Japanese fleet's journey to Banbi Mountain would probably not be as smooth as the attack on the Fuchikou Fortress.

In the command post of the Banbishan Garrison Command, He Wei hung up the phone with a red face, paced a few steps in the command post excitedly, laughed a few times and said to Wang Yuanling, the chief of staff of the assault corps: "Brother Yuanling, the Japanese are really anxious. There are a total of nine warships. After bombing the artillery fort at Fuchikou, they didn't stop for long and came directly towards us."

"Captain, all the artillery units on Banbi Mountain are ready for combat shooting, and the naval mine team has also completed combat preparations. All operations of my headquarters have entered their positions. I have also notified Commander Ma Ji of the friendly forces. Now we are just waiting for the Japanese ships to arrive and we can attack them according to the predetermined combat plan. However, the Japanese ships are powerful after all, and they have just destroyed the Fuchikou Fort. We still have to be extremely careful after a victory."

Wang Yuanling said solemnly, his face full of worry. The Fuchikou Fort was completely destroyed by the bombardment of nine Japanese ships in less than an hour, which really shocked Wang Yuanling. He was also full of trepidation about the upcoming Japanese fleet and the upcoming anti-ship combat.

He Wei waved his hand and said, "We have been on alert every day since we arrived at Banbi Mountain for garrison. Now that the Japanese warships are coming, we must have the courage and confidence to defeat the enemy. Besides, we have studied the tactics of the Japanese warships thoroughly. The artillery equipment of our Banbi Mountain Fortress is not comparable to that of the Fuchikou Fortress. If these nine Japanese warships want to use the same trick again, then we will make sure they go without return!"

At this time, all the troops under the Banbi Mountain Garrison Command under the command of He Wei had already entered their respective combat positions and were ready to fight the enemy. The task of confronting the Japanese ships on the river was naturally undertaken by the artillery and naval artillery on Banbi Mountain.

何炜现在的信心满满可不是无的放矢，拿可以用于对江面军舰射击的炮兵来说，布置在半壁山上的炮兵群计有突击总队炮兵营的两個山炮连和一个战车防御炮连，分别配备6门日式94式75毫米山炮、6门俄造m1909式76毫米山炮以及6门俄造45毫米战车防御炮。胡日贞所部陆军机械化重炮兵第十团第二营，配备8门德国造sfh18型150毫米重型榴弹炮。

In addition, there is the naval artillery team under Lei Zhongwei's command, which is equipped with a Japanese-made Taisho 120th Type 76mm naval gun, a Japanese-made 57mm dual-purpose gun, two 20mm machine guns and a mm Oerlikon machine gun.

Compared with the Fuchikou Fort that had just been destroyed by Japanese warships, the artillery models on the Banbishan Fort were newer, with greater power and caliber.

Moreover, most of the artillery positions and gun positions of the Banbishan Fortress are built on the mountain. Most of the permanent gun positions have all-directional shielding and protection functions, and their protection performance is actually far stronger than that of the Fuchikou Fort. Those temporary non-permanent gun positions have been extremely well reinforced under He Wei's painstaking efforts during this period, and the overall protection level is also very good.

In short, the current Banbi Mountain is a large fire hedgehog covered with artillery of various calibers, and its firepower is far greater than the Fuchikou Fortress that was just destroyed by the Japanese fleet.

He Wei smiled and patted Wang Yuanling on the shoulder, saying, "Brother Yuanling, relax a little. Fighting is also about mentality. As long as you stay calm, the situation will not be bad no matter what. By the way, have the firepower plans of each unit been issued?"

Seeing that He Wei was still so calm and composed in the face of an imminent battle, Wang Yuanling was also infected and put aside other distractions and replied: "The firepower plan has been issued. According to the range, the Japanese-made Type 94 mountain gun and the Soviet-made Type 1909 mountain gun are the first firepower echelon, the mm tank defense gun is the second firepower echelon, and all the remaining artillery is the concealed firepower echelon. The artillery of each firepower echelon has completed the first loading!"

He Wei said viciously: "Okay! We have prepared the dishes for the table. Now we just have to wait for the devils to come to the table. Brother Yuan Ling, call the chief officers of each artillery unit and tell them to keep calm and obey orders. Keep a close eye on the devil warships on the river. Also tell the mine team, tell the commander of the Navy Mine Team that the artillery will play the leading role in today's battle, and the main task of the Navy Mine Team is to act. But it doesn't matter, as long as the Navy Mine Team follows my orders, I will commend them after the battle!"

"Yes! I will personally contact Captain Chen and Captain Hu by phone."

He Wei's confidence came from the firepower plan mentioned by Wang Yuanling. He Wei had already learned enough about the Japanese warships' attack on the Fuchikou Fort from the battle report sent by the 18th Division.

Simply put, the defensive tactics adopted by the artillery commander of the Fuchikou Fortress garrison was to organize the artillery on the fort into multiple echelons according to the different ranges of the artillery on the fort. When the Japanese ships entered the range of the artillery in each echelon, they would open fire and attack the Japanese ships.

The attack tactics adopted by the commander of the Japanese fleet against the Fuchikou Fort emphasized "forbearance" and "outburst," that is, they calmly advanced towards the fort under the various waves of artillery fire from the Fuchikou Fort. After all the guns of the Fuchikou Fort started firing, the Japanese fleet showed their true colors and carried out concentrated fire at close range, eventually achieving the goal of destroying the coastal artillery of the Fuchikou Fort in a short period of time.

Based on the battle process of Fuchikou Fort, He Wei also adopted similar tactics as the artillery units of Fuchikou Fort and organized the artillery units on Banbi Mountain into three echelons.

其中第一梯次为突击总队炮兵营的94式75毫米山炮与苏俄造m1909式76毫米山炮，第二梯次为突击总队炮兵营战车防御炮连的45毫米战车防御炮，而150毫米机械化重炮营和海军炮队的火炮则被编为隐蔽火力梯队。

According to this firepower plan, when Japanese ships approached, the first and second firepower echelons would open fire as soon as the Japanese ships entered the specified range.

In this way, the Japanese ships would naturally be given the illusion that the artillery of the Banbishan Fortress had adopted the same tactics as the artillery of the Fuchikou Fortress, and tactical deception could be carried out to induce the Japanese ships to repeat the old tactics and adopt the tactics of advancing and concentrating fire on Banbishan.

However, when the Japanese ships approached Banbi Mountain, He Wei would use the heavy artillery of the hidden firepower team to suddenly open fire.

By then, the mechanized heavy artillery battalion's German-made SFH18 150mm howitzers and the naval artillery team's naval guns will surely give the Japanese fleet a very good taste!

After Wang Yuanling left, He Wei returned to the hidden observation post of the command post and looked at the surface of the Yangtze River which was extremely calm but was about to become no longer calm.

On the Yangtze River, in the command tower of the Japanese fleet's flagship Yaeyama, a major officer pointed to the Yangtze River waterway that suddenly narrowed in the distance and said to the fleet commander Tsuboi Masaichi: "Sir, the width of the river ahead has begun to narrow. According to the navigation chart, after passing this bend, we will soon enter the defense area of ​​the enemy's Banbishan Fortress. The width of the river ahead is not wide enough to accommodate two warships advancing in parallel. Sir, should we start changing the fleet formation now?"

Tsuboi nodded and said, "According to the original plan, start changing the fleet formation."

"Yes!"

The nine Japanese warships on the river quickly began to change their formation. The five minesweepers and four destroyers changed from the original multi-layer horizontal formation to a single column formation with one minesweeper in front, four destroyers following behind, and the remaining four minesweepers following behind the four destroyers.

Immediately afterwards, after completing the formation change, the Japanese fleet began to slow down, and one ship after another began to pass through the narrow bend in the river, slowly sailing towards Banbi Mountain.

Since He Wei had already deployed a large number of observation posts on the river bank of the entire Banbishan defense zone, the first ship of the Japanese fleet was spotted by the observation posts on the shore as soon as it passed the turn. After discovering the Japanese ship, these observation posts immediately reported the appearance of the Japanese ship to the command post of the Banbishan garrison headquarters by telephone.

Therefore, almost at the same time when the first ship of the Japanese fleet passed the bend in the river, He Wei in the Banbishan Command Post also received a report from the observation post. Then, He Wei received continuous reports from the observation post about Japanese ships passing the bend.

At this time, the Japanese ships that had passed the turn had actually entered the range of the artillery on Banbi Mountain, and even entered the visual range of He Wei's observation using the telescope and artillery mirror. However, they had not yet reached the scheduled firing range of the first and second echelons of artillery. Therefore, the artillery on Banbi Mountain remained silent and did not fire a single shot.

When the sixth ship in the Japanese fleet passed the bend in the river, the lead ship in the single-column formation of the Japanese fleet was less than 8,000 meters away from Banbi Mountain. At this time, He Wei also answered the phone to the Navy Mine Squadron Command Post.

Although the backbone of He Wei's tactical deception, luring the enemy and launching firepower strikes against the Japanese fleet was the artillery scattered across half of the mountain, as the saying goes, a show must be done in its entirety, and mines also played an important role in his tactical deception plan.

While He Wei was using mountain artillery and tank defense guns to tactically deceive the Japanese ships' shooting, he also used the mines in the river to stage a drama with the mines and the Japanese fleet to increase the authenticity of this tactical deception.

To be precise, the first shot in this battle and tactical deception was actually fired by the Navy's mine team.

As soon as He Wei answered the phone, the voice of the commander of the Navy's mine team came from the intercom.

"Hey, report to the commander. Our mine team is ready for battle and can be detonated at any time. Please give your instructions!"

He Wei said sternly: "When the Japanese warships are one kilometer away from the mine blockade line set up by your unit, detonate the mines immediately! The first shot of this battle will be left to you."

"Yes! Sir, just wait and see. All the mines laid by our navy mine-laying team have been tampered with. I will definitely scare these little Japanese devils and put on a good show!"

He Wei said, "Okay, I'll leave it to you. Haha, your mines will definitely not hit the Japanese warships in this battle, but your merit in deceiving the enemy is no less than your merit in killing them. Do a good job and keep a close eye on them!"

"Sir, don't worry!"

On the river, the lead ship of the Japanese fleet, the 1200-ton Japanese Navy minesweeper Xinshan, was sailing cautiously on the river that was only more than 120 meters wide. The mm large-caliber naval gun on the bow was already vigilantly aimed at Banbi Mountain that appeared in the sight of the Japanese sailors. The huge minesweepers hanging on both sides of the warship were also in operation. The Japanese minesweepers on the side of the warship were all nervously watching the river.

Just as the Xinshan was sailing cautiously on the river, suddenly, a violent explosion was heard on the river one kilometer away from the Xinshan. A column of water rose from the river with a loud bang. The violent explosion even caused the hull of the Xinshan to tremble violently.

"It's a mine!"

The Japanese sailors on the Xinshan shouted one after another.

(End of this chapter)