Show the sword, start from the guerrillas

Chapter 460 Chapter 459, No One Can Be Missing

Li Yuexuan saw that the chief of staff was looking at the hillside where the bullet was, and didn't say anything, so he didn't bother him. He waved his hand and asked the experimenters to push some of the latest improved flying thunder shells over, as well as some long artillery grenades specially designed for 120mm heavy mortars.

The explosive power of the 82mm mortar's long-barrel grenade is equivalent to that of the 150mm heavy artillery shell. The super-caliber long-barrel grenade that is now equipped with the 120 heavy mortar is naturally more powerful. Because it is inserted into the barrel and then the fuse of the grenade is pulled, the long-barrel grenade can be fired at a low angle or flat.

Although Li Yuexuan had not tested the explosive power of the 120mm long artillery grenade, according to calculations, there would be no problem in half-collapse of the artillery tower with this one shot.

Li Yuexuan's action naturally awakened the chief of staff who was deep in thought. He looked at the experimenters who were loading the long-barreled grenade with interest and asked Li Yuexuan: "Is this the long-barreled grenade? And that one is the flying thunder cannon?"

"Yes, that's them! As for the Flying Thunder Cannon, its main power lies in the explosive part with a huge amount of powder. After it explodes, it relies entirely on the huge shock wave to destroy the enemy, and the fragments are not that important. And to launch it, you can put the part with the propellant tube into the barrel of the mortar, and use the angle adjustment of the mortar to determine the range."

"You can see there are several iron rods under the warhead, and there are tail fins on top, which are to keep it stable during flight! When launching, all you need to do is ignite it."

"Look at that large-caliber cannon grenade. Its super-caliber warhead is equivalent to the equivalent of a 200mm grenade. And the explosive rod at the back makes it even more powerful! This is also fired by pulling the trigger. If necessary, it can be laid flat to hit the enemy's artillery tower at a low angle. This requires some adjustments to the mortar."

After hearing Li Yuexuan's explanation, the chief of staff nodded with satisfaction, and then said: "During this period, the Japanese surrounded our base and built artillery towers and bunkers, and also equipped them with barbed wire and trenches to blockade us on a large scale. The troops below also tried to attack several artillery towers, but due to the lack of effective weapons, they suffered heavy casualties."

"In fact, when the team was attacking the turret, we really wished we had a barreled artillery that could fire horizontally and straight. If your long cannon grenade could be fired horizontally, it would be of great help to our subsequent battles. However, its power is a bit excessive, and it is also troublesome to carry."

"Chief of Staff, do you mean that there is a way to achieve multiple purposes with one shot?" Li Yuexuan asked.

"Do you have an idea?" asked the chief of staff.

"Have you forgotten our rocket launcher? Although it is less powerful, it is still usable to attack bunkers. Of course, if the team is in urgent need of a suitable one, then I will modify the 82 mortar! You only need to add a part that can be pulled and fired to the bottom of the mortar tube, and the mortar can be laid flat and fired, which is similar to the usage of a grenade launcher." Li Yuexuan thought of Director Zhao's invention.

"If it's possible, then it's done! A rocket launcher combined with a grenade launcher, a mortar that can fire horizontally, and a long-barreled grenade, plus the most powerful flying thunder cannon, and we'll have our artillery system!" The chief of staff did not doubt at all whether Li Yuexuan could do it, but was very happy to have such a result.

"Then our artillery will need a lot of training! What do you think, should we fire all of these out?" Li Yuexuan asked, pointing at the long-barreled grenades that had been prepared.

"Well... shoot two, one at 45 degrees, and one at 30 degrees. If you want to shoot at the turret, this angle is about right." The chief of staff said. "Comrades, come over here, two groups, I'll give you the latest order..." Li Yuexuan called people directly.

The firing of the two long-barreled grenades went very smoothly, and the nearby 82 mortar range was bombarded by two long-barreled grenades one after another. Then... the flying thunder cannon was not allowed to fire a single one, as it consumed too much explosives and was too expensive.

Seeing that the experiment was successfully completed, Minister Zhang interrupted the topic at the right time and took the chief of staff and Li Yuexuan to the factory's conference room and arranged sentries outside.

"The experiment was very successful! It is a good weapon that we urgently need!" In the conference room, the chief of staff gave a positive summary.

"Then, the next thing we have to face is the problem of how many 120 mortars and shells to produce!" Li Yuexuan took over the conversation and said, "After the things are made, who will use them? How should they be distributed? I can't control this. But I must know exactly how many to make."

"Haha..." Minister Zhang laughed, and then said: "Don't worry, your brigade will not be in trouble. Of course, don't worry about whether there are enough materials! Just build 200 guns first, and each gun should have a quota of at least 40 shells."

"200 mortars are not enough, absolutely not enough!" The chief of staff shook his head and said, "Such heavy mortars belong to the supporting firepower of the regiment level. Therefore, the headquarters artillery regiment must at least add a heavy mortar battalion, which is at least 24 mortars. Then each brigade of your 129th Division must have a heavy mortar company, with a requirement of 8 to 10 mortars."

"That's not enough. After all, our most frequently engaged unit is the regiment, so each regiment must have at least two 120mm heavy mortars to be able to fight against the enemy's regimental artillery! In the Hundred Regiments Campaign, we used more than 100 regiments, which means more than 200 mortars!"

"So, Comrade Lao Zhang, your arsenal must have a production capacity of at least 400 heavy mortars from this year to next summer! Only in this way can we make up for the shortcomings of the artillery's range and power. As for the shells? 40 shells per gun is a base number, but the shells must be produced as much as possible!"

"120 heavy mortars, 82 mortars, and 50 grenade launchers, this is our artillery system from the brigade, regiment, to the battalion and platoon. None of them can be missing! So, you have to feel the pressure!" said the chief of staff.

"Pressure is not a problem. As long as there are enough resources, we can open up production and ensure the needs of the team! By the way, Chief of Staff, how should we arrange artillery fire for those basic regiments and local regiments?" Li Yuexuan suddenly asked this question.

"The basic configuration of a regiment is two 82 mortars. If you want more, just seize them yourself! As for the local regiments, that depends on the ability of their commanders. We can't take care of them for the time being." The chief of staff looked at Li Yuexuan with a smile. He knew that the little guy was comparing the equipment level of his Beishan guerrillas, but he didn't point it out.

(End of this chapter)