Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 23: Those guys actually used coverage fire?

"Artillery fire... take cover..."

"Hidden...hidden..."

The sudden artillery barrage caught the Japanese troops off guard, and the Japanese squad was instantly engulfed in artillery fire.

In this ruin ravaged by artillery fire, several dilapidated buildings still stand, like torn-up giant beasts, overlooking the surrounding horrific scene from above.

The crumbling walls had almost completely collapsed, revealing rusty yellow earth and war-eroded stones. Thick gunpowder smoke filled the air, pungent and oppressive, as if every breath was consuming the last hope of the Japanese soldiers.

The shelling lasted for ten minutes before abruptly stopping. Once the smoke cleared, the scene of the shelling was finally revealed to everyone.

More than a dozen corpses lay scattered on the uneven ground. Just over ten minutes ago, the arrogant and domineering Japanese soldiers were now reduced to a deathly silence.

The uniforms of these dead Japanese soldiers were already soaked in blood, intertwined with the weapons scattered around them, creating a terrifying and desperate scene of iron and flesh.

Not far away, a wounded man was howling in pain. He twisted his body and tried to struggle, but could only lean helplessly against a corner of the ruins and call for help from his companions.

The anxiety and fear on his face reflected the despair in the hearts of this Japanese squad of soldiers.

Unable to find shelter from the sudden shelling, they could only huddle together, covering their heads with their hands to minimize exposure.

These experienced Japanese soldiers knew that when they were shelled, running around and shouting would only send them to meet Amaterasu sooner. The only thing they could do was to squat down and pray that they wouldn't be so unlucky.

"This squad is finished!"

Seeing the miserable state of the squad in the distance, Hasegawa's eyes widened, a hint of pain and disbelief flashing in them.

He never expected that in just ten minutes, a small team would be wiped out right in front of him.

Of course, once an official reaches his rank, he wouldn't even flinch at the casualties of a small squad, let alone a company or even a battalion falling before his eyes.

The problem now is that this squad disappeared without even seeing a glimpse of the enemy. How are they supposed to write a report after the battle?
The sudden cessation of shelling created a moment of silence, which made the Japanese troops, accustomed to the deafening roar, feel somewhat disoriented.

Soon, the panting company commander ran over and shouted, "Reporting to Colonel, the shelling just now resulted in 18 dead and 26 wounded in the second squad, 17 of whom were seriously wounded."

Hasegawa fell silent. A typical Japanese Army infantry squad consisted of about 50 men, divided into three infantry platoons, one grenade launcher platoon (equipped with 2-3 Type 89 grenade launchers), and three Type 11 light machine guns.

With 44 casualties already, the squad has completely lost its fighting capacity, further straining its already limited manpower.

"idiot!"

Hasegawa's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the towering top of the church in the distance. He said, word by word, "Pass down the order: after we capture that church, spare the life of that Chinese commander. I want to cut off his flesh piece by piece and let him leave this world in the most painful way."

"Hai!"

After the company commander responded loudly, he asked, "Colonel, shall we begin the attack ahead of schedule?"

Hasegawa understood what the company commander meant. Originally, due to insufficient manpower, they planned to wait for reinforcements to arrive before launching an attack.

But the situation is different now. A whole squad has been wiped out. If he doesn't do something, and the news gets back to the higher-ups, it will have a huge impact on his reputation. "Yosh!"

Hasegawa gave the company commander an approving look. "Immediately order the first and third squads to launch an attack. Make a big commotion, but be careful not to push too far forward. I feel that the Chinese army in the church is very strange."

"Hai."

With a command given, the Japanese troops finally stopped waiting and launched an attack.

This was typically how Japanese army company-level attacks were conducted during World War II.

They typically divide infantry squads into three groups (each group consisting of 3 to 4 people), forming a "triangle" or "wedge" formation.

These three groups were further divided into an assault group (frontline) responsible for frontal assaults or infiltration, a support group (flanks) to suppress enemy fire with light machine guns or grenade launchers, and a reserve group (rear) to replenish casualties or expand the breach.

The first wave of attack usually involves one or two squads that quickly approach the enemy position, throwing grenades to create chaos. The second wave takes the opportunity to advance and expand the gains, followed by the third wave that follows to occupy the position and deal with enemy counterattacks or consolidate the occupied area.

With superior firepower and individual soldier quality compared to the Chinese army, the Japanese army was almost invincible in the early stages of the war using this tactic.

Faced with the integrated land, sea, and air attacks of the Japanese army, the Chinese army could only suffer repeated defeats.

Li Gaoyuan, who was behind the observation post in the church wall, saw the faint figures of Japanese soldiers ahead and his face turned solemn.

He took a deep breath, turned to Su Yaoyang and said, "Brother Su, this time the Japanese are serious."

Seeing the Japanese troops advancing towards the church, Su Yaoyang, who was experiencing battle for the first time, should have been afraid. But for some reason, he was not afraid at all, but instead felt eager to try.

He laughed and blurted out a curse: "What's there to be afraid of? At worst, we'll die here together with our brothers."

Since the Japanese are serious, let's have a go at it. I want to see if they have three heads and six arms.

"Signalman, order the artillery platoon to continue free-fire, give them a good beating!"

"Wait a minute..."

Li Gaoyuan immediately became anxious. This young master Su really was a spendthrift who didn't care about the consequences of his actions. The previous artillery barrage had already used up a whole number of shells. If they continued firing like this, they would run out of shells in less than an hour.

But before he could finish speaking, the communications soldier had already vanished in a flash. Calling him back to cancel the order would be a significant blow to Su Yaoyang's prestige.

"Sigh... Oh well..." Li Gaoyuan shook his head helplessly. Anyway, these weapons and ammunition were all obtained by Su Yaoyang, so let him waste them if he wants.

"day……"

“Day after day…”

"Boom boom boom..."

The artillerymen, upon receiving the order to fire freely, could hardly contain themselves. Under the command of their observers, they unleashed a barrage of bombardments on the Japanese troops ahead. Although the hit rate was appalling, even the worst aim can sometimes catch a dead mouse, and unlucky Japanese soldiers were frequently hit and fell by shells.

(End of this chapter)