Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 94 Artillery Battalion
Huang Guantao, as expected of an experienced officer, immediately identified the weakness of the 33rd Brigade.

Upon learning that the attacking Chinese army was an armored force, Kei Seya immediately thought of the artillery battalion and the independent heavy artillery battalion outside the city.

The latter, in particular, possessed four Type 89 150mm heavy guns. These were specially assigned to him by Division Commander Rensuke Isogai in order to ensure the successful capture of Fuji Prefecture. If anything were to happen to these four heavy guns, Isogai would definitely not let him off the hook.

Therefore, Keiji Seya immediately ordered the artillery battalion and the independent artillery battalion to retreat towards Linyi.

Some might ask, why not let the artillery enter Tengxian County? Wouldn't that be faster and more convenient?
Kei Seya had certainly considered this issue, but the current problem was that the Japanese army had just captured Teng County, and there were still remnants of soldiers putting up sporadic resistance inside the city.

If so many artillerymen were to enter the county town, there's no guarantee that some reckless deserter might rush out from the rooftop or stable with a bundle of explosives or a grenade, detonate it in the ammunition pile, and perish together with them.

Moreover, Tengxian is just a small county town with narrow streets. If the heavy artillery were to enter the town, there would be nowhere to run if anything happened. Seya Kei dared not take this risk, so he could only order the artillery battalion and the independent heavy artillery battalion to retreat to Linyi.

Since Tengxian has already been captured and the artillery has completed its mission, it is perfectly legitimate for them to join forces with the 10th Division.

Despite all his careful planning, Seya Kei forgot one thing.

The sudden downpour this morning thwarted his plans.

The Type 89 heavy gun, as the longest-range 150mm heavy gun in active service with the Japanese Army, was indeed incredibly powerful, but it was also the heaviest, weighing 10.4 tons, which meant it could only be towed by trucks.

During this period in China, apart from a handful of major cities, almost all roads were dirt roads, and especially after rain, the entire road would be submerged in water.

Currently, the mainstay of the Japanese Army's artillery towing is the Toyota KB truck, which has a maximum load capacity of only a paltry 1.5 tons.

The Type 89 artillery, weighing 10.4 tons, was already being pulled by a small horse, and now, with the heavy rain, it was even more difficult.

Less than half an hour later, all the vehicles of the independent heavy artillery battalion were submerged in mud and water.

If the independent heavy artillery battalion is in such a state, the artillery battalion operating alongside them isn't much better off.

Although the Type 41 mountain guns equipped by the artillery battalion weighed only 536 kilograms, much lighter than the ten-ton Type 89 heavy guns, the problem was that they were being towed by mules and horses. When they encountered roads that were almost completely submerged in mud, they were still helpless.

Mud coated the truck tires, forming viscous swirls as it was washed away by the torrential rain.

Major Fujita Yusuke, the commander of the independent heavy artillery battalion, had his boots deeply embedded in the mud, making a sickening sucking sound with every step.

The heavy truck's steel wheels were completely submerged in the mud, like a dying beast. The truck engine emitted a dying roar, and the black smoke from the exhaust pipe was pressed down by the rain, crawling along the ground and appearing particularly filthy against the gray sky.

He could only grip the military knife tightly, letting the rain pelt his nose from under his hat, the earthy smell mixed with the scent of gunpowder hitting his head.

In the distance came the mournful neighing of packhorses. Soldiers in the supply corps were bracing their shoulders against the gun carriages, dark sweat stains seeping from the backs of their uniforms. Mud splattered on their gleaming leather boots, the stains resembling the expanding smudges on a map of occupied territory.

"Move!" The scabbard slammed into the truck's mudguard, the metallic clang startling egrets in the rice paddies.

Through the rain, he saw cherry blossom badges floating in the mud; they were collar insignia that a soldier had torn off when he fell.

The Toyota KB truck suddenly emitted a muffled, farting sound, and the exhaust pipe emitted a last wisp of black smoke before stalling completely.

"Baka yarou!" Seeing one broken-down truck after another, Major Fujita Yusuke couldn't help but curse. At this rate, it would take at least ten days to reach Linyi, let alone three.

Moreover, it was extremely dangerous for so many artillery pieces to break down halfway. Although Kei Seya dispatched two infantry companies to escort them along the way, no one could guarantee that they wouldn't encounter any unexpected situations along the way.

Even if he was lucky enough not to encounter a large force of the Nationalist army, the bandits and outlaws everywhere would be enough to give him a headache.

Looking at the dozens of cannons stuck in the mud, Fujita Yusuke was not only angry but also felt a little uneasy.

He squinted and looked toward the end of the wilderness, where leaden clouds hung low, as if they might crash down on the scorched earth at any moment.

"Damn it... is it going to rain again?"

He called over the communications officer: "Go... and call Captain Sakai here."

Soon, a short, stout captain jogged over, splashing mud onto his leggings.

Fujita noticed that the other man's nose was twitching and he looked impatient. This captain from Hokkaido was clearly not used to the damp and rainy weather.

"Immediately lead your squadron to begin alert," Fujita said in a deep voice. "Search the area within a three-mile radius."

He then pointed to the village that was faintly visible in the distance, his command sword gleaming coldly in the sunlight. "Pay special attention to those Chinese scoundrels in those villages. If you see even the slightest disturbance..." Fujita's left hand suddenly clenched into a fist. "Don't hesitate, kill all those lowly Chinese people immediately!"

Upon receiving the order, the captain's pupils contracted sharply, and he swallowed a mouthful of dry saliva.

He certainly understood what his major meant; it was clearly a demand for him to lead his men and massacre the entire village.

He then straightened his back abruptly, the heels of his military boots making a crisp sound as he turned, and the scabbard of his sword struck his hip with a dull thud.

"Second Squadron, assemble!"

Amidst howls like those of wild wolves, the Japanese soldiers of this squadron rapidly assembled like spinning tops being whipped.

Soon, more than two hundred Japanese soldiers pounced on the distant village like hungry wolves. Lightly armed, they rushed into the village in just over twenty minutes. The muffled thuds of these beasts from the Japanese islands kicking open the doors of thatched huts echoed one after another.

An old woman with white hair stumbled out, her withered arms flailing wildly in the air, and turbid tears rolled down her wrinkled face.

A private next to him grinned, revealing yellowed teeth, and the dull thud of his rifle butt hitting the old man's back mingled with the sound of bones cracking.

A baby's cry came from the corner, weak like a dying kitten, and was quickly cut off by the "bang" of a Type 38 rifle.

Soon after, thick smoke began to rise from the roof of the thatched house, and the captain took out a handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose.

He saw a little girl wearing a red bib huddled under the millstone, her big eyes filled with tears of fear.

A sergeant next to her grinned and ripped open her collar, then thrust his bayonet at her. With a scream, the girl fell into a pool of blood.

(End of this chapter)