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On the other side, the company commander, platoon leader, and squad leader of the security regiment were also shouting: "Hurry up, keep up, just like in training, the Japanese bullets can't penetrate the tank's armor!"

The security regiment had only practiced infantry-tank coordinated attack tactics a few times and was still not proficient. However, at this point, they had no choice but to follow suit; all they needed to do was stay behind the tanks and coordinate their attacks.

Fortunately, the training was somewhat effective. A line of steel tanks provided good cover for the infantry, like a moving wall. The soldiers, rifles in hand, followed behind the tanks, steadily advancing towards the notebook.

At first, the formation was a bit messy, but after a few hundred meters, everyone gradually got used to it.

The soldiers of the 386th Brigade, however, were fighting alongside tanks for the first time and had no prior training in this area. They had to learn on the spot from the security regiment.

However, they were experienced on the battlefield and quickly learned the ropes.

As the steel torrent rolled forward, the 37mm cannon and two 7.92mm machine guns mounted on the tank were fired.

One shell after another was aimed at the little notebook's makeshift position, and it began to roar in anger.

Two heavy machine guns, like two fiery snakes, lashed out at the Japanese soldiers, like sickles cutting wheat...

Chapter 442 The sky is shattered and the earth is shattered

The vast plains of eastern Henan are well-suited for armored warfare. At this moment, the torrent of thirty tanks swept through the enemy lines with unstoppable momentum, breaking through the temporary defenses set up by the Japanese in just a few minutes.

The Japanese troops finally couldn't hold out any longer and fled in disarray.

Thousands of soldiers from the security regiment and the 386th Brigade followed the tanks, advancing and sweeping forward. It seemed like a war on a completely different level.

They don't need to charge into battle; they just need to follow behind the tanks, dodge the occasional bullets, and shoot at the Japanese.

As the Japanese troops fled in defeat, many couldn't even get a target to attack and could only follow behind the tanks, getting left to eat dust or be finished off by the Japanese soldiers.

On the other side, Li Yunlong, who was cooperating with the tanks in an attack for the first time, was shocked by the scene before him, which was beyond his imagination.

So this is how war can be fought; war is not only a struggle between people, but also a struggle between people and machines. Faced with this overwhelming force of steel, the strength of an individual, even that of a single infantryman, seems insignificant.

Not only him, but all the soldiers charging and attacking behind the tanks stared blankly at the scene before them. When did fighting become so easy? When did the Japanese become so easy to deal with?

In just over ten minutes, an entire regiment of more than three thousand Japanese soldiers was decimated. Some even surrendered, a rare occurrence, with fewer than a thousand managing to escape.

On the other side, Doiyu quickly received news of the disastrous defeat at the front and was momentarily stunned. There had been too many unexpected events today. First, the bombing decimated the armored regiment and artillery. He had thought that with the 27th Army gone, they could easily occupy Lanfeng City and cooperate with the Japanese forces in Xuzhou, allowing them to advance or retreat as needed.

Unexpectedly, they encountered another army that appeared out of nowhere, complete with tanks. Clearly, Lanfeng City had fallen into their hands.

What should we do next? Continue to fight for Lanfeng City, or break through in other directions?

While he was agonizing over this, Xue Laohu also received the news and felt the time was right. He immediately ordered his entire army to launch an attack, further tightening the encirclement and killing two birds with one stone.

With over 100,000 men launching an attack, the Doiyu Division, stationed at various positions and passes, was forced to gradually shrink its defensive lines, and urgent reports began to appear everywhere.

Tu Feiyuan looked towards the distant direction of Lanfeng City and sighed. In order to defend against attacks from all directions, he had few mobile troops left to mobilize.

Taking Lanfeng City, which is clearly a tough nut to crack, in a short time is simply impossible. With the battle reaching a stalemate and their mobile forces exhausted, they're truly in danger of being surrounded and annihilated.

He waved his hand, and the entire army began to retreat, concentrating in one place to hold out for reinforcements. If they could hold out for a week, or even five days... reinforcements from Xuzhou would arrive, and the danger would be over.

……

Two days later, Xue Laohu frowned as he looked at the impenetrable fortifications before him, his anxiety growing. Reinforcements from Xuzhou would arrive in three or four days at most. After Doihara's division switched to defense, they launched a full-scale attack on this front for two days, but with little success.

Sometimes, he had to admire the Japanese soldiers' tenacity; how could they fight to the death and refuse to retreat!

If we cannot completely break through the defenses and annihilate the Japanese devils in front of us within two days, our hundreds of thousands of men might be surrounded and wiped out by the reinforcements from Xuzhou.

He was arguing with a group of generals when Li Yunlong, ever the friendly type, walked in, took a bite of an apple, and said with a broad smile, "Gentlemen, are you troubled by the Japanese fortifications? That's easy, leave it to me..."

Many generals looked at him with bewilderment, but Xue Laohu looked at him seriously: "Are you serious? Do you dare to sign a pledge?"

Li Yunlong said boldly, "Of course I dare! I'll stand up right now."

"However, I have one condition!"

Xue Laohu said, "Please speak."

Li Yunlong said, "If I can break through the Japanese defensive fortifications, all the spoils of war from the Doihara Division will be ours as a prize."

Xue Laohu and several generals exchanged glances and said without hesitation, "Alright, as long as you can break through this defensive fortification, all the spoils of war will be yours."

Li Yunlong's face crinkled with laughter.

"Then it's settled. It's a deal. By noon today at the latest, the Japanese defenses will be breached."

Xue Laohu said, "Alright, I'll wait for your good news."

……

Although Li Yunlong assured him, Xue Laohu remained uneasy. War was no child's play, and time was of the essence. To be honest, Xue Laohu was quite surprised that Li Yunlong and his men possessed an armored battalion, but the Japanese had made specific preparations for this, and expecting a tank battalion to break through the fortifications was unlikely. He could only secretly pray that the other side would be reliable.

With something on his mind, he found himself walking unconsciously towards the position of the Anti-Japanese United Army.

"Commander Li, could you tell me exactly how to break through the Japanese fortifications?"

Li Yunlong said, "Commander Xue, don't worry, we'll take care of the fortifications for you before noon today, it'll just take some explosives!"

Xue Laohu was completely confused.

"Explosives, Commander Li, are you planning to use demolition tactics? Forgive my bluntness, but the Japanese army's firepower network is extremely dense, and your method of attack is unlikely to be effective!"

As I said this, I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

Li Yunlong smiled and said, "It is indeed done with explosives, but our method of using explosives is a little different. Commander Xue, get ready in a moment. Once the explosion goes off, the fortifications will naturally fall down, and you can just attack."

Xue Laohu could only reply, "Of course! As long as you can break through the defensive line, leave the rest to us."

Zhang Dabiao happened to run over at that moment, overheard their conversation, and confidently raised his head.

"Commander, are we ready? When shall we begin?"

Li Yunlong said, "Go check it again, and we'll move out in half an hour."

Then he turned to Xue Laohu and said, "Commander Xue, please have your men get ready. The fortifications in front of us will be breached in half an hour."

Despite his doubts, Xue Laohu instructed his staff to prepare the troops, but he followed Li Yunlong to the position.

Soon, he saw the secret weapon prepared to breach the fortifications: a row of gasoline barrels half-buried in the ground, and a pile of explosive packages tied into various shapes.

What good is this? Can it break through the enemy lines?

Xue Laohu felt that what he saw looked familiar, and he quickly realized what it was. A few months ago, someone had given their unit some pamphlets that described a method for making a so-called "flying thunder cannon," which involved using gasoline drums and explosive charges.

He glanced at it and tossed it aside. He simply didn't believe that such a thin sheet of iron as a gasoline can could be used to make any weapons. Not only did he not believe it, but most of the troops on Guofu's side also didn't believe it.

Back in the north, after Li Mu passed on the method and sent a batch of gasoline drums, they quickly mastered it. They even became more professional, developing more uses for the "Heartless Cannon."

In order to deal with the Japanese tanks, field fortifications and dense formations, they even tried to launch stones weighing tens of kilograms and cluster grenades with catapults. Gradually, the "heartless cannon" became more and more varied and powerful.

For Li Yunlong now, operating the "heartless cannon" is a professional skill. He also knows the immense power of this type of cannon against fortifications in certain situations.

Today, after so much improvement, the "heartless cannon" used on the front lines is quite mature. Not only are the explosive charges bundled into a projectile shape with a pointed front and a rounded rear, but the amount of propellant and explosive charge has also been scientifically improved, and a simple aiming device has been added to the top of the gasoline drum.

Based on this, some people have even calculated a standardized ballistic trajectory, effectively controlling the firing error of the "heartless cannon" to within 5 meters.

This makes the "heartless cannon" even more effective in actual combat.

To support their production of the "Heartless Cannon," Li Mu provided them with tens of tons of explosives at once, and there was plenty more to go around.

More than 800 unscrupulous cannons are now deployed in front of the position, ready to fire.

Seeing that time was running out, Li Yunlong shouted, "Hurry up and check the explosive packs one last time. Tie all the ropes properly according to the blueprints drawn by the engineers. Anyone who makes a mistake will have to give up all the smelly socks in the regiment for the next month."

The soldiers below burst into laughter.

Li Yunlong waved his hand and said, "Stop laughing, get ready to light the fire!"

With a command, all eight hundred-plus "heartless cannons" were ignited, and after a series of deafening explosions that seemed to shake the heavens and the earth, everyone was stunned.

The "Heartless Cannon," a simple yet deadly weapon, demonstrated its power for the first time in a large-scale war.

……

Inside a makeshift command post behind the fortifications, Inoue, the commander of the 1st Regiment of the Doi-maru Division, sat quietly, carefully studying the battle situation before him, his expression quite relaxed.

Despite knowing that the troops in front of him possessed an armored battalion and had almost wiped out the 3rd Regiment, he was confident in the defensive fortifications. He dared not say more, but he was certain that they could hold out until reinforcements arrived.

Once reinforcements arrive, it will be time for them to launch a counterattack.

Suddenly, after a deafening roar, countless objects the size of millstones flew into the sky, carrying flames and thick smoke. They tumbled and danced in the night sky, tracing terrifying paths, before falling densely back down and crashing into the defensive fortifications of the First Regiment.

"What is this?"

Almost instinctively, Colonel Inoue immediately dropped to the ground. The Japanese officers standing behind him were somewhat taken aback, wondering about their regimental commander's actions, when the violent explosion occurred.

The violent shockwave ravaged the earth, turning everything around into chaos. Even the surface soil undulated like waves under the powerful thrust of the explosives, and buildings of all sizes collapsed one after another.

The horrific scene before him made Inoue even more horrified.

He screamed in terror, "What kind of weapon is this?"

This was just the beginning. In the following short period of time, more than 800 unscrupulous cannons fired five rounds simultaneously until the cannon barrels could no longer withstand such dense firing, and then they stopped.

At this moment, Inoue's ears were ringing and he could no longer hear anything.

His whole body ached, especially his internal organs, which felt like they were rotting. He tried to reach out to check his condition, but his hand wouldn't come out; his sleeve hung empty, his right hand gone in the explosion.

On the fortifications, when the explosion rang out, the ground trembled and rippled, and the more than 3,000 Japanese soldiers of the First Regiment danced wildly in the blast like a group of drunkards, which looked extremely bizarre from a distance.

As the continuous explosions rang out, the scene before me seemed to turn into hell, a blood-red expanse where it was impossible to distinguish between the billowing dust and the raging flames of the explosions.

Later, even breathing became difficult for the little notebook, as if all the air had been burned away.