You are ordered to support the War of Resistance against Japan; China enters Level 1 combat readines

Two days later.

The sky is bright.

As the eastern horizon began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, a torrent of steel had already gathered on the open fields outside the city.

Eighty Type 59 tanks stood in a row, their gun barrels slightly raised, gleaming with a cold metallic luster in the morning light.

紧随其后的是100辆63式装甲运兵车，再往后，是36门107火箭炮和12门122毫米自行加榴炮组成的炮兵编队。

Finally, there's the logistics supply convoy.

Soldiers from the Independent Regiment, the First New Regiment, and the Second New Regiment stood neatly beside the armored vehicles, rifles on their backs and grenades at their waists. Their young faces showed no fear, only burning fighting spirit and the flames of revenge.

The bright red Eighth Route Army flag fluttered in the morning breeze, illuminating half the sky.

The brigade commander stood on the turret of a tank, holding a metal megaphone, his gaze sweeping over the dark mass of troops below.

They are all his old comrades who have followed him through thick and thin, fighting countless tough battles. There's no need for him to say too many sentimental things.

But the necessary rituals must not be omitted.

"Comrades!"

The brigade commander's voice, transmitted clearly through the loudspeaker, reached everyone's ears with a powerful and resonant tone:

"Today, we're setting off! Our destination—Jiaodong City, a thousand miles away!"

"There are Japanese devils, traitors, and millions of our suffering compatriots there!"

"There, too, lies our future naval base!"

"Once we take Jiaodong City, we can build a shipyard and construct warships! One day, we'll sail our own warships straight into the Japanese devils' lair!"

"Let those Japanese devils pay with their blood!"

"Tell me, do you have confidence?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

A deafening roar echoed through the sky, startling the birds in the forest into flight.

The soldiers raised their guns and waved them forcefully, their voices filled with long-suppressed anger and longing.

"Set off!"

The brigade commander waved his hand sharply and gave the order to set off.

"Boom!"

The roar of the engine erupted instantly, shaking the ground slightly.

The first Type 59 tank slowly started, its tracks rolling over the hard ground, leaving two deep ruts.

Immediately afterwards, tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery vehicles started moving one after another, forming a long black steel dragon that snaked eastward.

Dust filled the air, obscuring the sky and the sun.

This army, forged in the crucible of war, embarked on a long march with unwavering confidence in victory.

The troops left southeastern Shanxi and headed east, soon entering the vast North China Plain.

Looking out, the boundless fields stretch out between heaven and earth, without high mountains or ravines, only flat roads leading straight into the distance.

This is a natural battlefield for armored forces.

The tanks, which could only move cautiously in the mountains before, were now finally able to move freely.

The tank formation spread out and advanced at full speed of 30 kilometers per hour.

The tracks kicked up clouds of yellow dust, leaving long plumes of smoke across the plains, resembling galloping yellow dragons from afar.

Armored vehicles followed closely behind, and the soldiers inside looked out the windows at the rapidly receding fields with relaxed smiles on their faces.

The brigade commander sat in the command vehicle, unfolded the map, and pointed to the small black dot marked with a red pen.

"Anping stronghold is ten miles ahead."

He looked up and glanced at Li Yunlong beside him.

"A small Japanese squad, a company of puppet troops, and two pillboxes, all made of brick and stone, and built quite sturdily."

Li Yunlong took the map, glanced at it, then returned it, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"Brigade Commander, it's a waste of ammunition to bombard this small stronghold with tanks. Let the artillery go. Consider it a good opportunity for the new recruits to practice."

The brigade commander glanced at him and nodded.

"Okay, you can arrange it."

Li Yunlong jumped off the command vehicle and strode toward the artillery formation.

Twelve 122mm self-propelled howitzers were lined up in the middle of the column. Their gun barrels were thick and long, and their vehicles were huge, gleaming with a cold metallic luster in the morning light.

The gunners sat in the turret, wearing headphones, with a dense array of instrument dials and sights in front of them.

He patted the armor plate of the first gun carriage, and the artillery battalion commander poked his head out from the hatch.

"Commander, is there work?"

Li Yunlong waved his hand and pointed to the artillery formation behind him: "The brothers have only received this batch of 122mm self-propelled howitzers for less than half a month. They usually fire at fixed targets on the training ground and haven't seen any real fire yet."

"Perfect, let's use this Anping stronghold as a live target to practice our flat shots. It'll be part of our daily training, and it'll also help the brothers get a feel for the game."

The artillery battalion commander's eyes lit up instantly.

"clear!"

He shrank back and shouted into the walkie-talkie, "Artillery battalion, attention! Break formation, advance 800 meters, prepare for direct fire strike on the Anping stronghold!"

"Repeat it, advance 800 meters, fire horizontally!"

The order was given, and twelve self-propelled howitzers simultaneously drove out of the marching column and lined up in a row in the wheat field by the roadside.

The cannon barrel was slowly adjusted, pointing towards the hazy eastern horizon.

"Shooting range 800! Direction straight ahead! Elevation angle -2 degrees! Prepare for horizontal firing!"

Artillery squad leader Wang Tieniu shouted at the top of his lungs, his face flushed with excitement.

"Scale 800! Direction: Straight ahead! Elevation: -2 degrees! Installation complete!"

"Load!"

"Loading complete!"

The aiming hand squinted, staring at the crosshairs in the scope, his finger resting on the firing button.

"Number One is ready."

"Number Two is ready."

"Number 3 is ready."

……

"Number 12 is ready."

The gunner's raised hand suddenly fell.

"put!"

"boom!"

All twelve cannons fired simultaneously.

It was like the deafening sound of ten thousand drums being struck simultaneously.

The flashes from the cannons illuminated the entire wheat field, and the scorching heat swirled up the dust, sending it billowing into the air.

The shells traced low, flat arcs in the air, leaving grayish-white trails as they flew toward the hazy eastern horizon, growing smaller and farther away.

Inside the Anping stronghold, Japanese squad leader Sato was squatting in front of the watchtower's observation post, looking west through binoculars.

"What's that sound?" he asked the sentry next to him.

The sentry shook his head. Before he could speak, he saw more than a dozen black dots appear on the western horizon, growing larger and closer, pressing down from the sky with a sharp, piercing whistling sound.

"Artillery barrage—!"

The sentry's voice cracked and shattered, sharp as if someone were choking him.

Sato's eyes widened, his mouth opened, as if he wanted to shout something but couldn't.

His legs went weak, and he felt as if he were nailed to the spot, unable to move.

Heavy artillery!

It's heavy artillery!

How come there are heavy artillery pieces?

This is just an ordinary little outpost, why bombard it with heavy artillery?

"Could it be... the Eighth Route Army?"

"The Eighth Route Army has emerged?"

Sato's Ghost Hat!

However, before he could figure it out, the first shell had already hit the ground!