On the eve of the fall of Liaodong, he led his troops in a remonstrance against the young marshal.

Zhang Xueming's breathing gradually calmed down.

His consciousness sank deep into his mind and opened the system interface.

A blue light curtain slowly unfolded in his consciousness, and the familiar system store page appeared.

His eyes quickly swept over the densely packed list of products. He hadn't seriously browsed the online store in a long time. His points kept accumulating, but he didn't have many uses for them.

In Liaoyang, along the Liao River, and on this Liaohe Plain, the Northeast Army swept across the land with almost no need to utilize system resources.

But now, the city walls of Lushun are blocking his way.

Conventional artillery cannot penetrate a one-meter-thick concrete bunker, anti-tank ditches block the path of tanks, and a direct assault would result in heavy casualties.

He couldn't bear to let his brothers in the Northeast Army sacrifice their lives, so he needed something that could solve the problem once and for all.

The goods in the mall are categorized by military branch and purpose, including light weapons, armored vehicles, artillery, aviation equipment, ships, and logistical supplies.

He skipped the first few categories and went straight to the "Artillery" category.

Various types of heavy artillery flashed through his mind in turn: 150mm heavy howitzers, 203mm heavy howitzers, 204mm super-heavy mortars...

Suddenly, a massive silhouette appeared before him.

It was a cannon that could not be described as "huge".

It's more like a crouching steel behemoth.

The gun barrel was short and thick, with a caliber so large that one might doubt whether they had misread the number: 600 millimeters.

The gun barrel is mounted on a specially made tracked chassis, which is almost twice as wide as a regular tank, and each section of the track is as thick as a chopping board.

The cannon is over four meters high, over eleven meters long, and weighs 124 tons.

Karl self-propelled heavy mortar.

The largest caliber self-propelled artillery ever built by mankind during World War II was the reason why the German army was able to break through the city walls so quickly when they attacked Stalingrad.

Zhang Xueming's gaze fell on the parameters of this giant cannon.

A caliber of 600 millimeters—what does that number mean?

This means that the diameter of the shell was thicker than an adult's waist, and a strong man could stand inside the muzzle.

This cannon wasn't meant for shooting people; it was meant for demolishing cities.

Heavy concrete-piercing projectiles weigh over two tons, fall at supersonic speeds, and can penetrate two and a half meters of reinforced concrete upon impact.

Maximum range: 4,300 meters for concrete-piercing shells, and 6,700 meters for high-explosive shells.

This range is quite excellent for a heavy mortar, enough to fire comfortably from outside the range of the city wall defenders.

What's even more terrifying is that this heavy cannon can actually move; that's the most frightening part.

Its maximum road speed is ten kilometers per hour.

Off-road speed: 6 kilometers per hour.

Slow, very slow, but that's enough.

It doesn't need to chase after tanks; it just needs to slowly drive to the firing position from a safe distance and then smash the city wall into powder, shot after shot.

Each gun is equipped with a crew of 21 people, including the driver, commander, gunner, loader, and ammunition handler.

The rate of fire is six to eight rounds per hour, which means that on average, one round can be fired every seven to ten minutes.

But given its power, every shell is worth the wait.

Zhang Xueming's gaze swept over the price.

Three hundred points.

He blinked, thinking he was seeing things.

Three hundred points? A 600mm mortar capable of destroying the world, for only three hundred points?

A regular light tank costs fifty points, but this monster that can blow up a meter-thick concrete bunker only costs three hundred points.

His points balance is displayed in the upper right corner of the screen: 60,324.

Three hundred points is just a fraction of the balance.

He did not hesitate at all.

"Exchange! Ten doors."

The moment the confirm button was pressed, the system didn't give any further prompts; only a new line of text appeared in the inventory:

Ten self-propelled heavy mortars of the Karl, with a standard crew of 210, ammunition load of 40 rounds per gun (20 concrete-piercing shells and 20 high-explosive shells), and complete spare parts.

It has been stored in the system space and can be retrieved at any time.

Zhang Xueming opened his eyes.

He stood up from the folding chair and turned to look at the road leading to the back of the hill on the north side.

That direction is where the engineers and supply troops are located.

There is also a large open space there, enough to "receive" the goods in the system space.

"Messenger."

"Here!" A young messenger ran over.

"Order the engineering battalion in the rear to clear the open space to the north. All personnel must retreat to a distance of 200 meters and are not allowed to approach."

"Yes!" The messenger ran off.

Ten minutes later, a commotion came from behind, and the ground began to tremble slightly.

The generals on the hillside turned their heads at the same time and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

On the horizon, a row of huge black shadows appeared.

They slowly emerged from the morning mist, their outlines gradually becoming clearer.

Those were ten enormous tracked vehicles they had never seen before, each larger than a heavy tank, with a body as wide as a train carriage, and the tracks leaving two ruts half a meter deep in the ground as they rolled over the mud.

But what's most shocking is the cannon mounted on the vehicle.

The cannon barrel is short and thick, with a caliber so large that it causes a sense of physiological discomfort.

That can no longer be called a "cannon barrel"; it's more like a furnace made of cast iron.

A burly man could stand inside the muzzle. The rifling inside the barrel was clearly visible in the sunlight, rotating in circles and extending into the unfathomable darkness deep within the barrel.

Ten of these steel behemoths, lined up in a single file, slowly approached at a speed of less than ten kilometers per hour.

The earth trembled with every meter they advanced.

Everyone on the hillside was stunned.

Liu Duoquan's eyes widened, her lips parted, and her jaw almost dislocated.

Tang Yulin's binoculars slipped from his hands, but he instinctively caught them, though his gaze never left the giant cannons.

He had fought all his life, from the Fengtian Army to the Northeast Army. The largest cannon he had ever seen was a 203mm heavy cannon, and he conservatively estimated that he could fit himself into the muzzle of the cannon in front of him.

Zhang Xueliang's reaction was the most complex.

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, then his mouth opened and closed repeatedly, like a fish thrown ashore.

He tried to say something, but only a muffled sound escaped his throat.

He turned to look at Zhang Xueming, his eyes filled with shock and an indescribable awe.

Needless to say, this must be another rare item imported from abroad by his second brother.

No one knew where he got this stuff from, but no one asked, and no one dared to ask.

On this battlefield, Zhang Xueming is everything.

He said there were tanks, and there were tanks; he said there were airplanes, and there were airplanes; now he says there are heavy artillery, and there is heavy artillery.

It would be foolish to question him, but the generals of the Northeast Army were not foolish.

Ten Karl mortars came to a stop on the open ground at the foot of the hill.

After the convoy came to a stop, an officer jumped out of the driver's seat of the lead vehicle and strode up the hillside.

He ran up to Zhang Xueming, snapped to attention, and gave a standard military salute.

"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief! Heavy Artillery Regiment Commander Sun Chengzhu reporting for duty!"

"The entire regiment is equipped with ten Karl self-propelled heavy mortars, 210 officers and men, and 400 rounds of ammunition. All personnel and equipment are in place! Please give instructions, Commander-in-Chief!"

Zhang Xueming sized up the veteran in front of him.

"Sun Chengzhu".

"arrive!"

"Take your men and immediately head to the north gate to meet up with Huo Quji."

"From now on, you are under his command and will obey his orders in everything."

"clear!"

Sun Chengzhu saluted again, then turned around and waved to the ten giant cannons lined up and waiting on the hillside.

Two hundred and ten gunners simultaneously began their work, checking the engine, adjusting the suspension, and calibrating the gun position.

Ten giant chassis diesel engines started up simultaneously, spewing out thick black smoke, and the roar made the gravel on the hillside dance.

The artillery convoy slowly started and headed towards the North Gate of Lushun.

The ground trembled every meter they advanced.

The generals on the hillside watched as the ten steel behemoths, like ten moving hills, slowly rolled over the harvested cornfield, leaving two rows of deep track tracks that could bury a person.

Zhang Xueming raised his binoculars again and looked at the Lushun city wall.

The city wall is still the same city wall.

Twelve meters high and six meters thick, the concrete bunker is densely packed and appears to be indestructible.

But in his eyes, the city wall was already crumbling.

Six hundred millimeters caliber. Two-ton concrete-piercing shells; he could almost hear the bunkers collapsing.

Gentlemen.

He put down his binoculars and spoke to the generals behind him without turning his head.

Let's watch the fireworks together!