Even if I'm a useless bum at Whampoa Military Academy, I'll be invincible in the War of Re

At the position of the 2nd Heavy Artillery Brigade, a volley of shells rained down from the sky, and the resulting smoke and fire instantly engulfed everything.

The massive shockwave destroyed the heavy artillery, blasting it into pieces, and the artillerymen were torn to shreds.

The artillery commander screamed in terror:

"Enemy attack! Relocate immediately!"

"Baka yarou, that's the Chinese heavy artillery!"

"Boom boom boom..."

Just a few dozen seconds later, a second volley of shells came flying over. The commander instinctively lunged at the cannons, which were the empire's treasures, consuming a massive amount of resources.

Japan has limited resources. The navy takes up 80% of the resources each year, leaving only a small portion for the army. It is not easy to build a heavy artillery brigade.

The commander tried to shield the artillery with his frail body, but he and the cannon were engulfed in the process; the destructive power of heavy artillery shells was beyond human endurance.

In just two rounds of artillery barrage, most of the 18 150mm howitzers of the 1st Heavy Field Artillery Battalion were destroyed, and the artillerymen suffered heavy casualties.

The remaining artillerymen frantically tried to move the guns, but the 150mm howitzers were too cumbersome; just folding up the supports took several minutes, let alone loading them onto trucks to be towed away.

Amidst the Japanese soldiers' near-desperate roars, the third volley of shells arrived as scheduled, not only covering the remaining artillery pieces but also triggering secondary explosions.

With a series of explosions, the entire artillery position was destroyed a second time, creating deep craters that swallowed everything.

At another artillery position a few hundred meters away, the Japanese battalion commander was dumbfounded. In just three or four minutes, more than a dozen heavy cannons had been turned into scrap metal, and all the creatures on them had disappeared.

Horror!

They hadn't put away the support frame yet, and it would take quite some time before they could be loaded onto a truck and towed away. As for a counterattack, forget about it; the range was simply too short.

Now we can only hope that the Chinese haven't discovered them, otherwise the tragedy of the First Brigade will be repeated.

The Huaxia artillery group needed time to adjust its firing angle and re-aim, which was the only chance for the 2nd Heavy Field Artillery Battalion.

The 105mm artillery group of the 3rd Field Artillery Battalion has adjusted its firing parameters and is just waiting to load shells and counterattack.

They were racing against time, but the range was still a bit limited. They couldn't worry about that now; their priority was to put pressure on the Chinese artillery.

"Boom boom boom..."

"Yamete!"

The second heavy artillery battalion commander cried out in despair, "The deadly shells for the Chinese are coming again. There is no escaping it."

Shells rained down, and tragedy struck again. The 2nd Heavy Artillery Battalion suffered heavy losses, but fortunately, no secondary explosions occurred, saving a few artillery pieces.

The Third Battalion finally launched a counterattack, with shells heading straight for the Shibalipu Heights, eventually landing one kilometer away from the heavy artillery battalion's position.

The heavy artillery battalion commander was startled. For safety reasons, he immediately ordered a halt to the shelling and a rapid relocation of positions.

The mules and horses were prepared in advance. The Japanese 105mm artillery group's position was too far away, and the range was too short, giving the heavy artillery battalion time to react.

They hurriedly packed up the scaffolding, harnessed mules and horses, and quickly turned the cannon around.

The Japanese retaliatory shells fell in volleys, with the closest volley coming from more than 500 meters away.

Of course, it wasn't a complete waste; at least it scared off the Tiger Army's heavy artillery battalion and saved half of the 150mm heavy artillery battalion.

The Shibalipu Heights were the highest point in the city, possessing a significant terrain advantage and overlooking the entire Jialu River defense line. With three backup positions, the terrain was relatively flat, allowing for rapid relocation by mules and horses, making it the greatest threat to the Japanese.

The mountain artillery battalion and field artillery battalion were deployed at Huanggang Temple in the southwest, which could cover an area of ​​one kilometer east of the Jialu River. The five Schneider mountain guns could even reach the Japanese 105mm artillery group.

The artillery at Huanggang Temple remained silent, waiting for the Japanese infantry to launch an attack.

The artillery suffered heavy losses, but the Japanese did not give up the general offensive. After readjusting their deployment, the general offensive was launched.

The remaining artillery of the Fifth and Sixteenth Divisions launched a fierce bombardment of the 322nd Division's defense line on the Jialu River, with shells raining down on the west bank, destroying a large number of field fortifications.

The soldiers huddled in the trenches, silently enduring the bombardment as more and more men were swallowed up by the artillery fire and never made it out of their shelters.

Due to the vast disparity in firepower between the two sides, the artillery brigade only deployed its mountain artillery battalion for a counterattack, firing only six rounds before withdrawing to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

The counterattack by the mountain artillery battalion put considerable pressure on the Japanese, especially the five mountain guns of the Schneider Artillery Company, which not only had a range of 9600 meters, but also far surpassed the accuracy and performance of similar Japanese artillery. In the firefight, they destroyed three 75mm howitzers.

The Japanese could only spare some of their 105mm artillery to fight back, which effectively supported their infantry.

The 2nd Heavy Artillery Brigade seemed to be scared and did not join the battle. The Tiger Army's heavy artillery battalion did the same. As long as they could contain the Japanese heavy artillery group, they would consider it a victory.

The Japanese artillery barrage lasted for half an hour. The area within three kilometers of the west bank of the Jialu River was plowed back and forth twice by the artillery fire, destroying more than 30% of the trenches. The dike was also bombarded with craters, a truly horrific sight.

Kenji Doihara was very satisfied with the effect of the artillery bombardment, and then ordered the infantry group to attack.

Thousands of Japanese soldiers launched a mass charge on a two-kilometer-wide front, creating a spectacular scene.

At the same time, the 16th Division also launched an attack on the right flank. The two divisions, one on the left and one on the right, advanced side by side, filling almost the entire front of the Putian section, making a heavy bet.

Since the Battle of Jinyang, Kenji Doihara had rarely launched such a large-scale positional attack, and the Jialu River, which was only twenty meters wide, was nothing to him.

Witnessing the magnificent scene of thousands of troops charging into battle, the old Japanese soldier, full of pride, couldn't help but show off:

"Yoshi, the Imperial Army's offensive is really powerful. In the face of absolute strength, all the struggles of the Chinese are in vain."

Zhao Yunwen was proud that the Imperial Army had to deploy two top-tier divisions to charge into battle!

The chief of staff followed up on his words:

"Your Excellency the Division Commander overestimates Zhao Yunwen. The Battle of Jialu River ends here; victory belongs to the Imperial Army!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than dozens of artillery shells flew in from the southwest, instantly detonating among the Japanese troops and killing a large number of them.

Seishiro Itagaki ran away shouting, as if someone had stepped on his tail:

"Baka yarou! How come the Chinese have so many cannons?!"

There were more than thirty of them; this was a force capable of changing the course of the battlefield, and it had to be stopped.

"Quickly, open fire and suppress them!"

"Fire all the cannons and blow them to bits!"

Amidst Itagaki Seishiro's desperate screams, bombs rained down on the Japanese troops, each barrage sending up a shower of blood.

The Japanese infantry were in the open field with no cover, nowhere to hide, and could only grit their teeth and endure the bombing.

The most fatal flaw was that the Tiger Army concentrated its artillery fire on the 5th Division, relentlessly attacking it and inflicting heavy casualties on the Kunisaki Detachment.

In contrast, the offensive of the 16th Division on the right wing went much more smoothly. They crossed the riverbank with almost no shelling and entered the mudflats, only two or three hundred meters from the river.

Five miles southwest, the anti-aircraft artillery battalion position of the artillery brigade.

Sixteen anti-aircraft guns were lined up in a row, their barrels laid flat, pointing directly at the right flank mudflats. This was a grand gift that Zhao Yunwen had prepared for the 16th Division; he never showed favoritism.

At the battalion commander's command, a barrage of shells fired at the Japanese troops from a 45-degree angle, then exploded on the riverbank.

The terrifying rate of fire of the anti-aircraft guns caused the Japanese soldiers to fall and be thrown into chaos. The firepower from the flanks was even greater than that from the front, leaving thousands of Japanese soldiers exposed in the open to be ravaged.

The smile on Nakajima Kesago's face froze instantly. One blow after another had left him somewhat neurotic.

"Baka yarou, anti-aircraft gun, it's an Imperial-made anti-aircraft gun!!!"

Nakajima is roaring as Zhao Yunwen, his nemesis, is firing anti-aircraft guns at his infantry.

This is unbelievable! It's like something out of a demon!

He watched as groups of warriors were torn to pieces, his eyes practically spitting fire, waving his short, thick arms and roaring:

"Where are our artillery? Counterattack! Counterattack!! Blow up the Chinese anti-aircraft gun emplacements!!"