Chapter 207 New Soldiers Are Afraid of Artillery
"Old Li, you are really good. You are a major general of the Japanese army. You can send it as soon as he says so. Tsk tsk tsk tsk."
"That's right, don't you see who I am?
I, Li Yunlong, have always been grateful and repaying kindness.
Last time, Ding Wei gave me a cavalry battalion. Although I didn’t get it, at least it was a good idea.
So this time I will give him a Japanese major general, just to show my courtesy.”
"Come on, don't I know what kind of personality you have?
Just fool others, don't fool yourself. We are old comrades, and you still want to fool me.
I bet you have no idea that the 4th Brigade is waiting for a large group of officers. If you knew this, with your temper, you would have asked Zhang Dabiao to take people to intercept that group of Japanese officers.
How could it be given to Ding Wei?"
"Damn it, Kong Erleng, stop talking nonsense. How could I, Li Yunlong, do such a thing? If you say you want to give Ding Wei a gift, then I will definitely prepare a big gift for Ding Wei.
Okay, okay, stop talking about this. You called my headquarters. You don’t want to chat with me, do you? "
Hearing Kong Jie revealing his past, Li Yunlong quickly interrupted Kong Jie and changed the subject.
Li Yunlong was also crying in his heart. He initially thought that the 4th Brigade might be waiting for some weapons and equipment, such as the chemical weapons used by the Japanese.
He wanted Ding Wei to intercept those things. After all, the New 1st Regiment still had a lot of gas masks left by Qin Yangming.
Even if it really is a chemical weapon, the New 1st Regiment can handle it.
But Li Yunlong never expected that the Fourth Brigade was waiting for a large group of officers!
And he is an officer with no escort!
That group of officers were truly soft persimmons, like skinned pigs, pure fat meat.
"Damn it, luckily Ding Wei intercepted him. If Cheng Xiazi had intercepted him, I would have been in trouble."
Li Yunlong shook his head and stopped thinking about the Japanese Officers Observation Group. Although it was not his Independent Regiment that swallowed up the Officers Observation Group, it was still swallowed up by the New 1st Regiment, which was also his old unit.
So Li Yunlong was just complaining and he didn't have any complaints or anything like that.
On the other side, Kong Jie, who was calling Li Yunlong, listened to what Li Yunlong said, smiled, and then quickly started talking to Li Yunlong about business.
He called Li Yunlong not just to tease him, but also to talk about serious matters.
"Old Li, did you notice that the formation the Japanese soldiers are deploying doesn't seem to be a defensive formation, but an offensive formation.
What are the Japanese thinking?
The Dawangzhuang stronghold had been captured by Ding Wei, and the Linjiaji strongholds behind it were also resolved by the 772nd Regiment.
Could it be that the brave Pinglu men of the Fourth Brigade were unaware that their Fourth Brigade had been surrounded by our Eighth Route Army?
In this situation, even if there were two brigades of Japanese soldiers outside to provide support, the 4th Brigade should have adopted a defensive formation rather than an offensive formation.
Old Li, you usually have a lot of clever ideas. Look at the situation here with the Japanese and what tricks they are playing.
I always feel something is wrong.
It is impossible for the Japanese not to know that our four regiments have surrounded them, and it is impossible for them not to have intelligence about our four regiments.
Our current military strength is almost twice that of the Japanese 4th Brigade, and our weapons and equipment are no worse than theirs.
The Japs have an air force, but we also have a headquarters heavy artillery regiment.
The Japs have tanks, and we have tanks too.
Logically speaking, our strength is stronger than the 4th Brigade, not to mention we have the advantage of terrain.
In this situation, if I were the commander of the 4th Brigade, I would definitely order the troops to hold Tongshi Town and consider attacking after the other two brigades entered Linyuan County and Shiquan County.
But my scouts reported that the troops of the 4th Brigade were approaching Hegu Town and seemed to be preparing to launch an attack on Hegu Town.
Lao Li, can you analyze what the devils mean? "
Listening to what Kong Jie said, Li Yunlong took a pencil and started writing and drawing on the map based on the information he had obtained.
"This is weird, what on earth do the devils want to do?
Damn, what is Pinglu Yongfu thinking?
They were surrounded by our four regiments, but it would have been fine if they didn't withdraw their troops to defend, but they also sent so many troops to move closer to Hegu Town.
There's nothing left in the ancient town."
"Kong Erlangzi, I don't understand what the devils want to do.
In a word, even if the Japanese come to visit the graves in the ancient town, you have to stop them for me.
Blow up all the bridges. If the Japanese dare to build a pontoon bridge, just fire at them!
You took so many shells from Qin Yangming's recruit warehouse. Don't tell me you are reluctant to use them.
Feel free to use it, and when you are done, ask Qin Yangming to reimburse you."
“Okay, then I’ll stop the devils.
With the help of this river, if the Japanese do not build a pontoon bridge, they can only carry light weapons. Without heavy weapons, the Japanese will be sitting ducks.
If you dare to build a floating bridge, I will blow it up."
Seeing that Li Yunlong could not provide any useful analysis results, Kong Jie had to hang up the phone and began to organize the troops to defend along the river bank.
"Set up all the heavy machine guns for me, and dig the anti-artillery holes deeper!
Hide the mountain artillery and infantry artillery in the nearby village, and don't place them outside.
Hurry up and bury the conscienceless cannon."
Kong Jie's New Second Regiment was the smallest and lowest combat effectiveness of the four regiments.
Therefore, the most easily defended position along the river was given to Kong Jie to defend.
As long as all the bridges are blown up, and then enough machine gun positions and grenade launchers and mortars are set up on the other side of the river, it will be easy to defend the position.
In Li Yunlong's words, unless the entire 4th Brigade launched an attack on the riverside positions at all costs, and their other three regiments remained on hold, it would be impossible to break through the riverside positions.
After all, there are only a few places suitable for crossing the river and building pontoon bridges.
The Japanese could only attack from those few positions.
And now this river is a natural moat.
Because the Tongshi Town side is flat, while the other side of the river is covered with hills.
So no matter what actions the Japanese made, Kong Jie could discover them quickly and respond even faster.
Moreover, because the hills served as natural fortifications, the artillery of the New Second Regiment could be hidden behind the reverse slope of the hills to attack the Japanese.
The Japanese artillery should either not fire or they would be discovered if they fired, and then they would have to wait and take the bombing.
After arranging a defensive position, Kong Jie walked to the back.
It is located in an open space behind a hillside, about fifty meters away from the river.
A group of Eighth Route Army soldiers were busy inserting thick wooden stakes into the dug holes.
The Eighth Route Army dug a large number of pits on the originally flat open ground.
"How is it? Have you understood this thing about the Vanguard Group?"
Kong Jie walked up to a soldier who was pouring gasoline into a clay pot and asked him.
"Captain, I figured it out. Damn it, I just did an experiment and it turned out that even water can't put it out. If it sticks to a person, then you can only cut off the part that's stuck with it.
Otherwise it will keep burning and burn through your bones!"
After hearing Kong Jie's question, a soldier immediately stood up and answered. "Well, pay attention to safety, all the incendiary canisters must be placed in the pit, and they are absolutely not allowed to be placed together.
Also, be careful not to hurt yourself when throwing. "
Listening to the soldiers' reports, Kong Jie gave instructions with a serious expression.
"Captain, don't worry, we have prepared everything. We will install a catapult every five meters. We will lengthen the rope a little bit, and there will be pits next to it, so we will ensure that there will be no accidents!"
Listening to the soldier's assurance, Kong Jie nodded.
"I really don't know what's wrong with Qin Yangming's brain. He could actually make such a dangerous weapon out of the Japanese tires and gasoline."
Kong Jie couldn't help but speak as he looked at the soldier on the other side who was cutting the tire skins into particles with a big knife.
When he first arrived in Tongshi Town, Kong Jie accidentally discovered that the new soldiers in the Pioneer Regiment were cutting the Japanese tires into small particles, then mixing them with gasoline and pouring them into earthenware jars.
Out of curiosity, Kong Jie asked.
Only then did I know about these new tricks Qin Yangming came up with.
Qin Yangming called this earthenware jar filled with gasoline, rubber particles and some miscellaneous things a napalm bomb.
After experiments, Kong Jie discovered that this so-called napalm bomb can burn on the water surface and cannot be extinguished by water.
It can only be extinguished by covering it with sand.
So when Kong Jie received the defense mission of the riverside positions, the first thing he thought of was the napalm bomb of the Vanguard Regiment.
Quickly mobilize people to make this napalm bomb according to the method Qin Yangming gave them.
He even found Zhang Wanhe from the Logistics Department and asked him to mobilize manpower from the Logistics Department to help build the catapult.
Use a trebuchet to drop napalm bombs.
If the Japanese dared to cross the river on a large scale at that time, Kong Jie would directly throw napalm bombs and turn the river ahead into a sea of fire.
If it weren't for the fact that this kind of napalm bomb could not be prepared in advance and the gasoline reserves were not abundant enough to be consumed at will.
Kong Jie wished he could fill the entire river with these napalm bombs.
In order to allow the napalm bombs to burn better on the water surface, Kong Jie also specially ordered people to pile up a large amount of hay and wood near the dam in the upstream area of the river.
"Captain, commander, the scout reports that the Japanese Fourth Brigade has sent a regiment of troops towards us!"
Just as Kong Jie continued to observe the preparatory work, the battalion commander of the first battalion of the new second regiment ran over and reported to Kong Jie.
"Oh, the Japs really think highly of me, mobilizing an entire regiment to attack my position. Damn it.
Tell this to the Vanguard and Independent Regiments.
The Japanese have sent a regiment to my side. I, Kong Jie, will find a way to hold back this regiment!"
Kong Jie was also a little surprised when he heard the battalion commander of the first battalion report that the Japanese had mobilized an entire regiment to attack him.
At first, he thought it would be great if the Japanese could mobilize a battalion to attack him.
I didn’t expect that a wing would be mobilized.
Even a regiment of troops cannot be fully deployed here.
"Let's go and check out the situation!"
Kong Jie put away the pipe in his hand, put his hands behind his back and walked towards a small hill.
……
On the other side, the vanguard regiment in the direction of Baihuling attacked the position.
Qin Yangming was also holding a telescope and observing the Japanese defensive positions in front of him.
"Oh, how much do the Japanese think of my vanguard group? They sent such a small force to attack me?"
"Damn it, Wang Daniu, fire two shots to tell the Japs that we are coming!"
Qin Yangming, who was standing on the hillside observing the Japanese defensive positions, saw that the Japanese had sent a large team to stop him without any heavy weapons. He snorted coldly and immediately asked Wang Daniu to use a mortar to greet the Japanese.
"Yes!"
Following Qin Yangming's order, Wang Daniu turned around and ran down the hillside, quickly finding a 60mm mortar.
"Captain Wang, gun carriage, gun carriage."
When the artilleryman carrying the mortar saw Wang Daniu take the mortar, he quickly brought the gun mount on the other side and prepared to install the mortar.
"No need."
Wang Daniu waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need the gun mount.
"Two shells!"
Relying on his feeling, Wang Daniu held the gun barrel with one hand and aimed at a heavy machine gun on the Japanese position, then called on the artilleryman next to him to give him the shells.
Soon, two shells were delivered to Wang Daniu.
Wang Daniu didn't even look at it. He took the shells and fired two shells at the Japanese positions at the fastest speed.
After the shell was fired, Wang Daniu returned the mortar to the artilleryman without waiting for the shell to explode.
The artilleryman took the hot mortar barrel and looked at Wang Daniu's back with a puzzled look on his face.
"No? Can this hit the target?"
The artillerymen were very confused. Wang Daniu just casually fired two shots without even aiming.
If he did that, the company commander would definitely kick his ass.
The Vanguard Regiment has a lot of artillery shells, but that doesn’t mean they can be wasted.
Soon, two shells fell on the Japanese heavy machine gun position that Wang Daniu was aiming at.
The Japanese soldiers who were originally talking at the heavy machine gun position were directly blown away by the artillery shells.
The Type 92 heavy machine gun that was held down by sandbags was also blown crooked by the shock wave of the exploding shell.
"The Eighth Route Army attacks! The Eighth Route Army attacks!"
"Anti-gun!"
After two shells fell, the originally calm Japanese position immediately became chaotic.
The Japanese soldiers ran around the position in panic, and then were beaten and kicked back to the position by the Japanese non-commissioned officers.
"Recruit?"
Qin Yangming, who was on the hillside, used a telescope to observe the situation on the Japanese position. He immediately analyzed from their actions that the group of Japanese in front of him were most likely new recruits.
If he was an old Japanese soldier, he would not have panicked even after being hit by two shells.
After all, as long as you hide well, the possibility of being hit by a shell is not high.
Therefore, veterans are relatively less afraid of artillery.
(End of this chapter)
