Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 177: The Henan East Corps was defeated?

Zhao Fangyuan walked around the cannon several times before walking back with Zheng Zhenzhong.

"Sir, please give this artillery a name!"

Zheng Zhenzhong added: "Our first artillery piece should be louder!"

Wang Feng stroked his chin, feeling troubled.

To be named again
Rifles use dates, 75mm field guns use the Republic of China calendar, and light and heavy machine guns use the Gregorian calendar.

What else can be used now?
Pinyin first letter plus model number?

This is feasible. I remember that my country's self-propelled howitzer in the past was called PLZ-05.

P (cannon) L (grenade) Z (automatic), "05" refers to the model.

This kind of naming is suitable for the inheritance sequence. When new models are launched in the future, they can be directly continued. The soldiers can understand what it means just from the paper.

Wang Feng looked at the people around him.

As soon as this thought flashed through my mind, it was rejected.

The promotion of Pinyin will take at least ten years.

People of this era don’t know what Pinyin is, so forcing a name on them will probably only cause trouble.

"Why not just call it the Jin-made 122mm howitzer?"

Wang Feng thought about it for a while and wanted to name it Changzhi 122mm howitzer.

But on second thought, large-caliber artillery is an important weapon at present, and naming it like this will easily expose the factory and is not suitable for long-term development.

Min Zhihong nodded in agreement: "Jin-made 122mm howitzer. What a good name!"

Wang Feng ignored his flattery and turned to look at Zheng Zhenzhong: "Use this gun first, teach the repair technology to the maintenance soldiers, and form combat effectiveness as soon as possible!"

Zheng Zhenzhong saluted: "No problem!"

Min Zhihong interrupted: "By the way, sir, I have another thing!"

Wang Feng raised his eyebrows: "What good stuff?"

Min Zhihong smiled mysteriously and picked up the suitcase beside him: "Sir, please have a look!"

Wang Feng stuck his head out. He had noticed the box a long time ago, but he didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just carry-on luggage.

Min Zhihong opened the suitcase, took out a container from it, opened it and handed it to Wang Feng.

"This is a mechanical computer developed by the joint efforts of various factories. Commander Song specifically asked me to bring it to the front line!"

Wang Feng stepped forward: "Mechanical computer?"

Zheng Zhenzhong also became curious: "Computer? What is this thing used for?"

Min Zhihong closed the suitcase and gave a live demonstration.

"This computer is an imitation of the Swedish O'Neill hand-cranked computer. It performs calculations by shaking the handle to drive the gears. It can be used to perform four arithmetic operations."

Zheng Zhenzhong stroked his chin and frowned: "Is it really that powerful?"

Min Zhihong nodded: "Of course! I can show it now!"

Zheng Zhenzhong blurted out a set of numbers, including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division: "Then calculate it for me."

Min Zhihong recited it silently, then shook the handle and entered the numbers.

The sound of micro gears turning was heard, and within five or six seconds, the answer was obtained.

Zheng Zhenzhong exclaimed: "Why is it so fast?"

Including the four arithmetic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, once the number of digits increases, even the most skilled technical soldiers will not be able to get the result in such a short time.

In order to prove the correctness of the calculation, Min Zhihong took out a piece of scratch paper and manually calculated and verified it.

The final result is exactly the same as that on the computer.

Seeing this, Zheng Zhenzhong turned his head and looked at Wang Feng anxiously: "Sir, this thing is so good, can we give it to our artillery?"

Every time the technical soldiers solve the parameters, they need to do manual calculations.

Not only is it time-consuming and laborious, but errors may also occur and the efficiency is extremely low.

If I had this thing, I could at least save half the effort.

In future artillery battles, we will be able to take the initiative and fire a round of salvos before the Japanese army.

Wang Feng: “Yes!”

Ordinary infantrymen may never use computers in their lifetime. The only ones who need them are technical soldiers such as artillery, engineers, and maintenance soldiers.

Zheng Zhenzhong was overjoyed: "Thank you, sir!"

Wang Feng looked at Min Zhihong and asked, "Can this hand-cranked computer be mass-produced now?"

Hand-cranked computers are mainstream computing devices throughout the world. They are not advanced technology, so mass production should not be too difficult.

Min Zhihong: “Sure!”

"But the variable-tooth gears inside have very high requirements for the production machine tools. Currently, the First Machine Tool Factory only has one machine tool that can meet the production requirements."

Wang Feng sighed.

Ultimately, it’s a question of production capacity.

"This computer is so important that I will be purchasing more equipment as soon as possible."

Min Zhihong nodded repeatedly: "It would be best if we could get more precision machine tools!"

------

After inspecting the 122mm artillery, Wang Feng returned to his office.

Before I could even sit down, Zhao Fangyuan rushed in: "Commander! Something big happened on the battlefield in eastern Henan!"

Wang Feng stood up and said, "Don't worry, tell me what you want to say slowly."

Zhao Fangyuan: "The Fifth Column sent a telegram that the commander of the 27th Army, Gui Yongqing, led his troops to abandon Lanfeng City without authorization. When they were discovered, the vanguard had already passed Luowang Station!"

Wang Feng was unusually calm after hearing such great news. He had expected this to happen since he learned that Gui Yongqing was guarding the city.

Who in later generations doesn’t know the famous General Paopao?

"What is the current situation in Lanfeng City?"

Zhao Fangyuan said quickly: "After Zhang Zizhong learned the news, he immediately led his troops to stabilize the front line. After the 14th Division briefly entered the city, it was driven out!"

Wang Feng breathed a sigh of relief.

fortunately!

After learning of the unusual movements of Gui Yongqing's troops, he ordered the 5th Column to be on alert in advance.

"How many Japanese troops are there to attack Lanfeng?"

Zhao Fangyuan thought for a moment and said, "About a brigade!"

Wang Feng frowned: "Reply to Zhang Zizhong. Lanfeng is located on the Yellow River ferry in the north and is of vital importance. Once the Japanese are allowed to cross the river, it will cause irreparable losses. Tell him that no matter what, he must defend Lanfeng and wait for reinforcements to arrive!"

There is only one brigade with a maximum strength of 10,000 soldiers, but we can still handle it.

Zhao Fangyuan looked worried: "Sir, the telegram said that judging from the situation on the battlefield, the 14th Division is equipped with a considerable number of artillery regiments, equipped with at least a dozen large-caliber heavy artillery!"

Wang Feng was stunned after hearing this.

Quite a few artillery regiments?

A dozen large-caliber heavy artillery?

A regular Type A division shouldn't have this kind of configuration!
Wang Feng: "Any news from the Henan East Corps?"

With such a big thing happening, Xue Yue shouldn't have done nothing at all.

Zhao Fangyuan said quickly: "The Fifth Column is closer and reacts more promptly. We should be the first to receive the news."

Wang Feng frowned even more tightly: "Hurry up and send a telegram to the Henan East Corps to inform General Xue Yue of the situation in Lanfeng!"

After saying that, he turned his head and looked at the strategic map.

Lanfeng borders Zhengzhou to the west and Qingxu to the east.

After the fall of Xuzhou, this place became the most critical military location at the time.

Wang Feng muttered quietly in his heart: "It's really uncomfortable to be caught in the middle."

Lanfeng is on the left and Xuzhou is on the right. No matter which side has problems, our side will be affected.

Zhao Fangyuan: "Commander, the situation in Lanfeng is critical. Should we send troops to support them?"

Wang Feng thought for a moment and asked, "Are there any unusual movements of the Japanese troops in the direction of Xuzhou?"

Zhao Fangyuan: "According to reports from spies lurking in the city, Terauchi Juichi and Hata Shunroku met in Xuzhou. The Japanese army has strictly blocked the news, and the specific content of the conversation is still unclear."

"What good things can these two old devils come up with when they get together!" Wang Feng snorted coldly, "To defend Lanfeng, we can't rely on the Yudong Corps. We still have to rely on ourselves."

"Notify all troops to prepare for battle immediately!" Zhao Fangyuan saluted: "Yes!"

"Sir, which column should we send out this time?"

Wang Feng rubbed his temples and said, "First, let the first column prepare, the sixth column stay in Dangshan, and the fourth column stay where it is and wait and see what happens."

------

at the same time.

Lanfeng.

Zhang Zizhong looked at the battlefield ahead through a telescope. The intensity of the Japanese artillery fire was indeed beyond his expectations.

The column commander Huang Weigang stood beside him and said, "Sir, if this continues, the brothers on the front line may not be able to hold on!"

Zhang Zizhong put down the telescope and asked: "Have the telephone lines been laid?"

Gui Yongqing's troops fled without any call for action, and the 5th Column responded hastily without even having time to lay telephone lines. In the early stages, the command post and the battalions could only communicate by telegraph.

Huang Weigang: "It's almost there, the communications company is stepping up its work!"

"Has the Henan East Corps responded?" Zhang Zizhong looked displeased.

He had been a soldier for half his life, but had never encountered such a thing - in the middle of the battle, when the situation was looking very good, the friendly forces suddenly fled the battlefield without permission.

Huang Weigang sighed: "The Henan East Corps just called back and hoped that our troops would hold on to Lanfeng."

Zhang Zizhong: “No more?”

Huang Weigang nodded: "That's all the information in the telegram."

"The 14th Division is east of Lanfeng, holding back the reinforcements coming from Kaifeng. We are now facing simultaneous attacks from the east and west!"

Zhang Zizhong gritted his teeth and said, "Fuck the elite troops of the Central Army! More than 100,000 people surrounded and annihilated less than 30,000 people, and they were fooled around!"

"Where is the tank battalion of the National Army?"

Huang Weigang was embarrassed: "After the tank battalion severely damaged the Japanese cavalry regiment, it retreated to Maji, where it encountered the main force of the Japanese army. Seven tanks were destroyed by anti-tank guns, and the loss was heavy."

Zhang Zizhong couldn't believe it: "What?"

"How could the war situation get so bad?"

Chiang Kai-shek repeatedly asked the Henan East Corps to "fight independently." Under pressure from the principal, Xue Yue did not share any intelligence with the Fifth Column. Huang Weigang only just learned of this news.

Qiu Qingquan's tank battalion, equipped entirely with American and Soviet tanks, was even stronger than the Japanese tank squadron.

If it can be used properly, it may become the key force to turn the tide of the war.

It’s a pity that Qiu Qingquan was not incompetent. When the tank battalion was first deployed to the battlefield, it severely damaged the Japanese cavalry regiment and indeed played a significant role.

The defeat was due to the huge disparity in overall strength. Unless they could achieve a surprise victory, they would not be able to win by relying solely on tanks.

As the two were communicating, a signalman came running over.

"Report to the commander, the phone line is connected!"

Zhang Zizhong turned around and said, "Okay!"

After that, he picked up the phone with his right hand and put his left hand on his waist: "Hello!"

"Give me the Seventh Infantry Battalion!"

After a busy tone.

The sound of artillery fire could be heard faintly over the phone: "Hello! This is the commander of the Seventh Battalion, Mei Chengping!"

"I am Zhang Zizhong!"

"What is the current situation of your department?"

There was a buzzing sound coming from the phone: "Reporting to the commander, I...my unit suffered heavy damage from the Japanese army's heavy artillery fire."

Seeing no movement in the microphone, Zhang Zizhong was anxious: "Hello! Hello! Hello!"

Signalman: "Sir, maybe the telephone line is blown up."

Zhang Zizhong put down the phone and said, "Fuck it!"

"Go and connect the phone line!"

The signalman turned around and quickly ran out of the command post.

Huang Weigang stepped forward and said, "Sir, how about I go to the Seventh Battalion and take a look myself?"

"The main force of the Japanese army is directly in front of the 7th Battalion, and it is under the heaviest fire. I am a little worried."

Zhang Zizhong waved his hand and said, "The first battalion will go with you. Be careful!"

Huang Weigang stood at attention and saluted: "Don't worry, sir!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left the command post.

Zhang Zizhong looked at the battle map and had a bad feeling in his heart.

As the saying goes, it is better to defend a city without fighting in it. This is the most basic military common sense.

The city of Lanfeng alone could not stop the Japanese army.

What really worked were the national defense fortifications built outside the city in advance.

However, due to the mistake made by Gui Yongqing - he did not notify friendly forces before evacuating without authorization, many defensive fortifications were occupied by the Japanese army.

Thanks to the warning issued by Wang Feng, the Fifth Column responded promptly.

But even so, they only managed to seize a small number of outer positions from the Japanese army.

They are all close to the city walls. Once the positions are lost, the Japanese army will have to break into Lanfeng City next.

The most important thing is that the friendly forces on the periphery can’t help and can only watch.

Just when Zhang Zizhong was feeling depressed, the phone suddenly rang.

"Hey!"

As soon as I picked up the phone, there was a muffled sound from the other end.

Upon hearing this sound, Zhang Zizhong's first reaction was that the troops were under artillery fire, and the caliber was not small.

At least 105 mm!

"Sir! The Second Artillery Battalion is under fire from the Japanese!"

Zhang Zizhong's heart trembled violently.

"what?"

"Can you say that again!"

"Sir, the enemy's artillery is coming! We lost four field guns!"

"Our battalion commander is dead, and the enemy's shelling is still going on. Requesting support!"

The voice on the other end of the phone was a little hoarse, and even had a bit of crying tone.

Zhang Zizhong hurriedly ordered: "I now order your battalion to withdraw from the position immediately! Move to a safe area!"

"Don't even use the cannons anymore, move immediately!"

"who are you?"

On the phone: "Report to the commander, I am the captain of the Second Artillery Battalion, my name is Sun Lixing!"

Zhang Zizhong: "Okay! Sun Lixing!"

"You are the battalion commander now. Take your men and retreat immediately."

Sun Lixing hesitated: "You don't want the cannon anymore?"

Zhang Zizhong frowned: "I don't want any of them!"

Artillery can be reproduced, and the production cycle of a piece of artillery is much shorter than the training cycle of a skilled artilleryman.

No matter how heavy or light it is, he can still carry it clearly.

With the support of the rear industry, the idea that people are more valuable than weapons gradually spread in the army.

Sun Lixing: “Yes!”

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Zizhong broke out in a cold sweat.

In the past few battles, he relied on large-caliber artillery to bomb the Japanese army.

Now the offense and defense have changed.

The field artillery equipped by the column artillery battalion are all small and medium caliber artillery with a range of less than ten kilometers.

With its extremely high rate of fire, it is indeed a good choice for supporting the front line.

But they suffered great losses in the artillery battle.

(End of this chapter)