Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 178 Bombardment of Sakata
"Report sir!"

"The Japs are about to break into the East City Gate!"

A staff officer ran in and spoke hastily.

Zhang Zizhong quickly picked up the telescope and looked at the battlefield in the distance: "Why are the damn Japanese so anxious?"

Through the lens, one can vaguely see the corner of the East City Gate. On the towering city wall, a Japanese plaster flag has been hoisted.

"Which battalion is defending the east side of the city?"

Staff officer: "It's the Fourth Battalion!"

Zhang Zizhong said quickly: "Order the first artillery battalion to mobilize all firepower to drive out the Japs in the east of the city!"

Staff Officer: “Yes!”

If the Japanese were allowed to gain a foothold in the city, the situation would be disastrous.

------

Inside the city.

A gap was blown up in the east gate of Lanfeng City, and the attacking Japanese troops poured in through here, shouting slogans.

"Kill him!"

"Charge! Kill all the Chinese!"

The Japanese soldiers screamed and killed, and quickly passed through the streets with rifles in one hand.

"Da da da--!"

The heavy machine gun fired bullets, sweeping the street intersection wildly.

"The devils are coming!"

"Grenade!"

Inside the position, the soldiers immediately organized a defense, hid behind bunkers, and launched a counterattack against the Japanese troops that rushed in.

"What kind of broken gun is this!" The lieutenant held a Type 38 rifle, pulled the bolt, and looked at the empty magazine, "Give me a Type 24 rifle!"

The Fifth Column is not elite.

The rifles used were a mixed bag, with both Japanese-made and domestically produced rifles.

The soldier at the side reluctantly handed over the rifle in his hand: "Platoon Leader, I don't want to use this gun either!"

The lieutenant glared and yelled at the top of his voice: "Shut up!"

"What do you, a loader, need such a nice gun for?"

After saying that, he weighed the rifle in his hand.

"Snapped--!"

The second lieutenant pulled the trigger and hit a Japanese soldier right in the forehead.

After firing the gun, he immediately retreated into the bunker, pulled the bolt smoothly, and a bullet was pushed into the chamber.

"This gun is still easy to use!"

Compared with the Japanese Type 38 rifle, the biggest advantage of the domestically produced Type 24 rifle is its large magazine and smooth bolt pull.

The moderate barrel does not affect rapid maneuverability in street fighting and trench warfare.

Very popular among soldiers.

"boom--!"

The artillery battalion outside the city opened fire, and grenades flew across the sky and fell directly into the buildings.

The violent explosion overturned the building, and brick and stone debris flew everywhere along with shrapnel.

The second lieutenant responded: "Brothers! Artillery support has arrived!"

"Follow me and drive the Japs out of the city!"

The rumbling sound of the explosion drowned out the human voices, and no sound could be heard if one was a little further away.

But when the soldiers saw the artillery fire, they rushed forward as if they were injected with chicken blood.

"Kill the devil!"

"Kill the little Japanese!

The second lieutenant also rushed out of the bunker: "Machine gun cover!"

The soldiers dispersed their formation, put on their bayonets, and met the Japanese charge. The two sides collided, and the bloodiest hand-to-hand combat began.

The predecessor of the 59th Column was the 38th Division of the th Army, an old base of the Northwest Army, and was best at hand-to-hand combat.

------

5 month 17 day.

West of Dangshan.

On the vast plain, an army is marching quickly.

In the jeep, Wang Feng looked out the window.

The wheels kicked up clouds of dust and the roar could be heard from far away.

"Speed up!"

Next to the infantry line, an officer was riding his horse, holding the reins with one hand and waving the whip with the other.

"drive!"

“Speed up the pace”

Zhao Fangyuan held a telegram in his hand: "Sir, the Henan East Corps called and said that they have detained Generals Gui Yongqing and Long Muhan in Qi County, and ordered the 27th Army to turn around and return to Lanfeng immediately."

Wang Feng: "Where is the Fifth Column?"

"Any latest news?"

Zhao Fangyuan shook his head and sighed, "The situation is critical. The 14th Division took Lanfeng City as its main attack target. The city wall was breached by the Japanese heavy artillery, and the nearby positions changed hands more than ten times."

"But fortunately, the overall situation is relatively stable, and Lanfeng City is still under our control."

Wang Feng calmed down and said, "Where is the Henan East Corps? It's been so long, there can't be no reaction at all, right?"

Zhao Fangyuan glanced down at the message and said, "Since the friendly forces have adopted an encirclement strategy, the main forces are currently on the periphery of the battlefield. We are willing but unable to provide support, and we are unable to help."

The situation in the Battle of Lanfeng was originally very good. If Gui Yongqing's troops had not fled without permission, annihilating the 14th Division would have been as easy as taking candy from a sack.

Thinking of this, Wang Feng became a little annoyed and swore, which was rare.

"Central Army"

"Damn it! These are the damn direct descendants! Eight out of ten of these people are deserters!"

He had anticipated Gui Yongqing's withdrawal in advance. After all, the lessons of history were there.

But I didn't expect the withdrawal to be so abrupt.

No time to react at all.

The current situation of the War of Resistance has improved slightly. If the Pingxingguan ambush was said to have broken the "myth of invincibility" of the Japanese army.

The three consecutive victories in the Battle of Xuzhou were to press this so-called "myth" to the ground, rub it hard, and then step on it a few times after that.

Logically speaking, in this situation, even if Gui Yongqing wanted to escape, he would have to resist for two more days, right?
"Oh" Wang Feng turned his head and looked out the window.

Before this, he had thought about notifying Xue Yue in advance.

But after thinking about it carefully, I gave up this unrealistic idea.

Who is Gui Yongqing?

The popular figure in front of Chiang Kai-shek was even very popular - his ancestral home was in Jiangxi, he was a member of the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy, a disciple of the emperor, a veteran of the Northern Expedition, he studied in Germany, and he proposed the establishment of a teaching corps.

The current 27th Army was expanded from the old teaching corps.

Go and impeach such a person yourself.

Whether it is Xue Yue or Chang Kai-shen, would they really believe it?
Wang Feng asked himself and felt that he was not yet qualified.

I am afraid that after reading the telegram, Chiang Kai-shek will think that this is a plot to sow discord.

Therefore, he had no choice but to ask Zhang Zizhong to be on high alert.

Zhao Fangyuan: "Sir, we only have one column. Can we handle the devils?"

The 4th and 6th columns were left in Dangshan to block the large Japanese troops coming from Xuzhou.

At present, there is only one left with him.

Wang Feng: "Even if you can't handle it, you have to deal with it. Even if this is a pot of half-cooked rice, you have to close your eyes and swallow it."

"What's the latest news about the Second and Third Columns?"

Zhao Fangyuan thought for a moment and said, "After learning that Puyang was under siege, the Second North China Army immediately dispatched troops to provide support."

"We are still in the siege and war of attrition stage."

Wang Feng: "Just surround the city. They are the secondary attackers, specifically used to distract the Japanese army's attention."

Zhao Fangyuan nodded: "Sir, we have traveled 20 kilometers, and we will reach Shan County in the future!"

Wang Feng looked down at the time - 13:12.

"Pass the order down. After arriving in Shan County, the entire army will rest for half an hour."

"Call Zheng Zhenzhong over!"

Zhao Fangyuan saluted: "Yes!"

five minutes later.

There was a sound of horse hooves, and the artillery commander Zheng Zhenzhong jumped off his horse. The guard opened the car door and gestured for him to get in.

"Sir!"

Wang Feng was dozing off while leaning back in his chair. When he heard the voice, he slowly opened his eyes:

"How fast are the troops marching? Are there any who are falling behind?" Zheng Zhenzhong patted his chest and assured: "Don't worry, sir. Our homemade trucks are powerful and have enough horsepower. There will be no problem towing the artillery!"

Wang Feng rubbed his face and sat up straight: "Pull out the 122mm gun and set up the position."

"Bring me the map!"

The guard sitting in the passenger seat moved quickly and took out the battle map under the windshield.

Wang Feng spread it out on his legs.

Pull out a pen.

"According to the scouts' report, there is a village about 15 kilometers west of Shanxian County, where a large amount of Japanese ammunition is stored. This distance is just within the range of the 122mm artillery!"

"Go mobilize the artillery fire and shoot him down for me!"

Zheng Zhenzhong saluted: "I guarantee to complete the task!"

Wang Feng: "Go quickly! Don't delay the troops and keep moving forward."

The so-called scout report was actually what he saw on the three-dimensional combat map.

The "large quantity of ammunition" was actually not that much. He had looked at it carefully and estimated that there was only enough reserve for one squadron.

Think about it too.

Shan County is close to Dangshan. Once I lead the troops to provide support, I will pass through here.

Kenji Doihara is not a fool. Doing this would be tantamount to a "suicidal gift."

The Japanese army's logistical supplies did not come easily, and even though they had a mature industrial system, they still had to save money.

The main purpose of attacking this stronghold is to "declare war"!
Announce to the Japanese army that the garrison army has officially joined the battle.

The 14th Division is a tough nut to crack. Wang Feng has already received accurate information that the level of armament of this unit can be described as luxurious.

So far, among all the divisions I have encountered, I have never seen any division with such luxurious configuration.

It almost drained all the assets of the First Army.

Look at your own troops.

The Fifth Column was trapped in Lanfeng City and was in a passive situation, unable to play a big role.

The First Column had just experienced a great war, and half a month was not enough time to recover.

It would be quite difficult to confront the 14th Division head-on with such limited strength.

After much deliberation, I can only choose to seek help from friendly forces.

First, they announced their joining the battlefield in a high-profile manner to attract part of the Japanese troops and create a favorable opportunity for the Henan East Corps to advance into Lanfeng.

He still recognizes Xue Yue's current military level.

Once Kenji Doihara reveals a flaw, he will definitely pounce on him and hit his vital points!

But he did not rely entirely on friendly forces.

The lesson of Gui Yongqing is there. Once trust collapses, it will be difficult to rebuild it.

Zheng Zhenzhong received the order, hurriedly jumped off the jeep, jumped on the horse, turned around and ran towards the artillery position.

------

Twenty minutes later.

In the wilderness, a cannon stood at attention on the ground. The artilleryman quickly turned the wheel, and the barrel slowly rose, pointing obliquely at the sky.

The calculation soldier shook the mechanical computer and reported the final result to the messenger soldier.

"Distance 15.4 kilometers! Elevation angle."

"One high-explosive round!"

"preparation!"

"three!"

"two!"

"one!"

"put!"

The flag bearer lowered his arms and shouted orders.

"boom!"

The Jin-made 122mm howitzer fired, and the gun body shook violently. The huge recoil was offset by the recoil device, and no obvious displacement occurred.

"Keep loading!"

the flag bearer shouted.

------

Time moves forward slightly.

Zhaowang Village.

Sakata Squadron of the 14th Division.

Squadron leader Nobutsu Sakata looked around as he led a team of patrol soldiers to inspect the armory.

"Your Mightiness!"

A Japanese soldier hurried over, bent forward slightly, and handed over a telegram with both hands.

"Urgent message from the Brigade Staff!"

Nobutsu Sakata dusted off his hands, took the telegram and glanced at it.

"According to reliable information, the Chinese Federation's garrison troops will arrive in Shan County at 3 pm. They ask you to prepare for battle?"

"Nani?"

There were a lot of question marks on Nobutsu Sakata's face.

A squadron against an army?

"Kumamoto Battalion, Takeshita Battalion will support you"

It was only after seeing the last sentence that Nobutsu Sakata suddenly realized.

"Souga!"

Two front-line battalions came to support, even if they could not completely resist, they could delay the enemy for a while.

As a squadron leader, he only needed to follow orders step by step, but Nobutsu Sakata liked to pay attention to the strategic situation.

He knew in his heart that only by conquering Lanfeng and seizing the ferry on the north bank of the Yellow River could the heavy weapons cross the river smoothly.

By then, no matter how strong the Chinese army was, it would not be able to stop the division from advancing towards Kaifeng and Zhengzhou.

"Assemble the troops!" Nobutsu Sakata folded the telegram and carefully put it into his pocket.

"Hai!"

The Japanese soldier who delivered the message ran away immediately, and within two or three minutes, the shrill assembly alarm sounded in the village.

"Om-!"

A burst of dense footsteps sounded, and more than two hundred Japanese soldiers came running from all directions and stood in a row in the open ground.

Nobutsu Sakata glanced at his soldiers and felt very satisfied.

This is what the soldiers of the Empire of Japan look like!
"boom--!"

Just as he was about to give his speech, he suddenly felt the ground shaking and a gust of wind sweeping over him.

The sound waves of the explosion pierced his eardrums and Nobutsu Sakata heard a buzzing sound.

"Enemy attack!"

"The Chinese are coming!"

"Captain!"

The soldiers who were originally full of energy suddenly became confused and scattered without any orders.

Sakata Nobutsu calmed down and looked around.

No enemy was visible except for a large bomb crater.

The soldiers hid behind the bunkers and only dared to stick their heads out slightly.

Sakata Nobutsu came back to his senses.

This is a long-range fire attack!
There were no Chinese attacking us at all!
"idiot!"

"Are all spies just eating for free?"

Nobutsu Sakata drew his pistol and checked the time.

14: 12.

The telegram clearly stated that the Chinese army would arrive at 3 p.m., but the actual arrival time was more than half an hour later.

Can all Chinese people fly?

Another shell flew over, and Nobutsu Sakata looked up at the sky with his mouth shaped into an O.

"Nani?"

"boom--!"

The violent explosion swept everything. Although the caliber of the 122mm high-explosive grenade was not as good as the 150mm one, it had an excellent internal structure.

The charge capacity has been increased.

The actual explosive power is no weaker than the grenade fired by the Type 150 mm heavy artillery.

Nobutsu Sakata was unable to dodge and was directly engulfed by the flames, falling heavily to the ground.

(End of this chapter)