Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 183 Valley Purgatory
Instantly, the Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun unleashed a deafening, highly penetrating roar!

"Dong-dong-dong! Dang-dong-dong-dong!"

The sound was not like the deafening roar of a large-caliber cannon, but more like a huge, high-speed hammer forging steel, striking wildly!
Each shot was accompanied by a huge, orange-red fireball, over a meter long, spewing from the muzzle, instantly illuminating the hillside that had become somewhat dim due to the smoke. Thick, pungent smoke immediately spread.

With a whistling sound as the 20mm bullet tore through the air, it struck a platoon of charging Japanese soldiers more than a thousand meters away. Two Japanese soldiers at the forefront suddenly turned into exploded watermelons, their limbs, flesh, and bone fragments flying several meters into the air.

As Lao Cao fired, scorching hot brass shell casings, like a golden waterfall, violently sprayed out from the ejection port on the right side of the breech, clanging and clattering as they hit the rocks on the position and rolled into the mud, instantly piling up in a small heap, emitting scorching heat.

"50 meters to the right... distance increased by 100... good dispersion, continue suppression!" The observer next to him reported the location loudly while observing through binoculars.

Here's something I want to share.

Many people don't understand why machine gunners need one or more assistants, especially since they have to keep talking in their ears while they are firing.

This is because the shooter is actually "locked" to the weapon when firing.

Heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft guns generate tremendous recoil, deafening noise, intense muzzle flash, and billowing smoke and dust when firing.

The shooter must keep his eyes close to the optical sight (or iron sights), his body close to the stock to control the weapon, his hands firmly gripping the grip/trigger, and his mind highly focused on aiming, controlling the gun, firing, and dealing with recoil.

His field of vision was severely limited to the narrow field of view of the scope, making it almost impossible for him to effectively observe the surrounding environment and the overall battlefield situation.

The observer, however, does not have these restrictions.

He could stand tall and, while concealed, use binoculars, rangefinders, observation glasses, and even his naked eye to observe the battlefield from all angles. He could see what the machine gunners couldn't see from the sides, rear, higher ground, and even further distances.

In particular, prolonged firing of firearms can cause the barrel to overheat.

The observer is responsible for monitoring the condition of the barrel and assisting or reminding the machine gunner to quickly replace the barrel with a spare when necessary to ensure continuous firepower.

In general, a heavy machine gun without an observer is like a soldier with immense strength but who is deaf and blind; no matter how powerful it is, it is easily destroyed or cannot be effectively used.

The presence of an observer transforms the heavy machine gun from a mere weapon into a complete tactical node with perception, decision-making, and combat capabilities.

"Dong dong dong..."

High-explosive bombs continued to explode within the Japanese attack formation.

Dust mixed with gunpowder smoke, and scattered metal fragments rolled around on the scorching earth.

The Japanese soldiers, their backs hunched, charged desperately toward the mountainside, their khaki uniforms soaked dark with sweat.

Suddenly... a 20mm high-explosive shell whistled through the air and struck a tree the size of an adult's arm. The tree instantly shattered into dozens or even hundreds of sharp splinters, which, when they pierced the necks of nearby soldiers, still carried the fresh scent of wood shavings.

High-explosive shells had just been fired when armor-piercing shells followed in quick succession, scattering clumps of dirt mixed with human tissue in a fan shape.

A soldier had just rushed behind a mound of earth when the entire mound was blasted to dust by a shell, and he futilely clung to half a rock.

The Japanese soldiers discovered with despair that there was no safe place on the battlefield. Bullets ripped through the ground, instantly sending up plumes of crimson blood mist. The screams of their comrades echoed constantly, and the hollow clanging of helmets tumbling and colliding in the shockwaves filled the air. "Baka yarou!"

Minamimura Masayasu could no longer contain his anger and began to shout and curse.

These Chinese are so lacking in martial ethics, actually using anti-aircraft guns against infantry. How could they do such an inhumane thing?

The most critical issue is that they are currently launching a feint attack, leaving few places to hide. Furthermore, the anti-aircraft guns are exceptionally powerful, rendering ordinary bunkers and earthen mounds utterly ineffective against their bombardment.

He witnessed firsthand how, due to a lack of cover, more than ten people hid behind a small mound of earth the size of a grave, only to have the mound they were hiding on eventually be breached by anti-aircraft guns.

The entire slope twisted and crumbled as if being kneaded by an invisible giant hand. As clods of earth and grains of sand fell, those hiding behind it had already turned into pieces of flesh hanging on tree branches, with limbs, fragments, and brains scattered everywhere.

Upon witnessing such a horrific scene, many Japanese soldiers vomited on the spot.

Minamimura Masaya rushed to the front and finally managed to reach a ditch. Because of its low elevation, the ditch was in a blind spot for anti-aircraft guns, allowing them to catch their breath.

When he counted the number of people again, he found that his squadron only had more than 80 people left, which meant that more than 100 people had fallen on the way of the charge.

Seeing that only so many men remained in a company, Minamimura Masayasu felt as if his heart was being torn apart. Although the Japanese were known for their indifference to life, the fact that a single charge had resulted in the loss of more than half a company meant that he, as the company commander, was also partly to blame.

"Squadron Leader, the Chinese firepower is too intense, we simply can't break through!" A second lieutenant approached him, bowing low, and said with grief and indignation.

Minamimura Masayasu: "Ono, have Kimura and Nakai arrived yet?"

“They…they…” Lieutenant Ono could no longer hold back his tears. “They all perished.”

"What……"

Minamimura Masayasu's heart sank; it meant that only one of his three squad leaders remained.

Seeing that Minamimura Masashi remained silent, Lieutenant Ono couldn't help but say, "Company Commander, we should... we should retreat. The Third Company can't afford any more losses like this."

"no!"

Without hesitation, Minamimura Masaya replied, "If we go back like this, the captain will not hesitate to kill us."

"But...but if we continue the charge, the Third Company might really cease to exist!"

Upon hearing this, Minamimura Masayasu looked at the few soldiers behind him and could no longer hold back his tears...

Minamimura Masayasu was unaware that while he was weeping bitterly, his superior's superior... Colonel Koito Yukiichi, commander of the 77th Infantry Regiment, was also looking at the hellish valley with bloodshot eyes.

He couldn't understand it at all. The battlefield, which had been going well and even steadily advancing, suddenly took a turn for the worse, with the enemy pulling out a powerful weapon that caught them completely off guard.

The result of the salvo from more than a hundred Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns was that countless 20mm high-explosive shells flew everywhere like hail, turning the entire valley into a hellish place.

(End of this chapter)