Bright Sword: From Border Region Manufacturing to Major National Heavy Industry

Chapter 14 The Devil's Weapon

Ogawa Ichiro was the company commander of the Japanese squadron. When he heard the sound of artillery fire on the Sunjiabao stronghold, he immediately summoned his troops to come out and provide reinforcements.

Midway through, he also brought two other reinforcements to his command.

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Ogawa Ichiro kept urging the puppet troops ahead of him to hurry up, seeing that they were running too slowly.

"Company commander, we're not far from Sunjiabao now. The smoke from the battle has cleared up, and it seems the enemy has already fled," a Japanese squad leader said to Ogawa Ichiro.

"Then we need to run even faster, look for clues, and find these enemies." Ogawa Ichiro's tone was very serious.

If the artillery used to bombard the Sunjiabao stronghold had been ordinary mountain guns or infantry guns, Ogawa Ichiro wouldn't have been so serious.

The sound of the shelling seemed to be from heavy artillery!
The Chinese-made mountain guns and infantry guns did not have a significant impact on the Imperial Army.

Heavy artillery had a huge impact on the Imperial Army.

Often, the Imperial Army's reluctance to fight freely stemmed from concerns about the enemy's heavy artillery, which significantly hampered their battle results.

The military also issued a strict order that once the traces of Chinese heavy artillery were discovered, they should be destroyed and eliminated at all costs.

"Company commander, but this area only has Eighth Route Army troops. They don't even have many basic mortars, let alone heavy artillery," the Japanese squad leader questioned.

"We still can't be careless," Ogawa Ichiro said gravely. "Perhaps other Chinese units have broken in."

"Hmm, that makes sense." The Japanese squad leader nodded.

Urged on by Ichiro Ogawa, the troops ran faster and faster, and soon came into Li Yunlong's ambush range.

Seeing that a whole company of Japanese soldiers had actually arrived, Li Yunlong still ordered his troops in a serious tone: "Remember, as soon as I give the order, fire as I say, understand?"

Although Li Muzhi and Zhang Wanhe were very confident, Li Yunlong still had to prepare for the worst.

Even if the cannon fails to fire or malfunctions, the Independent Regiment still has to grit its teeth and keep going.

Even if wiping out the Japanese squadron would be a huge challenge, I'd rather break my teeth than let those bastards get away with it!
"Yes, Commander." The soldiers of the Independent Regiment gripped their weapons tightly, waiting for Li Yunlong's order.

Zhang Wanhe and Li Muzhi were squatting together. As the enemy approached, Zhang Wanhe was still a little nervous: "Li Muzhi, are you sure this shell can be fired smoothly without any problems?"

"Minister Zhang, relax." Li Muzhi smiled at Zhang Wanhe, "If my artillery shells fail, you can shoot me right now."

"What nonsense are you spouting, kid? Even if this shell doesn't go off, you're still our logistics darling. Anyone who dares to lay a finger on you is shoving a club into my eye!" Zhang Wanhe said in a very serious tone.

"Minister Zhang, the enemy squadron is almost at the right position. You can light the match." Li Muzhi handed the match to Zhang Wanhe.

"Shall I order?" Zhang Wanhe said, but his tone still sounded eager.

This is a bit like boys playing with firecrackers.

Moreover, these are high-powered firecrackers now, and even for the most seasoned young men, their allure is irresistible.

"Hurry up, don't let the enemy get past." Li Muzhi stuffed a match into Zhang Wanhe's hand.

Zhang Wanhe didn't hesitate. He took the matches, opened the box, took out a match, struck it on the eraser, and then held the flame to the fuse.

Chi Chi!

The fuse emitted blue smoke and quickly burst into flames.

The other workers at the Laohehe Arsenal also focused their attention on him.

Although the first shot was a success.

But firing the second shot is still crucial!

Of course, there's also Li Yunlong and his troops.

Although we've prepared for the worst, we still hope that the cannon at the arsenal can deal a heavy blow to the enemy, relieving some of the pressure on us. Boom!
The fuse burned out, and the cannon fired its second shot as expected, the shell roaring as it hurtled towards the Japanese company!

The sudden sound of artillery shells being fired caught both the traitors and the Japanese company off guard, and they were all stunned for a moment.

No one expected that after capturing the Sunjiabao stronghold, the enemy would not flee but instead set up an ambush there.

As the cannonballs hurtled toward his company, the Japanese company commander, Ogawa Ichiro, watched in shock, but also with a hint of joy.

Yes, it's joy!

Although he anticipated that the shell would cause casualties among the soldiers, he believed that the casualties would be worthwhile.

Since the enemy's heavy artillery did not flee, capturing the heavy artillery was far more significant than the casualties.

But soon, Ogawa Ichiro's joy turned into fear!

Deep fear!
The strange and large shell landed precisely in the middle of the squadron's ranks.

A loud explosion!
The imperial soldiers in the middle of the ranks immediately vanished, becoming part of the smoke and fire.

Then came the powerful shockwave, carrying overwhelming force, sweeping away the Emperor's soldiers in front of and behind the impact point into the sky like autumn leaves being swept away, just like sweeping away a bunch of rats, a huge scattering.

I thought it would be over once the shockwave passed.

Who would have thought that countless tiny things would shoot out from this shockwave?

These tiny things are so fast that it's impossible to see what they are; they can penetrate the human body as easily as paper.

Many of the Emperor's soldiers who were not affected by the shockwave were suddenly enveloped by this little thing.

Most people fall down without a sound and die on the spot.

Those Japanese soldiers who hadn't died started screaming in agony.

"Baka, my eyes, my eyes."

"Baka, my leg, my leg is pierced."

"There's a nail in my kidney! Good heavens, the Chinese put nails in their shells!"

……

Ogawa Ichiro was not spared either; two steel balls pierced through two Japanese soldiers before finally striking him in the chest.

Ogawa Ichiro's lungs were not punctured; both steel balls remained inside his lungs.

"Cough cough cough..."

Due to bleeding in his lungs, Ichiro Ogawa quickly began coughing and had difficulty breathing.

"My God, where did those Chinese get this heavy artillery? It's so powerful! We're doomed, we're doomed!" The Japanese squad leader shouted in fear beside Ogawa Ichiro.

The shockwave from this shell didn't cause the most casualties; the most casualties came from the iron balls and nails added inside the shell.

This little thing was given powerful kinetic energy by the shockwave, making it just as lethal as a bullet.

One shell killed more than a hundred men in the squadron, wiping out half of them. It was a devil's weapon!

“Withdraw, cough, withdraw, cough cough cough…” Ogawa Ichiro struggled to utter the words, his breathing labored.

The enemy's heavy artillery was far more lethal than we had imagined. Even though half the company was left, the puppet army had not suffered any losses. But the enemy's heavy artillery continued to roar, and we were powerless to resist. We were just fish on a chopping board.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly! Retreat!" The Japanese squad leader shouted like a pig being slaughtered, signaling for retreat.

(End of this chapter)