A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

In the afternoon, the Central Army launched an offensive. Several artillery positions conducted test firings and corrected their firing effects in an orderly manner before switching to artillery preparation and fiercely bombarding Zhangjialing Heights.

The armored training battalion's tanks and fire support armored vehicles moved south along the road toward the high ground, advancing to within range of small arms, where tank guns and machine guns fired with precision.

One by one, the defensive fortifications, bunkers, and firing positions exposed on the front and rear were blasted away by the fierce artillery fire, and flames raged everywhere, with thick smoke rising into the sky.

The Southeast Army lost its ability to launch long-range artillery counterattacks from Zhangjialing Heights, leaving it completely vulnerable to attack and unable to retaliate. The morale of the defending troops was extremely low.

The Southeast Army soldiers in the Changmin Village area watched from afar, their hearts heavy, all remaining silent.

Song Hongfei's words continued to resonate in their ears.

"The three lines of defense from the foot of the mountain to the summit are all exposed on the opposite slope. Each line of defense is relatively isolated, which is not conducive to mutual support and coordination. There is a lack of depth in the defense, and the defending forces are exposed to the direct fire range of the enemy!"

"If we were to face a modern military superpower, it would be tantamount to throwing our own heads into their planes and cannons, only to suffer heavy casualties under the enemy's barrage!"

"Disperse troops and concentrate firepower. Deploy them on the reverse slope and flanks, and arrange them in depth to form an integrated defensive system! This will both conceal troop deployments and allow for mobile counterattacks!"

Everyone was trying to think about it, but due to the long-standing constraints of outdated and rigid military thinking, it was still very difficult to understand advanced tactical thinking such as active defense and mobile defense.

However, the facts before them have proven them right one by one, leaving them no choice but to admit defeat.

On Zhangjialing Heights, a large number of troops and weapons were exposed and stockpiled on the front. Faced with fierce firepower, the defenders even had difficulty moving to avoid artillery fire, and instead became trapped by their own actions.

The officers were shaken. They had thought that the deployment of three lines of defense and the dense network of fortifications made the area impregnable, worthy of being called "Steel Armor Ridge".

However, Song Hongfei's single comment shattered all of this and their confidence: "Faced with a modern and powerful enemy, there is no distinction between the front and the rear within the range of firepower; once discovered, they are destroyed!"

"What would have happened if we had faced Japanese aircraft and heavy artillery?"

This is a critical question! It keeps echoing in everyone's mind.

Everyone was drenched in cold sweat.

The situation was critical. Under the repeated strict orders of the Commander-in-Chief, the Division Headquarters, and the Brigade Headquarters, the 7th Regiment of the Southeast Army defending Zhaowang Village launched several counterattacks to the east towards Tianjia Village and Baijia Village, attempting to contain the Central Army's attack on Zhangjialing Heights.

However, each attack wave of the 7th Regiment was blocked and bombarded by the long-range artillery fire of the Central Army after it crossed the starting position, disrupting its formation. When it advanced to the open area between the two armies, it was blocked and suppressed by fierce close-range fire and then covered by artillery fire, and could not even reach the forward defensive positions of the Central Army.

Song Hongfei deployed the 1st Company, machine gun company, battalion-level mortar company, and infantry artillery platoon on the western front, along with the armored detachments left behind earlier. A portion of the 2nd Regiment of the General Corps deployed its forces in positions between the Xitong Highway and the Longhai Railway, forming a tight defensive line.

The forward artillery observation team had already marked the landmarks and features, drawing a precise grid coordinate table of the firing area, which was only a few hundred meters wide between the mountains and the Wei River. The artillery fire from the rear was extremely accurate, guided and corrected by the forward observation team.

Ying Honglun, commander of the 7th Regiment of the 3rd Brigade of the 105th Division of the Southeast Army, was bitter. Every time his regiment advanced into the open area, it was blocked and suppressed by fire, unable to move or retreat. Then, it was scattered and broken up under the precise artillery fire. After several waves of attacks, his regiment had not even seen the enemy and had lost several companies.

Gao Pengyun, the brigade commander of the 3rd Brigade who rushed to supervise the battle, was also secretly lamenting his predicament. He was extremely shocked and had never seen such artillery tactics before.

The garrison on the high ground reported that the Central Army's long-range artillery positions were located several kilometers away, east of Sanzhang Village, separated by several villages, making it impossible to observe this area. How come the 7th Regiment's attacks were always precisely locked onto by the enemy no matter where they took cover?

"This is fucking weird!"

Gao Pengyun was so angry that he gritted his teeth.

Liu Fangdu, the commander of the 105th Division, urgently dispatched a 75mm mountain gun company from Weizhou City to accompany Gao Pengyun as reinforcements. The company commander, Dong Huanwen, noticed something amiss and was greatly surprised: "Indirect aiming firing method!"

"Oh?" Gao Pengyun had never heard of this before.

He wasn't very familiar with artillery tactics, so he asked, "Can the artillery company engage in an artillery duel with the Central Army? We don't need to suppress them, but at least we should prevent their artillery fire from being so unrestrained!"

Dong Huanwen remained silent for a long time, then slowly shook his head and said, "The Central Army's artillery positions are located in concealed areas in the rear. They must have set up observation posts at the front to direct the artillery fire from the rear. Our army is still using the direct firing method, which means we can't fire if we can't observe the enemy."

Gao Pengyun's heart sank when he heard that. Did that mean he could only watch helplessly as the other side bombarded him?

"Give them a good beating on their front-line defensive positions!" Gao Pengyun ordered fiercely.

The 75mm mountain artillery company and the 150mm heavy mortars of the 3rd Brigade were concealed and positioned in open areas behind Zhaowang Village and a grove of trees on the edge of the village, respectively, and opened fire one after another.

After each side conducted a test firing, they immediately began firing heavily.

"Boom boom boom!" The Southeast Army's counterattack artillery fire bombarded the Central Army's positions west of Tianjia Village and Baijia Village.

The 150mm mortar shells are incredibly powerful, producing thick smoke, flying sand and stones, and creating huge craters.

Wang Jingxiong was secretly surprised, and his admiration for Song Hongfei grew even stronger.

Previously, Song Hongfei had repeatedly instructed him to deploy defensive positions in depth, with troops dispersed in a light-weight formation at the front and heavy-weight formation at the rear, and only a small number of troops deployed at the front.

When the enemy shelled, only a few observation and sentry posts remained at the forward positions, while the rest of the personnel took cover in well-prepared anti-artillery shelters. Therefore, although the enemy's shelling was quite powerful, its destructive effect was minimal.

The sergeant battalion soldiers took cover from the intense artillery fire in their bunkers, their admiration for Song Hongfei beyond words.

The 2nd Regiment of the Training Corps did not employ a forward-light, rear-heavy formation in its positions, and suffered some casualties during the artillery barrage.

Gao Pengyun observed the fierce artillery bombardment with satisfaction, and then ordered the 7th Regiment to launch another attack wave.

"Attention! The enemy is about to attack! Call in artillery fire from battalion headquarters to intercept! Suppress the enemy with heavy machine guns at a distance of 500 meters!"

Wang Jingxiong shouted and gave the order.

The officers and soldiers of the sergeant battalion were well-prepared and ready for battle.

The attack wave of the 7th Regiment of the Southeast Army was once again suppressed by the close-range fire of the sergeant battalion, followed by precise long-range artillery fire, and the offensive collapsed and vanished.

"This is what the battalion commander meant by 'dispersed forces, concentrated firepower'! It's like cutting melons and vegetables!" The soldiers of the sergeant battalion practically revered Song Hongfei. They could only marvel at how easy and enjoyable the defensive battle had ever been. The infantrymen hadn't even had a chance to fire a single shot; they were just watching the artillery company and heavy machine gunners have a blast.

Gao Pengyun and Ying Honglun were furious. The two infantry companies in the attack wave had suffered heavy losses. Blood and flesh were flying everywhere, and the wounded soldiers' cries of agony were endless.

Without even seeing the enemy, they were forced to headfirst into enemy shells. This was undoubtedly the most devastating blow to morale. The soldiers' eyes changed, and despair and terror gradually spread.

Dong Huanwen put down his binoculars. He observed carefully for a long time, and couldn't help but feel a little dejected. He said to Gao Pengyun, "The enemy's tactics are very clever, their position deployment is reasonable, and their anti-artillery capabilities are strong. Our artillery strikes will not be very effective. To achieve a good firepower strike effect, I estimate that at least another artillery battalion will be needed."

Gao Pengyun's face was pale, and he remained silent.

Dong Huanwen smiled wryly again, pointed into the distance, and said, "It wasn't entirely ineffective. The enemy's positions south of the Longhai Railway weren't deployed so cleverly, and our mountain artillery company's bombardment still achieved some damage."

Ying Honglun's voice trembled slightly: "Unable to suppress the enemy's long-range firepower, the infantry simply cannot break through and will only increase casualties, not to mention that the enemy also has tanks!"

Gao Pengyun looked somber and sighed slowly, "If we can't attack, we can only defend."

Subsequently, Gao Pengyun ordered a full-scale strengthening of defenses and alerts. Neither side launched an attack, and instead engaged in artillery fire, resulting in a stalemate.