A Journey Through the Flames of War in the Republican Era

Song Hongfei's command vehicle radio transmitted a signal to the headquarters: "Iron Fist!"

In the headquarters, Xu Yuexiang, Gui Shuaizhen, and others finally witnessed the moment they had been waiting for. Commander Xu's tense face calmed down, and even a hint of relief appeared on his face. He then gave the order:

"The general attack begins!"

"Artillery suppresses enemy fire in the Zhangjialing Heights area!"

Gui Shuaizhen issued orders to all units of the Training Corps participating in the battle: "1st Regiment, 2nd Regiment, Special Service Battalion, Sergeant Battalion, launch a full-scale attack!"

On the southern front, the 28th Division also launched a full-scale attack west of the Chishui River, and together with the 2nd Regiment of the Training Corps, launched a fierce attack on the area east of Zhangjialing, including Chishui West Street, Yaoli Village, Caiguo Village, and Zhongwang Village.

Song Hongfei gave the order into the radio: "1st Company, 2nd Company, charge south along the trenches, straight in! Ignore the enemy in the villages on both sides, keep going until you reach the Xitong Highway!"

"Once in position, the main force of the 1st Company, in coordination with a tank platoon, will attack Chishui West Street eastward along the highway! The 2nd Company and the main force of the tank formation will attack westward along the highway! Utilize the railway and highway to form two lines of defense, ensuring that not a single enemy unit is allowed to cross!"

"Understood!" Wang Jingxiong and Liao Jianchu shouted.

The left-wing assault formation launched a swift and fierce attack from north to south along the main trench, like an extremely sharp dagger piercing straight in.

Without the support of heavy firepower, the defenders in the main trench were unable to withstand the fierce attacks from the flanks. Their resistance collapsed immediately, and the defeated soldiers fled in panic to the far sides, leaving the defense wide open.

The assault team plunged straight to the bottom, cutting off the Longhai Railway and the Xitong Highway in half.

On the east-west Xitong Highway, the tanks and infantry of the left-wing assault formation had completed their reorganization and then split into two groups, with armored vehicles rapidly advancing along both sides of the highway.

铺设于地面3-5米高的铁路路基也成了各步兵战斗编组良好的依托阵地，形成两道封锁线向东西延伸，公路以北的守军3团、2团的大部、1团的一部被分割成孤立的几块。

At the foot of Zhangjialing Mountain, near Zhangling Village, on a flat area behind a gentle slope, the artillery position of the defending troops was detected and locked by the artillery observation team of the assault formation, and the target location was immediately reported back to the rear command. Soon after, a barrage of shells roared in, covering the position, causing a huge earthquake, and the artillery battalion attached to the Central Corps of the Southeast Army was completely wiped out.

The defending 1st Regiment desperately tried to block the fire with four 37mm anti-tank guns, but due to the slightly longer distance, the hit rate was not high.

In the midst of the fierce firefight, a loud "boom" was heard as a Vickers tank was hit head-on. The vehicle shook violently. The Liaoning-made 37mm anti-tank gun's long-range penetration power was insufficient, and the tank's frontal armor was not penetrated, but it still shook the crew members quite badly, their heads buzzing and feeling dizzy.

Caught off guard, the tank gunner felt as if his internal organs had been displaced by the shock, feeling extremely uncomfortable. A wave of nausea surged up, and he vomited with a loud "whoosh."

"How are you? Are you injured?" the train conductor asked with concern.

The gunner gasped for breath, feeling a bit better. He waved his hand, wiped his mouth, and then his gaze returned to its firmness. He grabbed a penetrating explosive round from the ammunition box and shoved it into the breech!

"it is good!"

"Well done!" The train conductor was relieved, gave a thumbs up, and shouted his praise.

Because of its low profile and good concealment, this flat-firing gun was not easy to spot unless it was fired. However, once it was fired, the smoke and dust from the muzzle and the dust kicked up by the blast wave immediately revealed its location.

The assault formation's Vickers tanks with 47mm tank guns and the fire support armored vehicles with 20mm autocannons turned their muzzles, aimed, and fired directly, blasting the defending artillery positions to pieces. The long-range artillery fire from behind quickly covered the area, reducing everything to ashes.

On the high ground around Zhangjialing, just a few hundred meters south of the highway, the defending troops were furious. However, the soldiers, who had lost their heavy weapons, were helpless against the armored vehicle formations that were swaggering along the highway.

The 82mm mortars hidden in the trenches could still retaliate, but the sparse and scattered shelling had little effect on motorized vehicles.

However, the 82mm mortar was still quite powerful, and some infantrymen were killed or wounded. The 2nd Company Commander, Liao Jianchu, was furious: "Call for artillery support! Give them a good bombardment!"

The armored platoon leader also ordered the tank formation: "Each vehicle fire freely!"

The Central Army responded with retaliatory artillery fire, using several times the amount of shells to slam into the defending positions. For every shell fired, ten shells were returned. After several rounds of fighting, the remaining artillerymen of the defending army could not hold out and voluntarily ceased fire.

The defending infantrymen fired fiercely with Maxim heavy machine guns, making the armor of the tanks clang loudly. At this distance, the heavy machine gun bullets could not even penetrate the thin side armor, but they still had a great destructive effect on the tires of the armored vehicles.

"Damn it, I didn't want to bother with you if you just lay there quietly, but you've gotten too bold! You dare to try and make trouble for me! If I don't teach you a lesson, you won't know how many eyes the King of Horses has!"

The armored platoon leader was enraged. The armored soldiers didn't even bother with machine gun fire; a barrage of machine gun fire shattered the heavy machine gun positions. It was like using a sledgehammer to crack an ant! Let's see if you'll behave yourself then!

The defenders on the high ground were rendered speechless by the fighting.

Song Hongfei, his face contorted with murderous intent, issued a series of orders:

"The artillery battalion of the brigade extends into the rear, providing artillery suppression! Engage the enemy reinforcements!"

"The battalion headquarters, machine gun company, and fire support unit are responsible for frontal containment!"

"3rd Company, break through from the flank on the south bank of the Wei River! Continue your infiltration!"

With the front lines in dire need of reinforcements, Liu Fangdu, commander of the 105th Division, ordered the 3rd Brigade to send the 9th Regiment forward to provide support.

The 9th Regiment of the 3rd Brigade was bombarded by long-range artillery fire in an open area west of Tianjia Village. It suffered considerable losses before it could even see the enemy. Zhang Xuewen, the commander of the 9th Regiment, was furious and ordered his troops to speed through the artillery blockade.

With the battalion's frontal attack pinning them down, the enemy forces defending the positions north of Changmin Village, Tianjia Village, and Baijia Village felt immense pressure.

Without heavy firepower support, the defending troops were now facing the close-range bombardment of the 82mm mortar company and the 47mm infantry artillery platoon under Song Hongfei's battalion. One after another, the simple earthen fortifications were precisely targeted and blasted into the air. The defending soldiers were too busy dodging to pay attention to anything else.

More than 10 armored vehicles from the 3rd Company and the right-wing armored formation bypassed the northern flank and made a rapid assault into the enemy's rear, crushing everything in their path. The barrage of long-range artillery fire from behind extended 400 meters ahead of them.

The 3rd Company formation was unstoppable, charging forward like a sharp knife piercing the enemy's heart. Right in front of them was Zhao Wang Village.

Liu Fangdu, commander of the 105th Division, was deeply shocked.

Zhaowang Village is nestled between the Wei River to the north and the hilly terrain to the south, with the riverbank and the mountains less than 800 meters apart. The Longhai Railway and the Xitong Highway pass between the north and south of the village, making it a strategic location. Weizhou City is just over 10 miles to the west of the village, leaving it with no natural defenses.

Liu Fangdu sternly ordered the 3rd Brigade garrison at Zhaowang Village to hold the line at all costs and to stop this armored formation that had penetrated deep into enemy territory. His tone was so stern that even Gao Pengyun, the brigade commander on the other end of the line, could feel the fiery rage emanating from his division commander.

Gao Pengyun immediately ordered the garrison in Zhaowang Village to strengthen its defenses on the east side of the village, build additional fortifications, and reinforce the village with additional troops, mortars, and artillery.

Guided by the artillery observation team, long-range artillery fire accurately covered the Zhao Wang Village position, turning it into a sea of ​​fire and inflicting heavy casualties on the defending troops. Gao Pengyun's eyes were bloodshot with rage, but he could only suppress his grief and indignation. He knew very well that he had no means to suppress the enemy's long-range artillery.

"Bang!" Liu Fangdu, filled with grief and indignation, slammed his fist hard on the map spread on the table. The loud noise startled all the staff officers in the division headquarters.

But what could he do? He had no artillery to retaliate with, and the artillery battalion assigned to him had been crippled. He couldn't even understand how the Central Army's long-range artillery could be so accurate when the target was impossible to observe.

This is the stark difference in artillery tactics between the two sides. The artillery of the Southeast Army and other warlords in the country, and even the Central Army, had always used the outdated direct firing method. Once they lost their visual observation range, the artillery was helplessly rendered blind.

Song Hongfei's pioneering indirect firing method in the sergeant battalion set a precedent in the Chinese army. Against the Southeast Army, it was a devastating blow. The artillery observation groups at the front acted like pairs of eyes, directing the long-range artillery fire from the rear to hit the enemy with unparalleled precision.