Canteen System Assistance Notes

Chen Shukang looked at the sand table being updated. The flag representing the Japanese 36th Division was being pulled up from the Wuxiang area and then placed on the clay representing the Yushe area. If the Japanese invaders made up their minds and defended themselves, this battle would become a decisive battle...

The battle...

Chen Shukang hesitated, his long-held habit prompting a serious question: The Red Army and the Eighth Route Army had never before fought a decisive battle against an enemy of this magnitude, especially one entrenched in a walled county town. Was it appropriate to launch an unplanned offensive right now?

Moreover, letting the enemy go would also achieve the original strategic goal... "Chief, a telegram from the General Front Committee."

The telegraph operator's voice interrupted his thoughts. Chen Shukang looked up and saw that his political commissar, "Blind Wang," had also come over. He looked at the cripple Chen through his thick glasses and gestured for him to read the telegram from the General Front Committee.

Chen Shukang unfolded the thin telegram paper and looked at the black handwriting copied by the telegraph operator. He first widened his eyes, then frowned, and finally, his whole expression relaxed with a little relief and a full sense of mission.

He glanced at the joint signature of Liu Mingzhao, Zhang Hao, General Peng, Xu Zijing and Nie Yunzhen at the end of the telegram, and nodded to Wang Xingting, or perhaps to himself.

"Blind Wang, have you ever eaten blueberries?" Chen Shukang suddenly asked.

"I haven't eaten blueberries, but I've eaten dried blueberries—see, we gave some to everyone before. They're sweet." "The General Front Committee is helping us make up our minds!"

Chen Shukang placed the telegram on the table. "The first step from nothing to something is always difficult, but the first step of a revolution also starts from nothing." He opened another bag of dried blueberries and poured them into a small bowl on the table. "Let's be the first person to eat blueberries!"

Chapter 205: Attacking Yushe (1) Agile Command

Since the Nanchang Uprising, our army's combat style has always been to be mobile and flexible, to seize opportunities and opportunities, through sufficient intelligence support, accurate strategic and tactical control, and based on the Red Army soldiers' perseverance, bravery and fearlessness, to achieve the ultimate goal of annihilating the enemy in motion.

Although at that time our army's combat science had not yet officially given birth to such a distinctive "technical point" as "large-scale mobile operations", but based on the objective conditions of previous struggles, our army has always avoided engaging in positional warfare with the enemy and rarely took the initiative to attack the enemy's heavily guarded cities.

Yushe was the last defensive node southeast of Jinyang City, held by the Japanese. The 36th Division launched its offensive against our base from here. Normally, this area was merely a guerrilla zone, not under our actual control. Even if we managed to capture Yushe, we would likely not be able to hold it. The Japanese would not sit idly by and watch this last defensive fulcrum outside Jinyang City fall. They would muster their entire army to recapture it, no matter the cost.

Therefore, not everyone supported launching an offensive against Yushe: they believed that since it would be impossible to hold it even if it was captured, it would not be of much help in improving the strategic situation of the base area, so why waste manpower and material resources on an attack?

"But comrades, we can't just think about the problem from the perspective of the Taihang base.

"The Jinsui and Jin-Cha-Ji bases are both under attack from the Japanese. The pressure is considerable. If we capture Yushe, the Japanese will come to rescue us, which will inevitably mobilize Japanese troops from other areas, creating opportunities for our friendly forces and relieving the pressure. On the other hand, Yushe is like a hand reaching into our base. Even if we can't hold it, we must make sure the Japanese army can't hold it and completely destroy its role as a starting point for attack!"

Chen Shukang, speaking to the staff officers at the front command, abandoned his usual humor and spoke seriously. Some young men, fresh out of the Staff College, lowered their heads in embarrassment. Their academic knowledge was solid, but their combat experience was lacking, requiring further training.

"Let me see who's talking so loudly here? Oh! It's Chen Shukang! It's rare to see you so excited!"

As he was talking, a tall, strong, middle-aged man walked in. He took off his benny hat, threw it on the table, and squinted at the sand table in the command post: "This sand table is well made and worthy of recognition." "General Peng! How come you are here so soon!"

It was General Peng who came in from the door. Before anyone could say anything, General Peng just dragged a chair over and sat down. He grabbed a handful of dried blueberries that Chen Shukang had left on the table and ordered a cup of tea.

Comrades, I'm an old soldier, but I've also gotten a bit fashionable. Just now, the General Front Committee discussed this. Since this is our first offensive, we're worried that you, Chen Shukang, might have some baggage and be unable to let go, so they asked me, someone who's always on the alert, to fly over here to give you some guidance and some direction.

"If you have any questions, please speak up. I will answer them to the best of my knowledge. If you have any difficulties, please raise them. If the General Front Committee can help find a solution, then we will. ... In short, we must not hesitate or shrink in this battle."

He blew on the cup with the tea bag hanging from it and said, "Everyone, fight well, fight with all your might, and strive to hurt the Japanese invaders and scare them! If we fight well, it will naturally be our achievement; if we fight poorly, it doesn't matter. If the sky falls, I have a tall guy like you to hold it up!"

It's said that good leaders help their subordinates share responsibilities and solve problems, and General Peng could indeed be considered a good leader. He represented the General Front Committee and sat in Chen Shukang's command post, essentially representing the Central Committee's resolve and will, and also signifying that the Central Committee was seriously examining our army's first siege and assault.

The intelligence system that had already matured in the base was carrying out its work relying on the good mass base in the red zone. After a while, the intelligence collection of the Yushe working group arrived at the front command through the automatic radio station: Among them, because the supply road to Yushe needed to cross mountains and ridges, and our army was harassing and harassing in other directions, the 36th Division with a full strength of 23,000 people here had only one infantry regiment and a garrison battalion composed of a mixture of Japanese and puppet troops - the latter was the force responsible for stationing in this area on weekdays, and it was also the highest logistical capacity that the Japanese army could maintain under normal circumstances - although the total strength of the Japanese army was said to be more than 20,000, but in fact there were only about 8,000 people.

However, they did bring with them the division's most combat-capable search and mountain artillery regiments, equipped with 8-12 mountain guns. The working group explained that their artillery positions were divided into two sections, "with over a hundred mules and horses transporting the artillery, a massive operation." These units served as "powerful auxiliary forces" to the infantry, providing strong firepower and intelligence support to the Japanese on the battlefield.

In addition, two regiments of the 36th Division's headquarters in Jinzhong were gathering forces, presumably to support the other regiment's safe retreat and provide "tactical guidance." The fog of intelligence had partially dissipated, providing sufficient basis for decision-making.

Although Chen Shukang had never fought a true offensive, his years of combat experience had enabled him to quickly grasp some key points. Before more main forces and heavy equipment arrived, he discussed the battle plan with General Peng and ordered the 772nd Regiment and the newly formed 11th Brigade, three regiments totaling approximately 9,000 men, to abandon their original encirclement and annihilation plan and launch a direct attack on Yushe.

"The 772nd Regiment and the newly formed 11th Brigade will stop to rest and launch a direct attack on the Japanese enemy's commanding heights outside the city. We must delay the Japanese army's deployment of their defensive formation and hold out until the main force arrives.

"The 129th Division's direct Special Forces Regiment, the 386th Brigade's 771st Regiment, the New 1st Regiment, the New 2nd Regiment, the newly formed 1st Regiment and the 2nd Regiment of the 1st Brigade, a total of 6 regiments, arrived at the designated area within 36 hours, cooperated with the Taihang District Artillery Column, and launched a general offensive against the enemy." The Decisive Death Third Column cooperated with local troops and guerrillas to disrupt transportation along the line and delay the enemy's reinforcement and support troops.

The 770th and new 3rd Regiments of the 385th Brigade, along with the Cavalry Regiment of the 129th Division, conducted a deep, detour deep into the Japanese territory along the line of Taoyang Village, Yunchu, and Heyu, disrupting their supply lines and retreat routes. Units of the newly formed 10th Brigade and the local units of the military sub-district served as reserves, ready for action at any time.

Chen Shukang's excellent internal mobility within the base allowed him to use one unit as two, completing one attack before attacking the other. The staff had already finalized their plan, and after collective discussion and decision-making, even those with differing opinions were required to submit to the collective decision and work towards the common goal.

The telegraph operator converted the long battle plan into code, encrypted it with DES triple encryption, and forwarded it to each unit, with a copy to the headquarters in the distance. However, just as the order was about to be sent, General Peng stopped Chen Shukang and added a sentence to the second paragraph of the order.

...cooperate with the Taihang District Artillery Column and the Eighth Route Army Air Force to launch a general offensive against the enemy."

Chapter 206: Yushe Offensive (⑵) Simple Coordination

The battle to capture Yushe did not start with the fast-moving 772nd Regiment and the newly formed 11th Brigade.

As one of the bases closest to the border region, and after a nighttime airdrop, Changzhi already had a runway capable of supporting a small number of aircraft. For this offensive, the General Front Committee reported to the Central Military Commission, coordinating the Eighth Route Army Air Force to assist. General Peng, the "strong airborne" general, arrived aboard one of these "Texas" trainer aircraft.

Faced with the Air Force's first combat mission, Acting Air Force Commander Nie Heting was cautious. The Eighth Route Army Air Force currently had a relatively small fleet, with its primary focus on air defense, interception, and personnel development, making it difficult to predict combat effectiveness. Fortunately, the Japanese army didn't have many air forces at their disposal, and the experienced infantry on the ground didn't need much assistance from the air force.

But there is one thing Nie Heting can confirm: the Air Force can definitely do it better and more conveniently than running on the ground.

—----———

"Texas 01, this is Braised Chicken 02, communication channel 0OC. Got it, please repeat. Over."

"Braised Chicken 02, this is Texas 01, communication channel 00C, I have received, direct connection established, over."

The "Texas" that had picked up General Peng had returned to the air, escorted by two low-profile 16' Donkeys. Compared to the two stubby, agile fighters, the spacious "Texas" actually looked more like a fighter—but in reality, this "Texas" had undergone some modifications in the border area, becoming a liaison aircraft capable of air-to-ground communication and artillery observation!

Thanks to the efforts of Wang Qifu and Yan Zhengang, the mechanical squad leader of the newly established aviation repair center, and the three musketeers of the "Industrialization and Standardization Administration" Li, Zeng, and Tu who were tinkering with "black technology" kits, all of A Bie's aviation units were equipped with ultra-short wave radios that could communicate, as well as onboard power supplies using 18650 lithium battery cells and power banks. This led to the communication capabilities of the entire Eighth Route Army Air Force soaring to the level of the US military.

"Dezhou 01, my heading is 026, and I have passed the Wuxiang checkpoint. Please inform me of this coordination information, over."

"Baji 2, please note: this mission area is the northern extension of Yushe Checkpoint A. Search sector 290-015, search depth 020, approach heading 015, distance 027. Now, please visually fly over the Wenfeng Tower at Yushe Checkpoint A. Please repeat, over."

"Preset Checkpoint A, Wenfeng Tower, search sector 290-015, search depth 020, approach heading 015, range 027, approaching and visually overtaking Yushe Checkpoint A, repeating."

On the ground, the T72nd Regiment and the newly formed 11th Brigade had already crossed the approximately 25-kilometer area between Wuxiang and Yushe, launching attacks on enemy high ground around Yushe. In the air, two 116s and a Zhoulao glided lightly across the battlefield at high altitude, passing over the still-contested Wenfeng Tower and beginning a round-trip flight along the search sector.

Almost an hour later, the aerial photography pod under the Texan had completed its photography of the battlefield. According to normal procedures, he should have immediately flown back to Changzhi Airport, removed the reconnaissance pod and the film canister, and then spent several hours in a darkroom lit only by red light developing and drying the film. Finally, the corresponding wide-format reconnaissance photos were formed and delivered to the commander's desk. However, the scout in the back seat of the cockpit pulled out a gold bucket padded with bubble wrap, then removed an SD card from the already unrecognizable equipment in the cabin and stuffed it into the metal bucket.

Tang Lingyun, piloting the plane, lowered the nose of the plane and flew low down the valley. In a flash, he returned to our forward command post near the entrance to Wangcun Village and precisely dropped the metal barrel onto the open ground outside the command post. The staff officers, running forward, quickly disassembled the still-warm metal barrel and inserted the SD card into a Raspberry Pi computer.

Soon, the battlefield picture with a resolution of 4056*3040 was assembled and displayed in front of the commanders.

Ah, thanks to Fairchild's lens set, thanks to Sony's Raspberry Pi IMX477 kit, and thanks to the three Musketeers of the Eight-Road Army for their wonderful engineering combination capabilities.

—----—--

Bijia Mountain, located outside Yushe City, is one of the few commanding heights south of the city. Atop Bijia Mountain stands the Wenfeng Tower, overlooking the entire city. Built during the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty, this stone tower was intended to revive the local literary tradition and bring more successful candidates to the county. While the feng shui belief that the tower was meant to promote literary virtues is tinged with superstition, it now bears witness to the Eighth Route Army's "small steps" in combat tactics.

"Texas 01, this is Braised Chicken 01. Reconnaissance mission complete. Communication channel 01B, please give instructions. Over."

"Baji 01, this is Dezhou 01. Please adjust the communication channel to FFF, establish a direct link with the artillery unit, and provide artillery observation support. Got it, please repeat. Over." "Adjust the radio to channel FFF, establish a direct link with the artillery unit, and provide artillery observation support. Over."

Two L16s and a Texan circled the battle zone for a long time, taking three sets of photos. Changzhi Airport, only 100 kilometers from the battlefield, allowed the L16s, despite their poor range, to make several rounds over Yushe. By the time the first air group ran out of fuel and began to retreat, the second Texan + L16 combination had already taken off, replacing the returning first group.

The T72nd Regiment, currently attacking the commanding heights of Bijia Mountain, took cover behind a reverse slope, minimizing damage from distant Japanese mountain artillery fire. Simultaneously, they took advantage of the high trajectory of their 82mm mortars to bombard the Japanese attacking forces on the front slope from the reverse slope. The battle between the two sides had already reached a fever pitch, with neither side refusing to relinquish control of this commanding height.

In a two-dimensional battle scenario, commanding heights on the battlefield provide excellent visibility and the foundation for fully utilizing artillery firepower. The Japanese, clearly well aware of this, deployed squadron-level forces on the small front of Bijia Mountain, engaging in repeated battles with our troops. The Type 41 mountain artillery, hidden north of Yushe City, exploited its range advantage to repeatedly bombard the mountaintop, preventing our troops from consolidating their position and gaining a firm foothold.

The soldiers of the 772nd Regiment had just wiped out a group of charging Japanese devils, and then they had to quickly retreat to the reverse slope behind the ridge to avoid enemy artillery fire. After that, they had to fight with the new Japanese devils. If this continued, the battle would soon turn into a tug-of-war that repeatedly consumed manpower and artillery shells.

But things are different now.

"High-speed rail 03, this is Braised Chicken 01, communication channel FFF, please reply. Over!"

"Braised Chicken 01, this is Gaotie 03! Channel FFF, directly connected, informing me of the bombardment area, over!"

In Jiayu Village behind Bijia Mountain, the first American M1 mountain artillery company to arrive deployed their mini-gun group of only three guns. The line artillery observer with an antenna on his back shouted loudly into the microphone. The artillery fire from the hill ahead rumbled, and the scouts of the artillery company could not stand at all. The other artillery units had not arrived in time. Seeing the soldiers injured and sacrificed under the artillery fire, they were so anxious that tears came out.

"High-speed rail 03, please pay attention to receive the bombardment coordinates."

Thousands of meters in the air, the previously obstructed and blocked vision on the ground was completely liberated for the first time, temporarily preventing the human eye from absorbing the most important details from the vast array of details. The observer in the back seat sighed with emotion. As a former scout, he understood how many people dreamed of such a visual field. He looked down at the navigation board and map on his lap, as well as the compass ball suspended in liquid, and squinted at a distant spot where small columns of smoke were rising continuously.

After working on the diagram for a while, he reported the first set of coordinates:

"Yushe benchmark A, azimuth 325, distance 260, enemy artillery positions exposed, prepare for a test fire."

"Yushe benchmark A, azimuth 325, distance 260: Convert values ​​340-370! Enemy artillery positions exposed. Grenades, instantaneous fuses, ready for a test fire!"

The Japanese artillery positions were firing continuously, the muzzle flames stirring up puffs of smoke and dust that were very eye-catching on the mottled ground. Soon, perhaps it was an illusion, at the edge of my vision, something seemed to fly over the top of Bijia Mountain and explode in the distance of the Japanese positions, creating a spark.

"High-speed rail 03, azimuth correct, long-range missile, adjust parameters 340-365, one test shot ready." "Roger that! Long-range missile, adjust parameters 340-365, grenade, instantaneous fuse, one test shot ready!"

The continuous plumes of dust from the Japanese positions paused momentarily. Perhaps they were wondering where the falling shells had come from, or perhaps they had realized what was happening and were anxiously preparing to evacuate. However, the mountain artillery with a range of 9 kilometers did not give them any more opportunities. Each test shell struck the center of the Japanese artillery position.

"High Speed ​​Rail 03, on target, all company, 5 rounds of rapid fire ready."

"Hit! Ahem...Roger that, right on target. All company, five-round rapid fire, ready!"

—―--——-

Around the fiercely contested Wenfeng Tower on Bijia Mountain, the Japanese artillery fire suddenly stopped, and the vague sounds of three planes flashed by in the sky.

The soldiers on the ground were very puzzled. Since the beginning, these three "Japanese planes" did not fly low to strafe or drop bombs, but only flew back and forth in the sky. However, when the sharp-eyed people saw the large red star with Chinese characters on the wings and the blue and white identification strips on the tail rudder, they finally remembered what Zhuge Liang had reported at the meeting before the station.

#Someone shouted out:

"Plane! Our plane!"

Chapter 207: Attacking Yushe (3) Traditional Arts

The Japanese mountain artillery positions were suppressed in this way. The mountain artillery battalion with a total of 12 guns was chased everywhere by the mountain artillery company with only 3 guns. Under the guidance of the artillery observation machine, our army destroyed a squadron (4 guns) of 12 Type 41 mountain guns on the spot, damaged many guns, and the rest had to pack up and run away.

However, the Japanese were quite skilled. Their remaining mountain guns kept firing from several positions, playing hide-and-seek with our counter-artillery fire, forcing our M1 mountain guns to stop directly engaging in siege artillery preparations. Even so, the Japanese artillery suppression of Bijia Mountain was greatly reduced. Our 82mm mortars were able to calmly counterattack the enemy's group artillery with a more concentrated barrage of fire, creating an opportunity for our soldiers to seize the commanding heights of Wenfeng Tower.

Finally, when the sun was about to set, the fluttering red flag was finally planted on the top of Wenfeng Tower. The soldiers of the 772nd Regiment finally firmly grasped the commanding heights in the southeast of the city.

Next, how to guard against the Japanese counterattack and provide support for the siege? The observation planes flew low and slowly during the day, and it was estimated that the Japanese had already called for air support. Tomorrow, there would probably be no such comfortable artillery bombardment.

To this question, Wang Wenshan and Brigade Commander Yin gave remarkably consistent answers.

"Dig a hole!"

The first phase of the Huinong Steel Plant has been completed, and the twin-hearth furnace has entered its smooth operation period, allowing it to comfortably output forged steel parts. Some of these parts were made into hand tools such as axes, saws, and shovels according to the requirements of the troops. Although they are not as high-quality and low-priced as the modern tools output by the canteen branch and supermarket, they are self-reliant products after all.

The violence in the border region led to widespread use of iron and steel tools from southeastern Shanxi. Soldiers from the newly formed 11th Brigade, not responsible for the main attack, lined up in front of the brigade's baggage carts and received their engineer shovels, pickaxes, and axes. Then, according to pre-arranged arrangements, they divided into teams and began brutal earthwork on the small hilltop of Bijia Mountain.

The largest group must be the digging squad. Each soldier in the squad is first responsible for a foxhole where they can shoot in a standing position. Then they use crooked communication trenches to connect all the foxholes together to form a trench position for battalion-level units to be stationed. The engineering battalions that originally planned to go to Baixing to blast and demolish landslides had their work snatched away by the Japanese, so they came here to reinforce early. Under their guidance, the newly formed 11th Brigade carried out earthwork work with a clear division of labor and in an orderly manner.

Nearly two regiments of soldiers were assigned to this unit, and even the cooks were hard at work. Suddenly, under the night sky, shovels and pickaxes flew across Bijia Hill, sending clods of earth flying everywhere. Without rain, the yellow soil of the Yuci area was ideal for earthwork, and with the engineering team using explosives to assist, trench construction progressed at a rapid pace.

Another team of soldiers was assigned to cut trees on the next hill. The loose soil dug out from the pits on the semicircular log pads could form "Tusmu shelters" that were strong enough to withstand 75mm grenade bombardments, greatly enhancing the troops' resistance to mortars, grenades and mountain artillery shells.

However, these days, there are really not many trees in this land surrounded by mountains and rivers - many hilltops are bare, mostly loess, and the occasional small trees around the settlements cannot escape the "sweep" of farmers cutting firewood.

At such times, there would always be work teams stationed in the surrounding villages stepping forward - the mass base they had established in their daily lives would come into play again. The surrounding masses would take the initiative to light torches in the middle of the night, contribute their own wood, bed boards and even door panels, and take the initiative to lead our army to the ravines where there were still trees to cut down trees.

"All the wooden door panels donated by the masses must be registered and returned after the war. Those who don't return them must compensate others!"

Compared to the hot-tempered Wang Wenshan, Brigade Commander Yin was more attentive in this regard. At the forward command post at the entrance of Wangcun Village, he instructed the village cadre representative, "Does the brigade's baggage team have enough money? Silver dollars, legal tender, or border currency will do."

"Reporting to the Brigade Commander, our brigade does have some, but the troops came here to ambush, so they didn't bring much. The 7T72nd Regiment and other troops came here lightly, so we didn't bring much, let alone silver dollars, even Guanghua coins. How about we write an IOU first and ask the military sub-district commander for compensation later?"

Their own advisors answered honestly, leaving the nearby village officials apprehensive. Building trust is time-consuming and laborious, but destroying it is easy, and there are always various variables in the actual work. It seemed that some village officials had already promised immediate compensation, perhaps even using their own funds to advance the payment.

If we wait until the military sub-districts provide unified compensation, it will take some time for the village committee to

It's time to open the skylight and write a white slip.

We can't let the Eighth Route Army learn from the National Army, right?

"That's it..." Brigade Commander Luo knocked on the table and came up with an idea. "For the damaged door and bed panels, we'll compensate them at the same price. We'll pay as much as we have. If we don't have enough, we'll use old axes, saw blades, and horseshoes at a discount." "Where I come from, iron farm tools are rare, let alone our steel tools. Even though they're worn out, they should still be good stuff and be accepted by the people. So, now your work will be easier, right?"

As the night deepened, the soldiers on the hilltops were digging holes in the dark, while the soldiers in the ravines were chopping trees with the masses. Amidst the rustling noises, there would occasionally be a burst of rapid artillery fire, blowing back the Japs who were attempting a night attack - and afterwards, the Japs would mostly retaliate by firing a few shots, which would land on the surrounding hilltops.

In this way, neither side fought a night battle, and everything went on peacefully until the next morning.

The soldiers wiped their sweat, and the villagers rubbed their hands. Bathed in the morning light, a battalion-level trench position, crisscrossed with ravines, had appeared overnight on Bijia Hill. This trench, incorporating numerous positional designs from the "Field Fortification Standards" and the "Soviet Engineer Standards," included machine gun shelters, mortar positions capable of circular firing, and artillery-proof holes. Even a smokeless cooking area for the kitchen team was dug.

At key locations, such as machine gun positions and observation posts, roofs were propped up with logs and covered with earth-covered wooden roofs, sufficient to withstand Japanese artillery fire.

At this time, our army's follow-up troops have arrived one after another, and heavy weapons suitable for siege are about to be deployed - the final offensive against the Japanese army in Yushe is finally about to begin.

Perhaps the only thing that caught people off guard was the strange report that Brigade Commander Yin heard while chewing a burrito.

"Report to the commander! The villagers really like our discounted tools. Some of them don't even want to pay, just want a few more axe heads and saws... Well, they even picked up the cans from our garbage disposal. We can't stop them."

Chapter 208: Attacking Yushe (4) Off-field Kung Fu

"One minute on stage takes ten years of hard work off stage." This is an old proverb; "If you really want to learn poetry, the effort lies outside of poetry." This is an old classical Chinese saying. However, there is no big problem in using these two sentences to describe this tough battle.

The Red Army was not entirely without experience in attacking fortified strongholds like county towns—though this experience was somewhat "classical," involving techniques like constructing and deploying pulley ladders and attacking from multiple directions to disperse the defenders. However, these attacks on county towns also yielded some useful and unhelpful strategies.

Useful tactics include concentrating automatic firepower to reinforce assault teams attacking the city walls, using machine guns from below to suppress the firepower on the walls, or seizing the city gates to unleash machine gun fire. For example, when attacking a county town held by a warlord, once the machine guns on the city gates were deployed, it essentially signaled the county's transfer to another city.

It's useless. For example, when attacking, they like to focus on weak points such as city gates. After all, in the 1920s and 1930s, any army with normal equipment level

They would not consider the brick and stone covered earth walls of Yushe as an obstacle, but only

Can attack places like city gates...