Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 342 Decapitation Operation! Easier Said Than Done

Boom! Boom! Boom!
The 120mm mortars launched the first round of shelling at the rebel Ninth Army, which was leading the charge.

When Li Ben, the Prince of Han, saw this scene, he was completely dumbfounded.

hiss--!
He couldn't help but gasp.

At this moment, he finally believed Dong Chuan's explanation.

The cannons of Ximentang were too powerful, too strong, and had too long a range.

At the same time, he secretly rejoiced.

Fortunately, he stationed his troops eight kilometers away, heeding Sima Ming's advice to be cautious.

otherwise,

Once you enter the seven-kilometer range, you'll only get beaten up.

The fifty heavy cannons sent by the Japanese had a range only slightly longer than ordinary cannons, reaching about six kilometers.

A distance of more than seven kilometers is beyond the range of Japanese artillery.

These are cannons used by the Eastern Army, and they are completely different from the cannons used on ships.

Naval guns are mounted on ships, requiring no disassembly or transport, and have very large calibers, some even exceeding ten tons.

The army's field artillery was limited in weight and its caliber could not be too large, otherwise it would be unmanageable and just a piece of scrap metal.

I had almost never heard of field artillery like the Ximentang, which could fire at a range of more than seven kilometers.

As the Ninth Army's soldiers fell one after another, the rebel generals were equally shocked and gasped.

at this time,

The cannon fodder of the Ninth Army were filled with fear.

Although the number of shells was not large, the continuous bombardment resulted in increasing casualties.

With such intense bombing, if they reached within five kilometers of the city gate of Xianning Prefecture, the casualties would exceed 80%.

But if we don't charge now, there's no other way.

Two thousand troops were supervising the battle, with heavy machine guns mounted behind them.

If you dare to turn and run away, or stop moving forward, you will be mercilessly shot to death by heavy machine guns.

"Charge! Charge!"

With a shout from the commanding general, all the soldiers of the Ninth Army had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue charging forward.

but,

As the rebel Ninth Army charged past the first line of defense six kilometers away...

Boom! Boom! Boom!
After entering the second line of defense, the number of shells began to increase.

A barrage of mortars opened the second round of shelling.

Crossfire coverage!

The combination of 60mm and 120mm mortars enhanced the effectiveness of the strikes against the rebels.

Many Ninth Army soldiers who were charging forward were knocked to the ground by the shockwaves of the artillery fire.

Shrapnel from the shells killed wave after wave of soldiers on the spot.

Those who charge at the forefront, the more courageous they are, the faster they die.

They not only need to guard against artillery attacks, but also need to be wary of landmines on the ground.

Many of the light cavalry and warhorses were overturned by cannonballs, and many more had their legs blown off by landmines.

Ahead lay the trenches of the second line of defense, but the Ninth Army's three consecutive assaults were all repelled.

In just five minutes, the corpses piled up like a mountain!
After the second round of artillery fire, the third round of artillery fire followed immediately.

Entering the range of a 60mm mortar was a nightmare for the rebel Ninth Army's assault.

Although this is only the second line of defense for Xianning Prefecture, it is still nearly six kilometers away from the city gate.

With a telescope, you can only see a dense crowd of people, but you can't make out their faces.

but,

With the constant artillery barrage, the Ninth Army's charge was unable to break through the second line of defense.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fierce crossfire inflicted heavy casualties on the Ninth Army.

The charge of more than 10,000 men had only covered less than two kilometers when half of them were lost.

If they continue their charge, they will likely be wiped out once they reach the third line of defense, which is five kilometers away.

but,

Open the bow without turning back the arrow!

The charge had already begun, and the Ninth Army, having not received orders to retreat, naturally dared not retreat.

However, Ximentang's cannons began to unleash their full power.

Each round of artillery bombardment could kill a large number of people.

Especially after entering the second line of defense, the rebel soldiers were blocked by a sea of ​​fire and could not break through.

Although the distance was too great through the telescope to fully grasp the despair of being bombarded by artillery fire, it was impossible to truly feel it.

but,

At this moment, almost all the rebel generals felt a chill in their hearts.

Such a charge into battle is no different from suicide.

Due to the disparity in the range and number of artillery pieces between the two sides, the rebels were unable to enter the range of their own artillery.

To put it simply...

It means the opponent can hit you, but you can't hit them.

They were completely powerless to fight back!

How to fight this battle?
at last,

The rebel Ninth Army, charging forward, could not withstand the firepower!

Everyone was terrified by the intense firepower from Ximentang.

Even though he knew that the warlord was behind him with heavy machine guns to prevent him from deserting in the face of battle.

but,

Continuing to charge forward will only lead to certain death.

Just then, Li Ben, the Prince of Han, seemed to realize that continuing the fight like this was not going to work.

He immediately sounded the retreat and ordered everyone to withdraw.

At the same time, he ordered all the warlords to put away their guns and come back.

The original purpose of this charge was to test Ximentang's firepower.

Therefore,
Having realized the formidable firepower of Ximentang, Prince Li Ben of Han saw no need to continue making pointless sacrifices.

The entire assault took less than half an hour.

When the remnants of the Ninth Army returned to the rebel camp...

Of the 10,000 soldiers, less than 1,000 remain!

hiss--!
King Li Ben of Han couldn't help but gasp. Such battle losses were terrifying!

Before they could even get within five kilometers of Xianning City, the Ninth Army was wiped out by ninety percent.

The other party was unharmed!

Although we haven't yet witnessed the heavy machine gun firepower of the Ximentang, nor seen their close-quarters combat prowess.

but,

In such long-range bombing, there is almost no difference between one's own elite troops and cannon fodder!
Even getting within five kilometers of Xianning City is difficult, let alone breaking through five lines of defense and entering Xianning City.

Even the most elite heavy cavalry could only become cannon fodder under the fierce artillery fire of Ximentang!
Thinking of this, Li Ben, the Prince of Han, felt a chill run down his spine.

With Ximentang's tactics, his elite troops would have no chance to prove themselves.

Although Prince Li Ben of Han obtained fifty Japanese heavy cannons from the Japanese.

He originally planned to have an artillery duel with Simon.

but,

Ximentang's 120mm mortar had a longer range and greater accuracy than his own Japanese heavy artillery.

The key point is, there are more of them!

If we bring out the heavy artillery of the East and bring it within the firing range of both sides' artillery, we can achieve this.

Then,

This batch of Japanese heavy artillery will be targeted and eliminated immediately.

The artillery on both sides was not even in the same league.

Therefore,
Instead of ordering the artillery battalion to counterattack, Prince Li Ben of Han ordered the Ninth Army to sound the retreat.

in addition,

He deployed all the artillery within the camp's defensive fortifications to prevent Ximentang's army from launching a surprise attack outside the city.

Immediately afterwards, he convened a meeting of all his generals to discuss countermeasures.

If we continue fighting like this, we won't be able to win at all; it will only increase casualties.

"No way, are they being that cautious?"

Chen Jie was somewhat surprised to see that Prince Li Ben of Han had called for a retreat so quickly.

Isn't this being a bit too cautious?
They only sent out a dozen or so men to launch an attack, and then quickly withdrew and withdrew.

It seems that Li Ben, the Prince of Han, has a calm and composed personality, and his combat command ability is much stronger than that of the two generals, Dong Chuan and Sun Zhong.

He ordered his men to test the power of Ximentang's cannons, and when they saw that things were not going well, he immediately ordered a retreat.

Even the retreat of the Ninth Army was swift and decisive, without any hesitation.

Therefore, we must not underestimate the combat command ability of Li Ben, the Prince of Han.

After seeing the enemy retreat through his binoculars, Chen Jie immediately ordered a ceasefire.

this moment,
Chen Jie dared not be careless and adopted the most conservative tactics.

He did not send anyone to pursue them, lest they fall into their trap.

Ximen Tang only had 30,000 troops, facing 200,000 elite troops of Prince Li Ben of Han, and even the hidden Guandong Army.

If we leave the city to meet the enemy and get surrounded, it could be quite dangerous.

In his garrison camp, Prince Li Ben of Han summoned his generals to discuss how to break the deadlock.

but,

All the generals found the situation very difficult and couldn't come up with a better tactical approach for the time being.

The Ximentang army's fighting style is completely different from that of the Daqian army.

They used long-range artillery coverage, with dense firepower output, which was simply unstoppable.

Therefore,
Faced with overwhelming firepower, no tactics are of any use and cannot achieve any effect.

If heavily armored cavalry were to charge forward, it would be difficult to break through the five lines of defense of Xianning Prefecture.

Moreover, even if they could reach the city gates of Xianning, the casualties would be too great, and they simply couldn't withstand it.

not to mention,
Ximentang was located on the city wall of Xianning Prefecture, and it must have been defended by heavy machine guns.

Therefore,
Even if you use human lives, it won't make much of a difference.

The rebel generals all lowered their heads, at a loss for what to do.

Even the resourceful Sima Ming could only remain silent, unable to come up with any better solution.

"Let's all share our thoughts. If there's really no other way, we'll have to call it a day!"

"Han King Li Ben took a deep breath and said."

this moment,
He was already considering withdrawing his troops.

There's no shame in retreating when you can't win!

He fought a major battle with the army of Prince Ning, Li Mu, in Xiangyang, but he was no match for them and immediately retreated.

As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood!

This was Li Ben, the Prince of Han, consistently employing the same tactical approach; he did not consider retreat shameful.

Ximentang's firepower is too strong; if they continue to attack Xianning Prefecture...

Even if his 200,000-strong army manages to capture Xianning Prefecture, the losses will be extremely heavy.

If too much troop strength is lost, it will be a losing proposition.

Just then, Hoshino Kozo, the Japanese man who had been sitting silently to the side, stood up and said:

"Your Majesty, it is not impossible for you to deal with Ximen Tang!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ben, the Prince of Han, immediately brightened up.

He asked impatiently, "Mr. Hoshino Kozo, what are your thoughts?"

Hoshino Kozo took a deep breath, narrowed his eyes, and said:
"According to our information, the Daqian army and the Ximentang army have separated."

"Currently, only 10,000 elite troops from the Ximen Hall and 5,000 supply troops are stationed in Xianning Prefecture!"

"The 20,000-strong army from Ximentang, which is being supported by Qingzhou, Shandong, is already outside our garrison. They are waiting for us to launch a full-scale attack before they can encircle us!"

"But the King of Han can rest assured that our Kwantung Army will find a way to hold off the 20,000 troops surrounding Ximen Hall."

"Our top priority right now is to focus all our efforts on attacking Xianning Prefecture!"

"Ximentang's army is not scary. What's truly scary is one person: the Governor-General of Shandong—Chen Jie!"

"There is only one way to defeat Simon Tang, and that is a decapitation strike!"

"As long as the decapitation is successful, Ximentang will collapse without a fight and immediately crumble!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ben, the Prince of Han, was slightly taken aback.

A decapitation strike!?
hiss--!
It sounds very appealing, but how easy is it to behead Chen Jie, the Governor-General of Shandong, in Xianning Prefecture?
Given the current battle situation, let alone a decapitation operation, we can't even manage to storm Xianning Prefecture, let alone carry out a decapitation.

Prince Li Ben of Han did not understand Hoshino Kozo's meaning, and nodded slightly:
"Mr. Kozo Hoshino, the decapitation operation you mentioned, what do you mean by—?"

(End of this chapter)