Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 350 Armor-Piercing Shells! Peak Artillery Battle
Wangjiang Town!
This place is not very large.

Chen Jie's decision to have the special operations regiment choose this location as the decisive battleground was naturally based on his strategic plan.

It is a natural defensive position shaped like the Chinese character "田" (field).

The surrounding area is about one kilometer long, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, which allows Ximentang to consolidate his forces.

Although the original walls around it have collapsed and fallen into disrepair.

but,

Because the terrain is slightly higher, a trench can be dug and used as a defensive cover.

Heavy machine guns and artillery can be used to launch indiscriminate attacks from behind cover.

Therefore,
This location is absolutely perfect for a defensive position.

Simultaneously,

To strengthen the defense of Wangjiang Town, the special operations regiment laid many more landmines on the outskirts and dug a complex network of trenches.

Most importantly, many horses were planted on the outer perimeter to prevent the rebel cavalry from charging quickly.

Although Xu Xiaodao and his elite special forces had only been in Wangjiang Town for a short time, they had already taken care of most of the defensive fortifications within a few hours.

Heavy machine guns, mortars, grenades, sniper rifles, and replica AK47 assault rifles, among other weapons, formed a three-dimensional defensive position.

In the middle of Wangjiang Town, there is a huge old well.

It is said that this old well is connected to an underground river, and its resources are inexhaustible!
To defend Wangjiang Town and wage a decisive battle against the rebel army of Prince Li Ben of Han, water is of paramount importance.

Chen Jie made the decision to build defensive fortifications in Wangjiang Town after careful consideration.

Xu Xiaodao set up the special operations regiment's command post at the highest point in Wangjiang Town.

This is a Buddhist pagoda. The top floor is spacious and can accommodate more than a dozen people.

He, along with the captain of the special operations regiment, directed the battle from the top floor of the pagoda.

Chen Jie authorized Xu Xiaodao to take full command of the special operations regiment.

Since this time,

Chen Jie intended to cultivate Xu Xiaodao and wanted him to be able to take on responsibilities independently.

If Xu Xiaodao can complete this battle perfectly, he will have the opportunity to be promoted.

By the time,
It is highly likely that Xu Xiaodao will assume command of Ximen Hall in the entire Hanzhong region.

Therefore,
This battle is very important for Xu Xiaodao.

The artillery battalion of the special operations regiment is stationed in four directions around Wangjiang Town, forming a square that can be joined together for defense at any time.

One hundred and fifty mortars were deployed in each direction, and each combat unit consisted of five hundred men.

In the middle is the mobile force, totaling one thousand men, equipped with four hundred mortars.

Heavy machine guns and snipers were deployed in four directions around Wangjiang Town, maintaining high mobility.

In addition, they were equipped with a sufficient number of hand grenades.

The only mortar is the highly mobile 60mm mortar.

The 120mm and 240mm caliber mortars are too heavy and inconvenient to carry.

In order to enhance the combat effectiveness of the special operations regiment, a batch of newly developed armor-piercing projectiles were transported from the Shandong Light and Heavy Machinery Factory!
That's right,

It's a high-explosive 'armor-piercing shell'.

Because armor-piercing shells are too expensive, they are very cost-effective for sinking enemy warships in naval battles.

but,

In land warfare, using armor-piercing shells to destroy enemy heavy artillery is not cost-effective.

Therefore,
During this period, with the help of a lot of equipment provided by Chen Jie, as well as some machine tools and production lines that were moved over, the Ximentang Arsenal finally produced a much more cost-effective 'armor-piercing projectile'!
'Armor-piercing projectiles' are completely different from 'armor-piercing projectiles' and do not require special materials to make the projectiles.

It works by generating metal through a high explosion that penetrates armor.

In general,

In modern warfare within the 'Urban World', armor-piercing projectiles are used to destroy tanks and armored vehicles.

Chen Jie ordered the Ximentang Arsenal to copy the 'armor-piercing shell' in order to deal with the enemy's artillery and heavy machine guns.

A single 'armor-piercing shell' hitting an enemy artillery piece can destroy it instantly and inflict high-explosive damage on surrounding enemy troops.

These armor-piercing shells were placed in the very center of Wangjiang Town, and would be redeployed according to the situation of the battle.

When Xu Xiaodao finished building the defensive fortifications, the trenches had just been dug.

The army of Li Ben, the King of Han, surrounded Wangjiang Town from three directions.

The Kwantung Army's 30,000 troops were positioned on the periphery, and a plan was devised to contain Aman's 20,000 troops.

Therefore,
After analyzing the advantages and disadvantages, Prince Li Ben of Han decided to lure Ximen Tang out of Xianning Prefecture and use a strategy of dividing his forces to encircle him.

He saw Xu Xiaodao leading the Ximentang Special Operations Regiment of 3,500 men, setting off from Xianning Prefecture and fighting his way to Tongshan County.

Then,

The special operations regiment entrusted the task of guarding Tongshan County to Aman's 20,000 elite troops.

Xu Xiaodao led his troops directly to pursue the rebels and entered the territory of Chongyang Prefecture.

When Li Ben, the Prince of Han, saw all this, he was very pleased.

The plan to lure the enemy out of the city appears to have succeeded!
First, eliminate Ximentang's elite force of 3,500 men, then defeat them one by one.

We can easily defeat Ximen Tang's army by dismembering them.

King Li Ben of Han was full of confidence for the upcoming siege.

He immediately ordered his elite troops to lay an ambush in the valleys surrounding Chongyang Prefecture with 50,000 soldiers.

All we need to do is besiege this elite force from the Ximen Hall that has entered Chongyang Prefecture.

Then,

The main force of Ximentang will definitely provide support in the coming period.

Once the main force of Ximentang enters the territory of Chongyang Prefecture, this army of 50,000 can swiftly cut off Ximentang's retreat route.

Close the door and beat the dog!

Before Ximentang can combine his forces, surround and annihilate their main force!

have to say,

From a tactical standpoint, it was practically flawless.

but,

To Li Ben's surprise, the Ximentang Special Forces Regiment, led by Xu Xiaodao, entered Chongyang Prefecture's territory...

Instead of continuing their attack on Chongyang City, they set up camp in Wangjiang Town, a few dozen miles away from Chongyang City.

What are you doing?
Instead of marching, the Ximentang army built defensive fortifications in Wangjiang Town.

It looks like,
Are these guys trying to wage a protracted war?

When he heard the news, Prince Li Ben of Han was a little stunned.

He had originally built sturdy fortifications in Chongyang Prefecture, just like Ximentang had built five lines of defense in Xianning Prefecture.

but,

Ximentang's army was stationed in Wangjiang Town.

All the preparations that Prince Li Ben of Han made in Chongyang City were rendered useless.

at this time,

He realized that his tactic of luring the enemy out of the city had been seen through by Ximentang.

All of Ximentang's preparations in Xianning Prefecture failed, as did all of Han Wang Li Ben's preparations in Chongyang Prefecture.

Both sides are starting from the same point.

However, Ximentang's elite force of less than four thousand men ventured deep into Chongyang Prefecture.

Although they no longer attacked Chongyang City, the defensive fortifications they had built earlier became ineffective.

but,

King Li Ben of Han had no intention of giving up on annihilating this force.

Therefore,
He quickly ordered his rebel troops to encircle the town from several locations in Chongyang Prefecture and march all the way to Wangjiang Town.

We must surround Wangjiang Town and completely annihilate them before the main force of Ximentang arrives.

Even at a heavy cost, we must boost morale and utterly defeat this Ximen Tang army.

Isn't Ximentang known as the 'invincible army' of the Great Qian Dynasty?

Today we will shatter his undefeated myth and completely annihilate this army.

Next,
Prince Li Ben of Han dispatched 50,000 troops to encircle Wangjiang Prefecture from three directions and besiege the Ximentang Special Forces Regiment.

Simultaneously,

He then dispatched several large armies under his command to garrison at key points in Chongyang Prefecture to block the arrival of Ximentang's reinforcements.

Prince Li Ben of Han was determined to take down the Ximentang Special Forces Regiment!
-

"Holy crap! What's going on? The intelligence was flawed—!"

The command center for the Buddhist pagoda in Wangjiang Town.

Xu Xiaodao, holding up his binoculars, suddenly changed his expression. Several special operations battalion commanders standing beside him exclaimed in surprise:
"Brother Dao, what's wrong?"

call--

Xu Xiaodao couldn't help but take a deep breath, his gaze turning serious.

"This is troublesome! I didn't expect the rebels to suddenly have so many Japanese cannons!"

hiss--!
Several battalion commanders nearby quickly took out their binoculars and looked up into the distance.

For a moment, everyone gasped.

Inside the rebel camp, five rows of Japanese field guns appeared in front.

More than 500!
The sheer number of Japanese field guns was beyond everyone's expectations.

Although Chen Jie had taken into account the various situations of the rebels when he sent Xu Xiaodao to lead the special operations regiment to carry out this offensive operation.

but,

But no one expected that the army under Prince Li Ben of Han would be equipped with more than five hundred Japanese field guns.

These Japanese field guns were upgraded versions, with wheels installed on the bottom of each gun.

Furthermore, the Japanese field guns were equipped with a thick layer of armor to withstand artillery fire.

The artillerymen were hiding behind armor, making them impenetrable to heavy machine gun fire.

According to intelligence obtained by Ximentang's "undercover unit," this batch of new Japanese field guns never appeared.

Prince Li Ben of Han was confident that he could defeat Ximentang's special operations regiment in Wangjiang Town before Ximentang's main force arrived.

in fact,

His greatest confidence came from the newly commissioned batch of Japanese-made field guns.

Eight hundred doors!
That's right, not five hundred, but eight hundred Japanese field guns.

In order to enable Prince Han, Li Ben, to launch a larger-scale attack on Ximentang, the Kwantung Army provided him with more than 100,000 artillery shells free of charge.

This can be seen.

The Kwantung Army of the Eastern Seas spared no expense in order to strengthen the fighting power of the rebel army under Prince Han, Li Ben.

During this period, most of the artillery produced by the Northeast Kwantung Army's arsenals was supplied to the rebel army of Li Ben, the Prince of Han.

These eight hundred Japanese field guns were the source of Han King Li Ben's confidence.

When I was in Xianning Prefecture.

Because the cannons at Ximentang were too powerful, Li Ben, the Prince of Han, feared too much loss and abandoned the siege.

And now,
The Japanese provided him with so many weapons, and based on Hoshino Kozo's advice, he adopted the tactic of luring the enemy out of the city.

As expected, Ximentang fell for the trick and left Xianning Prefecture.

This time,
Han King Li Ben deployed a large number of Japanese field artillery pieces, hoping to crush Ximentang's special operations regiment in one fell swoop.

The rebel artillery battalion, led by the mighty General Liang Yuanxing, consisted of 5,000 elite troops.

They were the most elite troops under the command of Li Ben, the Prince of Han, and were directly under Li Ben's control.

The most important aspect of Ximentang's combat tactics is that they revolve around mortars.

Therefore,
All the commanders of the special operations regiment, including Xu Xiaodao, were well aware of the power of artillery.

at this time,

When they saw that the rebel army under Li Ben, the Prince of Han, was suddenly equipped with so many Japanese field guns, they were surprised.

All of this was completely unexpected, causing everyone to gasp in surprise.

A special operations battalion commander took a deep breath and said:
"Brother Dao, the rebels have suddenly equipped themselves with over five hundred Japanese field guns. How should we fight them?"

"Their firepower has increased so much all of a sudden, it will be very difficult for us to hold Wangjiang Town."

Xu Xiaodao put down the binoculars in his hand, his gaze becoming serious.

He took several deep breaths to calm himself down.

Next,
He recalled some situations that Chen Jie had mentioned when he was teaching them.

On the battlefield, there are no unchanging tactics; the situation changes rapidly, and one must never stick to the old ways.

If something unexpected happens, you must have your own ideas and tactical arrangements, and be ready to make adjustments at any time.

Confident, decisive, courageous, and resilient!
This is a prerequisite for becoming an excellent commander.

in addition,

Before making a tactical decision, never be hesitant or indecisive; be willing to bear the consequences of failure.

Therefore,
The strength of battlefield command ability is a test of a person's character and judgment.

Everyone in the special operations regiment is an elite force that has been carefully selected.

Xu Xiaodao is currently the temporary commander of the special operations regiment. He is exceptionally courageous and is by no means an indecisive person.

Since Chen Jie established the Ximentang Special Operations Regiment, Xu Xiaodao has been a key figure in his training program.

Perhaps because of the Bible spiritual practice, Xu Xiaodao has always regarded Chen Jie as his idol.

Whether it was commanding troops or practicing martial arts, marksmanship, or anything else, he always took Chen Jie as his role model.

He even imitated Chen Jie's behavior in everything from clothing and food to housing and transportation.

To put it simply, he is Chen Jie's die-hard fan.

now,

Hearing the words of the other captains and battalion commanders around him, Xu Xiaodao took a deep breath and said:
"Don't be too nervous, the rebels have Japanese field guns, it's not a big deal."

"Has everyone forgotten what happened in Songjiang Prefecture? The Japanese cannons were also very powerful, but in the end, we still managed to completely crush them?"

"In addition, when we were in Qingdao, Shandong, the Kwantung Army's artillery was very powerful, but it was still defeated and forced to flee by our Ximentang."

"Although the rebels are now equipped with Japanese field guns, they pose no threat to us."

"Our cannons in Ximen Hall are more powerful and have a longer range than theirs."

finished,

He raised his binoculars and observed for a moment, then turned to the officers and battalion commanders beside him and gave the order:

"Huang Qiang, pass on my order: leave fifty cannons in the other three directions for defense, and move the rest to the south."

"Liu Fang, you will personally command the artillery battalion defending the city from the south."

"Because the rebels have artillery, all artillerymen must stay in fortifications to avoid being hit by shrapnel from enemy artillery shells."

"Brothers, this is a real artillery battle. We must believe that Simon's mortars can absolutely crush the Japanese field guns."

Several captains and battalion commanders of special operations regiments initially felt somewhat helpless.

at this time,

Hearing Xu Xiaodao's continuous orders, everyone calmed down and began to mobilize troops to prepare for the upcoming battle.

All the commanders around had gone to the front lines to direct the battle.

Standing on the top floor of the pagoda, Xu Xiaodao couldn't help but take a deep breath and look towards Xianning Prefecture.

this moment,
He tried to imagine himself using Chen Jie's fighting style.

“Young master, this is the first field artillery battle that our Ximen Hall has ever encountered.”

"The situation is completely different from the battle in Songjiang Prefecture. We are on the defensive and have lost our geographical advantage."

"If you were facing this kind of battle situation, what arrangements would you make?"

As the rebel army under Prince Li Ben of Han began to approach the defensive fortifications of Wangjiang Town.

The elite special forces of the Ximentang Special Operations Regiment, stationed directly south of Wangjiang Town, quickly discovered that the rebels had pushed five rows of Japanese field guns to the front of their battle formation.

Five kilometers!
This is the effective firing range of the Ximentang cannon.

The Japanese field guns stopped after advancing five kilometers and did not continue to advance.

This shows that

These upgraded Japanese field guns also had an effective range of about five kilometers.

This is troublesome!
Because there were so many field guns in the East, nearly eight hundred could be seen through the binoculars.

The sudden turn of events surprised all the elite special operations regiments.

To know,
There are only 150 mortars deployed to the south of Wangjiang Town. If an artillery battle were to break out, Ximentang would be at a significant disadvantage.

but,

Just when everyone was feeling overwhelmed.

Liu Fang led his mobile force and three hundred mortars drawn from three other directions to the south.

A total of 850 mortars are on high alert!

The most distinctive feature of Ximentang's artillery is its high mobility.

Tactical arrangements can be adjusted at any time to concentrate firepower.

In less than five minutes, all the mortars were in position and began to be aimed.

this moment,
Boxes of armor-piercing shells were delivered to the mortar fortifications.

(End of this chapter)