Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 351 The strongest field artillery, is that all?
Eight hundred and fifty mortars were in place.

Then,

Incendiary bombs, armor-piercing bombs, and conventional shells were all in place.

The Ximentang troops stationed south of Wangjiang Town finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Simultaneously,

Liu Fang ordered heavy machine guns and snipers to be prepared around the area, and all the grenades to be placed in place.

Before the battle began, Liu Fang, in accordance with battlefield management regulations, encouraged all members of the Ximentang Special Operations Regiment.

Everyone has an unwavering belief in victory.

Ximen Hall, invincible in battle and unconquerable in attack!

Everyone must have this belief: no army can withstand the firepower suppression of Ximentang!

This is the invincible belief that Chen Jie instilled in all the elites of Ximentang.

Because Ximentang was well prepared, and the scouts discovered the rebels' movements in advance.

Therefore,
When the 50,000-strong army under Li Ben, the King of Han, appeared, Ximen Tang had already made preparations in advance and seized the initiative.

in addition,

Although the field guns improved by the Japanese had a range that reached the range of the 60mm field guns of the Ximentang.

but,

Their field guns were very heavy, and even with wheels on the bottom, their mobility was very poor.

At this point, both sides' artillery had entered firing range.

but,

The rebels' Japanese field artillery took a long time to locate and aim.

It was this timing of aiming and positioning that gave Simon Tang the opportunity to strike first.

no way,
Ximentang uses a scope for positioning, so there's no need for complicated calculations.

At this moment, Liu Fang, who was in charge of the front-line command, saw through his binoculars that the rebels had entered firing range.

He gave the first order to begin the artillery barrage.

"fire--!"

At a command, the first two hundred mortars opened fire.

The first round of shelling was very helpful in boosting morale.

Boom—boom—boom—!
The sound of cannons rang out.

The power of two hundred mortars was truly explosive.

This was a barrage of artillery fire, a full-scale attack.

This was not the first time Ximentang had used this type of full-coverage firepower; he had used this artillery coverage tactic since the first time at the Tanggu Port in Tianjin.

at this time,

Although the two sides are far apart.

but,

Ximentang took the initiative and used firepower to suppress the opponent.

Although it was only two hundred cannons firing simultaneously, they brought the entire front-line position of the rebels into the range of the artillery fire.

After the first round of shelling ended.

The entire forward position was shaken by the artillery fire.

The heavily armored rebel soldiers leading the charge were knocked to the ground by the shockwave of the artillery fire.

The only pity was that the first round of artillery fire did not use armor-piercing shells.

Otherwise, it could destroy more than a dozen Japanese field guns.

After the first round of shelling ended, the second round of shelling began immediately.

All the elite troops of the Ximentang Special Operations Regiment opened fire in an orderly manner, just like in their usual training.

this moment,
Once in combat mode, no one felt tense or afraid.

Even after seeing the results of the first round of shelling, no one seemed particularly excited.

All of this seems to have become commonplace and too ordinary.

The field artillery of the rebel army under Li Ben, the Prince of Han, was, after all, the latest equipment that the Japanese had only recently produced and improved.

Furthermore, the artillerymen had only recently undergone training.

These artillerymen were seasoned veterans; many of them were bandits before joining the rebel army of Prince Li Ben of Han.

They are all intelligent people who know how to assess the situation.

Before this, these seasoned veterans had lived a life of luxury and reaped many benefits by following Prince Li Ben of Han.

Every game was a winning one, and they never encountered any significant resistance.

Even when attacking Wuchang Prefecture, they swept through the enemy lines effortlessly.

but,

To their surprise, they encountered Simon Tang today.

The artillery battalion had barely entered firing range and hadn't even had time to aim when the enemy struck first.

Although the casualties were not great in the two rounds of shelling, only a few hundred people died.

but,

The deterrent effect of artillery bombardment is immense.

Within ten meters of the front line, it was like purgatory.

Anyone who crosses the front lines has virtually no chance of survival.

hiss--!
All the soldiers in the rebel artillery battalion were terrified by the artillery attack from Ximentang and dared not advance any further.

but,

Everyone knows that the military discipline under Prince Li Ben of Han is exceptionally strict.

Heavy machine guns were usually stationed behind the lines to oversee the battle.

If they retreat or try to escape, they will be shot dead on the spot by heavy machine guns.

Therefore,
Retreat at this point would mean certain death.

"Come on—!"

The rebel troops responsible for the charge could only shout loudly to boost morale and continue advancing.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
The cannons of Ximentang fired round after round.

Although the frequency of the shelling was not high, only three rounds per minute, it was far less than the shelling at Dagu Fortress in Tianjin and Songjiang Prefecture.

However, this dealt a fatal blow to the charging rebels.

On the surface, the casualties caused by each round of shelling were not particularly high.

However, this prevented the rebels' artillery from moving forward or even launching a counterattack.

After a while,

The rebel artillery battalion had to retreat 200 meters to get out of the firing range of both sides.

Everyone in the Ximentang Special Operations Regiment breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the rebel artillery battalion had actually retreated.

Xu Xiaodao, who was observing the changing battle situation with binoculars on the top of the pagoda in Wangjiang Town, also relaxed at this moment.

Damn it——!
When he first saw that the rebels had equipped themselves with 800 Japanese field guns, he was very worried about the artillery battle.

It now appears that the rebels' artillery battalion is not very familiar with the newly deployed Japanese field guns.

They had just launched a counter-bombardment, with the shells landing two kilometers away from the defense line of Wangjiang Town.

This shows that

It seems I'm worrying a bit too much.

Not every cannon can be as accurate as the one at Ximentang. Despite several successive attacks by the rebels, they struggled to break through Ximentang's artillery defenses.

For a while,
Behind the rebel army, Prince Li Ben of Han saw all this through his telescope, his heart heavy and his brow furrowed.

This kind of fighting isn't going to work.

It seems that

They overestimated the power of the Japanese's latest field artillery.

A round of artillery counterattack would hardly be able to reach the interior of Wangjiang Town's defensive fortifications, let alone get within 500 meters.

It was two kilometers off from the planned bombing location.

What the hell are you talking about?!
They even claimed it was the Kwantung Army's latest and most powerful artillery.

Compared to Ximentang's cannons, the difference is too great.

This is the strongest?
Suddenly, Li Ben, the Prince of Han, lost all confidence.

The rebel heavy infantry responsible for the charge suffered nearly a thousand casualties after being bombarded by Ximentang's artillery.

Although the Japanese field guns were not damaged, they were unable to advance further.

As Prince Li Ben of Han continued to reinforce his troops and launched another attack, attempting to bring the artillery battalion closer,

The other 650 cannons of Ximentang were quickly deployed, and the intensity of the attack increased, with the frequency of firing becoming faster.

Each round of artillery bombardment initially involved 850 mortars.

Boom boom——!
The artillery bombardment became increasingly lethal, and the more rebels charged, the greater the casualties became.

When the rebels' Japanese field artillery entered the five-kilometer range again.

The armor-piercing projectiles were finally launched.

A barrage of artillery fire was directed at the front row of Japanese field guns, instantly destroying nearly fifty cannons.

and,

The powerful explosion of the armor-piercing shell killed the artilleryman and the auxiliary soldiers next to him.

Once the rebels get within five kilometers, they become easy targets.

The four-kilometer defensive line acted like a wall, blocking the rebels' advance.

With Ximentang's fierce attack, the rebels rushed to the four-kilometer defensive line area and dared not go any further.

Because although the heavy infantry and light cavalry had reached the four-kilometer defensive line.

but,

Japanese field guns, however, were not so fast. Due to their poor mobility, they could hardly advance to within a five-kilometer radius in the shortest amount of time.

However, although the charge to within four kilometers of the defensive line resulted in heavy casualties, it bought time for the rebels to advance.

The rebels' heavy infantry and light cavalry stopped quickly after advancing to a distance of four kilometers.

They began digging trenches and filling bags with sand to build defensive fortifications.

Boom boom——!
Next,
The rebel artillery battalion finally launched a second round of artillery counterattack.

Regardless of whether we can reach Wangjiang Town, let's fire a few shots first.

The heavily armored soldiers and light cavalry at the forefront of the charge have stopped building defensive fortifications and are no longer advancing.

Because the ground is protected by landmines within a three-kilometer defensive range.

To get through, many lives would be needed.

Moreover, the area within three to four kilometers was the full coverage area of ​​the Ximentang artillery, and incendiary bombs were also used to bombard the ground.

If they rush in, the casualties will be enormous.

Therefore,
Stopping the deployment is the wisest choice.

This demonstrates that Li Ben, the Prince of Han, possessed exceptional military command skills and applied military strategy with unparalleled mastery.

The fact that the rebels quickly stabilized the situation demonstrates that the elite troops under Prince Li Ben of Han had developed detailed tactical plans after being equipped with Japanese weapons.

After enduring repeated bombardments from the Ximentang artillery, the rebel artillery battalion finally entered the five-kilometer zone.

General Liang Yuanxing of the artillery battalion ordered the remaining nearly four hundred Japanese field guns to be dispersed and deployed to launch a counterattack against Ximentang.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of artillery fire rang out continuously from the rebel positions.

Because the two sides were more than four kilometers apart, apart from artillery, no other weapons could reach them.

The rebels fired all four hundred or so of their remaining Japanese field guns at once, creating quite a spectacle.

call--!
When Li Ben, the Prince of Han, saw this scene through his binoculars from behind the rebel lines, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, we can use artillery to fight back.

Ximentang only came to Hanzhong to show off his power because he relied on the power of his cannons.

Now let them taste what it's like to be bombed.

but,

What happened next almost made Prince Li Ben of Han vomit blood.

As the rebels launched a counterattack with their Japanese field artillery, everyone in Ximentang felt tense.

no way,
Due to its dispersed location and the fact that the area surrounding Wangjiang Town is not flat, the terrain is not entirely flat.

When artillery attacks, the area beyond three kilometers is mountainous, which greatly limits the effectiveness of the artillery.

Therefore,
Once the rebel artillery battalion entered the five-kilometer defense zone, they launched a counter-attack with artillery.

Commanders Xu Xiaodao, Huang Qiang, Liu Fang, and others all felt somewhat nervous.

This round of shelling by the rebels is likely to cause very heavy damage to the defensive positions of Ximentang.

If the artillery fire is too intense and causes too many casualties to Ximentang, all commanders will be punished even if the battle is won.

However, everyone soon realized that something was wrong.

The bombardment was far different from what I had imagined.

After the rebel artillery battalion began shelling, although the distance of this shelling was much better than the first time.

but,

After two rounds of shelling, all the shells landed one kilometer outside Wangjiang Town.

Only a few scattered shells landed within a range of 500 meters.

The massive artillery barrage completely missed its target.

This is where the importance of terrain becomes apparent.

Because Wangjiang Town is located at a relatively high altitude, it's like a mountaintop.

The rebels' artillery aiming was significantly off-target in the plains.

When Ximentang launched his artillery barrage, he had a clear advantage due to his superior position.

in addition,

The mortars in Ximentang are all equipped with scopes, allowing the artillerymen to accurately adjust the firing distance to the target during training.

Under normal circumstances, even at the longest range, the error distance will not exceed ten meters.

The rebels' two rounds of artillery fire did not even reach the edge of the defensive positions in Wangjiang Town, so they posed no threat whatsoever.

After seeing the rebels enter the four-kilometer defensive line area, Xu Xiaodao decisively ordered to increase firepower.

It seems the rebels have only had access to Japanese field guns for a short time and are undertrained.

They wanted to target the defensive positions in Wangjiang Town, but without half an hour of preparation, it was simply impossible.

but,

How could Ximentang's artillery battalion possibly give the enemy so much time to prepare?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Inside the defensive positions of Wangjiang Town, the artillery of Ximentang began to fire fiercely.

This time, the artillery barrage was carried out at full frequency.

Xu Xiaodao wanted to teach the rebels a lesson, to show them how artillery should be used.

(End of this chapter)