Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 355 The King of Land Warfare—Tanks, Urgent Need
Several rebel generals led their troops away.

Next,
Prince Li Ben of Han then ordered the entire rebel army to retreat 500 meters to avoid being attacked by Ximentang's artillery.

The firepower of Ximentang's cannons was simply too great.

Therefore,
Prince Li Ben of Han had no choice but to be careful and cautious.

He stood on a high point, observing the entire battle situation through binoculars.

Because of its high elevation, Wangjiang Town offered a commanding view of the entire battle.

Therefore,
Xu Xiaodao couldn't miss the rebel army's movements.

"Damn it—our moment of truth has arrived!"

Xu Xiaodao couldn't help but take a deep breath. He knew very well that the rebels were about to launch a general offensive.

Next,
He quickly gave the order, commanding all artillery pieces in all four directions of Wangjiang Town to return to their positions.

Simultaneously,

Sufficient quantities of incendiary bombs and other munitions were prepared.

In addition, the mortars of the mobile forces were directed to concentrate fire towards the center.

It is precisely because of Wangjiang Town's high geographical location and small area that it exists.

Therefore,
The troop deployment was swift.

When Xu Xiaodao realized that things were not going well, he had enough time to adjust his battle plan.

Once the rebels came into view, Simon had already made preparations.

Next, all that's left is for the rebels to launch their final offensive.

After Dong Chuan, Sun Zhong, and Zhang Mou led the rebel army into the position, they all ordered the rebel soldiers to launch an attack.

Their goal was simple: they all wanted to use the menial soldiers to deplete Ximentang's weapons and ammunition.

Following the order from Prince Li Ben of Han, the rebel army launched a general offensive against Wangjiang Town.

"Kill--!"

The rebel army, densely packed, surged in from all directions.

The Ximentang Special Operations Regiment was under immense pressure.

The rebel army, including elite troops and laborers, numbered 60,000, nearly twenty times the size of Ximentang's forces.

but,

Ximentang was not intimidated, but instead remained high-spirited.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
Artillery, muskets, sniper rifles, heavy machine guns, incendiary bombs, armor-piercing rounds—!
The special operations regiment unleashed its full firepower, holding nothing back.

Almost all weapons opened fire, launching a counterattack against the rebels.

For a while,
The sounds of battle were deafening, and the roar of cannons shook the earth; the scene was terrifying.

At this point, the mortar firing rate was almost at its maximum.

but,

This time, the rebels launched a general offensive from several directions, and their numbers were enormous.

Ximentang tightened his defenses, preventing the attack from spreading too thin.

Therefore, only a few hundred troops could be deployed in each direction, but the mortars began to be concentrated together, forming a square matrix.

This is a 'matrix' artillery array, which concentrates a thousand cannons together and can fire simultaneously in four directions.

After firing three rounds in each direction, switch to another direction within ten seconds.

Then, after firing three more rounds, they changed direction again within ten seconds.

Within a minute and a half, they can rotate through the area and launch a combined attack.

this moment,
With concentrated artillery fire, the firepower is more intense, the coverage is wider, and the lethality is greater.

Moreover, in order to increase the lethality, incendiary bombs were fired during each artillery attack.

Ordinary shells, incendiary shells, high-explosive shells, etc., form a crossfire attack with immense destructive power.
Although this method of attack consumes a lot of shells and is very wasteful.

but,

Given the current tense situation, even if it means incurring huge costs, we have no choice but to fight back with all our might.

If the rebels breach the defenses and close-quarters combat ensues...

With a force of over 3,000 men in the Ximentang Special Operations Regiment, the chance of winning is less than one percent.

Because the rebel army's laborers attacked without any strategy or method.

They launched a massive assault on Ximentang's defensive line, their formation extremely dense.

Therefore,
When mortars fire in concentrated bursts, the hit rate is very high.

In less than half a minute, the rebels were felled in droves, like wheat being harvested.

Fortunately, the rebels' elite troops are now experienced.

When they hear the cannonballs falling from the sky in a parabolic arc, making a 'whooshing' sound, all experienced rebels will shout 'Get down!'

not to mention,
The laborers were terrified by the scene of Tong Baifu massacring the fleeing soldiers.

They charged forward recklessly.

Before they had even covered three kilometers, corpses littered the four directions of Wangjiang Town.

-

When Li Ben, the Prince of Han, launched a general offensive against Wangjiang Town.

The battle became exceptionally intense and frantic.

The Ximentang Special Forces Regiment unleashed its full firepower, boosting its combat effectiveness to its peak.

Although the army under Li Ben, the King of Han, had an overwhelming numerical advantage.

but,

During the last assault, the Japanese field artillery suffered heavy losses, and the artillerymen were almost wiped out.

Without the strong support of artillery, breaking through Ximentang's defenses will not be so easy.

At this time,

Dozens of kilometers away, Chen Jie led 10,000 elite troops from Ximentang to rush to Wangjiang Town to provide support.

Only two thousand supply troops remained in Xianning Prefecture.

Everyone else, including the elite of the supply corps, was pulled out by Chen Jie.

According to the previously established battle plan, a pincer attack was launched to counter-encircle the enemy.

In Tongshan County, Aman's 20,000-strong army began to clash with the Kwantung Army.

Although the fighting was intense, the Kwantung Army clearly did not launch a general offensive, but instead adopted harassment tactics.

They also occupied the main road leading to Wangjiang Town, keeping Aman's 20,000-strong army tied down in Tongshan County.

After receiving the news, Chen Jie originally wanted to join forces with Aman and eliminate the Kwantung Army that had infiltrated the Hanzhong area first.

However, after thinking it over, I decided to prioritize supporting Wangjiang Town.

Aman's 20,000 troops were incredibly powerful.

The Kwantung Army could at most hold back Aman's army, but it was absolutely no match for Aman.

Next,
When Chen Jie learned that Prince Li Ben of Han was leading a large army to launch a general offensive against Wangjiang Town, he was extremely anxious.

He could only hope that Xu Xiaodao could hold on a little longer, and that his reinforcements would arrive soon.

Each regimental-level combat unit in Ximentang was equipped with a telegraph machine and a miniature generator.

Therefore,
In terms of intelligence communication, they are much faster than the Daqian army.

This is something that can be said to be unparalleled in the world.

It was decades ahead of the telegraph machines developed by Western countries.

Chen Jie quickly sent a telegram to Xu Xiaodao, informing him that he would arrive in Wangjiang Town within four hours.

Therefore,
The Ximentang Special Operations Regiment will hold out at all costs until four hours later.

After the order was given, Chen Jie immediately arranged for scouts to investigate the strength and movements of the rebel army.

quickly,

He discovered that the rebels had deployed tens of thousands of troops in three directions leading from Xianning Prefecture to Wangjiang Town.

They heavily guarded the area and occupied key transportation routes!
The rebels' objective was simple: to block reinforcements from Xianning Prefecture.

It seems that Prince Li Ben of Han knew all along that Xianning Prefecture would definitely send troops to support Wangjiang Town, and had prepared tens of thousands of troops in advance.

This crucial battle has reached its most critical moment.

Before sending troops from Xianning Prefecture, Chen Jie had already discussed the matter with Li Qiong.

Among them, the first army of the Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty attacked two rebel armies outside Xianning Prefecture.

There's no need for a head-on confrontation; we just need to tie down the rebels' elite troops.

The Ministry of War only needs to contain 50,000 of the 200,000 elite troops under Prince Li Ben of Han. Meanwhile, Guo Feng, Lin Rui, Meng Ying, and their 100,000 troops are marching towards Chongyang Prefecture from another direction, putting pressure on Prince Li Ben.

Chen Jie then led a large army to provide full support to Wangjiang Town.

According to Chen Jie's plan, as long as he can surround Prince Li Ben of Han before Wangjiang Town is captured.

This battle will surely end the rebellion in the Hanzhong region.

Li Qiong was aware of the seriousness of the matter and dared not delay in the slightest.

He ordered his army to obey Ximentang's commands and gave generals such as Guo Feng a death order.

If you encounter rebels and desert in the face of battle, thus delaying the opportunity to fight, you shall be killed without exception!

After the pledge was made, naturally some people were worried, some were happy, and some were full of expectations for the upcoming war.

Guo Feng, Lin Rui, Meng Ying, and other soldiers who had fought alongside Ximentang were naturally very much looking forward to it.

They had helped Simon Tang clean up the battlefield.

As long as Ximen Tang sends troops, the rebels will be unable to stop him.

We must send troops to fight, and we must win every battle!

Guo Feng and his men had great confidence in Ximen Tang. They believed that as long as they cooperated with Ximen Tang in sending troops, they would definitely reap huge benefits.

not to mention,
Their expedition to Chongyang Prefecture was the stronghold of Li Ben, the Prince of Han.

If we take advantage of the weakened defenses of Chongyang Prefecture and seize it in one fell swoop, we will be incredibly wealthy and gain immense military merit!

Therefore,
After receiving the military order, several generals of the Daqian army were eager to fight and ready to make a big splash.

However, the others had little confidence in Simon Hall.

They felt that the Kwantung Army's involvement in the war, and the fact that they were sending troops to contain the main force under Prince Li Ben of Han, was extremely dangerous.

If things go wrong, his own army will suffer heavy losses.

So, they were heartbroken after receiving the order!
However, military orders are absolute, and they could not refuse to send troops.

Fortunately, they weren't forced to fight the main rebel force under Prince Li Ben of Han. Otherwise, these seasoned veterans might have just given up and done nothing.

of course,

Chen Jie never expected the Daqian army to be of any help.

He merely had them draw the attention of Li Ben's army and make the Japanese Kwantung Army hesitant to act rashly.

After everything is ready,

Chen Jie personally led 10,000 troops to Wangjiang Town to support the Ximentang Special Operations Regiment.

When marching quickly on the road,
He rode on his warhorse, his mind preoccupied with something else.

The power of mortars is undeniable.

but,

With the large-scale deployment of Krupp infantry guns in the Western British Empire and the mass production of field guns in the East.

Simultaneously,

The Maxim heavy machine guns of the British Empire have been upgraded to the second generation, and are extremely powerful.

With the iteration of Ximentang's weapons, its advantages are no longer so obvious.

Currently, the only advantages are greater mobility and more powerful artillery.

If land warfare begins and we enter the Northeast...

Facing the million-strong Kwantung Army stationed in Northeast China, Ximentang did not have an overwhelming advantage in weaponry, and his casualties would be enormous.

The King of Land Warfare – the Tank!
At this moment, the production of tanks came to Chen Jie's mind.

The steel produced by the major steel mills in Shandong, Tianjin, and Hebei by Ximentang was already in serious surplus for the Ximentang arsenal.

Originally, Chen Jie had planned to build a railway first to connect Songjiang Prefecture, southern Jiangsu, Hanzhong, Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Tianjin, and the capital!
but,

Building a railway is not something that can be done overnight.

The manpower and material resources required are enormous.

We are still in a time of war, so building a railway is not a practical option.

Given the current situation, the only option is to build railways within Shandong Province first to facilitate the transportation of various materials.

but,

Now, Chen Jie is thinking that while building railways in Shandong, he should first start producing one of the most powerful weapons in land warfare—tanks!
Once the West Gate was equipped with tanks.

Then,

Whether it's the Japanese Kwantung Army, the Russian army, or the various rebel forces in Daqian, they will all be completely crushed by tanks.

It doesn't need to be many; Ximentang only needs to equip itself with more than two hundred tanks to become the overlord of land warfare!
With the current military capabilities of this world, there are no weapons that can withstand the charge of a tank.

A hundred tanks led the way, followed closely by artillery, with heavy machine guns trailing behind.

Let alone 100,000 troops, even a million troops would be no match for tanks.

Thinking of this, Chen Jie became excited.

I wonder how many [Martial Arts Merit Points] it would take to move a tank production line over here?
-

Chen Jie led his army and rushed all the way from Xianning Prefecture.

More than two hours later, we arrived outside Wushan Town, which is still more than 20 kilometers away from Wangjiang Town.

The rebels guarding Wushan Town were led by Nie Luze, a fierce general under the command of Prince Li Ben of Han.

Nie Luze stationed 30,000 troops in Wushan Town specifically to contain Ximentang's reinforcements.

When he saw the Ximen Hall troops arriving in a grand procession, he knew that these were the elite troops from Xianning Prefecture who had come to support Wangjiang Town.

During this period, Ximentang became very famous in the Hanzhong area.

No rebel force dared to underestimate Simon's fighting power.

Although Nie Luze was a famous and fierce general under Li Ben, the Prince of Han, he was by no means a reckless brute.

Upon seeing Ximentang's army appear, he dared not be careless in the slightest.

at this time,

He saw Ximentang's 10,000-strong army through his telescope and immediately ordered all his soldiers to be on high alert and not to leave their fortifications, in case Ximentang's artillery bombardment came.

but,

To Nie Luze's surprise, although Ximen Tang's men had arrived on the outskirts of Wushan Town...

but,

Ximentang did not order an artillery barrage on Wushan Town.

Chen Jie ordered everyone in Ximen Hall to stop and rest for ten minutes.

After a long march, we need to catch our breath, drink some water, and maintain our energy and condition.

Since Ximentang did not launch an artillery attack, Nie Luze naturally did not dare to launch an attack easily either.

but,

Nie Luze dared not be careless in the slightest, because the most terrifying thing about Ximentang was its cannons.

Once Ximentang has rested enough, a sudden artillery attack could easily overwhelm them if they are unprepared.

Therefore,
Although Nie Luze did not order an attack, he was on high alert and prepared to defend in the best possible position, ready to receive Ximentang's artillery bombardment.

but,

What happened next left Nie Luze completely baffled.

After resting for more than ten minutes, Ximentang surprisingly took a detour, bypassing Wushan Town via a mountain road, and continued his rapid march toward Wangjiang Town.

therefore,

Half an hour later, when Ximentang disappeared on the outskirts of Wushan Town, Nie Luze was dumbfounded.

Damn it——!
What the hell do we do?
Instead of engaging in combat, Ximentang bypassed them by taking a detour through the mountains, rushing to support Wangjiang Town.

If Ximen Tang were to bypass him right under his nose, he would have no chance to stop Ximen Tang's army. If this delayed military operations, how would he explain it to Prince Li Ben of Han?

Even more frightening is the possibility that if Ximen Tang's support succeeds, thwarting Han King Li Ben's plans and resulting in heavy losses,

Prince Li Ben of Han will absolutely not be able to get away with this!
Thinking of this, Nie Luze's forehead broke out in a cold sweat.

Next,
He dared not delay for a moment, and quickly summoned his 30,000 troops, gathered their firepower, and set off from Wushan Town, chasing after Ximentang in the direction he had left.

We absolutely cannot let Ximentang go to support Wangjiang Town like this!

Prince Li Ben of Han ordered him to garrison in Wushan Town, with the aim of blocking the Ximentang army that was being sent by Xianning Prefecture to provide support.

Therefore,
If he hadn't fired a single shot, allowing Ximentang to bypass Wushan Town.

Prince Li Ben of Han would definitely kill him with his own hands, leaving him with no place to be buried.

Even if he wanted to rebel, it would be useless, as his family was under the control of Prince Li Ben of Han.

(End of this chapter)