Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 108 is in the newspapers!

Go up to the kiln.

Two hours later, the engineers built two pontoon bridges, which were barely enough for the troops to pass.

It is not too late.

Wang Feng clamped his legs around his horse's belly, walked at the front of the army, and was the first to step onto the pontoon bridge.

The horse's hooves landed on the wooden boards, making a crisp sound, and the follow-up troops followed closely behind.

On the other side of Shangyao is a wide impact plain.

The weather was cold and the view was bleak. The dry and yellow reeds were almost taller than a person.

A gust of wind blew past, and a rustling sound rang in my ears.

According to the order of the war zone headquarters, after crossing the river, fortifications were built on the opposite bank to delay the main force of the Japanese army.

Wang Feng did as ordered.

The engineering corps, which had just finished building a pontoon bridge, was assigned to dig trenches before they had even had time to sit down and rest.

The ordinary infantry were not idle either. They had rested for a long time on the south bank of the Huai River and it was time to stretch their muscles.

All were sent to dig trenches.

In the three-dimensional combat map, the Japanese army suddenly accelerated its marching speed, and the vanguard troops were rushing towards Shangyao in cars.

Due to distance restrictions, Wang Feng could not see the situation on the Bengbu battlefield, but the battlefield was a whole, and the 13th Division's actions were uncharacteristic, and must have been affected by other factors.

The 31st Army was located on the west side of the battle group and they moved relatively slowly.

We have started crossing the river here, but the floating bridge over there has not been built yet.

Four hours later.

The last heavy artillery unit successfully arrived at the north bank of the Huai River.

Artillerymen who crossed the river in advance released small balloons into the air to measure air density, wind direction and wind speed.

With the help of three-dimensional combat maps, Wang Feng had an extremely accurate grasp of the terrain.

The heavy artillery commander Zheng Zhenzhong came over and said, "Sir, the terrain calculation results are out. Please take a look."

Wang Feng nodded and took the manuscript paper handed to him.

This tactic was learned from the French. Artillery command is more complicated than infantry command. It is not as easy as you think. You just put the gun in position and start firing.

In the case of supply shortage, every shell should be used to its full potential.

The most wasteful part is the test firing.

If one wants to abandon test firing and achieve precise design, the first problem one faces is that each gun has a different initial velocity.

There are many factors that affect the initial velocity, including the number of shells fired by each gun, gunpowder temperature, wind speed, air density, and even slight differences in the firing process.

In order to solve these problems, the artillery can only conduct detailed surveys of each gun's position and the surrounding environment.

This is a very complicated process and must be completed before the war, so the defending side's artillery often has an advantage.

By calculating the initial velocity in advance and adjusting the shooting parameters, the first round of artillery shells can be accurately fired at the target.

Provide sudden, accurate artillery strikes for infantry.

The so-called slow-moving barrage and coordination between infantry and artillery must be completed on the basis of this series of foundations.

There are not many high-quality artillerymen in the current battle group, so Wang Feng concentrated them all in the heavy artillery unit.

As for the mountain artillery and infantry artillery units, they should follow the routine, conduct test firings as required, and fire normally.

Anyway, 75 and 70 mm grenades are easy to replenish, so it doesn't matter if they are wasted a little.

After instructing the artillery, Wang Feng rushed to the front line without stopping.

There are many things to pay attention to when building a position.

In terms of long-range firepower, the battle group had an advantage over the Japanese army, but was constrained by the lack of air superiority and suffered from bombing by Japanese fighter planes.

In order to deal with this situation, Wang Feng began to build a flexible defensive position.

The so-called elastic defense is actually very simple.

That is, not filling the front-line trenches with troops, as doing so would only result in heavy casualties in the Japanese artillery assault.

A light machine gun squad and several infantry squads work together to build a solid support point at the frontier to defend the frontier position.

Each support point is about 180 meters apart, providing all-round defense for the entire frontline position.

As soon as the artillery fire sounded, the soldiers in the second line of defense in the rear quickly evacuated from the trenches and underground shelters, using the shell craters for cover.

After listening to Wang Feng's plan, Sergei frowned and asked in confusion, "Sir, this way, it will be easy for us to be infiltrated, right?"

Wang Feng added: "Arrange a small number of troops at the frontier positions, and deploy the main forces on the second and third lines of defense."

"When building positions, each line of defense should be more than one kilometer apart, and a fairly strong reserve force should be maintained and deployed outside the range of Japanese artillery fire."

"The Japanese army's artillery preparation time is very long. We have enough time to deploy the reserve troops to where they are most needed, whether for reinforcement or infiltration counterattack."

"The Japanese army will never have expected that we would react so quickly. If they are counterattacked, they will be thrown into chaos!"

Wang Feng didn't say one more thing.

Even if he suffered an air raid, he would be able to receive the news in advance at the 30-kilometer border and have plenty of time to make deployment arrangements.

To maximize the advantages of interspersed operations.

While the two were talking, Zhao Fangyuan was listening on the side.

"Great advice, sir!"

"If the counterattack fails, we can still use the precise strikes of artillery to reorganize a second, more thorough attack!"

"We have sufficient reserves, and our response speed to the battlefield must be faster than that of the Japanese!"

Wang Feng nodded slightly, feeling very satisfied.

After several battles, Zhao Fangyuan's abilities improved rapidly.

In the past, the chief of staff was just a mouthpiece. He had to make decisions on all matters, big or small, in commanding operations. But now, he can already make some good suggestions.

"Deploy it like this, and move quickly!"

After the order was given, the troops acted quickly, with Zhao Fangyuan and Sergei watching at the front line.

He returned to the command post alone and immersed his consciousness in the system panel.

Eleven days have passed since the last fierce battle with the 26th Brigade.

After resting for such a long time, the two combat corps under his command have not yet returned to full strength.

But the size of each corps was supplemented to more than 4,000 people.

The troops are all maintained at [Well-Trained]

This is already very fast. If all the reserve forces were to be stuffed in all at once, the troop level would inevitably drop.

The average quality level of the reservists sent down by the Fifth War Zone can only reach the level of [mob] according to the standards of the system panel.

Malnutrition was standard. After serving as a soldier for several months, he had fired no more than twenty bullets.

It's hard to say!
The military literacy of regular army soldiers is not that high, let alone the reserve forces.

It’s good to have it.

After half an hour.

Zhang Hu came running over, his voice had arrived before he even showed up, and he kept shouting, "Sir! Sir! Sir!"

Wang Feng suddenly stood up from his chair and switched to the bird's-eye view.

The Japanese army didn't attack.
After confirming that it was a false alarm, Wang Feng walked out of the command post and looked at Zhang Hu who was running towards him. He rolled his eyes and said, "What's wrong? You're already the head of a corps, and you're still yelling!"

Zhang Hu handed over a newspaper, panting, "Sir, look, this is the Central News Agency newspaper!"

Wang Feng suddenly realized what was going on and took the newspaper, glancing it up and down.

The content of Miss Manli's interview was placed in the most prominent position.

"Interview with Chihe Anti-Japanese Heroes - Both we and Japan are enduring in the midst of consumption"

Zhang Hu's shouting attracted Zhao Fangyuan as well: "Sir, what's wrong?"

Wang Feng didn't raise his head, but looked at the words on the newspaper carefully, and said casually: "The newspaper where I interviewed last time was published in a week."

Zhao Fangyuan was curious and came over to take a look.

Compared with the dense text and huge title, the most eye-catching thing is the photo of Zhang Hu.

Wang Feng didn't want to take a photo. Miss Manli looked around and felt that Zhang Hu's tall and strong figure was most suitable for being published in the newspaper.

When this guy heard that he was going to take a photo, he got really excited.

Still remembering that he couldn't eat alone, he took a group photo with the deputy corps commander and several captains.

"Commander, how many people can see this newspaper?" Zhang Hu was excited, and his eyes were full of anticipation when he looked at Wang Feng.

Wang Feng estimated it in his mind.

According to Miss Manli, this interview with the Central News Agency will be reprinted in major newspapers and magazines across the country.

The newspaper in my hand is Shen Bao, which is considered to be one of the most influential newspapers in China.

"Probably tens of millions." Wang Feng made a rough estimate in his mind.

After all, newspapers were only popular in big cities, and reading them required a certain level of literacy.

But many people have heard of it, and the widespread word of mouth is not exaggerated.

Zhang Hu was shocked: "So many?"

Wang Feng handed the newspaper back and urged: "Find a few literate people to read it to the brothers to boost their morale."

Zhang Hu: “Okay!”

Then he walked towards the second line.

In the entire defense system, the two major corps have clear division of labor.

Chu Yunfei's First Reserve Corps filled the front line, while Zhang Hu's First "Red Flag" Mountain Corps served as a mobile force in the rear.

Although the level of both corps has reached [Well-trained].

However, Zhang Hu's troops enjoyed too many bonuses, including two medals and the national policy of "More Versatile Mountain Infantry".

The combat effectiveness is naturally a level stronger.

It's like the difference between a blank slate and an elite.

After Zhang Hu left, Wang Feng and Zhao Fangyuan walked side by side.

"Sir, the 13th Division will soon arrive at Shangyao, and it is estimated that the first round of attack will be launched tonight."

Wang Feng: "Tell the brothers to make more preparations and be alert to the Japanese night attacks."

Logically speaking, the Japanese army was at a disadvantage in night battles.

The reason is simple. The Japanese bombers cannot fight at night, but their four 105mm howitzers can operate freely.

Under Wang Feng's "precision-guided" command, the Japanese army was hit hard.

He even wished that the two sides would cease fire during the day and fight at night, reversing their day and night.

But necessary precautions cannot be neglected at all.

Zhao Fangyuan responded, and then talked about another matter: "Sir, Xiao Bengbu is less than 35 kilometers away from here. Can the two armies cooperate and turn the two battlefields into one?"

Wang Feng pondered for a moment: "This matter still needs to be considered in the long run. If the battlefield is trained as a whole, it will be disadvantageous for us to infiltrate and penetrate."

"If the Japanese army intends to gather together, we can also use this as a countermeasure."

"When will the batch of rifles from Changzhi arrive?"

Zhao Fangyuan: "Soon, around tomorrow, or early this morning."

(End of this chapter)