Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 204 Blow the Japanese devils into the sky!

Wang Feng subconsciously switched the view to the overhead panel, wanting to see what was happening in Puyang City. The next second, Zhao Fangyuan spoke up:
"Sir, the Japanese have used poison gas again. Our soldiers lack gas masks, and some positions have already been captured by the Japanese. The fighting inside the city has once again reached a stalemate."

Wang Feng: "Poison gas?"

Zhao Fangyuan nodded: "It's a large-scale operation. According to soldiers at the front, some Japanese soldiers also died from their own poison gas. In short, the Japanese troops in the city seem to have gone mad!"

Wang Feng casually agreed and immediately switched to an overhead view.

Inside Puyang City.

The "green smoke" representing poison gas almost filled half the city. Soldiers tore off pieces of cloth from their clothes, soaked them in water, and hurriedly covered their mouths and noses. Those who couldn't find water simply soaked their urine in it and covered their mouths and noses with it.

Since it's my own anyway, I can't really complain about it.

The battlefield has all sorts of smells: the pungent smell of gunpowder, the pervasive stench of corpses. Compared to these, the smell of urine is simply insignificant.

The Japanese army also stopped its attack. Wang Feng discovered that only a small number of Japanese soldiers were wearing gas masks, while the vast majority of the other soldiers, like his own, were using these makeshift methods to "fight" the poisonous gas in the air.

It seems the Japanese army was not fully prepared either.

This is a desperate act!

Inside the city, amidst the pervasive poisonous gas, a tattered flag fluttered in the wind.

Northwest wind

Wang Feng snapped back to reality: "Order all troops to immediately withdraw to a safe area and temporarily abandon the attack!"

Zhao Fangyuan: "But the position has already been captured."

Wang Feng waved his hand: "Never mind that, preserve our manpower first. Get the field hospital to the city and treat the wounded as soon as possible!"

Zhao Fangyuan saluted: "Yes!"

"Didi-di-!"

Inside the command post.

The telegraph machine kept ringing, and Wang Feng's orders were directly transmitted to the front-line combat troops and immediately carried out.

From an overhead view.

The soldier coughed weakly, his eyes vacant as he slumped to the ground. The best way to deal with gas warfare was to wear a professional gas mask; this makeshift method wouldn't last long.

"go!"

"The commander has given the order to retreat immediately!"

"Cough cough. Those damn Japanese devils have gone mad; they don't even care about their own people anymore."

The soldiers helped each other to their feet and staggered to their feet as they moved to the rear.

Wang Feng frowned.

Judging from the soldiers' reactions, the Japanese army was probably using Agent Red again, just like before.

This chemical weapon is not very toxic; mild inhalation will only cause soldiers to cough incessantly and lose their combat effectiveness. Only excessive inhalation will cause respiratory bleeding and lead to death.

Fortunately, they were removed in time.

Seeing more and more soldiers running out of the "green fog," Wang Feng breathed a sigh of relief.

"How about I develop a few poison gas bombs for my own use?"

Wang Feng thought to himself that there was no need to be merciful to the Japanese. After witnessing one atrocity after another, he couldn't wait to repay them in kind and make them pay back all those blood debts.

He picked up the telephone receiver from the table:
"Hey! Need the artillery corps command post!"

After a busy signal, a voice finally came through the microphone:

"Sir, this is Zheng Zhenzhong!"

Wang Feng, with one hand on his hip, asked, "How many artillery shells does your artillery column have left?"

Zheng Zhenzhong paused for a moment, and the sound of pages turning came from the other end of the phone: "There are still 13 rounds of 122mm high-explosive shells, 11 rounds of armor-piercing shells, 231 rounds of 105mm high-explosive shells, and 11 rounds of 150mm high-explosive shells. The recoil mechanisms of two heavy artillery pieces are damaged and they can no longer continue fighting."

Wang Feng: "Fire all the shells! Blow all the Japanese devils in the city into the sky!"

Zheng Zhenzhong was taken aback: "Shoot them all out? And then what?"

Wang Feng: "The Japanese invaders inside the city are exhausted and cannot resist for long, but they have stockpiled a large amount of chemical weapons. If we do not concentrate our firepower to defeat them in one fell swoop, it will be difficult to fight them later!"

Zheng Zhenzhong replied decisively, "Yes!"

After hanging up the phone, Wang Feng turned to Zhao Fangyuan and said, "Order each column's artillery battalion to slow down its firing rate and conserve some ammunition!"

It's always good to have a backup plan. The situation of the 59th Regiment in the direction of Yutai behind us is still unclear. If they really head north to cut off our rear, we will have to divide our forces to deal with them.

Zhao Fangyuan responded, "Yes!"

--------

Inside Puyang City.

"Da da da--!"

Japanese soldiers wearing gas masks set up their machine guns, the spent cartridges burning hot at their feet.

"Lord Yamai has sent a telegram ordering my troops to advance 500 meters!" A messenger ran over, holding a telegram in his hand.

Company Commander: "What?!"

While the gas mask filters out toxic gases, it also blocks out sound to some extent. The messenger had to shout three times before he could barely hear him.

The company commander glanced at the position in front of him. Most of the red atomized smoke had dissipated. At this point, charging forward with a heavy heart should not cause too much damage to his own side.

"First and second squads, charge! The rest of you, provide cover!"

"Black Card Chaos!"

"Onboard!"

Upon receiving the order, the Japanese soldiers, bayonets in hand, charged forward in droves.

On the front lines.

A soldier wearing a captured gas mask peeked out slightly, and seeing the situation was bad, immediately turned around and shouted: "Battalion Commander! The Japanese are charging!"

Hua Dechang, standing at the rear, had limited visibility due to his gas mask and couldn't see the battlefield ahead. In desperation, he took it off and tossed it to his adjutant beside him.

"Organize defenses! Everyone who can move, get up!"

"quick!"

Upon hearing the call, the soldiers struggled to their feet, but their hands were unsteady as they held their guns due to the large amount of red dye they had inhaled.

Even the Japanese army was not fully equipped with gas masks, let alone the garrison troops who relied solely on captured gas masks. Only a few important officers were able to get a mask, while the rest of the soldiers had to rely on makeshift methods to get through the ordeal.

Fortunately, the wind was strong and the air was flowing well where the position was located; otherwise, the entire battalion headquarters would probably have been killed in that round of firing.

"Da da da!"

Faint gunfire rang out from the position, a soft patter as the small figures of the Japanese soldiers moved swiftly through the city ruins, using the scattered rubble as cover as they advanced rapidly.

"Brother, what if we can't hit it?" A new recruit curled up behind a sandbag and looked at the veteran next to him.

The veteran crouched down and, under the guise of changing a magazine, glanced at the new recruit:
"If you can't even hit the Japanese, what kind of soldier are you?"

"Didn't I tell you before to take good care of your parents at home?"

The veteran glared at him, leaned out halfway, roughly aimed, and pulled the trigger. Before he could even see if the bullet had hit, he immediately pulled back.

The bullets struck the sandbags with muffled thuds. He clutched his rifle tightly, panting heavily.

In order to increase speed, Japanese soldiers usually did not shoot while running during their charges. Instead, they would carry their rifles in one hand, crouch down, and rush to the enemy's position as quickly as possible.

It's as slippery as an eel.

The difficulty of hitting the target under such circumstances is self-evident.

The veteran reacted quickly, pulling back the bolt and peeking out from a different spot. Taking advantage of a lull in the firing, he glanced around the streets. "Damn it! The Japanese are going to use grenade launchers!"

"Hurry and take cover!"

He immediately called out to the people around him.

"boom--!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a grenade landed precisely behind the bunker, exploding instantly. Shrapnel grazed the helmet, sending up gray sparks.

"Onboard!"

Under the cover of the grenade launcher, the Japanese soldiers charged forward in one fell swoop, and the soldiers immediately fixed their bayonets and shouted as they rushed to meet them.

"Fuck you!"

"Reinforcements are coming soon, brothers, hold on!"

Bayonets pierced bodies, blood gushed out, screams and shouts mingled, deafeningly loud, soldiers fell one after another, mud and blood mingling, staining the earth crimson. But the new recruits behind them surged like a tidal wave, shouting slogans and charging into the battlefield without regard for anything else.

The two sides fought fiercely over this small area of ​​about ten square meters, leaving the ground littered with corpses, green grass, and a jumble of dark yellow military uniforms.

Seeing that the alley entrance was about to fall, Hua Dechang was extremely anxious. He led the battalion guards and rushed over to personally oversee the front line.

After finally driving back the Japanese, the soldiers hadn't even had a chance to catch their breath or treat their wounds when they suddenly felt the ground tremble.

"Tanks! They're Japanese tanks!"

The quick-reacting soldier pointed ahead and exclaimed loudly.

Hua Dechang had an injury to his left leg. Upon hearing the sound, he stopped bandaging his leg and looked in the direction the soldier was pointing.

It is a Type 94 tank.

Hua Dechang staggered to his feet: "Molotov cocktails! Quickly, bring me Molotov cocktails!"

If he were on a plain, and saw a Type 94 tank, he might just laugh it off, thinking it beneath his notice.

But right now it's street fighting.

According to his observation, most of the Type 94 tanks currently equipped by the Japanese army in North China only have a single machine gun as their main weapon, and do not have the tank cannon that one would expect from a tank.

The weakness is obvious: insufficient firepower.

No matter how much a machine gun fires, it can't compare to a tank cannon, even one with a 30 or 40mm diameter.

But this is on a plain.

Now it's street fighting.

The role of machine guns is much more obvious!

"Throw it out! Throw it out now!" Hua Dechang shouted.

“Crackling—!”

A sound of shattering glass rang out on the ground, followed by a wall of fire rising into the air, isolating the approaching tanks from the position.

"Don't stop! Keep throwing!"

In urban warfare, Molotov cocktails are far more effective than explosive charges in dealing with these thinly armored "tiny tanks".

The most obvious point is that human lives are no longer being used to fill the gaps.

To destroy a tank with explosive charges, soldiers need to rush over under heavy fire and place the explosive charges on the ground or tracks, where the armor is thin or easily damaged.

If you throw it from a distance, you may end up wasting all your previous efforts.

Molotov cocktails are much more convenient.

All you have to do is throw it on the ground and wait for the tank to come. With the Type 94 tank's thin rear armor, it simply can't withstand the high temperature. Once it gets on the fire, it won't be long before it breaks down.

The makeshift "fire wall" could also inflict considerable casualties on the infantry behind the tanks.

In addition, it has a very strong psychological deterrent effect.

Fear of fire is in the nature of every animal!
"Da da da--!"

With hordes of infantry behind him, the commander of the Type 94 tank had no choice but to grit his teeth and charge forward.

Hua Dechang: "Keep throwing! Throw them behind the turret!"

"Wow!"

The Molotov cocktail hit the parked tank and immediately exploded, sending thick flames rising from the tank's hull.

The burning tank turret spewed out orange flames, and the driver accelerated, bursting out of the flames like a crazed "fire bull".

"Boom!"

The tank's engine roared incessantly, and the commander tried to look ahead through the periscope, but his vision was blocked by the burning flames.

"idiot!"

The commander tested all the periscopes from the past week, and they were almost all the same: the burning flames covered the entire vehicle body, and no matter which direction you looked from, you couldn't see the surroundings.

It's not just her.

The same applies to drivers.

"Charge! Crush them!" the tank commander roared into the driver's cab, unaware that he had become separated from the infantry behind him.

Hua Dechang looked ahead and immediately ordered his troops to retreat.

This tank won't last long, and the infantry behind it, fearing the flames, have fallen far behind. Once it's completely out of commission, he has a hundred ways to deal with it.

As they were speaking, a cracking sound came from above.

"boom--!"

The next second, two 150mm grenades landed in the street. Tanks and infantry were covered by the thick smoke from the explosion. Hua Dechang was facing forward and felt a blast of air rushing towards him, so he took two steps back.

"Brothers, it's the artillery column's support!"

"Charge! Kill the Japanese devils!"

According to long-established practice, heavy artillery usually does not fire a second round after bombarding a place. The best time to charge is when the smoke has not yet cleared!
"kill!"

----------

6 month 3 day.

Early in the morning, Zhao Fangyuan waited at the door. When he saw Wang Feng open the door and come out, he immediately went up to him.
"Sir, we have captured Puyang City!"

Wang Feng rubbed his eyes: "What about the Japanese troops inside the city? Were they all wiped out or did they retreat?"

Zhao Fangyuan: "They retreated. After the main force arrived, they cut off the Japanese army's supply lines in the city. After two days of fighting, we shelled many logistics supply points. Perhaps because they ran out of ammunition and food, or perhaps because they received orders from their superiors, the Japanese took the initiative to give up resistance and chose to break out to the north."

Wang Feng: "What about the blocking troops? How many Japanese soldiers escaped?"

Zhao Fangyuan: "I estimate there are three or four thousand."

Wang Feng nodded. The number was somewhat high. Although it couldn't be considered an epic victory, it was still a rare triumph.

After all, we were also nearing our breaking point.

After two months of continuous fighting in a foreign land, both soldiers and mid- to high-ranking officers desperately need a rest. Being in a state of high tension for a long time is not a good thing.

Zhao Fangyuan continued, "Sir, news has come from the south that the Yudong Corps has begun an orderly withdrawal from Dangshan; it seems they are about to collapse."

Wang Feng perked up: "What about the Yellow River? Has there been any unusual activity?"

Zhao Fangyuan frowned: "So far, there seems to be nothing, but there's something unusual going on in Zhengzhou!"

Wang Feng walked to the tap and splashed cold water on his face: "Continue."

Zhao Fangyuan: "The First War Zone Commander-in-Chief Cheng Qian suddenly summoned water conservancy experts from Zhengzhou to the General Staff Headquarters under the guise of official business. There were about a dozen of them. The meeting lasted all afternoon, and the specifics of what was discussed are currently unknown."

(End of this chapter)