Bright Sword: From Border Region Manufacturing to Major National Heavy Industry

Chapter 181 Anti-aircraft guns kill mosquitoes
Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, and Blind Cheng led their troops to the Zhangjiacun railway section.

That's right!

The railway in Zhangjiacun section has just been repaired, and now our Eighth Route Army is here again.

Why not choose somewhere else, but here?

the reason is simple.

The outposts we previously eliminated are still under repair, and due to the short timeframe, the repairs have only just begun.

In other words.

If we manage to snatch a lot of valuable goods from the train, transporting them back from here is the safest option.

Therefore, the best choice is still here.

The three hell cannons were set up in advance, and Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, and Blind Cheng did not rush to make a move.

After all, we can only take action once we see the Japanese military trains.

To act prematurely would be to alert the enemy.

"Hehe, I wonder what's on that Japanese military train." Blind Cheng rubbed his hands excitedly. This is the first time our main force regiment with official status has come out to work, we can't make it too awkward.

"Commander, based on our assessment, it's most likely weapons, ammunition, and supplies," someone said excitedly, leaning close to Blind Cheng.

Although our border region arsenal can now produce weapons and ammunition.

But our 772nd Regiment still can't get it.

There's nothing I can do about it; we haven't done much good.

Therefore, the main solution for obtaining weapons and ammunition is to find the Japanese themselves.

If we can seize just one corps' worth of weapons and ammunition, even if our 772nd Regiment only gets a third of it, we'll be stuffed.

With our weapons in hand stronger, our 772nd Regiment will stand taller. We won't have to be jealous of Li Yunlong and Ding Wei anymore; we can go out and find work ourselves.

"If possible, I still hope the Japanese are transporting military supplies," Blind Cheng said, knowing the idea was probably unrealistic.

Although the Japanese had good weapons and ammunition, the rocket launchers and hell cannons produced by the border region's arsenal were top-notch.

Even the hand grenades and bounding mines were of good quality.

Blind Cheng still wanted to seize military supplies and exchange them for the Hell Cannon and rocket launcher produced by his own factory at the border region's arsenal.

"Commander, it's alright. Even if it's not military supplies, as long as it's weapons and ammunition, if we capture them, the 772nd Regiment's combat effectiveness will increase significantly, and we can also procure military supplies."

“That makes sense.” Blind Cheng nodded emphatically.

……

Not far behind Cheng the Blind Man was Yan Kai and Chu Yunfei's guard company.

Li Yunlong arranged for them to stay in the rear, preventing them from showing their faces on the battlefield.

After all, Yan Kai is a benefactor, so he can't be hurt easily.

As Yan Kai watched the Eighth Route Army set up their three hellish cannons, his gaze was mainly fixed on the strange shells fired by the Eighth Route Army.

Yan Kai had already seen the Hell Cannon that he had previously acquired from the Eighth Route Army.

This hell cannon is a completely welded assembly, with absolutely no technology involved.

The real technology of this heavy artillery lies in its shells.

This strange shell is unlike any other shell; it has welded-on stabilizing fins, and its body is also different from that of a conventional shell.

"Sir, we probably can't tell the technology behind the Eighth Route Army's hell cannon shells just by looking at them. We'll have to find a way to disassemble them to see for ourselves," Chu Yunfei's guard company commander said to Yan Kai.

“Of course, the technology is all inside the shells.” Yan Kai nodded and said, “Your regimental commander reported that this Hell Cannon is comparable to a heavy artillery piece. Commander Yan is also very interested and said that no matter what method we have to use, we must figure out the shells of this Hell Cannon. Let me take a look first.”

Commander Yan's task was not easy.

To figure out the technology behind the Eighth Route Army's Hell Cannon shells, Yan Kai also needs to find a way to develop the artillery technology that the Eighth Route Army has acquired.

Of course, you have to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. Let's figure out the hellish cannonballs in front of us first.

Woohoo!

The sound of Japanese military train whistles came from afar, interrupting Yan Kai's thoughts.

Yan Kai looked at the military train, his expression still somewhat...unreadable.

The Eighth Route Army now has the ability to seize Japanese military trains at will, and they beat the Japanese soldiers so badly they screamed in terror.

Meanwhile, Commander Yan, who commands an army of 200,000, is hiding in the back to preserve his strength. Well... never mind, we don't care about politics.

Let's see what kind of shells the Eighth Route Army's hell cannons are firing.

"Li Yunlong, the Japanese military train is here! Can we get to work now?" Seeing the Japanese military train approaching from a distance, Blind Cheng was so excited that he almost spat in Li Yunlong's face.

"Hey Cheng the Blind, you're supposed to be the commander of a main force regiment of our 386th Brigade, and your mental fortitude needs some improvement. It's just a Japanese military train you've stolen, look how happy you are," Li Yunlong said disdainfully. "Anyone who doesn't know the truth would think you're trying to steal the Japanese Emperor's special train."

"Hehe, Li Yunlong, this is my first time doing such a big job, I was a little excited." Faced with Li Yunlong's disdain, Blind Cheng didn't argue with him.

After all, seizing the Japanese train was indeed of great significance to the 772nd Regiment.

"This is nothing, the real big job is yet to come," Li Yunlong said, waving his hand.

"Li Yunlong, what big job is coming up?" Blind Cheng asked suspiciously, then added, "Li Yunlong, you're not planning to cause trouble again, are you?"

“If you’re a coward and steal the Japanese train, you can go back on your own,” Li Yunlong said to Blind Cheng. “Since you’re so interested in this train, then the main attack mission is yours. You have no objections, right?” “No objections, no objections,” Blind Cheng nodded repeatedly, stating righteously, “I’m very bold, not cowardly at all. Li Yunlong, I’ll say it again: as long as there’s enough profit, even if you’re just looking for trouble, I’ll see you through to the end.”

Cheng the Blind also knew that launching a main attack would consume ammunition and cause casualties among the troops.

But the 772nd Regiment hasn't fought a battle for quite some time, so today's main attack is just a warm-up.

Once the Japanese military train had reached the right position, Li Yunlong roared, "Now! Hell Cannons, fire!"

boom!
boom!
boom!
The fuses of the three hellish cannons, poised for battle, were lit, and the shells were fired.

Two of the three shells hit their targets precisely, destroying two newly built firing positions.

Another shell missed its target and exploded in an open area.

Blind Cheng cursed, "Artilleryman, are you blind? How did you aim?"

"Commander, this is our first time using it, we're not familiar with it yet," the artilleryman explained.

"Make sure you hit the target on the second shot, or you'll embarrass me again," Blind Cheng cursed.

"Yes, Captain."

……

When the railway line near Zhangjia Village was attacked, the Japanese soldiers there were immediately stunned:

"Baka! That's three heavy cannons attacking! Is the Eighth Route Army attacking again?"

"My God, we just finished repairing this section of the railway, and now the Eighth Route Army is attacking again. Won't they destroy the railway line again?"

"Baka! The Eighth Route Army is too rampant! Beat them up!"

"Damn Eighth Route Army soldiers, fight back!"

"Call for backup immediately! Call for backup!"

……

The Japanese light and heavy machine guns immediately spewed fire, unleashing a dense barrage of bullets.

But under the continuous roar of the three hell cannons, the machine gun firepower quickly fell silent.

With the obstacles cleared by the Hell Cannon, Blind Cheng, as if he had drunk bee urine, ordered the 772nd Regiment to attack immediately.

At the same time, the military train had to brake suddenly because the tracks were destroyed by the Hellfire Cannon.

The military train was moving a bit too fast, or rather, the bombing point of the hell cannon was a bit too close.

The locomotive of the military train drove into a large crater in the road and overturned.

Even if you wanted to force your way back, it would be impossible.

Seeing that Cheng Xiazi's troops were rapidly approaching the military train that had been forced to stop, Li Yunlong and Ding Wei also sent their respective troops over.

Li Yunlong said to Ding Wei, "Old Ding, we should get more rocket launchers. Look at these firing positions, rockets are the most suitable way to hit them. Using Hellfire cannons is a waste of ammunition."

Although the attack is currently progressing smoothly.

But these are just the beginning of the firing positions. Using hell cannons to shoot them is like using an anti-aircraft gun to kill a mosquito.

Our Hell Cannon's shells are precious; they're mainly used for attacking strongholds.

For this kind of tactical target, the best weapon is still the rocket launcher.

"The main problem is that the rocket launchers at the arsenal have only just started production, and the quantity is limited," Ding Wei said, then analyzed, "Even with rockets, we still can't hit those two targets; we'll have to use the Hellfire Cannon. But using the Hellfire Cannon on those two targets would be a bit of a waste. Infantry guns would be just right."

Upon hearing Ding Wei mention infantry guns, Li Yunlong said expectantly, "Old Ding, rocket launchers are tactical artillery, and the Hellfire cannon is a heavy weapon. We still lack medium-sized artillery like infantry guns. Do you think Brother Li's side will make infantry guns for us next?"

"Didn't Director Li already say that the most difficult part of making cannons is the cannon barrel?" Ding Wei said. "Unless we can get our hands on the equipment that can manufacture cannon barrels, Director Li probably won't be able to make them."

“Old Ding, if you say that, then I have to criticize you.” Li Yunlong said seriously, “That’s Brother Li, maybe he really has a way to produce medium-sized artillery.”

"I hope your criticism, Lao Li, is correct." Ding Wei did not argue.

If you can't make the cannon barrel, you can't make the cannon; that's an undeniable fact.

But Director Li of the border region's arsenal is a top-notch military expert who comes along only once every few centuries; perhaps he really does have a way.

While this may seem absurd, are hell cannons absurd? Are rocket launchers absurd?
What they're doing is absurd creation!
……

Then Yan Kai took out a small notebook and quickly wrote down:
When the shell is fired, it bypasses the huge chamber pressure, which does not place high demands on the gun barrel.

When a shell is in flight, it carries its own propellant, so it does not require huge chamber pressure to propel it.

The stabilizer fins welded onto the projectile body are used to control the trajectory and accuracy of the projectile's flight.

……

Yan Kai wrote down a few lines of text, his eyes full of admiration: "The Eighth Route Army's arsenal has produced an outstanding military industrial talent."

If this person could be sent to serve in Commander Yan's arsenal, it would be of great significance.

Chu Yunfei's guard company commander said from the side, "Sir, after reading all this you've written, it seems like you've already figured out the Eighth Route Army's artillery technology?"

"I only saw the surface of the Eighth Route Army's shells; the real core still needs to be disassembled," Yan Kai said, shaking his head.

Although he understood the secret of how the Eighth Route Army's shells flew, he couldn't tell what the propellant was made of or what its internal structure was; he still had to disassemble it.

(End of this chapter)