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

Chapter 268 My IQ Has Been Insulted

"Baka! This is impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

Kitano Chuuji quickly received feedback from the cliff above, saying that there were no enemies or cannons there, which Kitano Chuuji simply did not believe.

Although the secondary explosion delayed our reaction for a moment, our encirclement maneuver was still swift.

It's possible that the enemy could sprout wings and fly away beforehand, but they couldn't possibly equip the cannons on the cliff with wings; that's absolutely impossible!

Fujita Ichiji said, "Colonel, could it be that those few were captured by the enemy and then ordered to shout like that?"

"Hmm, that makes some sense." Kitano Chuni nodded, thinking that this possibility existed.

He would never believe that the cannon had been fitted with wings and flown away.

Soon, Kitano Chuji sent some more puppet army soldiers up.

When these puppet soldiers went up, they all gave the same feedback: there were no enemies up there, nor did they see any cannons.

Kitano Chuuji didn't believe it and told these people to come down.

If there are indeed enemies up there, they probably won't release him easily.

As a result, these puppet troops descended very smoothly.

This left Kitano Chuuni completely baffled: "Baka! Is there really no enemy or cannon on this cliff?"

Fujita Ichiji's expression was solemn: "Colonel, why don't we go up and take a look ourselves? Perhaps the enemy has dug a hole in the cannon and hidden it there."

“Hmm, that makes sense.” Kitano Chuni nodded.

Then, some Japanese soldiers were sent up first to confirm that there was no danger up there.

Kitano Chuuji and Fujita Ichiji then climbed up the cliff using the rope.

Upon reaching the top of the cliff, Kitano Chuji naturally ordered the Japanese soldiers to search the area thoroughly. After digging three feet into the ground, they still couldn't find the hole where the cannon was supposedly hidden.

All that could be seen were twenty pits left on the edge of the cliff.

The pit is so shallow and small that it is clearly not suitable for hiding a cannon.

Kitano Chuuni scratched his head, completely bewildered: "Could it be that the enemy's cannon really grew wings and flew away?"

One of the Japanese soldiers said, "Even if the enemy has given their cannons wings, they wouldn't bother digging twenty pits on this cliff, would they? Is this just a bluff?"

Although Fujita Ichiji was stupid, he had at least served as a military police captain for a few days.

Fujita Ichiji remembered that there were about twenty shells fired from the cliff.

There are exactly twenty pits here.

Fujita Ichiji squatted by the pit and found smooth, solid indentations. He recalled that the twenty shells had left long trails of smoke behind them.

Thinking of this, Fujita Ichiji slapped his forehead and said, "Colonel, I understand."

"What have you figured out?" Kitano Chuuji and the others all looked at Fujita Ichiji.

"Do you all remember when those enemy shells came down, there was a long trail of smoke behind them?" Fujita Ichiji reminded him.

"Yes, that seems to be the case." Kitano Chuuji and the others nodded.

At the time, everyone was stunned by the shell that suddenly flew down from the cliff, and no one noticed the smoke trail it left behind.

Now that Fujita Ichiji has reminded me, it seems there really is such a thing.

Fujita Ichiji continued, "Our tank regiment was attacked by the Eighth Route Army's shoulder-mounted artillery. The shells from those shoulder-mounted cannons left trails of smoke as they flew through the air..."

Before Fujita Ichiji could finish speaking, a Japanese soldier interrupted him, saying, "Are you saying that this enemy is the Eighth Route Army, and that they made the shoulder-mounted cannons larger, and because the cannon barrels are larger, a single soldier's shoulder can't support them, so they dug a pit here and put the cannon barrels in the pit to fire?"

“That’s probably the case.” Fujita Ichiji nodded. “That’s the only way to explain why the Eighth Route Army’s cannons disappeared. They must not have been very heavy, so they took them with them.”

“That doesn’t make sense either.” Kitano Chuuni squatted down and carefully examined the traces of the pit again, saying, “If the Eighth Route Army’s cannon was fired from a pit, then the pit was clearly dug incorrectly. Moreover, judging from your point of view, if the Eighth Route Army made the shoulder-mounted cannons too large and needed to be fired from a pit, wouldn’t it have been better for them to simply place the cannons on the edge of this cliff? Digging a pit to place the cannons is redundant.”

Hearing Kitano Chuuji say that, Fujita Ichiji nodded in agreement: "Yes, if the Eighth Route Army's shoulder cannons are made with a larger caliber, they can just place the barrels on the cliff. Why dig another pit? It can't be..."

"What is it?" Kitano Chuuji sensed that Fujita Ichiji was about to give the correct answer and couldn't help but interrupt.

"It couldn't have been the Eighth Route Army that just put the shells directly into the pit and fired them, could it?" Fujita Ichiji said.

"Baka! This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Kitano Chuuni felt his intelligence had been severely insulted in an instant.

Artillery has been around for hundreds of years, and shells have always been pushed out of the barrel by huge chamber pressure.

Now you're telling me to fire artillery shells from craters? That's utter nonsense!

If shells can fly by themselves if they're placed in a crater, then why bother making the cannon barrels?

Are all our military experts stupid?

The atmosphere froze at that moment.

Although everyone felt that their intelligence had been insulted, the signs before them seemed as if the Eighth Route Army's shells were flying on their own, no longer needing cannon barrels.

Fujita Ichiji seemed to remember something, and continued:
"Under normal circumstances, artillery is fired from a platform on the ground."

"Even our smallest caliber grenade launcher has to be placed on the ground to fire."

"But the Eighth Route Army's border arsenal produced artillery that could be fired from the shoulder, which changed the history of artillery firing."

"Could it be that this expert at the Eighth Route Army's border arsenal has changed the history of artillery firing, perhaps by creating a new type of shell? He doesn't even need the cannon barrel anymore; he just puts it directly into a crater and fires it?"

After listening to Fujita Ichiji's analysis, Kitano Chuuji and the others still felt it was absurd and that their intelligence had been insulted once again.

Only a fool would analyze things like Fujita Ichiji.

But no one immediately refuted Fujita Ichiji.

The expert at the Eighth Route Army's border arsenal was able to build heavy artillery and shoulder-fired cannons with rudimentary conditions.

This person's military industrial capabilities have already been demonstrated; he's simply a prodigy.

Even if this person is very skilled, he cannot manufacture seamless steel pipes without sufficient equipment.

then.

It seems not impossible for him to simply abandon the cannon barrel and directly build cannonballs that can fly.

Although this possibility is utterly absurd and unbelievable, no one dares to deny it outright at present.

"Colonel, we reported to headquarters that the Eighth Route Army has built a cannonball that can fly. I'm afraid we're going to be killed, aren't we?" A Japanese officer couldn't help but lean closer to Kitano Chuji.

The supplies were attacked, and the details definitely need to be written into a report.

The report stated that the Eighth Route Army had built a cannonball that could fly. If the higher-ups saw this, they would definitely execute the person.

unless!

Unless we can find substantial evidence now.

But the Eighth Route Army had already fled, and apart from these twenty pits, no other clues were left here.

This evidence is therefore impossible to obtain.

"Baka!" Kitano Chuuji gritted his teeth and roared, "So, even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we must find the Eighth Route Army."

Without finding the evidence, this report cannot be written.

If those above them see that their reports are delayed, they might even question their loyalty to the Emperor.

Even if it means committing seppuku, one cannot bear the label of disloyalty.

Kitano Chuuji and Fujita Ichiji came down from the cliff, and a large number of troops scattered like flowers in the sky, frantically searching for the Eighth Route Army.

Fujita Ichiji reminded Kitano Chuuji, "Colonel, you can delay your report to headquarters, but I think you should hurry up and give your reminder to Division Commander Kumamoto."

Fujita Ichiji had just heard Kitano Chuuji instruct the communications soldier to send a telegram to the Kumamoto Division Commander about the attack on the supplies, but he did not authorize the communications soldier to send the details of the attack.

"Do you think the Kumamoto Division Commander would believe that?" Kitano Chuuni asked directly.

Even now, Kitano Chuni still feels like it's all a dream.

Even he, the person directly involved, doesn't believe it. If you tell the Kumamoto Division Commander, the latter still won't believe it.

The Kumamoto Division Commander's anger might even intensify, as he might feel he has been deceived.

Fujita Ichiji, however, said:

"If my judgment is correct, the Eighth Route Army has indeed built a cannonball that can fly. You have seen the destructive power of this cannonball, which is comparable to our medium-sized howitzer."

"Then it's highly likely that the Eighth Route Army will use it against Commander Kumamoto next."

"Colonel, these shells are quite lethal. They can be fired from a hole. Combined with the Eighth Route Army's guerrilla tactics, we really have to be wary of the Kumamoto Division Commander."

"Now that the logistical supplies are gone, the Kumamoto Division Commander only has two or three days' worth of rations. Under these circumstances, we should remind him even more."

Kitano Chuuji agreed with Fujita Ichiji's statement, but still said, "Commander Kumamoto probably won't believe it at all."

“It’s normal that he didn’t believe it at first. But once the Eighth Route Army uses this thing on the battlefield, and you remind him, he will definitely believe it,” Fujita Ichiji said.

“Hmm, that makes sense.” Kitano Chuni nodded and called over the communications officer. “Send another telegram to Commander Kumamoto immediately. Tell him to be careful, that the Eighth Route Army has developed its own flying shells. These shells are as powerful as medium howitzers. If this thing is combined with the Eighth Route Army’s guerrilla warfare, it’s no joke. Tell him to be very careful.”

"Yes, Colonel." The communications soldier continued sending the signal.

Kitano Chuuji and Fujita Ichiji were not idle either, and continued their frantic search for the Eighth Route Army.

Of course, the final result was predictable: Liu Weidong, Cheng the Blind Man, and the others had already slipped away, and they were destined to gain nothing.

(End of this chapter)