You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you brought out a Tiger tank?

The soldiers reacted immediately.

The gunner picked up the still-smoking machine gun, the assistant gunner shouldered the heavy tripod, and the ammunition handler grabbed the remaining ammunition boxes.

The entire machine gun platoon, like a group of ghosts, quickly withdrew from the gentle slope and rushed towards the next designated position.

Lin Xin knew very well that the Japanese grenade launchers and Type 92 infantry guns were not to be underestimated.

Staying in one place for too long will inevitably attract retaliatory artillery fire.

The key to survival for heavy machine gun crews on the battlefield is to fire one shot and move to another, constantly searching for the enemy's flank weaknesses while in motion.

as predicted.

It was less than three minutes after Lin Xin and his men withdrew from the gentle slope.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Several Japanese infantry gun shells landed precisely near the rocks where they had just been lying, sending up a shower of rubble.

But the place was already deserted.

Just as several machine gun platoons like Lin Xin were causing chaos on the flanks and drawing a lot of attention from the Japanese,

On the front lines, Zhao Dashan's armored assault group had completely torn apart the Japanese's riddled defenses.

"Boom!"

A 38(t) light tank roared onto the road, its wide tracks mercilessly crushing the Japanese soldiers' fortifications made of corpses.

The sound of bones cracking was negligible amidst the roar of the engine.

"Kill them!"

Several desperate Japanese soldiers, clutching explosive packs, jumped out of the mud and water, attempting a final suicide attack.

But before they could even get close to the tank...

On the SDKFZ250 half-track armored vehicles following behind the tank, the Daxia infantry opened fire with their MP40 submachine guns and MG34 machine guns mounted on the front of the vehicles.

The dense bullets instantly riddled the Japanese soldiers with holes, detonating the explosive packs they were carrying.

The violent explosion sent several Japanese soldiers flying into the air.

The defenses have completely collapsed.

The 102nd Regiment was not a particularly strong unit. As an infantry regiment numbered 100 or higher, it was an emergency regiment composed of retired veterans and reserves who were urgently conscripted after the start of the full-scale War of Resistance against Japan.

Although the Japanese had coveted the land of Great Xia for a long time, even their reserves had received extensive training and were not bad in combat.

However, their fighting spirit was ultimately no match for that of the infantry regiments under the standing Class A divisions.

After a large number of sergeants and corporals at the grassroots level were wiped out, many of the remaining Japanese soldiers simply dropped their weapons and fled around the open fields like headless flies.

But how can two legs outrun tracks and wheels?

The coaxial machine guns of tanks and the vehicle-mounted machine guns on armored vehicles mercilessly reaped the lives of these fleeing soldiers.

……

The battle was drawing to a close.

The sounds of gunfire on the open field gradually thinned out, leaving only the idling roar of armored vehicle engines and the occasional sporadic sound of follow-up shots.

Lin Xin led his machine gun platoon to establish a defensive position on a high ground.

Looking down at the Japanese regiment that had been completely crushed, the soldiers finally relaxed and gasped for breath.

Lin Xin plopped down on the muddy ground and casually wiped the sweat mixed with gunpowder and mud from his face.

He pulled a somewhat shrunken pack of "Daqianmen" cigarettes from his shirt pocket, knocked one out, and put it in his mouth.

He checked his pockets and found that the matches were missing.

Lin Xin wasn't annoyed. He turned to look at the MG42 machine gun beside him that had just made great contributions.

Although firing had ceased for some time, the metal sheath surrounding the barrel, covered with ventilation holes, still emitted an astonishing heat wave that distorted the air.

Lin Xin leaned closer and gently pressed the tip of the cigarette he was holding against the dark red heat dissipation cover.

In just two or three seconds.

"hiss--"

When the tobacco comes into contact with the hot metal, it is instantly ignited, producing a wisp of smoke.

Lin Xin took a deep breath, and the spark quickly brightened.

He straightened up, took a satisfying drag of the pungent smoke into his lungs, and then let it swirl around inside.

With a long sigh, he slowly exhaled a thick smoke ring.

The stimulation of nicotine greatly relieved the fatigue and high pressure caused by the adrenaline surge on the battlefield.

"Platoon leader, can I have a bite too?" The assistant gunner next to him swallowed hard and leaned over expectantly.

"Get lost, take some yourself."

As a German-equipped main force division, Lin Xin's newly formed 16th Division enjoyed treatment second only to pilots.

Each soldier receives a special ration of one pack of cigarettes, one ounce of tea leaves, and a small box of candy per week.

However, as is well known, cigarettes are consumables on the battlefield, so soldiers often exchange other supplies for cigarettes with non-smokers, or simply ask officers they are on good terms with for cigarettes.

Lin Xin laughed and cursed as he threw the bag of Daqianmen cigarettes over.

Watching the soldiers' comical scene of smoking by the scorching hot machine gun, Lin Xin exhaled a smoke ring and looked eastward.

That's the direction of Qingcheng Port.

Next, there's going to be another tough battle.

And what became of the 102nd Infantry Regiment of the 114th Division?

This was originally a fresh force that was full of momentum and wanted to go to the rescue of the 5th Division.

First, they were bombed by planes on their way to provide support and became unable to take care of themselves.

Then, under Lin Feng's combined attack of rocket artillery bombardment, armored assault, and flanking maneuver, the main structure was basically destroyed after only one day.

Colonel Yoshihiro Akiyama, the regimental commander, didn't even have a chance to commit seppuku before a stray bullet pierced his neck, killing him in that muddy ditch.

This was merely the first step for Lin Feng in retaking Qingcheng Port and managing the Jiaodong Peninsula.

-----

"Come and take a look, everyone."

Lin Feng pointed to a map spread out on the table, his brows furrowing slightly:

"Next, let's discuss how to fight in Qingcheng Port."

This is a huge military green marching tent, surrounded by camouflage netting.

This is the newest forward command post of the 33rd Army Corps.

Inside the tent, several gas lamps illuminated the space brightly.

Lin Feng stood in the center, his hands supporting the tabletop of the folding military table.

Surrounding him were Zhao Yushu, Zhao Dashan, and a group of senior staff officers.

At the far end of the long table stood two fellow villagers dressed in casual clothes, looking somewhat reserved.

Upon hearing Lin Feng's words, everyone crowded around him.

Looking at the yellowed paper map with worn edges, Lin Feng couldn't help but mentally rant about it.

There's nothing I can do about it; that's just the messed-up situation.

In recent years, the White Party's top brass has been preoccupied with internal strife and power struggles.

Shandong Province is not an absolute core province of the White Party and the Whampoa Military Academy faction like Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Previously, the country had been ruled by local warlords like Lao Han, who came from the Northwest Army.

Old Han was preserving his strength, so naturally, he wouldn't bother with anything like national defense fortifications or war preparedness surveying.

Therefore, the Fifth War Zone Command couldn't even find a proper, military-grade, latest survey map of Qingcheng Port for the time being.

The map currently on Lin Feng's desk is a civilian map printed by the Commercial Press in 22.

As for the other military map that the staff had painstakingly unearthed from the pile of old documents.

That damn thing is from the Qing Dynasty!

Back then, Qingcheng Port was still a Hans colony, and the place name didn't even match up.