Blood-Red Front

"Battalion Commander, what brings you here?"

Liu Tianle was quite surprised to see Lin Zhiyuan.

Lin Zhiyuan didn't waste any words and said directly, "Take your cannon and come with me."

Seeing Lin Zhiyuan turn and leave, Liu Tianle didn't dare to delay and immediately called on the artillery crew to push the cannons and follow.

Following the trenches, Liu Tianle and Lin Zhiyuan went straight to the front line.

Lying prone in the trench, Lin Zhiyuan handed the binoculars to Liu Tianle and pointed to the Li family mansion, asking, "See that big mansion? Can we take it?"

Liu Tianle first gave Li Jiazhai a thumbs up, estimated the distance using the "jumping eye method," and then raised his binoculars.

After observing for a moment, Liu Tianle nodded and said, "I can guarantee that I'll hit every single room."

The front line of the Independent Battalion was less than 600 meters from Li's house. Liu Tianle couldn't guarantee that he would hit every window, but hitting the house itself was no problem.

"Okay." Lin Zhiyuan nodded. "You immediately construct the artillery position, and this artillery position must be well camouflaged."

"Then build a fake artillery position to the right to confuse the enemy's judgment."

Lin Zhiyuan wasn't sure if Liu Tianle could hit the target with a single shot. The Independent Battalion only had this one treasure, and if the Rising Army reacted and destroyed it with a single shot, it would be useless for a while.

"yes!"

Liu Tianle divided the men in two and quickly set up a defensive position.

It must be said that Li Tianle truly deserves his reputation as someone who studied abroad; even after serving as an infantryman for a long time, he hasn't lost his artillery skills.

Leaving aside the fake artillery positions, the real positions were constructed in a very well-hidden manner.

While Li Tianle was building the artillery positions, Lin Zhiyuan appeared to be doing nothing, but in reality, he was constantly monitoring the situation at the 68th Regiment Command Post.

……

Tanikawa walked into the command post, which had been almost fully set up.

"Commander, to avoid being bombarded by the Xia army's 150mm heavy artillery, I've moved the operations room to a side room."

"In this way, even if the operations room is targeted by artillery fire, the probability of it being hit is relatively low."

Xia Jun deployed a 150mm howitzer regiment and a 105mm cannon regiment to the Binxi battlefield. These heavy artillery pieces posed a great threat to the Chusheng Army.

However, in combat, heavy artillery is generally used for counter-battery operations or to strike targets deep within enemy territory. Without intelligence support, it is unlikely that Lijiazhai would be shelled. But just in case, the chief of staff took precautions.

"Although it's not necessary, you've already made the arrangements, so let's leave it at that," Tanikawa said indifferently.

Now that the newly formed air force has completely gained air superiority, the heavy artillery of the Great Xia Army has few opportunities to fire.

However, since the chief of staff has already made the arrangements, Tanikawa will not directly object.

Just as Tanikawa entered the operations room and sat down, arranging for his orderly to make him tea, Liu Tianle had already pushed the anti-tank gun into its firing position.

"Battalion Commander, everything is ready."

Pointing to the very edge of the Li family mansion, Lin Zhiyuan said, "See that side room in the far corner? Give it a shot."

"A concubine?" Liu Tianle raised his binoculars.

"Battalion Commander, that house is small and out of the way. Wouldn't it be a waste of shells to shoot it?"

"If the Li family has enemies, the main hall is the most likely place."

"Can your cannon hit the main room?" Lin Zhiyuan asked.

The Li family residence is not just an earthen house in the village; it is a large mansion with many other buildings around the main hall.

The previous battle had destroyed many of the houses around the Li family residence; otherwise, even the most remote house wouldn't have been able to be directly hit.

Liu Tianle raised his finger, "It can't hit the front, but it can hit the roof. If there are enemies inside, it can also cause damage."

The main hall not only has the highest foundation in the entire mansion, but its roof is also higher and larger.

If they can penetrate the air, the airburst shells can actually cause greater damage.

"No need to take that risk," Lin Zhiyuan waved his hand. "Just target the side room!"

"I just saw a few enemies run inside."

"Someone went in? Then shoot him!"

Liu Tianle knelt on the ground and opened the breechblock.

After carefully aiming through the cannon barrel and repeatedly confirming with binoculars, Liu Tianle reached out to the side and shouted, "High-explosive shell!"

A shell with a pre-set delayed fuse arrived in Liu Tianle's hands.

He pushed the shell into the chamber, closed the breech, and then Liu Tianle yanked the gun rope.

"boom!"

In the blink of an eye, the shell hit the target.

The shell penetrated the brick wall and entered the house, whereupon the pre-set timed fuse was triggered.

With an explosion, hundreds of shrapnel fragments swept through the 68th Regiment's operations room, and a large amount of dust sprayed out of the side room windows.

Lin Zhiyuan zoomed in on the minimap again, and the information from the 68th Regiment's operations room in the side room was refreshed once more.

[Colonel Tanigawa, newly promoted to Commander of the 68th Regiment; Chief of Staff of the 68th Regiment, newly promoted to Commander of the 68th Regiment...]

"Regimental Commander! Regimental Commander!"

For some unknown reason, Tanikawa was blown to pieces and lay on the ground covered in blood, while the regimental chief of staff was only covered in dust and dirt.

"Retreat! Cough...cough...retreat immediately!"

Tanikawa was no longer as arrogant as before.

He never imagined that he would be hit by artillery fire so soon after moving his command post.

"Withdraw! The regimental commander orders an immediate withdrawal!" the chief of staff shouted.

At this moment, Lin Zhiyuan shouted to Liu Tianle, "Fire another shot!"

"boom!"

Another hit.

This time, no one in the room could stand up anymore; everyone lay on the ground, either silent or groaning in agony.

After confirming from the information on the minimap that the enemy regimental commander and chief of staff were no longer there, Lin Zhiyuan put down the disguised binoculars.

"You're really something, kid. You can shoot this accurately even without a scope. Everyone in that room must be dead." Lin Zhiyuan turned his head and laughed.

Unlike Lin Zhiyuan, Liu Tianle looked regretful. "Battalion Commander, with that position, we can probably only kill a newly promoted officer at the platoon leader level. We're losing out a bit."

Lin Zhiyuan laughed and said, "What, you want to kill the commander-in-chief of the Chu Sheng Army in Binxi?"

"That's not a good idea, but if we can kill a battalion commander, then these two high-explosive shells will be worth it."

"Consider it a win," Lin Zhiyuan said. "Adjust the cannon and prepare to engage the enemy's heavy machine guns. I'll give you the location."

When we first arrived at the Wenhe battlefield, the anti-tank guns were too far from the front line to hit accurately.

However, the artillery position is now less than 200 meters away from the emplacement position on the opposite bank of the river. Given Liu Tianle's accuracy just now, pinpoint elimination is definitely not a problem.

"Yes!" Liu Tianle immediately began adjusting the cannon's muzzle.

At this moment, Lin Zhiyuan, who had reopened the minimap, suddenly said, "Wait, the enemy has retreated."

"They withdrew?" Liu Tianle looked up at the river.

The Japanese soldiers, who had been rowing desperately westward, changed direction and were now rowing eastward with all their might.

"Battalion Commander, should we continue fighting? We should take this opportunity to sink one or two wooden boats instead."

"There's no need for that," Lin Zhiyuan said.

The boats for crossing the river are not difficult to obtain, and destroying them will not have any impact.

"You take the anti-tank guns and relocate them to three or four artillery positions in suitable locations."

"In addition, I will give you a map of the Wenhe front. In the upcoming battle, the artillery crew must keep in touch with the battalion headquarters by phone. I will report the positions to you at any time, and you will carry out the attacks according to the positions."

The coordinates marked on the military map are very accurate. Through the map, Lin Zhiyuan can tell Liu Tianle the location of all the Fusō heavy machine guns.

"Yes! I'll prepare immediately!"

……