Blood-Red Front

Inside the brigade headquarters, Hasegawa reported the day's battle situation to Okazaki.

"Brigade Commander, the Xia army on the other side is a bit strange. Although their artillery is not superior, their shells seem to have eyes and can always accurately hit our key positions."

"Heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, and even light machine guns and infantry guns are also within its firing range."

"After an afternoon of fighting, the 41st Regiment suffered heavy losses in heavy firepower, except for the rapid-fire guns and mountain guns, which were not lost because they were positioned at the rear."

"Brigade Commander, I request that we increase our firepower," Hasegawa said.

Okazaki waved for Hasegawa to sit down.

"The Xia army's combat methods have changed dramatically. According to the battle report, the Xia army is not afraid to die in the battle on the Binxi battlefield, but it mainly focuses on defense or counter-attack. This is the first time that artillery has been used for pinpoint strikes."

Whether it was the Great Battle of Guanwai 6 years ago or the Battle of Binxi, the tactics of the Chusheng Army and the Xia Army were relatively fixed.

The Chu Sheng Army first bombarded the Xia Army with aircraft and artillery, followed by an attack by infantry and tanks. At this time, the Xia Army would usually suppress the Xia Army with heavy machine guns, while the Chu Sheng Army would bombard the Xia Army's machine gun positions with infantry guns.

After destroying Xia Jun's heavy machine guns, Chu Sheng Jun will launch a strong attack. In this situation, Xia Jun usually cannot withstand Chu Sheng Jun's attack.

But the current battle is completely the opposite; the newly promoted army's heavy machine guns are being bombarded so badly that they dare not advance.

"The commander on the other side has most likely studied our tactics at the Army University," Nakamura said from the side.

"I think this problem can be solved as long as we destroy the Xia army's artillery positions."

Upon hearing about the destruction of artillery, Hasegawa couldn't help but complain, "If the Navy's carrier-based aircraft can keep up with our pace, the Xia army will definitely not be able to stop our attack."

"Alright, I've already confirmed with Lieutenant General Yanagawa that the Naval Air Force will deploy 12 bombers tomorrow to assist our forces in combat," Okazaki said.

In the past two days of fighting, both the 41st and 11th Regiments suffered heavy losses due to the Xia army's artillery fire.

Hasegawa and Nakamura could not withstand such losses, nor could Okazaki, so they had already requested support from their superiors.

Hearing that bombers would be providing assistance, Hasegawa and Nakamura finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The bombs dropped by 12 bombers in one go were equivalent to 2400 150mm grenades, which is a basic load of shells for a heavy artillery wing.

Such a fierce bombing should be able to destroy the Xia army's will to resist.

……

With reliable support, the soldiers of the 14th Brigade rested for a night and resumed operations the next day.

Before the planes even arrived, the Independent Mountain Artillery Regiment had already begun shelling.

This time, all the positions identified outside Lujia Town were within the shelling range.

Seeing the intense shelling, Guan Jianchu said, "It seems the Chu Sheng Army doesn't intend to let us retreat easily. Today is going to be quite a spectacle."

Lin Zhiyuan said, "We've bought two days for the outer defenses, and we've also prepared for two days inside the town. It's time to test the results of our efforts."

The initial shelling by the rising army did not last long; after about ten minutes, the sound of the shelling began to gradually weaken.

Just then, the phone in the command center rang.

"Commander, the priests report that 12 Rising Sun bombers are approaching Lujia Town, within 10 kilometers."

"Using 12 bombers at once? How much does the Rising Army hate us?" Guan Jianchu was somewhat astonished.

Air force units are organized into squadrons of four aircraft each, and large groups of twelve aircraft each. This can completely determine the outcome of a local battle.

However, unlike Guan Jianchu's reaction, Lin Zhiyuan was not very serious.

"Twelve bombers are quite powerful, but they are not very effective in urban warfare. Letting the enemy into Lujia Town makes the newly launched bombers hesitant to attack."

"Also, we should hide somewhere, let's go to the basement."

The two sides are close to each other on the front line, making it difficult for bombers to strike. The interior of Lujia Town will be their target. The church is so conspicuous that they cannot possibly leave it unexploited.

The staff officers at the regimental headquarters immediately rolled up the map and toured the church's crypt. The crypt was entirely built of stone and had no other drawbacks except that it was a bit damp.

On the other side, the Chu Sheng Army had gradually advanced to yesterday's position, but apart from a few soldiers being killed by booby traps, no one else was found.

"Baka, nobody's here."

"Report to the regimental commander immediately!"

"keep going!"

……

Inside the houses at the second pre-established position, the soldiers could already hear various sounds coming from outside.

A newly promoted platoon, carrying rifles, was advancing rapidly in three groups, providing mutual cover for each other.

Several soldiers, hidden on the roof, cautiously peeked out, confirmed their position, and raised their submachine guns to fire.

"Da da da..."

Several barrages of bullets enveloped the advancing rookie squad, instantly knocking down the rookie soldiers.

"Enemy attack!"

"Fight back! Fight back now!"

Someone shouted.

However, by the time the newly recruited soldiers came to their senses and raised their guns to return fire, the soldiers of the 6th Regiment had already run out of ammunition and fled.

The newly promoted soldier looked back and found that he was the only one in the entire squad who was unharmed; the other dozen or so men were either dead or groaning in pain.

"Baka...Baka!"

The cries of the surviving Rising Sun soldiers contained both anger and uncontrollable panic.

Such scenes are common in Lujia Town.

The entire town of Lujia was like a giant meat grinder, just waiting for Chu Shengjun to jump in.

……

Looking at the report in his hand, Okazaki had a terrible headache.

Neither the 41st nor the 11th Regiment made good progress.

Both the newly promoted army and the summer army mainly focused on field training and had never conducted urban warfare training. When they suddenly entered urban warfare, both sides were actually a little unaccustomed to it.

However, due to Lin Zhiyuan's arrangements and modifications, the Xia army held an absolute geographical advantage, which put the Chusheng army at a great disadvantage.

Every step a newly promoted soldier takes, every house he captures, comes at the cost of casualties.

Moreover, these houses contained all sorts of traps, so when Xia Jun retreated, Chu Sheng Jun couldn't catch up.

"Brigade Commander, Xia Jun should have made preparations long ago. If we rely solely on infantry to clear out the enemy, it will not only waste time but also cause a lot of casualties."

"Why don't we send the tank battalion? We can coordinate infantry and tanks and advance slowly," the chief of staff suggested.

"Lujia Town is not large. If we can divide it along the highway, it will be easier for us to eliminate it piece by piece."

"That's the only way." Okazaki nodded.

"Tell the 41st and 11th Regiments not to waste too much time in remote areas. Advance along the main road with the assistance of tanks, cut them off first and then annihilate them."

"In addition, have the rapid-fire guns and infantry guns of each unit enter Lujia Town and bombard it with artillery."

"Hi!"

……

Commander, I'm begging for your monthly votes.

Two more chapters will be added at 6 PM!