Holding the original shares, they fought all the way to the Korean War!

Zhou Tianyang did not nod immediately after listening.

Instead, he pulled the map towards the center of the table.

"Old Li, you said there are trenches at Liujiabao stronghold?"

"Yes, it's over two meters wide and more than one person deep."

"Is there barbed wire on the wall?"

"Yes, there are three."

Zhou Tianyang's mind raced.

Three pillboxes, three barbed wire fences, a two-meter-wide trench, and one hundred and twelve Japanese soldiers.

This is several times stronger than the defenses at Wangjiaping.

We need to find a way to use clever tactics.

His gaze moved back and forth across the map.

Finally, it stopped on a high ground in the southwest corner of the stronghold.

The marked height is more than 20 meters higher than the surrounding terrain.

Although it wasn't a huge mountain, it was high enough to dominate the entire stronghold.

"Old Li, look at this high ground."

Zhou Tianyang pointed to that spot with his finger.

"I have mortars here. If we set them up on this high ground, their range will be more than enough to cover the entire Liujiabao stronghold."

As Li Yunlong listened, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Your playing style is even more reliable than I expected."

"Frontal fire suppression, flank demolition assault, artillery to open the gates first, then infantry to follow."

"Even if the Japanese had dozens more men, they couldn't withstand this kind of fighting."

Zhou Tianyang looked at him.

"Since you've been monitoring the situation for over half a month, you should already have a concrete attack route in mind, right?"

Li Yunlong chuckled and pulled out a crumpled sketch from his pocket.

Although the drawing is rough, the key positions are clearly marked.

"This is a topographical map of the Liujiabao stronghold that I drew."

"Look here, there's a grove of trees to the east of the outpost."

"If we sneak over at night, we can use the cover of the woods to advance to within 300 meters of the stronghold."

Zhou Tianyang stared at the sketch for several minutes, mentally going through each step.

"When will you make your move?"

Li Yunlong grinned.

"The night after tomorrow."

"I will lead the new regiment ahead of time to lie in ambush on the outskirts of Liujiabao."

"We'll launch the attack the night after tomorrow, then withdraw immediately afterward, giving the Japanese no time to react."

Zhou Tianyang thought for a moment and nodded.

"Then the night after tomorrow."

"I'll take a company with me, including a mortar platoon and some infantry, and they'll be under your command."

Li Yunlong suddenly stood up and slammed his hand on the table.

"Zhou Xiaogui, I'm so glad I befriended you!"

He grabbed a hat from the table and put it on his head.

He strode towards the door, then turned back at the door.

"I'll be waiting for you in the woods east of Liujiabao the day after tomorrow afternoon."

After saying that, Li Yunlong turned around and strode out.

The footsteps in the courtyard gradually faded away and soon disappeared outside the gate.

Zhou Tianyang sat back down at the table, his gaze falling on the rough sketch.

The Liujiabao stronghold was more than twice the size of Wangjiaping, but the tactics were different.

The last attack on Wangjiaping was a surprise attack in the dark, a quick close-quarters battle, relying on firepower and the element of surprise.

This attack on Liujiabao will rely on artillery to clear the way and infantry to follow.

He picked up a pen and began to make plans on the paper.

Two mortars, forty shells.

An infantry company, 120 men, all equipped with M1 Garand semi-automatic rifles.

Three MG42 general-purpose machine guns, with ample ammunition.

Each person receives four grenades.

These things are enough.

He called out towards the door.

"Correspondent!"

"arrive!"

"Go and call Zhao Wenlong here."

"yes!"

The correspondent turned and ran.

Less than ten minutes later, Zhao Wenlong ran in from the yard.

Before he could speak, Zhou Tianyang had already spoken.

"We'll be attacking Liujiabao stronghold with Li Yunlong the night after tomorrow. You're coming with me."

Zhao Wenlong's eyes lit up immediately.

"Commander, really?"

"real."

"You will lead a company."

"Bring the mortars from the first battalion as well. You will be in charge of coordinating the infantry and mortars."

"yes!"

Zhao Wenlong snapped to attention and saluted.

He turned and ran outside, disappearing into the courtyard like a gust of wind.

Zhou Tianyang watched his retreating figure and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.

He turned around and looked again at the map on the table.

Their gaze lingered on the location of Liujiabao.

The night after tomorrow.

It's time to show off the mortars of the new Second Regiment.

……

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

That afternoon.

At the threshing ground in Lijia Yu.

Zhao Wenlong had already mustered 120 soldiers.

This team was carefully selected by Zhao Wenlong.

It was a mix of veterans with outstanding training results and new recruits with the best physical fitness.

Each person is equipped with a standard M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle and one hundred rounds of ammunition.

They also brought four extra grenades.

Two mule carts were parked beside the threshing ground.

The vehicle was covered with a tarpaulin, under which were two M2 60mm mortars and forty rounds of ammunition.

Zhou Tianyang walked out of the regimental headquarters, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the soldiers.

Zhao Wenlong was inspecting equipment at the front of the team when he saw Zhou Tianyang coming over and quickly went to greet him.

"Commander, everyone's here, and the equipment has been checked."

Zhou Tianyang nodded, walked to the two mule carts, and reached out to lift the canvas to take a look.

"Let's go."

Zhou Tianyang turned and walked towards the village entrance.

Zhao Wenlong followed behind, and with a wave of his hand, the group moved silently.

One hundred and twenty soldiers, along with two mule carts, headed towards Liujiabao along the mountain road.

Their steps were light and quick, without making any unnecessary noise.

From Lijia Yu to the grove of trees on the outskirts of Liujiabao, it's about 40 li (approximately 20 kilometers) of mountain road.

The team marched quickly and it would take them a little over two hours to get there.

Zhou Tianyang walked in the middle of the group, mentally reviewing the battle plan that was about to begin.

As the sun completely set, the team crossed the last mountain ridge.

Zhao Wenlong quickly walked back from the front of the group and reported in a low voice.

"Commander, the grove of trees east of Liujiabao is just ahead."

Zhou Tianyang nodded and led his team into the depths of the woods.

The forest wasn't large, but its branches and leaves were so intertwined that it was impossible to see anything inside from the outside.

Zhao Wenlong directed the soldiers to unload the mortar from the mule cart.

The gunners, carrying cannon barrels and gun mounts, searched for suitable firing positions at the edge of the woods.

Zhou Tianyang crouched behind a large tree, raised his binoculars, and looked southwest.

The outline of the Liujiabao stronghold was clearly visible in the night.

The three watchtowers are arranged in a triangular pattern, each with three stories high.

Just then, a soft footstep sound came from behind.

Zhou Tianyang looked back and saw Li Yunlong crouching low as he crept out from the depths of the woods.

Behind him followed Wang Desheng, the battalion commander of the new regiment, and a dozen soldiers carrying rifles.

"Zhou Xiaogui, you're on time, aren't you?"

Li Yunlong squatted down next to Zhou Tianyang.

Following his gaze to the outpost in the distance, her expression became more serious.

"The Japanese soldiers in Liujiabao are much more vigilant than those in Wangjiaping; there are two more sentries on duty tonight than the previous two days."

"Originally there were only sentries on the top of the watchtower, but now there are people standing at all four corners of the wall."

Zhou Tianyang put down his binoculars and turned to look at him.

"Having two extra sentries won't make much difference. Once our artillery fires, it doesn't matter whether they're on duty or not."

He pointed to the two mortars at the edge of the woods.

"The cannons are already set up, with a firing arc covering the entire stronghold, including those three pillboxes."