kingnovel Chapter 1172 Time is running out
Chapter 1172 Time is running out
"Brothers, listen up! You have five minutes to eat and rest, then hurry up and get on the vehicles. A Japanese army of about 7000 men has formed in the south. Their mission is to take up the position right here. Immediately reorganize the surrounding positions, using armored vehicles and tanks as the core of defense, and spread outwards. At the same time, deploy a large number of mortars. Listen to my orders."
Zhang Haiguang's offensive and defensive maneuvers are incredibly fast. We're currently in the enemy's core position, so we can't just keep charging forward. Since the enemy is attacking our position, we must immediately switch to a defensive stance. Even if we switch to a defensive stance, we're just a solid block of steel; the enemy simply can't break through.
The soldiers quickly ate the last bite of their buns and then began reinforcing the surrounding positions. In reality, the surrounding positions had been bombed beyond recognition; we could only reinforce them in our own way.
The armored vehicles and tanks at the rear are positioned on the first line of defense. We just need to find firing ports in the gaps between them. Further back, we'll use trucks to set up another line; it's all very easy for us. In about half an hour, both lines will be almost complete. Between these two lines, over 200 mortars are also ready.
Air Force reconnaissance planes were constantly overhead. Upon spotting the Japanese vanguard in the distance, Zhang Haiguang immediately ordered the 120mm heavy mortars to open fire.
The Takashima Regiment is currently the most capable fighter in the 9th Division, but compared to the original 9th Division, it was the weakest among them. However, given the current situation where it's difficult to find soldiers who are truly capable and skilled in combat, the Takashima Regiment has transformed itself into an elite force.
Under the command of their regimental commander, their men charged forward with great fanfare. In their eyes, this was a chance to solidify their reputation as an elite force. If they could recapture the Kurihara Brigade's position, who would dare call them a fake elite?
While the entire infantry regiment of over 3000 men was still dreaming, more than 70 120mm mortar shells rained down. The explosive power of these shells was astonishing; within a radius of 1500 square meters, almost no one survived. When subjected to the heavy artillery bombardment, many were lifted off the ground by the shockwave and propelled into the air. Some of their internal organs were destroyed, but they remained conscious, watching their bodies tumble through the air, sometimes even managing to bump into their comrades.
Every time they had close contact with their comrades, there would almost always be some kind of bone or bone marrow injury on both sides. But now there was no time to worry about that, because they knew that once they hit the ground, they would definitely be dead. From the 20-meter height they had risen, the entire position was instantly engulfed in flames. Just how many artillery pieces had the enemy concentrated?
The Japanese infantry offensive had always followed a single principle: artillery bombardment followed by infantry charges. This strategy had remained unchanged for many years, and they had achieved numerous victories. However, upon arriving on the Chinese battlefield, it seemed that this approach was no longer viable.
Take now, for example. The Japanese artillery hasn't even finished setting up, yet they've already begun their attack. It's also our fault for charging too densely; we didn't spread out on the battlefield at all. But we've occupied a large area; where did the enemy get so many artillery pieces?
Behind Zhang Haiguang, hundreds of mortars were ready. The ones that had fired earlier were all 120mm heavy artillery pieces, with a longer range, so they were assigned to the first wave of attacks. Aircraft overhead provided them with information on the current positions of the Japanese troops. Originally, we thought that if the Japanese army could advance, we would switch to 100mm and 80mm mortars.
Unexpectedly, the Japanese were stunned by the 120mm mortar fire, with many people spinning in circles. Given this situation, the only option was to send those who were originally preparing to fire to transport the shells.
A mortar can fire a dozen or so rounds per minute, and that's considered a relatively slow rate. Especially a 120mm mortar, because of the heavier shells, can only fire 13 to 14 rounds per minute, which is quite impressive. A 60mm mortar, on the other hand, can fire at least 25 rounds per minute.
Whether it's 14 or 25 shells, what mortars need most when firing is ammunition. A large number of personnel have to carry the shells from the rear to supply each mortar. Without these transport personnel, you'd probably run out of ammunition after only a few shots.
We were fighting hard, and the Japanese were getting bombarded just as hard. They couldn't understand if they'd forgotten to check the almanac before leaving home, because they hadn't seen any members of the 72nd Army yet. They hadn't even seen the Kurihara Brigade retreating. We were being bombarded with such intense shelling; the entire infantry regiment had been hit by nearly 2000 shells in just 5 minutes.
Under this bombardment, one-third of the entire infantry regiment was killed, and many of the survivors were seriously wounded. Many lay on the ground, unable to move, hoping their comrades could help them. But unfortunately, those men were only thinking about their own survival and didn't care about the lives of others.
In reality, they couldn't do anything about it, because they didn't have any medicine on them. At most, they could just pull you aside, but how could you know if that spot would be hit by a shell explosion? So, if you were lucky, lying there might give you a little longer to live.
Nowhere on the battlefield was safe at this moment. If you were unlucky, you could be hit by artillery fire even while running. In the minds of all the Japanese soldiers, no place was safe. They were only focused on endless running, as if stopping would mean being blown up. In reality, they could be killed even while running.
Captain Takashima was immediately subdued by his men, saving his life. However, he was no longer able to command his troops; the surrounding explosions were too intense, and he could only wait until the initial shockwave subsided. The problem was, why was this shockwave continuing indefinitely?