Chapter 109: Fierce Battle (Part 2)
"Rrrrr..." The roar of the engine came from the sky. Zhang Xinghai raised his head to look up at the sky, two red-painted planes whizzed past his head towards the Fujian Army's position.
Zhang Xinghai burst out laughing, watching the two planes circling endlessly above the Fujian Army's position. He had previously told Zhang Zhonglin that they would definitely win because he knew that the strongest part of the Sixth Division was its incredibly powerful artillery corps!
Cannons are the backbone of soldiers! The artillery troops of the Sixth Division are invincible throughout the country! No matter how strong the officers and men of the Second Division are, can they still use their bodies to withstand large-caliber shells?
These two planes were here for reconnaissance, equipped with advanced Zeiss cameras. They came to serve as the eyes of the artillery troops.
Zhang Xinghai lay on the ground, smiling easily. He knew that the artillery unit had arrived.
In modern times, the commander of the hundreds of thousands of officers and soldiers of the Sixth Division, Commander Gao Yang was lying on the sofa watching soap operas.
Gao Yang, who had just returned to Hong Kong from Africa after smuggling oil, was lounging lazily on the sofa. With his eyes half-closed, he stared at the TV and occasionally picked up a grape from the fruit plate in front of him and put it into his mouth, looking like a typical glutton.
Finally, after enduring an episode of TV drama, Gao Yang let out a yawn and sat up. He looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was just past 4 pm. "I'm going crazy!" Gao Yang shook his head, with a look of helplessness on his face.
As expected, I still can't get used to this idle life. Wiped hands with tissue paper and headed to the gym for a workout.
In the past, I was so exhausted after work every day that I had to cook dinner for my girlfriend, and there was no time to do any exercise to maintain my figure.
The muscles built up during school days have almost degenerated, and when getting out of bed in the morning, I look at my slightly bulging little belly. Gao Yang gritted his teeth and set a fitness plan for himself "Can't waste such a good seedling!"
In 1925, Ningde Frontline. In a vacant lot just a few kilometers away from Ningde City, the artillery troops of the Sixth Division had already deployed.
Aerial reconnaissance showed that there were almost no long-range firepower within and near Ningde City, so the artillery commander chose this place closer to the battlefield as the artillery position.
As the troops of the current line entered the departure position, the artillery units that had already made all preparations began to fire trial shots.
Zhang Xinghai and several artillery observers lay in the forward observation post. The sky transmitted the whistling sound of shells piercing the air, and several huge flames burst out on the front Fujian army position! Rocks flew, dust flew, and there were occasional mournful howls.
The observer holding the artillery telescope quickly put down the telescope and picked up a calculator placed aside, starting to write and draw on his notebook.
He picked up a field telephone next to him and began reporting the shooting coordinates. Soon, large-scale artillery fire with corrected coordinates began.
Due to the poor road conditions in Fujian Province, the 6th Division's direct artillery unit that followed the troops into Fujian Province only brought 105mm caliber howitzers. These large guns, which were hung on trucks and towed from Wenzhou, had basically changed their wheels once on this short hundred-kilometer road.
The heavy weight of the guns, the poor quality of the wheels and the difficulty of the road did not stop the artillerymen of the Sixth Division. They repaired the roads, pushed and pulled with their shoulders, and finally brought the big guns up.
After fine-tuning the shooting elements, firepower coverage began. Unlike the previous battle where mortars were used for firepower coverage. Hundreds of 105mm howitzers and regimental 75mm field guns instantly covered the Fujian army's positions on the hillside!
Huge shockwaves and sonic booms spread out in all directions like ripples on water. Zhang Xinghai, who was lying in the observation post, had his mouth wide open and covered his ears with his hands, feeling countless rocks and dust hitting him like raindrops.
Hundreds of meters away, the Fujian army's position had become a purgatory. The officers and soldiers of the Second Division were shrinking in despair in their trenches, praying for the bombardment to end soon. 105MM shells had a destructive radius of at least ten meters! Only by hiding in the trenches could the soldiers avoid the shockwave and flying shrapnel.
However, the Fujian army's position was built very hastily and crudely. Under the bombardment of heavy artillery shells, many positions were destroyed one after another, and soldiers in the trenches were either buried by earth and rocks or killed by flying shrapnel and shock waves!
After a brief but intense five-minute barrage, the originally lush green mountain slope was left in shambles. Large swaths of mud were tossed into the air and fell back to the ground, with anything flammable burning fiercely, turning the entire slope a dull grayish-brown color.
The lucky survivors of the Second Division's officers and men were rolling around in the ruins, howling loudly, their voices so loud that even several hundred meters away, the soldiers of the Second Regiment who were preparing to attack could hear them clearly!
The bugle sounded, and the infantry of the Second Division began to charge. The artillery fire extended to the rear of the Fujian Army's position, sealing off the roads for reinforcements.
Almost no resistance was encountered, and the Second Battalion's assault team approached the Fujian Army's position smoothly. After a row of hand grenades flew over, the assault team charged into the position!
The resistance was extremely weak, and the remaining garrison raised their weapons to launch a desperate resistance! The officers holding MP18s were at the forefront of the assault team, and dozens of MP18s swept away the last resistance of the garrison in an instant!
The battle ended quickly, and the two battalions of the Fujian Army guarding this position were completely annihilated. The Second Division, which launched the attack, suffered minor losses. The morale-boosted officers and soldiers immediately continued to attack and advance, breaking through several defensive lines under the cover of strong artillery fire and pressing straight into Ningde City!
At this time, on the city wall of Ningde, Commander Sun put down the binoculars in his hand. Just now, Commander Sun had witnessed a defensive failure from start to finish. The intense and unstoppable powerful artillery fire left a very deep impression on Commander Sun!
"You're really rich!" Commander Sun muttered to himself.
He sighed and Commander Sun slightly lowered his head. This time it was really helpless, even the geographical advantage was useless.
All the guards on the battlefield were killed by bombs. The reserve troops behind were also blocked by artillery fire and could not move forward. They could only watch as one defensive line after another fell, and the Sixth Division had already arrived at Ningde City!
"Commander! You must avenge us brothers!" A regimental commander who was being carried down on a stretcher tightly grasped Commander Sun's hand and begged.
His troops were deployed on the front lines, and now they have all been wiped out. The regimental commander who had just killed his way to fame was leading his men in person, trying to find a way to bypass the artillery blockade line and support the front line, but unexpectedly he was discovered by the Sixth Aviation Brigade circling in the sky.
Dozens of planes took turns dropping hook bombs on this unit. The brave regimental commander was hit by several shrapnel and seriously injured. Before his death, he grasped Commander Sun's hand tightly and begged him to avenge his troops!
General Sun reached out to help the team leader gently close his wide-open eyes, and waved his hand for his subordinates to carry him away. Turning around, looking at the Sixth Division in the distance, his eyes were filled with anger! Resentment! Helplessness! Fear!
"How can this battle be fought!!!" A well-trained and well-equipped entire regiment was blown up within a few hours! How many regiments can he fill in?!
"Kao zi hou! Ni de pao dan bu yao qian de!!!"
Translation: "Kao Zi Hou! Your cannonballs are free!!!"
"Commander, I have an idea. Should I say it or not?" The chief of staff with glasses stepped forward and said in a low voice.
"Let it rip!" Commander Sun, now burning with rage, had no intention of mincing words.
"Commander, under current circumstances, deploying troops outside is just giving them away! I think shouldn't we bring in the Sixth Division?" The chief of staff said softly.
"Let him in?" Commander Sun was an old hand, and with his rich experience, he immediately understood what the Chief of Staff meant as soon as he heard it. He turned around and stared at the Chief of Staff, "You're really ruthless."
"Commander. It's not that I'm cruel, but we've already run out of options now. Unless we surrender immediately, otherwise..." The Chief of Staff didn't finish his sentence, but Commander Sun already understood.
With his fists clenched tightly, Commander Sun's eyes flashed with various complex expressions, ultimately leaving only determination! "Let's do it this way!" Commander Sun gave the order. At this time, Commander Sun would not know that this command would become his own death warrant!
The sky had darkened. The sound of gunfire that had echoed throughout the afternoon also gradually subsided. The officers and men of the Sixth Division began to clear the battlefield and prepare for dinner.
Zhang Xinghai leaned against the ammunition box with a smile and said, "How about it? Didn't I tell you so? His Second Division can still fight and withstand the artillery fire, right?"
"Ah, in college when we were taking classes, the instructor said 'firepower annihilates, infantry follows.' I was wondering at the time what constitutes firepower annihilation. Today I finally understand."
"Last time we attacked Xia Gang, I realized that no matter how strong the fortifications are and how brave the soldiers are, they can't withstand the powerful artillery shells! Infantry will never be a match for artillery!" Zhang Xinghai said with a hint of excitement.
"After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Zhonglin spoke up and said, 'I was thinking, what if one day we encounter an enemy even stronger than our artillery, like the Japanese? What would we do then?'"
Zhang Xinghai looked up at him and said lightly, "That's something Governor Gao needs to consider."
Zhang Xinghai's General Gao is now preparing for dinner in modern times.
In modern times, in the Hong Kong villa of Gao Yang. After spending more than two hours in the gym, Gao Yang took a shower and saw Stok come to invite him to dinner at the restaurant.
"Is Mom back?" asked Gao Yang, who was holding a hair dryer and blowing his hair.
"Yes, sir." Stock bowed slightly and said.
"How was your day?"
I'm very happy.
"Oh."
Arriving at the restaurant, both parents were waiting for Gao Yang to have dinner together.
"Good son, eat quickly." Mom's mood was good. Dad smiled silently beside her. "Huh? Dad, why is your neck black?" Gaoyang asked with a puzzled face.
"Dried under the sun." Dad said with a smile.
"As expected, I'm really not cut out for fishing." Gao Yang joked.
"Son, you go take care of your own business. Your father and I will take care of ourselves, don't worry about us. Just bring your wife home early!" After finishing dinner and cleaning up, Mom patted Gaoyang's shoulder and said softly.
"Alright, thanks mom. I'll be back in a few days!" Gao Yang said seriously.
P.S: I'm sorry that the updates have been slow lately! I'll work harder, starting today I'll be typing frantically, aiming for at least 2 updates a day! Thanks to friends for their support, thanks everyone.
