Chapter 347: Let the Ninth War Zone take the lead! "Sir, this is the latest information. It is suspected that the Japanese Kwantung Army has entered the border. Chief Li and the others have begun to retreat." At the Changsha City Headquarters, Xue Yue looked at the map and thought about the next strategy. The offensive intensity of the Japanese Third Division was still very strong. Although the Japanese Third Division was severely damaged last time, the Japanese army has recovered some of its combat effectiveness after replenishment. Of course, there are still some gaps compared to the peak period. I just didn't expect that the Jiangcheng battle that was about to start would be frightened again. Yes, after Li Zongren received the intelligence, he pulled the troops back. The originally planned battle of Jiangcheng ended hastily. The five main elite divisions and more than 100,000 Japanese troops scared him. This is not a third-rate Japanese army.
But an elite division. In this regard, Xue Yue could only sigh lightly, and was not surprised that the other party made this decision. As soon as the Japanese army took action, they hit Chief Li's vitals. Unless Chief Li is willing to use all the troops in the fifth theater to fight the Japanese army to the death, otherwise, in order to preserve his strength, he will definitely retreat. Therefore, he was not surprised at all when he heard the news. But next, he will probably face all the elite Japanese troops. "Let officers above the division level come to the division headquarters for a meeting." Xue Yue immediately ordered after reading the telegram. "yes." Soon, officers at division level and above crowded the headquarters. Because they are all old acquaintances, Xue Yue is too lazy to talk nonsense. "Sir, are you about to launch an attack? My artillery regiment has long been unable to hold on any longer." Huang Zhengcheng, commander of the 10th Artillery Regiment, said excitedly. Speaking of the 10th Artillery Regiment, we have to give a good introduction to the artillery regiment. Originally, twenty-four "thirty-two times fifteen centimeter heavy howitzers" were ordered from Rheinmetall Works, and the 10th Artillery Regiment was formed based on this. Later, the Battle of Songhu played a huge role. Peng Qichao, commander of the 10th Artillery Regiment, commanded the artillery battery to attack the Japanese warships, hitting and sinking the Japanese warships. Peng Qichao was recorded as one of his great contributions. When retreating from the Battle of Songhu, the 10th Artillery Regiment suffered heavy losses due to road mines and other reasons. Later, in the **** battle at Kunlun Pass, many artillery shells were lost. Until later, there were only four 150mm howitzers left, which were sent to the Changsha front line. Here, relying on the only artillery shells, the Japanese army was severely damaged. After the cannonballs were used up, it became a fire stick. As the commander of the artillery regiment, he became the major general director of the education department of the Army Artillery School.
But some time ago, Xue Yue got 24 155mm American-made howitzers. He was recruited by Xue Yue to serve as the commander of the 10th Artillery Regiment. This period of time can be said to be the most tiring and happiest time for him. A total of twenty-four 155mm heavy howitzers. How many troops have a heavy artillery regiment of this size? In fact, there are more than 24 artillery pieces. The artillery originally promised to be sold to the Guangxi faction is now parked in Nanning. In other words, if Xue Yue can stop the Kwantung Army from going south, I am afraid that the 24 artillery pieces will become more. According to Zhang Fakui's revelation, there are at least fifty doors, or even more. Xue Yue was stunned when he heard the news. Even the former German Arms Division only had one artillery regiment, and the number of artillery was only 24. I was still worried about not having heavy artillery. Now, he only thinks about how to train more artillerymen, and even where to recruit people. Fortunately, Huang Zhengcheng is coming. With him here, there is no need to worry about insufficient artillery. Since there were no artillery shells, there were very few opportunities for live ammunition firing. Now that there are artillery shells, during this period, Huang Zhengcheng got up early every day and took the artillery trainees to shoot artillery in the dark. Dozens of cannon barrels were damaged, and hundreds of shells were fired. These artillery shells were directly used for training by the attacking Japanese Third Division. So much so that the Japanese Third Division, which originally planned to attack by force, was frightened and retreated for more than ten kilometers. Reinforcements are coming anyway, so why bother fighting. At that time, these heavy artillery will be handed over to the Kwantung Army. Under this kind of high-intensity training, the artillerymen grew rapidly. In fact, there is nothing to learn. The main thing is to adjust the muzzle, carry the shells, and fire according to the coordinates sent back by the scouts. Therefore, now that he heard that the fight was about to begin, Huang Zhengcheng was the happiest, finally being able to open fire openly. "What's wrong? The training during this period is not enough? Dozens of gun barrels have been knocked out, and there are hundreds of shells. Isn't it enough?" Xue Yue said with a smile. "Of course it's not enough. You asked us to hide, and we didn't dare to use all our strength at once for fear of scaring away the little Japs, so we fired a few artillery pieces every time, which was not satisfying." Huang Zhengcheng chuckled. "Okay, I'll let you have a good time this time." Xue Yue didn't say much and began to explain the strategic goals and the combat missions of each unit. "Now the front is the Japanese third division, and in other directions are some second-line divisions with average combat effectiveness." "The most important thing right now is that the Japanese Kwantung Army is coming. Five divisions are rushing south by train. They are expected to arrive in ten days." "So before that, we have to repel the Japanese troops on the front, so as to reposition the defense line and wait for the arrival of the Kwantung Army."
The information in Xue Yue's hands was collected at great cost, and it can be said to be very detailed. It explained in detail the personnel establishment, weapons equipment, commander's personality, etc. of each division of the Japanese army. As Xue Yue explained, all the officers couldn't help but nod their heads. "Whether this battle can severely damage the Japanese Third Division again, or even completely annihilate it, depends on the 10th Artillery Regiment." "Do you have any questions?" Xue Yue looked at everyone and asked. "No." "Fight hard. If you win this battle well, your artillery regiment should become an artillery brigade." Xue Yue looked at Huang Zhengcheng and said. "Artillery Brigade?" Huang Zhengcheng was confused. "Yes, there are still 24 155mm howitzers waiting to be received. They were originally planned to be classified as the fifth theater, but Chief Li gave up." Xue Yue explained with a smile. Hearing this, Huang Zhengcheng was thoughtful. "Okay, let's end the meeting. Go back and get ready and wait for the attack order." "yes." … "How are the preparations?" About thirteen kilometers away from the Third Division, on a position, twenty-four 155mm heavy howitzers took off their camouflage, revealing their ferocious muzzles. There are a total of 6 artillery positions like this. There are four 155mm howitzers in each position, and a large number of artillery shells are piled not far away. This time, according to Xue Yue's command, just blast enough and don't worry about the shells and barrels. After the shooting, he replenished the artillery regiment. As for why they are distributed in different places, the purpose is naturally fishing. In fact, the maximum range of the 152mm howitzer is close to kilometers, and now it is in the range of 13 kilometers. The purpose is to block the retreat road of the Japanese army when necessary. Since it is necessary to severely damage the Japanese Third Division and re-establish its position before the arrival of the Kwantung Army, it is necessary to hurt the Japanese army so that the Japanese army will not dare to send more troops. "Still moving ammunition." The officer next to him immediately replied. "Speed up, this time I'll let you fight hard. Didn't you complain before? I'll let you fight hard this time. Did you see the shells behind? Today's requirement is to shoot them all." Huang Zhengcheng immediately ordered. "yes!" On the front line, the artillery commander who was responsible for communicating with the artillery positions began to use binoculars to look at the Japanese positions opposite, quietly waiting for the attack order to be issued! "How are the preparations of the various units?" Xue Yue asked after glancing at his watch. "Basically everything is in place and ready to launch an attack at any time." "Where's the 10th Artillery Regiment?" "Everything is in place," the chief of staff responded immediately. Hearing this, Xue Yue nodded.
"Where are the Japanese troops on the opposite side? Did they have any strange reaction?" Xue Yue asked again. Because this time he was taking the initiative to attack, Xue Yue was naturally a little nervous. In the past, many Japanese troops were eliminated by relying on the Tianlu tactics. But that was passive defense, unlike now, when we take the initiative, the mentality is naturally different. "They must have noticed something and are reinforcing the fortifications, but I don't think it's of any use." the chief of staff explained. The heavy artillery is useless no matter how well it is repaired. Or it will be destroyed by you like a torrent. "Then prepare to attack according to the scheduled time." Xue Yue glanced at his watch. There were still ten minutes before the scheduled time and said in a deep voice. "yes." … On the other side, the commander of the Third Division, Lieutenant General Takahashi Taga Er, was panicked. The Third Division had been severely damaged once, and even the original commander was ordered to retire. Now that we have finally replenished some troops, our combat effectiveness has not yet returned to its peak. Who knows, he will be sent to the battlefield again. The key this time is that the enemy has significantly increased its firepower. The first is the emergence of a large number of artistic equipment. The huge firepower once struck the Third Division in a daze. The second is the 155mm howitzer that appeared some time ago. One shell can take away almost a dozen Japanese soldiers. This time, he was frightened to the point of panic. He was a little unclear as to how many heavy artillery pieces the opponent had. If there are a lot of them, it will be troublesome. After a long time, Lieutenant General Takahashi Tagaji turned over and said quietly to his subordinates behind him: "Ueno-kun, the Chinese are about to launch an attack. Are the front positions ready?" Major General Kanichiro Ueno said respectfully: "Your Excellency, division commander, please rest assured that the warriors are well prepared. As long as the Chinese dare to attack, we are sure to defeat them!" "beat?" Lieutenant General Takahashi Tagaji smiled bitterly and shook his head. "We can't take it lightly this time. Didn't you notice? The Changsha garrison's firepower has obviously been strengthened, and a large number of beautiful weapons and equipment have appeared. In just a few days, two brigades suffered heavy losses, and the artillery also suffered losses." The main thing he was worried about was the heavy artillery. After all, these things were not for living. "Hai, it should be that the aid from Mizu has been sent to Changsha from Myanmar." Major General Kanichiro Ueno responded quickly. Before the two of them finished their conversation, they suddenly heard a dull whistling sound coming from the front.
Veteran artillerymen all know that the duller the sound, the larger the caliber. Obviously, such a dull sound means that the opponent has used a 155mm heavy howitzer. What's more, this time there are more of them than before. There are a total of twelve gates. Lieutenant General Takahashi Taga couldn't help but take a breath. This is three times more than what I knew before. Based on previous experience, the defenders in the city only have four 155mm howitzers at most. Although there is a threat, it is not that big. It's different now. Twelve gates, the threat this brings is too great. "Ueno-kun, I'm afraid we have to make a tactical shift." Lieutenant General Takahashi Taga murmured. … "Transport all these heavy artillery to Changsha?" This was the solution Cun Yunsheng came up with after thinking hard. That is to block the more than 100,000 elite Kwantung Army troops in Changsha. "Yes, not only that, but all the fine weapons and equipment of the three divisions have also been transported. I believe Xue Yue will not retreat." Cun Yunsheng said. Because the loss of Changsha means that the grain-producing areas in northern Hunan are gone. And it will bring about a series of chain reactions. Therefore, Cun Yunsheng must let the Ninth War Zone defend Changsha. However, it is unrealistic to rely on the few troops in Xue Yue's hands to stop the more than 100,000 Kwantung Army. It was unrealistic to dispatch two groups by myself. The best way is to enhance the strength of the ninth theater. How to enhance it is to send the equipment originally destined for the fifth war zone to the ninth war zone and hand it over to Xue Yue. It is believed that these three art masters, plus an artillery regiment composed of 48 155mm heavy howitzers and 48 105mm howitzers, plus 100,000 rounds of artillery shells. It is prepared according to the ammunition supply of one thousand rounds of artillery shells per artillery. With such huge firepower, he didn't believe that Xue Yue could still defend Changsha? As time goes by, and the Japanese army cannot attack for a long time, their mentality will change. Moreover, the daily food, drink, and diarrhea of more than 100,000 elites is an astronomical amount. He did not believe that the Japanese army could hold out for that long. Even if there is no shortage of food, it will take time to transport weapons and ammunition. As long as they can persist, the Kwantung Army will eventually fail.
Because his side is getting stronger as he fights. Even in the end, he could directly give away a batch of fighter planes. After all, those eliminated fighter planes are no longer of much use to him. It's better to use these fighter planes in exchange for something. He believed that Xue Yue would not refuse. "Is this too much? With this batch of equipment, the strength of the Ninth War Zone will suddenly increase." Lin Yi said. "This is what they deserve. As long as they truly believe in resisting Japan, I can give them some support. Besides, art equipment relies heavily on logistics. When the time comes, the ammunition will be gone? Do you want to buy it? Doubling or triple the amount of ammunition is not excessive. Bar?" "Don't worry, when have I ever done a loss-making business?" Cun Yunsheng chuckled. Are you kidding, he will do business at a loss? He doesn't believe it anymore. He's used to using fine weapons, so he's going to use the original IWC brand again? He didn't believe how many people could hold on. Even if he could insist, the soldiers would not agree. "It has to be you. Sure enough, you think so deeply, so are these weapons just given away for free? This is a lot of money." Lin Yi said hesitantly. "Half sold and half given away, just recover the cost. The money is still to come. Don't just focus on the immediate interests. More than 100,000 elite Kwantung Army troops are coming to attack. With the few troops we have, who can stop them?" Cun Yun Sheng shook his head and said. "Yes, I understand. Then leave this arms deal to Fan?" Lin Yi asked. "Well, leave it to him. I can rest assured that he will do the work. Tell the Commander of the Ninth War Zone that as long as you hold on, there is no need to worry about weapons. We will continue to provide support." Cun Yunsheng warned again. "yes." (End of chapter)