From the machine guns used at the beginning to the mortars that blocked the Japanese army, the Japanese troops in charge of the attack would not be too surprised. In the battle to attack Jinling, many Japanese troops encountered these weapons, and it was normal for the defending troops to have them.

In the face of the mortar platoon's artillery bombardment again, the Japanese mountain artillery brigade, which placed its artillery positions in the city, naturally felt very unhappy. In the eyes of these proud Japanese artillerymen, this was a provocation and humiliation to them by the defending artillery.

According to the observations of the reconnaissance artillerymen earlier, the mortars used by the defenders for counterattacks were of different calibers, and it seemed that they should all be used together. So much so that when the mortar platoon counterattacked, the distance of the shells was not the same, some far and some near.

From this situation, it can be shown that the artillery used in the hands of the defenders should have been discarded by the main force and not taken away. On the other hand, their mountain artillery brigade, all Japanese-made 75 mountain guns, is not better than the mountain artillery of the national army.

But the Japanese artillery did not expect that in their first round of shelling, this mortar platoon was not destroyed. Even in the course of their artillery bombardment, this mortar platoon did not hide in, but dared to shell the infantry in the forward positions.

The Japanese artillerymen, who felt provoked and humiliated, naturally wanted to take revenge fiercely. More artillery fire will be transferred to the mortar platoon. In this way, the shelling suffered by Hu Biao and others was instantly reduced.

Just when Liu Quan was about to order the troops to return to the position to prepare to block the attack, Hu Biao shook his head and said, "Don't worry! The little devil hasn't come up yet, so we don't have to rush out. Don't forget, behind our position, there are still machine guns that have not moved! ”

Hearing what Hu Biao said, Liu Quan also quickly said: "Understood!" It seems that the artillery of the little devils is angry! ”

"It's okay! Let them be angry! The more shells they consume tonight, the fewer shells they will be able to fire later. A few more rounds, and it is estimated that the shells they carry will be exhausted. Without artillery, I'll see how the little devils attack! ”

Although he did not know that there was a problem with the supply of Japanese artillery shells, Hu Biao believed that the Japanese artillery who rushed to reinforce would definitely not carry too many shells. Now the little devils are happy, and when the shells run out, those artillery pieces will be reduced to decorations.

Just as the two were exchanging views, listening to the sound of artillery bombardment behind them, Hu Biao smiled and said: "The mountain artillery company has begun to counterattack!" ”

Like Hu Biao and others, the Japanese attacking troops, who were also waiting for the end of the shelling, saw their mountain artillery brigade dumping a large number of shells into the rear artillery positions of the defenders, and they all felt that the artillery would definitely be finished this time.

But when they heard the sound of artillery shelling from the rear of the defenders again, they looked at the meteor-like shells that had crossed their position and headed straight for the position of the artillery brigade, and the little devils who were waiting to attack were dumbfounded again.

Many little devils said in disbelief: "Na! These Chinese armies actually have formed mountain artillery units? ”

can hit such a long distance, at least seven or five caliber artillery. As for the heavy artillery, the little devil thinks it should be unlikely. Although the national army is also equipped with some heavy artillery, those heavy artillery should have been transferred in advance.

Even mountain artillery is a very rare cannon in the combat units of the national army, and the combat troops will not give it up easily. But no one expected that in the hands of the battalion of the dead soldiers who were alone defending the city, there would be an organized mountain artillery unit.

Looking at the explosion and fire from the artillery brigade, these little devils said worriedly: "The mountain artillery brigade is in trouble!" If the Chinese army had formed a mountain artillery unit, we would be in a very dangerous situation now. What to do? ”

"Ordered the troops to disperse quickly, looking for shelter and obstacles to hide from the artillery fire. Immediately send someone to inform His Excellency the division commander and ask for artillery support. I hope that the artillery brigade can organize an artillery counterattack as soon as possible! ”

The commander of the Japanese army, who was in charge of commanding the forward attack, sent people out of the city to report the battle situation to Ushijima Sadao, and at the same time sent people to rescue the mountain artillery brigade. At this time, the position of the mountain artillery brigade also became chaotic.

The sudden artillery counterattack caught these Japanese artillery off guard. In the past, it was they who fought the counterattack of the artillery of the national army, but now it is finally their turn to taste this kind of preemptive artillery counterattack, and the taste can be imagined.

"Hidden! Quickly stealth! The 1st Artillery Squadron calculated the direction of the opponent's artillery position and immediately organized an artillery counterattack! ”

Seeing the mountain shells fired by the defenders, more fell on the artillery positions outside the first squadron. The captain of the artillery group, who had taken refuge to the side, immediately gave the order to counterattack. At this time, the mountain artillery company fired shells at the fastest speed.

According to Hu Biao's orders, only five shells were prepared for each artillery position, and after firing these five shells, the other artillery soldiers on standby and the soldiers in charge of vigilance stepped forward to help transfer the artillery. There were no pack horses and cars, so they relied on manpower to move the artillery.

Fortunately, this artillery position, not far from the presidential palace, had earlier leveled the surrounding roads. A cannon, pushed and pulled by more than a dozen people, and soon pulled these mountain guns with steel wheels out of this temporary artillery position.

Not long after the mountain artillery company left its position, looking at the shells falling from the sky, many artillerymen couldn't help but rejoice: "Fortunately, the withdrawal was fast!" ”

If it weren't for the fact that the mountain artillery company only fired five shells, and had prepared so many people to help in advance. I am afraid that these eleven mountain guns are very likely to be buried in the Japanese artillery counterattack. Judging from the impact point of the Japanese army, the little devil hit very accurately.

"The little devil's technique of playing with cannons is indeed very powerful! It's a pity that this time I finally didn't suffer! Go, push these guns to the next reserve position and continue to wait for the order of the battalion commander. I don't know, what is the result of our shelling! ”

"Company commander, look at the number of artillery pieces that the little devil counterattacked is obviously much less than before. The previous shelling stopped for a while, and our artillery counterattack also caused the little devil's artillery to suffer. ”

"That's how it should be! You're in charge of adjusting the artillery, and I'll calculate the position and distance of these cannons for the little devils! ”

Through this rapid transfer, the artillery company commander finally understood what Hu Biao said earlier that artillery can actually implement guerrilla tactics. With the many reserve positions they had set up earlier, they could keep the Japanese tired as long as they were well trained.

Maybe their counterattack speed is not as fast as the little devils, but they can't destroy the Japanese artillery positions at one time, so come a few more times. Anyway, for the officers and men of the mountain artillery company, there are really not many opportunities to deal with the Japanese artillery like this.

At the moment, there are multiple reserve positions, and there are so many people helping to transfer the mountain artillery, they all want to fight. If you can't destroy the little devil's mountain artillery position once, then come a few more times until you completely defeat the little devil's artillery unit.

As for the little devil's heavy artillery, according to the distance calculated by Hu Biao earlier, unless the little devil pulls the heavy artillery into the city, he is afraid that he will not be able to hit the presidential palace outside the city. This meant that if the Japanese army wanted to counterattack the mountain artillery company, it would have to wait a little longer.

So at this moment, will the little devil drag the heavy artillery into the city? In Hu Biao's view, if the Japanese army wants to capture the presidential palace tomorrow, heavy artillery will definitely be an indispensable weapon for attacking fortifications. Without heavy artillery, mountain artillery alone could not break through the blocking position of the presidential palace!

When Ushijima Sadao and the commander of the heavy artillery brigade learned about the situation in the city, they were also surprised. According to the results of their analysis earlier, the troops stationed in the presidential palace at the moment should be the Jinling Dead Soldiers Battalion that sends clear codes and telegrams from time to time.

According to their understanding, a battalion of the anti-Japanese war force can only kill five or six hundred people, and it is very remarkable to be able to equip a few mortars. How can a battalion have such a mountain artillery that the main combat force at the division level may not be able to equip with?

"Can you confirm the model and number of those mountain guns?"

"Mountain artillery should be seven or five calibers, and the number is about ten. Judging by the results of the counterattack of the Chinese artillery, the soldiers who operated those artillery should be the professional artillery of the Chinese army. In the counterattack of the mountain artillery brigade, the losses were still relatively large! ”

"Eight Gyalu! I really didn't expect that these defending troops would dare to engage in an artillery battle with us! Your Excellency, Division Commander, why don't you transfer the heavy artillery into the inner city and find an opportunity to completely destroy them? ”

Listening to the advice of the commander of the heavy artillery brigade, Ushijima Sadao shook his head and said, "Miyamoto-kun, don't get angry. It was getting late at the moment, and it was inconvenient to transfer heavy artillery positions. What's more, you should believe in the capabilities of the mountain artillery brigade, they can cope with it! ”

The little devil officer who was in charge of reporting the situation also said in a timely manner: "General Miyamoto, the speed of your counterattack is very fast. If the Chinese artillery failed to evacuate in time, they were afraid that their mountain artillery positions had been destroyed by the mountain artillery brigade. ”

"You can't be too careless! Our opponents are very cunning and have been hiding their strength. From the previous machine guns to the current mountain artillery units, who knows what kind of weapons they will use next?

In order to ensure the safety of the siege force and to occupy the presidential palace controlled by the Chinese army as soon as possible, I have decided to request the support of the army aviation force. When the siege starts tomorrow, it will be easier with the air force. ”

Originally, in the eyes of Ushijima Sadao, it was such an honor and honor for their division to receive the task of attacking the presidential palace. As a result, it didn't come to fruition, so he just planted his heels at this time, so that other combat divisions and regiments saw the jokes.

However, as far as the current battlefield situation is concerned, with only the 18th Division attacking with all its might, unless he is willing to fill it with his life, it will be difficult to capture the presidential palace as scheduled. You know, the commanders of the rear command are already very dissatisfied with this.

Under such circumstances, Ushijima Sadao did not care about losing face or not, and directly applied to the Army Air Force to cooperate with the attack. If the defenders are too stubborn, Ushijima Sadao does not rule out applying for bombers to carry out covering bombing of the presidential palace.

With this decision, Ushijima Sadao ordered the troops entering the city to set up a cordon on the periphery to prevent the troops in the city from breaking through. The attacking troops continued to take repressive measures to maintain the oppression of the defenders, so that the defenders could not rest well.

As for the real fight, Ushijima still wants to wait until after dawn. At this moment, the rest of the Japanese troops who entered the city also began to draw elite troops to outflank and encircle the area where the presidential palace was located in a roundabout way.

This also means that the situation that Hu Biao feared earlier is playing out. If the defending troops don't break through tonight, if they want to break through tomorrow, I'm afraid it will be even more difficult. And tomorrow, it will be another bitter battle!