On the outskirts of Nanjing, the war preparations of the Nationalist Army are proceeding in an orderly manner.

On the artillery position of the National Social Army, Wang Yaowu and Yin Changheng, who had just crossed the river, and others, were constantly circling around a huge artillery.

"I didn't expect those guys in the arsenal to really get this thing out before the war..."

"yes, that's too much..."

As he spoke, Wang Yaowu wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Surrounded by Wang Yaowu and others was a huge 280mm heavy howitzer that could no longer be described as huge. This howitzer was successfully developed by the Germans in 1904, so it was named the 1904 Krupp 280mm heavy howitzer.

The caliber of the 280mm howitzer is 280mm, which goes without saying that it is understandable, the barrel length is 12 times the caliber, the firing range is 9.5 kilometers, the firing speed is 1 round per minute, and the full weight of ammunition is 260 kg, that is, the ammunition power of this artillery is even greater than that of a 100 kg aerial bomb...

The 280mm artillery is not officially installed, or only a small number of siege howitzers. Because the weight of this howitzer is too large, if you want to carry it, it is absolutely impossible to rely on the current road conditions in China alone, even after disassembling parts into pieces.

So if you want to transport this artillery, you can only rely on railways or waterways.

Therefore, at the beginning of the imitation of this artillery, it was only used to improve the technical reserve and prepare for the future large-caliber naval guns. After all, even if this kind of artillery has been transported to the front line, if you want to complete the assembly, it will take at least a whole day and hundreds of people, so this kind of artillery is not very valuable in ordinary times except for the use in siege.

However, God forbid, the target of this operation in Nanjing happens to be a city near the river, so the arsenal can transport this howitzer to the front line in Nanjing by transport ship by waterway.

Considering that during the Second Revolution, the officers and men of the Eighth Division stationed in Nanjing still held out for a month under the bombardment of Liu Guanxiong's naval fleet, so after learning that the arsenal had trial-produced a 280mm heavy howitzer, Yan Guang ordered Liu Huixue to find a way to transport this artillery to Nanjing.

And after receiving the order, with the help of Chen Kan, the mayor of Yucheng, Liu Huixue spent a whole day disassembling this kind of artillery into parts and loading it on the ship, and then transported it to the front line by boat, and restored the artillery from the state of parts in a whole day...

Although the range of the 280mm heavy howitzer is not very long, only a mere 9.5 kilometers, which is about the same as the range of the 210mm heavy howitzer, but 260 kg of ammunition is enough to destroy all the fortifications of Nanjing, so this is precisely the place where it has made great achievements.

Behind the 280mm heavy howitzers, erected there were 6 heavy howitzers of 240mm caliber ...

However, these 6 240mm heavy howitzers are different from 280mm howitzers and other artillery guns equipped by the National Social Army, because they are not German but Japanese. That is, the Meiji 45-style 240mm heavy howitzer with the most powerful firepower in the army...

It is also quite helpless to choose this artillery as the imitation object, because in the German artillery sequence, there are no 240mm caliber howitzers, only 210mm and 280mm...

In fact, the 210mm caliber heavy artillery is also very good, firstly, the weight is appropriate, and the second is powerful enough, the problem is that the 210mm caliber heavy artillery in the field is okay to say, but when attacking the city, it is somewhat inconvenient to use 210mm caliber howitzers...

As for the 280mm heavy howitzer? The power is absolutely great, but the weight is also large, and it takes a few days to transport it during the siege, but if this kind of artillery is also used in field battles, it will be too troublesome...

Therefore, after the official installation of 210mm heavy howitzers, Yan Guang has already considered equipping his army with 240mm heavy howitzers.

While considering, Yan Guang is also looking for a "cannon" option. After all, 240mm heavy artillery is not child's play, although the current Sichuan Arsenal can also read the design of artillery, but such a large-caliber artillery as 240mm, even if the Sichuan Arsenal has a certain foundation, it is impossible to do it in two or three years.

So the fastest and best way is to imitate...

So after making a decision, Yan Guang took a telegram to Riddle in Shanghai.

It's just that Yan Guang learned from Riddle's mouth that there is no 240mm caliber howitzer in the sequence of the German Army, so in Riddle's apologetic voice, Yan Guang can only choose another target.

At that time, there were two kinds of artillery that entered Yan Guang's eyes.

One is the 1907 Skoda 240mm heavy howitzer launched by the Austro-Hungarian Empire's Skoda Arsenal in Plzeň, Czech Republic, and the other is the Meiji 45 model.

Meiji 45 style aside, this is more understood.

The key is the Skoda 1907 model, although this gun has a large caliber, but it is lightweight, and of course the price of light weight is low power. For example, although the weight of ammunition is 240 mm caliber, the weight of the Meiji 45 projectile is 200 kg, while the weight of the Skoda 1907 projectile is only 133 kg, and the difference in power between the two is almost half.

Of course, none of this is important, the most important thing is range.

The range of the Meiji 45 model is 10,350 meters, while the range of the Skoda 1907 model is only 6,500 meters, and the gap between the two is more than one-third, in other words, it will be easy for the Meiji 45 model to suppress the Skoda 1907 type.

In this case, although Yan Guang obviously prefers Skoda (first, he has no bad feelings towards Austria-Hungary, and the subsequent Czech Republic and Hungary also have no bad feelings, plus Skoda... But in the case of such an obvious difference in surnames, Yan Guang can only choose the Meiji 45 style of the book...

Of course, as the latest howitzer that the army was equipped with in 1912, Yan Guang would never have sold it if he wanted to buy it, after all, he had always been very vigilant against Yan Guang.

But if I don't sell it, wouldn't Yan Guang have no choice?

Fortunately, at this time, the Sichuan Arsenal had a little foundation, so as long as there were drawings, even if there were no molds, the artillery could be imitated. So Yan Guang just spent a little money, and he easily got the drawings of the Meiji 45 240mm heavy howitzer, and the person who sold the drawings to Yan Guang also went to the United States under Yan Guang's arrangement...

After the drawings were in hand, Liu Huixue quickly mobilized Chinese and foreign engineers in the arsenal to copy the Meiji 45 style, and the imitation work continued for more than a year, until Yan Guang announced the Northern Expedition to achieve certain results.

Subsequently, in the process of the Northern Expedition, Yan Guang continued to Beiyang troops, and Liu Huixue and other engineers also overcame one problem after another―――――― fortunately, there were many German engineers in the arsenal, and this group of engineers only needed to give them the equipment they needed to produce larger caliber heavy artillery, so the problems encountered in the production of 240mm and 280mm heavy guns were trivial to them...

With the help of German engineers, although there were many difficulties, everything went smoothly, so by the time the Battle of Wuhan broke out, the Sichuan Arsenal had already produced the first 240mm howitzer for testing...

Subsequently, in the course of the battles of Wuchang and other battles, the Sichuan Arsenal used two months to produce 8 240mm howitzers, of which the first two were produced in the first month, and the last six were produced in the second month, which means that the Sichuan Arsenal can almost produce 240mm howitzers of an artillery company in one month. 】

Of course, 6 heavy artillery pieces of this level can no longer be described as an artillery battery.

――――――――――

"With these cannons, Nanjing's fortifications will be pried open..."

"yes..."

He stroked the 280mm howitzer with his hand again, and after looking into the distance, Yang Shan nodded and said.

"According to the intelligence of the Military Intelligence Bureau, Chen Qimei has also rushed over with a division of his Shanghai Army, and it seems that the final battle will not be long before it will be staged..."

Listening to Yang Shan's words, Yin Changheng, Xiong Kewu and others also nodded.

Sun Yat-sen's summoning of a division of Li Liejun's Jiangxi Army in Jiangxi and a division of Chen Qimei's Shanghai Army in Shanghai to Nanjing was also known to Wang Yaowu through the Military Intelligence Bureau.

However, for the reinforcements of the Jiangxi army and the Shanghai army, Wang Yaowu and they had no intention of obstructing it at all.

"Wouldn't it be better to wait for all these ragtag armies to arrive, and stew them in a spoonful?"

With such thoughts, looking at the reinforcements of the Jiangxi army and the Shanghai army, Wang Yaowu and the others were happy to be prejudiced.

A day later, Chen Qimei rushed to Nanjing with the Gan army.

Chen Qimei still felt very strange that she was not blocked on the way. However, it is a good thing to be able to enter Nanjing so easily, coupled with the worry about the situation, Chen Qimei did not delve into the hidden meaning.

It's just that when Chen Qimei's Shanghai army entered Nanjing, Wang Yaowu, who got the information, called the person in charge of the air force to the headquarters...

"Report!"

Although he was already a colonel, when he walked into the headquarters, Ran Rui still said loudly with both legs.

After hearing the voice, Wang Yaowu, who was reading the newspaper there, raised his head.

Seeing that it was Ran Rui who had arrived, he hurriedly smiled and beckoned.

"Arrived so soon? Come on, come here! ”

"Yes!"

Because in recent times the Air Force, especially Ilya, to which the Air Force belongs. The Muromets bombers performed well, so even the status of the Air Force in the eyes of generals like Wang Yaowu was much higher, and the white eyes encountered in ordinary times were not as many as in the past...

When Ran Rui walked in front of Wang Yaowu, an officer who looked like a civilian officer walked over.

"Come, let me introduce you. This is Colonel Ran Rui, the head of the Air Force, and this is Major Zhang Zhenlin of logistics..."

After hearing Wang Yaowu's introduction, Ran Rui and Zhang Zhenlin also hurriedly shook hands.

"Hello..."

"Hello, long admired Daimyo..."

When the two of them were intimate enough, Wang Yaowu nodded and continued.

"Colonel Ran, I called you here this time just to ask you to cooperate with Major Zhang's work."

"What job?"

Ran Rui was a little puzzled, he didn't know what kind of work he was, and he needed someone from the Air Force to cooperate with the logistics person? Could it be a long-discussed transportation plan? But at the moment, the planes of the Air Force, even the highest load Ilya. Muromets' carrying capacity was only about 500 kilograms, and the people of the arsenal were planning to give it to Ilya. Muromets got a better 150 hp engine, but it was clearly unlikely that it would be possible for a short time. In this case, call yourself over?

Just when Ran Rui was still wondering there, Zhang Zhenlin on the side said with a smile.

"Colonel Ran, we mainly need your plane this time to send out some leaflets made by our logistics department!"

"Flyers?"

"That's right, according to the meaning of the headquarters some time ago, in order to reduce the casualties of the people in the city in the Nanjing Battle later, and also to reduce the resistance of the defenders of Nanjing, our logistics department rushed to produce a lot of leaflets, and our logistics department found you this time, hoping to borrow your plane and sprinkle these leaflets over Nanjing..."

Hearing this, Ran Rui understood a little, and Wang Yaowu on the side also added at this time.

"I believe you also know about 280mm howitzers and 240mm howitzers, this caliber of artillery bombarded into the city, at least 50 meters within a radius of at least 50 meters, there are no living people. Nanjing is also an important city in the south, although it does not have as many as two million people in Shanghai, but there are seven or eight hundred thousand people in the city. There will really be a fight in two days, and we won't be worried about the defenders, but I'm afraid the people will..." "Although people always die in wars, especially the people, and at such times they can only be regarded as horizontal deaths, but it is a good thing to die less, so this time you need to come out..."

Saying that, Wang Yaowu took out a flyer and handed it to Ran Rui.

Ran Rui took a look at it and found that it was written with some words of advice to the people in the city to get out of the city quickly, and at the same time informed the defenders of the city that as long as they were willing to lay down their weapons and go out of the city, the National Social Army would never harm them...

Although Ran Rui is a soldier, and soldiers usually kill people without blinking, Ran Rui doesn't want to have too much blood on his hands, so when he sees this kind of thing, Ran Rui himself is also very concerned.

"No problem, Minister, leave this matter to me." Saying that, Ran Rui looked at Zhang Zhenlin. "Major Zhang, where are your leaflets now?"

"It's right there in the logistics warehouse."

Nodding, Ran Rui looked at Wang Yaowu.

"Minister, when will this begin?"

"It's now..."

After receiving the order, Ran Rui and Zhang Zhenlin left the headquarters together.

After leaving the headquarters, Ran Rui first accompanied Zhang Zhenlin to the logistics warehouse.

There, the flyers that Ran Rui had just seen had filled several large warehouses, and looking at the posture inside, I believe that it would be no problem to sprinkle it all over the entire city of Nanjing.

But although very enthusiastic, but at the moment Ilya. There are only two Muromets bombers in the whole army, and if they really let them come, they will really have to distribute all the leaflets in the warehouse, and I don't know if they will be given until the year of the monkey.

So after leaving Zhang Zhenlin in the warehouse to sort out the leaflets, Ran Rui returned to the air base and organized people to transfer the air base's Ilya. Both the Murometz bomber and the French Gaudelonian aircraft were vacated.

"Flyers? The Army guys are kind of funny..."

After learning the reason for the incident from Ran Rui, Ran Rui's deputy Tong Xiang said with a hippie smile, but continued after laughing.

"Commander, you just said that there are at least dozens of tons of leaflets in the warehouse, right?"

Ran Rui nodded.

"It's full of several large arsenals, and it seems that it is impossible to have a few tens of tons."

"So..."

Tong Xiang thought about it, Ilya. The load of Muromets is 500 kg, which means that only one ton can be sent in one trip, and dozens of trips back and forth ...

"Our airport is less than 20 kilometers from Nanjing, right?"

Ran Rui was stunned for a moment, but nodded quickly.

"That's right, less than 20 kilometers."

The Kuomintang in Nanjing did not have an air force at all, and it was difficult to say whether anyone would fly an airplane after Feng Ru died, so the airfield of the air force was built less than 20 kilometers away from Yuhuatai.

After hearing Ran Rui say this, Tong Xiang thought about it.

"In that case, let's reduce the fuel a little, it's okay to reduce the fuel by three-quarters for a range of more than 500 kilometers, three-quarters, three-quarters less fuel, at least a few hundred kilograms of flyers can be carried..."

The distance is less than 20 kilometers, the round-trip is only 40 kilometers, and the voyage with more than 500 kilometers is enough, for Tong Xiang, it is enough to bring 50 kilometers of fuel.

Hearing Tong Xiang such a club, Ran Rui also nodded.

A short time later, two trucks came in the distance.

Both trucks were imported from Daimler by the National Social Army and used exclusively for military transport work. Of course, sometimes artillery towing is also done, after all, it is too troublesome to use horses or donkeys to do the traction.

It's just that these trucks are no problem to tow when they are in Sichuan, but after they arrive in Hubei and Anhui...

The roads in Hubei and Anhui are really bad, highways? This kind of thing did not exist in these two places, and in addition to mountain artillery, there were very few artillery pieces in the Nationalist Army that weighed less than a ton, so after arriving in Anhui, these trucks had to do transportation work.

After the truck drove to the airfield of the Air Force, Zhang Zhenlin jumped out of the truck.

"Colonel Ran, the truck is a leaflet..."

Ran Rui nodded.

"Major Zhang, are these two trucks loaded?"

"Two tons." Zhang Zhenlin replied directly. "These are one-ton trucks, and each truck is carrying a one-ton flyer."

Ran Rui and Tong Xiang nodded to show that they understood, because Wang Yaowu gave a very tight time.

So Ran Rui and Zhang Zhenlin didn't say hello, they directly called dozens of soldiers from the side, and then moved the two tons of leaflets on the truck.

Because the planes at the airport had been prepared for a long time, the leaflets on the trucks had just been removed, and the soldiers below had already loaded them onto the planes.

At this time, two Ilya planes were parked on the airfield. Muromets and more than a dozen Gaudron planes, so two-ton leaflets were easily loaded on these planes.

It's just that just when the two trucks returned to the logistics department and were about to continue to carry more leaflets, when the plane was about to take off, Zhang Zhenlin on the side looked at Ran Rui with a look of please.

"Colonel Ran, this and this..."

Just when Ran Rui was a little impatient with Zhang Zhenlin, Zhang Zhenlin continued.

"Can you take me on a trip to the sky?"

Although he is a logistics officer, Zhang Zhenlin wants to go around the sky but he has been thinking about it for a long time, but he has never had a chance in the past, and now the opportunity has arrived, although it is a battlefield and a task, but Zhang Zhenlin is still eager for...

Looking at Zhang Zhenlin's extremely eager eyes, like a child wanting a toy, Ran Rui shuddered for a moment, but finally agreed. "Okay."

It's not that Ran Rui is not afraid of trouble, it's really the fault of the people in the logistics department―――――― you must know that the fuel used by the Air Force to take off is all in the hands of the people in the logistics department.

If you offend the logistics personnel, of course, no one will dare to make trouble for the Air Force in wartime on the charge of disrupting military affairs, but in peacetime, it is still very easy to do it if the fuel is delayed for two days...

In fact, not only the Air Force, but also the Navy and Army ...

Because the logistical people have been stuck with the ammunition that is vital to them...

Hearing that Ran Rui allowed himself to get on the plane, Zhang Zhenlin was naturally very happy. Because the planes on the airport had already started at this time, Ran Rui directly beckoned him to get on an Iria. Muromets ―――――― the planes on the field were full of leaflets, and at this time there was only Ilya. Muromets doesn't care about carrying a big living person anymore...

Although the pilot wondered why there was an extra logistics person on the plane, since it was arranged by Ran Rui, the pilot did not dare to take care of it, so after Zhang Zhenlin fastened his seat belt, the pilot had already driven the plane into the sky.

After arriving in the sky, Zhang Zhenlin ......... Airsickness...

However, although this guy was airsick, it was impossible for the driver to leave the task alone, so he had no choice but to let Zhang Zhenlin vomit as much as he could. Good thing in Ilya. Muromets was not sealed, or there were no sealed bombers in this period, so Zhang Zhenlin could fly and spit at the same time...

And he vomited here, and after the pilot flew over Nanjing, he also spilled the flyers on the plane...

Looking at the white leaflets falling from the sky, many people who didn't know the truth ran out of the house to see what was going on, but many people who were unlucky ushered in the leaflets at the same time, but also ushered in a face of vomit...

Not to mention how those unlucky guys washed their faces and peeled off their faces after returning home, Zhang Zhenlin never wanted to go to heaven again after returning to the ground.

After receiving the leaflets, the people in Nanjing City also set off a wave of fleeing again, and this time there were not only ordinary people, but even the defenders of Nanjing City were mixed a lot.

In the Governor's Mansion in Nanjing, looking at the leaflets that his subordinates had just brought over, many Kuomintang officers turned blue. Because no one understands better than them what exactly a 280mm heavy howitzer means ...

――――――――――

Although I like Kosda's 240mm heavy gun very much, it's a pity

In other words, Kosda also has 305mm and 420mm

(To be continued)