Episode 187 Meteor Shower

"In this way, in the end, I chose between these two," Wang Hexiang said to Xiang Xiaoqiang with a smile, looking very satisfied, "or 80 mm caliber."

Xiang Xiaoqiang stood in the office of the training department, staring at the two big iron guys on Wang Hexiang's desk.

On the desk was a cloth on which two mortar shells lay on it. No, it should be said that it is a "hail bomb". Because they've been modified.

The one on the left is 80 mm, about the size of a beer bottle. If you feel a little harder, you can still pick it up with one hand.

The one on the right is 100 mm. Although the caliber is only 20 mm larger, the volume is no longer a heavyweight. If the one on the left looks like a beer bottle, then the one on the right looks like a 2.5-liter oversized Coke bottle, which cannot be picked up by one hand in terms of volume and weight, and must be picked up with two arms.

Xiang Xiaoqiang stretched out his hand and slowly touched this cold big dick, feeling the murderous aura coming from his fingertips.

"How much does this weigh?"

Wang Hexiang replied:

"The total weight after the modification is 10 kilograms."

Well, 10 kilograms, a full two and a half times the weight of 80 millimeters.

"If you use this," Xiang Xiaoqiang asked, "how many Swan bombers can be loaded?" ”

"Up to 82."

"Where's the osprey?"

"Osprey? Ospreys can't do it," Wang Hexiang shook his head and said, "Ospreys are single-engine bombers, and they don't have magazines, so they can only be plugged in." Under the belly of the aircraft plus the two wings of the attachment points, there are only six in total, and it is a waste to hang such small bombs. The Osprey has to hang at least a 70-kilogram bomb. ”

"Ahh

Xiang Xiaoqiang touched the 100 mm "hail" again and groaned.

With such a big head, it can't be called hail anymore, it's almost the same as a meteor shower.

Wang Hexiang smiled again:

"My lord, after the accident, Li Guoliang was completely embarrassed, and Chief Zhang and Chief Tang were also so angry that the air raids on the Qing army artillery group were all handed over to the swan. This time, none of them will say a word more, haha. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang sighed:

"Crane Gong, what is there to be happy about...... After all, the pilot who fell to his death was not from the Qing army. Whether it is Li Guoliang, Chief Zhang and Chief Tang, they are all our own people. ”

Wang Hexiang was stunned, and immediately said solemnly:

"Yes, my lord is right, I am too old."

Xiang Xiaoqiang said again:

Li Guoliang ...... This guy didn't organize the Osprey formation to conduct night bombing training as soon as possible, and he only discovered such a big problem because he was imminent, and now Chief Tang is thinking about getting rid of him. I was so scared that I came to me last night, and asked me to intercede and pull him...... Alas, I don't know if Chief Tang is coming to be real or angry. If I really have the intention of picking up Li Guoliang, then I really have to cheer up and work hard to protect Li Guoliang. ”

Wang Hexiang groaned and said:

"The old man estimated that he was mostly talking angrily. First, in the end, this is just a training accident. In the past six months, we have intensified our military training, and a certain number of soldiers have died in battle. If it is said that the commander will be removed if the training is dead, then the heads and brains in the command department have already been replaced, and the two commanders Zhang Tang are no longer in their positions. Besides, there is still a month before the war starts, which is tantamount to changing generals in battle, which is a taboo for soldiers. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang has a number. He was also afraid that he and Li Guoliang, who was tied to his chariot, would suddenly be removed and replaced with someone he was not familiar with. It is unknown whether we will be able to cooperate in the future. If Wang Hexiang's analysis is reasonable, then when he goes to the training ground in the evening, he can talk to Tang Yunsheng and Zhang Zhao first, and be a favor.

Wang Hexiang smiled again:

"My lord, let's go to Tangshan again tonight to see the test, but this time it's not an osprey, but a swan. Whether it will be 80 mm or 100 mm, maybe it will be decided tonight. Hehe...... My lord, I wonder which one you prefer? ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang also smiled, gently stroking the two "carcass-bodies" on the table, no matter how you look at it, I feel that the big guy on the right is more enjoyable.

"This one," he patted the 100mm projectile and said with a smile, "not to mention a direct hit, even if it is a few meters away, it can blow up a 150mm heavy howitzer." ”

Wang Hexiang knew that he also took a fancy to the big guy, and said with a smile:

"Don't say 150 heavy artillery, even 210 heavy artillery was blown up. As for the artillery, unless they were squatting in the trenches, even if they were lying on the ground, they would all be killed. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang grinned:

"Hehe, it's up to tonight."

As he spoke, he copied it with both hands, strengthened his arms, and lifted the 10-kilogram "hail bomb" in his arms at once, holding it in his arms:

"Good fellows! This thing is good as a dumbbell arm muscle. ”

Wang Hexiang was frightened, and said repeatedly:

"Be careful, sir! Adults put it down! Don't drop ...... adults."

……

That night, several generals who had watched the test last time gathered in the observation fort of the Tangshan training ground, and 20 scrapped cannons were still placed on the field in the distance. The spacing of each cannon and the way the sandbags are stacked around are all arranged with reference to the photos of the Pukou spy.

Because this test was based on the requirements of horizontal bombing, the scale was much larger, and there were no longer only six dive bombers like last time. The last time it was a test based on the requirements of dive bombing, emphasizing the word precision, so six was enough. This time there will be 12 Swan bombers, which is one squadron.

The bombed site was also enlarged, and it became a large position similar to that of the Pukou artillery group, that is, 3 kilometers long and 1 kilometer wide. Twelve horizontal bombers will be lined up in two rows of six, carpet bombing the 3-square-kilometer strip.

Of course, there were still only 20 artillery pieces on the ground, and somewhere in this range, each one was spaced ten meters apart and arranged in a 200-meter-wide artillery position. After the bombardment, the officers only had to look at the damage to these 20 guns to make a judgment.

Zhang Zhaoxian, Tang Yunsheng, Xiang Xiaoqiang, Li Guoliang, and Wang Hexiang were still guarding the observation window, staring at the cannon in the distance, and listening sideways to see if there was an engine sound in the sky.

According to the time, it was almost time for that bomber squadron to fly over the target.

Sure enough, here it is.

This sound cannot be compared with the dive bomber of the previous day. As the roar came from far and near, it was as if the entire sky was shaking.

Even though it was loud, even though it seemed to be overhead, the sky was still dark, and nothing could be seen.

……

Suddenly, six snowy flashes appeared in the sky in the distance at the same time, swaying and falling, like meteors. Immediately after that, six more were dropped. Then there were six more, getting closer and closer......

Within seconds, six strings of dazzling "long dragons" appeared in the sky, drifting and falling in the night sky, and the surrounding mountains were already snowy and bright, as bright as day.

In a matter of seconds, hundreds of flares had been dropped.

Everyone in the observation fort couldn't help but sigh:

It's so bright, it can't be compared to this last time! The six flares last time were a small fight compared to this.

A loud bang swept overhead. Xiang Xiaoqiang knew that the six Swan bombers in the first row flew over. In the second row, which is immediately behind, it will not be flares, but bombs.

Before the roar overhead had passed, a second roar in the distance followed. And then......

The loud bang began.

Dense flashes of light in the distance quickly overlapped, accompanied by dense loud noises, and flew over like a tsunami, covering the overhead in an instant.

At this moment, everyone in the bunker unconsciously squatted down and made a dodge movement.

Of course, this is not required. It was only a small 4-kilogram bomb, and the cement roof of the observation fort was one metre thick.

The bright light and loud "tsunami" were far behind him, and several people stood up again, looking at each other with shocked expressions. Although, they knew in advance what was going to happen.

The pungent smell of gunpowder smoke permeated the bunker from the observation window, and it was very choking. But they all leaned on the observation window and looked out.

Despite the narrow viewing window, a lot of dirt was brought in from the outside. You can see how violent the explosion was outside.

Xiang Xiaoqiang's eyes widened, searching hard in the dark.

Outside...... It seems that there is no grass left. Several bushes and small trees that he remembered very well were now left in their place. The cannons in the distance still seemed to be standing there, still reflecting the cold light. As for what the damage has become, we have to get closer to find out.

At this time, Li Guoliang took a headset and said loudly:

"Adults, be careful, the rotation attack has begun!"

Several people immediately retracted their heads again, carefully dodging.

As Li Guoliang's voice fell, he remembered the dense explosion sound in the opposite direction behind him, and he swooped back like a tsunami.

First of all, six Swan bombers roared overhead, dropping hundreds of flares again. Immediately after, six other Swan bombers flew over with "hail bombs".

12 Swans, bombed twice in total. The first time was that Group A flew in front and threw flares, and Group B bombed. The second time it flew back in reverse, with Group B dropping flares in front and Group A bombing.

After two rounds of this, all the flares and bombs were dropped, and 12 Swans returned to Xianlin Airport to refit 100 mm "Hail". During this time, officers would go to the bombing field to test the results of the battle.

……

Xiang Xiaoqiang and several generals came out in the flashlight pillar of the guards.

It's really a foot deep and a foot shallow. The ground outside has been completely turned over, and although the craters are not deep, they are very dense, almost one pit at a time, and it is impossible to walk.

The air was filled with the smell of gunsmoke, the smell of turned up dirt, and the smell of burnt grass and trees.

In the pillar of light of the flashlight, the group finally found the 20 guns.

There are only 17 doors standing now. Three artillery pieces were directly hit by the bomb and had been blown into scrap metal and toppled to the ground. Damaged parts were blown up everywhere.

Although the other 17 guns were not overturned, it was obvious that they were all damaged. However, if the damage is to the point that it is completely unusable, such as the barrel twisting and the winch handle flying out, it seems that there is no such thing.

Several officers of the accompanying artillery maintenance company also came up, and they carefully inspected the surviving artillery pieces and confirmed that half of the guns were scrapped to varying degrees, but the other half of the guns could be barely used, but it would take a certain amount of time.

"How long does it take to repair and resume launches?"

Xiang Xiaoqiang asked.

The repair non-commissioned officer led by him took a closer look at a few more cannons in good condition, hesitated, and said:

"If you have the tools and parts, it will take an hour or two."

Xiang Xiaoqiang and several generals looked at each other and understood what each other meant.

…… It's a bit of a lack of power, and it looks like you have to use the big guy.