Afterwards, Nogi Noshinori once complained that he did not receive the support of the division's heavy artillery and the heavy artillery factory directly under the base camp, so that the 1st Brigade was still unable to break through the Qing army's position after paying a huge price. Then the actual situation is indeed the case, and it is true that Motoharu Yamagi did not punish Nogi Noshinori for this. But the heavy artillery units of the Japanese army were absolutely not idle, and Genji Yayamachi put the heavy artillery units in the battle for the Peony Heights.

Mudandae Heights is the highest point in the northern part of Pyongyang. Whoever can capture it will be able to place artillery on the hill and then attack Pyongyang and its environs from a high position. So the location is very important. Therefore, both sides deployed their strongest troops on the battlefield on the Peony Heights.

Nie Shicheng invested in the main force of the old and new Beiyang armies who had participated in the Battle of Chenghuan and the bloody battle of Yuefeng Mountain. And let the left precious Feng army as a reserve ready to support at any time. In terms of fire support. MORE THAN HALF OF THE 105MM HEAVY ARTILLERY AND A LARGE NUMBER OF 120MM MORTARS WERE CONCENTRATED FOR HIERARCHICAL FIRE SUPPRESSION. AND PULLED A PART OF THE 75MM FIELD GUNS AND 57MM FIELD GUNS TO THE MOUNTAINS TO SHOOT DIRECTLY AT THE JAPANESE ARMY FROM TOP TO BOTTOM. IN ADDITION TO THIS, SOME 37MM MACHINE GUNS WERE PLACED IN REINFORCED BUNKERS TO TURN THE TIDE IN THE EVENT THAT MACHINE GUN FIRE WAS INSUFFICIENT.

Lieutenant General Motoharu Yamachi, commander of the 1st Division of the Japanese Army, personally commanded a wing of the 2nd Brigade and 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division, and launched a series of attacks on Mudantai with the support of the artillery wing and the heavy artillery factory directly under the base camp.

And before the start of the battle, a large number of bunkers and gun emplacements were built in the starting positions at night. Push and strengthen the starting position as much as possible. A LARGE NUMBER OF 75MM FIELD GUNS AND 180MM HEAVY MORTAR GUNS (PROBABLY THIS CALIBER, THE DATA IS NOT VERY ACCURATE) BRAVED THE FIRE OF THE QING ARMY. UNDER THE COVER OF THE REAR 107MM CANNONS AND 120MM CANNONS, THE BUNKERS WERE ADVANCED BY JAPANESE ARTILLERY. It can be said that the mountain Yuanzhi spared no expense and put the best equipment and soldiers into the Peony Terrace battlefield.

Shortly after Nogi Noshinori launched an attack on the position in Funabashiri. On the battlefield of Peony Terrace. The long-prepared Japanese heavy artillery group has finally shown its chilling fangs! "Shelling, everyone be careful." Shao Yu, who was looking out of the bunker of the headquarters, suddenly saw points of light piercing the still somewhat dark sky. On the Japanese artillery position 8 kilometers away from the position, orange-red fireballs erupted one after another. Heavy artillery shells crossed the sky like meteors and landed on the position of the Qing army in Peony Tower.

Although preparations had been made for a long time, the sudden shelling still caused a certain amount of confusion among the Qing troops on the Peony Terrace position. The plain and psychological conditions of the officers and men at the grassroots level of the Qing army were vividly and vividly reflected in the face of the shelling. The veterans who had participated in the bloody battle of Yuefeng Mountain quickly calmed down after a brief panic, they clenched the weapons in their hands, plugged their ears with strips of cloth, and sat quietly on the ammunition box or something.

Quietly waiting for the end of the shelling. Some even took out their cigarette sticks to take two puffs. Although the vibration of the shell explosion occasionally shook some clods of dirt or something off. But the veterans just patted the dust off their bodies and continued to wait quietly.

The recruits, who had just arrived from home, were far less calm, curled up, holding their heads and trembling in the shock. The bolder shouted loud words that even they didn't know meant. to overcome the fear in your heart. Releasing the pressure. And the faint of heart. Grasping for something, the latter cowered in a corner of the trench and wept.

Some of the soldiers could not stand the pressure of the heavy artillery, and they threw away their weapons and howled to run out of the trenches. Luckily, let the veteran or officer next to him hold him to death. The unlucky often die in the flying shrapnel or air pressure as soon as they run out of the trenches. …,

"From the time the first shell fell to the end of the entire shelling, the Japanese prepared for fire for a full 40 minutes. Although our army already had a certain understanding of the heavy artillery units of the Japanese army, and indeed made corresponding preparations, this shelling still caused great damage to the Peony Terrace position.

On top of the mountain. THE 75MM AND 47MM GUN EMPLACEMENTS WERE DESTROYED BY HEAVY ARTILLERY FIRE FROM TIME TO TIME, AND EVEN ENTIRE SECTIONS OF TRENCHES COMPLETELY COLLAPSED UNDER HEAVY ARTILLERY BLOWS. The entire squad of soldiers was buried in the trenches, and those who were lucky had a chance to climb out, and those who were less fortunate were buried alive. A New Army officer wrote in his combat report.

As he put it. The shelling did cause heavy damage to the Peony Terrace. After the first round of shelling, almost 50% of the heavy machine-gun positions were destroyed. 30% of the gun emplacements on the hill were destroyed. The overall firepower has been greatly reduced. The Japanese field artillery and mortars, which had been pushed to the position for thousands of meters, were also pushed out of bunkers or camouflaged positions. Snakes erupted into the mountains.

But at this time. THE QING ARMY ARTILLERY THAT REACTED ALSO BEGAN TO COUNTERATTACK, ESPECIALLY THE 105MM LONG-BARRELED CANNON GROUP AS LONG-RANGE SUPPORT FIREPOWER. On the map drawn from the observation posts and realizations, the Japanese artillery positions and the Japanese forward artillery groups, which had been exposed by the firing, were quickly found. Under the order of the artillery commander, the Qing soldiers shouted the horn to load the shells into the barrels, and then fired at the target that the artillery group could reach!

COMPARED WITH THE JAPANESE 107MM GUNS AND 120MM GUNS, THE BEIYANG 105MM GUNS HAVE GREAT ADVANTAGES IN DESIGN, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF GUN ELEVATION ANGLES, WHICH ARE MUCH HIGHER THAN THE JAPANESE GUNS THAT ARE INTELLIGENTLY RAISED BY ABOUT 20 DEGREES. THE BEIYANG GERMAN 105MM GUN CAN ACHIEVE A 45-DEGREE ELEVATION ANGLE, WHILE THE BODY BARREL IS 30 TIMES THE ASPECT RATIO, THE LONGER BODY BARREL AND LARGER ELEVATION ANGLE GIVE THE BEIYANG 105MM GUN A LONGER RANGE AND BETTER TRAJECTORY.

In addition, there are maps that have been calibrated and measured in advance, as well as complete shooting tables, and the number jù from the observation post is added. The accuracy of the Beiyang long-range artillery group was much higher than that of the Japanese army, which used covered strikes. Fifteen minutes after the Japanese artillery group opened fire, the retaliatory strike of the Beiyang long-range artillery group had already fallen on some Japanese heavy artillery positions that were slightly ahead.

Just when the soldiers of the Heavy Artillery Squadron of the Second Wing of the Japanese Field Artillery were wearing single clothes, they were in full swing and hit one heavy shell after another to the Peony Terrace Heights. Just as the Japanese officers were looking through binoculars at the black smoke and flames rising from the peony platform. Rows and rows of shells also fell on some Japanese artillery positions at the same time!

Koichiro So, a Japanese soldier, suddenly saw something in the distance fall on a gun emplacement 50 meters away from him. Then he felt a shock to the ground, and then a wave of air rushed over and pushed him to the ground. Quite a while. Ozawa, who had been fallen, slowly got up, patted his ears that were still buzzing and looked at the explosion point just now. THEN THE 107MM GUN HAS BEEN REDISASSEMBLED INTO PARTS, AND THE GUN CREW NEXT TO IT HAS ALSO BEEN BLOWN TO MINCED MEAT.

"It's good that the ammunition behind it wasn't detonated." Ozawa looked at the piles of shells and propellant packets in the distance, and said with a sigh of relief. But just as he was secretly rejoicing, another heavy artillery shell landed on another cannon. And detonated the shells and projectiles that had been piled up next to it. Ozawa suddenly felt a lightness in his body. He flew into the sky and left one leg on the ground!

Explosions rang out one after another on the forward artillery positions of the Japanese army. Destroyed artillery, detonated ammunition, and the dying sounds of flying flesh and wounded soldiers instantly filled the entire Japanese position. The Japanese army never thought that the Qing Kingdom would have heavy artillery that could hit such a long distance.

There was no psychological preparation at all, and the role change from hunter to prey in an instant caused some less timid Japanese soldiers to quickly collapse psychologically. Many people ran to the rear in a panic with their heads in their hands, as for whether they could outrun the shells and shrapnel. They don't have time to think and don't dare to think. The rain of bullets continued to reap the lives of the Japanese gunners. At the same time, turn a cannon and ammunition into a burning fire. …,

"Your Excellency, what now?" One of his subordinates asked.

"The artillery in the security zone continues to suppress the Mudantai heights." After speaking, Motoji looked at the Japanese artillery who was struggling under the attack of the Qing artillery and said: "The forward heavy artillery artillery can retreat, but the mortar and 75MM mountain artillery must also shoot at the peony platform!" The infantry is ready to attack on all fronts. ”

Although this order is rather cold-blooded. It was almost equivalent to letting the troops who remained to attack charge desperately under the blows of the Qing army on the mountains and long-range artillery. But it can't be helped. The Japanese long-range artillery could not threaten the long-range artillery of the Qing army, and only by putting it on the peony platform could it dive into the whole city of Pyongyang, and this first wave of blows was the strongest, and all the artillery that could push forward was already in place. If this wave cannot be defeated, it is unlikely that it will be defeated if the attack is reorganized.

"Your Excellency, Lieutenant General. The opponent's long-range artillery can drop shells on our heads at any time. And the forward artillery also suffered heavy losses under the blows of the Qing army. There was no artillery support. How could the infantry break through the cement fortifications and machine-gun mortars of the Qing army? "The commander of the Second Brigade, Nishi Kuanjiro, thought that his subordinates would attack Peony Terrace under the enemy's artillery fire. I couldn't help but shudder in my heart. It's horrible.

With a snap, Motoji Yamachi knocked Nishikanjiro to the ground with a mouth. Immediately, the mountain Motoji viciously lifted the commander of the Xikuan Brigade and said: "Our artillery can't reach the long-range artillery of the Qing army, this is our most well-prepared attack, this is our only chance." If you can't hit the peony platform. Then we can only cross the Taedong River from the east and attack Pyongyang City under the blows of the opponent's artillery and machine guns!! That's a bigger loss. Do you understand? ”

"Yes, Your Excellency, Division Commander. I'm going to get ready for the attack right now. "Finished. Nishikanjiro stumbled out of the division headquarters and ran towards the front line. After the shelling stopped. Driven by junior non-commissioned officers, under the threat of bayonets and rifles of the overseers behind. The soldiers of the 2nd Brigade of the Japanese Army held rifles in their hands and began to attack the Mudodai Heights.

The remaining Japanese artillery in the forward position at the foot of the mountain re-erected the artillery that was still usable and buried in the floating soil, and then aimed the muzzle of the gun at the Qing army's position on the mountain, ready to attack the exposed fire points at any time.

At the same time, the Qing troops on the mountains also pulled their weapons out of the soil and entered the remaining trenches and bunkers. Under the command of a junior officer, prepare for the charge of the Japanese infantry. On the battlefield filled with gunsmoke, he watched the blurred figures under the mountain gradually become clear, and then firmly locked the opponent's body with the rifle in his hand.

Thanks to the monthly ticket support of book friends Xiang Zhiyue and Cruise A, as well as the tips of book friends Moda and Nanhaixzw. The sales of new books on the shelves in the first week are not ideal. Let's support it! (To be continued......)