"Fire! Hurry up! ”

Fang Jin stood behind the bow main gun, stomped his feet without grace, pointed to Amami Island not far away and jumped and shouted, the gunners ** up, and quickly shot out one shell after another, while they were also proud of their own unserious captain.

The soldiers don't like polite officers, they want a commander who can drink and fart with them, talk about women, and magnify the cannon, it just so happens that Fang Jin is such a superlative, so the gunners are also very hard, and the speed of manually loading twelve 105 mm shells per minute has exceeded the usual by a lot.

However, it seems that his commander feels that it is not enough, and in the face of the artillery who has obviously no power to fight back, he is still urging to speed up. The stimulated gunners worked harder, as if the shells did not cost money, and kept spilling them from the front and rear main guns.

The other three ships had just come all the way from Hawaii to provide artillery support for escort and landing, and their partners who had not caught the battle against the Combined Fleet were also bombarded around Amami Island, as if they wanted to vent all their grievances on this large island of more than 700 square kilometers! Farther away, several freighters had lowered their gangways, and dense army colleagues were boarding small boats along the gangways and starting to land!

At the same time, Okinawa, the main island of the Ryukyu Islands, was already filled with gunsmoke, and because Okinawa's infrastructure was better than that of Amami Island, and the port of Naha had enough wharf to dock three or four large ships, the destroyer formation escorting the ship shelled the wharf as soon as the troops arrived.

The unprepared garrison was no match for the wolf-like Pacific Army, and in just half an hour the dock was lost, and they began to retreat in the direction of the palace, hoping to rely on their geographical advantage to resist the opponent.

After gaining control of the docks, the convoy finally had a safe berthing area, and groups of Pacific Army soldiers began to disembark, led by officers of all ranks, to pounce on the targets they had already chosen.

From the moment he got off the ship, Zhang Shun was at the front, but unfortunately the excitement didn't last long, and he ran into trouble on the outskirts of Shuri Castle.

"Boom, boom!"

Although the power of the 75mm mountain cannon is not large, it is not even comparable to a few grenades, but the condescending army still relies on a few mountain guns arranged in front of Shuri Castle to suppress the Marine Corps who are like bamboos all the way.

"Hurry, hurry! Damn, grinding, like a, those stupid birds in the army are still watching from behind! I don't want them to help! Pass the order, whoever occupies Shuri Castle first, Lao Tzu will make him the battalion commander! Zhang Shun patted his head, shook off the accumulated soil on the steel helmet, flew up, kicked on the butt of the nearest soldier, and kicked him to the point of screaming, then he raised his head fiercely, looked at the mountain artillery position on the opposite side and gritted his teeth!

If you want to say that it is strong, the position on the opposite side that relies only on a few piles of sandbags and wooden shelves is really not counted, but this position, which seems to be solved with only one grenade, blocked him and thousands of Marines outside Shuri Castle, for the simple reason that the grenades still do not enter!

Looking at the Ryukyu Palace behind the Forbidden City, Zhang Shun hated to blow it up immediately, but he couldn't do it, because the young master said that it was called an ancient cultural relic building, and it should be protected as much as possible!

The dog said, or it will be smashed first, and then repaired as it is?

Looking at the soldiers who were so crushed by the mountain artillery and the Makqin machine gun that he couldn't raise his head, Zhang Shun spat fiercely, and was about to order someone to rush again, when the staff officer suddenly stopped him and suggested: "Regiment commander, do you want the mortars to come up and try?" ”

"That's right!" Zhang Shun slapped his thigh, why didn't he think of it? It's really confused, powerful cannons can't be used, mortars are always fine! And the mortar's trajectory is curved, which is most suitable for this kind of attack from the bottom up! I can't help but curse myself for being confused, why didn't I think of such a good thing! But then again, he can't be blamed for this, since the Pacific Army was equipped with mortars, it really hasn't been opened except for training.

With the reminder of the staff officer, Zhang Shun can be regarded as enlightened, and hurriedly shouted: "Dog, don't think that only you have cannons!" Come on, go and set up our mortars! ”

The herald rushed away, and within a moment he saw dozens of soldiers rushing in front of him with mortars like thick iron pipes, and without waiting for orders, they immediately started to level their positions.

Seeing their own artillery coming, the soldiers were all excited, and when more than a dozen cannons were all set up, Zhang Shun, who was already impatient, immediately shouted: "Fuck me!" ”

When the gunners heard the shouting, they used their thumbs to make a few gestures to the artillery position in the distance, and immediately stuffed the shells that had been prepared into the barrels after a simple distance measurement, only to hear a series of banging sounds, dozens of black dots like firecrackers set off during the celebration, and after drawing a huge arc in the air, a series of fireballs exploded around the humble artillery position.

Thundered...... Under a series of explosions, sand and gravel flew on the rudimentary gun position, and dozens of soldiers who were caught off guard were swept into the air by the air wave and rolled down the hillside. The angry Marine soldiers on the side, who had already been suppressed by the Yue army above their heads, cheered and raised their guns to aim at the Yue soldiers who rolled down, venting their dissatisfaction.

It didn't seem to have expected that the Pacific Army would have a cannon that could turn, and the army behind the bunker could only watch blankly as the shells drew an arc in the sky and landed behind the thick bunker, and the explosions and screams suddenly blended together, adding a bit of blood to this century-old city.

As the mortars continued to wield power, the mountain artillery and Makqin machine guns that had been raging for a long time finally fell silent, and the fortifications built by the Yue army in front of Shuri Castle were also smashed open.

Seeing that the mortar made a meritorious service as he wished, Zhang Shun finally breathed a sigh of relief, and while secretly wondering whether to let the young master add mortars to the Marine Corps, he commanded the troops to rush forward with a gun.

Inside the front headquarters of Naha Port, Li Mo smiled and pursed his lips.

In the distance, there was still the rumbling sound of cannons on the sea from time to time, but this sound had already made him not interested in personally participating in the operation of the combined fleet.

Only the resplendent Shuri Castle made him frown slightly, as the former capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Shuri Castle is like the Forbidden City of Yanjing, if such a famous capital that has accumulated history and culture is destroyed by artillery fire, it is really a pity.

However, Shurijo Castle is built on a mountain, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and most of the Japanese troops stationed in Okinawa have retreated there, so it will be really difficult to bite down if you don't take something real out! On one side is the ancient capital of the famous city, and on the other side is the stubborn resistance of the army, even he is a little embarrassed.

Just when he was in a dilemma, Zhao Long, who had come to Ryukyu with a large army, came in out of nowhere and handed over the telegram he had just received: "Young master, the Swordfish reports that the Fourth Army Regiment has landed on Amami Oshima, and according to their report, they have not encountered major resistance. After handing the telegram to Li Mo, Zhao Long stretched out his head to look in the direction of Shuri Castle and continued to suggest: "Young Master, why don't you let a group go up." ”

Li Mo took the telegram, the news of Amami Oshima had long been expected by him, although the four regiments attacking were the army regiments formed in Chile after the war, but at the beginning of the formation, three hundred veterans and twenty officers who had participated in the Chilean Civil War had already been allocated to the past, and Chu Tianjin's kid, on the grounds that he was formed at the latest, and his experience and combat effectiveness were insufficient, pestered Zhao Long to transfer all the first batch of reserve soldiers who had been trained with the 1st Lu Division for a long time, and at that time, this matter was also troubled by the other three regiment commanders to Li Mo.

Although Amami Island is very close to Kagoshima and Sasebo, it is precisely because of its proximity that I didn't expect that there would be people snatching food under my nose, only 400 garrisons and 1,000 reservists, so if a reorganized regiment plus the artillery support of four destroyers can't be taken down, Chu Tianjin, the regiment commander, will be the end.

Originally, the Ryukyu Island, which had been renamed Okinawa Island by himself, was not worried, but now it was 1894, and his eyes were still focused on Korea and the Yellow Sea, and he had not yet entered the Pacific era, so there were only 3,000 people stationed here, and as for the gunboats patrolling, they had long been bloodshot with their eyes, and they had not been caught up with the destroyer captains who had beaten the main force of the fleet, and they either raised the white flag and surrendered or were completely beaten into scrap metal.

But what people didn't expect was that the speed of the movement of the garrison was obviously beyond expectations, and it was worthy of the famous hard bones of later generations, and after seeing the loss of the dock, they immediately fled into Shuri Castle, trying to rely on the geographical advantages here to resist to the end.

After reading the telegram, Li Mo immediately shook his head, turned around and asked, "According to your estimates, how long will it take for the Marine Corps to end the battle?" ”

Today's Zhao Long is not a year's Zhao Long, last year's army expansion, Li Mo deeply felt that the grassroots officers were insufficient, so he contacted the German minister in Hawaii, invested 100,000 pounds, and sent Zhao Long and another 200 grassroots officers to Germany for training for half a year.

But when he came here with a regiment, he was told that the regiment would not participate in the main battle, but only as a reserve, and this order made him feel like he had been poured a basin of cold water on the seventh day, and he was a little confused! Especially Luo Feng's kid, he asked him to talk to the young master for a long time, and let the first regiment also participate in the battle.

So at this moment, when he heard the young master asking, he immediately said: "Young master, if you want to speed up, you might as well let a regiment also participate in the battle!" The island of Ryukyu is a little smaller than our Oahu, and if a regiment enters the battle, I promise to wipe out the remnants of the enemy within three days and hand you a clean Ryukyu Island. ”

Li Mo was not fooled by Zhao Long, whether a regiment would participate in the war, he had his own ideas. Because whether it is the Marine Corps or the fourth regiment formed at the latest in the 1st Army Division, they are the most inexperienced troops, and this kind of skirmish can just be used to practice, so when he heard Zhao Long say this, he smiled: "Is that kid Luo Feng bothering you again?" ”

"Huh." Zhao Long smiled and rubbed his hands.

"You brought out a regiment, I know this, but now I don't know how to use them, you have to remember that bringing a regiment out is just to ensure victory, and a small battle like this is just for other troops to train their hands, and your army ......." Li Mo paused, suddenly pointed to the east, and said solemnly: "That is the main battlefield of the army, and in the future, this will become our forward base." ”

Looking at the direction of the young master's finger, Zhao Long immediately understood, and suddenly his blood and qi surged, and he shouted: "Young master, don't worry, Zhao Long knows what to do!" Just as Li Mo was about to continue to teach this confidant general, Du Dazhuang suddenly ran in and shouted, "Young Master, Shuri City has been opened!" ”

"Oh!" Li Mo suddenly turned around, walked to the observation window and raised his binoculars, only to see countless marines in dark blue military uniforms charging along the mountain road towards Shuri Castle in the distance.

Zhao Long also raised the binoculars, he was a little surprised, he had just gone to see the fortifications of the army outside Shuri City, although the repair was not perfect, but it was also in a dangerous place, easy to defend and difficult to attack, why was it broken in a while? Thinking of this, he hurriedly asked Du Dazhuang: "Zhang Shun, this kid, how did he kill those mountain cannons so quickly?" ”

"It's a mortar!" Du Dazhuang danced excitedly, and told the story of the marines using mortars to attack the mountain artillery position of the Yuejun army, and in the end, he couldn't help licking his lips, as if he had some regret that he could not follow the troops into Shuri Castle.

"Come on, go ahead! I'm fine here. Li Mo kicked Du Dazhuang, who was obviously absent-minded, and said with a smile: "Wear a helmet and protect yourself." ”

"Yes!" Seeing that the marines had opened the passage to Shuri Castle, Du Dazhuang couldn't stay any longer, if it weren't for the protection of the young master, he would have followed the troops to kill him, and now when he heard that the young master allowed him to fight, he was so excited that he almost wanted to hug the young master and kiss him a few times, and after saluting, he hurriedly grabbed the steel helmet and ran towards Shuri Castle.

"Oh yes, it's okay, I didn't forget to salute."

"Mortar?!" Zhao Long put down the binoculars and muttered a few words to himself, it seems that he will have to study more about this kind of small cannon that he originally looked down on in the future!

Now that even the most difficult passage to Shuri Castle has been opened, Li Mo's mind has turned to the fleet that is still circling in the open sea. It stands to reason that after the annihilation of the combined fleet, Yue Ben no longer has any naval strength that can be used, but Duan Fei's intelligence shows that Yue himself actually gathered more than 40 warships of various sizes in Yokosuka in a short period of time, although these ships are 2,000 tons large, and the small ones are only 50 tons, and there are even armed ships temporarily converted from merchant ships, but it can also be seen that he is determined to fight to the death.

Although it is not uncommon for ants to bite and kill elephants, Li Mo does not think that Yue himself will drive these old-fashioned warships to fight hard, and now for Yue Ben, it is no longer a question of continuing the war, but to start preparing to end the war!

It is only a matter of time before the passage to Shuri Castle is opened and the garrison army is eliminated, as long as the Ryukyus are completely controlled and the war potential of the Sayben is weakened, his goal of the first stage has been achieved, unless he can conjure up 200,000 troops now, otherwise attacking the Yamamoto mainland is just a joke.

Li Mo naturally can't turn into 200,000 troops, so ending the war is the only choice, but if you want to end the war, it is not as simple as letting the fleet withdraw immediately.

So the next thing is to depend on Chen Ping and them, whether they can block Yue himself in Tokyo Bay, and even whether they can enter Tokyo Bay smoothly and directly shell Yue Ben's heart if necessary, it is a difficult problem!

In particular, when you enter Tokyo Bay, which is the heart of the Kamoto Navy and the most important Yokosuka base of the Kamoto Navy, you must first pass through the narrow Uraga Waterway!

Thinking that he might have blocked the waterways by laying mines, forcing the fleet's large warships with deep drafts to be inaccessible, and that he might also use a large number of small boat tactics, Li Mo wished to send all the destroyers in his hand to support the fleet.

You know, any damage to the fleet is unacceptable when victory is imminent, so the destroyer formation should be freed up as soon as possible to support the fleet.

"Tell Zhang Shun that the Marine Corps must solve the main battle within three days, and if he can't do it, I will let the 1st Army Division participate in the battle!" After thinking of this, the corner of his mouth mentioned, with the stimulation of the 1st Division of the Army in the back, I believe that the whole Marine Corps will be full of energy.

"Send a telegram, contact Chen Ping and Long Guozhang, and tell them that the destroyer formation will leave early tomorrow morning to meet them, and let them get ready." Before Li Mo could finish speaking, a staff officer suddenly rushed into the command headquarters, stood up and saluted, and reported.

"Report, the Sky Survey has arrived in the open sea with a freighter."

"The Sky Survey is coming?!" Li Mo glanced at Zhao Long, his heart skipped a beat, and the Sky Survey arrived at this time, indicating that his cheap father-in-law and wife had finally arrived.

"How do you deal with them?" ……

(To be continued)