"Attack! The target is Jimo County! Half an hour later, the artillery battalion was set up to shoot Zhu Yuan, the engineer company dug a simple trench, and the tank troops and infantry were also ready to attack, Kong Xiangsheng gave the order to attack with a wave of his hand.

"All gun emplacements are available!" "Ready! Fire! ”

Soon, 5 155-mm heavy guns and 20 120-mm rifled heavy mortars behind the position let out an earth-shattering roar! Large-caliber shells rose into the sky, marking bullet marks in mid-air, and it didn't take long to see countless craters of different depths blown up on the devil's position in front of Jimo County, and black smoke clouds rose in the air!

Garrisoned in Jimo County was the 64th Wing of the 23rd Division of the Japanese Army, which not only dug trenches and anti-tank trenches outside the city wall of Jimo County, but also built a large number of permanent fortifications such as bunkers and pillboxes, and also strengthened the city wall fortifications. The 23rd Division was completely annihilated by Jiang Qiang in the previous "summer offensive", a Japanese local defense force that had just been formed in Japan and landed on the Shandong Peninsula!

"Yaga! The artillery fire of the Chinese army is too fierce! "Quick, all of them hide in the bomb holes!" "Hurry up, call for artillery support immediately!"

The powerful blast wave shook the earth and trembled, and the earth-shattering explosion sound waves rippled in all directions one after another, making the eardrums of the surrounding Japanese defenders tremble, and even temporarily deaf! "Alas, it's war again! Listening to this voice, this movement is not small! When a teahouse owner heard the gunshot, he quickly walked out of the house and looked to the west, but he could only see clouds of gunpowder smoke rising into the air!

At this time, several tea customers also walked out. One of the middle-aged men wearing patched cotton clothes said angrily: "It seems that the Jiaodong Group Army must have started a counteroffensive, I really hope that this time the Jiaodong Group Army can capture Jimo County and drive the little devils away!" Another person answered: "Yes, I have heard that there is no need to pay grain for farming on the territory of the Jiaodong Group Army, and ordinary workers can have forty or fifty yuan a month!" It was a good day for the gods! ”

"Who's to say it isn't! Where is it like us, not only do we live a hard life, but we also have to worry all day long, and the female relatives of the family dare not go out on the street, and they are accidentally caught by the Japanese devils as coolies! "yes, little devils are not a bunch of things! At every turn, the people's families are ruined, and it is really tragic to be a slave to the country! "Yes! yes, I've heard it's better over there, too! I wish we could live like that! ”

As soon as the conversation box was opened, they couldn't hold their mouths at all, and a group of people looked at the western sky and began to talk about it, not much worried about the fierce battle that was going on, but full of hope! "Shhhh You don't want to die, if you let the dog traitor listen to it, even if you don't lose your head, you have to be arrested and taken to be a coolie and you have to shed your skin if you don't die! Don't talk about state affairs! Don't talk about state affairs! ”

The teahouse owner hurriedly waved his hand at everyone, he knew the cruelty of the Japanese devils best, and there were even traitors in the open and in the dark. People are swords, I am fish and meat, and even if the people in the occupied areas are usually honest, they will suffer disasters for no reason! The teahouse owner has seen too many things like this, and he really doesn't dare to let these tea customers talk about these "big disapproval" rebellious remarks in his own shop!

"Yes, yes, woe comes from the mouth! Don't talk about it, everyone! "Alas! The way of the world! "Quick! Enter the house, the devil is coming! "Ahh Fast! "It's over, it can't be for us, is it?"

The tea guest next to him hurriedly silenced and looked around nervously, and at this time, he happened to see a hundred and ten devil soldiers running along the street in two teams of fully armed, and everyone was suddenly frightened, and suddenly they went into the house and trembled! Rustling, these devil soldiers were in a hurry, and they didn't stop when they passed by the door of the teahouse, and ran directly in the direction of the west gate.

"It's fine! Not for us! "It looks like the devil is in big trouble this time! Ha ha! "Okay, let's hide quickly, don't let the little devil get the back pad before he dies, then he will die!" Listening to the sound of running farther and farther away, everyone suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, raised their arms and wiped the cold sweat on their foreheads.

After the shelling of the Jiaodong Group Army, 40 tanks, 5 armored vehicles, and 4 self-propelled cannon howitzers began to advance forward, and soon advanced to the front of the first line of defense of the Japanese army with the sound of rumbling motors.

"Yaga! The Chinese army has attacked, quickly enter the position! "Ready! Fire! "Shoot! Tao times change! "After the tank group entered the effective firing range, the Japanese defenders hiding in trenches, pillboxes and other fortifications began to output wildly! More than 20 Type 94 37-mm anti-aircraft guns and 70-mm infantry guns set up in bunkers and on the city walls were the first to spew out tongues of fire!

Bang boom, more than a dozen Pershing heavy tanks that rushed to the front were directly hit head-on, clusters of dazzling firelight shot everywhere, and the hard armor was smashed out of one pit after another! The Japanese Type 94 37 mm anti-aircraft gun is equipped with armor-piercing blasting shells and grenades, which can penetrate 40 mm homogeneous steel armor plates at a range of 500 meters and 30 mm homogeneous steel armor plates at a range of 1000 meters!

However, the frontal armor of the Tiger heavy tank is 114 mm, which is not at all penetrating by these small-caliber anti-tank guns! Although the movement caused was not small, and it also left an extremely eye-catching crater on the armor, it was only there, and it did not play a role at all!

Behind the Tiger tank, the German No. 4 tank had only 30 mm of frontal armor and 15 mm of vertical armor on the sides, and it was quite dangerous to be hit by these anti-aircraft guns at a range of 500 meters! But it is clear that the Jiaodong Army will not easily give the Japanese such an artillery opportunity!

The 70 mm infantry gun was one of the most successful infantry fire support firearms during the Second World War, and its appearance was distinctive. The gun was assigned to the Japanese infantry brigade and was used in a variety of tactics, not only for fire support, but also for jamming fire. Infantry artillery is often called ghost artillery by the Chinese army, because after this thing is dismantled, it is not much higher than the heavy machine gun, and you can't find the cannon just by hearing the cannon.

The gun is not as direct as the 37 mm battle defense gun, the 5o mm cannon, let alone the 75/76. The curved artillery is heavier than the 82, the bullet does not have a range of 120 force, it can't oppose the armored unit, it can't break the civil fortifications, this cannon is aimed at the Chinese battlefield, and it is nothing if it is pulled elsewhere. At this time, nature can only interfere with tank armored forces and pose a threat to the infantry, and it does not have much effect!

"Come and don't be rude! Fire! "Fuck it!" "Die, little devil!" After the Japanese anti-tank fire point emerged, the Tiger tank 9.

Boom, soon a series of explosions sounded, cement bricks and tiles were shot everywhere, and several fortifications and bunkers were punched out of big holes, the specific results of the battle were unknown, but at least the devil's anti-aircraft artillery temporarily stopped! The other 4 forts were only cratered and not seriously damaged! "Haha, let's have a blast too!"

At this time, 4 155mm self-propelled cannon howitzers adjusted their firing angles and rushed at the 4 strong main forts outside the Japanese army! A deafening sound of artillery rang out, and four heavy guns came in an instant, accurately hitting the Japanese reinforced concrete main fort. In the violent explosion, the rubble flew sideways, and the four main fort shooting holes were blown out of large craters, and the powerful shock wave made the devils inside dizzy, and even more so they spat blood and couldn't survive when they saw it!

But even so, these four main forts still did not appear substantial damage, and the thickness of the reinforced concrete of these four main forts was at least 2 meters, and even the direct fire of heavy artillery could not enter the soul in one shot! "I'll it! The devil is really willing to pay the cost! ”

Seeing this, Jiang Jinde, the commander of the self-propelled artillery, immediately shouted loudly: "Quick, replace it with kinetic energy bombs, I don't believe that this turtle shell can't be pierced!" "Kinetic energy bullets refer to ammunition that relies on their own kinetic energy to kill, such as bullets and shells, which have the advantages of fast speed, simplicity and difficulty in defense, and the disadvantages of not being able to kill, and the greater the kinetic energy, the greater the recoil.

The corresponding explosive anti-personnel bullet refers to the fragmentation produced by its own explosion to kill, such as grenades and grenades, and the advantages of this type of ammunition are that they have large lethality to soft targets, large destruction area, and small recoil. The disadvantage is that it cannot be effectively killed against hard targets. "Howler! Let the little devils taste our cannonballs! ”

Soon the loader loaded a 155-mm shell into the chamber. Boom, followed by another earth-shattering bang, and the powerful recoil made the huge body of more than thirty tons tremble. The shell hit the large crater of the Japanese main fort again at a speed invisible to the naked eye, and then a big hole appeared in the main fort of the Japanese army!

The shell directly penetrated the half-crippled Japanese main fort and shot into the inside of the Japanese pillbox, although the specific effect is not clear, but the battle defense gun is absolutely finished! "Haha, well done! Let's try it too, and switch to the Kinetic Bomb! Pierce the devil's turtle shell! ”

Seeing this scene, the other three self-propelled guns immediately followed suit and replaced them with kinetic energy shells! Boom, boom, and then a new round of shelling began, and the three reinforced concrete bunkers were blasted out of extremely deep potholes, although they were not completely penetrated, but it was a matter of time!

"Yaga! What is this? The Chinese army actually has such a mobile heavy artillery? "The captain of the devil brigade, Takashi Makino, was observing the battle situation in a pillbox above the city wall at this time, and was shocked to find that self-propelled guns had appeared in the armored unit of the Jiaodong Group Army, and his eyes immediately straightened with shock." Yes, the Jiaodong Group Army is too strong! How could the empire meet such a difficult opponent! Without the fire support of the Imperial Air Force, we would not have been able to hold on for a long time! ”

Another devil captain, An Beigantai, was also cool and cool in his heart, and originally thought that with the extremely strong bunker group and city fortifications, how could he stick to it and wait for help, even if he couldn't hold it in the end, he would at least make the Huaxia Tiger Army pay an unbearable price of casualties! However, at this moment, Abe Kanta realized that if there is no powerful air force, this can only be a luxury! "We must report this new situation to the division commander as soon as possible, and strongly request the air force for support!"

Makino Takashi frowned, he had just landed on the Shandong Peninsula from China, and he had encountered such a powerful opponent, he didn't want to die in Jimo County like this!

"Brothers, it's our turn!" "Kill the devil!"

The tank armored unit approached the front of the devil's position, and suppressed the heavy fire and firepower, so that the devils could not raise their heads, and the infantry and engineer units behind began to advance forward! The sappers crawled in front of the anti-tank trench and threw strings of grenades into the trench first!

Bang bang, I only heard a violent explosion exploding like fried beans, and sure enough, a large number of mines were planted inside! After detonating all the mines in the anti-tank trench, the sappers jumped into the anti-tank trench with explosive packs and carried out the blasting! "Yaga! Kill these Huaxia sappers! "Hurry up and drop! Shoot! ”

At this time, the Japanese devils also saw the Jiaodong military engineer holding the explosive bag, and hurriedly opened fire from the muzzle of the gun. A string of bullets struck a wave of earth flowers on the dirt floor, and several sappers were bitten by the bullets and injured! "Fire cover!" "Kill these brutes!"

The main gun and heavy machine gun of the tank rang out instantly, and the infantry hiding behind the tank armored vehicle picked up the M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle and fired accurately at the devil's fire point! The long and short guns were instantly fired, and the devil's firepower was suppressed at once.

At the same time, the battles in Linyi County, Fei County, Xintai County, Laiwu County, Yidu County, Shouguang County, Ye County and other directions are also quite fierce, especially Linyi County! "Nani? The Jiaodong Group Army has begun to conduct large-scale military operations again? Eight grid tooth road! That's a big problem! ”

Hata Junroku, who was far away in Wuhan, soon got the news, and he was immediately angry, and he didn't care about killing the Jiaodong Group Army with a horse gun, but the rear had to face great military pressure. Tsukada nodded and said, "That's true!" But it doesn't matter much, the empire only needs to lock the Tarzan defense line and a few ports, even if they expand their territory a little more, it won't make much difference! ”

Shunroku Hata's brows tightened, and he said in pieces: "Where can things be so simple!" If it continues to be corrupted like this, it is likely to lead to a series of big problems! For example, the recovery of a large amount of lost territory by the Jiaodong Group Army will definitely greatly boost the morale of the Chinese army! The empire is now at a very critical moment, and Wang Jingwei has already intended to surrender!

At this time, there really can't be a mess, otherwise it will really fall short! Tsukada nodded and said: "This is indeed a big trouble, what I am most worried about is the Soviet government, which will continue to increase the assistance to the Huaxia government!" At that time, the weapons and equipment aided by the Soviet Union will continue to enter China, and it is even possible to provide large-scale assistance to the Air Force!

After receiving these weapons and equipment and air force assistance, the combat effectiveness of the Huaxia army will be greatly increased, coupled with their high morale and fighting spirit, as well as the Jiaodong Group Army, a formidable opponent! It is not impossible that the situation of the Sino-Japanese war will be completely reversed! "Nani?"

Muto Zhang's eyelids jumped, and he suddenly turned his head to look at the serious Tsukada Attack: "Will it be so serious?" The empire now has an absolute advantage, how can the situation be reversed because of a local army? "That's right, that's what I'm most worried about, if they echo each other from afar, or even connect with each other, it will be a disaster!

You might as well imagine how much the morale of the Chinese army would be boosted if the Jiaodong Group Army was allowed to continue to grow and even recover the entire Shandong region? Hata Junroku's expression was extremely solemn, and then he continued: "In order to avoid such an unfavorable situation, I think the empire must make a painful decision, mobilize at least ten divisions and more heavy army groups, and quickly annihilate the Jiaodong Group Army, and cannot continue to delay!"

Because I have a strange feeling that the opponent of the Jiaodong Group Army cannot be pushed by common sense, it is not just a military blockade and an economic blockade that can prevent them from growing, and the longer it drags on, the more dangerous it is! Okamura Ninji nodded and agreed: "What Toshi-san Hata said is extremely true, and I feel this way too!" In that case, we might as well jointly advise His Majesty the Emperor to appropriately change our war strategy! "Yo Si! And rightfully so! ”

Shunroku Hata nodded, then stood up and walked to the window, looked at the urban area of Wuchang, which had just experienced the war, and said quietly: "Since ancient times, heroes have been judged by success or failure, and the empire is encountering the best historical opportunity in a thousand years. "Hello! What Toshi-san Hata said is extremely true, the prince and the loser, from the moment the war began, the Yamato nation still has no way to retreat, only the way to move forward! ”

"Yo Si! For the sake of the Yamato nation's thousand-year-old foundation, we must work together, even if we shed the last drop of blood for the empire! Old devils such as Okamura Ninji, Tsukada Tsukashi and Muto Akira nodded heavily!

Although the bloody battle of Wuhan and the heavy casualties paid by the Japanese army before still made them still have lingering palpitations, these old devils are becoming more and more restless and brutal and bloodthirsty in their hearts! After a pause, Okamura Ningji said in a deep voice: "However, I still think that our most important task at the moment is to capture Nanchang and cut off the Zhejiang-Jiangxi railway line connecting the third and ninth war zones in China!" ”

On November 1, 1938, Okamura Ninji, surrounded by his staff and guards, stepped into the city of Wuhan as a victor. Okamura Ningji set up the headquarters of the 11th Army in the former Hubei Provincial Government compound in Wuchang, and the place where he stayed was the official residence of Chen Cheng, commander of the Ninth Chinese Theater and governor of Hubei Province before the fall of Wuhan.

Soon after Okamura entered Wuhan, he felt a sense of crisis. After the Battle of Wuhan, he served as the commander of the 11th Army, because at the beginning of his tenure, he was eager for quick success, which caused the troops to lose troops and make ineffective progress, so he felt deeply remorseful for this.

Later, because he sent the Matsuura Division to advance alone, the emperor was anxious about the 30,000 Japanese troops who were besieged by Wanjialing, and General Shunroku Hata personally intervened in the command, but still failed to save the fate of an entire division being eaten by Xue Yue, Okamura was naturally greatly stimulated and became cautious. After the battle, the Japanese army achieved its strategic goal of occupying Wuhan, but the Japanese army actually occupied only a narrow strip of land along the Yangtze River in central China.

This occupied zone, which stretched from Haizhou along the waterway to Wuhan, was directly threatened by the million-strong army of the Chinese army between the third, fifth, and ninth theaters. Okamura Ninji had always been worried that the 3rd and 9th Theaters of China would echo each other and launch an offensive together, and the Fifth Theater would respond in Jiangbei, which might trap his 11th Army in Wuhan. Nanchang, the provincial capital city where the Nanxun Railway and the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway intersect, makes Okamura feel like a fish in his throat.

Not only because the Zhejiang-Jiangxi railway line was the main transportation line connecting the Third and Ninth Theaters, but also because the Nanchang airfield of the Huaxia Air Force directly threatened the Japanese army's rule over Wuhan and the occupied areas along the Yangtze River. Therefore, Okamura Ningji has been planning and asking for war to eradicate the huge threat of Nanchang, and at the same time want to get back a little capital on the battlefield of the Nanxun Line that disgraced him.

And at this moment, the Jiaodong Group Army far away in Shandong began to make trouble again, and Gangcun Ningci was extremely worried that once this tiger broke free from the cage and connected with Li Zongren's department in the fifth war zone, it would really be an unimaginable catastrophe!

Although Jiang Qiang's "warlord" nature is extremely strong, and there is an appearance that the well water does not interfere with the river water with other Chinese military groups, Okamura Ninji knows very well that Jiang Qiang is a Chinese who is determined to resist Japan, and he will never let go once there is a suitable combat opportunity! "What you are anxious about is also what I am anxious about, but now the timing is not right, we not only need time to rest and mobilize troops, but also need to formulate a new combat strategy for the Jiaodong Group Army!"

Shunroku Hata sighed helplessly, as the scale of the war of aggression against China expanded step by step, the disadvantages of Japan's small people and poor resources gradually became prominent! After several major battles, the Japanese army is already overstretched, the country is being mobilized for war on a large scale, and new divisions and regiments are being formed in large numbers, but it will take a long time to form the strongest combat effectiveness.

Under the principle of secrecy, the "ice-breaking operation" launched by the Jiaodong Group Army was not publicized by the official media in the first place, but such a big movement could not be hidden! The general public in the vicinity of the war zone, the newspapers, and the agents of the enemy and the enemy all noticed the situation, and soon all kinds of news spread through various channels.

"Niang Xipi, Jiang Qiang is really good at picking the time, I hope that the movement can be bigger, so that the little devil will not dare to continue to venture to Nanchang!" The fierce fighting lasted all day, until at 7 o'clock in the evening, when it was dark, and the Jiaodong Group Army Mingjin withdrew its troops and temporarily stopped the attack.

Due to the fear of the mysterious and powerful Jiaodong Group Army's Flying Tigers, the Japanese Army Navy and Army Aviation Corps have never participated in the battle, but the helicopter brigade of the Flying Tigers frequently dispatched cameo bombers, giving great pressure and damage to the Japanese position! The Japanese fleet cruising in the coastal waters was constrained by both the range and the coastal defense artillery, and the Japanese troops who were holding the cities and fortresses could not provide effective fire support!

Therefore, the Jiaodong Group Army, which had air supremacy, heavy artillery, and tank armored forces, occupied the absolute initiative on the battlefield from the very beginning, while the Japanese defenders relied on fortifications and geographical advantages to resist stubbornly! After a day of fierce fighting, the Jiaodong Group Army made great progress, breaking through multiple defense lines in several directions such as Xintai County, Shouguang County, Ye County, Yidu County, and Jimo County, and gathered heavy troops near the county seat!

Although the Jiaodong Group Army showed great ambitions, the Japanese reaction was not fierce, and it seems that it had been foreseen for a long time!

The Japanese defenders everywhere adopted a passive defensive posture, although they did not take the initiative to attack and confront the Jiaodong Group Army, but they did not retreat in the key defensive areas! Different from the Lubei Plain, most of the counties and cities attacked this time were hilly and mountainous, and the tank armored forces could not exert their real strength due to the limited terrain!

The Japanese army was also well aware of the field combat capability of the Jiaodong Group Army in the plains, so it had already been building fortifications on a large scale a few months ago, especially in hilly and mountainous areas! Therefore, although the combat initiative is firmly in the hands of the Jiaodong Group Army, it is not so simple to achieve the strategic goal of the ice-breaking operation!