Seishiro Sakagaki hurried from Tianjin Wei to the front line.

He was specially transferred from the base camp. It is necessary to open up Jinpu Road.

As a China expert on the same level as Ryosuke Isoya and Enji Dohi, it is necessary for Seishiro Sakagaki to make a name for himself.

Now, the 14th Division led by Tohi Yuankenji is about to land in Tianjinwei. It will soon be used in the North China battlefield.

And as the commander of the 5th Division, who has not yet stepped down, Seishiro Sakagaki has high hopes.

However, the situation was critical, and Sakagaki Seishiro could not wait for the 14th Division to land, so he hurriedly led his troops south.

The first and most urgent battle is to open up Cangzhou.

Now, in the hands of Seishiro Sakagaki, there are two infantry wings, a heavy artillery wing, an independent field heavy artillery wing, and a tank wing.

It's all improvised.

The formed units have all been put into battle.

What is being drawn out now is a reserve force.

In particular, the independent field heavy artillery wing equipped with 150-mm howitzers was the largest capital of the Japanese army in North China.

If we say, even 150-mm heavy artillery could not break through the defense line of the Tubalu. Nishio Shouzo and the two divisions were in danger.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

In the vicinity of Seishiro Sakagaki, a 105-mm heavy cannon was fired at a long distance.

Before the arrival of 150mm howitzers, these 105mm heavy cannons were his biggest capital. Hopefully, we can blow up the defense line of the Dirt Eight Road.

He believed that there was no heavy artillery with such a long range on the Cangzhou Tuba Road.

The average 75mm mountain gun has a firing range of up to eight kilometers.

"Arisaka-kun!"

"Your Excellency, Commander."

"Keep shelling! Don't stop! ”

"Yes!"

The commander of the heavy artillery wing, Taro Arisaka, stood and bent over.

He was a commander with combat experience. He served in the Kwantung Army for many years. Later, he was transferred to North China to fight.

Along the way, he commanded his artillery wing and followed the Japanese invaders everywhere to fight.

swept the high-ranking officials of Ji and drove straight into Jin Province. Hardly any decent resistance was encountered.

In his eyes, the Chinese army is a sick man.

The same goes for Dirt Eight Road.

At least, the artillery of the Dirt Eighth Road is rubbish.

There were only 75-mm mountain guns, none of the others. Not at all an opponent of 105-mm heavy artillery.

As a matter of fact, he had already commanded the heavy artillery wing to bombard continuously for two or three hours, and the Tuba Road was only bombed. Didn't fight back at all. This is also the norm. What will the earth eight roads fight back?

With a 75mm mountain gun?

Hehe.

Not at all.

His current artillery position, about fifteen kilometers from the front line.

That's a long way off. Completely outside the range of artillery on the Dirt Eighth Road. But through telephone lines, artillery observation posts on the front line can report very clearly the location of the impact point.

"Bang ......"

"Bang ......"

All 105-mm heavy cannons continued to fire.

At the beginning of the war, the Japanese army had very much ammunition. In order to wage war, the Japanese army stockpiled a large amount of ammunition.

It is absolutely not an exaggeration to describe it as reckless and militaristic.

The Navy is desperately building warships. The army is desperately trying to make all kinds of weapons.

The Navy needs to stock up on fuel. The army needs to stock up on ammunition.

Oil fields are needed to reserve oil. However, the Navy does not have oil fields. As a result, the Navy has never been able to stock up on sufficient fuel.

However, the Army is a completely different story. The army has the full resources for the production of ammunition.

In particular, after seizing the rich minerals of the three eastern provinces, the Japanese army's production of bullets and shells continued to double. Almost every artillery wing, with a reserve of more than fifty bases, was in reserve.

To put it simply, there is no shortage of shells.

Shells were not delivered from the country. Rather, it was transported directly by rail from the Mukden Arsenal to the front.

It's fast. The volume of transport is also huge. It can fully meet the needs of front-line combat. Shells that run out today will be replenished tomorrow. The Japanese army controlled the railway line, and it was so arrogant.

Now, for example, with Taro Saka's heavy artillery wing, there are enough shells.

However, in the case of a 150-mm howitzer, the transport line is relatively long. The Mukden Arsenal was not able to produce 150-mm shells. It must be shipped from within the country.

"Bang ......"

"Bang ......"

Keep bombarding.

Judging by the reports from the front-line observation posts, the effect is still good.

The shells all landed accurately in the position of the Dirt Eighth Road. However, due to the rain, water accumulated everywhere, so the lethality of the shells was somewhat weakened.

But it doesn't matter. As long as the artillery bombardment continues, the positions of the Tubalu will definitely collapse.

Seishiro Sakagaki thinks so, too.

First of all, with heavy artillery fire, the earth was blown up and it was impossible to raise its head. Then the infantry charged again.

At the same time, tank troops were dispatched to rush forward and press the Tubalu to retreat.

The main reason for such tactics was the lack of his infantry. There are only two wings. Helpless. You can only rely on technical weapons.

"Boom ......"

Suddenly, there was a loud noise in the distance.

Arisaka Taro subconsciously looked up.

Frown.

Something doesn't feel right.

It seems like a large-caliber shell? Calling from afar.

As the captain of the heavy artillery wing, Taro Arisaka subconsciously sensed the slightest danger.

Is this a cannonball from the Dirt Eight Road?

Cangzhou Tuba Road actually has large-caliber shells?

Judging by the circumstances of the explosion, at least more than 100 mm shells......

"Boom ......"

"Boom ......"

Subsequently, more shells fell.

Arisaka Taro's face changed suddenly.

Damn it!

It's really a large-caliber shell!

This is the dirt eight road called.

The preliminary judgment was the continuous fire of several heavy guns. Four-door, it could be? Five doors?

Fortunately, the artillery positions were not bombed. But there were Japanese infantry casualties. A large crater was blown out of the ground.

However, Taro Arisaka didn't feel like a fluke. On the contrary, he was worried. Is this a test launch?

As soon as corrections were made, it was possible for the shells to hit the target.

"Boom ......"

"Boom ......"

A few seconds later, another shell fell.

It's a real hammer. It's the heavy artillery of the Dirt Eighth Road.

Tsuchihachi was fighting back with artillery fire, trying to destroy the heavy artillery positions of the Japanese army. It's just that there are no hits for the time being.

"Yaga ......"

Seishiro Sakagaki also felt wrong.

Heavy artillery of the Dirt Eighth Road?

Hit this side?

His headquarters is fifteen kilometers away from the front line!

Where did the shells come from? Why can you hit so far? And, just near your own headquarters?

Did you come to your own headquarters?

Or at the nearby artillery positions?

Damn it......

There is actually a heavy artillery counterattack on the Dirt Eighth Road!

How did their heavy artillery come from?

In the southern battlefield of Izumijo, Tsuchihachi used a large number of heavy artillery to defeat Ryosuke Isoya, and finally had to flee in the wilderness.

Could it be that in Cangzhou, there are also heavy artillery units on the Tuba Road?

Damn it......

It feels tricky.

I thought I could conquer the Dirt Eight Road with heavy artillery.

Unexpectedly, there was also heavy artillery on Cangzhou Tuba Road. That's trouble. In the absence of superior firepower, how to take Cangzhou?

How did the intelligence services do it?

There is heavy artillery on Tuba Road, but they haven't been reported?

was about to scold, but suddenly slowly shut up.

But he suddenly remembered that the intelligence work of the Japanese army before was mainly organized by him and Ryosuke Isoya and Kenji Dohihara.

Even they don't know that there is heavy artillery on the Tuba Road, and how do the others know?

In the end, it was his own face that he lost.

Damn it......

I didn't expect the clown to be myself.

"Boom ......"

"Boom ......"

Shells continue to fall.

The violent explosion shocked the Japanese troops nearby.

The infantry hurriedly dodged.

The staff officers of the division headquarters were also in a hurry to pack their things. Always ready to transfer.

They could not determine exactly where the target of the Tubalu shelling was.

It could be an artillery position, or it could be a command post.

In the end, some Japanese artillerymen judged that it might be a shell of about 130 mm.

That's amazing.

Actually a 130-mm heavy gun?

130 mm!

130 mm!

Say the important thing three times!

There are actually 130mm heavy guns on the Dirt Eighth Road!

Judging by the trajectory of the ballistics, it should be a cannon. The firing range is very long. The caliber is very large.

The heavy artillery of the Japanese army was 105 mm, and the Tuhachi road was 130 mm. The gap in the middle is huge, wide. Especially in terms of firing range, it is possible that it is completely covered by heavy cannons of the Dirt Eight Road.

"Prepare to shift positions!"

Taro Arisaka hurriedly ordered.

He judged that the heavy artillery of Tubalu was looking for Japanese artillery positions.

Five rapid shots in a row, it should be uncalibrated.

If it was calibrated, the Japanese artillery positions would have suffered. You can't afford not to guard against it.

However, it was already too late.

Zhang Chu's counter-battery radar has already captured enough data and corrected the calculations.

Thereupon......

"Boom ......"

"Boom ......"

Shells began to fall on Japanese artillery positions.

With a loud bang, several Japanese artillerymen were killed.

That's a 130mm gun! One can imagine how powerful its explosion really is.

The Japanese troops in the vicinity of twenty or thirty meters had almost no chance of surviving.

The Japanese troops a few meters away from the bombing point disappeared directly. Gone.

Luckily, the cannon was fine.

However, Taro Arisaka was nervous.

"Quick!"

"Quick!"

He shouted desperately.

Shout out all the Japanese artillery and hurry to transfer the 105-mm heavy cannon.

Now he can be 100% sure that he is being targeted by the enemy.

Although I don't know why the Tubalu artillery is so powerful, they can keep an eye on themselves from such a distance. However, the result is that they are targeted.

Or transfer.

Or annihilation.

"Quick!"

"Quick!"

Seishiro Sakagaki also judged that something was wrong.

The artillery of the Eighth Road is really ferocious.

However......

"Boom ......"

"Boom ......"

More shells fell.

But Zhang Chu had already determined that he had captured the Japanese artillery position. So immediately launched a rapid shot.

One shot at a time, 130-mm shells fell, exploding in clusters of fire.

Although affected by the rain, the momentum does not seem to be so big. However, the lethal effect is still not to be underestimated.

Soon, a Japanese 105-mm heavy cannon was hit. was overturned to the ground.

The gun carriage broke. Barrel separation. Roll on the ground.

All nearby artillery was also killed. The scene was a mess.

"Good!"

"Good!"

"Go on!"

Zhang Chu's heart was full of joy.

Now that the target has been captured, what are you waiting for?

Launched at the fastest speed, of course.

Unfortunately, the Japanese artillery positions were relatively far away, 15 kilometers away. The range of 107-mm rocket artillery was insufficient.

A 122mm howitzer can be hit. But the use of rocket range extenders is required. More troublesome. Deprecated.

Five 130-mm heavy cannons were still concentrated.

"Boom ......"

"Boom ......"

Cannonballs kept falling.

Every shell has to blow up a big crater.

The Japanese need to transfer 105mm heavy cannons, and can only ignore the incoming artillery fire for the time being.

Outcome......

"Boom ......"

Suddenly, another 105-mm heavy cannon was blown up.

Blown up at the same time. There are also cars that tow heavy artillery. The car was detonated. The shells on the car, as well as the personnel, were all blown into the sky.

"Yaga ......"

Seishiro Sakagaki saw it through the binoculars, anxious and angry.

Damn it!

The heavy artillery of the Dirt Eighth Road is so powerful?

How can this be fought?

How to reconquer Cangzhou?

Baga ......

"Your Excellency, Commander!"

Suddenly, a staff officer hurried in.

Seishiro Sakagaki put down the binoculars stupidly. There was bitterness in my heart.

This kind of start seems to be a bit difficult! What is the origin of Cangzhou's Tuba Road, and why is its combat effectiveness so strong?

Is it the main force of the Dirt Eight Road?

Is Tubalu the Chinese army or not? Why is it different from other Chinese armies?

My mind is a mess......

Wave your hand. Let the staff officer report.

"Your Excellency Commander, the front reports that the tank wing has been intercepted and cannot advance......"

"Nani?"

Seishiro Sakagaki was taken aback again.

Tank units were actually intercepted? And losses?

Damn it!

Is the dirt road that strong?

"Specific losses."

"Report to Your Excellency the Commander, we have lost seven tanks ......"

"Nani?"

Seishiro Sakagaki was stunned again.

Seven lost so quickly?

There were only more than thirty tanks in total, and seven were lost before they went into battle? How will you fight after that?

This is already all the tank units that the North China Dispatch Army Command can draw. If it's gone, it's gone. It is very difficult to bring out tank units elsewhere. Forced withdrawal will affect the entire battle situation.

The only way is to draw from the Kwantung Army.

However, the commander of the Kwantung Army, Kenkichi Ueda, was not easy to talk to. If you want to be transferred, you must order it yourself from the base camp.

Damn it......

It's strange, why has everything been going wrong lately?

When we went to war before, it wasn't like this! In North China, the Japanese army was overwhelming and invincible.

Why is it so difficult all of a sudden in this small Cangzhou?

It always felt like something was wrong......

It seems that there is a pair of dark hands, quietly tightening the throat of the Japanese army.

It's just these black hands, which can't be seen or touched. It's like a scythe of death. Even if his life is harvested, he still can't see the existence of death.

"Order the tank troops to withdraw!"

"Yes!"

The staff officer stooped down in agreement, and then hurried to give the order.

Then he hurried back.

"Report to Your Excellency Commander, the front line has found a large-caliber anti-tank gun on the Tuba Road."

"Nani?"

"The caliber is around 90 mm. Muzzle velocity is high. Extremely destructive. It is capable of destroying the Type 97 tanks of our army at a distance of two thousand meters. ”

"Nani?"

Seishiro Sakagaki was stunned again.

(End of chapter)