Chapter 78: 107 Rocket Artillery Defeats the Enemy

Li Yunlong chuckled, "Don't worry, we brought double the ammunition this time; it'll be enough to give the enemy a real headache!"

Everything was ready, and Li Yunlong raised his arm, "Launch Position One, volley fire!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—" sixteen streaks of fire tore through the sky, as if the end of the world had arrived.

The soldiers on the enemy's front-line positions heard that familiar whistling sound, and their faces turned deathly pale in an instant.

"It's artillery! Get down!" a veteran shouted in terror, but it was already too late.

Sixteen Rocket Shells hit the first line of defense with precision; the violent explosions instantly razed seven bunkers to the ground, and the shockwaves from the blasts overturned the surrounding barbed wire and sandbag positions, killing dozens of enemy soldiers on the spot.

Liu Ming, who was inside the command post, felt the entire earth trembling, and dust fell from the walls in showers.

"What is that?" Liu Ming asked in astonishment, his voice already trembling.

The deputy regimental commander's face was deathly pale, "That is the legendary rocket artillery..."

A Communication Soldier rushed in to report: "Regimental Commander, the first line of defense has been destroyed! All seven bunkers were flattened, and casualties are heavy!"

Liu Ming could not believe his ears, "Impossible! Those bunkers are made of reinforced concrete; how could they be destroyed in an instant?"

Ignoring the danger, he rushed out of the command post and climbed the observation tower.

Looking into the distance, he saw that the first line of defense had become a ruin, with thick smoke billowing and broken walls and body parts everywhere.

Even more terrifying was that the second wave of Rocket Shells was already flying in, this time targeting the second line of defense.

"Boom—" another earth-shattering series of explosions occurred, and the bunkers and fortifications on the second line of defense were blown away one after another, while the shrapnel and shockwaves from the blasts tore the surrounding enemy soldiers to pieces.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" The enemy on the second line of defense had completely collapsed, and the soldiers threw down their weapons and fled in all directions.

"Stop! Anyone who dares to retreat will be executed on the spot!" The officers drew their pistols, attempting to stop the rout, but fear had completely destroyed the soldiers' fighting spirit.

The enemy on the third line of defense saw the miserable state of the first two lines and also began to waver. Many soldiers quietly packed their bags, preparing to flee for their lives.

A Platoon Leader grabbed a soldier who was preparing to run, "What are you doing? The position hasn't been lost yet!"

A veteran shook his head with a bitter smile, "Platoon Leader, you haven't seen the power of the rocket artillery. Once it comes, we'll all be turned into mincemeat! I don't want to die that miserably!"

Watching his carefully laid-out defenses collapse one after another, Liu Ming's face turned from leaden to deathly pale.

Gritting his teeth, he gave the order: "Order all artillery units to counterattack immediately! I don't believe they are invincible!"

The enemy's Mortars and Light Howitzers began firing in the direction of Li Yunlong's troops, but because the distance was too great and they lacked precise coordinates, most of the shells missed.

Li Yunlong stood at the command point, watching the enemy's ineffective shelling, and spat in disdain, "Is that all they've got? Keep firing!"

The third wave of Rocket Shells was fired in a volley, targeting the enemy command post and the third line of defense.

Just as Liu Ming was preparing to relocate the command post, he suddenly heard that hair-raising whistling sound in the air.

"Get down!" Liu Ming instinctively threw himself to the ground, but the shockwave of the explosion still sent him flying several meters away.

By the time he struggled to his feet, the entire command post had been turned into a ruin, all communication equipment had been destroyed, and most of the staff had been killed or wounded.

"Retreat... the whole army retreat..." Liu Ming ordered in a hoarse voice, his eyes filled with despair.

This was not a battle; it was a massacre.

The enemy's rocket artillery could safely stand in the distance and destroy their defenses bit by bit, while they could not even effectively counterattack.

The third line of defense was soon destroyed by the rocket artillery as well, and the defenses at Chenjiazhuang completely collapsed.

The enemy soldiers scrambled to flee for their lives, and the officers' orders and threats had lost their effectiveness.

Li Yunlong seized the opportunity and gave the order: "All troops, attack!"

Our troops surged toward the enemy positions like a tide, and they occupied Chenjiazhuang with almost no decent resistance.

The statistics after the battle were shocking: nearly a thousand enemy soldiers were killed, over seven hundred were captured, and our army suffered only thirty-some casualties, most of which were minor injuries.

Liu Ming led his remnants in a pathetic retreat to the rear to report the news of the disastrous defeat to Tang Siling.

After hearing the report, Tang Siling's face turned terrifyingly grim, "A whole regiment, just gone like that?"

Liu Ming knelt on the ground, his voice trembling, "Commander, that rocket artillery is too terrifying; it... it is simply not a weapon of this world!"

Tang Siling was silent for a long time before suddenly asking, "How many of these rocket artillery pieces do you estimate the enemy has?"

Liu Ming shook his head, "I'm not sure, but there are at least two Multi-tube Launch Systems, each with sixteen tubes, plus dozens of Single-tube ones. The power of each Rocket Shell is equivalent to dozens of Heavy Artillery shells..."

A flash of fear crossed Tang Siling's eyes.

If the enemy was equipped with this weapon on a large scale, traditional defensive fortifications would be meaningless.

"Pass the order down: all troops are to retreat thirty kilometers, construct new defensive lines, and deploy in a dispersed manner to avoid being hit while concentrated," Tang Siling ordered in a deep voice,

"At the same time, send out all reconnaissance squads to find out the specific deployment and performance of the enemy's rocket artillery."

The Chief of Staff asked cautiously, "Commander, should we request air support from our superiors? Only aircraft can threaten rocket artillery firing from a long distance."

Tang Siling nodded, "Send a telegram immediately to request Air Force support. Tell them the enemy has a new type of weapon that can destroy our defenses from a long distance; we must dispatch a Bomber to suppress them!"

……

The next morning, Li Yunlong held an operational meeting inside the captured enemy command post to prepare the next phase of the attack plan.

"The enemy has retreated into their shells; now is the perfect time to pursue the victory!" Li Yunlong said excitedly, "I suggest splitting our forces into three prongs to strike directly behind enemy lines and cut off and surround the enemy in the entire war zone!"

Zhao Gang raised an objection, "Lao Li, the ammunition for the rocket artillery is limited; it cannot be used in a dispersed manner. Besides, the enemy already knows the power of our weapons and will definitely take countermeasures."

Li Yunlong was dismissive, "What countermeasures? With their limited ability, I think they can only run for their lives!"

Just then, a Communication Soldier ran in hurriedly, "Commander, the reconnaissance units have discovered frequent enemy aircraft activity; it is suspected they are about to conduct a bombing!"

Li Yunlong's expression changed; air support was exactly what they were most worried about.

"Have all troops hide, and have all rocket artillery camouflaged and buried!" Li Yunlong ordered urgently, "At the same time, strengthen anti-aircraft vigilance and report immediately upon spotting enemy aircraft!"

Meanwhile, at the enemy's temporary airfield, five Bombers were busy refueling and loading bombs.

Squadron Leader Wang Wei was briefing the pilots:

"The target is the rocket artillery position and command post of Li Yunlong's troops. This weapon must be destroyed as soon as possible, otherwise our army will face the danger of a total rout!"

A pilot raised his hand to ask, "Squadron Leader, does the enemy have any Anti-aircraft weapon?"