Chapter 136

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Battalion Commander Yoshizumi lay prone in the grass nest, hearing the sound of the Type 92 Infantry Gun from the rear, and felt much more at ease in his heart.

"Yo-sho, I hope the artillery strike produces results, allowing our entire battalion of nearly a thousand men to retreat safely!"

"Battalion Commander Yoshizumi Ge Xia, Squadron Leader Tanaka sent a telegram requesting naval gunfire support, but it cannot be obtained. The Xia Guo Army's anti-tank firepower is fierce, and the tank units cannot advance. Now we can only attack the Xia Guo positions with long-range firepower, and they request us to withdraw just like that!" The radio operator, carrying the radio on his back, reported to Battalion Commander Yoshizumi.

"Nani? What does 'withdraw just like that' mean? What does this 'just like that' mean?!" Battalion Commander Yoshizumi asked in surprise.

"The telegram says to withdraw directly now!" The radio operator answered truthfully.

"Damn it, look, can we withdraw now? We are surrounded on three sides; standing up means getting beaten, right? Can't the Emperor Chuo Army drive them away?"

"This... this humble one does not know!"

"Send a telegram, tell them to try assaulting again, at least find a way to weaken the machine gun position firepower on both wings!"

Behind the ambush position, Lv Muzhi and Chen Cheng, under the escort of an infantry regiment under Liao Yaoxiang's brigade, came to an unnamed small highland to observe the situation ahead.

Liao Yaoxiang called a battalion deputy from the front over: "How is the situation? Did the devil's tank units not take any advantage?"

"Report, Commander, the enemy's tank units attempted to assault our machine gun positions on both wings. My battalion destroyed three tanks with heavy machine guns and anti-tank guns. Currently, nearly a thousand men of the enemy's Yoshizumi Battalion have been surrounded by us, hiding in the fields and unable to leave."

Lv Muzhi stepped forward: "Good! The troops must not charge forward for close-quarters encirclement and suppression, to avoid additional casualties. Use heavy firepower to strike. The regiment direct unit's heavy mortar company has been brought by trucks, and the machine cannon company has also arrived. Give them a good pounding. If the devils don't move, blast them to death; if they dare move, sweep them with machine guns!"

Chen Cheng stepped forward: "Wei Yue ah, I heard your heavy mortar caliber is 120 millimeters? If the shells are fired into the encirclement, the devils will have a hard time."

Luo Zhuoying also nodded: "There is also a company of machine cannons equipped with 20-millimeter anti-aircraft machine cannons. They can fire at air targets and launch effective attacks on infantry and armored units on the road. With such powerful firepower, no wonder you are not at all panicked facing an entire devil battalion with just one battalion."

Lv Muzhi said humbly: "This is only possible because the devils have lost naval gunfire support and air support, allowing us to match them. If we were under the devils' naval gunfire noses, I wouldn't dare deploy our troops to the front to fight the devils even if you lent me ten guts!"

"My heavens~ Is this the power of heavy mortars?" Huang Wei held up binoculars and said in surprise.

In everyone's view, at the hiding place of the devil Yoshizumi Battalion, huge firelight burst out.

With the arrival of the regiment-level direct heavy mortar company, the firepower intensity of the ambush position instantly rose to a level that could be called destructive.

Six 120-millimeter heavy mortars were set up on the hastily constructed firing position. The gunners, based on coordinates sent back by forward observers, were adjusting the firing range and elevation angle.

For this type of heavy mortar, the shell weighs nearly sixteen kilograms, loaded with high-explosive filler, and its explosive power is far beyond that of ordinary small and medium caliber mortars.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Muffled and powerful firing sounds rang out consecutively. Six heavy 120-millimeter shells were hurled into the night sky, falling toward the broad field where the Yoshizumi Battalion was hiding.

A few seconds later, in the pitch-black field in the distance, six huge fireballs rose.

Rumble rumble rumble!

Earth-shaking explosion sounds came one after another. Even Lv Muzhi and the others observing from two li away could clearly feel the slight vibration under their feet.

The shockwave from the explosion was like a huge war hammer, slamming hard onto the ground, tearing apart or throwing into the air the rice, cotton, and the devil soldiers lying prone within ten-plus meters around the impact point.

The ambush battalion commander at the front line, seeing the effect was surprisingly good, couldn't help but laugh "crazily": "Good, good, good! This time the firepower is enough. Let the heavy mortar company implement a progressive barrage coverage! Plow every field in our encirclement that has grown anything from beginning to end!"

The 120-millimeter heavy mortars continued to fall densely, indiscriminately striking the area where the Yoshizumi Battalion was hiding. The huge explosion sound waves covered all other sounds on the battlefield.

In the field, the Japanese soldiers of the Yoshizumi Battalion encountered a disaster of annihilation. The crops and shallow field ridges they originally relied on for cover were rendered useless in the face of the power of the 120-millimeter heavy mortars.

One shell falls, and there is a shell crater several meters in diameter. No matter how the devils lie on the ground, it is useless.

Even if buried in the field, they would be thrown out!

"Concealment! Quickly conceal!"

Battalion Commander Yoshizumi's roar sounded very weak and futile amidst the huge explosions.

"Battalion Commander Ge Xia, run quickly. We have no cover to use!"

Battalion Commander Yoshizumi gritted his teeth. He could no longer count on friendly support. Even if someone came to support, he himself would probably have long been turned to ashes by this heaven-destroying and earth-extinguishing mortar.

"We can't wait any longer!" Battalion Commander Yoshizumi Ryosuke said with red eyes: "Order the 1st Squadron to cover the rear! Everyone else, immediately retreat to the rear! Quickly, quickly, as many as can withdraw count!"

At the same time, the regiment's six 20-millimeter Oerlikon machine cannons of the machine cannon company were also deployed on both sides of the position.

These automatic cannons with high rate of fire and strong penetration had their muzzles leveled, pointing toward the direction of the devils' retreat.

If the Japanese tanks dare to advance to rescue, they will face the joint slaughter of 20-millimeter machine cannons and 37-millimeter anti-tank guns. If they don't rescue, they can only watch helplessly as the Yoshizumi Battalion is crushed in the encirclement.

A soldier of the ambush battalion looked at the hellish scene in the distance and couldn't help but ask the battalion commander: "Battalion Commander, what if the little devils can't bear it and climb up to run away?"

The battalion commander sneered, pointing to the MG34 and M2 heavy machine gun positions standing ready on the flank: "That's even better. As long as they dare to show their backs, our machine guns can mow them all down in the fields. No matter how we fight, we profit!"

The instinct for survival overcame discipline and honor. The remaining Japanese soldiers, under the urging of officers and the threat of death, climbed up from their hiding places one after another.

Without regard for anything, crouching at the waist or simply standing up, they ran desperately toward the direction they came from.

But as soon as they stood up, they were completely exposed to the firepower of the Youth Army's ambush battalion.

"Finally took the bait!"

"The devils are running! All machine guns, free fire! Don't let a single one escape!" The ambush battalion commander seized the opportunity and immediately issued the order to open fire.

Seeing the devils turn their backs, the MG34 general purpose machine guns and M2 Browning heavy machine guns, which had been waiting for a long time, immediately stopped their original rhythmic suppression, then aimed at the devils' backs and mowed down the running devils in swathes.

The machine gun bullets easily tore apart the devils' bodies. The devils were practically lining up to die.

The six 20-millimeter Oerlikon machine cannons also leveled their muzzles and joined this massacre. With high rate of fire and huge lethality, they were a nightmare existence for exposed infantry. String after string of 20-millimeter shells swept across the field, and the Japanese soldiers hit were instantly torn into pieces.

The place where the devils originally hid was the good farmland of farmers in the suburbs of Shanghai, but now it had become the Youth Army's slaughterhouse.

The yellow-green rice fields that had originally borne ears and the white cotton fields were now completely ignited by artillery fire. The fresh blood of countless devil soldiers dyed the rice ears and cotton of the fields red.

"Battalion Commander Yoshizumi!" The adjutant shouted loudly.

Discovering that Battalion Commander Yoshizumi had already been blown away by a shell, half of his buttocks hung on a tree by the field edge.

In the distance, Squadron Leader Tanaka was already stunned: "Squadron Leader Nishi, do we rescue or not?"