Chapter 153

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Matsui Iwane believed that persimmons should be picked from the soft ones.

Compared with the Ninth Group Army, the Fifteenth Group Army was obviously easier to fight.

Chen Cheng's Fifteenth Group Army guarded two key towns, one Luodian and one Yangxing Town.

Last time they fought Luodian, resulting in the loss of a regiment.

Matsui Iwane figured out that Lv Muzhi's artillery fire could reach Luodian, but probably could not reach Yangxing Town, because Yangxing Town's position was relatively more forward than Luodian, located at the right front of Luodian, and there were no complete fortifications there like Luodian.

This time Matsui Iwane planned to proceed steadily, first concentrate forces to take Yangxing Town, threaten Luodian's right wing, then after all reinforcements arrived, attack Luodian, thus capturing two key towns in succession, seize the railway line to Jinling, the left wing of the Xia Guo Army in Songhu would be blocked by himself, Lv Muzhi's troops would be trapped in Shanghai!

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Gu Qingchuan happily clapped, saying: "Yangxing Town's north side relies on the Yangtze River Estuary, the east side almost faces the Huangpu River, it can be considered a salient of the Shanghai Xia Guo Army, I can dispatch light cruisers and destroyers, cannonboats to coordinate with the army, first take that place!"

After the 101st Division landed at Shizilin, the Japanese heavy artillery force also landed during the day.

Because Japanese Navy warships were backing them up, the Xia Guo Army could not get too close, nor could they stop the Japanese landing.

The Japanese heavy artillery was brought ashore one by one through landing craft, and the army finally understood: relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself!

The threat of naval gunfire to the Xia Guo Army was actually far less than the army using heavy artillery themselves, at least it could be available whenever called.

This time, the Japanese Army brought an unprecedented scale of artillery force, determined to destroy the Xia Army's defensive line with absolute firepower superiority.

Its core heavy howitzer force consisted of four independent artillery regiments.

Among these four artillery regiments, two artillery regiments were each equipped with 24 Type 38 150mm howitzers,

one artillery regiment was equipped with 24 Taisho Year 4 150mm howitzers;

another artillery regiment was equipped with 24 Type 38 120mm howitzers.

These four types totaled 96 medium and large caliber howitzers, although some models such as Type 38 were already quite old, but their weight was relatively light, easy to maneuver in the Jiangnan Water Network area, and the projection volume was huge, enough to cause serious damage to the Xia Army's field fortifications and troop assembly areas.

In addition, the Japanese Army also invested an enhanced long-range artillery cluster.

This included an artillery regiment equipped with 16 Type 92 105mm cannons, as well as two independent artillery battalions, each battalion possessing 8 Type 89 150mm cannons, their range advantage posed a severe challenge to most of the artillery equipped by the Xia Army at that time.

Facing the Xia Army's increasingly solid forts and deep defensive works, the Japanese Army even brought out the siege heavy hammer.

Two independent artillery battalions were each equipped with 4 Type 45 240mm howitzers, in addition there was a squadron equipped with 1 Type 96 240mm howitzer, another squadron was equipped with 1 Type 96 305mm heavy mortar.

However, the army's real killer move was the Special No. 24 Howitzer, this secret weapon called Special No. 24 Howitzer would also be invested into the battlefield, it was a kind of powerful 305mm howitzer.

The Special No. 24 Howitzer weighed over a hundred tons, one shell weighed over six hundred jin, no wonder Matsui Iwane was now very confident, finally did not need to frequently ask the Navy for tactical guidance!

As soon as the heavy artillery force arrived, Matsui Iwane ordered to set up the Special No. 24 Howitzer, aiming at the Fifteenth Group Army's Yangxing Town position, at the same time the Navy's naval guns also bombarded Yangxing Town, coordinating with the infantry to launch a fierce attack.

Yangxing Town suffered the fiercest bombardment since the start of the war, even compared to the Luodian Battle a few days ago, the bombing intensity could not compare to Yangxing Town.

For the Xia Guo warriors on the battlefield, the Japanese Army's heavy artillery force was a more terrifying existence than the Navy's naval guns.

Because the Army's artillery could follow the infantry forward, unlike the fleet restricted by waters.

The 98th Division's position at Yangxing Town was originally temporarily constructed, after the Japanese concentrated forces to launch an attack, the 98th Division suffered heavy casualties and had to withdraw from the position.

Fifteenth Group Army Commander Chen Cheng urgently requested Lv Muzhi to send troops to support, to hold the Yangxing Town position.

But Lv Muzhi did not send troops into the Yangxing Town area, the Japanese joint sea and land artillery firepower was too great, rushing in would be directly sending oneself to death.

"Commander Chen, Yangxing Town is actually a salient of our army's line, that place is too dangerous, we can only try our best not to lose it, but we cannot be too obsessed with Yangxing Town."

Chen Cheng was anxious to the point of being flustered, saying: "Once Yangxing Town is lost, then Luodian's right wing will be exposed, the enemy's true target is to use Yangxing Town as a path to attack Luodian, and Yangxing Town borders your Ninth Group Army's defense zone, Yangxing Town is actually a buffer zone between us and the Japanese, if Yangxing Town is lost, the future consequences are not something we can bear."

"I think the Yangxing Town area can only fight mobile warfare, not care about temporary gains and losses, Luodian is strong enough, after the Japanese take Yangxing Town, they cannot form an effective threat to Luodian in a short time, the Japanese take Yangxing Town during the day, we can plan to organize troops at night to take it back, but I suggest not completely driving the Japanese out of Yangxing Town."

Chen Cheng was very puzzled: "Why is this? Leaving the Japanese in Yangxing Town to raise a tiger as a threat?"

"Yangxing Town has certain strategic value, indeed cannot be casually abandoned, but it is also a fact that it is easy to suffer artillery fire, I suggest to engage in a melee with the Japanese at Yangxing Town, make our line with the Japanese at Yangxing Town interlocking like dog's teeth, you among me, I among you..."

After hearing this, Chen Cheng muttered to himself: "You among me, I among you?" Then speculated: "Yangxing Town is just such a small piece, this way, the Japanese artillery fire cannot be fully exerted..."

Lv Muzhi was about to interject, Chen Cheng's Communications Staff Officer handed over a telegram, "Commander, Jinling urgent telegram."

Chen Cheng hurriedly took the telegram and looked at it seriously.

The telegram from Jinling, needless to say must be sent by the President, and it was sent at the time when Yangxing Town fell, the telegram content, Lv Muzhi probably already guessed it.

After reading it, Chen Cheng was sweating profusely: "The President is very angry, ordering me to retake Yangxing Town within twenty-four hours! Wei Yue, save me!"

Lv Muzhi supported Chen Cheng's arm, about to comfort him, the Third War Zone Deputy Commander Gu Zhutong came in again.

"Cixiu, Wei Yue, Xue Yue's Nineteenth Group Army and Liao Lei's Twenty-first Group Army reinforcements will arrive soon?"

Hearing Commander Gu's words, Chen Cheng was very happy, finally there were reinforcements!

"Also, Third War Zone Commander General Feng Yuxiang has been removed from office!"

These words made the happy Chen Cheng completely confused, changing commanders in the face of battle?

Lv Muzhi asked: "Is it the President's order?"

Gu Zhutong nodded: "That's right, after the defeat at Yangxing Town, plus the Japanese Army's crazy reinforcements, the President decided to personally serve as Commander-in-Chief of the Third War Zone, commanding the Songhu War."