Chapter 170

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

The order was issued quickly; Oshima Tadatada, commander of the 101st Division's 101st Cavalry Battalion, received this escort mission.

The 11th Division's Cavalry Battalion was also placed under Oshima Tadatada's command, meaning there were two Cavalry Battalions on the scene.

Oshima led the two Cavalry Battalions, rendezvoused with eight rumbling armored vehicles and an Infantry Battalion, and arrived beside the heavy artillery position that was advancing with great difficulty.

Almost every division on the Songhu Battlefield had a subordinate Cavalry Battalion; Oshima Tadatada's Cavalry Battalion numbered nearly four hundred men, with two cavalry squadrons, one machine gun squadron, and roughly 270 war horses.

With two Cavalry Battalions, Oshima Tadatada commanded over five hundred war horses.

The Infantry Battalion of over a thousand men also performing escort duty, plus eight armored vehicles — in other words, about 1,500 devils were protecting the heavy artillery force as it closed on the devils' main force.

Cavalry Battalion Commander Oshima Tadatada looked at the heavy guns being dragged by mules and towing trucks, especially the one called the "Special No. 24 Howitzer" — a 305mm heavy cannon that required a special heavy tractor to move, like a steel behemoth.

Oshima Tadatada couldn't help but knit his brows tight; he rode his horse to the Artillery Regiment Commander's side and said with some impatience:

"Can't the speed be a bit faster? The infantry is already waiting up front for artillery fire support! At this rate of movement, when will we ever get there?"

As a cavalry noble, Oshima Tadatada made no effort to hide his irritation even when facing the Artillery Regiment Commander.

The Artillery Regiment Commander, wiping sweat, didn't humor Oshima either, pointing at that Special No. 24 Howitzer: "What's the rush? This big guy weighes over a hundred tons per gun, the roads are bad, just being able to move it is already no easy feat! We're already going all out!

The Special No. 24 Howitzer has to be disassembled before it can be transported; just wait patiently! Without our Army artillery, let's see how much effort the Navy's naval guns are willing to put in!"

Oshima looked at the massive barrel of the Special No. 24 Howitzer; the gunners were stripping to the waist as they broke down this 305mm caliber giant cannon.

Even on horseback, Oshima had to crane his neck to look up at this big gun, and there were four such guns in the position.

Besides these, the Japanese artillery position also had twenty-four 150mm and 120mm howitzers.

Oshima looked at the various large-caliber guns, then at the accompanying armored vehicles, and felt a pang of unease: "Could it be that my cavalry has truly declined...?"

The Infantry Battalion Commander walked over at this moment: "Lord Oshima, the artillerymen are organizing the guns on the position; the enemy's only possible attack direction is the western front. Our battalion will deploy on the western front to defend. As for your cavalry... just leave them on the artillery position to serve as mobile support!"

Oshima nodded; he could only arrange it this way. His cavalry wasn't suited to be deployed up front for a defensive battle either.

On the western front of the devils' artillery position, Zhou Weiguo's Tank Commando was indeed coming from this side!

Division Commander Yamamuro Sōbu guessed someone might come to raid the artillery position, but he hadn't expected the enemy's speed of action to be this fast.

According to Yamamuro Sōbu's understanding, he had dispatched nearly two thousand men to protect the artillery; no matter how strong the Youth Army, they would have to send a force of over a thousand to attack, right? With that many people running around outside, he would surely discover them in time and stop them.

But who knew, Zhou Weiguo's Tank Commando was effectively a small mechanized force; its mobility relied entirely on wheels. Its marching speed and combat power far exceeded the devils' expectations.

In the Central Route Army Command, Lv Muzhi's radio crackled once, then Zhou Weiguo's voice came through: "This is Imperial Destruction Dragon; we have visually acquired the Japanese artillery position's outer perimeter defensive line!"

Lv Muzhi picked up the handset: "Received. Proceed according to the original plan."

After issuing the order, Lv Muzhi ordered Qiu Qingquan to have the Division Reconnaissance Battalion prepare to receive them.

"How did they get here so fast?!" The devils' Infantry Battalion had just deployed its line when they discovered a large number of tanks approaching from the west.

"This is... hurry, send the armor platoon up! Enemy tanks spotted!" The Infantry Battalion Commander shouted, then had men bring the accompanying Type 92 infantry guns forward.

"Enemy tank group spotted on the western front! Very fast!" The cry of alarm from the Japanese forward observation post traveled via telephone to the Infantry Battalion command post.

The Battalion Commander's heart tightened; he immediately ordered: "Type 92 Infantry Guns, aim at the enemy lead tanks, direct fire! Quick!"

"Have the Artillery Regiment's artillerymen conduct interdiction fire!" Amid the chaos, the devil Battalion Commander yelled again.

The two Type 92 Infantry Gun crews nervously adjusted their arcs of fire: "Armor-piercing shells, fire!" The gun commander roared.

"Boom! Boom!" The shells burst from the muzzles, arcing through the air, but landed far behind the speeding 38T tank cluster, kicking up two clods of mud.

"Correct the parameters, you bastards!" The gun commander was sweating profusely with anxiety.

"The enemy tanks are moving targets, hard to hit!"

The devils' infantry guns hadn't fired more than a few rounds before Zhou Weiguo's tank cluster had closed to a much nearer distance.

"All vehicles, attention: maintain formation, do not slow down! Machine gunners, suppress enemy artillery and infantry positions! Main guns, free fire at valuable targets!" Zhou Weiguo's calm voice reached every vehicle via radio.

In an instant, the 38T tanks leading the charge fired their 37mm guns and coaxial machine guns simultaneously; shells and bullets rained down on the Japanese improvised defensive line like a downpour.

Whether they hit or not didn't matter; as long as they could open fire and suppress the little devils, that was enough.

This Tank Commando's objective was to smash into the devils' artillery position and destroy the devils' guns.

By the time the steel torrent of tanks drew ever closer, the Youth Army infantry riding on the tanks jumped off one after another; the warriors on bicycles also dismounted to fight, using their submachine guns, machine guns, and rifles in coordination with the tank force to tear open the little devils' defensive line.

"The armor platoon is here! Battalion Commander Excellency!"

"Good, armor platoon, attack! Stop them!" The Infantry Battalion Commander ordered with a voice torn raw.

The eight Type 92 Armored Cars deployed behind the position rumbled out; the 7.7mm machine guns on their roofs swept wildly, striking the armor of the 38Ts and Sanhao Tanks with a clatter, yet failing to pose any real threat.

"Prioritize eliminating the devils' armored cars! Number Three crew, that one on the left front is yours!" Zhou Weiguo ordered.

A Sanhao Tank adjusted its heading slightly; the turret rotated steadily, the 50mm long-barrel gun locking onto the target.

With a crisp bang, the shell easily tore through the Type 92 Armored Car's weak frontal armor, then triggered a violent explosion, blowing the devils' armored car straight into a pile of scrap iron.

Seeing the Number Three tank's attack effectiveness, Zhou Weiguo felt very satisfied. Drawing on several battles' experience fighting devil tanks, this sortie he hadn't brought armor-piercing shells; high-explosive shells alone were sufficient to deal with the Japanese tanks on this battlefield.

If he used armor-piercing shells, though their penetration was strong, the shell would just punch a hole in the front and back of the devils' tank, and the devils' tank might even keep moving.

But with high-explosive shells, the devils' papier-mâché tanks likewise couldn't stop them, and they could inflict greater explosive damage.

At this very moment in the artillery position, the Artillery Regiment Commander looked at the heavy guns that had just been packed up, wanting to cry but having no tears.

Cavalry Battalion Commander Oshima ran over, panting heavily, and asked: "Where's the artillery fire support?!"