Chapter 210: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 210 That Is a Depression

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

On the position east of Suzhou City, Yamamoto Taro, Lieutenant Colonel and Battalion Commander of Yamamoto Battalion of the Imperial Japanese Army Third Division, was anxiously inspecting the frontline position.

Facing the Youth Army's solid Wufu Defensive Line, a frontal assault had caused heavy losses, and the Division Headquarters had to order the frontline troops to switch to earthworks on the spot.

The devils of Yamamoto Battalion, aided by an irrigation ditch in a field, under the cover of artillery, widened the ditch into field fortifications and advanced forward.

On one hand, they stationed some troops in the frontline field fortifications to launch attacks at any time; on the other, they used earth-moving excavation to constantly push the front line forward.

"Yoishi, since we can't succeed on the ground, then we can only advance the trenches under the cover of artillery!"

"Faster! Speed up the digging! If we can advance to within a few hundred meters of the enemy, we can launch a surprise attack!" Yamamoto waved his military sword and roared at the devil soldiers digging frantically.

The devils worked in groups of three, taking turns, constantly swinging pickaxes and shovels, pushing the trench forward inch by inch; sweat soaked their uniforms, and mud covered their bodies.

"Eight Gua, when will this digging end... I came here to fight, not to be a farmer!" a young little devil panted, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

"Stupid new recruit, this isn't bad; if we charged forward, not one of us would survive!"

"Shut up! Focus on your work!" the sergeant shouted sternly, "Don't want to live? Saying such defeatist words at a time like this!"

After the sergeant left, a little devil newly reinforced to the Third Division asked, "Do you know which unit is opposite us? Could it be Liao Yaoxiang's unit called Empire's Ultimate Fierce Tiger? The Sixth Regiment fell into their hands..."

"Not only that," a soldier beside him interjected, "I heard that Imperial Destruction Dragon Zhou Weiguo's tank unit is also in Suzhou; last time they raided our heavy artillery regiment, and now those heavy guns are all scrap iron..."

A sergeant with scars on his face looked up at the sky, "The most terrifying is Imperial Ghost Chu Yunfei; survivors of the Tianya Brigade say that because of him, to this day some rotting Emperor Chuo warrior skulls can still be seen at the Yangtze River Estuary..."

Suddenly, a mortar shell exploded nearby, and mud splashed into the trench with a clatter.

"Take cover!"

"It's the enemy's mortar! They've discovered we're digging trenches!"

Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Yamamoto Taro hurried over with a hunched back; having heard those unworthy words from his subordinates, he immediately drove everyone away: "What are you discussing?! Return to your posts immediately! Everyone, speed up the excavation! Machine gunners, covering fire!"

Chu Yunfei held binoculars at the frontline command post, feeling somewhat puzzled.

After observing for a moment, Chu Yunfei lowered his binoculars, turned, and asked, "Why did the mortars stop after just one round?"

The Chief of Staff hurried over, looking troubled: "Brigade Commander, the forward observation post reports they simply cannot see the impact points, cannot judge the attack effectiveness, and are trying to correct the fire."

Chu Yunfei waved his hand: "Not seeing the impact points is exactly right! That is a Depression!"

"Relay my order: the eastern and western mortar groups, concentrate fire to cover that Depression!"

"Don't spare the ammunition; the two trainloads of ammunition that arrived yesterday—let the little devils have a taste!"

The order was quickly relayed to the mortar position, and soon the distinctive thumping sound of mortar firing rang out again on the position.

"All company, attention, target the Depression area, rapid fire!"

"Loading complete!"

"Fire!"

Since it was indirect fire, dense shells whistled through the sky, tracing arcs, then slammed into the trench area where the Japanese were digging.

Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Yamamoto Taro, supervising the battle at the front, suddenly heard dense whistling in the air; his face changed drastically: "Artillery strike! Again! Take cover quickly!"

But this round of bombardment was clearly different from the previous one; this round was a full-scale fire coverage by dozens of mortars, with shrapnel and shockwaves from the explosions flying everywhere.

"Medic! Help needed here!"

"My leg! My leg was blown off!"

After round after round of salvo, the inside of the trench was a horrifying sight: shattered limbs, broken shovels and pickaxes, and mud soaked in fresh blood all mixed together.

Yamamoto Taro lay at the bottom of the trench, shaking the mud off his body, and shouted hoarsely: "Keep digging! Can't stop! Engineer Battalion, repair the collapsed sections!"

However, the defenders' artillery fire seemed endless. The eastern and western gun groups took turns firing, forming continuous fire coverage.

"Brigade Commander, each gun has already fired half a quota, and we still don't know the effect?" the Chief of Staff reminded him.

Chu Yunfei had no doubts: "Keep firing! Tell the artillery to fire a full quota before stopping; I want the devils to know that digging under my Chu Yunfei's eyelids isn't so easy!"

The bombardment lasted a full hour; when the last echo of the explosion faded, the Japanese trenches in the Depression were unrecognizable.

Multiple sections were completely flattened; surviving Japanese soldiers crawled with difficulty among the ruins, trying to rescue the wounded.

A Squadron Leader said: "Battalion Commander Your Excellency, it's no good; the enemy's fire is too fierce; we'd better withdraw to the rear quickly!"

Battalion Commander Yamamoto shook his head: "No, we've just gained a foothold on the frontline; we can't easily give up this position; launching an attack from here is much faster than attacking from the rear."

"I've already contacted Division Commander Your Excellency; he will assign another battalion to reinforce us, and will also send mortars and special shells; we'll use special shells to attack the Youth Army opposite us right here!"

At the Third Division Command Post, Division Commander Fujita Susumu, upon learning that Yamamoto Battalion had suffered heavy losses but had gained a foothold on the frontline, was overjoyed.

"Immediately send the special shells forward; the special shells used this time are corrosive poison gas; gas masks are useless!"

"Send another battalion as reinforcement; I think it won't be long—tomorrow or the day after—we'll tear a hole in this Wufu Defensive Line!"

The Division Chief of Staff also nodded: "Division Commander Your Excellency, there is an old Chinese saying: attacking cities is the lowest strategy, attacking the heart is the highest."

"Our army's offensive is swift; besides conventional offensives, poison gas warfare must be combined with psychological warfare; think about it—once the Youth Army opposite is hit by corrosive poison gas, their skin will rot all over, and combined with our surrender propaganda, it will definitely be effective!"

Fujita Susumu was very pleased: "Yoishi, immediately arrange to print leaflets; I want the leaflets and special shells dropped into the Youth Army's positions at the same time!"