Chapter 250: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 250 Cruisers Deployed!!

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Three days ago, the two men, under cover of poison gas and tanks, once broke into a position of the Fifty-Ninth Division.

Second Lieutenant Minoru Xiangwei appeared happy on the surface, but in truth he was terrified whenever he thought of that day.

That day his unit had gathered over a thousand men, and Second Lieutenant Minoru Xiangwei led a squad to break into a machine-gun position.

Unexpectedly, large numbers of enemies, without wearing gas-proof suits and only wearing gas masks, rushed out from all directions.

Second Lieutenant Minoru Xiangwei's gas-proof suit was slashed open by a Xia State soldier's bayonet, and his arm now had many blisters.

"Minoru-kun, you wouldn't have been scared by the enemy, would you? Forget about this Jiangyin Fortress—let's say I won the killing contest!" Second Lieutenant Noda Takeshi shouted loudly.

"Hmph! Let's decide it all by the Battle of Jiangyin Fortress and see who ultimately kills the most Chinese soldiers!"

This time, the Japanese daredevil squad wore only gas masks; due to days of high-intensity combat, the Japanese professional gas-proof suits were also severely worn out, and since the enemy had begun retreating, the Japanese hid their gas-proof suits for future use.

The Japanese fired shells filled with suffocating poison gas, such as phosgene and chlorine, at Jiangyin Fortress.

Upon receiving a reconnaissance report in the morning that several hundred enemy troops had not yet evacuated Jiangyin Fortress, the Sixteenth Division decided to swallow up all several hundred Xia State soldiers inside the fortress.

The Japanese assault team, already waiting at the attack departure position, about eight hundred men, put on gas masks one by one and checked their rifles, light machine guns, and demolition equipment.

Without the cumbersome gas-proof suits, their movements were much lighter.

"Assault!" With the frontline commander's order, these eight hundred-plus Japanese soldiers, under cover of several Japanese destroyers that quietly approached the riverbank and used naval guns for extended suppressive fire, scattered with a clatter into several attack waves and surged toward Jiangyin Fortress.

Minoru Xiangwei and Noda Takeshi each led their own squads, charging at the forefront of their respective companies.

Both men were determined to outdo each other in this killing contest.

The fierce resistance they expected did not appear; only sporadic gunfire, sounding like stray bullets, came from the distance.

"Something's wrong..." Minoru Xiangwei muttered to himself, but his steps did not stop.

The Japanese assault team soon approached an outer cover entrance of the Huangshan Battery. The iron door of the cover was half-open, inside pitch-black and silent.

"Search!" Minoru Xiangwei made a hand signal, and several soldiers carefully approached, peering inside.

"Report, Second Lieutenant! Inside... seems no one!" The soldier's voice came through the gas mask, full of doubt.

"No one?" Noda Takeshi also brought his men over, looking at the hollow cover entrance and scattered debris inside, his expression changed too.

Soon, more assault squads reported similar news: several preset forts, machine-gun nests, and observation posts were all empty.

Only some damaged equipment left behind too late or deliberately remained.

"Baka! Did the Chinese run?!" Noda Takeshi cursed.

Boom!!

A loud bang came, and the Japanese inside the fortress all crouched down.

A soldier triggered a booby trap left behind by the defenders; although the yield was not large, it caused casualties in the narrow space.

Just then, a scout sent by the division headquarters to accompany the operation ran over, panting, and reported to the major leading the team: "Sir! Traces of a large enemy force retreating west have been found! Footprints and tire tracks are very fresh, almost retreating along the Yangtze River!"

"Pursue!" The major leading the team almost did not hesitate. What credit was there in capturing an empty fortress compared to pursuing a defeated enemy and expanding the victory?

Moreover, in his view, the Xia State defenders abandoning such a strong fortress and fleeing west was exactly a sign of collapsed morale and inability to fight again—the perfect time to pursue and annihilate the enemy!

Orders spread quickly; the Japanese assault team, originally carefully searching the fortress, immediately changed targets, all rushing out of the fortress and shouting as they chased west.

Minoru Xiangwei and Noda Takeshi looked at each other—chasing defeated troops in the open field and slaughtering them was far easier than attacking strong fortifications! Their killing contest seemed to have found the most suitable arena.

On the surface of the Yangtze River, those several Japanese destroyers providing fire support slowly adjusted their positions, preparing to carefully pass through the blocked Yangtze waterway to avoid colliding with previously sunk warships.

Naval officers on the bridge held binoculars, watching the army on shore surge out of the fortress works like a tide, chasing wildly west.

"These army idiots—are their brains filled with muscle?" A naval lieutenant put down his binoculars and said contemptuously: "The situation inside the fortress is unclear, and they all rush out to pursue? If there's an ambush, or the enemy is luring them in deep..."

"Forget it, let them be." The captain shook his head. "Our task is to provide limited fire support and monitor the river surface."

"Remind all ships, pass slowly, stay vigilant, inform Commander Gu Qingchuan that someone can be sent to salvage the sunken ships."

"As for the army liking to take risks, let them try their luck."

It could be said that the luck of these pursuing army idiots was quite good—they hooked a 'big fish' right away.

Among the group charging at the very front, Minoru Xiangwei and Noda Takeshi had already left the Jiangyin Fortress area by two or three kilometers; ahead was a relatively flat riverbank beach and some low hills.

A Japanese army corporal suddenly stopped, pointing at the Yangtze behind the hills and said: "When did those navy idiots run ahead of us?! Are they trying to steal credit?!"

Hearing this, Minoru Xiangwei raised his binoculars and indeed saw several tall bridges behind the hills; after looking for a while, he actually discovered that the flag hanging on top of the bridge was actually a Blue Sky White Sun Flag!

"Baka! That's not our navy idiots, it's Xia State's fleet! Hide quickly!"

Boom boom boom!!

It was indeed the Xia State Navy First Fleet; the fleet had long discovered the Japanese army soldiers running naked along the Yangtze riverbank.

At such close range, the first salvo shells from each ship accurately fell on the densest and most exposed flat area of the riverbank where the Japanese pursuit column was.

Boom! Boom boom boom!!

Huge explosions rang out one after another, fire soared into the sky, and dirt, rubble, and severed limbs were instantly thrown into the air.

This was not an ordinary army mountain gun or field gun; the explosive power and shrapnel coverage were far greater!

The main force of the Xia State Navy First Fleet, under the command of fleet commander Chen Jiliang, seized this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity!

As the fleet flagship, the Pinghai Light Cruiser, with a standard displacement of about 2,500 tons, had four 140mm main guns in two twin turrets, one at the bow and one at the stern; shells crossed the river surface at extremely high muzzle velocity, smashing into the Japanese crowds.

Next, the Ninghai Light Cruiser, as the sister ship of the Pinghai, with the same weapon configuration, also entered the battlefield.

These two warships, as the main force ships in the center, besides the 140mm main guns, the anti-aircraft machine guns on board also swept the shore nonstop, driving the Japanese soldiers on shore to scatter in panic.

There was also the Yixian Cruiser of over a thousand tons, and other light ships, all pouring fire toward the shore.

Even more remarkable was the Haiqi Cruiser, the navy's largest tonnage ship at over four thousand tons, already 38 years old, a legacy left by the Qing Government, the largest tonnage warship in the country, with two 203mm main guns, ten 120mm secondary guns, and sixteen 47mm machine cannons on board.

Haiqi Cruiser (Originally could post images, OVO)

Haiqi Cruiser originally planned to self-sink at Jiangyin to blockade the Yangtze River, but the later plan to sink it in the river was shelved, so the Navy Ministry carried out emergency repairs and maintenance on Haiqi Cruiser.

After repairs, nearly half of the guns aboard Haiqi Cruiser were still usable, and even one of the twin-mounted 203-millimeter main guns could fire shells.

Navy Minister Chen Shaokuan stood on the bridge of Haiqi Cruiser supervising combat, gnashing his teeth as he muttered: "Haiqi, Haiqi, you weren't there when the Qing dynasty changed hands, but this time I only ask that you contribute something in this matter of fighting the Ghosts..."

"Minister, the shells are loaded!" an artilleryman shouted.

Chen Shaokuan did not hesitate, shouting loudly: "Fire!!!"

Boom!

Haiqi Cruiser's machine soul was apparently greatly pleased, and its 203 main gun fired several rounds toward the Ghosts on shore.

In an instant, shells of various calibers landed, creating a crater several meters in diameter, within which no person or beast within tens of meters survived.

This was the first time since the Ghosts began the war that Xia Guo's naval gunfire had bombed them!