Chapter 446: Lending a Hand

"Immediately calculate the coordinates of the Japanese Army fleet!" Zhang Yun shouted loudly.

"Connect me to the artillery regiment directly under the 22nd Group Army!"

The Communication Staff Officer immediately cranked the telephone for Zhang Yun, and the call was connected very quickly.

Zhang Yun did not stand on ceremony and told the artillery regiment directly under the 22nd Group Army that he would have them strike the Japanese Army fleet on the river in a moment.

After the 9th War Zone learned of the plan by Liu Zhangqing, Yu Hua, as well as Rao Guohua, Liu Yuqing, Guo Xunqi, and others to annihilate the Japanese Army 6th Division and the Hada Detachment.

Sun Zhen also dispatched the artillery regiment directly under the Group Army to provide support, and at the same time, a heavy artillery regiment belonging to the Central Army also secretly followed Wang Yaowu and the others to participate in this battle.

Just as Zhang Yun was talking to the artillery regiment of the 23rd Group Army!

The Communication Staff Officer came to Zhang Yun's side and reported the calculated coordinates of the Japanese Army fleet.

After the Type 96 150mm Howitzer was manufactured by the Sichuan Arsenal, Chang Kaishen, who had an artillery background, was very happy and highly praised the Sichuan Arsenal.

The Type 94 75mm Mountain Gun is the Japanese Army's newest mountain gun, with a range that can reach 8 to 9 kilometers, and its performance far exceeds the Type 41 Mountain Gun.

The entire division is to prepare for a charge to completely annihilate the Hada Detachment inside.

The current number of artillery pieces is 12 105mm howitzers, 12 120mm howitzers, and 12 150mm howitzers.

When the Deputy Regimental Commander Li Daxi saw the Chief of Staff say this, he interjected: "Chief of Staff, what you said is not right."

The military industry in Sichuan Province is already able to meet self-sufficiency; the Type 94 Mountain Gun, the Type 41 Mountain Gun, and the Schneider M1919 Mountain Gun are things we can build.

However, because the "Little Mustache" recalled the German officers and trade between the two sides was interrupted, this second heavy artillery regiment should have arrived in China long ago, but now both sides are still bickering.

As an artillery regiment, besides these 36 heavy artillery pieces, there are also 12 Type 94 75mm Mountain Guns, 12 Schneider M1919 75mm Mountain Guns, and 12 Type 41 Mountain Guns.

These 36 large-caliber artillery pieces all belong to heavy artillery; they have great power and long range!

"Regimental Commander!"

The Sichuan Army held high the banner of resisting Japan and saving the nation, expressing that they would negotiate properly with the foreigners and sell the Type 96 150mm Heavy Artillery to the National Government at cost price.

After the call between the two sides ended, Zhang Yun called over the scouts directly under the division headquarters and asked them to observe the effect of the poison gas inside Anqing City, once it had dissipated sufficiently.

"As the saying goes, a general in the field is not bound by the orders of his sovereign; we encountered the Japanese Army fleet shelling friendly forces on the way to reinforce, although we are not clear where the friendly forces are."

The National Government naturally hoped that the second heavy artillery regiment would return to the country as soon as possible to avoid long delays leading to trouble; after multiple negotiations by the Chinese side, the "Little Mustache" side also relented and guaranteed that the second heavy artillery regiment would definitely be delivered to China.

"What's more, the Japanese Army fleet is now single-mindedly shelling friendly forces and is completely unprepared; if we strike with artillery fire, this Japanese Army fleet might sink into the river immediately."

"Don't know who to hit!"

The Nanjing Command in Hankou began to set about forming the second heavy artillery regiment, and this second heavy artillery regiment was still the German-style 150mm heavy artillery.

In order to satisfy the number of artillery battalions for the Sichuan Army units, the main energy of the Arsenal is still focused on manufacturing mountain guns, Type 92 Infantry Guns, and mortars.

If we don't sink this devil fleet, it would be a disservice to the military merit delivered to our doorstep.

"We can completely give the Japanese Army fleet a hard kick in the rear."

The artillery regiment under the command of Ning Dabiao was a heavy artillery unit just formed by the Nanjing Command in Hankou; although this heavy artillery unit was not German-style artillery.

He knew well the role of the 150mm howitzer on the front-line battlefield, especially in the Songhu Battle, where the German-style heavy artillery also played a certain role and achieved good results.

"Strike these sons-of-a-bitch Japanese Navy troops and let them taste the shells of our Chinese heavy artillery."

"Regimental Commander, our scouts discovered in the Yangtze River ahead that there are about twenty Japanese Army fleet vessels, and they are currently firing their guns."

However, distant water cannot quench a near thirst; after Principal Chang learned that the Sichuan Army had produced heavy artillery, he immediately dispatched Song Ziwen to contact the Sichuan Army.

And at this time, on the river surface where the Fujiwara Koji fleet was located, on a road five kilometers away, cars were towing artillery and traveling along the road.

With Ning Dabiao's order, the entire regiment's artillery began to take action, and after finding a suitable place, they constructed an artillery position at the fastest speed.

Seeing Ning Dabiao lost in thought, the Chief of Staff on the side said: "Old Ning, the order we received is to reinforce Wang Yaowu and Feng Shengfa and the others."

However, these people were all artillerymen who had received German-style training, and their gunnery skills were not bad at all.

"Xiao Wang, what's going on?" Inside the car, a lieutenant colonel asked.

Moreover, the "Little Mustache" even allocated 24 150mm heavy artillery pieces to the Chinese side from the heavy artillery regiments equipped by the German Army.

"Destroying twenty or so Japanese Army vessels is also a great merit!"

Large-caliber artillery can only be formed into artillery regiments directly under a Group Army. After all, large-caliber artillery requires car towing, which is quite troublesome, so belonging to a Group Army is the most secure choice for now.

After Song Ziwen arrived in Sichuan Province and contacted several high-ranking generals of the Sichuan Army—Liu Wenhui, Pan Wenhua, and Deng Xihou—he hoped that the Sichuan Army could sell a batch of artillery to the National Government at cost price.

The artillery regiment of the 23rd Group Army under Sun Zhen is a super-large artillery regiment.

As soon as Ning Dabiao heard this, a flash of light appeared in his eyes: "Let's do it!"

The artillery regiment of the 23rd Group Army took a measurement, and good heavens, this little devil fleet was just within the range of the 105mm howitzers, 120mm howitzers, and 150mm howitzers.

The Regimental Commander of the 23rd Group Army's artillery regiment patted his chest and guaranteed that he would strike the Japanese Army fleet hard and ensure that these little devils were sunk into the river water.

It began service in the Japanese Army units in 1936, and now the Sichuan Arsenal, under the blueprints provided by Yu Hua, has finally manufactured this model of heavy artillery.

Large-caliber artillery, although it can be imitated, is much slower in efficiency than mountain guns.

Ning Dabiao's heavy artillery regiment possesses 24 Japanese-style 150mm heavy artillery pieces, the Type 96 150mm Howitzer.

But now, the Sichuan Arsenal can also imitate them.

"Regimental Commander... Regimental Commander..." In the dark night, a man riding a horse, wearing a khaki outfit, quickly arrived in front of a car.

"This shelling of the Japanese Army fleet is not in our orders, is it?"

After the negotiations ended, in less than half a month, 24 Type 96 150mm Howitzers were transported to Wuhan.

The Type 96 150mm Howitzer was manufactured in Sichuan Province; this artillery piece is also a new type of field howitzer developed by the Japanese Army.

Ning Dabiao heard this and felt that this was a good opportunity; twenty or so Japanese Army vessels were currently shelling other places.

If he led the artillery regiment and just set up the artillery and unleashed a round of artillery coverage on the fleet, he might be able to completely annihilate them.

Following the large-scale infrastructure construction in Sichuan Province, plus the discovery of quite a lot of iron ore and some other mineral deposits in various places in Sichuan Province.

"But now is a time for the whole nation to unite and single-mindedly fight the devils; as long as one is Chinese, seeing such a scene, one must go and help out."

The second heavy artillery regiment of China was officially established in Wuhan, with the designation Heavy Artillery Regiment 11.

As for the second German-style 150mm heavy artillery regiment that was originally planned to be formed, it has now been changed to the third heavy artillery regiment, with the designation unchanged, Heavy Artillery Regiment 14.

(End of chapter)