Chapter 448: Heavy Artillery Unleashed

At this moment!

The Japanese Navy commander, Fujiwara Koji, was receiving a report from a Communications Soldier regarding Colonel Shibata Anrong.

Upon learning that the Sichuan Army unit possessed powerful firepower and that the Imperial Warriors of the Navy Marine Corps had suffered heavy casualties, he ordered the Imperial Japanese Navy's Naval Guns to prepare for support.

Just as Fujiwara Koji was about to issue the order!

Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound of airflow came from the sky; as a Japanese Army commander who had dealt with battlefields for years, he was not at all unfamiliar with such a sound.

Because this tearing sound of the air was clearly the sound of the Imperial Type 96 150 mm Heavy Artillery!

Many of the little devils heard the sound of the Type 96 Heavy Artillery, but none of them thought of the National Revolutionary Army.

Because, to these Japanese officers, this 150 mm Heavy Artillery was an advanced piece of Imperial Army ordnance, which could only be equipped by Imperial Heavy Artillery units.

Fujiwara Koji was still thinking that the Imperial Heavy Artillery unit had come to the vicinity without even giving the Imperial Navy a heads-up.

"Boom—!!"

Although the remaining six ships were hit, they were still able to sail. Fujiwara Koji first rescued some sailors, then ordered the sailors in the Lifeboats to follow on their own.

At Ning Dabiao's artillery position, the shells from the first round of the Japanese Naval Gun bombardment landed, falling five hundred meters away from the artillery position.

The men of the Central Army Regiment were also given a huge fright.

The only way was to relocate the headquarters and change the flagship.

Shells filled the sky, rushing toward the Japanese ships; many ships were hit directly, and as it happened, the Japanese ships also opened fire on Ning Dabiao's artillery position.

In the Japanese Navy, Fujiwara Koji received a report from his subordinates that the Observation Soldier had estimated the approximate location of the National Revolutionary Army's heavy artillery.

When the ships on the river caught fire and emitted violent explosions, Japanese officers like Fujiwara Koji suddenly realized the truth.

"Baka yaro!"

Immediately, the Central Army's artillery and the Sichuan Army 22nd Group Army's artillery began to strike the devils in the river with artillery fire.

It was very fortunate that the shells fired by the Japanese ships had veered off course.

On this side, Ning Dabiao's heavy artillery unit fired five shells, and the Observation Soldier reported that the hit rate was not high, having only destroyed ten Japanese ships, leaving eighteen ships in the Japanese fleet.

Therefore, after the little devils' ship shells left the barrels, they deviated by about twenty centimeters.

The Japanese ships on the river were moving, adjusting their artillery, preparing to destroy the enemy's artillery position.

"Yoshi!"

This damn thing was not the Imperial Heavy Artillery unit at all, but the National Revolutionary Army's heavy artillery that had arrived!

"Baka!"

And just at this moment, the 22nd Group Army's Regiment, with its 36 Heavy Artillery pieces, suddenly unleashed its power.

After the massive explosion, Fujiwara Koji and others were blown into fragments; at the same time, the ship completely lost power, the hull damage worsened, and river water poured in continuously.

When Ning Dabiao's Central Army artillery began.

"Brothers!"

From the sound of the opposing heavy artillery, he judged that the opponent possessed 36 Heavy Artillery pieces.

"Give me a full salvo, blow them to pieces!"

As an artillery unit, every ordinary artilleryman also knew that it was difficult for land-based artillery to hit moving targets at sea.

There was simply no Bushido spirit of the Imperial Warriors!

Because the 22nd Group Army's heavy artillery hit the Japanese ships in the middle, this time the hit rate was almost one hundred percent; every single ship was hit.

Seeing a ship beside him hit and catching fire, Fujiwara Koji shouted in a rage: "Immediately calculate the position of the National Revolutionary Army's heavy artillery and take it out for me!"

The remaining four ships also saw their speed greatly reduced; likewise, Fujiwara Koji learned that his flagship was the most severely damaged and could no longer maintain its speed.

Just as Fujiwara Koji was nodding, the Sichuan Army 22nd Group Army's Regiment conducted a second bombardment, and two 150 mm shells, plus one 120 mm shell, landed right in the headquarters.

24 Heavy Artillery pieces fired at the remaining ships, directly tearing the devils' vessels to pieces, sinking two on the spot.

Now the Japanese ships' Naval Guns were already adjusting!

Fujiwara Koji received a report from his subordinate: "Report to the Commander, twelve ships in the fleet are severely damaged, and the hulls are taking on water, making it impossible to maintain balance."

But, these six ships had been sailing for less than a minute when Ning Dabiao's Regiment launched its second wave of artillery fire.

Yu Dazhu was currently in the heavy artillery unit, and upon hearing the Japanese Type 96 150 mm Howitzer, he thought the little devils' heavy artillery had arrived.

Having no other choice, Fujiwara Koji issued the order to retreat; after receiving the Commander's instruction, the Japanese fleet began to release Lifeboats, and the Japanese Navy boarded them.

If the little devils' Naval Guns hadn't missed, given their reaction, the first round of shelling, while unable to completely wipe out the Central Army Regiment,

At this time, the Sichuan Army 22nd Group Army's heavy artillery had also set up an artillery position nearby.

Deputy Regiment Commander Li Daxi was also urging the artillerymen!

This artillery unit had all received German-style training, and after obtaining these Type 96 artillery pieces, the whole Regiment had been honing their skills for over half a month, and now they were proficient in operating them.

He was just about to order the calculation of the opponent's artillery position coordinates, but unfortunately, after listening carefully to the artillery fire, he discovered that the position of this artillery was very close to his own artillery position.

After a round of shelling, the entire river changed color, turning a bright, vivid red!!

They had to speed up now and finish off the remaining Japanese ships at the previous coordinates, otherwise, their artillery position would be lost here today.

A group of Navy officers were also requesting Fujiwara Koji to change his flagship immediately and resume command of the battle.

Plus, with the forward observation post reporting that the Japanese ships on the river had been struck by heavy artillery, Yu Dazhu immediately realized that there must be a National Revolutionary Army heavy artillery unit nearby.

Hearing this, Ning Dabiao immediately said: "Correct the coordinates immediately, be quick, we must fire first, finish off the remaining Japanese ships for me."

This made Fujiwara Koji's anger flare up; there were actually two heavy artillery units nearby, the National Revolutionary Army was truly detestable, actually resorting to such sneak attack tactics.

However, it could also take out a few of Ning Dabiao's Regiment's Heavy Artillery pieces!

Likewise, when Ning Dabiao heard the sound of the heavy artillery salvo, he was suddenly overjoyed; there was actually a reinforced heavy artillery regiment nearby.

"We have friendly forces, everyone pull yourselves together, give the Japanese fleet a second bombardment, fire!"

"Abandon ship immediately, release the Lifeboats, rescue the wounded, and leave here at once."

Seeing the Commander's flagship sink, the remaining three ships also began to flee for their lives, but this was ultimately in vain; all three ships were hit by the Sichuan Army's artillery fire!

He immediately gave the order to shell the Japanese Army ships at once, not giving the enemy a chance to counter-attack the friendly artillery positions.

Colonel Shibata Anrong did not yet know the news of the Japanese Army fleet's destruction; he was wholeheartedly leading his own troops toward the coordinates given by Commander Fujiwara Koji.

After learning from the Observation Soldier that the Japanese Army fleet had been annihilated, Ning Dabiao let out a long sigh of relief; he had the artillery use gunfire to replace cannon fire to express a greeting between artillerymen to the artillery unit he had never met.

(End of this chapter)