sjar Chapter 1088 Precious Cannons
Chapter 1088 Precious Cannons
As if to verify the company commander's words, a huge explosion rang out immediately after he finished speaking, and rocks tumbled down from the surrounding mountains. Seeing the situation, many Japanese soldiers abandoned their efforts to salvage the artillery and desperately tried to escape, some completely losing their minds, clutching their heads and screaming incoherently.
The reason for this reaction was simply because they knew they couldn't escape. The surrounding mountains were full of sheer cliffs, and such a massive explosion had created a man-made mudslide. To be more precise, it should be described as a rockfall.
The Japanese soldiers were most concerned about preventing ambushes along the way, but they didn't expect to encounter such a thing even though there were no ambushes along the way.
As large swathes of rocks fell, the pilots in the sky could see very clearly that several dive bombers first rushed to a high altitude, then made a sharp turn and came down towards the artillery below, like the Grim Reaper wielding a scythe.
Hearing the sound of dive bombers, the Japanese soldiers were utterly disheartened. The rocks they had just encountered could only destroy a portion of the enemy's defenses, but now, real bombs were falling. If any of their artillery pieces were to remain intact after such attacks, it would truly be a miracle, thanks to the blessings of Amaterasu.
Unfortunately, Amaterasu Omikami didn't have that much power. When they opened their eyes again, less than 20% of them did, the rest were all dead. They weren't shocked by what they saw, as if it were all perfectly normal.
In fact, after encountering great danger, these people no longer cared about the artillery; their primary concern was their own survival.
"Retreat! Retreat! Japanese fighter planes spotted to the northeast!"
When our planes had dropped 70% of their bombs, Japanese fighter planes were spotted to the northeast. Fortunately, they could drop their bombs on the way back, so the bombers on the scene ended their mission for the day. Anyway, there were no targets to be found below, so dropping them would just be hitting rocks.
Upon witnessing this, our intelligence team immediately concealed themselves and retreated into the mountains, withdrawing according to plan to a designated location. Two mountain bikes, both genuine German-made, were already prepared.
Hearing the sound of motorcycles coming from the mountain, the Japanese soldiers searched here and there, but they could only hear the sound and couldn't see anyone at all. Some of them even fired a few shots, but apart from shooting down some tree branches, they really didn't achieve anything.
In contrast, their transport team now only has one 105mm cannon left; all the other cannons have been reduced to parts.
"Clean up the battlefield."
The supreme commander was replaced by a sergeant; all the other officers were killed in the bombing.
Although he knew there wouldn't be many parts to find, it was a matter of battlefield procedures, so he had to look for them anyway. It was better than having nothing at all. If all else failed, he could take them back to smelt iron.
Living in a small country like Japan, especially one with scarce resources, many soldiers learn how to manage a household from a young age. Their methods are useful in the military, especially since our country has little to offer and everything needs to be imported. Saving the empire even a little bit helps the war effort.
Little did he know that his decision today was a mistake. Apart from some infantrymen, most of those who came with the army were artillerymen who were there as support. These people were considered skilled workers in the army, and many of them were wounded. They should have been sent out first to receive proper treatment for their injuries.
Unfortunately, this sergeant was a low-ranking officer and had absolutely no experience dealing with such matters. So he had long forgotten about it, only thinking about whether he could find any intact cannons, which he considered a merit.
Three hours later, after everything had been cleared and the wounded could no longer be found, the order to treat the wounded was finally given. Unfortunately, fifteen artillerymen had already died because of his delay.
Of course, the Japanese higher-ups wouldn't cause him any trouble, and they also thought his actions were correct.
Throughout the day, the Second Army Headquarters frequently received reports that intelligence agents from the 72nd Army were constantly on the move, directing their air force to attack artillery transport convoys across various locations north of the Yellow River. Three of the five artillery transport convoys had already been destroyed.
These were hard-won reinforcements from various northern units. For Japan, this practically depleted the heavy artillery in a certain region. If they could achieve merit on the battlefield, it would be quite acceptable.
Such a large-scale operation meant that these artillery pieces, far from achieving any merit on the battlefield, were destroyed en route, not even reaching the battlefield within fifty kilometers. High-ranking commanders in the north were frantic. "We squeezed this out of our own pockets for you, and this is how you transport it? You're treating our artillery with utter contempt! We're going to report you to headquarters; this is the greatest crime against the Empire!"
Poor countries like this usually only see the losses of artillery, and don't see the losses of artillery commanders and artillerymen. If Li Shaoyi were here, he would definitely feel the pain of artillerymen first. However, Japan believed that artillerymen were just skilled infantrymen who could be used with a little training. Only these artillery pieces were the most precious, especially the 105mm howitzers.
The Second Army's high command had been constantly criticized by their superiors during the river-crossing campaign, and now, due to artillery issues, they were being reported by their so-called comrades in the rear. The entire leadership finally couldn't hold on any longer. At the latest Imperial Conference, the Japanese Army Headquarters expressed its opinion that the Second Army needed a complete overhaul.
First, Commander-in-Chief Toyotomi resigned from his post due to health reasons.
Secondly, more than ten colonels in the General Staff also resigned from their posts, which was somewhat of a concession; they were not directly dismissed.
Lieutenant General Heiji Kansai, who came from the Japanese headquarters, will serve as the commander of the Second Army.
As for the staff officers of the Second Army, they will be drawn from various divisions in the north.
This is also because the staff officers were all sent from headquarters. After fighting for a while, it was found that these people were not suitable for them. Most of them did not understand the situation on the battlefield and were far less adaptable than the staff officers on the battlefield.
Ma Leizi never expected that a few cannons would lead to a change of commander...