sjar Chapter 1084 Shooting the Red Cannon Pipe
Chapter 1084 Shooting the Red Cannon Pipe
As the Japanese army advanced, Chief of Staff Takagi felt a pounding in his chest, but he had no idea what was going on. Aside from guessing, he hadn't received any new orders.
The massive bombing destroyed almost all of their communication equipment. Although they sent communications soldiers to search the surrounding area for replacements, none of them have returned yet. This made Chief of Staff Takagi even more distressed, but he couldn't say these things aloud. If the soldiers outside found out, it would likely be the beginning of another terrible disaster.
In this situation, it's best to keep it a secret. It's not that he insists on bearing the burden alone, but rather that he wants to keep these rumors to himself and let himself be the only one experiencing fear. There's no need to let everyone overthink things, as that would only lower their fighting strength.
After a long afternoon of marching, it finally got dark. The Japanese always felt much safer at nightfall, because the 72nd Army's attacks rarely started after dark; most were launched just before dawn. Although it was only delayed by a day, it was still a very important day for us. At least we could live another day, which was a good thing.
When some Japanese soldiers had this thought, he wanted to slap himself hard. When did he become so spineless? But then again, was it wrong to want to live one more day in such an extreme environment?
Those who laugh at us probably haven't fought against the 72nd Army. Try fighting them even once! You'll probably have the same thoughts on the battlefield. Then we won't laugh at each other. Those who haven't fought the 72nd Army haven't truly participated in war; your wars are child's play.
"All artillerymen must be in position by 7 p.m. and fire until the barrels are red-hot according to my specifications. These Japanese devils are no good; they have the blood of thousands of our men on their hands. They're certain we won't attack tonight, so I'll treat them to a feast with artillery shells. In short, tell the artillery units that tomorrow morning, the infantry will only be cleaning up the mess. Any organized resistance will erase all the artillery's credit."
When Ma Leizi inspected the artillery positions, he gave his artillerymen orders. In addition to an artillery regiment, there was also an infantry regiment with various types of artillery. The positions had already been set up around the perimeter, giving the Japanese a spectacular artillery barrage.
The artillerymen readily agreed. This time, they brought enough shells and barrels. The brothers wouldn't need to adjust any coordinates. In any case, without orders, they would just fire the shells as quickly as possible, and their mission for tonight would be complete. As for how many shells were used, when has our 72nd Army ever calculated such trivial numbers?
As it approached 7 p.m., the Japanese army had prepared their dinner. Each Japanese soldier carried their own rations, so the Japanese cooks didn't need to worry about their supplies being damaged. The rice balls were simply shaped and sprinkled with salt; that was their dinner for the night.
The Japanese army's treatment was practically that of a beggar compared to the Japanese navy, but there was nothing that could be done about it. The Japanese army was too numerous, had little standing in Japan, and suffered heavy losses after coming to fight in China. Although they could increase their supplies by looting, in this extreme combat environment, there was no time for them to conduct sweeps.
So all you can do is sprinkle some salt on the rice, and that's your dinner. And because you can't use an open flame, some of the rice isn't even cooked through. We'll just dig a hole in the ground and heat it up a little to make it look like rice.
Although the Japanese soldiers were cursing and swearing, this was at least their first meal of the day, and if they didn't eat now, they might not have the strength to advance tomorrow morning. Even if some of the rice was undercooked, they had to grit their teeth and swallow it to conserve their energy.
Chief of Staff Takagi's side was different. Although they were marching in the field, several soldiers carried their own food, which was also rice balls. However, these soldiers also had some small fish and other small items as side dishes. While it wasn't a particularly lavish meal, it was certainly much better than what the ordinary soldiers ate.
"To be able to eat such a meal on the battlefield is thanks to the protection of Amaterasu."
Chief of Staff Takagi rubbed his leg and said that he was so tired from the day that he was about to fall apart. Just as he was about to put his food in his mouth, he suddenly had a bad feeling. Then he heard the sound of shells cutting through the air. The piercing sound made all the veterans drop their rice balls and roll to a more concealed place.
Unfortunately, the first wave of shells that landed were all large-caliber heavy artillery pieces. Even 1.5 mm shells are not considered heavy artillery. When these shells landed, nothing grew within a radius of more than 1,000 square meters. So, with your few rolls, it was basically impossible for you to dodge them.
Chief of Staff Takagi was blasted into the air, still holding a piece of freshly made sushi in his hand. He clearly couldn't swallow the piece in his mouth. He was sent flying twenty meters into the air, equivalent to a six-story building, high enough to see all his troops. At that moment, he couldn't see anything clearly around him, only flashes of fire one after another.
Those were not ordinary flashes of light, but rather the enemy's artillery shells, all of which were large-caliber heavy artillery. Although the troops were already dispersed according to the requirements, it was impossible for any of them to survive under such artillery fire.
The moment Chief of Staff Takagi landed, he was already reporting to Amaterasu, the goddess of war. Without superiors, each infantry regiment operated independently. If they still had officers, they were lucky; without them, they could only scurry around like rats.
The officers and soldiers of the entire brigade had no idea what they were doing running away. If they had stayed obediently around the provincial capital, perhaps this wouldn't have happened. Now, things are really messed up; it's estimated that none of them can go back.
Meanwhile, Ma Leizi's men listened to the distant cannon fire, sipping their wontons. "We can clean up the battlefield tomorrow morning, and we'll finally get to show our faces to the reporters! Hehe!"