A day passed. On the morning of February 9th, the 108th Division arrived at the Jiuji Town area.
Jiuji Town was 66 miles northeast of Nanzhang County. This town was located at the junction of Nanzhang County and Xiang District.
At this moment, a scout rode his horse from the main road ahead. He found Li Yan very quickly and reported,"Sir, the 217th Brigade is 31 miles away from us. We will encounter each other at noon!”
"31 miles, that's fast!”Li Yan frowned and thought for a moment. He looked at the messenger and said,"Immediately pass down the order. Everyone advance another five miles and then build fortifications on the spot!”
"Yes, teacher!" The signalman replied loudly, then quickly turned around to relay the order.
Half an hour later, the 108th Division's thousands of meters long marching team stopped. The various units immediately dispersed and began to dig trenches and build fortifications. Li Yan stayed in a temporary battle command post.
"Sir, the 217th Brigade is equipped with a 105-meter-sized howitzer. Its range is close to 10 kilometers. Why don't you retreat to Jiuji Town?”In the temporary command post, the artillery regiment commander Zheng Sanlin persuaded.
"Yes, yes, cannonballs don't have eyes. Master, for your safety, you'd better step back!”Li Yong followed closely behind and spoke, also persuading.
"Do you think my heavy artillery unit is weak? As long as the howitzers of the 217th Brigade fire their shells, my heavy artillery unit will be able to immediately calculate their location and destroy them!”Li Yan smiled, his face calm.
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!
Footsteps sounded. Li Yong ran in and said loudly,"Master, according to the scouts 'report, the 217th Brigade is less than 15 miles away from us.”
"15 miles, very good!" Li Yan nodded. He looked around at the four regiment commanders in the command center and ordered,"Return to your respective positions immediately. Once the Japanese army attacks, you must get close to them before you attack. Otherwise, the 217th Brigade might see that the situation is not right and run away!”
"Understood, Master!" Li Yong, Ma Kui, Zhao Sihai, and Zheng Sanlin answered in unison!
…………………
On the other side, 15 miles away from the 108th Division, the 217th Brigade of the Japanese Army also stopped moving forward.
The brigade leader of the 217th Exploration Team, Yoshiki Yamamoto, held a pair of binoculars and looked at the terrain in the distance.
As the two sides were too far apart, Yamamoto Yoshiki naturally could not see the 108th Division.
A few minutes later, Yamamoto Yoshiki put down his binoculars and turned to the topographic map that was spread out by two soldiers behind him. On it was the terrain of the entire Xiang City.
"Brigade Commander, Li Yan's troops have stopped at Jiuji Town. According to the scouts, Li Yan's troops have built a temporary position along the official road from Xiang City to Nanzhang!”The Chief of Staff of the 217th Brigade, Oban Masao, pointed at the map and drew a circle with a red pen, marking the location of the 108th Division.
"The brave will win when they meet on a narrow road. The shame of the Kawasaki Brigade will be washed away by the 217th Brigade!”Yamamoto Yoshiki's eyes were cold. He turned to look at the signalman and ordered,"Inform all the major combat units to rest for an hour. After an hour, the tanks will be the vanguard and the artillery will be the fire support.”
After saying that, Yamamoto Yoshiki looked at the time on his watch and continued,"The 217th Exploration Team is one of the best exploration teams in the dynasty. I hope to see Li Yan's troops retreat before nightfall!”
"Ha Yi!" The Japanese soldier replied loudly, then turned around to give the order!
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed, and the 217th Brigade began to move.
He could see 24 Type 94 Little Bean Tanks moving forward in a triangular formation.
Moreover, behind each tank was a small group of Japanese soldiers.
Further behind them were the scattered troops of the 217th Brigade. They were like ants that covered the entire plain.
At the same time, behind these large troops, in an open space under a slope, 12 105 howitzers belonging to the 217th Brigade Artillery Regiment had already set up their muzzles. One after another, Japanese Artillery Soldiers were adjusting the angle of the bubble attack.
At 3:12 pm, the leading tanks of the 217th Brigade were less than 1800 meters away from the 108th Division.
On the first perimeter of the 108th Division, the soldiers lying in the trenches could already see the shadows of the Japanese tanks with their naked eyes.
This first outer line was guarded by Li Yong's regiment. This was because the ratio of veterans and clone soldiers in the regiment was the highest, and their combat strength was also the strongest.
"Regiment Commander, the Japanese tanks are 1,700 meters away from us!”The deputy commander of the first regiment ran over and reported.
"1700 meters is still a little far. When the Japanese vanguard enters a kilometer, fire immediately.”Li Yong said calmly.
"Yes, regiment commander!" The vice commander of the first regiment quickly went down to pass on the message.
Soon, the tanks of the 217th Brigade were within 1000 meters of them.
However, the first sound was not the gunshot. In the sky, the dense sound of air breaking came closer and closer, as if the entire sky was about to shatter.
In the vanguard of the 217th Brigade, a lieutenant commander looked up at the sky with a frown.
Suddenly, the lieutenant commander shouted,""Get down, all of you!"
As a lieutenant general, he had rich battlefield experience. Just by hearing the sound, he knew that it was the sound of a cannonball piercing through the air.
In an instant, the entire vanguard of the 217th Brigade was surrounded by artillery shells.
The artillery regiment of the 108th Division was equipped with 96 75mm mountain cannons, 12 155 heavy artillery, and 10 105 howitzers. When these cannons of all sizes fired together, their firepower could cover the sky and cover the earth. It was terrifying.
They could see that the vanguard of the 217th Brigade was covered in explosions.
The eight unlucky Type 94 Little Bean Tanks were directly blown into scrap metal and turned into briquettes.
Without a doubt, even a 75mm mountain cannon could destroy the Type 94 Little Bean Tank equipped by the 217th Brigade without the need for a howitzer.
The tank weighed only a few tons and had very weak armor. It could defend against bullets, but it could not defend against artillery shells.
In addition, a large number of Japanese soldiers were killed by various caliber shells.
Especially the shells of the 105 Howitzer and 155 Heavy Cannon. Within a range of more than ten meters, there were almost no intact corpses. Those Japanese soldiers who died were all missing arms and legs or minced meat.
Such a scene was no different from hell on earth, making people shudder.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]