"Commander, why do Yuan Kewen's troops have so many cannons? This was definitely more than 200 cannons. Moreover, there were many heavy cannons with a caliber of more than 100 millimeters.”General Ji Jinchun's face was filled with fear.
"Which army in the country can equip so many cannons? Big Head Yuan was really willing to spend a lot of money! How are we going to fight this battle!" Feng Delin had a dispirited expression on his face.
His direct troops were suffering from the Northern Army's heavy bombardment and had suffered heavy losses.
However, he could do nothing about it.
They could only watch helplessly as their troops struggled under the powerful artillery fire of the Northern Army. The casualties of the troops began to soar. At the same time, their morale suffered a heavy blow.
Some of the soldiers had even lost their will to fight. They immediately climbed out of the trenches, wanting to escape.
However, the Northern Army's artillery fire was too fierce. As a result, these soldiers were instantly torn to pieces.
Yuan Kewen's troops mobilized more than two hundred cannons and focused on bombarding the one kilometer defense line on the north bank of the Little Ling River.
As a result, Feng Delin's troops that were deployed at this line of defense suffered great losses.
The entire defense line was almost blown to smithereens.
The Northern Army's firepower preparation lasted for a full half an hour. More than 200 cannons fired more than 10,000 shells.
This was definitely a big deal on the domestic battlefield. No army could be so willing to do so on the battlefield.
After all, cannonballs cost money!
When the warlords in the country were fighting, the artillery would usually fire a few shots symbolically, and then the infantry would charge. In fact, many battlefields relied on hand-to-hand combat to decide the outcome. Unlike Yuan Kewen's troops, which used powerful artillery to defeat the enemy, this was too rich and bullying.
"Order the 405th Infantry Regiment to cross the river!”
After the firepower preparation was over, Yuan Kewen gave the order to prepare to cross the Little Ling River.
"Yes, General!" Lieutenant General Jiang Baili replied.
After the order was given, the 405th Infantry Regiment immediately took action.
Three thousand soldiers carried small boats and ran towards the river.
On the riverbank, the Northern Army gathered dozens of heavy machine guns and mortars and began to fire at the other side of the river to suppress the firepower on the defense line on the other side of the river and cover the soldiers crossing the river.
The Little Ling River was not wide to begin with. Even though it was currently in the flood season, the river surface was only a hundred meters.
If it weren't for the fact that the river was deep, the soldiers could have waded across it.
The soldiers placed the boats in the river, climbed onto them, and began to row toward the other side of the river.
Feng Delin's troops on the other side of the river had already been stunned by the powerful artillery fire of the Northern Army. As a result, they did not have the time to stop the counterattack at the first moment.
"Commander, the Northern Army has begun to cross the river!”General Ji Jinchun looked anxious.
"Order our brothers to open fire and stop the Northern Army from crossing the river. Once the Beiyang Army crosses the Xiaoling River, we won't be able to resist at all. Also, send a letter to Zhang Zuolin and ask him to reinforce us immediately!”Feng Delin reported.
Even though his troops had suffered heavy losses, Feng Delin had not given up hope. He still wanted to resist the Northern Army's attack and seek a chance to turn the tide.
"Yes, teacher!" General Ji Jinchun replied.
Under the orders of the officers, the soldiers of the 28th Infantry Division began to pick up their weapons and fire at the Northern Army.
However, the dense machine gun fire on the other side of the river was like a storm.
Many soldiers of the 28th Infantry Division were hit by bullets as soon as they raised their heads. As a result, the remaining soldiers could not even raise their heads. Bullets flew past their heads. They could only huddle in the trenches, hugging their rifles and trembling.
Some of the soldiers even wet their pants.
It wasn't sweat, but he peed his pants.
"Damn it, why does the Northern Army have so many machine guns? How are we going to fight this battle?" An officer cursed in dissatisfaction.
However, they had no choice at the moment.
The 405th Infantry Regiment quickly crossed the Xiaoling River.
The soldiers jumped off the boats and lay on the riverbank, starting to fire at the soldiers of the 28th Infantry Division.
Light machine guns, MG08 heavy machine guns, and mortars displayed their powerful firepower.
The entire 28th Infantry Division only had around 20 HMGs.
However, the 405th Infantry Regiment was equipped with 72 MG08 heavy machine guns.
In addition to the light machine guns equipped by the infantry squads, there were even more.
As a result, the 28th Infantry Division was completely suppressed in terms of machine gun firepower.
Not to mention the 405th Infantry Regiment of the Beiyang Army, which was still using mortars to attack the machine gun firing points of the 28th Infantry Division. As a result, these machine gun fire points were often destroyed before they could play any role.
The powerful firepower made up for the lack of recruits in the 405th Infantry Regiment.
After the soldiers crossed the Xiaoling River, not only did they quickly gain a foothold and establish a stable beachhead position, they also began to attack the 28th Infantry Division's position.
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