Chapter 41 Bombarding the Japanese Invaders' Headquarters, Combat Map Upgraded to Version 2.0!
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At the forward command post.
Less than ten minutes remained before the attack was due to begin.
Qian Bojun was making the final deployments.
He kept placing calls, emphasizing that the opening assault had to be swift and overwhelming, with tremendous momentum.
The mountain-gun battalion and the heavy-mortar company were ready as well.
The moment the attack commenced, they would begin shelling the designated coordinates.
“Battalion Commander... the Regimental Commander is here!”
Qian Bojun continued speaking into the telephone. “Commander Liang, the southern gate is where our First Battalion’s main force will attack. Be sure to bombard it with several more rounds of artillery.”
“We’ve observed that the Japanese defenses are most densely constructed in that area. Don’t worry, Commander Qian. We’ll provide the infantry with the strongest support possible!”
“With that assurance, I’m relieved. The Regimental Commander has arrived, so I’ll go report the situation.”
“Very well!”
After hanging up, Qian Bojun strode toward Chu Yunfei and saluted.
“Reporting to the Regimental Commander! The First Battalion of the 358th Regiment is fully prepared for battle. Awaiting your orders!”
Chu Yunfei glanced over the deployments on the operational map and laughed heartily.
“I have no further orders. I’ll simply sit here and wait for you. I’ll be waiting to hear news of your victory!”
“Launch the attack on schedule, according to the original battle plan!”
“Yes, sir!”
Qian Bojun saluted once more. At that moment, he seemed almost unaware that Chu Yunfei existed. He picked up the telephone again and made minor adjustments to the deployment according to the Japanese response.
“Commander!”
Qian Bojun glanced back at Zhang Fugui and nodded heavily.
Zhang Fugui immediately picked up the telephone.
“The battle begins!”
One red signal flare after another rose into the sky.
More than sixty artillery pieces of various types unleashed their fire upon the Japanese positions.
Boom!
Boom!
Explosions followed one after another, flashes of fire flickering without end.
The roar was deafening!
Boom!
The explosions hurled earth into the air, mingling it with the Japanese soldiers’ severed limbs as blood sprayed in every direction.
After several rounds of artillery fire ended, the charge bugle sounded.
Then came the roar of heavy machine guns.
“Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!”
The heavy machine guns spat streams of fire, suppressing the Japanese machine-gun positions.
The soldiers gripped rifles already fitted with bayonets.
In scattered infantry formations, they advanced toward the Japanese positions.
The soldiers formed assault teams of three or four men, covering and supporting one another.
They surged forward in successive leaps.
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The Japanese defenders could barely raise their heads.
Now and then, one or two Japanese soldiers would brace their rifles and fire back, only to be swiftly shot dead by the veteran soldiers providing cover.
The situation was dire.
Yoda Kichizo was responsible for defending the southern gate.
In less than ten minutes, more than half of the company under his command had already been killed or wounded.
In all the many engagements they had fought against the various units of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, the enemy had usually attacked in swarms, relying largely on sheer numbers.
Two or three light or heavy machine guns had been enough to inflict massive casualties upon them.
But now?
Whenever a light or heavy machine gun opened fire, it would be concentrated upon and destroyed within five seconds.
The Shanxi-Suiyuan Army’s formidable firepower and tactical discipline left the Japanese soldiers trembling with fear.
Chu Yunfei sank his consciousness into his mind.
When he saw the soldiers under his command charging toward the enemy positions with unstoppable momentum, he could not help shouting in delight.
“Excellent! You haven’t lost a single point!”
Faced with the 358th Regiment’s ferocious assault, the Japanese defensive positions were quickly torn apart.
The surviving Japanese soldiers hastily withdrew into the city.
They intended to rely on the complex terrain and the city walls to continue resisting.
The soldiers, carried forward by their surging momentum, were about to pursue them into the city when their respective company and platoon commanders hurriedly signaled them to halt.
The speed and results of the attack had far exceeded expectations.
The battle had lasted only about half an hour.
Apart from the Japanese troops at the western gate, who were still resisting stubbornly, the remaining Japanese soldiers had already retreated into the city.
Chu Yunfei immediately sensed that something was wrong.
“Go and bring me the First Company Commander!”
“Yes, sir!”
The wounded Bian Fucheng and his First Company had been assigned by Qian Bojun to serve as the reserve force.
They had not taken part in the initial assault.
When Sun Ming summoned him to the forward command post, Bian Fucheng was visibly excited.
“Brother, are we going to attack?”
Sun Ming shook his head.
“The Regimental Commander may want to ask you about the situation.”
“Reporting! Company Commander Bian has arrived!”
“Where is the breach in the western wall?”
Bian Fucheng froze for a moment, then marked the location on the map.
Chu Yunfei glanced at it, then raised the binoculars in his hand. In reality, however, he was rapidly switching viewpoints.
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He located the breach.
After switching viewpoints again, the commander of the Tenth Company, who had been unable to break through for so long, also discovered its position.
He dispatched a small force to attempt a covert entry through the breach, attacking from both inside and outside.
Chu Yunfei stared at the unit markers on the system’s map.
A huge skull appeared not far from the breach, perhaps fifty or sixty meters away.
What did the skull represent?
Chu Yunfei pondered it for a long while, but still could not figure it out.
“Did anything unusual happen at the breach during last night’s battle?”
Bian Fucheng shook his head.
“No. The Japanese simply sealed the opening as usual... While we were withdrawing, we were ambushed by a Japanese blocking force. They weren’t numerous—about ten men or so...”
Chu Yunfei nodded.
“I called you here only to learn more about the situation.”
He walked over to the telephone.
Under the watchful eyes of Qian Bojun and Zhang Fugui, Chu Yunfei slowly spoke.
“Connect me to the mountain-gun battalion.”
“This is the mountain-gun battalion. I’m Liang Guoping.”
“This is Chu Yunfei. Can your guns cover the entire city of Yuanping?”
“Yes, Regimental Commander. Awaiting your orders.”
“The fighting near the western wall is locked in a stalemate. I order you to shell Areas Thirty-Four and Thirty-Five and support the First Battalion’s operations!”
“Yes, sir!”
Three minutes later.
One shell after another left the guns and crashed down upon the headquarters of the Fifteenth Independent Mixed Brigade.
Shinohara Seiichiro seemed to sense something. He lowered the pencil in his hand and looked up toward the sky.
The next second, the fire produced by the explosions swallowed the headquarters whole.
The shock wave destroyed nearly half of the command post.
Shrapnel tore through the headquarters, killing every senior officer inside.
Shell after shell exploded in rapid succession. The Japanese soldiers who attempted to rush in and provide aid were wiped out as well.
The entire force was annihilated!
After the bombardment ended, the red skull on the three-dimensional battle map gradually disappeared.
The unit marker representing the Fifteenth Independent Mixed Brigade also dimmed considerably.
Just then, a mechanical voice suddenly rang out in Chu Yunfei’s mind.
“Congratulations on achieving your first general-officer kill. The three-dimensional battle map has now been upgraded to Version 2.0. Please investigate its new functions yourself.”
Unable to contain his anticipation, Chu Yunfei once again entered the three-dimensional battle map in his mind.
The unit markers of both sides had undergone conspicuous changes...
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