126: Artillery bombardment

Li Zhenshan was completely dazed by Lu Fan's question.

Operating Mortars had been the focus of their training during this period, and it was their favorite course.

Not only did they know how, but every one of the 50 men present was an expert at it.

But what on earth was 'saturation bombardment'?

"Boss! Knowing how is useless; we didn't bring any cannons with us when we left..." Li Zhenshan complained helplessly.

"You talk too much. Look over there!" Zhang Tingshu patted Li Zhenshan and gestured for him to look to the right.

Twenty-five 120mm caliber Mortars were quietly laid out behind Lu Fan.

"Everyone, form into pairs and set up the Mortars on the spot!"

Zhang Tingshu quickly issued the order. He had already become accustomed to supplies appearing out of thin air.

On the battlefield, he only cared about how to kill the enemy.

"Boss, based on the trajectory, the enemy's artillery position is 3.3 kilometers away at the 11 o'clock direction."

Through calculations, Ah Fu quickly provided the location of the enemy's artillery position.

With the specific data in hand, there was no reason to wait—it was time to get to work.

Zhang Tingshu and the others quickly switched to artillery mode.

"Target: 11 o'clock direction, distance 3.3 kilometers, ten rounds rapid fire!"

"Thump, thump, thump..."

The dull sounds of firing merged into one.

The muzzle flashes formed an orange-red fire net in the night sky, illuminating the entire hillside.

The shrill whistle of shells cutting through the air sounded like the sinister grin of the Reaper, slamming into the enemy camp in the blink of an eye.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The continuous explosions made the earth tremble.

Before the first round of shells could finish kicking up towering waves of earth, the second round followed close behind.

On the Japanese Army's artillery position, stacked ammunition crates were hit directly, triggering earth-shattering secondary explosions.

A 75mm mountain gun was blown to pieces, its twisted barrel flying over ten meters into the air.

Then the third, fourth, and fifth rounds fell; a rain of shells poured down on the entire camp.

In the thick smoke, the japanese artillerymen scrambled like headless flies.

Some were overturned by shockwaves just as they dove for cover; others, carrying shells, were sliced in half by shrapnel before they could take two steps.

Broken limbs, mangled helmets, and burning scraps of uniforms danced in the firelight.

Starting from the sixth round of bombardment, the range of the Mortar attack began to spread out inch by inch from the center of the camp.

The only thing that remained constant was the frequency of the falling shells.

In just five minutes, a total of 250 high-explosive shells plowed through the entire camp again and again.

When the shelling stopped, there was not a single living thing left standing within the position or the surrounding 500 meters.

On the charred earth, only burning wreckage and dense craters remained, looking as hideous as the surface of the moon.

"Boss, the japs are massing; about two companies are heading our way from their station!"

"Seeking death." Lu Fan sneered and whistled at Zhang Tingshu.

"Everyone, relocate the position and continue the advance. Target: 500 meters to the front right."

Following Zhang Tingshu's command, the team members moved swiftly.

In just three minutes, the twenty-five Type 55 120mm Mortars were set up again.

"Target: open ground 1,500 meters ahead, three rounds rapid fire!"

In an instant, the 25 Mortars roared deafeningly once more.

The gathering japanese troops in the distance were instantly swallowed by a sea of fire.

The first round of shelling had barely landed when the second arrived, followed by the third.

Shells exploded right beside them; the japanese had no time to disperse and fell in rows.

A japanese officer was waving his saber, trying to organize a retreat.

The next second, three shells exploded around him simultaneously.

When the smoke cleared, only a smoldering crater and half a hilt stuck in the ground remained.

Seeing that there were still many shells on the ground, Lu Fan gave a generous order: "Don't hold back, fire off all the remaining shells!"

After the fourth volley, Zhang Tingshu saw through his binoculars that no japanese were left standing at the assembly point.

He exchanged a look with Lu Fan and decisively ordered: "Everyone, set to maximum range. Target: the jap Fengtai Camp!"

For a full fifteen minutes, wherever the twelve volleys of shells landed, not a blade of grass was left standing.

Everyone present had only one thought in their minds: "Refreshing!"

While the smoke still lingered over the saturated position, Lu Fan's Security Team Members had already reached a safe location.

They sat around to rest, each one incredibly excited.

Lu Fan casually brought out several crates of cold cola, popped a can, and raised it: "Do you all understand now? This is how we fight from now on.

If a problem can be solved with shells, don't waste bullets; if it can be solved with bullets, don't use bayonets. Come, let's have a drink!"

As everyone downed the cold cola, the conversation started flowing.

"So satisfying! This is what you call a real war; back in the Northeast Army, it was like begging for food."

"The Boss is grand. If it can be solved with a Maxim, don't use a hanyang rifle rifle. Right, Boss?"

"Right my foot! You should say if you can saturate the ground with 120mm Mortars, don't use an 85mm gun."

"The cannons roar to blast the japs; with prestige over the seas, I return home. This is exhilarating!"

"I love Mortars to death. To hell with precision shooting, just blowing things up is enough!"

"Get lost! Do shells not cost money? You wasteful brat." Li Zhenshan couldn't help but curse at the old veteran.

But on second thought, it really was exhilarating. Finally, he couldn't help but sigh: "So this is saturation bombardment. Truly spectacular!

If I had this kind of firepower back at Xifeng Pass, would my big saber have been chipped? I would have sent those little japs flying on 'dirt planes' directly!"

As he spoke, he made a gesture of a shell soaring into the sky.

Amidst the laughter, the blue light flickering in Ah Fu's electronic eyes faded.

He complained softly: "According to the battle statistics, the ratio of ammunition consumption to enemies killed is 1:3.6. The cost-effectiveness is really not high."

"Ah Fu, I have late-stage 'insufficient firepower phobia,' please be understanding!" Lu Fan carried Ah Fu on his back.

He waved his hand and ordered: "Brothers, let's go home and sleep!"

Meanwhile, inside the jap Headquarters in Fengtai.

Renya Mutaguchi crawled out from under a desk, his face covered in grime and his uniform caked in dust.

When the news of the casualties came out, Mutaguchi's face turned ashen.

The reinforcements that had just been transferred in had lost a third of their strength before even entering the battle.

Another third were wounded and had lost their combat effectiveness.

"baka! baka!" Trembling, he grabbed the field telephone, his fingers almost crushing the receiver.

"Connect me to the Tianjin Headquarters! Fast!"

The moment the call connected, Mutaguchi's voice immediately took on a sobbing tone: "Your Excellency Katsuki, we have encountered a heavy artillery raid by the Chinese Army.

Casualties... more than half! The enemy's firepower is unprecedented, at least thirty heavy Mortars..."

Hearing the dead silence on the other end of the line, cold sweat soaked his back, and he hurriedly added details.

"This unit has launched a sneak attack on our army for the third time. They are well-equipped, and their submachine gun fire is fierce.

Today, they directly used saturation bombardment; we simply couldn't organize a counterattack."