112: Chapter 112 A battle of immense wealth, the likes of which I've never fought in eight lifetimes!

"An eye for an eye, blood for blood?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter!

Four artillery regiments?

48 105mm Howitzers?

In the past, that would have indeed blown the crap out of them!

But now...

"Damn it, the little Japs have 48 105mm Howitzers? Sounds intimidating, but that's only equivalent to three Katyushas!" Li Yunlong shouted at the top of his lungs.

Kong Jie counted on his fingers and added, "Old Li is right! It's just three Katyushas! We have a full 36 of them now!"

Besides the 36 Katyushas, there are dozens of Type 107 rockets!

One could say this was a battle of riches they hadn't seen in eight lifetimes!

The Brigade Commander quickly weighed his options, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

The Japs wanted to use a carpet bombing strategy to avoid infantry losses. This was a vicious plan, but it also exposed the weakness of their relatively fixed artillery positions and the lack of timely infantry follow-up.

And this was the perfect opportunity for their heavy rocket launchers to show their power!

"Mr. Shen is right!" The Brigade Commander slammed his fist onto the map.

"Since the Japs don't want to launch a direct assault, there's no need for us to fight a war of attrition against an army of a hundred thousand!"

"Even though we have 80 new tanks, a lone tiger is no match for a pack of wolves. A hundred thousand enemies could still wear down our strength significantly."

"Since the Japs want to shell us, we'll shell them right back!"

Immediately after, the Brigade Commander began to issue orders:

"First, notify all frontline reconnaissance teams. Ensuring their safety, they are to perform a final precise coordinate calibration for all discovered Japanese positions, whether artillery or infantry. Once finished, they must immediately evacuate the danger zones and assemble at the second line!"

"Second, order the Katyusha Battalion and the Type 107 Rocket Launcher Battalion to immediately calculate the firing data based on the coordinates sent back by the scouts and adjust their launchers! All rockets are to be loaded and on standby!"

"Third, all infantry and tank units are to enter first-level combat readiness, prepared for action at any moment!"

The plan was clear: use rockets to saturate the area first, and once the Japs were dazed and crippled, deploy ground forces to capitalize on the victory.

In fact, this plan had been in the Brigade Commander's mind for a long time.

Soon, the orders were relayed.

"Quick, quick, quick! Coordinates confirmed! Azimuth 108, elevation 37! Loaders, in position!"

On the Katyusha Battalion's positions, the temporarily selected and trained gunnery chiefs were shouting themselves hoarse.

Each of them stared intently at the latest coordinate parameters just delivered by the messengers, working nimbly with the equally nervous soldiers beside them to calibrate and verify.

The metal gears engaged with a faint creak as the long launch tubes slowly rose, pointing toward an invisible target beyond the distant horizon.

Nearby, next to a Katyusha that had just finished calibration, several young loaders were grunting as they lifted the thick, long 132mm rockets from the ammunition truck, carefully aligning them with the rails.

"One, two, three... heave!"

The heavy shells made the veins on their arms bulge and sweat pour down their foreheads, but their eyes shone with incredible intensity.

With a metallic clang, the shell slid into the slot, and the latch clicked shut. Only then did they dare to take a quick breath, wipe their sweat, and rush to carry the next round.

"Steady now! These are the treasures brought by Mr. Shen! They're more precious than our lives!"

A squad leader who looked like a veteran whispered his instructions, but even he couldn't resist reaching out to touch the cold shell, his face a mix of awe and excitement.

"Good heavens, how many mortar shells would one of these be worth..."

In many people's subconscious, there was a conventional wisdom: the larger the size, the greater the power!

Although the Type 107 rocket was impressive, its size was too small, like a mountain gun.

But the Katyusha was different!

A single Katyusha rocket was nearly 1.5 meters long—taller than many of the little Japs!

These men had never seen such terrifying shells in their lives.

...

Not far away, the Type 107 Rocket Launcher Battalion was making similar preparations.

Compared to the Katyusha, the Type 107 launcher was lighter and much simpler to operate.

"Sight 379! Wind correction!"

"Ammunition check complete! Twelve rounds fully loaded!"

"Loading complete!"

...

On the tank positions, the drivers, gunners, and loaders were also performing final equipment checks.

"Main gun ammunition: three armor-piercing rounds, five high-explosive rounds!"

"Engine preheating normal!"

"Sighting equipment clear!"

...

On the infantry positions behind the tanks, there was a different kind of suppressed excitement.

The soldiers checked their Type 56 assault rifles one last time, inserting and removing the magazines repeatedly to ensure everything was perfect.

"Erzhu! Keep up with my tank later! Don't fall behind! Wait for me to fire my cannon before you start shooting!"

"Did you hear me? Follow the tanks! Hit them hard!"

"I never thought our County Battalion would get to use these 'Flower Machine Guns'!"

"Zhuzi, you're outdated. These aren't called machine guns anymore. Mr. Shen said they're assault rifles!"

"That's right! Assault rifles! I'm going to charge like hell later!"

Holding their new weapons, the soldiers felt no pre-battle fear, only excitement!

If they didn't kill a few more Japs, they'd be letting their weapons down!

...

The entire He County defense perimeter was like a slowly drawn bow, the string taut, waiting for the command.

Shen Wang stood near the central command post of the Katyusha Battalion's planned position, personally calibrating a launcher to serve as the baseline.

Thanks to the gunnery skills bestowed by the system, these ballistic calculations and firing data settings—which were extremely complex for the Eighth Route Army soldiers—seemed effortless in his hands.

"Baseline vehicle data set! Entire battalion, follow the baseline data, interval 5, coverage extension... Final verification!"

Shen Wang's voice reached each vehicle via walkie-talkie.

"Vehicle No. 1 verification complete!"

"Vehicle No. 2 verification complete!"

...

"Vehicle No. 36 verification complete!"

All 36 Katyushas had their launchers tilted toward the sky.

Shen Wang took a deep breath. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly across the entire Katyusha position:

"Target: Japanese artillery positions!"

"Entire battalion—"

"Fire!"

Shen Wang slammed the fire button.

Almost at the same instant—

Whoosh—!!!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!

Thirty-six Katyushas, nearly six hundred rockets, roared out!

This scene made the blood of all the Eighth Route Army soldiers boil with excitement!

They had never fought such a battle of riches in eight lifetimes!

...

Meanwhile, at the Japanese pre-designated artillery position on the southeastern slope of Hill 379.

It was a scene of "busy" and "orderly" activity.

The barrels of the 105mm Howitzers had been raised, pointing toward He County.

"Move fast! Check the shell fuses! Prepare the propellant charges!" an artillery battalion commander with the rank of Major barked.

"Hai!" the soldiers responded loudly, their movements swift.

Just then, a strange sound approached from the sky, coming closer.

At first, it was a low, thunderous rumble.

But soon, the sound became sharp, shrill, and ear-piercing.

The Japs instinctively looked up.

"What is that sound..."