168: Chapter 168 Testing Strength

At this moment, inside the Command Post of the Japanese 6th Division attacking the Tianjia Town Fortress.

Upon learning that many warships of the 11th Fleet in the Yangtze River had been shelled and were forced to halt their offensive, Division Commander Division Commander Inaba Shiro's face turned ashen.

"Baka! Which Chinese unit is shelling the 11th Fleet? Are you bunch of useless fools telling me you don't know anything?"

"Your Excellency, Division Commander, we currently have no information on this army. It's as if they appeared out of thin air. We've never seen the uniforms they wear; they aren't any of the Chinese regional armies we know. Furthermore, the weapons they use can fire continuously, similar to submachine guns, but with immense power. When the bullets hit our Imperial warriors, they create massive wounds," a Japanese Regiment Commander explained in fear.

After the shelling, his regiment quickly discovered the tracks of this Chinese army.

However, after engaging this Chinese army, they were beaten into a retreat and suffered heavy losses.

The weapons used by the enemy could fire continuously, and their marksmanship was incredibly accurate.

It was clearly not an ordinary Chinese army.

His regiment was simply no match for this Chinese army.

Hearing the Regiment Commander's explanation, Division Commander Inaba Shiro's brow furrowed deeply.

"Hmph. Since you've already engaged them, you must investigate their information no matter what. I will not allow such an unexpected factor to exist."

"Hai!"

The Japanese Officers in the command room all lowered their heads in unison.

Meanwhile, at the station of the 11th Brigade.

They had engaged the Japanese regiment this morning, and the results were quite good.

They achieved a combat casualty ratio of 1:3.

Of course, this was thanks to the power of their weapons.

Coupled with the fact that they were outnumbering the enemy.

The Little Devils' arisaka type 38 rifles required a pause after every shot.

Automatic Rifles didn't have that concern; as long as there were bullets in the magazine, they could fire off a whole burst.

Of course, there were downsides, namely that it consumed bullets quite rapidly.

If this were a modern bullet production line, the usage wouldn't even be as fast as the production.

If all the produced bullets were fired, the battlefield would be a matter of finding corpses among piles of brass.

In the brigade Command Post.

Zhang Yang was discussing combat deployment with a group of officers.

"Everyone, we dealt a heavy blow to a Japanese regiment today. The Little Devils have certainly noticed us. Next, they will likely give us special attention, so we need to be extra careful."

"Our ammunition consumption is currently a bit high. You must tell your Chinese Soldiers to be more frugal. Our ammunition supply isn't that abundant yet; don't get used to being wasteful."

Zhang Yang spoke to the officers under him.

"Understood."

The officers all had smiles on their faces.

They had all participated in drills before, and they were sick of those days of fighting with such meager resources.

Now that they finally had good weapons, they were no longer being pinned down and beaten by the Little Devils.

It was indescribably satisfying.

"We'll be careful. We definitely don't want to go back to those hard times."

They were even looking forward to the time when all modern weapons could be manufactured to fully equip a regular standing brigade.

Wouldn't they then be able to strike wherever they pleased, invincible in every battle?

As time continued to pass.

The Little Devils increased the intensity of their offensive while keeping a close eye on Zhang Yang's 111th Brigade.

Once they found a trace, they immediately dispatched troops to intercept and surround them.

They even resorted to using gas shells, acting as if they wouldn't rest until the 111th Brigade was completely annihilated.

At the Japanese Command Post, a Japanese soldier arrived before Division Commander Inaba Shiro holding an AK.

"Is this the weapon of that Chinese army? Do any of you recognize it?" Division Commander Inaba Shiro looked at the group of Japanese Officers and asked.

Hearing this, the Japanese Officers all shook their heads.

Not a single one of these Japanese Officers recognized this kind of gun.

Seeing this, Division Commander Inaba Shiro said nothing.

Instead, he put down the gun and waved his hand at the Japanese Officers. "Let me see how powerful this gun is."

The Japanese soldier holding the gun immediately followed him out.

Subsequently, the Japanese Officers followed Division Commander Inaba Shiro to an open space.

The Japanese soldier immediately stepped forward to demonstrate.

Only the sound of 'da-da-da' could be heard as the muzzle of the gun continuously spat tongues of fire.

After thirty rounds were fired, faint wisps of heat rose from the muzzle.

A Japanese soldier ran to the target opposite to check; the power of this gun was truly not small.

Compared to a submachine gun, it was much stronger.

Crucially, this gun could actually be fitted with a bayonet.

"Send this gun back to the Empire and have them study it." After witnessing the gun's power, Division Commander Inaba Shiro's brow furrowed, a hint of worry in his heart.

This weapon clearly didn't look like something the Chinese could have developed.

Could it be that they had support from those Western countries?

But he hadn't heard of any other Western countries being equipped with this type of gun.

...

Meanwhile, news of the firearm being captured by the Little Devils quickly reached General Huang Wei's ears.

However, General Huang Wei was not surprised by this.

Since it was a weapon to be equipped by every soldier, he certainly couldn't expect it to never be captured by the Little Devils.

Of course, he wasn't worried that the Little Devils would be able to replicate the same gun after capturing it.

And then pose a great threat to them.

To replicate this gun and produce it on a large scale would take at least six months to a year.

In that amount of time, too many variables could arise.

By the time the Little Devils produced this firearm, they would have long since possessed even more advanced weapons.

Moreover, the specifications of the bullets used by this gun were different from those used by the Little Devils.

If the Little Devils wanted to replicate it, they would also have to build a production line for the corresponding bullet specifications.

By the time they manufactured a sufficient quantity of bullets, the opportunity would have long since passed.

The battle for the Tianjia Town Fortress lasted for three full weeks. Ultimately, the two divisions defending the fortress suffered heavy losses and were forced to withdraw.

Zhang Yang's 111th Brigade didn't have it easy either; during this battle, the Little Devils had given them special attention.

They were treated to aerial bombardments and gas shells.

When they finally withdrew from the battle, only a little over a thousand remnants remained.

Among these remnants, not one was heavily wounded, because those who were had all chosen to perish together with the Little Devils.

Even in death, they wanted to take a few Little Devils with them.

That way, their comrades would have a little less pressure.

This was currently the objective on the Chinese front lines.

China's population was several times larger than that of the Little Devils. If one couldn't beat them, then two would.

As long as they could trade for one Little Devil, the enemy's elite forces would be reduced by one.

China's territory was vast, providing sufficient strategic depth.

After the Little Devils broke through the Tianjia Town Fortress, they would be able to drive straight into the Hankou Three Towns.

Although the defenders of the Tianjia Town Fortress failed to hold it, they had delayed the Little Devils for a long time.

Not only that, but the Japanese 6th Division also suffered heavy losses.

Having lost more than half of its strength, it basically lost the ability to continue its advance and was forced to retreat for rest and reorganization.

Other Japanese divisions took over from the 6th Division to continue the offensive.

Meanwhile, General Huang Wei received the news of the loss of the Tianjia Town Fortress.

Upon hearing this news, he knew that the Hankou Three Towns were in danger.

However, they could still continue to defend.

The Little Devils were attacking on multiple fronts. As long as they were prevented from converging their forces, capturing the Hankou Three Towns would not be easy.