dhibooks Chapter 265 The Death Baptism of Krupp Heavy Artillery
Chapter 265 The Death Baptism of Krupp Heavy Artillery
The acrid smoke from the battle lines over Xuzhou had not yet completely dissipated.
Scattered on the scorched earth were countless Fengtian Army uniforms and broken guns, and the faint howls of wild dogs or wolves could be heard from the distant ravines.
Inside the forward command post, Chen Zijun picked up a white enamel teacup and took a sip, his expression as calm as if he had just finished a walk.
"Young Marshal, the first wave of the defensive battle is over!"
Zang Keping strode in, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement:
"We annihilated nearly half of Qian Baochang's mixed division, and the rest retreated in disarray. In this battle, our First Division suffered zero casualties!"
"Zero casualties is to be expected."
Chen Zijun smiled faintly and put down his teacup:
"If those bandits can still storm the position with a concrete bunker equipped with a general-purpose machine gun, the First Division's pay will be wasted."
As he spoke, he subtly activated the system panel that only he could see.
It was a pale blue light screen floating in front of me, with numbers on it jumping wildly every microsecond:
[Unlimited Pay-to-Win System Panel]
Current funds: £6,543,876
[Daily Increase in Funds]: £1.5 per second (continuously soaring)
【当前兵力】：国防军五个德械满编步兵师、中央整编第4、6、12、19师；中央独立混成第5、6旅；税警总团、宪兵团、中央警卫旅；独立重炮旅，第二独立重炮旅、第一装甲师、第二装甲师、第一摩托化步兵师、海军驱逐舰大队、巡洋舰大队、潜艇部队
"Thirty-one million pounds."
Chen Zijun looked at the accumulated funds on the system panel, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly:
"System, spend 500,000 pounds to convert all of it into special high-explosive shells for 150mm heavy howitzers and distribute them directly to the ammunition depot of the Second Heavy Artillery Brigade."
As the numbers on the system panel flashed slightly, half a million pounds were instantly deducted, replaced by neat rows of bright yellow heavy artillery shells in the ammunition depot at the rear.
"Young Marshal, it seems the Fengtian clique won't be quiet for long."
Shen Li stood in front of the map, pointed in the direction of Jining, and said:
"If Zhang Shizong knew that his elite vanguard had been beaten to this state, he would probably go crazy on the spot."
"It would be best if he went crazy."
Chen Zijun stood up and walked to the window, watching the soldiers outside busily building the second line of defense. His eyes gradually turned cold.
"I've been waiting for him to reveal all his secrets. Today's battle will show those old warlords in the north what the generational gap of the industrial age really means."
At this time, in Jining City, more than 100 kilometers away, was the temporary camp of the Fengtian-Zhilu Allied Army.
"Bastards! Useless! You're all fucking idiots!"
Zhang Shizong's roar almost lifted the roof off. With a ferocious expression, he grabbed the teapot from the table and smashed it hard on Qian Baochang's head as he knelt on the ground.
"Snapped!"
Tea mixed with blood immediately streamed down Qian Baochang's forehead, but he didn't even dare to wipe it away, only kowtowing and weeping on the ground:
"General, spare us! It's not that our brothers aren't fighting for their lives, it's just that the southern barbarians' firepower is too strange!"
"Their machine guns didn't seem to need reloading at all; the bullets were like a deluge. Our brothers were falling in rows before we even saw them!"
Qian Baochang cried uncontrollably, tears and snot streaming down his face, his shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
"That wasn't war, that was a massacre, Commander!"
"Qian Baochang, stop spreading these fallacies!"
The chief of staff beside him interrupted him coldly, bowing and cupping his hands in a gesture of respect to Zhang Shizong:
"Commander, Commander Qian is terrified. Chen's army only has the advantage of terrain because of a few good machine guns. As soon as our artillery opens fire, we can smash any bunker to pieces!"
Zhang Shizong took a deep breath, slammed the command sword at his waist into the map, and roared through gritted teeth:
"When I was conquering the world beyond the Great Wall, this kid Chen Zijun was still being breastfed!"
"Order the twenty-four artillery battalions in Jining to send all their mountain guns and field guns up there!"
He turned his head and stared intently at the chief of staff, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Two hundred-plus cannons, fire a single shot without holding back! Turn the Xuzhou positions into scorched earth!"
"Anyway, according to the agreement between our Fengtian clique and that bald-headed guy, we accept the reorganization, the Fengtian clique returns to Shanhaiguan, and then we won't be able to keep these artillery pieces!"
The chief of staff responded in a low voice:
"Rest assured, Commander! With over two hundred cannons firing simultaneously, even a god would be badly injured. The barbarians' good days are over!"
More than half an hour later, the sound of hurried footsteps broke the brief silence inside the Xuzhou forward command post.
"Report!"
A reconnaissance platoon leader rushed in, covered in mud, and saluted:
"Reporting to the Young Marshal! The enemy has deployed a large-scale artillery force! Twenty-four artillery battalions in the Jining direction have begun to advance, and approximately two hundred Japanese field guns and mountain guns are entering their positions!"
Shen Li's expression changed slightly, and he said in a low voice:
"Young Marshal, two hundred mountain artillery pieces—that's almost all of Zhang Shizong's heavy firepower. It seems he's really desperate."
"It's good that they're getting desperate."
Chen Zijun was not surprised at all; instead, he laughed heartily and turned to look at Zang Keping, who was rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
"Uncle Zang, what do you think?"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Zang Keping burst into a violent laugh that shook the house. He cracked his knuckles and grinned maliciously.
"Young Marshal, those old fogies like Zhang Shizong only have 75mm mountain guns with a range of eight kilometers at most, and field guns with a range of just over ten kilometers, right?"
"You dare to show off your meager skills in front of Guan Yu with that piece of junk?!"
Chen Zijun nodded slightly, his tone as cold as ice:
What is the range of the 150mm Krupp heavy howitzer that just rolled off the production line at Jiangnan Heavy Industry?
"Reporting to the young marshal, the maximum range is 22.8 kilometers!"
Zang Keping puffed out his chest and answered loudly:
"Moreover, we're using top-grade artillery steel from Jiangnan Special Steel Plant, which is even more powerful than the German-made guns developed before the European War!"
"it is good."
Chen Zijun waved his hand, his eyes revealing a murderous intent:
"Pass on my order: all 36 150mm Krupp howitzers of the 2nd Independent Heavy Artillery Brigade shall immediately move into position number one."
"All troops should lock down the Fengtian Army's artillery positions. Before they can fire, let's give them a big gift!"
"yes!"
Zang Keping was so excited that his face was trembling slightly. He turned around and strode out.
On the open plains surrounding Xuzhou, the earthquake tremors grew increasingly violent.
The artillerymen of the Fengtian Army were driving mules and horses, sweating profusely as they pushed heavy mountain guns and field guns into the hastily constructed positions.
"Hurry up! All of you, hurry up!"
The Fengtian Army artillery commander brandished his whip and shouted, urging them on:
"The commander said that anyone who dares to delay the firing time today will be sent to feed the dogs!"
However, they had no idea that in a secluded grove of trees fifteen kilometers away from them, thirty-six enormous black cannons had slowly raised their muzzles, pointing straight at the sky.
The thick cannon barrel gleamed with a cold metallic luster, exuding a suffocating aura of industrial destruction.
"Attention, Second Heavy Artillery Brigade!"
Zang Keping stood inside the command post, holding a red command flag in his hand, staring at the telephone in front of him:
"Parameters locked! Scale ready!"
"preparation!"
"Fire!"
As Zang Keping swung the red flag down, the entire forest was instantly engulfed in blinding flames!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Thirty-six muffled thunderclaps erupted almost simultaneously, violently shaking the ground and sending soil soaring into the sky. Even the glass of the forward command post trembled with a piercing sound.
In the sky, thirty-six enormous heavy artillery shells, accompanied by ear-piercing whistles, tore through the clouds like messengers of death, hurling themselves down toward the Fengtian Army's artillery positions.
On the artillery position of the Fengtian Army, the commander was looking smugly at the cannons that had been lined up when he suddenly heard a low, piercing whistling sound from the sky.
"What was that sound?!"
He subconsciously looked up, only to see a row of black dots appearing on the horizon, rapidly enlarging in his pupils at an alarming speed.
"No! This can't be! What kind of cannon noise is that?!"
Before the words were even finished, a huge shadow had completely enveloped the entire position.
"boom!"
The first 150mm high-explosive shell exploded in the center of the Fengtian Army's artillery formation.
A pillar of fire, tens of meters high, shot into the air. The violent shockwave instantly tore several mountain guns in the vicinity into flying pieces of iron. Dozens of Fengtian Army soldiers didn't even have time to scream before they turned into charred blood and gore.
But this is just the beginning.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Immediately afterwards, a barrage of explosions erupted across the Fengtian Army's positions, as thirty-six heavy shells precisely plowed through the entire Fengtian Army artillery line.
Chen Jiajun's heavy artillery fired with extreme precision, and each shell was loaded with special high explosives produced by the system. The immense power instantly detonated the mountains of ammunition boxes piled up behind the Fengtian Army's positions.
"Boom!"
A series of massive explosions occurred.
A massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky, and the orange-red flames dyed the entire sky blood red.
The more than two hundred mountain and field guns that the Fengtian Army regarded as treasures were reduced to burning scrap metal in large swathes in this unprecedented storm of steel, before even the canvas covering the guns could be torn off.
Limbs and severed bodies flew through the air along with the cannon wheels, turning the entire position into a living hell in an instant.
A dozen kilometers away, the Zhili-Lu allied forces who had just arrived from Jining City were all stunned.
Zhang Shizong was looking towards Xuzhou through his binoculars, anticipating the spectacular sight of two hundred cannons firing simultaneously.
However, the next second, a blood-red sea of fire suddenly erupted in the telescope's view, blotting out the sky. Immediately afterward, muffled and dense explosions came from more than ten kilometers away, and even the blue bricks of the city wall trembled slightly.
"What?! What's going on?!"
Zhang Shizong's face turned deathly pale instantly, and the binoculars in his hand crashed to the ground with a thud.
"That's not Chen's army's position! That's my artillery position!"
"General! General, something terrible has happened!"
The chief of staff, his face covered in blood, crawled up from the city wall, his voice trembling with utter despair and sobs:
"Chen's army's artillery range is too far! Our cannons hadn't even fired before their heavy artillery completely...completely destroyed them!"
"Pfft!"
Zhang Shizong felt a violent surge of blood rushing to his chest, and he spat a mouthful of blood directly onto the crenellations of the city wall. His body swayed, and he almost fell over.
"My cannons! They represent half of the Fengtian clique's entire arsenal across the North China Plain!"
He gripped the reins tightly to the saddle, oblivious to the redness and bleeding from his fingers, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
Meanwhile, on a secluded hillside on the edge of the battlefield.
A secret agent dressed in ordinary civilian clothes was lying in the bushes, witnessing once again the devastating heavy artillery barrage.
He stared, trembling, at the mushroom cloud rising into the sky. His hands shook as he pulled a portable shortwave radio from his pocket and frantically began striking the transceiver:
"Urgent telegram to President Chang in Nanjing! The artillery power of the southeast is terrifying, with a range far exceeding that of Japanese and German weapons. The Fengtian clique's heavy artillery regiment has been completely annihilated! The heavy industrial strength of the southeast has reached inhuman levels. Be extremely careful! Also, they are attacking Jining! Judging from the current situation, they now have two fully-fledged heavy artillery brigades!"
On horseback, the chief of staff grabbed Zhang Shizong's leg and cried out:
"General! Should we retreat? Chen Zijun's men aren't human; they're devils!"
"Retreat? Where the hell am I supposed to retreat to?!"
Zhang Shizong shoved his chief of staff aside, drew his command sword with a backhand, and completely descended into desperate madness:
"Chen Zijun has cut off all my escape routes. If I retreat today, I'll be a nationally notorious traitor tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow I'll be dragged away by Marshal Zhang to be executed!"
His eyes were bloodshot, and he roared hysterically:
"Pass down the order! Bring out your most elite heavy cavalry division! And those two armored trains, weld the steam valves shut!"
"Everyone, follow the armored train and charge! Even if it costs us lives, we'll raze Xuzhou to the ground!"