jdhmnovel Chapter 288 Long Fei is still alive
Chapter 288 Long Fei is still alive
Under Yoshio Shinotsuka's orders, all the heavy artillery of the central army immediately began to bombard Motuo Ridge and Zijin Mountain.
"Boom boom boom..."
Shortly after the Japanese bombardment resumed, Yoshio Shinotsuka completely broke down.
More than a dozen heavy cannons fired hundreds of shells in a rapid manner, but the result remained unchanged.
The enemy's artillery and fortifications on the two high points remained intact.
Moreover, the enemy quickly located the position of the Japanese artillery and swiftly launched a counterattack.
The Japanese heavy artillery couldn't be moved by manpower; it had to be pulled by mules and horses the whole way.
In addition, since artillery fire was underway, even if the enemy locked onto them, there was simply no time to move.
Therefore, the Japanese heavy artillery was quickly destroyed by enemy fire.
Upon seeing this, a division commander anxiously offered advice to Yoshio Shinotsuka.
"Commander, our troops are currently in a very unfavorable position. All our heavy artillery has been destroyed by the enemy. I suggest that the troops retreat immediately."
Yoshio Shinotsuka was going crazy. Not only had the campaign started badly, but if they retreated, how would they complete the mission of annihilating the Dragon Flame Legion?
But reality is harsh, forcing him to re-evaluate the current situation.
"Alright, order the troops to retreat temporarily and immediately inquire about the situation of the troops on the left and right flanks."
"Hay."
The Japanese division commander had just ordered his troops to retreat and was about to have the radio operator send a message when a burst of gunfire came from both sides.
"What?! Have the left and right flanks also clashed with the Dragon Flame Legion?"
"Commander, that's right. What do we do now? Order them to retreat temporarily as well?"
Yoshio Shinotsuka thought for a moment, then shook his head in denial.
"No, we cannot retreat. Order them to immediately capture the high ground on both sides of the Great Wall and secure advantageous terrain first."
The Japanese division commander fully agreed with Yoshio Shinotsuka's order, so he immediately ordered the radio operator to issue the order.
Yoshio Shinotsuka quickly received replies from Michitake Yamaoka and Kenkichi Ueda.
They said they quickened their advance after discovering that the central army was under attack.
They also prepared to seize the high ground on both sides of the Great Wall, but when the troops began to climb the Great Wall, they were met with fierce attacks.
Furthermore, the two men also mentioned in the telegram that the enemy had built numerous fortified works below the Great Wall on both sides.
The fortifications were equipped with light and heavy machine guns and cannons.
The left and right armies were not only repelled, but also suffered heavy losses.
Holding the telegram, Yoshio Shinotsuka's hand trembled involuntarily.
"Baka! What's going on here? Didn't the Dragon Flame Legion break out and escape? How come there are so many strong fortifications and artillery positions here?"
At this point, the Japanese division commander offered another suggestion.
"Commander, I suggest we call in the air force immediately to provide support and use aerial bombs to level the enemy's fortifications and artillery."
Yoshio Shinotsuka thought about it and realized that this was the only way, and the plane would arrive in less than half an hour.
Once the air force bombers destroy the enemy's fortifications and artillery, the enemy will no longer be able to mount an effective resistance.
"Alright, send a telegram immediately requesting air support and ordering the left and right wings to retreat quickly."
At this moment, inside a huge fortification on Mount Motuo, Xu Peng was observing with binoculars.
"The Japanese soldiers were stunned by the bombing and began to retreat."
Standing behind him, Xie Qiang hurriedly asked, "Deputy Commander Xu, these 300,000-plus Japanese troops are all within the range of our artillery. Why don't you order them to continue firing?"
Xu Peng pursed his lips and tossed his head slightly to one side.
"Because someone wanted to slowly wear down the Japanese."
Xie Qiang turned to look at them: "Commander, is this fun? We have so many shells, wouldn't it be better to just blow the Japanese to smithereens?"
Long Fei sat upright to the side, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and the pocket watch given to him by Li Yunlong in his hand, which he kept rubbing with his thumb. A bullet was embedded in the watch cover.
That's right, Long Fei is still alive. It was all a well-orchestrated and staged death by him.
The goal was to make Yoshio Shinotsuka underestimate his opponent.
When Long Fei learned that Japanese agents were operating in the base areas of the Eighth Route Army and the Longyan Legion.
He suddenly had this bold idea, and the six or seven hundred-meter warning line was also deliberately set up by Xie Qiang at Long Fei's request.
The goal was to force the Japanese snipers to be able to snipe from a distance of only this range.
At this distance, even the most skilled sniper cannot achieve a headshot; they can only target the body.
After traveling a distance of six or seven hundred meters, the bullet's kinetic energy has been greatly reduced.
Even a full-power bullet cannot penetrate two layers of bulletproof armor.
Indeed, Xu Peng and Xie Qiang were worried, so they specially added a layer of bulletproof armor to Long Fei to ensure that everything was safe.
What surprised everyone was that the 98K's power was beyond imagination, actually penetrating two layers of bulletproof armor.
If it weren't for the pocket watch given to him by Li Yunlong, which happened to block the attack, Long Fei would have been seriously injured, or even in mortal danger.
After being shot, Long Fei decided to play along and stage a fake death, since very few people knew the truth.
Therefore, everyone in the Dragon Flame Legion believed that Long Fei had truly been killed by a hidden spear.
It was precisely because of everyone's genuine and heartfelt performances that Yamamoto Ichiki believed them without a doubt, which in turn led Shinotsuka Yoshio to choose to believe them as well.
As for the internal strife, that was just embellishment, used to amplify the effect of the situation.
Now, let's talk about what exactly happened with the fortifications and artillery positions at Junji Pass.
When he passed through Junji Pass before, Long Fei discovered that the terrain there was very suitable for ambushes.
After arriving at Maling Pass, Long Fei secretly ordered the transfer of personnel from the Special Operations Division and the reserve team to Junji Pass to build fortifications while the entire army was training.
Not many people knew about this, because it was a military secret and the Japanese could not be allowed to know beforehand, so secrecy was essential.
Long Fei also went all out, asking Xiao Baibai for several hundred tons of C140 concrete.
This type of concrete, touted as the world's hardest, incorporates steel fibers, making it arguably harder than steel.
Even if a modern missile hits it, it will only leave a trace.
Even American bunker buster bombs can't penetrate this kind of concrete.
In addition, Long Fei also specifically asked Xiao Baibai for more than a hundred turrets of Hans' Black Panther tanks.
Back then, the Hans' country used the turrets of the Panther heavy tank to establish defensive firing points.
The Panther tank's gun was far more powerful than that of the Tiger tank, and the turret was specially reinforced around its sides and top.
Therefore, it can withstand attacks from aerial bombs, howitzers, and even tank guns.
Such firing positions are very easy to build and are exceptionally sturdy. Back then, the US military suffered heavy losses and was in dire straits when faced with such fortifications.
Working day and night, they completed more than a hundred Black Panther firing positions in less than a month.
Hundreds of fortifications were also built along both sides of the Great Wall.
Therefore, even when bombarded by the Japanese's large-caliber heavy artillery, these Black Panther turrets and fortifications remained unscathed.
This is the mystery that Yoshio Shinotsuka could never figure out, no matter how hard he racked his brains.
When the Japanese began their advance towards Maling Pass, Long Fei already knew. He left half of his troops behind to confuse and lure the Japanese.
Other troops had already quietly arrived at Junji Pass to wait for the Japanese to encircle them.
The remaining troops were commanded by Xu Peng. After nightfall, he ordered a concentrated barrage of firepower to break through the Japanese encirclement to the south.
Then, through a series of skirmishes, they successfully lured the Japanese soldiers to the battlefield that Long Fei had planned—Junji Pass.