Chapter 22: Artillery Attack

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  Alright, here is the main body...

  After returning from overseas, Sun Liren, the commander of the 4th Brigade of the Taxation Police Corps, was highly valued by Soong Tse-ven. The training outline used by the entire Taxation Police Corps was even formulated by him, known as the "Sun's Drill Canon". However, due to the opposition of Soong Tse-ven and Sun Liren himself to the civil war, the Taxation Police Corps, especially the 4th Brigade, did not participate in the "bandit suppression" before 1934. Even when Soong Tse-ven was forced to send out all troops except for the 1st Brigade last year, the Taxation Police Corps basically only stayed on the second line, repairing fortifications and watching highways, trying to avoid direct combat with the Red Army.

  But now, an unidentified armed group attacked the headquarters of the Taxation Police Corps, and Sun Liren couldn't just sit back and do nothing. After contacting the headquarters by telegram, he immediately led his troops south. In Sun Liren's judgment, the main force of the Red Army had already escaped to the west, and the remaining forces were limited in strength, so it shouldn't be them. It would be even harder for bandits to develop their power. On the other hand, there was a greater possibility that some "bandit-suppressing" Nationalist army troops had defected...

  However, even so, the total team's military strength was strong and its firepower was powerful. Inside the city, there was Sun Liren's special operations group, which, although he disliked it, had to admit that it was indeed very powerful. Even if one army attacked Yongfeng County, it might not be able to succeed. It seemed that the garrison in Yongfeng was only surrounded because its troops were not suitable for field battles. As long as his own 5,000 soldiers arrived, they would definitely win a big victory with the internal and external attacks. However, as he walked, Sun Liren suddenly felt uneasy in his heart. "This doesn't feel right. We're already close to Yongfeng County, why haven't we heard any gunfire? If the enemy's strength is so weak, even if the total team isn't convenient to attack, the security regiment in Yongfeng and the special operations group in the city should be enough to cope with it. Why would the total team need to ask for help from me? Could it be that Yongfeng County has already..."

  "Turn back immediately, return to Xinjin!", Sun Liren ordered decisively. Since the enemy was capable of taking down the garrison's headquarters, it would be even less of a problem to take down the 4th division on the march.

  "Did you see that?", Hu Weidong's eyes saw the enemy army almost walking into his own ambush circle, but suddenly turned around and headed north. He couldn't help but slam his thigh fiercely and shouted, "Order! The artillery battalion immediately adjusts its parameters to fire ten rounds of rapid shots at the enemy! The special forces will find a way to rush to the front of the enemy, set up landmines to stop the enemy's advance, and the infantry will pursue with all speed. Don't let them escape!"

  The artillery of the independent division, although mostly new recruits, would not be able to bring themselves to attack their former comrades-in-arms, but Hu Weidong, a genius with cannons, came up with a clever solution - he would call out the parameters and let the gunners adjust them before firing.

  This trick was indeed effective, and hundreds of 75mm shells whizzed into the National Army's position in batches, instantly knocking down a large number of people. Although the officers and soldiers of the Fourth Division of the Taxation Police Brigade were well-trained and immediately lay down on the ground as soon as they heard the sound of the shells, they still suffered hundreds of casualties within two minutes. As soon as the artillery fire stopped, Sun Liren, who was already covered in dust and smoke, decisively ordered, "Immediately occupy the highest mountain peak in front of us, build a defensive position on the spot, and have the signal corps send out a distress call for reinforcements!"

  "Hmm, as long as they don't escape...", Hu Weidong let out a sigh of relief, thinking that swallowing this enemy army was already a done deal. After all, the Taxation Police Brigade's 1st Division had over 5,000 troops and were well-equipped, but the Independent Regiment's strength was not what it used to be. Whether in terms of troop numbers (the militia from Yongfeng County had also joined, bringing the total number of troops to over 30,000) or firepower, they surpassed them by a large margin, and they had also gained the upper hand. It seemed like a sure win, but could the outcome of war really be calculated so simply?

  Sun Liren concentrated his forces on the isolated peak, which seemed to be a desperate move. However, if the battlefield is expanded to the entire Jiangxi province, it can be seen that the Independent Division has surrounded several thousand troops of the Fourth Detachment of the Tax Police Corps while being surrounded by over 100,000 National Army troops. If they cannot take down this stronghold in a short period, they may fall into the National Army's tightening net. Withdrawing from the siege is also an option, but the Independent Division has expanded too quickly and its morale is unstable. Hu Weidong has largely relied on continuous victories to unite his forces, so even a slight setback could cause this gradually formed army to disintegrate in mid-air. Therefore, Hu Weidong cannot afford to lose a single battle!

  However, Sun Liren's troops had 18 heavy machine guns, 162 light machine guns and a large number of submachine guns. He was also well-versed in the art of crossfire, with an extremely high density of automatic firepower, and he occupied the advantageous terrain, with a very open view. The soldiers of the Independent Division who launched the attack were suppressed by his dense firepower and could not even lift their heads.

  At this time, the attacking troops needed artillery support the most, but the problem was that Sun Liren's unit had only 6 60mm mortars, but due to the terrain, the range was greatly increased. On the other hand, the independent division's mortars were at a disadvantage in terms of range because they were firing from below, even with 82mm mortars. Only the 36 mountain guns had a slight advantage in terms of range.

  Moreover, the artillery quality under Sun Liren's command was top-notch in the country, far surpassing that of the independent division. As a result, the independent division tried to charge several times but were beaten back by the enemy's fierce and accurate firepower, with over 1,000 casualties.

  What's more, time was slowly running out, and as dusk approached, Hu Weidong, who had been calm until then, began to get anxious. Just at that moment, dozens of former tax police troops who had defected from the front line suddenly mutinied, causing hundreds of casualties and a significant blow to morale...

  "No, if we continue like this, the other paratroopers will also have second thoughts. We must end this quickly." Hu Weidong gritted his teeth and ordered the artillery battalion on the left, "All mountain guns, from now on, continuously bombard the enemy's position without interruption. Note that this is not a preparatory barrage, but continuous cover fire. Even if the infantry charges forward, the artillery fire must not stop, and it must follow the vanguard troops' position to extend forward continuously! The mortars must also take advantage of this time to get close to the enemy's front line, and as soon as they enter the effective range, they will immediately join the bombardment and follow the infantry to advance forward continuously! We must defeat the enemy in one fell swoop!"

  "Are they crazy? Don't they fear killing their own people?", Sun Liren widened his eyes in disbelief, the enemy's lavish use of artillery made him almost suspect that he was facing the US military from across the ocean. However, he still encouraged his subordinates, "They don't have many shells, if we can hold on for a while, we'll win!"