Chapter 359 103: I Didn’t Bring a Pen
December 2, 1941, the northern section of the Tongpu Railway.
"Woo woo woo!"
Accompanied by the sound of whistles coming from far and near, a train carrying various types of heavy equipment slowly drove into the Xinxian platform.
The cold winter temperature caused the steam to condense into white mist the moment it was discharged from the chimney, making the scenery of the entire station look extremely spectacular.
Under the guidance of the staff, the transport train stopped steadily in the designated area.
The soldiers who had been waiting for a long time also immediately began to act, and assisted the friendly forces coming to reinforce to unload heavy equipment and supplies.
"Report to Chief of Staff Liu! All members of the headquarters artillery brigade are here! Please give instructions!"
The familiar voice made 103 turn his head suddenly.
After discovering that it was an old friend he had not seen for many years, he immediately put down his work and stepped forward to greet him.
For the Eighth Route Army at this stage, artillery is the most important cornerstone of the army, and the strike capability and rapid response capability of artillery are the guarantee of combat effectiveness.
What's more, the artillery directly under the headquarters is the elite among the elite. Who would not like such strong support?
"Old Qiu! Long time no see!"
"Your artillery brigade is really timely. I am worried that the firepower on the front line is a little insufficient! With your help in the next decisive battle, the devils will definitely be in trouble!"
"Come on, tell me how many good things you brought this time!"
The current Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region has not yet upgraded its support weapons.
Although the combination of the M1897 75mm field gun and the Blond 120mm mortar is enough to deal with the joint attack of the Mongolian Army and the North China Front Army.
But as an army general, it is really difficult for 103 to refuse the new artillery.
After all, big is beautiful, more is better. Caliber is justice, and range is truth.
The above view has long been verified in previous battles and has even become a recognized code for the Eighth Route Army soldiers.
Just as Political Commissar Qiu of the headquarters artillery brigade was about to reveal the answer, Huang He came out from behind him with a Versailles look on his face, and spoke to 103 first:
"Hey, this time we brought all big guns."
"No more, no less, only 24 105mm howitzers and 12 105mm field guns. In addition, there is a self-propelled rocket launcher of a reinforced regiment."
"How about it, are you satisfied with the support of the headquarters?"
As soon as these words came out, 103 immediately showed an extremely shocked expression. He didn't even have time to say hello to Huang He, and rushed directly into the car to check the new artillery.
Let alone those mysterious self-propelled rocket launchers, the 36 105mm barreled guns alone are enough to attract attention.
This level of firepower, even in the cruel battlefield of the Eastern Front in Europe, is definitely a force that cannot be underestimated.
If calculated by the standards of the Japanese army, the paper strength of this artillery brigade is enough to suppress the artillery of three Type B divisions.
"This is incredible! Our firepower upgrade is too fast."
"If I can be given seven artillery brigades, coupled with sufficient infantry and air force, I am even confident that I can sweep the Japanese in the whole country."
After a sigh, 103 reluctantly jumped out of the car, and then asked curiously:
"Director Huang, why are you on the front line? Is there any work?"
In the minds of most comrades, Huang He is a technical nerd who never leaves the house. Every day he is either doing research or on the way to do research.
At this moment, he appeared on the battlefield, which must be some important work or mission.
Faced with 103's questions, Huang didn't keep it a secret. He pointed to the rear carriage and explained:
"In the reinforced regiment just mentioned, there is a company with new equipment that needs to be tested intensively."
"Do you know Hongjian? It is the Type 41 122mm self-propelled rocket launcher, a new weapon that our Weapon Experimental Research Bureau just developed a few months ago."
"Now it has been upgraded. I came to Xinkou this time to record the actual combat data of Hongjian 2. Compared with air firing at the shooting range, I prefer to use the Japanese to sharpen the blade."
Early rockets, whether it is the Hongjian developed by Huanghe or the Katyusha currently in service with the old Russians, have the problems of short effective range and poor accuracy.
In response to the above situation, the Weapon Experimental Research Bureau has come up with two solutions.
The first set allows the projectile to keep rotating during flight, which is to say, the turbine rocket on the 107 fire.
The core operation of this technology is not complicated. It only needs to divide the engine nozzle from one to multiple, so that it can be evenly arranged around the bottom edge.
In this way, the rocket can keep spinning during flight, and ultimately achieve the effect of improving accuracy.
Using this principle, the comrades of the Weapon Experimental Research Bureau are trying to develop more powerful attack rockets, with a caliber of more than 200 mm.
The second set uses a spiral groove guide tube to make the rocket spin, and then cooperates with the tail fin of the upper body to form a double stability.
In this way, the Red Arrow 2 self-propelled rocket launcher can increase the range to an incredible 15 kilometers while ensuring accuracy, which is absolutely an efficient weapon to kill the enemy.
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Looking at the Yellow River, which is like a living devil, 103's mouth twitched a few times.
He was only thankful now. After all, it was not a wise choice to be an enemy of such a talented and bold scientist. In a sense, the Third Master Huang mentioned by Lao Cui was not a joke.
While Liu and Qiu were still thinking, Huang He looked around first, and then asked curiously:
"By the way, why don't you see General Lin? Didn't he come today?"
After saying this, 103 immediately smiled bitterly, and then pointed to the distance. Following the guidance of the other party, Huang He saw the target without much effort.
On the platform filled with water mist, the tiger in the forest walked independently with his hands in his pockets, and his back alone revealed a strong sense of fatigue.
If the gray winter uniform of the Eighth Route Army could be replaced with a yellow-green coat at this time. Then the famous scene in a certain movie in the future would probably appear a few years earlier.
As if he had guessed Huang He's thoughts, 103 took the initiative to explain:
"The division commander hasn't slept for two days, and even the deputy chief of staff and the deputy division commander couldn't persuade him."
"He has just recovered. If he continues to endure like this, I'm afraid something unexpected will happen. If possible, please ask Director Huang to find a way to persuade him."
Hearing this, Huang He also sighed.
Although he had no experience in commanding large-scale operations, he knew that this was a matter that was extremely challenging for the commander's physical and willpower. After all, every decision was related to the victory or defeat of the battle and even the survival of the troops.
Unlike in the game, if you play a game of Steel 4, it doesn't matter even if the damage is a little bit worse than the game.
Because no one has the right to hold you accountable for your mistakes, and you don't have to be ashamed of your stupidity. It's just a game made up of a bunch of data and images.
Play a few games of World of Warships, even if you lose all day and sink more than a dozen aircraft carriers, it doesn't matter.
Because you don't have to be criticized like the captain in reality, and you don't have to pay the price of your life for your decision. A game lasts 20 minutes, and you have to do what you need to do after it ends. Everything that happened just now is just a string of red words.
But it is different in reality. As the highest commander, you must be responsible for everyone.
During the entire battle, the military commander needs to make the most correct deployment based on factors such as battlefield width, combat effectiveness, organization, and weapon equipment.
This means that the highest commander needs to know all levels of troops under his command, which in itself requires a huge amount of memory and workload.
In addition, you must understand the enemy.
Only in this way can you find what you need from the vast amount of intelligence, so as to judge the enemy's movements and formulate your own way of fighting.
This is a double torture of physical and psychological, and it is a torture that cannot be rejected. This is the experience of commanding a large army group.
Thinking of this, Huang He only felt a headache.
In his impression, even the deputy commander-in-chief who is like an iron man took a few days off after commanding the Zhongtiaoshan Campaign.
The tiger in the forest was not in good health to begin with. Such high-intensity combat would definitely affect his health. He might have to command the second Xinkou battle on a stretcher.
At this moment, Huang He could only think of one way to break the deadlock, which was to defeat the troops stationed in Mongolia and the direct troops of the North China Front Army as quickly as possible!
As long as all the enemies were dead, there was no need to worry anymore.
While Huang He was still thinking, the tiger in the forest in the distance suddenly shouted to them:
"Director Huang! Political Commissar Qiu! Chief of Staff! All of you come here, I have something to announce to everyone."
Upon hearing this, the three of them immediately stopped communicating and hurried over.
"LYL, remember this!"
"I will make the following deployment adjustments, with the fourth column plus two main regiments to strengthen the defense line from Heiyu to Yangfangkou. The second and third columns plus the teaching regiment, cavalry regiment and headquarters artillery brigade will fight Xinkou."
"The first column, block the enemy in the Ekou and Daixian areas!"
"The remaining troops, as the general reserve! Repeat it to me!"
Here it comes, the most handsome scene is here. Hearing the deployment of the Tiger in the Forest, Huang He instinctively began to get excited.
After a moment, he looked at 103 with expectant eyes.
Because the incident happened suddenly, the chief of staff did not have paper and pen on hand, and Huang did not know whether the other party could repeat it completely.
"Yes!"
"Use the remaining troops of the Fourth Column as the general reserve!"
Facts have proved that as a chief of staff at the division level, 103's memory is not ordinary. Even without paper and pen, he can still perfectly repeat the orders of his own division commander.
As if feeling that something was missing, Huang He decided to replace a comrade working in Shandong. He stepped forward and proposed to Lin and Liu:
"I would like to add that the troops participating in this battle also have an artillery academy, and the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region must make full use of these artillery."
"There is also a newly established tank regiment and a Marine Corps regiment on standby in the rear. These two troops are the highlights prepared by the headquarters for the allies."
As soon as this was said, the Tiger in the Forest and his own chief of staff nodded.
The decisive battle of Xinkou was the first battle in which the Eighth Route Army crushed the enemy in both the number and caliber of artillery. With such powerful weapons, they must be fully utilized.
"Okay! Regarding the deployment of the armored forces and the 1st Marine Regiment, I will come up with a reasonable plan with the staff later."
"As for Director Huang, I suggest you not get too close to the battlefield. If you have to go, it is best to retreat to a safe area immediately after the first wave of attacks."
"Received! I will absolutely obey your arrangements!"
That afternoon, the entire Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region received a notice from their superiors.
The general offensive will begin at 1:00 p.m. on December 3.
After the general offensive is launched, the attack should be carried out continuously and shall not be stopped or delayed for any reason. While completing their respective tasks, each unit should automatically assist its neighbors in winning the victory.
For those who waver in battle and miss the opportunity to fight. The commanders of each unit have the right to strictly enforce discipline and shall not tolerate them.
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At 9 a.m. on December 3, 1941, the Joint Command of the Mongolian Army.
"Mr. Yano, Mr. Nishihara, we are about to arrive at Xinkou. You two must be vigilant and never underestimate the Eighth Route Army!"
Since the end of the Datong Campaign, the three Japanese lieutenant generals have had an ominous premonition. They even have a bold guess that the so-called Eighth Route Army division commander is actually a bait.
After all, whenever they are about to capture the target, there will always be a strong reinforcement force to cooperate with the air force.
Once or twice may be a coincidence, but three or four times must be a tactic arranged by the enemy.
After hearing Iimorinuma's reminder, the two Japanese lieutenant generals stationed in Mongolia immediately nodded seriously.
To be able to become division commanders, the two are naturally not lazy. They certainly can't let the troops rush into an area like Xinkou that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.
"Don't worry, I have sent enough reconnaissance teams to be responsible for vigilance and exploration."
"The Eighth Route Army's field artillery and mortars have an effective range of only eight kilometers. As long as they stick to this range, they will not rashly break into the enemy's encirclement."
"Those damned Republic of China people didn't realize that they relied too much on artillery." (End of this chapter)