Chapter 183: Cut off Yamamoto Ikki’s head as a sacrifice! (Votes requested)

In the open space behind Baihuling Canyon.

Li Erhu, who was promoted to the commander of the artillery battalion of the vanguard regiment, was leading the soldiers of the artillery battalion to conduct a final inspection of the six German-made Krupp 105mm howitzers placed on the open ground.

“Please be careful!”

“In this battle, artillery plays a leading role!

If anyone lets me down, don’t blame me for being rude!”

Li Erhu took out the gun scope from the box and set it up. While instructing the soldiers in the artillery battalion who were checking the artillery, he personally checked the special artillery sight.

The Krupp 105mm howitzer was powerful and had a long range, and its weight of nearly two tons meant that it could only provide long-range fire support in rear artillery positions.

It cannot be pushed directly to the front line and used for close-range shooting like a mountain artillery.

Therefore, in order for these six Krupp 105mm howitzers to fire accurately, special artillery sights are naturally indispensable.

And now Li Erhu is making the final check on the artillery sight.

If the artillery sight is not as good as the school team’s, resulting in an error in aiming, and the shell falls on our own people, it would be fatal.

The power of the German Krupp 105mm howitzer shells is not comparable to that of the Japanese 75mm mountain cannons.

The Japanese 75mm mountain cannon shells weighed only about six kilograms, while the German Krupp 105mm howitzer shells weighed fifteen kilograms, almost three times as much as the Japanese mountain cannon shells.

A German Krupp 105mm howitzer shell was fired, and even the permanent fortifications built on Baihu Ridge could not protect the soldiers inside.

Even if it did not hit the fortifications directly, the huge explosion shock wave of the German Krupp 105mm howitzer shell was enough to knock the soldiers inside the fortifications unconscious and make them lose their combat effectiveness.

If the soldiers were close to the wall of the fortification, they might be seriously injured or even killed by the shock wave.

The shells from the 75mm mountain artillery, even if they hit the fortifications head-on, would at most leave some white spots on the fortifications and shatter some concrete blocks.

The soldiers inside will then experience some tinnitus and dizziness due to the shock wave, but will recover quickly.

So Li Erhu naturally had to be extra careful.

Make sure that when the time comes, these artillery pieces will be able to accurately and without fail hit the Japanese on their heads.

Compared with Li Erhu first, Wang Daniu, who was preparing the mortar on the side, felt much more relaxed.

Li Erhu was still checking the artillery sight, while Wang Daniu had already started leading people to move the mortars onto the truck.

“Old Li, how about it, do you want me to help you?”

Wang Daniu looked at Li Erhu who was checking the artillery sight, walked up and asked.

Although Wang Daniu is a top mortar shooter, they are all artillery shooters.

Wang Daniu can also operate a barreled cannon, but he is not as good as Li Erhu.

Similarly, Li Erhu can also use mortars, but his mortar operation level is not as good as Wang Daniu.

Seeing Wang Daniu asking for help, Li Erhu, who was assembling the artillery sight, nodded immediately.

“No problem, that’s great, come over and help me see if this scope is accurate.”

Wang Daniu listened to Li Erhu’s call, stepped forward and started using the artillery sight to see if it had been calibrated.

Li Erhu was squatting on the ground, constantly adjusting the artillery sight.

“What is the goal?
What is the reference point?

Wang Daniu bent over, put his eyes on the eyepiece of the artillery sight and asked Li Erhu about relevant matters.

“What else could it be? Of course it’s the mountain outside the canyon. That mountain is quite standard and perfect to be used as a target.”

Li Erhu answered Wang Daniu while adjusting the artillery sight.

“Okay, it’s debugged, check to see if there are any problems.”

After Li Erhu finished debugging the artillery sight, he stood up and spoke to Wang Daniu.

“Don’t worry, let me take a look first…”

Wang Daniu placed his eyes on the eyepiece of the artillery sight and rotated the knob on the artillery sight with his right hand, constantly fine-tuning the artillery sight.

“Um?!”

Wang Daniu, who was aiming at the target, seemed to have seen something and suddenly raised his head to look at the hill that served as the target.

Li Erhu looked at Wang Daniu’s actions and spoke in a strange voice.

“What’s wrong?
Is there something wrong with the scope?
Why this reaction? “

Before Li Erhu could go forward to see what was going on, Wang Daniu quickly lowered his head and placed his eyes on the eyepiece of the artillery sight. His right hand quickly rotated the knob of the artillery sight to adjust the angle of the artillery sight.

As Wang Daniu adjusted himself, the smile on his face began to disappear gradually.

Li Erhu saw that Wang Daniu’s expression was becoming serious and he also realized something was wrong.

“Old Wang, what’s wrong?
Is there something wrong with the scope?”

Li Erhu also became a little nervous. If there was a problem with the artillery sight at this point in time, it would be a big trouble.

Qin Yangming only prepared two sets of this heavy artillery sight.

One set was kept in the logistics department to see if it could be imitated, and the other set was placed in the heavy artillery regiment at the headquarters.

If there is a problem with this artillery sight, it will be troublesome.

You should know that this German Krupp 105mm howitzer is different from those 75mm mountain guns.

Those 75mm mountain cannons can only fire at a maximum range of seven or eight kilometers.

This large-caliber howitzer can shoot targets ten kilometers away.

At such a long distance, it is impossible to see clearly with the naked eye.

Moreover, it is impossible to install a gun scope directly on the gun for aiming of this large-caliber howitzer.

Artillery sights are precision instruments. The recoil of the German Krupp 105mm howitzer is unmatched by those of mortars or mountain guns.

No matter what kind of gun scope it is, as long as it is installed on such a large-caliber artillery, it will be directly damaged by the recoil generated when the artillery fires a shell.

Therefore, this type of large-caliber artillery often requires a separate, dedicated artillery ranging sight to assist in aiming.

If there was a problem with this artillery sight, it would mean that these six German Krupp 105mm howitzers would be completely blind.

If they wanted to continue using these six German-made Krupp 105mm howitzers, they would either have to fire slowly and calculate the parameters and coordinates.

However, this method takes too much time. Every time a shot is fired, the coordinates and trajectory need to be recalculated, which is very troublesome and slow.

After all, the only top artillery crew member who can operate these artillery perfectly is Li Erhu.

Or, put it together with those mountain cannons and use the cannon’s sight to obtain the coordinates.

This method allows the artillery to be used normally.

However, because the range of the mountain artillery is not as far as that of the howitzer, the range advantage of the German Krupp 105mm howitzer cannot be brought into play.

And most importantly, the howitzer is more powerful and its shells are heavier than those of mountain cannon, so the firing rate of the howitzer cannot match that of the mountain cannon.

By the time the troops launched their charge, they would need artillery assistance.

Howitzers and mountain cannons have different rates of fire and different powers.

It is extremely easy to accidentally injure friendly forces.

So when Li Erhu saw Wang Daniu’s reaction, he became a little anxious.

Wang Daniu didn’t notice Li Erhu’s expression at all. After looking at him for a few seconds, he looked up and asked Li Erhu in confusion.

“Old Li, has our vanguard group arranged personnel to garrison on that hill?”

Li Erhu frowned and spoke when he heard Wang Daniu ask a strange question.

“How can we arrange for people to be stationed there? Except for the people from our two artillery battalions and the transport team, all the other people in our vanguard regiment have gathered behind the canyon. Now they are just waiting for us…”

Li Erhu was halfway through his words when he suddenly realized, “Is there someone on that hill?”

Wang Daniu turned aside and nodded.

“There are people… and judging by their equipment… it looks like they are from the assault platoon…”

Li Erhu quickly lowered his head and used the artillery sight to look at the hill used as the target.

“How is this possible? The assault platoon has been out as the vanguard for almost an hour, and it’s almost dawn… Holy shit!”

“There really is someone here!”

Li Erhu used the artillery sight, which had a magnification far exceeding that of an ordinary sight, and easily saw the situation on the hill.

The people observed by Li Erhu and Wang Daniu were none other than others.

It was Yamamoto Ikki’s special forces team.

I’m afraid Yamamoto Ikki didn’t expect that he would be discovered by Li Erhu and Wang Daniu when they were checking the artillery sight.

I have to say, this is quite dramatic.

“What are you talking about, human or not?
What are you two doing lying here instead of checking the artillery?”

“The assault platoon has sent intel. There’s no problem ahead. We’ll be leaving in five minutes. Go check the artillery quickly. If there’s a problem with the artillery by then, I’ll skin you alive.”

Just as Li Erhu and Wang Daniu were each observing the hill through an eyepiece, trying to see what was going on.

Qin Yangming just came behind the two of them.

Looking at Li Erhu and Wang Daniu who were sticking their butts out and using the operator’s artillery sight, Qin Yangming kicked them on the butt without any courtesy.

Qin Yangming listened to what the two had just said and asked with some confusion.

“What were you two just talking about?
What is there with people and no one?
I seemed to hear the assault platoon?

Why, you wanna join the assault platoon?

I can……”

Li Erhu listened to what Qin Yangming said, and without waiting for Qin Yangming to finish speaking, he pointed in the direction of the hill and asked Qin Yangming.

“No, Commander. We were just checking the gun sights, and we found some people on that hill. Judging from their equipment, they seem to be the assault platoon… but you sent the assault platoon out as the vanguard…”

Listening to what Li Erhu said, Qin Yangming frowned, then bent down and put his eyes close to the eyepiece of the artillery sight.

With the help of the artillery sight, Qin Yangming clearly saw the hill that Li Erhu and others had mentioned.

On the hill, a group of guys wearing grey clothes that looked somewhat like the uniforms of the Eighth Route Army were climbing down the hill.

Although the distance was far, the high magnification of the artillery sight still allowed Qin Yangming to vaguely see some of the equipment on those people.

Although I can’t see clearly what those equipments are.

However, based on the rough outline analysis, Qin Yangming still concluded that those weapons and equipment were most likely submachine guns.

Among the Eighth Route Army, only Qin Yangming’s Vanguard Regiment was equipped with submachine guns on a large scale!

As for the small hill outside Baihu Ridge, ordinary soldiers cannot climb it at all due to the terrain, and the structure of the entire mountain is not very stable.

If a battle breaks out, it is likely that only a few shots will be enough to bring the mountain down.

Therefore, there were no fortifications on the mountain, not even any sentries.

Among all the troops currently in Baihu Ridge, only the assault platoon of the vanguard regiment has the ability to easily climb that hill.

But the assault platoon is not in Baihu Ridge now…

So Qin Yangming instantly guessed the identities of those mysterious guys on the hill.

Yamamoto Ikki’s special forces!
“Little devil!”

“Quick, notify the commander of the first battalion. Damn it, the Japanese have sneaked into the base!”

“!”

Qin Yangming’s voice instantly alarmed the soldiers around him.

Wang Daniu reacted the fastest and immediately ran to a table with a telephone.

After Wang Daniu picked up the phone, he immediately asked the operator to connect him to Luo Chengwen, the battalion commander of the first battalion of the Pioneer Regiment.

“Meet Luo Chengwen, the commander of the first battalion of the Vanguard Regiment!”

“Captain, the call is connected, it’s Captain Luo!”

When Wang Daniu saw the call was connected, he immediately handed the phone to Qin Yangming.

“I’m Qin Yangming. Luo Chengwen, take your battalion and guard both sides of the canyon! Don’t let anyone enter the canyon!

Remember, it can be anyone!
Even if he has an order from the Lord of Heaven, you must stop the people outside the canyon and not let anyone enter White Tiger Ridge!”

Although I guessed in my heart that the people on the hill were Yamamoto Ikki’s special forces.

But Qin Yangming couldn’t guarantee that they were really the Japanese devils.

If Qin Yangming hadn’t been worried that there might be a mistake and those people were friendly forces, he would have ordered Li Erhu to fire and blow up the mountain.

No matter what kind of special forces team you are, as long as you are a human, even a ghost, a 105mm howitzer shell is enough to turn you into ashes!

So Qin Yangming could only mobilize his troops to guard the canyon and not let anyone enter Baihu Ridge.

Let’s protect the headquarters first.

After giving orders to the first battalion, Qin Yangming continued to make phone calls and began giving orders to other troops.

“Hey, Lao Zhang, I’m Qin Yangming, and I’m going to take a platoon to the boss right away.

I suspect that some Japanese soldiers have sneaked over to Baihu Ridge.

Not many, it should be the special forces team of the Japanese devils, let me see the situation…

Well, protect the boss first. If anything unexpected happens, take the boss and retreat through the tunnel. The cavalry company is at the exit.”

“Hello, Brigade Guard Company? I am the leader of the Vanguard Regiment, Qin Yangming, please get me the Brigade Commander.

Commander, there is an unexpected situation.

Do we have any troops operating near Baihuling?
Or, has anyone else formed a unit similar to the assault platoon?
The artillery camp discovered traces of unknown personnel activity on the hill outside the canyon…

Okay, I understand. I guess it’s most likely the Japanese special forces team.

Well, I have asked Zhangye to take a platoon to the headquarters. Brigade Commander, you should also take the brigade guard company with you.”

“Just a few dozen Japanese soldiers. If you, Qin Yangming, can still let these few dozen Japanese soldiers enter Baihu Ridge and come to my brigade headquarters, then you don’t have to work as the regiment commander anymore!
Go, find out the identities of those people. If they are the Japanese, kill them all and use them as sacrifices!”

Listening to the voice of the brigade commander coming from the other end of the phone.

Qin Yangming immediately made his assurance to the brigade commander with a serious expression.

“Yes, Brigade Commander, don’t worry. If it’s that devil Yamamoto Ikki who comes with his special forces team, I promise to chop off Yamamoto Ikki’s head as a sacrifice!”

“Well, that’s it. Remember, the boss’s safety is the most important!”

The brigade commander hung up the phone after saying his last sentence.

After Qin Yangming ended the call, his face instantly turned gloomy.

Qin Yangming estimated in his mind that if it was really Yamamoto Ikki’s special forces outside, then where would Yamamoto Ikki choose to enter Baihu Ridge…

“The canyon is not an option… there is a cliff on the back mountain!”

“One company from the Second Battalion, follow me!”

(End of this chapter)