Songhu: Never Give Up

Chapter 82: Baoshan Defense War (2) (Please read and collect)
日军的联队炮是有区别的，常设师团就分成两种，战前日军总共有17个常设师团，其中第3、5、6、9、10、11、14、16师团在战争初期进行动员，整建制地投入了侵华作战；
常设师团又分为常设野炮师团（第3、5、6、10、14、16）和常设山炮师团（第9、第11师团）。

第68联队属于野炮师团的联队，下辖1个联队炮中队，装备“四一”式75毫米山炮4门（161人49匹马），1个速射炮中队（89人21匹马），装备“九四式”速射炮4门；
如果再加上每个大队装备的2门92式步兵炮以及每个联队4至6门90毫米迫击炮，每个联队最多有20门火炮。

The entire regiment had a strength of 3747 people and 527 mules or war horses, which was more luxurious than the equipment of an entire division of the Central Army. The consumption of 527 horses alone was not something that an entire division of the Central Army could afford.

This is the confidence of Ying Xiaosen. No wonder he looks down on a small Baoshan City. Their benchmark should be the division or even the army of the National Army.

The reason why Yue Qianli's Second Battalion could withstand the repeated attacks of a regiment of the 11th Division was that he had 6 12-tube 107mm rocket launchers. One salvo could fire 72 107-meter rockets, which was more than the artillery of three field regiments combined. Even when compared with the artillery of the 3th Division, it was not inferior. This was also Yue Qianli's confidence.

Following Ying Xiaosen's order, the 68 artillery pieces of the 20th Regiment fired a hail of bullets at Baoshan City. The soldiers of Yaoying could only endure it silently.

Fortunately, they were scattered and hid in some relatively sturdy buildings. Unless they were hit by four Type 4 mountain cannons, there would be no major casualties.

What was truly terrifying on the Shanghai battlefield was the naval guns. A warship was at least equivalent to an artillery regiment. As long as they wanted, they could bombard any point on the river, let alone Baoshan near the Wusongkou.

The focus of the Japanese artillery attack was still the city wall. They concentrated all their infantry guns to bombard the city gate. The hit rate of direct-fire guns was much higher than that of naval guns, so after the relentless bombardment of 6 infantry guns, the city wall at the main gate was almost completely destroyed, turning the city wall into rubble.

The Japanese didn't have much to do with the rubble piles lying across the city wall. They could only set up ladders to climb up. This gave Yao Ying an opportunity. They concentrated their firepower on the Japanese on the rubble piles.

Of course, the Japs would not passively take a beating. They placed the Type 92 heavy machine gun and the Type 99 light machine gun on the rubble to suppress the defenders' firepower from their high ground. The ubiquitous grenade launchers constantly attacked the defenders' machine gun firepower. Even infantry guns and mortars could accompany the infantry attack. For a time, the defenders' defense line was in jeopardy.

Fortunately, the Yao Battalion also had its own machine gun company. Seeing that its firepower was suppressed by the devil's machine guns, the battalion commander Yao shouted:

"Tell the artillery platoon to destroy the enemy's infantry artillery!"

Although the Type 92 infantry guns were well-known as "shorty tigers", when the Japanese risked pushing them onto the rubble to support the infantry, they were very conspicuous and were soon targeted by the artillery platoon;

Although the artillery platoon only had two "Min 2" type 20mm mortars, they posed a great threat to the enemy's heavy firepower.

Since the mortar is an indirect fire artillery with a range of nearly 3 kilometers, it can be decomposed into three parts. The total combat weight is only 69 kilograms, and the heaviest gun mount is only 23 kilograms. One person can carry it and run, and can fire when it is mounted. It has strong mobility, long range, and great power. It is a rare weapon of the National Army.

Lieutenant Yang Guozhen, the platoon leader, graduated from the ninth artillery class of Huangpu Military Academy and was one of the few professional gunners in the second battalion. He had long been dissatisfied with the "shorty tigers" of the Japanese.
He finally received the order from the battalion commander, so he personally took charge of a cannon to teach the devils a lesson. This was a typical example of a coach who was about to become an athlete. This made the chief gunner Sun Zhenhua very unhappy, and he began to speak dirty words:
"The platoon leader doesn't act like a platoon leader. He always wants to take my job."

"Sun Zhenhua, what are you mumbling about? Who are you?"

Sun Zhenhua didn't expect the platoon leader's ears to be so pointy, and quickly explained:
"Of course it's the devils. I'm counting on the platoon leader to help me teach these unfilial sons a lesson!"

Yang Guozhen was too lazy to argue with Sun Zhenhua, a rough man. After adjusting the shooting parameters, he raised his thumb and said to Sun Zhenhua:

"You are so blind, Cannonball!"

Just as Sun Zhenhua was about to say that he was the main gunner, he was immediately glared at by Yang Guozhen's knife-like eyes. As a higher-ranking official could crush a person, he had no choice but to serve as deputy gunner for Platoon Leader Yang. The main gunner of another artillery piece was so happy when he saw the usually arrogant squad leader Sun being humiliated that he felt like he had eaten braised pork. His artillery was also adjusted by Platoon Leader Yang, but the right to fire the artillery was in his hands, so he had the capital to laugh at Sun Zhenhua. This is the case of the pot calling the kettle black.

"fire!"

Yang Guozhen acted as the commander again and decisively ordered the artillery to fire. Two 2mm shells flew out of the barrels and landed accurately around the Japanese infantry guns. The shell fired by Yang Guozhen directly hit the infantry gun, instantly tearing it into pieces. The Japanese in the infantry gun squad were either killed or injured.

Sun Zhenhua just pursed his lips. In his opinion, the platoon leader was just lucky. However, his hands were not idle. He swiftly handed another shell to Yang Guozhen.

Just as Yang Guozhen adjusted the firing parameters, Sun Zhenhua handed him the shells at the right time. This time, Yang Guozhen aimed at another mortar.

He was like a skilled swordsman. With a flick of his sword, he could almost kill a target with every shot. He did not disdain infantry guns, mortars, and Type 92 heavy machine guns. Sun Zhenhua also proved himself that even as a deputy gunner, he was the best in the entire platoon, except for the platoon leader (in brackets).

After witnessing Yang Guozhen's magical skills, although he didn't say it, he still admitted in his heart that the scholar platoon leader was a little better than him.

With the close cooperation of Yang Guozhen and Sun Zhenhua, the heavy firepower of the Japanese was destroyed one by one, and their firepower on Yaoying was weakened, and the previously shaky defense line was stabilized;
Yang Guozhen, who had had enough fun, handed over the right to use the artillery to Sun Zhenhua. Sun Zhenhua was rarely modest:
"It's okay, I'll just watch you shoot!"

Of course, his words were beautiful, and his actions were not ambiguous at all. He quickly took over the artillery command and shouted to his deputy artilleryman:
"What are you standing there for, cannonball!"

The deputy gunner then squatted down, took out a shell and handed it to him. Sun Zhenhua just glanced at it and stuffed the shell into the barrel.

"boom!"

The shell accurately hit a heavy machine gun position, destroying half of the machine gun group, and the Type 92 heavy machine gun was thrown into the sky;

Yang Guozhen also gave him a thumbs up, then lowered his handsome face and said:
"Hurry up and change your position. Don't let the devils target you!"

Shortly after they evacuated, three mortar shells fell from the sky, covering the area where the artillery platoon had previously been located.

"You react pretty fast, damn!"

Sun Zhenhua was very glad that he had moved his position in advance, otherwise he would have reported to the King of Hell by now. When he looked at Yang Guozhen again, there was a hint of mutual sympathy in his eyes.

Yang Guozhen shuddered for no reason and yelled at Sun Zhen:

"Why are you looking at me? Shoot at me!"

(End of this chapter)