Bright Sword: I don’t want to be the king!

One thousand soldiers from the Fourth Legion that were originally scheduled to attack Emerald Ridge were recalled.

After all, compared to the evil spirit's heavy artillery brigade, a small town is insignificant.

Only by destroying the evil spirit's artillery brigade can the entire Shuoxue City belong to the 358th Regiment.

If we cannot destroy it, we will not be able to hold on for long even if we occupy Emerald Ridge.

A team of cavalry messengers galloped towards Jinglan County and reported the battle plan on the front line to Lord Cao Geng.

Sun Jiang led the Third Legion to dismantle the tracks from Shuoxue City outwards.

The station building, rails, sleepers, magic lamp posts, and wires were all dismantled. The rails were recycled by a special person and melted down to become high-quality magic metal.

and the sleepers were left behind, to be destroyed, if the heavy artillery of the evil spirits was not destroyed, in order to prepare for their retreat.

Once the heavy artillery was defeated, these sleepers could be used as beams and pillars for civil fortifications and to reinforce air-raid shelters.

Shi Song commanded the Fifth Legion of more than 3,000 people to rush towards Guyue City, while Cheng Yuqing led the Fourth Legion of more than 2,000 people to Ningwu Railway Station.

At 1 o'clock in the evening on January 10, Ningwu Railway Station was crowded with people.

Evil spirit soldiers kept coming out of the iron dragon.

The laborers were unloading the supplies from the train one by one.

In order to mobilize troops quickly, the evil spirit directly took over the control of the Tongpu Railway, suspended all regular trains, and requisitioned iron dragons to transport soldiers and supplies.

There is a train every forty minutes.

In just sixteen hours, most of the 36th Legion had arrived at Ningwu Station...

This is the advantage of navigating the path of the Iron Dragon.

Can easily deliver soldiers and supplies to the front line of the battlefield.

Even with an army of more than 20,000 people, it would only take one day to cross all the stations in Shanxi.

If they relied on horse-drawn carriages, they would need at least a hundred and more than two days to carry the soldiers and supplies. Moreover, the army escorting along the way would require an entire war team.

If ox carts were used instead, at least four or five hundred would be needed, and a brigade would be mobilized to guard it. It would take five or six days, or even longer, to complete the transportation.

This is assuming everything goes well.

Not to mention the loss of materials and the consumption of cattle and horse fodder.

In war, heavy artillery is almost impossible to move without the traction of the iron dragon.

This was also one of the main reasons why the enemy's offensive was so fierce in the early stages.

When invading Shanxi, the Japanese invaders took advantage of the Pingsui Railway to occupy Datong in one fell swoop.

Then, using the transport capacity of the Tongpu Railway, the army was quickly pushed to the vicinity of Taiyuan.

As a result, they were able to expand rapidly and swept across most of Shanxi in a short period of time.

The war situation was hindered in the middle and late stages, partly because it was far away from the railway line, making it difficult to transport weapons and supplies.

Furthermore, the anti-Japanese bases of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army were mostly located along the railways.

Under their constant interference and attacks, the efficiency of railway transportation was greatly reduced, with the speed dropping from an average of 50 miles per hour to 25 to 30 miles.

There are frequent interruptions!

The weakening of railway transport capacity dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese invaders and increased their daily material consumption.

It was because they knew the importance of the railway and knew that the 358th Regiment had occupied Shuo County that the enemy troops became furious like frightened wild dogs.

They mobilized a heavy artillery team, vowing to destroy the 358th Regiment and retake Shuo County.

Ningwu Station is the closest railway intersection to Shuo County.

It only takes two hours to get there by train, but unfortunately the railway to Shuo County has been destroyed.

The 36th Division disembarked and stationed here, awaiting the arrival of the 4th Heavy Artillery Regiment.

Lieutenant General Iseki Jin, the commander of the 36th Division, stepped off the train and asked Major General Yamanouchi Masafumi, the brigade commander who had arrived earlier:

"Has the Fourth Heavy Artillery Squadron arrived?"

Twenty-four 150-pound guns, together with their ammunition, were a considerable weight, not to mention the troops who had to protect them.

The train, with only eleven carriages and a traction capacity of only 300 tons, could not carry the entire load at once and had to be transported in two batches.

Major General Yamanouchi Masafumi quickly responded: "General, the first batch has arrived. The second batch has set out and will arrive tomorrow morning if nothing unexpected happens."

Lieutenant General Jing Guanren ordered: "Take me to see those heavy artillery!"

"As ordered!"

Lieutenant General Iseki Ren inspected the twelve Type 96 150mm field howitzers escorted by the 222nd Squadron.

The Type 96 150mm field howitzer is a tactical treasure of the Japanese Army.

It has extremely high accuracy and long range, and was praised by the Japanese as the most perfect 150mm howitzer.

Since the United States imposed a material blockade on Japan...

In an era when magical resources are scarce, refined star steel, especially the mysterious special star steel, has become extremely precious.

The 150mm caliber Dragon Boom Cannon has been forced to stop most of its production this year.

Today, each of these huge cannons is a priceless treasure to the Sunlight Empire Army.

If one is lost, it is lost forever.

Any negligence will not be forgiven.

Looking at the giant cannon that was well kept, Lieutenant General Xing Guanren gave orders to Major General Yue Zhinei Zhengwen in a firm tone.

"Stay alert. The wizards of the Fire Country are extremely cunning. They will definitely try to destroy the railway and prevent us from retaking Frost Moon County. Strengthen the defenses along the railway and at the stations, and be sure to be on guard against their sabotage. If you let the enemy succeed, I will personally chop off your head!"

Major General Yue Nei Zhengwen immediately stood at attention and responded respectfully.

"General, rest assured, we have surrounded the station tightly. Even if the enemy grows wings, they cannot invade. We will ensure that nothing goes wrong!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a messenger approached quickly.

"General, the patrol team reported through magic communication that a large number of enemy troops are advancing towards the railway between Ningwu and Guxuan! The number is estimated to be between two thousand and three thousand!"

Upon hearing this, Lieutenant General Xing Guanren angrily shouted, "Damn it, the intelligence must have been leaked. Yue Neijun, you must lead your troops to intercept these enemies immediately. Even if all of you die, you cannot let the enemy get close to the train. Do you understand?"

Although there was a brigade of the Imperial Legion guarding the train, there were also magic knights patrolling along the way.

But those huge cannons were the strategic treasures of the First Legion and no loss was allowed.

Taiyuan was too far away, and at the moment, Ningwu was the closest front line. Lieutenant General Xing Guanren decisively sent a brigade under his command to provide protection.

Upon receiving the order from the division commander, Major General Tsukune Masafumi immediately responded: "Hi!"

Then he turned and galloped away.

The Fifth Column marched quickly, and after about two hours, it was still more than forty miles away from Guxuan Railway Station.

A team of cavalrymen came galloping over. They reined in their horses and saluted in front of Ishimatsu, reporting: "Captain, we found the Sunlight Empire army behind us. It is about the size of a brigade, and they are moving very fast!"

When Shi Song heard this, he immediately understood the situation.

Their whereabouts have been revealed and the enemy intends to intercept them.

If we attack the train, the enemy will launch a surprise attack from the rear, and the consequences will be unbearable.

He immediately ordered: "Commander of the Third Battalion!"

The commander of the third battalion, Zhu Jun, immediately came over and said, "Yes!"

"Whether we can defend Shimotsuki County depends on whether we can destroy the enemy's train carrying the giant cannon. You lead your troops to build a defense line here. Without my order, even if there is only one person left, you are not allowed to retreat! Do you hear me?"

"Yes, sir!" Zhu Jun responded immediately.

Ishimatsu then ordered his other subordinates: "The rest of you, speed up. Get close to the train at all costs and then destroy it. Do you understand?"

After giving the order, Shi Song rode on his horse, looking straight ahead.

This time, the Fifth Column vowed to do its utmost to destroy the Sunlight Empire's giant cannons and attract national attention!