Cross the Songhu battlefield and rise to become the most powerful warlord

Chapter 414 Breaking through the Japanese Minefield

414 Breaking through the Japanese minefield

"Compared to the Japanese, our aviation force is still too weak.

Fortunately, we have the thirty P40 fighter jets that Meng Jifei and his team had just brought back.

Plus our previous fighter jets.

It is impossible to fight against the Japanese air force.

But it was limited to the area around Fuzhou, to block the Japanese air force flying from the other side or from Suzhou and Hangzhou.

It should be barely enough.”

Why did Ye Qingshan do this? Ye Qingshan had to wait until a new batch of P40 fighter jets were delivered by sea.

This is the reason why we decided to attack Fuzhou.

Ye Qingshan knew very well whether he could win the battle in Fuzhou.

The newly equipped 155mm heavy artillery in their army is not the most important.

The most important thing in this battle was actually the batch of P40 fighter jets that Meng Jifei and his team had just brought back from Siam.

With this batch of P40 fighters, plus their previous fighters.

It can be guaranteed in the battle of Fuzhou.

Even if they cannot gain air superiority, they cannot allow the Japanese to completely gain air superiority.

Otherwise, even if Ye Qingshan bought heavy artillery from the United States.

Sooner or later it will be destroyed by the Japanese bombers.

Air supremacy is the most critical factor in a war involving hot weapons.

This is true whether it is a land battle or a naval battle.

The reason why aircraft carriers have replaced large ships and large cannons and become the mainstream in naval battles.

This is because aircraft carriers can carry carrier-based aircraft and have air superiority over the sea.

Use a few or a dozen carrier-based aircraft that cost only a few hundred thousand US dollars to replace an enemy battleship that costs tens of millions.

Anyone can do the math on this.

At the same time, this is also why Ye Qingshan asked Zhou Pingkou to launch an attack on Ningde City last night.

Because, during the day, bombers took off from the Japanese airport on the other side.

It can fly over to join the battle in just a few minutes.

That would pose a huge threat to their front-line siege troops and their heavy artillery regiments.

If we attack at night, there will be no problem.

And today, Meng Jifei and his team will fly to their Jinxi Airport with thirty P40 fighter jets.

"Notify the Bailongshan radar station to monitor the movements of the Japanese air force in the Suzhou and Hangzhou directions at any time.

If a group of Japanese aircraft attacks from the Suzhou and Hangzhou directions.

Notify the aviation team immediately and take off to intercept.

As for the attacking aircraft group from the other side, they were too far away to be detected by the Bailongshan radar station.

We can only send reconnaissance planes and conduct manual monitoring.

Also warn Zhou Pingkou when using the heavy artillery regiment.

Ask them to be careful during the day.

Until our air force can completely ensure safety in the sky, we should try not to use the heavy artillery regiment during the day."

Ye Qingshan felt that it was still necessary to warn the front-line combat troops.

Otherwise, if they underestimated the enemy, their heavy artillery regiment would be bombed by the Japanese air force.

Ye Qingshan would be so angry that he would die.

Although, those few dozen cannons are not worth much.

However, now for Ye Qingshan, purchasing these large-caliber artillery is not a matter of spending money.

The most troublesome thing is transportation.

It takes a month to transport supplies from the United States and back.

It's too time-consuming.

However, due to a lack of workers, Ye Qingshan's own arsenal's heavy artillery production line was unable to start production.

This also gave Ye Qingshan a headache.

The workers used on the heavy artillery production line cannot be done by just randomly pulling anyone over.

He not only needs a certain amount of knowledge, but also needs to undergo rigorous training.

The few technical consultants he hired from the United States at high salaries alone were not enough to run the entire heavy artillery production line.

Before, Ye Qingshan thought too simply.

In fact, it’s not just Ye Qingshan who is like this.

According to the telegram contacts between Ye Qingshan and Chen Cheng two days ago.

Ye Qingshan knew that the headquarters had also encountered the same trouble.

The heavy artillery production line that Ye Qingshan pulled back for them had now settled in the rear area of ​​the southwest.

But even so, the heavy artillery production line in the rear has not yet started operation.

The reason is also the lack of skilled workers.

However, the national government still has some assets after all.

There are still many skilled workers in the Wuhan Arsenal.

Once these arsenal workers are transferred to the rear, the headquarters will be able to solve this problem.

But Ye Qingshan's problem can only be solved by himself.

Ye Qingshan has contacted Anthony and asked him to help train a group of workers on the west coast of the United States and send them over.

But Ye Qingshan still thought the speed was too slow.

But there is nothing we can do.

The weak industry is so helpless.

This is not only reflected in the lack of advanced industrial machines, but more seriously, the lack of qualified workers.

*

*

The front line, near Baimenggang, dozens of miles south of Ningde.

The 208th Regiment of the th Division, which rushed here overnight, discovered the Japanese reinforcements that had also arrived here.

Moreover, the Japanese reinforcements did not advance northward.

It was obvious that they had already known the news that Ningde City had fallen.

They chose to build fortifications here to block the 208th Division from moving south.

"Damn it! After all, the Japanese got here faster than us."

The fourth regiment commander stood on a hilltop, looking at the Japanese figures appearing on the higher Baimeng Hill hundreds of meters ahead, and started cursing.

“Captain, it seems the Japs have just arrived as well.

The position is still being built.

We can't let them repair their position, you should order an attack.

We promise to drive the Japanese off Baimenggang within half a day."

A battalion commander of the Fourth Regiment suggested.

"Well, we have to fight!

Pass on my order, the first battalion will make the main attack, and the second battalion will provide support.

The third battalion served as the reserve.

Capture Baimenggang as quickly as possible.

We can’t let the Japanese gain a foothold here.”

The fourth regiment commander made a prompt decision and launched an attack directly.

Boom boom!

The artillery regiment that followed provided artillery support with 81mm mortars and 75mm howitzers.

These are the two types of artillery, which are easy to transport.

Only then can we keep up with the four regiments that are advancing overnight.

If it were a heavy artillery regiment, it would take at least one more day to transport the goods via the mountain road.

Shell after shell fell on the temporary position of the Japanese on Baimenggang.

Many Japanese soldiers were blown up.

The Japs had just begun to build positions on Baimenggang, and the positions had not yet taken shape.

However, even so, this group of Japanese troops climbed up Baimenggang, which was hundreds of meters high, in advance.

Being high above the ground, we still have the geographical advantage.

However, there was only one squadron of Japanese soldiers on the hill, which was much smaller than the four regiments in terms of manpower.

This Japanese squadron was actually the vanguard of the Japanese reinforcements.

The main force of the Japanese troops behind had not yet crossed the Qibu Creek and were deploying their defenses on the south bank of the river.

Because the support this time came from a Japanese engineering regiment.

This kind of Japanese engineering regiment is not good at attacking, but at defending.

The Japanese engineering regiment set up five or six blocking points along the dozens of miles from Lianjiang to Luoyuan.

This is considered Fuzhou’s outer defense line.

Zhou Pingkou's 208th Division would not be able to get close to Fuzhou City unless they broke through the Japanese's outer defense lines.

Fuzhou City is just the last line of defense of the Japanese.

After half a day of fierce fighting, the Japanese squadron on Baimenggang finally couldn't hold on.

After more than half of their troops were killed or wounded, they abandoned Baimenggang and fled in a panic.

“Go find a suitable crossing point.

Then we built a floating bridge across the river.”

The fourth regiment commander continued to attack southward without stopping.

Their mission was to clear the way for the main force behind them.

Half a day later, the Fourth Regiment crossed the river without being attacked by the Japanese.

However, they encountered trouble on their way south.

They encountered a minefield laid by the Japanese.

"This is bad. The Japanese are using this trick now."

The fourth commander heard the report from his subordinates.

We learned that there was a minefield laid by the Japanese at the foot of the mountain ahead, and there were suspected Japanese soldiers on the mountains on both sides.

They had used this kind of blocking method before.

The minefields combined with ambushes at firing points on the mountains on both sides are very effective in blocking the enemy in this mountainous terrain.

“Captain, do you want to wait for the engineering corps behind to catch up?

We have no way to clear the mines laid by the Japanese ahead."

A national army officer suggested.

“I didn’t know that demining required engineers.

But by the time the engineering corps caught up, it was too slow.

The order given to us by the division commander was to advance southward with all our strength.

Try to arrive in Lianjiang before dark.

Can’t be stopped here.”

The fourth captain was unwilling to wait.

"Then what to do."

Other national army officers were also worried.

"Hey, I have an idea."

Suddenly someone came up with a solution.

"We let our artillery shells hit the Japanese minefields.

Even if it is impossible to clear all the mines, as long as two craters can be blown out, it will be fine.

We ordered the soldiers to move forward along the crater.

No need to clear mines.”

"That's a good idea."

Someone agreed.

"But if we do that, the artillery regiment behind us won't be able to keep up with us."

“Then forget about the artillery regiment.

Our mission is to advance southwards and penetrate into Lianjiang. There is no need to annihilate the Japanese who are blocking us.

It doesn’t matter if I can’t lead the artillery regiment.”

"Let's do it this way.

Notify the artillery regiment and let them fire."

The fourth regiment commander agreed with the suggestion of his officers.

Boom boom boom!

Soon, the sound of artillery fire rang out again.

The artillery regiment behind used 81mm mortars and 75mm howitzers to bombard the Japanese minefields.

Bomb craters were blown out in the minefield, extending all the way out of the Japanese minefield.

"Action, the first battalion follows the crater and quickly passes through the minefield.

The second and third battalions attacked the Japanese on the mountains on both sides and covered the first battalion.

Let the artillery regiment bombard the Japanese on the mountains on both sides to provide fire support.

After passing through the minefield, our regiment continued to advance southward.

Tell the 1st Artillery Regiment to wait for the main force behind, the 2nd Regiment will catch up soon.

Be careful of the Japanese's sneak attacks on them."

Soon, the soldiers of the first battalion braved the firepower of the Japanese troops who were ambushing on the mountains on both sides.

They forced their way through the bullet holes in the minefield.

Da da da!

"Kill him!"

The Japanese soldiers lying in ambush on the hills on both sides did not expect that the Fourth Regiment would use this trick.

He shot crazily at the Kuomintang soldiers below.

The Fourth Regiment suffered some casualties.

However, they were able to break through the Japanese blocking point in the fastest time.

Subsequently, the second and third battalions followed suit.

It took the entire Fourth Regiment less than two hours to break through the Japanese blocking point.

But it also resulted in more than 300 casualties.

"Damned little Japs, I'll settle this account with you later.

let's go! "

The fourth regiment commander looked at the Japanese soldiers ambushing them on the hills on both sides and said in a cold voice.

He then led the team and continued to advance southward.