On the head of the city on the east side of the county town, there were no more than ten gaps in the scattered battlements.

There were fifty or sixty bullet craters of different sizes scattered above the brick and stone city head, with either Japanese and puppet troops corpses upside down or several minor and serious wounded men screaming in succession.

The remaining Japanese and puppet troops hid behind the intact battlements, holding guns and firing desperately outside the city.

"Boom..." Two mortar shells hit the city again.

The bullet point of a shell was right next to a machine gun position. The moment the orange-red fireball rose from the ground, the three Japanese squatting next to the machine gun fell to the ground, and their crooked hands were blown over and overturned next to the battlement.

The other shell had a little bad luck, and only knocked down two riflesmen, one of which was a puppet army...

Major Takahashi is the commander-in-chief of all Japanese and puppet troops in the east of the city. He squatted behind a battlement and watched his subordinates not far away be killed and injured by shells, his hands had long been clenched into fists because of anger.

He punched the battlement hard, which made his teeth tremble, and then gritted his teeth and ordered: "Why don't we fight back with our artillery troops guarding the city?"

"Do they want to watch us die on the city by the artillery fire of the National Salvation Army?"

The captain squadron leader lowered his head and replied: "We only have one mortar team to cooperate in combat. As soon as they fired the artillery, they were targeted by the National Rescue Army. Within a minute of firing, three mortars were blown up!"

Major Takahashi was not satisfied with the result, and looked at his subordinates and continued to ask: "Where is the captain supporting our artillery fire? Why don't they fire?"

"After they fired a counterattack, our combat pressure on the city was reduced sharply, and the casualties of the troops were greatly reduced. Why did it stop after only a few minutes of fighting? The artillery troops of the National Saving Army stared at the city and bombed the city again, and the losses of the troops began to rise sharply!"

The squadron leader couldn't figure out the situation here, so he shook his head and replied: "I don't know why they stopped firing..."

"Or why I call the command center now to ask about the situation!"

Major Takahashi immediately ordered: "Let's fight now and tell the captain that we urgently need artillery support, otherwise the troops stationed in the east of the city will be wiped out if they last for another two hours!"

The squadron leader was about to get up and make a call. A Chief Cao who was guarding the phone next to the phone suddenly shouted: "Sir, the command center phone number, I have an order to give us!"

"You go and answer the phone and ask the corps captain for help!" After hearing Chief Cao's words, Master Takahashi did not turn his head and directly ordered the squadron leader who was about to get up.

The squadron leader who received the order rushed to the phone, but after walking for less than two minutes, he ran back with a serious face. He looked at Colonel Jiangchuan with a disappointed report: "Captain, the wing command reported: The artillery troops in the city suffered heavy losses in the artillery battle just now and could not continue to provide us with artillery support!"

"Nani?" Major Takahashi was so shocked by the news that he almost jumped up from the ground. If the guard hadn't stopped him, he would have been hit by the rain of bullets flying above his head.

Then he cursed with dissatisfaction: "The National Salvation Army's siege artillery fire is so fierce, but we don't even have counterattack artillery fire. How can we fight in the next battle? Could it be that the warriors will be allowed to defend the city and be bombed!"

Before the squadron leader finished his words, he looked at the angry Major Takahashi who continued to report: "Captain, the corps leader said on the phone: The artillery was defeated by the infantry, and even without artillery fire support, our infantry can fight back the attack of the National Rescue Army and defend Jinzhong."

“Also say…”

After saying these two words, the squadron leader suddenly stopped and showed a embarrassed expression of wanting to speak but stopping!

Major Takahashi was holding his anger and had nowhere to be heard. The squadron leader's current performance directly angered him and cursed: "What else do you say? What I just said is the fact that the National Savior Army's artillery fire is so fierce that our defending troops would definitely suffer heavy losses without artillery support. I don't believe that the captain of the regiment would punish me for the words I just said."

After hearing the squadron leader’s complaints, the squadron leader didn’t know what to say.

Because the command of the regiment captain just now really has something to do with the captain's words.

He hesitated for a while before speaking: "Captain, calm down!"

"The captain of the regiment also said: The Chinese army has never had an artillery advantage in front of the Imperial Army, but they can still defeat the Imperial Army on the battlefield. Is the Imperial Army not as good as the Chinese army? Without artillery support, I will not even fight!"

"If you think you don't have artillery support, you can't defend the city. The corps command immediately replaces people to defend the east of the city..."

"Substitution?" Major Takahashi almost breathed after being choked by the words.

He gasped heavily, and after a while, he calmed down: "The captain of the regiment is right. Even without artillery fire support, we can still defend the city!"

"The Chinese army can win battles without the advantage of artillery fire, so can we!"

"Appoint all the troops to be scattered on the top of the city, try not to concentrate. Especially the machine gun team, you must not stay in one position for more than five minutes! The grenade launcher shoots with all its strength, and find ways to knock out several machine gun fire points of the National Savior Army."

"We don't have artillery support and can't do anything to their artillery troops, but we have grenade launchers that can fire their light and heavy machine gun fire points, so that they can also taste our power!"

The Shouyang garrison launched an attack from the east of the city. Huang Hu hid in the simple front-line command to observe the enemy situation, and his eyes never left the Japanese and puppet troops on the top of the city.

He was one of the few people in the National Salvation Army who knew the entire siege plan. The Japanese and puppet troops on the city did not increase on a large scale, which means that the Japanese in the city did not increase their troops on the city, which was the result he least wanted to see.

"How long has the attack been started?" Huang Hu asked anxiously.

"It's almost an hour!" The deputy captain glanced at his watch and replied.

Huang Hu's anxious expression looked stronger than before, and he shook his head and replied: "Our offensive is too weak!"

"The mission given to us is to force the Japanese to draw a reinforced squadron to support the city within two hours!"

"Half of the time has passed, we have not completed the mission, we must hurry up the next battle!"

"Let the company commander Wang of the Artillery Company come over immediately. The Japanese and puppet troops are guarding the city. We can only consume a lot of their troops through artillery shooting. In the previous battle, the shooting rate of the artillery Company was too low, and it seemed that they were a little afraid of fire and did not dare to do their best to fire!"

Company Commander Wang rushed to the command center five minutes later. As soon as he shouted a report, he heard Huang Hu cursing at him: "What is the artillery company doing for?"

"There are four or five hundred Japanese and puppet troops on the top of the city. You have been bombing for so long to kill one or two hundred people. The speed is too slow!"

Company Commander Wang was puzzled for a while before explaining: "Captain, in order to capture Jinzhong, we brought less than a thousand shells in our reserve. If we were unconscious, we would not be able to hold on for even half an hour!"

The National Salvation Army is well-equipped and ammunition is sufficient, which is compared to the Eighth Route Army.

Compared with the Japanese, the troops' ammunition reserves are not sufficient.

A Japanese artillery squadron carried one or two thousand shells at will. If there was a demand, the rear could immediately replenish them with new shells.

The artillery company directly under the Shouyang Garrison has sufficient ammunition, but there are less than 1,000. On average, one cannon is divided into less than 100 shells.

During the war, although the gunners below did not quit, they could not fire without any worries.

Therefore, the artillery company's artillery company's shelling just now made Huang Hu feel timid.

Huang Hu did not continue to curse people. Company Commander Wang was used to it before, and the artillery company did not have many shells. Even if he issued an order not to save shells, he would not dare to shoot out of caution.

He sighed and asked, "How many shells do we have now!"

"Less than five hundred shots!" Company Commander Wang was well aware of the family's assets of the cannon company, and blurted out without thinking about it.

Huang Hu immediately ordered: "Leave eighty mortar shells and twenty mountain shells for backup, and I will hit all the remaining shells on the city wall in the next ten minutes."

"Let the comrades aim at the target and try to hit the top of the city."

"I guess there are more than 300 Japanese and puppet troops left on the city wall. As long as you can use these shells to kill 200 Japanese and puppet troops, you will be determined to complete the mission. Do you have confidence?"

Company Commander Wang did not answer Huang Hu's question immediately. He hesitated for a while and asked back: "Captain, should we keep more shells!"

"Just leave one hundred pieces and execute the order!" Huang Hu did not give any room for discussion to Company Commander Wang, and hesitated to order.

Seeing that he was still worried, Huang Hu continued to order: "As long as the artillery company completes the mission smoothly, I promise to add at least 1,500 shells to you after the battle. But if the mission is not completed, no matter how many shells the artillery connected and fired, it may be in vain."

If you exchange hundreds of shells for 1,500 shells, the fool also knows that this is a business that only makes money but not loses.

The worried expression on Company Commander Wang's face was instantly replaced by excitement. He looked at Huang Hu with anticipation, for fear that he would hear it wrong.

"Captain, after the battle, you really add 1,500 shells to us!"

"Of course, no one will I lie to you, the company commander of the cannon company!" Huang Hu answered very affirmatively.

"Information shows that the Japanese and puppet troops reserved more than 20,000 shells in the city. As long as we can take down Jinzhong, the regiment will definitely give us more than 1,500 shells!"

"As long as the artillery company kills at least 200 Japanese and puppet troops in the next ten minutes of artillery attack, I will be more than 80% sure to capture Jinzhong!"

Company Commander Wang no longer hesitated and immediately promised Huang Hu: "Please rest assured, the artillery company guarantees to complete the task!"

"Boom boom boom..."

Three minutes later, the sound of cannons on the artillery positions became significantly denser, and there were a lot more fires splashing on the city. Seeing this scene, Huang Hu finally showed a satisfied smile on his face.

Immediately raised my telescope and stared at the top of the city, paying attention to the every move of the Japanese and puppet troops on the top of the city.

"Boom..."

Three mortar shells hit the city at the same time, and at least five soldiers were blown up, including three of their own subordinates.

Seeing this scene, Major Takahashi's reaction was exactly the opposite of Huang Hu's, and the expression on his face became more and more anxious.

"Captain, the national rescue army bullies too much. Their siege artillery fire seemed to be even stronger than before. We lost forty or fifty soldiers in just two minutes. If we continue to bomb like this, the remaining troops on the city will not last even ten minutes!" The squadron leader's reaction was even more exaggerated than Major Takahashi, just as the city at his feet was about to be broken, and he was very nervous to analyze.

"Immediately call the corps command, and I want to report the situation here to the corps captain in person!" Colonel Jiangchuan ordered helplessly.

At the command of the Japanese wing, Colonel Jiangchuan had recovered from the depression of the defeat of the artillery.

Although the troops would have a very difficult battle after they lost artillery support, Colonel Jiangchuan was still more than 80% sure to stay until dawn.

After dawn, the military headquarters will definitely send planes to reinforce Jinzhong. According to the previous combat style of the National Salvation Army, they will definitely stop siegeing the city and temporarily hide to prevent the plane from attacking them from the sky.

The garrison in the city can win a day of rest, and can also re-formulate a combat plan for the elimination of the national rescue army with the military headquarters, requiring the military headquarters to send reinforcements in advance based on the actual situation in Jinzhong.

"Sir, the phone number of the troops garrison at the top of the city is asking to talk to you in person!" A telephone soldier suddenly walked to Colonel Jiangchuan and pulled him back to reality from his contemplation.

Colonel Jiangchuan was very upset when his dream was interrupted, but he still walked towards the phone.

Based on their understanding of their subordinates, they will definitely not let themselves answer the phone in person unless they have no choice.

The phone number was called by the troops stationed in the east of the city, so something happened to them.

After grabbing the phone and listening for less than a minute, a seriousness flashed across Colonel Jiangchuan's calm face. After listening for another half a minute, he spoke: "I will immediately draw an imperial army to strengthen the squadron and an Imperial Army of a company to reinforce the east of the city. You must persist until dawn, otherwise military law will be carried out!"

He put down the phone and ordered the chief of staff on the side: "After the artillery war, the National Salvation Army strengthened the artillery fire that attacked the city, causing heavy losses to the troops at the city!"

"You immediately contact the city defense forces in the other three directions to find out their casualties."

"If the defending troops have been reduced to 300 people, immediately draw an imperial army to strengthen the squadron from the reserve team and an Imperial Army of a company to reinforce the city."

"The National Salvation Army's artillery fire is so strong that it consumes a lot of shells. I don't believe that the shells they reserve can support the artillery to continue to explode like this."

"When their shells are consumed, the losses of the city defense forces will be reduced!"

The Chief of Staff quickly arranged his subordinates to call the city defense troops in the other three directions. He worked hard for a full ten minutes before returning to Colonel Jiangchuan. He looked at him with admiration and reported: "Sir, wise! The city defense troops in the other three directions have suffered heavy losses. Even if we don't call, they will quickly ask the command center for help."

"Biyi has sent the reinforcements as you just told me."

"After finishing, I contacted the city defense force on the east side, and the situation there is indeed similar to what you judged."

"After the reinforcements arrived in the east of the city, the artillery fire of the National Salvation Army became significantly weaker."

"The National Salvation Army took the opportunity to launch an attack. Because the reinforcements participated in the battle in time, the National Salvation Army was easily repelled by us, and we lost about one company of troops!"

Colonel Jiangchuan smiled again with satisfaction: "Yoxi, if the National Salvation Army's artillery shells were really exhausted in the attack just now, then we will definitely be able to repel their next attack and defend Jinzhong!"
Chapter completed!