"Deputy Commander."

Twelve kilometers away from the Japanese position in Chengde, on the artillery position of the Independent Regiment, the commander of the 5th Artillery Battalion looked at the twelve 305 new howitzers that were entering the position in the distance and were a little puzzled:

"These heavy cannons are really powerful, but they are also too heavy."

"With a dead weight of 50 tons, there are few bridges in our country that can support it, and the flat ground is fine, and the bridge or soft ground must be reinforced by the engineering troops before passing, and the road surface will be paved and reinforced."

"In this case, even if the road conditions are good, you can maneuver for a maximum of dozens of kilometers a day, and in case of rain, the ground is muddy, and I am afraid that you will not be able to maneuver for ten kilometers a day."

"The rate of fire is also slow, and with auxiliary mechanical reloading, the fastest rate of fire can only reach one shot in two minutes."

"There are too many operators needed."

"Specialized engineering units, artillery transporters, artillery loading vehicles, and oversized cranes are also needed to replace the barrels, plus logistics personnel, and more than three hundred people are needed for one gun, which is too wasteful of manpower."

"Although it is very powerful, the grenade is not as powerful as a bombshell, and the armor-piercing projectile is not as powerful as a ground-penetrating projectile."

"And for us, the power is somewhat overflowing, if it is the destruction of ordinary fortifications, the 240 mortar, or the new 203 self-propelled howitzer is enough."

After taking over, after only a few hours of play, the commander of the fifth artillery battalion deeply felt why this kind of large-caliber roadbed heavy artillery is in a situation of being eliminated in the world.

Although this guy is really powerful, a fierce batch.

But the mobility was too poor to keep up with the troops.

Even if it is a heavy army, the speed of the march can pull away this heavy artillery. This is still the case of the latest full-track tractor equipped with a 500 hp high-torque diesel engine.

The main problem is that the domestic infrastructure, let alone Europe during the First World War, is not a little worse than Europe in the last century.

In this war era where speed is the victory or defeat, what is the use of not keeping up with the weapons of the troops?

During the First World War, there was no way.

At that time, the only way to deal with the enemy's fortresses was heavy artillery, but now, the troops have aircraft, and the maneuverability of the aircraft is guaranteed to arrive within a few hours, and the bombshells are more powerful than any heavy artillery, and the penetration power of ground-penetrating shells is comparable to that of naval guns.

There is no need for heavy artillery at all.

It really doesn't work, and it can maneuver around like the Germans did with France.

As for the weather, it's not a big problem.

Of course, there's one more problem.

It is too wasteful of manpower, and requires a large number of technicians to serve, a cannon plus auxiliary technicians, more than 300 people are needed, and with the same scale of manpower, he can organize twenty new 125 heavy guns, or fifteen of the latest 203 self-propelled howitzers.

Of course, a large part of the reason is that these new machines and equipment, such as military bridge erectors, military pavers, etc., are all new gadgets, very few people can use them, and all kinds of problems are endless.

Coupled with the fact that there are a lot of new people crammed in, it really makes his head big.

Taking advantage of the fact that he is now the deputy commander of the regiment, Yan Sheng, who is actually treated as a division commander, came here to inspect, and he complained a lot.

"This heavy artillery, it's really unnecessary."

Yan Sheng, who came to see the new heavy artillery, held the cigarettes produced by Zhao Jiayu Cigarette Factory and said with a smile.

Today's independent regiment has luxurious weapons and equipment, which he could not have imagined at the beginning.

Back then, capturing a Type 92 could make him ecstatic, and a few Bofors mountain cannons could keep him awake for several days, for fear that he would think he was dreaming and not dare to wake up.

Until now.

Twelve 305-mm heavy guns were no longer in sight, and even began to dislike them.

And also.

The canned meat that I thought about day and night, especially the greasy, large pieces of braised pork, rushed to eat at first, bibimbap, radish vegetables, cabbage, no matter how much the cooking class cooked, it was all a sudden.

Now, the soldiers in the regiment will vomit when they see it.

It's really spitting!

The rapid change before and after, the big gap between the front and back, makes Iwamori often feel like he is in a dream, everything is so unreal.

But.

The scorching wind bursting from the muzzles of the cannons, the roaring and falling shells and explosions opened up the devil's position, the devil's trench run over by the tank tracks, the armor blocked, the roar of the aircraft engine, the falling of heavy bombs and the screaming, the neighing of machine guns endlessly, and the tracer bullets like meteors.

It's all so true.

"In Ping'an County, we tested this heavy artillery."

In the midst of all his thoughts, Iwamori added.

"Why?"

The commander of the 5th Artillery Battalion did not understand.

Knowing that this heavy artillery is not good, knowing that it is a pity to abandon this kind of heavy artillery without taste, then why did he get twelve heavy cannons and 3,000 shells. As a result, a battalion with a total strength of more than 3,500 troops, including the recruits, could only serve these twelve heavy guns.

And it made him anxious.

He couldn't figure it out!

"For our current situation, this kind of heavy artillery is really useless."

Yan Sheng first said in a serious tone, and then his tone suddenly changed:

"How about some of the machinery and equipment that these heavy artillery pieces are equipped with?"

"It's all good stuff."

Speaking of this, the fifth battalion commander's tone suddenly became excited:

"The bridge erecting machine, if skilled, does not take an hour to erect a steel plate bridge more than 20 meters long, and the tank can drive directly over, and after adding the load-bearing column, the tank convoy can pass directly."

"The paver can quickly pave steel plates on the ground, and can pave 60 meters of hardened pavement at a time.

"If the troops are equipped with this on a large scale, the mobility will be much stronger."

"It's just too complicated, it's very demanding for the operator, and the cooperation between the machines also requires a lot of training and practical exercises, but let's give us some time..."

The more the fifth battalion commander spoke, the more excited he became, and at the end of his speech, he stopped suddenly.

The independent regiment currently has more than thirty-five artillery battalions, starting from one battalion and continuing to the thirty-fifth battalion, that is, the fifth battalion has actually been formed for a long time, and the commander of the fifth battalion is naturally a real veteran of the independent regiment.

Minimum of 3 years of experience.

Then, as a veteran, you naturally have a lot of experience and a high knowledge base.

He suddenly understood why the troops had to exchange so many heavy guns. Why did you let him serve these twelve heavy guns with the Fifth Artillery Battalion, and stuff him with so many new soldiers.

Now the separate regiments, tanks, aircraft, artillery, are enough, much like mechanized units abroad.

But in reality, a truly mechanized unit is not only those galloping tanks, planes, trucks, and artillery fire, but also those special auxiliary machinery and equipment that support tanks, planes, and artillery.

Logistics vehicles, cranes, tractors, rescue vehicles, ammunition transporters, fuel vehicles and much more.

And, the people who operate, maintain these devices.

With all this, the armored forces will be able to show their true strength.

The twelve heavy guns in front of him, as well as a large number of machinery and equipment to serve these twelve heavy guns, although they are not as efficient as the new 203 heavy guns or 125 howitzers, but the training of the artillery battalion soldiers is far superior to the first two types of artillery.

The more complex the armament, the higher the requirements for soldiers.

And!

This cannon is indeed powerful enough, and a 300-kilogram grenade can't be carried by any civil fortifications, let alone equipped with armor-piercing shells.

So, he got it.

What the regiment headquarters values is the addition of this set of mechanical equipment to mechanized troops, and his battalion is responsible for testing, training, and groping equipment, after all, his fifth artillery battalion is the elite main battalion.

Of course, a large part of it is because this thing is really powerful and very exciting to use.

As for mobility, in fact, it doesn't matter at all, now the troops are fighting steadily, there is plenty of time, there is time, give the devil a little time, but earn more afterwards.

The price of the tank business has risen several times so far, and the price of each devil is really worth a lot.

"It's a pity."

After the fifth battalion commander left, Iwamori looked at the twelve mobile heavy guns in front of him, and sighed.

In fact, Boss Chen's latest list includes train guns of the same caliber, fully automatic operation, two rounds per minute, a body barrel of 45 times the diameter, and a firing range of 30 kilometers.

That's the real big guy.

But because the railway infrastructure is not good, it can only be placed in the Zhao Jiayu base as a decoration.

······

The other side.

Ping County.

"What kind of cement is this?"

Ding Wei looked at the fortifications in front of him and was all surprised.

Reinforced concrete fortifications, he has seen, Zhao Jiayu, Ping'an County, Heyuan County, there are more, almost every commanding height, he himself has built it, and he has used weapons to get over it afterwards.

The reinforced concrete fortifications are really powerful, and the thicker ones can't be penetrated by large-caliber heavy machine guns.

But there are problems.

The construction is troublesome, the construction process needs a plank mold, the need to bundle steel bars, material mixing, mixing, pouring is a technical job, otherwise the hardness will be much worse.

If you want to fix it, you need experienced fighters.

Water is also needed during construction, and in water-scarce areas, it is more troublesome to freeze in winter.

In addition, cement steel bars need time to solidify and reach a predetermined strength, and some even need to wait for a week, or even more than ten days, during which they also need to be well maintained. It is much slower than the construction of civil fortifications, and it is much more troublesome.

That's the biggest problem.

In a hurry, it was too late.

But the cement in front of you.

He remembered that in the morning, most of the soldiers of the Independent Regiment came out of the construction brigade, and everyone knew how to build cement fortifications, so there would naturally be no problems with the craftsmanship.

But.

"Hard so fast?"

Ding Wei knocked on the cement fortifications, and the boss with his mouth open.

"This is a new type of fast-drying cement."

The commander of the engineer battalion who was in charge of the construction on the side said:

"According to the information, this cement is specially designed and manufactured for the construction of fortifications, and it only takes four hours to reach the predetermined strength of 15 megapascals, but it still takes more than a month to reach the maximum strength."

"That's enough."

Ding Wei abducted a mouthful of big white teeth.

Fifteen megapascals is enough. With this thing, not only to build fortifications, but also to build roads in the future, it is also a lot more convenient, he slowly advanced towards the Kwantung Army, and the tactics of cutting meat with a blunt knife have another chance of winning.

'Good stuff. ’

Ding Wei glanced at the night vision device in the fortifications and couldn't help but sigh:

"There are more and more good things."

"The battle is getting easier and easier."

······

Central Henan region.

Luojing.

This 5,000-year-old history, 4,000-year-old city history, 1,500-year-old history of the founding of the capital, and the starting point of the Silk Road, ushered in the biggest change in the middle of June.

"Retreat."

Looking at the information in his hand, Gangmura Ningji sighed deeply, and then gave an order:

"Evacuate Fuyang (Luojing)."

In the Battle of Central Henan, in the face of the strong air support of the independent regiment, logistics and supply difficulties were difficult, and the imperial army with huge losses of heavy weapons paid a huge price to occupy Lin Luojing, which was subsequently renamed Fuyang.

However, as soon as the front foot was occupied, it had not had time to destroy, and even the people who were repairing the Jinghan line had not had time to be recruited, and the independent regiment came up.

In the beginning, the independent regiment only built a bridge across the river in Wenxian County.

I have to say that this bridge made Gangcun very red-eyed, and the other party built a bridge over the Yellow River that could provide large heavy equipment to pass through in just a few days, and built it with steel like building blocks.

And just rely on some simple, dispensable small bridge piers. Those small piers can be completely replaced by ships, which is a little more troublesome at most and does not take much time.

It can be said that this bridge is a completely new one.

If the Great Japanese Empire had such technology, then ·····

Gangcun was really red-eyed, but he could only think about it.

Although he is not a technician, as a commander, the commander of a front army, with an army of 150,000 under his command, his experience, his experience, can naturally see that the steel bridge is a technically improved model of the Bailey Bridge.

It seems simple, but the actual technology is very profound.

Although the Bailey Bridge appeared in 38 years and the empire also paid attention to it, the eight roads took it out, which is obviously advanced I don't know how many times, and it is very mature.

Relying on the empire to figure it out on its own, it doesn't take five or six years to figure it out, and the effect may not be so good.

After the bridge was built, the independent regiment did not expand the territory on a large scale, only occupied some small county towns, as well as the surrounding small villages, as always, began to build roads, develop base areas, build cement facilities, and crack down on the immediate landlords and gentry.

There were no superfluous military movements, no occupation of the Jinghan line, and major cities were in the hands of the imperial army.

It doesn't seem to have any effect on Operation One.

But the problem is that at the same time as the bridge was repaired, the base area of the independent regiment was also extended to this side.

To put it simply, in the central Henan region, anyone can easily exchange a large amount of fuel, grain, cotton, sugar and other materials. Recently, he has collected a lot, and he has been greatly rewarded by the country, and even the supplementary materials have increased.

With the mediation of the emperor, the navy exchanged part of its resources for fuel.

Thereupon.

At present, the army of the Independent Regiment gradually surrounded Luojing, the countryside surrounded the city, annihilated and encroached on the North China Front Army everywhere, and after swallowing him nearly 6,000 people, Gangcun chose to run away.

How else can you do it?

Fighting?

The other party is Li Yunlong, tanks, planes, and artillery are densely packed, and there is a group of remnants under his hands, how to fight?

How do you look at it, it is the end of being completely annihilated?

Why waste time, it's just a city anyway.

After giving the order to abandon the city, Gangcun looked at the latest information on the gradual retreat of the American Navy in his hand, and couldn't help but snort coldly:

"Hmph, stupid, naïve."

His cold snort even carried some uncontrollable laughter, but with a deep sigh.

The Americans want to relax the pressure on the empire, so as to induce the empire and the Republic of China to work hard, and then sit back and reap the benefits of the fisherman, this mountain can see it, and there is no reason why Gangcun can't see it.

But.

Americans also take it for granted.

It's naïve.

Now the American Navy is gradually retreating, even heavy bombers are retreating, and the native threat disappears. If it were a normal country, it would indeed concentrate its forces and fight to the death with the Republic of China.

But here's the thing.

The empire is actually very divided.

The dispute between land and sea has a long history, is deep-rooted, and touches the country's capital.

Even if it is a locust, it can only barely control the situation, so that things will not get too out of control, and now the sea and land seem to be friendly because the army has the fuel that the navy needs, and the navy can only pay some resources, such as production capacity, military spending in exchange for fuel.

If you go all out to fight against the Republic of China, so many warships in the navy will be reduced to furnishings and logistics.

Will the Navy be willing to do this?