plumnovel Chapter 149 Cavalry vs. Chariots, Lightning Raid on the Train Station
Chapter 149 Cavalry vs. Chariots, Lightning Raid on the Train Station
The moment the flares went off, the moving Japanese trucks were instantly exposed to the public eye.
At Yang Ruifu's command, all kinds of artillery and machine guns opened fire simultaneously on the Japanese support troops on the road.
"Boom!!!!!"
The anti-tank gun shells struck the side of the truck instantly and exploded inside the cargo compartment.
The Japanese soldiers inside the vehicle were instantly reduced to a bloody mess, their bodies mangled and scattered on the ground.
Other short-barreled cannons, upon hitting the truck, blew it to the ground, throwing the people on board into the air, who fell to the ground screaming in agony.
The 20mm twin-barreled machine gun, originally intended for field air defense, was now laid flat and began to attack ground targets.
"Bang bang bang!!"
The machine gun shells exploded on Japanese trucks and on the road, blasting Japanese soldiers to pieces.
There were also vehicle-mounted machine guns that fired continuously, along with the rifles and submachine guns of the infantry, all of which poured fire on the Japanese troops on the road.
Although these Japanese troops traveled by truck, they were mostly infantry, without armored vehicles, and they carried almost no anti-tank guns or other weapons.
As for the mountain guns they carried, they became the primary targets of attack from the very beginning of the battle.
In just the first five minutes of fierce firing, the entire formation of the Japanese support force was completely broken up.
At Yang Ruifu's command, hundreds of tanks started moving simultaneously, roaring as they charged toward the shattered Japanese formation.
This Japanese force was not small in number, but it consisted mainly of infantry, and they were completely helpless against the oncoming torrent of steel.
Their machine guns and rifles, set up in the drainage ditches along the roadside, roared weakly at the charging tanks.
But in the end, it was all in vain.
The bullets hit the armor plating, only sending up a string of sparks, but they couldn't cause any damage.
As for the armored unit led by Yang Ruifu, they charged forward head-on, firing as they advanced.
The fierce artillery and machine gun fire suppressed the Japanese troops on the front, preventing them from raising their heads.
Some Japanese soldiers had already collapsed and were frantically fleeing backwards.
Others went berserk, shouting "Banzai!" and charging toward the armored vehicle with grenades in their hands.
The result was predictable: these Japanese soldiers were torn to shreds by machine gun or cannon fire before they even got close to the tanks.
Behind the tanks came a large number of infantrymen from the Third Detachment, advancing rapidly alongside the tanks.
In just ten minutes, the Japanese defenses built along the roadside drainage ditches were shattered from the front.
A one-sided massacre has begun.
On the plains, fleeing Japanese soldiers could be seen everywhere, along with armored and tracked vehicles in pursuit.
These fleeing Japanese soldiers were either torn apart by machine gun fire, blown to pieces by artillery fire, or used as moving targets by infantrymen mounted on vehicles, who used submachine guns and rifles to practice shooting.
Others didn't even waste bullets, being used as speed bumps by speeding armored vehicles and run over directly.
While Yang Ruifu's troops were massacring this Japanese reinforcement, at Tengxian West Station...
Inside the train station, after the arrival of the Japanese cavalry regiment, the Japanese company stationed there was finally able to catch its breath.
They are currently repairing their positions in preparation for the next offensive by the 20th Army Group.
Huang Zhenbiao, the commander of the 788th Regiment, was looking at the small station with a gloomy expression.
His troops, tasked with attacking the station, were about to take it.
The sudden appearance of the Japanese cavalry regiment caused everything to take a sharp turn for the worse.
Not only were the attacking troops repelled, but the rear fire positions were also attacked, resulting in numerous casualties.
Just as he was pondering how to take over the train station, a buzzing sound suddenly came.
A soldier came running up, panting and shouting:
"No...no good, Commander! Something terrible has happened! The Japanese tank units are attacking!!!"
"What? Didn't the Japanese tank units infiltrate Teng County? How did they end up here?"
Huang Zhenbiao was also starting to panic.
After all, the Japanese tank units were not easy to deal with.
Moreover, they didn't have any decent anti-tank weapons.
"Damn it, they've organized a suicide squad!!!"
Huang Zhenbiao rolled up his sleeves and roared:
"Even if it means having people carry explosives, you have to hold this for me!!!"
Just then, the train station ahead was suddenly engulfed in a barrage of artillery fire.
"Eh?"
Huang Zhenbiao was stunned, wondering what was going on? Why were they bombing the train station?
I didn't call in artillery fire either.
No, our 20th Army Group doesn't have that many artillery units.
Judging from the density of the artillery fire, it must have been the level of firepower coverage of at least a division's main artillery unit of the Japanese army.
But the current situation is clearly different; the target of this bombardment is the train station garrisoned by the Japanese army.
The Japanese soldiers who were repairing their positions were caught off guard by the sudden artillery barrage.
The Japanese soldiers who were repairing their positions were caught off guard by the sudden artillery barrage.
After all, although the enemy's attack was fierce, they hadn't fired many shells.
But things are very different now. Shells are raining down like a downpour, almost nonstop, engulfing the entire station.
More than 500 shells fell, and during the bombardment, the armored forces of the Third Detachment, led by Lin Yongzhi, charged toward the station.
"Fire!!!!"
The moment the order was given, the various weapons mounted on the tank began to roar wildly.
There were over a thousand Japanese soldiers inside the station, but the shelling earlier had already killed or wounded many of them. The remaining soldiers, though not dead, had not yet had time to organize an effective defense when they saw tanks, their lights flashing, charging towards them.
Not to mention the shells and bullets that flew in all at once.
The interwoven network of firepower instantly annihilated the Japanese soldiers.
"No retreating!!! Open fire!!!"
The Japanese commanders harbored illusions, still hoping to use the spirit of Bushido to stop this surging torrent of steel.
The result was predictable.
As the torrent swept through, a scene of carnage and corpses lay scattered everywhere.
The Japanese cavalry regiment did not choose to flee, but instead, in the darkness, rode their warhorses, armed with grenades, and charged towards the tank formation.
They wanted to throw grenades into the tank bed.
Because these vehicles lack top protection, grenades can also kill personnel inside.
As a result, the Third Detachment had anticipated the Japanese cavalry charge.
The vehicle-mounted machine gun, along with the submachine guns and rifles held by the soldiers on board, opened fire simultaneously.
Even though Japanese cavalry were much faster than infantry, they were ultimately no match for bullets, nor could they outrun an era in which cavalry was destined to be phased out.