Chapter Sixteen: The Mi Family’s Fighting Style!

“Then...”

Take Matsuda stopped short, and Nobutaka Sakata understood immediately.

The artillery battalion was carrying not only cannons but also a massive supply of shells!

Anyone with common sense would know what happens when the enemy concentrates artillery fire deliberately!

The shells must have detonated all at once!

The continuous explosion of three thousand shells was enough to obliterate nearly two hundred meters around.

No wonder the explosions behind them were so loud earlier; Nobutaka Sakata had thought the New First Regiment was using heavy artillery.

Now, even thinking about it, it was obvious.

Those weren’t fireworks—it was three thousand artillery shells!

Realizing that he had lost not only an infantry battalion but also an entire artillery battalion, Nobutaka Sakata let out a terrible howl.

“Ahhh!!!”

“Baka yarou! Damn the Daxia people! I will kill you all! I will kill you all!”

Normally, a conventional Japanese infantry regiment was only assigned an artillery company.

But Sakata’s regiment had an artillery battalion equipped with heavy artillery.

Not only because of family connections, but also after flattering several influential women in the higher command and enjoying many seafood feasts, he had secured this artillery battalion beyond the usual scale.

It was precisely this extraordinary artillery firepower, combined with elite Japanese soldiers, that allowed Sakata’s regiment to repeatedly and easily defeat Daxia forces several times their size.

Yet now, his artillery battalion was completely wiped out!

Not a single piece remained!

How could Nobutaka Sakata not be heartbroken?

“Impossible!”

“I want revenge! I want revenge!”

Despite the pain in his liver, Nobutaka Sakata glared fiercely at Take Matsuda beside him.

“Order all officers in the area to launch an immediate counterattack against the Daxia forces!”

“I will personally cut off the head of their commander!”

“Hiyah!”

The reason Nobutaka Sakata chose to launch an attack despite being at a disadvantage was not just blind rage.

It was related to Japanese tactics.

In large-scale battles, Japanese soldiers basically relied on artillery bombardment followed by infantry charges.

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In smaller engagements, besides well-trained soldiers, they had another secret weapon—the Type 89 grenade launcher.

Although this 25 cm device was short and crude compared to other mortars, and cost less than a standard rifle to produce, its destructive power was remarkable.

The Type 89 grenade launcher had a lethal radius of about five to eight meters; a single shell landing in a crowd could kill dozens. For a 50 mm caliber weapon, that was impressive.

Its range was no less remarkable, with a maximum reach of 700 meters and an effective range of 500 meters.

With the Type 89 grenade launcher, the Japanese could easily suppress Daxia infantry and even the well-equipped American troops in localized battles.

Of course, besides the grenade launcher, Nobutaka Sakata also planned to use a weapon banned by international law—poison gas grenades.

This infamous weapon had caused incalculable harm and loss to Daxia’s military and civilians alike.

These two weapons gave Nobutaka Sakata the confidence to turn the tide!

This time, he intended to personally command his second infantry battalion in the area to avenge his seafood feasts!

“Hiyaku, hiyaku!”

Seventy or eighty grimy Japanese soldiers quickly dropped to the ground, crawling inch by inch to the edge of the frontline defenses, awaiting their commander’s orders.

---

Though the Japanese had suffered over half their forces as casualties, and the New First Regiment held the advantages of terrain and morale, Sakata’s regiment was by no means an easy target.

Anyone who underestimated the Japanese would pay a painful price!

As an experienced veteran, Li Yunlong was well aware of Japanese tactics.

If the New First Regiment rashly charged now, their artillery advantage would vanish to avoid friendly fire.

Meanwhile, Nobutaka Sakata needed only to suppress the charging soldiers with light and heavy machine gun fire and then accurately lob grenade launcher shells just beyond the range of their hand grenades.

This would stop the New First Regiment’s charge while inflicting heavy casualties.

Li Yunlong would never engage in such a losing trade!

“Fire! Don’t hold back on ammo—hit them hard!”

“Hashira, you damn shot it off-target again!”

“What? Over twenty rounds of shells already fired?”

“Do I look like I’m out of ammo? If the neighboring Jin Sui army sees this, they’ll think our New First Regiment is a beggar’s army!”

“Tell the artillery battalion to fire another ten rounds!”

Ever since witnessing the lavish American way of warfare, Li Yunlong felt as though a new world had opened before him.

During World War II, it took 25,000 bullets for an average American soldier to kill one enemy.

By the Korean War, this number had doubled to 50,000.

During the Vietnam War, it astonishingly reached 200,000 bullets!

So this was how wars could be fought!

Now, old Li Yunlong had learned well!

This time, facing the Sakata regiment, he had more than just one mortar as heavy firepower!

He would teach Nobutaka Sakata, that old devil, a proper lesson using American methods!

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At this moment, Japanese officers throughout the Sakata regiment were prepared to counterattack.

Several hastily formed infantry squads of about a hundred men each were already at the forefront of the battle.

Obedience was a rare virtue among the Japanese.

At Sakata’s command, they would swarm forward like locusts, fearless of death.

Seeing the moment was ripe, Nobutaka Sakata’s face cold and stern, issued the attack order.

“Totsugeki, go!”

Accompanied by the roar of a Japanese officer, soldiers on the wings launched their assault on the New First Regiment’s positions.

The surviving Type 92 heavy machine guns and the awkwardly held light machine guns began their “tat-tat-tat” fire.

Not aiming to kill the New First Regiment soldiers, but merely to gain brief fire suppression.

Seizing these precious seconds, a dozen or so veteran grenade launcher crews quickly set up their weapons.

These crews were battle-hardened, highly trained veterans.

Their efficiency with the grenade launchers was terrifyingly high in actual combat.

Within 400 meters, their hit rate ranged from 85% to 95%.

It was as if their shots never missed their targets.

Therefore, in normal frontal engagements, the Japanese could easily break through a Daxia heavy machine gun position after just five or six grenade launcher rounds.

The loaders swiftly dropped their backpacks, donned gloves, and carefully extracted a tightly sealed wooden box.

On the box’s front was painted a black skull, with a bold Japanese warning:

“Danger. Do not touch casually.”

Opening the box, they pulled out a specially designed ochre-colored Type 91 hand grenade, loading it into the front of the launcher tube.

Then, pressing the trigger with their palms, they activated the firing mechanism.

Boom! Boom! Boom!