noffsinger Chapter 392: Japanese Gunboat
Chapter 392: Japanese Gunboat
"boom!"
A huge explosion was heard from the shore, and countless Japanese soldiers had their heads pierced by the steel balls shot out from the box.
A small pool of blood formed again on the shore of Weishan Lake.
The other Japanese soldiers in the camp were frightened by the explosion and rushed over. Seeing the Japanese soldiers and puppet soldiers wailing everywhere, they ran to the tents while trying to rescue them.
"What? There was such a loud explosion outside the camp, and the squadron leader was still playing with jade?"
After thinking for a long time, he plucked up the courage to go in.
"Sir, there was a violent explosion on the shore of Weishan Lake, and many Imperial Army and Imperial Alliance Army soldiers were killed or injured!"
No response.
But a strong smell of blood wafted into his nose.
The Japanese soldier plucked up his courage again and gently touched the Japanese lieutenant's shoulder. Unexpectedly, the Japanese lieutenant tilted his head and fell on the table.
When I turned it over, I saw that he was dead beyond deadness!
"Baga! Help! The squadron leader is being attacked by the enemy!"
The Japanese soldiers' shouting called other Japanese soldiers over, and they were all shocked.
"Baga, it must be those two Imperial Army soldiers who did this! Take control of all these Imperial Army soldiers!"
The Imperial Army was about to cry. They had been living in the open air with the Japanese and bearing the infamy, but they didn't expect that they would be the first to suspect something when something happened?
But, a dog is a dog.
After taking control of the Imperial Army, the Japanese soldiers rushed to the shore of Weishan Lake with a small team of soldiers and shot at all suspicious targets in the lake.
However, at this time, Monk Wei and others had already climbed onto the wooden boat in the reed marsh.
"Captain Wei, why did it explode with just one sound? Where are the other bombs? Were they damaged by the lake water?"
Monk Wei shook his head. They had trained countless times before, so there was no doubt that these bombs were waterproof. Moreover, they had wrapped them with thick waterproof rain cloth.
"Wait a little longer, let the bomb fly for a while!"
Before Monk Wei had finished his preparations, there were frequent explosions in the Japanese camp, with fires and explosions everywhere.
The ammunition explosion even created a small mushroom cloud.
"Hey, Captain Peng, these dozens of bombs are probably enough to give the Japanese a hard time, right?"
Monk Wei did not comment. After all, this was the credit of their ship. They sent out a total of forty ships.
Continuous explosions sounded on the shore of Weishan Lake, just like the New Year's Day, crackling.
Almost all the Japanese military camps were attacked, and only the heavily guarded headquarters of the Independent 5th Infantry Battalion survived.
When Ishihara Satomi saw the casualty reports submitted by various squadrons and puppet troops, her face turned green.
A total of 341 Japanese soldiers and 420 puppet soldiers were killed or wounded.
"Baga! Who are the enemies on Weishan Lake? They have been surrounded by us for more than ten days, and they still have the strength and courage to take the initiative to attack?"
"Major, according to the latest intelligence, this unit does not seem to belong to the Eighth Route Army's Ludong Military Division. Based on their weapons and equipment and uniforms, it is preliminarily determined to be the Jinnan Independent Column!"
"Nani?"
Of course, Ishihara Satomi knew the name of the Independent Column. After all, Li Yunlong now seemed to have become the strongest and most difficult opponent of the North China Front Army.
Ishihara Satomi walked to the military map and gestured with her hand to indicate the distance between Weishan Lake and Pingshun, which was a full thousand miles.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible! If you say that a few dozen soldiers can pass through our blockade and reach Weishan Lake, I believe it! But this looks like at least a battalion or a regiment of soldiers. Could it be that our defense line is already riddled with holes?"
Ishihara Satomi shook her head as she spoke. His normal thinking and blind imperial pride made it impossible for him to accept this fact.
However, why did the besieged guerrillas, who had been silent and hiding in Weishan Lake for the past few days, suddenly launch an attack today? Did they get support?
No, Weishan Lake has been surrounded by them, and it is impossible for any supplies or personnel to enter.
There has been no unusual movement in Weishan Lake these days, except for a rustling sound that seemed to be coming from the sky last night.
After figuring it out, Ishihara Satomi showed an expression of understanding.
"Yoshi! This must be their last desperate struggle before death! They are already at the end of their strength. Order our soldiers to launch a full-scale attack immediately!"
In order to protect the main artery Jinpu Road, the Japanese specially transported four gunboats, ready to annihilate the anti-Japanese forces on Weishan Lake in one fell swoop!
This type of gunboat was developed independently by the Japanese in China, specifically for the purpose of running rampant in China's inland waters.
This gunboat has a crew of 14 people, is 18 meters long, 3.6 meters wide, has a maximum draft of 1.2 meters, is equipped with two diesel engines, dual-axis propulsion, a maximum speed of 2 knots, and a cruising range of approximately 11 nautical miles.
With its shallow draft, it is very suitable for sailing in rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and can also be sailed in areas near the coast with less wind and waves.
This model has a flat-deck turret and a semi-armored cab that is semi-buried.
The main weapons and equipment are mortars and heavy machine guns. An 80mm mortar is installed at the bow, and a Type 13 13mm heavy machine gun, or a twin Type mm heavy machine gun, is installed at the rear of the top of the cockpit. There is no armor protection.
The rear half of the hull is the crew compartment, which can accommodate two infantry squads of soldiers. There is a Type 2 7.7mm machine gun above the crew compartment, which is also unprotected.
Although this gunboat weighs only 25 tons and its weapons and equipment are ordinary, it is a powerful weapon for China.
Because they can carry infantry and send them ashore when maneuvering along rivers and lakes, they pose a great threat.
Ishihara Satomi boarded one of the gunboats and gave the order to attack.
The Japanese forcibly seized hundreds of wooden boats from nearby fishermen and threw them all into Weishan Lake. They set out from the shore in a mighty force and marched towards Weishan Island in the middle.
Four gunboats and hundreds of wooden boats were divided into two formations, east and west, and attacked Weishan Island in the middle from the east and west banks.
Each formation had an infantry company, plus more than 800 puppet troops, and Ishihara Satomi also brought a machine gun company.
"Order all squadrons and the Imperial Army. All gunboats and wooden boats must not advance rashly. They must advance in parallel! Especially when crossing the reed marshes, first cover with artillery fire and machine gun fire, and then advance!"
Ishihara Satomi did her homework. In order to avoid "slipping through the net" and surprise attacks, each of their boats tried to stay in a straight line and respond to each other.
Wei Dayong and his companions who landed on the island had no time to rest. They immediately began to observe the lake in the distance through the reeds and started to deploy mortars.
"As soon as the Japanese ship approaches, we will open fire immediately and retreat after we are done!"
After about half an hour, a row of dark shadows appeared at the end of the lake.
"Captain Wei, the Japs are coming!"
Wei Dayong picked up the telescope and saw a gunboat like an old hen, carrying dozens of small wooden boats.
"Mortars ready, fire once you're in range! Use up all the shells as quickly as possible, then retreat!"