Chapter 42 My Soldiers’ Lives Are Not Cheap—They Are Worth More Than Shells!

Immediately, Chu Yunfei explained to Guli An, “As the commander of the artillery regiment, I know the artillery regulations by heart. My men placed the shells and heavy artillery together—I was aware of this, yet I did not stop them.”

“Why?”

Chu Yunfei didn’t keep him in suspense and continued, “First, as military officers, we shouldn’t just fight wars on paper, nor blindly follow textbooks, nor stifle the creativity of our soldiers. On this point, I learned from a certain Colonel Li, a man of humble origins.”

“Second, I trust my soldiers. As artillerymen, aside from eating, sleeping, and answering nature’s call, they devote themselves daily to mastering artillery operations and rigorous drills. Each one knows precisely how many bolts are on this 105mm howitzer, its length and width—there will never be a basic operational mistake causing a jam or a catastrophic explosion.”

“Third, and finally, your country is an industrial powerhouse, so your military doctrines are designed to counter Western industrial powers. But ours is still an agricultural nation, and our adversaries are nothing but ragtag troops with outdated rifles and cannons.”

“They—I am confident not a single shell will fall on the positions of my 358th Artillery Regiment.”

After finishing, Chu Yunfei glanced at his wristwatch.

“That’s all I have to say.”

“Everyone, regardless of caliber, bombard the enemy positions across the river with a base salvo!”

“Yes, sir.”

The command spread swiftly. Under the signalman’s direction, the artillerymen adjusted the firing angles of their 105mm howitzers.

West of the artillery positions, two light artillery battalions lay hidden amidst dense forest—twenty 75mm field guns and rapid-fire 35mm cannons.

All barrels were elevated, aimed squarely at the infantry positions of the 23rd Security Division across the river.

Such a deployment of firepower was enough to chill any division-level unit.

Yet for the 7th Reinforced Division, this was but two-thirds of their total firepower.

Had it not been for the forced march, and the inability to bring along their 120mm Ke-Bo howitzers, today’s bombardment would have been even fiercer.

The two positions were separated only by the Wangjia River.

Returning to the regimental headquarters with Guli An and others, Chu Yunfei used a tactical telescope with fourfold magnification, and could even see smoke rising from the enemy’s camp.

“Unexpected, really—the 23rd Security Division is living comfortably. Their troops are clustered together; in front of my heavy artillery, their earth-and-stone fortifications are as fragile as tofu—a bunch of drunken gluttons.”

“If they enjoy eating, let’s give them a feast today!”

Chu Yunfei set down the telescope and commanded in a deep voice:

“Tell those artillery lads—open fire directly, no corrections, no pauses. Prepare two rounds of ammunition for rapid firing!”

As the order passed down, a rare silence settled on the battlefield—a calm before the storm.

With combat orders relayed one by one, artillery fire was unleashed in a violent torrent.

The artillerymen received orders for direct fire—no corrections, no hesitation, quickly loading every cannon.

“Loaded!”

“No corrections, fire!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The first salvo shook the entire battlefield awake.

Each gun’s tongue of flame, accompanied by thunderous roars, devoured the air, as shells arced across the sky, pouring down upon the infantry positions of the 23rd Security Division.

In an instant, artillery fire raged like a storm.

It was a clear morning; sunlight gently bathed the battlefield, but with the relentless barrage, clouds of smoke and dust rose swiftly, shrouding the sky. The sun itself was dimmed beneath the heavy haze.

Amid the dense smoke and deafening explosions, artillerymen operated their guns. Each recoil seemed to test their endurance and willpower. The environment transformed under the onslaught—what began as a peaceful dawn became a nightmare of war.

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In the distance, trees and buildings swayed and even collapsed under the blasts, the air thick with the scent of gunpowder.

“I’m working my guts out—the boys on the other side must be getting a thrill!”

A shirtless artilleryman, hauling shells, shouted with excitement:

“This should make the 23rd Division suffer for once!”

As soon as he finished, a series of violent explosions erupted from the enemy positions.

The blasts were earth-shattering; even the surface of the Wangjia River trembled, as if about to be overturned!

With over a hundred guns firing simultaneously, shells rained down like a storm upon the newly fortified positions of the 23rd Security Division.

Though the 23rd was an experienced force,

They had never faced such ferocious artillery!

Caught off guard, their trenches were devastated. Terrifying shockwaves radiated from the points of impact,

Unleashing near-apocalyptic force across the area!

“Artillery! Artillery! Take cover! Hurry, take cover!”

“Get to the artillery shelters! Run, get inside!”

“The shelters have collapsed! Their heavy guns are too strong—if you burrow in, you’ll be buried alive!”

“I surrender! Stop firing!”

The battlefield was strewn with limbs and shattered flesh—

Countless soldiers cried out in pain, struggling to flee this living hell, scraping their nails raw in the attempt.

Watching his men fall in the barrage,

Wang Fengshan, commander of the 1st Battalion, 112th Regiment, his eyes bloodshot, screamed into the phone:

“What? With such fierce artillery, hold the line? How? Tell me how to hold it? You—”

Before he could spit out the curse on his lips, a 120mm shell descended from the sky.

With a tremendous bang, the explosion turned the area into ruins, annihilating the underground command post in an instant.

The blast not only flattened the command room but also obliterated the company commander and several soldiers.

At the fourth defensive line along the Wangjia River, witnessing the carnage on the first line and the blood-streaked, desperate survivors,

The division commander, Yan Chun of the 23rd Security Division, barked furiously:

“Cowards! A bunch of cowards! How can such cowards be tolerated in my army!”

“Which regiment was responsible for that line where deserters first appeared? Bring their colonel to me in five minutes!”

The chief of staff answered mournfully, “Commander, the first line was held by Colonel Li of the 112th Regiment. In the recent bombardment, Colonel Li died heroically.”

“At present, the 113th Regiment’s deputy commander is directing operations, rushing to the front to rally the routed troops and reorganize the defense.”

Yan Chun was first grieved, then shocked.

He mourned the loss of a valiant officer like Colonel Li.

But he was stunned—as soon as he learned the enemy was the 7th Reinforced Division, he had regarded them as his strongest adversary and prepared accordingly.

He had personally overseen the construction of numerous fortifications, hoping to buy time and await reinforcements.

Yet he never expected his supposedly solid defenses to crumble so easily under a single barrage from the Chenyun Army.

It was a public slap in the face, painful to the core!

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“Damn it! You’re only reporting our casualties! Where’s our artillery? Why aren’t we firing back?”

“Commander, the enemy has dozens of new heavy guns; we have only six.”

“Most are obsolete, and can’t even reach their positions.”

“If we tried to duel them, we’d be wiped out in half an hour.”

Compared to the 7th Reinforced Division, equipped with advanced Ke-Bo cannons, the 23rd Security Division’s artillery was pitiful—mostly old 75mm field guns.

In rate of fire, power, and quantity, they lagged far behind.

On artillery strength, the 7th Reinforced Division possessed nearly a generation’s technological advantage.

Even if Yan Chun threw in all the guns from the 24th Security Division, it would be a one-sided massacre.

Watching the soldiers of the 112th Regiment either consumed by enemy fire or executed by the frontline disciplinary squads,

Yan Chun, commander of the 23rd Security Division, fell silent for a long time before making a reluctant decision:

“Let the remnants of the 112th Regiment retreat and reorganize in the rear. As for the riverbank positions, let them go.”

Yan Chun had never wanted to abandon the riverbank so easily.

In his strategic plan, holding the riverbank would limit the 7th Reinforced Division’s advantage, forcing them to cross the river in batches.

Then, he could counterattack and win with ease.

But he never imagined the Chenyun Army’s artillery would be so overwhelming.

“As for the artillery, best keep them silent for now. I’ve fought for years and accumulated these trump cards painstakingly—I won’t squander them all at once.”

Yan Chun waved his hand helplessly. “Wait until the 7th Reinforced Division tries to cross the river, then launch the attack.”

Meanwhile, at the forward command post of the 7th Reinforced Division across the river,

“Commander, Yan Chun seems unable to withstand our barrage—they’re starting to withdraw from the riverbank positions.”

Watching the panicked soldiers of the Jin faction, Chief of Staff Wang Xiao sighed.

In the past, his own troops had scattered under the fierce bombardment of the Jin and Zhi factions.

But over the years, the situation had reversed completely.

He was filled with emotion.

“Our bombardment has lasted an hour; ordinarily, even raw troops should have roughly located our guns by now.”

Colonel Li Jian of the infantry brigade lowered his binoculars, full of pride. “But so far, they’ve made no response; clearly, they’re terrified—not daring to fight us in an artillery duel.”

“Commander, since the enemy is retreating, shall we cease fire and send the infantry across the river to lure their artillery out?”

In this era, when ammunition is as precious as gold, the main task of infantry is to charge repeatedly, both exhausting enemy artillery and probing their gun positions.

This is why many infantrymen cynically call themselves cannon fodder.

Though it’s a bloody tactic, Wang Xiao and his fellow staff officers find it extremely effective.

But unexpectedly, this strategy was firmly rejected by Jiang Bai.

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