Chapter 27: A Barrage of Shells Unlike Anything Seen Before in This Lifetime!

The bandits surged toward the city walls like leaves swept by a raging wind, moving chaotically and fighting for themselves, each eager to be the first to scale the battlements. Though their assault was overwhelming in sound and fury—enough to intimidate most ordinary foes—in truth, they were little more than a rabble of lawless rioters.

Atop the city walls, the Seventh Reinforced Division's Military Police Battalion was the first to bear the brunt of the attack. Confronted by enemies several times their number, many soldiers turned pale with fear.

“What are you afraid of? They're nothing but headless flies. Remember, fire when the bandits are within a hundred meters. The general has said it: in the Seventh Reinforced Division, men are worth more than bullets. If your rifle runs dry, you’ll get a new one. Even if a rifle costs a hundred silver dollars, it’s not worth as much as a single brother’s life,” an officer exhorted, rallying their spirits.

These young officers, graduates of the Japanese Army Academy, understood well that the bandits’ heedless charge was the perfect opportunity to earn military merit.

“Open fire!”

At the command, the soldiers on the walls began to shoot. Heavy machine guns and quick-firing cannons mounted along the ramparts opened up, their concentrated fire cutting the bandits down in droves. The carnage was appalling.

Rifles joined in, adding to the torrent of lead. Many of the defenders were new recruits, but intensive live-fire training had honed their marksmanship well enough, especially now that the tightly packed bandits presented themselves as living targets.

Gunfire thundered along the wall, and the bandits fell like stalks in a reaped field. The MG08 heavy machine guns and MP18 submachine guns stemmed the bandit tide; their advance crashed against an invisible barrier, suffering grievous losses.

Screams echoed in all directions. Many bandits fell in the hail of bullets, never to rise again. Some died instantly from precise shots; others, less fortunate, writhed on the ground, moaning in agony, but in the chaos of battle, no one spared them a glance.

In an instant, the battlefield was transformed into a hellscape—human remains strewn everywhere, corpses carpeting the ground.

From afar, the bandit chieftains—Sitting Mountain Vulture, Hassan, and others—watched with grim faces. Seeing their men scythed down by the overwhelming firepower of the Chengyun Army, their hearts bled with pain.

“Damn it! Did we get the wrong intel? Are these not the government’s rear-echelon troops? How could they have so many machine guns and automatics? Is this a trap?” one leader raged.

“No, the intelligence is accurate. This is the government’s logistics force.”

“These government troops are terrifying—even their logistics units are so well armed. How are we supposed to fight that?”

“Is that commander the son of Old Wang? Even if Old Wang were stingy, he wouldn’t shortchange his own son.”

“Brothers, the better equipped the government troops, the more important that general is to Old Wang. If we can capture him alive, Old Wang will grant us any terms. This is an opportunity like no other! Should we seize Chengyun County, all the government’s equipment will be ours. The Japanese regime will back us even more,” Hassan quickly encouraged, unwilling to see wavering resolve.

“Well said! As Mr. Hassan points out, this chance is too rare. What’s a little sacrifice? If we take Chengyun County and capture Old Wang’s precious son, we can demand more weapons and supplies. With arms, what’s to stop us from rebuilding?” Sitting Mountain Vulture’s words lit a spark in the others’ eyes.

In these times, he who possessed arms ruled. With enough firepower, one could raise an army overnight. Even if this battle cost them dearly, advanced weapons would soon restore their strength.

“Let’s do it! Give it our all today—I don’t believe our numbers can’t take Chengyun County!”

“That’s right—if we catch Old Wang’s son, any losses will be repaid and more.”

The bandit chiefs’ spirits soared. They valued their men’s lives less than grass, caring only for personal gain. To them, sending every last follower to their death was a small price if it meant greater profit.

“No retreat! Attack!”

“Charge! The government troops inside are nothing; victory is perseverance.”

“Assault not just the western wall—strike all four sides at once. Launch a full attack—force the Chengyun Army to split their forces, throw them into confusion!”

The bandits hurled themselves at the city from every direction, seeking chaos and a breach.

But the Seventh Reinforced Division’s defenses were ironclad, their superior firepower steadily wearing down the bandits’ assault.

The battle raged from dawn until dusk. By evening, the ground outside the city was blanketed with the bandits’ dead. The vast majority of the corpses belonged to them. By comparison, the Chengyun Army’s losses were negligible—hardly worth mentioning. The only significant depletion was in weapons and ammunition.

But Jiang Bai had no concern; with new armories under construction, weapons and munitions would soon be plentiful.

“General, now is the time. The bandits outside have been decimated, their morale is shattered—they’re on the verge of collapse. The infantry of the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th Regiments are in position. The encirclement is set; we can begin the bombardment,” Wang Xiao suggested.

As a seasoned military man, Wang Xiao read the battlefield far better than Jiang Bai.

“Order the artillery to fire at full strength—use as much ammunition as possible in twenty minutes. Have the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th Regiments prepare to attack!” Jiang Bai commanded.

“Yes, sir.”

Soon after, at the artillery positions, 105mm howitzers and 77mm field guns began to thunder. The roar of the guns was deafening and unending. Shells were stacked in piles beside each cannon—against regulations, but with no enemy artillery to risk sympathetic detonation, the artillery commander relaxed the rules, allowing the shells to be kept at hand for maximum rate of fire.

“Order from the general: full barrage!” the regimental commander ordered.

The guns roared. First, twenty-four light howitzers opened up, followed by a salvo from forty-eight field guns, weaving a blanket of fire.

Shells screamed down, their detonations sowing terror and chaos among the bandits. Many of these men had never before faced such a barrage; they were utterly unprepared for the coming catastrophe.

The explosions wrought carnage, shrapnel flying in all directions, mercilessly claiming more lives.

Shell upon shell rained down, the battlefield rocked by the ceaseless thunder. Craters pocked the earth, and countless bandits perished beneath the storm.

The soldiers of the Seventh Artillery Regiment worked furiously, tasked with firing as many shells as possible in those twenty minutes. Though they drilled often with live rounds, nothing compared to the satisfaction of firing in a real battle. From the commander to the lowest gunner, all relished this rare chance for live combat.

“Faster! Pick up the pace—fire every shell we have! Let those bandits taste our might!”

The gunners sweated as they hauled ammunition, many stripping to the waist to keep up with the demands.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

On the west side of Chengyun County, where the bandit main force had gathered, the Seventh Artillery Regiment’s fire descended with full fury.

There, the bandits experienced firsthand what it meant to be caught in a storm of shells.