northernbook Chapter 837: Heavy Artillery Destroys the City of Aki County
Chapter 837: Heavy Artillery Destroys the City of Aki County
As Emperor Jinto suddenly vomited blood and fell to the ground, the entire Imperial Palace instantly fell into chaos. The maids and attendants screamed in fear and frantically searched for emergency supplies, while the ministers were pale and anxiously gathered around Emperor Jinto. The air was filled with a depressing and tense atmosphere.
Soon, a white-haired, solemn-looking imperial physician was hurriedly summoned to the imperial study. He did not bother to perform formalities, but knelt down beside Emperor Jinto and began to carefully diagnose him. Time seemed to freeze at this moment, and everyone held their breath, fearing that they would miss every subtle expression of the imperial physician.
After a careful pulse diagnosis and observation, the imperial physician finally spoke slowly: "Your Majesty is angry, causing the qi and blood to flow backwards, so he vomited blood. Fortunately, the root cause is not damaged. You just need to rest and recuperate, supplemented by medicine, and I believe you will recover soon."
After hearing this, everyone finally put their minds at ease. Tojo Yuei was even more relieved and arranged for someone to send the imperial physician away.
However, after a brief period of peace, Tojo Takehide's expression became solemn again.
He looked around and said to everyone in a deep voice: "The news that His Majesty is seriously ill must be kept strictly confidential. The Chinese army is now wreaking havoc on Shikoku Island, and the war may spread to Honshu Island at any time. People in Kyoto are already in a panic. If the news that His Majesty is seriously ill spreads at this time, I am afraid that it will cause even greater chaos."
Upon hearing this, the ministers nodded in agreement.
They are well aware that in this precarious time, any trace of instability may lead to unpredictable consequences.
Therefore, they all swore an oath to keep their mouths shut and never let the news leak out.
In Aki Prefecture in the northeast of Kochi, the shadow of war hangs over the land like a heavy dark cloud, and the air is filled with the smell of gunpowder and blood. The army led by Chen Tong is like a sharp sword that pierces the heart of the enemy. It is unstoppable and invincible.
In just ten days, Chen Tong's army conquered eight counties in succession like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, and every battle seemed extremely efficient.
Relying on their sophisticated equipment, strict military discipline and high morale, they broke through the Fuso army's defenses one by one and demonstrated amazing combat effectiveness.
In order to resist this aggressive enemy, Fuso assembled a huge coalition of three Class A divisions and two Class B divisions. However, in the face of Chen Tong's surging offensive, these elite divisions were like paper and could not withstand a single blow.
After a fierce battle, most of the Fuso coalition forces were wiped out, and the few remaining teams suffered heavy casualties and low morale.
Now, the remnants of the Lingxiang Division and the Minggu Division are garrisoned in Aki Prefecture with great difficulty. They know that they are at the end of their strength, but they still grit their teeth, intending to use the advantage of terrain to block the advance of Chen Tong's army.
Although these remnants of defeated soldiers were few in number, they resisted stubbornly and were extremely determined, as if they were determined to fight to the last moment for the glory of the Fuso Empire in this final battlefield.
Outside Gaoyun County, on a high ground with a wide view, Chen Tong, dressed in a neat military uniform, stood tall, holding a high-powered telescope, and looking down at the historic city below - Gaoyun County - with a sharp gaze.
Gaoyun County was first built during the Fuso Warring States Period. It was once the temporary capital of Shikoku Island in the chaotic era. The city defense is strong, and the city wall is four meters high. It is made of rammed earth and blue bricks, and the gaps are poured with iron juice many times. It is extremely strong. Even a 150MM caliber heavy howitzer cannot blast a hole in the city wall.
"Gaoyun County, the temporary capital during the Warring States Period, is indeed worthy of its reputation." Chen Tong whispered to himself.
He slowly turned the telescope and carefully observed every detail of the city wall: the four-meter-high city wall was majestic and spectacular, with rammed earth and blue bricks interlaced, and traces of solidified iron could be vaguely seen in the gaps, revealing a kind of solidity and vicissitudes that had been precipitated over the years.
"Pass the order and have the engineering battalion immediately conduct precise mapping of the city wall, especially the gaps in the iron pouring. We need to find its weakness." Chen Tong retracted the telescope, turned around and gave orders to the signalman beside him.
The signalman quickly took the order and left. After a while, the surveying data of the engineering battalion was transmitted back to the high ground via radio waves. Chen Tong carefully reviewed the data and frowned slightly. Obviously, the strength of the city wall exceeded his initial estimation.
"It seems that conventional siege methods are unlikely to work." He pondered for a moment, then made a bold decision, "Order the 105th Heavy Artillery Brigade to immediately advance to the best firing position and prepare to use 'Thor's Hammer' to break the city."
"Yes, sir!" The signalman responded and quickly conveyed the order to the artillery unit in the rear.
Soon, the 105th Heavy Artillery Brigade roared, and dozens of huge artillery pieces were deployed under the careful deployment of Chen Tong, and the muzzles were pointed directly at the walls of Gaoyun County. Each of these artillery pieces was equipped with a 208-caliber giant shell, affectionately called "Thor's Hammer" by the soldiers, and their power was enough to shake mountains and tear steel.
"Attention, all artillery positions, adjust the firing parameters to ensure that every shell can accurately hit the target." Chen Tong stood on the high ground, observing the artillery operations through a telescope, and at the same time gave professional command terms on the walkie-talkie, "After preparations are completed, conduct a test fire and calibrate the trajectory."
The sunlight, like a golden brocade, fell on the position of the 105th Heavy Artillery Brigade, coating the 12 mighty "Thor's Hammers" with a layer of dazzling glow.
These huge cannons stood on the ground like sleeping beasts, waiting for the moment to be awakened. Every metal part on the cannon gleamed with a cold luster in the sun.
The commander stood on a command platform with a wide view, holding a telescope, his eyes as sharp as an eagle, staring at the target in front of him - the solid city wall of Gaoyun County.
He was well aware of the importance of this battle to the entire war situation, so every detail had to be refined.
"Attention, all artillery positions!" The commander's voice spread throughout the entire artillery position through the loudspeaker, clear and powerful, "Now start adjusting the firing parameters. According to the data provided by the engineering battalion, we need to increase the muzzle elevation by three degrees and shift the azimuth to the right by two mils to ensure that the shells can accurately hit the target."
Upon hearing this, the artillerymen immediately took action. They were wearing heavy protective clothing and helmets. Under the command of the gunner, the operators quickly adjusted the various knobs and dials on the gun carriage to accurately calibrate the firing parameters.
At the same time, the ammunition handlers were also busy. They opened the shell boxes and carefully took out the heavy 208-caliber giant shells. The shells were painted with anti-rust paint, and glowed with a faint blue light in the sun, revealing a dangerous and tempting atmosphere.
The ammunition handlers pushed the shells into the barrel with force, then quickly closed the breech block and waited for the order to fire.
"Loading completed!" As the last ammunition handler's report sounded, the entire artillery position fell into a brief silence.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the commander to give the order for the test launch.
"Prepare for test firing!" The commander's voice rang out again, and the artillerymen immediately entered combat status, their fingers tightly gripping the operating levers and triggers, their eyes fixed on the target ahead.
Following the commander's order, "Fire!" the cannon roared, deafening the ears. The first "Thor's Hammer" pierced the sky and whistled towards the wall of Gaoyun County...