Chapter 33: Li Yunlong: Fire!!!
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Li Yunlong felt his throat go dry. He swallowed with difficulty.
“Report! Mr. Lin said—said…” His voice had turned hoarse.
Facing those imposing leaders at Headquarters, even Li Yunlong, reckless to the point of audacity, felt his calves beginning to cramp.
Mr. Lin’s plan… was simply too outrageous, too unconventional!
The Deputy Commander frowned deeply and waved impatiently. “What did he say? Stop stammering! Speak up!”
“Yes!” Li Yunlong steeled himself, shut his eyes, and practically shouted, “Mr. Lin says he wants to… to take on an entire division!”
The moment the words left his mouth, the senior commanders froze. Then they all shook their heads.
“What?!”
“Absurd!”
“Pure fantasy!”
The command room exploded into an uproar.
The commanders were astonished at first, then began shaking their heads one after another, their faces filled with disdain and disappointment.
The Deputy Commander’s expression darkened as he rebuked him sharply. “Does he think war is child’s play? A Japanese Type A division consists of twenty-four thousand wolves armed to the teeth! Do you think you can just wipe one out whenever you please?”
“I think that Mr. Lin has let his enthusiasm get the better of him!”
The commanders had initially held Mr. Lin in extremely high regard. After all, he had sent them an enormous quantity of supplies, almost without asking for anything in return.
Among those supplies were large amounts of advanced weapons and equipment.
But to think that they could therefore casually destroy an entire Japanese division was simply wishful thinking.
Their lofty opinion of that mysterious wealthy merchant instantly plummeted.
All courage and no strategy!
Possessing nothing but fervor and wealth, he would only bring disaster in a war this brutal!
The Chief of Staff and the Division Commander also shook their heads slightly, clearly believing the idea far too naive—even childish.
Listening to the Deputy Commander’s reprimand, Li Yunlong shrank his neck. He had known they would react this way.
Yet whenever he thought of those terrifying 107 mm rockets, his heart began pounding uncontrollably.
“Deputy Commander!” Li Yunlong suddenly raised his head. “Mr. Lin brought a new weapon this time! Its power… its power is enough to scare the life out of anyone!”
“That’s why he came up with the plan! It sounds crazy, but… but I, Li Yunlong, don’t think it’s necessarily impossible!”
“Oh?” The Deputy Commander’s eyes narrowed. His anger eased slightly, replaced by a trace of curiosity.
“A new weapon? What kind? How powerful is it?”
A sharp glint flashed through Li Yunlong’s eyes. He straightened his back. “Chiefs, why don’t we go and see it for ourselves?”
The commanders exchanged glances.
The Division Commander adjusted his glasses, his tone somewhat gentler. “Very well. In any case, we do need to understand the weapons Mr. Lin has provided if we are to make the best possible use of them.”
He turned to the Deputy Commander. “Why don’t we go see what kind of treasure has given him—and you, Li Yunlong—such confidence?”
The Deputy Commander pondered for a moment, then swept his hand through the air. “Let’s go! We’ll see what you’re talking about.”
“Let’s find out what kind of divine weapon has given Mr. Lin… and you, Li Yunlong, the courage to make such a bold claim!”
…
The Headquarters compound basked in bright sunlight.
Li Yunlong led the group of commanders into the courtyard outside Headquarters.
“Where is it? What are we looking for?” the Deputy Commander asked, turning to Li Yunlong.
Li Yunlong gave a chuckle. “Chiefs, keep your eyes open!”
With a wave of his hand, the soldiers of the guard platoon he had brought with him began removing equipment from their packs under the scrutinizing gazes of the commanders.
Section after section of pitch-black launch tubes, enormous round warheads, simple support frames, and several iron structures that looked like cartwheels…
The Deputy Commander, Chief of Staff, Division Commander, and the others stared in confusion, their brows faintly furrowed.
Just then, another person entered the courtyard.
“Li Yunlong, what the hell are you up to now? The leaders are swamped with work! Where would they find the time to fool around with you here?”
“Believe it or not, I’ll strip you of your battalion command right now and send you to the cooks’ unit to haul the biggest cauldron!”
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The newcomer was none other than the Brigade Commander.
After receiving the news, the Brigade Commander had hurried over as well.
The moment he entered the courtyard, he saw Li Yunlong making a spectacle of himself.
Li Yunlong was just about to explain when the Deputy Commander raised a hand to stop the Brigade Commander.
“No harm done. Since we’re here, let’s see what sort of trick he can pull.”
The Brigade Commander had no choice but to fall silent, though his ox-like eyes remained fixed on Li Yunlong.
They seemed to say, You’re going to answer for this, boy.
Li Yunlong shrank his neck once more. He had been so excited that he had forgotten to inform the Brigade Commander, making it look as though he had gone over his superior’s head to report directly to Headquarters.
Still, the Brigade Commander was not a particularly petty man.
Besides, he was already a battalion commander.
At worst, he would be demoted back to company commander!
Li Yunlong suddenly felt that being demoted might not be so bad after all.
Meanwhile, the soldiers of the guard platoon were assembling the 107 mm rocket launcher in the courtyard, though they were clearly not very familiar with it.
Little by little, however, the weapon began to take shape.
The commanders’ expressions gradually changed from confusion to astonishment.
“Hmm? This structure… it looks somewhat like a 75 mm mountain gun.” The Chief of Staff stroked his chin and stepped closer for a careful inspection.
The Division Commander nodded. “It does, though this one has several more launch tubes.”
“And that’s not all. The simplicity of its disassembly and assembly… whoever designed this thing must be a genius!”
“These rockets are huge. They’re almost as large as the shells used by a 105 mm howitzer!”
“Their power… must not be underestimated.”
“I have to admit, I’m beginning to look forward to seeing what it can do.”
…
The commanders exchanged comments among themselves.
Before long, a strange-looking weapon, radiating a brutal industrial beauty, stood before them.
Three rows of twelve black launch tubes angled toward the sky, exuding a cold and lethal menace.
The dense array of muzzles was enough to send a chill through anyone who merely looked at them.
“Li Yunlong, why don’t you explain it to us?” the Deputy Commander said.
“Yes!”
In front of so many senior commanders, Li Yunlong did not dare show off. He went straight to the point.
“Leaders, the weapon Mr. Lin brought this time is called a 107 mm rocket launcher. It can fire twelve 107 mm rockets in a single salvo!”
“Its maximum range is 8.5 kilometers, and its firepower is… equivalent to that of twelve 105 mm howitzers!”
“And please take a look, Chiefs. This thing weighs less than five hundred kilograms in total. Once disassembled, a platoon of soldiers can carry it while running. Its mobility is extraordinary!”
“That is why Mr. Lin believes it gives us the confidence to take on an entire division!”
Having finished, Li Yunlong respectfully stepped aside and held his breath.
The courtyard fell so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Only the heavy breathing of the commanders remained.
They looked at one another, then at the 107 mm launcher in the middle of the courtyard.
They were stunned.
This little contraption, weighing less than half a ton, possessed firepower equal to that of twelve 105 mm howitzers!
If they had three of these, wouldn’t their firepower equal that of an entire Japanese artillery regiment?
This… completely overturned everything they knew about artillery!
The Deputy Commander looked at Li Yunlong. “Li Yunlong, is its firepower really comparable to that of a 105 mm howitzer?”
The Brigade Commander could not hold back any longer. “Li Yunlong! Speak truthfully in front of the Chiefs! No exaggeration!”
Li Yunlong grinned. “Mr. Lin had me bring it here precisely because he was worried the leaders wouldn’t believe us. Why don’t we… fire a round and see?”
The Deputy Commander suddenly swept out his hand, his decision final. “Very well. Seeing is believing!”
A moment later, the group arrived at the entrance to the village.
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Li Yunlong pointed toward a depression roughly four or five kilometers away. “Leaders, how about using that low-lying area as the target?”
The Deputy Commander did not answer immediately. Instead, he ordered the company commander of the guard unit beside him, “Send men at once! Carefully inspect the target area and everything within a kilometer of it. Make absolutely certain there is no one there!”
“Yes!”
The guard company commander personally led a group of men and galloped away at full speed.
A short while later, he returned on horseback and reported, “Report! The target area and the surrounding kilometer have been confirmed clear!”
Only then did the Deputy Commander give a heavy nod. His eyes gleaming, he looked at Li Yunlong.
“Fire!”
Li Yunlong’s spirits soared. He gave a meaningful glance to Zhuzi, who had been eagerly waiting nearby.
Zhuzi hurried forward and began calibrating the launcher according to Lin Ran’s instructions.
Li Yunlong introduced him with a grin. “Heh heh, Leaders, this is Zhuzi, the artillery wizard of my New First Regiment!”
The commanders nodded, their eyes filled with approval.
This was a treasure indeed!
Before long, Zhuzi completed the calibration and shouted his report.
“Report! Target locked! Ready to fire at any time!”
Li Yunlong looked toward the commanders. When he saw the Deputy Commander nod, he shouted:
“Fire!”
Before the words had even faded, Zhuzi slammed down on the button of the simple firing mechanism.
“Whoosh!”
“Whoosh!”
“Whoosh!”
Twelve rockets, like enraged fire dragons, shrieked into the sky at intervals of 0.7 seconds.
They surged toward the depression four kilometers away with earth-shattering force.
Everyone in the Headquarters compound—including the battle-hardened Deputy Commander, Chief of Staff, Division Commander, and Brigade Commander—was so shocked by the terrifying spectacle, unlike anything they had ever seen, that they all instinctively took a step backward.
“My God! Is this thing supposed to spit fire from the rear?!”
A young staff officer cried out in disbelief, his eyes bulging.
This weapon had utterly exceeded the limits of their imagination.
The Deputy Commander reacted first. He snatched the field glasses from the guard who offered them and fixed his gaze on the distant depression.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Booooom—!
“Give me the field glasses!”
Through the lenses, the low-lying ground was instantly swallowed by a storm of rockets.
In a mere dozen seconds, the once-peaceful depression was, before the horrified eyes of the onlookers, completely… flattened.
Its power was absolutely no less than that of 105 mm howitzers—if anything, it was even greater!
The Deputy Commander’s arm, still holding the field glasses, froze in midair.
His face showed no expression, but his lips trembled faintly.
The others also raised their field glasses. One glance was enough to make them draw a sharp breath.
For a long while, not one of them could utter a word.
The entire Headquarters compound sank into absolute silence.
They were not merely shocked by the destructive power.
They were shocked that such an insignificant-looking weapon could unleash such devastating force.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the Deputy Commander slowly asked:
“How many… rocket launchers did Mr. Lin send this time?”
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