The battlefield west of Nagpur was very peaceful at this time.
It was so calm that nothing seemed to happen.
The air is getting drier and the temperature is not so hot.
In the past, in August and September, every time it rained, the trenches were like steamers, and the water vapor was blocked in the trenches and lingered.
Most of the soldiers were shirtless and wished they had not even a piece of cloth left on their bodies.
Anything hanging on your body will make you feel uncomfortable.
Bullets often fail to fire due to moisture. Metal fixed-loading bullets have just begun, and there is still a big gap in stability with later generations of bullets.
The weather has improved in the past few days, and the puddles between the positions have dried up.
During this period, the coalition forces almost stopped launching attacks for some reason.
This allowed Ying Jun to finally take a breath.
Even the sniper battles that were often carried out in the past are rare.
Grass even grew on the position between the two trenches.
Especially the interior of those craters, which were originally well-proportioned, were almost filled with grass.
"Moo~" A gray-yellow Indian mythical beast came to the positions of the two armies and ate grass leisurely.
Regardless of the bloody smell contained in these grasses.
Seeing this scene, the watchman of the Ying Army smiled awkwardly. He almost sounded the alarm just now.
"Boom boom boom..."
Suddenly, intensive rumbling sounds came from the artillery positions behind the coalition forces.
There was no need for the lookout to remind them. The soldiers in the trenches began to look for cover.
The commander urgently ordered the reserve troops in the rear to prepare to replenish the trenches.
Immediately, artillery fire covered the Yin army's position.
The commander of the Yin Army realized that the reason why the coalition forces had not attacked for so many days was probably because they were preparing for today's general attack.
In other words, the past few days have been the calm before the storm.
There is a flat pasture ten kilometers northwest of Nagpur.
The place has obviously been carefully maintained, just like a golf course.
Huge lines were drawn with white lime powder on the green lawn.
Seen from the air, these are huge circles.
"Kunpeng No. 1 is inflated!"
"Kunpeng 2 is inflated!"
…
Liu Pengfei boarded the No. 1 airship and began to take over the command of the formation.
"Agree to take off and complete the bombing mission according to the established plan."
"Oh ho, today we are going to turn those white pigs into roast pigs." On the airship, a bombardier named Nie Yiyong said excitedly to his companions.
They set out from Xinjing all the way and encountered many setbacks along the way.
After all, this is their first voyage.
The southwest region is blocked by many mountains, some of which cannot be climbed even at the cruising altitude of an airship.
You can only find a route with a higher altitude and take a detour.
In addition to high mountains, strong winds in valleys will also bring challenges to airships.
However, these provide valuable experience for airship flight.
When they arrived in the subcontinent, Liu Pengfei's flying team did not immediately go into battle.
Instead, adaptive training began.
Because of the continuous rain, there is not much weather suitable for training.
We also need to consider the issue of confidentiality. As a secret weapon, it can only be the most intimidating when it appears when the enemy least expects it.
When the enemy's position was interrupted, Major General Larry Moss, commander of the Royal 55th Infantry Division, was waiting for the next Allied charge in a fortified observation post.
At the rear of the position, the Japanese artillery was ready.
In the confrontation between the two sides, everyone has discovered the role of artillery. Especially the new artillery that uses smokeless gunpowder shells.
It is not only powerful, but also has a faster rate of fire. It is extremely lethal to charging infantry.
During the battle between the two sides, most of the casualties were caused by artillery.
The coalition forces have begun artillery preparations, indicating that the attack is about to begin.
In the trenches on the Yin Army's side, the grassroots officers had already put their whistles in their mouths.
The soldiers also loaded their rifles and held them tightly in their hands, ready to shoot at the front of the position at any time.
In the trench, young captain Jesse Spencer held a whistle in his mouth.
His cheeks were long and thin, and the hair on his temples had not been trimmed for a long time.
Sweat flowed down the hair to his chin, and then gathered drop by drop, dripping into the rotten-smelling soil near the trench.
He also had a rifle in his hand, but there was an extra pistol on his waist.
Young Spencer was born into a working-class family in the suburbs of Plymouth.
His father and brother are both shipyard workers.
Young Spencer was the pride of his family because he was admitted to the Royal Army College.
It's just that Spencer, who was born into a civilian family, was always discriminated against by his classmates at the Royal Army Academy, where most of the nobles were children.
When the school selects officers for the expeditionary force, civilian students like him are among the first to be selected.
Among those noble children, who is willing to go to the distant east to fight?
Besides, those students have important people in their families, and they should know the dangers of fighting in the East.
"Keep your head down and wait for orders. Don't expose it. Curiosity will kill you. If you lose your head, you will no longer be curious." Spencer reminded his team loudly.
Most of his soldiers came from civilian families. Some were veterans recruited after the war act. They looked old enough to be Spencer's father.
These people are difficult to manage. They often speak ill of Spencer behind his back, saying that he is a little puppy with no hair.
However, after being together for such a long time, Spencer still conquered them with his charm.
Spencer also learned a lot from these veterans.
The most important thing is how to save your life on the battlefield.
"Dududu..." the trumpet sounded from the opposite side, and the bombardment gradually subsided.
Spencer looked carefully towards the front of the position. There was smoke between the positions of the two armies, and it was impossible to see the scene in the distance.
But one could clearly hear the deafening shouts and dense and chaotic footsteps of the opponent as they charged.
Spencer did not rush to order his men to shoot. Their position was not the most prominent place.
He still has to wait for his own artillery fire.
Sure enough, our own artillery hidden behind the position finally began to fire back.
A dense barrage of artillery shells flew towards the position between the two armies.
In order to prevent being attacked by the opponent's artillery, both the Allied Army and the Japanese Army deployed their artillery at the rear of the position.
In this case, unless there is a huge cannon with a range far beyond that of the opponent, it will be difficult to attack the opponent's artillery with artillery.
Both sides used the artillery as their own sea-dwelling needles to protect their backs.
The current artillery positions were set up after more than half a year of fighting.
After such a long period of fighting, both sides can basically determine whose artillery can have an absolute advantage and whoever can win the final victory.
"Didi~~" Spencer blew the whistle in his mouth.
At this time, the attacking coalition soldiers could already be seen passing through the blockade of artillery fire.
All the soldiers of the Yin Army stood up from the pedals and pressed their bodies tightly on the slope in front of them.
Intensive gunfire rang out.
Like his soldiers, Spencer cocked his gun, took aim, and pulled the trigger.
They repeated this action as fast as they could.
"Wahaha, charge, hurry up and die. The faster you charge, the faster you die." Lafitte, with a slovenly beard, shouted while shooting.
His marksmanship is very accurate, and almost every shot can take away an opposing coalition soldier.
On the battlefield, veteran Lafitte's arrogant behavior can very well boost the morale of those around him.
Under the protection of trenches, the attacking side always suffers more.
Behind the coalition position in the east, Peng Yulin was looking at the battlefield in the distance with a telescope.
His position here is very good and he can see the defense line several kilometers wide.
Today's attack is on the central defense line. The main force of the attack is a Bangladeshi regiment of the Holy Army Tigers and a Burmese regiment.
This configuration is obviously a feint attack. Peng Yulin's purpose is simply to expose the Yin army's artillery position.
Most of the artillery positions of the Yin Army were outside the range of the coalition's artillery, so the Yin Army had no worries.
"Don't stop the attack until the enemy brings up the reserve team." Peng Yulin ordered.
Now is the prelude to the general offensive, otherwise there would be no need for him, the commander-in-chief, to come to the front line in person.
The sound of "buzz buzz..." came from the eastern sky.
Under the cover of distant artillery fire, it sounded like a swarm of bees.
"Check the power system, check the bomb bay, check the machine gun..."
Liu Pengfei issued a series of orders on his Kunpeng No. 1 boat.
Today is the first show of their air force, so everything must be done flawlessly.
He knew very well that in the Renaissance Army, which focused on practicality and survival of the fittest, if a unit wanted to develop from scratch, it must be recognized by everyone.
And this kind of recognition can only come from real military merit.
"Our primary goal is to blow up the enemy's artillery positions, and then lower the altitude to use machine guns to coordinate the infantry attack." Liu Pengfei once again clarified the combat order to each boat through the radio.
"Commander, don't worry, we will win the first battle today. Look at the clear and windless weather, it's just God's blessing. We have been out for so many days, and today's driving experience is the best."
"The terrain here, with gentle hills and vast plains, is simply the most ideal shooting range."
"And if we show up so strongly, we will definitely scare those Korean guys out of their wits, and those Ah Sans will probably kneel on the ground and worship the gods. Hahaha!"
"Commander, look at the right time, the right place and the right people." Not far from Liu Pengfei was the helmsman Wang Hao.
The flight direction of the airship depends on the tail behind the airbag on the one hand, and the propeller on the pod on the other hand.
Because of its huge size, all adjustment directions can basically only be accomplished with a little bit of fine-tuning.
Therefore, the helmsman's job on an airship is more complicated than that on a ship.
"Haha, you guys might as well stop being the helmsman and come be my advisor." Liu Pengfei said with a smile.
But as he kept talking, Liu Pengfei's eyes never left the telescope fixed in the command cabin.
This telescope is somewhat similar to the periscope in a submarine. It's just that one is pointing up and the other is pointing down.
"We've all made up our minds. We're about to enter the battlefield. Pay attention to controlling the height of the airship."
Liu Pengfei could already see the battlefield in the distance in his field of vision, but because the distance was too far, even with the help of a telescope, the people he saw looked like ants.
Peng Yulin, who was on the ground, heard the sound and looked towards the eastern sky. Sure enough, he saw a row of airships flying towards this direction from east to west.
They are like white clouds floating in the sky.
Only the huge airbag can be seen. As for the pod under the airbag, it looks like a black spot embedded under the white clouds.
It's like a flaw on the white clouds.
Where the airship passed, a huge shadow was cast on the ground.
"Is this the power of the Renaissance Army? This is beyond what manpower can fight against." As deputy commander, Chen Yucheng stayed with Peng Yulin all the time. He looked up at the airship flying from the sky.
Complex emotions such as envy, fear, and joy emerged in my heart.
Fortunately, they are now on the same line as the Renaissance Army.
The fear is that the Holy Army will always live in the shadow of the Renaissance Army. Maybe they will always follow the Renaissance Army as their little brother. They will never be able to get ahead.
Just six or seven years ago, the Holy Army was still using swords and spears as the main weapons in battle.
Today's battlefield is completely dominated by firearms.
In addition to simple firearms, the Renaissance Army also has complex machines to help them fight.
The subcontinental headquarters is equipped with several military vehicles that have been revived by the military. These vehicles will definitely replace war horses in the future.
Because war horses also consume a lot of horse supplies and need to be taken care of, and these cars can run long distances with only a small amount of gasoline.
There are also tractors used to transport supplies, which can adapt to complex roads.
During this war, many of the high technologies of the Renaissance Army came to light.
This also opened Chen Yucheng's horizons.
As for those cars and tractors, they are still within Chen Yucheng's imagination.
So the giant monsters flying in the sky now really seem like myths.
The volume of hundreds of meters, hanging high in the sky, really seems like a Kunpeng in the sky.
"Commander-in-Chief, can this thing fly so high, can it really hit the enemy's position?" Chen Yucheng asked. He just wanted to know more about the airship.
"No problem, the weather is very good today. Cannonballs falling from high altitudes will be affected by the wind, but the airship troops have already calculated the parameters, and they will take wind and other factors into consideration. It's like the artillery has calibrated its aim in advance.
Generally. And since they are in the sky, the enemy has no means of attacking them, so they can hover in the air and slowly correct their aim." Peng Yulin explained patiently.
He actually didn't know much about the role these airships could play.
This thing looks really huge. The head looks like a cruiser flying in the sky.
But it's actually just a huge skin bag. The pod made of aluminum alloy underneath is the real working part.
And the current load capacity of that pod is only a few dozen tons.
It can only carry a few tons of bombs and a few machine guns.
Peng Yulin felt that the psychological oppression this thing brought to the enemy far exceeded its actual effectiveness.
However, it is not necessarily live ammunition that can defeat the enemy on the battlefield.
Defeating the enemy psychologically, making the enemy timid, lose fighting spirit, and have low morale is also an effective method to defeat the enemy.