Chapter 131: Testing The Waters
Everyone present was a battle-hardened veteran, and they understood the difference between this rifle and ordinary bolt-action rifles as soon as they heard the gunfire.
Li Zongren turned his head to Su Yaoyang and said, “Mingxi, may I take a look at this rifle?”
“Of course.”
Su Yaoyang turned his head and had the leading second lieutenant bring over a rifle and two magazines of bullets, then handed them to Li Zongren.
Li Zongren took the rifle, weighed it casually in his hand, and said somewhat surprised, “This rifle is a bit heavy, huh?”
The Garand rifle weighs 4.5 kilograms empty, which is about one jin heavier than contemporary Type 38, Zhongzheng, and Mauser rifles.
This bit of weight might seem insignificant at first glance, but if soldiers carry it for a long time, it becomes a burden. As an old soldier, Li Zongren naturally knew this well.
He glanced at the rifle again, skillfully loaded the bullets, and pulled the trigger at the target in front.
“Bang bang bang… ding…”
After a burst of dull and rapid gunfire, there came the crisp sound of the magazine ejecting from the chamber.
Li Zongren said nothing, took a few more magazines, and fired dozens of rounds continuously. For a moment, the only sound on the range was him shooting.
“Good rifle!”
Li Zongren let out a long breath, then returned the rifle to the second lieutenant, and sighed, “Now I understand why your security regiment could make the Japanese flee in panic at Taierzhuang. It turns out you issued every soldier a machine gun.”
“Yeah.” Bai Chongxi nearby also asked curiously, “This rifle is American-made, right? What’s its rate of fire?”
“Reporting, sir, this is the American-made M1 Garand rifle, with an eight-round magazine capacity. 7.62 caliber, effective range of four hundred meters, theoretical maximum rate of fire up to forty to fifty rounds per minute.”
“What about the practical rate of fire?” Bai Chongxi continued to ask.
“The practical rate of fire is around thirty rounds.” Su Yaoyang answered.
A low murmur of amazement arose around them.
Everyone was accustomed to leading troops and knew that bolt-action rifles like the Type 38 and Mauser had a maximum rate of fire of only five to eight rounds per minute. Compared to the Garand rifle, that was worlds apart.
“Why did you decide to equip this rifle?”
“Because its rate of fire is fast and it’s sturdy and reliable.” Su Yaoyang explained, “As you know, our security regiment has few soldiers and officers, and our troops’ individual quality is far inferior to the Japanese army.
Just like Japanese soldiers; with Type 38 rifles, they can basically hit targets at around four hundred meters. If the distance is two hundred meters, they can basically achieve hit after hit.
Of course, I’m talking about stationary targets.
To contend with the Japanese army, we can only innovate, play to our strengths and avoid our weaknesses, and use speed advantage to offset the Japanese army’s precise shooting.
And the facts have proven that this approach is quite effective.”
Bai Chongxi sighed lightly, “This rifle is good, but its rate of fire is too high.
That’s certainly an advantage, but also a disadvantage.
Our soldiers carry an average of only thirty rounds per person. If we really equip them with this rifle, the bullets would be gone in one minute, and after that, they’d have to fight the Japanese in bayonet charges.”
The generals nodded repeatedly. Who but a wealthy landowner would dare to equip soldiers with such a costly rifle?
Li Zongren suddenly smiled and looked at Su Yaoyang, “Mingxi, you still haven’t delivered the artillery you promised me last time.”
Su Yaoyang laughed, “Please forgive me, sir. I’ve been too busy these days, so I haven’t sent it to you yet.
But rest assured, I wouldn’t renege on anyone else’s account, let alone yours. Your twenty-four artillery pieces have long been prepared for you, over in the artillery battalion. Would you like to go take a look?”
“Hahaha…” All the generals laughed.
Li Zongren waved his hand, “In that case, this old man won’t stand on ceremony… Let’s go… take a look. Mingxi, lead the way quickly.”
With that, he strode ahead first.
Su Yaoyang chuckled helplessly and quickly walked ahead of him to lead the way.
Ten-odd minutes later, the group arrived at the artillery battalion area behind.
Unlike the infantry battalion teeming with people, the artillery battalion area was fairly large but had far fewer personnel, making the vast area seem quite quiet.
When Li Zongren and his group arrived at the artillery battalion, they saw hundreds of artillerymen gathered around several artillery pieces on the open ground, listening to two officers explaining data on the M2A1 howitzer to the soldiers.
The midday sun shone on the open ground of the battalion area, casting short shadows of the hundreds of artillerymen.
Li Zongren narrowed his eyes and saw the two officers standing beside the howitzer, holding data manuals in their hands, explaining loudly. The soldiers formed several circles around them, some squatting, some standing, listening attentively, occasionally jotting notes in small notebooks.
The metal surface of the howitzer reflected an orange-red glow, with the barrel pointing straight at the sky, exuding a cold and majestic dignity.
The air was filled with the faint smell of machine oil and gunpowder, mixed with the sweat of the soldiers.
“Our howitzer is officially called the M2A1 howitzer, 105 mm caliber, total weight 2.2 tons. See this hydraulic recoil mechanism? The recoil stroke is a full 1.2 meters!
Its range is also among the top in the world today, maximum range 11 kilometers, muzzle velocity 472 meters per second.”
This officer suddenly grabbed a training round, the brass casing gleaming dangerously in the sunlight. “Remember this designation M1,”
His thumb rubbed the primer recess, “charge weight 2.18 kilograms, it can turn concrete fortifications within three hundred meters into a sieve.”
At this point, he turned his head and scanned the surrounding artillerymen, “Now, who can recite the firing table data?”
The training ground fell silent except for heavy breathing; the shadow cast by the barrel was like a line etched on the ground dividing them.
“What… no one to answer?” The officer was about to get angry when he saw Su Yaoyang standing not far away with a smile, along with a group of big shots beside him.
Seeing a large group of generals with stars on their shoulders standing behind them, this officer shuddered, immediately stopped the explanation, and bellowed, “Attention, all!”
“Snap”
Then, he jogged over to Su Yaoyang, saluted him and Li Zongren and the others, and said loudly, “Reporting to all officers, Nanjing Security Regiment Artillery Battalion Commander Zhang Zhihao is explaining howitzer data to the gunners. Awaiting instructions from the officers!”
“You’re doing great!” Li Zongren nodded with a smile and sized up Zhang Zhihao, “I know you. You’re Zhang Zhihao, graduated from the Artillery Department of the Central Army Military Academy, formerly artillery company commander of the 48th Division.”
“You are correct, sir.” Zhang Zhihao was somewhat surprised.
Su Yaoyang beside him was inwardly alarmed. Li Zongren even knew the background of his own artillery battalion commander so well; it seemed much about his forces had long been thoroughly investigated.
