CHAPTER 1790: CHAPTER 1769: HEAVY ARTILLERY BATTALION

When Gao Yang and Brian parted, it was about nine in the morning, and when Gao Yang’s plane departed, it was a little after five in the afternoon.

Looking at the time, Gao Yang thought he should be able to arrive in Odessa around the same time as Brian, but that’s based on the premise that Brian is driving to Odessa.

Ukraine’s roads aren’t too bad, certainly better than Africa’s. There’s a motorway from Kiev to Odessa, but this motorway hasn’t received any decent maintenance or repair for at least ten years.

It’s roughly seven hundred kilometers from Kiev to Odessa, and given the poor road conditions, Gao Yang thought he might very well arrive in Odessa earlier than Brian, arriving earlier at the place Yarebin casually mentioned, waiting for Brian.

However, it was still good weather when departing from Kiev, but as they approached the airspace near Odessa, the weather worsened. By the time Gao Yang exited the airport and drove towards the place Yarebin mentioned, the rain had already started.

There are still dozens of kilometers from the airport to the cape Yarebin mentioned, and once they set off, the rain quickly intensified, reaching the level of a storm.

It was already dark, and the rain was so heavy that even with the wipers on the highest setting, they couldn’t clear the water off the front windshield quickly enough, causing the view to remain blurry. Moving along roads with very inadequate infrastructure made the traffic lines in the middle of the road almost invisible.

Rebrov was driving, at an extremely slow speed. He sat up straight, straining to stare at the road ahead, yet still unable to accelerate, while Gao Yang sat in the passenger seat, seeming lost in thought.

Finally, Rebrov couldn’t help but speak softly, "Sir, this rain is too heavy. It’s dangerous to continue on like this. Shouldn’t we stop and wait for it to lessen before proceeding?"

Gao Yang lifted his gaze, looked outside, and softly said, "It’s nothing, keep going. If it feels dangerous, just slow down a bit."

"But sir..."

Gao Yang glanced at Rebrov, and then said gently, "If I haven’t issued a clear order, feel free to ask me. Once I’ve given a clear command, just go ahead and execute it, understand?"

"Yes, sir."

Gao Yang bowed his head again, and then asked softly, "Rebrov, let me ask you a question. From point A to point B is a straight distance of thirty kilometers. The artillery is stationed at point A, and point B is the target. If you want to use the artillery to bombard point B, how should it be done?"

Rebrov replied without hesitation, "This question is rather broad. First, you need to know the subjective and vantage coordinates and elevation of the artillery command post or site, then send artillery scouts for target reconnaissance, determine the target’s coordinates and elevation. Then, once the scouts relay the target coordinates, the command post calculates the firing parameters, and the site can commence firing. After correction by the artillery scouts and an assessment of the firing results, it naturally leads to sustained shelling or a change of coordinates."

Gao Yang nodded slightly and softly asked, "What if there are no scouts? Can drones replace the role of scouts for reconnaissance and distance measurement?"

Rebrov looked troubled and admitted loudly, "In some situations, yes; in others, no. Using drones for observation and reconnaissance, receiving data and firing immediately, requires those cutting-edge systems where the drone and artillery are integrated. Advanced artillery with fire control and trajectory calculation managed by computers works well. If it’s old-fashioned artillery, relying on human calculation for firing parameters, then it’s still more convenient to use scouts."

Gao Yang sighed subtly and said, "I see. If I give you a D30 artillery battalion, plus two reconnaissance drones, can you carry out a precise bombardment?"

Rebrov paused to think, then nodded, "Yes, but this approach has major drawbacks. It requires multiple calibration shots to accurately hit the target, making it suitable for fixed targets. To damage active forces is harder, and the drones must be large enough. A small drone might fly that far, but can the control signal reach that far? Furthermore, the drone has to be a specialized artillery reconnaissance drone; ordinary drones won’t work."

Gao Yang shook his head and exclaimed, "I can get specialized artillery reconnaissance drones, but it seems I don’t have fixed targets to bomb. Forget it, let’s be realistic. I’ll give you two artillery battalions, and you must be able to provide extremely precise artillery support at any time. Can you do that?"

Rebrov answered without hesitation, "Two artillery battalions? Of course, that’s not difficult at all."

Gao Yang cleared his throat and said loudly, "Then, what if everyone in these two battalions is illiterate? Hmm, at best, their math skills might reach the level of a third-grade Ukrainian elementary school. Let’s stay safe and gauge it at a first-grade level, capable of addition and subtraction but not multiplication or division, and addition and subtraction within one hundred."

Rebrov gasped in shock, "All illiterate? The best among them only reaching first-grade level? How to operate the artillery then?"

Gao Yang sighed, quite helpless, "Then you can’t manage either. Well, if I find you some helpers, what’s the minimum number to make those two artillery battalions functional?"

Rebrov pondered for a moment, then replied with difficulty, "If, hypothetically, the personnel of these two artillery battalions have the most basic capabilities, that is, I provide them with firing parameters and coordinates, and they can correctly operate the artillery, perhaps, I could make them function. But the speed would be significantly slower."

Gao Yang immediately perked up, saying loudly, "Oh, they could function? Good, tell me how you’d do it."

Rebrov explained loudly, "It’s simple; I’ll do everything myself: set the site’s coordinates, personally act as a scout, and after obtaining target coordinates, calculate the firing parameters myself, then relay all data back. Finally, have those illiterate gunners responsible for loading and firing."

Gao Yang took a breath and replied softly, "Good, very good. That condition should be achievable. After so much training, they should be at least capable of this, right?"

Rebrov cautiously added, "There’s something else I should mention. I’m very familiar with the D30 artillery, and it can’t fire thirty kilometers that far, a maximum of just over ten kilometers. If the range is shorter, it becomes simpler."

Gao Yang chuckled and proclaimed loudly, "Yes, the D30 can’t do it, but the 2A65 model 152 mm artillery can. I have 36 152 mm guns in hand which haven’t been utilized. Now, I’ll let you lead a Heavy Artillery Battalion first. If you’re truly competent, I’ll give you more battalions."

Rebrov widened his eyes in extreme shock, "Lead a Heavy Artillery Battalion? And handle all the technical work myself? Are you serious?"