The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 393 A Tough Thing (Wishing you a Happy Dragon Boat Festival)
At 3:07 PM, the air battle on Jieshou Mountain finally came to a preliminary end.

More specifically, the ceasefire was finally reached when both sides' aircraft had essentially exhausted their ammunition and were unable to continue fighting.

The Nationalist army had 7 planes, and the Japanese army had 17 planes; they all returned to their respective airfields.

This demonstrates just how brutal this air battle was.

As both sides ceased hostilities and withdrew separately, Hu Biao, who had been silently leading his men in an attack on the mountain, seemed to have some inexplicable telepathy and instinctively looked up.

Only then did we see a scene where, in terms of numbers, only a fraction of the number of aircraft that had been at the forefront of the air battle remained, and they were all retreating.

Therefore, even though he had not witnessed the aerial combat between the two sides.

However, just from this result, one can imagine that the National Revolutionary Army Air Force, which was inferior to the Japanese in terms of technology, quantity, and equipment quality, still achieved the current results.

The hardships involved are naturally easy to understand.

More importantly, he also thought of a crucial point:
Damn it! In order to withstand this air raid by the Japanese, our air force has probably been completely wiped out, and we no longer have the strength to fight the Japanese again.

The Japanese were different. Although their casualties were also quite high, their resources were much greater in comparison.

We can urgently draw more aircraft from other regions, such as Guangzhou, or from the aircraft carrier currently patrolling outside the North Sea, to participate in the battle.

When that time comes, the Nationalist Air Force, having suffered heavy losses, will probably no longer be able to protect the skies above them.

Therefore, we need to speed up the capture of Jieshou Mountain, otherwise the Japanese aircraft might reappear in an hour or two.

Even the offensive arrangements for the main position at Kunlun Pass must be accelerated.

It would be best to launch an attack immediately after dinner, while the Japanese air force is unable to operate at night, so as to avoid having to fight under air raids during the day the next day.

After figuring out all the key points in a very short time, Hu Biao shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Brothers! The Japanese planes have finally run away. They were driven away by our air force brothers who risked their lives."

"Everyone, let's put in more effort and shoot down Jieshou Mountain before the next wave of Japanese planes arrives; don't let those air force brothers die in vain."

Amidst such cheers, the nearby Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, which had already been replaced by its second batch of attacking troops, along with the 2nd Regiment of the 1st Honorary Division, which was cooperating with them, all cheered enthusiastically.

They all mustered their full attention and prepared to continue their attack on the hilltop.

Then, Hu Biao was ruthlessly slapped in the face.

Before the cheers of the surrounding brothers had completely subsided, four more planes flew in from the direction of Nanning City. Hu Biao was startled and quickly took out his binoculars to look at the planes.

After quickly recognizing the approximate model of the aircraft, I was immediately seized by a strong urge to curse.

The aircraft that just appeared were four Type 98 light bombers belonging to the Japanese side.

Although there were only four of these aircraft, and they were light bombers, they were equipped with two 7.7 mm machine guns and carried 450 kg of bombs.

Even if their numbers are small, they are enough to cause them terrifying harm.

The key issue is that their appearance was too coincidental, occurring precisely when their air defense capabilities were at their weakest, to the point that they didn't even have time to prepare firewood to start a fire.

Thinking about all this, Hu Biao naturally felt extremely depressed.

Fortunately, there's an old saying that goes, "A sister-in-law's half-baked thing belongs to her brother-in-law"; no, wait, I misspoke, ptooey ptooey... it should be: "Heaven helps those who help themselves."

At that moment, a friendly I-15 biplane fighter suddenly appeared before Hu Biao like an angel.

Like an elegant swan, it resolutely charged towards the four Japanese Type 98 light bombers.

Its miraculous appearance at least temporarily resolved Hu Biao and his group's current predicament...

The I-15 biplane fighter that suddenly appeared was, of course, pulled up the one on top of the hill at the cost of Big Yellow's death from exhaustion.

Mina suppressed her grief, unable to even offer a word of comfort, but tears streamed down her face, leaving the young Zhou Yaozu no time to spare.

He hurriedly climbed into the cockpit, where the seats, instrument panel, and control sticks were all covered in blood.

With the help of one of the brothers turning the propeller, the fighter jet was successfully restarted and was ready to take off at any time.

Then, something absurd happened: the Chinese and Japanese fighter jets, having run out of ammunition, stopped fighting and turned back towards the airport.

Even if this I-15 fighter jet took off immediately, it wouldn't be able to catch up with these Japanese planes.

Does that mean that Dahuang died from overwork in vain?

Thinking of this, the poor sister-in-law was almost driven mad with anger.

Fortunately, things soon took a turn for the better, unlike Hu Biao's intense frustration when he saw the four Japanese Type 98 light bombers.

Mina, finally having a target and an opponent, let out a cheer.

She first shouted out a slightly modified line from a game character: "Ace pilot Mina, requesting to go into battle."

Then, as if answering his own question, he added, "Major Mina, you are ready to take off at any time."

Then, this cheap sister-in-law took control of the plane, and after a short taxiing, it successfully took off. After circling and turning slightly in the air, it charged towards the four Japanese light bombers.

A few minutes later, Mina opened and closed her mouth and clearly uttered a curse.

No other reason than that! In many people's minds, when fighter planes clashed with bombers during World War II, the entire process was nothing short of a massacre.

After all, fighter jets are far superior to bulky bombers in terms of agility.

With its superior maneuverability, it could easily take down these cumbersome bombers.

However, the actual situation was not like that, especially since Mina was now facing four opponents, and the four Japanese bombers immediately formed a 'box formation' after spotting her.

In this 'box formation' that resembles a tortoise formation, Mina discovered that no matter which direction she attacked from, she would face Japanese machine gun fire.

Because the Type 98 light bomber was a two-seat aircraft, the person sitting in the back could operate a machine gun that fired backwards.

After trying once, Mina not only failed to shoot down any Japanese planes, but she also almost got hit herself, which made her quite frustrated.

Fortunately, these four Japanese Type 98 light bombers were able to maintain the integrity of the 'box formation'.

During this process, they are unable to perform precise bombing dives or strafing the ground.

They could only circle Jieshou Mountain in the high sky, looking for opportunities to bomb while maintaining formation. The results were minimal for the time being, but it allowed Hu Biao and his men to continue their attack.

Another point is that Mina wasn't entirely without a way to deal with the Japanese's turtle formation.

Historically, German troops were serious victims of this type of 'box formation' bombing and had long since developed various countermeasures.

Mina had already studied these tactics many times in the modern world.

Knowing that this kind of aerial formation flying cannot be as precise as a machine, and that there will always be times when the formation is not neat, that is Mina's opportunity to strike.

And there she was! Mina was piloting her plane, following far behind the bomber formation in the airspace.

After following for another two or three minutes, Mina's eyes suddenly lit up as she discovered a rare opportunity to make a move.

He immediately maneuvered the aircraft and swooped down towards a Japanese bomber to his lower right, causing the I-15 fighter, which was originally moving slowly, to accelerate rapidly.

During this process, a machine gun at the rear of the Japanese plane opened fire wildly under the control of the gunner in the rear seat, trying to force Mina's frenzied attack back.

Facing a bullet that came hurtling towards her like a fiery snake, Mina controlled the fighter jet, making it sway like a leaf; sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, appearing from a distance as if she were dancing gracefully amidst a hail of bullets.

But only Mina, who was in the thick of it, knew how dangerous such elegance was. A slight misstep, or a bit of bad luck, and she would be shot dead.

However, on the other hand, this process, which felt like dancing on the edge of a knife, was more thrilling than any of her previous extreme sports experiences.

She herself didn't realize that at this moment, not only were her neck and face red, but her eyes were even watering.

This situation continued until she finally put the Japanese Type 98 bomber into the scope and fired a burst of 12.7mm bullets.

Before long, the left wing, which had been hit by multiple bullets, burst into flames that were impossible to extinguish.

This bomber, representing the Japanese invaders, is about to be destroyed.

As the plane regained altitude and moved out of range of the remaining three Japanese aircraft's machine guns, Mina's extremely excited emotions began to subside slightly.

It was at this point that she realized her entire underwear was soaked.

It felt sticky and uncomfortable against my skin.

But so what? After taking a deep breath, the girl rejoined the Japanese bomber formation, ready to find her next victim.

******
At the same time, the wind had been blowing in Kunlun Pass and the surrounding area for a while.

The word "wind" is used literally; it refers to strong gusts of mountain wind blowing.

These strong mountain winds brought a rare respite of coolness to the parched attacking troops, but also brought more trouble.

The smoke grenades they launched from the grenade launcher were quickly dispersed as soon as they rose, preventing them from using the smoke to their advantage and get any closer.

This problem is just one of many challenges they currently face...

"Warehouse manager, are you even capable? If not, go and replace the old cucumber with this. That's what a sniper is all about, don't just hogging the spot."

During the break between magazine changes, the third brother let out a shout.

Speaking of which! Doesn't the third brother know about the strange competition between the warehouse manager and Uncle Bo?

To put it nicely, the two are engaged in healthy competition for the position of the team's top sniper; to put it bluntly, neither is willing to concede to the other, and they've been constantly at odds.

The above suggestion to have the warehouse manager replace Uncle Bo is a move that is like stabbing the other party in the back.

All I can say is that the third brother certainly knew about this, and he did it intentionally; it was to provoke the warehouse manager and make him perform at his best.

The reason for this is that by this point in the battle, the offensive against Jieshou Mountain had encountered a tough opponent.

To be more specific, the Japanese now only have the mountaintop and a small area about 70 or 80 meters below it left in Jieshou Mountain, which they still control.

偏偏在这么一片区域中，鬼子有着最后的10、11、12、13号一共4个碉堡，他们互相之间都能彼此火力支援。

Bunker No. 13 was particularly large and sturdy, with firepower far exceeding that of the other bunkers, making it an extremely tough nut to crack.

Furthermore, the Japanese forces in this area should number no less than 500.

They were stationed in trenches and firing positions built around bunkers, making their defenses far superior to those of the previous areas.

However, the most critical problem was that after suffering losses from rocket launchers multiple times, the Japanese soldiers realized that they should focus a significant portion of their attention on the rocket launcher teams.

Any rocket launcher team attempting to approach the bunker would be their primary target.

For example, just a minute ago, in front of the No. 11 bunker where Lao San was located, an attacking force had just launched a carefully prepared attack.

At AT's command, more than a dozen smoke grenades were launched in a very short time.

After that, there was no need for AT to continue greeting them.

The third brother personally operated a light machine gun, firing at full force towards Bunker No. 12, attempting to deliver the strongest possible firepower suppression.

The warehouse manager and his snipers also pulled the triggers on their respective top officers, machine gunners, grenade launchers, and other important targets.

At the same time, fifty or sixty members of the Second Supplementary Battalion of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, along with the brothers of the Second Regiment of the First Honorary Division, led by AT, took the opportunity to rush forward while firing their submachine guns.

Among all the people mentioned above, the most crucial element is actually the three rocket launcher teams mixed in with them.

If they were allowed to advance another thirty or forty meters, Bunker No. 11 would be destroyed under their attack; then the other Japanese soldiers in the trenches and firing positions would be no threat at all.

However, this tactic, which used to work almost every time, is no longer as effective.

Because of the mountain wind, the smoke from the smoke bombs was not enough to completely conceal their figures.

As a result, one of the brothers in the first rocket launcher team, who was carrying a rocket launcher, had just emerged from the trench when he was shot in the forehead and chest, and fell back into the trench like a wooden stake.

After he fell, a second gunner next to him immediately turned around, ready to pick up the rocket launcher and continue the charge.

Before he could even jump into the trench, a grenade fired from a grenade launcher landed and exploded beside him, taking down the assistant gunner and two other men.

The second rocket launcher team was targeted by a Type 92 heavy machine gun when they had advanced about 15 or 16 meters.

After a burst of bullets, the entire rocket launcher team was taken down.

The third rocket launcher team successfully rushed to a position fifty or sixty meters away from bunker number 11. Under the expectant gaze of the third brother, the rocket launcher operator knelt down, shouldered the rocket launcher, quickly aimed, and pulled the trigger.

Unfortunately, a bullet struck his neck a second before he pulled the trigger.

The rocket launcher operator, still reeling from the trauma, continued to pull the trigger, but his hand veered off course, causing the rocket to miss its target.

Then, the smoke from the smoke bomb completely dissipates.

The fifty or sixty brothers who charged forward with AT were now unable to retreat, having suffered more than half their casualties.

It's like the ATs and the other thirty-odd remaining soldiers, who can only lie on the ground and exchange fire with the Japanese. They have no proper cover at all, just some shell craters and some earthen slopes where they can hide.

Even though his marksmanship was inferior to the Japanese soldiers, who could hit any target with their grenade launchers.

It seems unlikely that AT and his allies can hold out for long; they might be completely wiped out.

It was a meticulously planned attack that failed, and AT himself, the transmigrator, and fifty or sixty of his brothers were also lost.

But they never knew when the Japanese planes would arrive again, forcing them to put their offensive on hold.

Considering all the terrible circumstances, it's understandable that the third brother would use hurtful words to provoke his teammate, the warehouse manager, hoping to get him to snap.

Of course! The third brother certainly wouldn't just let his teammates rage while he just watched.

In fact, when he was poking the warehouse manager's lungs, he was completely going all out.

So after cursing the warehouse manager, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "You consumptive devil, lead the brothers to throw grenades, let's charge again!"

As a seasoned veteran who has traversed many times, AT naturally understood the third brother's plan.

Given the strong mountain winds blowing and the fact that smoke grenades were no longer effective, it was better to use hand grenades to cover everyone's advance.

While the blast wave and debris from a grenade explosion don't last as long as a smoke grenade, they don't dissipate in the mountain wind.

After understanding, he shouted from his position in the crater, "Grenade!"

At his command, one grenade after another was thrown with all his might, creating numerous shockwaves and mud in front of Bunker No. 12.

At that moment, the third brother had already picked up a rocket launcher and rushed out of the trench.

(End of this chapter)