The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 418 Code Name: Piggy (Bonus Chapter 33 for AT)

Around 5 p.m. on the 10th, although it was still more than an hour before dark, the soldiers were still in good physical and mental condition.

During the daytime, Nanning City contacted and urged him as many as seven or eight times.

Hisano Seiichi, the commander of the 18th Division, still ordered his troops to immediately halt their advance and build high-standard encampments on the spot.

In total, they marched only 41 kilometers a day, which is only two-thirds of the distance covered by the former Independent Mixed Brigade No. 19.

The Japanese soldiers' campsite for today is located 32 kilometers away from Dadong Township.

This situation was immediately relayed to Hu Biao via telegram by the warehouse manager, who was leading veterans in a fierce battle against the Japanese scouts.

After some calculations, Hu Biao came to a conclusion:
At this cautious pace of the Japanese troops, they should arrive at Dadong Township, the township office where the 19th Independent Mixed Brigade was annihilated, around 3 PM tomorrow.

This should also be the second time the battle was launched, marking the official start of the fighting.

After the start time of the war was basically determined, he asked Annie beside him, "Boss lady, how are the preparations going with your sister-in-law?"

Hu Biao asked this question yesterday after the tactical adjustments were made, when Mina immediately rushed back to the front-line airport north of Kunlun Pass.

As an army major, he participated in and commanded the operation to attack the Japanese fleet.

Although her military rank was lower, her brother-in-law Hu Biao, who was only a lieutenant colonel, still commanded more than 40,000 troops.

This is a characteristic of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment; it's nothing unusual.

In response to Hu Biao's question, Annie immediately answered:
"I spoke to her by telegram two hours ago. After several relocations, all the Nationalist Air Force units that could participate in the battle have arrived at the front-line airfields."

Unfortunately, the number was a bit small, with only 41 aircraft of all types combined; including 24 bombers and 17 fighters.

"For a country with over 400 million people, the number of airplanes is a fraction of what some small, foreign countries have. What a disgrace!"

"What can we do? Right now, we have the money, but nobody wants to sell planes to China. This was the situation for the air force before the Japanese and Uncle Sam started fighting and the big dog began to provide large-scale aid."

If I travel back in time next time, and if the timing and conditions allow, I'll see if I can bring back some more planes from Russia, as a way of compensating my air force brothers.

After sighing, Hu Biao said this.

Then, Hu Biao's expression suddenly turned serious, and he said, "I order! At 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, Mina will lead the entire air force to attack."

We must launch a full-scale attack on the Japanese fleet before 12 o'clock and draw all of the Japanese air force back.

Notify the commanders of all units fighting for reinforcements in Dadong Township to come here immediately to participate in the final pre-battle meeting.

Inform Commander Bai that no matter how difficult the situation, the attacking forces outside Nanning must maintain their offensive intensity until 3 p.m. tomorrow.

After 3 o'clock, we can stop all attacks and wait for us to return with the momentum of our great victory, and then take Nanning City in one fell swoop.

Did you understand? Say it to me again.

Seeing this, Anne cooperated perfectly, lightly tapping the ground with the heel of her boot, straightening her chest, pulling in her stomach, and keeping her slender waist taut and straight.

She repeated in a clear, crisp voice, "Yes! Tomorrow morning at 10:30..."

After recounting the story, Hu Biao and Annie exchanged a glance, both finding the scene amusing, and they laughed heartily.

Unfortunately, apart from the two of them, the other time travelers present did not think so.

Especially Xiao Cui, the nurse, immediately complained, "Look, this is a war! Even at a time like this, you two still can't resist showing off your love. This is unbearable."

Her吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or witty remarks) made the others laugh as well.

This did alleviate the tension that had been building in everyone's hearts before the big battle...

******
January 11, 1930 (Thursday), according to the Chinese almanac: Auspicious for travel, marriage, opening a business, and burial; inauspicious for praying for blessings, offering sacrifices, and thanking the gods. The weather in southern Guangxi is mostly cloudy, with temperatures ranging from 11 to 17 degrees Celsius and a northerly wind of force 3.

It's an ideal day for air force raids and ground battles.

At 10:20 a.m., at the frontline airport north of Kunlun Pass, Mina, wearing goggles on her forehead, a flight jacket on her upper body, uniform pants and military boots on her lower body, was dressed like a proper pilot.

He stood on a stool, holding a large bowl in his hand, which contained at least half a pound of 'Guangxi briefcase'.

He addressed the dozens of overly young Nationalist pilots before him with great solemnity:

"Brothers, as a woman, I, Mina, am not good at speaking politely or grand principles; fortunately, the importance of this battle goes without saying, and you are all quite aware of it."

So before you depart, let me offer you a bowl of wine to bolster your spirits; drink it down first as a sign of respect.”

After saying that, the younger sister-in-law picked up the big bowl and gulped it down in one go.

Then, turning the bowl upside down to prove that he had drunk every last drop, he smashed the large bowl on the ground in front of him, signifying his determination to succeed or die trying.

Seeing this, the group of young pilots did not shout any slogans.

After downing his drink in one gulp, he smashed the bowl on the ground, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.

Countless people were prepared to crash their planes into Japanese warships if they were unable to return to base.

Among them was Liu Fusheng, who, despite being hit by multiple bullets during the air battle at Kunlun Pass, still managed to successfully make an emergency landing in the hills while piloting an I-15 fighter jet.

If it weren't for his successful forced landing, Mina wouldn't have been able to take off and block the four crucial Japanese fighter planes.

Only half a month had passed since that air battle, and Liu Fusheng's gunshot wounds were far from healed.

However, if the air force were to fly directly towards the Japanese fleet during this sortie, it would inevitably collide with Japanese reconnaissance planes and be exposed before even reaching their destination.

Therefore, it is necessary to go around half the circle, bypassing the city from the east.

In this day and age, airplanes do not have the rich and advanced navigation methods of modern planes, so the participation of pilots familiar with this airspace is very important.

Liu Fusheng was the most familiar with this airspace among all the pilots.

Therefore, he insisted on being discharged from the hospital and took the initiative to assume the role of navigator in a two-person bomber to prevent the formation from going off course during such an important mission.

Because his body had not recovered, after drinking half a bowl of strong rice wine, he felt a surge of alcohol and almost embarrassed himself.

To distract himself, he immediately shouted out a question he had already thought of:
"Commander Mina, does our operation have a code name?"

"Code name?" Mina was momentarily stunned by the question, then prepared to answer with "Tiger Tiger Tiger," intending to use the Japanese code name they would later use at Pearl Harbor.

It's like following the Japanese army's path, leaving them with nowhere to go.

But with the words already on the tip of his tongue, he wondered if such an action might lead to a serious alteration of history, resulting in punishment from that mysterious place.
Although the possibility was slim, she still changed her code name.

It was changed to: "Code name: Piglet".

"Why is it called such a code name? Does Commander Mi have any explanation for this?" Liu Fusheng asked, voicing a common question in the minds of all the pilots.

Mina: "Nothing much! Piggy is a cat I raised back in my hometown, and it's as fat as a pig."

Then, they began to board the planes and taxi for takeoff, forming a formation at the airport with bombers in the middle and fighters on the periphery.

With its last remaining resources, the Chinese Air Force launched a legendary sortie...

(End of this chapter)