Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 207 A good start
"Hey Jack, look over there, about five o'clock, low altitude!" Tom's voice suddenly came through the radio, sounding a little urgent.

One-Eyed Jack immediately lowered the nose of the plane, his sharp gaze fixed on the direction Tom was pointing.

Although this guy only had one eye left, theoretically he couldn't continue flying with only one eye (which is why he was discharged from the U.S. Army Air Corps).
But this guy managed to impress Doolittle with his intact right eye and skillful flying, and brought him to China.

He quickly spotted a small black dot in the airspace about three thousand meters below. It was a single-engine aircraft, and judging from its wing shape and flight attitude, it was very likely a Japanese reconnaissance plane!
"I see it...it's a Japanese Type 99 reconnaissance plane."

One-Eyed Jack cursed under his breath, his tone instantly turning icy. "Tom, maintain altitude and stay alert! I'm going down to deal with it!"

“Understood, sir! Good luck!” Tom replied, while simultaneously gaining some altitude to provide cover and observation for One-Eyed Jack.

Jack took a deep breath and shoved the joystick forward.

The P-47's powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines roared even louder, and the nose suddenly dipped down, diving towards the Japanese reconnaissance plane below like a raptor hunting its prey!

The immense G-forces of the high-speed dive pressed One-Eyed Jack firmly into his seat, but his single eye gleamed with excitement. The P-47's dive speed was incredibly fast; the gauges on the instrument panel spun rapidly, and the wind howled outside the cockpit like the grim glint of death.

The Japanese Type 99 reconnaissance plane below quickly spotted the approaching fighter and began evasive maneuvers. However, the Type 99's relatively slow speed and weak maneuverability were utterly insignificant in the face of the ferocious P-47.

One-Eyed Jack locked onto his target, rapidly closing the distance. When he judged the time was right, he slammed his right thumb down on the machine gun's fire button!
"Da da da da da da..."

The eight .50 caliber Browning M2 heavy machine guns at the wing roots of the P-47 roared simultaneously! The thick tracer rounds, like eight angry fire whips, instantly tore through the sky and lashed accurately at the Type 99 reconnaissance aircraft!

A dense hail of bullets pounded the fuselage and wings of the Japanese reconnaissance plane like hail. The fragile skin was torn apart instantly, and the wooden structure emitted a mournful cracking sound.

Suddenly, a ball of flame erupted from the left wing of the reconnaissance plane, followed by billowing black smoke. The plane lost control and, like a kite with a broken string, spiraled towards the ground.

"Done! A rookie!" One-Eyed Jack said casually over the radio, pulling up the nose of the P-47 and performing a beautiful loop, returning it to cruising altitude.

"Well done, sir!" Tom shouted excitedly. "That guy didn't even have a chance to fight back!"

"Hmph, this kind of trash isn't even enough to fill my teeth," One-Eyed Jack said disdainfully, but there was a hint of smugness in his tone.

This was the P-47's first combat mission with the Shanxi Militia Air Force, and also its first time firing. The clean and decisive victory was undoubtedly a good start.

"Eagle's Nest...Eagle's Nest...This is 'Thunder One,' we have shot down a Japanese reconnaissance plane, coordinates XXX, XXX. Over." One-Eyed Jack reported the results to ground command via radio.

"Roger that, 'Thunderbolt One'! Well done! Please keep an eye on the surrounding airspace and return as planned. Over." Doolittle's slightly excited voice came through the headset.

After confirming that there were no other enemy threats nearby, Jack and Tom turned their plane around and began their return flight to Jiuquhe Airport.

However, just as they arrived in the airspace near the airport and were preparing to descend and approach, the scene before them took them by surprise!
Gunfire erupted from the airport on the banks of the Jiuqu River below! Dozens of anti-aircraft machine guns were spewing fire upwards from the ground-based air defense positions, their target a Japanese aircraft circling overhead!

It was a single-engine aircraft painted with the conspicuous "Rising Sun flag," and judging from its shape, it appeared to be a reconnaissance aircraft or a light liaison aircraft.

It flew very low, almost skimming the treetops at the edge of the airport, clearly conducting close reconnaissance and taking photos!
"Damn it! There's another one!" One-Eyed Jack roared. "When did this guy sneak over here?"

At the airport, sirens blared throughout the sky.

On the tarmac, several P-47 Thunderbolt fighter jets, which had just completed maintenance and were preparing for the next patrol, were being hurriedly taxied to the runway by their pilots, attempting to take off urgently for an interception.

But the Japanese plane was clearly very cunning. After completing a low-altitude circle, it immediately pulled up and sped away towards the distant mountains.

"Tom! Come with me! Don't let it get away!" Jack made a quick decision, pushing the control stick hard again. The P-47, like an angry falcon, swooped down once more, its target the fleeing Japanese plane.

Tom followed closely behind, the two P-47s drawing sharp arcs in the air as they sped off in pursuit.

The Japanese reconnaissance plane clearly hadn't anticipated that the "Raiden," which had just been patrolling high above the skies, would arrive so quickly. Its speed was far inferior to the P-47, and it was soon overtaken.

"Watch this!" A cold glint flashed in One-Eyed Jack's eyes as he pressed the machine gun button again.

Another burst of dense bullets! This time, the Japanese reconnaissance plane pilots seemed to be prepared, desperately performing evasive maneuvers.

However, the P-47's firepower was simply too fierce; several .50 caliber bullets accurately hit its tail fins and engine.

The Japanese plane jolted violently, a plume of black smoke billowing from its tail. Its flight became extremely unstable, wobbling and crashing towards the ground as if drunk. Finally, with a muffled explosion, it reduced to a burning wreckage.

"Second one! Good luck today!" One-Eyed Jack whistled, his tone much more relaxed.

"Haha...we're practically the airport's saviors!" Tom exclaimed excitedly.

After confirming that there was no other enemy activity, the two P-47s lowered their altitude and, guided by the ground control tower, landed smoothly on the runway of Jiuquhe River Airport.

When One-Eyed Jack and Tom King climbed out of the cockpit, they were greeted with hero's cheers from the airport ground staff and pilots.

"Hey...man, well done! I almost thought that Japanese plane was going to get away." Doolittle came up to Jack and patted him hard on the shoulder with a smile.

"Boss... don't worry, it won't get away." Jack patted his chest forcefully, then remembered something, "By the way, boss... I remember the boss said before that there would be a reward for every plane shot down, does the boss's promise still count?"

"I knew you bastard would bring this up." Doolittle glared at him helplessly. This guy brought it up as soon as he got off the plane. He really has no modesty at all.

However, having anticipated this, he immediately pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket, took out four hundred-dollar bills, and slapped them into Jack's hand. "Here... this is your bonus..."

"Hahaha... I love Franklin..." Jack grinned as he took the money, then turned to the crowd and said, "Guys, see you at the club tonight! Anyone not on duty can come." "Hahaha... Long live Jack!"

Jack's words instantly elicited even louder cheers...

The first air combat victory at the Jiuqu River Airport was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples. The militia officers and soldiers were overjoyed and their morale was high.

However, beneath this joy of victory, a layer of worry shrouded the hearts of core commanders such as Su Yaoyang, Pi Ruoyu, and Jimmy Doolittle.

Just as they feared, the Shanxi militia's large-scale recruitment of pilots, construction of airports, and introduction of American pilots and fighter jets in the Wutai Mountain area were so extensive and noisy that they could not possibly have been completely concealed from the all-pervasive Japanese intelligence agencies.

In fact, as early as when the recruitment notices of the militia were posted all over the towns and villages of Wutai County and the figures of American pilots appeared in Wutai County, relevant scattered intelligence had already gathered like snowflakes through various channels to the headquarters of the First Army of the Japanese North China Area Army in Taiyuan.

Initially, this intelligence did not receive sufficient attention from the Japanese high command.

In their view, it was nothing short of a pipe dream for the Chinese army, which was poorly equipped and relied mainly on guerrilla tactics, to build a modern air force.

They are more inclined to believe that this may be a deliberate diversion by the Chinese side, or an unrealistic fantasy of some local warlords.

However, as subsequent intelligence continued to confirm the situation, especially as keywords such as "American pilots," "new fighter jets," and "Jiuquhe Airport" appeared more and more frequently, and when combined with the powerful ground firepower that Su Yaoyang's troops had previously demonstrated in Wild Wolf Valley and the frequent appearance of aircraft in the skies over Wutai County, the Japanese high command finally realized the seriousness of the problem.

When the staff officer in charge of intelligence analysis presented a comprehensive intelligence report to Yoshio Shinotsuka's desk, the commander, who was considering how to make the most of his first major undertaking, looked extremely grim after reading the report.

The report clearly states that the Shanxi militia secretly built an airport capable of handling advanced fighter jets in the Jiuquhe area of ​​Wutai County, which is under their control.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that a group of experienced American pilots have arrived at the site and have begun assisting the militia in training pilots and building an air force; further intelligence indicates that advanced American-made fighter jets of unknown type have been delivered to the airport.

"Bagya Road!"

Yoshio Shinotsuka slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup in his hand to jump and splash scalding tea all over his hand, but he didn't even notice. His eyes were filled with shock, anger, and a hint of disbelief.

"Shanxi militia... Su Yaoyang... they're actually actually working on an air force?!" Yoshio Shinotsuka practically spat out the words through clenched teeth.

His chief of staff, Major General Shojiro Iida, also looked grave.

"Commander,"

Shojiro Iida said in a deep voice, "If the intelligence is true, this will pose an extremely serious threat to our 'holy war' in Shanxi and even the whole of North China!"

At present, the Imperial Army's greatest advantage on the China battlefield is our powerful air force.

Once the Shanxi militia possesses air power capable of rivaling us, or even threatening our rear, our advantage in ground warfare will be greatly diminished, with unimaginable consequences!

Yoshio Shinotsuka certainly understood this principle. He was well aware of the decisive role of air superiority in modern warfare.

If Su Yaoyang's air force were to develop, then the Japanese army's proud "flying fortresses" and "flowers of the army aviation" would no longer be able to run rampant over Shanxi.

Their ground troops, supply lines, and even command posts would be exposed to enemy air strikes.

"This Jiuquhe Airport must be completely destroyed! Su Yaoyang's air force must be nipped in the bud!" Yoshio Shinotsuka's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and his tone was filled with an unquestionable determination.

"Yes, Commander!"

Shojiro Iida immediately responded, "Although the two reconnaissance planes we dispatched earlier failed to return successfully, they had successfully transmitted back via radio the exact location, approximate size, and some of the observed defense deployments of the Jiuquhe Airport before being shot down."

He walked to the huge military map and drew a heavy circle around the Jiuqu River in the Wutai Mountain area with a red pencil.

"According to the last intelligence transmitted back by the reconnaissance aircraft, Jiuquhe Airport has already achieved initial combat capability and has fighter jets taking off and landing."

"Our reconnaissance plane was probably shot down by enemy fighters that took off from that airport." Shojiro Iida's tone carried a hint of frustration and resentment.

Upon hearing this, Yoshio Shinotsuka's face darkened further. He hadn't expected Su Yaoyang to act so swiftly; the airport had barely been built, yet it already possessed fighter jets capable of combat, and had even shot down his reconnaissance plane. This was undoubtedly a blatant provocation against the Imperial Japanese Army!

"Very good...very good..." Yoshio Shinotsuka sneered a few times, "Su Yaoyang, you really do have some skills. But do you think this can stop the Imperial Army's iron hooves? You're too naive!"

He suddenly stood up, walked to the window, and looked towards the distant Wutai Mountain, his eyes like those of a hungry wolf about to pounce on its prey.

"Iida-kun."

Yoshio Shinotsuka's voice was cold and resolute. "Immediately convene a meeting with the air force commander and relevant operations staff! I will personally formulate a devastating strike plan against the Jiuquhe Airport! I will let Su Yaoyang know what the consequences will be for opposing the Imperial Japanese Army!"

"Hai!" Shojiro Iida bowed his head sharply to receive the order.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense inside the headquarters of the Japanese First Army in Taiyuan.

Various combat orders were issued in rapid succession. The staff officers of the air force regiment began to work day and night to formulate detailed combat plans. Ground crews stepped up the maintenance of aircraft and loading of ammunition. Pilots were summoned for pre-battle mobilization and mission briefings.

Just as Su Yaoyang and Doolittle had predicted, although the two downed Japanese reconnaissance planes failed to bring back photographs or other visual intelligence, the key information they transmitted via radio was enough for the Japanese to confirm the existence and threat of Jiuquhe Airport.

The failure of this reconnaissance mission and the fact that the reconnaissance plane was shot down further stung the fragile and sensitive hearts of the Japanese high command, forcing them to make up their minds to remove this thorn in their side as quickly and ruthlessly as possible.

(End of this chapter)