Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 248 The Inertia of History

As the most important mobile force of the Japanese army in China, the Japanese 11th Army was the core mobile force of the Japanese "China Expeditionary Army" in Central China. It was mainly responsible for operations in Wuhan and the surrounding areas, and was tasked with striking the main forces of the Kuomintang (the Fifth and Ninth War Zones). It was the "spearhead" of the Japanese army's continuous offensive in China.

This army participated in many major battles (such as the Battle of Wuhan, the Battle of Changsha, and the Henan-Hunan-Guangxi Campaign), and was the Japanese army unit with the highest combat frequency and heaviest tasks in China, directly affecting the course of the Sino-Japanese War.

The 11th Army typically comprises 6-10 divisions, independent mixed brigades, and special forces, with a strength of approximately 150,000-250,000 personnel.

In terms of both troop size and combat effectiveness, it was far superior to the First Army stationed in Shanxi.

This can be seen from the Army Aviation Corps under the 11th Army.

Take the First Army stationed in Shanxi as an example. Normally, it only has fifty or sixty combat aircraft under its command. This is because the Shanxi militia's air force is too strong and has strengthened Shanxi's air power several times. Otherwise, having thirty or forty aircraft would be the maximum.

The 11th Army was different; the Japanese army had spared no expense in this encirclement and annihilation campaign.

On the ground were the 3rd and 13th Class A Divisions, which were among the elite of the Japanese army.

In the sky, more than a hundred aircraft of various types were assembled, attempting to use absolute air superiority to crush Zhang Zizhong's 33rd Army Group, along with their will to resist, into dust.

It must be said that their plan was going very smoothly before the "pirate" squad appeared.

The Nationalist army's positions were bombed into a sea of ​​fire, and the troops were pinned down on the ground, unable to move.

But now, everything has changed.

The F4U "Corsair" fighter jet, with its iconic inverted gull-wing design, traces an elegant yet deadly arc across the sky.

As one of the most advanced piston-engine fighters of its time, it was equipped with the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 "Twin Wasp" engine, which unleashed a powerful force like the roar of a wild beast.

Faced with the Japanese Type 1 "Hayabusa" fighter planes, which were known for their lightness and dogfighting capabilities but sacrificed armor and structural strength, as well as the even more cumbersome bomber fleet, the "Corsair" was practically a game-changer.

"Disperse the bombers, prioritize hunting down the escort fighters! Pull out their teeth first!"

Cheng Rufeng's voice was calmly transmitted to the ears of every pilot via radio.

He himself took the lead, piloting his aircraft with surgical precision as he cut into the chaotic Japanese aircraft formation.

His tactics were simple and brutal – “B&Z” (Boom and Zoom), utilizing the Corsair’s powerful energy advantage to launch high-speed dive attacks and escape in one strike, never engaging in dogfights with the Type 1 fighter, which was known for its maneuverability.

His first target was a Type 97 light bomber that was frantically turning around.

Cheng Rufeng didn't even bother with complicated maneuvers; he simply lowered the nose of his aircraft slightly, aimed the sights at the bomber, and then gently pressed the launch button.

"Dong dong dong dong..."

Six 12.7mm Browning heavy machine guns roared simultaneously, and six orange bullets composed of tracer rounds, like six scorching whips, lashed the bomber's thin fuselage in an instant.

No suspense.

The bomber's aluminum skin was torn apart like paper, the wooden wing structure was instantly shattered, the fuel tanks were detonated, and the entire aircraft exploded in mid-air with a loud "boom," turning into a huge fireball, with countless burning fragments flying in all directions.

"Next!" Cheng Rufeng remained completely unmoved.

A Type 1 fighter jet noticed him. The Japanese pilot was obviously experienced and tried to use the Type 1's excellent horizontal maneuverability to get to Cheng Rufeng's side and rear.

However, in the face of absolute power, skill seems so pale.

Cheng Rufeng slammed the throttle valve, and the R-2800 engine roared, the powerful thrust pressing him firmly into his seat. The "Corsair" climbed upwards at an astonishing angle, instantly leaving the struggling Type 1 fighter jet behind.

Then, he executed a beautiful Immelmann turn and plunged back down from high altitude.

The Type 1 fighter jet that had just tried to ambush him was now an unsuspecting target in his sights.

"Dong dong dong dong..."

Another brief but deadly burst of fire followed. Orange bullets accurately covered the cockpits and engine compartments of the Japanese fighter planes.

The cockpit canopy of the Type 1 fighter jet was instantly stained red with blood mist, and the plane, trailing black smoke, crashed helplessly to the ground.

In the next ten minutes or so, Cheng Rufeng transformed into the Grim Reaper in the sky.

He commanded the entire formation of aircraft, like a pack of wolves herding a flock of sheep, completely scattering the Japanese bomber formation and preventing them from carrying out effective bombing.

At the same time, he led his pilots in a one-sided massacre of the more than forty Japanese fighter planes that were escorting them.

A "rain of iron" made up of airplane wreckage fell from the sky.

One Japanese plane after another was continuously shot down in mid-air by a hail of orange bullets, or fell to the ground trailing thick smoke.

In just over ten minutes, Cheng Rufeng's personal record reached an astonishing five kills—including three Type 1 fighters and two Type 97 light bombers.

He had essentially turned the area above the pumpkin shop into his hunting ground.

The aerial battle ended more quickly and thoroughly than anyone had imagined.

Cheng Rufeng's two F4U "Corsair" fighter squadrons were like two incredibly sharp razors, wiping out the once arrogant Japanese aircraft over Nanguadian in less than twenty minutes.

When the surviving Japanese pilots finally awoke from the nightmare of being crushed by the technological advantage, all they could do was frantically push the throttle valves and, piloting their battered planes, flee in a sorry state towards Wuhan without looking back.

They came in a large force of over a hundred aircraft, a mighty procession that blotted out the sky.

When we returned, less than half remained.

The sky was still filled with the wreckage and black smoke left by more than fifty burning Japanese warplanes, like tombstones erected for this one-sided aerial massacre.

"Fighter squadron, maintain perimeter and shoo away any flies that try to get close."

Cheng Rufeng's voice came through the radio, carrying a hint of triumphant satisfaction, "Fearless Squadron, the sky has been cleared for you. Now, begin your performance!"

With the order given, the last squadron of twenty SBD Dauntless dive bombers, which had been circling high in the sky, finally bared their fangs.

"Woo..."

A piercing alarm, like the shriek of death, suddenly resounded throughout the entire battlefield!

That was the sound of the Dauntless bomber's distinctive dive brakes being impacted by the airflow as it entered a dive. This sound became a death knell for all the Japanese soldiers on the ground. Twenty Dauntless bombers, as if they had trained countless times, flew in perfect formation, nose down, at almost a vertical angle, launching a devastating dive towards the Japanese positions besieging Zhang Zizhong's headquarters.

The Japanese soldiers on the ground looked up in terror at the planes hurtling down like black death reapers, their eyes filled with disbelief and fear. Where was their air force? Where was their air cover?
No one could answer them.

Their answer was a bomb.

"Boom...boom!"

The first Dauntless dived to an altitude of less than 500 meters above the ground, and the pilot accurately dropped a large aerial bomb weighing 1000 pounds (about 454 kilograms) from under the fuselage.

The bomb, trailing a sharp whistle, struck precisely the assembly point of a Japanese infantry battalion.

There was no deafening roar, only a dull "plop" sound.

Immediately afterwards, a huge, hemispherical shockwave, mixed with mud and flames, suddenly spread out from the point of explosion!
Within an area of ​​several hundred square meters, everything disappeared.

Whether it was the soldiers firing, the machine guns that had been set up, or the piles of ammunition boxes, everything was instantly vaporized by the high temperature and shock wave, leaving not a trace of debris.

The Japanese troops on the periphery were like ants swept by the hand of a giant, torn to pieces in large numbers, or thrown high into the air by the violent shockwaves and then slammed heavily to the ground.

This is just the beginning.

One after another, the Dauntless bombers, like the scythe of death, came in turn.

One after another, 1000-pound heavy bombs and 250-pound conventional bombs were rained down precisely on the Japanese artillery positions, command posts, and attack formations.

The earth trembled and wailed. Large sections of the Japanese positions were wiped off the map, replaced by huge, smoking bomb craters.

The Japanese troops who had been so arrogant just moments before, besieging the Nationalist army's positions, were now completely plunged into chaos and hell. They cried out in despair and scattered in all directions, but there was nowhere to hide, because the Grim Reaper in the sky was systematically and efficiently "calling out" them.

As the last Dauntless bomber of the last squadron dropped its last bomb, it gracefully pulled up and returned to the skies.

The sounds of gunfire that had been deafening for almost the entire day at the Pumpkin Shop battlefield gradually subsided.

The Japanese siege of the 33rd Army Headquarters had been completely shattered by the dive bombing of this single company.

The judgment in the heavens has just ended, and the prelude to hell has already begun.

After the "Dauntless" dive bombers plowed through the Japanese positions outside Nanguadian time and time again, the entire battlefield fell into an eerie silence, with only the echoes of explosions and the cries of wounded soldiers coming from afar.

On the Nationalist army's position, the surviving soldiers erupted in thunderous cheers. Looking at the raging fire on the Japanese positions, their morale had reached its peak.

Zhang Zizhong stood ramrod straight beside the bombed-out trench.

He witnessed firsthand how this divine force, descending from the sky, routed the once-invincible Japanese air force, and how it blasted the enemy besieging him into utter chaos with overwhelming force.

As a seasoned general, he certainly knew the importance of striking while the iron was hot, and he immediately issued the order for a full-scale counter-offensive.

However, at that moment, a barely audible groan suddenly rang out.

"Um……"

The guard standing next to him, the young soldier who had just shielded him with his body, felt his heart leap into his throat.

He turned his head in horror and saw the general's mountain-like, imposing body suddenly sway, as if pushed by an invisible hand, and fall straight to the side.

"commander!"

The guard let out a piercing scream and rushed over without hesitation, tightly embracing the collapsing Zhang Zizhong.

He was terrified, his hands trembling as he examined the general's body. Suddenly, his pupils contracted, and all color drained from his face.

On the general's left side, an inconspicuous bullet hole was gushing blood, which quickly stained his tattered officer's uniform red.

It was a stray bullet that came from who-knows-where, a vile and deadly bullet that survived the overwhelming bombardment.

It ended everything.

…………

5:35 PM.

On the muddy road leading to Pumpkin Shop, a torrent of steel was rapidly advancing. Su Yaoyang personally led the vanguard, with the 1st Armored Regiment as the vanguard, and hundreds of trucks carrying infantry were speeding towards Pumpkin Shop.

He has given the order to advance at full speed and to reach Nanguadian by tomorrow evening in order to relieve the siege of the 33rd Army Group.

The air inside the armored command vehicle was somewhat stuffy. Su Yaoyang sat swaying in his chair, dozing off in a daze.

Suddenly, the car radio emitted a series of rapid "beep" sounds, indicating the highest priority encrypted communication.

The telegraph operator, who was in charge of communications, skillfully copied down the message. But when he saw the contents of the paper, the relaxed expression on his face froze instantly. He was struck dumb, and his face turned deathly pale.

He raised his head, his lips trembling, and looked at Su Yaoyang, who was sitting in a chair taking a nap with his eyes half-closed. His voice became shrill with fear and grief.
"Commander...Commander...I just...I just received an urgent telegram from the front lines..."

Su Yaoyang opened his eyes and saw the radio operator's expression. His heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition welled up in his mind.

"Speak!" His voice remained steady, but it had taken on a chill.

The radio operator swallowed hard, and with all his might, reported, word by word:
"General Zhang...Zhang Zizhong...died in Nanguadian."

With a "boom," it felt as if something exploded in Su Yaoyang's mind.

The command vehicle fell into a deathly silence; even the roar of the engine seemed to have vanished.

The smile on his face froze, then disappeared little by little, replaced by a chilling coldness that could freeze the air.

He won the battle, but lost to the inertia of history.

He saved the entire army group, but he couldn't save that one man's life.

Is history truly unchangeable? Or is there some unseen force watching over everything, forcing him to obediently follow the inertia of history?

(End of this chapter)