Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 314 Death's Trajectory
For the next few hours, the piercing alarm became a persistent nightmare over Jiuquhe Airport.

The mountainous area to the southwest has become a huge maze.

The Third Air Group of the Japanese North China Area Army, personally led by Colonel Harada Yuki, the commander of its Third Air Regiment, was like a pack of cunning wolves, constantly provoking the nerves of the Shanxi militia, a fierce tiger.

Colonel Harada was an extremely experienced veteran pilot who knew that his eight Zero fighters and twelve Type 1 Hayabusa fighters would not gain any advantage in a head-on high-altitude duel against a high-performance heavy fighter like the P-47 "Raiden".

Therefore, he devised a shameless "cat-teasing" tactic.

His fleet always flew at extremely low altitudes, closely following the undulating mountain ridges.

They would occasionally pull up suddenly, flashing briefly on the radar screen to lure the P-47 squadron into scrambling.

Sometimes they would send one or two planes, like flies, to harass the edge of Wutai County, fire a few shots, and then run away.

"Alert! Unidentified signal detected in the southwest!"

"Take off... First Squadron, scramble immediately to intercept!"

Li Xiuming and his comrades were constantly on the run, running around to fulfill these orders.

They roared into the air in their fighter jets, their anger burning as they charged toward the target airspace, but each time it was like punching cotton with all their might.

By the time they arrived, the Japanese planes had vanished without a trace, disappearing once again into the folds of the mountains, beyond the reach of radar.

They could only circle in vain, wasting precious fuel and the pilots' energy, before finally having no choice but to return to base before the fuel warning light came on.

You've barely jumped off the plane, taken a couple of sips of water, and before you've even settled in, the piercing alarm will sound again.

"Damn it... here we go again!" A pilot slammed his enamel mug on the table, grabbed his helmet with bloodshot eyes, and rushed back to the tarmac.

All morning, the flight squadron was like a monkey being played, being led around by the nose by the Japanese army.

Despite taking off frequently and displaying great momentum, they failed to catch a single enemy aircraft. This frustrating feeling of having energy but nowhere to use it was even more exhausting than actual aerial combat.

Inside the command tower, Doolittle frowned deeply.

He stared intently at the huge sand table and map, which marked the locations where Japanese planes appeared and disappeared every time.

He knew perfectly well that the enemy's goal was not a decisive battle, but rather attrition.

They are draining the "Thunder Squadron's" fuel, ammunition, aircraft lifespan, and most importantly—the pilots' energy and morale.

By the afternoon, the situation had worsened.

After a morning of intense and repeated sorties, many pilots were showing obvious signs of fatigue.

After several emergency takeoffs, there were even instances where pilots, due to mental fatigue, made operational errors and nearly caused accidents during takeoff.

Faced with this situation, Doolittle had no choice but to issue orders to reduce the frequency of sorties, changing from scrambling the entire squadron to taking off in two or four-plane formations in rotation for alert.

This was tantamount to admitting that the enemy's harassment tactics were effective, but in order to preserve his strength and prepare for a possible real war, he had no other choice.

As a result, the takeoff frequency at Jiuquhe Airport dropped sharply.

The alarms continued to sound, but fewer and fewer fighter jets took to the skies. A stifling and anxious atmosphere pervaded the entire "pirate squadron."

As Su Yaoyang strode into the control tower, a heavy atmosphere, a mixture of fatigue, anxiety, and cigarette smoke, hit him.

Inside the command center, Cheng Rufeng, usually calm and collected, stared intently at the huge sand table, which was marked with arrows of different colors, showing the harassing routes that Japanese planes had been shuttling back and forth all day. The chaotic trajectory seemed to be mercilessly mocking everyone in the control tower.

Doolittle, dressed in the same German military uniform but with a Western face, stood beside him with a serious expression.

Upon seeing Su Yaoyang enter, Doolittle stood at attention, saluted, and reported in a deep voice in slightly broken Chinese.

"Boss, the Japanese tactics are shameless, but we have to admit they succeeded."

Doolittle cut to the chase without any preamble. Pointing to the sand table, he gave a detailed account of everything that had happened from the past few days until now.

From how the Japanese army used radar blind spots to conduct ultra-low-altitude infiltration, to how they used "hit and run" harassment tactics to repeatedly mobilize the "Raiden Squadron" and "Pirate Squadron," keeping the pilots busy but unable to even catch a glimpse of the enemy.

"To date, more than 20 pilots have experienced severe physical and mental fatigue symptoms, and three fighter jets have suffered non-combat damage during takeoff and landing."

In order to preserve our strength, Captain Cheng and I were forced to order a reduction in the frequency of deployments.

According to estimates, the effective deployment frequency of our "Lightning Brigade" has decreased by at least 50% compared to normal periods.

Doolittle's voice was filled with frustration. "What's worse, the ground troops preparing for the general offensive on the front lines have begun to complain because we can't secure air superiority."

They accused our air force of receiving the most resources but becoming cowards at crucial moments.

At this point, Cheng Rufeng, who was standing to the side, also said to Su Yaoyang:

"Commander, this matter cannot be solely blamed on Colonel Doolittle; our pirate flight squadron is no better off either."

We failed to anticipate that the Japanese commander would employ such cunning and highly targeted tactics, and we were also unable to come up with an effective countermeasure in time.

I share some responsibility for this unfortunate situation, and I request disciplinary action.

Faced with Cheng Rufeng's initiative to take responsibility, Su Yaoyang simply listened calmly, his deep gaze sweeping over the few glaring red harassing routes on the map, his face revealing neither joy nor anger.

He did not immediately respond to Doolittle and Cheng Rufeng's apologies, but instead waved his hand gently, indicating that they did not need to do so.

"Now is not the time to assign blame, General Doolittle."

Su Yaoyang's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable force: "I just want to know, now that the Japanese have made their move, Cheng Rufeng, what countermeasures have you come up with?"

His gaze shifted from Doolittle to Cheng Rufeng, who had been silent and had a livid face.

When his name was called, Cheng Rufeng took a deep breath, stepped forward, and his bloodshot eyes revealed a sense of unwillingness.

"Commander, we haven't come up with a good solution yet. The Japanese are too cunning." He spoke with some difficulty, his voice hoarse. "We've only come up with two countermeasures for now."

"First: We will strengthen our air patrol forces. We will increase the number of daily patrol aircraft from six to eighteen. We will divide them into three groups of six aircraft each, taking turns to conduct continuous combat patrols in key airspace. In this way, even if we encounter a large Japanese force, we will have enough troops to deal with it and will not be powerless to fight back." "Second: We will deploy all available reconnaissance aircraft, especially those light, low-flying liaison aircraft, to conduct a grid search of the mountains along the routes the Japanese might infiltrate, in order to find the Japanese field airfields."

Since the Japanese are planning a low-altitude infiltration, their airfields must be nearby. Once we detect them, we'll immediately dispatch B-25 bombers for a saturation attack. Without their airfields, the Japanese planes will be like birds without feet, no longer posing a threat to us.

After Cheng Rufeng finished speaking, the atmosphere in the command center eased slightly, as these were, after all, two seemingly feasible solutions.

After listening to Cheng Rufeng's words, Su Yaoyang nodded thoughtfully, seemingly affirming their positive attitude. But then, he slowly shook his head.

"Your method isn't entirely useless," Su Yaoyang said objectively, without directly denying it, "but its effect is probably not significant."

As soon as Su Yaoyang finished speaking, the glimmer of hope that had just been ignited in the command center was doused with cold water.

Cheng Rufeng's face clearly showed confusion and anxiety, and Doolittle also frowned, seemingly waiting for Su Yaoyang to explain further.

Seeing their expressions, Su Yaoyang didn't keep them in suspense. He stretched out his finger and gently traced the area on the map that represented the complex mountainous region of Shanxi.

"As you all know, building a simple field airfield is not technically demanding."

With just a few hundred engineers or laborers, a large flat area large enough for light aircraft like fighter jets to take off and land could be cleared in the mountains in a week.

He pointed his finger at the map and said, “I’m certain that the Japanese have already prepared a considerable number of backup field airfields in the mountains around us for this operation.”

Even if we were lucky enough to find and destroy two or three, so what? Those airports contained practically nothing of value except a small amount of fuel and ammunition; the Japanese wouldn't care at all even if they were bombed.”

"On the contrary, if we want to find these deliberately disguised field airfields in the vast mountains, we need to spend a lot of manpower and resources, send out countless reconnaissance planes and ground reconnaissance teams to conduct a needle-in-a-haystack search. This is completely not worth the effort."

Then, he looked at Cheng Rufeng and said, "As for your first point, sending out eighteen planes for continuous patrols every day is too costly."

Our fighter jets are precious, and our pilots are the most precious of all.

Playing a war of attrition with the Japanese like this is such a waste. Our resources are meager; we run a small business and can't afford this kind of strain.

These words left Cheng Rufeng speechless. Both of his proposed solutions had been fundamentally rejected by Su Yaoyang. His clenched fists loosened, and his shoulders slumped: "Then... Chief, what do you suggest we do?"

All eyes in the command center instantly focused on Su Yaoyang.

"I have an idea."

Su Yaoyang's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident smile.

"We've just 'introduced' a new piece of equipment, a vehicle-mounted mobile radar." He deliberately emphasized the word "introduced," a statement that resonated with the key personnel present.

"This radar can be mounted on a truck and deployed freely along the road network."

Although its effective detection range is only about 40 kilometers due to limitations in size and power, it is not as good as the large radars in the base.

But its advantage lies in its flexibility and ample quantity. We can immediately dispatch dozens of such radar vehicles, secretly deploying them near various transportation routes, mountain passes, and frontline troop positions, forming a mobile, invisible detection network.

Su Yaoyang drew a huge encirclement on the map with his hand.

"We will no longer take the initiative to attack, and we will no longer be led by the nose by the Japanese."

We'll use this method, waiting for them to come to us! We'll have the radar vehicle lie in wait, and once we spot any Japanese planes flying nearby, we'll immediately report their precise location, altitude, and course to command via radio.

Then, under unified command from the airport, the 'Thunderbolt' fighter jets waiting at the airport were ordered to take off at top speed and head straight for the target! Let's trap these self-righteous Japanese devils like turtles in a jar!

"Great...this is a good idea!"

As soon as Su Yaoyang finished speaking, the command center erupted in excitement!
Cheng Rufeng and Doolittle exchanged a glance, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

Pi Ruoyu also smiled knowingly. Everyone present was smart enough to understand what a mobile anti-aircraft radar vehicle meant for breaking through the Japanese army's low-altitude infiltration tactics!
That means the roles of hunter and prey are about to be completely reversed!
For the next three days, Jiuquhe Airport and Jinshaling Airport unusually fell silent.

No matter how provocative the Japanese planes were, the "Raiden" formation never again charged out with the same ferocity as before.

Instead, sporadic formations of two planes take off, circle the airport once in a show, and then return to base early.

Meanwhile, dozens of vehicles disguised as ordinary transport trucks, equipped with radar systems, silently drove out of the base under the cover of night.

Like ghosts, they disperse to various valleys, passes, and roads around Wutai County, then shut down their engines, raise their antennas, and blend into their surroundings, quietly waiting for their prey to appear.

Three days later, Colonel Harada Yuki, who thought he had thoroughly figured out the militia air force's secrets, decided to add fuel to the fire.

On this day, he personally led more than ten fighter jets, splitting into two groups, approaching Jiuquhe Airport and Jinshaling Airport simultaneously from the southwest and southeast of Wutai County.

Their aircraft first made a grand appearance at high altitude for four or five minutes, enough for the militia's fixed radar station to detect their signals.

Then, as the alarms sounded loudly at the militia airport, they suddenly slammed the nose of their planes down and, like nimble eels, disappeared into the rolling mountains, vanishing from the radar screen.

They have become extremely skilled at this hide-and-seek tactic.

In Harada's view, the silence of the past few days was the best proof that the Chinese Air Force had been thrown into chaos and exhausted by them.

Harada Yuki smugly calculated that after playing this game a few more times, once those Chinese pilots were completely numb and relaxed, it would be time for him to launch a fatal blow.

At that time, he will lead the main force of the Third Flight Group to launch a thunderous surprise attack on the Jinshaling and Jiuquhe airports.

If the air power of the Shanxi militia can be destroyed in one fell swoop, then the Chinese ground forces under Taiyuan will be completely exposed to the iron wings of the Imperial Army Air Force.

He could lead his lads in a volley of bombing and strafing, sending those stubborn Chinese soldiers to hell. The siege of Taiyuan would be lifted without a fight, and he, Harada Yuki, would surely become a rising new hero of the empire, his name etched in history, for this victory!
Thinking of this, Harada Yuki felt a surge of joy and even couldn't help but hum a folk tune from his hometown.

He skillfully maneuvered his Zero fighter, flying at an extremely low altitude, skimming close to the rugged mountains. The rocks and trees outside the cockpit rushed past, and the thrill of flying so close to the ground filled him with immense excitement.

Just as he was engrossed in this cat-and-mouse game, without warning, a huge black shadow flashed past the valley pass in front of him!

The speed was astonishing, like a black lightning bolt!

Harada Yuki's pupils contracted instantly, and his heart skipped a beat! Before he could even see what it was, a dazzling orange-yellow flash of light streaked across the top of his cockpit!

That was the death trail left by a tracer bullet as it streaked across the sky!

(End of this chapter)