Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 329 is very rare.
Just as the "Wild Horse" convoy was turning Yangquan Airport into a burning pile of scrap metal, another, even larger and more deadly steel storm had already arrived over Yangquan County.

Cheng Rufeng led an aerial swarm of over two hundred aircraft, consisting of the "Pirate" fighter squadron, the "Thunder" fighter squadron, and the bomber squadron. Like a swarm of locusts that blotted out the sky, it covered the entire sky above Yangquan County.

"Om..."

The roar of hundreds of high-powered aircraft engines is no longer just a sound, but a substantial physical impact.

In Yangquan County, the windows of countless residential buildings, even before the alarms had fully sounded, shattered under the terrifying sound waves with a crackling sound, and then with a crash, they collectively turned into a shower of shimmering powder!

Pedestrians on the street covered their ears in terror, curled up on the ground in pain, feeling as if their internal organs were about to be shattered by the terrifying sound.

Inside the Yangquan Garrison Command, Colonel Shinichi Yamada, the commander left behind, looked as if he were dead.

Less than five minutes after news of the airport attack and the annihilation of the entire air force arrived, this massive and despair-inducing fleet appeared overhead.

Even a fool could figure out what the other party's goal was.

"The train station... is the train station's supply warehouse!"

Shinichi Yamada gripped the corner of the table, his face pale, and roared hoarsely at the staff officers around him, "All anti-aircraft guns, all anti-aircraft machine guns, aim them all at the direction of the train station! Protect the warehouse at all costs... Go now!"

He knew better than anyone what was stored in that warehouse district, which covered several square kilometers.

That was tens of thousands of tons of ammunition, food, medicine, and fuel stockpiled to support the three divisions' general offensive against Taiyuan.

That was the lifeline of the entire attack force. Once it was destroyed, the tens of thousands of imperial warriors who were fighting bloody battles on the front lines would become a group of live targets with empty guns in just a few days.

Throughout history, the greatest taboo in warfare has been the running out of supplies. What awaited them was the tragic end of total annihilation!

However, his order came too late.

"The pirates are calling for all units."

Today, Cheng Rufeng was not piloting a fighter jet, but sitting in the cockpit of a B-25 Mitchell bomber.

His voice was exceptionally clear over the radio. Through the huge glass observation window on the nose of the B-25, he looked down at Yangquan County, which resembled a giant chessboard. The bomb sight had already locked onto the most conspicuous target... the massive train station and the rows of warehouses next to it.

"The wild horses have already swept up all the flies on the ground. Now, it's our turn to demolish the house."

Target: Japanese military supply depot area, from beginning to end.

The Thunder and Pirate Fleet are responsible for escorting and clearing the attack route.

The bomber squadron began its bombing run, commencing Operation Hammer!

"Roger that!"

At Cheng Rufeng's command, dozens of P47 fighter jets from the "Thunder" squadron, which were at the forefront, swooped down to the ground like falcons.

One after another, high-explosive bombs weighing fifty kilograms and one hundred kilograms detached from their racks, whistling sharply like hailstones from the Grim Reaper, and rained down on the massive target on the ground.

The next second, the earth trembled violently.

The first batch of bombs accurately hit the railway station's dispatch center and several parallel tracks.

One after another, orange-red fireballs rose up, and the violent explosions twisted the sturdy rails into the air like pretzel ropes, instantly plunging the entire station into a sea of ​​fire and paralyzing it.

Immediately afterwards, the "bomber" squadron personally led by Cheng Rufeng arrived.

"bomb!"

Dozens of B-25 bombers opened their bomb bays in unison at an altitude of two thousand meters.

Hundreds and thousands of heavy aerial bombs, like black raindrops, poured down densely, forming a huge net of death woven from steel and explosives, precisely covering the entire warehouse area.

"Boom... boom boom boom boom..."

A series of explosions, ten times more frequent and a hundred times more violent than before, occurred.

The earth trembled violently, as if struck by a giant's hammer. One of the 500-kilogram heavy bombs, fortunately or unfortunately, struck a large ammunition depot directly.

After a brief silence, a white light, brighter than the sun, suddenly burst forth from the location of the warehouse!
Immediately afterwards, a massive mushroom cloud, filled with flames, thick smoke, and dust, roared into the sky, instantly rising hundreds of meters into the air! The terrifying shockwave spread wildly in all directions with unstoppable force, tearing apart and leveling everything in its path as if it were made of paper!
At that moment, the entire Yangquan County seemed to have experienced an apocalyptic catastrophe!
Datong, the headquarters of the Japanese First Army.

Lieutenant General Yoshio Iwamatsu, a commander known for his composure and experience, stood frozen like a stone statue by the window.

The telegram in his hand had slipped onto the carpet, but he was completely unaware of it.

His pupils contracted to two tiny dots from extreme shock as he stared intently out the window.

Just twenty minutes ago, Yangquan County suffered a massive air raid that resulted in heavy losses.

What kind of place is Yangquan County?
That was the lifeline upon which the Third, Fourth, and Twenty-seventh Divisions, which he was responsible for attacking Taiyuan, depended for survival. It was the source of his confidence in launching the Battle of Taiyuan and wiping out all resistance forces in Shanxi in one fell swoop.

Tens of thousands of tons of ammunition, mountains of food, and enough supplies to support three divisions in a week's battle... now, it's all gone.

In a massive, earth-shattering explosion, it was transformed into a dazzling yet ominous firework.

"It's over..."

Yoshio Iwamatsu's lips moved, emitting a sound so faint it was almost inaudible.

His mind went blank; unprecedented fear and despair overwhelmed him instantly, like icy seawater.

He seemed to see the tragic scene of tens of thousands of officers and soldiers from the three divisions at the front line being surrounded, divided, and annihilated by the surging Chinese army after running out of ammunition and food.

"Hehe...hehehehe..."

A nervous, owl-like laugh came from behind him.

Yoshio Iwamatsu turned around stiffly and saw his chief of staff, Major General Masaru Hanaya.

Hanaya Masashi was sitting in a chair, his face as pale as a sheet of paper, but his eyes gleamed with a morbid pleasure.

"Commander, do you see that?" Hanaya pointed out the window, his voice hoarse and shrill. "This is the 'small-scale harassment' that you've always dismissed!"
This is the 'Chinese Air Force' you consider insignificant, who responded to your arrogance and stubbornness with a grand fireworks display.

Now, what should we do? Fight the Chinese with bayonets against their cannons?!

His words were like sharp knives, piercing deeply into Yoshio Iwamatsu's heart.

"shut up!"

Yoshio Iwamatsu roared like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He rushed to Hanaya's front and grabbed him by the collar. "You coward! You piece of trash! The battle hasn't even started yet, and you're already thinking of surrendering?"

You have utterly disgraced the honor of the Imperial army!

"Glory?" Hanaya looked at him, her eyes filled with disdain and pity. "Commander, glory can't fill your stomach, nor can it stop a bullet. When our soldiers can't even fire a single bullet, what is your so-called glory worth?"

"you……"

Yoshio Iwamatsu was so angry that he trembled all over and raised his hand to slap him.

But at that moment, a communications officer rushed in in a panic without even knocking, his voice distorted with fear.

"Report to Commander! Taiyuan... Urgent telegram from the Taiyuan front! The Chinese army... the Chinese army has launched a counter-offensive against Niangziguan and Xinkou. Their artillery fire... their artillery fire is extremely fierce. Our forward positions... were almost completely destroyed in the first round of shelling!"

"Boom!" This news, like the last straw, completely broke Yoshio Iwamatsu's nerves. His body swayed violently, his vision went black, and he fell straight backward.

"Your Excellency Commander!"

Inside the command center, chaos erupted instantly.

Meanwhile, on the distant Taiyuan front, when Yan Xishan, who had been anxiously waiting, received news of the successful bombing of the Japanese supply depot in Yangquan County, he practically jumped up, grabbed the phone, and roared into the receiver with all his might:

"Fire! Fire! Give me all the shells!!"

The moment the order was given, more than four hundred cannons deployed outside Taiyuan City, belonging to the Jin-Sui Army and Su Yaoyang's militia, roared at the same time!

"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump..."

Countless shells, trailing long plumes of flame, streaked across the night sky like a meteor shower, precisely covering all the Japanese front-line positions at Niangziguan and Xinkou.

The earth groans, the steel roars.

A long-planned and unprecedented counterattack has officially begun in the most ferocious and unreasonable way!
The cannon fire was deafening, making the windows in the command post rattle and shake the minds of all the Jin-Sui Army generals present.

Yan Xishan's deeply lined face was filled with complex emotions as he looked at the young man beside him, his gaze shifting between light and shadow.

The despair and chaos of the previous two days were still vivid in his mind, but now, the dawn of victory pierced through the dark clouds that shrouded Shanxi in a way he never dared to dream of.

“Mingxi…”

Yan Xishan's voice trembled slightly, and he solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute, "This time we really owe you a lot, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to launch a counterattack, and we're afraid that even Taiyuan would have fallen back into the hands of the Japanese."

As soon as he spoke, all the senior generals of the Jin-Sui Army, including Sun Chu and Yang Aiyuan, turned their attention to Su Yaoyang.

Their expressions were stiff; they wanted to say something, but it was as if a fishbone was stuck in their throats, and they couldn't utter a single word.

These seasoned veterans, who had spent half their lives navigating the treacherous waters of Shanxi's officialdom and military, were experiencing a complex mix of emotions at that moment, a flood of feelings washing over them.

They clearly remembered what the scene was like just a few days earlier when Su Yaoyang and the Left Deputy Chief of Staff of the Eighth Route Army stepped into this command post.

At that time, the Niangziguan and Xinkou defense lines were successively breached by the Japanese army, and more than 100,000 Jin-Sui troops suffered a crushing defeat. The retreating troops were disorganized and their morale plummeted.

The entire command post was filled with a pungent smell of smoke and an atmosphere of despair. The officers were ashen-faced, and the only issue they were debating was where to retreat in order to preserve their last bit of strength.

But in that apocalyptic atmosphere where everyone thought the building was about to collapse, this young man named Su Yaoyang, this militia commander who looked even a little too young, calmly stood in front of the map and then, in an unquestionable tone, proposed a groundbreaking plan... a counterattack!
At the time, almost everyone thought he had gone mad.

Counterattack? With what? With the flesh and blood of soldiers to fill the gaps in the Japanese guns and cannons?
The command post was filled with doubt and ridicule. Some people even slammed their fists on the table, saying that he was delusional and was playing with the lives of tens of thousands of Jin-Sui soldiers.

However, Su Yaoyang simply looked at them calmly, and then revealed the entire plan that they considered a pipe dream: to use a powerful air force to destroy the Japanese army's logistics hub—Yangquan—in one fell swoop with overwhelming force.

He said at the time, "When the Japanese troops attacking Taiyuan find that their ammunition pouches are empty, their cannon barrels are empty, and even their rice bowls are empty, that will be the time for us to sound the horn of counterattack."

Now, the bugle has truly sounded.

The deafening cannon fire and the towering flames in the eastern sky all proclaimed the perfect success of that "crazy" plan.

This made Sun Chu, Yang Aiyuan, and the others feel a burning sensation on their cheeks, as if they had been slapped hard several times.

Faced with Yan Xishan's gratitude and the gazes of the generals, Su Yaoyang simply smiled faintly.

"Commander Yan, you flatter me."

He walked to the huge battle map, picked up a command stick, and gently tapped the Japanese position markings on the outskirts of Taiyuan. "The air raids only kicked open the gates for the Japanese and cut off their retreat."

But trapped inside the house were still a pack of ferocious, hungry wolves. The ground battle that followed would be the key to victory. The real battle was just beginning.

His words instantly brought the generals, who were still reeling from the shock of the successful air raid, to their senses.

"Mingxi is right."

Yan Xishan was the first to react. He nodded vigorously. Although he usually preferred to conserve his strength, now that the war had progressed to this point, he certainly wouldn't let go of this easy opportunity for victory.

"Although the Japanese have been cut off from food and supplies, they are still three elite divisions. They are like cornered beasts, fighting fiercely and their momentum is even more ferocious! We must not let our guard down! Next, we will face 70,000 to 80,000 Japanese troops who have been forced into a predicament. The battle will be even more difficult and bloody."

"Commander Yan is right."

Su Yaoyang pointed heavily on the map with his command stick, marking the junction of the three Japanese divisions.

"Strike the snake at its vital point. Although the Japanese army seems strong now, their biggest weakness has been exposed... their logistics have been cut off and their command is in disarray."

I judge that the Japanese command must be in complete chaos right now. If their commander, Yoshio Iwamatsu, had even a shred of rationality, he would either consolidate his forces, hold his ground, and await reinforcements, or... attempt a separate breakout!

He paused, then looked around at the generals who were listening intently.

"Therefore, our task is also very clear: first, we cannot let them get away; second, we cannot let them stick together and become a tough nut to crack."

He drew several red lines on the map with his command stick.

"Therefore, I suggest that we form two infiltration groups with two armored regiments and four infantry regiments of our militia, as well as no less than one division of the Eighth Route Army. We should take advantage of our artillery firepower to forcefully tear open one or two gaps at the junction of the Japanese Third, Fourth, and Twenty-seventh Divisions!"

"After breaking through, do not linger in the battle, do not worry about the gains or losses of a single city or place, there is only one goal... to penetrate and divide."

"Cut those three Japanese divisions into pieces! Make them unable to coordinate their movements, and their command will completely fail!"

"At the same time, Commander Yan's main force of the Jin-Sui Army launched a strong attack from the front, putting the greatest pressure on the Japanese army and making them mistakenly believe that we were going to fight a positional battle with them, thus keeping their main force firmly attracted to the frontal battlefield!"

"Once our infiltration troops arrive, it will be like setting up countless nooses behind the Japanese army's back. At that time, we can launch a frontal assault, attack from the rear, and encircle them from all sides. These tens of thousands of Japanese soldiers will have no way to escape!"

After Su Yaoyang finished speaking, the entire command post fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was shocked by his bold and ruthless battle plan.

Infiltration, division, encirclement, annihilation... This set of tactics sounds simple, but to implement it on such a large-scale battlefield, facing three well-equipped Japanese divisions, requires not only courage, but also a precise grasp of the battlefield situation and strong confidence in the coordinated combat capabilities of various units!

In particular, he actually entrusted the most dangerous and crucial infiltration mission to his own militia and Eighth Route Army! This was tantamount to using his own elite troops to tackle the toughest challenges and take the greatest risks!

This spirit and sense of responsibility filled the Jin-Sui Army generals present with both admiration and shame.

"Good...good interweaving and segmentation."

Yan Xishan slapped his thigh excitedly, his face flushed, "Do as Mingxi says! My hundreds of thousands of brothers in the Jin-Sui Army, even if we have to grit our teeth, we will nail the Japanese devils to the ground! Cuiya, Xingru!"

"To!"

Sun Chu and Yang Airu straightened up abruptly.

"I order you to personally lead the main force and give them a good beating!"
"Don't be afraid of casualties. If you all run out of men, I'll go myself!" Yan Xishan said fiercely, adopting the posture of a desperate man.

"Yes!"

Su Yaoyang and Deputy Chief of Staff Zuo exchanged a glance. Although they both knew that this was just a show put on by Yan Xishan, it was already a very rare thing for Yan Xishan, who always prioritized safety, to put on such a show.

Deputy Chief of Staff Zuo nodded: "In that case, let's begin."

(End of this chapter)