Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 666 The Superpower Engine Speeds Up, Annihilating the 137th Regiment (2)

Taishan County airspace. Fang Wen piloted the Qinyuan towards five Japanese warplanes.

Despite being outnumbered, he remained confident.

Despite the provocation of this fighter jet, the Japanese pilot did not dare to take it lightly.

They knew who it was; after all, it was this very unit that had been targeted in the aerial sniping. Only this powerful and elusive Chinese pilot would dare to be so bold as to come alone.

One of the Japanese pilots took out an assault pill and poured it directly into his mouth. Under the stimulation of the drug, he shouted excitedly, "Kill the Republic of China's ace pilot!" and accelerated ahead.

Other Japanese pilots also took war drugs, and under the stimulation of the drugs, they forgot their fear and flew their planes toward the Qinyuan.

Fang Wen was more than happy to accept this. He wanted to test the improved combat performance of the aircraft in actual combat, as well as the effectiveness of the newly acquired capabilities in battle.

Immediately, in his supernatural state, Fang Wen channeled energy into the necklace hanging on his chest.

The white bead emitted a bright light, which allowed Fang Wen to gain control of the strange substance.

Inside the Qinyuan, a black substance transformed from a solid to a liquid and slid along the scorching hot outer shell of the engine toward the control valve.

This control valve is a speed change switch for aircraft engines that Fang Wen designed specifically for himself.

Under the control of the supernatural power, a tentacle appeared at the front of the black substance—the tentacle was slender yet tough, with fine suction cups splitting from its tip, precisely adhering to the control valve knob.

With a thought, Fang Wen turned the knob clockwise, and the black substance spread along the opened pipe and entered the engine's intake manifold.

The black substance then rapidly deformed, forming a "stretchable honeycomb structure".

This is how Fang Wen used it.

The intake efficiency of a piston engine depends directly on the matching of the cross-sectional area of ​​the intake passage and the airflow velocity. At low speeds, a large cross-section is needed to stabilize the flow, while at high speeds, a small cross-section is needed to increase the flow velocity. However, a fixed intake passage cannot achieve both simultaneously. At low speeds, there is a risk of "insufficient intake," and at high speeds, there is a risk of "turbulent airflow."

The loose honeycomb structure maximizes the cross-sectional area of ​​the air passage, meeting the air intake requirements at low speeds. When the engine speed exceeds 1800 rpm, the honeycomb aperture shrinks, reducing the cross-sectional area of ​​the air passage to 1/3 of its original size. At the same time, the inner wall forms a smooth, streamlined curved surface, reducing airflow resistance and doubling the airflow speed, creating a "pulse intake" that is precisely synchronized with the piston movement.

This allows the engine to maximize its power output.

Unfortunately, there was only one piece of the strange substance. Otherwise, Fang Wen was planning to make an adaptive "fuel atomization enhancer" to achieve true molecular-level atomization of the fuel, allowing the fuel to burn fully in the combustion chamber.

With the help of the honeycomb structure of the magical substance, the speed of the Qinyuan broke through its original limit.

610 km/h!

After its instantaneous acceleration, the performance of the Chinwon has far surpassed that of the Type 97 carrier-based aircraft.

Fang Wen smirked and began firing the Qinyuan.

The plane flew diagonally along an axis, and the bullets it fired created a cut-off surface as they were fired at the enemy plane.

This is the effect of firing six Gatling guns at the same time; it simply can't be stopped.

In the short span of ten seconds that the two sides crossed paths, the Qinyuan fired nearly 3000 rounds of 7.92mm bullets.

Such a fierce barrage of bullets caused extremely deadly damage.

The Japanese warplane flying at the forefront was swept by bullets from left to right, the dense bullets stitching a black line down the plane like a sewing machine.

The plane exploded instantly, breaking into two pieces.

The two Japanese warplanes behind it also succumbed to this surgical-like strafing and crashed, billowing black smoke.

The remaining two Japanese warplanes were stunned by this sudden turn of events. The war pills they had just taken could no longer enable the two Japanese pilots to continue fighting, and they hurriedly changed course and fled to the sea.

Fang Wen did not pursue the two planes as they fled.

He had already tested the combat effectiveness of the new weapons; the next more important task was to command the air strikes.

Therefore, he immediately used his supernatural abilities to observe the situation on the gunboat squadron side.

East of Shuibu Town, the Japanese army encountered resistance.

In the watchtowers scattered around Shuibu Town, someone fired at the Japanese army; they were members of the Taishan Anti-Japanese Self-Defense Force.

(Watchtower)
These watchtowers were built by overseas Chinese to protect their homes from bandits. Some were built near water, and others at intersections, which conveniently hindered the advance of the Japanese army.

Therefore, the Japanese army had to postpone its entry into Shuibu Town and instead try to capture these blockhouses.

But the bunker was too sturdy; rifles and grenades were useless, so they had to set up mortars and infantry guns to bombard it.

At this moment, 20 gunboats flew in and launched an air strike against the Japanese troops on the ground.

The 137th Wing, which was originally thought to have absolute air superiority with the support of the Guangzhou and naval air forces, was unexpectedly defeated so easily.

A dense barrage of bullets rained down on the Japanese ground formations.

The Japanese infantrymen who were resting on the highway had no time to hide and fell one after another in pools of blood. The originally orderly ranks collapsed instantly, and the soldiers covered their heads and crawled into the farmland and ruins of houses by the roadside.

At that moment, Fang Wen's command came through the radio equipment of the gunboat.

"The second squad attacks the artillery positions, the third squad attacks the forward infantry, and the first squad follows me to attack the Japanese convoy."

"It's the regimental commander."

The gunboat squadron was divided into three groups and launched a new round of attacks on their respective targets.

The second squad first attacked the nearest Japanese mortar and infantry gun positions. Under the strafing of bullets from the air, the Japanese were unable to bombard the pillboxes and even had to abandon their artillery and scatter.

The third squadron of gunboats then launched an air raid on the infantry of the vanguard of the 137th Regiment.

This infantry unit originally relied on tank units for coordinated operations.

But they had no way to defend against aerial attacks from above, and tanks couldn't stop the bullets from hitting them either.

Under the swirling air attack of gunboats and aircraft, this infantry unit could only break away from the Japanese tank forces and disperse to both sides.

Meanwhile, the first squadron of gunship aircraft charged toward the core area of ​​the 137th Wing.

There were 40 military vehicles there, loaded with fuel and ammunition needed by the tank unit, and some of them were towing mountain guns for attacking the city.

It can be said that if these military vehicles are destroyed, the 137th Regiment will lose its logistical support capabilities and will have to rely on Jiangmen to continue sending new supplies.

But these are 8000 Japanese soldiers, and they need a lot of supplies, which probably won't be enough to gather in a short time.

This is the most crucial part of the aerial interception, therefore, Fang Wen must participate personally.

The third squadron of nine gunboats was in position, preparing to launch an attack on the convoy below.

The Japanese army also discovered the intentions of the gunboats and aircraft. The convoy of cars started moving, and rows of 7.7 mm caliber machine guns were set up and fired into the sky.

Bullets were fired simultaneously from the ground and in the air, leaving streaks of light across the sky.

The 12.7 mm caliber bullets and 20 mm machine guns caused great damage to the ground, but the Japanese 7.7 mm caliber bullets could not penetrate the bulletproof shields of the gunships and aircraft, only leaving marks on the outer shell.

The convoy below suddenly scattered.

Some drove forward, some turned around and reversed, and others drove to the left or right towards the farmland beside the road.

The Japanese soldiers panicked and tried to escape, one vehicle at a time.

In response, Fang Wen picked up the microphone and said, "Third squad, take note: enter annihilation mode and destroy as many Japanese vehicles as possible."

Pan Jiafeng's voice came through the radio: "It's the regimental commander. On behalf of all the flight combat personnel of the 3rd squadron, I assure you that we will not let a single Japanese military vehicle escape."

Immediately, the nine gunboats ceased firing. Just as the Japanese were wondering what was happening, countless small black dots began to fall from the sky like scattered beans.

That was the simultaneous delivery of incendiary bombs via a grenade launcher and a grenade launcher plate.

One by one, napalm bombs the size of a child's fist landed on the ground, exploding into bursts of flame and scattering sparks.

The fire spread rapidly, igniting military vehicles and engulfing the entire area in flames.

With that, the air raid was considered a complete success. Fang Wen picked up the microphone and used different operational frequencies to contact various units and issue new orders.

"Each squad shall maintain an attack posture for 30 minutes to cover the withdrawal of the Taishan Anti-Japanese Self-Defense Force."

"Taishan Self-Defense Force, the county town has been evacuated. You must complete the evacuation within 30 minutes."

The gunships and aircraft in the air were still attacking.

The Taishan Anti-Japanese Self-Defense Corps members inside the watchtower were very excited.

They longed to leave the pillbox and join the battle.

The commander of the Self-Defense Forces was about to discuss this matter with the liaison officer of the Independent Regiment.

Unexpectedly, the Taishan walkie-talkie in the hands of the Independent Regiment's liaison officer carried Fang Wen's order to retreat.

He was very confused: "What's going on? Weren't we fighting just fine? Why are we retreating?"

Fang Wen's voice came through the walkie-talkie.

"This is just a defensive battle to weaken the Japanese army. The real decisive battle is yet to come, so don't be impatient."

The commander of the Self-Defense Forces, who was also knowledgeable about military affairs, replied, "Okay, we'll withdraw now. We hope you'll bring our Self-Defense Forces with you next time we fight. Fighting alongside you is amazing."

There was no reply from the walkie-talkie; Fang Wen had already turned off the communication.

Immediately afterward, the Self-Defense Forces began their retreat.

Half an hour later.

The Chinese fighter jets in the air finally flew away.

It left behind vast areas of smoke and fire.

Only when the plane disappeared from sight did the Japanese soldiers lower their guard and emerge from their hiding places.

Such a fierce air attack was something these Japanese soldiers had never seen before.

Morale is extremely low.

Matsumoto got up from behind the wreckage of a destroyed military vehicle. As the commander of the 137th Regiment, he was in a very disheveled state. His military cap was blown off by the blast wave, and his gray hair was covered with dust and oil.

He straightened his clothes and instructed his adjutant to contact officers at all levels to learn about the air raid situation.

The adjutant returned shortly after leaving.

"Commander, we have suffered 300 casualties, one tank was burned, and all 40 military vehicles were destroyed."

The report indicates that personnel losses were not significant, but the troops were out of supplies.

Especially oilseeds.

Without fuel, the Japanese tanks could not reach Yangjiang.

Even if Matsumoto wanted to attack Yangjiang, they would have to wait for the subsequent fuel supplies to arrive.

He ordered his troops to temporarily garrison Shuibu Town.

In order to restore the morale of his soldiers, he ordered them to plunder.

Having received permission to plunder, the Japanese soldiers immediately regrouped and continued their attack on Shuibu Town.

But this time, they found that there was no one in the watchtowers along the way!
The Japanese army swept through the villages, only to find that every house was empty, with nothing of value left, not even food.

Subsequently, the advance team entered Shuibu Town, but the entire town was deserted.

The city of Taishan, just a few miles away, was also deserted.

Where have all the people from Taishan City and Shuibu Town gone?

Southwest of Taishan, there is a lake called Qiandao Lake.

Although this Qiandao Lake shares the same name as the Qiandao Lake in Zhejiang, it is little known to people from other places.

People who evacuated from the county town are all hiding here.

At the same time, this is also the second wartime airfield prepared by Fang Wen.

The Independent Regiment's 20 gunboats landed here.

Meanwhile, a meeting regarding the subsequent battles will also be held here.

But now, we still need to wait for the leaders of the anti-Japanese armed forces in Kaiping and Enping to arrive.

Time passed slowly, and it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon when a seaplane flew in from the northwest and landed in Qiandao Lake.

The plane landed, the cabin door opened, and several men in military uniforms and Zhongshan suits stepped out.

Fang Wen and the Taishan County Magistrate went to greet them together.

Through the introduction of the Taishan County Magistrate, Fang Wen got to know these people.

Afterwards, the group went to a house by the lake for a meeting.

Fang Wen presided over the meeting and said, "I am very grateful to all of you for attending this battle meeting. I hope that everyone can unite sincerely and work together to defeat this Japanese army."

The Taishan County Chief was the first to applaud: "We in Taishan fully support Commander Fang. Today's battle has truly opened my eyes."

"Oh, what's going on?" the Kaiping County Magistrate asked.

Others were also very curious.

The Taishan County Magistrate looked at Fang Wen.

"Please speak freely, County Magistrate," Fang Wen said with a smile.

After receiving permission, the Taishan County Magistrate recounted the battle that had taken place that day with great enthusiasm.

Although he did not experience it firsthand, he gained a fairly good understanding of the war through the accounts of members of the Taishan Anti-Japanese Self-Defense Corps.

Everyone listened intently.

When they heard that several Japanese warplanes had been shot down in a flurry, some people couldn't help but slam their fists on the table and cheer.

But the most exciting part was the air raid scene. Everyone was overjoyed to hear that the Japanese army had been badly attacked by the Independent Regiment's planes.

At this point, Fang Wencai continued to explain his battle plan.

"The main purpose of this air strike was to destroy the Japanese army's logistical supply capabilities. After our air raid, 40 Japanese military vehicles have been destroyed. Even if they are transported from Jiangmen later, they cannot be fully replenished. As a result, the Japanese tanks cannot be used to their full potential. I estimate that the Japanese army will likely leave some troops and tanks in Taishan, and the rest will continue to advance towards Yangjiang after replenishing their fuel."

After a pause, Fang Wen continued, "The Japanese army's next marching route is easy to determine. They need tank cover, so they will inevitably take the highway. Our second ambush point will also be set up on a high point near the highway."

(End of this chapter)