Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 668 Aerial Command, Decisive Battle of Heshan Town
The night was as dark as ink. On the mountain ridge beside the highway north of Nalong Town, soldiers of the 171st Regiment of the Guangxi Army were reinforcing their fortifications by torchlight and moonlight.

The trenches meandered along the mountainside, and the machine gunners lay prone behind firing ports, their guns aimed at the Taiyang Highway below.

On several other nearby hilltops were the positions of the anti-Japanese armed forces from Kaiping, Enping, Pingtai, and Shanshan, who were also in formation waiting for the arrival of the main Japanese force.

Inside Nalong Town, three medium tanks from Taishan Pine were concealed under quilts to avoid being discovered by Japanese reconnaissance planes.

Seven 20mm dual-purpose rapid-fire guns were mounted on the ridge, also covered with dark green netting for concealment.

Meanwhile, the engineers of the 3rd Battalion of the Taishan Independent Regiment crouched down and laid landmines on the highway and in the grass beside the road.

Two types of landmines were laid: one was the Taishan anti-tank mine, a copy of the Soviet TM35 anti-tank mine, and the other was a Taishan-made bounding mine.

The sappers carefully placed the landmines into the dug pits and covered them with soil and turf.

This section uses pressure-activated and triggering devices for detonation.

The minefield north of the town was detonated using wires; it was a gift prepared specifically for the Japanese army after the sniper operation was over.

In the temporary command post at the foot of the mountain, Fang Wenzheng confirmed the deployment with various units via individual radios: "171st Regiment of the Guangxi Army, you are on the ridge to the east; Taishan Self-Defense Force, you are on the high ground to the west. When the landmines detonate, attack the Japanese infantry from the high ground on both sides, and don't let them get close to the tanks. Xinhui Vanguard, Kaiping Self-Defense Force, Enping Self-Defense Force, you launch the attack from the high ground behind you."

"Received!" "Understood!" came the replies over the radio.

Fang Wen raised his right hand and looked at his watch. It was already 3 o'clock. He couldn't stay with Na Long any longer; he had to go back and prepare for the air raid.

Immediately afterwards, he and Gong Xiuneng drove a Taishan military vehicle at high speed along the highway.

At night, the highway had no streetlights, and the road conditions were typical of the Republic of China era. Even with Fang Wen driving, he could only ensure that he wouldn't go off the road, but a bumpy ride was inevitable.

Gong Xiuneng gripped the handles tightly with both hands, his body bobbing up and down and side to side as he was jolted, his face looking very unwell.

But he understood the urgency of the situation and didn't say anything.

The military vehicle sped along for 10 kilometers, bumping along, before arriving at Heshan Town.

The preparations here were already completed, with the Independent Regiment and the 172nd Regiment of the Guangxi Army standing ready on their respective positions.

At six o'clock in the morning, the night faded away.

The quiet highway was filled with the muffled roar of engines and the sound of tracks crushing stones.

The Japanese troops actually traveled at night and arrived in the Nalong Town area so early.

But after traveling all night, coupled with yesterday's air raid, the Japanese soldiers all looked tired, with their rifles slung across their shoulders and their steps dragging.

They did not enter Nalong Town directly, but stopped outside the ambush point.

The Japanese regimental commander looked around through his binoculars, seemingly sensing something amiss.

The anti-Japanese troops on the mountain were all lying in the bushes and trenches, and could not be seen from the perspective of the people below.

In response, the Japanese commander waved his hand.

The tanks moved slowly along the road, their turrets occasionally turning to clear a path for the troops.

The infantry followed.

The advance force marched 500 meters and entered the ambush point.

A Japanese tank ran right over an anti-tank mine.

These anti-tank mines have weight restrictions; they cannot be activated if the weight is below a certain threshold, but the weight of a tank can detonate them.

With a loud bang, accompanied by a violent explosion, the left side of the Japanese tank was suddenly lifted up.

Moments later, the tank crashed down again, its entire left track blown apart.

This is just the beginning.

"Boom!" Another loud noise rang out as the second Japanese tank triggered an anti-tank mine.

The tracks of the two tanks were damaged, blocking their path.

"Fire!"

"Fire!"

"Fire!"

The same order was issued from different high grounds.

Bolts of fire shot down from above, causing continuous casualties among the Japanese troops on the road below.

The dual-purpose rapid-fire gun on the eastern ridge fired at a shallow angle, unleashing a barrage of 20mm shells at the Japanese tank formation. The turret of the third tank was hit directly, and the gun barrel was blown off in the explosion.

The Japanese tank commander was shouting, and under his command, other tanks attempted to reverse, but instead ran over bounding mines and anti-tank mines along the roadside.

Bounding mines are specifically designed to target infantry. When triggered, the explosive charge will bounce into the air and explode, creating shrapnel that damages nearby infantry.

However, the Japanese infantry's poor coordination with tanks this time actually saved their lives.

However, the anti-tank mines caused the Japanese tanks another problem.

High in the air, Fang Wen piloted the Qinyuan fighter jet to observe the battle situation below.

The Japanese army's advance is now blocked, and they are also being blocked by the high ground on both sides and behind them.

Faced with this situation, the Japanese army had no intention of withdrawing from the area; instead, they launched an attack on the high ground.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone: "Pan Jiafeng, you can start now."

"It's the regimental commander."

The Taishan gunships and aircraft, flying from the northwest, appeared on the battlefield and launched a powerful ground attack on the Japanese troops.

Seeing this, Fang Wen did not relax at all. He observed from the radar target acquisition device that Japanese warplanes had already attacked.

Twenty Type 20 fighter jets flew in from the southwest sea and were expected to arrive at the battlefield in 20 minutes.

These Japanese warplanes were clearly prepared. According to the radar detection system, their formation was very loose, indicating that they were launching clusters of air-to-ground rockets.

Therefore, Fang Wen decided to launch an aerial guerrilla harassment tactic to prevent Japanese fighter formations from supporting the battlefield.

Driven by his supernatural abilities, the strange substance once again formed a honeycomb structure inside the engine's intake manifold.

The Qinyuan accelerated to 610 km/h in an instant, like a silver lightning bolt streaking across the Japanese airspace.

Three minutes later, they encountered a formation of Japanese warplanes that had arrived at the scene.

The small black dots in the distance were Japanese warplanes. At such a distance, Fang Wen used his special ability to lock onto them in advance and then launched two air-to-ground rockets.

Although air-to-ground rockets do not currently have guidance capabilities, with the assistance of special abilities, they can accurately hit their targets.

Two high-speed air-to-ground rockets struck a Type 97 fighter jet instantly, and the jet exploded into a pile of fragments that scattered across the sky.

In response, the Japanese fighter squadron dispatched seven aircraft to attack Fang Wen, while the remaining aircraft continued to fly to the battlefield to support ground troops.

Seven Type 7 carrier-based aircraft surrounded the Qinyuan, but were easily outmaneuvered by the much faster Qinyuan.

Using his speed advantage, Fang Wen once again closed in on the Japanese fighter formation.

Six 7.92mm caliber quadruple rotary machine guns fired simultaneously, unleashing a dense hail of bullets towards the rear of the enemy aircraft.

Such a high-density barrage of bullets hit a fighter jet.

The large number of bullets shredded the aircraft's skin and even smashed the tail section.

The Japanese warplane, with flames trailing behind it, crashed in the mountains.

Subsequently, Fang Wen also completed the special ability lock on the air-to-ground rockets, and two rockets were launched again.

Because of the close proximity, the target was hit in the blink of an eye, and another Japanese warplane exploded in mid-air.

Such terrifying air combat capabilities terrified the Japanese pilots.

In modern aerial combat, everyone still engages in skirmishes, strafing each other with machine guns or cannons; there's never been such a thing as a precise hit.

But now they are facing China's top-notch pilots, and they have done it.

This terrifying new mode of air combat was a devastating blow to the Japanese pilots.

It was as if their opponent was a sword immortal, capable of decapitating someone from a thousand meters away, while these villains were engaged in hand-to-hand combat with melee weapons. Jealousy and fear drove the Japanese pilots mad; they wouldn't allow such a bug-like existence to appear on the battlefield.

Therefore, the Japanese fighter squadrons no longer bypassed Fang Wen to support the ground troops, but instead collectively surrounded and killed the Qinyuan piloted by Fang Wen.

Fang Wen, who was frequently surrounded by Japanese warplanes, realized the enemy's intention the moment the Japanese warplanes changed course, and immediately used the high speed of the Qinyuan to break out of the encirclement.

The plane then quickly climbed to a higher altitude, creating more space.

This was also Fang Wen's most intimidating air combat tactic among Japanese pilots, earning him the nickname "Ghost Shadow" from the Japanese pilots.

Without the aid of advanced electronic equipment, once the spatial distance is offset, it will be difficult for the Japanese pilots to track Fang Wen's flight path, which would put them in an invincible position.

This put the Japanese fighter formation in a dilemma.

The encirclement would be difficult to continue due to Fang Wen's spatial displacement flight. Even if they surrounded him again, he could still use spatial displacement flight to break free.

If they abandon the encirclement and continue the air support, Fang Wen's Qinyuan will be like the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, ready to strike them deadly at any moment.

After circling in the air for a while, the dozen or so planes decided to abandon the encirclement and continue the mission.

They communicated with hand gestures, then dispersed and flew north.

Fang Wenquan had a clear view of the Japanese warplanes below.

This place is only 20 kilometers away from Nalong, and Japanese warplanes can reach the battlefield very soon.

It seems we need to launch the second plan.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone and called out.

"Pan Jiafeng, you should retreat for now. The Japanese fighter squadron is coming."

"Anti-aircraft gun positions, obey my orders and prepare to engage the Japanese air raid."

"Continue to hold off the enemy from the high ground."

Upon receiving the order, all participating units immediately acted in accordance with Fang Wen's command.

The gunboat squadron ceased its ground attacks and withdrew to the northwest.

The 20mm dual-purpose rapid-fire gun on the eastern high ground adjusted its firing angle, changing from downward firing to anti-aircraft firing.

The units continued firing at the Japanese troops below.

Not long after, a formation of Japanese warplanes flew in.

The gunboat squadron they were supposed to attack had vanished.

Instead, it was attacked by ground-based anti-aircraft guns.

Dark clouds parted in the sky, and a Japanese warplane was hit in the abdomen. The Japanese warplane, which had abandoned its defenses, was actually torn apart by a single shot from a 20mm cannon and fell down, billowing black smoke.

The elusive Fang Wenye also appeared in his fighter jet from high altitude and once again destroyed another fighter jet from a distance with an aerial rocket.

Without their mission objective, the Japanese fighter squadron lost several aircraft in succession and had no choice but to hastily drop the bombs they were carrying.

Because the bombs lacked guidance, they were randomly dropped throughout the war zone, with most landing in uninhabited areas, causing no damage whatsoever.

Subsequently, the Japanese fighter squadron abandoned the mission and turned back to base.

Fang Wen did not pursue the matter further; instead, he picked up the microphone.

"Pan Jiafeng, continue the airstrikes."

Pan Jiafeng's excited voice came through the radio: "Master, you really predicted it! The Japanese left and we showed up and beat them to a pulp."

"Enough talk, attack now, and return to base once you've emptied your ammo."

"Yes."

Twenty gunship-style aircraft turned back and circled the road below, continuing their aerial fire suppression.

Faced with such dense and difficult-to-avoid air strikes, the Japanese army had no choice but to withstand them.

But just as the attack was continuing until noon, the gunboat squadron suddenly withdrew.

As the gunboat squadron withdrew, the Japanese troops suddenly noticed that the gunfire from the surrounding high ground had significantly decreased.

It seemed as if everyone had vanished in an instant.

Although surprised, the Japanese regimental commander quickly took the opportunity to order his troops to leave the ambush site.

Having lost more than a thousand soldiers, the Japanese army abandoned the immobile tanks and military vehicles and quickly arrived at Zhenbeimen.

A large contingent of Japanese soldiers marched along the road outside the town.

The officer in charge rode past on horseback.

The detonator, observing from a distance, muttered, "Wearing a military uniform while riding a horse, that's where we're going to blow you up."

He pressed the detonation lever.

A moment later, a violent explosion occurred on that section of the highway.

The epicenter of the explosion was the Japanese officer he had been targeting. The force of the explosion sent the general and his officer flying into the air, where they were killed without a complete corpse when they fell back down.

Unexpectedly, his death caused chaos in the Japanese army.

But this chaos did not last long, and the new commander was an officer.

He was even more eager to gain merit than the commander of the 137th Regiment, so he directly ordered his troops to pass through Nalong Town and head towards Heshan Town.

Heshan Town.

The main force of the Independent Regiment, the 172nd Regiment of the Guangxi Army, was on high alert.

Fang Wen, who had just returned to refuel, took off again to conduct air traffic control.

Fang Wen's aerial reconnaissance revealed the movements of the Japanese army.

Nearly 7000 Japanese troops have arrived in an area 16 kilometers outside Heshan Town.

Because the terrain was flat, the remaining Japanese tanks lined up in a row, with dozens of Japanese soldiers following behind each tank.

Such a loose formation is not suitable for a salvo of Taishan Storm rockets.

However, the large Japanese infantry force located in the rear was a more favorable target for firing.

Fang Wen used his special ability to analyze the location markers, and then used a radio device to call the rocket launcher.

The three rocket launchers adjusted their firing direction according to Fang Wen's orders and then fired in unison.

24 x 3 132mm rockets were launched.

This more powerful salvo of ground-attack rockets was aimed directly at areas with dense Japanese infantry.

That is also where the new commander is located.

The newly appointed officer liked to have troops around him, as if that was the only way to demonstrate his authority.

But in Fang Wen's eyes, this arrangement was a path to death.

A barrage of 132mm ground-attack rockets were launched, completing the impact and explosion process in just 2 seconds.

A large burst of fire and explosion appeared, followed by a mushroom cloud rising into the sky.

Fang Wen felt that there probably wouldn't be many survivors in the area covered by such power.

Just as he expected, after the smoke cleared, the area where the hit had occurred was a complete mess, and there was no living thing left in the area where the commander was located in the very center.

The death of the second commander dealt a huge blow to the morale of the Japanese army.

As the morale of the Japanese army collapsed, seven Taishan Pine medium tanks charged out and rushed towards the Japanese tank force.

Behind them, three medium tanks of the Taishan Pine appeared, followed by anti-Japanese troops from three regions and the 171st Regiment of the Guangxi Army.

With the same force of 7000 troops, the anti-Japanese forces in southern Guangdong mobilized all their forces to engage in a decisive battle with the Japanese army.

(End of this chapter)