Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 679 The Battle of Yangjiang Concludes Perfectly, Fang Wen's Karma

On the eastern shore of the bay, the Japanese third landing force had already landed.

These Japanese soldiers, who had just stepped into the mud, had not even had time to form ranks when they received an urgent telegram: "Flagship has sunk, retreat immediately." The squad leader in charge froze on the spot, his command sword clattering into the mud.

How did it turn out like this?!

Everything was fine before we set sail, but now the fleet's flagship has been sunk.

Just then, the grass 200 meters away swayed.

Using the high terrain, the soldiers of the 2nd Mixed Company set up two Taishan 4-barrel rotary machine guns and rained bullets on the Japanese troops on the beach. The Japanese soldiers in front fell down in an instant.

"Retreat!" the Japanese squad leader roared, ordering a retreat.

At this moment, three tanks appeared on the high ground, drove down, and then attacked the Japanese troops on the beach.

The infantry of the 2nd Company also launched an attack, following the three tanks.

Meanwhile, the 1st Company arrived in time from the southeast and launched an attack under the cover of four tanks.

Faced with seven Taishan Pine medium tanks, the Japanese army was unable to fight back and could only retreat step by step, trying to escape back to the landing craft.

At this time, the gunboats of the 2nd Air Battalion had also completed their refueling and ammunition resupply and flew over from Zhaoqing.

Fang Wen piloted the gunboat and led the formation at the front.

Although his supernatural abilities have faded, he can still use them, clearly detecting the movements of ships in the bay through mechanical perception and airborne radar.

Five Japanese warships were present in the bay: three minesweepers and two auxiliary vessels.

The minesweepers are all bamboo-type, a simplified version of the Japanese Navy's base minesweeper, the Kaishu-type. Most of them were mass-produced last year and mainly assigned to the Japanese fleet in the South China Sea.

This warship had a displacement of 230 tons, a length of about 50 meters, a width of about 7 meters, a draft of 1.9 meters, and a speed of 16 knots.

It is a mass-produced product that sacrifices some mobility in exchange for construction efficiency.

Even so, Fang Wen was very interested in it. After all, this kind of ship could sail in the ocean and sea, which was perfect for use as the Independent Regiment's bay defense ship, laying the foundation for the Independent Regiment's amphibious mode of sea, land and air.

What about the weaponry of this ship?

除了扫雷具，只有船头1门单管80毫米主炮、船尾1座双联装96式25毫米防空炮。

Although it only has one anti-aircraft gun, it can still pose a threat to gunships and aircraft, and Fang Wen would not take that risk.

Therefore, under his command, the gunboats adjusted their firing direction and launched a barrage of aerial rockets at the Japanese fleet below.

The Japanese minesweeper, which was already prepared, fired in the direction of the incoming rockets. The twin-mounted Type 96 25mm anti-aircraft guns went silent after only two bursts of fire. This type of anti-aircraft gun was so useless; it could only fire 15 rounds at a time, and more time had to be spent reloading.

While the Japanese loaders were frantically changing magazines, the rocket barrage had already covered the waters where the Japanese fleet was located.

The two auxiliary ships used to transport landing soldiers were hit first, and explosions occurred continuously.

Subsequently, the minesweeper was also hit by rockets.

The main gun shield of a minesweeper was hit, and the powerful blast caused the gun barrel to break on the spot. The shells that had not yet been fired fell next to the ammunition pile, which frightened the Japanese soldiers and made them run away.

The steering gear compartment of another minesweeper was hit directly, and the ship instantly lost control, broke away from the convoy, and ran aground on the riverbank.

The last minesweeper escaped the rocket attack and abandoned its companions, fleeing towards the mouth of the bay.

Clearly, it has no intention of staying to accompany its companions.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone: "Pan Jiafeng, you take command. Sink all the ships except the one that ran aground."

"Yes, Commander." Pan Jiafeng accepted the order and led the gunboats of the Third Battalion to attack the Japanese ships below.

Fang Wen then piloted the gunboat alone to pursue the fleeing minesweeper.

At the speed of the aircraft, it quickly caught up with the target, and the remaining four air-to-ground rockets were launched, accurately hitting the port side of the ship.

After the violent explosion, two large holes were blown into the port side of the ship, and seawater poured in through the holes, causing the minesweeper to slow down significantly.

Fang Wen piloted the gunboat, circling the stationary warship, firing a large number of bullets downwards from the firing ports on the side of the fuselage.

After circling the enemy twice, no trace of the Japanese soldiers could be seen on the decks of the ships below, and the ships were sinking continuously.

Seeing that the minesweeper could no longer escape, Fang Wen finally gave the order to cease the attack.

On the beachhead, the landing Japanese troops were completely trapped.

The tracks of seven Taishan Pine tanks rolled over the mud, their short-barreled main guns firing horizontally, blasting the Japanese army's makeshift bunkers into pieces, and the coaxial machine guns on the turrets ripped gaps in the Japanese ranks.

Meanwhile, the soldiers of the Independent Regiment behind the tank used the tank as cover and continuously fired their guns at the enemy.

Under such attacks, the Japanese army's counterattacks became increasingly weak.

The shouts of "Surrender and you will not be killed" made the Japanese soldiers' eardrums ache.

Behind them, on the water, ships were burning fiercely and exploding continuously.

A Japanese soldier hung a white cloth on the tip of his gun, raised it, and knelt on the ground without moving.

With an example set, more Japanese soldiers knelt in the mud and surrendered with their guns raised.

The gunfire of resistance came to an abrupt halt.

Seven tanks stopped in front of the Japanese troops, their cannons pointed at them.

The soldiers of the mixed company rushed forward from behind the tanks, disarmed them one by one, tied them up with ropes, and led them to the temporary prisoner-of-war point on the shore.

Fang Wen saw all of this and picked up the microphone to order: "2nd Air Battalion, return to base. 2nd Company, retreat with the prisoners! 1st Company, board the ship and clear out the enemy on board. This ship is our Independent Regiment's spoils of war."

"Yes."

All departments shall obey orders and act accordingly.

The plane flew back to Zhaoqing. The 2nd Company led the prisoners back into the city, while the 1st Company cleared the stranded minesweeper and took all the Japanese prisoners off the ship.

And 40 minutes later all of this had happened.

Japanese warplanes had just appeared over Yangjiang.

They flew blindly over Yangjiang, unaware of their destination.

It wasn't until 10 minutes later that the Japanese warplanes reached the seaside, only to find burning ships on the surface, but not a single surviving Japanese soldier responded to them.

Ultimately, this belated Japanese air support formation had no choice but to return via the same route.

Guangzhou Bay.

The bay area located in the northeastern part of the Leizhou Peninsula is in the future Zhanjiang, not Guangzhou.

This was the permanent base of the Japanese Second Fleet, which housed two marine battalions and a group of 12 120mm coastal defense guns.

It was the main naval base in the South China Sea, radiating outwards to the waters of southern Guangxi and southern Guangdong, thus blocking the shipping routes in the southeastern waters of China.

The atmosphere at the base was unusually tense. All the officers of the ships that had returned from Yangjiang were in the command room, listening to telegrams and orders from the General Staff Headquarters.

After the military order was announced, officers were taken away by military police to await their investigation by the newly appointed fleet commander.

at the same time.

Tokyo.

Ministry of the Navy.

Yoshida, who was reviewing documents in his office, received a special phone call. After hanging up, Yoshida immediately put away the documents, left the Ministry of the Navy, and went to a private residence near the Imperial Palace.

Yoshida pushed open the door and said in front of the hall, "General, Yoshida has arrived."

"Come in," a voice came from behind the wooden door.

"Yes." Yoshida opened the door and went inside.

The people sitting in the room included some he knew and some he didn't, but he could basically conclude that they were all from his faction.

"Yoshida, now there is a great opportunity. We are preparing to send you to the Second Fleet as commander."

Yoshida was shocked; he never imagined he would become the fleet commander. But on the surface, he showed excitement: "Yes, I will definitely do my best in this position."

An elderly man in a kimono whom he did not recognize said, "This is not a good place to stay. You must preserve your strength and not allow the Second Fleet to suffer any greater losses."

"What's wrong?" Yoshida asked in surprise.

"Just yesterday, the Second Fleet suffered heavy losses due to the landing operation at Yangjiang. The flagship Isuzu was sunk, and three minesweepers, two troop transports, and two destroyers were damaged. 1400 Marines are missing or dead."

"what!"

Yoshida couldn't believe that such a huge loss had occurred; it was the first such loss since the start of the war.

Yangjiang! Isn't that where the Taishan Independent Regiment is located? The person I'm secretly serving seems to have a very close relationship with the Taishan Independent Regiment.

Just as Yoshida was in a state of confusion, he heard the voice of General Nagano Osamu.

"Our purpose in sending you is to keep the Second Fleet firmly in our hands. Therefore, all the officers involved in that battle must be held accountable, and you should arrange for our people to take over those positions as much as possible."

"Yes. I will. What about Yangjiang?"

The people in the room looked at each other and nodded in unison.

Nagano Shudo: "We can't let the Second Fleet waste any more time on this. Your main objective from now on is Southeast Asia, so don't attack there anymore. Just blockade the sea. Leave Yangjiang to the army."

"Yes." Yoshida was delighted; this was exactly the result he wanted.

After a conversation, he left the residence and walked back, feeling refreshed.

Upon arriving home, he unusually went to his father's room to share the good news of his promotion, and his father praised him enthusiastically.

Afterwards, he returned to his room, closed the door, and the excitement in his heart subsided.

This time, he did not intend to send a message immediately, but instead sat quietly.

After a long time, he finally got up, took out the telegraph machine, and sent a telegram at the agreed time.

The temporary garrison of the Independent Regiment, north of Yangjiang City.

The evening breeze carried the soldiers' laughter into the distance.

In front of the campfire, the stewed mutton soup was bubbling and the fat was dripping down the side of the pot.

William held up an enamel mug and shouted in fluent Chinese, "The Independent Regiment will win!" The soldiers around him cheered, and the enamel mugs clinked together repeatedly.

Fang Wen also sat by the campfire, watching the lively scene before him with a smile on his lips, but holding a battle damage report in his hand.

Although the battle resulted in the annihilation of over a thousand enemy soldiers and the capture of minesweepers and various supplies, the Chinese suffered 67 casualties and 173 wounded.

In war, bullets have no eyes; even the best weapons cannot prevent casualties.

Wu Yingzong walked over with two bowls of mutton soup and handed him one: "Commander, have some stewed mutton."

Fang Wen took the bowl but didn't drink it. "I'll arrange the follow-up compensation work after you give me the list of fallen soldiers tomorrow."

“Okay,” Wu Yingzong replied.

"Also, find a way to tow away that stranded bamboo-shaped minesweeper, find a place to hide it, and I will bring people to repair it in a while."

"I'll arrange this right now." Wu Yingzong got up and left.

Fang Wen picked up the bowl in his hand and ate some mutton. It was stewed until tender and delicious, not bad at all.

As they were eating, a soldier ran up to the fire, holding two tin boxes in his hands, and shouted, "Let's see which is better, the Japanese canned food or our Taishan canned meat!"

Among the captured items was a small amount of Japanese army marching food, which was distributed as supplies. Fang Wen didn't keep any for himself and was quite curious about this situation.

He watched as the soldiers pried open two iron boxes and took out the food from each to taste.

Not only did he eat it himself, but he also shared it with his comrades.

"Commander, you should try some too."

Fang Wen used a fork to pick up two pieces and put them in his mouth.

The Japanese army's canned food was actually beef.

The quality of the canned meat rations from Mount Tai is not inferior.

"Commander, what do you think?" the soldier asked.

Fang Wen replied, "The Japanese devils burned, killed, and looted on our Chinese land, exchanging the stolen supplies for weapons and ammunition for their aggression, as well as this canned meat. It tastes good, but we must remember that this is the blood debt of the invaders."

"Yes, a blood debt!"

The soldiers were indignant.

At this moment, the telegraph operator from the regimental headquarters ran over quickly, holding a telegram sheet in his hand. He came to Fang Wen's side and reported: "Regimental Commander, we received a coded telegram on frequency 3."

Frequency 3 is Tokyo's.

Fang Wen took the telegram and read it by the light of the campfire, mentally deciphering the secret code.

After reading the contents of the telegram, he was surprised.

Yoshida surprisingly became the commander of the Second Fleet.

This was something he hadn't anticipated.

But it is also closely related to him.

Without Yoshida's covert maneuvering, there would have been no series of changes related to Yoshida. The death of the Second Fleet commander necessitated a new successor, and Yoshida's appointment to this position was the result of a series of changes.

Judging from Yoshida's secret telegram, the Japanese navy would abandon its attack on Yangjiang, and the Japanese army forces in Guangzhou, after the battles in southern Guangdong and the bombing of Guangzhou, would probably not launch a direct attack on Yangjiang for some time.

This gap in time is perfect for me to go back to Yangon and the base in northern Myanmar, where there are several things I need to take care of.

The night passed.

Fang Wen convened a meeting of high-ranking officers in the Independent Regiment.

After receiving the list of the dead compiled by Wu Yingzong, Fang Wen said, "According to the information I just received, southern Guangdong will be safe for the next period of time. I plan to go to the base in northern Myanmar. The affairs here will be handled by Deputy Regiment Commander Wu. The organization of the three mixed companies will remain unchanged. Everyone can raise any questions."

No officers objected to this arrangement.

Fang Wen then continued: "After two battles, we captured a lot of Japanese and puppet troops. There are too many prisoners, and it is not a solution to keep them locked up in Yangjiang. I will contact our allies and try to find a way to solve this problem."

Having said everything that needed to be said, Fang Wen prepared to end the meeting.

Tank Company Commander Shu Zhitao stood up and said, "Regimental Commander, I have an idea."

(End of this chapter)