Republic of China: Ace Pilot

After the aerial formation rendezvoused, Fang Wen immediately coordinated the next operational steps with Qi Baoqian via radio:
"Captain Qi, there are less than 20 minutes until the next batch of Japanese warplanes arrive. We will split into two groups. The gunboats of the Taishan Air Force will provide air support in coordination with the ground troops, while drawing the attention of the Japanese warplanes. The warplanes of the Yan'an Air Force will immediately fly southwest to outflank the Japanese warplanes. Once the Japanese warplanes reach the airspace over Datong, the gunboats will launch airburst bombs, and your forces will launch a surprise attack from the rear, forming a pincer movement."

"Understood!" Qi Baoqian's voice came through the radio.

"Make sure to keep communications open. I will keep you informed of the movements of Japanese warplanes in real time," Fang Wen added.

Subsequently, the two groups of aircraft separated.

The gunboat squadron of the Taishan Air Force flew towards the southern battlefield of Datong; Qi Baoqian led the fighter jets of the Yan'an Air Force to quickly climb to a high altitude and speed towards the southwest.

At this time, on the ground battlefield south of Datong, the Eighth Route Army troops were relying on defensive fortifications and were on high alert. The anti-aircraft machine guns on the ground were still pointed at the sky, constantly vigilant against Japanese air raids.

After the previous fierce battles, the Japanese ground forces had suffered heavy casualties, and their defensive lines were on the verge of collapse. The morale of the soldiers was already very low. Seeing the Japanese warplanes being shot down one by one in the air only made them more panicked. Many soldiers even began to waver and lost their confidence to continue fighting.

After Fang Wen led the gunboat squadron to the airspace above the battlefield, he immediately adjusted his flight attitude, lowered his altitude, and launched a fierce air support attack on the Japanese front lines.

Unlike the previous strafing with heavy machine guns and aircraft cannons, this time the gunship is equipped with a large number of airburst bombs. These can carry out area-of-effect fragmentation attacks in the air and can also produce lethal effects when attacking the ground.

All that was needed was to adjust the delayed fuse of the airburst bomb, so that it would explode at low altitude above the Japanese positions, and the dense fragments and shockwaves would cause casualties to the Japanese fortifications and soldiers.

The machine gunners and loaders of each aircraft worked together to nervously replace the airburst rounds with extended delay fuses.

Subsequently, it was used in ground attack.

"Boom—boom—"

Airburst bombs exploded one after another, and white clouds burst open on the Japanese positions.

The soldiers fell to the ground, screaming in agony from the impact of the debris and shockwave. Some were hit by the debris and seriously injured, while others were thrown into the air by the shockwave and died on the spot.

Meanwhile, the Eighth Route Army's ground commanders also issued a new round of combat orders.

Seeing the air support launched again, the Eighth Route Army soldiers were greatly encouraged and rushed out of the trenches, launching another fierce attack on the Japanese positions.

"Charge!" the soldiers shouted in unison, their voices booming and echoing across the battlefield.

Behind them, three Taishan Storm rocket launchers were also ready to fire.

This time it wasn't a TV-guided rocket team, but a salvo of unguided cluster rockets.

Dozens of rockets were launched from the launch pad and landed in the Japanese defense zone 4-5 kilometers away.

The massive plumes of smoke from the explosions, combined with the smoke from the earlier airburst bombs, almost completely covered the Japanese positions.

With this saturation of firepower, the Eighth Route Army soldiers rushed towards the Japanese positions, and the foremost Japanese positions were captured.

The Japanese soldiers were already demoralized, and faced with the fierce charge and firepower suppression of the Eighth Route Army, they were unable to organize an effective resistance. They could only flee in disarray and retreat continuously, and a huge gap appeared in the Japanese front line of defense once again.

While directing the gunboats and aircraft to carry out ground attacks, Fang Wen used his supernatural abilities to closely monitor the movements in the eastern airspace, keeping a close eye on the whereabouts of the next batch of Japanese warplanes.

Time passed slowly, and the arrival time of the Japanese warplanes was getting closer and closer. Fang Wen immediately sent a radio message to the captain of the Yan'an Air Force, indicating that the Japanese warplanes were expected to enter the airspace south of Datong in 5 minutes.

At this time, the Yan'an Air Force's fighter jets had completed their southwest flanking maneuver and were quietly hovering dozens of kilometers behind the enemy aircraft, waiting to launch a surprise attack.

Five minutes later, ten Type 97 attack aircraft sped in from the east, rapidly approaching the airspace south of Datong.

These Japanese warplanes lacked advanced communication equipment and were completely unaware that the previous batch of 10 warplanes had been annihilated. They thought that only the gunboats of the Taishan Air Force remained in the airspace south of Datong. They were all very aggressive and prepared to use their own aircraft's agility to circle around to the rear of the gunboats and carry out harassment attacks, hoping to penetrate the armor of the gunboats and severely damage the Taishan Air Force through continuous fire.

When Japanese warplanes entered the airspace south of Datong and saw the gunboats attacking the ground below, they immediately assumed combat posture and prepared to carry out a flanking and harassment tactic.

But to their utter surprise, all of this was exactly what Fang Wen had anticipated. The gunboats and aircraft were well-prepared and gave them no chance to flank.

"Attention all personnel! Turn the aircraft to the side and immediately fire airburst bombs to the east!"

At Fang Wen's command, the 10 gunboats simultaneously turned, with their right fuselages facing east and firing airburst bombs from their firing ports.

One after another, airburst bombs were launched, flying in arcs through the air before exploding in succession, creating a huge zone of smoke and dust that effectively blocked the flight paths of Japanese warplanes.

The Japanese pilots had no time to react and flew straight into the smoke and explosion zone.

One of the Japanese warplanes was unable to dodge in time and was hit by shrapnel from an airburst bomb. Its wing was instantly pierced, causing it to lose its balance and plummet straight to the ground with a loud crash, bursting into flames.

Two other Japanese warplanes suffered engine malfunctions when their engines ingested high-temperature dust from the airburst bombs. The aircraft began to shake violently and crashed into the fields, their flames turning half the sky red.

The remaining seven Japanese warplanes managed to escape the smoke and fire of the airburst bombs, but after this round of attacks, their formation was completely disrupted, and the pilots were panicked and unable to organize an effective attack.

Just then, the Yan'an Air Force fighters, under the command of Qi Baoqian, quickly broke through the clouds and appeared behind the Japanese fighters, immediately launching an air raid.

Ten Yan'an Air Force fighter planes rushed towards the Japanese fighter planes, their onboard machine guns firing a dense hail of bullets at the Japanese fighter planes in front.

The Japanese warplanes, which had just flown out of the airburst zone, had no idea that they would be attacked from behind. Caught off guard, four more Japanese warplanes were hit. Two of them were hit by a hail of bullets that pierced their fuselages and disintegrated, with their wreckage scattered in the air. The other two were hit in the tail section, lost control, and crashed to the ground, exploding with a loud bang.

Within minutes, only 3 of the 10 Japanese warplanes remained; the other 7 were either shot down or crashed, resulting in heavy losses.

The remaining three Japanese warplanes were so terrified that their pilots lost all will to fight and hurriedly turned around, fleeing in panic towards Tianjin.

"Chase it! We can't let it get away!" a member of the Yan'an Air Force shouted, trying to pilot his fighter jet to continue the pursuit.

Qi Baoqian stopped him in time: "Stop! Don't pursue them!"

The captain's words made the team member realize the truth.

Among the fighter jets of the Yan'an Air Force, the Il-16 has a limited combat radius. If it continues to pursue eastward, it will be beyond its combat range.

This is a major taboo in aerial warfare and must never be violated.

Immediately afterward, Qi Baoqian reported to Fang Wen: "Seven Japanese warplanes have been destroyed, and the remaining three have fled to Tianjin. Due to the limitations of our combat radius, we have abandoned the pursuit and are preparing to return to base."

Upon hearing this, Fang Wen replied, "Alright, thank you for your hard work! We appreciate the strong support from the Yan'an Air Force. Without you, we wouldn't have been able to thwart the Japanese army's multiple air support plans so quickly. Please be careful on your return journey." "Understood! We're returning. Call us anytime if needed!" Qi Baoqian responded, then led the 10 fighter jets of the Yan'an Air Force, adjusting their flight path and heading towards Yan'an. The formation gradually disappeared into the distant sky.

After the Yan'an Air Force returned to base, Fang Wen once again focused his attention on the ground battlefield. He led the gunboat squadron to increase the air firepower suppression against the Japanese positions.

Airburst bombs exploded one after another, followed by a hail of bullets from heavy machine guns and aircraft cannons.

Taking advantage of the air support, the Eighth Route Army soldiers on the ground launched a full-scale counterattack. The Yanbei Cavalry once again charged ahead, using their agile cavalry tactics to weave through and kill the Japanese troops. Japanese soldiers fell in droves, their cries of agony echoing through the ranks.

The commander of the Japanese ground forces, looking at the horrific scene before him, turned pale and was filled with despair.

He witnessed firsthand how two waves of Japanese warplanes that came to provide support were shot down one by one, completely cutting off air support; on the ground, the Eighth Route Army's offensive became increasingly fierce, his own troops suffered heavy casualties, the defensive line completely collapsed, and the soldiers fled in droves, making it impossible to organize any effective resistance.

"General, we can't hold on any longer! The Eighth Route Army's attack is too fierce. Our soldiers have lost the will to fight. If we continue, we will be wiped out!" A staff officer ran to the commander in a disheveled state and said urgently, his tone pleading.

The Japanese commander knew that his staff officer was right; given the current situation, it was impossible to recapture the lead factory.

After a moment of contemplation, the Japanese commander ordered: "All troops, abandon your positions and retreat to Datong city. Maintain strict defense of Datong and await reinforcements!"

"Hail!" the staff officer responded immediately and ran off to relay the order.

Upon hearing the order to retreat, the Japanese soldiers felt as if they had been granted a pardon and fled in disarray toward Datong city, abandoning a large amount of supplies left behind by the Japanese on the battlefield.

Seeing the Japanese army retreat, the Eighth Route Army soldiers were greatly encouraged. They quickened their pace and bravely pursued the retreating Japanese troops, continuously eliminating fleeing Japanese soldiers and expanding their gains.

The pursuit continued until it reached the outskirts of Datong City before stopping.

The Japanese soldiers who had fled into Datong watched as the Eighth Route Army soldiers escorted the prisoners away in the distance, but no one went out to rescue them.

These Japanese devils never imagined that things would turn out like this.

With the Japanese army no longer blocking their way, the Eighth Route Army ground forces quickly approached the direction of the black lead factory.

The Yanbei Cavalry, as the vanguard, set off first, quickly clearing out the remaining Japanese troops along the way and opening up a path for the following troops; the main force followed closely behind, advancing in an orderly manner.

They laid landmines on the road between the black lead factory and Datong, preparing to intercept Japanese troops from the direction of Datong in order to protect the transport of supplies.

Meanwhile, civilian personnel in the base area began to organize transportation capacity.

Without a car, they used Taishan heavy-duty bicycles, along with bags and ropes to carry the graphite.

Two hundred heavy-duty bicycles and wheelbarrows, along with oxcarts and horse-drawn carts, were the main mode of transport for this mission.

Meanwhile, in the sky, Fang Wen, after using his supernatural abilities and radar to conduct reconnaissance, discovered that the Japanese army had not continued to send aircraft to support Datong, and took the opportunity to lead his gunboat squadron back to rest and reorganize.

Tianjin Military Airport.

The three fighter jets that escaped back to Tianjin have not yet returned.

However, regarding the situation in Datong, the Japanese Army Air Force Command in Tianjin had already received telegrams from both Datong and Chahar.

The adjutant reported to Sato with the telegram.

"We received a telegram from Chahar that the 10 dispatched fighter jets have not returned, exceeding the expected time. It seems the situation in Datong has changed. Should we send a second batch of fighter jets to support Datong?"

After hearing this, Sato's expression changed drastically.

As an air force commander, how could he not know what this telegram meant?

Datong is not far from Chahar Military Airport, so the fact that it hasn't returned by now means something must have happened.

At this time, the 10 fighter jets that flew from Tianjin should have arrived in Datong.

Did something happen to them too?

The only way to find out what's going on there is to ask the army in Datong.

Sato then instructed his adjutant to send a telegram to Datong to inquire about the matter.

A moment later, the adjutant rushed back: "Oh no, our fighter jet has been shot down."

Sato snatched the telegram from his adjutant and examined it closely.

His face was deathly pale, his eyes filled with disbelief and despair. "How could this be... how could this happen... I sent out multiple waves of fighter jets, how could they all be annihilated? Just how powerful is the Taishan Air Force? How did Fang Wen manage to do that!"

The staff officer stood aside, barely daring to breathe, his heart filled with worry as he watched Lieutenant General Sato's distraught appearance.

He knew that Sato had paid a heavy price for this multi-batch air support, suspending all air operations in other areas of the North China Theater and consuming a large amount of fuel and ammunition, but in the end, he suffered heavy losses. This blow was undoubtedly fatal to Sato.

Under the watchful eye of his adjutant, Sato said, "Immediately order the second batch of military aircraft from Chahar to cease takeoff. The ones from Tianjin should also stop."

"Yes." The adjutant went out to give the order.

After the adjutant left, Sato picked up his military sword, unbuttoned his clothes, and then pointed the tip of the sword at his abdomen.

He attempted to commit seppuku to atone for his wrongdoing.

But as soon as the knife tip touched his stomach, he became afraid.

After a while, he put down his sword and muttered to himself, "I'm not afraid of death, but I'm unwilling to accept it. Now I know Taishan Fangwen better than anyone, so I can't die. I must find a way to deal with him."

Then he stood up and took a photograph from the leather bag hanging on the wall.

The photo shows him with another person.

"Brother, you lost your aerial duel with Fang Wen over the Bohai Sea. I will pilot a fighter jet to take him down and wash away the shame for you and the family." (End of Chapter)