Republic of China: Ace Pilot

After the two air raids, the Japanese army never sent another plane to support Datong.

The complete cessation of Japanese air support was undoubtedly great news for Fang Wen and the Eighth Route Army.

Without the air harassment of Japanese warplanes, the gunboats of the Taishan Air Force could exert their air superiority without any worries, and cooperate with the ground troops to firmly grasp the initiative on the battlefield. Even if the Japanese army in Datong City made any moves, they could use aerial reconnaissance and firepower to suppress their counterattack.

During the rest period of the gunboat squadron, Fang Wen specially arranged for two gunboats to take turns to take off and conduct routine reconnaissance over Datong city and the surrounding area to ensure that any troop movements of the Japanese army could be detected in time, thus protecting the ground troops and transport missions.

Meanwhile, inside the Japanese command post in Datong City, the atmosphere was oppressive and suffocating.

The Japanese commander clutched the telegram sent by Sato tightly in his hand. The words "Terminate air support" on the telegram weighed on him like a boulder, making it hard for him to breathe.

The news of the previous two air support missions being completely wiped out had already spread among the city's garrison, and the soldiers' morale had plummeted to its lowest point. Many of the puppet troops were also filled with fear and panic.

The commander knew that without air support, the remaining troops in the city were simply no match for the Eighth Route Army, which had air superiority, let alone recapture the Black Lead Factory.

"General, the Eighth Route Army outside the city has already occupied the Black Lead Factory and is probably transferring high-purity graphite from the factory. If we don't take action soon, they will take all the graphite away. Even if we hold Datong, we won't be able to explain ourselves to the military!" the staff officer said anxiously.

Graphite is the lifeblood of Japan's military industry. Japan has no domestic production of this resource. After the outbreak of war, the United States Neutrality Act also stopped the sale of graphite. Ninety percent of the graphite resources came from China, and the Datong Black Lead Factory accounted for 80% of them.

If the graphite from the black lead factory were to be transported away by the Eighth Route Army, it would be a fatal blow to the military production in both the mainland and North Korea, and the generals stationed in Datong would inevitably be punished most severely.

The Japanese commander remained silent for a long time, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

He knew that the staff officer was telling the truth, and that the graphite must not fall into the hands of the Eighth Route Army.

However, with air support cut off and ground troops suffering heavy casualties, launching a counterattack during the day would undoubtedly be tantamount to walking into a trap.

The Eighth Route Army's air power would detect their troop movements immediately, and the air-burst bombs from gunboats and the rockets from the ground would completely crush their attacking forces.

If daytime isn't an option, then nighttime is the only choice.

At night, visibility is poor, which greatly reduces the effectiveness of the Eighth Route Army's aerial reconnaissance and limits the air firepower suppression by gunboats and aircraft. Moreover, the Eighth Route Army has just experienced fierce fighting and is likely to be less vigilant, making it the best time to launch a surprise attack.

Thinking of this, the Japanese commander ordered: "Immediately issue an order to mobilize all Japanese and puppet troops guarding the mines and factories near Datong and withdraw them all to Datong city for regrouping."

For the sake of secrecy, he did not immediately explain the situation, but planned to hold an operational meeting with the officers of the various units involved in the night operation after the troops had assembled.

"Hail!" the staff officer responded immediately and ran quickly to the telegraph room to relay the order.

Subsequently, the garrison troops in various mining areas and factories around Datong abandoned their defenses and gathered in Datong city.

These garrison troops were mostly second-line Japanese troops and puppet troops. Their combat strength was not particularly formidable, but their numbers were numerous.

After several hours of assembly, the Japanese forces in Datong City quickly swelled to 5000 men. Although nearly half of them were puppet troops, they had already gained a certain numerical advantage.

After the troops were assembled, the Japanese commander immediately convened all officers for an emergency operational meeting to formulate a night raid plan.

Inside the command post, the lights were dim. On the battle map, the location of the black lead factory was marked with a red circle, and the surrounding terrain was also marked in detail.

"Gentlemen," the Japanese commander said, pointing to the map, "the graphite from the Black Lead Factory is the lifeblood of the Empire and must not fall into the hands of the Eighth Route Army. Now that air support has ceased, a daytime counterattack is hopeless, and we can only choose a nighttime raid."

He paused, then continued, “I have decided to launch a night raid at 2 a.m. tonight. We will divide our forces into three groups. One group will consist of our own troops, starting from the south gate of Datong and heading straight for the Black Lead Factory. Our task is to recapture the factory and the graphite that has not yet been transported away. Another group will consist of the local security forces of Datong, responsible for containing the Eighth Route Army’s outer defenses and opening up a path for the main force to advance. The third group will serve as a reserve force, ready to support the main force at any time and deal with any emergencies.”

"General, the Eighth Route Army's defenses are very tight, and they have gunboats and air support. Even at night, our actions could be discovered!" a Japanese officer said worriedly.

The Japanese commander shook his head and sneered, "Nighttime visibility is poor, making flying very difficult. Not every Eighth Route Army pilot can do it. Moreover, low-altitude flight is impossible in such darkness; misjudging altitude can easily lead to accidents. Furthermore, we can use the cover of night to quietly approach the lead factory and launch a surprise attack, catching them off guard. As long as we can quickly break through the Eighth Route Army's outer defenses and storm the lead factory, we can reclaim the graphite and complete the mission!"

Subsequently, the Japanese commander detailed the combat missions and routes of each unit.

The meeting continued.

Meanwhile, inside the Datong Black Lead Factory, a scene of bustling activity unfolded.

The rescued miners helped each other out of the factory gate, overjoyed by their unexpected freedom.

Under the arrangement of civilian personnel and Eighth Route Army soldiers in the base area, these miners left one after another with the transport team and transferred to the rear base area.

Due to a lack of automobiles, this transportation operation relied solely on Taishan heavy-duty bicycles, wheelbarrows, and oxcarts. A large transportation fleet of 200 heavy-duty bicycles, 100 wheelbarrows, and 50 oxcarts continuously transported high-purity graphite from the black lead factory to the base area.

The graphite was packed into specially made burlap sacks, each weighing 50 kilograms. The soldiers and villagers carefully carried the graphite sacks onto the transport vehicles and tied them securely, for fear that they would fall off during transport.

Although everyone was working very hard, they all knew that this manpower-based transportation method was not very efficient, and it would be impossible to transport all the graphite in the black lead factory in a short time.

Moreover, the Japanese army inside Datong City could launch a counterattack at any time, and the longer the transport mission was delayed, the greater the risk.

Therefore, Fang Wen, who was resting in Dongye Town, held a wartime meeting with the high-ranking officers of the Fifth Military Region of the Eighth Route Army to discuss the subsequent transportation plan and combat deployment.

The atmosphere inside the meeting room was serious. The commander of the Fifth Military Region sat in the main seat, looking at the battle map in front of him, and said in a deep voice: "Mr. Fang, the transportation of graphite from the black lead factory is progressing slowly. At the current speed, it will take at least two days to complete the transportation. We must speed up the transportation and get the graphite to the base as soon as possible to reduce the defensive pressure on the troops."

Fang Wen nodded and agreed, saying, "The commander is right. I suggest we work overtime at night to transport the graphite. Only when the graphite is transported away can the troops operate freely."

"Good! Do as Mr. Fang says!" The commander immediately made the decision. "Immediately notify the transport team to adjust their operations, increase nighttime transport, and strive to transport all the graphite in the shortest possible time."

Just then, the commander changed the subject and said, "There is another issue I would like to discuss with Mr. Fang. Now that the Japanese air support has ceased, and the Japanese troops in Datong City are too busy to attend to the surrounding mining areas, I propose that we expand the scope of the attack and send some troops to raid various mining areas near Datong in order to rescue more imprisoned miners. This requires the cooperation of your air force."

Fang Wen naturally agreed to the suggestion and immediately said, "I have no problem. How about this, we don't know the situation in the nearby mining area yet. I'll fly over there to scout it out, and then we can discuss the details of the operation when I get back."

After the meeting, Fang Wen immediately returned to the seaplane base, piloted a gunboat, and flew towards Datong. This reconnaissance was quite easy; the radar detection system found no trace of Japanese aircraft, and he flew directly to the mining areas outside Datong to conduct low-altitude reconnaissance.

Fang Wen quickly noticed the anomaly.

In several mining areas, including the southern and western mining areas of Datong, the defensive forces were pitifully small, with only a dozen or so puppet troops remaining in each mining area, and no Japanese troops at all.

"Where have all these garrison troops gone?" Fang Wen was filled with doubt. He continued to pilot the gunboat, expanding the reconnaissance range and conducting a comprehensive investigation of the mining areas and factories around Datong. He discovered that almost all the garrison troops in the mining areas and factories had been transferred away, leaving only a small number of puppet troops behind.

This unusual situation aroused a sense of vigilance in Fang Wen. He knew that the Japanese army would not transfer so many garrison troops without a reason; there must be some conspiracy.

Subsequently, Fang Wen increased the flight altitude of the gunboat to over 6000 meters and flew over Datong.

Above the clouds, Fang Wen piloted the gunship, hovering in the air while activating his special ability to extend his view to Datong City below.

From the perspective of the superpower, the scene inside Datong City is clearly visible.

A large number of Japanese and puppet troops were gathering at the old Confucian temple in the city.

They sat on the spacious ground in front of the Confucian Temple, many of them sitting on the ground, while others prepared to distribute food to them.

Seeing this, Fang Wen understood that the garrison troops withdrawn from the mining area had indeed been transferred back to Datong City.

"Fortunately, all the garrison troops have returned to the city. This will make our raid on the mining area much easier," Fang Wen thought to himself, secretly relieved.

He was initially worried that the raid on the mining area would encounter fierce resistance from the Japanese army, requiring the deployment of a large number of troops. This would leave insufficient forces to defend the lead plant and transportation routes, making it difficult to cope with the Japanese counterattack in Datong.

The mining area is now poorly defended. A small number of troops can be sent to raid the mining area and rescue the miners. At the same time, enough troops can be reserved to defend the lead plant and transportation routes, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

Just as Fang Wen was secretly rejoicing, an unreasonable phenomenon caught his attention.

The Japanese army amassed a large number of troops to defend Datong City, but instead of deploying their forces outside the city to build a buffer defense line, they concentrated all their forces inside the city and relied solely on the city walls for defense.

Although the city wall of Datong was tall, it had been in disrepair for many years and had been shelled by the Japanese army in 37. Without the buffer defense line outside the city, the Eighth Route Army could directly approach the city wall once it launched an attack, putting enormous pressure on the Japanese army inside the city.

Japanese commanders couldn't possibly be unaware of this principle, so why did they make such an unreasonable deployment?

"Something's not right. There must be something wrong here."

Fang Wen's vigilance grew stronger, and he concentrated his mind to amplify his supernatural power.

He soon discovered a peculiar place, heavily guarded at the entrance, with tight security.

Fang Wen reached for the necklace hanging around his neck, grasped the vertical gem, and added X-ray vision to his supernatural perspective.

The view penetrated through the roof and walls, revealing the situation inside.

Inside the building, a Japanese officer was standing in front of a battle map, talking with several other officers.

Judging from his military uniform and rank, he should be the garrison commander of Datong.

Although Fang Wen couldn't hear what they were saying, he could glean some information from their actions and the events unfolding on the scene.

The Japanese commander talked while pointing to the location of the lead factory on the map. He looked serious and would occasionally write some Japanese on the blackboard with chalk.

Fang Wen adjusted his perspective and carefully observed the Japanese text on the blackboard. He had been studying languages ​​for many years and was quite proficient in Japanese.

The handwriting was messy and scattered, yet it revealed some information.

"2 a.m.", "black lead factory", "surprise attack".

Upon seeing this, Fang Wen's heart sank, and he instantly understood the Japanese army's conspiracy: they were gathering troops not to defend Datong City, but to launch a surprise attack on the Black Lead Factory under cover of night!
Fang Wen was greatly alarmed and dared not linger for a moment. He immediately steered the gunboat back to base.

Twenty minutes later, the plane landed at the seaport, and Fang Wen went directly to the Fifth Military Region Command Headquarters on the east side of Dongye Town after disembarking.

With the commander, military region officials, and other high-ranking officers present, Fang Wen said urgently, "I just discovered through aerial reconnaissance that the Japanese army has amassed a large force in Datong City. At the same time, I also discovered that all the garrison troops in the mining area have disappeared; the newly formed units must have all withdrawn from the mining area."

Because the secret of his superpowers could not be revealed, Fang Wen did not disclose the information he had obtained through his superpowers, and therefore modified the wording of his reconnaissance report.

"They were concentrated inside the city and were not assigned any defensive tasks. Moreover, I did not see any fortifications outside the city."

Following Fang Wen's words, an aide analyzed, "You mean, the Japanese army has amassed a large number of troops in the city but has not taken any defensive measures?"

“Yes.” Fang Wen nodded.

Those present were all soldiers with years of combat experience; they could understand the meaning behind a single sentence.

The expressions of the high-ranking officials of the Fifth Military Region all turned serious.

The commander pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Mr. Fang's aerial reconnaissance brought back very important intelligence. Here's what I think: the Japanese army's loss of air support doesn't mean they're incapable of launching a counterattack. These troops are definitely prepared for us. We need to be wary not only during the day, but also at night, since the effectiveness of nighttime air support will be greatly reduced."

At this point, he looked at Fang Wen: "How is Taishan's night combat capability?"

Fang Wen replied, "We can conduct some nighttime operations, but without observation and firing guidance, the results are indeed poor." (End of Chapter)