Republic of China: Ace Pilot

The wartime meeting reached a consensus at this point.

Subsequently, the commander issued the following order:

"Do not divide the existing forces for the time being. Focus on building defensive fortifications around the Black Lead Factory and be on high alert. On the road between the Black Lead Factory and Datong, set up outposts and lay more landmines to intercept the Japanese surprise attack force. Notify the transport teams to speed up the transport. Mr. Fang, please put your gunboats and aircraft on wartime standby. If a surprise attack by the Japanese is detected at night, take off immediately to provide air support for the ground forces."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Given the low visibility at night and the operational challenges of aircraft, we will provide combat lighting guidance for the aircraft."

Fang Wen couldn't help but ask, "How do we do it?"

"Send the cavalry with torches to raid the Japanese troops, that way your planes will be able to spot them," the commander replied.

This is indeed a solution, but it would also put the cavalry in great danger, since riding at night is not an easy task.

In response, Fang Wen proposed another solution: "How about this, I brought a batch of incendiary bombs with me for this operation. If the Japanese launch a surprise attack tonight, I will use these incendiary bombs as lighting to guide other aircraft in their air raids."

Only he could say and do such a thing, and the Fifth Military Region was willing to use this method to replace the cavalry's actions.

The meeting then concluded, and the participating officers went about their respective duties.

Suddenly, Dongye Town and the area around the black lead factory became bustling with activity.

The Eighth Route Army soldiers rushed to various defensive positions to reinforce the fortifications, set up machine guns, and lay landmines.

The transport team sped up the transport speed, and the soldiers and civilian personnel worked through the night to move graphite without daring to slack off in the slightest;
Fang Wen led the gunboat squadron into the air again to conduct routine patrols in the airspace between Heiqianchang and Datong, closely monitoring the movements of the Japanese army.

Nothing happened all afternoon.

Night fell, and darkness descended.

A waning moon hung in the sky, its faint light barely illuminating the scene on the ground.

Inside the lead factory, transportation work continued intensively. Kerosene lamps lit up the factory and along the transportation routes, like stars illuminating the busy figures of the soldiers and transport personnel.

They had a clear division of labor: some carried graphite, some guided the transport team, and some were responsible for guarding. Although they were exhausted, each of them had a determined look on their face. They knew that as long as they could transport the graphite as soon as possible, they could contribute to the cause of the War of Resistance.

Meanwhile, on the defensive positions surrounding the lead factory, the Eighth Route Army soldiers had made full preparations for defense.

They built strong defensive fortifications using trenches and earthen slopes. The machine gunners lay prone beside their machine guns, gripping them tightly, their eyes warily fixed on the direction of Datong, ready to face any surprise attack from the Japanese army.
There is also a special new unit: the mine operator.

The mine handlers stood guard by the wireless detonation switch, their eyes fixed on the minefields they were responsible for, waiting for the moment when the Japanese troops would enter.

Time passed slowly, the night grew darker, and it was already past 1 a.m.

The transport team continued to move graphite, and there was still more than half of the inventory in the warehouse that had not been moved.

Although the soldiers and civilian staff were exhausted, they did not stop working. They just wanted to transport all the graphite as soon as possible and complete the transportation mission as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, inside Datong City, the Japanese raiding force was ready to depart.

Five thousand Japanese and puppet troops poured out of the south gate of Datong, splitting into three groups and marching rapidly toward the Black Lead Factory.

They made preparations for this night battle, wearing dark coats and strictly prohibiting any noise. Under the cover of darkness, they advanced cautiously, trying their best to avoid being discovered by the Eighth Route Army's outposts.

At 2:00 AM, the Japanese raiding force finally arrived near the outposts surrounding the Black Lead Factory.

The vanguard of the Japanese army was an elite squad of 200 soldiers. They advanced cautiously, attempting to bypass the Eighth Route Army's outposts and enter the outskirts of the Black Lead Factory.

But they never expected that the Eighth Route Army had already laid a large number of landmines along their route, creating a dense minefield.

Unable to find a way to advance, the Japanese vanguard soldiers cautiously groped their way forward in the darkness.

Little did they know that many landmines were buried beneath their feet.

The sentry at the outpost spotted a dark shadow moving on the flat ground ahead by the moonlight, and he immediately reported it to the officer in charge.

The officer in charge picked up the Taishan walkie-talkie and relayed the information to the front-line commander, who then sent it back to Dongye Town by telegram.

Within a minute, the Japanese army's whereabouts were exposed.

Operational orders were delivered to the forward positions via radio waves.

They requested that landmines be used to disrupt the Japanese army's offensive rhythm.

Therefore, this vanguard of the Japanese army was let go.

Two hundred Japanese soldiers walked out of the minefield and nothing happened.

They waited in the shadows for the troops to arrive from the rear.

Twenty minutes later, more Japanese soldiers entered the minefield.

It's basically ready to proceed.

Orders were issued from the front lines.

The mine operator, with his eyes fixed on the Japanese troops in the minefield, took a deep breath and abruptly pressed the wireless detonation switch.

"Boom—boom—boom—" A series of violent explosions instantly shattered the tranquility of the night sky.

Dense landmines exploded one after another in the minefield. The huge shockwaves threw Japanese soldiers into the air, and fragments flew everywhere. Amid the explosions, the Japanese soldiers fell to the ground and cried out in pain. Some were blown to pieces by the landmines, some were hit by fragments and seriously injured, and some were stunned by the shockwaves and lost their fighting ability.

"Oh no, there are landmines!" shouted the Japanese vanguard officer, his voice filled with panic.

But by then it was too late. More landmines were detonated, and flames shot into the sky and smoke filled the minefield. The Japanese vanguard was instantly thrown into chaos and was unable to organize an effective counterattack. They could only flee in disarray within the minefield, with people constantly being injured or killed by landmines.

The explosions and cries of agony alerted the main Japanese forces behind them.

Upon hearing the explosion, the Japanese commander's expression changed drastically. He knew that the Japanese surprise attack had been discovered by the Eighth Route Army.

But having come this far, how could we possibly turn back?

"Launch an attack immediately, break through the Eighth Route Army's defensive positions, and storm into the Black Lead Factory!" the Japanese commander shouted.

Subsequently, the main force of the Japanese army bypassed the minefield where the explosion had occurred and launched an attack.

But the minefields weren't limited to those; more explosions were occurring as Japanese troops continuously detonated new mines in the minefields.

However, through this method of human mine detection, they still found a place where they could pass safely.

The area consisted of undulating, continuous earthen slopes, unsuitable for large-scale troop movements, and therefore was not included in the minefield.

This arrangement gave the Japanese army an opportunity, and hundreds of Japanese soldiers marched through this area.

The 200-strong Japanese advance force, which had previously passed safely through the minefield, joined them and launched an attack on the Eighth Route Army's forward positions. The battle thus began.

Dongye Town.

A temporary water airport on the riverbank.

Fang Wen and Pan Jiafeng sat together, with the pilots of the Independent Regiment's gunboat squadron next to them.

Everyone is waiting.

Taking this opportunity, Fang Wen chatted with his apprentice about family matters, after all, as the master, he should care more about his apprentice.

"Pan Jiafeng, how long has it been since you last saw Shen Shuyun?"

Shen Shuyun is Pan Jiafeng's wife. The two were high school classmates and got together by fate. Their marriage was witnessed by Fang Wen.

Pan Jiafeng scratched the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed: "It's been half a year since we last met."

"Didn't I arrange for military personnel with family members to visit their relatives by transport plane? Why didn't you let Shen Shuyun come?" Fang Wen asked.

This made Pan Jiafeng even more embarrassed, and he could only explain, "No, she's pregnant! It was when she came to Yangjiang half a year ago."

Fang Wen laughed heartily: "You little rascal, you're about to become a father. By the way, do you know how I met Shen Shuyun?"

“She said you saved her and her mother, but she didn’t tell me the specifics,” Pan Jiafeng replied with a smile.

Fang Wen recalled: "There's nothing wrong with talking about this. Let me tell you, in 32, I took a train from Beiping to Shanghai. I was in the same carriage as Shen Shuyun and her mother. The mother and daughter were sitting opposite me, and next to me was a swindler. That guy used sweet talk to deceive the mother and daughter the whole way. Later, when we got off the train to rest, he drugged the mother and daughter with a poisoned needle. Later, I asked the train conductor to arrest the two swindlers. That's what happened."

"So that's how it is! No wonder Shen Shuyun didn't say anything. This is so interesting!" Pan Jiafeng laughed heartily.

At that moment, the walkie-talkie suddenly beeped.

Fang Wen immediately picked up the walkie-talkie and connected the call.

A tracheotomy voice came from inside: "The Japanese have indeed launched a night attack. Please have the gunboat squadrons take off to provide support immediately."

"Yes." Fang Wen responded, hung up the communication, stood up and shouted, "All aircraft, return to position and prepare for departure."

Following Fang Wen's order, the pilots and crew members who had been sitting and waiting instantly stood up and quickly entered their respective aircraft.

Fang Wen also entered the plane, sat in the cockpit, and picked up the microphone of the onboard wireless communication equipment.

"All aircraft, please report."

"Unit 1 is normal." "Unit 2 is normal."

Reports came one after another to Fang Wen's ears. He ordered in a deep voice: "Take off in order of number! Target: the outer battlefield of Datong South Black Lead Factory!"

The roar of engines instantly echoed across the seaplane base as 10 gunboats took off in succession, flying towards the battlefield under the guidance of Fang Wen's gunboat.

In just over ten minutes, they arrived over the battlefield.

At this moment, the ground was ablaze with the flashes of exploding landmines and the trailing bullets fired by machine guns.

Fang Wen immediately used his supernatural ability to see through the night and clearly presented the battlefield situation in his mind.

On the front lines, Eighth Route Army soldiers, relying on trenches, were engaged in fierce fighting with the Japanese army. The Japanese army's offensive was fierce, and both sides were exchanging blows, with casualties constantly increasing.
On the western side of the battlefield, a Japanese force of about 1500 men was taking advantage of the cover of night to quietly maneuver around the Eighth Route Army's flank and rear, clearly intending to take advantage of the fierce frontal battle to launch a surprise attack from the flank and rear, catching the Eighth Route Army off guard.

Fang Wen's heart tightened, and he instantly realized the danger.

If this Japanese force successfully outflanks the Eighth Route Army and launches a surprise attack, the Eighth Route Army troops fighting on the front will be caught in a pincer movement, their battle rhythm will be completely disrupted, and they may even suffer heavy casualties. The defenses of the black lead factory will also collapse, and the remaining graphite and transport teams will face a huge threat.

Without the slightest hesitation, Fang Wen immediately picked up the airborne communicator and connected to the ground troops' channel.

"Calling the ground, this is Taishan Air Force, please respond."

The call was answered quickly.

"This is the front-line command post of the Black Lead Factory. I am Zhao Gengyi, the battlefield commander."

Fang Wen stated the situation directly: "Urgent report! A Japanese unit is flanking our rear from the west side of the battlefield. Please immediately dispatch troops to intercept them on the west side!"

"What?!" the ground commander exclaimed, clearly realizing the urgency of the situation. "Roger that! Immediately dispatch troops to intercept on the west side!"

After confirming the ground forces' response, Fang Wen returned to the operation.

In the current situation, apart from their own aircraft, the other planes in the gunboat squadron are half-blind. Although they can see the light below, they do not know the exact location of the Japanese troops.

Only by using incendiary bombs as guidance and illumination can they mark the direction of attack for other gunboats and aircraft.

Therefore, Fang Wen picked up the microphone again and switched the air frequency: "Attention all aircraft, I will temporarily break away from the formation to conduct bombing guidance. Everyone, keep the lead aircraft as the main force and maintain the flight formation. Await my attack command."

"Understood." All the aircraft crews responded in unison. The other gunship aircraft maintained their flight attitude, while Pan Jiafeng, the No. 1 aircraft, flew out and took over Fang Wen's main navigator position.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen had already piloted the plane to the bombing zone.

After determining the bombing time, he immediately ordered the airdrop.

The gunboat's engine room door opened, and following Fang Wen's command, Gong Xiuneng pulled down the bomb release lever, and the napalm bomb fixed on the slide rail immediately fell out through the slide rail.

One after another, aerial incendiary bombs fell from the sky with a whistling sound, crashing down towards the Japanese troops below.

The first incendiary bomb landed and exploded instantly, scattering dense fire points that quickly spread into a large burning area.

More and more incendiary bombs fell and exploded.

The flames of the incendiary bombs were extremely sticky. Once they touched clothing and skin, they would burn fiercely and were difficult to extinguish. The Japanese soldiers let out shrill screams and fled in all directions. Some soldiers were burned beyond recognition by the flames, while others desperately tried to pat the flames off their bodies, but to no avail. They could only struggle and fall to the ground in agony.

At this moment, Fang Wen also issued an attack order to the remaining gunboats and aircraft.

"Indiscriminately surround and fire at the fire zone below."

Upon receiving the order, the nine gunship aircraft adopted a circling flight attitude, circling the area of ​​fire as the center, with the firing ports on the sides of the aircraft opened.

12.7mm machine gun bullets and 20mm cannon bullets were fired in succession, forming trails of light in the air.

The dense hail of bullets inflicted even more severe damage on the Japanese troops there.

In an instant, Fang Wen filled the gap in the minefield that the Japanese army had painstakingly found. (End of Chapter)