Republic of China: Ace Pilot

The cavalry, at the forefront, swiftly charged into the east gate without encountering any attack.

A group of puppet troops were fleeing in panic ahead. The cavalry immediately split off a squad, charged forward, and took over the puppet troops, who immediately knelt down and surrendered.

At this moment, the Red Army veterans of the raiding force followed closely behind and quickly poured into Datong City.

The cavalry captain spoke up: "Our forces are limited, so we need to concentrate our attacks. Which direction should we focus our assault on now?"

The raiding infantry captain said, "Have you forgotten that we each have an eye on our head?"

"Yes, that's right." The cavalry captain quickly took out his Taishan walkie-talkie and made a call.

"Ground is calling air, please respond."

"receive."

"We've captured the east gate. Which direction should we focus our attack on next?"

Fang Wen, who was circling in the air, responded immediately upon hearing the request from the ground.

"There aren't many troops at the west and north gates. They'll fall into disarray once they realize something's happened in the city. Your primary objective is to take over the city's police station and security committee. There are still some armed and combat-ready personnel in those organizations. Follow my orders and proceed straight ahead from the east gate."

With a clear target and direction for the attack, the Eighth Route Army soldiers advanced rapidly.

The cavalry used their speed advantage to head straight for the location of the puppet government, which was quite far away.

The raiding infantry then attacked the police station.

The airborne squad, equipped with airburst grenade launchers, was stationed at the East Gate as a defensive retreat route, although this was unlikely to happen, it was still necessary to do so.

There was no exchange of fire at the police station; those guys obediently handed over their guns and surrendered.

However, a battle broke out on the puppet regime's side. The cavalry dismounted, threw in more than a dozen grenades, and then charged in. The battle ended after a burst of gunfire.

Within just one hour, the area from Datong's East Gate to the city center was completely controlled by the Eighth Route Army.

Next was the Japanese military camp.

The dense lights deliberately lit inside the military camp turned out to be empty barracks left by the Japanese army, guarded only by a small number of puppet troops. When they saw the Eighth Route Army soldiers rushing in, they immediately raised their hands in surrender.

The next target was the toughest nut to crack in this attack: the South Gate, heavily guarded by the Japanese army, which was also the place where the Japanese troops who had raided the Black Lead Factory at night retreated back to Datong.

However, attacking from inside the city and attacking from outside the city are two completely different things.

The Eighth Route Army soldiers climbed up from both sides of the city wall and then headed towards the south gate.

The battle broke out on the city wall, and the defenders were constantly being shot as they faced attacks from the elite Eighth Route Army.

As the pressure mounted, the defenders on the left side of the south gate collapsed, and the Japanese troops abandoned the area and fled towards the south gate.

The Eighth Route Army soldiers quickly occupied the area and held out against the Japanese troops at the south gate, relying on the Japanese city wall fortifications.

The Japanese troops on the west side of the South Gate did not hold out for long either, and subsequently abandoned their position and fled to the South Gate, which had a gate tower.

Faced with this situation, Fang Wen could only apologize.

The apology was said to the ancient city wall.

He aimed and pressed the fire button.

A rocket was launched and hit the gatehouse squarely.

After the explosion, the gatehouse collapsed, burying all the Japanese soldiers below.

The Eighth Route Army soldiers quickly approached, remaining cautious, but no one went to dig through the rubble to capture the Japanese soldiers.

Let them fend for themselves.

Subsequently, the troops left 10 men to guard the south gate, and then split into two teams to occupy the west and north gates, where the defenders had already fled.

The entire city of Datong was captured by a force of no more than 500 soldiers.

In front of the puppet government building, the soldiers tore down the puppet government's flag and raised the Eighth Route Army's flag. The flag fluttered in the night wind, standing out prominently.

The main force of the Japanese army at the front line of the black lead factory.

The commander was at a loss, faced with a minefield he could not breach.

He dared not divide his forces to take a detour, as the current situation no longer supported him doing so.

For some reason, he felt something was wrong.

Why did it seem like the enemy knew everything about tonight's raid?!
Just then, a communications soldier ran over, his face pale and his voice trembling, and reported: "General, something terrible has happened! Datong has been captured by the Eighth Route Army. The East Gate has fallen, all the garrison troops inside the city have been routed, and the municipal government, military camp, and police station have also been occupied! The one who sent the message is a secret service agency; they have already withdrawn from Datong."

"What?!" The Japanese commander was struck dumb. He swayed, and his sword clattered to the ground. His eyes were filled with disbelief and despair.

He couldn't believe that his all-out attack on the black lead factory would allow the Eighth Route Army to take advantage of the situation and capture Datong.

The military operation that night was like child's play; the Eighth Route Army led them by the nose at every turn.

His face was covered in cold sweat.

With the fall of Datong, they lost their way out and found themselves in a desperate situation, attacked from both sides.

Ahead lay the ground defenses of the Eighth Route Army and the suppression from its artillery, ships, and aircraft; behind them lay Datong, which had been occupied by the Eighth Route Army. Their retreat was completely cut off. If they continued to stay on the front line at the Black Lead Factory, they would only be attacked from both sides by the Eighth Route Army and be annihilated.

"Retreat! Retreat immediately! Retreat towards Chahar!" The Japanese commander snapped out of his daze and shouted hysterically, his voice filled with panic and resentment.

After the order was given, the Japanese soldiers began to change direction.

Although the high-ranking officers kept the operation secret, the Japanese soldiers still sensed that something was wrong.

Anxiety permeated the Japanese army.

Their retreat could not escape Fang Wen's supernatural observation.

Immediately, Fang Wen, who had just flown in from Datong, picked up the microphone.

"Calling ground control."

"Received from the ground."

"If we discover that the Japanese troops are showing signs of withdrawal, I will use bombs to harass them and slow down their retreat. Your unit can take the opportunity to pursue them."

"Very good, thank you for your prompt cooperation."

After the call ended, Fang Wen and the ground commander went their separate ways.

Fang Wen piloted the plane and dropped aerial incendiary bombs again in the bombing airspace.

The incendiary bomb landed in the middle of the retreating Japanese troops a dozen seconds later, exploding into countless sparks and quickly igniting all flammable materials in the area.

The large fire zone cut the Japanese army in two, and the scene instantly descended into chaos.

The bombing was highly effective, disrupting the Japanese command structure. While the frontline reserves and part of the main force retreated under their commanders, half of the main force at the rear was isolated by the fire. Consequently, the Japanese commanders had no choice but to halt their troops temporarily and send men around the fire zone to regroup.

Their men circled around to the other side of the fire zone. Just as they were about to organize their soldiers, the Eighth Route Army launched a pursuit.

These Eighth Route Army soldiers could not cross the minefield; instead, they went through the gap discovered by the Japanese army.

The fire had been extinguished in the gap area, and the lightly armed Eighth Route Army soldiers ran forward quickly.

The vanguard encountered the Japanese army ten minutes later and quickly opened fire.

The Japanese troops, already in a state of chaos, either launched a counterattack or followed the officers who were there to meet them and bypassed the fire zone.

Another group of Japanese soldiers were completely unaware of the current situation. They were simply mechanically and rigidly carrying out their commander's retreat orders. Since they couldn't leave the fire zone, they retreated in another direction.

However, because the Japanese commander did not reveal the truth about the retreat, these Japanese troops actually headed towards Datong.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the fire zone, the Japanese commander heard the gunfire behind them growing increasingly intense. He knew that if they didn't leave now, they would miss their chance.

He chose to abandon the Japanese troops behind the fire zone and led his troops to retreat towards Chahar.

Thus, the Japanese troops were divided into two parts, with the rear troops becoming bait for the front troops to retreat.

The Japanese troops were scattered by the attack of the Eighth Route Army soldiers.

Some were killed on the spot, and the rest surrendered.

Some of the troops managed to escape the fire zone, but they couldn't find any troops and were surrounded by the Eighth Route Army that caught up from behind.

By this point in the battle, Fang Wen's plane was running low on fuel.

He provided the ground commander with one last piece of reconnaissance intelligence.

"The main force of the Japanese army has already bypassed Datong City and withdrawn. They still have a considerable number of troops and are fully equipped. We should not pursue a desperate enemy. There is another group of Japanese troops heading towards the south gate of Datong. I suggest we pursue this force and then consolidate the situation in Datong."

The ground commander accepted Fang Wen's suggestion.

The troops advanced rapidly towards Datong.

The soldiers charged forward relentlessly, each one faster than the last, eliminating or capturing any stragglers among the Japanese soldiers.

Finally, the remaining hundred or so Japanese soldiers arrived at the south gate of Datong.

They shouted loudly in Japanese at the city wall as if they had escaped death.

"Open it! Enter it!"

The searchlights on the city wall lit up, and beams of light shone on them.

Following the light, they saw that the south gate tower had collapsed.

This group of Japanese soldiers had a bad feeling.

Clinging to their last hope, they prayed for the door to open.

But all they received was the loud shouts of the Eighth Route Army soldiers on the city wall: "Surrender and you will not be killed."

At this moment, the pursuing Eighth Route Army troops arrived, and shouts of "Surrender and you will not be killed" rose and fell.

The remaining Japanese soldiers broke down, knelt on the ground, and surrendered with their rifles raised.

Meanwhile, the main force of the Japanese army, which originally numbered 5000, was reduced to less than 2000 after the fierce battle at the Black Lead Factory and the pursuit during their retreat. Moreover, their morale was low, and they no longer had their former arrogance.

A small group of Eighth Route Army soldiers appeared behind them.

These are Eighth Route Army soldiers who got lost. Their numbers are small, but they bravely charged towards the Japanese army.

The Japanese army mistakenly believed that the main force of the Eighth Route Army had caught up with them, and had no intention of counterattacking, continuing to flee north.

Thus, 2000 Japanese soldiers were pursued by dozens of soldiers until they reached the area where Datong and Chahar meet before they stopped.

As dawn broke and the sky began to lighten, golden sunlight pierced through the clouds, illuminating every corner of Datong City.

After a night of fierce fighting, the battle finally came to an end. The Eighth Route Army successfully captured Datong, defeated the Japanese troops attacking the Black Lead Factory, and achieved a decisive victory.

Inside and outside Datong City, soldiers were clearing the battlefield and collecting weapons, ammunition, food and military supplies left behind by the Japanese army. On the streets, people came out of their homes, their faces filled with joy and gratitude, waving to the Eighth Route Army soldiers. Some people even took the initiative to bring water and food to the soldiers, creating a very heartwarming scene.

The commander, accompanied by high-ranking officers of the Fifth Military Region, landed at the Confucius Temple Square in the city aboard a gunboat piloted by Fang Wen. Before disembarking, he tightly grasped Fang Wen's hand and said, "Mr. Fang, we owe you a great debt this time! Without your air support and reconnaissance, we could not have captured Datong so easily, let alone defeated the Japanese offensive."

Fang Wen smiled and said, "Commander, you're too kind. This is the result of our joint efforts. Now that Datong has been captured, we cannot relax. We must seize the time to expand our gains, take over the mines and factories near Datong, rescue the imprisoned miners, transport supplies, and at the same time prepare for a Japanese counterattack."

The commander nodded. “You’re right.” He immediately issued an order: “Mobilize troops immediately, divide them into multiple groups, and launch a surprise attack on various mining areas and factories near Datong to rescue the imprisoned miners, seize materials in the mining areas and factories, and at the same time completely destroy the Japanese military factories so that they have no chance to reuse these facilities to manufacture weapons and ammunition.”

After the order was issued, the Eighth Route Army troops immediately sprang into action, dividing into five groups and heading towards various mining areas and factories near Datong.

Fang Wen led the gunboat squadron into the air again to provide air support and reconnaissance for the ground troops, ensuring the smooth advance of the troops.

Because the Japanese army launched a full-scale attack on the black lead factory, the mining areas and factories near Datong were left with only a small number of puppet troops guarding them, making the defenses very weak.

The Eighth Route Army advanced with unstoppable momentum, encountering almost no significant resistance, and successfully captured all the mining areas and factories in the south, west, and north of Datong.

Inside the mining area, the soldiers found the imprisoned miners. Most of these miners were ragged, emaciated, and covered in wounds. Upon seeing the Eighth Route Army soldiers, they all shed tears of excitement and shouted, "We're saved!" and "Thank you, Eighth Route Army!"

The soldiers immediately untied the miners from their chains, provided them with food and water, and comforted them.

Subsequently, the miners were organized to evacuate in an orderly manner and move towards the rear base.

The soldiers also seized large quantities of coal, ore, pig iron, steel, and other materials, as well as weapons, ammunition, and production equipment left behind by the Japanese army in the mining area and factories.

As planned, the soldiers thoroughly destroyed the Japanese military factories, blowing up production workshops, warehouses, and equipment to ensure that the Japanese could not reuse these facilities to manufacture weapons and ammunition for the battlefield.

The transportation teams also sprang into action immediately, with all the heavy-duty bicycles, wheelbarrows, and oxcarts previously used to transport graphite from the lead plant being put into the work of transporting materials.

Soldiers and civilians worked together to transport the confiscated supplies and ores to the rear base area.

The miners also joined the transportation team. Although they were physically exhausted, they actively participated in the work, trying to repay the suffering they had endured.

at the same time.

The remaining Japanese troops who fled to Chahar finally reached the nearest Japanese base in Chahar. They immediately sent a telegram to the Japanese command of the North China Theater, reporting the fall of Datong and the disastrous defeat of their troops.

Upon receiving the telegram, the Japanese commander in the North China Theater flew into a rage, slamming the telegram to the ground and roaring, "You bastards! A bunch of useless trash! You couldn't even hold onto Datong, and you've lost so many troops and supplies!"

Datong was of great strategic significance. It was a key military and resource town for the Japanese army in northern Shanxi and a transportation hub connecting North China and Northwest China. If it were to fall, it would not only affect the Japanese army's control in northern Shanxi, but also cut off the Japanese army's resource supply, causing a huge blow to the Japanese army in the North China theater.

The high command of the Japanese army in the North China theater immediately convened an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures.

"Datong must not fall into the hands of the Eighth Route Army!" a Japanese general said in a deep voice. "We must immediately mobilize our forces, launch a joint attack, and take back Datong. In addition, we must severely punish the derelict officers and regain control of the resources and transportation hubs in northern Shanxi."

Another general added: "The Eighth Route Army has just captured Datong, and its foothold is bound to be unstable. Moreover, their forces are limited and their supplies are relatively weak. This is the best opportunity for us to retake Datong. We can mobilize Japanese troops in Chahar and Shanxi, and combine them with the puppet troops to form a joint offensive force. We can launch an attack on Datong from multiple directions and take it back in one fell swoop."

After deliberation, the high command of the Japanese army in the North China Theater unanimously decided to mobilize 12000 main Japanese troops from Chahar and Shanxi, along with 5000 puppet troops, to form a joint offensive force to launch a three-pronged attack on Datong, aiming to recapture Datong as quickly as possible. (End of Chapter)