You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you brought out a Tiger tank?

Inside the headquarters of the North China Area Army, Commander-in-Chief General Terauchi Hisaichi listened to the report from his operations staff with a grim face.

"Commander, based on the battle reports compiled by the various air squadrons at the front."

The major staff officer held a document in his hand and read aloud:

"In the recent interception operations over Weifang."

Our army aviation units fought bravely and shot down a total of 25 enemy fighter jets.

Eighteen of their own aircraft were lost.

A brilliant victory has been achieved!

No sooner had he finished speaking than Terauchi Hisaichi stood up abruptly and strode over to the major staff officer.

"Snapped!"

A resounding "Sanbingdi Gei" slapped the major across the face.

The major staggered from the blow, half of his face instantly swelled up, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He quickly stood up straight and bowed his head.

"Baka yarou!"

Terauchi Hisaichi pointed at the major's nose and began to hurl insults:

"Are you going to fool even me?"

I don't want these false figures sent to newspapers for propaganda purposes.

Give me a true report of casualties!

The major staff officer swallowed hard and quickly took out another document:

"Hi!

Your Excellency Commander, our actual losses amounted to twenty-four fighter planes and light bombers.

Four enemy aircraft were shot down or damaged.

The room fell silent for a few seconds.

Twenty-four is exchanged for four.

Six for one.

This exchange ratio is truly a disgrace to the Japanese air force, which has always prided itself on being the best in Asia.

Terauchi Hisaichi took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.

What about casualties?

"Due to these operations, the downed pilots tried to land in our controlled area after ejecting."

The major staff officer turned to the second page of the document and continued his report:

"A total of five fighter pilots and six bomber crew members perished."

Seventeen pilots and crew members sustained injuries of varying degrees.

Most of the experienced pilots with over 400 hours of flight experience made it safely back to base.

Only Captain Watanabe, the ace of the 114th Squadron, parachuted into enemy-occupied territory and was confirmed to have perished.

Upon hearing the casualty figures, Terauchi Hisaichi's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

He quickly calculated in his mind.

A 6-to-1 exchange ratio is indeed very unattractive.

But this at least proves one thing.

Lin Feng's air force is not invincible.

Those enemy aircraft with superior performance will also be shot down.

Enemy pilots can also make mistakes and get tired.

As long as the myth of the opponent's invincibility can be broken, this war of attrition is worth continuing.

"Relay my orders."

Terauchi Hisaichi walked back to the main seat and sat down, his tone revealing a reckless madness:

"Mobilize more fighter jets to frontline airfields south of the Yellow River."

Shorten flight distances and increase sortie rates.

The logistics department immediately distributed the full stockpile of "Assault Pills" and "Awakening Agents" to every pilot.

The expressions of the senior staff officers present changed upon hearing these two names.

The so-called "Assault Tablets" and "Awakening Agents" are actually psychotropic drugs containing methamphetamine.

After consuming it, a person will be in a state of extreme excitement and will not feel fatigue or fear.

The Japanese military frequently issued this drug to troops performing high-intensity missions.

Pilots who take this drug can take off and fight continuously without regard to fatigue.

As long as it isn't shot down, it can even launch four or five sorties a day.

Terauchi Hisaichi was very shrewd.

He intended to use this relentless, piecemeal tactic to continuously deplete the flight hours of Lin Feng's new fighter jets and exhaust the physical strength of the Great Xia pilots.

He believed that if there were a few more high-intensity air battles, Lin Feng's flight squadron would definitely collapse.

Of course, taking large amounts of this psychotropic drug would completely ruin the health of those veteran pilots, and they might even suffer from mental instability.

Those Type 97 fighter jets would also suffer from frequent mechanical failures due to excessive and repeated sorties, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft and loss of life.

But it doesn't matter.

Victory is the most important thing.

As for the cost?

And he, the general and commander-in-chief, doesn't have to pay the price!

The pilots who died were the lower-ranking officers, while the military's aircraft were depleted.

As long as Lin Feng's air superiority can be eliminated, the situation in North China can be stabilized.

"You may leave."

Terauchi Hisaichi waved his hand:

"Tell the commanders of several air squadrons to keep up the good work and not to be afraid of sacrifice."

The Empire's resources are far richer than Lin Feng's; we can afford to wait!

"Hi!"

The major staff officer stood at attention, bowed deeply, and quickly left the conference room.

Just as the major left, another confidential staff officer came in with a top-secret telegram sealed with sealing wax.

"Commander, urgent telegram from headquarters."

Terauchi Hisaichi took the telegram, tore off the sealing wax, and quickly scanned the contents.

The message on the telegram brought a flicker of joy to his eyes.

The Japanese Army Headquarters finally couldn't sit still any longer.

Faced with Lin Feng's new fighter jet, which is extremely fast and has fierce firepower, the Army Aviation's existing Type 97 fighter jets are inadequate.

The headquarters gritted its teeth and squeezed out a large sum of foreign exchange from its already meager military budget.

They are preparing to purchase the complete set of production drawings and technical patents for the DB601A liquid-cooled engine from Messerschmitt-Benz in Germany.

With this high-power liquid-cooled engine that delivers 1100 horsepower.

The Imperial Army Air Force was able to develop a new high-speed fighter jet with a top speed exceeding 600 kilometers per hour, thus completely closing the technological gap with Lin Feng's Air Force.

Terauchi Hisaichi stroked his mustache and placed the telegram on the table.

There's an old saying in Daxia: "Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst."

Even if the headquarters can successfully purchase the complete set of technical drawings.

Once domestic factories have fully mastered the technology and successfully replicated and produced qualified engines.

Then, in conjunction with the new engine, a completely new fighter jet airframe was designed, and it underwent test flights, type approval, and mass production.

This will take at least one to two years.

During this long period of inactivity, the Empire's aircraft will be at a significant disadvantage against Lin Feng's fighters.

He firmly believed that, until then, his attrition tactics would be more effective.

Even if Lin Feng is very capable, he can only have a little over a hundred new fighter jets at most.

If this drags on for a few months and they lose a few hundred Type 97 fighter jets, it will be enough to deplete Lin Feng's entire fortune!

Just as Terauchi Hisaichi was feeling satisfied with his strategic composure.

The conference room door was suddenly pushed open.

The major staff officer who had just left rushed back in a panic, his military cap askew.

"Commander! Something has happened!"

The major staff officer was panting heavily, his voice filled with terror:

"I just received an urgent telegram."

Several forward field airfields were deployed in the Zhibo and Dongying areas of Shandong Province.

They were suddenly subjected to heavy artillery fire from the enemy, resulting in extremely heavy losses!