Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 173 Lighter

Above Wolf Valley

The Japanese bombing raids had been going on for half an hour, but showed no signs of stopping; on the contrary, they were becoming increasingly intense.

With the roar of engines, six Type 96 attack aircraft circled thousands of meters in the sky like dark clouds pressing down, the 250-kilogram bombs under their wings gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Every now and then, attack aircraft would break away from the formation and swoop down. Each aerial bomb that fell would cause a huge explosion, and the entire valley would tremble. The powerful shockwaves would send up rocks that would rain down on the entrance of the air-raid shelter.

The entire valley was shrouded in smoke, and dozens of anti-aircraft guns from the two anti-aircraft battalions deployed in the valley were firing desperately.

Many Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft guns have barrels that have begun to turn dark red due to continuous firing.
"Northwest direction... two Type 96 attack aircraft and two Type 1 fighter jets!" an observer suddenly roared, pointing northwest.

With a roar, the shadows of two Type 1 fighter jets pierced the clouds.

"Fire...fire!"

With a roar, the base of the Bofors anti-aircraft gun began to tremble violently, and the quadruple gun barrels spewed out two-meter-long tongues of fire, while tracer rounds drew scarlet arcs across the belly of the aircraft.

Amidst the gunfire, aluminum sheets suddenly exploded from the right wing of a Type 1 fighter jet, which spun and plummeted to the ground like a torn kite.

Not far away, the gunner of the Oerlikon 20 anti-aircraft gun had sweat dripping from his forehead. His eyes were wide open as he stared through the ring sight at the Type 96 attack aircraft diving toward the position. Barrages of bullets wove a death fence in front of the enemy aircraft.

Amidst the barrage of bullets, the canopy of a Type 96 attack aircraft suddenly shattered. As the massive fuselage trailed black smoke as it swept over the anti-aircraft positions, the gunners could even clearly see the pilot's distorted face inside the cockpit.

"boom……"

Before the gunners could even cheer, a 250-kilogram bomb suddenly landed on the anti-aircraft position. In a deafening explosion, the two Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns and the six gunners around them were reduced to fragments and thrown into the air.

"Beat him... give him a good beating..."

Wei Danian, the commander of the anti-aircraft regiment, stood next to a Bofors anti-aircraft gun, his eyes red as he glared at the Japanese soldiers in the sky and roared loudly.

All the anti-aircraft guns on the anti-aircraft positions were roaring, and countless bullet trajectories intertwined to form a burning fire net that kept exploding.

More than ten minutes later, when another Type 96 disintegrated in the air at a height of 100 meters, the remaining Japanese planes finally could not hold on any longer. They hurriedly climbed up, haphazardly jettisoning the bombs they had not yet dropped, and then flew away into the distance.

As the Japanese planes disappeared into the distance, cheers erupted from the battlefield.

Only then was Su Yaoyang allowed to leave the command post by the staff and guards. He looked at the messy battlefield and the raging flames and remained silent for a long time.

Looking at the mess and excitedly saying, "Commander, we've driven the Japanese planes away! The brothers of the anti-aircraft regiment have done a great service!"

"Yes, thanks to the brothers of the air defense regiment." Su Yaoyang sighed and ordered, "Go... tell Wei Danian to submit the air defense report."

"Yes!"

More than ten minutes later, the staff officer ran over to report: "Commander, the air defense regiment reports that in the battle just now, we shot down two Type 96 attack aircraft and two Type 1 fighters."

Our losses...we lost six Bofors anti-aircraft guns and twelve Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns!

One hundred and nine people were killed or wounded.

At this point, the staff officer's voice became much softer. Seeing Su Yaoyang's darkened face, the staff officer quickly comforted him, "Commander, don't be sad. The Japanese have lost four planes; their losses are much greater than ours."

"I know, but the air defense regiment suffered such heavy losses, how can you expect me not to be saddened?"

Su Yaoyang's voice carried a deep sense of helplessness.

The air defense regiment had three battalions. He left one battalion to be deployed in Wutai County, and brought the other two battalions with him.

These two air defense battalions were equipped with a total of seventy-two Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft guns and Oerlikon 20mm anti-aircraft guns.

In his plan, the two air defense battalions should have been able to protect their own skies. However, when the tank battalion left, it took one battalion with it, leaving only one air defense battalion in the vast Wild Wolf Valley, resulting in a severe shortage of air defense firepower.

After several days of bombing, the anti-aircraft battalion suffered heavy losses. Now only a dozen or so anti-aircraft guns are still operational. If the Japanese army bombs it a few more times, the anti-aircraft battalion may have to disappear from the militia organization.

"Order Wei Danian to immediately send all the wounded and injured brothers back to the field hospital in Wutai County. Also..."

Su Yaoyang hesitated for a moment before saying, "Send a telegram to Pi Ruoyu, instructing him to transfer the 3rd Air Defense Battalion here, and then transfer the 2nd Air Defense Battalion to Wutai County. We need to quickly replenish manpower and equipment and restore our combat effectiveness as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

After giving the order, Su Yaoyang only heard a series of "beep beep" sounds coming from the valley.

A sharp whistle pierced the silence of the valley, and soon more than a dozen officers emerged from the artillery bunkers in the distance. They stood on the earthen slope, waving their helmets and shouting something at the top of their lungs.

Accompanied by their shouts, the militia soldiers filed out of the gun emplacements, their gray uniforms covered in mud, looking like a group of moles that had just crawled out of their burrows.

After the soldiers emerged from the anti-artillery bunker, they began to repair the collapsed trenches and other structures with shovels, entrenching tools, and other equipment. The battlefield was filled with the clanging and banging of tools.

Su Yaoyang didn't say much, just silently watched the soldiers busy at work.

Time passed slowly, and the soldiers repaired the damaged fortifications in just one hour.

Before they could even rest, a staff officer rushed over to report: "Commander, the forward reconnaissance post reports that the Japanese vanguard has approached the vicinity of Wolf Valley and is expected to make contact with our troops in about half an hour."

"Understood. Tell the sentries to continue observing and report any developments immediately."

"clear."

Inside the trenches, the soldiers continued to work tirelessly. Although most of the trenches had been repaired, there were still some details that needed fixing, so the soldiers had no time to rest.

At a corner, a private in his forties squatted down, trying to light a cigarette but unable to.

The match heads were already burning, but several matches were blown out by the smoke-filled wind. Enraged, the old soldier threw the entire box of matches and the empty cigarette pack into the pile of dirt at his feet.

Just then, a popping sound was heard, and a flame lit up in front of him.

Without hesitation, the veteran leaned forward, then gently patted the other man's hand. His eyes lit up when he saw the shiny Zip-O-F lighter in the other man's hand. "Hey...brother, this lighter is really nice. You're really willing to spend money on it."

(End of this chapter)