Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 372 370 Miraculous Aerial Command, Evacuation Countdown

Half an hour later.

Ground troops have reached a concealed position 1000 meters away from the target area.

Fang Wen used his mechanical senses to observe the area below, and the Japanese army did not notice the presence of a Chinese army nearby.

He immediately picked up the microphone and gave instructions.

"Airborne call to ground, please respond."

In the command truck below, the officer who had been waiting immediately replied, "Ground can hear you, ground can hear you."

"Run forward immediately, we are about to launch an airstrike, you must get there within 10 minutes."

"Received, we'll set off immediately."

The troops below set out, running all the way.

Running 1000 meters in 10 minutes is no problem for an adult, and even soldiers carrying loads can achieve it.

Seeing that the troops had already set off, Fang Wen signaled the communications officer to change the frequency, and then sent voice commands to the gunboat squadron and coded commands to the fighter squadron.

Under his command, the air strike group swooped down from high altitude.

A manor house in the southwest of Niushou Mountain.

The buildings here are elegant and grand, and they look quite old; they probably aren't the residences of ordinary people.

But the master had long since fled the war zone, leaving only two old servants to guard it.

Now, the place has been occupied by the Japanese army, and the two corpses were abandoned in the corner of the front yard. The Japanese soldiers coming and going ignored them, as if they were used to it.

Suddenly, the sky darkened.

The Japanese officers walking in the courtyard subconsciously looked up at the sky.

They saw the Chinese fighter jets swooping down.

He immediately shouted in terror, "Air raid! Air raid!"

Unfortunately, this reaction came too late.

Five Taishan fighter jets swooped down and dropped their aerial bombs into the yard.

This time, a standard high-explosive bomb was used, containing trinitrotoluene, or TNT.

Furthermore, to increase the explosive power, the bomb was divided into two layers, with the outer layer filled with metal fragments.

It can be described as an oversized fragmentation grenade.

Therefore, the explosive force is very threatening in flat areas and narrow spaces.

Several explosions rang out, and shrapnel flew through the air in the front and back yards.

The Japanese soldiers outside the room were immediately hit hard, and a large number of them fell.

Those who survived ran back into the house and called for backup from the guards outside.

But this behavior is completely futile.

Japanese soldiers rushed in from outside the compound, only to be met by the gunboat squadron.

Compared to fighter jets diving and bombing, gunboat squadrons are the real force for suppressing ground troops.

Under the continuous barrage of powerful aerial machine guns and 20mm cannons, Japanese soldiers fell one after another like rice being harvested.

The soldiers who rushed in to provide support could only run into the rooms to take refuge.

However, this kind of brick and wood classical building could not withstand the penetration of a 12.7 mm bullet, let alone the explosive damage of a 20 mm machine gun.

The exterior wall of the room was riddled with holes and craters, dust filled the air, and then the explosion of the 20mm machine gun completely destroyed the wall structure.

Large numbers of houses collapsed under aerial fire, and the fate of the Japanese soldiers inside remained unknown.

Seven or eight minutes have passed by now.

The National Army raiding force, which had run 1000 meters from its concealed position to the south, also arrived at its destination.

The 1000 soldiers stared in astonishment at the scene before them.

The area is now filled with the smoke of gunpowder, and many buildings have collapsed, as if it had been subjected to a heavy artillery bombardment.

Meanwhile, the air force of gunboats temporarily ceased its attack as ground troops arrived.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone: "Airborne call to the ground, the air raid is over, you can launch your attack now. If you encounter any problems, we will cooperate to resolve them."

Under his command, the ground troops below entered the manor, which was in ruins.

The ground was littered with the corpses of Japanese soldiers, and there were also wounded soldiers who were still alive, wailing in agony.

Further back, amidst the vast expanse of collapsed buildings, surviving Japanese soldiers were emerging from the ruins.

After the two sides met, a battle ensued.

The Japanese troops, already stunned by the attack, were completely unable to resist the ground forces' assault, and another portion of them were wiped out.

The remaining forces, clinging to the ruins, attempted a last-ditch resistance.

The gunboat squadron launched another attack, this time without any buildings for protection, making it even harder for the remaining Japanese troops to resist.

Under the suppression of heavy machine gun fire, the ground troops took the opportunity to advance, while the Japanese army was completely unable to attend to anything due to the suppression of air fire.

In the end, most of the Japanese troops in the courtyard were wiped out, leaving only one remaining.

At this moment, Fang Wen spoke up and gave an order to Gong Xiuneng.

"Use the Japanese I taught you to shout down to the crowd."

Gong Xiuneng said helplessly, "Commander, why am I always the one giving the orders?"

Fang Wen replied with a smile, "Who told you to practice qigong, have such a strong voice and be the loudest?"

The relaxed conversation between the two stood in stark contrast to the battlefield below.

Joking aside, Gong Xiu immediately took out the megaphone and started operating it.

Immediately afterwards, the gunboat No. 4 lowered its altitude and issued a Japanese announcement.

"Listen up, Japanese soldiers below! You have nowhere to escape. This is your final ultimatum: lay down your weapons or you will be killed without mercy."

The remaining Japanese soldiers looked up at the gunboats and aircraft in despair, knowing that if the enemy attacked again, they would have nowhere to hide.

As the countdown call from the air drew ever closer.

An argument broke out among them.

Then, gunshots rang out, and three officers came out.

The rest all died at the hands of their own people.

The three Japanese officers raised their hands, appearing as if they were about to surrender.

Ground troops quickly unloaded his weapons and tied them up with ropes.

Subsequently, the officer in the communications truck received Fang Wen's new orders.

"Go back now, or you'll never be able to leave."

The officer immediately became very nervous: "Okay, you take charge of how we go."

The three prisoners were put on a communications truck and began their retreat.

Returning by the same route was impossible. The events that had occurred in those two hours had alerted the Japanese army that multiple frontline units were encircling them from the rear.

If they wanted to escape from the encirclement of these troops, they had no choice but to follow Fang Wen's orders.

Fang Wen first used radar detection equipment but did not detect any aircraft within a 200-kilometer radius.

He ordered the entire air strike group to return to base, except for the Tiger IV gunboat he was piloting.

This order surprised the entire air strike squadron of pilots and crew members; the commander was going to stay behind alone.

However, Fang Wen's absolute authority left everyone with no choice but to obey his orders.

Subsequently, only one gunboat, the Tiger 4, remained in the air to conduct observation and command.

In his mechanical perception state, Fang Wen observed the movements of the Japanese troops in the vicinity, providing a clear path for the ground forces.

The troops first moved westward, bypassing the search by the two nearest Japanese units.

Then it turned northeast, circled around, and made a detour back from the Dashihu area behind Niushou Mountain.

Here, some problems arose.

The communications truck could not pass through Dashi Lake, and the officers inside were very reluctant to part with this extremely useful military vehicle.

However, they couldn't drive into the mountains from there, so they had to park their cars at a nearby temple and leave a squad of soldiers to guard them.

The others led the prisoners into the mountains on foot. At this point, Fang Wen also piloted the Water Tiger No. 4 gunboat back to port.

(The area around Niushou Mountain and Dashi Lake during the Republic of China era)
The troops that had bypassed Dashi Lake returned to their defensive positions in coordination with the air raid.

This unit only suffered a few dozen casualties and even brought back three Japanese prisoners of war.

This greatly surprised Commander Li of the 156th Division.

He sent a communications soldier to the western side of Niushou Mountain to summon Commander Feng of the 58th Division and informed him of the situation.

Division Commander Feng also seemed incredulous: "You mean, the 1000-man suicide squads sent out by our two divisions only suffered a loss of thirty-five men?"

His use of the term "suicide squad" indicates that he believed the soldiers would suffer heavy losses when sending them to participate in air strike operations.

Not only did he think so, but Commander Li of the 156th Division also thought so.

But the current situation is not what they thought at all.

Therefore, the two division commanders specially summoned the temporary commander of the thousand-man unit, who was also the adjutant of Division Commander Li in the mobile command truck.

When the man arrived, Division Commander Li asked, "Lieutenant Zhao, please recount the entire incident in detail."

"Yes." Lieutenant Zhao recounted the events in detail.

Starting from Zheng He's tomb, the Japanese troops bypassed nearby villages under aerial command.

They then moved southwest and, in coordination with the air raiding forces, destroyed the Japanese artillery positions.

Next, following air command, the troops proceeded to a concealed location 1 kilometer away. Shortly afterward, they marched rapidly to the Japanese rear command post, completely annihilated the Japanese troops inside, and captured three officers.

Finally, they detoured to Dashi Lake and eventually withdrew safely.

The two division commanders were greatly impressed by the adjutant's description of the incredible command and operation.

Commander Li remarked, "Fang Wen had the ability to gain a commanding view of the entire battlefield and then command his ground troops to easily bypass the enemy's layers of obstruction."

Commander Feng nodded: "As the saying goes, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle.' That's why there were very few casualties, yet the operation was completed successfully. But his command methods also have limitations. Without that communications truck, none of this would have been possible."

Yes, the two division commanders realized the key was the truck.

They immediately dispatched troops to Dashi Lake to provide support.

At the same time, they began interrogating three Japanese prisoners of war.

The three Japanese soldiers who had killed their own men had completely broken down and were willing to answer any questions asked.

After the interrogation, the car was found.

However, Japanese troops were spotted nearby. In order to prevent the equipment from being seized by the Japanese, the soldiers sent to meet them simply had 10 soldiers carry the 700 kilograms of equipment from the truck back to the position using logs.

In this way, even though the trucks were gone, they could still maintain real-time voice communication with the Taishan Independent Regiment on the battlefield.

(Illustration of joint air strike and ground troop operations)
Nanjing Water Airport.

The gunboat No. 4 returned to port and came to rest.

Fang Wen got off the plane and stood at Pier 3, looking at the civilians boarding planes to evacuate at the other two civilian piers.

The daily passenger capacity of 2000 people is already the limit of this sea airport's capacity.

With the added propaganda in Nanjing, it's believed that there will be other ways for ordinary people to leave.

Even so, many people are still stranded here.

Fang Wen sighed inwardly, "Let's save as many as we can."

He walked to the airport office area and talked with Manager Liu.

How many people have been evacuated from here during this period?

Manager Liu took out the ledger and read aloud: "So far, a total of 12 people have been evacuated via the sea airport and two nearby Yangtze River passenger ships."

Only 12 people?!

Fang Wen comforted himself, thinking that perhaps some people would choose other ways to leave because of the previous propaganda.

All I can do now is try my best to delay the Japanese advance and give more people a chance to leave this place.

He instructed, "Try to add 10 more flights; the more we can save, the better. By the way, have those students arrived yet?"

"They're here. Gather in the office area. There are 200 people here now."

"There are only 200 people. Let's go take a look."

After Fang Wen finished speaking, he and Manager Liu headed to the lounge on the other side of the office area.

There, 200 students stayed with their luggage, and because there was a lack of benches and chairs, many of them simply sat on the floor.

Upon seeing Fang Wen, the students immediately surrounded him.

"Mr. Fang, were your planes out fighting just now?"

"Can we still join you?"

After giving brief answers to these questions, Fang Wen then asked, "How many students are still stranded at your school?"

The students responded to this question in a variety of ways.

"There are still dozens more in our school."

"There are more in our area, probably around a hundred people."

Listening to the students' words, Fang Wen frowned; he couldn't let things go unchecked.

Saving one more student means building a stronger foundation for one's military industry.

Immediately, he was about to take people to the city to pick up the students.

At this moment, the communications officer of the gunboat No. 4, the Water Tiger, ran over.

"Commander, there's a call from the 156th Division."

Fang Wen hurriedly walked out of the lounge and took the telegram from the communications officer to examine it.

The interrogation of the prisoners has been completed, and battlefield intelligence has been obtained.

The Japanese command post your regiment attacked was the headquarters of the 114th Division. The division commander was killed in the air raid, along with many officers and the division's garrison.

[In addition, the artillery positions attacked by the air raid were also belonging to the 114th Division, and the 66th and 102nd Regiments of the 114th Division were the ones that pursued them afterwards.]

Through this intelligence, Fang Wen also learned the true identity of the enemy he was attacking.

This allows us to determine the Japanese army's operational situation at Niushou Mountain.

The 114th Division, attacking from the west side of Niushou Mountain, was also the main enemy of the 156th Division.

Meanwhile, another division, the 6th Division, was attacking the area around General Mountain, east of Niushou Mountain and behind it.

If the command of the 114th Division is annihilated, the pressure on the 156th Division will be greatly reduced.

This slowed down the Japanese advance from the south.

This perfectly aligned with Fang Wen's idea of ​​delaying the Japanese army's attack on Nanjing.

After putting down the telegram, Fang Wen, along with Gong Xiuneng and 10 security guards, drove away from the sea airport in three cars.

Three cars drove out of the crowded airport, guarded by security vehicles in front and behind, with Fang Wen driving in the middle.

In fact, inside the car, once in a state of mechanical awareness, Fang Wen's observation of his surroundings was far more detailed than that of the security guards.

But after that assassination attempt, no one felt comfortable leaving Fang Wen in a dangerous environment; he needed adequate protection when he went out.

Half an hour later, three cars drove into Nanjing.

Nowadays, the streets of Nanjing are littered with abandoned items, and the garbage has not been cleaned up for a long time.

Along the way, what I saw most were soldiers patrolling and building fortifications for urban warfare.

At the city gate, soldiers set up checkpoints to inspect vehicles entering and leaving.

Fang Wen and his group's three cars were also stopped.

Gong Xiuneng, sitting in the passenger seat, took out his special pass for the soldiers to check.

"Taishan Airlines?!"

The soldier's expression immediately softened when he saw the words on the pass.

He said, "Thank you for your kindness, Taishan Airlines. My family members left on your free plane."

At that time, the local garrison troops all had elderly parents and young children to support. Originally, these soldiers would not have been able to take care of their families. Fortunately, Taishan Airlines carried out a civilian evacuation operation, which is why they have a great goodwill towards Taishan Airlines.

Under the watchful eyes of the soldiers, three cars drove through the city gates and headed towards several universities.

Many students were still at the school, and Fang Wen was prepared to make one last effort to take as many students as he could.

(End of this chapter)