Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 395-393 Raid on Xinle Railway Station, Armored Train, Japanese Officer Corps
After William explained the functions of the Taishan walkie-talkie, he then offered suggestions for cooperation.

“We have 100 people, which can be divided into several teams and mixed with yours, so that everyone can understand each other’s situation in a timely manner during combat.”

The Eighth Route Army officers unanimously agreed.

"That's a good idea. I agree."

"I think it's okay."

"Then let's revise the action plan slightly."

After some discussion, William gradually began to understand the Eighth Route Army's guerrilla warfare tactics behind enemy lines.

However, the specific combat effectiveness and cooperation with them need to be further understood in actual combat.

The operation began at 3 a.m.

The Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region launched a nine-pronged attack on railway stations and seven towns along the Baoding-Xinle line.

One of the routes was newly joined by 100 members of the Fuping Independent Regiment, who attacked Xinle Station and the Japanese troops stationed there.

The troops marched on foot from the southern part of Quyang County, and after an hour's march, they arrived at the Pinghan Railway.

Under the cover of night, the troops advanced along the railway line and stopped at the Dashahe Railway Bridge.

Japanese soldiers were guarding the bridge, equipped with searchlights. Forcing our way across the bridge would likely expose our operation.

Therefore, they chose to cross the river downstream from the bridge.

The means to cross the river are ready.

The guerrilla soldiers retrieved wood from nearby villages and tied it together on the spot to make rafts. Several soldiers who were good swimmers swam across the river with a rope, and then tied the rope to a rock on the opposite bank.

Subsequently, the five rafts began to cross the river by pulling on ropes.

After several round trips, the entire 400-strong team crossed the river. In this way, the troops arrived on the other side of the river without anyone noticing, only 5 kilometers away from Xinle Railway Station.

They then split into three attack squads.

The first squad attacked Xinle Railway Station, demanding control of the platform, stationmaster's office, and dispatch room.

The second squad attacked the Japanese warehouse south of the station.

The third squad was responsible for the blocking mission, setting up an ambush on the roadside outside the train station to block the Japanese troops coming to support from the Xinle direction.

After an hour's march, the troops arrived outside the train station, and the operation began.

First squad.

William and 30 soldiers of the Independent Regiment followed 100 guerrillas and quietly approached Xinle Railway Station under the cover of night.

On the platform, two Japanese sentries stood side by side, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

Behind the sentry were the stationmaster's office and dispatch room, both brightly lit.

Five agile Eighth Route Army soldiers were the first to sneak towards the platform.

They used cargo boxes, railway tracks, and other obstacles as cover to get closer little by little.

They finally made it to the railway tracks below the platform where the sentry was located.

In the shadows, five Eighth Route Army soldiers who had sneaked in used hand gestures to divide their tasks.

Then, two soldiers stood below the sentry waiting to make their move, while two others went to the steps on the left and right platforms.

The last soldier picked up a cobblestone from the rails and threw it into the distance.

The falling pebbles hit the rails with a crisp sound.

The sound successfully attracted the sentry's attention.

A sentry raised his gun and pointed it in the direction from which the sound came.

The other person leaned out and looked down at the dark railway tracks.

Four hands reached out from the darkness, grabbed him, and dragged him off the platform.

At the same time, two other Eighth Route Army soldiers rushed onto the platform, tackled the sentry with the gun, and their daggers flashed coldly in the moonlight before accurately piercing the sentry's neck.

The two sentries were dealt with cleanly and efficiently without alerting the stationmaster's office or the dispatch room. The entire process was swift and decisive, without making a single unnecessary sound.

Immediately, the rest of the first squad acted, rushing onto the platform and launching an attack on the stationmaster's office and dispatch room.

Bang! Both doors were kicked open at the same time, and the people inside hadn't even had time to react.

The Japanese officer in the stationmaster's office even tried to resist, reaching for his pistol at his waist.

A soldier from the Taishan Independent Regiment pulled the trigger, and a burst of bullets from his Thompson submachine gun killed him instantly.

The rate of fire and close-range power made the Eighth Route Army soldiers nearby envious, and one of them remarked, "What a good gun, but it uses too many bullets."

However, no fighting occurred in the control room next door; the dispatcher inside surrendered with his hands raised.

And so, the first squad successfully captured the train station.

Meanwhile, gunshots were heard from the warehouse.

In the past, the two sides would fight independently, and immediately clean up the battlefield and leave after the battle was over.

Now, they have new means to keep track of each other's situation in a timely manner.

Immediately, the soldiers of the Independent Regiment carrying the Taishan walkie-talkies took out the walkie-talkies that had been equipped with dry batteries, and without using a hand-cranked generator, they brought the long earpiece of the walkie-talkie close to their ears and then made a call directly into the loudspeaker.

"Number One calling Number Two, please respond."

A hissing sound came from the walkie-talkie, and a moment later...

"Received, Number Two. Please speak."

"We've already taken over the train station. What's the situation on your end?"

"The warehouse has been captured."

A few simple words were enough for both parties to understand each other's situation, making the action more feasible.

William spoke with a squad commander: "Our operation is progressing very well. It's very likely that the garrison at Xinle didn't even realize that this place was under attack."

“Hmm, that’s possible.” The squad leader’s eyes lit up as he turned to look at the prisoner’s dispatcher.

He questioned on the spot: "When does the earliest train arrive at Xinle Station?"

“You’ve been attacking the railway multiple times recently, so it’s unsafe to depart at night. All trains will be rescheduled to depart during the day, with the earliest train arriving at 5 a.m.,” the dispatcher replied, trembling.

What's in the car?

"It should be Japanese soldiers being sent to fight in the south, along with weapons and ammunition."

"Anything else?" A squad commander stared at the dispatcher.

The dispatcher was terrified and quickly added, "I have something else to tell you. The Japanese have added a type of armored track-clearing vehicle to the railway, specifically to deal with you."

The dispatcher provided very useful information.

But a trainload of Japanese soldiers, along with the armored railcars escorting the train, was not something these 400 infantrymen could handle.

But he underestimated the Taishan Independent Regiment's greatest advantage.

William said, "We can ambush the train. Our commander said he will fully cooperate with your operation, including with the planes."

"Your planes are coordinating the attack?!" This was great news, and the squadron commander immediately asked, "How do we do it?"

“I have to report to the regimental commander,” William said, taking a radio from the communications soldier’s backpack and sending a telegram to the Fuping base.

Fuping Base, 3:30 a.m.

The on-duty communications soldier received the radio waves, recorded and translated them, and immediately got up to knock on the door next door.

"Commander, the Third Battalion Commander is calling."

Fang Wen, who had already rested, sat up in bed and went out. He picked up a telegram and read its contents.

The operation was a complete success, but we unexpectedly learned that a train carrying Japanese soldiers and weapons would pass through Xinle Station at 5:00 AM.

We decided to attack the train on a whim, but our firepower was insufficient, so we requested air support from the regimental commander.

[Furthermore, it is reported that the Japanese army has added rail-mounted armored vehicles to the railway to protect trains.]

After reading the telegram, Fang Wen smiled. It had been a long time since he had given the Japanese a taste of their power, and he was itching to do the same.

Immediately, the loudspeaker of the seaplane base was turned on: "Attention all personnel of the Second Aviation Battalion, get up and assemble on the parade ground."

As the broadcast started, Pan Jiafeng and the pilots, crew members, mechanics, and ground staff of the Second Aviation Battalion rushed out of the room.

Facing his somewhat disheveled subordinates, Fang Wen explained the situation: "The Third Battalion participated in the Eighth Route Army's sabotage operation behind enemy lines and unexpectedly learned that a train full of Japanese soldiers would be heading south at 5 a.m. They want to intercept it, but their firepower is insufficient. They need the support of our Second Battalion's gunboats and aircraft. Time is of the essence; we only have one hour to prepare. Can you handle it?"

“Okay,” Pan Jiafeng and the men from the Second Battalion replied in unison.

After a winter of waiting, the men of the Second Air Battalion were also looking forward to a fierce battle.

Immediately, the seaplane airport sprang into action, with everyone skillfully taking their positions.

Because of frequent training, the gunships and aircraft were kept in combat readiness and completed preparations in just half an hour.

At 4:10 a.m., the crew members of the 10 gunship aircraft boarded and took their positions.

Fang Wen piloted the Water Tiger 4 command aircraft and took off first.

Subsequently, nine more gunship aircraft also took to the sky.

The aircraft formation flew southeast.

During the flight, Fang Wenxin felt something and picked up the microphone to call out to all members of the flight formation.

"Call all gunship aircraft! I have some good news. Our Taishan military industry has made a new breakthrough. Before long, the gunship aircraft and fighter jets of the Independent Regiment will be upgraded and modified. After the upgrade, the gunship aircraft and fighter jets will have brand-new communication equipment for better communication with each other. In addition, new types of aviation weapons will be deployed. Everyone can look forward to these coming soon."

After delivering the good news, Fang Wen activated his mechanical senses to determine the current flight location.

The flight formation has now arrived in Quyang County, only 20 kilometers away from Xinle.

For a gunship aircraft, 20 kilometers is only five or six minutes.

After flying for a while, Fang Wen saw the Pinghan Railway below.

He picked up the microphone and tried to contact the ground.

"Airborne call to ground, please respond."

Xinle Railway Station.

To better facilitate the ambush, Eighth Route Army soldiers changed into Japanese military uniforms and continued to stand guard on the platform.

Inside the stationmaster's office, a soldier was also disguised as the stationmaster, while in the dispatch room, there was the same dispatcher and an undercover soldier who was monitoring him.

The others dispersed and hid throughout the train station, waiting for the ambush to begin.

Outside the train station walls, William was trying to make contact with the air.

Beside him, two soldiers from the Independent Regiment were operating the equipment; one was holding a 2-meter-long antenna, while the other was gently adjusting the frequency of a Taishan walkie-talkie.

The walkie-talkie's speaker kept emitting a hissing echo.

Suddenly, Fang Wen's voice rang out.

William exclaimed with delight, "Ground received!"

After establishing contact with the ground, Fang Wen reported what he had observed through mechanical perception.

"Attention ground control, a train is approaching Xinle Station and is expected to arrive in ten minutes."

William's voice came through the device: "Commander, the prisoners at the train station say the train will stop at Xinle Station for a while. Our plan is to launch the attack then."

"Okay, we'll attack simultaneously then."

After determining the attack method, Fang Wen led the gunboat squadron to climb to a higher altitude and hide in the clouds.

Ten minutes later, a train came from the north.

In front of the train, there was also a rail armored vehicle.

The armored vehicle on the rails first drove into Xinle Station and stopped.

The following train also slowed down and stopped at the station.

Things took a turn for the worse, making things difficult for the Eighth Route Army and Independent Regiment soldiers who were lying in ambush at the station.

The train was not only escorted by armored vehicles, but it was also armored itself.

This was likely designed specifically to counter the Eighth Route Army's sabotage operations against the railway.

The entire train, from the locomotive to every carriage, was protected by steel armor. This protection was so thorough that the Eighth Route Army soldiers, who used rifles, could not penetrate it with bullets.

Is this the end of this impromptu train raid?

Of course not. There's another powerful weapon that hasn't been deployed in this operation.

Whether the armor of a steel train can withstand 12.7mm armor-piercing bullets from gunboats or aircraft remains to be seen; a test will tell.

When the train stopped at Xinle Station, apart from two carriages opening and a few soldiers walking onto the platform, there was no movement in the other carriages.

Two Eighth Route Army soldiers disguised as sentries on the platform gripped their Type 38 rifles tightly.

The dispatcher walked out of the dispatch room with stiff steps, and the station staff following closely behind him were quite close.

And why didn't the stationmaster come out?

All of this aroused suspicion among the Japanese officers standing on the armored train.

He shouted loudly in Japanese, and immediately the soldiers on the platform raised their rifles.

Just then, a dark shadow loomed overhead.

Immediately afterwards, a barrage of bullets rained down from the sky, exploding into bursts of light on the armored train's protective panels.

Fang Wen directed the gunboats to launch an attack on the armored train.

The bottom 'turtle shell' is quite thick; even a 12.7mm bullet couldn't penetrate it.

It seems the Japanese army put a lot of effort into this armored train, making its armor even thicker than that of the Type 95 tank.

If gunboats cannot pose a threat to it, ground forces will be even less able to destroy it, and then the ground attacking forces will be in danger.

Fang Wen felt a pang of anxiety; he knew he had to solve this problem.

He remembered his new ability: X-ray vision.

Although X-ray vision cannot penetrate the armor of gunship bullets, this ability can see through the armor layers and find the weak points by analyzing the structure of the armor layers.

Immediately, he grasped the necklace around his neck with his left hand and channeled energy into it.

His X-ray vision ability activated instantly, and as the energy input increased, his gaze gradually penetrated the armored train below.

The thick armor layer was almost transparent, allowing Fang Wen to see its structure and the contents inside the armored vehicle.

There were nearly 700 Japanese soldiers inside the armored vehicle, and some compartments were filled with boxes of supplies.

However, one of the train carriages was rather strange, as it was designed to be a very comfortable environment, and there were more than forty officers inside.

After a brief look inside, Fang Wen turned his attention to the structure of the armor layer.

This armor design, like a tank, cannot provide such thick protection in all areas; it simply hides the weaknesses.

Fang Wen discovered the vulnerability.

(End of this chapter)