Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 423, Section 421: Cang County coordinates with the guerrillas to attack the city; three hundred fight against one thousand.

After Fang Wen finished speaking, he began an impromptu lesson.

"This equipment has many functions, and you can't possibly understand them all at once. My requirements are simple: you just need to maintain the walkie-talkie's communication relay and communication with the ground. Look here, this button is the power switch. Once it's turned on, the walkie-talkie's communication relay function is activated."

After explaining it once, Fang Wen looked at Zhao Junping: "Do you understand?"

Although the boy in front of me was only fifteen or sixteen years old, he had matured early because he had experienced the deaths of his father and uncle and the invasion of the Japanese devils.

He listened attentively to Fang Wen's explanation and then recited it verbatim.

Good memory.

A good memory is a must for a communications soldier, and comprehension is also important. Based on his previous assessment, Fang Wen became even more interested in the boy.

He plans to expand the military industry in the future, which will involve many things. Gong Xiu is strong enough to be a bodyguard, but he is not good at clerical work.

This young man might be able to fill this gap, not only as a gunboat communications officer, but also as an assistant or secretary.

Of course, that's for the future; for now, let's observe.

He calmly said, "You've learned well. From now on, you'll act as a temporary communications officer. Remember, once the battle begins, you must remain calm. Only if you stay composed can you ensure uninterrupted communication, allowing me and the ground to exchange tactical orders in a timely manner. Understand?"

"Understood," the boy replied, both nervous and excited.

Fang Wen pulled out the stool that the communications officer used to sit on when working next to the radio equipment, saying, "You'll sit here when we're on a mission."

The boy sat down on the stool and didn't go anywhere else.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone and spoke with the guerrilla leader who was testing the performance of the walkie-talkie.

"The test can end now. You need to come back; we have other things to discuss."

A voice came from the radio: "Okay, I'll be right back."

Half an hour later, the guerrilla captain returned carrying the Taishan walkie-talkie. He said excitedly, "This thing of yours is so useful! When I came back, I thought of many ways to use it. With it, there's no need to send signalmen to deliver messages; I can communicate directly with friendly forces. Telegrams and wired telephones are not as convenient as this."

Fang Wen smiled and said, "Yes, guerrillas are good at mobile warfare, and timely information is very important. Walkie-talkies were developed to solve these problems. Before this, guerrilla operations behind enemy lines along the Pinghan Railway were already using them."

"No wonder they're fighting so smoothly over there, winning several major victories in a row. Could we use it too?"

The guerrilla captain looked at Fang Wen expectantly.

"After I get back, I will report your situation to my superiors, and they should be able to provide you with a batch of walkie-talkies," Fang Wen replied. Because of the need to keep his identity confidential, he could only answer by reporting, but in reality, he had already decided to provide the plains guerrillas with radio equipment support.

It is conceivable that the plains guerrillas, equipped with the Taishan walkie-talkie, would be better able to fight the Japanese army, especially if they used this equipment in tunnel warfare and landmine warfare, which would certainly make it difficult for the Japanese to defend against.

Then, Fang Wen said, "Let's discuss tomorrow night's operation. There are only two gunners on the plane right now, which is not enough. We need to borrow some people from you to help."

"No problem, just tell me how much you need."

"Only four are needed. Three loaders and one gunner. They must be physically strong and able to engage in sustained high-intensity exercise. In addition, the gunner must have experience firing heavy machine guns."

“No problem. We have a veteran who used to fight in the 29th Army. He used to operate a heavy machine gun. I’ll get you the strongest of the other three.”

The guerrilla captain immediately went to call for reinforcements, and just as he had said, they were all strong and robust young men.

Fang Wen led them onto the plane and, together with Gong Xiuneng, guided them on how to operate it.

The loader's job is simple: after all the bullets on the belt have been fired, he turns on the switch to remove the empty belt and load a new one.

This is the only step; there's no need to wind up the bullets, as we're now equipped with complete ammunition belt systems.

As for the 20mm autocannon, it uses a drum magazine. During the loading process, the loader has to carry the weighed drum magazine to Gong Xiuneng, who then removes the drum magazine for loading.

(Schematic diagram of the 20mm aircraft cannon for the Taishan gunship. The drum magazine is mounted on the upper part of the gun body, with the sight in front of it. The gun mount below has a rotating rod that can adjust the firing angle.)
After the explanation, the loader, who only needed to perform simple operations, understood what he was supposed to do.

After practicing loading ammunition, he began to get the hang of it.

But shooting is a problem.

Apart from Gong Xiu, who had received gunnery and aircraft firing training, neither Zhao Shanhu nor the guerrilla shooters had received any training.

They might be able to conduct direct fire from flat ground, but gunships and aircraft are different from direct fire from the ground.

They need to master some skills to be effective in tomorrow night's battle.

Fang Wen had no idea that the two of them could learn to shoot around the target in such a short time, especially the difficult night shooting.

He came up with a clever trick.

As long as you control the aircraft positions well and keep them at a stable firing angle, you should be able to achieve good firing results without them having to change the firing angle during wartime.

To this end, he and Gong Xiuneng fixed the firing angles of the two aircraft machine guns and required the two gunners to strictly follow his instructions for firing and stopping.

With the shooting settled, there's only one last thing left.

How to take off from a reed field.

The ground in the reed field is uneven. Landing is fine, but it's difficult to accelerate during takeoff on such uneven ground.

Fortunately, the gunship aircraft is amphibious.

The reed beds here are not just soil, but also water. As long as there is a 300-meter-long stretch of water for takeoff and acceleration, it is possible to take off.

Therefore, Fang Wen chose a large marshland, and then all the guerrillas began to work hard to clear the reeds growing in the marshland.

They used small wooden boats to cut down all the reeds that had emerged from the water, clearing out a large area of ​​water.

This became the launch site for the Water Tiger 4.

Fang Wen then piloted the gunboat around, bumping along the uneven ground towards the water.

Once there, the plane slid into the water along a dug-out ramp.

Due to its own weight, the fuselage sank the moment it entered the water, with a quarter of the fuselage submerged.

At this moment, the watertight compartment of the Taishan gunship finally came into play.

With the buoyancy of the watertight compartment and the floats, the aircraft quickly rose and came to a steady stop on the water.

A day of preparation time has passed.

The guerrillas who went to Dongxinzhuang returned the next morning.

He brought back news that the Hui Muslim Volunteer Army had agreed to participate in the night's battle.

We have all the manpower now, just waiting tonight to take action.

Time passed slowly, and as evening approached, the guerrillas split into several groups and left the reed beds, hiding outside Cangxian County.

Fang Wen and the others continued to wait in the reeds.

A few more hours passed.

Fang Wen glanced at his watch; it was 10:30, half an hour before the agreed-upon time of 11:00.

He started the plane, and as the propeller spun, the plane accelerated forward.

The strong winds from the propellers knocked down the surrounding reeds, and the plane streaked forward, leaving two trails of water.

As the speed increased, the plane overcame the water resistance and flew into the sky.

It's only 20 kilometers from here to Cangxian County, and the plane only took a few minutes to reach the county seat.

Fang Wen issued his first order: "Turn on walkie-talkie relay."

Zhao Junping quickly activated the device and awaited the next instruction.

"Call ground control and have them report the situation."

With a hint of nervousness, Zhao Junping held the microphone and said, "Airborne call to ground, please respond."

"heard it."

"Please report the current situation."

“We are now assembling inside the city. There are only a platoon of soldiers guarding the south gate. But the gate has been closed for a long time, so we can't communicate with the outside world in time. According to the plan, they are lying in ambush outside the south gate, waiting for the sound of gunfire as a signal.”

After hearing the report from the ground, Fang Wen activated his mechanical senses to observe the situation below.

Through his enhanced mechanical eagle-eye vision, he saw it. More than a hundred people were lying in ambush in an alley near the south gate of the county town.

Those were members of the underground Communist Party and guerrillas within the city.

Where was the Hui Muslim Volunteer Army?
Fang Wen's gaze shifted to the outside of the city gate.

There is a slope on the side of the road about 300 meters away from the South Gate Avenue.

A group of Hui Muslim volunteers wearing white headscarves lay prone at the bottom of the slope, waiting.

He took the microphone.

"I will launch an attack on the south gate. Once the gate is breached, you must immediately seize it to ensure that the troops outside the city can enter in time."

"receive."

After the call ended, Fang Wen put down the receiver and gave an order to Gong Xiuneng behind him.

"Gong Xiuneng, are the armor-piercing high-explosive rounds fully equipped?"

“All equipment is ready, Commander,” Gong Xiuneng replied.

Armor-piercing explosive shells, as the name suggests, are shells that can both penetrate armor and explode.

It is a new idea that Fang Wen came up with in the development of offensive firepower.

It is designed to deal with targets that require penetration and explosives, such as tanks, buildings, and city gates.

Immediately, he began to adjust the aircraft's position, lowering it to a landing altitude with its right side facing the city gate. When the tilt angle was just right, he gave Gong Xiuneng the order to fire.

Gong Xiuneng pulled the trigger, and the armor-piercing explosive cartridge in the drum magazine was launched, turning into a white light and flying towards the city gate.

The thick city gate was penetrated on the first layer, and then machine gun shells exploded on the second layer.

The powerful shockwave tore a hole in the city gate, and then the machine gun shells that were fired exploded. Although the damaged city gate did not collapse completely, it revealed two holes about the height of a person, which were enough to enter and exit.

After the planes launched their attack, the troops inside the city immediately rushed out from the dark alleys and attacked a platoon of puppet troops at the city gate.

They easily dealt with that platoon of puppet troops, while at the same time, the volunteer army outside the city also rushed over.

The two forces successfully joined forces and captured the south gate.

The first step of the siege was successfully completed.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen had already piloted the plane to his next target.

The gull-wing structure of the gunship aircraft provides excellent buoyancy during low-speed flight, allowing low-speed gliding flight to be better integrated into actual combat.

The next target was the Japanese and puppet troops in the west of the city, totaling a little over a thousand.

They concentrated their forces in one place to deal with emergencies, but now they have given Fang Wen the best opportunity to exert his air firepower suppression.

"Prepare incendiary smoke bombs," he commanded.

Gong Xiuneng and Zhao Shanhu immediately began.

The two worked together: Zhao Shanhu dragged the bomb rack over from the trolley, while Gong Xiuneng opened the bottom hatch.

As the bottom hatch opened, strong winds rushed in.

He quickly turned the lever next to him to extend the bomb-throwing device.

Then, place the bomb loading plate on the bomb release device and hold the bomb release lever with your right hand.

"Commander, we're ready."

Upon hearing Gong Xiuneng's words, Fang Wen immediately took action.

The plane descended further, now only 1000 meters above the military camp below.

In the darkness and without wind, the drag at an altitude of one thousand meters is almost negligible.

After making the decision to drop the bomb, he planned out a bombing route in his mind.

He then instructed Gong Xiuneng: "The first round of bombing will begin after a 10-second countdown, followed by the second round after 5 seconds, with one bomb-carrying plate each time."

"Yes, Commander," Gong Xiuneng replied loudly.

The two's skillful teamwork drew envy from others, and Zhao Junping kept it all deeply in his mind.

The 10-second countdown ended, and the plane flew over the Japanese army camp dormitory.

Gong Xiuneng immediately pulled the grenade launcher, and 36 incendiary smoke grenades fell.

Most of the aerial bombs landed on the rooftops of the camp dormitories, and the sparks from the explosions immediately ignited large sections of the rooftops.

The fire was accompanied by a large amount of thick smoke, which enveloped the entire area.

Amidst bursts of coughing, Japanese soldiers fled from the houses, but due to the smoke impairing their vision, many were unable to leave the smoky area.

Then, the incendiary smoke bombs at the puppet army camp also exploded one after another, and the same smoke enveloped that area.

Fang Wen, having completed the airdrop of the incendiary bomb, picked up the microphone.

"Airborne call to ground: Incendiary smoke grenades have been deployed. Please launch the attack in ten minutes."

South Gate of Cangxian County.

After the inner and outer teams reunited, the team rushed westward into the city.

When the troops reached the designated street corner, the guerrilla leader, carrying a walkie-talkie, heard the voice in his earpiece.

He exclaimed with delight, "We will launch an attack on the camp in ten minutes!"

"Are we really going to fight?" someone asked incredulously.

After all, they only had 300 people, but they were going to face 1100.

On the main battlefield, it would take 3 to 5 Kuomintang soldiers to kill one Japanese soldier. Could 300 men possibly defeat 1100?

The guerrilla captain said with certainty, "Of course we have to fight. Look over there, isn't it already on fire and smoking? That's incendiary smoke bombs. In areas shrouded in smoke, people inside without gas masks will temporarily lose their fighting ability."

Everyone looked to the west, where flames were rising, and there was a lot of smoke in the light.

Immediately, someone exclaimed excitedly, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's charge in while the Japanese can't move!"

"Don't rush in. We can only move in 10 minutes. If we rush in now, we'll also be affected by the smoke," the guerrilla captain explained.

After hearing what he said, everyone fell silent and exchanged time with each other, waiting for ten minutes to pass.

The ten-minute wait passed quickly.

The fire was still burning, but the smoke had begun to dissipate.

A force of 300 men charged toward the Japanese camp.

To their surprise, they found many Japanese soldiers and puppet troops lying helplessly on the ground within the area shrouded in smoke, unable even to lift their guns.

However, not all enemies are like that; some are still able to move and then rescue others.

Such a good opportunity was too rare, so the guerrillas and volunteers immediately charged forward.

However, they were blocked at the intersection.

It is a three-story building.

The building wasn't made of wood, it was quite tall, and it was isolated, so it wasn't affected by the incendiary smoke bombs.

And it was blocking the path of the ground troops' advance.

Machine guns mounted on the second and third floors fired at the guerrillas and volunteers, attempting to stop them from advancing toward the camp.

In response, ground troops attempted to send in demolition experts to blast a hole in the building so that they could send in reinforcements.

They forgot that there were still gunboats and aircraft in the air, and streaks of white light rained down from the sky, pouring onto the buildings.

(End of this chapter)