Republic of China: Ace Pilot

The kerosene lamps inside the bungalows cast a dim, flickering light on the pilots' faces.

Du Jiahuai, chewing on a pancake, spoke first: "In my opinion, the Japanese army has lost Niangziguan and cut off the Zhengtai Railway, so they must be in a hurry to reopen the east-west connection. Shimen is the largest stronghold in southern Hebei, and Baoding controls the northern end of the Pinghan Railway. They will definitely focus their efforts on these two places. They only have enough fuel for one attack, so they have to target the most vulnerable spot. I guess it's the Japanese assembly point at Shimen. That would be the most effective place and could directly delay the Japanese advance."

"I don't think so!" Shao Deqing put down his pancake and pointed to the section of railway from Baoding to Shimen on the map. "The Japanese army can only transfer troops from Baoding to Shimen by rail within a day. If we bomb this transport line, we can cut off their reinforcements and supplies, which is more reliable than air raids on enemy troops. Wasn't the effect of bombing the armored train last time obvious? The Japanese army in Taiyuan still can't provide timely support to Yangquan!"

The new pilots nearby huddled together, whispering amongst themselves.

Wang Shuanzhu mustered his courage and said, "I think... why don't we just bomb the Japanese airfield in Baoding? It's a long way for them to send their planes from Tianjin, so the effect is poor. Could it be that they fly their planes to the airfield in Baoding first? If we bomb it, we won't have so many aerial threats in our subsequent operations!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Fushun gently nudged his arm and added, "Moreover, Baoding Airport is close to the railway. After bombing the airport, we can also bomb the section of railway near the train station, as well as their military trains. It's killing two birds with one stone."

Zhang Baocai, Zhao Gensheng, and others nodded in agreement, their young faces full of eagerness.

Deng Zhongyu frowned and retorted, "Ever since Baoding was attacked by Mr. Fang's air force last year, they have strengthened their air defenses. We only have one chance to attack, and if we fail to completely destroy the airport, we will lose more aircraft. What the ground forces need most now is to stop the Japanese from reinforcing the Zhengtai Railway and prevent them from repairing the railway, so the objective must be to 'contain mobile forces'."

Rao Minghe crossed his arms and looked at the northern section of the Tongpu Railway on the map: "Could it be that they want us to support the 120th Division? They just cleared out the remaining enemy there, and the Japanese army might send a military train from Taiyuan to transport repair materials. If we intercept this train, we can completely cut off any possibility of the Tongpu Railway being restored."

Everyone held their own opinion, and the discussion grew increasingly heated.

Fang Wen slowly finished chewing the pancake in his hand, picked up the kettle and took a sip. After the room quieted down, he slowly spoke: "Everyone's points are valid, but don't forget two key points—first, the fuel is only enough for one collective attack, and we must strike decisively without being reckless; second, I think the core need of the military region is to consolidate the results of these five days of sabotage and prevent the Japanese army from reopening the transportation lines."

He walked to the map, his finger emphasizing the railway hub between Baoding and Shimen: "Currently, the Japanese forces on both sides of Taiyuan and Shimen are manageable. Only Baoding is an unknown. Moreover, I think the military region won't ignore this section of the railway between Baoding and Shimen. Therefore, the focus of the next round of operations will likely be here. After these few days of attacks, the Japanese will certainly be on alert and will deploy troops around the undamaged section of the railway between Baoding and Shimen for defense. Our air force's air raids are for attacking fortified positions. Baoding is the Japanese's troop and supply concentration point here, so targeting Baoding will yield the greatest effect and benefit."

Qi Baoqian's eyes lit up, and he instantly understood what Fang Wen meant: "That seems to make sense. We are attacking the strongholds, and bombing the Japanese troops in Baoding is indeed the most effective strategy."

The new pilots all agreed. Wang Shuanzhu clenched his fist excitedly: "The Japanese devils in Baoding have never been bombed before!" Li Fushun patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "Don't be so nervous that your palms are sweating this time." A burst of relaxed laughter immediately filled the room. The fatigue from the days of combat dissipated a lot in the tacit understanding between the comrades.

Just then, the door of the bungalow was pushed open, and the communications officer rushed in, panting, clutching a telegram in his hand: "Captain Qi, Mr. Fang, urgent telegram from the military region!"

Qi Baoqian immediately took the telegram, quickly scanned its contents, and looked up at everyone, saying loudly, "Comrades, the military region has ordered us to rest starting tomorrow and await new combat orders. Alright, everyone go and rest; we have a lot to do tomorrow."

Immediately, the pilots got up and dispersed, and Fang Wen also went back to his dormitory to rest.

After a night, the Yan'an Air Force began its rest and repair work, with pilots and ground mechanics carrying out maintenance on the aircraft.

This was also Fang Wen's busiest day. He not only had to take care of the maintenance of Taishan-1, but also had to participate in the inspection of other aircraft.

Whenever a problem arose that needed repair, he would point it out and then work with the mechanics to fix it.

And on this day.

The battle continues.

Because reinforcements from Taiyuan did not arrive, and the Japanese troops at Yangquan Railway Station were annihilated, the railway from Yangquan to Niangziguan was completely destroyed.

With the railway section bombed by Fang Wen added to the problem, the Japanese forces in the Taiyuan direction had no choice but to abandon the railway and provide support by road.

Along the way, they encountered harassment from multiple militia groups from their base areas.

Instead of actively intercepting them, the militiamen laid landmines on the road.

The Japanese convoy was bombed every so often, forcing them to slow down and have engineers clear mines at the front of the column.

However, doing so made the engineers easy targets for the militia lying in ambush on the high ground beside the highway.

In other regions, battles of varying sizes are also taking place.

Around Niangziguan, which was under the jurisdiction of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, the 1st Company of the 5th Regiment held Mohetan Village, killing 200 Japanese soldiers and tying down more than 700 Japanese soldiers, while covering the main force's sabotage of the Niangziguan-Chengjialongdi Railway.

The blocking action at Shinaoshan continued. The Japanese army lacked reinforcements and long-range artillery, and despite having a numerical advantage and a small number of air raids, they were still unable to break through.

Taking this opportunity, the left wing column of the 129th Division blew up bridges and overturned railway tracks in the Pingding-Xiyang section of Yangquan area, destroying Japanese strongholds along the way; the right wing column destroyed more than 20 kilometers of railway in the Yuci-Taigu section, cutting off the Japanese army's transportation line.

The 120th Division of the northern section of the Tongpu Railway destroyed five railway bridges and damaged more than 30 kilometers of railway track between Xinxian and Yuanping.

As of the 28th

After holding out for six days and nights, the troops moved as planned to complete their blocking mission at Shinaoshan.

The railway bridges around Niangziguan Pass and the Jingxing Coal Mine have been completely destroyed.

The 120th Division's attack shifted from the railway to the road, further blocking the northern section of the Datong-Puzhou Railway.

Three days of rest and recuperation have passed.

In fact, all maintenance was completed two days ago, and all aircraft are on standby.

But the battle order has not yet been issued.

Not only did the Yan'an Air Force not launch an attack, but even the Eighth Route Army's air regiments did not move.

Everything was in preparation for a new military operation.

Until the troops of the Jizhong Military Region and the Jinnan Military Region joined the sabotage operation, launching a large-scale military operation on the Pinghan Railway and the Deshi Railway.

In order to contain the troops in Baoding, the military region issued an order for an air raid.

On the morning of August 29, before dawn, the emergency assembly call sounded at Yan'an Airport.

The pilots rushed out of the campsite, their fatigue replaced by fighting spirit.

Holding a combat order in each hand, Qi Baoqian shouted, "According to the order, our air force will be divided into two teams. One team will cooperate with the ground forces of the Jizhong Military Region to raid the strongholds along the Baoding-Shimen railway line. The Eighth Route Army Air Regiment will also be involved in the operation. The main objective of the operation is to protect the gunboats of the air regiment and to contain the invading Japanese warplanes. The other team will carry aerial bombs to bomb the Japanese airfield, railway station and other military strongholds in Baoding."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Fang Wen and said, "Sir, this time you will be piloting the Taishan No. 1 to bomb Baoding. In addition to the Taishan No. 1, there will be 8 escort fighters. They will carry aerial bombs to bomb together. If Japanese fighters are spotted attacking, they can also escort you. I will lead another 7 fighters to join the gunboats of the air regiment."

At this point, he handed a handwritten document to Fang Wen: "This is the latest intelligence from the special operations team behind enemy lines regarding the Japanese army in Baoding. Take a look, so you'll have some background information."

Fang Wen nodded and took the documents to examine them carefully.

At 5:30 a.m., fighter jets on both runways started their engines simultaneously, the roar of which was deafening.

Team 2, led by Fang Wen, took off first.

Eight fighter jets escorted the Taishan-8 aircraft.

During the flight, Fang Wen picked up the microphone to explain the situation:
"Attention all aircraft! Report the enemy situation in Baoding: the airport has 4 anti-aircraft guns and 3 anti-aircraft machine guns; the railway station has 2 military trains and 1 Japanese squadron. We will bomb the airport first to ensure that Japanese warplanes cannot take off. If any escape, take them out first. Drop all your aerial bombs on the airport. After you have taken over the airport, you will escort the aircraft, and I will bomb the military trains and railway tracks at the railway station! Do you understand?"

"Understood," the other pilots replied.

The formation then remained silent during flight. Thirty minutes later, Fang Wen picked up the microphone: "Climb to 6000 meters, fly slightly north to avoid being detected by the Japanese."

All the aircraft gained altitude and disappeared into the clouds.

The aircraft group turned at an altitude of 6000 meters and flew north along the Lüliang Mountains to avoid being spotted by the Japanese army on the ground if they flew directly over Taiyuan.

After flying for a while, Fang Wen ordered a turn, and the formation turned east, crossing the territory of Xinzhou and entering the Taihang Mountains.

With this route planning, even in broad daylight, the Japanese army did not notice that they had quietly crossed hundreds of kilometers to reach the North China Plain.

When they were 100 kilometers away from Baoding, Fang Wen used his special abilities combined with a radar target acquisition device to search for targets.

The radar feedback indicated 20 bright spots in the southeast direction.

It consists of 20 gunboats from the air regiment.

More than 200 kilometers to the south, there were eight other aircraft reporting back; those were fighter jet formations led by Qi Baoqian.

Where were the Japanese warplanes?
There was no movement in Baoding, 100 kilometers away, and no discovery was made in the direction of Tianjin, which is even further away.

Immediately, Fang Wen picked up the microphone: "Everyone, get ready. We will arrive at the bombing site in 20 minutes. Follow my instructions."

Twenty minutes passed quickly, and the bombing formation arrived over Baoding.

At this time, the Japanese air defense sentries at Baoding Airport had already detected the incoming warplanes, and the piercing alarm sounded over the city.

The anti-aircraft gun operator frantically cranked the aiming wheel, while the anti-aircraft machine gunner also set up his gun and fired wildly into the air, the bullets weaving a dense net around the fighter jet.

"Maintain altitude, don't panic, they can't reach this altitude!" Fang Wen shouted through the radio. "Wait for my order before dropping the bomb."

He took the necklace out with his left hand and held it in his hand.

Instantly, energy was extracted from the Eye Gem, the Mosaic Gem, and the Rune Ring and injected into his body.

At that moment, he entered a superhuman state, and the feeling of having everything under control returned.

The powerful perception spreads continuously, treating the entire air formation as a whole, and then calculating the bombing decision.

With his superhuman speed of calculation, he obtained the result he wanted.

Three seconds later, he picked up the microphone and ordered: "Drop the bomb."

The pilots of the eight fighter jets pressed the bomb release button at the same time, and 16 50-kilogram aerial bombs fell.

"Boom!" Explosions continued.

The anti-aircraft gun that was firing into the air was instantly blown to pieces, and the Japanese soldiers next to the gun position had no time to dodge and were blown away by the shock wave.

There were also bombs that landed on planes parked at the airport, blowing them in two.

While the eight fighter jets were dropping their bombs, Fang Wen also gave instructions to the bombardiers and loaders of Taishan-8.

Six aerial bombs then fell.

These six aerial bombs landed with greater precision, destroying the remaining air defenses.

At this moment, Japanese pilots inside the airport were running towards their parked planes.

Of course, we can't let them take off.

While continuing to issue bombing orders, Fang Wen also directed eight fighter jets to dive-bomb and straf the aircraft parked at the airport.

Immediately, eight fighter jets swooped down and fired their cannons at the aircraft parked on the ground.

Many Japanese warplanes were hit and burst into flames.

But some Japanese pilots were still rushing toward the plane.

But what awaited them was aerial bombs falling from above.

The massive aerial bomb exploded upon impact, sending countless sparks flying in all directions. The Japanese pilot on the plane was covered in these sparks.

The fire covered the area where planes were parked on the east side of the airport, and as the fire spread, one after another, fiery dragons shot into the sky.

Fang Wen observed the situation below through a mechanical sensory perspective.

All 20 Japanese warplanes parked at the airport were destroyed.

The Japanese troops inside and outside the city were moving around in a panic, but their anti-aircraft firepower at the airport was gone, so they couldn't do anything to Fang Wen.

Immediately, Fang Wen picked up the microphone: "Airport destroyed, now bomb the train station."

The aircraft turned and soon flew over the train station.

At this time, the train station was crowded with a large number of Japanese soldiers, and an armored military train was parked inside the station.

Upon seeing the planes appear in the sky, the Japanese soldiers panicked and tried to escape from the station, but they were all crowded together and not many were able to get out.

Aerial bombs rained down from the sky, turning the entire station into a fiery inferno.

Meanwhile, Qi Baoqian's second group had already joined up with the gunboat aircraft.

Twenty gunboats made contact with the ground via radio communication devices and then launched airstrikes against strongholds along the railway line in coordination with ground troops.

A dense hail of bullets rained down from the sky, with 12.7mm machine gun rounds and 20mm cannon rounds hitting the firing ports of the pillbox, creating a series of bullet holes.

Under intense aerial fire suppression, the Japanese pillboxes were unable to fire at the attacking Eighth Route Army soldiers.

The Eighth Route Army soldiers successfully approached the pillbox and carried out a demolition operation from a blind spot.

With a loud crash, the pillbox collapsed.

The fighting continued, and Japanese strongholds were constantly being breached. However, the Japanese troops in Baoding were under the threat of air raids and had no time to attend to the Japanese troops in the strongholds along the railway line.

The destruction of all the fighter jets at Baoding Airport also meant that there was no air force available to intercept them for the time being.

The only remaining threat is the Japanese warplanes at the Tianjin airfield. (End of Chapter)