You are ordered to support the War of Resistance against Japan; China enters Level 1 combat readines

While explaining the basic instrument recognition and flight principles, Shen Wang had the pilot try small turns, climbs, and descents.

The trainees inside the cabin stared wide-eyed, desperately trying to memorize and understand.

Although the instruments were all in English, fortunately, two of the trainees had overseas experience and could act as temporary "translators" and teaching assistants, so although learning was difficult, it was not impossible to get started.

Shen Wang wanted them to first establish intuitive feelings and basic concepts.

Besides training pilots, another important purpose of Shen Wang's trip was to personally "scout out" the location, familiarize himself with, and ultimately determine the flight route for the night raid.

Without satellite navigation or sophisticated radar guidance, to fly precisely over 600 kilometers through the pitch-black night sky to reach the outskirts of Beiping was, in that era, akin to a blind man walking a tightrope.

"Look closely at the ground and remember the course of this river; it's our first major ground reference."

Shen Wang said to the student in charge of guiding the class.

A selected student, with excellent spatial memory and drawing skills, is staring intently out the porthole, his pencil moving rapidly across the map.

Based on Shen Wang's instructions, the approximate flight path, speed, and time elapsed, and combined with the clearly visible terrain features below, he nervously drew a detailed flight path map.

This was the most basic navigator course at the flight school at that time, but when applied to helicopters, especially when planning a secret route that avoided major towns and Japanese garrisons, its complexity and importance increased exponentially.

"We must plan at least three alternative routes, and find reliable landmarks for each segment. When flying at night, we will need to rely on our prior memory and the limited moonlight, starlight, and scattered lights on the ground to help us make judgments." Shen Wang's voice was serious.

There are no shortcuts; the only way is to familiarize yourself with, correct, and reinforce your memory through repeated real-world flights.

This was the first long-range test flight and reconnaissance team deployment.

Originally, the chief of staff and the division commander strongly disagreed with Shen Wang's personal participation in this test flight and preliminary reconnaissance and delivery.

That's too risky!

If anything goes wrong, the losses will be unbearable!

But Shen Wang's attitude was unusually firm.

That was the North China Army Headquarters, where countless big fish were. If I didn't personally take down a few of them, not to mention the military merit, the regret alone would last a lifetime.

In the end, Shen Wang persuaded the chief of staff and others.

At this moment, the Chinook is flying at an altitude of about 5,000 meters.

At this altitude, the low, rumbling sound characteristic of helicopters attenuates over distance and becomes very faint by the time it reaches the ground, almost drowned out by the sounds of the wind and everyday noise.

Looking up, even on a clear day, one can only see a small, inconspicuous black dot moving slowly, making it impossible to tell what kind of flying object it is.

Shen Wang's planned flight route deliberately avoided major cities such as Taiyuan, Baocheng, and Zhuangcheng, as well as key Japanese air defense areas. Most of the flight path passed through continuous mountainous areas, hills, and small villages.

Even if the Japanese saw it, they would never guess that what was flying in the sky was a helicopter, because there were no helicopters in the world!

The two-hour flight was spent in a tense atmosphere of observation, learning, and navigator recording.

As the outline of an incredibly well-organized and massive ancient architectural complex gradually emerged on the distant horizon, everyone in the cabin held their breath.

The golden glazed tiles shimmered with a solemn and distant light under the sun, and the layered palace roofs outlined an incredibly clear skyline.

Forbidden City!

No map is needed to confirm this; this imperial city, which has witnessed centuries of vicissitudes, is itself the most prominent and irreplaceable ground navigation landmark!

It clearly indicates the core location of Beiping.

Shen Wang looked at the massive complex of buildings that was becoming clearer in his field of vision, nodded, and said into the communicator: "Target reference confirmed! Test flight route verified, everything went smoothly! Prepare to proceed to alternate landing point number one according to the pre-arranged plan."

The Chinook began to descend, turned, and flew toward a secluded mountain valley in the mountains northwest of Beiping, which had been pre-selected through reconnaissance.

The area is densely forested and sparsely populated, far from major roads, making it an ideal temporary take-off and landing point and rendezvous point.

Wang Qiming and others quickly disembarked with their equipment and met up with a small number of underground comrades who had been lying in wait there.

Shen Wang didn't disembark. Instead, through the open cabin door, he gave Wang Qiming and the others his final words of advice: "Remember the mission, and be careful. The next time we meet will be when I pick you up to take you home. Take care!"

"Take care, sir! We guarantee to complete the mission!" Wang Qiming and the others stood at attention and saluted, their eyes resolute.

The hatch closed, and the Chinook roared into the air once more, embarking on its return journey.

The first long-range infiltration test flight and reconnaissance forward delivery mission was a complete success!

. . .

Beiping.

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

On the streets, there were noticeably more Japanese patrols than before, with their helmets on and bayonets gleaming.

They were no longer the leisurely patrolmen with the air of conquerors, but rather their eyes, like those of hawks, were scanning every pedestrian and every corner of the street with intense focus.

His eyes held undisguised vigilance, and even a hint of barely perceptible... anxiety.

"Stop right there! Certificate of Good Conduct!"

"Your basket, open it! Check it!"

Pedestrians who hesitated even slightly, appeared flustered, or whose attire was inappropriate for the season were immediately stopped by the fierce Japanese soldiers and subjected to severe questioning and body searches.

If they cannot produce that thin "good citizen certificate" that symbolizes humiliation and the right to survival, or if their answers are slightly flawed, they will be rudely pushed, scolded, or even taken away.

Outside the temporary detention center of the military police on the street corner, family members waiting in line for identification or ransom looked distressed and sobbed softly.

The wind howls and cranes cry; even the grass and trees seem like soldiers.

The specific process and details of how the Eighth Route Army swiftly captured important towns such as Zhicheng and Hexian in southeastern Shanxi have been presented to the high command of the North China Army through various channels during this period.

To prevent the "tragedy of southeastern Shanxi" from repeating itself in other core cities in North China, an extremely strict order for "strengthening security and preventing infiltration" was issued from the North China Army Headquarters.

Not only Beiping, but also major cities and transportation hubs such as Taiyuan, Zhuangcheng, Baocheng, and Shimen have all entered a state of wartime alert.

The number of patrol troops in the city has doubled, the curfew has been brought forward, and household registration checks have been carried out again and again.

Outside the city, for miles or even tens of miles, along the roads leading to major cities, countless new anti-tank ditches, barbed wire, and sentry posts, both visible and hidden, were laid out.

No matter what you say, the Japanese devils are afraid!

These beasts are genuinely worried that one day, while they're sleeping, the Eighth Route Army's invincible heavy tanks will suddenly appear right in front of them.

It wasn't that the Japanese soldiers were afraid of death; the main problem was that even if they were going to die, couldn't they at least not die so unjustly and unjustly?