Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 801 Preparations for the Surprise Attack: Assembling, Reconnaissance, and Military Deploymen

After the initial framework of the operational plan was finalized, the Fifth Military Sub-district of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region quickly launched its preparations.

Commander Zhao immediately issued an order to mobilize three main companies and two cavalry platoons, totaling more than 800 soldiers, from the military region to assemble in the northwest of Shuoxian County.

These troops, together with the Yanbei Cavalry, the Shuoxian Guerrilla Force, and troops mobilized from surrounding areas, will form an offensive force of 1,500 men.

To avoid attracting the attention of the Japanese army, the troops adopted a dispersed marching method, avoiding Japanese patrol routes and sentry posts, and advancing covertly along the mountains and villages along the Sanggan River.

Troops arriving in Shuoxian County would secretly enter Xiatuanbao Village and several surrounding villages under the guidance of local guerrillas.

At the same time, Fang Wen also began aerial reconnaissance work.

He knew that to launch a surprise attack on the Datong Black Lead Factory, he needed to understand the Japanese army's troop deployment, equipment, and defensive posture along the way. Only with accurate intelligence could he formulate a foolproof battle plan.

The day after arriving in Dongye Town, Fang Wen piloted a seaplane, carrying Gong Xiuneng, and took off from the Hutuo River in Dongye Town, flying towards Datong.

The aircraft was flying at an altitude of 4000 meters. While piloting the plane, Fang Wen activated the supernatural power-integrated radar target-locking device to reconnoiter the airspace near Datong.

There were no aircraft in the nearby airspace, making it the perfect time for aerial reconnaissance.

Half an hour later, the plane arrived in Shuoxian County and slowly advanced along the Sanggan River.

As the plane gradually approached Datong city, Fang Wen intensified his ability to sense supernatural phenomena.

The scene below became increasingly clear:

The city wall of Datong is tall, but many parts are damaged.

It is clearly a trace left by the Japanese army when they attacked Datong in 37. After that, the Japanese army did not repair the city wall.

Heavily guarded sentry posts were set up at the city gate, with several Japanese soldiers armed with guns, strictly checking people and vehicles entering and leaving the city.

Along the streets of the city, Japanese patrols could be seen passing by from time to time. Infantry, cavalry, artillery, and engineers took turns patrolling, and the city was heavily guarded.

Fang Wen's supernatural abilities continued to spread as he carefully counted the Japanese troops' strength:

There were more than 2,000 Japanese troops stationed in Datong city, about half of whom were infantrymen, and the rest were cavalry, artillerymen and engineers.

The artillery units were equipped with mountain guns and howitzers, deployed around the city walls and on high ground within the city, so that they could quickly launch fire strikes in the event of a battle.

The plane continued flying, heading towards the black lead factory west of Datong City.

Along the way, Fang Wen discovered that Japanese troops were stationed in mining areas such as Kouquan, Pingwang, and Datong Coal Mine near Datong. Each mining area had between fifty and one hundred troops, equipped with machine guns, rifles, and other weapons, and were mainly responsible for protecting the production and transportation of the mining areas.

These mining areas, together with the lead mill, formed a tight defense system. If the lead mill was attacked, Japanese troops from the surrounding mining areas could quickly come to its aid.

Soon, the plane arrived over the lead factory.

The black lead factory was located on a flat area west of Datong City. The factory was surrounded by two high barbed wire fences, and landmines were scattered between the fences. There was a sentry post every fifty meters, and the Japanese soldiers in the sentry posts were equipped with machine guns.

At the factory gate, more than ten Japanese soldiers were on guard, and two Japanese armored vehicles were parked nearby, ready to deal with any emergencies.

There were approximately 200 Japanese soldiers and 300 puppet troops, totaling 500 soldiers.

Fang Wen pondered to himself, "It seems that the Japanese army attaches great importance to the black lead factory. They not only stationed elite troops there, but also equipped it with heavy weapons, all to prevent attacks and protect the high-purity graphite inside."

After reconnaissance of the lead factory, Fang Wen piloted his plane along the route from Shuoxian to Datong to conduct aerial reconnaissance.

This route is essential for ground troops' offensive and for transporting graphite; therefore, understanding the defensive situation along the way is crucial.

As the plane flew slowly along the route, Fang Wen noticed that every few kilometers there was a Japanese pillbox, with more than ten Japanese soldiers stationed inside, equipped with machine guns, and able to monitor the surrounding roads and terrain in all directions; on the roads next to the pillboxes, there were also Japanese sentry posts, each with five to ten people holding rifles, responsible for checking passing pedestrians and vehicles.

In addition, there were two Japanese military barracks along the way, equipped with mortars and heavy machine guns. If the pillboxes were attacked, the Japanese troops in the barracks would immediately come out to provide support.

Fang Wen memorized the locations of these pillboxes, sentry posts, and military camps.

Thus, after more than three hours of aerial reconnaissance, Fang Wen finally ascertained the deployment of Japanese troops in Datong city, the Black Lead Factory, and along the route from Shuoxian to Datong, and collected a large amount of accurate intelligence.

He then piloted the plane back to Dongye Town, concluding the reconnaissance mission.

Upon returning to Dongye Town, Fang Wen immediately drew information on a map and wrote down everything he had memorized.

After drawing the aerial reconnaissance map, Fang Wen then summarized and verified the intelligence gathered from the aerial reconnaissance with the intelligence previously collected by the military sub-district.

Only by filling in the gaps in this way can we obtain the most authentic and effective military reconnaissance intelligence.

Subsequently, Fang Wen went to the Fifth Military Sub-district Command Headquarters, took out the intelligence he had compiled, and explained in detail the troop distribution, equipment situation, and defensive posture of the Japanese army in Datong, making up for the deficiencies in the military sub-district's intelligence and making the entire intelligence system more complete and accurate.

"Gentlemen, based on my aerial reconnaissance and intelligence, the Japanese forces in Datong are correct in terms of troop strength, but they are better equipped, the defenses of the Black Lead Factory are more robust, and the blockade lines along the way are also very long. This poses a great challenge to our surprise attack and subsequent supply transport."

Commander Zhao looked at the compiled intelligence with a serious expression: "Thanks to your aerial reconnaissance this time, we have learned the details of the Japanese army. Otherwise, if we had acted rashly, we would have suffered heavy losses. With this accurate intelligence, we can adjust our battle plan accordingly, find their weaknesses, and launch an attack."

Political Commissar Wang added, "Yes, this intelligence is extremely important. We will optimize our attack plan based on this intelligence to ensure that we can quickly eliminate Japanese strongholds along the way, creating a better situation for you to capture the lead factory and transport supplies."

After the intelligence was gathered and the operational plan was adjusted, Fang Wen decided to return to the base in northern Myanmar to retrieve military supplies and air power.

A surprise attack on the black lead factory requires strong firepower support and sufficient military supplies, which can only be provided by the base in northern Myanmar.

That evening, Fang Wen arranged for Zhou Pomen to lead 50 special operations soldiers to stay in Dongye Town and, together with the soldiers of the Fifth Military Sub-district, familiarize themselves with the terrain, practice tactics, and make preliminary preparations for war. He himself then piloted a seaplane to fly to the base in northern Myanmar overnight.

The plane flew overnight, traversing towering mountains and making a stopover in Chengdu. After a ten-hour journey, it finally arrived at the base in northern Myanmar.

At this moment, the base in northern Myanmar was bustling with activity, as staff were preparing the military supplies requested by Fang Wen in a tense but orderly manner.

As early as when Fang Wen set off from Yan'an for Dongye Town, he had already issued instructions to the base in northern Myanmar via radio, requesting the base to prepare directional landmines, aerial bombs, parts for Taishan Storm rocket launchers, as well as related ammunition, supplies and other materials.

"General Manager, you're back!" Base Director Shen Weitao explained the situation to Fang Wen. "We have prepared most of the military supplies you requested. Directional mines, aerial bombs, ammunition, etc., have all been loaded onto the aircraft. The parts for the Taishan Storm rocket launcher have also been inventoried and are ready for transport at any time. In addition, the 10 gunboats from the Independent Regiment's aviation battalion stationed in Hanoi took off half an hour ago and are expected to arrive at the base in 4 hours."

Fang Wen said with satisfaction, "Very good, thank you all for your hard work. Hurry up and load the supplies onto the plane."

"Understood!" Base supervisor Shen Weitao turned around and instructed staff to speed up the preparation process.

Four hours later, 10 gunboats landed at the base's seaplane base.

Pan Jiafeng, who was leading the team, got off the plane and walked up to Fang Wen.

When no one else was around, Pan Jiafeng changed his way of addressing Fang Wen: "Master, what's the mission this time?" "To Datong to fight the Japanese," Fang Wen replied.

"Datong! That's great!" Pan Jiafeng was very excited. Attacking a city that had fallen in 38 proved that China still had unlimited potential and would eventually drive the Japanese devils out of China.

"Check the plane first, then depart after dark."

As Fang Wen spoke, he began inspecting the gunboat's aircraft.

Ten gunship-type aircraft were neatly parked on the tarmac. These gunship-type aircraft were second-generation improved models. Their bulletproof shields were made of special steel used in Soviet-made helmets, and their engines were replaced with the new Taishan engines. It can be said that they have higher defensive capabilities and stronger endurance and combat capabilities than the first-generation gunship-type aircraft.

After checking, Fang Wen didn't find any major problems.

Time passed slowly, and it was 8 p.m. when it was time to set off.

Fang Wen led 10 gunboats and 10 seaplanes to take off from the base in northern Myanmar.

After a two-hour flight, the aircraft arrived at Kunming Sea Airport. Airport staff had already been notified and made preparations for transit and resupply. After landing, the staff quickly refueled the aircraft and checked the equipment. After a short stop of half an hour, the aircraft took off again and flew towards Chengdu Sea Airport.

Around 11 p.m., the aircraft arrived at Chengdu Airport. The transit and resupply at Chengdu Water Airport also went smoothly. After a short rest, the aircraft continued their journey towards Yanchuan Water Airport.

At four o'clock in the morning, Fang Wen led the aircraft group and finally arrived over the Hutuo River outside Dongye Town.

Soldiers on the shore waved red flags to guide the aircraft to their landing positions.

Fang Wen piloted the aircraft and landed first on the Hutuo River. Subsequently, 10 gunboats and 10 seaplanes landed in succession and came to a steady stop on the water.

After the aircraft landed, the soldiers of the Fifth Military Sub-district and the special forces members who remained in Dongye Town immediately rushed to the riverbank to assist the base staff in unloading the military supplies from the aircraft.

Targeted mines, aerial bombs, ammunition, and supplies were unloaded one by one and neatly stacked in temporary warehouses built on the shore.

The components of the Taishan Storm rocket launcher were carefully unloaded and transported to a temporary assembly site in Dongye Town.

The unloading operation lasted for more than three hours, and all supplies were unloaded.

Without taking a break, Fang Wen immediately arranged for staff to carry out training on the installation of directional landmines and radio detonation.

The Fifth Military Sub-district specially dispatched 50 outstanding soldiers to learn from them. These soldiers are the backbone of their respective companies, with strong learning abilities and rich combat experience. They can quickly master the use of directional mines and then pass on their knowledge to other soldiers.

At the training site, technicians from the base, holding directional landmines, explained in detail to the soldiers the structure of the mines, their installation methods, and the principle of radio detonation.

"Look, everyone, these are Taishan directional mines, which come in two types: anti-tank mines and infantry mines. Anti-tank mines are mainly used to attack Japanese armored vehicles and tanks. They are extremely powerful and can easily penetrate the armor of Japanese armored vehicles. Infantry mines are mainly used to attack Japanese infantry. They have flexible triggering methods and can be detonated remotely or by contact."

The technicians explained and demonstrated on the spot, installing directional mines on the ground, connecting them to the radio detonation device, and then detonating them remotely with a handheld remote control.

With a deafening roar, the landmine exploded, creating a large crater in the ground and sending debris flying everywhere. The force of the explosion was astonishing.

The soldiers present, witnessing the power of the exploding landmines, showed expressions of surprise and admiration, and began to study even more diligently.

"When installing them, it's crucial to ensure that anti-tank mines are buried along the paths that Japanese armored vehicles and tanks are likely to take, at a depth of about 30 centimeters, to guarantee effective hits. Infantry mines, on the other hand, can be buried along roadsides or in bushes, requiring strong concealment to avoid detection by the Japanese," the technician continued. "When detonating with radio, it's important to control the distance to ensure detonation within a safe range. Actually, the operation isn't difficult; when you see the target appear above the mine, simply press the radio detonation device."

The soldiers listened attentively, asking questions from time to time. The technicians patiently answered each question and taught them how to install landmines and operate remote controls, ensuring that every soldier could master the use of directional landmines.

Fang Wen, Commander Zhao, and Political Commissar Wang stood aside and watched.

Commander Zhao, still remembering what Fang Wen had said that day, couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Fang, did you bring that television-guided weapon with you?"

Fang Wen nodded: "I brought it."

Can we take a look?

"Sure, I'm also going to demonstrate the firing effect of this weapon to everyone."

After Fang Wen agreed, he went to the temporary assembly site and worked with the staff to assemble the Taishan Storm rocket launcher.

The professional technical team brought this time was responsible for the assembly work. They skillfully assembled the various components together, and meticulously carried out the installation, debugging, and calibration of each step to ensure that the launch vehicle could operate normally.

One day later, the Taishan Storm rocket launcher was assembled.

This launch vehicle is massive and equipped with an advanced television-guided aiming and control system. The launcher carries multiple rockets, making it look incredibly powerful.

Fang Wen invited the commanders and soldiers of the Fifth Military Sub-district to the assembly site to demonstrate the precision strike capability of the television-guided technology, dispelling their doubts.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is our Taishan Storm rocket launcher. It uses advanced television guidance and aiming technology, which can achieve accurate hits within a 5-kilometer range with a hit error of no more than 20 meters." Fang Wen stood next to the launcher and explained, "Some people said before that artillery shells cannot turn corners, but that's because you haven't seen this kind of advanced military technology. Today, I will demonstrate it to you on the spot so that you can see for yourselves what the power of science is."

After speaking, Fang Wen boarded the launch vehicle.

The observer in front called out using a Taishan walkie-talkie: "Target spotted, coordinates: northeast 12."

Fang Wen operated the television-guided aiming system, adjusting the firing direction and aiming at an abandoned building 5 kilometers away.

Press the launch button.

"Whoosh—" A rocket shot out and flew toward the abandoned building.

During the rocket's flight, the television guidance system showed that Fang Wen adjusted the flight direction in real time. Subsequently, the rocket's tail fins were slightly adjusted, and the trajectory was slightly deflected.

The commanders and soldiers present stared intently at the trajectory of the rocket, their faces showing tension and anticipation.

A few seconds later, a loud "boom" rang out as the rocket accurately struck the abandoned building, instantly destroying it, sending debris flying and filling the air with smoke and dust.

Upon seeing this, the commanders and soldiers present were stunned, their faces showing disbelief. Then, enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted from the scene.

"That's amazing! It really hit the target!"

"This weapon is amazing! It can actually hit a target 5 kilometers away with perfect accuracy!"

"With this weapon, dealing with the Japanese pillboxes and strongholds will be so much easier for us!"

The commanders and soldiers began to discuss it, their voices filled with excitement and admiration. Their previous doubts about the television-guided technology had completely vanished. (End of Chapter)