Chapter 52: The Headquarters Urgently Needs Anti-Aircraft Firepower!

"Mr. Lin, all officers and men of the First Battalion await your command!" the battalion commander reported loudly.

The headquarters had given explicit instructions: upon arrival, everything was to be placed under Mr. Lin's command.

Lin Ran hurriedly stepped aside, declining the salute.

"Comrade Battalion Commander, thank you all for your hard work! Without further ado, have the comrades board the vehicles, and let us depart immediately!"

"Board the vehicles?" The battalion commander was momentarily bewildered.

"Right back there!"

Lin Ran pointed to a vast, open expanse behind him.

The battalion commander squinted into the distance. It was rather dark, and nothing was clearly visible.

Lin Ran smiled, turned around, and gave a sweeping wave of his hand: "Start the engines, move out!"

Swish!

Over a hundred GBU-15 trucks illuminated their high beams simultaneously!

The battalion commander and the soldiers of the First Battalion behind him were startled out of their wits in an instant.

Trucks were one thing, but what on earth was that endless train of long artillery barrels towed behind them?

They looked even larger than 105mm howitzers!

What good things had this Mr. Lin brought this time?

Suddenly, the battalion commander's expression shifted drastically:

"Airplanes!!!"

"Ten of them!!!"

The entire First Battalion plunged into a dead silence of ultimate astonishment!

...

Beiping City.

North China Area Army Headquarters.

Tada Jun furrowed his brow, his face as gloomy as water about to drip, the telegraph paper in his hand crinkling loudly under his tight grip.

"Baka!"

A roar, suppressed to the absolute limit, finally burst forth as he violently slammed the telegram onto the desk.

"Shonuzaki Yoshio! That good-for-nothing! Fool! Disgrace to the Empire!"

In just a few short weeks, how had Shanxi deteriorated to this extent?

Barely a fortnight ago, Tada Jun had received a report from Shonuzaki Yoshio stating that the 29th Mixed Brigade had been annihilated.

At the time, Tada Jun had not taken it too seriously. Furthermore, Shonuzaki Yoshio had claimed he was confident in avenging the Empire's heroes, so Tada Jun had not paid the matter much heed.

He had even transferred a full twenty 150mm heavy artillery pieces to Shonuzaki Yoshio so that the latter could wash away the shame as quickly as possible.

Yet, only a dozen days later, the First Army had actually lost a third of its fighting strength?

One Class-A division, one independent mixed brigade, and three regiments—all of them completely devoured!

That amounted to more than forty-five thousand elite imperial troops!

And there were several general officers, including Lieutenant General Mai Chinnan and Major General Takahashi Akisato... all dead in battle!

This casualty report pressed heavily upon Tada Jun's heart, leaving him nearly suffocated!

He simply had no idea how to explain this disgrace to the Imperial General Headquarters in Tokyo!

That bastard Shonuzaki Yoshio actually had the audacity to send a telegram claiming he was "powerless to maintain the Taihang and Taiyue regions" and requesting air support for bombing?

"Coward! Incompetent coward!"

Tada Jun cursed in a low voice, wearily rubbing his throbbing temples.

Matters having reached this point, a scorched-earth policy was the only means left to inflict trouble upon the enemy.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his surging anger. "Pass down the order: the 16th Air Squadron is to take off immediately after dawn, with Zhicheng as the target!"

"I will turn that land into a scorched wasteland! I will make those dirt-poor peasants pay the price!"

The 16th Air Squadron was equipped with the Type 97 heavy bomber, which had just recently been introduced to the battlefield.

It carried a bomb load of 1.5 tons and had a maximum speed of 423 kilometers per hour.

Moreover, the 16th Air Squadron was outfitted with a full twenty Type 97 heavy bombers, capable of carrying up to 30 tons of explosives in total!

What concept was that?

A single RPG rocket weighed roughly 10 kilograms, so 30 tons meant... 3,000 rounds!

Furthermore, aerial bombs were different from rockets; rockets still contained some propellant, whereas aerial bombs were filled entirely with nothing but explosives, damn it!

"Yoshi! That will give those rustic Eighth Route Army soldiers a taste of suffering!"

Tada Jun's lips curled into a cruel smirk.

...

Eighth Route Army Headquarters.

The minds of the commanders had finally calmed down.

A full four regimental flags!

That's right, four!

Cheng the Blind had also captured a complete regimental flag from the Sasaki Regiment stationed in Huxian County.

The Chief of Staff pointed at the map with a broad smile. "Comrades, this battle has crippled Shonuzaki Yoshio and scared him out of his wits! In my opinion, for at least the next half year, the Japanese devils of the First Army will have to shrink back into their turtle shells and not dare poke their heads out!"

To completely annihilate over thirty-six thousand Japanese devils in a single battle and recover one city and twelve counties—this was unquestionably a historic, sweeping victory!

The Division Commander nodded with steady composure. "Indeed! We have bought ourselves a precious strategic breathing period! Taihang and Taiyue have truly become our foundation!"

Yet the Deputy Commander maintained a sharp gaze, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table. "Don't all of you get too excited just yet! Giving the First Army a painful blow is only the beginning! The 12th Army is still lurking nearby like a tiger eyeing its prey, and the Mongolian Garrison Army is to the north!"

"Across the entire North China Area Army, three hundred thousand Japanese troops remain a terrifying force!"

The Deputy Commander's words fell like a basin of cold water, rapidly cooling the ecstatic atmosphere.

Although this battle had been fought brilliantly, it had only hurt the First Army's feelings.

As far as the entire North China Area Army was concerned, it was merely a scratch.

And for the Japanese invaders as a whole, it was nothing more than an itch.

The Chief of Staff's expression also grew solemn. "The most imminent threat, I fear, comes from the sky!"

"Having occupied such a vast territory, the Japanese devils will never let the matter rest! Their airplanes could appear above our heads at any moment!"

Everyone felt a chill strike their hearts.

The Division Commander smiled bitterly and took up the thread. "That is precisely what worries me the most! Our anti-air defense capabilities are... basically zero!"

"The rifles in our soldiers' hands are completely useless against the warplanes in the sky. In the days ahead, I'm afraid we will be reduced to taking passive beatings from the air!"

The Deputy Commander suddenly stood up, resolute and decisive. "Pass down the word! All units are to spare no cost and immediately construct air-defense fortifications with all their might!"

"Dig air-raid shelters! Build bunkers!"

"The meat we have already swallowed into our mouths must never be spit out just because of a few airplanes! Even if we have to take it hard, we must hold our ground!"

"Understood!"

With the orders relayed, the atmosphere inside the command post grew heavy once more.

Suddenly, the Division Commander's eyes lit up as he jerked his head upward. "Right! Mr. Lin! Hasn't Mr. Lin already arrived at Li Yunlong's place?"

"Quick! Send a telegram to Li Yunlong immediately! Ask him if Mr. Lin has... any good weapons capable of dealing with airplanes?"

A single sentence awakened the dreamers!

The eyes of all the top commanders lit up in a flash.

"That's right, that's right! Ask Mr. Lin!"

"Quick! Send a telegram to Li Yunlong at once!"

"Air defense! We need anti-aircraft firepower!"

...

Ten miles outside Zhicheng City.

Li Yunlong led the First and Second Battalions to meet and escort Lin Ran; old Li simply could not set his mind at ease otherwise.

Following several major battles, Lin Ran's importance had grown increasingly paramount.

Li Yunlong stood on a small hill, spotting the long procession of headlights from afar.

In the past, he would certainly have assumed them to be Japanese troop transport trucks.

But now—

"Hahaha! They're coming! Brother Lin has arrived!" Li Yunlong split his wide mouth in a grin, laughing with utter satisfaction.

The battles fought over the past dozen days had been nothing short of deeply gratifying!

Slaughtering over forty thousand Japanese devils in a mere fortnight—what a thrill!

"First and Second Battalions, follow me to welcome Mr. Lin!"

With a grand wave of his hand, Li Yunlong led the soldiers of the two battalions charging toward the convoy.

As the distance closed, the dense forest of massive artillery barrels packed at the rear of the vehicle column became clearly visible under the illumination of the headlights!

Li Yunlong's eyes instantly popped wide open, saliva practically dripping from his mouth. "Good lord! Brother Lin has brought another heavy course for us old Li!"

Before long, the two parties met...