Chapter 58: Headquarters Stunned Again and Again!

The Eighth Route Army Headquarters.

The atmosphere was rather heavy.

The senior commanders wore grim expressions, their gazes locked unwaveringly on the dot marked "Zhicheng" on the map.

They had just received word that that son-of-a-bitch Toshio Tada had actually dispatched a full twenty heavy bombers!

That was a staggering thirty tons of explosives!

"Damn it!"

The Deputy Commander slammed his palm down on the table.

"To watch the little Japanese devils' planes flying back and forth right above our heads, while we are completely powerless to do anything about it!"

Utterly infuriating!

It was too damn infuriating!

It was no exaggeration to say it was like having someone squat on your neck to relieve themselves.

And the worst part was your complete inability to fight back.

The Chief of Staff comforted him, "Old General, please don't be too anxious. Didn't Li Yunlong report that Mr. Lin delivered over a hundred anti-aircraft guns? With those things around, we should at least... at least be able to shoot down a few, teach the Japanese a lesson, and minimize our losses..."

The Deputy Commander shook his head. "Although there are over a hundred anti-aircraft guns, barely a night has passed. Putting aside deployment, our soldiers might not even be proficient in operating them yet."

The commanders' expressions grew even graver.

Weapons could not just be picked up and used immediately, especially high-end advanced weaponry. It took at least a month of training to form an effective combat capability.

Of course, the 107mm rocket launcher bug was an exception.

Someone else suggested, "Didn't they say... Mr. Lin also brought ten advanced fighter jets? Staff Officer Wang has already..."

As he spoke, the man's voice trailed off.

No matter how advanced the fighter jets were, one person in one plane could hardly fight twenty enemy aircraft, could they?

In fact, there was a good chance even Staff Officer Wang might...

The atmosphere grew increasingly gloomy.

Suddenly, the Deputy Commander raised his head and ordered, "Send a telegram to Li Yunlong. At all costs, ensure the safety of Mr. Lin!"

"If necessary... you may abandon Zhicheng and evacuate immediately!"

"Deputy Commander?!" someone gasped in disbelief, their face filled with reluctance.

To abandon a heavily contested strategic town they had fought so hard to capture just like that?

The Deputy Commander's expression was resolute. "Don't be sentimental about crockery and jars! If a city is shattered, we can rebuild it, but Mr. Lin must not be put in danger under any circumstances."

The commanders nodded in agreement.

Indeed!

Mr. Lin's importance could not possibly be compared to a single major city.

Let alone one, not even ten cities could compare.

Without Mr. Lin, they might still be tearing their hair out over the Japanese winter sweeping campaigns right now.

The Deputy Commander looked at the communications staff officer. "What are you waiting for? Go!"

"Yes!"

The communications staff officer accepted the order solemnly and bolted toward the telegraph room.

However, before he even cleared the command room, he collided head-on with another communications staff officer.

"Report! Urgent telegram from Li Yunlong's unit!"

Everyone's heart instantly leaped into their throats!

The Deputy Commander lunged forward in a single stride. "Quick, speak! How is Zhicheng?! Is Mr. Lin... is Mr. Lin safe?!!"

***

The communications staff officer's face was flushed with excitement. "Report! The telegram from Li Yunlong's unit states that the new fighter jets brought by Mr. Lin have won a resounding victory in their maiden battle!"

At this, the communications staff officer swallowed hard, then shouted at the top of his lungs:

"The twenty invading enemy aircraft... have all been shot down by Staff Officer Wang! Not a single one left!"

...

Dead silence!

The command room went completely quiet for several seconds, followed immediately by—

"What?"

"Staff Officer Wang shot down twenty enemy planes?"

"Are you sure the telegram wasn't mistranslated?"

"They were... they were all shot down by Staff Officer Wang alone? It wasn't the anti-aircraft guns?"

Questions burst forth like a string of firecrackers, with everyone doubting their own ears!

Such a battle result was simply too unbelievable!

It completely shattered their cognitive limits regarding aerial combat!

Let alone shooting down twenty planes, if they managed to shoot down even two, Chongqing would be broadcasting it from the rooftops!

Striking down the Japanese air power would boost morale far more than any ground battle.

For the soldiers, no matter how many ground enemies they faced, taking a bullet meant casualties.

At worst, it was a trade of lives.

Killing one breaks even, killing two is a profit.

Even when facing tanks and armored vehicles, they could strap on explosives...

Yet those bastards in the sky came and went as they pleased, completely unhindered!

They had always been passively on the receiving end of bombings.

It was pure bullying!

You couldn't exactly shoot down a plane with a rifle, could you?

It was fair to say that the little Japanese devils' planes were a dimensional reduction blow to the soldiers!

Therefore, every time a Japanese plane was shot down, it was a tremendous morale boost.

And this time... they had actually shot down a full twenty!

A one-sided wipeout of twenty to one!

"Hiss—"

Everyone drew a sharp breath!

The division commander's expression was solemn. "Deputy Commander, if this is true, the significance of this is monumental!"

It wasn't just about shooting down twenty enemy planes!

The Chief of Staff nodded in agreement. "That's right. If the fighter jets brought by Mr. Lin truly possess such divine might, then... the skies over Taihang and Taiyue will belong to us from now on!"

"When that time comes, it will be the little Japanese devils' turn to walk on eggshells and lose sleep at night!"

The Deputy Commander nodded. He understood this logic better than anyone.

"Quick, reply to Li Yunlong. I want the detailed process!"

"Yes!" The communications staff officer turned and sprinted away.

Every minute of waiting felt excruciatingly long.

The senior commanders sat on pins and needles in the operations room.

The expressions on their faces cycled rapidly through a myriad of emotions.

Shock that had yet to recede, surging euphoria, utter disbelief, explosive anticipation...

Finally! The communications staff officer rushed back in, gripping a detailed combat report tightly in his hand!

"Report! Detailed combat report on the Zhicheng aerial battle!"

The Deputy Commander practically snatched the document away, and the others crowded around in a rush.

As their eyes swept across the words, gasps of astonishment echoed one after another:

"Jet aircraft?"

"One thousand kilometers per hour? Good lord!!"

"More than twice the speed of the little Japanese planes?"

"A flight altitude of over ten thousand meters? Far exceeding the Japanese limit?"

"What a magnificent Wang Zhihang! What a brilliant dive attack!"

"Using altitude and speed advantages to strike and vanish instantly!"

"Splendid! Simply splendid! Truly the darling of our military's aviation!"

The commanders cried out in continuous amazement.

The more they read, the more astounded they became!

The more they read, the more excited they grew!

Wang Zhihang had explained everything clearly in the telegram, as the situation itself wasn't complicated to begin with.

To put it bluntly, he had simply relied on speed and altitude to rain sniper fire down upon the enemy planes from above.

It was pure, unadulterated bullying!

"Hahaha, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!" The Chief of Staff laughed like a child.

The division commander chuckled along, "Although these are only fighters and not bombers, with them here, if the little Japanese planes dare to come again... Hmph! Who will be squatting on whose neck remains to be seen!"

A smile finally broke across the Deputy Commander's face as well. "This Mr. Lin... I truly don't know how to thank him!"

"This is simply... presenting us with an entire sky!"

"Indeed!"

The commanders could not help sighing with emotion.

From submachine guns, assault rifles, rocket launchers, all the way to today's jet aircraft...

Amidst their excitement, the senior commanders could not help wondering what kind of background Mr. Lin actually had.

However, before the commanders could dwell on it further, communications staff officers rushed in one after another to report:

"Report, the 23rd Regiment reports, Tun County has been recaptured!"

"Report, the 25th Regiment reports, Xiang County has been recaptured!"

"Report, the 26th Regiment reports, Li County has been recaptured!"

...

Reports of victory flew in like snowflakes!

Riding on the momentum of the 36th Division's annihilation, the various strongholds and county towns entrenched in the Taihang and Taiyue mountainous regions were all liberated in a single day under the Eighth Route Army's sweeping offensive!

Many Japanese troops had even fled without a fight!

With his hands clasped behind his back, the Deputy Commander stood before the giant map, watching the vast areas rapidly being marked with red flags, his smile growing ever deeper:

"Quick, immediately transmit the news back to the rear area..."