Chapter 189: Showing A Movie
When the lead-gray sky had just torn open a crack, and the morning light had yet to dispel the valley’s chill, the roar of the Japanese engines already pressed down like the growl of the Grim Reaper.
Then, accompanied by a sharp whistle tearing through the brief silence, instantly igniting the entire valley, orange-red firelights suddenly erupted along the ridges on both sides of Wild Wolf Valley.
Over a hundred Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns opened fire almost simultaneously, countless blazing flames from the muzzles merging into a rolling sea of fire.
Countless dazzling tracer trajectories tore through the gray sky, lunging at an astonishing speed toward the diving Japanese bombers（ Type 97 heavy bombers, Type 99 fighters）.
They were not firing blindly, but directed by their respective gunners, forming crisscrossing, pursuing three-dimensional fire nets, attempting to lock the steel birds in a cage of death.
Tracer rounds dragged scarlet tails, tearing through the morning mist like countless angry fire snakes lunging at the steel birds.
Soon, a Japanese plane’s left wing suddenly exploded into a dazzling fireball, its aluminum skin peeling off like paper, and the pilot was seen falling from high altitude, his figure tracing a piercing parabolic arc in the air before suddenly blooming open, a white parachute drifting in mid-air.
Then, beside the camera, a voice that seemed to belong to an observer suddenly roared loudly, its hoarse tone abrupt amid the explosions: “Turn right……hurry and turn right……sector three……three diving bombers! Shoot……shoot fast……”
“Click click click……” Suddenly the orderly gunfire halted, followed immediately by another voice.
“Ammo……hurry and reload……they’re diving down……”
Hearing the anxious and somewhat desperate voice from the speaker, the Eighth Route Army leaders watching the movie all felt it deeply, as if they were back on the battlefield thick with cannon fodder.
Many looked gravely at the planes whistling past in the sky and the shells exploding in the air, seemingly recalling a group of soldiers using their lives to confront the invaders’ ferocious planes on a battlefield ablaze with gunfire.
Fortunately, after waiting about a few seconds, the anti-aircraft guns roared back to life.
As the battle continued, the ground fire seemed to intensify, high-explosive shells bursting into snarling clouds of black-red smoke in the air, sharp shrapnel scattering like a rainstorm, emitting piercing whistles.
On the movie screen, Japanese planes emitted sharp whistles, weaving through the sky filled with fire nets.
Every near-miss explosion in the sky made these planes dodge like startled birds, pitching violently like small boats in raging waves.
From time to time, planes were hit by shells, their aluminum skins torn open by sharp shrapnel; some damaged Japanese planes climbed clumsily trailing thick smoke, others turned into fireballs amid desperate shrieks, spiraling down into the valley depths, triggering larger explosions.
The cadres and soldiers in front of the screen erupted in cheers at this scene, some even clapping.
Li Yunlong, Kong Jie, and Ding Wei stared at the screen without even blinking, their faces full of shock and excitement.
Kong Jie slapped his thigh loudly: “Thrilling! I’ve been a soldier for so many years, and this is the first time I’ve seen such dense ground anti-aircraft fire, completely locking down the little devils’ planes.”
Li Yunlong nodded, “This Shanxi militia is indeed formidable; that anti-aircraft fire was like a hailstorm.
If it were me, I’d order concealment immediately, prioritizing preserving strength; facing the Japanese planes head-on like the Shanxi militia—I wouldn’t even dare think about it.”
Ding Wei laughed: “Old Kong, hear that? This guy never yields to anyone usually; even if beaten soft all over, his mouth stays hard. It’s rare for such words to come from Old Li.”
Those around burst into laughter at Ding Wei’s words; Li Yunlong’s stubborn tough-guy attitude was renowned throughout the army.
But though they laughed, everyone’s eyes hid a trace of shock and emotion, especially Brigade Commander Chen, the division commander, deputy chief of staff, and deputy chief of general staff, who thought even more deeply.
As the saying goes, laymen watch the spectacle, experts see the technique; ordinary people might just marvel at the excitement and shout “thrilling,” but as senior commanders, they knew far more about what was really going on.
First, where did so many anti-aircraft guns come from, and from their firing rate, each gun’s rate of fire was at least three or four hundred rounds per minute; over a hundred guns would fire thirty to forty thousand shells in a minute—that was terrifying.
One must know, China’s national strength in those days was weaker than later generations could imagine.
The price of a mortar shell equaled a year’s income for a Shaanxi old farmer; 20mm anti-aircraft shells, though not as expensive as a mortar round, weren’t much cheaper; now, a minute of massed anti-aircraft fire expended tens of thousands of shells—what about an hour?
This seemingly spectacular scene was all supported by piles of silver dollars.
The movie continued, and now the sky seemed ablaze.
Tracers exploded continuously in the sky, shells striking the diving enemy planes.
Explosive flashes rose and fell, illuminating the “Rising Sun” on the wings in stark, piercing white. Shattered aluminum fragments and burning debris fell like raindrops, smashing onto the rocks and sparking.
This air battle lasted over half an hour before ending; as the last Japanese plane flew off trailing black smoke, the narrator’s voice sounded.
“In this air battle, our army deployed 126 Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns and 28 Bofors anti-aircraft guns, engaging the invading Japanese planes in a decisive battle, ultimately losing 21 anti-aircraft guns and 68 soldiers, while downing 31 Japanese planes, effectively striking a blow against the Japanese arrogance!”
“Great!”
“Rustle rustle…”
Accompanied by the narration, the venue erupted in enthusiastic applause.
This single short sentence contained the blood and sacrifice of countless heroic soldiers; for that alone, it deserved their hearty applause.
“Not easy!” The deputy chief of staff exhaled, saying with emotion.
The division commander said to Brigade Commander Chen beside him: “In a few days, your brigade will attack Xinxian County; you must be extra careful.
From Su Yaoyang’s telegram to us, the Japanese have bound over ten thousand Xinxian civilians and their ammo depot together; if they realize they can’t hold the ammo depot, they’ll detonate it immediately, so safely and covertly eliminating those Japanese is your top priority.”
“Division commander, you’re right; we’ve already been discussing this. No matter what, we must seize that ammo depot!”
“Good……then the headquarters leaders and I await your good news!”
“Guaranteed to complete the mission!”
