Chapter 179: That’s It?
A bomber was directly hit, its wings instantly breaking off, dragging thick smoke and flames as it crashed into the valley, the explosion’s firelight reddening half the sky.
Another fighter plane tried to dive and escape, but was torn to pieces by crossfire, its debris scattering like raindrops.
The valley echoed with the piercing sound of metal tearing, mixed with the desperate shouts and curses of the pilots.
On the anti-aircraft gun position, the gunners clenched their teeth, sweat rolling down their cheeks, soaking their gray stone-colored uniforms.
Old Cao puffed his somewhat sore cheeks, dead set on keeping the sight locked on a Type 97 fighter diving straight at him, pulling the trigger.
The 20mm gun barrel trembled continuously, firing high-explosive shells into the sky like a red whip tearing through the lead-gray clouds, yet that Type 97 fighter still dove toward him.
Both sides were like two warriors dueling, thrusting their blades at each other simultaneously, neither willing to dodge first, gritting their teeth in a bet on who would hold out longer.
“Ah…”
Old Cao shouted at the top of his lungs with his mouth wide open while firing desperately, as if this could vent the fear in his heart.
And facing him, that Type 97 fighter was diving down, its four 25kg bombs under the wings glinting coldly in the sunlight, while two machine guns spat tongues of fire.
Due to the extremely close distance, Old Cao could even see the ferocious and ruthless face of the Japanese pilot in the open cockpit.
“Go die…”
Old Cao roared while dead set on pressing the trigger; at this moment, his adrenaline was surging, he forgot death and fear, with only one thought in his mind.
That was to take down the enemy plane overhead, even if it meant going to hell together.
Suddenly, several 20mm high-explosive shells punched into the Type 97 fighter’s wing, the aluminum skin instantly catching fire, then curling up like shredded paper.
As the wing was blown off, this iron bird suddenly veered sideways, two black dots flying from the wing—the bombs under it that hadn’t had their fuses released—crashing heavily into the valley’s earthen slope, only kicking up a few puffs of dirt.
And that Type 97 fighter also smashed heavily into the hillside dozens of meters from Old Cao’s anti-aircraft position, turning into a massive fireball amid a huge explosion.
The massive explosion shockwave knocked Old Cao staggering, nearly falling; his loader was even thrown by the near miss onto the anti-aircraft gun’s iron frame, a hard protrusion stabbing his butt, making him grimace in pain.
Before he could curse, he heard Old Cao cursing loudly.
“Ma Laosan, what the hell are you standing there for? Get up and reload for me quick, more Japanese planes are coming!”
“Northeast direction, Type 97 bomber and fighter group, altitude two thousand!”
Amid Old Cao’s cursing, the second wave of planes had already burst out of the clouds, diving toward them, another round of life-and-death struggle unfolding…
“Get out of the way, let me out!”
“Commander, you can’t go out, we have to ensure your safety!”
“Bullshit… I’m not going to fight, can’t I just take a look at the door?”
In the command post, Su Yaoyang was arguing with several staff officers blocking him.
Xu Dapeng and several guards dead set blocked in front of him.
“Xu Dapeng, if you keep blocking me, believe it or not I’ll shoot you?”
“Commander, even if you shoot me, I won’t let you out. If anything happens to you, I wouldn’t have enough heads for them even if I had nine!” Xu Dapeng replied gruffly, nearly infuriating Su Yaoyang.
“I…………%￥#@”
Driven to desperation, Su Yaoyang unleashed a string of curses, but no matter how he cursed, the guy wouldn’t budge, truly infuriating.
Finally, the desperate Su Yaoyang gritted his teeth and snarled: “Xu Dapeng, I’m just looking at the door, I absolutely won’t go outside. If that’s not okay, believe it or not I’ll relieve you right now?”
Hearing the endless explosions and roar outside, Su Yaoyang’s heart itched like a hundred rats scratching, unbearably anxious.
Seeing Su Yaoyang’s flushed face, Xu Dapeng feared he really would push him too far and actually relieve him as guard battalion commander, which would be trouble.
He could only step back: “Alright, but Commander, you must promise me, you can only watch from the command post door, and retreat immediately if there’s danger.”
“Fine fine… I know, get out of the way quick.” Su Yaoyang impatiently walked out of the command post.
The group had just appeared and were stunned.
The originally clear sky was now covered by billowing gun smoke, webs of fire continuously shooting from the hillside into the sky.
Countless shells exploded in the sky, forming nets of deathly fire.
And dozens of Japanese planes shuttled nimbly through these fire nets like swallows, occasionally one crashing headlong into a net, instantly turning into a fireball or spewing thick smoke, emitting a wailing cry as it smashed into the ground.
At this moment, Wild Wolf Valley seemed transformed into a hell of death, burning plane wreckage dyeing the valley blood-red; the fuel tank and ammo of a crashed Type 97 heavy bomber detonated in sympathy, the blast wave flipping over two nearby Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns.
A Type 97 fighter snaked sinuously through the bullet rain, its canopy reflecting glaring firelight.
Then, Su Yaoyang witnessed with his own eyes as it dove straight into the densest ground fire, its onboard machine guns desperately strafing the ground positions until a burst from an Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun punched through the cockpit.
The out-of-control fighter skimmed over the valley bottom, its propeller slicing through two loader’s bodies, finally crashing into an earthen slope, metal fragments mixed with flesh raining down like a storm, followed by a sky-filling plume of thick smoke.
This air raid lasted a long time; when the last Japanese plane dragged thick smoke fleeing northwest, the nearly half-hour roar of gunfire finally ceased.
All the anti-aircraft gun barrels glowed dull red from overheating, the position piled with discarded shell casings, somewhere an unextinguished flame illuminating half a pilot boot hanging from tree branches.
The entire valley was filled with raging fires and plane wreckage everywhere, looking at a glance like hell just ravaged by demons.
This scene not only stunned Su Yaoyang and the Shanxi militia soldiers who had just emerged from the anti-artillery caves, but also left the Japanese soldiers below the valley silently shocked.
“Our… our planes were just shot down by the Chinese like that?”
The earlier air battle had been clearly visible to both sides.
Nearly thirty planes had madly bombed around Wild Wolf Valley, but the final result was the Japanese air group almost completely wiped out, something never seen in previous battles.
This precedent would undoubtedly deal a massive blow to the Japanese army’s morale.
