Chapter 145: Abacus Beads
The shrill alarm pierced the sky, causing many soldiers who were bending down to pick up weapons to freeze in place.
The soldiers were mostly veterans who had experienced several major battles and life-and-death combats. Upon hearing the sound of the aircraft engines, they immediately dropped their spoils of war and scattered in all directions.
In the distance came the shrill whine of engines. The Type 96 attack aircraft tore through the clouds like vultures, the bombs under their wings gleaming with cold metallic luster in the sunlight.
“Buzz buzz…”
The lead Type 96 attack aircraft waggled its wings, and two 25-kilogram death-bringers whistled down toward the ground. Unfortunately, the dive angle was too steep, and both bombs were dropped into the moat.
“Boom boom…”
The violent explosions sent murky waves of water mixed with mud and sand surging into the sky. The shockwave slammed a soldier who couldn’t dodge in time against a broken wall.
“Baka…”
The pilot who had just dropped the bombs saw that they had landed in the moat. Annoyed, he cursed under his breath, yanked the control stick viciously toward his abdomen with his right hand, and pushed the throttle to the max with his left.
The cockpit was instantly filled with the engine’s roar. The sound waves from the two Mitsubishi engines were like enraged wild beasts, shaking the screws on the instrument panel.
As the 7.6-ton big bird strained to lift its nose, his occiput slammed heavily against the headrest. The dull pain of the seatbelt digging into his shoulders mixed with the smell of engine oil drilling into his nostrils.
The clouds outside the windshield began to tilt, and the airflow sliced by the wings screeched against the skin.
But just as the climb indicator passed the 200-meter mark, five or six orange-red fireballs suddenly bloomed on the ground.
The rearview mirror reflected the serpentine trails of tracer rounds, his retinas retaining the blue flames spat from the machine gun muzzles.
Amid the sharp whistling, several shells sped past the aircraft’s left wing. The aluminum skin instantly twisted and curled like tinfoil, the sound of tearing metal transmitting through the fuselage like someone scraping his spine with a steel file.
“Oh no… the Chinese have anti-aircraft guns!”
The sudden ground anti-aircraft fire startled the air group commander in the sky.
Anti-aircraft guns were rare items for the Chinese army, even scarcer than field artillery—this was no exaggeration.
Up to this year, the vast China had only a scant fewer than a hundred anti-aircraft guns, most deployed in key cities like Wuhan and Chongqing.
Seeing anti-aircraft guns in a place like Wuta County was as rare as spotting a panda.
The first to open fire this time was not the earliest equipped Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun of the anti-aircraft battalion, but the newly equipped Oerlikon 20mm anti-aircraft gun.
Although this 20mm anti-aircraft gun didn’t have the power or range of the Bofors anti-aircraft gun, its greatest advantage was its light weight and flexibility.
Weighing only 68 kilograms fully loaded, it could be mounted on a jeep to follow the troops throughout, effectively protecting the airspace below 1,000 meters.
Just like now, when the anti-aircraft battalion’s Bofors guns couldn’t arrive in time, the anti-aircraft company equipped with Oerlikon guns temporarily shouldered the anti-aircraft responsibility.
“Thud thud thud thud…”
The ground anti-aircraft fire grew increasingly dense, with 20mm shells shooting into the sky, forming curtains of fire in the air.
The Type 96 attack aircraft that had just dropped its bombs dragged a trail of black smoke, spiraling down like a crow with broken wings.
The pilot gripped the control stick tightly, his distorted face reflected in the cockpit glass, fear and unwillingness weaving a net in his pupils.
“Boom…”
Ultimately, this attack aircraft weighing 7.6 tons crashed into the earth, turning into a blazing fireball.
“Pull up… pull up…”
“Evade the anti-aircraft guns… evade the anti-aircraft guns…”
The air group commander watched as the plane that had just dropped its bombs was shot down by ground anti-aircraft fire, feeling both heartbroken and furious.
But he forcibly suppressed his anger and ordered the air group to cease bombing, climb to 3,000 meters, and then search for altitude to bomb.
On a high slope several li away from Wuta County, Li Yunlong watched the circling aircraft in the sky and the curtains of fire formed by explosions in mid-air, with shells bursting like they were free, his mouth agape enough to fit a duck egg.
Zhang Dabiao beside him wasn’t much better, his eyes bulging like copper bells.
Watching the Japanese bomber group circling in the air, unable to find an opportunity to dive and bomb, Li Yunlong let out a long breath of turbid air.
Li Yunlong wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and muttered, “Damn it, I was wrong earlier. These guys aren’t just local tyrants; they’re freaking gods of wealth. In just these ten-plus minutes, the shells they’ve fired outnumber everything I’ve seen in my life. If only I had such fine equipment.”
Zhang Dabiao said helplessly, “Regiment commander… forget it. Even if they gave these things to us for free, we couldn’t afford to use them.
I just calculated: these anti-aircraft guns have a rate of fire of at least three or four hundred rounds per minute. Ten guns mean three or four thousand rounds.
At half an hour of anti-air fire, ten guns would consume at least 100,000 rounds.
At this rate, forget our New First Regiment—even if we sold the entire 386th Division, we couldn’t afford it.”
Li Yunlong glared at Zhang Dabiao and snapped irritably, “Zhang Dabiao, you kid always ruin my mood. Can’t afford it or not, can’t I at least dream about it?”
Zhang Dabiao chuckled, “Regiment commander… since we’ve seen enough, let’s go. I have a feeling that National Army unit over there doesn’t seem easy to deal with.”
Li Yunlong’s eyes widened: “So what if they’re not easy to deal with? I wasn’t scared into this world. If they piss me off, I’ll beat them too.
Back when we crossed the grassland, I… never mind… not talking about that.
Zhang Dabiao, take the troops and follow me…”
“Regiment commander… where to?” Zhang Dabiao asked puzzled.
“Where else… you kid have no brains.” Li Yunlong cursed, then lowered his voice: “Think about it, that unit made such a big commotion in Wuta County—how could the Japs not send reinforcements?
If we didn’t run into this excitement, fine, but since we have, how can I, Li Yunlong, not help out?”
“Help out?” Zhang Dabiao looked at his regiment commander in shock.
Others might not know, but didn’t he?
His regiment commander, who plucked feathers from every goose that passed, would help out out of kindness?
Seeing Zhang Dabiao’s still puzzled face, Li Yunlong was furious inside and cursed, “Are you stupid?
You’ve seen the strength of that unit down the mountain. In less than an hour, they took down a county town.
Wuta County had over 600 defenders, and just the captured weapons alone could arm a regiment.
Just for that local tyrant vibe they’ve shown, if we do them a favor, after the battle, he couldn’t possibly let us help for nothing, right?
He’ll have to show some appreciation… if he gives us a few hundred rifles, we’d be rich!”
“Heh…” Zhang Dabiao nearly burst out laughing. His regiment commander’s abacus was clacking so loud the beads were practically jumping onto his face.
