Chapter 74

Having received the telegram from headquarters and the intercepted enemy reports by the independent division's communications unit, He Zhengdao understood the situation to some extent. The plan to rendezvous with the main force in Pan County might very well fall through.

To ensure the safety of the independent division during its operations, He Zhengdao felt it necessary to give a warning to the Air Force that was flying around recklessly in the southwestern region during the day. He wanted to make it clear to those planes that they should not easily approach the independent division, or their safety would not be guaranteed.

Furthermore, He Zhengdao hoped that through this battle, the Central Army would think twice before dispatching the Air Force for bombing and reconnaissance. After all, most of the aircraft currently equipped by the Central Army were expensive imports from abroad.

Although He Zhengdao admired the bravery of the Nationalist Air Force in future anti-Japanese battles, at this moment, to ensure the safety of the independent division and the main Red Army force, he had to teach these elite pilots a lesson. He wanted them to know that in the airspace of China, besides being wary of Japanese planes, even the ground forces were not helpless against them. They would need to be more cautious and careful the next time they came out!

Knowing that the aircraft currently procured by the Central Army had relatively low performance, most of them had to descend to a lower altitude to conduct ground attacks and bombings. Only by doing so could the pilots see their targets with the naked eye.

Now, the entire Shuangbao Town was shrouded in smoke, seemingly indicating the target for the bombing. However, in such a large town, where to drop the bombs became a critical issue for each pilot.

To accurately bomb the independent division's camp, they had to lower their flight altitude. As for the concern about ambushes on the ground, the pilots considered it an overestimation of the Red Army's capabilities.

Watching the planes becoming increasingly clear in his line of sight, He Zhengdao calmly judged their flight altitude. When the planes entered the firing range of the anti-aircraft machine guns, He Zhengdao knew the time to attack had come.

"Light machine guns, fire!"

With He Zhengdao's roar, the light machine gunners hidden on the hillside of the small town quickly pulled the triggers. Rapid streams of bullets began to fire at the planes that had entered the ambush zone.

The Air Force pilots, who were about to search for targets to bomb, were caught off guard by the crisscrossing fire. When the bullets hit the planes, some of them lost control and began to plummet rapidly.

"Quick, pull up the planes! Damn it, how did the Red Army have so many machine guns? This is a trap!"

The lead pilot, watching the planes being hit by bullets and crashing to the ground, felt immense anger and fear. At this moment, he also regretted his earlier carelessness!

Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret. The planes that managed to dodge the initial light machine gun fire began to change direction or climb. However, they seemed to forget that they were in a smoke-filled sky.

Many planes, in their panic to avoid the deadly bullets, forgot about the other planes turning or moving nearby. When two planes collided, the outcome was fatal.

"Boom, boom!"

Watching the planes explode in mid-air, the civilians hiding in the town and the Red Army soldiers were stunned. Many civilians thought that the Red Army was truly formidable, capable of shooting down planes in the sky.

The Red Army soldiers watching this ground-to-air battle felt that their division commander was incredibly impressive. To shoot down so many planes at once was something that would shock the entire country if the news spread!

Faced with the planes that were turning and climbing, He Zhengdao remained calm and ordered, "Heavy machine guns, fire!"

Compared to the effective range of light machine guns, the range of heavy machine guns was undoubtedly longer. Moreover, He Zhengdao had specially ordered the construction of several stands during the training of the anti-aircraft battalion, allowing the heavy machine guns to fire at planes.

With the addition of heavy machine guns, the Central Army Air Force pilots who had previously thought they had escaped were once again in a panic. Unfortunately, to form this temporary anti-aircraft battalion, He Zhengdao had selected nearly 300 machine gunners from the entire division.

These 300 machine guns completely sealed off the airspace above Shuangbao Town, which was about a kilometer high. For planes that had descended to an altitude of only about 200 meters, it was not easy to quickly climb back to a kilometer high!

The Red Army soldiers who had been hiding in their positions were now standing on the streets and open spaces, excitedly shouting, "Good shot! Another one down! Ha ha, that was amazing!"

Even some Red Army soldiers who had suffered from air raids could not help but shed tears and curse, "Damn it, now you know the consequences of offending the Red Army? You deserve this! Good shot!"

Seeing one plane after another crash near Shuangbao Town, many Red Army soldiers spontaneously shouted, "Quick, quick, that plane fell in the field. Go capture the pilot!"

Some of the less fortunate pilots, who crashed into the mountains, exploded on impact. In such cases, the pilots had little chance of survival. However, those who managed to make emergency landings in the fields would face capture by the Red Army.

Watching the last three planes flee in a panic from the sky above Shuangbao Town, He Zhengdao, who had been worried about the anti-aircraft battalion, could not help but say, "Comrades, this battle was fought beautifully! I am proud of you!"

"We won! We really shot down planes! It's unbelievable!"

Compared to He Zhengdao's excitement, the other machine gunners were equally thrilled. Before the battle, they probably never dreamed they could shoot down so many planes.

Even He Zhengdao had been worried that the Central Army pilots might launch a desperate counterattack. However, his concern seemed unnecessary. Faced with the sudden machine gun ambush, the Air Force was stunned.

Even though three planes managed to break through, they did not even have the courage to drop bombs and fled directly towards Guiyang. This news would surely lead to the commanding officer who issued the order being reprimanded.

Seeing Yao Shengjun and Wang Tianlin, who were excitedly rushing to the anti-aircraft position, He Zhengdao smiled and said, "Commissar, Chief of Staff, can you now rest assured? Although it delayed us a bit, this battle was worth it, right?"

"Absolutely, it was worth it! Heaven, it's unbelievable. The concentrated use of light and heavy machine guns, combined with the smoke, had such an effect. If we had known this tactic for shooting down planes earlier, we wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses at the Xiangjiang Campaign!"

Thinking of the comrades who were slaughtered by the Central Army planes during the Xiangjiang Campaign, Yao Shengjun's eyes were filled with tears. As an old Red Army member, who hadn't suffered from the Central Army planes? But against planes in the sky, they were truly helpless.

Although there had been successful cases of shooting down Central Army planes in the past, what He Zhengdao did today, in terms of counter-slaughter, was unprecedented in Red Army history, and perhaps even in the world!

(Special Note: This is for the sake of the plot. I hope readers don't take it too seriously! After all, there were cases of planes being shot down by machine guns during the war. So, theoretically, this ambush tactic is possible!)

He Zhengdao knew that everyone who had witnessed the destructive power of planes would hate them. However, he also knew that after this ambush, it would be difficult to repeat such a tactic in the future.

But He Zhengdao still believed that after this battle, the Central Army would think twice before sending out their planes, considering whether they could return to their bases safely.

Patted Yao Shengjun's trembling shoulders, He Zhengdao said seriously, "Commissar, trust me! After this ambush, the Central Army planes will stay far away from us. As long as they dare to come, we will dare to fight!"

However, in his heart, He Zhengdao knew that during the Xiangjiang breakout, the Red Army could only achieve such an effect by concentrating all their light and heavy machine guns. After all, the independent division had retained all the light and heavy machine guns they had captured.

It was this possession of light and heavy machine guns that allowed the independent division to train such an anti-aircraft battalion in a short time and achieve such a significant victory. This good news would surely excite the leaders at headquarters!

Sure enough, when Zhou Enlai received the telegram, his first reaction was disbelief. The independent division had destroyed 21 Central Army planes in one battle, which was a tremendous achievement!

Seeing the ambush tactic used by the independent division, Zhou Enlai could not help but say, "This little He is truly a genius!"

When the victory report was placed before Mao Zedong and Zhu De, the two leaders also found it hard to believe. However, they understood that He Zhengdao had no reason to exaggerate the battle results.

"Smoke combined with light and heavy machine guns in an ambush had such an effect. However, to implement this tactic, the machine guns must be concentrated, and the heavy machine guns must be able to fire at planes.

Mao, it seems we underestimated that young man's creativity in military command. This tactic, although seemingly incredible, accurately targets the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of planes!"

As a commander, Zhu De, after analyzing the ambush tactic, concluded that this tactic indeed posed a significant threat and strike to current planes. However, why hadn't others thought of it before?