Chapter Five: Golden Spears and Silver Wheels (Five)

  (5)

  At nearly 2:30 am, the first wave of airborne troops of the Chinese expeditionary force finally arrived at the designated airspace. The J-8D fighter jets and JH-7 fighter-bombers responsible for ground suppression began to detach from the formation, launching close-range firepower suppression against Japanese Self-Defense Force targets around Sanbao Ridge International Airport in small formations and multiple waves.

  To be honest, the J-8 fighter has a poor reputation among the various fighters equipped by the Chinese Air Force, especially after the J-10 and J-11 were put into service. Pilots even considered flying the J-8 to be a synonym for being abandoned. However, the appearance of the improved J-8C and J-8D brought new life to this old aircraft.

  To address the poor low-altitude performance of the J-8 fighter, the J-8D strengthened its close-range combat capabilities and emphasized multi-purpose use, highlighting the J-8's potential for ground and sea attacks. The J-8D fighter in ground attack mode can carry 6 x 250-3 low-drag bombs on the under-fuselage hardpoints, while the four inner and middle wing pylons can carry either 4 x 250-3 bombs or 4 air-to-air missiles, and the two outermost wing pylons can carry 2 HF "Fire" rocket launchers.

  If equipped with low-cost REACH precision-guided bombs, J-8D fighter jets can fully undertake ground suppression tasks.

  Enemy targets kept appearing in the air, and all Japanese Self-Defense Forces personnel could sense the severity of the situation - the enemy's paratroopers were coming.

  The entire roof of the terminal building was blown off by the intense artillery fire just now, and more than 1,000 soldiers of the "Nanyang Liberation Army" who survived regrouped inside. Most of them were wounded in multiple places, with blood-stained uniforms, but their morale remained high. When they saw their young commander, Lieutenant Yang Quan, their voices were equally loud.

  "I have nothing more to say. This is our war. The Chinese nation will ultimately triumph. Let's go! Everyone! I need you, the exhausted ones, to fight for a safe landing place for those comrades who are about to arrive, because they and we share the same blood, and we are all descendants of the dragon."

  Another Type 90 tank was hit by a 250kg anti-tank missile dropped from low altitude by Chinese Air Force J-8D fighter jets at the entrance of the "Highway of Death" leading to the airport parking apron, but this did not shake the Japanese Self-Defense Forces' offensive. Without an airport, the Chinese army could not quickly transport heavy equipment to Java Island through airlift, and the war still had its variables.

  A dozen Type 74 tanks, under the cover of fire from the 87mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun and the 81mm "Short SAM" surface-to-air missile, finally broke through the curtain of bombs dropped by the Chinese Air Force and charged into the airport parking lot, just a stone's throw away from the runway. The rotating turrets and coaxial machine guns spewed forth deadly flames, sweeping all possible hiding places for anti-tank troops with their 105mm rifled cannons. The tracks of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces finally rolled into the terminal building littered with the mutilated bodies of soldiers from both sides. Although some tanks were hit by anti-tank rockets from time to time, victory was within reach. A bloody hand in a crater pulled the trigger on an anti-tank grenade under the hull of a Type 74 tank - perhaps this would be the final shot? No! This was the bugle call for a counterattack. In front of the burning tanks, the dark night sky gradually revealed the massive body of the first Y-8S large transport aircraft...

  "The airport runway has been basically destroyed. The entire 1st and 2nd companies of the 77th Amphibious Infantry Brigade, People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps are all here, I am Brigade Commander Yang Guhong, we will adopt ultra-low altitude parachute landing, currently at an altitude of 400 meters, we will start jumping at 150 meters, I will be the first, everyone follow me. Please believe that victory is with us." Seeing the pilots in the cockpit giving a thumbs up, all soldiers began to remove their backup parachutes and conduct a final check on their weapons. The plane gradually slowed down, the tail cabin door slowly opened, and the strong gust of wind rushing in made everyone tightly grasp the safety belt to avoid being sucked out of the cabin.

  "In 1983 Americans could do it in Grenada, we can too."

  Yang Guhong loudly said, being the first to jump out of the cabin door. The Y-8SA armed transport aircraft on the outer side of the 7-aircraft formation was spitting flames with a 37mm anti-aircraft gun modified as an autocannon, seeing off the Chinese paratroopers. A super-low-altitude parachute drop of 150 meters is not so much a test of a paratrooper's skills, but rather a test of a soldier's courage. The parachutes barely had time to fully open at this height, and each paratrooper fell heavily onto the bumpy runway of the Sanbao Airport, like jumping off a building. And what awaited them head-on was the cruel face of war, breaking through the last line of defense of the "Nanyang Liberation Army" in the airport terminal, with Japanese Self-Defense Forces' Type 74 tanks directly facing the Chinese paratroopers who had just landed.

  105mm shells exploded on the runway, Japanese armored soldiers emerged from the turret and swept the fleeting parachutes in the air with M2 machine guns, but their efforts were futile against the Chinese paratroopers descending one after another.

  The paratroopers cut off the parachute with a knife, and the first action of the Chinese soldiers was to shoulder an FP-89 anti-tank rocket launcher. The 74-style tank that was hit caught fire and exploded, and as the turret fell heavily, the soldiers of the 77th Amphibious Assault Brigade of the People's Liberation Army Marine Corps began to charge forward in a scattered line. Yang Guoying threw away the still-hot rocket launcher and saw the parachutes wrapped around the bodies of Chinese soldiers on the runway, their white color standing out in the night. "The motherland will not forget you."

  Yang Guhong said in a low voice, holding up the 95-style automatic rifle and rushing forward...

  At the same time that the 77th Marine Brigade of the Navy was conducting a forced parachute drop at the Three Treasures International Airport, two main force battalions of the Chinese People's National Defense Force Airborne 22nd Division also conducted large-scale parachute operations in the Tameng area tens of kilometers east of Sanbao. Compared to the lightly equipped Marine Corps, the airborne weapons of the 22nd Division were more heavy-duty and mechanized. 30 improved Russian BMD-3 type 98-S paratrooper vehicles, loaded with over 200 Chinese People's National Defense Force paratroopers, landed on the land of Java. Behind them, 97-B wheeled paratrooper assault vehicles, 2-ton light paratrooper mobile tractors and 122mm towed artillery also slowly descended.

  "It seems that the operation to seize the airport and prevent the Chinese from landing is going to end in failure." Looking at the intense gunfire at Sanbao Airport, Uesugi Junro turned towards his command vehicle. "What a pity! Just one more push was needed." A staff officer said with some emotion. "It's not just that it was only one more push! The rising China has surpassed Japan in too many ways. Their willingness to sacrifice is unique to a nation on the rise. Japan, you have grown old."

  The soldiers of the Japanese Self-Defense Force's "Nanyang Dispatched Army" with failure written on their faces outside the window, Uesugi Jun's silent footsteps headed back home. Of course, behind him, Japanese soldiers would continue to fight to suppress the expanding landing site of Chinese airborne troops.

  "The task of the rear guard will be left to Major General Shigenori Shinohara's 4th Mixed Brigade."

  Uesugi knew that the Chinese Expeditionary Force's heavy equipment would soon arrive at the repaired Sanbao Ridge International Airport, and he needed time to adjust his deployment before the Chinese troops assembled. The surrounding areas of Sanbao Ridge International Airport were still under intense attack by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. 96-style 120mm self-propelled heavy mortars occasionally fell on the positions of the 77th Marine Brigade of the People's Liberation Army Navy Marine Corps. After two Y-8S large transport planes carrying heavy equipment made an emergency landing on the lawn east of the runway, only 2 pieces of equipment were unloaded.

  It was immediately hit by incoming shells and burst into flames.

  "Damn it! You're going to compare with the old man's mortar? The heavy mortar squad doesn't give me face, shoot them to death!" He raised his rifle and fired a single shot, killing a Japanese Self-Defense Force "digitized" infantryman who was hiding behind a destroyed Type 90 tank and providing artillery positioning. Yang Guoying shouted loudly at the mortar squad's gunners who were still debugging their equipment. The four 99-style light high-speed 82mm automatic mortars that had just been pulled down from the transport plane opened their dual mounts, loaded with rows of shells, and began to unleash high-speed firepower suppression at a rate of 60 rounds per minute towards the enemy artillery positions determined by the single-soldier artillery positioning radar. Listening to the distant dense explosions, Yang Guoying laughed heartily. Tonight, Sanbao Ridge belongs to China.

  In the front-line military base of the Chinese expeditionary force in southern Vietnam, most of the fighter jets and transport planes that launched the first wave of attacks have returned safely. In the skies above the South China Sea, 6 H-6U aerial refueling tankers and 20 JH-7 fighter-bombers equipped with refueling pods are anxiously waiting for their comrades to return, as most Chinese warplanes will face fuel shortages during their return journey due to the long distance and consumption from air combat.

  "Next time we won't be so embarrassed. Thanks to General Ren Lingyu's wise leadership!" Looking at the second batch of combat aircraft leaving the airport, General Ma Yiling, Commander of the Southeast Asian Theater of the Chinese People's National Defense Army, smiled and said to General Ren Lingyu, who had just inspected the second wave of landing troops. After completing their mission, the second batch of combat aircraft will fly directly to the military airport on Wuri Island, which has just been controlled by the Chinese army, for replenishment.

  "20 minutes later, the first batch of supplies heading to Wuri Island will take off, Commander Lingyu! Want to hitch a ride on a favorable wind?" Seeing Commander Lingyu smiling silently, General Ma Yiling continued to tease. "How can I abandon my post and mix public and private matters?"

  To be honest, after this incident, Ren Lingyu really wanted to see his crush, but as a soldier, he had to stay and assist General Qian Xiao.

  "General Order: This is a commendation order for Colonel Leng Ziyu and her special forces under her command. Please deliver it to Wuli Island immediately." General Qian Xiao, who had been reading the report, suddenly looked up and said. "Of course, it's not just about delivering the commendation order! You will be responsible for overseeing the airport construction work on Wuli Island, and I also hope you can provide some new ideas for our next action plan. Alright, you have 12 hours."

  Qian Xiao Shang Jiang also understood Ren Ling Yu's mood at this moment, after all, who hasn't been young before!