Forty-three

  "How far is it to our airport now?" asked Higashisaki Hirofumi, riding on a warhorse and looking at the troops marching quickly towards the airport, asking Michikura Satoshi, the commander of the Jingzhou Garrison Command who was responsible for leading the team and coordinating with him.

  Mikura Rishō, who was also a junior lieutenant, had been watching this arrogant guy, who held the Garrison Commander's letter of appointment, make the city of Jingzhou, which his unit was responsible for guarding, feel like it was on high alert, and he had already formed a strong dislike for him. So, without turning his head to look at Hamazaki Hiroshi, he gazed out at the distant night sky and said slowly: "Hamazaki-kun, we're now very close to our airfield. If you follow this road to the end and turn left, you'll see the lights of our airfield. However, I think all of our soldiers should be on duty rest right now. Don't you think it's absurd for nearly 400 of us, including your troops, Hamazaki-kun, to defend against a mere few dozen Chinese soldiers at that airfield?"

  Hamazaki Hiroto sensed dissatisfaction with himself from the unmistakably unfriendly words of Mihara Rishō. Perhaps it's not just Mihara Rishō who is dissatisfied with himself now, but his superior officer Narita Yakuo also seems to be dissatisfied with him. The soldiers who can't sleep in the barracks at midnight and are forced to march long distances on foot to the airport will also be very dissatisfied. He has been ordering them to work continuously without rest, day and night, through Commander Okamura Yasuji's own mobilization of naval river gunboats to blockade the Yangtze River line in Jingzhou, fearing that the naval personnel responsible for executing water patrols are also dissatisfied with him.

  As for the army, it's not necessary to mention that they have been mobilizing troops from Jingzhou to blockade the entire area, detaining ships at all major and minor official and private docks. The troops are standing guard day and night by the river, braving the cold wind. It's likely that the army in Jingzhou is itching to give me a good beating!

  And now I can mobilize any unit anywhere, ordering them to take any action I deem necessary, all because of this ultimate mission! And what about Commander Okamura, who appointed me to carry out this ultimate mission? Is he satisfied with me now? In recent days, I have led my troops on a mission, not only failing to achieve any results but also suffering heavy losses of the Empire's excellent soldiers! Undoubtedly, this is due to my foolish command and low personal ability, for which I bear inescapable responsibility! Now, Commander Okamura must be filled with disappointment towards me! If it weren't for the need for absolute secrecy within the military at this time, plus my relatively good understanding of the situation so far, Commander Okamura would have replaced me long ago and sent me to a military tribunal for trial!

  Under extremely unfavorable circumstances, Commander Gao's subordinate was able to repeatedly launch surprise attacks and employ his extraordinary military talent and great wisdom to turn the tide of battle! He managed to transform a desperate situation where the Japanese army had lost its absolute advantages in China into a magnificent epic that would go down in world military history! Not only did he successfully capture the entire city of Wuhan, but also launched a surprise attack on Guangdong Province in southern China and gained control over the entire region! This laid a solid foundation for the future expansion of the Japanese Empire into southern China, the conquest of all of China, and even its ambitions to dominate Asia and the world!

  And what about myself? I have always thought that I was also a talented and brilliant person, but what have I actually done? It seems that in this chaotic world where heroes rise and geniuses gather, I am really too insignificant and negligible!

  Just as he was indulging in his own worries, a crisp gunshot sound came from afar in the north! No, not one, but two shots! Bang! Bang! Immediately followed by another two shots! The distant yet clear echoes resonated through this night that shouldn't have been quiet to begin with! It was like the tolling of funeral bells striking at the mitral valve of Hitomi Shimatani's heart!

  Hamasaki Hiroshi immediately turned his head and glared at Mikura Rie with a fierce gaze that could intimidate a pack of wolves, demanding an answer!

  "Judging by the sound, it should be coming from the direction of the airport." Mikaeri Ri also seemed to be stunned by this shocking gunshot! On one hand, he was shocked by his courage in intimidating the enemy, and on the other hand, he seemed to have a newfound respect for his colleague who always seemed to be having bad luck.

  Before Hamazaki Hiroto could give any instructions, the increasingly dense gunfire came one after another from the north direction through the infinite night sky into his ears! In the end, it was even intense and continuous! It seemed that dozens of light machine guns were making an unstoppable fierce continuous shooting!

  "Order the troops to advance towards the airport at full speed!" After giving the order, Hama-saki Hiro-moto was not clear how far they were from the airport or what his fate would be. But one thing he could confirm now was that he had once again successfully anticipated the enemy's intentions! However, all of this seemed rather pale in comparison to the current situation! He had always been able to barely keep up with the enemy's thinking, but had never surpassed them! If things continued like this, the ultimate result would be him standing amidst the mountains and valleys of Sichuan, watching helplessly as the enemy successfully entered Chongqing! Not to mention that he might not even have the ability to face the numerous warlords of Sichuan who were advancing into Shu!

  Of course, if it's today, tonight! To be exact, it should be now. If I can't stop my opponent in this last chance, everything for me will also come to an end!

  He was once again face to face with this opponent he had never met before! Although it was a bit slow, the opponent was right in front of him! Hamazaki Hiroto abandoned all military procedures and rushed to the scene as the highest commander in the army at that time. He even wanted to have a one-on-one battle with his opponent now!

  Facing Hamazaki's nearly crazy behavior, Mihara Rishō immediately shouted that all the cavalry officers followed him closely behind Hamazaki. After all, this was not a cold weapon era where two armies called out to each other, and as the highest-ranking military commander in the army, he galloped away from his troops and rushed towards the enemy camp with all his might! This scene was truly something the Japanese army had never seen before! Perhaps in Japan's Warring States period, their Toyotomi Hideyoshi general led the army in battle like this!

  Compared to the expected, this battle did not have any unexpected twists. Faced with the elite troops of Yan Wei's and Wu Hanhuai's units, the Japanese airport's dozen or so guards who were executing sentry duties were instantly annihilated by the soldiers of the 32nd Army's Yan Wei unit, which was renowned for its excellent equipment and individual combat skills!

  Zhang Liao, who was in charge of the team, didn't even have a chance to shoot and kill a Japanese soldier! He was instantly shot and killed by his own soldiers with the high-speed continuous firepower of the M1 Garand rifle, successfully shooting and killing all the Japanese soldiers that could be seen in the open area of the airport.

  Through several major battles, Wu Han's soldiers had absolute trust in Yan Wei's soldiers. Under the leadership of their captain Cai He Lian, not a single one of them wasted time and energy to turn around and look at the Japanese soldiers who were ready to shoot at them with live ammunition at any moment! Instead, after the sound of gunfire from Qu Xue and He Lan, the entire team immediately followed the two men, Jiang Chen and Yu Tian, who were leading the way in front, and charged forward with their eyes fixed on the Japanese army barracks!

  They believed that after the sound of Dang He Lan's gunshot, it was impossible for there to be anyone alive on the Japanese machine gun tower shooting down at them! Nor did they believe that the dozen or so scattered Japanese soldiers in the airport could withstand the precise and continuous firing of the M1 Garand semi-automatic rifles wielded by Yan Wei's elite troops without pulling the bolt! And thus have a chance to shoot back at themselves with an unjustified bullet!

  That's the absolute trust in comrades-in-arms amidst the flames of war!

  This absolute loyalty to the party and state, this absolute passion for the faith of soldiers! Enough to make them invincible in battle! Such a team of iron-blooded elite soldiers, dare to charge into the Transformers' headquarters!

  Along with the Japanese soldiers scattered in various corners of the airport falling one after another, the soldiers of Cai He Lian's unit welcomed the Japanese soldiers who had rushed out of the two military barracks, using the MP18 submachine gun to unleash a storm of rapid fire, sending dozens of Japanese soldiers still in shock and confusion back to their ancestral home in Eastern Japan! Among them, the Japanese soldier with the fastest reaction and most agile movements was only able to pull the trigger of his rifle while wearing only a white shorts before dying.

  When Zhou Zheng had successfully taken the lead in boarding the Ki-21 "97" heavy bomber, which had already been selected as the target, and was rushing to familiarize himself with the performance of this aircraft, and conducting an emergency inspection of all the equipment on board, the temporary combat results from various departments also reported back - zero casualties!

  As he watched his soldiers making a final sweep of the airport's every nook and cranny, Yan Wei glanced at Fang Lan and the eight children who were to leave tonight, escorted by Wu Huanhui, Lan Ge and others, and immediately looked up at Zhou Zheng in the cockpit, waiting for him to confirm that all conditions for takeoff and flight performance were met.

  He didn't dare to hold Fang Lan for a farewell comfort, nor did he dare to let his gaze linger on her face, which must have been filled with reluctance, for even one more second! Farewell, the farewell in war, the farewell in war where life and death are uncertain, may very likely become an eternal farewell!

  Master Zheng once said that every farewell in life may be a permanent goodbye! In the face of this ancient and modern war, our compatriots have experienced too many permanent goodbyes! And the profound and rich Chinese nation is still bearing the cost of history for its long-term fatigue and laziness.

  "Rumble!" With the successful ignition of the plane's two wing engines, the high-speed rotation of the two wing propellers instantly stirred up swirling dust from the ground. Zhou Zheng immediately jumped off the plane and saluted Yan Wei and Wu Hanhui: "Report: The aircraft is functioning properly in all aspects, the oil gauge shows sufficient fuel in the tank. It's no problem to fly over 600 kilometers straight to Chongqing."

  Yan Wei turned his head and looked at Lan Gang: "Immediately take Fang Lan and the children into the cabin."

  Fang Lan grabbed Yan Wei's arm and said, "Can I get on the plane last? I want to see you for a while longer."

  Yan Wei was afraid of this, and just as he was about to personally force Fang Lan onto the plane, a burst of gunfire suddenly rang out from the airport entrance! Shell after shell also fell one after another in various corners inside and outside the airport!

  "The brothers of the Military Bureau are all guarding the plane, and the guard team immediately went to the gate to defend!" Yan Wei didn't know what the gunshot meant, but he knew that the Japanese army must have come to see him off!

  "Report to the commander, a large number of Japanese troops have been spotted rushing towards us from the direction of the southern highway into the city. Our brothers on outer guard duty have already engaged them in combat. Please instruct."

  Facing Chiang's first-time report, Yan Wei immediately took two steps to the side of the aircraft and shouted loudly: "How much more time is needed before takeoff?"

  "Reporting to Captain Yan, the aircraft is functioning normally and ready for takeoff at any time!"

  Yan Wei listened and looked at Xiao Hua who had just entered the cockpit, then turned to Zhou Zheng and said: "Take off immediately!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed Fang Lan and was about to drag her towards the driver's cabin. But then he saw Fang Lan tightly grasping his hands with a resolute gaze, shouting: "I never thought of leaving you first! Now I won't leave you first either! Don't think about making me leave you!"

  For a moment, Yan Wei's mind went blank! He even thought about whether he should knock Fang Lan unconscious with one punch and then forcibly push her onto the plane! But when he looked at Fang Lan's tear-stained face again, he was afraid that she would jump off the plane after waking up on it!

  Perhaps this is a woman's view of life and death together, perhaps this is the melody and manifestation of love during wartime.

  "I'll command the battle, don't follow me! After I finish off the enemy, we'll get married ahead of schedule at Chujiang Gang! Zhang Liao!" Yan Wei shouted. He then turned to Zhang Liao who was waiting nearby and said: "I'm leaving him in your care, take good care of him!" Then he turned back to Zhou Zheng who had already entered the cockpit and yelled: "Take off immediately!"

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