Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 502 Guangzhou Paratrooper Special Operations: Time is Life
Everything is ready, and we're just waiting to take action on December 25th.

Even Fang Wen himself wasn't entirely confident about this operation.

Compared to the special airborne operation I commanded in the north last time, which involved moving between multiple locations in a single day, this one was much more difficult.

The last battle took place in mostly open areas, which allowed for a higher margin of error. In addition, the Eighth Route Army soldiers who participated in the battle were of high overall quality. Combined with Fang Wen's overall strategic awareness and command, the results were excellent.

This operation is a solo effort by the Independent Regiment, and it will put the soldiers' combat skills to the test.

Moreover, this operation resembles future special operations, where everything is based on information and requires careful planning before action.

It can be said that every step, from the start to the end of the operation, was meticulously calculated and designed.

Any problems that arise during the process could cause significant losses to the operation.

But if it succeeds, it could destroy the high command system of the Japanese army in Southeast China and bring a turning point to the war situation in the southeast. How could Fang Wen, who was capable of doing it, not take the risk?

At this moment, the underground party called, offering to cooperate with the operation.

If the underground party members participated in the operation to block Japanese reinforcements, it could indeed reduce the risks of the operation.

But in that case, they would also put themselves in danger.

Therefore, Fang Wen decided to send a group of soldiers to Guangzhou to work with the underground party.

In this way, the underground party's familiarity with the terrain of Guangzhou could be utilized, and the soldiers of the Independent Regiment could operate special weapons to carry out blocking operations.

December 22, Guangzhou.

The maintenance committee received a new task, and all departments began to get busy.

Vice President Lü called over the two captains from the police force and gave them instructions.

"Tomorrow the Imperial Army will hold a winter solstice ceremony. We are ordered to take over the street patrols. One team will be stationed in Shamian, and the second team will patrol Zhonghua Road."

Tang Yuandong said irritably, "Is the Winter Solstice even considered a festival?"

Vice President Lü replied, "It's a holiday, why are you so nosy? I heard they're going to eat pumpkins too. A transport ship is docked at the pier, bringing a lot of pumpkins."

"Alright then, I'll cover for them during their holiday."

After receiving the order, Tang Yuandong left the maintenance committee and found a tobacco stall outside to buy cigarettes.

He took out a pack of cigarettes, threw it on the ground, and said, "Give me two packs of Taishan cigarettes."

The cigarette vendor didn't say anything, just took the money and handed over the cigarettes.

After Tang Yuandong left, the tobacco vendor quietly looked around, picked up the tobacco packs, and left while calling out his wares.

Not long after, news reached Fang Wen that Tang Yuandong would be taking over the patrol duties on Zhonghua Road with the Second Self-Defense Corps the next day, responsible for patrolling both day and night.

This would allow Fang Wen to airdrop military supplies and personnel to Guangzhou ahead of schedule.

Therefore, Fang Wen sent instructions to Tang Yuandong via radio that evening.

He then selected twenty men from the Third Company, which was not currently on any mission.

And he explained.

"You will be parachuting into Guangzhou tonight, carrying special operations weapons, including sniper rifles, disposable rocket launchers, submachine guns, and remote-controlled bombs. After landing, you must follow the instructions of the underground party members who will be receiving you, and on the 25th, use the special operations weapons to attack the enemy at the designated location. After completing the mission, those who are blocking on Zhonghua Road can withdraw with the troops, while those who are blocking in other directions will continue to infiltrate Guangzhou with the underground party."

After speaking, Fang Wen looked at the twenty soldiers and specifically asked, "This mission is extremely dangerous. If you are discovered, your chances of survival are slim. If anyone doesn't want to go, you can speak up."

All twenty soldiers agreed. One of them, a short Sichuanese soldier, said in a Sichuan accent, "What are you afraid of? We didn't starve to death in Sichuan, nor did we die fighting the Japanese in the Taihang Mountains. We're just lucky. If God wants to take my life now, I'll accept it. If God doesn't, I'll kill a few more Japanese soldiers."

His words represented the sentiments of the other soldiers, who all echoed his sentiments.

Fang Wen then led them to the military supply depot to make preparations.

Twenty fully armed men, carrying parachute backpacks, waited at the airport barracks.

At midnight, Fang Wen took off in his Water Tiger No. 4, carrying 20 people towards Guangzhou.

Upon reaching the airspace above Guangzhou, he did not immediately order the parachutists to jump. Instead, he used his mechanical sensing eagle eye to observe the situation below from high altitude.

On Zhonghua Road, the puppet troops of the Self-Defense Corps were patrolling.

Tang Yuandong glanced at his pocket watch and said, "Brothers, we can rest now. Come back in two hours."

He was the captain, so the others naturally had no objections. Besides, it was already midnight, the streets were pitch black, and there was no sound at all. So, the patrol team, led by Tang Yuandong, headed towards the barracks.

After the patrol left, several underground party members dressed in dark clothes quietly emerged from the shadows of the street.

They took out their flashlights and shone them briefly into the sky.

Thus, Fang Wen in the sky received guidance and immediately arranged for an airdrop.

"Gong Xiuneng can open the hatch. Everyone, prepare to jump."

Following Fang Wen's command, Gong Xiuneng opened the hatch.

Twenty soldiers from the Independent Regiment lined up, carrying parachute packs, ready to jump.

After determining the best parachute location, Fang Wen said, "Jump immediately."

The soldiers jumped out of the hatch one by one, and dark parachutes bloomed in the sky.

They gripped the parachute lines on either side, struggling to control their direction as they spiraled downwards through the air.

Ultimately, they all fell within a 500-square-meter area.

However, because it was a nighttime airdrop, the landing situation below was not clear. Some landed on rooftops, some got caught on eaves, and some landed safely.

They were prepared for this; those on the roof took out ropes from their bodies, tied them up, and slid down the ropes.

The unfortunate soldier hanging from the eaves hooked his legs around the eaves, cut the parachute cords with his dagger, and then slid down from the eaves using the same rope loop.

As they landed, five underground party members were also trying to contact them.

The specific flashing light of a flashlight is a signal; once you meet, exchanging a code word will confirm your identity.

However, some of them still alarmed the residents.

A window opened, and a woman in a cheongsam poked her head out.

"What do you do?"

The underground party members and soldiers remained silent. There were many traitors in Guangzhou these days, and they didn't know what this person's intentions were.

The woman gave a bitter smile: "I know you look down on me, but I'm just trying to make a living. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about tonight's events. Hurry up and leave, or those traitorous soldiers will come again."

One of the soldiers couldn't help but reply, "Thank you."

After saying that, the group disappeared into the dark alley.

Led by the underground party members, they arrived at their hidden residence.

There, the lead soldier retrieved the map and explained the situation.

"We need to intercept them at these key points to destroy the Japanese armored vehicles and tanks, and stop their mechanized forces from advancing rapidly."

One of the underground party members exclaimed in surprise, "Can you guys really do this?"

Yes, it's hard to believe that twenty flesh and blood could take on the Japanese tanks and armored vehicles.

“We have the equipment, and it will only be enough to hold them off for a while,” the lead soldier replied.

As he spoke, he instructed his companions to show the weapons they had brought to the underground party.

The Taishan individual rocket launcher has a range of 200 meters and can penetrate the armor of all current Japanese tanks.

Taishan Semiconductor Remote Control Bomb can be remotely detonated within a range of 800-1200 meters.

There's also a 4x scope sniper rifle modified from the Kar98k rifle, and a Thompson submachine gun.

These sophisticated individual weapons made the underground party realize that the Taishan Independent Regiment was different from other armies, and that it might actually be able to do it.

The plane flew back to the airport in Yangjiang.

As soon as Fang Wengang landed, the communications officer brought him a telegram from Guangzhou, informing him that all 20 soldiers had successfully reached their hideout.

Now, everything is ready, and we're just waiting for the operation on the 25th.

Two days passed in waiting. It was 8:00 AM on the 25th.

Fang Wen piloted the Qinyuan aircraft carrier and took off first.

He flew to Guangzhou to conduct reconnaissance.

After being detected by radar detection devices, the situation in the nearby airspace was clearly visible.

At this time, there is no feedback from any aircraft within a 300-kilometer radius.

The Guangzhou military airport below is quiet and peaceful.

The absence of radar feedback from large warships in the Pearl River Estuary and Hong Kong Island waters indicates that Japanese aircraft carriers were not in the vicinity.

This is the perfect time to attack.

He immediately contacted Yangjiang via radio, saying, "Pan Jiafeng, take off immediately."

Ten gunboats, including Pan Jiafeng's, then took off and flew towards Guangzhou.

In less than half an hour, the gunboat squadron appeared over Guangzhou without any obstruction.

Led by Fang Wen in the Qinyuan, they arrived over the Japanese headquarters.

An airborne operation behind enemy lines was immediately launched.

Three hundred paratroopers from the 300st Company of the Independent Regiment descended from the sky, filling the air above the headquarters with a shower of parachutes.

This scene caught the Japanese soldiers below completely off guard.

They couldn't believe this was an operation by the Chinese army; they even thought it was a secret operation by the Japanese army that they hadn't been notified of.

The soldiers didn't react until their officers urgently ordered them to fire.

But what awaited them was a fierce barrage of aerial fire from 10 gunship aircraft.

Heavy machine guns and 20mm cannons rained down on the enemy, turning the defensive positions outside the command post into a sieve.

Faced with such dense aerial fire, the Japanese soldiers had no way to deal with the paratroopers. In addition, the fortifications had no cover to stop the bullets. After a large number of them died, they all ran out of the position to take cover.

Under the suppression of air fire, the paratroopers completed their airdrop with minimal losses.

Ten minutes later, the paratroopers who landed in the command post dropped their parachutes and regrouped with their teammates.

During their assembly, they were attacked by Japanese military police inside the headquarters.

The two sides exchanged fire.

At the same time, the paratrooper communications soldier used a Taishan walkie-talkie to call for air support.

"The Japanese soldiers are using the No. 2 building as cover to fire at us. There is open ground in front of us, so we can't rush through."

Upon receiving the call for support, Pan Jiafeng and two other gunboats immediately flew over and launched a fierce attack on Building No. 2.

In order to end the battle as quickly as possible, they also used specially made smoke-incendiary machine gun shells.

This new type of machine gun shell has an armor-piercing section, but the explosive section can only emit a large amount of smoke to block the enemy's movement and cause suffocation and stun for a short time. Its battlefield stopping effect is better than that of ordinary shells.

The smoke-incendiary machine gun shells fired into Building No. 2 immediately took effect, with large amounts of smoke billowing out of the building, causing the Japanese military police, who had lost sight of the interior, to cease firing.

Taking this opportunity, the paratroopers immediately rushed across the open area.

As they rushed down to Building No. 2, the Japanese military police, unable to withstand the smoke, rushed out and became their appetizer.

Leave a small squad to deal with the remaining enemies, while the main force heads towards the main building.

They had trained on the main building many times and were familiar with its structure.

Therefore, once the troops entered the main building, they dispersed and acted as if it were their own home ground.

The first floor area was captured in a rapid battle, and more soldiers rushed upstairs.

The second-floor stairwell was where the resistance was most resolute.

The Japanese high-ranking officers were holding a meeting on the second floor and were firing their pistols in an attempt to stop the Independent Regiment soldiers from advancing.

In response, the soldiers took out fragmentation grenades and deliberately delayed throwing them for 3 seconds after setting the fuse.

More than a dozen fragmentation grenades were thrown and exploded in mid-air at the second-floor stairwell, causing heavy casualties among the Japanese officers.

Taking this opportunity, several soldiers rushed forward and opened fire with their Thompson submachine guns, killing the remaining resisting officers.

At this point, the stairwell was occupied, and the soldiers immediately began searching the second floor.

There was no one on the second floor, and the meeting room was empty.

They must have gone up to the third floor, or they must have put up a stubborn resistance on the roof.

The soldiers then continued their upward attack.

The fighting below is fierce.

Fang Wen activated his mechanical senses to observe.

As the person in charge of the overall situation, he must pay attention to all parties so that he can promptly remind and direct others if problems arise, and even personally take action.

Twenty-five minutes have passed.

There are fifteen minutes left until the estimated end of the battle.

The remaining officers, some of whom ran to the roof, were riddled with bullets by the gunboats, while the others hid in the innermost room on the third floor.

It should be no problem to finish the battle within 15 minutes.

The situation at headquarters is under control, but what about the other areas?

Outside the headquarters and along Hui'ai Middle Road, the Japanese troops were retreating steadily under the air fire suppression of gunboats and aircraft, and no longer posed a threat.

Further away, the Japanese troops on Zhonghua Road were rushing over.

As they approached the crossroads, they were attacked. An explosion suddenly occurred beneath their feet, tearing more than twenty Japanese soldiers to pieces, while the others were thrown overboard by the blast wave.

When the smoke cleared, they discovered a large crater in the center of the road.

That was the power of the Taishan Semiconductor Remote Control Bomb.

There were even more bombs buried along this road, and the one remotely operating them was just a soldier who was quietly observing the situation from the home of the woman in the cheongsam he encountered during the airdrop on the 22nd.

As long as the Japanese troops continue to advance, he will detonate more bombs.

As a result, the Japanese troops here were stopped.

Similar interceptions were occurring in the blocks to the east, west, and north.

Two tanks led the way from the west, but a single rocket launcher fired from the upper floor pierced the side armor of the tank in front, detonating the internal ammunition and causing a massive explosion. The tank turret was blown off by the impact and crashed into the soldiers behind it.

The tank behind bypassed its burning comrade and attempted to continue its advance.

It safely passed through the area, and the soldiers behind it quickly followed.

But to everyone's surprise, while the tanks cleared the way without any problem, the remote-controlled bombs buried on the road caused a chain of explosions after the army arrived.

Several remote-controlled bombs exploded simultaneously, causing huge losses to the Japanese troops.

The undamaged tank, however, failed to notice that at the right entrance of the alley, a soldier carrying a man-portable rocket launcher fired a rocket at its flank.

Boom! The tank was destroyed too.

Fang Wen breathed a sigh of relief as the interceptions from all sides proceeded according to plan.

He looked towards the military airfield.

Japanese warplanes at the military airfield were no match for the chaotic fighting in Guangzhou, but they could attack gunboats.

Now that gunboats and aircraft are about to cooperate with ground troops in their withdrawal, we must not allow Japanese warplanes to take off and disrupt the next phase of the operation.

Fang Wen piloted the Qinyuan towards the airport.

(End of this chapter)