Zhao Xuwu did not give up his efforts to return home on his own, and neither did the dozen or so Russian cavalrymen who were pursuing him.
If you give up halfway, your face will be dull when you return, and you will naturally not have the confidence to live happily. If you continue to search, even if you still can't find it, the result will be the same as giving up halfway, but you will have to run around for a while.
But...what if it is found?
Lieutenant Gavriel was a stubborn man and vowed to catch the Ming pilot who had slipped under his nose.
His subordinates knew the second lieutenant's character well, and obedience was paramount, so they could only leave it to him.
Considering that the stream the Ming pilot jumped into flows northwest, in order to return home, he would definitely find a place to go ashore and then walk south.
So the cavalry search unit followed the stream for fifteen kilometers northwest, then turned around and headed south after crossing the stream.
Because they overestimated the distance Zhao Xuwu could float in the stream (he actually only floated four kilometers), the team led by Lieutenant Gavriel kept following Zhao Xuwu.
But the cavalry were still faster than the weak pilots, and as time passed, the distance between the two sides continued to shrink.
About an hour and a half ago, they found the remains of a burned-out campfire and food residue. It could be seen that it had not been long ago, so they were sure that it was the Ming Army pilot they had been looking for.
After speeding up the pursuit for about nine kilometers, a cavalryman pointed at the sky diagonally ahead and shouted: "Flag flare?! Sir! Look at that!"
Everyone looked in the direction he pointed, and several conspicuous red fireworks were clearly visible in the mid-air at ten o'clock.
At this moment, the hearts of the Russian cavalry suddenly rose, and many of them could not help but raise the corners of their mouths.
The cat and mouse game is finally over!
"Let's go!" Lieutenant Gavriel shook the reins vigorously.
The feeling of searching and camping in the uninhabited Siberian rough wilderness was really unpleasant. After the past two days, most people were tired of it, but they did not dare to show it due to the orders of their superiors.
At this moment, boredom and irritability were swept away, and everyone shook the reins and cheered.
"I'm going to ask the logistics sergeant for double the amount of wine when I get back!"
"Haha, I haven't touched Alina for a long time. This time I want to stay with her all night."
"You're dreaming! How can she only deal with you?"
In this way, amidst the laughter of everyone, the Russian cavalry ran very easily towards the direction where the signal flare was raised.
ten minutes later.
However, unlike the simple capture they expected, when they were about to walk through the woods and approach the wilderness ahead, a Ming army bomber hovering in the sky forced them to stop.
As the Ming army retreated into the territory, the ground forces of both sides have turned to confrontation, but the battle in the sky continues. The air supremacy that the Russian army lost on the day the conflict broke out is still firmly in the hands of the Ming army until now.
Although several I-15 and I-16 fighter groups were subsequently reinforced, the Russian army could only control the airspace near the airport and railway lines.
When the I-16 fighter jets compete with the 36-type fighter jets, it can only be said that the situation is 4-6, and the backward biplane I-15 is even more unable to parry. The risk of taking off into the air is no less than jumping on the edge of a cliff.
Since the outbreak of the conflict, excluding the losses caused by follow-up attacks on the evening of the first day, the Russian army has shot down 27 I-15 fighter jets, 12 I-16 fighter jets, 4 SB-2 bombers, and 9 different models. The aircraft was seriously damaged and scrapped.
In comparison, the Ming army only lost a total of 26 aircraft, including 3 fighter jets that ran out of fuel and abandoned the aircraft on their way back after following the sneak attack that day.
Therefore, the Ming army fleet dared to leave a single bomber to cover here.
As a result, the team led by Lieutenant Gavriel was in a dilemma.
It's still not sure where the Ming army pilot is hiding. If he goes out rashly, he is destined to suffer bad consequences.
They were happy before, but now in this situation... they were happy for nothing, and the Russian cavalry was itching with hatred.
Gavriel held the telescope and tried hard to search for the pilot in the wilderness, hoping that if he found it, he would rush over and capture him without leaving any room for the bombers in the sky to react.
However his attempt failed.
As the saying goes, one learns from one's mistakes. His boldness was exposed due to omissions before, but now Zhao Xuwu no longer dares to act so recklessly.
He was hiding among the bushes in a depression, motionless, holding toffee in his mouth, humming a tune, and looking up at the southern sky from time to time.
But it didn't take long for him to be disappointed, because the hovering bomber dropped a paper ball, which meant that it was getting late and the wilderness was pitch black, and the risk of the service plane landing was too high, so he planned to wait until dawn Come pick him up again.
Zhao Xuwu was disappointed, but Gavriel and his men were overjoyed.
I was worried that I couldn't find where I was, but I ended up showing up to pick up the things myself.
Second Lieutenant Gavriel drew his saber and ordered: "Go away four people, we must be quick."
Following his order, the four Russian cavalry jumped out, rushed out of the woods, and headed straight for Zhao Xuwu, who was a thousand meters away.
At the same time, on the Type 36 bomber in the sky...
The machine gunner at the tail self-defense turret had just walked back from the middle of the fuselage - there was a small electric stove there, and he had just gone to boil a pot of hot water to make tea.
As soon as he sat down, he suddenly saw several figures on the ground moving quickly from a distance.
His first reaction was that he was dazzled, but then he saw clearly that they were indeed four Russian cavalry.
The frightened machine gunner didn't bother to tighten the lid of the kettle and threw it away, causing the warm tea to splash all over the floor.
Pull the bolt, load the gun, and turn on the safety!
The sound of gunshots suddenly sounded, and he controlled the 12.8mm aviation machine gun to fire fiercely downwards!
At this moment, the sun was setting in the west and the sky was getting late. The bright trails of tracer bullets were like arrows piercing the sky.
Due to the hasty shooting, none of the dozens of bullets hit, but one 12.8×96mm all-metal armored bullet hit a war horse.
The large-caliber machine gun bullet containing a huge kinetic energy of 16,000 joules was so terrifying. The bullet shot right through the skull of the war horse, then penetrated the entire horse's neck from top to bottom, and finally penetrated under the horse's belly, deeply drilled into the ground.
This handsome Don hippopotamus lost its grace in an instant - its head exploded like a watermelon, and it collapsed and died instantly.
The cavalryman on its back fell forward and dismounted due to inertia. Amidst the screams, the left arm of this lucky and unlucky guy hit a stone and was fractured on the spot.
Although none of the bullets hit directly, the terrifying suppressive power of the large-caliber machine gun is by no means an lie, especially the tracer bullets that fell from the sky and pierced the sky were even more intimidating to the enemy.
The Russian cavalry did not dare to move forward, so they quickly pulled the injured unfortunate man onto his horse, and then retreated back into the woods in a panic.
The bomber's tail turret has a limited range of fire. Because of the circle, the gunner can no longer see what's happening on the ground.
Other crew members were also frightened by the sudden firing and thought that Russian fighter jets were coming for a sneak attack.
"What's going on? What's going on?!" The mechanic walked over quickly.
"Good boy, a few Russian cavalry suddenly jumped out from the ground. I shot them and drove them back into the woods over there." The machine gunner pointed into the distance and said.
"Ah ha? In this ghost place in the wilderness, the Russians actually came to hunt him down? How much hatred and resentment must there be."
"Fortunately, I have sharp eyesight and quick hands, otherwise these guys would have caught the guy below and left."
Since they were originally returning from the mission, and now they have been circling here for a while, the remaining fuel of the bombers is not sufficient, so they can wait here for another half hour at most.
They sent a telegram back to the base explaining the current situation.
After discussion and debate, the result of the trade-off was that it was not advisable to wait too long, as these Russian cavalry might capture the pilot below at night.
The base dispatched two small service planes and a bomber, and at the same time required the bomber at the scene to continue to provide cover and wait until there was only return fuel left before leaving.
So after several rounds of diving and strafing, the bomber, which was running low on fuel, had no choice but to turn around and return.
At this time, Gavriel and his men breathed a sigh of relief, came out of the woods again, and began to look for the Ming army pilots.
But this is obviously very difficult. Where can one easily find a person hiding in the dark?
The Russian cavalry used flashlights to facilitate their search but also revealed their location.
Half an hour seemed as long as half a day to Zhao Xuwu. Calmness and calmness were the basic qualities of every qualified pilot, but he had never been so nervous.
Recently, he could even hear the horses snorting.
Finally, a Type 36 bomber that took off from Fuyuanzhou Airport arrived over this area after flying over the Cherokee Mountains of Beihai Lake.
These days, there are no high-precision instruments like later generations of positioning systems. Getting lost is a very common situation, and pilots cannot be expected to accurately reach the target.
Under the vast night sky, the stars were shining brightly, but Zhao Xuwu still judged the approximate location of the plane through the sound of the engine, and then saw the black shadow in the sky.
He slowly raised the flare gun, then looked at several flashlight spots in the distance.
This was undoubtedly a bet that the bomber's crew would see the flare and that they would react faster than the pursuers.
Success or failure depends on this! Mr. Sheng, I will marry you when I go back this time!
After recalling what his fiancée looked like, he pulled the trigger.
"Bang-whoop-"
Dazzling flares flew into the night sky, and the red firelight was particularly conspicuous in the night.
The sound coming from behind made the Russian cavalry all turn around, and then they saw the fire signal in mid-air.
"Damn it! Damn it! He's there!!!" Second Lieutenant Gavriel yelled very uncontrollably. For the first time, he was irritated by his opponent's stubbornness and cunning.
The eleven cavalrymen began to rein in their horses and turn, and then quickly rushed there.
Three hundred meters, two hundred and fifty meters, two hundred meters, one hundred and fifty meters...
Suddenly, the sky lit up in an instant, as if it was daytime all of a sudden.
The human eye could not adapt to the sudden change from dark to bright, and the horses were also stimulated. The cavalrymen pulled on the reins while covering their eyes.
The bomber dropped large aviation flares, obscuring everything on the ground.
The illumination bombs launched by mortars are already bright enough to illuminate an area of nearly one kilometer in radius like daylight. However, this aviation illumination bomb is larger and has a luminous intensity of more than one million candelas. The effect can be imagined.
Subsequently, the Russian cavalry were blocked by intensive machine gun fire. Even though they were extremely angry, they could only retreat into the woods in panic.
Another quarter of an hour later, two small service planes arrived belatedly.
With the help of bombers dropping flares, one of the small planes finally managed to land after three attempts.
Zhao Xuwu, who was so excited, rushed over and didn't care if he fell, just like a drowning man grabbing a life-saving straw.
"Bang! Bang!"
The angry Russian cavalry fired at the small plane in the woods, bullets whizzing by.
"Is it safe? Close the door, let's go!"
"Wait!"
Under the pilot's doubtful gaze, Zhao Xuwu took out the exquisite Browning M7906 pocket pistol, threw it out together with the tattered parachute, and then closed the door.
This grass-green painted service plane accelerated slowly and bumpily, slid for more than fifty meters, then gradually lifted off the ground, and finally jumped up.
Looking outside through the round window, to be honest, after the big stone in Zhao Xuwu's heart fell to the ground, he suddenly felt a subtle feeling - these pursuers are really persevering, I admire them, but it's a pity that we are better.
At this time, the pilot turned around and said with a smile: "Mr. Zhao, you don't know yet, do you? You are famous now. The newspapers have published you, great hero!"
"ah?"
"I didn't lie to you, really!"
Zhao Xuwu, who felt a little baffled, was confused, and longing arose in his heart.
No matter what, I finally returned home!
Let’s set off towards our homeland!
The next day, the capital went to Yingtianfu.
The sky is gloomy and the autumn rain is falling, in the east room of Zhaoren Hall in the Forbidden City.
"...That's basically it. Let's follow the decision of the cabinet. Ignore the official official position for the time being and let's talk privately."
"yes."
Zhu Lingjing, who was smiling but not smiling, glanced at Zhou Changfeng, and then "admonished": "I let you go because you happen to be an old acquaintance with someone in the embassy, and your identity is just right. They must think you are closer to them, I will definitely find ways to use clichés, and don’t say what I shouldn’t say, otherwise I won’t be lenient.”
Ahem!
Zhou Changfeng coughed twice and said seriously: "Of course I have a sense of discretion, and the national interests come first."
Later, he saw that there was more white glazed porcelain jar filled with tea leaves on the imperial desk than before, and he asked curiously: "Your Majesty, what kind of tea is this?"
"Oolong tea from Fujian." Zhu Lingjing said calmly, then waved her hand gently, "Take it, this tea is not to my taste."
Ah! It was just tea, and she didn't like it even though she only gave it such a small jar.
Why is this woman so stingy now? I used to be very generous when trying to win over myself.
In this way, Zhou Changfeng returned home with the white glazed porcelain jar, and then casually placed it on the table in the main room.
While he was changing his shoes, Xia Xiaoshi opened the porcelain jar, took out some tea leaves, smelled it, and asked in confusion: "Sir, why did you buy such expensive tea leaves? Didn't you say that good tea is bad tea? Do they all have the same flavor?”
(End of chapter)
