Last night, Bai Chongxi, the highest officer in charge of the Kunlun Pass Campaign, received the most severe telegram from Chiang Kai-shek:
Military Commission Camp in Guilin:
After several days of fierce fighting, no results were achieved, and it was reported that the enemy defenders had received more than a thousand reinforcements.
The frontline commanders were strictly ordered to capture Kunlun Pass within three days, otherwise military law would be imposed.
Chiang Kai-shek of the Chongqing Supreme Command.
After receiving Chiang Kai-shek's telegram, Bai Chongxi did not dare to neglect at all. Accompanied by Chief of Staff Lin Wei and Commander-in-Chief of the 38th Group Army Xu Tingyao, he personally flew to Guilin to camp and supervise the battle.
After arriving in Guilin, the first thing Bai Chongxi did was to call Air Force Commander-in-Chief Zhou Zhirou. Although his speech was not as harsh as Chiang Kai-shek's telegram, it also made Zhou Zhirou feel extremely stressed and almost stayed up all night.
Now, Masao Nakamura led the 42nd Regiment to break through the Liutang defenders, immediately causing a huge change in the situation between the two warring parties.
According to the geographical location, once Nakamura Masao breaks through Liutang, he will enter the northern highland of Qitang and respond to the Japanese troops guarding the south of Qitang. At this time, the Chinese army attacking Qitang will be attacked from both sides. The Japanese defenders who attacked Qitang allocated half of their troops to block Masao Nakamura at Yikou Pass in Qitang. Immediately, the battle situation in Qitang became confusing.
If the Chinese army in Qitang is defeated, then General Nakamura Masao and the Qitang defenders will join forces and attack Batang. The besieged Miki Regiment will have a chance to survive, and the Battle of Kunlun Pass will end with a Japanese victory.
This sudden news also made the generals in the room at a loss. Last night, Masao Nakamura was blocked at Wutang. In just a few hours, Wutang was defeated. The Chinese defenders of Sixth Pond pointed their swords at Seventh Pond. Everyone frowned.
"Jingle Bell……"
The phone in the war room just rang, and the adjutant reached out to pick it up: "Hello... it's..." The adjutant immediately stood up straight as he spoke and looked at Zhou Zhirou, "Commander, this is Chief Bai from the Guilin camp!"
Everyone knows that Chief Bai of the Guilin camp is Bai Chongxi.
Zhou Zhirou hurriedly stepped forward to answer the phone. As soon as he said "Sir Bai", Bai Chongxi's voice immediately came from the other end of the phone, getting straight to the point: "Brother Momofuku, Nakamura Masao's 42nd Regiment broke through Liutang and arrived at Qitang." In the northern highlands, our Qitang troops were instantly attacked from both sides... Guilin camp order..."
After Zhou Zhirou heard Bai Chongxi say the word "order", she stood up straight with a snap.
"Before dark today, the Air Force must blow up the bridge between Batang and Jiutang. Otherwise, you and I may both be prosecuted by military law..."
After Bai Chongxi hung up the phone, Zhou Zhirou stood there holding the phone for three or four seconds, frowning, and the cigarette butt on the tip of his left finger was about to burn his fingers.
The adjutant quickly stepped forward and gently took the phone and hung up. Seeing Zhou Zhirou's ugly face, he stretched out his hand to hold his arm: "Commander-in-Chief, why don't you go and rest for a while?"
Zhou Zhirou waved her hand, took a puff of the cigarette butt that had burned her fingers and threw it on the ground. She stamped it out with her foot. She bent down and reached out to pick it up and put it in the ashtray. Then she sat down and took another cigarette: "You heard it just now, If we can’t blow up the bridge between Eight and Nine Ponds before dark today, we may all have to go to court-martial.”
The room was deathly silent.
After a while, Xu Jianghua, captain of the Fourth Bomb Group, stood up and said: "Commander-in-Chief, if there is no other way, we will form a death squad to blow up the bridge."
Hearing that a suicide squad was to be formed, Zhou Zhirou said nothing, but looked at Xu Jianghua quietly and motioned for him to continue. Since it was a bridge bombing, Xu Jianghua's fourth brigade must bear the brunt.
If there is no better way to blow up the bridge, the only option is to use death squads.
"This bridge stands between three mountains. Due to the steep mountains here, our army's heavy artillery cannot be deployed and there is nothing we can do. The hit rate of bombers dropping bombs at high altitudes is not even 1%, and after diving bombs, the bombers can only crash into the mountains. . I thought, all the pilots of my Fourth Bomb Group would draw lots, and then form a suicide squad, load the bombers with explosives, dive bomb, and hit the bridge."
As soon as Xu Jianghua finished speaking, a tragic mood immediately filled the room. Everyone looked at him quietly, with respect in their eyes.
China's navy, army, air force, and navy were almost completely wiped out, and they were no longer able to build up combat effectiveness.
Although the army's combat power is far inferior to that of the Japanese army, there are times when it can take advantage of its large number of people to give it a try. Only the air force has been fighting bloody battles against the powerful Japanese air force in a tragic atmosphere since the war began.
After the war, throughout World War II, only the Chinese Air Force did not have a single soldier taken prisoner by the Japanese army.
This great feat is respected by the world.
China only has air force personnel who died in battle and no pilots who were captured.
During the Anti-Japanese War, in order to resist foreign enemies, good Chinese men formed countless death squads and fought bloody battles against the Japanese army.
The Chinese warriors used their blood and flesh to form the Great Wall of Steel. They never surrendered in the life-and-death showdown with the Japanese aggressors.
Zhou Zhihan was moved.
Zhou Zhirou stared at Xu Jianghua, his eyes a little moist, then he closed his eyes and pinched his eyebrows with two fingers: "If you can't find a way to blow up the bridge before three o'clock in the afternoon, you will have to form a team A death squad."
"Yes!" Xu Jianghua stood up and gave Zhou Zhirou a military salute, "Commander! I will arrange it right away."
"Wait a minute!" Zhou Zhirou opened her red eyes, "When we form a death squad, count me in and I'll draw lots too."
Although Zhou Zhirou's words were meant to boost morale, the soldiers in the room immediately became excited and asked to join the suicide squad.
Zhou Zhihan looked at his watch. Before one o'clock, he stood up: "Commander-in-Chief! I want to fly a fighter jet to the Kunlun Pass to survey the terrain on site and see if I can find a way other than using death squads to blow up the place." A bridge.”
Everyone looked at Zhou Zhihan. Everyone knew about his record last night and that his left arm was seriously injured. Therefore, at this critical moment, no one thought of letting him fight. However, he took the initiative to volunteer at this time. Contrary to everyone's expectations.
"Zhihan, your arm is not good, I can't let you take risks." Zhou Zhirou waved his hand. Last night, a telegram was sent from Liuzhou Airport, saying that Zhou Zhihan was injured and was almost crippled.
"It's okay. It's just a flesh injury, not a muscle or bone. It doesn't hurt anymore." Zhou Zhihan said and stretched his arms gently. "The right arm is mainly used to fly the fighter plane, and the left arm is auxiliary."
"Colonel Zhou!" Xu Jianghua also waved his hands and said, "The terrain between Batang and Jiutang is complicated and there are many mountains. It is extremely difficult to fly. Your left arm is injured, so you must not take risks."
"How about this!" Zhou Zhihan knew everyone's good intentions, "I'll try to take off with a fighter plane first. If it doesn't work, I will never make fun of my life or the fighter plane."
Seeing that Zhou Zhirou insisted on flying, Zhou Zhirou paused for a few seconds: "Okay! Just try flying. If it doesn't work, don't force it."
"Yes! Commander-in-Chief!" Zhou Zhihan stood up, "Are the oil and ammunition for the night battle hurricane ready?"
"Hurricane? Night battle with hurricane?"
Except for Zhou Zhirou, everyone looked at Zhou Zhihan with doubts in their eyes, and then looked at each other, how can we have any hurricane fighter jets?
Some people only know about the Hurricane fighter, and this is the first time they heard about the night battle Hurricane.
Zhou Zhirou said calmly: "Colonel Zhou made great military exploits many times while supporting the British operations. In order to commend Colonel Zhou's achievements, the British Air Force Minister gave several Chinese fighter jets to us for free. He just arrived the day before yesterday and he didn't have time to inform him. Everyone. But the British gift of fighter jets for free is a military secret, and everyone present must keep it secret."
The fact that Britain donated fighter jets to China must be kept secret for the time being, at least not publicized to the outside world. After all, Britain has not yet announced war against Japan. Now they are doing their best to resist the German attack and are unwilling to provoke the Japanese.
Everyone was excited when they heard that there was a night battle with the hurricane.
"Let's go!" Zhou Zhirou said to everyone, "Let's go and watch Colonel Zhou fight against the hurricane at night."
