Soaring in the sky in a Butcher fighter jet, sitting in a small and cramped cockpit, feeling the vibration of the engine, and enjoying the turbulence of the airflow. For Datang's pilots, this is their job.
In fact, they still like flying. The feeling of rolling in the sky, biting the opponent, diving and firing, and watching the tracer bullets draw beautiful curves and penetrate the opponent's wings is really fascinating.
But there are only a few battles like that. These days, the most work is like now, flying in the blue sky and white clouds, overlooking the earth, but unable to wait for any enemy fighter.
There was no way, after massacring each other several times, Dahua's fighter pilots finally realized that their plane was not a real plane at all, so they simply didn't come out at all.
Although the Tang Army's ground troops often found dozens of Camel fighter jets in some secretly built field airports in previous assault operations, these aircraft did not take off for combat at all.
They were parked neatly in a hidden hangar, and the roof was covered with vegetation to camouflage it. However, the building was deserted and the pilots and ground crew could not be found at all.
These pilots who had gone to Long Island to study in the past, or at least been trained by students who graduated from Long Island, finally knew how powerful their teachers, or their masters and uncles, were in the face of the cruel war.
Ever since, the air battle between the Dahua Empire and the Tang State has become what it is now. Guided by the hastily established ground radar stations, the Tang Army's aircraft patrolled in the sky but could not find their opponents.
The interesting air battle turned into a boring patrol, and even in order to save fuel, the take-off scale of Tang Army aircraft was reduced to the minimum.
In the past, Tang Army fighter jets would always appear in groups. Dozens of fighter jets were densely packed in the sky, which was very scary to look at.
These aircraft often also have bombs hung under the belly. When enemy aircraft cannot be found, they will look for some ground targets to attack.
But later, because Dahua troops became more and more aware of air defense and anti-aircraft guns began to increase, ground attacks by fighter jets were explicitly prohibited.
Although some people still do this, at least within the Tang Air Force, commanders already believe that ground attack is not the main job of fighter jets.
The grand spectacle of dozens of aircraft taking off in formation has gradually become less common, and the number has been reduced to 8 aircraft formation patrols.
Later, because the eight-plane formation patrol still could not find the enemy, the eight-plane formation was reduced to a four-plane formation.
In the end, most of the patrol missions were handed over to the two-aircraft formation: now the ground troops could hardly see the movements of the fleet of aircraft that covered the sky. They could only occasionally see two aircraft in the sky, one in front of the other and one behind them, like flies. Hovering at a high altitude where no target on the ground could be seen.
There are fewer and fewer fighter jets flying out, but the work of air force commanders has not become easier. According to General Brahim's order, all idle pilots must train more apprentices and bring more pilot seeds to the motherland.
This is a huge project, because everyone sees the importance of airlift from the airlift supporting the southern region.
In the future, Tang State will build the world's largest air transport force and the world's largest civil aviation fleet. These require pilots to support them, as well as a large ground crew team to support them.
Therefore, every airport is working hard to train apprentices. So many young people gather together to play with the most advanced and expensive aircraft in the world. How can it not make people frightened?
The current task of these hapless air force commanders on the front lines is not to direct air combat and ground support, but to keep an eye on these young people and prevent them from causing trouble.
You know, even the cheapest Butcher fighter jet is not cheap to purchase. If you crash one, you will need to write a lot of reports.
Not to mention that if an apprentice pilot crashes the plane and loses his life, the matter will be even more serious. Compared with airplanes, these candidate pilots who have received more than two years of education are more valuable.
A few days ago, an accident in which a ground crew apprentice had his arm broken by a propeller caused several commanders to be educated to the point where they haven't finished yet. Which commander wouldn't remain silent when it comes to mentioning this matter?
Compared with the air force on the front line, the air force transport aircraft unit in the rear is really too busy now to even have food to eat.
They took off from various airports and flew to the southern region loaded with food. In order to solve the problem of food shortage in the south more quickly, Tang Mo ordered all C-47 transport planes he could find to transport food.
Even the C-47s of the paratroopers are no exception, so in recent days, the paratroopers of the Tang Army have actually no way to participate in the battle-unless they walk to the front line.
But walking to the front line is also difficult: the roads are now crowded with infantry who want to go to the front line. These troops are jammed on the road in groups with all kinds of messy supplies. Want to get there? Gotta line up...
…
A train speeding north was packed with prisoners of war from the Dahua Army. These prisoners of war were still wearing the military uniforms of the Dahua Army, but all the helmets were left in Xicong.
The prisoners were all emotionally stable. They all had a full meal before getting into the car. This was the first time they had a decent meal in more than a month.
After eating this meal, they will be sent to Luo Town, where they will work honestly for three years. Although no one knew what they would encounter in the past three years, they saw something different from the soldiers who guarded them in the Tang Kingdom.
Every soldier responsible for guarding the prisoners repeatedly emphasized what should be paid attention to when working in the factory in Luo Town.
Repeating it over and over again allows everyone to understand their future actions: these nagging people sound very reassuring, because no one will waste their saliva on the dead.
If, as promised by these Tang soldiers, they had enough to eat three times a day after arriving in Luozhen, then being a prisoner in the Tang Dynasty for the rest of their lives would not be an unacceptable thing.
Most carriages are crowded, with almost no place to sit - and if you're already seated, it's impossible to stand up.
However, there are still two carriages that are relatively loose, and there are mostly injured people inside, as well as some officers from the Dahua Empire.
Now that they have surrendered, these officers have no plans to go back: the Great China Empire is not friendly to the surrendered officers, and their family members are likely to be assigned to slave registration. This is the price of surrender, and they had already thought about it when they chose to surrender.
Qian Jinhang did not choose to fly to Chang'an, he chose to take the train back. On the one hand, it is because airplanes are not safe these days, and Tang Jun's own senior generals can choose not to fly. On the other hand, Qian Jinhang also wants to see for himself and see the big country he is about to serve. Tang, what is he like?
Frankly speaking, Qian Jinhang was afraid of some of the systems of the Tang Dynasty. He was also an old bureaucrat and an old aristocrat, similar to Lu Qianshan and Bai Fei.
So he wanted to see more of the Tang Dynasty and see what the real Tang Dynasty was like, and whether it was the tomb of everything in the old world, as those people said.
This was something he had to do, because to convince himself to serve the new king, he had to find something to support himself.
The train was speeding through the wilderness and was about to reach Sishui. This was Qian Jinhang's previous attack target. He tried his best but failed to reach here, but he saw it effortlessly after surrendering.
When they were about to enter Sishui, the train gradually slowed down. I heard that they had to wait for the southbound train to pass first before they could enter the station.
After a short wait, Qian Jinhang saw the Sishui platform. To be honest, he didn't expect that a train platform could be so spectacular.
As one of the transportation hubs of the Tang Dynasty, the scale of Sishui's train station can definitely be described as huge. Passengers traveling from north to south and some soldiers are crowded on the platform. As you look around, there is even a feeling of people from all over the world. The illusion that they are all crowded here.
Qian Jinhang did not expect that Sishui would be so prosperous. He also did not expect that the "disaster star coming to the world" and "enemy of the world" mentioned by the old nobles and landlords could build the country to this extent.
If we say that these are the enemies of the world, then what should we call the rulers who keep their people hungry and naked?
But Qian Jinhang knew it, he knew it. In the eyes of those people, people like Zhao Kai, Ryans I, and Binghan I were all "wise rulers" and "models of prosperity."
Frankly speaking, Qian Jinhang had always believed this in the past. He believed that a general who could follow a monarch like Binghan I or Lions I and open up new territories would be the ultimate achievement in his life.
But now he feels that he was wrong, or that the world was wrong. The nobles, landowners, gentry and merchants must have made some mistakes.
If they are not wrong, then why is the world in front of us completely different from the world of Tang Dynasty? It only took them a few years to reach the forefront of the world. If they are wrong... why?
Qian Jinhang silently looked at the people in the distance through the glass of the carriage. These people were crowded on the platform, and their smiles could be seen from time to time.
It was a smile from the heart, a smile of satisfaction and longing. This smile is rarely seen in Dahua on ordinary days, let alone during war.
It is as if these Tang people are not worried that their country will fail in the war, as if this war in which China has lost millions of troops has nothing to do with the people here.
Qian Jinhang found that he... seemed not to be able to see it as clearly as a passerby here.
(End of chapter)
