“Marshal Ye… this job isn't easy.” Yao Beiwu hesitated slightly, “Originally, I was on equal footing with these guys. Now, suddenly climbing above everyone and bossing them around, how am I supposed to do that?”

“I showed the two documents you submitted to several squadron leaders. They all think highly of you, so you don't need to worry about that. What you really need to think about is who you're going to recruit to help you. You know, when it comes to aerial command, every position is filled. I'm even worried about who to transfer to take over your airship squadron. You need to figure out who to get as assistants and advisors… You're the Air Service Commander of the war zone now; you can't handle this alone.” Ye Tao suggested with a smile.

Yao Beiwu thought carefully and said, “I want to transfer two people over first: Xie Yunqiu from the Ninth Squadron, and Yang Lengyun from the Eleventh Squadron. As for my squadron… I'd like to recommend someone to take over. Marshal Ye, see if it works.”

“Oh? Who?” Although Ye Tao was familiar with the officers, the officers in each circle knew best who was specialized in what. Since Yao Beiwu was recommending someone, this person must have unique qualities.

“Yang Lengyun's younger sister, Yang Lianyun,” Yao Beiwu said earnestly.

“You're recommending a woman to replace you?” Ye Tao frowned. “Why is that?”

“Marshal Ye probably doesn't know, but this generation of the Yang family is inseparable from airships. Yang Lengyun is now recognized as the top expert in the airship squadrons, not the test pilot type, but someone who dares to fight and is skilled. His single airship attack techniques are as smooth as flowing water. Moreover, he's very experienced in organizing flight formations and group attacks. The Eleventh Squadron has been so successful on the northern front, and Yang Lengyun deserves half the credit. He single-handedly drove an entire airship squadron. And he should be the best person to develop a new flight training syllabus. Although Yang Lianyun is a woman, she and her brother are both top-notch pilots. And although she's a woman, the Yang family was originally a famous military family in Yunzhou, so military affairs are naturally second nature to her; she's very strong in that area. Furthermore, Yang Lianyun is different from us. She had a reputation for talent early on… even gaining fame while disguised as a man. Later, after airships were invented, she became obsessed with them, mastering flight while delving into various related subjects. Tactics aside, she's stronger than us old men when it comes to meteorology, artillery, mathematics, and so on. If the airship squadron wants to make some changes, I reckon she's the best choice. Warfare is becoming increasingly refined, and we need someone with a keen eye for detail to give it a try. As for whether she can hold her own… I don't think that's a problem. The airship squadron is a small circle, and everyone knows about Yang Lianyun. Many are willing to help. Also, I want my deputy to stay here for another three to five months before coming to the Air Service Command to continue working with me. What do you think, Marshal Ye?”

“We can give it a try.” Ye Tao nodded. “Where is Yang Lianyun stationed now? Since you can make this suggestion, she should have some rank, right? You wouldn't recommend a commoner to be a squadron commander, would you?”

Yao Beiwu smiled and said, “Yang Lianyun is currently the deputy captain of the test flight squadron at the workshops.”

Ye Tao was stunned. He did have some impression of this female pilot. He had seen a girl there several times when he went to the workshops, but he wasn't curious enough to ask who it was. For a woman to be the deputy captain of the test flight squadron, her qualifications were definitely not an issue. “In that case, let's give it a try. I approve all your suggestions. The people should all be here within three days. Then, how quickly do you plan to show me results? From now on, you'll be fully responsible for all matters related to airships.”

Yao Beiwu immediately felt a tightness in his scalp. He thought for a moment, and then said hesitantly, “Half a month… should be enough to see improvements.”

Ye Tao and Yao Beiwu discussed various aerial combat deployments until dinner. As they left the duty room used as a conference room, crossed the mooring field, and headed to the cafeteria on the other side for a lavish dinner, some impatient soldiers in the mooring field were already painting kill markings on their respective airships.

“It's a pity I can't personally lead them to victory in the air anymore,” Yao Beiwu said regretfully.

Ye Tao wouldn't emphasize that he had to treat that air battle as a victory. In fact, they both knew very well that it wasn't a failure, but it certainly wasn't a victory either. At best, it could be considered a mutually beneficial outcome: the Northern Frontier Pacification Commission achieved its strategic objective of capturing Tanli and driving out the enemy, almost annihilating the defending forces except for the Northern Liao airship squadron and the small portion of ground forces led by Kong Xinhua. However, Northern Liao also tested the strength of their airships, proving that they were an effective means of combat and introducing combat into a more complex situation. If Ye Tao wasn't willing to fully display Dongping's air power in the war against Northern Liao, then he would have to face the awkward situation where his own airships would always be fighting at a disadvantage. Of course, Ye Tao couldn't tolerate his elite soldiers suffering such losses, but he did need to consider carefully what level of technology was just right.

“Don't worry. The new airships may not be perfect, but they'll soon begin to be deployed. Then, we'll gradually modify and adjust them according to the situation,” Ye Tao hesitated for a moment and said.

“Marshal Ye, don't worry… The airships we're using are already the best. Flying a little higher than us only caught us off guard this time. Everyone isn't very familiar with the angled attack tactics either. In the future, the Northern Liao bastards won't be able to run away so easily,” Yao Beiwu said confidently.

“I hope so,” Ye Tao said faintly. He had even more confidence in this than Yao Beiwu.

That night, Yao Beiwu went with Ye Tao on Yunzhou One to the central army camp, which had already moved forward with the main force. The people he had named had already received notification via telegraph and hurriedly packed their luggage and set off. For other troops, carrying equipment to the front line might be arduous, but these people in the airship system jumped onto the night communication airship, which was still quite dangerous in this era, almost without hesitation, carrying only the simplest luggage. The ground lighting marker system hadn't been fully established, and the night flight of airships largely depended on the crew's familiarity with the route and their superb skills. Yunzhou's 3% accident rate for airship night flights was a terrifying number for many, but for these people in the airship system, it was simply commonplace. Especially Yang Lianyun, who was the deputy captain of the test flight squadron. The average accident rate of over 20% when the test flight squadron was trying various new designs and challenging various flight records didn't make her adventurous heart beat any faster… By midnight on the second day, the Air Service Command was almost fully staffed, and on the third day at noon, Yang Lianyun, rubbing her sleepy eyes, took over Yao Beiwu's airship squadron.

After arriving at the central army camp, Xie Yunqiu and Yang Lengyun quickly cooperated with Yao Beiwu to formulate an air service combat deployment plan for the current situation, which was also the first combat deployment plan in history aimed at establishing and consolidating air superiority. Now that the Northern Liao airship squadron had been repelled, and at least for more than half a month, no large-scale Northern Liao airships were likely to appear on the front lines, Yao Beiwu's idea was to coordinate with the ground advance and extend the airship attacks into the enemy's depths. This was of course a bit risky, but given the safety and reliability of the airships they were currently equipped with, the risk wasn't too great. All parties would conduct in-depth reconnaissance, and then various flight squadrons would establish lateral communication, dispatch multiple parties, and conduct unlimited harassment air strikes on valuable targets, or simply gather more forces to carry out aerial surprise attacks to disrupt the Northern Liao army's deployment pace. This ubiquitous harassment was particularly effective when Northern Liao was currently resisting Dongping's advance. The Western Route Army, and even the Flying Tiger Battalion, which concentrated the elite of the Western Route Army, couldn't retreat calmly in this one-sided, asymmetrical confrontation. Although the direct losses caused by the air strikes weren't very large, after all, Northern Liao had gained some experience from being bombed, the results achieved in coordination with the ground advance were extremely impressive. When teams of cavalry faced tired enemies while launching attacks, or when infantry and heavy equipment battalions attacking towns discovered that some fortifications that could threaten them had been destroyed, they had a very high opinion of the sincerity and ability shown by the newly established Air Service Command.

For Ye Tao, this was a surprise, but also something he had expected. Tactics are derived from technology, but more advanced tactics still rely on the collision of battles to emerge. Previously, only his side had airships, and fighting the enemy was like an adult beating a child on the ground. There wasn't much need to consider tactics; it was more about coordination and discipline. But now that both sides had air power, the concept of air superiority was gradually emerging between attack and defense, and mutual collision. The so-called having a concept and the combat effectiveness of the troops rapidly increasing was something that probably only happened in computer games even in Ye Tao's era. How to organize the troops based on a basic concept, how to organize some basic ideas into systematic tactics, and then implement them into the relevant training and combat plans of each unit… all of these required a lot of time, energy, and even sacrifice. Ye Tao knew that he was forcing the airship troops to grow too quickly. The current situation made him a little impatient to wait for the airship troops to mature slowly and transition to the age of airplanes generation after generation. This was very different from how he had unconsciously led the Blood Kirin Army to become so powerful. The situation was different after all. As the Dongping's war against Northern Liao progressed, the entire continent felt like a storm was brewing, with various forces intertwined, colliding, and probing each other… If he wanted to maintain a peaceful state of mind, and wanted to have the detachment, composure, and calmness of an onlooker, he was probably going to wait until Dongping was mired in a multi-front war. Ye Tao absolutely didn't want to get stuck in a quagmire of protracted war. In his heart, he had quietly moved the target deadline for the war against Northern Liao much earlier…