The Japanese Sixth Division's Third Field Artillery Battalion had been stationed at the Guishan artillery position for five days.

　　During these five days, the Special Forces Brigade on the opposite side had not launched a single large-scale offensive.

　　The Japanese soldiers of the Third Field Artillery Battalion had absolutely no chance to use their skills.

　　Artillery Battalion Commander Takahashi Taiyu was extremely frustrated:

　　He had come to the battlefield to earn merits,

　　Not to tour these places.

　　However, the Special Forces Brigade on the opposite side had been sending out small teams of a dozen men,

　　Constantly hunting down the Japanese soldiers at the front lines,

　　Leaving the artillery with absolutely nothing to do.

　　All that Battalion Commander Takahashi Taiyu could do every day was to have his Japanese soldiers wipe down the cannons more often,

　　Maintain them diligently, and prepare for battle at any time!

　　Today was different. The Special Forces Brigade's artillery actually opened fire,

　　Bombing the entire forward position of the Sixth Division from north to south.

　　The Special Forces Brigade now had the strength to do this.

　　They had cannons, and they knew the situation on the front lines of the Sixth Division.

　　During this period, the two sides had been sending out small teams to hunt each other down.

　　Although they couldn't know every detail of the entire position,

　　They were very clear about the location and layout of each position.

　　At this time, it should have been the time for Takahashi Taiyu's artillery battalion to show its strength,

　　But because the Special Forces Brigade's artillery position was too far away,

　　Takahashi Taiyu's artillery battalion's 75mm field guns couldn't reach them at all,

　　Which was very embarrassing.

　　Even when the Special Forces Brigade's soldiers attacked Tiger Head Mountain just now,

　t know how to bomb them?

　　The Special Forces Brigade had sent out too few troops to attack.

　　Fortunately, there was finally an opportunity to bomb,

　　Battalion Commander Takahashi Taiyu received an order from the division commander:

　　To bombard the Special Forces Brigade's soldiers on Tiger Head Mountain fiercely.

　　Because they had seen that the Special Forces Brigade had deployed at least a company of troops on the top of the mountain.

　　This was a very worthwhile target to strike,

　　And the Sixth Division had already sent a reserve battalion over,

　　Preparing to recapture Tiger Head Mountain.

　　At this time, Division Commander Inaba Shiro still didn't know that the Inukai Tatsunosuke Battalion he had sent out had been completely annihilated.

　　But even if he knew this news, he still had to recapture Tiger Head Mountain.

　　More importantly, he was already urging the Eleventh Army to airdrop supplies to him as soon as possible.

　　Ammunition and weapons were not as important as food.

　　The soldiers were all hungry.

　　As the art of war says: Before an army moves, food and supplies must come first.

　　Division Commander Inaba Shiro was now short of food.

　　Fortunately, food supplies could be arranged with some urging,

　　But Tiger Head Mountain must be taken.

　　In order to cooperate with the Konoe Yasuhiro infantry battalion,

　　Division Commander Inaba Shiro specifically requested the Third Artillery Battalion to bombard Tiger Head Mountain for at least an hour.

　　At the same time, he had already dispatched a battalion of flying squadrons to bomb.

　　The Kimura Akihito Flying Squadron had already set off.

　　When the order was received, a top-secret notification was issued along with the order:

　　"When the Kimura Akihito Flying Squadron goes to Tiger Head Mountain,

　　They can only detour towards Wuhan first.

　　It is strictly forbidden to fly directly from Jiujiang Airport to Tiger Head Mountain.

　　Under no circumstances is it allowed to fly over Longgan Lake and Shangxin River."

　　The Eleventh Army Headquarters, which issued the notification, did not explain the reason.

　　But Squadron Leader Kimura Akihito vaguely understood something.

　　Many aircraft squadrons had taken off from Jiujiang Airport this morning,

　　But only a few had returned.

　　Some things were best left unthought.

　　The more Squadron Leader Kimura Akihito thought about it,

　　The more he realized that the few flying squadrons that had returned had all gone to bomb Wuhan and Jiangnan,

　　But not a single aircraft that had gone to bomb Jiangbei had returned.

　　Longgan Lake and Shangxin River were no-fly zones!

　　This had happened before. The Jiangyin Fortress in the past and Jurong now were both no-fly zones.

　　It was said that as long as the Japanese planes reached these places, they would be 100% certain to crash.

　　Not a single plane would escape.

　　Squadron Leader Kimura Akihito, feeling that he understood a lot,

　　Immediately conveyed the ban from above to the entire squadron of pilots before setting off.

　　Among the pilots below, one immediately stood up:

　　"Reporting, Squadron Leader, if we take off from Jiujiang Airport,

　　We'll enter Longgan Lake after crossing the two-kilometer-wide Yangtze River, and Tiger Head Mountain is less than thirty kilometers ahead.

　　There are no National Revolutionary Army planes to intercept us along the way,

　　Nor are there any National Revolutionary Army anti-aircraft artillery fire along the way.

　　This is a safe route,

　　And it's also the fastest route to reach the battlefield.

　　If we detour towards Wuhan,

　　It will definitely cause misunderstandings with the National Revolutionary Army and their international air force team,

　　And it will easily lead to a battle."

　　Squadron Leader Kimura Akihito certainly knew this.

　　In recent days, with the arrival of aid that Chiang Kai-shek had received internationally,

　　Especially with the Soviets not only sending planes and instructors,

　　They even directly sent air force pilots to participate in the war,

　　Which had caused these Japanese pilots a great deal of suffering.

　　Every time they bombed Wuhan, they would be attacked by their joint forces.

　　In every air battle, the Japanese planes and pilots would definitely suffer losses.

　　This had made the Japanese pilots of the air squadron reluctant to enter Wuhan's airspace without a necessary reason,

　　So as to avoid unnecessary battles.

　　In a situation like today's, it was entirely possible to avoid entering Wuhan's airspace.

　　But the higher-ups had clearly demanded that they not take the shortcut or the good road,

　　But insisted that they go and test the minefield.

　　This kind of combat arrangement aroused strong dissatisfaction among the pilots.

　　Squadron Leader Kimura Akihito had not expected this situation.

　　He didn't know that ever since the start of the war,

　　These pilots' nerves had been highly strained,

　　And they had never rested.

　　In the past, their battle losses were less severe,

　　And these pilots were still able to persevere and endure.

　　But with the start of the bombing of Wuhan, the National Revolutionary Army's air power had strengthened a lot,

　　And the Japanese pilots were suffering losses every day.

　　Their comrades-in-arms, their fellow countrymen, often ate together in the morning,

　　But by noon, they had already died on the battlefield.

　　This had made all the pilots feel apprehensive. In fact, they were afraid.

　　Squadron Leader Kimura Akihito had no choice but to use what these Japanese soldiers had seen today to explain.

　　He said in a low voice:

　　"Haven't you noticed?

　　So many squadrons took off from the airport today,

　　And some squadrons haven't even returned a single plane?"

　　As soon as he reminded them, a pilot immediately said loudly:

　　"The Beifeng Squadron!"

　　"What's wrong with the Beifeng Squadron?"

　　"The Beifeng Squadron took off this morning, didn't they come back?"

　　"They took off again later, and haven't returned since.

　　It's been such a long time, and not a single plane has returned."

　　This situation was very rare. Generally speaking,

　　No matter how fierce the air battle was, a combat squadron

　　Would always have one or two planes escape.

　　"Not a single plane from the Yoshida Flying Squadron or the Hasegawa Squadron has returned."

　　"Squadron Leader Asahi Yushō hasn't returned either."

　　"Did they all crash in Longgan Lake and Shangxin River?" A Japanese soldier asked this question.

　　All the Japanese soldiers in the entire Kimura Flying Squadron

　　Suddenly became clear-headed.

　　They seemed to understand.

　　Squadron Leader Kimura Akihito said coldly:

　　"I didn't say anything!

　　I'm just letting you know

　　That it is strictly forbidden to go to the Shangxin River and Longgan Lake airspaces,

　　Understood?"

　　"Hai!" The pilots below responded in unison.

　　They now understood:

　　Something unusual must have happened in the airspace over Longgan Lake and Shangxin River.

　　After the ideological work was done, the Japanese soldiers of the entire Kimura Akihito Squadron began to board their planes and set off.

　　Such a large flying squadron flying towards Wuhan

　　Immediately aroused a response from the international joint flying squadron.

　　The air raid sirens in the three towns of Wuhan wailed,

　　And many planes took off to meet the enemy.

　　The Japanese soldiers of the Kimura Akihito Flying Squadron really wanted to notify the other side: We're not here to bomb you, we just want to bomb that small mountain in Susong, that mountain called Tiger Head Mountain.

　　Unfortunately, they couldn't send out such a notification.

　　Even if they sent out such a notification,

　　No one in the National Revolutionary Army would believe it.

　　Many people knew the principle that there was no room for deceit in war.

　　When the Kimura Akihito Flying Squadron arrived over Wuhan,

　　The National Revolutionary Army planes that were already waiting in the air immediately rushed up,

　　And the two sides began to engage in a dogfight in the air.

　　Today, the Kimura Akihito Squadron clearly had no intention of staying here for long.

　　Those planes among them that had not been entangled by the National Revolutionary Army

　　Had already turned around at this time and were flying towards Jiangbei.

　　The consequence of doing so was that the few planes that had been entangled immediately fell into an encirclement.

　　Soon, these four planes were trailing black smoke and falling towards the Yangtze River.

　　The pilots who had time to parachute quickly jumped out.

　　Those Japanese soldiers who were injured and unable to parachute

　　Could only fall into the Yangtze River with the plane and accept the scouring of the Yangtze River from the inside out.

　　When Squadron Leader Kimura Akihito learned that his team had already lost four planes,

　　He remained very calm and didn't say a word.

　　For him, such losses were within expectations.

　　Now, the main target of their flying squadron was still Tiger Head Mountain.

　　The Sixth Division attached great importance to this position that they had just lost.

　　Division Commander Inaba Shiro believed that if they couldn't recapture the Tiger Head Mountain position,

　　The entire forward defense line of the Sixth Division in Susong would be threatened,

　　And they could only retreat to the second defense line.

　　The Japanese Third Artillery Battalion at the Guishan artillery position,

　　After receiving the task of bombing the Tiger Head Mountain position,

　　Immediately took action under the command of Battalion Commander Takahashi Taiyu.

　　Since they were going to carry out an hour of bombing,

　　Battalion Commander Takahashi Taiyu ordered the Japanese soldiers to open fire,

　　While ordering the supply train to quickly send shells to the position.

　　An hour of bombing would require a lot of shells, and Battalion Commander Takahashi Taiyu had thought of that.

　　He just didn't expect that his artillery position would also be bombed,

　　Or rather, he deliberately ignored this possibility.

　　The entire Takahashi Taiyu Artillery Battalion's position on Guishan had just fired two rounds of shells,

　　And many shells hadn't even hit the top of Tiger Head Mountain yet,

　　When their artillery position

　　Was covered by a blanket of artillery fire.

　　This was the bombing from the Special Forces Brigade's Eighth Regiment.

　　Feng Junya, who commanded the Eighth Artillery Regiment, had as many as thirty-six 150mm cannons.

　　These cannons had just bombed the Japanese forward position in Susong,

　　And now they were attacking and bombing the artillery position.

　　Under the guidance of Mao Wenxing, the Eighth Regiment's cannons

　　Became more and more accurate.

　　The Japanese soldiers of the Takahashi Taiyu Artillery Battalion were now having a hard time.

　　They couldn't reach the Special Forces Brigade's artillery,

　　So they could only endure the bombing.

　　But the power of 150mm shells was something that the Japanese, who didn't have permanent fortifications, couldn't withstand at all.

　　When the Special Forces Brigade's artillery opened fire, the Takahashi Taiyu Battalion's bombing of Tiger Head Mountain immediately stopped.

　　The Japanese soldiers at the entire Guishan artillery position were running around like headless chickens, scattering in all directions.

　　They were trying to escape with their lives under this artillery bombardment.

　　The Japanese artillery soldiers were of course aware of the power of large-caliber shells.

　　Knowing that they couldn't escape, they still wanted to try.

　　Battalion Commander Takahashi Taiyu was of course also clear about this.

　　He was also regretting his carelessness: he hadn't built the artillery command post more solidly.

　　In fact, his artillery position was built according to the standard that could withstand the bombing of 75mm field guns.

　　Now, they were using 150mm cannons to bomb them.

　　As long as it was hit directly,

　　His entire artillery command post would be finished.

　　But at this time, it would be even more dangerous to run out.

　　Battalion Commander Takahashi Taiyu felt that things were too difficult for him!

　　He could only stay in the command post,

　　Waiting for death was not what the Japanese wanted.

　　Battalion Commander Takahashi Taiyu had already reported the predicament he was facing to Division Commander Inaba Shiro.

　　He requested the division commander to immediately send planes to bomb the Special Forces Brigade's artillery position.

　　If they couldn't bomb the artillery position on the opposite side,

　　The Third Battalion of the Sixth Division's Artillery Regiment would be completely annihilated.

　　There was nothing wrong with such a request!

　　Still in the air, rushing towards Tiger Head Mountain, the Kimura Akihito Flying Squadron received an order to change targets:

　　First find the Special Forces Brigade's artillery position and bomb it,

　　And then go bomb Tiger Head Mountain.

　　The Kimura Akihito Flying Squadron, which had already seen the Tiger Head Mountain position,

　　Also discovered the Takahashi Taiyu Artillery Battalion, which was being beaten.

　　The flying squadron in the air immediately adjusted its direction,

　　Watching the shells fly over to find the Special Forces Brigade's artillery position.

　　This artillery position was not difficult to find.

　　After all, the Special Forces Brigade's Eighth Artillery Regiment's position was very large.

　　Dozens of cannons were lined up in a row,

　　Which was very impressive.

　　The Third Regiment, which was guarding Tiger Head Mountain, saw the Japanese planes flying past on the right,

　　And flying towards Taihu County.

　　They quickly notified the troops behind them, especially the Eighth Regiment, to prepare to shoot down planes.

　　The Eighth Regiment was equipped with 88mm anti-aircraft guns.

　　Although Lin Fan had taken two away, the Eighth Regiment still had eighteen anti-aircraft guns here.

　　Upon receiving the notification, Feng Junya immediately commanded the eighteen anti-aircraft guns,

　　Facing the sky in the southeast direction,

　　Preparing to meet the Japanese planes.

　　It wouldn't be long before they could see the enemy planes flying over from the east.

　　Anti-aircraft defense and bombing were not contradictory.

　　The bombing of the heavy artillery company had never stopped,

　　Which made them very conspicuous.

　　The Kimura Akihito Flying Squadron, which had just flown over, had already spotted the target.

　　Pilot Abiko Taro, who was flying in the lead, shouted excitedly:

　　"Target spotted!

　　Enemy artillery position spotted!

　　Five kilometers ahead of me!"