Xiang Xiaoqiang left a few of his subordinates busy, then walked out of the command vehicle, stretched out, and listened to the sound of artillery in the distance. He took out his pocket watch and saw that it was already one o'clock in the afternoon. He looked at the sky and suddenly found that the fog was already very light.
, much lighter than in the morning.
It's almost done, he thought, the plane should be ready to take off. He turned around and entered the command vehicle and ordered:
"Gensheng, call the headquarters and ask Chief of Staff Tang of the General Staff of the Army if it is possible for the Army aviation plane to take off and provide us with air support."
Li Gensheng called. Xiang Xiaoqiang opened the car door, looked at the sky, and murmured:
"It would be great if there were dive bombers at this time... If there were, the Battle of Nanjing would have been won."
It's a pity that it doesn't exist now. The first real ground-attack dive bomber was the Stuka. But it is still in the laboratory in Germany.
"Damn it," Xiang Xiaoqiang said bitterly, "Germany has so many good things. If we seize the opportunity, we must blackmail Germany severely and make them spit out more."
His stomach suddenly growled for a while. Only now did Xiang Xiaoqiang realize that he and the people in the headquarters had not eaten a grain of rice at noon. Thinking of this, the hunger in his stomach seemed to wake up, and he wished he could eat now.
Serve hot rice.
Xiang Xiaoqiang frowned, it was a small matter to be hungry for a while, but it was no small matter to have so many right-hand men and women in the headquarters starving together. They must be very hungry, but they couldn't tell if they didn't mention eating.
Xiang Xiaoqiang was about to question him when he saw a military truck coming from Changping East Road. It dodged the cement blocks on the road and drove into Xinjiekou Square. It stopped. Then a few cooks jumped out and carried a
Stacks of large baskets, steaming hot.
The next ones who jumped down were two officers wearing navy uniforms...well, they were still women.
It's actually Qiu Qiu and Xiu Xiu!... These two ladies are restless at home, what else can they do?
…
In fact, Qiu Qiu was worried about Xiang Xiaoqiang. She knew that the place where Xiang Xiaoqiang was commanding was also full of bombs, which was really worrying. Moreover, she now loved to mix oil with Xiaoqiang's favorite honey, and she felt very uncomfortable when she couldn't see him for a while, so she used to deliver food
The opportunity has come.
Xiuxiu has been depressed by her status as "Ryukyu Princess" for the past two days. She is the center of attention wherever she goes. She doesn't want to show her face anymore, but she is unwilling to let Qiu Qiu go alone when delivering food to her husband.
I also had the courage to follow.
The military police guarding the car quickly ran over and helped the cook take the basket. Then they saluted Qiu Qiu and Xiu Xiu, calling them "Mrs. Qiu" and "Mrs. Shang", and led them to Xiaoqiang's side.
Originally, the presence of two handsome female naval officers here would have been eye-catching, but they also heard that they were the commander's wives, and the guards around them stretched their heads to look. Everyone had already heard that Mr. Xiang's two wives were both beautiful women.
Now it’s a feast for the eyes. As the soldiers watched, they whispered to each other:
"Which one is Mrs. Shang? Which one is Mrs. Qiu?"
"That lieutenant is Mrs. Qiu, and that second lieutenant is Mrs. Shang."
"I heard that Mrs. Shang is the princess of Ryukyu!"
"Tsk tsk, Sir Xiang is so lucky..."
"What, you know how to read those tabloids... Mrs. Shang herself won't admit it..."
"Shh... you don't know, don't you know that Mrs. Shang is an illegitimate daughter, of course she won't admit it..."
…
In full view of the public, of course Xiang Xiaoqiang had to put on a show and reprimanded the two little girls. It was nothing more than "harming the morale of the army". But Xiang Xiaoqiang had been very tired after studying with the commander for a long time. Seeing his confidante
I feel quite comfortable when I show up. In addition, he is a soldier and an officer in the People's Guard. It is really nothing to come and deliver meals to everyone.
But Xiang Xiaoqiang is still very cautious. He has been taking warning from the "Broadcasting Gate" incident that happened during the last training session of the machine team. One of Xiang Xiaoqiang's strengths is that as long as he is aware of one thing, he will never do it.
Will make the same mistake again.
When Li Gensheng, Gao Dayi and others heard that the two ladies were coming, they all hurriedly came out to greet them. Although they were all school-level officers, they were still extremely respectful to the two lieutenant-level female officers and behaved like subordinates.
Xiang Xiaoqiang frowned and hurried a few people back to the command vehicle to continue working. Then he asked the guards to set up a table outside, and asked Qiu Qiu and Xiu Xiu to help serve food here. Since they were here to deliver food, they
It should look like delivering food.
Looking at Qiu Qiu, who had been trained by him, and Xiu Xiu, who was so submissive, a trace of machismo satisfaction flashed through Xiaoqiang's heart. Then he leaned over, sniffed the cage, and asked:
"It smells so good! What did you get me?"
Qiu Qiu smiled and said:
"It's steamed dumplings!"
Xiuxiu also laughed and said:
"Today is New Year's Eve. Qiu Qiu said that the soldiers on the front line have eaten dumplings, but the adults in the headquarters can't help but not eat them, so the two of us brought them..."
Only now did Xiang Xiaoqiang know that all the frontline soldiers had eaten dumplings. When he asked, he found out what was going on. Qiu Qiu immediately said with a smile that it was Xiu Xiu's idea. Xiang Xiaoqiang couldn't help but look at Xiu Xiu with approval and praised.
:
"Well, what a show!"
Xiuxiu lowered her head, feeling happy.
Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at the carefree Qiu Qiu and Xiuxiu who was secretly happy, smiled slightly, and said:
"Qiu Qiu, go deliver dumplings to the adults in the command car!"
Qiu Qiu immediately agreed excitedly, and immediately took the lunch boxes distributed by the cooks and sent them in. Soon, several senior officers came from the command car to express their approval and laugh with Qiu Qiu.
Xiuxiu also wanted to help carry it in, and smiled at Xiaoqiang:
"Xiu Xiu, stay here."
Xiuxiu was startled, standing timidly and looking at Xiang Xiaoqiang.
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled slightly and said:
"Xiuxiu,...you are smarter than Qiuqiu, more beautiful than Qiuqiu, and more sensible than Qiuqiu. Qiuqiu, I only treat her as my wife. And you, I treat you as both my wife and my career partner."
Helper. You know, you have a much better future than Qiu Qiu. Qiu Qiu is straightforward and has no scheming ideas. She has many problems that she cannot see, so you have to help her more. Do you...understand this? "
Xiuxiu's heart was pounding, why didn't she understand? She knew that this was Xiang Xiaoqiang tapping her gently, and he saw all her clever tricks. But Xiuxiu finally heard Xiang Xiaoqiang's own affirmation that she was better than Qiu Qiu.
Beautiful, and I feel a little happy again despite the tension.
As for Xiu Xiu saying that she is smart, sensible, and "more promising" than Qiu Qiang, and treating her as a "career helper", Xiu Xiu doesn't think anything of it. She has known this for a long time and already has this confidence. And for a girl,
Saying she is "smart" or "sensible" is not as happy as saying she is beautiful.
Xiang Xiaoqiang sat down at the table, pulled over a plate of steamed dumplings, and praised them while eating them. He looked up and saw Xiuxiu standing beside him, and smiled:
"You sit down and eat too, why are you so raw!... Come on, I have something else to ask you."
Xiuxiu agreed and sat aside carefully.
Ever since she heard that Xiang Xiaoqiang had accepted the edict and gained unprecedented power, Xiu Xiu felt more and more that she was not with the wrong person, but she also became more and more in awe of Xiang Xiaoqiang. However, unlike Qiu Qiu, Xiu Xiu was not only happy but also
, I also felt a little uneasy, and there was a vague worry that misfortune or fortune could be unpredictable.
Xiang Xiaoqiang held a steamed dumpling in his hand and asked casually while eating:
"Xiuxiu, do you know what Ming Dynasty has now...an aircraft suitable for high-angle dive bombing?"
Xiuxiu nodded:
"Yes, dive bombers."
Xiang Xiaoqiang almost choked to death on half a dumpling. He took a big mouthful of soup to recover, raised his head and asked in shock:
"Dive bombers? Are there any now? What model?"
Xiuxiu didn't understand why he was so excited, and was a little surprised, saying:
"Uh, it's an aircraft of our navy, a bomber on an aircraft carrier. Mr. Xiang, you..."
"That's right!" Xiang Xiaoqiang slapped his forehead, which startled Xiu Xiu, but he immediately stood up, turned around twice, and kept saying excitedly, "Yes, that's right, a carrier-based dive bomber!... Just thinking about it
We landed a base aircraft, why did we forget the carrier-based aircraft?"
He just remembered now that although there are no dive bombers dedicated to ground attack, there are on aircraft carriers! All the bombers on aircraft carriers are dive bombers. Because the main target of carrier bombers is ships, dive bombing is impossible without dive bombing.
Therefore, not only did carrier-based bombers develop earlier, they can also be called true dive bombers, which can easily achieve a vertical dive of more than 80 degrees and close to 90 degrees. As for the "Stuka" and others, compared with it, it is at best
It's just a "dive bomber".
Xiang Xiaoqiang sat down again and asked Xiuxiu:
"What model? How is the performance? How many frames are there?"
Xiuxiu reported without blinking:
"Osprey carrier-based bomber, 850 horsepower engine, wingspan 12.5 meters, length 9.7 meters, height 4 meters; empty weight 2760 kilograms, take-off weight 4700 kilograms; maximum horizontal speed 315 kilometers per hour, ceiling 7872 meters, range 1210 kilometers; three
It has 7.9mm machine guns, two forward and one backward; the bomb load is 450 kilograms... In terms of quantity, we now have 120 on our four aircraft carriers, and there are 60 more in the warehouse."
Xiang Xiaoqiang couldn't stop marveling at Xiuxiu's "traditional skills" and asked directly:
"What do you think if this Osprey bomber is used to support land combat?"
Xiuxiu had vaguely guessed that he wanted to do this, but still hesitated:
"This... Sir, those pilots must not have been trained in ground attack... Moreover, they have only been trained to avoid carrier-based fighters. If they have to face land-based fighters..."
That's right. Xiang Xiaoqiang understands that carrier-based aircraft must meet the requirements of landing and landing on the ship, be strong and reliable, and have lower logistics requirements, so the design of each part is relatively heavy and solid, and the flexibility and range are not as good as that of land-based aircraft. As a fighter
To put it bluntly, the combat capabilities of carrier-based aircraft and land-based aircraft are not at the same level.
There will definitely be problems, but Xiang Xiaoqiang thinks there is no reason not to do it. Carrier-based bombers have not been trained to attack the ground, so how have those land-based fighters been trained to attack dive bombers? How have those Qing troops ever been trained to avoid dive bombers?...
Besides, it's not like we won't send fighter jets to escort us.
The benefits of this will far outweigh the disadvantages.
Xiang Xiaoqiang briefly thought about it again and thought it was feasible, so he got into the command car, drove Qiu Qiu out, and then told his officers this idea.
Several people had different reactions. Gao Dayi thought it was not feasible. But Rommel thought it was worth a try. He thought the same as Xiang Xiaoqiang, thinking that although it was risky, if it was feasible, the rewards would be great. He said it would be done today.
It is no exaggeration to win the battle to defend Nanjing.
Li Gensheng cautiously supported it. After all, he was from the Army Aviation Commando Force and also belonged to the Army Aviation Corps, so he knew a little bit about aircraft. He thought he could give it a try, but don't bet all his hopes on it.
At this time, Army Chief of Staff Tang Yunsheng called back, took the phone from Xiaoqiang, greeted Xiaoqiang very humbly, and then carefully asked if the Army Aviation could send aircraft to support ground operations.
The other end of the phone was silent for a while, and said to ask the Army Aviation Commander. Xiang Xiaoqiang prayed quietly, hoping that the old man on the other side would never say no.
After a while, Tang Yunsheng came back and said:
"Sir, the current visibility is basically sufficient for aircraft operations. But what kind of support do you want? Do you want to use bombers in a zoo of several square kilometers?"
"Well, that's not the case," Xiang Xiaoqiang said with a smile, "I just wanted to ask if the Army Aviation Group can send fighter jets to escort us."
"Escort for whom?"
"To... escort HNA's aircraft."
…
Five minutes later, Xiang Xiaoqiang put down the phone excitedly and said to Xiuxiu:
"Can you memorize the data for Ming Dynasty's main weapon?"
Xiu Xiu faintly showed excitement of anticipation and said:
"Uh... there are also foreign ones... but they are too remote and I don't understand..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded excitedly and said in approval:
"What a good girl! Have you had any special training?"
Xiuxiu nodded and smiled.
Xiang Xiaoqiang recalled the scene in which she recited all the information about the artillery shell in a semi-conscious state on the plane and knocked down a person on the plane. He also thought of her Dongchang identity and guessed that she might have received relevant training and was treated as someone.
A special "weapon"?
No matter what, let’s put this “weapon” to use first! I’ll interrogate her slowly when I get the chance!
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:
"Okay, you are now appointed as my temporary advisor. Come, follow me to the fortress for a meeting!"
Half an hour later, Xiang Xiaoqiang and Xiu Xiu appeared at the feasibility study meeting urgently held by the headquarters of the Purple Mountain Fortress.
Originally, Xiang Xiaoqiang was the protagonist of this meeting, but the "Ryukyu Princess" behind him was too eye-catching. Some of the senior generals present had attended the dance, and those who had not attended had read the newspapers. When Xiang Xiaoqiang introduced Xiuxiu, he said
When he was his adjutant, everyone thought he was there to show off:
Princess of the Ryukyus, what do you think? Golden branches and jade leaves, I'll use them as an adjutant to someone!...Are you awesome? Are you cool?
But during the discussion, when the Chief of Staff of the Army, Commander of Army Aviation, Chief of Naval Staff, Commander of Hainan Airlines and others kept asking the staff to check information, Xiang Xiaoqiang just asked Xiu Xiu lightly, and Xiu Xiu reported the corresponding performance data.
The consultants checked the information for a long time and repeatedly confirmed that she memorized it very well.
At this time, those old men realized that Xiang Xiaoqiang brought this girl here not to "popularize". It was really convenient!... So, no one was asked to check the information at the meeting, and Xiuxiu took on the role of "database"
"Tasks, meeting efficiency is greatly improved.
The people at the headquarters were originally going to discuss how to use dive bombers to attack the Qing army in Nanjing. However, Xiang Xiaoqiang proposed a more ruthless and "extreme" goal from the beginning: dispatching more than a hundred dive bombers.
The bombers went deep into Qing Dynasty and bombed the airport. The target was the Qing army's aircraft parked at the airport.
Then, the second round of all-out attacks on Pukou was aimed at the Qing troops who had gathered in large numbers at Pukou and were waiting to board boats to cross the river.
Finally, there were thousands of Qing troops in Nanjing who were cut off from their retreat. This was the end.
There was silence for a while. The old men present were stunned by the bold idea. A general suddenly asked a question:
"We can carry out air raids, and the Qing army can also carry out air raids. They have more planes than we do. What should we do if we do the same thing?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang replied:
"First, our pilots' technical training is better than that of the Qing army. Second, our main fighter jets are better than those of the Qing army. Third, and the most important point - the Qing army does not have aircraft carriers, and therefore does not have carrier-based aircraft.
There are no dive bombers. This means that only we can dive bomb accurately, and they cannot."
The discussion soon resumed.
Basically, there are two objections. One is what Xiang Xiaoqiang worried about. Carrier-based aircraft pilots have not been trained in ground attack, and the effect is unpredictable. But for this reason, the rebuttal voices are also very powerful: We have not
They had trained for offense, but the enemy had never trained for defense. Whether it was anti-aircraft guns or fighter jets, they had never seen hundreds of bombers pounce nearly vertically.
The second objection is that the four aircraft carriers of the East China Sea Fleet are for defense against Japan. Removing the bombers from four aircraft carriers is equivalent to removing four aircraft carriers.
But this reason is relatively weak and can be easily refuted. First, the possibility of Japan attacking the Ming Dynasty is very small; second, even if it attacks the Ming Dynasty, it will mainly be a fleet decisive battle, not an air battle (the opinion of the Artillery Club); third,
Even in an air battle, the distance between the two sides is close enough, and land-based aircraft are enough, without the need for aircraft carriers.
Finally, someone asked:
"So far, we have not had a large-scale air battle with the Qing Dynasty. This time we have set a precedent. In the future, the Qing Dynasty will probably follow suit and often send large numbers of planes to bomb, and the number of our planes is not as good as ours.
Qinglu. This matter is too big, who will be responsible?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang thought for a moment, stood up and said:
"I'll take responsibility."
"Xiao Xiang, sit down," Marshal Zhang Zhaoxian, chief of the general staff of the headquarters, stood up and said, "I will take responsibility. Although you proposed the plan, you were not doing it to defend yourself, but to defend Nanjing and Ming Dynasty. So,
I'll take responsibility."
Xiang Xiaoqiang bowed deeply to Zhang Zhao and sat down.
The order was sent to the East China Sea Fleet. All carrier-based dive bombers, except those under maintenance, were ordered to immediately fly to several airports near Nanjing to be on standby. A total of 175 of them.
Then, the Ming Dynasty's spy network in the Qing Air Force was mobilized to closely collect information on aircraft at all military airports within 200 kilometers north of Nanjing. The information and photos of the Qing army's airports that were previously stored in Dongchang and Jinyiwei were kept secret
It was sent, copied and developed in several copies, ready to be distributed to every pilot.
The Army Aviation and Hainan Airlines are working closely together and are intensively formulating an action plan. The reason why the depth is set at 200 kilometers is to take into account the range of the main fighter jets of the Ming Army. With full round-trip escort and possible dogfights, 200 kilometers is more appropriate.
distance.
If we are lucky this time and can kill hundreds of Qing aircraft, we can roughly equalize the number of existing aircraft in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Finally, the headquarters adopted Xiang Xiaoqiang's codename for the operation - Manjianghong.