Wasteland Commander-Chapter 395 - 86: Counter-Airstrike Operations
On October 10th, a small-scale air battle erupted on the Qi Lu battlefield.
Three Dawn Army attack-10 jets encountered six third-generation jets from the Mountain River Base.
After a fierce battle, the fight ended in a 4 to 2 ratio.
Mountain River Base lost four jets, while the Dawn Army lost two jets, with the remaining Dawn Army jet retreating from the battlefield first.
The two jets from Mountain River Base retreated after a pursuit of three hundred kilometers.
This battle technically gave the Dawn Army an advantage, but for Mountain River, the significance was entirely different.
After their initial defeat, they planned to engage in guerrilla tactics, not believing they could realistically defeat the Dawn Army head-on, especially in aerial combat.
However, this battle did not leave them at a significant disadvantage, at least they managed to shoot down a Dawn Army fighter, shattering the myth of their invincibility.
For a moment, morale soared at Mountain River Base, their fighter jets began frequent deployments, though never in large numbers, only a few at a time.
Meanwhile, the Dawn Army seemed to lose the desire to continue fighting, with their forces starting to withdraw, and their air force no longer taking to the skies.
The enthusiasm for battle was high at Mountain River Base, with many calling for a grand offensive to utterly crush the Dawn Army.
However, the leaders of Mountain River Base and Huaihai Base remained cautious, wary of falling into a trap of enemy deception, maintaining a conservative, stable strategy, not letting the small victory cloud their judgment.
They aimed to hold the Dawn Army, ensuring that Dawn City could be captured, adopting a mindset of avoiding mistakes rather than seeking merit.
But, the events that followed shook their resolve.
.....
"Report! Urgent message from Fengtian!"
Leader Zhao of Mountain River Base and Leader Qin of Huaihai Base were discussing battle plans when a messenger hurried in.
"Read it."
"Message from Fengtian: A Dawn Army carrier battle group, along with a large number of transport ships, is approaching Laizhou Port. Additionally, a vast number of Dawn Army forces are assembling at Laizhou Port."
"What! The Dawn Army is gathering at Laizhou Port?"
Leader Zhao stood up abruptly, his expression turning extremely grim.
Leader Ma quickly asked the messenger, "Is the source accurate?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
"According to the Fengtian side, it was witnessed by their scout in Qi Lu Province. The Dawn Army was operating at night, with the scout disguised as a local fisherman, having infiltrated the area for a year. There is no doubt about the credibility of the source."
After the messenger left, Leader Ma looked at Leader Zhao and said, "Brother Zhao, the situation is dire. The Dawn Army’s stealthy actions suggest they are planning to abandon the Qi Lu battlefield and head straight for Fengtian."
Leader Zhao gritted his teeth, "How dare Ye Fan do this? He’s actively severing his territory. Isn’t he afraid he’ll be cut in half and unable to reunite?"
Leader Ma thought for a moment, "He probably has no choice. He can’t afford to delay with us here. Right now, Fengtian Base’s forces are advancing towards Dawn City, and his forces there are insufficient, he has to retreat to save his homeland, hence the strategic abandonment here."
Leader Zhao nodded, "What you said makes sense. Recent battles have made him realize that defeating us quickly is impossible, so he has to gamble everything."
"What should we do now?"
"We can’t let his scheme succeed. Fengtian cannot face issues. Only capturing Dawn City will destabilize Ye Fan’s foundation. We must take action."
Leader Zhao quickly made up his mind, "Brother Qin, the only way now is to completely destroy Laizhou Port, so the Dawn Army cannot land in Liancheng."
"This plan seems feasible, but could it be the Dawn Army’s scheme?"
"Haha! Brother Qin, you’re overthinking. If it was Golden City, I might hesitate, but Laizhou is just an abandoned port. The Dawn Army has no foundation there, not even anti-aircraft weapons. Our two bases can jointly deploy six hundred fighter jets. Even if they have some anti-aircraft, it wouldn’t have any effect. Are you still afraid of their air force?"
Leader Ma laughed heartily, "Maybe in the past, but not now. Let’s do it."
"Hurry and arrange everything. The Dawn Army needs time to gather. Continue as normal in tomorrow’s daytime battles, reveal nothing unusual, and act tomorrow night. Just like how the Dawn Army destroyed Jiangzhou’s first fleet, we’ll launch an air raid on the port, using their strategy against them, and let Ye Fan experience the destruction of a fleet!"
........
In Golden City, Ye Fan stayed for two more days.
He was also anxious. If Mountain River Base and Huaihai Base didn’t take the bait soon, his fleet would have to go all out and attack Liancheng tomorrow.
By then, Qi Lu would definitely be lost, and even Golden City might fall, but there was no other way.
For this, he even built a new base vehicle, power plant, airport, and spy satellite in Golden City.
During these two days, he spent his free time monitoring the situation in Qi Lu Province with the spy satellite.
The enemy had dispersed their air force everywhere. Their airplanes were scattered everywhere, denying any opportunity to air raid their airport.
In this situation, he could only wait for the enemy to bite the bait.
Finally, the next night, he saw movement through the spy satellite.
Countless small black dots, from all directions, were heading straight towards Laizhou.
Seeing this, Ye Fan’s anxious heart was finally at ease.
Better that they come than not. Once they come, they won’t leave.
.....
The Alliance Army’s fighter jets departed at 1 AM to avoid detection by the Dawn Army’s radar.
All pilots had rested well during the day and were called up at midnight to have a quick meal before boarding their planes.
The planes took off from dozens of small airports or highways, flying at an altitude of a hundred meters above the ground.
Even the pilots thought the leaders were being overly cautious. Dawn Army had some roots only in Golden City, otherwise, it was a blank slate in other places. Qi Lu Province was not yet their territory.
But the pilots, who had undergone strict training, resolutely executed the tactics, departing in the cover of night and heading straight for Laizhou.
A flight within one province doesn’t take too long. About an hour later, six hundred fighter jets were approaching Laizhou military port from all directions.
The journey was completely unobstructed and smooth. The entire land of Qi Lu Province was very quiet, and no one noticed their flight.
The squadron leader continuously maintained communication with the base. For this operation, a temporary command center was specially set up by the Alliance Army command.
Everyone knew the importance of this operation. It could be said that if they sank Dawn Army’s fleet, the Dawn Army wouldn’t be able to land from Liancheng, thus unable to save Dawn City.
If Dawn City were lost, Ye Fan would lose an arm, and defeat would be inevitable.
As they approached Laizhou, they could even see the location of the port from high altitude.
The command center contacted the squadron leader in charge of the attack task again: "Night Owl! Night Owl! Have you detected any anomalies?"
"Reporting to command, no anomalies detected. Laizhou is a ghost town. There’s no sight of any illuminated buildings, only some lights at the port. Except for some warships, there are only temporary observation posts, no radar stations or lighthouses."
"Alright, you now have permission to attack. Enter the target’s airspace, free to fire at will!"
"Command, rest assured. We’ll accomplish the mission!"
The squadron leader ended the call, feeling that this mission seemed like child’s play.
The famed Dawn Army was nothing more than this.
He was about to give Dawn Army an unforgettable lesson, similar to when Japan bombarded a White Eagle Country military port last century.
"Everyone, enter combat mode. Three minutes until reaching the airspace above the Dawn Army warships, no need to stay hidden!"
The fighters, which had been flying at low altitude, began to slightly ascend.
After all, they were going to drop bombs soon, and the first wave shouldn’t be at low altitude. It’s better to increase height a bit.
The immense roar of hundreds of fighter jets instantly echoed through the night sky.
And at that very moment, an unexpected event unfolded!
The warships of the Dawn Army, which seemed to have been in slumber, began constantly launching missiles into the sky!
One by one, surface-to-air missiles, trailing bright tails, headed straight for the incoming fighter jets!
The Dawn Army had not only aircraft carriers and battleships but also up to eight frigates.
These frigates were equipped with anti-aircraft missiles.
And almost simultaneously, dozens of anti-aircraft missiles were fired, catching the Alliance Army’s surprise attack fighter group off guard.
Bright fireworks exploded in the night sky, many fighters were silently shattered into fragments.
The squadron leader instantly felt the situation was unfavorable; Dawn Army was clearly well-prepared!
But having come this far, there was no turning back. The only option was to move forward!
After all, Dawn Army’s warships were right ahead; just two minutes away from the bombing position, retreat was impossible.
Even though they knew it was a pit of dragons and tigers, they had to take the plunge!
The squadron leader immediately prepared to fire the air-to-ground missile carried by his plane, intending to deal Dawn Army a blow, regardless of outcome.
But just then, the radar alarm suddenly blared!
Beep, beep, beep~~~!
He looked at the screen, his face turned pale.
It’s over!
A missile!
An air-to-air missile fired from a fighter jet reached him before he could react.
Boom~~~!
A ball of fire exploded, the squadron leader died with his eyes wide open.
He had been constantly monitoring the radar, but there were no signs of enemy fighters on the radar!
One must know his radar could detect up to 200 kilometers in the air. Could it be the enemy fighters fired the missile from 200 kilometers away?
He didn’t know; he couldn’t fathom it and would never have a chance to find out the truth.
He died, but his comrades survived.
One with better vision could see through the haze some issues.
The radar didn’t show enemy fighters appearing, but he could see with his naked eye!
"It’s not good! Dawn Army deployed stealth jets!"
