It should be said that the skills of those artillery staff officers of the Kwantung Army are still very good. Indeed, the shells that landed on the Jiamusi airport were captured by Du Kaishan when he swept through Yilan. The two 150-mm Type 89 cannons that General Umezu Mijiro had previously allocated to the 25th Division were fired.

And as they said, there was indeed a small reconnaissance force sent by Yang Zhen around Jiamusi Airport to provide calibration for artillery fire. From the moment he discovered that the Japanese army in the south of the Yangtze River had made an abnormal movement and began to assemble and mobilize on a large scale, Yang Zhen took the reconnaissance battalion into a platoon-level formation and entered the Tongjiang, Fujin, Yilan, Jiamusi, Boli and other areas to conduct tactical reconnaissance.

After learning of the reconnaissance unit's report on the large number of Japanese air planes gathered at the Jiamusi airfield, Yang Zhen immediately decided to personally lead the team under the command of Ma Qichang, deputy commander of the artillery regiment directly under him, to use two Type 89 cannons with a range of up to 18 kilometers captured by Du Kaishan from Yilan to carry out a firepower attack on the Jiamusi airfield.

The two Type 89 field cannons, which had taken great effort to secretly move to a concealed position on the opposite bank of Jiamusi City under the noses of the Japanese army, used the maximum charge to pour more than 100 shells into the Jiamusi airfield within 30 minutes.

Although the artillerymen who used this kind of artillery for the first time were extremely unfamiliar with this kind of artillery, under the guidance of the scouts concealed on the other side of the river, eighty percent of the shells fell on the target. Whoever makes the airport a huge target, as long as it is well guided, it will not be too outrageous.

Yang Zhen, who did not report much hope for how much of a role this shelling would play in this shelling, hoped that the shelling would play a certain deterrent role in the Japanese army, rather than in actual combat, until he received the report, did not know that his decision to suddenly launch an artillery bombardment would play such a big role.

When he received the report, Yang Zhen was in Luobei. The first is to select the office location for the Northeast Bureau and inspect the defense affairs, and the second is to inspect the Japanese bomber that had made a forced landing at the Japanese field airfield in Luobeiyuan on the afternoon of the previous day.

And this Japanese bomber that landed in Luobei because of a miscarriage was one of the two Italian bombers that were sent out to reconnoiter because the range was far greater than that of the Type 93 bomber, which was only 400 kilometers within a combat radius, and the endurance was long.

In fact, Lieutenant General Teramoto Kumaichi, commander of the Kwantung Army's Second Flying Group, who accompanied General Umezu Mijiro to Jiamusi and was in charge of directing the entire air force operation, did not approve of sending these thin-skinned Italian-made bombers to reconnoitre. Jianyì still sent a Type 97 or Type 98 reconnaissance plane.

However, Admiral Umezu Mijiro believed that he needed not only tactical intelligence, but also strategic intelligence. In particular, the location of the other party's arsenal, and whether this gang of bandits connected with Jiangbei in Heilongjiang to obtain information on Jiangbei's material and equipment assistance. Insist on sending legged bombers.

Whether it is a Type 97 reconnaissance plane or a Type 98 reconnaissance plane, although its performance is good, its range is not small. But it is not comparable to these Italian-made bombers with long legs. Large-scale, long-term reconnaissance is an aircraft that needs to stay in the air as long as possible, rather than simply flying fast.

As for the Type 97 heavy bomber with better performance, General Umezu Mijiro had already ordered the bomb to be loaded. As soon as information is transmitted, it will immediately take off and bomb the reconnoitred target. The Kwantung Army had occupied the northeast for more than eight years, although the location of the opponent's arsenal could not be found out for a while. However, it is still known that there are several riverside wharves that can be used in the control area.

However, in order not to let the war that has gradually subsided in Nomenhan, and then regain the heat because of his own bombing, General Umezu Mijiro has already prepared the excuse of accidental bombing. Because he never thought about bombing during the day, and he was going to bomb all the wharves in Jiangbei that could be used for unloading and loading. to completely cut off, at least temporarily, the other party's external contacts.

Therefore, as soon as the runway that had been washed away in the flood was repaired to the condition that it could take off and land planes, he ordered the 98th Squadron, which was equipped with Type 97 bombers, to be ready to take off and bomb at any time. This is also the reason why the Japanese planes suffered heavy losses in Yang Zhen's shelling.

In addition to a large number of bombs and gasoline, because I didn't think that an opponent who didn't have a single plane would have the strength to launch an air strike on himself. I never thought that the opponent could hit the airfield more than ten kilometers away from the river, so I didn't think about air defense and anti-artillery, but piled it up on the edge of the airport and covered it with tarpaulin without taking any measures.

These Type 97 bombers, which had been filled with fuel and had already hung up their bombs, were neatly arranged in a corner of the airfield and ready to take off at any time, and had the typical thin-skinned characteristics of Japanese aircraft, almost became an extra-large explosive bag under the shelling. One is hit, and the chain reaction is that the planes of a warband are all reimbursed.

And the culprit that caused the entire team of Type 97 heavy bombers to be blown up was the Italian-made BR20 bomber that was almost intact and undamaged in front of Yang Zhen's eyes at this moment.

It was because the two bombers that had been sent out to reconnoiter had disappeared without a trace, and they could not take off without receiving information for a long time, and because of the orders of His Excellency the Admiral, the Type 97 bombers, which had to be ready at all times, fell into bad luck.

The lost plane in front of Yang Zhen was one of the two planes that were sent out to reconnoitre, and as for why it landed here, it would have to wait for the confession of the interrogation pilot to come out. It is estimated that these guys have been circling for too long, and they can't find the way they came, so they got lost, and regarded Luobei Airport as a field airfield built by the Japanese army itself throughout almost the entire northeast.

Looking at the almost intact BR 20 bomber in front of him, Yang Zhen took a deep breath. I don't have a pilot on hand, or I can at least use this plane. For example, a single plane broke in and caused some trouble for the Japanese army.

When Wang Xiaoming, the political commissar of the 1st sub-district who came to inspect the party, asked whether the plane, which had almost no value to his side, was blown up, Yang Zhen shook his head: "Drag this plane to a hidden place and disguise it." Let's use this plane to exchange something with Jiangbei. We don't need it, someone will want it. ”

According to Yang Zhen's later generations, this kind of aircraft had competed with the Soviet Army's I-15 fighters during the recent Spanish Civil War. Because it was faster than this fighter, which was still the main force of the Soviet army, there were no losses. Presumably, Jiangbei will be very interested in this kind of bomber, which was exceptionally good in the Spanish Civil War. This plane should sell for a good price on the Jiangbei side.

Sure enough, as Yang Zhen expected. After receiving the information that Yang Zhen had captured a complete BR-20 bomber, the aviation of the Soviet Far Eastern Military District sent several aviation experts as quickly as possible and selected the best pilots. The leader of the team was Yang Zhen's old acquaintance, Lieutenant Colonel Kovalev.

Of course, acquaintances will inevitably meet with a burst of intimacy. It's just that after intimacy, you should calculate the same calculations as each other when negotiating. It was not reduced by half a point because of the meeting of old acquaintances. According to Kovalev's meaning, the plane was discounted into part of the previous aid. However, Yang Zhen insisted that he use the single-base propellant used in the Mosin Nagant rifle to cover the account.

Yang Zhen's meaning is very simple. Nowadays, the Japanese army in the south of Songhua Jiangnan is frequently mobilized, and the big battle can be described as imminent. It is making every effort to increase the production of one hundred and seven-mm rocket artillery and artillery shells. And the large amount of propellant needed to produce rockets is currently very limited. In a situation where inventories have fallen to a point of near danger, it is not appropriate to use inventories for mass production. Jiangbei wants this plane, yes. Take the propellant in exchange.

However, the Jiangbei side did not intend to pay a dime for this aircraft, even the supplies were refused. In Jiangbei's view, Yang Zhen still owes him 10,000 tons of grain, so why did he pay cash to buy this plane that the Chinese comrades almost picked up?

Looking at Yang Zhen, who was about to ask for five tons of propellant with the lion's mouth wide open, Kovalev shook his shoulders and said, "Dear Comrade Yang, don't you think that your behavior is ripping bamboo in your Chinese language?" And it is also to knock on the bamboo pole of the great Soviet that once gave you selfless help. ”

"I must tell you sternly that as friends and brothers, our two parties must help each other, and not unilaterally and endlessly demand from one side to the other. Out of international obligations, and at the risk of an all-out war between Japan and the Soviet Union, the Soviets have provided you with a large quantity of equipment and supplies that you urgently need. ”

"Even at the risk of weakening the combat effectiveness of the Far Eastern Military District, the Deshka anti-aircraft machine guns and 120-millimeter mortars that you need were transferred from the active forces when it was difficult to produce the equipment you requested for the time being. Are you ready to repay the great Soviets in this way, and blackmail us with such an airplane, which has almost no use for you? ”

"We have helped you build an almost complete arsenal, and the Far Eastern Military District has also given away a large amount of supplies. Grain alone will be sold to you 10,000 tons at half the international price in barter at an excellent price. And you have so far not paid a ton of ore for what we need, only less than a thousand tons of coal. ”

"How can you make such an intolerable demand to the great Soviet when you have been extremely discredited, and we have been shipping our food and other supplies for more than half a month, and you have only paid less than ten percent of the payment? The propellant of a five-ton Mosin Nagant rifle cartridge, how did you come up with it. Do you really not want to get any supplies in the future with the great Soviets? ”

It is clear that Kovalev is very dissatisfied with Yang Zhen's death. The final tone even had a threatening tone. He thought that Yang Zhen was consciously blackmailing the great Soviets.

Regarding Kovalev's dissatisfaction, Yang Zhen shrugged his shoulders and said: "Dear Comrade Kovalev, I am not blackmailing our fraternal party. I don't think the great Soviet intelligence agencies, with their keen sense of smell, could not have discovered that the Japanese army was now deploying troops and preparing for a large-scale offensive against our army. ”

"Our current arsenal has only been in operation for less than two months, and the production capacity is still very low. In particular, smokeless gunpowder, which is relatively difficult to produce, has a very low yield rate. And we urgently need a large number of rocket shells, so what we need most now is a single-base propellant that can be used as a rocket propellant. ”

"In good conscience, I would be willing to give this plane to the great Soviet for free testing in order to improve the great Soviet air combat capability, but we don't have that capital right now. As for what you said about the payment of the previous material costs, Comrade Kovalev we have done our best. ”

"In order to cope with the threat of the evil Japanese fascists, we had to recruit a large number of miners from among them, so that the number of coal miners in the Tsurutate area was now less than one-third of what it used to be. Coupled with the lack of skilled personnel in Yanzhòng, a decline in coal production was inevitable. ”

"Coupled with the lack of transportation, Yan Zòng can only use extremely slow animal transportation, so this thousand tons of coal is already our production limit. In order to meet the needs of the great Soviets, we even used only one set of coal-fired units in the arsenal power plant, in order to save precious coal to meet the requirements of the great Soviets. ”

"I can assure, however, that if the Great Soviets can provide some means of transport, we will guarantee the supply of 20,000 tons of coal as required by the contract before the onset of winter. If there is a problem on the part of the Soviets, we will complete the contract before the beginning of next spring. ”

Hearing Yang Zhen's words, Kovalev's lungs were about to explode. What is this not naked blackmail? How can you do that? The idea of exchanging the coal urgently needed in the Far East for grain and other materials was proposed by this guy in front of him, and after the great Soviet unilaterally completed the contract, this guy found all kinds of reasons to delay the delivery time, not to mention that he had to provide his own means of transportation. It's a bit of a no-brainer.

Who is Kovalev? He was the head of the Intelligence Department of the General Staff of the Soviet Army in the Far Eastern Military District, and although he was not necessarily as sensitive as the guys in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he was superior in foreign intelligence. Although he can't say everything about the internal situation of Yang Zhen's troops, he is not as ignorant as the Kwantung Army.

Looking at Yang Zhen's rogue appearance, Kovalev was angry: "Does this guy really think that he is two hundred and fifty years old?" Or when the Great Soviets were the banks that they could embody at any time? Don't reveal some of this guy's old bottoms, this guy is still playing tricks with himself. ”

Kovalev, who decided to open up some of Yang Zhen's old bottoms, cleared his throat and said, "Comrade Yang Zhen, you don't seem to lack transportation. As far as I know, you have at least a hundred captured Japanese-style trucks on hand. At the present size of your troops, there is simply no need for the great Soviet to supply cars now. ”

"As far as I know, when you greeted your party's central delegation, you drove more than twenty trucks at one time. Don't forget that I was on this convoy when I was about to return to China. So it's clear whether you have the necessary means of transportation in your hands. ”

After all, Kovalev, who thought he had exposed Yang Zhen's old background, would still wink at Yang Zhen with his heart. The meaning is obvious, those lies of yours are deceived by others, and you are too far away from me. You really don't know anything.