Chapter 285: Guarding the Floating Bridge

The artillery shells traced a lethal arc in the sky, locking onto their target with a death grip.

After two US Military bombers were hit, they trailed billowing thick smoke as they flew into the distance, crashing on the other side of the mountain a moment later, the fire staining half the sky red.

Three bombers following closely behind arrived with a whistle, attempting to break through the defensive line and bomb He Yuzhu's anti-aircraft position.

The ten anti-aircraft machine guns on the position immediately roared, the dense barrage weaving a net of fire in the air, firmly blocking the enemy planes' approach.

"Azimuth zero-seven-five! Elevation zero-eight! Fuse zero-three! — Rapid fire, release!" He Yuzhu's roar pierced the clamor of the battlefield, resounding across the position.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Deafening explosions rang out one after another, and two fighter planes instantly erupted in black smoke and fled into the distance... Subsequent explosions detonated thunderously in the woods, and the massive fireballs instantly ignited the surrounding trees, the raging flames illuminating the train station as if it were broad daylight.

The soldiers in the bunkers witnessed this scene, every one of them clenching their fists in excitement.

The two enemy planes that had narrowly escaped saw that the situation was bad and immediately pulled up their altitude to flee in a panic.

But He Yuzhu had already locked onto the targets again, precisely calling out the firing parameters.

The artillery fire tore through the sky, and one enemy plane disintegrated in the air with a boom, its debris scattering like fireworks.

In the end, only one enemy plane managed to escape in a sorry state.

After the enemy planes went far away, deafening cheers suddenly erupted near the station.

"We shot them down!"

"We won!"

The soldiers rushed out from behind the bunkers one after another, embracing and celebrating with excitement.

Division Commander Yang walked over with long strides and patted He Yuzhu's shoulder heavily: "Good lad! This time I wronged you!"

"Division Commander Yang, just give me a bit more autonomy in the future." He Yuzhu wiped the dust from his face and grinned.

A burly man with a dark complexion squeezed through the crowd, curiously examining all the equipment at He Yuzhu's position, and asked: "Comrade, I've never even seen these gadgets of yours! Where did you get them?"

"This is a new-style radar, and this is a ballistic computer. Linking the two together allows us to calculate firing parameters instantly; our shells are like they've grown eyes," He Yuzhu explained.

"What is this big thing in your hand?" the dark-complexioned man asked in pursuit.

"This is called a walkie-talkie. Within a one-kilometer range, you just press it to talk, and the other party hears it clearly."

"Damn it! You're just an artillery company, yet I, an Artillery Battalion Commander, haven't even used a single piece of this equipment! This isn't fair!"

He Yuzhu could understand his envy and quickly asked: "What should I call you?"

"Artillery Battalion Commander of the 27th Army's First Artillery Battalion, Yang Hu."

He Yuzhu saluted modestly: "Battalion Commander Yang, I've long heard of you! I am He Yuzhu, Company Commander of the New First Company, Artillery Battalion, New First Division of the Ninth Army Group. Actually, I am testing new equipment for the Military Factory. These are all newly developed gadgets; if one doesn't have a foundation in physics, they might not be very easy to use."

He Yuzhu's words were a subtle reminder that not all equipment was suitable for arbitrary allocation.

Yang Hu caught the subtext, his face showing slight disappointment, and he turned to ask: "Do you have any spare walkie-talkies in your hand? Give me a few!"

Looking at Yang Hu's eager eyes, He Yuzhu immediately took six from the box and handed them to him, even teaching him how to use them on the spot.

With this, Yang Hu's dejected mood improved quite a bit. He pointed at the large box containing the equipment and asked: "These pieces of equipment probably aren't very convenient to transport on the battlefield, right?"

He Yuzhu nodded in agreement.

"I'm going to file a report right now to have you transferred to our artillery regiment!" Yang Hu slapped his thigh, "Your ability to shoot down planes is just too amazing!"

He Yuzhu smiled: "I only specialize in shooting down planes; I don't understand other aspects. I will have to rely on Battalion Commander Yang for more guidance in the future."

"I wouldn't dare!"

Just then, Division Commander Yang walked over with a frown and said: "The bridge has been blown up. We have to wait for the engineers to build a bridge; we won't be able to cross the river until night."

He Yuzhu immediately requested: "Division Commander, I request to construct an anti-aircraft position by the Yalu River!"

"No need for you to apply," Division Commander Yang waved his hand, "You've become famous after this battle; your superiors have already specifically named you to be in charge of the anti-aircraft mission."

The whistle for departure sounded, and the soldiers of the New First Company immediately took action, quickly dismantling the radar and artillery, loading them onto vehicles to await orders.

After several hours of forced marching, the troops arrived at the Yalu River. They saw that the bridge had already collapsed, and scattered equipment and the remains of fallen soldiers were floating on the river surface; the scene was heartbreaking.

After carefully surveying the area, He Yuzhu selected an ideal location and directed the soldiers to construct bunkers.

When it was almost dark, Yang Hu arrived again. Seeing He Yuzhu and the soldiers all eating canned food, he patted He Yuzhu's shoulder in appreciation: "Compared to you lot, we look like stepchildren."

"Don't misunderstand, Battalion Commander Yang. These cans were all prepared by myself," He Yuzhu said, taking several cans from his backpack and handing them to Yang Hu.

Yang Hu took them with a grin: "Brother He is truly a refined man! The way you've constructed this position is also truly impressive!"

"I just love to tinker with these things," He Yuzhu put down his chopsticks and began tying tree branches onto the artillery barrels for camouflage.

Yang Hu examined the radar equipment on the truck and asked: "How far can this thing see?"

"150 kilometers."

"What?" Yang Hu was greatly shocked.

"150 kilometers. This system can provide 10 minutes of early warning time," He Yuzhu added.

"My heavens!" Yang Hu exclaimed, "If there really is a 10-minute warning, it's enough for all personnel to take cover! Why don't I just let you be the Battalion Commander!"

He Yuzhu said confidently: "I'm not boasting, but this system is at least fifteen years ahead of the Americans."

"You lad, you've got quite the nerve!" Although Yang Hu said this, his eyes were full of admiration.

At this time, Division Commander Yang came over to give instructions: "Important personnel are crossing the river via the floating bridge tonight. I've given my word; the floating bridge must not be bombed!"

"Guarantee to complete the mission!"

Night fell, and a floating bridge built from pontoons and wooden planks rose and fell with the waves on the river. Squads of soldiers held torches, passing through quickly and in an orderly fashion.

He Yuzhu stood on a carefully camouflaged high ground, four anti-aircraft guns covered in tree branch camouflage, their muzzles pointing straight at the firmament, exuding a sacred and inviolable aura.

Suddenly, several light spots appeared on the radar screen. He Yuzhu immediately ordered the bugler to sound the alarm, notifying the troops to pause their crossing and stay hidden in wait.

Yang Hu, on the position on the opposite bank, was skeptical: "I didn't even hear a sound; is this lad's judgment reliable?" But years of battlefield experience told him it was better to believe it than not. He immediately relayed the order, having his entire battalion enter the bunkers and prepare for combat.

"Zhuzi, will the enemy planes really come?" Ershuan asked nervously from the machine gun position.

"You have to trust science," He Yuzhu stared fixedly at the radar screen, his tone firm.

The planes drew closer and closer, and the computer, composed of countless wires and vacuum tubes, hummed softly, rapidly calculating the firing data. Soon, the faint roar of engines came from the distance.

"Attention, entire company! Southeast direction, three enemy aircraft, altitude two thousand, speed three hundred! Prepare for combat!" He Yuzhu used the American-made walkie-talkie to relay orders to each position.

In an instant, the gunners quickly adjusted the direction of the gun barrels. The troops by the river had already taken cover in time, and the dangerous scene from the movies where they would force their way across the bridge during an enemy air raid did not occur.

Three P-51 Mustang fighter jets arrived with a roar. The American pilots looked at the empty river surface in confusion.

"David, why is there no one on the floating bridge? Could we have found the wrong place?" one pilot asked the lead pilot.

"Lower altitude to search!" David ordered.

Just as the three aircraft began to dive, a roar came through He Yuzhu's walkie-talkie: "Bearing one-zero-five! Elevation one-five! Fuse zero-five! — Rapid fire, fire!"