Empire Conquest
Chapter 156 - 152 The Dragon-Slaying Warrior and the Assassin

Chapter 156: Chapter 152 The Dragon-Slaying Warrior and the Assassin

"3221 Squadron."

"Received, just behind you."

"3231 Squadron."

"Coming, will arrive within three minutes."

"Rookies, follow the standard attack tactics. After I draw the high-altitude gun fire, it’s your turn to show off!"

"Received!"

"Yes!"

After receiving the responses, Ji Yeshang finally turned off the voice radio.

Glancing at the carrier speeding across the ocean ahead, he pushed the control stick forward.

The action was smooth and without hesitation.

Throughout, Ji Yeshang remained composed and calm. He was an old hand, transferred from the First Shipborne Air Force Wing; the pilots trailing behind him were the rookies.

At this very moment, he was an eagle, an osprey soaring through the sky in search of prey!

Aboard the "Longxiang."

Although the gunners had seen the enemy plane long ago, they hadn’t been alarmed, mistaking it for a lone fighter the entire time.

Moreover, with a swarm of "Typhoons" bearing down, chaos had already ensued above the fleet.

Not until the enemy plane dove toward the "Longxiang."

A lone dive bomber?

Impossible.

The gunners on the "Longxiang" panicked immediately; on the port side alone, three anti-aircraft commanders lifted their batons—shaped like ceremonial swords for added grandeur—toward the diving enemy plane, bellowing at the gunners to open fire. Their hysterical demeanor seemed to suggest that the louder they yelled, the more ferocious the gunfire would be.

In order to catch the gunners’ attention, they tied a white cloth to the tip of the batons, waving them like flags.

The spectacle was certainly vigorous, yet the effectiveness of their command paled in comparison to that of headsets.

In no time at all, more than ten high-altitude guns positioned on the bow, midship, and stern of the port side swiveled around and opened fire on the incoming dive bomber.

It truly was a dive bomber!

Although similar in appearance to the "Typhoon," clear differences distinguished the "Wasp," such as a larger cockpit with a defensive machine gun mounted behind it, a visibly longer fuselage, larger wing area, and swept-back leading edges.

As for the external load, it wasn’t exactly distinctive, since "Typhoons" often carried drop tanks under the belly.

As the high-altitude guns began firing, the dive bomber opened fire as well.

That’s right, it fired, rather than dropping bombs!

Two machine guns, mounted above the engine cowling and ahead of the cockpit, fired through the propeller arc using synchronizing gear.

Indeed, it was the "Wasp" dive bomber.

Like the Saiyi Navy’s Type 99 ship bomb, mounting two machine guns on the nose was the presumptuous idea of designers who believed that tracer bullets would help pilots visualize the trajectory, thereby estimating the bomb’s flight path after release and improving bombing accuracy.

The concept was similar to that of machine guns used on battleships to test firing solutions.

In practice, not a single pilot used their machine guns to gauge bomb trajectory. Furthermore, with the advent of bomb sights, bombing no longer relied on gut feeling. However, pilots found a new use for the machine guns in practice, strafing the battleship’s high-altitude guns before dropping bombs.

Small-caliber high-altitude guns were all exposed, with at most a gun shield in place.

When dive bombing, the greatest threat came from these small-caliber high-altitude guns, capable of firing at steep angles.

The enemy planes opened fire in strafing runs, and the gunners became even crazier.

It was like a fight between an elephant and a Wasp.

But in Ji Yeshang’s eyes, it looked more like a battle between a knight and an evil dragon. He was that knight, and the carrier below was the evil dragon.

It must be said, as a child, he was definitely told Western fairy tales before bed.

Now, the evil dragon spewed flames, but the knight did not have a lance to slay the dragon.

However, that did not matter.

Diving down, more accurately dodging the fire from the High-altitude Guns while rolling, his altitude quickly dropped to five hundred meters. Ji Yeshang did not look at the altimeter, relying solely on his instincts. Only when he felt he was about to crash did he pull back the control stick, while simultaneously firing his last burst of bullets.

The eight-millimeter bullets were not very powerful, but they were more than enough for exposed gunners.

As if provoked or insulted, those manning the High-altitude Gun still did not let up on Ji Yeshang’s Dive Bomber. They continued to fire a barrage until their line of sight was obstructed by the hull of the ship, and only then did they stop. By this time, the air defense commander suddenly realized that the Dive Bomber had not dropped any bombs at all; it had simply strafed the gun positions on the starboard side with its machine guns.

What was he doing?

As Ji Yeshang piloted the "Wasp" out of its dive, a squadron of eight "Wasps" had already made their way in from the opposite direction, entering the battle from behind and to the right of the carrier.

On this side, the High-altitude Guns that had been firing at the lone "Wasp" had not managed to adjust their fire.

As a result, the eight "Wasps," to be precise, the first four, entered the dive bombing stage without any interference.

In truth, the legendary Dragon Slayers were not one man, but a group!

Four warriors swooped down, each throwing their lethal lances.

The evil dragon, feared.

The "Longxiang" made a hard turn to port, trying to avoid the plummeting bombs with a swift change in direction.

Unfortunately, it was too late!

As Ji Yeshang pulled his Fighter up, the "Longxiang" had already been engulfed in the explosion’s smoke, with a towering inferno emerging from the rear of the flight deck.

The High-altitude Guns continued to fire, but now with no accuracy whatsoever.

The remaining four "Wasps" followed suit in their dive, each dropping their bombs in turn.

From the Southwest, the eight "Flying Fish" of the 3231st Squadron were closing in, skimming the surface of the water and heading straight for the heavily damaged "Longxiang."

If the "Wasp" was a warrior mounted on a warhorse, charging at the dragon with a lance in hand, then the "Flying Fish" were assassins, hugging the ground and approaching stealthily with daggers in hand.

To slay a dragon, both warriors and assassins are essential.

The enemies on the carrier had no idea about the eight advancing torpedo bombers!

This was it!

Seeing the eight torpedo bombers flying in a V-formation, each releasing torpedoes from the optimum angle 800 to 1,000 meters from the "Longxiang," Ji Yeshang felt secure. Don’t forget that he was originally the squadron leader of the "Flying Fish"; this time was an exception. In truth, nearly all the torpedo pilots from the third Shipborne Air Force Wing were taught by him hand-to-hand. To say they were his apprentices was also accurate.

Not to be rude,

But even a carrier fashioned from a Heavy Cruiser, small in the scale of fleet carriers, was doomed.

To put it rather bluntly,

A carrier that could withstand eight Air torpedoes without sinking had yet to be born!

Even those designed according to "Battlefield Survival Theory," like the "Imperial Capital" class, were only required to stay afloat if hit by three torpedoes on the same side.

To resist eight torpedoes head-on?

Theoretically, even a Battleship—tough as it was—could not guarantee it would remain afloat.

By now, the eight "Wasps" of the 3221st Squadron had caught up.

Below them, the eight "Flying Fish" had turned away after launching their torpedoes, regrouping to follow their squad leader back home.

Behind them, on the sea, the "Longxiang" had capsized and was sinking at a visible rate.