Just then, the roar of Japanese Army bombers echoed through the sky. The Japanese Army aviators circled their aircraft above the village housing the division headquarters. After a while, the pilot looked through the porthole, observing the silent village below. The houses were scattered in an orderly fashion, but there was no sign of movement; the entire village was deathly still, looking exactly like an abandoned place. There was no sign of the large contingent of the Eighth Route Army that intelligence had claimed was entrenched there.
Though the pilot had his doubts, he was unwilling to return empty-handed. He randomly selected a few targets in the village and pressed the bomb-release button. A dozen aerial bombs whistled down. The moment they hit, flames soared into the sky. Houses collapsed under the force of the explosions, kicking up thick clouds of dust and smoke. The shockwaves tore up nearby trees by the roots, while livestock scrambled in terror, letting out frantic cries.
Shortly after, the pilot spotted flashes of gunfire on the ground—it was where Leitao was engaging a Japanese Army squad. Driven by curiosity and duty, he flew the bomber toward the source of the fire. As he approached and saw the fierce battle below, the pilot lowered his altitude, preparing to attack the valley where Leitao and his men were positioned. Inside the fuselage, the bombardier quickly adjusted the bomb-release parameters. With a sharp whistling sound, a string of bombs rained down …
Chapter 140