Wang Jun and his men had basically broken through the second line of defense, and the four battalion headquarters under his command had managed to regroup.
Cheng Dongxing, who had been following Wang Jun closely, possessed keen instincts. He was the first to spot the Japanese fighter planes circling in the sky. These Japanese planes were an absolute nuisance; although there were only three of them, they flew at a high altitude and would occasionally swoop down toward the positions. No one knew if or when they would open fire.
For the sake of safety, the soldiers had to slow their withdrawal and keep their eyes on the planes. Whenever one came close, soldiers would lift their light machine guns and open fire. Unfortunately, the Japanese pilots were cunning; they never flew low enough to enter the effective range of the bullets. They didn't even open fire, simply using these maneuvers to intimidate the troops, forcing the withdrawing column to stop and start repeatedly, which drastically hindered their speed.
Chapter 132