CHAPTER 1420: 1337 A GROUP OF COWARDS

"Major Feng Zhang has perished..." In the Qin Country Air Force Command, an Air Force Commander in blue uniform tugged at his collar, speaking with a complicated expression.

Feng Zhang, as a representative of the "battle to the death" faction, who advocated taking the initiative to fight the Tang Army to the death, often used his position to humiliate the rear air force commanders. He looked down on those so-called cowardly and timid staff officers, as well as the main air force general Zhang Tuo.

Zhang Tuo was the brother of the famed Zhang Xuan from Qin Country, a family of generals with some abilities. Furthermore, Zhang Tuo had studied in the Great Tang Empire for a year, making him one of the few Qin generals who understood the principles of air force command operations as a "professional."

Unfortunately, this professional’s abilities were not well regarded, and first-line combat pilot Feng Zhang often mocked his immediate superior Zhang Tuo, not even willing to call him by name, instead referring to him as "that coward," using the term to substitute his name.

Feng Zhang, who always insisted on taking to the air for battles, often defied his superiors, but his outstanding abilities made him one of the elite aces among Qin Country pilots.

During the war with the Shu Country, he shot down a total of 37 Shu aircraft, making him a genuine combat hero and a seasoned ace pilot.

A few months ago, just before the declaration of war against the Great Tang Empire, he had an audience with Emperor Qin Ying Duo and was awarded a "Qin Battle Medal."

This medal was extremely valuable, as its recipients were true combat heroes. Therefore, when Feng Zhang was a bit assertive, the commander of his air force troops did not argue with him.

He had another identity that made him even more precious and unique: he was a native Qin Country pilot, never having studied in the Great Tang Empire nor learned from Tang flight instructors.

Everything he had achieved was based entirely on his exploration and effort. He was an incredibly diligent and devoted person, and in his field, he was intelligent and insightful.

This was his source of pride, and so everyone admired him greatly. When most were hesitant to challenge the air force of the Great Tang Empire, he alone led many spirited pilots, clamoring for a decisive battle with the Tang Army.

It was precisely due to his "recklessness" that many pilots supported him, and it was for this reason that he had the confidence to often disregard the views of his commanders.

This time, the Qin Country Air Force ascended to battle due to the strong demands of these brave Qin Country air force pilots, launching a special military operation.

The Qin Country Air Force mobilized 110 Type-183 jet fighters, 180 Type-40 and Type-36 fighters, and 100 Type-17 bombers, along with 50 Stukas, participating in this "strategic counterattack."

The counterattack plan’s target was set very high, with the air force hoping that through this full-force strike, they could regain battlefield air supremacy and annihilate the Tang Nation Air Force on the ground before they could gain a foothold.

To this end, nearly 450 aircraft were deployed from the Qin side, with a plan to launch 2,000 sorties to completely curb the Tang Nation Air Force’s offensive momentum.

Such an exaggerated plan was naturally not devised by the Qin Country Air Force Commander Zhang Tuo, who understood the Tang Nation Air Force, but by the homegrown Qin air force hero Feng Zhang.

Feng Zhang and others believed that the Qin Country Air Force repeatedly lost because of a lack of courage and enterprising spirit; by concentrating their strength and counterattacking again and again, they could certainly intimidate the Tang Army, making them fearful of recklessly exploiting air supremacy.

He felt that, even at the cost of losing some aircraft, the arrogant momentum of the Tang Army should be knocked down. Therefore, he assembled over 400 aircraft, hoping for a "highly covert and sudden counterattack to paralyze the Tang Nation Air Force."

To silence public criticism, the perpetually vexed Qin Country Air Force Supreme Command finally, under pressure, approved the action plan. They even gave this action a powerful name: Dragon Slayer.

Unfortunately, Feng Zhang did not know that the Tang Army’s early warning aircraft quickly detected the approaching Qin aircraft, and the Tang fighter units were not an existence they could shake.

On the day of the conflict, the Tang Army’s patrolling fighters and follow-up support fighters numbered about 140 aircraft, so in terms of numbers, they did not fall behind the Qin Army. Furthermore, the Tang Army’s aircraft were mainly J-6 and J-7, completely outmatching the Qin aircraft in quality.

As of now, of the 440 Qin aircraft deployed, the fighter units lost 70 Type-183 jet fighters and 110 piston-engined fighters of Types-40 and 36, with losses exceeding half their numbers.

Of the 150 participating ground-attack aircraft, only 7 Type-17 bombers returned, and not a single Stuka came back—an almost total annihilation.

The painstakingly accumulated resources of the Air Force were almost all lost in a single day, and they lost over 330 painstakingly trained pilots, a disaster by any measure.

These pilots were more valuable than gold! They were the seeds of the future, the final bulwark protecting the Empire!

With this, the Qin Country effectively lost air supremacy in the Northern Warzone, canceling all flight operations planned for the next month, even abandoning the construction plans for the field airport near the old capital.

All Qin aircraft in the Northern Warzone were grounded, even transport aircraft could only deliver supplies to the farthest point along the Great Western Pass...

"What a pity..." Someone in the room quickly sighed, expressing their opinion superficially.

Soon after, someone sneered, sarcastically remarking, "There’s nothing to pity! It serves him right! He squandered all the hard-earned resources we had collected."

"You can’t say that, can you? After all, he was a hero recognized by Your Majesty." Immediately, someone chimed in to agree.

Since the man was already dead, many naturally added to the criticism, with someone soon speaking up: "He was just a pilot, always arrogant, and in the end? Didn’t he still die?"

"Exactly, if he wanted to die, that’d be fine, but he took over 300 pilots with him, it’s simply ludicrous." Their words grew increasingly outrageous, even starting to include harsh language.

Finally, someone even began to attack this fallen pilot: "Good riddance... died quietly."

"Indeed," many agreed.

"At least he died standing. I wonder how many of you talking casually here would dare to take to the skies and fight?" In the corner, a civilian officer interrupted all the military officers’ conversation, storming out of the office displeased: "A bunch of cowards!"