72 Tank "Captain! Look at this photo! You are so handsome!" Hill waved a newspaper excitedly and rushed into the tunnel in a hurry. His face was full of smiles, as if he had found some treasure. His eyes were full of pride and admiration, and he couldn't wait to share this exciting discovery. Lu Mingfei took the newspaper curiously. The front page of the newspaper was almost occupied by a huge photo, which was obviously a promotional photo specially made for him. In that photo, he was leaning slightly against a Fokker fighter with his arms folded across his chest, his chin slightly raised, his eyes revealing a kind of contempt for everything around him and confidence in his own strength. That stern expression was particularly eye-catching against the weathered background of the battlefield. The headline on the newspaper was written in eye-catching fonts: "Legendary pilot William Hans: One against ten, defending the sky of the Somme River again!" It seemed that this was not just a battle, but also a duel between a hero and fate. “Heh…” Lu Mingfei looked at himself in the newspaper, chuckled and shook his head, then put the newspaper Hill handed to him aside. He still remembered how excitedly the Prussian war correspondent had taken this photo for him a few days ago. He was even asked to strike a pose that seemed casual yet powerful. However, Lu Mingfei remained sober and detached from such publicity and admiration. More than two months had passed since the one-on-fifty air battle. Since that battle, Lu Mingfei's name began to be known throughout Prussia. Not only was he hailed as the "Hero of the Somme", he was also transferred to the flying squadron for his outstanding military exploits and served as the squadron's captain. The commander of the Somme, Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, personally met him and awarded him the Medal of Merit, which symbolizes the highest honor. At the same time, his military rank was also promoted from lieutenant to captain. Originally, Lu Mingfei was supposed to return to Prussia to receive the medal personally awarded by Emperor William II, but due to the urgency of the Battle of the Somme, he had to stay on the front line. Despite this, the Prussian domestic news media had already spread his deeds throughout the streets and alleys, and his every move became the focus of attention of the people across the country.
When news of Lu Mingfei's heroic deeds reached Prussia, many newspaper reporters rushed to the Somme, hoping to get exclusive coverage of him. In the writings of these reporters, Lu Mingfei's image became increasingly tall, as if he had become an omnipotent superhero in the hearts of the Prussian people. Not only that, even his deeds of leading a team of ten people to capture Fort Douaumont were dug up. A small officer led his insignificant men to single-handedly capture the enemy's most powerful fortress, guarded a line of defense alone on the first day of the Somme, shot down nearly 150 planes on the Somme within two months, and rushed to the front of every attack. He also won three medals of merit, representing the highest honor, for his outstanding military exploits. Every achievement of Lu Mingfei shocked the hearts of the Prussian people. As the achievements appeared in the newspapers, the whole of Prussia fell into a crazy worship of Lu Mingfei. As the war situation became unfavorable, Prussia was in urgent need of a war hero to stabilize the people's hearts, and Lu Mingfei's incredible record was undoubtedly the best candidate. Especially since this officer was so handsome and was only 19 years old, making him the youngest recipient of the Medal of Merit in Prussian history. Lu Mingfei's military rank was promoted at a rocket-like speed, from private to captain in just one year. It can be said that as long as Lu Mingfei is alive, with his current reputation and record, it is almost certain that he will enter the top leadership of Prussia in a few years. "Hans, another letter for you has arrived. Did you just lose it like before?" Paul and Kropp also walked into the tunnel, each holding a pile of letters. These letters came from all over Prussia. Every day, countless admirers would write to Lu Mingfei to express their respect and admiration. At first, Lu Mingfei would take the time to read a few letters, but as the number of letters increased, he became too lazy to read them as they were all filled with the same old words. In the end, he let Paul and Hill and the others deal with them at will. "They are all letters of admiration again..." Kropp flipped through a letter casually and suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, there's even a letter from Renata!" His tone revealed an unconcealable surprise and envy. Renata is the most famous actress in Prussia at that time. Her beauty and talent have attracted countless people and she is the dream lover in many people's minds. "It says: When you return to Prussia, I hope to have dinner with you and spend a wonderful evening with you, Hans, you are really becoming a grown-up!" Paul couldn't wait to open the letter and read the contents aloud. Then he looked at Lu Mingfei with envy and teased. Lu Mingfei just smiled helplessly, then slapped Paul on the head, snatched the letter, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it aside. "Okay, forget about those letters. How have you considered the matter I mentioned to you before?" he said slightly seriously. What he was referring to was transferring Hill, Paul and others back to Prussia and arranging them to serve as instructors in the recruit training camp. Although these former comrades had been transferred from the front line to the relatively safe rear line because of him, the fighting on the Somme River was still very brutal and he did not want to see them take further risks. Now, with his merits and status, it was no longer difficult to transfer these old comrades back to Prussia. Several people looked at each other, and finally said in unison: "We won't go back. We can't leave you alone on the battlefield." Their tone was firm and full of determination, and their eyes were full of reluctance to leave Lu Mingfei. Lu Mingfei sighed. He had actually guessed this result a long time ago. He knew that these comrades who had followed him through thick and thin had already regarded him as their support. "Alas... I'm really worried about you staying here. Paul, your mother is still waiting for you to come back... and Kropp..." There was a hint of reluctance and consolation in his voice, but before he could finish his words, another person hurried into the tunnel and interrupted him. "Captain Hans, the British planes are coming again! Our superiors want us to dispatch urgently." The visitor was a lieutenant from the flight squadron. He looked anxious and it was obvious that he was ordered to come and convey an urgent mission.
"Got it, Meyer, I'll be there right away." Upon hearing this, Lu Mingfei immediately stood up from the ground, his movements were quick and decisive, just like his usual style. "Captain Hans, I've told you many times, my name is Goering, not Meyer." The man muttered, seeming a little dissatisfied with Lu Mingfei's address but helpless. "Okay Meyer, got it Meyer." Lu Mingfei responded jokingly with a slight smile on his face, then quickly walked out of the tunnel, ready to face the upcoming air battle. …… At the same time, in the British headquarters "Is this the air force that you are so proud of? In just two months, we have lost 170 planes, 150 of which were shot down by the same person!" Haig angrily threw the latest battle report on the table, his voice filled with suppressed anger and anxiety. The face of the black figure was hidden in the darkness, and his expression could not be seen clearly, but from his golden eyes that flickered in brightness, it was not difficult to see that he was experiencing violent fluctuations in his heart. Although his face was hidden in the darkness, his silence and the coldness in his eyes were enough to make people feel a little uneasy and oppressive. "In two months, we have only broken through the Prussians' first line of defense, but for this line of defense, we paid the price of tens of thousands of lives!" Haig slammed his fist on the table in anger. His voice echoed in the silent command room. The unfavorable situation of the war made Haig, a general who did not value the lives of soldiers, anxious. "The Council of Elders has instructed Falkenham to transfer most of the planes over the Somme to Verdun. As long as we can kill that half-blood, the skies over the Somme will belong to us again." The black figure remained calm. His voice was low and calm, which was out of tune with Haig's anger. "That's easy to say, but how exactly are we going to get rid of that half-breed?" Hager did not hide his inner anger, his tone was full of sarcasm and dissatisfaction. "The elder will not disappoint you. We will mobilize 500 planes to the Somme front, including many ace pilots, including the famous Flying Stork Squadron and La Fayette Squadron. He may be able to deal with 100 planes, but what about 500? Moreover, even if 500 planes still fail, we still have a backup plan." The black figure still maintained a calm tone. "What back-up plan do you mean?" A trace of doubt and uneasiness flashed in Haig's eyes. He obviously did not want to endure any more failures, especially at this juncture. If he continued like this, he would really lose his position. "Don't worry about our backup plan. I heard that your secret weapon, the Land Cruiser, has been transferred to the Somme River, right?" The black figure said slowly, and his sharp golden eyes seemed to see through Heger's heart. Hearing this, Haig's expression froze and his pupils shrank slightly. It was obvious that he was surprised by the other party's source of information. "How did you know?" His voice became low and alert. The existence of the Land Cruiser was highly confidential. Even within the British Army, only a very small number of people knew about it, not to mention the specific information about its deployment. The black figure did not answer, but just smiled slightly. There was an unspoken sense of control in that smile, as if everything was within his expectations. Heger realized that he might have let the cat out of the bag, and his expression suddenly became gloomy, but he could not read any emotion from the other's golden eyes. "Don't worry," the black figure continued, "The Elders have set up a tight net. This time, both the half-blood and the Prussian defenses will be completely destroyed. Our 500 fighters will launch attacks at the same time. By then, the balance of victory will be irreversibly tilted towards us." "You can use your Land Cruiser to try the effect first. We will help you lead the half-blood away. If your Land Cruiser works well, then we can launch an attack together with our planes. By then, we will not only kill the half-blood but also break through the Prussian defenses." "I understand. I will fully cooperate with the actions of the Elders Council. I hope that everything can be completely resolved as you said." Haig finally nodded, with a hint of reluctant obedience in his tone. He knew that he didn't have many choices in this war. No matter how risky the plan was, he had to take the risk, otherwise his position and honor would be completely ruined. When the black figure heard Hege's reply, the light in his golden eyes flashed slightly, and then he turned and merged into the darkness, disappearing into the shadows as if he had never appeared. Only Hege was left standing in the center of the command room, his face gloomy and the complex emotions in his heart difficult to calm down. …… The next morning, British soldiers on the front line were preparing for a new day of fighting, when suddenly a heavy roar from a distance broke the silence. The soldiers turned their heads and saw a huge iron box being slowly pushed to the front line. Its heavy tracks rolled over the muddy ground, making a low roar, like a giant steel beast slowly approaching. "What is this thing of yours?" A British soldier came forward curiously, his eyes wide open, trying to see what this huge monster was. He had never seen such a huge mechanical device, and his heart was full of confusion and uneasiness. "This is for storing water and food for you at the front line." A British soldier who climbed out of the iron box explained casually, pointing to the word "water tank" printed on the iron box, as if it was just an ordinary device. "To store water? In such a big iron box?" Another soldier frowned, obviously puzzled by this explanation. "And why do you have to drive so far ahead?" "You'll know soon." The soldier who crawled out of the iron box smiled mysteriously, then turned and left, leaving the soldiers full of questions looking at each other in confusion. …… On the other side of the Prussian defense line, pilots were preparing to attack. Goering stood next to his Halberstadt fighter, doing a pre-flight check and muttering in dissatisfaction.
"Damn it! Why did they transfer so many planes to Verdun? We don't have enough planes here!" His tone was full of complaints, and he was obviously dissatisfied with his superiors' decision. "Stop talking nonsense. Those who can stay in the Somme are the best of the best. We and the captain are enough to defend the skies of the Somme." Another young officer was also preparing for takeoff. His name was Richthofen, a talented pilot. In the past two months, in addition to the 150 planes shot down by Lu Mingfei, he shot down ten of the remaining twenty. In comparison, Goering was much inferior, having only shot down two. "Meyer, Richtofen, please pay attention to the instructions I will give you later." Lu Mingfei had already climbed onto his Halberstadt . His tone was calm and firm, with a hint of unquestionable authority. The Halberstadt was a groundbreaking aircraft equipped with a radio transmitter that could receive and send information from the ground, as well as pass information to other aircraft, but currently communication could only be done through Morse code. Lu Mingfei's command plane is the only one that can conduct full two-way communication, while other planes can only receive commands. "Yes!" Richtofen responded loudly, his eyes flashing with admiration and respect. At first, Richtofen was dissatisfied with Lu Mingfei, who was younger but more outstanding than him. But as time went by, especially after seeing Lu Mingfei's countless outstanding performances on the battlefield, his inner dissatisfaction had long since turned into deep admiration. Now he regards Lu Mingfei as his role model, hoping to reach the same heights one day. "Yes, Captain, could you please not call me Meyer? My name is Goering." Goering responded reluctantly, with a hint of helplessness in his tone, but he was still unambiguous about Lu Mingfei's orders. Before he finished speaking, he quickly climbed onto his plane, ready to take off at any time. Lu Mingfei ignored Goering's complaints, just smiled faintly, and then started the plane. The roar of the engine echoed in their ears like thunder. Lu Mingfei's Halberstadt rushed into the sky first, breaking through the clouds over the Somme River. Richthofen and Goering followed closely behind. The three fighters quickly formed a combat formation in the air to meet the upcoming battle. When the plane passed through the clouds and entered high altitude, Lu Mingfei immediately used the sickle-weasel and keenly detected that there were more than 20 enemy planes circling not far ahead. Ever since Lu Mingfei became famous in the battle over the Somme River, the British Air Force's operations have become more cautious, with a large number of aircraft being assembled for each sortie, either flying separately or flying together in different directions. One or two planes were just appetizers for Lu Mingfei. "Something's wrong..." After Lu Mingfei detected the movements of the enemy aircraft through the Kamaitachi, a trace of doubt arose in his heart. He noticed that the behavior of these British planes was a little unusual. They did not attack immediately, but there was no sign of retreat, as if they were deliberately luring him away from the area. This unusual behavior made him feel uneasy, and his intuition told him that the other party might have set some kind of trap. "Quick battle, quick decision." Lu Mingfei decisively passed this message to Richtofen and Goering via the radio transmitter. He knew that he could not let these enemy planes successfully delay time and had to shoot them down quickly to avoid falling into the enemy's trap. Lu Mingfei immediately pushed the joystick and the Halberstadt rushed towards the British planes like a flash of lightning. He calmly aimed the sight at the target and pressed the firing button at the same time, and a series of bullets rained down like raindrops. With the help of the sickle weasel, he had already memorized the position of each enemy plane, and the bullets hit the target without exception. In an instant, two British planes emitted black smoke in the air and then fell, becoming the first victims of the air battle. Seeing this, other British planes immediately tried to fight back, but their actions seemed panic and disorderly. Before they could form an effective attack, Lu Mingfei shot down three more planes. However, Lu Mingfei soon realized that the opponent's strategy was still as expected. These enemy planes did not seem to be in a hurry to tangle with him, but kept flying away, trying to lure him away from the battlefield. However, Lu Mingfei did not stop the pursuit but instead implemented the strategy of quick victory more firmly. With the blessing of the Eye of the Wind King, the Halberstadt exceeded its design limits and approached the enemy planes that tried to escape at an incredible speed. Although Richtofen and Goering were left far behind, they were no longer surprised by such scenes. Over the past two months, Lu Mingfei had demonstrated his extraordinary flying skills time and time again, and they had long been accustomed to seeing these "miracles" in every battle. However, as the pursuit deepened, Lu Mingfei gradually realized that he had been led by these enemy planes to an area far away from the Somme battlefield. Unknowingly, he left the Prussian defense line and entered an unfamiliar airspace. At this moment, he received an urgent Morse code from the ground command: Return for support immediately. This brief message made him realize in an instant that serious changes may have taken place on the battlefield in the rear. "Retreat, return immediately." Lu Mingfei gave the order to return without hesitation. He quickly turned the nose of the plane and led Richtofen and Goering to fly in the original direction, no longer paying attention to the remaining British planes. When they flew back to the Somme battlefield, Lu Mingfei was shocked to find that two of the Prussian defense lines had been breached during the time he was away, and only the last line was still struggling to withstand the fierce offensive of the British army. On the battlefield, a huge iron box was slowly moving forward. Its thick tracks left deep marks on the muddy ground. Every step forward was tearing apart the Prussian soldiers' defenses. Lu Mingfei's eyes were instantly attracted by the iron box. When he saw clearly what it was, a chill ran down his heart.
The king of land warfare officially stepped onto the stage of history. (End of this chapter)