On October 2, 1908, that is, five days after the Battle of the Wasai Pass, the southeastern Ethiopian town of Korahi was lost, the main force of the Egyptian Second Army was lost, the commander Duke Matafaria was seriously wounded and died, and the main force of the Egyptian First Army Corps, which could not reach Korah in time, was forced to retreat to Degehepur, 150 kilometers north of Korahhet-Kebridhar.

On October 6, the Germans captured the important town of Nagle in southwestern Ethiopia with heavy troops, and most of the more than 30,000 Ethiopian defenders (including 13,000 regular troops) suffered casualties.

When the news of the loss of Naglay reached the temporary base camp of the Ethiopian army, Dredeva, the "King of Kings" Menelik II was so shocked that he was speechless, and the ministers and generals also looked at each other, unable to think of any good solution.

Wen Yu, the head of the Chinese advisory group, hesitated for a while, and finally stood up and said: "Your Majesty, the only way now is to defeat the Italian army in the southwest as soon as possible, and then return to the capital, and take advantage of the steep terrain around the capital to wait for work and eliminate the invading German army." ”

Military Minister Habt Giorgis twisted his beard and said: "Your Majesty, Naglai goes north to the capital, there are almost no regular troops, and now that the Second Army has been destroyed, it is not realistic to rely on the First Army to quickly defeat the Italians Somali Army, and by the time we drive the Italians back to their homeland, the capital will probably have fallen." ”

"If we can expel the Italians back to the border line, we can outflank the Germans, and then the Germans who storm the capital will become turtles in a bottle to be slaughtered by us." Wen Yu retorted.

"What about our back roads? Won't we be turtles in a bottle? His Excellency the Minister of War also fought back unceremoniously.

Wen Yu raised his head and said: "We are fighting on our own, and every time the enemy takes a step forward, they are approaching the bottom of the bottle, remember that they are always surrounded. As long as His Majesty orders the ban and the army and the people work together, we will not become the turtle. ”

At this time, the highly decorated veteran Duke Ma Kangnan stood up: "Your Majesty, Advisor Wen is reasonable, please order the main force of the Praetorian Guard to be thrown into Deghepur and beat the cowardly Italians into a mess of rotten meat!" ”

"The main force of the Praetorian Guard is gone, what will happen to the capital? What to do with the British and French attacking from the east? Habt Georgis exclaimed emotionally.

Duke Ma Kangnan crossed his waist and said: "This is our only chance, attacking can solve the problem, and retreating and defending step by step can only make us turn into ashes along with the position and the city." ”

"Duke Matafaria's unwise attack has destroyed the Second Legion! You haven't answered my question yet, what about the capital? What about Britain and France? ”

"Private soldiers, gather our private soldiers, the militia directly under His Majesty, defend the capital and the east, and then transfer the two attrition brigades left in the north by the First Army back to the capital, the problem can always be solved, the key is our determination, determination!" Duke Maconnan obviously overwhelmed the other party in momentum.

All eyes were on their emperor, their spiritual pillars – of course, it had nothing to do with the Chinese on the side.

Menelik II pondered for a long time, then suddenly got up like a tiger and leopard, drew his sword and pointed to the sky: "There is no other way out of the decisive battle with the Italians." ”

"For the motherland, for the emperor, for the faith!"

Halfway through the slogan, an officer suddenly rushed in and sounded the alarm: "Enemy airship! Enemy airships are coming to drop bombs! ”

On October 3, the base camp was bombed by an Italian airship in Dareva, and in the following week, as long as the weather was fine, there were always one or two Italian airships flying over the Dre Dawa sky, sometimes dropping two or three large bombs, sometimes dropping a dozen small bombs, and so far dozens of Ethiopian soldiers and civilians have been killed and injured.

"Your Majesty, please go to the basement quickly!" Duke Maconnan took a few steps forward to defend Menelik II to the basement, and everyone followed—no one wanted to stay here and wait to be bombed.

After a few muffled noises, someone came to report that the enemy airship had flown away.

Menelik II looked around after listening: "What about our plane?" Our planes can shoot balloons, and we must be able to shoot airships. ”

"Your Majesty, our planes are fighting enemy planes in Deghhepur." Wen Yu explained.

"Forget it, anyway, I'm going to go out in person soon, and the base camp will go south with me!"

The emperor waved his hand: "Pass my order, I will personally lead the Praetorian Guard south to Degehepur within three days to fight to the death against the Italians who invaded my southern frontier." At the same time, all the militias in my direct territory and the 6th and 8th Brigades stranded in the Northern Frontier Zone were ordered to be placed under the command of my Chief of Staff Alula to defend our capital. All lords and lords of the rank of earl outside the Northern Frontier must send all their private troops to the Dere Dawa under the command of my military minister, Habt Giorgis, to be my backup and guard our eastern frontier. ”

The moment of truth has arrived.

12 October, Degehepur.

Huang Yan, the advisor and vice-captain of the Ethiopian Royal Flying Team, rubbed his eyes and wiped off a few eye droppings, and saw that his landline partner Dalaisi was already standing in front of him with breakfast in his hand.

After casually rubbing his face in the basin, Huang Yan took the large plate in Dalaisi's hand, which was covered with a gray pancake piled with bean paste, hot sauce, unknown herbs, potato cubes, carrot cubes, and corn kernels, which the pilots had eaten almost every morning since arriving in Deghhepur.

Da Lai Xi grinds coffee beans with a small mortar, coffee is an indispensable drink for Ethiopians, but Huang Yan misses the roast lamb and local mulled wine for dinner.

Someone opened the curtain of the tent, and it turned out to be the flight captain Essiodo, a 22-year-old royal marquis, with a handsome face, dressed in a handsome Praetorian cavalry uniform, sometimes majestic and noble, sometimes like a serious and lively good student, this difference comes from the multiplicity of his identity - the great lord who can decide the life and death of 200,000 lords, the courtier of the emperor's majesty, and the "flight student" who has to ask the deputy captain Huang Yan for flight essentials at any time, and even sometimes needs Huang Yan to take the flight......

As soon as Eschiodore entered, he spoke: "Huang, Duke Katemar said that he wants us to bombard the enemy warehouses in Korahhe, and His Majesty the Emperor has also issued an order for us to play a greater role, and His Majesty will set out here tomorrow to fight the Italians. ”

"Enemy warehouses in Korahei? We don't even know where the warehouse is. ”

Huang Yan used a silver spoon to roll the cooked potato chunks over the bean sauce and hot sauce repeatedly.

Dalaisi grinds the ground coffee, pours it into a strainer, puts it in the coffee pot, and pours it with boiling water, which immediately fills with a strong aroma.

"Huang, we have to take the initiative!" Essiodo was ambitious.

"My lord, I also want to take the initiative, but IMHO, this is an unnecessary risk, and before we can set out to bomb, we must first let us know where the warehouse is."

"We're looking for it from the air!"

"You've been on a reconnaissance mission too, and our eyes can't see through the roof."

Dalaisi raised the pot and poured a cup of coffee for each of the two chiefs, and the rest ...... Take it outside and enjoy it yourself.

Esciodore glanced at the coffee and furrowed his brow: "Yellow, we have to do something." ”

Huang Yan tore off a small piece of pancake and slowly dipped it in the sauce.

"My lord, let's go blow up the enemy's airship."

"Fried ...... Enemy airships? Elsiodo's eyes lit up.

"The enemy has an airship mooring ground in Korahhei, and today we will try our luck there."

Huang Yan raised the coffee cup and took a sip pleasantly.

Half an hour later, three "Huofeng" reconnaissance planes led by Huang Yan took off briskly from the airfield northeast of Deghhepur City, each carrying eight 3-kilogram 60-mm mortar shells, as well as enough machine-gun ammunition and enough gasoline to fly 350 kilometers.

Huang Yan also had to pay close attention to the charts he had drawn by himself on his lap while controlling the planes -- five days ago, an Ethiopian pilot had failed to make a forced landing on the gravel-covered Gobi because he had read the wrong chart, and the plane was destroyed and disabled.

Gradually, the city of Deghhepur was out of sight, and the road that stretched out of the city winded southward, and on both sides of the road, the steppes and Gobi in the dry season took on a hazy yellow tone, and from time to time a small group of slow-moving ant shadows could be seen—perhaps cavalry, perhaps camel caravans.

Oasis? There are no oases, no greenery, and the hot wind against the ground is breathless. At 7 or 8 degrees north latitude, there are no lush rainforests, only savannahs and lifeless Gobi with distinct wet and dry seasons.

The sun is blazing, but at 2,000 meters in the air, it feels pleasantly cool, and of course, it is a hassle to wipe down the windshield that is blurred by the engine exhaust and oil from time to time.

"Sir, pay attention to the direction of three o'clock!" Ringalesi is sounding the alarm.

Huang Yan looked to the right, and sure enough, among the blue sky and thin clouds in the upper right, he found two small blurry black shadows.

Huang Yan's No. 03 immediately shook its wings violently, which was giving the wingman an instruction to "follow me".

Gliding through a corner with ease, the fleet turns ninety degrees and flies at full speed towards UFOs.

The black shadow is getting bigger and clearer, the cigar-like appearance stimulates Huang Yan's desire to destroy, and the huge green, white and red three-color circle logo is simply a wonderful bull's-eye!

"Hit flares, attack!"

At the sound of an order, Da Lessi, who was in the back seat, took out his flare gun and fired a green flare that was particularly eye-catching during the day at the front left and front right, and the two wingmen behind saw the flare and immediately shook their wings to show "understood", and broke away from the queue from the left and right respectively, and approached the enemy airship team in a roundabout way.

"Dalasi, it's time to do it!" Huang Yan seemed to be aiming at the target eagle at this time, and the wind goggles couldn't stop his chilling gaze, the murderous aura of the predator!

"Sir, listen to your orders!"

Aircraft 03 raised its nose and flew above one of the Italian airships.