Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 114, Section 113: Live-fire Test, Recruiting German Officers for Treasure Hunting
Fang Wen looked at the documents in his hand in surprise. To make it easier for him to read, the documents were written in English.

The first column of the design data for this cannon clearly states: "This model of weapon is for paratrooper use only and can be deployed at the company level behind enemy lines."

As a pilot, Fang Wen was very sensitive to paratroopers.

He specifically trained the treasure-hunting team to parachute for the Northeast Gold Incident, which can be considered as the earliest paratrooper unit in China.

Since that's what the information says, he wanted to see what kind of treasure it was that hadn't been put into military equipment since it was developed in 1922.

Weapon Name: Grw 34 Medium Mortar
Basic data:

Caliber: 80mm
Maximum range: 2400 meters

Maximum rate of fire: 25 rounds/minute
Barrel length: 1143 mm
Total weight: 57 kg
Ammunition weight: 3.5 kg
According to the information, the design process did indeed extend from 1922 to 1933, and it was a German copy of the French Brandt mie 27/31 mortar.

However, this situation was also closely related to the circumstances of the Weimar Republic.

Post-war Germany was burdened with enormous debts, and according to the agreement between the defeated nations, it could only have 100,000 regular troops, which meant they were unable to procure more weapons.

Rheinmetall persisted in its research and development under these circumstances, and continues to do so to this day.

Fang Wen was secretly delighted. He had made the right bet. At this critical moment of change, many people were confused about the future and had not yet joined Little Mustache. Out of a desire to prepare for their escape route, they were trading with him for funds, which they saw as a good thing.

Pushing aside his thoughts, Fang Wen continued reading to understand the value of this weapon once it was brought back to China.

When carried by a single soldier, this mortar can be disassembled into three parts: the barrel, the base, and the support.

In other words, three people can complete the transfer, installation, and launch of the weapon.

The total load is 57 kilograms, averaging less than 20 kilograms per person, which is manageable for a single soldier.

Each door costs 810 Imperial Marks.

Is it so cheap?

810 Imperial Marks, roughly $200 a door.

If it were manufactured domestically, and all the technical problems were solved, the cost would probably be much lower.

The main ammunition type used is Wurfgranate 34, which is a conventional high-explosive round.

The document also introduces the new type of ammunition, Wurfgranate38/39, which is currently under development.

The Wurfgranate38 is a smoke grenade used in open battlefields, in coordinated infantry and tank operations, etc.

Wurfgranate39 is a ricocheting shell. After the shell hits the ground, the rocket booster in the ammunition chamber causes the shell to bounce a second time to a high place and explode. The damage caused by the shrapnel from the air explosion is much greater than that caused by the ground explosion.

Looking at the two new types of artillery shells, Fang Wen was a little envious, but he knew that even if he had the design blueprints for the new artillery shells, he wouldn't have the industrial base to do so back in China. He should just stick to using ordinary mortar shells. At least the Jinling Arsenal could produce 80mm mortar shells after modifying the shell molds.

After reviewing all the information on the Grw 34 medium mortar, Fang Wen had a general understanding of the mortar, but he did not find any highlights.

Unlike the previous le. IG 18 75mm infantry gun, its advantages are obvious.

But there must be a reason why the other party is willing to offer it as part of the transaction.

However, given his status as an arms dealer, it wouldn't be appropriate to ask directly, so Fang Wen thought for a moment.

He feigned hesitation.

"I need to think about that."

He's playing hard to get, waiting for the other party to make the first move.

Seeing Fang Wen like this, the officers became a little anxious.

After all, the two items were only priced at 10 Imperial Marks, and if one item was missing, the price would have to be halved.

In order to sell them all, they discussed it for a while, and an English-speaking officer negotiated with them.

"These two weapons are excellent. We know that to close a deal, we need to give you a more concrete understanding. You can come with us to a place where there will be a comparison demonstration of multiple weapons, and you'll see just how good they are."

Fang Wen hesitated.

If you trade design drawings and production processes directly here, you are safe.

But what if problems arise if I go with them?

But he overlooked one thing: a real arms dealer wouldn't complete a transaction carelessly.

There must be a verification process.

He wasn't the only one considering this; Lin Shuiwang was even more anxious.

"Boss, you can't go. What if they set a trap and kidnap you?"

Lin Shuiwang spoke in Chinese, which the other person couldn't understand, but they could still grasp the meaning.

The English-speaking officer explained, “If you’re only trading blueprints and documents, this transaction is safe unless you leak it. But if you’re worried, we can provide security.”

Fang Wen was intrigued: "How can you guarantee it?"

The officer took a leather suitcase from his companion.

"Half of the information is inside. We can give it to you in advance. One of you can take the information, and the other can come with us. After the transaction is complete, you can pay cash and hand over the remaining half of the information to finish the transaction. Then we'll take you both to the airport."

Fang Wen was deep in thought.

He was only thinking about his own safety, but he didn't consider that these officers were also walking on the edge of a cliff. They were just as afraid as he was and couldn't wait to end the transaction and get him away.

The officer's suggestion was reasonable; one person going empty-handed while the other retrieved the information was the best that could be done.

Fang Wen took the suitcase, took out the documents inside, but since they were all in German and he couldn't understand them, he handed them to Lin Shuiwang.

Lin Shuiwang had no idea whether what was written on it was true or false, but he understood Fang Wen's meaning.

Then, he pretended to read the document carefully and put it back in his suitcase.

"Boss, it should be fine. Let me go with them, you take the things and go home to wait."

Fang Wen shook his head. Whether he went through with the deal or not, it was all the same; those who stayed in Berlin would still be watched by the other side.

He decided to risk going there and get everything done.

Fang Wen and Lin Shuiwang came out of the beer house, with Lin Shuiwang carrying the leather suitcase.

Seven officers followed behind them.

Fang Wen and Lin Shuiwang got into the Mercedes-Benz 170, and the seven officers got into two military vehicles.

They drove one after the other on the streets of Berlin.

The car stopped at the guesthouse.

Lin Shuiwang got out of the car and said with concern, "Mr. Fang, let me go."

Fang Wen shook his head: "Don't worry, as long as they haven't gotten the money, they won't do anything reckless. Just stay home and wait for me to come back."

Lin Shuiwang could only nod.

Then, an officer got out of the military vehicle behind.

It was the one who understood English.

He opened the car door, sat in the passenger seat of the Mercedes-Benz 170, and acted as the translator and guide for the rest of the trip.

"Alright, can we go now?" the officer asked in English.

Fang Wen nodded: "Where to?"

"Keep driving straight ahead, and I'll tell you when you need to turn."

The car started and drove westward into Berlin.

After driving for a while, the officer raised his hands and placed them on his waist.

His right hand was right in the holster.

"Fang Wen arrived in Berlin by plane from France. He previously flew from Asia to Europe in a Boeing P-26 fighter jet. Your companion is a sailor. Neither of you are arms dealers, right?"

At that moment, Fang Wen's hair stood on end.

A thought flashed through his mind: Should he perform a sudden stop and drift, throwing the officer out of the car?

It is possible to achieve this when the machine senses and the human and vehicle are integrated.

But the other party didn't seem to have any malicious intent; otherwise, they would have already made a move at the beer hall.

Having made his judgment, Fang Wen made no move, but simply replied calmly.

"Where did you get the news?"

“We have a professional intelligence department, so it would be easy for us to investigate you. I know about your activities in Paris and at the banquet in Reza Khan.”

The officer smiled and continued:
"Don't worry, only I know about this. Whether you're an arms dealer or not is irrelevant; the key is that the deal went smoothly. What I'm personally curious about is why you did this? Or perhaps you have another identity?"

Fang Wen calmly replied, "I am a pilot and the owner of a civil aviation company. But at the same time, I am also Chinese, and in this era, I also want to do what I can."

"Is this all you can do?" The officer feigned surprise. "You bought a French heavy bomber and now you want to purchase our military weapons data?"

“Yes. I’ve always been very bold, daring to do things that others wouldn’t even think of.” Fang Wen remained calm.

The officer exclaimed, "I admire you! Alright, the suspicion is cleared up. So what if you're not an arms dealer? As long as you're willing to pay, the deal can still go through."

"Yes, but I want to see how it goes." Fang Wen finally got into the mindset of an arms dealer. Even if he wanted to buy, he couldn't just complete the transaction casually.

The car then continued westward until it left Berlin.

After leaving Berlin, guided by an officer, the car turned onto a forest road and arrived at a clearing that had been cleared.

There, a variety of weapons were displayed, making it look like a live-fire range.

The three cars stopped, and Fang Wen got out and followed the officers to the live-fire range.

Several weapons were already placed there.

The officer introduced Fang Wen.

"This is the French Flanders 50mm mortar, this is the Italian M35-45mm mortar, and this is our 80mm. Now I'll show you a comparison of the weapons firing."

After he finished speaking, several soldiers began loading and firing their weapons.

Fang Wen looked at it intently.

The Grw 34 medium mortar has the largest caliber.

The shells are also the largest in size.

However, after launch, its range was actually longer than the other two models.

In front of Fang Wen, the data testing was completed, and the data table was handed over to Fang Wen for review.

Looking at the English data comparison table, Fang Wen roughly understood the advantages of the Grw 34 medium mortar.

The Grw 34 medium mortar has a range of 2.5 kilometers, a shell weight of 3.5 kilograms, and the maximum explosive effect.

The French 50mm mortar has a range of about 1.5 kilometers, and its shell weighs 1.5 kilograms. The explosive effect it produces is less than half that of the Grw 34 medium mortar.

意大利的M35-45毫米迫击炮射程只有500多米，炮弹0.5公斤不到，爆炸效果是Grw 34型中型迫击炮的五分之一。

It has the longest range and the best ammunition effectiveness.

It turned out to be the case.

Fang Wen finally understood the advantages of this weapon.

Next up is a demonstration of the le. IG 18 75mm infantry gun.

It doesn't need comparisons; the fact that it was tested in different environments is enough to demonstrate the weapon's advantages.

After learning about the performance of the two weapons, Fang Wen and seven officers went into a room at the test site to discuss the matter.

An English-speaking officer poured Fang Wen a glass of water.

Then, sitting opposite Fang Wen, he spoke up:

“We don’t care if you’re an arms dealer or not. In fact, someone like you is safer for us. After all, once the deal is done, you’ll return to the East, and nobody will care about new weapons appearing there. But I must tell you something else: the shells for these weapons are the most important thing. If you don’t have an advanced shell production line, the power will be greatly reduced.”

Fang Wen nodded. This kind of thing couldn't be avoided. He hoped that after bringing the data back, China could fully understand the technology in this area.

He even had an idea to establish a weapons factory in the southeast region, researching artillery shells while producing heavy aerial bombs for his bombers.

Whether it will work out or not remains to be seen.

Fang Wen suddenly had a thought. The Weimar Republic was about to disappear, and the original army would be reorganized. Should he plant a hook in advance and maintain contact with them? Perhaps it would come in handy later.

He also remembered something else.

The island of Lake Van in Türkiye holds a secret that needs to be explored.

If gold and jewelry are found inside, it means danger. Those who come to search for treasure are not as well-known and easily manipulated as people in China.

It would be better to use the people in front of me to do this, and then I can get a smaller share, or just the treasure that can enhance mechanical perception.

He looked at the other person.

“My identity poses no threat to you; on the contrary, it can bring you benefits. After this deal, there can be other collaborations. Would you like to hear about them?”

The officer who spoke English translated for the others, and everyone showed interest and nodded.

Fang Wen continued, "During my flight from Asia to Europe, I unexpectedly discovered a place that might hold treasure. I was originally planning to find a group of people in Europe to go treasure hunting, but now I think you are a good partner."

After hearing Fang Wen's words, the officers began to discuss them.

Although he couldn't understand their language, Fang Wen could tell they were very interested in it.

Adventure and treasure are the most stimulating factors for male hormones. From childhood, which boy doesn't yearn for an adventure? Officers are especially adventurous.

The English-speaking officer then asked, "What are the specifics? How do we get there, how do we return, and how will the treasure be distributed after it is discovered?"

He treated the treasure hunt as a military operation.

This serious attitude is very much in line with Fang Wen's requirements.

Fang Wen thought for a moment and came up with a plan on the spot.

"The treasure is located in the border region between Eurasia, but I cannot tell you the exact location for now. I have two options: Option 1, you are responsible for the operation yourself, and I will only take one part of the treasure once it is found. Option 2, I can cover your round trip, and I will take one-third of the treasure."

The officer asked, "What if we don't find the treasure?"

"It's possible to get nothing," Fang Wen thought for a moment and replied, "If you get nothing, I'll give you a reward of 1000 Imperial Marks each."

1000 Reichsmarks is a lot, but the bulk of the 100,000 Reichsmarks in arms deals doesn't go to these officers; each of them gets less than 2000 Reichsmarks.

In other words, regardless of whether the treasure hunt succeeds or not, everyone is guaranteed a minimum income of 1000 marks, and if it succeeds, everyone can become extremely wealthy.

Suddenly, the officers felt that Fang Wen was much more lovable.

They eagerly surrounded Fang Wen, asking him for details.

The English-speaking officer patiently translated.

Is the area where the treasure is located far from Europe?

"It's not too far, only about 1000 kilometers."

"Isn't that far? I don't think Option 1 is feasible; we don't have the means to travel more than 1000 kilometers round trip. What do you mean by Option 2?"

“I’m a pilot, and a very skilled one at that, capable of night flying. If you choose option 2, I can charter a transport plane to fly to the destination at night and take you there. But this process will involve a lot of additional expenses, such as hiring local guides and transportation, placing guide torches on a makeshift runway, and possibly involving some friends from abroad in the treasure distribution. But this way you can search for the treasure quietly without alerting the locals, and then fly back to Europe.”

Fang Wen provided an action plan that seemed quite feasible.

They could travel by plane to and from the site without alerting the locals at night, and they even had a plan for transporting the discovered treasure.

This greatly reduces the difficulty of treasure hunting, allowing treasure hunters to focus solely on their work.

The officers felt that Option Two was very feasible.

I know some people will say this mortar is no good, but that's how the story goes. Stay tuned for the next installment.



(End of this chapter)