Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 224-223 Teasing the Type 92 Fighter Jet; Recruitment at Tsinghua and Beiping Universities; Stand-in 'Fang Wen'

Because of the War of Resistance against Japan and his profession, Fang Wen had always paid close attention to Japanese warplanes.

He also frequently purchased various intelligence reports about Japanese warplanes.

However, all previous flights over North China were secret nighttime operations, and there had never been any direct contact with Japanese army aircraft.

This was the first time Fang Wen had seen the Type 92 fighter jet currently in service with the Japanese Army, and he immediately focused his mind to observe it carefully with mechanical perception.

This is a Type 92 fighter jet, not the same as the Type 92 heavy bomber design he stole in Austria last year.

However, this Japanese Army fighter plane also had connections with Germany. It was designed for the Japanese Army by the brilliant German aircraft designer Dr. Richard Vogt and manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

It was currently equipped by the Japanese Kwantung Army as one of the main combat aircraft of the 'Manchukuo' Air Force.

In a flash, he had already completed the comparison between the enemy and himself in his mind.

Both being last-generation biplane fighters, the Type 2 and the Hawk II fighters that had previously engaged in aerial combat were not significantly different in performance.

Previously, the Shrike could easily deal with the Hawk II, and now the improved Yunhe seaplane can also handle the Type 2.

The only thing to note is that the Yunhe seaplane is larger and less maneuverable than the Shrike. In situations where there are fewer of them than the enemy, it is necessary to be wary of the enemy's tactical coordination of three seaplanes in a group to avoid forming a tactical encirclement.

As Fang Wen was pondering this, the other party's behavior changed.

Three Japanese warplanes patrolling over North China suddenly flew toward the Yunhe after escorting a Japan Airlines passenger plane to land at Qinghe Airport.

"Everyone fasten your seatbelts, enemy aircraft are approaching," Fang Wen gave the order.

The nine team members immediately complied, fastening safety belts to each other.

"Sit tight."

Before Fang Wen finished speaking, the plane suddenly accelerated and headed away from the Type 92 aircraft.

This wasn't about escaping, but about using speed to create distance; only then would they have room to maneuver and outmaneuver the enemy aircraft.

The situation over Beiping suddenly changed. Three Japanese warplanes flew toward a civilian aircraft that was clearly Chinese. The civilian aircraft immediately turned to avoid it and formed a pursuit posture over Beiping.

This situation was witnessed by residents, security forces, and diplomats in Beiping. Countless people came out of their houses to look up and watch, or stood on rooftops to observe with binoculars.

An outrage spread among the people.

One year after the signing of the Tanggu Truce, North China had become an undefended land, yet the Japanese army was pressing forward step by step.

The sightings of Japanese patrol planes every now and then have left people angry but unable to speak out. Now, even their own planes are being driven away in their own airspace.

Students from Tsinghua University and Peking University could no longer bear this humiliation and began to preach in the streets.

The students organized themselves on the spot, using a chair as a platform, with those who were good at public speaking standing on the chair and speaking loudly.

"Fellow countrymen, today I stand here with a heart full of grief, indignation, and defiance, because right above our skies, an outrageous scene has unfolded—three Japanese warplanes, like jackals, openly pursued our Republic of China's aircraft. This is not merely a pursuit of a single plane, but a trampling on our national dignity and a denial of their so-called peace agreement!"
Since the Tanggu Truce, North China seemed to have lost its former tranquility and peace overnight, becoming an undefended region. Japanese troops lurked beyond the Great Wall, their planes frequently flying over our skies like a sword of Damocles, constantly threatening our security. However, faced with this predicament, we must not back down, much less remain silent!
Fellow countrymen, look at that civilian aircraft struggling to evade the enemy. It is not merely an aircraft, but a symbol of the indomitable spirit of the Chinese nation. It tells us that even in the most difficult times, we must hold fast to our beliefs and move forward bravely. We cannot allow the enemy's arrogance to succeed, nor can we allow their atrocities to spread wantonly on our land!

Listening to the students' passionate words, everyone occasionally looked up at the sky.

Someone suddenly exclaimed, "What is it doing?"

Fang Wen controlled the Yunhe seaplane to increase the distance between himself and the Type 92 biplane.

The speed boost brought by the two 800-horsepower engines is no joke. Whether it's speed or endurance, the Type 92 is in a league of its own.

It would be easy to shake off the three enemy planes, but Fang Wen was a little reluctant.

Although we can't openly shoot down these three enemy planes over Beiping, we can still tease them.

Doing this is like advertising the northward operation in advance, letting people in the north see the performance of the Yunhe seaplane, which will have a good effect on recruitment and promotion of the seaplane program.

Fang Wen, who possesses mechanical perception, acts on his ideas immediately.

He made a battle plan for himself.

It never appears within the enemy aircraft's gun aiming angle, yet it maneuvers around the enemy aircraft, preventing them from attacking it, but also making it impossible for them to escape.

This requires ensuring that the Yunhe (Yunhe) aircraft cannot appear in the aiming line of the two 7.7mm machine guns on the nose of the Type 92.

This is a similar tactic used by the Shrike against the Hawk II in South Asia.

Suddenly, the plane began to climb and entered the clouds.

Three Type 92 fighter jets followed closely behind the Chinese aircraft that suddenly disappeared into the clouds.

However, after they emerged from the clouds, they found no trace of the plane and dispersed to search for it.

Unbeknownst to them, higher in the sky, Fang Wen was controlling the plane to fly parallel to the Type 92 aircraft.

There was only a thin layer of clouds between them.

It was precisely this concealment that prevented the Japanese aircraft from detecting the Unkaku flying in parallel at low power.

However, those within Beiping (Beijing) perceived a completely different scene.
The strange scene in the sky made the people of Beiping look up and discuss it.

"What's going on? Are those Japanese planes blind? How come they can't see something this big right above their heads?"

"They're blind. I'm saying, if a bomb were dropped there, it might explode."

"That's because it's dark under the lamp. It looks very close to us from below, but it's probably about 1000 meters away. And with the clouds blocking the view, of course they couldn't see us."

"I think this plane is more capable than the Japanese fighter planes."

"I think so too. It flies faster and higher. Compared to it, the Japanese fighter planes are like idiots."

They were watching a scene that would make them laugh out loud: high in the sky, the Yunhe maintained the same speed as the enemy aircraft, conducting synchronized patrols at a higher position above the enemy aircraft, flying in the same direction as the enemy aircraft.

Because of the high degree of synchronization, the Type 92 fighter jet did not detect it for a long time.

When they spotted them, the Yunhe immediately distanced itself.

The Japanese fighter planes were enraged by this act of folly.

They immediately reorganized the pursuit.

However, they clearly overestimated their battery life, and after less than half an hour, they had no choice but to return.

And so, the Yunhe led the three aircraft in a game of hide-and-seek, circling around for several tens of minutes, until finally the Japanese aircraft slunk away.

Fang Wen only began landing after the Japanese planes had flown away.

He then scanned the area below. There were several places in Beiping where seaplanes could land: the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace in the north of the city, the Yongding River in the west, and the section of the Grand Canal in the east. However, since he was going to Tsinghua University and Peking University, he ultimately chose Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace as his landing point.

The plane flew over a paddy field, and to the left ahead was Longevity Hill. The buildings on the hill were originally burned down by the Eight-Nation Alliance and were rebuilt by Empress Dowager Cixi after she returned to Beiping.

On the right is Kunming Lake, where we are preparing to land.

Fang Wen controlled the aircraft to lower its fuselage, and by the time it flew over the lake, its altitude had decreased to 100 meters.

After a short glide, the seaplane drew a white line on Kunming Lake, gradually slowing down and stabilizing.

The plane then headed to the northeast dock of the lake.

Waiting there were professors from Tsinghua University. Besides their cooperation with Taishan Airlines, they were more interested in seeing the seaplane that was supposedly built by Fang Wen himself.

The plane came to a stop and was secured with cables. Fang Wen and the nine members of the action team then disembarked.

Immediately, a group of professors came over, exchanged pleasantries for a moment, and took the initiative to ask to admire the airplane.

It is said that men are boys until they die. In ancient times, they would ride in fine clothes and on fine horses through the streets, but nowadays they drive cars, boats, and even airplanes.

For science professors, however, their romantic dream is to build a machine that can travel and fly.

Fang Wen understood them, and with a touch of pride, he introduced them to the professors.

"My Yunhe aircraft has undergone two modifications. The first time, it used Pratt & Whitney R1340 engines, which are similar in power to those of the Boeing 247. Later, I upgraded it to the latest Pratt & Whitney R1830 engines. I also completed the overall design of the aircraft myself. It can seat 10 people and carry 1.5 tons of cargo, enabling it to serve multiple purposes such as transportation, passenger transport, private jets, and special flights."

"That's really impressive. Just now, you compared it with a Japanese fighter jet in the air, proving its capabilities," a professor exclaimed.

Everyone burst into laughter; Fang Wen's comparison between the aerial and real worlds had indeed worked very well.

Afterwards, Fang Wen was about to get off the plane to conduct recruitment activities at two universities when he heard the professors make another suggestion.

They believed that physical objects were more attractive than anything else, and that transporting them to the school by plane would be more effective for recruitment.

That made sense, and Fang Wen immediately agreed. However, he hadn't prepared in advance for transporting the plane, as the small wheels under the plane's floats alone wouldn't be enough to get it to the university campus.

Then let's fly there.

The Summer Palace has a body of water called Kunming Lake, and the Old Summer Palace, which is closer to Tsinghua University and Peking University, also has a body of water called East Lake.

Then everyone boarded the plane. There were about twenty people standing inside, but it wasn't crowded.

Fang Wen controlled the aircraft to turn, leave the shore, and take off.

The plane climbed to an altitude of 1000 meters, crossed the ground, and arrived at a garden ruin.

Southeast of the ruins of the Old Summer Palace is a place called Qichun Garden, where there is a section of East Lake, which is right next to Tsinghua University and Beiping University, which is quite convenient.

The water there is deep enough, but the area is not large, so landing requires some skill.

The plane, flying at low speed, descended rapidly, creating a huge splash on the water's surface. Using the water resistance from the rapid descent, Fang Wen allowed the plane to glide a shorter distance before coming to a stop on the water's surface, and then approached the pavilion on the small island in Qichun Garden Lake.

The news that Taishan Aviation's self-made seaplane was docked on the water in Qichun Garden and would soon be exhibited spread like wildfire among Tsinghua University and Beiping University.

At the same time, news also spread that Taishan Aircraft Manufacturing Plant would be recruiting at the school, and that the aircraft was the same Chunghwa Aircraft that had recently engaged in aerial combat with Japanese fighter planes.

Various rumors were brewing, whetting the appetites of students at both universities.

Subsequently, a platform was set up in an outdoor open space 200 meters away from Qichun Garden, and hundreds of chairs were arranged.

To ensure the job fair was as effective as possible, the temporary venue was equipped with top-of-the-line sound equipment, including eight Siemens tube amplifiers from Germany, which could surround the entire venue.

The event was titled: "Recruitment Fair of Taishan Aircraft Manufacturing Plant, China's No. 1 Aircraft Manufacturer".

With everything prepared and everyone eagerly anticipating the job fair, it officially began.

Upon receiving the news, students from both schools spread the word and invited each other to join them.

They arrived at the entrance of the job fair, filled out an application form, wrote down their major, name, and other basic information, and were then allowed to enter.

Inside the venue, as more and more people arrived, all the seats were filled, and many students who arrived later had to stand.

Seeing that the venue was already overflowing, Wu Yingzong, the temporary leader of the nine-person action team, came backstage to report.

"General Manager, we can begin."

Fang Wen nodded and was about to get up and go on stage to give a speech, but Wu Yingzong stopped him.

“General Manager, you may be powerful in heaven, but you are just an ordinary mortal on earth. We cannot let you show your face in public and be targeted by the Japanese. This matter was requested by the mistress and is also our wish. If you want to blame someone after you wake up, blame me.”

"You?" Fang Wen didn't understand what Wu Yingzong was talking about.

"I learned five skills in the thieving profession, but my best skill is disguise."

Wu Yingzong took out a piece of human skin, put it on his face, and then skillfully performed the operation.

Under his exquisite craftsmanship, that face gradually transformed, eventually taking on Fang Wen's likeness.

They are about 80% similar, but from a distance, they look exactly like Fang Wen.

This is Wu Yingzong's intention: he wants to impersonate Fang Wen and take the risk of giving a public speech in Fang Wen's place.

He spoke earnestly in order to persuade Fang Wen to agree.

"That night in Harbin, I ran through the streets with a signal transmitter on my back. Every time I aimed at a target, it would turn into a sea of ​​fire. That was the happiest moment of my life. I saw the smiles of my father, mother, sister, and brother. Thank you, General Manager, for avenging me. I feel that the General Manager's mission should be in heaven, not to be assassinated here by the Japanese. If there is any danger, let me bear it."

After finishing his speech, he ignored Fang Wen's attempts to stop him, picked up his speech manuscript, and strode onto the stage.

Watching Wu Yingzong go on stage, Fang Wen felt excited, even more nervous than if he were going on stage himself, unwilling to see his loyal subordinate get hurt.

He was prepared. The metal detectors at the entrance of the venue prevented weapons from entering, and he was wearing bulletproof clothing. As long as he protected his head and face in time, there would be no problem.

But Wu Yingzong, who was disguised as himself, didn't have a bulletproof vest. The kid left in such a hurry that he didn't even have time to say anything.

He didn't want such a loyal person to perish here.

Therefore, Fang Wen carefully observed the situation backstage.

The host of the recruitment fair announced: "Welcome Mr. Fang Wen, General Manager of Taishan Airlines, to the stage to give a speech for this recruitment event."

Amidst enthusiastic applause, Fang Wen strode onto the stage.

(End of this chapter)