Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 230, Section 229: Production Capacity Expansion and Aircraft Design Upgrades, Secret Assassination Operation
Taishan Airlines' domestic business finally took off after a year of stagnation, thanks to the development of seaplanes.

The order for 50 aircraft a year has also put a lot of pressure on Taishan Aircraft Manufacturing Plant.

The production rate of four aircraft per month is approaching Boeing's monthly production of the Boeing 247. Ensuring both quality and quantity is a very difficult task.

Therefore, after 300 high school diploma workers arrived in Yangon from China, Fang Wen held a heart-to-heart meeting with the 46 college graduate engineers in the factory.

Facing this group of knowledgeable and exceptionally intelligent university students from the Republic of China era, Fang Wen spoke up:
"Aircraft manufacturing plants are currently facing a major opportunity. If we double our production capacity, we will be able to produce more aircraft in the future, even fighter jets. Are you confident?"

No one responded. Producing four seaplanes a month is not something that can be achieved casually. Everyone is confident in producing two, but not four.

Fang Wen decided to speak from the perspective of someone from the future, about things that are bound to happen in the future.

"It seems that everyone lacks confidence, so let's talk about something else first. Let's talk about the history of industrial development."

This is an interesting topic; everyone wants to know how the general manager views industrial development.

A large blackboard was brought onto the stage, and Fang Wen wrote on it with a white chalk pen, then gave an explanation.

"Currently, industrial development has gone through two stages, which I call Industry 1.0 and Industry 2.0. Industry 1.0 is the era of the steam engine. The advent of the steam engine completely changed the way humans produced, realizing the transformation from manual manufacturing to mechanized production. As a power source, the steam engine was widely used in industries such as textiles, mining, and metallurgy, which greatly improved production efficiency."

Fang Wen paused, picked up the large teacup, took a sip of cold tea, and continued:

"Industry 1.0 created factories, shifted labor from rural areas to cities, and propelled urbanization. It also reduced costs, increased output, and transformed human lifestyles over thousands of years. Then came Industry 2.0, which is the electrification era we are currently living in."

"The widespread availability of electricity has brought more light to the nights and made long-distance communication a reality, making communication between people easier. The advent of the internal combustion engine has driven the innovation of transportation tools, such as automobiles and airplanes, which has brought about tremendous changes in people's travel methods. This has also made the global circulation of goods more convenient, and at the same time, a monopolistic business model of centralized production to occupy the global market has emerged, and assembly line production has become widespread."

Fang Wen finished recounting his description of industrial development based on his knowledge of the future.

Some of the university student engineers below looked up in thought, while others copied the contents into their notebooks.

But these are things that have already happened and exist, and they are not the topic Fang Wen wanted to discuss.

He waited a while, until the students finished copying, before continuing:

“Sometimes I think that technology is constantly developing, and industrial forms will also change with technological development and social needs. In the future, there will be Industry 3.0 and Industry 4.0. What I am doing now is to explore Industry 3.0.”

"I believe the future belongs to the information age. The highly centralized processing of information will lead to more efficient production models. Machines may even be able to replace humans in calculations, work, and even thinking."

Fang Wen's words were even more futuristic than those depicted in movies and novels of this era, leaving the most progressive university students speechless.

They couldn't believe the possibility, yet they didn't deny it.

Immediately, someone raised their hand to ask a question.

Fang Wen gestured for him to stand up and speak.

The college student engineer stood up and asked, "General Manager, how long would it take to achieve what you're describing? 500 years? Or 1000 years?"

"100 years is enough. Technological development is not at a constant pace. Once key technologies are mastered, there will be explosive growth."

Fang Wen's answer left the 46 college students in disbelief, yet they remembered it deeply.

He continued speaking.

"I know you don't believe me. 100 years is too long; let's focus on today. We may not be able to achieve that, but we can achieve a part of it. Think about the standardized work processes you use to build airplanes. This is what I created based on Industry 3.0. The entire airplane manufacturing process has become data. As long as we break down this data, record it according to standards, and sort it, we can replicate it in the next job. Now I'm asking you to do the same thing: teach these standardized data to your subordinates exactly as they are. Unless you find problems that need to be modified, don't change a single thing. Have them strictly follow the procedures. You are the teachers, supervisors, implementers, managers, and guardians of the rules. Can you do that?"

This is the key point Fang Wen wanted to make at this meeting: he wanted all the university student engineers to understand the importance of standardized work processes and to strictly implement them.

A chorus of agreement rang out, and Fang Wen dismissed the meeting with satisfaction.

These university student engineers will each lead a working group of 5-7 people, train them, and then, following the model that Fang Wen used to use, guide the newcomers through aircraft manufacturing internships.

As for the specific effects, Fang Wen felt it should be feasible. He wasn't asking for researchers, but rather imitators, so the difficulty wasn't high.

He judged that a batch of qualified industrial workers would be able to start work in a month, since high school students in this era were already highly educated and their learning ability was certainly not bad.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen also handed over the management of the aircraft manufacturing plant to Huo Duanyang.

The bullet factory, chemical plant, and aircraft manufacturing plant—three specialized industrial sectors—are all located in Yangon. Entrusting them to Huo Duanyang for unified management is the most suitable option. After all, Fang Wen has too few trustworthy people with management experience.

Fang Wen, who was handed over the management of the aircraft manufacturing plant, did not leave, but instead began designing a new aircraft.

His mechanical perception ability gives him a unique panoramic view of aircraft, making it ideal for aircraft design.

The next design is a small seaplane.

Model name: Shuiyun II, an amphibious low-speed gliding amphibious aircraft.

This aircraft was designed specifically for the needs of the nouveau riche and wealthy.

Its features include: easy to use, safe, high performance, and the ability to switch to gliding mode, allowing you to enjoy the beautiful scenery at low speeds in the air.

It focuses on a high-end private jet model.

The design process was not difficult. Fang Wen simply made changes to the Shuiyun-1 aircraft, replacing the engine with a single propeller, reducing the internal space of the fuselage and wings accordingly, and also making a mode switch for the wings, which could be switched to gliders at high altitudes for low-speed hovering.

Furthermore, some changes were made to the pontoon system, with more landing wheels under the pontoons, making it more suitable for landing on land.

While designing this aircraft, Fang Wen was also trying to modify his Shrike aircraft.

The Shrew's refit plan was to replace the Pratt & Whitney R-1340-27 engines with 1000-horsepower 1710 engines.

The engine needs to be replaced, along with the internal fuel lines, power unit, and propeller.

Since we've already done it this way, we might as well change everything else too.

Therefore, Fang Wen performed major surgery on the Shrike.

The aircraft skin was replaced with a new type of aluminum alloy, the frame was modified, and the wings were lengthened accordingly.

Besides the power system, another major upgrade is the weapon system.

The original weapon system of the Shrike consisted of a 7.5 mm aircraft machine gun mounted on each side of the fuselage, and bomb racks installed on the wings and under the fuselage for carrying bombs.

Now, with the significant improvement in power performance, Fang Wen wants to modify the machine gun into a quadruple 7.92mm ZB-53 heavy machine gun.

Four machine guns are mounted on either side of the propeller and in the middle section of the wing.

This results in a wider firing range, higher accuracy, and greater power.

The Shrike, undergoing a comprehensive upgrade, has greatly increased its power and performance, and is eager for battle.

The domestic situation is also changing.

The Red Army repeatedly waged mobile warfare in the Chishui area, where Guizhou, Sichuan, and Yunnan meet, and its four crossings of the Chishui River shocked the world.

In the north, the 29th Army, which had become famous in the Great Wall Resistance War, clashed with the Japanese and puppet troops, but was asked by the Chahar local authorities to release the prisoners. In the end, the "Datankou Agreement" was reached, and the army relinquished part of its defense area.

Meanwhile, in North China, a series of appointments and removals brought pro-Japanese officials to the forefront, attempting to covertly occupy North China under the guise of anti-communist autonomy.

Even the Nationalist government, which had been making concessions all along, could not accept this situation.

The Nanjing government, while not daring to openly offend Japan, could still take some actions behind the scenes. This occurred within the Fuxing Society in Nanjing.

The fourth group of the Fuxing Society held a meeting to mobilize for the battle.

After the meeting, each group returned to their respective offices.

The head of the publicity team specifically called Yue Jinping to his office.

“Xiao Yue, your father and I were comrades-in-arms and old friends. I advised him against it when he asked you to join the Fuxing Society, saying that this was not a good place. Now that the higher-ups have given orders, you have one more chance. Tell me if you want to go north. If not, I will help you find a way.”

Yue Jinping stood at attention: "Team leader, I am willing to go north to participate in the 'kill one to warn a hundred' plan."

The team leader nodded helplessly: "Alright, you'll lead our team. This is the meeting point north. We'll find out the specific target once we get north."

Yue Jinping received the order and left the office. She then took four operatives from Nanjing to Shanghai Airport, where they planned to take a Taishan Airlines flight to Jinan and then transfer to another flight.

While buying her ticket at Shanghai Airport, she couldn't help but glance at the Taishan Airlines headquarters building, but without making any contact, she boarded a plane and left.

More than ten days later, a pale-faced man disembarked from a plane from Jinan to Shanghai and staggered to the headquarters building of Taishan Airlines.

The security team stopped the man.

"This is the company office. Outsiders are not allowed to enter without permission. Please register."

The man replied weakly, "I'm looking for your general manager. Just say Yue, Yue."

"What's wrong?" The security guard helped the swaying man.

"Something happened to her." The man said this before fainting.

The security team immediately reported it.

The company's general manager is currently not present; the day-to-day management is handled by the general manager's wife, who is also the deputy general manager, Kuang Mingzhu.

When Kuang Mingzhu arrived at the infirmary, she listened to the security guard's description of the situation and began to have some guesses.

After the man who had been shot in the abdomen was revived, she realized what had happened and immediately sent a telegram to Yangon.

Yangon Airport.

The Shrike after its seventh test flight and modification.

The current Shrew has had its power increased from 600 horsepower to 1000 horsepower.

You could say it's become an overweight little chubby animal due to overnutrition.

In order to adapt to the various changes brought about by the excessive power, Fang Wen has been conducting test flights and adjustments.

This is his unique method; other test pilots can't do it.

Through this rapid feedback process of making changes while flying, some of the defects of the new Shrike were corrected, and its functions were also adjusted.

However, this modification also greatly increased the difficulty of piloting the Shrike, and Fang Wen was the only one in the world who could completely control it.

After completing a spinning and rolling maneuver in the air, Fang Wen piloted the plane to land.

Once the plane had come to a complete stop, Huo Duanyang brought his men over.

“General Manager, this is the head of the Kolkata Business Telegram Group. He received a coded telegram from home and came here specifically to report it.”

Fang Wen immediately stepped down the boarding stairs and took the encrypted telegram.

The telegram encryption method was a phonetic cipher he designed, which allowed Fang Wen to directly translate the message.

[Yue Jinping has run into trouble in the north, and her subordinates have fled back to Shanghai for help. Return immediately.]
Fang Wen calmly put the letter away and whispered to Huo Duanyang, "I'm going back to China for a while, so I'll leave things here in your care."

"Is the situation serious?" Huo Duanyang asked with concern.

Fang Wen nodded: "It might be troublesome, but I don't know the specifics."

After saying that, he filled the Shrike's fuel tanks and auxiliary fuel tanks, and it took off for Shanghai.

The modified Shrike has increased its cruising speed from 320 to 350 kilometers per hour and its top speed from 377 to 410 kilometers per hour, making it the only aircraft to break the 400-kilometer-per-hour mark.

However, such improvements also increased fuel consumption, so the 100-kilogram bomb load on the aircraft's belly was removed and a second external fuel tank was added.

With two auxiliary fuel tanks and one main fuel tank, the modified Shrike has a maximum range of 3000 kilometers.

However, this range can only be achieved by the Shrike at half power, which is a low speed of 300 kilometers per hour.

The distance from Yangon to Shanghai is 3000 kilometers.

Eager to return home, Fang Wen suppressed his emotions and flew for 10 hours at a speed of 300 kilometers per hour, finally arriving in Shanghai.

At Shanghai Airport, ground staff cleared the runway in an orderly manner to welcome the general manager's car as it landed.

The most ferocious little plane, the Shrike, landed on the runway and then drove into the hangar.

Fang Wen was able to disembark and talk to his wife who was there to greet him.

"what happened?"

"Let's talk as we walk." Kuang Mingzhu and her husband headed towards the infirmary. "Yesterday, someone came from Jinan to Shanghai on a flight and came straight to the office area looking for you. He said that Yue Jinping had an accident in the north. He wouldn't say what happened, he said he had to see you first."

Fang Wen and his wife arrived at the infirmary and saw through the window that the man was sitting on the bed, looking very wary.

Fang Wen pushed open the door and entered, saying, "I am Fang Wen, the general manager of Taishan Airlines. You can say whatever you want to say."

The man took out a crumpled photograph from his pocket, unfolded it, and compared it to the photograph.

It was a photo of Fang Wen and Yue Jinping from before. Both of them were wearing China Airlines pilot leather jackets and looked very smart.

After confirming, the man spoke up:
“I was a member of this operation and was under the command of Yue Jinping. During our secret operation, we were attacked by Japanese agents because of a leak.”

"What happened to Yue Jinping?" Fang Wen asked anxiously.

"She was shot in the right arm and is recuperating in a house in the city. Japanese agents and pro-Japanese organizations on the ground are currently searching for her in the city."

Upon hearing that Yue Jinping was alright for the time being, Fang Wen relaxed and calmly asked, "Why didn't you report to the Fuxing Society, but instead came to me?"

The man hesitated for a moment before replying, "Our four groups entered the city together, and we haven't leaked the details of this operation to anyone except headquarters. We suspect there are Japanese spies at headquarters, so we can't report our whereabouts to our superiors. As for finding you, Team Leader Yue said you have a way to rescue them, so I came to you to try my luck."

It turned out to be the case.

Yue Jinping probably didn't know about her nighttime bombing mission, but she had participated in the first nighttime bombing mission in Northeast China and knew her own capabilities.

It's estimated that they wanted to use their nighttime airlift capabilities to get them out.

Fang Wen did not agree immediately, but instead asked where the incident had occurred.

(End of this chapter)