Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 233, Part 232: The Inside Story of the Assassination of the Traitor, Shooting Down a Type 95 Aircraft in Air Combat, and the Japanese Breaking the Contract.
“My name is Qin Liangdong. That day, our group flew to Jinan and then took a train to Tianjin. Our group leader, Yue Jinping, led us to meet up in the French Concession. The plan was to meet with our local contact in the French Concession and then obtain information about our target from him. The four groups arrived in the French Concession one after another. We were still thinking about who our target was when our house was surrounded.”

Qin Liangdong, one of Yue Jinping's subordinates, weakly recounted the events of that day.

“We were surrounded. Our contact must have betrayed us. The four groups decided to break out separately. Captain Yue led us to rush out from the west side, but the enemy's firepower was too strong, and we couldn't get out at all. Later, Captain Yue was shot in the calf and was captured. I saw that the situation was not good, so I went back to the house, opened the drain well, and hid inside.”

That's how it happened overnight; due to the liaison officer's betrayal, the entire army was wiped out.

Fang Wen even suspected that there were spies among these action team members.

He couldn't even believe the man in front of him, Qin Liangdong.

So he took out a money bag and placed it next to the water tank.

"Take good care of your injury. This place is for you to stay. Once you're healed, you can decide where you want to go."

Qin Liangdong took the money bag and asked hesitantly, "Could you give me a gun?"

"What do you need a gun for?" Fang Wen asked warily.

“My brother died that day. This mission was his first operation. I didn’t want him to die in vain. I’ll take care of those two targets.” As Qin Liangdong spoke, there was no desire for life on his face. He was tired of this life and wanted to end it all in a glorious way.

No matter what kind of person you are, there will always be a moment of brilliance in your life, and Fang Wen saw it.

Give him a gun.

Liu Yubao handed a Mauser pistol to the man.

There was also a map of daily rental rates, as well as the addresses of the Guoquan Daily and Zhenbao newspapers that they had also found out.

"Thank you."

The man climbed out of the water tank, changed his clothes, and then ate his food heartily.

After resting for a while, he staggered out the door with a pistol in his hand.

After hesitating for a moment, Fang Wen said, "Follow him."

Everyone left the courtyard, dispersed, and hung far behind.

They followed him all the way to the Japanese Concession.

He first went to the Guoquan Daily, but after failing to find an opportunity, he went to the Zhenbao Daily to check.

There were Japanese soldiers on guard on both sides, and there were no two company presidents coming and going.

The man decided to wait outside the Guoquan Daily.

Around the afternoon, several cars drove up.

The two targets got out of the same car.

From the building opposite the Guoquan Daily, Fang Wen watched the assassination attempt that was about to take place below.

"General Manager, you can't act impulsively. This has nothing to do with us," Liu Yubao advised.

"Don't worry, I won't get involved," Fang Wen replied calmly.

He only wanted to witness one person's most brilliant moment.

The man rushed out from the street corner, raising the Mauser pistol in his hand.

At the same time, Fang Wen also saw that someone else rushed out from the other side.

Gunshots rang out suddenly, but the bullets fired by the man did not hit the two traitorous leaders; the bullets were stopped by the car.

The man then fell to the ground under fire from the Japanese soldiers.

The two traitorous club presidents who had been lying behind the car finally stood up and breathed a sigh of relief.

They walked up to Qin Liangdong's body and kicked it hard.

It seems they only dare to be so arrogant under the protection of the Japanese.

The two then discovered that another group of people who had attempted an attack were unharmed.

They questioned the Japanese officers.

"Sir, what should we do with those people?"

The officer said nothing and simply led the two men away.

Just as the two traitorous leaders were about to continue their arrogance, the other side raised their guns and shot the two traitors dead on the spot in front of the Japanese soldiers.

Afterwards, the group saluted the Japanese officer and jogged away.

Fang Wen and the six special operations team members witnessed all of this.

The team members were greatly puzzled.

"What's going on? Those people should be with the Japanese, why are they killing their own people?"

"Yes, they even fired shots right in front of the Japanese soldiers, and nothing happened to them."

"I don't understand."

While the team members discussed the matter in hushed tones, Fang Wen also tried to guess the reason behind it, but couldn't figure it out.

After his trip to Tianjin, Fang Wen confirmed that Yue Jinping had been arrested. Since he couldn't find a place to imprison her, he could only focus his efforts on the bounty and the air combat wager to rescue Yue Jinping.

In preparation for the air battle, Fang Wen returned to Shanghai to recuperate and prepare.

He runs and exercises at the airport every day to maintain his energy, and also performs daily maintenance on the aircraft.

Meanwhile, many reporters arrived at the airport, attempting to conduct interviews.

Kuang Mingzhu declined all these interviews, as she couldn't afford any unexpected events before the upcoming aerial battle.

Pay attention to your diet and daily contact with others.

Meanwhile, in Shanghai, a frenzy surrounding aerial combat is also underway.

The wealthy, high-ranking officials, socialites and rich wives, gangsters, brokers, arms dealers, and intelligence traffickers are all interested in this air battle.

Many betting odds have been opened in Shanghai, with people betting on who will be the winner.

As the stakes increased, information about both sides was collected and sold as valuable intelligence.

Wu Yingzong, who was hiding in Shanghai, disguised himself and went out of the city to deliver this intelligence.

Disguised, he was identified by Kuang Mingzhu and taken into the hangar.

Fang Wen, who was inspecting an aircraft in the hangar, carefully examined the intelligence.

The first document is a comparison of the two sets of information.

[Ishikawa Gentaro, a candidate for Count of the House of Peers, a member of the noble organization Taiga Takashi, a graduate with honors from the Army Aviation Technical School, and currently serving in the Kwantung Army Air Operations Unit.]

[Status: None]

Fang Wen, General Manager of Taishan Airlines, graduated from Nanyuan Aviation School, is a civil aviation pilot and entrepreneur.

[Records: Skilled in high-altitude bombing, sank two warships.]

[Win Rate: Ishikawa Gentaro 63% vs. Fang Wen 37%]

Fang Wen was stunned. Was his win rate really that low?

He looked up and asked, "Why do they think I would lose to a pilot who has never been in combat?"

Wu Yingzong replied, "There are several reasons: 1. Japanese nobles overwhelmingly support Ishikawa Gentaro, investing heavily through the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce. 2. Ishikawa Gentaro performed exceptionally well at the aviation school. 3. His aircraft is the Japanese military's latest fighter model, the Type 95 fighter, which may have undergone some modifications."

Fang Wen nodded. It seemed that the other party was not to be underestimated. Fang Wen was certain that his abilities were no worse than Ishikawa Gentaro's. It all depended on the plane.

He continued flipping through the pages, wanting to know what the outside world thought about the two planes.

It really does.

Aircraft comparison data.

Type 95 fighter jet; P-26B Shrike (Shrike)

[Dual-wing] [Monowing]

[850hp water-cooled engine] [600hp Hornet engine]

Top speed 400 km/h 】【Top speed 377 km/h

[Cruising speed 333 km/h] [Cruising speed 320 km/h]

[Climb ceiling: 11500 meters] [Climb ceiling: 8350 meters]

[Flight range: 1100 km] [Flight range: 600 km]

[7.7mm Type 89 machine gun *2] [7.62mm machine gun *2]

(Japanese Army Type 95 fighter plane, deployed to the military in 1935)
After reviewing the aircraft comparisons, Fang Wen understood why his odds were so low.

The data shows that it is inferior to the Type 95 fighter jet in every aspect.

Seriously? Among contemporary fighter jets, the U.S. Army Air Forces' P-26 was so much inferior to Japan's Type 95 biplane fighter?
Fang Wen chuckled inwardly. A 200-horsepower difference in kinetic energy could not possibly result in such a data discrepancy. Whether it was exaggerated or not, they would find out during an air battle.

Howard, who rarely speaks, spoke up after picking up the plane and comparing the data.

"Replacing it with two M2 aircraft machine guns would make it even more powerful."

Howard offered a concise yet insightful suggestion to improve the aircraft's combat effectiveness.

The 7.7mm machine gun of the Japanese Type 95 fighter was slightly inferior to the 7.92mm machine gun already in service on the Shrike, but not by much. If it had been replaced with an M2 aircraft machine gun, the weapon's power would have been overwhelming, and it would have been more than enough to give the enemy a hard time.

A 12.7mm bullet could easily tear apart any aircraft with an aluminum alloy skin. Fang Wen hesitated.

The first modification to the Shrike was the installation of the M2 aircraft machine gun.

This new type of aircraft machine gun, developed by the US military, is small in size but powerful.

However, its current version has a major flaw: a slow rate of fire.

In aerial combat, opportunities are fleeting, and if the rate of fire is slow, it is easy to miss the chance to hit the enemy.

Even the most powerful weapon is unsuitable for Fang Wen if he cannot hit the enemy in time.

His mechanical perception ability results in high mobility and high accuracy.

"No need to change it."

After shaking his head and rejecting Howard's modification suggestions, Fang Wen closed the documents.

He wasn't worried about the aircraft's performance; what he saw from the outside was the performance of the pre-modification Shrike, and the current Shrike was far superior.

But then he saw his wife's worried expression and immediately comforted her, "Mingzhu, you don't need to look at these things. I know what I'm doing and I'm sure we'll win."

“Alright, I’ll have someone place the bets. My husband can’t win, so there’s no point in keeping that money,” Kuang Mingzhu replied.

Judging from her posture, she was going to bet all of the $200 million Fang Wen brought back.

"That won't do! If we pawn it out, no one will be able to pay us back, and someone might even steal our principal!" Fang Wen quickly stopped him, "Don't be ridiculous. I have a use for that money. If you pawn it all out, who will I ask for it back from? Will I have to go door to door to collect debts?"

His confidence made Kuang Mingzhu smile.

He then continued to review the intelligence he had brought back.

"Hey, there's news from Tianjin."

Fang Wen took the intelligence report and read it.

Hu Enbo, president of the Guoquan Daily, and Bai Yuhuan, president of the Tianjin Zhenbao and head of the puppet "Manchukuo Central News Agency," were assassinated in the Japanese concession. Sakai Takashi, chief of staff of the North China Garrison Army, declared: "The two were assassinated by agents of the Blue Shirts Society, a secret organization under the Kuomintang."

[Therefore, the Japanese side went to Beiping (Beijing) in a show of force to meet with He Yingqing, the acting chairman of the Beiping Military Commission, in an attempt to restart negotiations.]

Looking at this intelligence report, Fang Wen suddenly understood the strange shooting he had witnessed that day.

The Japanese are acting this way because they want to renegotiate and gain more benefits on the North China issue.

This is how the two traitors met their demise.

Their deaths became bargaining chips for the Japanese to pursue greater interests.

1935 5 Month 27 Day.

The day of the aerial combat engagement.

On this day, people from various foreign concessions waited on boats on the Bohai Sea to watch the battle.

The two participants were preparing in Tianjin and Jinan, respectively.

In Tianjin, people from the Japanese concession and Japanese from other places even put on a parade, as if celebrating a victory in advance.

Jinan was also bustling with activity, as a large number of Chinese people gathered outside the airport, and police officers were stationed outside to prevent any accidents from happening.

Everyone shouted, "We'll defeat the Japanese! We'll definitely win!"

This slogan, which was started by someone unknown, became a consensus, and its echoes resounded throughout the airport.

Inside the airport, members of Fang Wen's inner circle and staff from Taishan Airlines were also seeing Fang Wen off.

"General Manager, you will definitely win."

"Wishing the General Manager a resounding success."

The National Games talent is also there.

He spoke privately with Fang Wen: "The higher-ups mean they neither support nor obstruct it. This is a private feud and has nothing to do with the state."

After a pause, Quan Yun added, "Let me pass on another message: If you win, you'll gain a lot of face, and everyone will feel proud. This face will be useful in the future. If you lose, it's all over."

"Understood." Fang Wen nodded, waved to the people seeing him off, and climbed up the boarding stairs to the cockpit of the plane.

It's 10 AM, time for the challenge.

Two planes took off simultaneously from Tianjin and Jinan airports, heading towards the Bohai Sea.

After the plane took off, Fang Wen deliberately reduced the speed, allowing the Shrike to return to the performance level of the P-26B.

His experiences over the years have taught him one thing: the more cards you have up your sleeve, the safer you are.

Fang Wen had no reason to fail in dealing with biplanes; the Hawk-2 and Type 92 had already proven that no matter how much the Type 95 was touted, it would be the same.

Thus, the Shrike flew at a low speed of 320 kilometers per hour and arrived at the Bohai Sea forty minutes later.

Upon arriving at the battlefield, Fang Wen immediately entered a state of mechanical perception, focusing his mind intently.

After becoming one with the Shrike, he quickly took in the surrounding environment.

Today the weather is clear, with light sea currents and no clouds.

An unobstructed sky is the best spot to showcase air combat.

In the Bohai Sea below, Fang Wen saw many ships, including two Japanese warships anchored in the middle of the sea, and various other vessels carrying passengers to watch the battle.

Where is the opponent?
Fang Wen looked to the northwest.

A black dot flew over.

boom!
White smoke rose from the sea; it turned out that Japanese warships were welcoming their competitors with the sound of cannons.

Fang Wen's expression turned slightly cold as he steered the Shrike toward its target.

Two planes came head-on. The Japanese pilot in the biplane roared excitedly and pulled the trigger of the machine gun the moment he aimed.

Bullets poured out from both sides of the nose of the machine.

The target suddenly disappeared.

The Shrike had already descended its fuselage and passed beneath its opponent before the bullets were fired.

During this encounter, Fang Wen deliberately controlled his urge to shoot, wanting to learn more about this latest Japanese fighter plane.

Currently, it seems that the level flight speed of biplanes can indeed rival, or even surpass, that of the P-26.

However, it lacks flexibility.

After Fang Wen passed by, both sides immediately began to maneuver and adjust their positions. The turning radius of the Type 95 was much greater than that of the Shrike.

After completing half of its turn, Fang Wen had already turned the aircraft around and was taking aim.

In a state of mechanical awareness, Fang Wen, who had become one with the aircraft, took aim and immediately launched.

The quadruple machine gun fires 7.92mm brass bullets, with two lines of fire on each side rapidly heading towards the target, converging at the tail of the Type 4 aircraft.

Hundreds of bullets rained down on the fuselage, instantly tearing its tail fin apart.

Fang Wen was stunned. How could the opponent be so easily defeated?

He was using brass bullets, and it was expected that some of the bullets would ricochet or bounce.

Unexpectedly, a single burst of fire severed the opponent's tail.

Fang Wen judged that in order to support the high-speed flight of the biplane, its skin and internal frame structure must have undergone lightweight treatment.

Fang Wen, who is currently building an aircraft, understands very well what lightweighting is: aluminum alloy of the same material is at least twice as thin.

Thinner aircraft skin naturally reduces its defensive capabilities, and this has little to do with its rigidity.

Is this the high speed achieved by sacrificing defense?

Fang Wen shook off his thoughts and looked at the Type 95 fighter jet whose tail fin had been blown off by machine gun fire.

That's how war is; there's no plot, no process, and if you're hit, you die.

The plane, with black smoke billowing from its tail, lost its balance and spun in the air. Unable to maintain its balance, its left wing tore apart during the spin, followed by its right wing. Then, the flames from the tail ignited the fuel tank, and the plane exploded in mid-air before crashing into the sea.

The air battle ended just like that.

The victory was too easy; the winners below hadn't even had time to cheer before the result was already decided.

A moment later, the winners cheered, but the Japanese on the ship remained silent.

Suddenly, a Japanese man shouted happily, "Our fighter jets are not over yet!"

“You’re cheating!” a wealthy businessman from northern Shanxi said angrily.

His companion quickly stopped him from continuing.

The Japanese who were taking over the betting odds announced, "Our bet is to leave Bohai alive."

A shameful breach of contract was unfolding on the ship below, while Fang Wen in the sky was also facing an attack from a squadron of fighter jets.

Japanese aircraft formations consisted of 2 aircraft per squadron, 4 aircraft per platoon, and 12 aircraft per company.

If it were a squad, or even a small team, Fang Wen could still put up a fight, but a company-level team wouldn't be an option.

Faced with 12 Type 95 fighter jets, Fang Wen had to make an immediate decision and choose a direction to retreat.

(End of this chapter)