Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 245, Section 244: Battlefield First Aid Kits Being Tracked Down; Airdropped Aid by the Red Army Before Crossing the Grasslands
The newsboy's reminder alerted Fang Wen.

He immediately entered a state of mechanical perception.

The unique perspective gained from being integrated with the car gives him a broader field of observation.

The people on the nearby street seemed a bit off.

Across the street, a homeless man sitting on the ground under the wall of the Kangyuan Can Factory was watching him intently.

There was also a man in a suit leaning against a tree, pretending to read a newspaper, but actually glancing at us from time to time.

Once suspicion arose, Fang Wen discovered several things that were not quite right.

Where do these people come from?
What does it do?

Was it specifically targeted at me?

Fang Wen couldn't help but feel a little worried when he thought of Qian Yinxing.

If these people have ulterior motives, Qian Yinxing is likely to get into trouble.

Fang Wen prepared to take action and started the car engine.

Kangyuan Can Making Factory.

Led by the can-making factory staff, Qian Yinxing arrived at the manager's office.

Qian Yinxing came here with Fang Wen last year, but the manager in the manager's office is not the same one as before.

This made Qian Yinxing wary.

But the next second, when the other person took the initiative to shake hands, he noticed something was even more amiss.

Those who steal doors must have skillful hands; keen hand senses are a basic requirement.

During his handshake with the new manager, he noticed something strange about the other man's hand.

This is definitely not the hand of someone who works in an office; holding a pen for a long time can cause protrusions on the index and middle finger joints.

It wasn't the hands of a worker or farmer; the calluses on the tiger's mouth area weren't very noticeable.

This hand shape resembles that of someone who frequently handles a gun.

Qian Yinxing recalled what his master had taught him. "If there are calluses on the web between his thumb and forefinger, but they're not big, it could be from holding a gun for a long time. If there are calluses on both sides of his forefinger, that could be from practicing pulling the trigger for a long time. If he has both, be careful, he's almost certainly a gunman."

How could a can factory manager handle guns so often?

Qian Yinxing realized that he was now in a trap.

He had to escape immediately; only by escaping could he notify the general manager that there was danger here.

With a smile, he said, "I came today because I heard that your factory's newly established toy department has a tin frog that's selling very well. I'd like to buy some samples to try selling in my store."

"A tin frog?" The manager's enthusiasm vanished instantly. "Don't bother me with this. Take it to the toy department."

Qian Yinxing was then taken to another office, and then to the factory. After working there for a while, he left the can-making factory carrying a cardboard box.

He walked out of the factory gate without any hindrance and headed across the street.

Fang Wen, who had already started the car, was considering how to notify Qian Yinxing. If Qian was captured, he could drive his armored combat car and force his way in to try to rescue him.

After multiple modifications, his vehicle is comparable to a small armored vehicle, with extremely powerful firepower, high defense, and decent speed and agility. It can easily break into and out of the factory.

But just as he was about to turn around and drive over...

A black sedan drove up and stopped in front of Kangyuan Factory.

A tall woman wearing a hat and a trench coat stepped out of the car.

Fang Wen recognized Yue Jinping immediately.

Encountering Yue Jinping here felt strangely odd to him.

At this time.

Qian Yinxing came out carrying a cardboard box.

Judging from his expression, it seemed like nothing had happened.

Qian Yin walked out of the factory gate, and Yue Jinping walked in. Neither of them noticed the other.

Faced with the complex situation, Fang Wen immediately abandoned his plan to confront it head-on.

A moment later, Qian Yin crossed the road, got into the car, and suddenly lowered his voice to report.

"General Manager, let's go quickly, there's a problem here."

"I know, stay calm and don't arouse suspicion."

Fang Wen slowly started the car and drove forward.

Only after realizing that no one was following did Fang Wen ask, "What happened to you in there?"

“Their manager changed. When I shook hands with him, he didn’t seem like an office worker; he seemed more like a hired gun. I realized something was wrong, so I didn’t say anything and instead asked about buying the tin frogs, and that’s how I got away with it.”

As Qian Yinxing spoke, he took out the samples he had bought from the cardboard box.

Fang Wen glanced at the tin frog in Qian Yinxing's hand through the rearview mirror.

He said, "There are people guarding outside; something might have happened at Kangyuan Factory."

The two had already determined that there was something wrong with Kangyuan Factory.

But where is the problem?

Is this specifically targeting Fang Wen?
Japanese?
While pondering, Fang Wen felt that it was impossible for the Japanese to establish any connection between him and Kangyuan Factory.

Could it be just an accident, and those people weren't after me?
And what is Yue Jinping doing here?

Because of the battlefield first aid kit incident, Fang Wen felt he had to find out the truth.

He drove around Huade Road and headed towards Zhabei.

(Tin Jumping Doll, a toy from Kangyuan Factory, the same model is still being sold today)
Wu Yingzong met with Fang Wen at Anping Trading Company in Zhabei.

After Fang Wen finished explaining the situation, he immediately stood up and said, "General Manager, please wait here for a moment. I'll go and find out more about the situation."

In the past six months, by supplying penicillin, a miracle drug, he has established his own intelligence network in Shanghai, making it the most convenient way for him to gather information.

After Wu Yingzong left, Zhao Wanping stayed behind to entertain Fang Wen and Qian Yinxing.

She brought over two bowls of noodles: "General Manager, please have some lunch. This is a new type of plain noodles that I learned to make."

Fang Wen took the bowl and ate a bite.

Scallion oil soup, plain noodles, and a little bit of chopped scallions for garnish.

The key is the umami flavor of scallion oil and bone broth; it's delicious even without other toppings.

"Not bad, your skills are getting better and better."

His praise made Zhao Wanping very happy. "General Manager, would you like more?"

Fang Wen shook his head, finished the last bite of his meal, and put down his chopsticks: "You and Wu Yingzong are wasting your talents by staying in Shanghai. I want you to come back and help me lead and train the troops."

Zhao Wanping showed a hint of joy, as being in a state of pretense and infiltration for so long was not a pleasant experience.

But she didn't agree immediately; instead, she said she would wait for Wu Yingzong to return.

Half an hour later, Wu Yingzong hurriedly returned.

He reported the findings: "General Manager, it's been confirmed. It's the Special Service of the Fuxing Society. They were ordered to investigate communist sympathizers in Shanghai. Kangyuan Factory was their main focus. Some time ago, everyone at Kangyuan Factory was investigated and interrogated, but they were all released because there were no problems."

At this point, Wu Yingzong took out a piece of paper, "This is what they're investigating."

Fang Wen took the paper; the design on it was exactly what a battlefield first aid kit should look like.

The matter became clear immediately.

With over ten thousand battlefield first-aid kits, it's inevitable that some would be lost during marches and battles. The Kuomintang army discovered this, reported it to their superiors, and thus an investigation was launched.

As for why Kangyuan Factory could be found.

Fang Wen thought of celluloid medicine bottles. Given the current state of China's manufacturing industry, it wouldn't be difficult to find them if he spent the time researching.

Therefore, the Fuxing Society's agents were lying in wait at Kangyuan Factory. Yue Jinping had already been transferred to the Shanghai station, and her arrival at Kangyuan Factory should also be part of the operation.

Fang Wen couldn't help but sigh, realizing that he and Yue Jinping had now become enemies.

Fortunately, I was using a fake identity at the time, otherwise I would have been exposed in this matter.

Kangyuan Factory is no longer allowed to produce tin boxes for battlefield first aid kits or celluloid medicine bottles.

Other factories probably also have spies from Fuxing Society, so it seems we can no longer use this style.

Fang Wen was pondering what method to use for transporting the medicine.

If tin boxes and celluloid won't work, then we'll use something simpler.

Battlefield first aid kit.

The package was made of canvas and contained various medical supplies, as well as penicillin, Yunnan Baiyao, and quinine.

This way it's lighter and won't leave any clues for spies to find out.

Moreover, battlefield first aid kits do not need to be airdropped; a seaplane can land on the water to meet the Red Army and complete the transaction on the water.

This idea made Fang Wen want to put it into practice immediately.

He looked at Wu Yingzong and asked, "The Volunteer Army is expanding, and I want you and Zhao Wanping to come back and help me."

Wu Yingzong hesitated and said, "General Manager, if we leave, what will happen here? No one else can take over and do a good job."

That's true. If we just hand it over to someone else, we won't be able to handle the intelligence network properly. Fang Wen thought for a moment: "Qian Yinxing, you stay here. Liu Yubao will be here in a while. You two will learn from him and take over from Wu Yingzong and Zhao Wanping in Shanghai in a month."

That's how things were arranged. Fang Wen's trip to Shanghai came to an end, and he returned to Yangon on an international flight the next day.

Upon returning to Yangon, Fang Wen immediately set about developing battlefield first aid kits.

A large quantity of medical gauze was delivered by plane.

Local female workers sterilized the gauze by boiling it in hot water, dried it, cut it into long strips, and then rolled it into bandage rolls for later use.

As for celluloid medicine bottles, they can now be exchanged for porcelain bottles without airdrops.

China is a major porcelain-producing country, with countless places producing porcelain, making it extremely difficult to trace.

These porcelain medicine bottles were each filled with a single dose of medicine powder.

In addition to bandages and three emergency medications, Fang Wen felt that a medical first aid kit should be more comprehensive.

He purchased scalpels, medical scissors, sutures, and a medical hand suture device that he developed himself from the British.

All these tools need to be packed into a bag, so the design of the canvas bag needs to be outstanding.

Fang Wen recalled the structure of the future multi-functional backpack and designed multiple internal storage areas.

The outer bag on the left contains a copper tube heat sterilization syringe, a scalpel, medical scissors, and disposable needles.

The right abduction pack contains a fracture fixation plate (one set).

The upper part of the main bag contained a large number of medical bandages.

The lower part of the main package contains medical bandages and first-aid supplies.

With this operation, the new battlefield first aid kit was created.

End of March 1935.

The first batch of 1000 battlefield medical first aid kits has been completed.

Fang Wen then notified Xiangxi Airport to contact Bai Yunfei and prepare to transport the first batch of trial units.

After receiving the information, Bai Yunfei, who was lying in wait near Xiangxi Airport, contacted his superiors by telegram and then reported the situation to Xiangxi Airport.

Destination for handover: Tangke Town, Ruoergai County.

Fang Wen immediately conducted an in-depth investigation into this target.

That place is the confluence of the Yellow River and the Baihe River, and is also known as the first bend of the Yellow River.

Climbing snow-capped mountains and crossing grasslands, it was there too.

Fang Wen immediately designed the flight route.

Starting from Yangon, transit through the Lancang River in Jinghong to reach the sea airport, and then fly directly to Tangke Town.

The total length of this route is only 2100 kilometers. The modified Yunhe can easily make round trips for refueling on the river.

The key problem is that the plane has never flown there before, and it's easy to get lost on the first flight.

Only Fang Wen himself was confident that he could fly the entire course.

After making some preparations, he loaded 1000 battlefield medical kits and 1.5 newly produced rounds of ammunition into the machine.

Fang Wen then took off alone in the plane.

Fang Wen himself was a little nervous as he flew from Yangon to the edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The plane refueled with high-grade aviation gasoline in Jinghong and flew north.

By the time they reached the upper reaches of the Lancang River, it was already dark.

In a state of mechanical perception, Fang Wen observed what was below.

The river served as the best ground guide for the seaplane; even under the moonlight, the dark ground reflected the light from the water.

Fang Wen used this information, along with the starry sky and the map, to cross-reference the information and roughly determine the location where he appeared.

He changed direction and flew northeast.

This flight deviated from the Lancang River.

But after flying hundreds of kilometers, it reached the Jinsha River, the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

It flew north across the Jinsha River, crossing the Yalong River twice.

Then they arrived in the heart of Sichuan.

After flying over another towering mountain range, we arrived at the Tibetan border region.

Fang Wen used mechanical perception to locate the Yellow River, but failed to find its boundary with the Baihe River.

The border cannot be found, nor can Tangke Town in Ruoergai County be located.

Fang Wen could only explore along the Yellow River from the air.

After flying forward for a while,

Finally, the moonlight reflected off the two river channels.

Fang Wen used this to conclude that they had arrived at their destination.

To attract the attention of those below, Fang Wen piloted the plane to a lower altitude.

The noise from the engine and propeller successfully revealed his location.

Torches then lit up the water.

Following the torchlight, Fang Wen saw a row of wooden rafts.

He adjusted the aircraft, slowly descended, and came to a stop on the river.

Then, it adjusted its course and headed towards the raft.

As the plane drew closer, Fang Wen heard sounds from the raft opposite.

Is it a waterbird?

This was a special code name given by Bai Yunfei to prevent the identity of Taishan Airlines from being leaked. After all, for security reasons, only Bai Yunfei and his superiors knew the secret of the entire transaction.

Fang Wen naturally kept this secret as well.

He replied, "It's a waterfowl. All the cargo you requested is in the cabin. I flew here alone, so please organize someone to unload it from the plane."

"Okay, thank you very much for your support of the revolution." After saying that, the man organized the soldiers to row over on rafts.

Fang Wenze went to the cabin, opened the rear door, and threw the anchor with the chain into the water, so that the floating seaplane could stay in a fixed body of water.

After a while, the raft arrived.

Fang Wen pointed out from the rear cabin door: "Come up from here."

Immediately, the raft was rowed to the rear door of the plane, and the Red Army officers and soldiers entered the cabin.

These soldiers are very simple and honest.

"So this is an airplane!"

"I've always wondered how people don't fall off when they sit inside, and now I realize there's a bottom."

The soldiers chuckled, and the officer explained helplessly to Fang Wen, "I'm sorry, none of my soldiers have ever been to school. They learned their academic subjects in the army, so their knowledge is relatively limited."

"I don't think it's a big deal. Knowledge takes time to learn. If they have the opportunity, they can also acquire a lot of useful knowledge," Fang Wen replied with a smile.

The officer's eyes lit up: "That's what I think too. One day, everyone will be able to learn, regardless of social status."

His dream will definitely come true in the future.

Fang Wen didn't say anything more about it; time will tell.

He explained the supplies to the officers: "Be careful when you move them. The medical kits and bullets must not get wet."

"Understood." The officer turned around solemnly and gave instructions to the soldiers.

They had those who were not good swimmers carry the cargo in the plane, while those who were good swimmers controlled the rafts to transport it to the shore.

Everything is going on in an orderly manner.

Gunfire erupted from the riverbank, indicating that the Red Army had once again clashed with the pursuing troops.

None of this caused the Red Army soldiers to panic; they had great confidence in their comrades.

Two hours later, the fierce battle ended, and the enemy was actually defeated and scattered. The transport of supplies was also completed at the same time.

Fang Wen shook hands with the officer: "I wish you success and a smooth road ahead."

The officer saluted in response, saying, "Thank you." He then led the soldiers onto the raft and left.

Fang Wen silently closed the rear hatch, moved the fuel tank in the engine room, and connected the fuel line.

Once the fuel is refueled, return to the cockpit and take off.

It was already dawn, and looking down at the winding Yellow River and the vast grasslands from the air, there was a strange sense of poignant beauty.

The plane flew south.

The Red Army will face its most arduous challenges, and then rise from the ashes to become stronger.

Fang Wen also needs to complete his own challenge: to expand the aviation industry and defeat Pan Am.

(End of this chapter)