Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 262, Section 261: Fang Wen Returns to China, Taishan International Mercenaries, Tokyo Incident

In early February of 1936, Fang Wen returned to China and took charge of affairs at the company headquarters in Wuhan.

Taishan Group has many things that require Taishan's attention.

For example, recruiting new members for the Taishan Aviation Club, listening to business reports from international airlines, making decisions on the opening of new waterway routes by China Express Airlines, and meeting with managers of various waterway aviation branches to establish a foundation for hierarchical relationships.

These things may not seem very important, but they are things Fang Wen has to do.

Meanwhile, recruitment of elite pilots is also underway.

Various invitations were sent to known aviation elites, but very few received a response.

As aviation elites, their current treatment is naturally not bad, not to mention that they are all highly valued in the context of a severe shortage of aviation pilots in China. Why would they give up their current treatment to join Fang Wen's elite aviation team?

Under these circumstances, Fang Wen realized that he could not focus solely on the domestic situation.

General Manager's Office, Wuhan Headquarters Building.

Fang Wen signed the document and handed it to Liu Yinfeng and Zhou Pomen, members of the special operations team.

"You're in charge of the flying club. We expect more members this year, and we'll also be selling them the Shuiyun-1 aircraft. You need to do a good job in service and sales."

Liu Yinfeng and Zhou Pomen nodded excitedly. They were among the last members of the special operations team to be assigned to overseas work, and they were eager to make a difference.

After Fang Wen dismissed Liu Yinfeng and Zhou Pomen, he called Chen Suoxin and Liu Yingshou in.

He looked at the two of them.

"Now, most of the members of the special operations team have been assigned to group affairs, leaving only the two of you. I plan to arrange for you two to go to Europe and the United States."

Chen Suoxin and Liu Ying were stunned.

"General Manager, we don't speak any foreign languages, so I'm afraid we won't be able to handle things well abroad," Liu Ying said with difficulty.

“You can learn if you don’t know how. The spoken language for communication isn’t difficult. And this time, we’ll arrange for translators to accompany you, so you don’t need to worry about communication issues,” Fang Wen said.

The two had nothing more to say and readily agreed.

Fang Wen continued, "The main purpose of you two going to Europe and the United States is to hire a group of highly capable foreign pilots for me. Ground combat personnel with special skills can also be recruited back."

This decision was Fang Wen's response to the shortage of elite pilots, and he had thought it through.

With a major war looming and no domestic resources available, the solution is to hire mercenaries from abroad. As a person from the future, one cannot be stuck in this era. Future wars will be filled with mercenaries who risk their lives for money. Why can't one of us use this method?

Not only should we use it, but we should use it brilliantly.

Sending Chen Suoxin and Liu Yingshou abroad to recruit was only part of the plan.

Fang Wen then sent another telegram to the United States.

New York, USA: Headquarters office building of Taishan International, a listed company.

President Lin Shuiwang had just returned from the airport.

His job is now much more complicated than before.

In addition to Taishan International, it is also necessary to maintain communication with two conglomerate families and continue to follow up on the development of the independent Marshall Islands.

Currently, the two conglomerates have dispatched professional teams to the Marshall Islands to work with Zhao Jiu and John Harvey to reform the offshore financial center system of the Independent Kingdom of the Marshall Islands.

Lin Shuiwang, who had just seen the team members off to San Francisco by plane to catch a boat, returned to his office chair and sat down.

The telegraph office staff then brought over a telegram.

"A coded telegram from headquarters."

Lin Shuiwang took the telegram, translated the coded message, and his relaxed mood became lively again.

Taishan International has established a new business unit specializing in war security, recruiting retired military personnel from Europe and the United States for commercial military transport in international operations.

[Note: The above activities are nominal; their primary purpose is to recruit elite air and ground combat personnel for the group company to bolster its combat capabilities against the Japanese army.]

Lin Shuiwang thought to himself, "The general manager is finally going to confront the Japanese invaders head-on, which is also what I envisioned."

Lin Shuiwang actively began working on this matter.

Two days later, headquarters sent another telegram with new instructions.

With this instruction in mind, Lin Shuiwang dialed the phone number in Indiana.

The two already knew each other and were both in New York, so they arranged to meet at a restaurant near the Capitol Building over the phone.

That afternoon, the two arrived at the restaurant on time and chose a secluded corner to sit down.

Lin Shuiwang explained the situation in a low voice: "The general manager wants Taishan International to establish a war security branch."

Indiana asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"It's a company that hires military personnel to provide military or semi-military services for regional conflicts, security, bodyguards, and other situations. Their business is mainly overseas," Lin Shuiwang explained.

"Is this even possible?" Indiana asked incredulously. He had never heard of such a company structure before and was unsure if it could be established.

Lin Shuiwang explained, “For this branch, we sought help from the Rockefeller and Whitney families, who were very interested. As you know, multinational corporations often encounter various problems abroad, some of which must be resolved by force. They have this need, so when we applied to establish the company, we received some assistance and successfully completed the registration.”

"Then why are you looking for me?"

"The general manager said that it would be best to discuss this with you, as we and the US overseas intelligence system can be a good complement."

Indiana pondered those words for a moment, then exclaimed in astonishment: "Fang is simply a genius. Not only do our overseas intelligence systems need such a third-party operational agency, but other countries' overseas intelligence organizations will also need it. The key is that your company must have the capability in this area."

Lin Shuiwang nodded: "Yes, that's what the general manager said too. He wants to cooperate with you."

"How to cooperate?"

"If you have connections and find suitable people, you can introduce them to join the company, and they will gain more income."

Indiana thought about it.

“I do have military resources and know some retired officers. Since they are no longer bound by an oath of allegiance, they should be able to work on your company’s military business.”

Lin Shuiwang was not satisfied: "Retired officers are too old and more suitable to be instructors. I need combat-ready officers in their prime, especially elite pilots. As long as they meet the requirements, we can offer double their original salary."

The offer of double the original salary was tempting even for Indiana, as it meant they wouldn't have to worry about finding suitable staff.

He then agreed to help search for it.

mid-December.

A year later, the flying club expanded its membership again.

This membership program is still only open to wealthy and influential people in South and Southeast Asia.

Seaplanes were also offered for sale.

Taishan Airlines' affordable and easy-to-use Shuiyun-1 seaplane is already operating in half of China's waterways. Its improved transportation efficiency and low operating costs have attracted great interest from forces outside of China. This time, the number of seaplanes for sale is limited, but its appeal is extremely strong.

Taishan International Security Company, located in the United States, has also been officially established. Although the international security company is currently in the initial stage of recruiting personnel, it has already attracted the attention of many wealthy individuals and multinational corporations, and some letters of intent for cooperation on overseas security are already under negotiation.

Fang Wen brought his vision of the future to this era, making changes little by little. He is racing against time.

Meanwhile, the events that were destined to happen continued to unfold, following the course of history.

February 20, Tokyo.

A black sedan was parked on the side of the street.

Inside the car, Nagano Osamu said to Yoshida in the front passenger seat, "Yoshida, this time when you go back to Japan, you can rest for a week and go home to visit your family."

"Yes, sir." After getting out of the car, Yoshida took his personal luggage from the trunk and watched the car drive away from the roadside.

He immediately relaxed after the car drove away.

Instead of taking the train from Tokyo Station back to his hometown in Kochi Prefecture, he found a hotel to stay at.

He opened his personal luggage in the room.

Inside were two stacks of US dollars, totaling $20, and a telegraph machine that could be disassembled and reassembled.

Looking at all this, Yoshida realized that he had no way out. Ever since the kidnapping of Nagano Osamu, he had no choice but to continue down that path, otherwise, the consequences would be dire.

He assembled the telegraph machine and emitted radio waves at a specific frequency.

[Arrived in Japan, requesting further instructions.]

After a while, he received a reply.

[Temporarily remain in hiding. Unless there is important intelligence, report once a week at a fixed time.]

After ending the telegraph communication, Yoshida disassembled the telegraph machine and put it into his suitcase, suddenly realizing it wasn't such a big deal.

Having not been back to China for a long time, he felt a surge of excitement when he thought of Tokyo's nightlife and went out.

He went to Yoshiwara, Tokyo's most famous brothel district, which was a hub for openly permitted brothels during the Edo period.

When Yoshida reached the street corner, he saw a woman wearing a kimono and wooden clogs, and his heart warmed. He was about to go inside.

But someone put their arm around his shoulder.

He was immediately enraged. He turned around and saw three familiar faces, all wearing military uniforms, but in army uniforms.

"Oh, it's you guys, Oshita, Okayama, and Shimomura."

"Yoshida, it's been a long time. Come on, let's go inside and talk."

Pulled along by three army officers, they entered Yoshiwara Street.

Yoshiwara was full of public prostitutes. After geisha gained the freedom to make a living during the Meiji period, the original brothels became loan houses. Later, following the Western model, the prostitutes sat in individual wooden cubicles, waiting for the favor of their clients.

Instead of choosing a person, the four officers went to a tavern in the street to drink and reminisce.

"Yoshida, do you still remember the vow you made back then?"

The sudden inquiry plunged Yoshida into memories.

Several years ago, he joined an organization called the 'Imperial Way Faction' at military school.

This was a faction within the Japanese Army that advocated for the Emperor to rule personally, reform the country, and realize the Showa Restoration; in foreign affairs, they advocated launching a decisive war against the Soviet Union.

This was an internal military opposition organization, composed of military academy cadets and junior officers. Yoshida joined simply to follow the trend.

Unexpectedly, it was mentioned here.

He gave a perfunctory reply: "I remember."

"Good to remember. We're finally about to begin our operation. You're the only member in the Navy, so join us."

Yoshida did not reply, but instead forced himself to remain calm and drank a cup of sake to calm his nerves.

He knew what these people were capable of, and if he didn't agree, he was likely in grave danger tonight.

After a moment, he asked, "What is your operation?"

"In Chinese terms, it's called 'purging the emperor's inner circle.' We are preparing to eliminate the ruling faction and rescue the emperor who is being controlled by them."

The three officers fantasized about a bright future, but Yoshida didn't think so. There were hardly any supporters of the Imperial Way faction in the army, and they were mostly junior officers. Besides, the Emperor didn't support the Imperial Way faction either, so if they really went to war, they would definitely fail.

But he couldn't say that; if he did, he would be killed as a traitor.

At this moment, another officer spoke up: "Yoshida, you are now the adjutant of General Nagano Osamu. In six days, we will work together to assassinate Nagano Osamu."

Yoshida quickly explained, "No, I'm on vacation now, and my vacation won't end in six days. If I go back early, people will suspect me."

"I see. Indeed, we didn't expect to run into you. To ensure the safety of the operation, we won't need to take action with the navy."

"Yes, yes, that's what I think too. Safety during operations is important."

Yoshida breathed a sigh of relief.

Unexpectedly, the other party said again, "Then you will join our operation. For the sake of secrecy, you can't wander around."

And so, Yoshida, who originally wanted to have some fun in Yoshiwara, joined the Imperial Way Faction's operation. In order to prevent leaks, he was forced to move out of the inn and to another meeting place.

Each operations officer there has a separate residence, and apart from not being able to leave, there are no other restrictions.

Yoshida, carrying his suitcase, moved into his new home with a gloomy expression.

He didn't want to participate in this operation; if he were discovered, his future would be ruined.

But how can we avoid it?
Having no other options, he locked the door from the inside and then took out the telegraph machine to send a message.

Taishan Airlines Wuhan Headquarters.

The telegraph office staff handed Fang Wen a coded telegram.

"General Manager, Jinan Airport has received a coded telegram from overseas. Please take a look."

Fang Wen put down the document in his hand and took the coded telegram: "Go out."

After the staff left, he looked at the coded message and began to translate it.

[I arrived in Tokyo, Japan today and suddenly encountered an old friend. I was coerced into joining the Imperial Way Faction of the Japanese Army to plot an uprising. They plan to launch their operation on February 26th, assassinating several high-ranking military and political officials and storming the Imperial Palace to meet with the Emperor. The uprising is unlikely to succeed, and if it does, I, who was forced to participate, will be implicated. I have no way to escape this predicament and am therefore seeking your advice.]

It was Yoshida's secret telegram, but I never expected it to be involved in such a significant event.

Fang Wen recalled his memories of the future; it seemed that Japan had not successfully staged a rebellion, so this incident appeared to have failed.

He was unwilling to lose Yoshida as a hidden asset, so he began to think about how to help him out of his predicament.

Suddenly, Fang Wen realized that he had been thinking in the wrong direction.

If he were to take advantage of this rebellion and add fuel to the fire by flying long-range bombers to kill more high-ranking officers, wouldn't that be more in his own interest?
Furthermore, this bombing campaign used indiscriminate bombing, wiping out the Imperial Way Faction members along with them, which would conveniently solve the Yoshida problem as well.

As for the accuracy of the bombing, Fang Wen was not worried. He had made preparations for this, and the small signal transmitter that Yoshida brought to Japan was a perfect positioning tool.

(End of this chapter)