Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 29, Hanger Interview (2), Changes in the Battle Situation
"Please sit here. I will ask some questions in a moment. Feel free to ask them and don't be nervous."

Guided by the host, Fang Wen, Howard, Machine Gunner, and Pan Jiafeng took their seats in turn on the wooden sofa opposite the host.

Fang Wen was wearing an airline uniform, Howard and the machine gunner had changed into suits, and Pan Jiafeng was in a modern student outfit.

In terms of temperament, all four of them are very pleasing to the eye.

But apart from Fang Wen, the other three were very nervous.

Having experienced the internet revolution and the era of entertainment where everyone could livestream, Fang Wen didn't think this was a big deal.

But people in this era feel completely differently when facing cameras and microphones than Fang Wen does.

Howard, who was already quite introverted, kept his head down.

The machine gunner sat upright, his back ramrod straight, as if he were undergoing the most arduous training.

Pan Jiafeng had nowhere to put his hands, so he could only keep wiping them on his thighs, and it's estimated that his palms were constantly sweating.

The host glanced at it but didn't say anything, and proceeded with the plan, starting with Fang Wen.

But before it even started, he interrupted with commercials.

“Merlington Radio serves the people of Shanghai. The station has now moved to the Ruifeng Building on Broadway Road. Broadcast times are 8:00 to 9:00 AM, 12:00 to 1:00 PM, and 5:00 to 9:00 PM.”

"Zheng Guanghe Soda, with a Western recipe, has a refreshing taste that makes you want to drink more."

"Lianzhu brand cigarettes, produced by Nanyang Brothers Company, advocate industry, and I will start by saving the country through aviation."

"Today, our radio station was invited to secretly travel to Nanjing. We will now interview several participants in yesterday's Shanghai air battle. They are the heroic pilot Fang Wen, American crew member Howard, air force gunner Xie Bengui, and Pan Jiafeng, a student from Shanghai Municipal Wusong Middle School."

"It was they who yesterday piloted a military transport plane to carry out the feat of bombing a Japanese warship, successfully sinking one Japanese warship and causing some Japanese warships to withdraw from the Huangpu River, greatly relieving the pressure on the 19th Route Army's defense."

"Now let's interview the driver."

"Hello, Mr. Fang, could you tell me about what happened yesterday?"

Fang Wen remembered what the officer had told him earlier: he couldn't talk about the specific details of the fighter jets or the airport, but he could talk about the process and the cause.

He knew how to answer, and spoke up:

"Yesterday we carried out a secret operation, departing at 5 a.m. to go to Shanghai to bomb enemy warships."

"Why go at five o'clock?" The host was very professional and seized the opportunity to ask the question.

"Because the intelligence sent back from Shanghai indicated that the Japanese would not send out their first batch of fighter planes for patrol until after 8 o'clock at the earliest. We set off at 5 o'clock and arrived in Shanghai before 6:30. Even if the other side discovered us, we would still have time to carry out our mission."

The host nodded: "I see. Although I don't quite understand, it sounds very professional. Please continue."

"Later we arrived in Shanghai and carried out the feint attack as planned. Five planes attacked the Japanese ground troops to attract the approaching enemy planes, while my transport plane, under the cover of two other fighter planes, went to bomb the Huangpu River."

"I've heard you're very talented in piloting and aerial bombing, but how can you guarantee a hit on an enemy ship with a single bomb dropped from 5000 meters?"

"I can't guarantee it. Statistically speaking, my success rate was only fifty percent. It was raining and the sea breeze was blowing at the time, so there was also an element of luck involved."

Fang Wengang finished speaking.

The military officer intervened and stopped the interview.

“Stop recording. Delete this part and start over. Fang Wen, you can’t say ‘luck.’ You have to use a confident tone. For example, say, ‘I firmly believe this bomb will hit its target, and I’ve practiced a lot for that.’” “Do I have to say that?” Fang Wen countered.

"Yes, we need to create an aerial hero who doesn't rely on luck, but possesses skills and talent far superior to other pilots."

"Okay," Fang Wen agreed, but lost interest in the upcoming interview.

He replied as the officer had said, and the host, sensing something amiss, ended the interview with him and turned to the other three.

For Howard, this interview was so stressful that he stammered even when answering in his native language.

The host had to cut that segment and add a recording: "Mr. Howard doesn't understand Chinese and happens to have a sore throat, so he can't be interviewed. I'll briefly introduce him. He's a mechanic for China Airlines and a friend of Fang Wen. The two traveled together during the operation, and he's a good international friend. Now we're being interviewed by Xie Bengui, the air force machine gunner. He's the only military personnel interviewed. Let's hear his evaluation of this operation."

The interview with Xie Bengui omitted his identity, clearly indicating that he did not want to discuss information about the Guangdong Airlines team.

Xie Bengui was aware of these things and answered cooperatively:
"Pilots are a special group. They need strong physique and endurance to cope with long hours of high-altitude flight and various emergencies. They also need to master a lot of knowledge and have good psychological qualities. But these are just the basic requirements for pilots. Some talents are only possessed by a few people. Like Fang Wen, he can complete independent night flight based on familiar terrain without flying the wrong way, and he can also visually estimate and hit the target when dropping bombs at high altitude. This is very rare. The reason we chose Fang Wen to participate in this mission is because of these talents."

"Thank you very much for your professional answers. Now we have the last interviewee, Pan Jiafeng, who is only eighteen years old. As a student, how did you join the action?"

Pan Jiafeng, who had initially appeared very nervous, surprisingly performed very well when it was his turn.

“I was originally at my uncle’s house. That day, my uncle received a phone call from Brother Fang Wen, who asked my uncle to print a batch of leaflets, saying that they would be distributed in Shanghai that night. I happened to hear that the plane needed someone to distribute the leaflets, so I begged to get on the plane.”

"You boarded the plane like that? You're really brave."

"Yes, I was very good at sports in school and I was very strong, so this was perfect for me."

"Hmm, so that means you participated in a night flight in Shanghai the night before last, and then participated in an air combat yesterday. This kind of experience is something that your peers could not do. Will you become a pilot in the future?"

"Of course I want to! I also want to become Brother Fang's apprentice. Learning to fly from him would be a great idea."

"That's fine too. I look forward to flying on your plane someday. Well, that concludes the interview. I hope the next interview will be held in Shanghai."

After the recording and interview with Merrington Radio was completed, the group left the airport in military vehicles.

The next day, Merrington Radio broadcast the interview recording.

Radio waves propagate through various districts of Shanghai.

In the alleyways, families who owned radios would voluntarily place them on their balconies so that neighbors in the passageway could listen together.

Inside the Western-style buildings and trading houses in the concession, all sorts of people gathered in front of the radio, discussing things.

Subsequently, various newspapers also published their special issues.

These recordings and texts allowed the people of Shanghai to better understand what happened on the day of the air battle.

This propaganda also greatly boosted the morale of the anti-Japanese soldiers.

In response to this air battle, the Japanese side also took corresponding measures.

The warships on the Huangpu River were no longer stationed on the river surface, but two were dispatched every day to maintain artillery suppression over the Zhabei District.

Meanwhile, the frequency of carrier-based fighter jet patrols in the air has also increased. Starting at 8 o'clock, small groups of fighter jets have appeared as early as 5 or 6 o'clock.

(End of this chapter)