Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 293 292 'Taishan Pine' Medium Tank Prototype, the Power of Self-Propelled Artillery, The Marco Polo Bridge Crisis
4150 alloy was shipped from the United States to Asia by cargo ship.

More than half a month has passed.

By May.

In response to the Japanese army's frequent military exercises, the 29th Army also took action, conducting targeted military exercises in North China.

The Nationalist government, however, still hoped to pressure Japan through diplomatic channels to resolve the dispute.

Just then, the King of England ascended the throne, and they sent special envoys to try to ease the current situation through the British.

Unfortunately, times have changed.

Japan did indeed benefit greatly from Britain's assistance in the past, even its navy received strong support. However, now that Japan has grown strong, it is no longer something Britain can suppress.

Even their interests in North China are soon at risk of being lost.

Meanwhile, the Japanese ronin in Tianjin became increasingly rampant, with various disputes frequently occurring. For several consecutive days, floating corpses were found on the Haihe River, causing widespread panic in Tianjin.

Also in this month, the Nationalist government divided the country into six air force regions; nine air force squadrons were established nationwide, with a total of more than 600 aircraft, and anti-aircraft artillery units were formed.

First Brigade:

Location: Nanchang.

Second Battalion:

Locations: Guangde and Changxing.

Third Battalion:

Locations: Nanjing and Jurong.

Fourth Battalion:

Location: Jianqiao, Hangzhou.

Fifth Battalion:

Location: Yangzhou.

Sixth Brigade:

Location: Nanjing.

Seventh Brigade:

Location: Chuxian County.

Eighth Brigade:

Location: Dajiaochang, Shanghai, directly under the Aviation Commission.

Ninth Brigade:

Location: Cao'e.

After the Air Force was reorganized, it also extended an olive branch to Fang Wen. They wanted to incorporate this big airline boss, who owned his own air force and had strong flying capabilities, into the National Air Force.

Therefore, Fang Wen, in Yangon, sent a telegram to Nanjing expressing his refusal, but stated that he was willing to cooperate due to the war.

Yangon.

The first prototype of the 'Taishan Pine' tank is undergoing armor assembly.

Engineers and technicians cut the 4150 alloy steel plates into appropriately sized cubes for further processing.

After being cut, the armor plates need to be processed into complex shapes such as arcs, which requires roll forming.

Hot rolling is a common method that uses the high temperature of burning flammable waste gas from an oil refinery to preheat the armor plate to a certain temperature before rolling.

The finished armor plates are connected together using mortise and tenon joints and then welded together to make the tank armor very stable as a whole.

But this is only the first layer of armor.

To improve the protection, composite armor plates must be added to the outer layer.

The additional armor on the hull, chassis, and turret was created by engineers using bolts and rivets to fix a temporary steel plate onto the armor, serving as additional armor for the tank. This primitive method of stacking thickness improved the tank's protection to some extent.

In certain critical areas, such as between the tank's chassis side plates and side bracing plates, reinforcing structures are added to improve ballistic protection performance.

The reinforced structure is usually L-shaped or similar, and after being fixed to the chassis side plates and side support plates with bolts, it is further reinforced by welding.

On the outer side of some armor plate joints, holes are drilled to insert armor bolts to further enhance structural strength.

Armor bolts are fixed to the armor plate by welding, forming additional support points.

After completing these steps, the prototype of the Taishan Pine was formed.

The next steps are surface anti-oxidation and rust prevention treatment, internal equipment testing, and trial operation.

With everything in place, the prototype of the Taishan Pine Tank was successfully manufactured.

As a special operations tank built with substantial investment, its specifications are also very impressive.

The car is 2.9 meters high.

The vehicle is 6.5 meters long.

The car is 3.6 meters wide.

The maximum speed on the road is 30 km/h; the maximum speed off the road is 20 km/h.

Maximum range with fuel capacity: 178 km on highways, 90 km off-road.

The standard crew consists of three people: driver, gunner, and loader. (This three-person team also shares the responsibilities of the commander, telegraph operator, and machine gunner.)

Main gun: 75mm Taishan-made tank gun. (Modified infantry gun, capable of firing high-explosive and armor-piercing shells, with a maximum range of 3000 meters)
Machine guns: 2 CM WZ.30 machine guns (7.92 mm ammunition)

Armor: 13~60 mm
Gradient: 30
Can cross a 2.1-meter trench

Wading depth: 1.2 meters

Weight: 23 tons.

Whether in terms of overall size, weight, or performance, it far surpasses the T26 light tank.

However, its cost is also extremely high, with each one costing approximately $30,000, equivalent to the price of a Watercloud-1 seaplane.

Once the prototype of the Taishan Pine vehicle was completed, Fang Wen was naturally the first person to drive it.

He selected two people from among the engineers and technicians to serve as a temporary gunner and loader, and began the first formal test run.

The project participants all gathered on a large open space on the western outskirts of Yangon.

Under their watchful eyes, Fang Wen and his two companions walked toward the Taishan Pine medium tank.

Fang Wen was the first to board the tank and crawled in through the top entrance, followed by the other two.

As the temporary commander, Fang Wen instructed the two men: "Take your positions. The gunner is in charge of observation, and the loader is in charge of the radio. Simulate wartime travel."

After giving the instructions, Fang Wen sat in the driver's seat and started the engine.

As the aircraft engine at the rear started running, the temperature inside the vehicle began to rise.

This is a heat dissipation problem in a confined space. The temperature inside the tank is also a major problem that tanks are currently facing. During combat, for safety reasons, the temperature inside a tank in a confined state can become very hot and stuffy.

If this internal temperature problem cannot be solved, driving the Taishan Pine will be a very painful experience.

Although this is a problem that tanks in all countries are currently facing, Fang Wen has a solution.

He designed a simple car air conditioning system.

The condenser and evaporator, made of copper pipes, are connected to the second water-cooling system of the aircraft engine. The system uses ammonia as the refrigerant for cyclic cooling, and the cooled air, which has been processed by airflow and heat exchange, is blown into the vehicle by a fan.

With a slight cool breeze, the temperature inside the car dropped immediately.

This temperature environment no longer posed a driving challenge. Fang Wen started the tank and began various driving operations in the open space.

He drove the tank in different environments, testing its various performance characteristics.

Overall, this tank, with its powerful engine, is the best tank of its time, and also the most expensive.

Its defense and power are commendable, much better than tanks of the same period.

After all, no one would use an aircraft engine as a power source for a tank with an extremely high combat attrition rate. Now, all that's left is the firepower test.

The loader contacted the outside world via the vehicle-mounted radio, and soon a car arrived, carrying the tank toward the artillery testing range.

A dozen minutes later, we arrived at the artillery testing range, which was an abandoned building purchased from the locals. It was originally a flour mill, a brick and stone structure, which was used to test the power of artillery firing.

Fang Wen drove the tank around the mill building and gave the order: "Aim at the building on the left, one howitzer shot."

The gunner immediately observed the target, then forcefully turned the joystick to turn the turret.

As the turret rotated, the cannon muzzle was aimed in that direction.

Immediately, the loader began loading the propellant, and after he finished loading the propellant, the gunner loaded the shell and turned on the firing device.

With a roar, the recoil mechanism behind the cannon barrel suddenly retracted, and the hot shell casings were ejected and landed in the shell casing box next to it.

The shelling hit the top of the building, and the force of the explosion tore a large hole in the roof.

The first shot was very effective. Imagine when the Taishan Pine medium tank and the mercenary soldiers arrived at this place and encountered the enemy's stubborn resistance in the forward stronghold. Only such a powerful artillery barrage could destroy the enemy's defenses.

He drove the tank around the mill, ordering the gunners to fire from different directions.

The two gunners and loader were just temporary test personnel, not professional military personnel. After firing a few shells, they became flustered.

It seems that specially trained military personnel are needed. Fang Wen stopped the shelling test, and the ruins became the result of this shelling.

The results of the artillery test gave Fang Wen the impression that the power was quite good, much stronger than that of the 37mm cannon.

The short-barreled cannon has a shorter range and lower accuracy than the long-barreled cannon.

But its power is even greater.

In reality, Fang Wen defined the Taishan Pine medium tank as a self-propelled artillery piece, a fully armored, highly defensive armored weapon that combines mobility and firepower, designed for coordinated operations with infantry.

Now that the prototype of the Taishan Pine Tank is available, production cannot be carried out in Yangon.

After all, if they were produced in Yangon, the China-Myanmar Highway had not yet been built, so the entire truck could only be transported by sea to ports along the Chinese coast, which might be blocked by the Japanese navy.

Therefore, Fang Wen planned to transport the supplies used for tank equipment back to China as ordinary cargo.

Early May.

A cargo ship sailed into the Yangtze River estuary and docked at the Nanjing Port.

There, the cargo ships' supplies were transferred to smaller steamships.

These small steamships transported goods upstream from the Yangtze River to the Yuan River, where they were unloaded in Changde.

Fang Wen also arrived in Changde ahead of time to receive the goods with his fourth brother-in-law.

The mercenary soldiers from Xiangxi Airport, along with the engineers and technicians who were in charge of the tank equipment, were busy unloading parts of all sizes from the ship.

Among them, tank chassis and some large castings were difficult to transport. Local loading and unloading workers made rollers from logs, with some pulling from above and others pushing from below, and that's how they got them moved.

Seeing the bustling scene, the fourth brother-in-law couldn't help but ask, "Fang Wen, the location and factory have been arranged for you. The materials will be delivered soon. Are you really going to build a factory here in Changde to manufacture cars?"

"Of course it's true. I've brought so much stuff here, why would I lie to you?" Fang Wen laughed.

Fang Wen didn't tell his fourth brother-in-law that he was going to build a tank, fearing that his brother-in-law wouldn't be able to handle the shock.

However, choosing Changde was only a last resort, since the Xiangxi Airport area is all mountain roads, and if the goods were to be transported there for assembly, how to get them out would be a problem.

Once assembled in Changde, they can be driven directly to the Yangtze River and transported to the front lines via the major rivers.

After seeing his brother-in-law off, he immediately arranged for the tank assembly. The supplies for two tanks needed to be assembled within the next two months so that they could be sent north for use by the ground forces of the escort team.

A month passed by in the blink of an eye.

June has arrived.

Knowing what was about to happen, Fang Wen grew increasingly nervous.

Having personally experienced all of this at this moment, he has gained a deeper understanding of the War of Resistance against Japan.

Everything that happens has a reason.

What exacerbated all of this, and even led to its outbreak, was the formation of Japan's new cabinet.

With the formation of the new cabinet, Japan's attitude toward China has become increasingly tough.

The situation in North China is becoming increasingly urgent.

With the Japanese troops stationed in Tianjin, exercises became more frequent, especially the First Regiment stationed in Fengtai, which conducted exercises day and night with the goal of attacking Wanping City.

The Japanese navy was also roaming all over the waters of China, with Qingdao, Shanghai, and Shantou becoming their training grounds.

This month, in Taiwan under Japanese rule, the use of Chinese in newspapers and magazines was completely banned, with the aim of replacing it entirely with Japanese-language education.

This series of provocative actions gave people in North China and coastal areas a feeling that a storm was about to break.

Late June.

The two tanks were assembled.

The method of transporting the goods to the north has been designed and will be carried out by the mercenary group led by Wu Yingzong.

It's not the right time yet. We need a specific opportunity, when the nation's attention is focused on the north, before we can set off. They are currently selecting tank crew members and training them intensively.

Also.

Three modified gunboats were parked near the Xiangxi Airport.

The mercenary soldiers inside the airport were also getting ready to go.

All-out war is about to break out.

Knowing that all of this was bound to happen, Fang Wen was in a state of high tension, running between the airline and the Taishan Volunteer Army, concerned about everything.

Until the latest intelligence arrived from Shanghai.

This intelligence report contains a major piece of information.

Japanese agents stationed in Beiping will soon instigate a riot among radical students in the city, in coordination with a certain operation.

Looking at this message, Fang Wen couldn't help but think of the secret telegram that Yoshida had sent on his own initiative the day before yesterday.

According to information Yoshida gathered within the Japanese Navy, senior officers there were privately passing on a message: "On the night of July 7th, a second Liutiaohu-like incident will be repeated in North China."

Therefore, it seems that everything was already part of the Japanese plan, and it was no longer a secret.

Fang Wen anonymously passed this intelligence to the 29th Army.

In the ensuing citywide manhunt, these Japanese spies who were preparing for the operation were captured. They confessed that they would be working with the Japanese garrison in Dongjiaomin Lane.

As for the main attacking force outside, it's obvious that it was the Japanese army that had been eyeing Lugou Bridge from southwest of Beiping.

Such actions are quite obvious; anyone with a modicum of common sense knows that the Japanese will soon invade and occupy North China.

In response, the professors at Tsinghua University, who were initially hesitant, also began to consider relocating.

Some of them had already left the city with the fleeing crowd, while others were reluctant to part with their study materials. Among them were those who were familiar with Fang Wen and took the initiative to contact him.

The Japanese are about to start a war.

Professors from Tsinghua University and Peking University sent telegrams to Fang Wen requesting assistance.

Fang Wen was certain he would help them. These people were the backbone of intellectuals; even in the face of such dire circumstances, they remained steadfast in Beiping. Now that they needed to relocate, of course he would help them.

Immediately, Fang Wen mobilized two airliners to fly to Qinghe Airport and land.

Later, upon learning that there were many more documents that needed to be transported, Fang Wen flew the Taishan No. 1 transport plane over. With the large carrying capacity of the Taishan No. 1, there was no longer any worry about the documents being destroyed in the war.

After several busy days, valuable materials, professors, and students from two universities in Beiping were sent south.

Some of the professors and students, after learning about Taishan Airlines' industrial base in Yangon, volunteered to go to Yangon.

This is an unexpected surprise; the Yangon Industrial Park desperately needs the participation of highly educated individuals.

After arranging for these people to go to Yangon, Fang Wen waited.

Then, gunshots rang out from Lugou Bridge.

(End of this chapter)