Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 307 306 Interception Successful, HZ Citizens' Enthusiasm, Pressurized Chamber Technology

A spectacular scene unfolded in the sky above Hangzhou.

Four Chinese fighter planes engaged in a fierce battle with the Japanese naval bomber formation, managing to hold off the enemy and prevent them from advancing and bombing.

Despite being down 1 to 5, they did not back down but fought bravely.

Through superb flying skills and aircraft performance, they were able to contend with enemy aircraft several times their size.

This greatly excited the people of Hangzhou.

Some of the bolder citizens who were watching from outside even ran back to their homes and air-raid shelters to explain the situation.

"The Japanese planes were blocked. Four planes took off from Jianqiao and fought them. It was quite a battle, and they even shot down three of them. Come and see!"

"Really? They managed to stop just four planes?"

"Really, I saw it too, it's amazing."

"Come on, let's go out and take a look together."

More people emerged from their hiding places and air-raid shelters, looking up at the sky.

The aerial battle was still ongoing, and thanks to the extremely skillful harassment by Fang Wen, who piloted the Shrike, the entire Japanese bombing formation was in chaos.

The original V-formation had fighter jets at the front, escorting them on the flanks, while bombers were positioned at the rear for protection.

However, after Fang Wen piloted the Shrike to constantly harass and maneuver within the formation, the formation was completely thrown into disarray.

In an effort to stop Fang Wen's actions, part of the Japanese fighter escort squadron was moved from its original position, creating a defensive vulnerability in the bombers that were originally being protected.

This was the opportunity Fang Wen wanted. While piloting his plane to engage the enemy, he issued a secret telegram ordering three standby pilots to launch an attack.

Three Il-16s waiting high in the distance received orders and immediately took action, targeting a bomber that was not escorted by fighters.

The approaching Il-16, like the Grim Reaper, heralded the bomber's demise.

It had no way to evade and was bombarded by the 20mm cannons of three Il-16s, exploding into fragments.

Five Type 2 carrier-based bombers were sent to bomb Hangzhou, but two were lost before they even entered the city.

Fang Wen's objective was clear: to target the bombers. As long as the Japanese dared to continue flying towards Hangzhou, the remaining three aircraft would continue to be attacked.

This situation finally made the lead pilot of the bombing formation hesitate.

Continuing to bomb would be counterproductive, and the entire air force would be unable to bear the responsibility if there were further losses.

Therefore, he had to make the decision to return.

Immediately afterwards, the Japanese bomber squadron, led by its wingman, began to return to base, and the Type 96 bombers that had been pursuing Fang Wen also turned back to their formation.

Fang Wen breathed a long sigh of relief as he watched the bombing squadron turn and leave.

Before all of this was achieved, his mind was in a state of high concentration and tension. Even with such an outstanding performance, he was not sure if he could stop the enemy's bombing.

After all, fighter jets are still in the early stages of development, and some problems have emerged in high-intensity air combat.

After the recent battle, the Shrike's machine gun ammunition capacity had been used up to half, and due to the prolonged continuous firing, the machine gun barrels had developed some problems due to overheating.

If the fighting continues, Fang Wen cannot guarantee that the machine gun will remain operational.

Furthermore, in order to perform high-difficulty aerial combat maneuvers, neither the Shrike nor the Il-16 carried external fuel tanks, which resulted in insufficient fuel after continuous high-difficulty flight maneuvers.

Besides these, there was another reason that led Fang Wen to decide to stop the attack.

That means not to pursue a desperate enemy. After all, they only had four fighter jets. If the enemy launched a desperate counterattack, Fang Wen was not sure if his men would suffer losses as a result.

With this in mind, he issued a secret telegram ordering him to remain at a distance and not launch an attack.

Taishan fighters followed the Japanese bombing squadron, which had not completed its bombing mission, and flew towards Hangzhou Bay until it flew off the coastline. Fang Wencai then led the squadron back to base.

The four fighter jets returned to Hangzhou and landed at Jianqiao Airport.

Fang Wen parked the plane and was the first to get off, but he went to check on his subordinates.

The three pilots pushed open the cockpit canopy and descended the boarding stairs one by one.

But their situation is not good.

Du Jiahuai and Shao Deqing both had nosebleeds, while Zhai Xiaojun not only had nasal bleeding but also dizziness.

It seems Fang Wen's concerns were correct; his pilots were putting too much strain on their bodies by performing those dive-and-roll maneuvers, and their bodies did suffer damage.

Unlike themselves, they lacked the physical enhancements provided by special abilities, and even under high-intensity flight operations, they still struggled.

Fang Wen frowned at this.

Aircraft of this era evolved from biplanes to monoplanes, and the open cockpit became a closed cockpit, but that alone was not enough.

High-speed and high-altitude flight maneuvers require better protective measures.

That's pressurization technology.

It seems we need to apply this technology to Taishan's aircraft as soon as possible.

In response, Fang Wen thought he should consult with his friends in the European aviation industry about the pressurized cabin.

Just then, the airport manager jogged over.

"Commander Fang, people from all walks of life have come spontaneously to bring you gifts and express their gratitude for your protection of Hangzhou."

Fang Wen was surprised, not expecting the citizens of HZ to react so quickly; they came to thank him as soon as his family came down from the sky.

This touched Fang Wen a little; such enthusiasm made his life-or-death struggle against the Japanese army in the sky all worthwhile.

He then went with three pilots to meet with the citizens of HZ at the airport gate.

Because it was a wartime airfield and no one was allowed to enter without permission, he simply thanked these people for their concern at the entrance, accepted their hastily handwritten thank-you banner, and then persuaded them to leave.

After these people left, Fang Wen immediately made a phone call from his airport office.

The call was made to the office of Taishan Airlines in Hangzhou.

This office was originally used to sell airline tickets and provide some passenger services, but now, with Fang Wen's arrival, the office manager has been replaced by someone from the Taishan Aviation Wartime Logistics Management Department.

This wartime logistics management office was specially established by Taishan Air Force for the purpose of meeting the needs of the Independent Regiment.

Fang Wen called them to arrange for a doctor to come over.

Half an hour after he ended the call, someone from the Hangzhou office arrived.

Sun Debiao arrived in a car, with an unfamiliar man inside.

Fang Wen had the guards let him through at the gate, and the car drove in.

After parking the car, Sun Debiao asked with concern, "General Manager, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but Du Jiahuai, Shao Deqing, and Zhai Xiaojun have some health issues and need to be checked out," Fang Wen replied.

Sun Debiao introduced the person next to him: "This is Sun Yehua, a renowned traditional Chinese medicine doctor I invited. He comes from Fenglin Town in Wenzhou and comes from a famous family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners."

Fang Wen looked at the man, who was dressed in a long gown and very traditional attire. "Please take a look at them, sir, and tell me what's going on."

“Treating patients is my duty, especially for you air heroes. May I ask where you can get treatment?” Sun Yehua replied.

Fang Wen then led him to the dormitory, where Sun Yehua put down his small medicine box and examined the three of them using the four diagnostic methods of traditional Chinese medicine.

After questioning and examining him, he made a diagnosis.

"The three of you have bloodshot eyes and nosebleeds. This is because during high-altitude flight, your blood vessels dilate and your blood flow accelerates, causing small blood vessels to rupture due to the pressure. There are no serious problems at the moment, and you will recover on your own with rest."

Fang Wen was relieved after hearing what he said, and then asked Sun Debiao to take him back.

Before leaving, Sun Yehua said, "General Manager Fang's patriotism is admirable. In the current situation, even we medical students should do something for the country. If there are any patriotic activities in the future, could you please let me know? It would be an honor to participate."

Sun Debiao smiled and said, "Yes, that's true. We're setting up a wartime surgical hospital in Wuhan to treat seriously wounded soldiers on the front lines. We're planning to form five medical teams to take turns going to the front. If you're willing, we can discuss it in detail later." Sun Yehua agreed without hesitation, but little did he know that looking for someone to treat patients would result in adding another doctor to the medical team.

After watching Sun Debiao and the others drive away, Fang Wen returned to his dormitory, inquired about the three pilots, and then went into his own room to take out his telegraph machine.

He needed to send a telegram to Europe to discuss the pressurization chamber with his friends in the European aviation industry.

Time passed slowly, and no further air raids occurred in Hangzhou.

Not only in Hangzhou, but airstrikes in Nanjing were also suspended for two days.

This is very strange. Everyone is speculating that the Japanese army may be preparing for a larger-scale attack.

Two days later, a secret telegram arrived from Japan. This telegram was received by the 24-hour military telegraph operator at Jinan Airport and then sent to Fang Wen verbatim.

The coded telegram sent by Yoshida could only be deciphered by Fang Wen. After he translated it, the original text of the telegram was as follows.

The Kanoya and Kisarazu air squadrons of the Navy recently launched multiple air raids on Nanjing, Hangzhou, and other areas. Due to interception by Chinese pilots, they suffered heavy losses, with almost all of their elite pilots being wiped out. Kanoya air squadron commander Yoshie Ishii committed seppuku.

It turned out to be the case.

Five years later, the first large-scale air battle was won by China. The Japanese Navy suffered heavy losses, and the air squadron commander committed seppuku in disgrace.

In other words, having learned from this lesson, other air squadrons will be rotated to continue air raids on China, and they will be more cautious then.

Fang Wen became wary of this. Over the years, he had witnessed too many despicable acts by the Japanese in the war. In the face of air defeat, they would inevitably try to weaken the Japanese in other ways.

Fang Wen hadn't yet figured out how the Japanese would act.

But we must be wary of this.

However, Jianqiao Airport is not Jinan Airport, and Fang Wen was not familiar with the security situation there. He could only instruct the three pilots to remain vigilant and to refrain from leaving the airport.

Meanwhile, telegrams were also being sent back from Europe.

The friends in the aviation industry were also very interested in the pressurized cabin that Fang Wen asked about.

Their reply mentioned that in Europe, Britain and Germany are conducting research in this area, since pressurized cabins can reduce the stress on pilots at high altitudes and improve combat effectiveness, which is a very good aircraft improvement.

However, neither country produced any results in the actual research.

However, there are some issues on the US side.

I've heard that Boeing's labs are also researching pressurized cabins, and it seems they've made some progress.

Fang Wen was very interested in this.

He had a friend at Boeing, Neil Toledo, with whom he had once traded tung oil for airplanes.

Neil Toledo has now returned to the United States and, based on his business success in China, has been promoted and received a raise at Boeing.

This guy still owed Fang Wen an engine worth tens of thousands of dollars. Later, Fang Wen got the 1710 engine through Al Capone's mafia and never contacted him again.

Now, let's do the math.

Fang Wen smiled and sent a telegram to the United States.

Las Vegas, USA.

This place has been transformed into a paradise, with trains and planes bringing in all sorts of tourists who can relax here in various ways, including gambling, entertainment, and gourmet food.

Such a wonderful and indulgent lifestyle was considered unconventional and deviant in the 1930s, something that people would never even consider doing in their daily lives.

But in Las Vegas, everything is normal; people let down their guard and enjoy brief, carefree moments of happiness.

Tarzan Amusement Park ignited all of this ahead of time, making Las Vegas prosperous much earlier than expected.

Therefore, Tarzan Amusement Parks, now a leading gaming and entertainment company in Las Vegas, requires the local government to consult with Tarzan on many matters.

All of this was managed by Zhao Jiu, Al Capone, and John Harvey of Tarzan Amusement Park Company, and the company developed steadily under their joint management.

Zhao Jiu was in charge of operating the casino and the amusement park.

Al Capone was in charge of business dealings with gangs across the country, as well as the distribution of profits among gang-owned gambling halls.

As a legal advisor, John Harvey not only handled the company's legal issues but also maintained good relations with the political world, visiting them from time to time with gifts.

All of this was decided when the company was founded, and it continues to this day, which makes the three of them very impressed with Fang Wen's original design.

During this time, news of the war in China reached their ears, and all three were very concerned about it.

Zhao Jiu, in particular, often kept his mind on China and was concerned about the battle situation in Shanghai.

The telegram from Fang Wen made him feel that he could finally do something for China, so he worked very hard on it.

However, Boeing was not easy to get into, and Neil Toledo was unwilling to meet anyone associated with Fang Wen.

Zhao Jiu explained the situation to Al Capone.

For a former mafia boss, there are many ways to achieve this.

So, on his way to work, a minor accident prevented Neil Toledo from going to the company, and he was subsequently "invited" to a house near the company.

Zhao Jiu, who was waiting inside the house, looked at Neil Toledo with a sneer.

"Neil, are you trying to betray General Manager Fang?"

Upon hearing this, Neil Toledo suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He recalled the events of exchanging tung oil for airplanes, and everything he saw afterward.

That man went from having nothing to becoming an Asian aviation tycoon, not only because he was quick-witted and daring.

Why would I oppose such a natural-born strongman because of greed?

Look at the current situation, the other party has not even come to the United States, yet all sorts of people are still willing to do things for him.

Thinking of this, Neil Toledo regretted his foolish decision even more and hurriedly said with remorse.

"Please tell Fang that I am willing to pay the price for my actions, and how much compensation does he need?"

"Money is not what the general manager wants. You promised to get him the engine, but you haven't delivered."

Zhao Jiu opened the door with a cold smile, and Al Capone came in from outside.

"Later, this person got the engine for the general manager and became our partner in the United States. You missed out on too much."

In response to Zhao Jiu's praise, Al Capone performed a standard Mafia move, with two of his men lifting Neil Toledo up.

Terrified, Neil Toledo struggled desperately, pleading, "No, please! Give me a chance to atone, I promise I can do it."

"Stop." Zhao Jiu stopped the Mafia's actions and whispered in Neil Toledo's ear, "The general manager wants something else this time. He said you must have a way to get it. Of course, if you can't, I can make you disappear."

"I can definitely do it, please tell me what it is?"

"I heard that your company's laboratory is researching pressurization technology."

"Okay, please let me go, I will definitely get the technical data."

After receiving the answer he wanted, Zhao Jiu smiled and untied Neil Toledo, then saw him out.

After Neil Toledo left, he and Al Capone smiled and laughed heartily.

Nowadays, they no longer need to engage in illegal activities; what happened just now was merely a performance.

Of course, if Neil Toledo really doesn't cooperate, they will use more drastic measures, but it will definitely not be them who take action.

After they let Neil Toledo go, he immediately returned to Boeing and explained to his superiors that he was late because of personal matters.

He then began to inquire about the situation within the company, and after some investigation, he actually learned some things about the pressurization chamber.

He immediately reported this to Zhao Jiu, and then sent a telegram to China.

(End of this chapter)