Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 322-321 North-South Situation, Refugee Relief Operation, Advance Team's First Stop: Texas

Upon ceasing all military operations, Fang Wen's first priority was to understand the overall situation of China's resistance against Japan.

Previously, his focus was on Shanghai and he was not very familiar with the situation in other places. However, when he saw the military intelligence summary sent by the intelligence station, he was greatly surprised.

With the fall of Wenzaobang in Shanghai, the National Army's defenses retreated along the entire front, constructing their final defensive fortifications in the Zhabei and Luodian areas.

He knew this.

Now, nearly half of Shanghai has fallen, and the Nationalist government's attempts to demonstrate its ability to protect Shanghai to other countries are no longer accepted.

Although there were still organized attacks during this period, by this time the people of Shanghai and the consuls of various countries in the concessions had lost faith in them.

The situation is not only in Shanghai, but also in northern China and other coastal areas.

In the north, the Japanese army occupied large areas in North China and northern Shanxi.

Along the southern coast, small groups of troops landed in Guangdong and sent aircraft to bomb the city of Guangzhou.

Upon seeing this, Fang Wen couldn't help but think of his father-in-law's family.

He didn't think that Japanese troops would appear in Guangdong so early, but he didn't expect that the Japanese would send a large number of military aircraft to bomb Guangzhou.

How are my father-in-law and his family doing now?
Fang Wen immediately contacted his wife, Kuang Mingzhu, by telegram.

During his contact with his wife, he learned that the Kuang family had made preparations in advance, building a sturdy underground air-raid shelter in their home. During the days of bombing, the whole family hid in the underground air-raid shelter and escaped the calamity.

However, the Kwong family's house was damaged in the bombing, resulting in the loss of some property.

That's already pretty good; it's a miracle that we survived the bombing unscathed.

Fang Wen then exchanged telegrams with Kuang Mingzhu, reassuring his wife and inquiring whether the Kuang family should be sent to Wuhan, Xiangxi Airport, or Yangon for refuge.

In response, Kwong Ming-chu said that she had asked her father, and the Kwong family's fallback plan was to go to Hong Kong first if something happened in Guangzhou, and then decide whether to move to Southeast Asia or Yangon.

At this point, Fang Wen ended his telegram communication with his wife. He still knew in his heart that the Japanese army would not actually reach Guangdong so soon, and there was no great danger for the time being.

He continued watching the battle situation summary.

The following content consists of scattered information collected from the Northern Theater Command.

Looking at these things only made Fang Wen feel worse.

After two months of fighting, the Japanese army gradually revealed their brutality, and in the captured counties, there were many cases of massacring local people.

These atrocities led to a large number of refugees fleeing south, but they were stranded in various places due to traffic congestion and lack of transportation.

Fang Wen decided to return to Jinan to personally oversee the Taishan Aviation refugee rescue operation.

Late May.

The Shrike flew to Jinan alone.

The other four fighter jets remained at Jianqiao Airport, and together with the gunboat squadron at Xihu, they were on standby for repairs.

After the plane landed at Jinan Airport, Fang Wen immediately communicated with Wu Yingzong.

The two walked towards the airport command center, talking as they went.

"How are the air rescue teams prepared?"

"We have dispatched 30 seaplanes from Wuhan. These are all passenger planes that have been grounded on the Haihe River and Yangtze River routes. The first batch of five is already parked at the seaplane airport in Jinan and can depart at any time. The problem is that we don't know much about the situation in the north. Therefore, we plan to send an advance team to the north to understand the situation of the stranded refugees in various places."

How do we get the advance team to the north?

"They were all chosen because they can skydive and are proficient in swimming. I plan to have them travel by seaplane, drop them off in towns along the way, and assess the situation in each town. Then, we will send the messages back via radio, and based on the actual situation, we will arrange for seaplanes to transport the refugees."

Wu Yingzong had made meticulous arrangements for this operation, and Fang Wen had nothing to point out, but he wanted to go to the north to see the actual situation for himself.

He then said, "I'll fly the plane and take them there."

Wu Yingzong wanted to stop him, but then he stopped himself. The general manager was personally leading the battle in Shanghai, so what did it matter if a special task force was sent north?

A day later, the task force assembled at the Yangtze River Water Airport camp north of Jinan.

This group of people were all soldiers from the 3rd Ground Battalion of the Taishan Independent Regiment, composed of those specially recruited from within the country and soldiers from Xiangxi Airport.

The team leader was William. Although William is German, he now speaks fluent Mandarin. Apart from his slightly strange appearance, his speech and lifestyle are no different from those of Chinese people.

Moreover, William was very good at organizing operations, so Fang Wen did not replace him with someone else to lead the team because of his appearance.

Once the 15-person team had assembled, William loudly reported to Fang Wen.

"The task force was supposed to arrive at 15, and 15 have arrived. They are awaiting orders."

Fang Wen nodded, his face serious, and said, "This time, I'm sending you to the north not for military reconnaissance, but to collect information on the refugees stranded in the war zone. I need detailed information on the refugees so I can send rescue teams to bring them to safety. Therefore, your actions should minimize conflict and avoid exposing yourselves. The faster you complete the information collection, the sooner you can rescue those suffering and helpless people."

William and the 15 task force members responded in unison: "Yes, Commander, we will definitely complete the mission."

A sense of pride and honor arose spontaneously among them.

In this world, soldiers are fed and fight for their superiors, and conscience is often absent in many military units. That's why there's a saying that a good man shouldn't become a soldier.

But the Taishan Independent Regiment was doing things they had never imagined.

Rescuing people and fighting invaders—perhaps these are the true duties of a soldier.

A surge of morale was born, for the most motivated soldiers are those who know why they are fighting.

Seeing that he was in good spirits, Fang Wen didn't say anything more encouraging and led the team directly onto the seaplane that was moored on the shore.

This is a gunboat, which was recently modified and delivered from the Yangon Aircraft Manufacturing Plant. In the future, nine more gunboats will be successively delivered from Yangon to the sea airports in Jinan and Hangzhou West Lake.

After everyone boarded the plane, Fang Wen started the engine, accelerated on the water, and flew into the sky.

The plane flew north along the Grand Canal.

Fang Wen's first stop was Dezhou City, located in the middle of this canal.

This ancient canal has long been closed to navigation due to years of neglect and siltation on its northbound section.

Dezhou, a former canal city, did not decline as a result. Instead, with the emergence of the Jinpu Railway, a new north-south artery, it once again became a transportation hub.

Now, the Jinpu Railway has been shut down, and a large number of refugees have gathered here, but have no means of transportation to leave the area.

Fang Wen needed to know how many refugees were in the city.

After a half-hour flight, the plane arrived over Texas City, and Fang Wen observed the situation below.

This area is still under the control of the National Revolutionary Army, and the Japanese troops have not yet reached it.

He controlled the plane, adjusted its direction, and landed on the canal next to Dexian County.

(The old Dezhou city on the banks of the Grand Canal during the Republic of China era)

The plane slowed down on the water, then turned around and approached the shore.

William and his task force opened the cabin door, and a soldier jumped onto the riverbank, preparing to find a place to tie the cables to secure the aircraft.

The plane's landing drew the attention of pedestrians on the riverbank.

A large crowd stood on the riverbank watching this novel sight.

"Is this it? It's neither a ship nor an airplane."

"If you ask me, I'd call it a spaceship, because it can fly and also travel on water."

"Where did they come from? What are they doing here in this chaos?" At that moment, William also came ashore and communicated with the locals in authentic Jiangnan dialect.

"Hey fellow villager, can I ask you something? How do I get to the county government?"

The locals in De County were quite surprised to find that he was a foreigner who spoke fluently.

An old man pointed to one side: "Go that way, the biggest courtyard after you enter the city gate is there."

William then turned and walked to the riverbank, where he explained his plan of action to Fang Wen.

"Commander, I heard there are a lot of refugees in Texas. We plan to stay here for a day to count them. Why don't you go back first?"

Since they've all arrived and there's no immediate danger here, Fang Wen felt he should personally go into the city to check on the refugees' situation and, incidentally, learn about the war in the north from them.

Therefore, he did not agree to William's suggestion, but left five task force members to guard the plane while he got off the plane and went into the city with William and the others.

The well-equipped special forces members stood guard on either side of Fang Wen, heading from the riverbank toward the city gate, followed by a group of curious old and young men watching the spectacle.

The group reached the city gate and encountered the soldiers guarding the city.

The soldier looked at the equipment on the task force members but couldn't tell which unit they belonged to, so he asked.

"Halt! What unit are you from?"

William replied, "The Taishan Independent Regiment has come here to learn about the refugee situation."

"The Taishan Independent Regiment? Do you know them?" "No." The guard was bewildered, and his comrade was also unaware.

“We are a newly formed unit, stationed in Jinan. Go tell your commander; he should know,” William replied.

Foreign officers, an unfamiliar military unit, and it was rumored that they arrived by plane, leaving the guards at the city gate completely bewildered.

They sent one of them back to the city to report to their superiors.

After a short while, an officer came out of the city.

He knew it, and greeted them with a smile.

"Welcome to De County, Taishan Independent Regiment. Your regiment received its designation in Nanjing, and it was subsequently announced nationwide. I only found out about this from my superiors. I heard that your commander is the owner of Taishan Airlines, is that right?"

William turned to look at Fang Wen, and seeing that Fang Wen did not intend to reveal his identity, he began to communicate with the other party himself.

After some conversation, he learned about the situation of this army stationed in De County.

This was not a local security force in De County, but a unit of the 29th Army, specifically stationed in De County.

The 29th Army has suffered a complete defeat in North China and has withdrawn south; this is their new line of defense.

After the communication was completed, the officer did not stop the Independent Regiment from entering the city, and even took them to the county government.

William then told the county magistrate why he had come here.

The county magistrate was overjoyed when he heard that they had come to learn about the refugee situation.

"Finally, someone has come to do this. With the railway shut down, this place could become a front line at any moment. The refugees left in the city are a big problem. We don't have the money or food to supply them. It's best to send them away as soon as possible."

"Where are they?" Fang Wen asked.

The county magistrate looked at William with a puzzled expression: "Who is this?"

“He is the commissioner in charge of counting the number of refugees,” William replied.

"Come with me, they've all been arranged in the freight yard behind the train station."

As the county magistrate spoke, he led his team to the other side of the county town.

That's the Dezhou Railway Station.

(Dezhou Railway Station during the Republic of China era)

The train station is a very traditional classical brick and tile building. Because the train service has been discontinued, it has long lost its former liveliness.

The county head led the team into the station and then to the freight yard at the back.

There, a large number of refugees gathered and lived in the warehouses of the freight yard. As soon as people arrived, they rushed out.

They recognized the county magistrate and began to ask him questions.

"Magistrate, may we leave now?"

"County Magistrate, you said the other day that you had a way to get to the south. Have you made any progress yet?"

These people, dressed in different ways, some rich and some poor, are now all refugees, hoping to leave this war-torn land.

The county magistrate waved his hand: "Quiet down, everyone. I'm here to bring you good news."

As he spoke, he pointed to William and the others: "These people are the advance team of the rescue team sent by Taishan Airlines. They will take stock of your situation and then send a plane to pick you up and take you to Jinan. Once you arrive in Jinan, you will be safe."

Upon hearing this, the refugees became quite agitated and surged toward William and his group.

Some people took out legal tender and shouted, "Give me a ticket, I have money."

Some people even knelt on the ground, saying, "We have no money, please, sir, have mercy and send us to the south. We are willing to be your slaves to repay you."

The noise continued as everyone prayed for a plane ticket to escape the place.

Seeing this, Fang Wen shouted, "Please be quiet, everyone. This rescue operation is free of charge. Regardless of wealth or poverty, as long as you are a refugee, you will have the opportunity to leave here after registration."

His words gave all the refugees hope, and they immediately fell silent.

Fang Wen continued, "Now line up and register one by one. By the way, County Chief, could you please provide some tables and chairs? It's not very convenient to register while standing."

The county magistrate quickly ordered people to bring chairs from the train station. Then, William and the advance team split into three groups to count all the refugees.

Record their names and whether they had relatives or friends with them.

With this information, the chaos of separating families and sending them away separately can be avoided when arranging for refugees to board the plane.

While registering, Fang Wen also chatted with some of the refugees who had completed the registration about the situation in the north.

After talking with them, he discovered that these refugees came from different places.

There were people from big cities like Tianjin and Beijing, as well as refugees from all over North China.

There were even people who fled from northern Shanxi.

One of them, with tears streaming down his face, recounted his ordeal.

“I’m from Lingqiu. When the Japanese occupied Lingqiu, they pretended to be kind at first, but after a few days they started killing people. They killed more than 600 people in Lingqiu, both men and women. Those beasts gathered the women together, raped them, and then killed them all.”

Then, someone else started crying.

“I’m from Shuoxian. After the Japanese captured Lingqiu, they came to Shuoxian. They went on a killing spree, and more than 2000 people from our area died at the hands of the Japanese.”

These words saddened the refugees, who had all witnessed some of the brutality of the Japanese army.

The sound of weeping continued.

Fang Wen's face was solemn. He never expected that just over two months into the full-scale war of resistance, the Japanese army would reveal their ferocity and ruthlessness.

He recorded these grievances on behalf of the refugees.

(End of this chapter)