Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 382 380 Mobile Unit's Battle of Pingyao, Semiconductor Transistor Radio

Fang Wen and Liu Yubao strolled along the banks of the Fen River, listening to each other recount what happened after the fall of Taiyuan.

Because it was explained in more detail and was clearer than the previous telegram.

At that time, two Taishan Pine medium tanks and thirteen armored command vehicles of the mobile force charged forward. The Japanese troops blocking the south of the city could not stop this mechanized force at all, and a gap was torn open in an instant. Thus, the remaining troops defending the city broke through the Japanese blockade and headed towards Qixian.

Qixian was designated as an important defensive position after the fall of Taiyuan in the previous defense strategy.

But by the time the troops retreated there, the situation had already collapsed.

Japanese troops were spotted in Qi County and began advancing towards Pingyao County.

Upon discovering this situation, the breakout force immediately abandoned its plan to linger in Qixian County and moved further south to Pingyao County.

They also encountered a Japanese brigade on the march, and the two sides engaged in a brief skirmish.

Fortunately, the enemy was a lightly armed force. Under the cover of tanks and armored vehicles, the breakout force charged and repelled the enemy, reaching Pingyao first.

But by then, Pingyao County had already fallen.

The Japanese troops attacking Pingyao feigned an attack by firing machine guns outside the North and East Gates, while their main force launched a strong assault from the South Gate and stormed into the city.

At that time, the city was in chaos, and the Japanese army carried out rampant destruction and looting. Many shops' warehouses were destroyed by the Japanese army.

At this time, the breakout force encountered the 122nd Division of the 41st Army of the Sichuan Army outside Pingyao. This division had also come to seek an opportunity to attack the Japanese troops after hearing that the Japanese army was attacking Pingyao.

After discussing it, they decided to act together.

Immediately, the mobile force's tanks and armored vehicles covered the troops as they rushed into the city and engaged in street fighting with the Japanese army. Faced with tanks and armored vehicles that bullets could not penetrate, the Japanese army was unable to launch an effective counterattack and was caught off guard.

At this moment, the Japanese cavalry stationed outside the city arrived to provide support, attempting a combined attack from both inside and outside the city.

Faced with the Japanese cavalry, the attacking forces changed their strategy, sending mobile units out of the city to engage the Japanese cavalry with tanks and armored vehicles.

The Japanese army, which had originally relied on the speed of its cavalry to seize Pingyao County, was no match for the mobile force's heavy armor and was scattered by tanks and armored vehicles in a single encounter.

In this battle, the Japanese army lost hundreds of soldiers and fled Pingyao County in panic.

The Japanese troops that arrived later, although they joined up with the defeated army, were no longer able to pose a threat to Pingyao, which had armored units.

This allowed the National Army to regain control of Pingyao and, relying on this location, engage in a protracted struggle with the enemy.

Later, although the Japanese army launched several attacks on Pingyao, the intensity of these attacks was much less, and the battle reached a stalemate.

After listening to Liu Yubao's report, Fang Wen, in light of the current situation, roughly understood the current state of affairs in southern Shanxi.

Pingyao, which was originally going to be occupied by the Japanese army, was recaptured ahead of schedule due to the unexpected events of the Taishan Independent Regiment's mobile force, which also postponed the war in southern Shanxi.

This change was caused by the constant harassment from anti-Japanese forces in the Taihang Mountains, the arrival of winter, and the shift of the Japanese army's strategic focus in North China to the Jinpu Railway.

However, the mobile forces also suffered losses as a result of the series of battles.

Two medium tanks from Mount Tai are experiencing frequent malfunctions and urgently need parts for repair.

Five armored command vehicles were also lost, most of them with damaged wheel hubs, rendering them unable to continue driving.

This is also because the armored command vehicle was assembled temporarily, and the wheels could not be properly protected, so it was only a matter of time before problems occurred.

Fang Wen said, "Liu Yubao, you did a good job. Let's go to the camp and take a look."

Immediately afterwards, Fang Wen, Liu Yubao, and Gong Xiuneng, who was carrying a box, boarded the armored vehicle and drove back to the mobile unit camp 2 kilometers away.

Upon arriving at the camp, Fang Wen immediately saw all the soldiers of the mobile unit lined up in neat rows.

They said in unison, "Commander."

This phrase, "regimental commander," shows that although they had been away from the Independent Regiment for more than a month, their hearts were still with the Independent Regiment.

Fang Wen had just heard Liu Yubao say that because of its outstanding performance in southern Shanxi, high-ranking officers from several armies came to Pingyao in order to win over the mobile force and get this unrestrained armored force into their defense zones.

Fang Wen smiled at this.

"Thank you all for your hard work. I came here today to understand your situation. I just talked with Liu Yubao and I understand what you need. When I get back, I will arrange a special plane to send the supplies over immediately. There is another matter. The New Year is coming soon, and everyone's military pay should be issued. You can write the letters home now, and I will help you send them home."

The soldiers cheered, looking expectantly at the box that Gong Xiuneng was carrying.

In front of all the soldiers, the box was opened, and their pay was distributed on the spot.

The soldiers, having received their pay, happily counted their "huge sum" and were eager to find someone to write letters home for them.

Seeing this, Fang Wen smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't go back today. You have time to write letters."

In order to allow the soldiers and officers of the mobile unit to write letters home, Fang Wen simply gave them a day off. The soldiers hurriedly left the camp and went to Pingyao County to find someone to write their letters home.

Fang Wen, on the other hand, walked around the camp, inspecting the tanks and armored vehicles.

After repeated battles, the outer shells of these equipment were covered with marks and damaged in many places.

External structural damage can be repaired, but internal engine wear and tear, once the optimal repair time has been missed, is difficult to salvage.

Of these special vehicles, apart from the two Taishan Pine Tanks, the others are estimated to have a lifespan of at most three months.

After the inspection, Fang Wen personally compiled a list of repair parts and spoke with the mechanics of the original tank company of the mobile force, telling them what to pay attention to during future repairs.

After doing all this, Liu Yubao came to report.

"Commander, some people have come from Pingyao. They heard you're here and would like to invite you to dinner."

Fang Wen subconsciously touched the small bronze cauldron in his pocket.

This small cauldron can foresee danger. Fang Wen has stopped absorbing its energy and there is no reaction now, so there should be no danger.

In addition, Pingyao is the stronghold of Shanxi merchants, and Fang Wen also wanted to get to know them, so he agreed.

Armored vehicles drove into Pingyao City from the west gate.

Pedestrians along the way watched the armored vehicles drive by as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, and some even smiled.

Heading east, we arrived at the city center, where the four main streets of the east, west, south, and north intersect.

"Where to?" Liu Yubao, who was driving the armored vehicle, asked.

The man in the long gown who came to invite them quickly replied, "This time, several of our businesses are inviting Commander Fang together. The restaurants in the city are still under renovation, so we can only hold the banquet at home. The venue is Chongfenghou Business."

Then, guided by the man, the armored division drove onto South Street and stopped outside a large mansion.

Fang Wen, Liu Yubao, and Gong Xiuneng got out of the car, and the man in the long gown who accompanied them introduced them to the people waiting at the door.

"This is Fang Wen, the general manager of Taishan Airlines and the commander of the Taishan Independent Regiment."

Several Shanxi merchants clasped their hands in greeting: "We've heard so much about you." "It's truly a rare treat for Mr. Fang to come to Pingyao. Please come in."

Fang Wen smiled and responded, and under their guidance, entered the courtyard.

The banquet was held in the main hall of the residence. After taking their seats, the guests introduced themselves one after another. These people were all business owners from various trades in the city, and could be considered prominent figures in the local business community.

Fang Wen is a communicator, and in Pingyao, of course, he would talk about the history of Pingyao.

As they clinked glasses, he deliberately asked, "It's said that Pingyao is the birthplace of Shanxi merchants, why is that?"

Upon hearing this, the group immediately became very excited.

One of them offered an explanation: "Pingyao has always been a place with a large population and little land, and the land is barren. In order to make a living, the people of Pingyao gradually formed a tradition of going out to do business. Therefore, the Pingyao merchant group is one of the earliest among Shanxi merchants. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Pingyao became a distribution center for goods in central Shanxi, but that was not our best time."

Another person said, "Later, when everyone had money, they stopped engaging in merchant trade and instead established money shops and banks. At its peak, there were 700 money shops in the entire city of Pingyao, and the economy of Shanxi was influenced by Pingyao money shops."

At this point, someone sighed: "It's all about timing, luck, and fate. What goes up must come down. When foreign banks appeared at the end of the Qing Dynasty, our banks were too weak to compete and many of them had to close down."

They recounted the rise and fall of finance during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. The once-glorious financial street in Pingyao has long since lost its former prosperity.

As for why it declined.

They also left out some other reasons, such as warlordism, the control of local finances by warlords, and the unstable and frequently changing financial environment, which were also reasons for the decline of Shanxi merchants' financial industry.

The Shanxi Bank during the Republic of China era is a case in point. Controlled by Commander Yan, the Shanxi Bank dominated the province's finances and did not allow private financial institutions to compete with it for profits.

These banks had been operating for many years and were very familiar with financial business. It was a real pity that so many employees lost their jobs as the industry declined.

Fang Wen's heart skipped a beat.

The logistics network I've built in the three southwestern provinces has required a huge investment and also necessitates substantial funding to stimulate local production and establish various production bases.

These investments would be very complicated and difficult to manage if Taishan Airlines were to make them themselves.

However, if they were to jointly establish an investment bank with these Shanxi merchants, although they would have to give up profits, they would have gained a powerful ally to help them accelerate the development of the logistics industry.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen couldn't help but ask, "Have any of you considered leaving Shanxi and starting over elsewhere, rebuilding a bank from scratch?"

The business owners present were stunned.

If someone else had said this, they would have taken it as a joke, but when Fang Wen from Taishan Airlines said it, it took on a different meaning.

Immediately, someone asked, "Mr. Fang, what do you mean by that?"

Since he was leaving Pingyao the next day, Fang Wen didn't mince words and said directly, "I've been working on an air logistics project in the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan. It's a huge project that requires continuous investment to support the establishment of various production bases in the region. Originally, I planned to invest and manage it myself, but that would be too complicated, since Taishan Airlines isn't particularly good at investment. I just heard you say that although the 700 banks in Pingyao have declined, they've been operating for so many years and each has experienced professionals. If we were to join forces to establish an investment bank specifically to handle this matter, I think it would be feasible."

Hearing Fang Wen say this, the group was somewhat tempted.

There were indeed a group of skilled money managers in Pingyao, but they all moved into different industries after the banks closed down.

It's not difficult to bring them back together.

The question is whether it is feasible.

Then someone asked, "What exactly does it do?"

"Here's the deal: Taishan Airlines will contribute 500 million yuan, and you will jointly contribute 500 million yuan to establish Taishan Investment Bank. The bank's management will be jointly managed by representatives from both parties, with our side primarily responsible for supervision and your side responsible for operations. However, you will be responsible for recruiting the staff. The main business of the investment bank is to invest funds to acquire partial equity or debt in the production base, and then seek opportunities to exit and reap returns once the investment matures."

What he said left the Shanxi merchants with a vague understanding.

But all financial matters are interconnected; once you understand them, it's simply about managing money transactions.

More importantly, they need a way to transfer their assets abroad during times of war to reduce risk.

Rather than keeping it in a foreign bank, it would be better to use it to establish a joint venture with Taishan Airlines, which would give us more control.

A banquet led to a major business deal.

They chatted attentively with Fang Wen about the details.

But now is not the time to discuss the details. Fang Wen told them to inform other local authorities about the matter first. Once the local authorities have reached an agreement, they will notify Wuhan through the mobile force, and then a plane will be sent to pick them up and take them to Wuhan for further discussions.

That makes sense, and the others nodded in agreement.

(South Street in Pingyao during the late Qing Dynasty, with carriage tracks in the middle.)
(In the 30s, the South Street of Pingyao was paved and had more utility poles.)
After a night, Fang Wen, who had not stayed overnight in Pingyao County, woke up in the dormitory of the mobile troops' camp.

After washing up, he returned to the plane with a list of supplies needed by the mobile unit and a box of letters from home.

The plane took off and headed to Wuhan.

After landing, Fang Wen handed over the list of needs for the mobile force and a letter home to the administration department for processing.

The military matters are now settled.

The company also offers excellent benefits and compensation.

Nothing else could distract Fang Wen; he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the application of transistor technology.

The Taishan Research Institute is currently researching the first generation of transistor semiconductor radios.

Based on the existing vacuum tube technology, the design of this new electronic device follows the original technical approach.

However, although the size of the first prototype device was greatly reduced, its internal components did not become more compact.

However, this change did not satisfy Fang Wen. He wanted the people at the research institute to understand what kind of changes the new technology would bring.

Fang Wen also joined the research.

His knowledge of the future, combined with his mechanical perception, gives him a strong talent for electronic product design.

After five days of experimentation, design, and component manufacturing, he single-handedly completed the second-generation transistor semiconductor radio.

This is a wooden box that is 20 centimeters long and 8 centimeters wide.

The substrate inside is covered with various components.

A frequency modulation circuit consists of an induction coil and a capacitor.

Transistor signal amplifier.

A diode demodulator that converts a received amplitude-modulated signal into an audible audio signal.

Power amplifier: Used to enhance the demodulated audio signal so that it can be played through a speaker.

Audio output circuit: responsible for transmitting the amplified audio signal to the speaker to produce a clear sound effect.

And transformers, rectifiers, voltage regulators, speakers, and other components such as knobs or switches for adjusting frequency and volume.

These elements combined to form a completely new radio.

A small radio that you can hold in your hand.

This thing is incredibly small compared to other electronic devices of this era.

(Internal structure of an early transistor semiconductor radio)