Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 415-413, Fully Prepared, Flight to the Philippines

In Hankou, the Fang family's detached Western-style building.

Fang Wen, who was preparing to travel to northern Myanmar, was arranging for his family members to stay.

Now the truth has been revealed.

Those people went to great lengths to buy shares in Taishan Airlines' domestic branch, only to find it was just an empty shell.

They attempted to acquire a massive logistics project from Taishan Aviation, but had to halt the project because it was an American asset.

Having suffered two losses, they will surely take further action, and Fang Wen doesn't want to implicate his family because of this.

But you can't say it like that, or you'll scare your family.

Fang Wen said gently, “With the ongoing war and difficult situation in the country, I have an idea: let you go abroad for a trip and relax in a safe place.”

The whole family was there, including the children of the two older brothers.

The older brother asked, "Where to?"

“I have businesses in the United States, and I can send people to take care of your journey,” Fang Wen replied.

After hesitating for a moment, the second brother still asked the question that concerned him most: "Going to America is great, but it costs too much money, fifth brother, what do you think?"

"Don't worry, I'll pay for it."

Immediately, everyone started excitedly discussing how to have fun in the United States.

The sixth sister had been abroad and was the most proactive.

But Fang's father pulled on Fang Wen's clothes and said in a low voice, "Go to the study, I have something to ask you."

The two got up and went into the study. Fang's father deliberately closed the door and asked in a serious tone.

Something must have happened.

Fang Wen was surprised: "Father, how did you know?"

Mr. Fang sighed.

"As the old saying goes, 'A tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind; a person who excels above others will be criticized by the masses.' No matter how big your business is, the only ones who hate and resent you are some businessmen. Later, when you formed a private army to fight against the Japanese and won several battles, I felt it was inappropriate. In a situation of overall defeat, you won one side. What would the other generals think of you?"

Fang's father's words struck Fang Wen's heart like a heavy hammer.

As the saying goes, bystanders see things more clearly. He was so focused on fighting the war that he hadn't considered this aspect.

Perhaps the seeds were sown at that time, and by the time one possesses a powerful weapon that can play a significant role in the war, the seeds have taken root and sprouted.

He gazed at his biological father, and the father's concern stirred up the blood ties within him.

At this moment, Fang Wen stopped lying to his family and spoke frankly.

Hearing Fang Wen's words, Fang's father couldn't sit still any longer and got up to pace back and forth in the study.

After a long pause, he sighed.

"You've caused a huge disaster! How can we possibly salvage this?!"

Fang Wen spoke his mind, "I have my own way, but it will take time. However, you are my weakness. If they control you and use you to blackmail me, I'm afraid I will be forced to give in."

Upon hearing his son's words, Mr. Fang made a decision.

He placed his hand on Fang Wen's shoulder: "You are the most promising member of the Fang family. I can't control your decisions, but I can ensure you have no worries. Let's go, let's go out."

After the two left the study, Fang's father announced directly: "Alright, I've decided that everyone in the family except Fang Wen and Mingzhu will go on a trip to the United States."

The eldest son of the Fang family asked, "Then what will happen to my and my second son's novelty department store? Without the two of us, the department store will definitely have problems."

Father Fang angrily retorted, "We could run the business just fine without you two good-for-nothings. If it weren't for your brother covering your losses, Xinqi Department Store would have gone bankrupt long ago. This time we're going out, we'll leave the department store to the fifth son."

The eldest son of the Fang family immediately fell silent.

The family trip was now set in stone.

As for when to go, Fang Wenlai will make the arrangements.

mid-December.

The troops of the 2nd War Zone and the Eighth Route Army fought fiercely against the Japanese army in Shanxi for days. The Fuping Taishan Independent Regiment and the Provisional 7th Division of the Sichuan Army in northeastern Shanxi also participated in the battle.

Troops in the Taihang Mountains region of northern Shanxi launched an attack on the Pinghan Railway from Quyang County.

They occupied Xinle, Dingzhou, and Xingtang, three places along the railway line, thus cutting off the Japanese army's railway transportation line.

The three-day supply disruption put the Japanese forces in dire straits in southeastern Shanxi, forcing them to retreat and defend their positions. The Second War Zone forces seized the opportunity to recapture the lost territory.

During these three days, the Japanese army launched a fierce attack on the Chinese troops in Xinle, Dingzhou, and Xingtang.

This time, however, the Huaxia troops did not retreat to the Taihang Mountains, but instead launched a counterattack.

This was a situation the Japanese army had never encountered before.

The soldiers who emerged from the Taihang Mountains were acting very mysteriously.

Divided into multiple teams, they launched a mobile warfare operation in three locations.

Although the teams were separated, they seemed to have some kind of connection, and were able to cooperate in combat and share intelligence.

The Taishan walkie-talkie proved incredibly effective, shortening the distance on the battlefield through intelligence sharing. It enabled a successful coordinated infiltration operation amidst the Japanese encirclement, bypassing large Japanese forces and attacking a lone Japanese regiment.

The battle proceeded swiftly, with the Eighth Route Army, the Taishan Independent Regiment, and the Provisional 7th Division coming from different directions to surround the Japanese regiment.

The Japanese regiment, caught completely off guard, called for reinforcements while resisting troops that emerged from all directions.

Just as reinforcements were about to arrive, the battle suddenly ended, and the encircling forces dispersed and disappeared without a trace, leaving the Japanese reinforcements empty-handed.

That regiment, however, paid the price of 800 Japanese casualties.

Also in mid-April.

A statement was released by a U.S. official spokesperson.

Since the Sino-Japanese War, the United States has purchased a total of $5232000 worth of silver from China, and China has used most of its foreign exchange reserves to purchase arms and various goods from the United States.

This official statement from the United States was the Roosevelt administration showcasing its achievements: a large influx of silver into the United States was not spent in dollars, but instead replaced with arms and various supplies.

In addition to purchasing silver, China also paid a high price to acquire foreign goods.

Ordinary steel at $200 per ton.

Fuel prices have doubled.

Strategic materials such as rubber and copper ingots also saw significant price increases.

It was still mid-April.

Fang Wen is preparing to leave Wuhan for northern Myanmar.

Meanwhile, he first had to send his family to Manila, Philippines, where they would take a Pan Am long-haul seaplane to the United States.

At Wuhan's seaplane airport, the entire Fang family boarded a seaplane.

Fang Wen hadn't gone up yet; he was saying goodbye to his wife and the members of his most trusted inner circle who were seeing him off.

Fang Wen looked at his wife with concern and said, "Go to America with Mom and Dad. I'll worry about you here."

Kuang Mingzhu shook her head: "The situation is urgent right now, so I have to stay at the company to prevent the employees from having any unfounded thoughts. Don't worry about me, I'll go down with you once you've finished."

Fang Wen nodded and instructed, "Don't go anywhere during this time. Just stay in the company. I'll take you there when I get back from the south."

After he finished speaking, he talked to the others.

"You all need to be careful too. Your personal safety is the most important thing. We'll talk about everything when I get back."

Sun Debiao said nonchalantly, "General Manager, I work for American capital now. Those guys are obsessed with foreign things and wouldn't dare to touch me."

Fang Wen nodded. "You're safe over there, but the others need to be careful and not let them succeed."

Fang Shouxin said, "Young Master, go in peace. We've been through thick and thin, and we know how dangerous things can be."

The others also assured Fang Wen that they would be careful and that he could leave without worry.

At this point, Fang Wencai boarded the plane and departed.

The seaplane took off and soared into the sky.

Because he was carrying his family, Fang Wen was extra careful and kept his mechanical perception abilities active at all times.

There was no action taken against their own aircraft. Instead, on a ship on the river, several men in trench coats were looking up at the seaplane through binoculars.

Those people must be there to spy on me.

There has been no action, presumably because they are still searching for Fang Wen's military assets.

Fang Wen sneered. His military assets were in Yangon and Xiangxi Airport. Once things were settled in northern Myanmar, he would transfer the assets there.

Those bad bastards wouldn't get a single one of the weapons and ammunition produced at that time; they would give them all to the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army.

Don't think that only they can save China from its dire straits. Those who know history will despise those incompetent fools who can't even lift a wall. They will regret it later.

Retracting the mechanical eagle eye, Fang Wen turned his attention to what was behind him.

Inside the cabin behind them, the Fang family chatted happily, full of anticipation for their trip to the United States.

Gong Xiuneng played with the children of the eldest and second eldest sons of the Fang family, performing ancient magic tricks he knew for the three children.

Three soft sponge balls, two bowls.

Gong Xiuneng swung his hand quickly, and the sponge ball was thrown into the bowl on the left.

He covered the bowl, withdrew his hand, and asked.

"I've put them all in. Now guess how many balls are in the two bowls."

Three children were talking, their chins in their hands.

“I saw him put it in that bowl.”

"Me too."

Then they all pointed to the bowl on the left.

Gong Xiu was able to lift the lid, but there was nothing there, which greatly surprised the children.

After two consecutive performances, the children's eyes filled with admiration, and they called over their aunt. Sixth Sister was pulled over by her nephew and asked curiously, "You can do magic tricks?"

Gong Xiuneng blushed, nodded, but remained silent.

"Then change it for me, I'm sure I can guess it." Sixth Sister sat down.

Gong Xiuneng started performing again.

After he put the bowls down, Sixth Sister pointed to the bowls on the left. "They're all here."

The three children quickly stopped them: "Auntie, no, he must have made the ball inside disappear."

"I don't believe it, go ahead and open it," Sixth Sister insisted.

Gong Xiuneng flipped over the bowl on the left, and sure enough, the three sponge balls were all under the bowl.

Sixth Sister smiled happily, and the game continued.

Upon seeing this, Fang Wen's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Gong Xiu had fallen for Sixth Sister?
Gong Xiuneng is 29 years old, and Liu Mei is 21 years old, so there is quite a big age difference between them.

However, Gong Xiu was devoted to one woman and never had a romantic relationship; he was a true romantic who remained faithful to one person until the end.

Sixth Sister, however, is a hopeless romantic. She was deceived three years ago and will probably be deceived again in the future.

If the two get along well, it would be a good choice.

I won't interfere with this matter; I'll let it develop naturally and ask questions when the results are in.

More than two hours later, the seaplane traveled 600 kilometers and arrived in Shaoguan.

It is only 200 kilometers away from Guangzhou, but it has entered a dangerous area.

Fang Wen activated the radar detection device temporarily installed in the aircraft and used mechanical sensing to detect targets.

There are reports from many aircraft in the direction of Guangzhou, which should indicate that the Japanese are bombing.

The bombing has been ongoing for several months, severely impacting Guangzhou, a major economic center in the south.

The civilian amphibious aircraft that Fang Wen is currently piloting has neither bulletproof armor nor is its performance much worse than that of a fighter jet. Fang Wen has no intention of taking the risk of flying it over there.

He reduced the flight speed, increasing the journey from a mere 40 minutes to one hour.

As they drew closer to Guangzhou, the air raid ended.

Just as the seaplanes arrived over Guangzhou, the Japanese air raid squadron took off.

Fang Wen looked down at Guangzhou city, where black smoke was billowing from many places, but the open flames had been extinguished.

The wreckage of a Japanese warplane is still floating on the river, and the water police are approaching to salvage it.

At the same time, three fighter jets were approaching.

Two Hawks and one Il-15, all biplane fighters.

It should be the 3rd Air Squadron stationed in Guangzhou.

Fang Wen flew parallel to the fighter jet in the air and communicated with gestures.

After confirming that it was a civilian aircraft, the three fighter jets departed.

Fang Wen then picked up the microphone.

"Air-to-ground call, this is Taishan Airlines seaplane, requesting to land on Dashatou Water Runway."

Upon receiving a request from the ground, Fang Wen controlled the aircraft to land on the river at Dashatou Airport.

As the plane landed, Fang Wen said to his family in the cabin, "We'll stay here for a day and stay at my father-in-law's house."

No one said anything, unaware that an air raid had just occurred in Guangzhou. They followed Fang Wen off the plane.

The group arrived at the airport from the pier and met the Kwong family who came to pick them up.

When the in-laws met, the father-in-law, Kuang Shanming, chatted warmly with Fang's father, while the mother-in-law stood with Fang Wen's mother. The group left the airport chatting and laughing, and then took a car back to the Kuang residence.

Along the way, the Fang family saw traces of bombing everywhere, which made them realize the current situation in Guangzhou.

Upon arriving at the Kuang residence, Mr. Fang remarked with emotion, "My dear in-law, you've worked so hard, persisting in Guangzhou despite the dire situation."

Kwong Shan-ming and his peers have something to say: "I'm getting old, and I don't want to move until the very last step."

Mr. Fang, who knew nothing about military affairs, couldn't help but ask, "There are bomb craters everywhere along the way, some new and some old. Why did the Japanese keep bombing this place?"

Fang Wen, who was standing nearby, said, "Guangdong is located on the South China Sea and is connected to Southeast Asian countries by sea, giving it a very important strategic position. In order to block the southern gateway of China, completely control the South China Sea, and prepare for the occupation of Southeast Asian countries, the Japanese army has always regarded Guangdong as a key area and carried out indiscriminate bombing of important cities in Guangdong."

Kuang Shanming added, "Now that ports such as Tianjin, Qingdao, Shanghai, and Xiamen have fallen one after another, Guangdong in South China has become the main artery for the transportation of international aid supplies to China. If this place is also lost, the army in the interior will no longer be able to receive overseas support."

“So that’s how it is. I’m ashamed that I’m going to America for fun when the country is in trouble,” Mr. Fang continued with a sigh.

Fang Wen also confronted his father-in-law about this.

“Father-in-law, why don’t you go to America too? I’ve run into some trouble in China, and I have too many concerns with you here.”

"What happened?" Kuang Shanming asked in surprise.

When Fang Wen explained the reason, he was also frightened.

After all, those dealing with Fang Wen are among the most powerful people in the country.

He asked worriedly, "Can you handle it?"

"It shouldn't be a problem. The Nationalist government is riddled with factions and internal conflicts. Those who are targeting me aren't all of them; I have ways to deal with them. But I'm worried they might target my family and use them to threaten me into submission," Fang Wen replied.

Kuang Shanming hesitated.

A moment later, he blurted out, "If we leave, what will happen to Anming and Mingzhu?"

“If you are safe, Anming and Mingzhu will have no worries. I will take responsibility for their safety,” Fang Wen replied.

Mr. Fang added, "We're all too old to be of much help, so let's not hold each other back."

These words prompted Kwong Shan Ming to make a decision.

"Okay, we originally planned to go to Hong Kong, but it might not be safe there, so we'll go to the United States to lay low for a while."

Fang Wen breathed a sigh of relief at his father-in-law's understanding.

That very evening, Kwong Shan-ming and his wife began preparations.

After a night, Mr. and Mrs. Kwong Shan-ming put on their coats, handed the Kwong residence over to the housekeeper, and returned to the airport with the Fang family, boarding a seaplane.

Fang Wen started the aircraft but did not take off immediately. Instead, he used the radar device to understand the situation in the nearby airspace.

No aircraft were observed within a 300-kilometer range to the east and south.

This means that the area that can be avoided is safe.

Fang Wen took off immediately.

The plane took off and flew along the Pearl River, passing through Macau.

When the aircraft flew over Dong'ao Island, radar detected a new aircraft.

A squadron of planes flew in from the northeast, towards the Japanese military base in Taiwan.

They're coming to bomb Guangzhou again. Fang Wen sighed inwardly that he wasn't piloting a fighter jet and couldn't fight alongside the 3rd Air Group to defend against the enemy.

Not only can they not participate in air combat, they also have to avoid these fighter jets.

"Just wait and see," he said.

The plane veered southeast, slightly lengthening its flight path to the Philippines and thus avoiding the Japanese army's view.

The flight from Guangzhou to Manila is over 1200 kilometers, but with a detour in between, the actual distance is 1300 kilometers.

As a result, the seaplane, equipped with auxiliary fuel tanks, used four-fifths of its total fuel to reach Manila airspace.

(Aerial view of Manila at that time)

After Pan Am launched its Asia-Europe routes, it built a seaplane base in Manila to accommodate its long-haul seaplanes, the Xuanming.

Fang Wen used his mechanical senses to look down at the Malikina River, which runs through the city of Manila.

Soon, upstream on the river, a seaplane came into view, with a Xuanming-type long-haul seaplane at the airport's berth.

Several people dressed in white were waving at the air from the dock.

He lowered his altitude and hovered above the people to indicate that he had spotted them.

The plane then landed on that section of the river and came to shore.

The hatch opened, and Gong Xiuneng was the first to jump out and secure the cable to a stone pile on the shore.

Fang Wen then exited the cabin, stepped onto the buoy, and carried out his luggage, handing it to Gong Xiuneng.

After moving their luggage, he and Gong Xiuneng helped their family members safely ashore one by one.

Everyone else was fine, but when it came to Sixth Sister, Gong Xiu blushed and didn't dare to reach out to help her, a scene witnessed by everyone.

Sixth Sister, however, casually put her arm around Gong Xiuneng's shoulder and jumped to the shore.

It seems that her Western-style education over the years has made her much more lively and cheerful.

Once everyone was ashore, Fang Wen spoke with the Pan Am staff who were there to greet him.

When does your plane take off?

"It's still in the trial operation phase, and it's estimated that it will be fully booked in a few days."

"What if I charter a plane?"

"Then it can take off at any time."

"Alright, have your pilots prepare immediately. Also, I need to board the plane for a check."

The staff member asked in surprise, "Who are you?"

"I am a designer of the Xuanming type."

Fang Wen replied that the plane would be carrying his family to the United States, and he needed to check the plane's condition to make sure there were no problems.

(End of this chapter)