Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 499 Sihui Outpost, Guangdong Tax Police Corps
After conducting aerial reconnaissance, Fang Wen piloted the Qinyuan back to base.

After the plane landed, he immediately disembarked and, relying on his memory, drew a military map based on the information he had gathered.

The drawn map shows the main force of the National Army retreating to the northern mountainous area.

On the western side of Guangdong, relying on the Beijiang and Xijiang rivers, some troops are still resisting.

In addition, guerrillas were operating behind enemy lines in the Dongjiang area, which had already fallen.

This is the current situation in the Guangzhou area.

It can be said that although the National Army voluntarily abandoned Guangzhou, allowing the Japanese to easily capture it, the local armed forces did not give up defending their homeland.

Compared to the main Kuomintang troops who had retreated to the mountains, Fang Wen felt that these people were more trustworthy.

He looked at the map, thinking about how the independent regiment should proceed if it were to set out for combat, and which unit it should contact first.

Operating in the Guangzhou area gave the Independent Regiment an advantage.

The area has numerous rivers, which can serve as a springboard for gunboats and aircraft, enabling rapid maneuver warfare.

Therefore, military operations can be conducted along two lines.

One route was to take military vehicles overland to Zhaoqing to establish an outpost.

Another route involves airborne troops deployed by gunboats and aircraft, offering greater efficiency and initiative.
However, this move requires communication with the frontline resistance forces to avoid misunderstandings.

Therefore, Fang Wen contacted the Guangzhou underground party by telegram at night, hoping to use their connections to make contact with the front-line troops.

Half an hour after the telegram was sent, a reply was received.

[We need to communicate with the frontline troops. Please wait.]

Waiting is normal. Guangzhou is now occupied, and underground party operations are inherently dangerous. Fang Wen already felt it was very good that they could make contact on his behalf.

Therefore, he felt relieved and rested in the military camp.

12 month 7 day.

The Independent Regiment's third day of airborne landing in Yangjiang.

Fang Wen got up very early.

Like him, Gong Xiuneng also got up early and prepared a pot of hot water in advance.

"Commander, you've washed your face. The washcloth, toothbrush, and toothpaste are all in your bag; they were prepared for you by your wife."

Fang Wen picked up the zippered cloth bag, took out toiletries from it, and felt a warmth in his heart.

Before leaving for the United States, my wife was still concerned about her personal hygiene and made many of these portable toiletry bags, which were indeed very convenient.

After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he and Gong Xiuneng went to the camp's canteen.

There, the soldiers of the Independent Regiment were already having breakfast.

When it comes to cooking, Fang Wen's requirement is that the three companies take turns being the head chef during preparations for war, while they have to take care of the cooking themselves during wartime.

Today's meals were prepared by the reinforced 2nd Company.

The Second Company, mainly composed of soldiers from Sichuan, also prepared dishes with strong Sichuan characteristics.

This "Sichuan specialty" refers to western Sichuan, not the spicy and numbing flavor of Chongqing.

There are two main courses.

Lian Guo Tang (Lian Guo Tang): Made primarily with pork, white radish, and cabbage, the ingredients are cooked together in a pot, with appropriate amounts of salt and seasonings added. The broth is delicious, and the ingredients are light and refreshing.

Chicken Stew with Ginkgo: Place free-range chicken and ginkgo in a clay pot and simmer over low heat.

In addition, there are chili powder dipping sauce, chopped green onions, minced garlic, etc., for adding flavor.

It wasn't particularly strong in flavor; in fact, Fang Wen found it rather bland.

He and Gong Xiuneng each filled a large bowl with rice, soaked in a pot of soup, and added a few pieces of chicken, which served as their breakfast for the day.

After finishing breakfast, he got up and went to the room where the spies were being held.

There, the guard reported, "Commander, the spy wants to see you."

Fang Wen nodded, opened the door, and went inside.

After a night of consideration, the female spy's attitude changed. She looked pitiful and pleaded, "I can cooperate with you, as long as you don't hand me over to the Yangjiang County government for public trial."

"How do we cooperate?" Fang Wen asked.

“I can send you false information and cooperate with you on other tasks,” the female spy replied.

Fang Wen thought about it and agreed. Sometimes, a false intelligence can have a very good strategic effect.

If I can control this spy, I can send a misleading message when necessary, even if it only succeeds once, that would be enough.

However, there are two aspects to consider when doing this.

1. Was the female spy truly cooperating?

2. Even if the female spy cooperated, wouldn't the Japanese army become suspicious?

Both of these aspects must be flawless in order to achieve the desired effect.

Thinking of this, he said coldly, "Whether you are truly cooperating or not, we need to test you. From today onwards, you will stay in the military camp, but you cannot leave this room. I will have someone test you. You'd better not try anything funny."

After saying that, he ignored the female spy's pleas and turned to leave.

This time, we went to the local command post to hold a pre-battle meeting.

The command meeting began, and the participants were: Fang Wen, commander of the Independent Regiment; Pan Jiafeng, commander of the 2nd Aviation Battalion; Wu Yingzong, commander of the 3rd Special Operations Battalion; and William, deputy battalion commander.

Fang Wen chaired the meeting and explained the situation.

"Yesterday, I conducted aerial reconnaissance of the east and north of Guangzhou, and this map was drawn based on the reconnaissance findings."

As he spoke, Gong Xiuneng unfolded the map, and Pan Jiafeng, Wu Yingzong, and William approached to examine it.

As they examined the map, Fang Wen continued, “Under the current circumstances, the only forces we can temporarily coordinate with for our northward operations are those in the Sihui area. I have already asked the underground party to make contact, and once we have the results, we will send troops north. However, the method of deployment has been determined: we will divide our forces into air and land units. Here, I will assign you your responsibilities. Wu Yingzong will lead the reinforced 1st Company to remain in Yangjiang to ensure the safety of the rear. William will lead the reinforced 2nd Company, driving ten military vehicles north along the highway to establish an outpost in Sihui. Pan Jiafeng will be responsible for leading the gunboat-borne reinforced 3rd Company of the 2nd Aviation Battalion, ready for airborne operations at any time.”

At this point, Fang Wen looked at the three of them: "Do you have any different opinions?"

The three said no, all three tasks were very important, and they were mentally prepared in advance.

Afterwards, Fang Wen and the three of them discussed various details.

When they reached Wu Yingzong, Fang Wen specifically mentioned the female spy to him.

"This person may be very useful in the future. My idea is to put her under your control and have her maintain contact with the Japanese army. Send intelligence over regularly, without arousing suspicion. At the same time, you must also make sure she has access to the radio transmitter, and all messages sent must be decrypted and reviewed."

Wu Yingzong asked, "What if she pretends to cooperate?"

Fang Wen said coldly, "She can't hide this kind of thing. Once it's discovered, kill her."

“Yes. I’ll make her obey. My tigress is an expert at that,” Wu Yingzong said coldly.

Fang Wen chuckled and patted Wu Yingzong on the shoulder: "Yes, your wife Zhao Wanping is a heroine among women. Dealing with her is definitely no problem. These past two years, you two have seen each other less and less, which is all my fault for not arranging things properly. Now you two can get closer to each other."

Wu Yingzong blushed, a rare occurrence. Only Fang Wen could make such a joke; after all, when the Taishan Special Operations Team was established, it was Fang Wen who selected them. Without Fang Wen, none of them would be where they are today. Since Zhao Wanping was mentioned, Fang Wen asked Wu Yingzong to call her over for a reunion after the meeting.

Previously, Zhao Wanping worked at the Taishan Field Medical Department, managing the frontline volunteer medical teams recruited by Taishan Airlines. These medical teams traveled to many places via Taishan's seaplanes, providing treatment to a large number of wounded soldiers.

Later, when Taishan Airlines headquarters moved to Yangon, the field medical department lost its support and had to be disbanded. Zhao Wanping and some of the doctors who were willing to stay joined the medical team of the Independent Regiment, where she served as the team leader.

As they were talking, a messenger came in from outside.

"Commander, as you requested, I received a signal on the monitoring frequency. This is the recorded code."

Fang Wen took the cryptic code and began to decipher it.

We have contacted the Tax Police Corps, which is stationed in Taisa, and they are willing to cooperate with your unit in operations.

Dasha?

Fang Wen remembered the place name; this place was on the east bank of the Beijiang River in Sihui.

During his reconnaissance, he saw that there were troops stationed there, facing off against the Japanese army across the river.

It turned out to be the tax police force. This force was established 30 years ago when the Nationalist government was facing financial difficulties. The Ministry of Finance established the tax police force specifically to combat salt tax smuggling, attempting to seize this revenue through military control.

Because it is a force led by the Ministry of Finance, it uses the best equipment and personnel, and its combat effectiveness is quite good.

Therefore, this unit can be considered an unusual elite force of the National Army.

But wasn't the Tax Police Corps wiped out during the War of Resistance?
Fang Wen recalled that this unit suffered heavy losses in a fierce battle with the Japanese army at Yunzaobang during the defense of Shanghai last year.

Later, it was reorganized into the 40th Division of the Army and fought in the Yangtze River basin. How did it end up in Guangzhou?

Oh no.

Fang Wen suddenly realized that he had misunderstood.

The tax police force of the Kuomintang Ministry of Finance and the Guangdong tax police force were not the same.

The tax police force here must be well-funded, which is why they've been able to hold out against the Japanese until now thanks to their equipment.

He became even more interested in this unit that could resist the Japanese army.

Immediately, they called back the underground party and obtained the contact radio frequency of the tax police force.

Fang Wen made contact with the GD Provincial Tax Police Corps via telegram.

The other side was very enthusiastic in the telegram, and very directly proposed the idea of ​​jointly defending against the Japanese army, especially wanting air support from the Independent Regiment.

In response, Fang Wen proposed sending a ground force to Sihui to establish an outpost in the area where the Tax Police Corps was deployed.

after one day.

Two hundred men from the reinforced 2nd Company, led by William, left Yangjiang first in military vehicles from Taishan.

Amidst cheers from the city's residents lining the streets, the unit marched north.

Because of its developed economy and smooth roads, this area is ideal for military vehicles.

The army marched at a steady speed of 50 kilometers per hour, passing through Enping and Xinxing, and arrived in Zhaoqing.

Afterwards, the convoy crossed the Xijiang Bridge and finally arrived at Dasha Town.

The entire city is 260 kilometers long, and the journey took nearly 6 hours.

The Guangdong Tax Police Corps stationed in Dasha Town warmly received this elite force of 200 men.

In comparison, the equipment of the Guangdong Tax Police Corps is much worse.

This is still the ground force; the Taishan Independent Regiment's greatest strength lies in its air power.

What will the next step be in the battle?
This piqued the curiosity of the generals of the Guangdong Tax Police Corps.

The advance troops arrived in Sihui and promptly reported the situation to the rear.

After receiving the telegram, Fang Wen decided to go to Dasha in person to communicate with the Tax Police Corps in order to facilitate the subsequent battle.

Meanwhile, he had another task on this trip: to send Tang Yuandong to Guangzhou so that he could carry out work behind enemy lines.

For this reason, Fang Wen had a private conversation with Tang Yuandong.

"I'm going to take you to Guangzhou tonight."

"Leaving tonight? Sure. But what should I do after I get to Guangzhou?"

"I have already contacted the underground party members still in Guangzhou. They will be there to help you. Once you get to Guangzhou, you must immediately find the man surnamed Lü and join the puppet regime."

"Then how do I send out the intelligence?" Tang Yuandong asked, as he had not received professional training and was very worried about it.

Fang Wen had already thought of what was going on for him, and took out a Zhongxing Semiconductor Radio.

"This thing can receive radio broadcasts. I'll disguise it as a radio station, the frequency is on this piece of paper, and it will broadcast every night at 9 pm. When no one is around, you should turn the volume down to the minimum to avoid being discovered."

"Shall I give it a try?"

"can."

Fang Wen then made the arrangements, turning on the radio equipment of the Water Tiger No. 4 gunboat and starting the newly modified radio station frequency.

He cleared his throat: "Hello, listeners! This is the Wartime Radio Station. Recently, the situation has been volatile, and the developments on all sides have attracted much attention. In military matters, reports from the front lines indicate that our soldiers are fighting bravely against foreign invaders, holding their positions and demonstrating unwavering fighting spirit and high patriotism. They have built an iron wall to protect our homeland with their flesh and blood; every soldier is a hero of the nation and deserves our highest respect."

After the opening remarks, Fang Wen continued, reciting a strange string of numbers: "7655.9512.5751".

These numbers are the secret code for communication.

After reading it, he left Water Tiger No. 4 and returned to Tang Yuandong's side.

"Did you write those numbers down?"

"I've written it down, but I don't understand how to use it."

"I'll teach you." Fang Wen took out a self-made coding book and carefully taught Tang Yuandong how to use the coding table to find the corresponding characters.

Once you find the corresponding characters and assemble them in order, you can obtain the secret code for communication.

In this way, covert communication can be achieved without the need for training or other equipment.

When Tang Yuandong arrives in Guangzhou, he can listen to the numbers broadcast on the radio and follow the coded instructions to make contact or carry out missions.

Tang Yuandong had his own thoughts on this: "Sir, I may not be good at anything else, but I have a very good memory. I can remember and calculate the cards when playing cards. I can memorize this entire codebook."

"You can memorize it?" Fang Wen asked in surprise.
This was something Fang Wen hadn't expected; Tang Yuandong, who was skilled at swindling and deception, actually had such a good memory.

In this way, he wouldn't need to bring the codebook to Guangzhou, and he wouldn't have to worry about his identity being exposed because of the codebook.

He then asked Tang Yuandong to give it a try.

As it turned out, this guy actually memorized it all.

Since that was the case, Fang Wen had nothing to worry about. On the second night, he took off in the Water Tiger No. 4 with Tang Yuandong and Gong Xiuneng.

In the darkness of night, we flew towards Guangzhou.

(End of this chapter)