Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 527 Recent Situation, Taishan Research Institute Organizes Research and Development

After reviewing his own drawings, Fang Wen put them away and went to sleep in his empty house.

Since Kuang Mingzhu took Chuncao and Qiuju to the United States, Fang Wen didn't stay in the family much, so he sent Wu Ma, who had nothing to do at home, to work in the company cafeteria.

Therefore, apart from Aunt Wu coming back every two days to clean, no one has lived in the house.

When Fang Wen woke up, it was only five in the morning. He sat on the bed and felt lonely.

He got up, washed up, and then took out a postcard and wrote on the back.

This is St. Isaac's Cathedral in Leningrad. With the Spring Festival approaching, I wish you and your unborn child good health and all the best.

After finishing writing, Fang Wen put the postcard into his handbag and went out.

As I descended into the elevator to the first floor, the security guard there immediately stood up straight and greeted me: "Good morning, General Manager."

Fang Wen nodded and walked directly out of the empty headquarters hall to the backyard.

He went to the staff dormitory building in the backyard and knocked on the door of the room where Gong Xiuneng and Zhao Junping shared.

Gong Xiuneng opened the door, yawning, "Who is it?" His sleepiness vanished instantly upon seeing Fang Wen. "Commander, what brings you here? I was planning to wake you at 7 o'clock."

"You know I'm a light sleeper; once I wake up, I can't fall back asleep. I was bored at home, so I came down to take a look," Fang Wen replied.

Gong Xiuneng quickly stepped aside to let Fang Wen into the room.

Fang Wen entered the room and saw a messy room with a bunk bed on each side. Gong Xiuneng and Zhao Junping each slept on one side. Dirty clothes and pants were piled up in buckets, already smelling of salted fish, but they had not been washed yet.

He frowned and said, "Gong Xiuneng, I have required all the soldiers in the Independent Regiment to do a good job in their personal quarters. As my bodyguard, you are no exception. How about I arrange for you to go to the army and learn from scratch?"

"Commander, it's me." Gong Xiuneng hadn't explained yet.

Zhao Junping explained the situation: "It's mine."

It turned out to be Zhao Junping, that half-grown boy.

His cultural knowledge is not bad, but his self-reliance is insufficient, which is why his dormitory is such a mess.

Immediately, Fang Wen made a decision: "I'm going to the base in northern Myanmar today, and you'll come with me to join the security forces' military training there."

He had promised Grandpa Zhao Junping that he would take care of this guy, so when he made the decision, he acted like an elder.

Zhao Junping dared not object and could only accept it.

"It's the general manager."

"Take these smelly clothes with you. The first thing you should do when you get there is to wash them."

"Okay." Zhao Junping felt a little wronged, tears welling up in his eyes. Neither his father, who died in battle, nor his grandfather in Hebei had ever spoken to him so harshly.

But in front of Fang Wen, he obediently began to pack his things.

Gong Xiuneng quietly gave a thumbs up.

"Pack your things here, I'll come pick you up in two hours."

After Fang Wen finished speaking, he left the room with Gong Xiuneng.

Once outside, Gong Xiuneng explained the situation: "Commander, this kid is easily embarrassed. He can hold back in public, but he can't stand being spoken to harshly in private. He'll cry as soon as you say something, and there's nothing I can do about it. But he listens to you very much."

“Jade must be carved to become a useful object; at his age, he should be tempered.” Fang Wen replied.

He then went to the garage in the backyard, unlocked it, got into his car, and drove out of the Taishan Airlines headquarters.

This time we went to the dock, where a cargo ship belonging to Taishan International was docked and will return to New York tomorrow.

Fang Wen handed the envelope containing the postcards to the captain, instructing him to give it to his wife upon returning to the United States.

After giving his instructions, Fang Wen drove to the Taishan Industrial Park.

In the Chinese residential area next to the industrial park, there is a house that Fang Shouxin bought for his own residence.

Fang Wen came here to see how the three orphans were doing.

He pushed open the sky-blue fence gate and saw four small figures playing with a spotted mongrel dog in the yard.

Three older children, and a baby less than a year old in a wooden walker.

"Victory! Don't let the dog run into the vegetable garden!" Fang Shouxin's voice came from inside the house, and then he appeared on the porch wearing an apron and holding a spatula. Looking up and seeing Fang Wen, Fang Shouxin immediately beamed, "Young Master, you've come at the right time. The children have just finished breakfast and are playing in the yard."

Hearing the noise, all three children turned around at once, except for the youngest one who was still playing with the puppy.

The eldest, Fang Shengli, was about seven or eight years old, tall and thin, and appeared mature for his age; the second eldest, Fang Kangwo, was about six years old, with a pair of bright, intelligent eyes; the youngest girl, Kaixuan, was only five years old, with two little braids and holding a rag doll in her hand.

"Uncle Fang!" Kaixuan recognized Fang Wen first and ran over as fast as she could, her rag doll bouncing in her hands. She bumped into Fang Wen's arms, and when she looked up, Fang Wen noticed that she was wearing a brand new floral cotton-padded jacket, and her face was much rounder than when she was in Guangzhou.

Victory and Anti-Japanese War stood hesitantly in place, their eyes filled with a mixture of anticipation and timidity. Fang Wen squatted down and beckoned to the two boys: "Come here, let Uncle see if you've grown taller."

Kangwo immediately hopped over like a little deer, while Shengli appeared much more composed. When he reached Fang Wen, he subconsciously straightened his collar—he was wearing the uniform of the local Chinese school, which he cherished and kept very clean.

“Uncle Fang,” Shengli said, mustering his courage, “our teacher at school taught us to recite the Three Character Classic, and I can recite up to ‘曰春夏’ (yue chun xia)!”

"I... I can write my own name now!" Kangwo interrupted eagerly, stretching out his muddy little hand and gesturing in the air, "Fang—Kang—Wo!"

Fang Wen couldn't help but pat each of their heads.

Kaixuan suddenly tugged at his sleeve: "Uncle Fang, my rag doll is named Xiaowen, and Grandma made it for me." She held up the doll made of scraps of fabric, proudly displaying it. "Grandma said that when spring comes, she'll teach me to make new clothes for Xiaowen."

Just then, Fang Shouxin's wife poked her head out of the kitchen, carrying a plate of freshly fried sugar cakes: "General Manager, you've come at the perfect time! These are freshly fried sugar cakes; the children love them."

She looked at the three children with affection, "These three children are so sensible. Shengli helps me carry water every day, Kangwo sweeps the yard, and Kaixuan is even learning to fold clothes."

Fang Wen noticed that the three children's eyes lit up when they heard the praise.

Suddenly, Kaixuan leaned close to his ear and whispered, in what he thought was a very soft voice, "Uncle Fang, I dreamt about my mother last night. She told me to be a good boy and listen to Grandpa and Grandma Fang."

Shengli tugged at his sister's sleeve, glancing nervously at Fang Wen. Fang Wen felt a pang of sadness and pulled the three children close, saying, "Your mother is right. After we drive out the Japanese devils, Uncle will take you to lots of fun places, okay?"

The three little heads immediately nodded like chicks pecking at rice.

Just then, the child in the walker walked over, babbling incessantly.

Fang Wen smiled, picked up the child, and asked Fang Shouxin, "Is this Shunzi's child?"

"Yes, Fang Huai'an, you even named him. He was weaned before he was even six months old. I saw that Shunzi and his wife didn't have time to take care of him, so I decided to come and raise him myself."

“Yes, his little arms and legs are quite strong.” “That’s right, Shunzi’s mother passed away when he was little, and I didn’t raise him.” Fang Wen put the child back in the walker and let the children play, then continued his conversation with Fang Shouxin.

"Uncle Fang, I'm heading to the base in northern Myanmar today, so I won't have time to manage company affairs for a while. What's the situation at the company during this time?"

"Nothing's wrong, everything's fine. It's just that the New Year is approaching, and I wanted to ask you, young master, what are your plans for this year's Spring Festival?"

Fang Wen couldn't help but ponder.

As the war has progressed, the coastal areas have been largely occupied by the Japanese army, and only South Asia is still able to transport supplies. As a result, the prices of all kinds of goods have soared, and this year's Spring Festival will be quite difficult. Even Taishan Airlines itself cannot operate as it has in previous years.

He replied:
"Let's be frugal this year. Your administration department can handle the arrangements. The benefits should mainly consist of daily necessities, without cash or valuables. The key is to ensure they can have a good New Year's Eve dinner."

“Understood, I will arrange it according to this standard,” Fang Shouxin replied.

After finishing his conversation with Fang Shouxin, Fang Wen did not stay for dinner, but instead drove back to the headquarters building with Gong Xiuneng.

On the fourth floor of the headquarters building, in the security department, the head of the security department, Zhao Shanhu, took out a stack of documents from the safe.

"General Manager, these are the encrypted telegrams accumulated over this period of time, not a single one is missing."

Fang Wen picked up the stack of telegrams, returned to the newly renovated general manager's office, and translated the telegrams.

These telegrams came from two places, Shanghai and Chongqing, and were briefings on the current domestic situation.

Recently, domestic conflicts have mainly occurred in the area north of the Yellow River.

The Japanese army assembled the main force of the 10th Division and parts of three other divisions, totaling more than 30,000 men, to carry out a large-scale "mopping-up" operation against the Jinnan base area.

The Eighth Route Army quickly deployed counter-"mopping-up" operations, with gunboats from the Eighth Route Army's air regiments and fighter squadrons from Yan'an participating in the operations.

In this counter-sweeping operation, relying on new military equipment such as the Taishan walkie-talkie and gunboats, the Eighth Route Army made better use of its information advantage.

Furthermore, the air-to-ground combat mode was applied to raids behind enemy lines.

The Pinghan, Zhengtai, and Daoqing railways were attacked multiple times, and the Japanese army's railway transportation was paralyzed for a considerable period of time.

As a result, the Japanese troops carrying out the sweep were forced to return to reinforce the area, thus ending the offensive ahead of schedule.

Meanwhile, in southwestern Shanxi, the Japanese launched another attack, advancing westward in three routes to Xiangning and Jixian.

However, the heavy damage suffered in North China also affected the occupation of this region, causing the Japanese army to lack supplies and slow down their offensive.

What about the other war zones south of the Yellow River?
As the Nationalist government gradually abandoned key locations such as Nanjing, Wuhan, and Guangzhou, the Japanese army was unable to conquer such a large area in a short time, and the war situation eased significantly.

Having read this far, Fang Wen thought there was no more important information.

However, he then discovered that the latest coded telegram from Chongqing contained special intelligence.

That was from a newly established intelligence station in Chongqing, headed by Zhou Pomen, formerly of the special operations team.

[It is reported that the Nationalist government will hold a general meeting soon, and its chairman will propose: 'to restore the status quo before the July 7th Incident during the War of Resistance.']

What does it mean?
Fang Wen pondered the meaning behind his words.

That means Chiang Kai-shek lowered his bottom line once again, setting it at "restoring the status quo before the Marco Polo Bridge Incident," which means tacitly abandoning the puppet regime's control over Northeast China and eastern Hebei.

In Fang Wen's view, this behavior was undoubtedly treason.

The great motherland has been lost step by step, and now, as the supreme commander of the National Government, he has uttered such disheartening words. What a negative impact this will have on the country and the people!
Fang Wen couldn't help but feel angry and slammed his fist on the desk.

He didn't hold back, and as a result, his palm strike broke half of the desk's leg, causing it to collapse.

Ah!
Has your strength increased again?
With the infusion of energy from the newly added Faith Treasure, Fang Wen seemed to have reached another level.

He wasn't happy; he was still angry about what had just happened.

He could be said to have personally experienced the entire War of Resistance against Japan, witnessing the war situation deteriorate step by step.

Does the Chinese army lack courage and brave warriors?
No, the Sichuan Army, Hunan Army, Guangxi Army, Yunnan Army, Guangdong Army, Fujian Army, and so on, all performed well in the battles over the past few months. The Battle of Taierzhuang was a particularly fierce battle that brought together the blood and guts of all the armies.

But so what.

During the Battle of Taiyuan, Fang Wen witnessed the main force retreating first, leaving Commander Fu to defend Taiyuan alone.

In an attempt to stop thousands of Japanese troops, the Nationalist government's army breached the Yellow River dikes, flooding a large area south of the Yellow River.

Guangzhou, such an important city, was abandoned and the defending troops fled before even engaging the Japanese army in battle.

And then there are these current remarks.

Fang Wen couldn't help but sigh, thinking that the current situation was probably largely due to those who commanded the army.

Shaking off his thoughts, Fang Wen got up, opened the door, and gave instructions to Gong Xiuneng.

"Call the logistics department over and have them renovate the office."

"What happened?" Gong Xiu looked inside and saw the collapsed desk. He couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. Who exactly was he protecting? He was as strong as an ox, had eyes and ears everywhere, and could even fly a plane and command battles.

At noon, Fang Wen left the office that was about to be renovated again, went home, took a few changes of clothes, and then went downstairs to the staff dormitory.

Gong Xiuneng had already prepared at the staff dormitory with just a small bag, while Zhao Junping brought a large suitcase.

Fang Wen said coldly, "If you're going to train, don't expect to be comfortable. Take less stuff."

"General Manager, you're the one who told me to bring all my clothes," Zhao Junping said aggrievedly, but he opened the suitcase, took out several sets of clothes and toiletries, and packed them up.

The three then got into the car and drove to the sea airport.

Over there, Fang Wen piloted a seaplane to the base in northern Myanmar.

Upon arriving at the base in northern Myanmar, Fang Wen immediately sent Zhao Junping to the security team for military training.

Afterwards, they went to the Taishan Research Institute to discuss the technical materials they brought with the research team.

In the conference room, Fang Wen drew the structural diagram directly on the blackboard with chalk.

There are three diagrams. The first is a structural diagram of a simple rail-mounted launcher. The second is a sketch drawn by Fang Wen, imitating the vehicle-mounted Katyusha rocket launcher. The third is a rail-mounted launcher for airborne rockets.

After the drawing was completed, he said, "Let me first explain that everyone involved in this project has signed a military confidentiality agreement. Any leaks are serious crimes, so everyone must be careful to keep it confidential."

After observing the reactions of all the researchers, Fang Wen continued:
"This is a new type of rocket launcher that I obtained from the Soviet Union. It is designed to work with Soviet-made rockets. The Soviet rockets have broken through our research bottlenecks, achieving higher range and rate of fire while maintaining a certain level of accuracy. I have already ordered a batch of rockets, which will be delivered in two months. Now, what we need to do is to first develop this rail-guided launcher."

After he finished speaking, the researchers stood up and crowded around to look at the drawings on the blackboard.

(End of this chapter)