Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 529 The Second Military Flight Training Course Opens, Operation to Eliminate Traitors on Hong Kong Island

After seeing off the purchasing delegation from the Guangxi Army, Fang Wen piloted his plane back to Yangon from the base in northern Myanmar.

The second intensive training course for military pilots is about to begin.

After disembarking, he drove to the No. 1 aircraft manufacturing plant and then to the aviation school located within the plant.

The school has a principal, Shao Sishen, eight flight instructors, and 19 flight cadets who have not yet started classes.

Fang Wen parked his car and went straight to the principal's office.

"Sishen, how are these trainees doing?"

“I spoke with them, and they all had a very positive attitude. They were selected according to the standards of the previous cohort of flight trainees. The problems are similar to those of the previous cohort, mainly a lack of knowledge and a complete lack of flight experience,” Shao Sichen replied.

Fang Wen nodded: "They mainly fly gunships and aircraft, and low-speed flight doesn't require high technical skills. But I plan to add a course for this term."

"what class?"

"Radar lesson. In Yangjiang, our large air defense radar is working well and can be widely deployed on the battlefield. If they are equipped with air defense radar, they can have a better understanding of the enemy situation in the airspace before launching an attack. This can make up for our lack of high-speed fighters and the fact that gunships and aircraft carriers do not have an advantage in air combat."

Shao Sishen couldn't help but ask in surprise.

"Are those air defense radars really that effective?"

Fang Wen smiled and said, "It can't be said to be precise, but within a range of 300 kilometers, we can get feedback from aircraft in general direction. In the current situation, it's either us or the enemy, so this can be used to give early warning. That way, we can prepare anti-aircraft guns in advance and also avoid situations where gunships and aircraft are attacked by enemy fighters after taking off."

Shao Sishen, a former member of the Guangdong Air Force, couldn't help but exclaim: "General Manager, we have made great progress in aviation technology in recent years! This radar combined with gunship aircraft has solved the major problem of being harassed by enemy aircraft. In the future, gunship aircraft can better launch attacks to support ground forces. The Japanese really can't do anything about us."

Technological leadership is what Fang Wen has always been pursuing.

That's why we're in the current situation.

However, the extremely weak industrial base and lack of engineering and technical personnel make production capacity the biggest weakness.

Shaking off their thoughts, Fang Wen and Shao Sishen walked out of the office and asked the school's teachers to organize the students to gather on the playground.

Nineteen trainees stood in two rows from tallest to shortest. They were young soldiers selected by the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, wearing two different uniforms and with solemn expressions.

Fang Wen walked up to them and said, "Gentlemen, my name is Fang Wen. You should know my name. This is Taishan Aviation School, which recently trained its first batch of military pilots. They performed admirably on the North China battlefield, and you are the second batch. I hope you will surpass your predecessors and do even better. Do you all have confidence?"

"Yes!" the soldiers shouted in unison.

"Alright, that's dismissed now. In an hour, go to the big classroom on the second floor, and I'll give you your first lesson."

The soldiers dispersed as ordered by Fang Wen; some went to their dormitories, while others went directly to the classroom to wait.

An hour later, Fang Wen arrived at the large classroom on the second floor.

He stepped onto the podium, glanced around at the trainees, and said, "Currently, Taishan Aviation's main focus for military equipment exports is gunship aircraft, and you are here to learn how to fly them. Let me briefly explain the Taishan gunship aircraft. Its main fuselage is the Taishan Aviation Shuiyun-1 civilian amphibious aircraft, which is the same amphibious aircraft that Taishan Aviation previously operated in various waterways in China. Because its speed is less than 300 kilometers per hour, we also call it a low-speed military aircraft. Its main function is to utilize its powerful ground attack capabilities and good protection to cooperate with ground troops in fire suppression and airborne operations."

Fang Wen paused here and looked at the students.

"How do you evaluate gunboats in your unit? Please raise your hand to answer."

Several students raised their hands, and Fang Wen called on one: "Second row, the one by the window, you speak."

"I was from the Fourth Detachment of the New Fourth Army. Before being selected, we had been fighting guerrilla warfare in central Anhui and northern Jiangsu, and we didn't know anything about gunship aircraft. Later, a propaganda officer sent by the army headquarters told us that our brother units had their own air regiments, which were using gunship aircraft from Taishan. From then on, I became very interested in gunship aircraft and learned some things about them. I heard that in North China, they were called the Flying Iron King. The enemy couldn't catch up with them, couldn't shoot them down, and their firepower was fierce, even more powerful than tanks."

Fang Wen gestured for him to sit down: "This is the first time I've heard of the name 'Flying Iron King'. Are there any trainees from the Eighth Route Army who can share their impressions of gunboats?"

This time, half the number of students raised their hands, so Fang Wen called on one.

The student stood up.

"It's called the Flying Iron Monarch. Before, when we were fighting on the plains, we were most afraid of encountering Japanese armored vehicles and tanks. Before we had man-portable rocket launchers, we couldn't get close to them, let alone blow them up. And those things were fast, with infantry following behind. We simply couldn't engage them head-on on the plains. Later, after the air regiment joined the operation, we suddenly realized that the Japanese tanks and armored vehicles weren't all that great. They couldn't outrun gunship aircraft, and their firepower was weak. Several times, we were the ones who suppressed them. But we were worried about enemy aircraft coming to support us, so we kept each operation within 40 minutes. I heard that this was the optimal combat time determined by research. As long as the attack was completed within this time, we didn't have to worry about colliding with Japanese aircraft."

This is the tactical strategy that the Eighth Route Army figured out on its own.

It took about an hour for warplanes taking off from the Japanese airfield in Tianjin to reach the support area in North China. The situation was similar for the secret Japanese military base in Chahar.

As long as the timing is well controlled, the safety of gunships can be guaranteed even without fighter escort.

Fang Wen nodded in agreement. Military wisdom is not rigid; this kind of tactical strategy is just like that.

He gestured for the other person to sit down, then wrote on the blackboard: "The advantages and disadvantages of gunboats are obvious. The disadvantages are low speed and poor maneuverability, while the advantages are strong ground attack capabilities and the ability to carry paratroopers. The Eighth Route Army's deployment took into account the combat radius of Japanese military aircraft, which could indeed avoid encounters with Japanese aircraft. However, this method cannot prevent targeted actions by the enemy. Once the enemy sends out aircraft in advance, it is difficult to avoid them. To address this shortcoming, Taishan Aviation has developed a dedicated air defense radar."

A student later asked, "What is radar?"

"A new type of military equipment can detect aircraft within a 300-kilometer radius. Because it uses radio waves, and radio waves travel at a speed close to the speed of light, this means that the situation within a 300-kilometer radius can be monitored in real time. This equipment can detect enemy activity early, providing the most effective assistance for air defense and naval gunnery. It can directly improve the effectiveness and safety of combat from a technical perspective. Therefore, I will add a special radar course in the following sessions, and all students will receive training in radar use and radar-based combat operations."

Fang Wen's opening lesson was about to end. He put down the chalk. "Three months from now, you will be piloting gunboats in combat, covering infantry assaults, paratrooper drops, and conducting aerial raids on strongpoints and ground armored units. What you learn in these three months will be fundamental to your future combat. I hope you will not slack off and will make the most of this valuable learning and training opportunity. Alright, my lesson is over. get out of class dismissed."

Applause filled the classroom as Fang Wen bid farewell to the students and left the classroom.

Gong Xiuneng was waiting outside the classroom with a brown paper document bag.

"Commander, this is a special coded telegram from Shanghai."

A highly coded telegram?!
This refers to encrypted telegrams sent outside of designated communication times. Such sending is not permitted unless absolutely necessary.

Fang Wen's expression changed. "You should have told me earlier." He snatched the file bag, tore open the seal, took out the original coded telegram, and began to translate it directly.

According to reliable intelligence, the Japanese army is implementing strict "food control" in its occupied areas of North and Central China, forcibly requisitioning wheat, rice, and other grains, as well as cotton and furs. The looted goods are currently being transported via the Jinpu and Longhai railways to Tianjin Port, and are subsequently planned to be shipped back to Japan.

The Japanese invaders looted a large amount of grain from the North China Plain, a major granary, and even intended to transport it back to their country.

Fang Wen recalled a report Yoshida had given last year: Japan had a poor harvest last year, and food prices had tripled.

But the invaders' plundering of the occupied territories did not stop there. In order to plunder Chinese resources to support the war, they also established organizations such as the "North China Development Company" and the "Central China Revitalization Company," monopolizing the mines, railways, electricity and other industries in the occupied territories, and continuously transporting the plundered coal, iron ore, cotton and other commodities back to Japan.

Fang Wen felt that this telegram alone was not enough to warrant the use of an emergency coded telegram.

He continued to read.

[It is reported that the notorious traitor Wang Jingwei has fled to Hanoi. At his residence in Hanoi, he secretly met with Japanese representatives and established a "Supreme Council" to plot the establishment of a puppet central government with Zhou Enlai, Mei Lanfang, and Gao Zheng. The plan was to unite the puppet regimes of Wang Kemin in North China and Liang Hongzhi in Central China to form a unified puppet regime. Today, he has secretly traveled to Hong Kong; his exact address and purpose are unknown.]

This latter part of the intelligence is the real reason why the Shanghai intelligence station sent the message via urgent coded telegram.

Fang Wen couldn't help but ponder. Wang Qiren is now a notorious traitor despised by the entire nation. He has been expelled from the Kuomintang and is considered an "enemy of the Chinese nation," accused by various political parties of treason and appeasement.

The movements of such a major traitor are likely for special reasons, and Fang Wen was unsure whether Yan'an knew about this intelligence before sending the telegram back to China.

The telegram has been sent back to China, but there has been no reply yet.

Fang Wen sensed that something was about to happen, and that he might get involved.

Therefore, I will most likely not stay at the company for the Chinese New Year.

If you can't spend the Lunar New Year with your employees, you should still make sure they have the necessary benefits.

Although this year's Spring Festival celebrations will be more streamlined than in previous years, we still want our employees and soldiers of the Independent Regiment to have a good holiday.

For this reason, Fang Wen also participated in the company's administration department's year-end benefits arrangements.

In his mind, if he was short of money, he would be richer in supplies, hoping for a good omen for the coming year.

Taishan Airlines has the best logistics channels, making it the most convenient way to procure supplies.

At his suggestion, the company used New Year's gift boxes this year.

A box of candies and pastries made by Taishan Food Factory.

One bag of premium South Asian rice, one barrel of cooking oil, and one bag of flour.

There are also meat and seafood coupons, which can be exchanged for fresh meat and seafood at the New Year's goods store.

These things alone are not so easy to obtain.

Because a large amount of goods are currently being purchased from here, the prices of goods here have risen and the stock has decreased. Fang Wen specifically sought out the British and used their supply channels to obtain the goods.

At that moment, the call he had been waiting for from home finally arrived.

The anti-traitor team has been formed and is preparing to operate in Hong Kong. Your assistance is needed to escort them to Hong Kong.

The journey from Yan'an to Hong Kong is currently extremely difficult due to the blockade of the southeastern coast. The only relatively successful and safe option is for Fang Wen to personally pilot the plane at night.

The reason why the notorious traitor Wang fled to Hong Kong was because the Japanese army was there to deter him, and the British would surely protect his safety.

Fang Wen replied without hesitation, agreeing.

After negotiating via telegram, the matter was finally settled. Fang Wen immediately notified Sun Debiao of the domestic logistics company to arrange a plane to pick up the person.

Monday, January 39, 2.

There are 12 days left until the Spring Festival.

Fang Wen packed his bags and waited with Gong Xiu at the airport.

A dozen minutes later, the Taishan International flight landed on the airport runway.

Three tall, muscular men got off the plane. Fang Wen walked over and extended his hand.

"Hello, I am Fang Wen."

The three shook hands with Fang Wen and introduced themselves.

"Pan Suhuai, the captain of the anti-traitor squad."

Zhao Linglu

Yang Linxiao

Fang Wen led them to the airport's office area for further discussions.

"It's morning now, so we can't set off yet. We'll have to wait until evening. There are beds here, and we've prepared some food. You can rest here for a bit."

The three of them didn't say much, but sat down and waited silently.

His composed demeanor reminded Fang Wen of Chief Wang of the Axe Gang.

Unfortunately, Chief Wang is now paralyzed on one side and can only recuperate in a foreign country.

He was about to leave when he suddenly stopped.

Did you bring weapons?

"Because your international flights will be inspected through security gates, in order not to cause you any trouble, we did not bring any weapons on board. As for the weapons, we will obtain them from our contact in Hong Kong."

Going to Hong Kong empty-handed is not an option; what if they don't have a suitable weapon available there?

"Come with me to a place, and I'll arrange weapons for you."

As Fang Wen spoke, he opened the door and led three members of the anti-traitor team to the company headquarters building.

In the general manager's office on a high floor of the headquarters building, Fang Wen pushed open the innermost wall, revealing a rack full of weapons.

He pointed to the shelf: "Take a look at these weapons and see if you see any that are suitable."

The three were dazzled by the wide array of weapons in front of them.

These are military individual weapons from around the world collected by Fang Wen. Ordinary ones cannot be put on the market; only the better ones are eligible.

A brand-new Type 24 rifle.

The original Mauser Kar98K rifle, and the Taishan modified sniper version with a 4x scope.

Czech ZK383 9mm submachine gun, American Thompson submachine gun.

British-made fragmentation hand grenade, Chinese-made Hanyang-made hand grenade, Japanese Type 97 hand grenade.

There are also individual soldier communication equipment, listening devices, and remote-controlled explosive devices.

They were at a loss for what to choose.

(End of this chapter)