Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 541 Huashan Type I Aircraft, Istanbul Deal

Hengshan-1 climbed at a 30-degree angle of attack.

The explosions below the Fengxiang continued one after another.

The orange-red flames, carrying the broken steel plates, shot high into the sky, then turned into millions of burning fragments that crashed back onto the sea.

The crack in the middle of the hull was completely torn open in the secondary explosion, as if it had been cleaved in two by an invisible giant axe. The front half of the hull, with its twisted keel, was raised, while the rear half had already sunk into the oily seawater. The overturned propeller spun half a circle in the air in vain before finally breaking off and falling away.

Thick smoke billowed out from the fracture, forming a cloud of smoke in mid-air.

There was no safe place inside the ship, and the surviving Japanese soldiers used various methods to escape to the aircraft deck.

The subsequent explosions sent the soldiers sliding off the sloping steel plates like ants; some fell into the flames, while others tumbled directly into the icy sea. Their cries for help were swallowed by the continuous explosions.

The wreckage of the two Type 97 carrier-based aircraft that crashed on the deck collided and slid down as the ship tilted, and were eventually swallowed by the surging seawater.

At this moment, Hengshan-1 had climbed to an altitude of 3,000 meters. Through the radar target acquisition device, Fang Wen saw that fourteen fighter jets from the direction of Haikou were returning to base, while the enemy aircraft group from the direction of Guangzhou had bypassed the Yangjiang air defense position again and was on its way.

It seemed there would be no chance to witness the sinking of the Fengxiang. Fang Wen, with a slight sense of regret, steered the plane to continue climbing.

The aircraft flew to an altitude of 7000 meters, escaping the threat of anti-aircraft guns, and then straightened its fuselage, leaving the combat zone and flying to the Beibu Gulf.

Ten minutes after Hengshan-1 flew away.

Fourteen Japanese warplanes that had attacked Haikou returned.

They circled in the sky, but could no longer land on the mothership.

The once invincible aircraft carrier struggled on the sea surface, its broken hull sinking faster and faster, its bow rising high to reveal the mottled rust below the waterline, as if making its final lament.

As the seawater flooded the bridge, a final, violent explosion erupted from underwater, sending huge sprays of water flying like a fountain. Then all was quiet, leaving only floating oil slicks, debris, and a few survivors adrift on the surface.

Around noon, Hengshan-4, which had taken more than four hours to fly, returned to its base in northern Myanmar.

After the plane landed, Fang Wen announced: "The combat team has successfully completed its mission. This achievement will be included in your academic record and will be used to improve your credit grades."

Credit rating is the performance standard for the military pilot training class at Taishan Aviation School.

They are divided into four grades: A, B, C, and D, with A being the best and D being the passing grade.

If you obtain a Class A qualification certificate, you can advance to become a high-speed fighter pilot.

This made the five trainees very happy, and they stood at attention and saluted Fang Wen.

Fang Wen returned the greeting with a smile and said, "Gong Xiuneng, take them to the seaplane airport to catch a flight back."

“I’ll go back with them too,” Shao Sishen said.

"Sishen, don't rush back yet, I have something to tell you."

Gong Xiuneng then led five trainees off the plane and left, while Fang Wenze spoke with Shao Sishen.

"Do you want to fly a plane again and fight the Japanese devils?"

"Of course I want to," Shao Sichen said, struggling to raise his arm. "But I can't. No matter how much I exercise over the years, I can't go back to how I used to be."

Fang Wen looked at Shao Sishen and recalled the scene from 7 years ago. Back then, Shao Sishen was full of vigor and was a prodigy.

He then made a decision: "Remember the Four-Faced Buddha? It can temporarily restore bodily functions. Bai Yunfei's eyes were restored thanks to it, but the effect only lasts for a year. And I'm not sure if it will have any side effects after use. If you want to fly planes again, you can try it."

Shao Sichen looked delighted and nodded without hesitation: "If you can give me a year of good health, I am willing to pay the price of the rest of my life. What do side effects matter?"

"Alright then. I'll go to Europe and then fly to the US to treat you."

As Fang Wen spoke, he couldn't help but think of his wife. He thought that going to the United States would be a good opportunity to see his wife and the baby in her belly.

Shao Sichen asked, "What are you going to Europe for?"

"It should be said that we're going to the Black Sea. A batch of supplies ordered from the Soviet Union needs to be transported from there," Fang Wen replied.

"Weren't the supplies shipped from the Soviet Union in the past delivered smoothly?"

“This time it’s different. Before it was steel and basic raw materials, this time it’s weapons. The Soviets telegraphed me saying that we need to get through the Istanbul customs, and I have to pay for it myself,” Fang Wen explained.

With the current tense situation in Europe and stricter customs regulations in Turkey, the Soviet Union is unwilling to pay more for it, so Fang Wen, as the major investor, must be present to make the final decision.

But for this trip to Europe, Fang Wen plans to fly a new type of aircraft.

He and Shao Sishen disembarked from the plane, walked out of the hangar, and headed to the office of the director of the No. 2 Aircraft Manufacturing Plant.

Upon seeing Fang Wen, Lin Yifei, the factory director of Factory No. 2, immediately stood up to greet him: "General Manager, you're back."

"Yes. I'd like to see the new aircraft that your factory has developed itself."

"Okay, please follow me."

Lin Yifei led Fang Wen and the other person into a hangar.

There was a new type of aircraft parked there.

The aircraft is an amphibious aircraft, but it is larger than the Suiun-1.

Lin Yifei explained, "This is a product developed in-house. It has undergone flight testing and all data meet the standards. It uses our self-produced improved Xiluo aero engine, with 1000 horsepower, a speed of 400 kilometers per hour, a range of 2000 kilometers, and a payload of 1200 kilograms."

After listening to the introduction, Fang Wen entered the aircraft, started the engine, drove out of the hangar, and took off into the sky.

After flying just two laps, he gained a comprehensive understanding of the aircraft's overall performance.

The plane then landed and flew back to the hangar.

He then shared his impressions of the flight: "Its performance is already comparable to the company's existing international flight aircraft. I suggest that the next model replace the floats with hydraulic landing gear and then convert the cabin interior into a cockpit. However, there are a few minor issues that need to be addressed. I will give you a full summary of my suggestions when I return."

"It's used to replace the company's existing international flight aircraft?" Lin Yifei asked in surprise.

"That's good. Actually, those planes should have been retired a long time ago. You've made great progress, keep up the good work." Fang Wen patted Lin Yifei on the shoulder, giving him his approval.

"General Manager, please name this model."

"Let's call it Huashan Type I."

Fang Wen came up with a name without even thinking.

After the air raid on the Fengxiang, Fang Wen rested for only one night before setting off again.

Early in the morning, Fang Wen, along with Gong Xiuneng and Shao Sishen, set off in the prototype of the Huashan Type 1 aircraft.

He first flew to Yangon, and after landing in Yangon, he drove back to the headquarters building of Taishan Airlines, went to the finance department office, and directly explained to Manager Liu, the finance department manager, the purpose of his visit: "Prepare US$50 in cash for me, and another US$150 million in bearer bonds of equivalent value."

This money wasn't just used to clear key routes; it was primarily used for the second phase of advance payments for rockets.

Manager Liu didn't ask where the money was going; he simply wrote out a withdrawal form and had Fang Wen sign it.

After signing, a small briefcase filled with money was ready.

The first layer inside contained fifty stacks of US dollar bills; the bottom layer contained a large stack of bearer US Treasury bonds, each with a face value of $1000.

Fang Wen signed the document, took the box, handed it to Gong Xiuneng, and the three of them left the headquarters building and returned to the airport.

The plane took off again, following the international flight route, bound for Istanbul.

After a flight of more than 20 hours, the plane arrived over Istanbul Airport.

Since a conflict a few years ago that led Taishan Airlines to change its route and stop landing in Istanbul, Fang Wen hadn't been here for a long time. Looking at the scene below, Fang Wen couldn't help but recall the time he ate Turkish kebabs in the hangar with Indiana and the German officers.

Pushing aside his thoughts, Fang Wen picked up the microphone and called out to the ground.

"This is a temporary aircraft from Taishan Airlines, requesting to land."

After the call, the ground control tower responded: "Your landing request has been received and is approved. Please follow the instructions of the ground personnel."

Below, ground staff waved flags, trying to guide Fang Wen's plane to land on the runway.

Immediately, Fang Wen adjusted the aircraft position, lowered the altitude, and landed steadily on the runway.

But then, Fang Wen frowned slightly as he saw several German officers emerge from the hangar not far away.

What are the Germans doing here?!
Fang Wen became alert. Was this targeting the Soviets?

At this time, Germany and the Soviet Union had not yet developed conflicts due to expansion, and the Great Patriotic War had not yet broken out. Logically speaking, the Germans would not have confronted the Soviet Union.

Considering the current situation in Europe, Fang Wen thought of another possibility.

From a geopolitical perspective, Germany hoped that Turkey would join the war in order to control the Balkans, thereby threatening the Middle East, severing Britain's ties with its Middle Eastern colonies, and also creating favorable conditions for attacking the Soviet Union.

At the same time, Britain, France, and the United States are worried that Germany will use Turkish territory to enter the Middle East and meddle with their oil resources, and will also try to interfere.

However, in the actual course of history, Turkey ultimately did not adopt the suggestions of Germany and Britain, remaining in a state of hesitation and waiting until the end of the war before making the decision to declare war on Germany.

He looked away and, guided by ground staff, parked in an open-air parking spot.

At this moment, the German officers also came over.

They looked at the plane with curiosity and waved at it.

"Commander, what do they mean?" Gong Xiuneng asked nervously, his right hand gripping the box containing the huge sum of money tightly.

"You'll find out when we get out." Fang Wen took the Browning pistol from the cockpit storage compartment and tucked it under his belt.

He then opened the hatch, went out, and greeted the other man in German, which he had learned from William.

“Guten Tag!”

This is a German greeting meaning "Good daytime" or "Good daytime." It is used from 12 noon to 6 pm and is the most common greeting that can be used in any situation.

The other party replied in kind, and then asked.

What model of aircraft do you have?

It turns out he was just curious about airplanes.

"Taishan Airlines' new aircraft is expected to be used for international flights next month."

"It felt good. I hope to travel in it in the future. Goodbye."

After the German officer finished speaking, he and his companions left.

It seems they had no ill intentions towards Fang Wen.

Fang Wen then waited for his Soviet contact at the spot.

After a while, two people arrived.

They were all wearing inappropriate woolen coats, which made them stand out conspicuously among the locals who were wearing only light clothing.

The tall man on the left was at least two meters tall, with shoulders almost as wide as an average person's waist, and a scar across his brow bone beneath his brown curly hair; the shorter, stockier man on the right had a thick beard that covered most of his face, revealing only a pair of hawk-like gray eyes that were silently scanning every detail of the aircraft.

Both of them have distinct Slavic features.

And he had a strong smell of tobacco on him.

That's the taste of Prima cigarettes produced in Leningrad. These unfiltered cigarettes had a strong aroma, were inexpensive, and were the daily cigarette for many Soviets.

Fang Wen often smelled this tobacco at the Leningrad Aerodynamics Research Institute.

He could basically conclude that the two men were from the Soviet Union.

Seeing Fang Wen approach, the tall man stepped forward, his right hand seemingly casually resting on his waist—where a TT-33 pistol was hidden, its holster polished to a shine, clearly indicating he was a seasoned gun user.

(TT-33 pistol)

"Mr. Fang?" the tall man asked in broken English. "Moscow sent us here to meet you. Please come with us to the 'Red House,' the car is over there."

Fang Wen evaluated the two individuals in the shortest possible time.

This is a little trick I learned after activating my superhuman state during the airstrikes in the Qiongzhou Strait.

Even without superhuman abilities, he can still perform calculations of environmental factors by concentrating his mind highly.

There is no longer a need to use equipment to activate mechanical sensing; it can be applied directly.

This new ability makes him quick-witted, able to calculate rapidly, and better and more accurate in making predictions and plans.

Through his assessment, he was certain that he could easily subdue both of them, not to mention that Gong Xiu was also on his side.

He then turned to Shao Sishen and said, "Sishen, you stay here. Gong Xiu and I will go over there."

Knowing that he was physically disabled and could not help in the past, and might even be a burden, Shao Sichen replied in Chinese: "If you do not return within 2 hours, I will send a telegram to Yangon to warn you."

"Two hours might not be enough. How about this, I'll send you a message in three hours to confirm our safety."

After Fang Wen finished speaking, he and Gong Xiuneng, who was carrying a briefcase, left with the two Slavs.

We left the airport in a car driven by a Slav, the interior of which was filled with an unpleasant odor.

It was the smell of cheap tobacco and body odor mixed together, which made Fang Wen frown. He had experienced the body odor of Europeans before, but this was the first time he had been subjected to such an attack of smell while locked in a car.

Fortunately, the car stopped after twenty minutes, otherwise Fang Wen would have suggested taking a break along the way.

Eagerly getting out of the car, Fang Wen saw a red-walled building in front of him.

This is the Red House.

He followed two Slavs up the steps.

After a knock, the door opened.

Fang Wen immediately observed the situation in the room.

The interior was dimly lit, with only a single brass chandelier hanging in the center of the ceiling. The bulb was covered with a layer of dust, and the light, when it passed through the glass shade, scattered into a dim, yellowish halo, barely illuminating the few oak tables against the wall.

With his keen sense of smell, he also noticed a similar odor in the air to that in the car, but with an added smell of kerosene and metallic rust.

The person who opened the door was a tall man with broad shoulders that almost touched the door frame. His military green uniform collar was open, revealing his thick collarbone.

He didn't speak, but instead looked Fang Wen up and down with his gray-blue eyes, his gaze scraping across Fang Wen's skin like sandpaper.

"Mr. Fang Wen, or Comrade?"

Another voice came from deep within the room. The speaker was sitting behind the table at the far end, his angle obstructing the view so his face couldn't be seen. He held a nearly burnt-out cigarette between his fingers, the ash teetering precariously.

“I should be considered a comrade,” Fang Wen replied with a smile, and walked into the room, with Gong Xiuneng following closely behind.

(End of this chapter)