Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 546 Yangon Rocket Handover, Supernatural Abilities Deconstructed
The Huashan-1 aircraft flew across the Atlantic Ocean, made a brief stop in London, and then flew back to Asia.

Along the way, Fang Wen and Shao Sishen took turns piloting the plane to further solidify Shao Sishen's recovered flying skills.

Upon arriving at Yangon Airport, the three of them disembarked from the plane.

Fang Wen made a suggestion to Shao Sishen.

"Sishen, the New Fourth Army Air Regiment will be established after this year's cadets graduate. They need an air force military advisor who will be required to personally pilot aircraft in combat when necessary. Why don't you go to Jiangxi?"

“Go to Jiangxi? Okay, I’ll go with these trainees after they graduate.” Shao Sichen nodded. He was eager to fly military aircraft in combat, but there were some things he needed to consider. He then asked, “But what about the headquarters’ aviation operations department and the aviation school?”

This is indeed a bit troublesome.

Taishan Airlines' route operations department manages the domestic feeder sea routes that are still in operation, as well as international routes in Asia and feeder routes in Southeast Asia.

It is a very important department.

This department has been led by three people: Fang Wenji himself, Pan Jiafeng, and Shao Sishen. Now that Shao Sishen has left, who will take over?
Furthermore, the aviation training program that Shao Sichen has been managing also needs to be taken over.

In response, Fang Wen racked his brains for available subordinates.

Manager Liu, Sun Debiao, Huo Duanyang, and Fang Shouxin are all doing very well in their respective departments and cannot be touched.

Fang Shun was to manage the Xiangxi Airport, while Pan Jiafeng and William were in the Guangdong war zone.

Howard is introverted and has always worked in the engineering department, so he's not suited for either of these jobs.

What about the group of people who were trained later?
Bai Zeshan is very important in managing the semiconductor industry and cannot be replaced casually.

Lin Yifei was the factory director of the No. 2 Aircraft Manufacturing Plant, while Lu Zexuan was in charge of management at the Taishan Research Institute.

The members of the special operations team also have their own assignments and cannot be moved.

There are two people he has his eye on who are currently available.

One of them was Qi Zhihao, who came from the No. 1 Aircraft Manufacturing Plant and was originally the tank company commander of the Independent Regiment.

One was Yan Huaixun, an artillery officer recruited during the Yellow River dike breach incident.

Because his tank company was destroyed, Qi Zhihao is now stationed at the base in northern Myanmar, taking over William's security duties.

Yan Huaixun worked as a technical supervisor at the artillery shell factory.

He thought about it and concluded that the two of them weren't a good match.

Once the Taishan Pine medium tank is mass-produced in the future, Qi Zhihao will definitely go to the tank force.

As an experienced artillery officer, Yan Huaixun could provide a lot of help with his research on medium-range rockets.

It seems that neither of my preferred candidates can be assigned to these two positions.

He looked troubled: "Sishen, the company has expanded too much, and there really isn't a suitable candidate. Do you have any suggestions?"

Shao Sichen replied, "I think Li Youning can take over the aviation operations department. He has been working in the operations department since he was transferred back from Haihe Station, and he is very proficient in the business. As for the aviation school, we can select one of the teachers to serve as the executive vice principal to manage the daily teaching."

"Li Youning?"

Fang Wen remembered.

This person is a native of Hebei. He first worked in the seaplane station management of the Haihe River route, and was later promoted to the Haihe River Seaplane Route Management Office to work in route management.

Later, when the war broke out in full force, the Haihe River shipping route was canceled, and the staff evacuated on their own planes, including Li Youning.

After returning to headquarters, these people were all reassigned to new jobs, and Li Youning stayed in the aviation operations department.

Fang Wen had met him a few times and had a good impression of him. After hearing Shao Sishen's recommendation, he agreed.

"Alright, you can start preparing for the handover. Make two job transfer applications and file them with the administration department. Also, take care of your work-related matters."

"Okay. I'll get ready when I get back."

After their conversation, Fang Wen drove a car from the airport back to headquarters.

He then parted ways with Shao Sichen and went up to the general manager's office on the top floor.

With the general manager back, the heads of all departments at headquarters immediately got busy.

With the prepared materials in hand, we headed to the top floor for the meeting.

"Have the goods from the Soviet Union arrived at the port?" Fang Wen asked proactively.

"The ship has arrived, but it hasn't entered the port yet; it's anchored in the Andaman Sea," Fang Shouxin replied.

Fang Wen nodded.

He commissioned two types of rockets.

82mm airborne rocket motherboard.

The projectile is 600 mm long, contains 0.36 kg of explosives, and weighs 6.8 kg in total.

650 pieces, each priced at $550.

132mm ground-based rocket motherboard.

The projectile is 845 mm long, contains 0.9 kg of explosives, and has a total weight of 23 kg.

800 pieces, each priced at $800.

Therefore, if the ship had 1450 rockets on board and the British had seen them during the day while the cargo was being unloaded in the port, they probably wouldn't have allowed these new weapons and ammunition to appear in Rangoon.

Therefore, unloading cargo at public berths in the port can only be done at night.

Alternatively, a section of the port could be designated as a restricted area.

He has a way to solve this, but not now.

Fang Wen then continued to learn about various aspects of the company.

The civil aviation sector is operating normally and continues to serve as the company's cash cow.

Taishan brand cigarettes and Zhongxing semiconductor radios are also developing rapidly and are very popular among consumers in Europe and Asia.

Even domestically, the two types of goods were sold in areas controlled by the Nationalist government through the Southwest and Guangxi routes.

Currently, many radios have appeared on the market in Chongqing, and it has become fashionable to listen to the radio while walking around with a handheld transistor radio.

As demand increases, there are correspondingly higher requirements for production capacity.

Upon hearing this, Fang Wen nodded, "I will have Bai Zeshan increase the production capacity of semiconductor components, and the assembly plant in Yan'an will also expand its second phase of construction, striving to increase the production capacity by half within two months."

"Is such a significant increase really feasible?" Manager Liu asked worriedly.

In his view, having too much production capacity does not necessarily mean that you can always make money. If market demand weakens, the invested production capacity will result in losses.

Fang Wen was not worried about this.

The demand for semiconductor production capacity is staggering; this current capacity is nothing compared to what's to come. The more capacity we increase now, the greater the future profits will be.

Not to mention, Fang Wen also plans to vigorously develop military semiconductor components, such as infrared seekers for rockets and radio command guidance devices, which require a lot of production capacity.

Therefore, he smiled and said, "No problem, this capacity is not enough. My goal is to double it in a year."

Hearing the general manager's certainty, Manager Liu didn't say anything. Everyone was excited. The general manager had never been wrong. Could semiconductors be another goldmine besides aviation?!

The business presentations continued.

After the report on civil aviation was finished, it was time to talk about the military industry at the base in northern Myanmar.

This month, eight gunboats have been provided to the Jin-Cha-Ji base area north of the Yellow River, and three have been provided to France.

One newly built Taishan high-speed fighter jet, after passing test flights, was flown back to China by Shao Deqing and Zhai Xiaojun of the Yan'an Air Force.

Various types of ammunition and supplies were transported to the north via the southwest route for continuous supply.

At this point in the report, Fang Shouxin added one more thing.

"General Manager, there are two warehouses full of compressed military rations at Xiangxi Airport that we haven't been able to retrieve yet."

Yes, I almost forgot about Xiangxi Airport.

The reason for this situation was mainly due to the Japanese army's offensive in Hunan, which increased the danger of that shipping route and led to its temporary closure.

What is the situation in Hunan now?

Fang Wen finished the company's business briefing and returned to his office to check the domestic situation report on his desk.

That was collected and compiled by the Taishan intelligence agency in China.

[Domestic Military Intelligence Summary, February 1939]

On February 10th, the Japanese dispatched over 10,000 troops from the 21st Army, landing at Chengmai Bay on Hainan Island. They quickly occupied Haikou and Sanya, cutting off sea routes to South China. The Qiongya garrison retreated to the mountains to wage guerrilla warfare. However, during this battle, the Japanese aircraft carrier Hosho was bombed by unidentified aircraft, suffering severe damage, breaking in half, and sinking into the strait. Subsequently, its carrier-based aircraft, lacking sufficient fuel, were unable to return and crashed in the nearby sea.

The New Fourth Army expanded its base areas in southern Jiangsu and eastern Henan, with the army and civilians working together, and its momentum grew daily.

The enemy forces in North China used brigade-level troops to "sweep" behind enemy lines, attempting to consolidate their occupied areas. However, the Jin-Cha-Ji base area became increasingly adept at coordinating operations with artillery, naval aircraft, and ground troops, launching multiple attacks on the Japanese-occupied Pinghan Railway. After suffering heavy losses, the Pinghan Railway was shut down, and the Japanese troops retreated to towns along the route.

Upon seeing this, Fang Wen sighed.

The Red Army, having endured the Long March, has now been reborn behind enemy lines and is growing stronger.

However, they are not strong enough yet and need time to grow.

If the Eighth Route Army had a similar troop strength to the Japanese army, plus new equipment and aircraft, Fang Wen felt that the Eighth Route Army could directly drive the Japanese out of North China.

What is the current situation of the National Army?
Fang Wen continued reading.

[Due to heavy losses in numerous battles, the Nationalist Government resolved to reorganize and train its army. Following the arrangements of the Nanyue Conference, the first phase of reorganization and training is underway, involving the replenishment of troops and adjustments to organizational structure.]

The Hunan region in Central China was now the front line of the War of Resistance against Japan, with the Nationalist Army deploying defenses in northern and eastern Hunan. The Ninth War Zone was in charge of the defense of Hunan, with its troops constructing defensive lines along the Xinqiang River and the Miluo River, training and replenishing troops, and reinforcing fortifications to guard against a Japanese invasion from the south. A "scorched earth" mobilization was launched throughout the province, with the people participating in road construction, grain transport, and organizing anti-Japanese self-defense forces to cooperate with the army in consolidating the defensive lines.

[There were occasional fierce battles in eastern Henan and northern Hubei. The enemy's 13th Division raided Suixian County in northern Hubei but was defeated by the 31st Army, resulting in the annihilation of over a thousand enemy soldiers. There were no major changes in the battle line.]

The strategy of "dissolving the Communists" gradually became apparent. Occasional frictions occurred in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, but fortunately, they did not escalate, and resistance against Japan remained a consensus.

Internationally, Soviet aid continued, and a volunteer air force assisted in the war effort; Britain and the United States maintained a neutral stance.

After reviewing the summary of the domestic situation, Fang Wen gained a new understanding of the Japanese army's deployment.

Although the United States has not imposed an embargo, the Japanese army has already begun to run out of steam.

They launched attacks from multiple locations in North China, East China, and South China, and were locked in a stalemate in Central China.

Their fatal weakness is their overextended battle lines. Even with all their military strength mobilized, this tiny country cannot control the entire territory of China.

As the ancient military strategy says, "Strike while the iron is hot, but the momentum will wane on the second attempt and be exhausted on the third."

This is the current situation for the Japanese army; they are beginning to show signs of fatigue.

Time passed, and it was evening.

The Soviet cargo ship has docked.

British customs inspectors at the port did not wait for the ship to be inspected.

A temporary air defense exercise organized by the British military led to the evacuation of all port staff.

No sooner had the port staff left than a fleet of trucks from Taishan Airlines drove into the port area and parked in the unloading area of ​​the dock.

Fang Wen got out of the car and walked over.

An officer also disembarked from the Soviet ship.

The officer said in broken Chinese, "I need to check the cargo certificate."

"I need to look at the things first," Fang Wen replied.

The officer waved to the ship behind him.

The tall sailor carried two wooden crates down and pried them open in front of Fang Wen, revealing 82mm and 132mm rockets inside.

Fang Wen picked up the rocket, looked at it, nodded, and gestured to Manager Sun beside him.

Manager Sun took out a receipt and had it checked by the officer.

The documents have special hidden marks that only the two parties to the transaction know.

After inspecting the goods, the officer said, "It's confirmed. Now please unload them. Also, I have another question: when can I receive the final payment?"

“Ten days from now, we will arrange your accommodation and meals for the next ten days,” Fang Wen replied.

The two shook hands, marking the end of the handover.

Then, the staff of Taishan began unloading the goods.

They carefully unloaded the boxes from the ship and loaded them onto the truck.

After all the goods were loaded onto the truck, Fang Wen left Manager Liu to arrange the living arrangements for the cargo ship's crew, and then boarded the truck to escort the goods away.

Because the vehicle was full of powerful rockets, Fang Wen dared not let his guard down.

He drove the first truck, leading the convoy to the airport.

Back at the airport, the boxes were not unpacked; they were all loaded onto an amphibious seaplane.

The rockets, weighing a total of 23 tons in boxes, would require 20 sorties to transport to the base in northern Myanmar.

Fortunately, Taishan has enough seaplanes in stock, so it wouldn't be a problem to get 20 of them to take off at the same time.

Therefore, all the rockets were loaded onto the aircraft and transported to the base in northern Myanmar in one go.

Once there, the rockets were unloaded and placed in a secure warehouse at the bomb factory.

Fang Wen then randomly selected one 82mm and one 132mm rocket and took them to the Taishan Research Institute for research.

If you want to study military weapons produced by other countries, the best way, without blueprints and data, is to disassemble them, understand their internal structure, and thus study their operating principles.

Fang Wen's method was simpler.

He can use his special abilities to deconstruct things.

In the basement of the research institute, Fang Wen put on his own special mechanical sensing helmet.

As he put on the helmet, he activated his superpower, using his mechanical perception vision to observe the rocket in front of him.

The first thing to be analyzed is the 82mm air-to-ground rocket.

With the added ability of X-ray vision, he penetrated the outer shell of the rocket and saw its internal structure.

Generally speaking, the Soviet-made rockets and the man-portable rockets developed by Taishan are structurally the same, consisting of a warhead, fuse, rocket engine, and stabilization device.

However, upon closer inspection, Fang Wen could still discern the difference between the two.

As the saying goes, details determine success or failure, and it is these differences that are the secret of Soviet rockets.

(A Soviet Il-15 biplane with an 82mm air-to-ground rocket mounted on it)
(End of this chapter)