Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 551 'Assault Pill': The Japanese Soldier's Frenzied Drug Use, Tokyo Yoshida in Action
Having made his judgment, Fang Wen put down the medicine and said with a serious expression, "It's a kind of drug, probably a stimulant or something. The Japanese take it when they're fighting to stimulate themselves, forget their fear, and become more warlike."

Bai Yunfei was very surprised: "Could it be that the Japanese devils relied on this kind of drug to fight the war!"

"Not all of them, after all, I haven't figured out the value of the drug yet. If it's cheap to produce and can be used on a large scale on the battlefield, it would be very dangerous for us."

Fang Wen responded solemnly and told Bai Yunfei that he would investigate the matter when he got back.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the Fuping Water Airport was bustling with activity.

Three hundred students recruited from various counties in the base area departed from their accommodations in the county towns and arrived at the sea airport one after another.

Most of them were young people around twenty years old, both men and women, carrying backpacks, their faces showing a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

"Brother Zhu, how far are we going?" A girl with braided pigtails tugged at the sleeve of the young man beside her, her eyes fixed on the seaplane moored on the river.

The young man called Zhu Zi scratched his head: "I heard from Officer Wang of the county brigade that these iron birds can fly all the way south in one go. Didn't you see it when we flew here the day before yesterday? The county town was gone in a flash, faster than a train!"

Although these people were selected based on their cultural knowledge, most of them had never left their hometowns since childhood, and they were bound to experience emotional fluctuations when they were about to leave.

In response, several publicity officers clarified the matter for everyone.

They were all soldiers who were seriously wounded in battle or ill and unable to continue fighting. They were assigned to leave the army and work in the rear in local areas.

Having been through the baptism of war, they appeared exceptionally calm, which soothed the emotions of the students.

One of the propaganda officers, missing his right arm, straightened his back and said to the young men around him, "Back in Pingxingguan, it was the Taishan Independent Regiment's fighter planes that cooperated with us to wipe out all the planes and Japanese soldiers at the airport. When you go south, you must study hard and work hard, strive to build more planes and artillery, and let us teach those little devils a lesson."

His words drew a chorus of agreement.

And this time.

At the temporary registration desk set up near the airport, staff from the Taishan recruitment team were calling out names one by one from the roster.

Fang Shouxin, wearing glasses, adjusted his frames and raised his voice, shouting, "Comrades from the Third Division of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region, proceed to machine number one; those from the Fourth Division, proceed to machine number two. Take your time, don't push!"

Suddenly, a commotion arose at the back of the line. It turned out that an elderly woman carrying a bundle was trying to squeeze onto the plane, but was stopped by the staff.

"My second son is serving in the army in Henan, and I haven't seen him for three years!" the old woman said, wiping away tears. "I heard this plane can take me to see my son."

Seeing this, Fang Wen quickly walked over and explained softly, "Auntie, we're going to a military factory in Myanmar, not Henan. Besides, Henan has already fallen. The troops there have either been defeated or retreated to various places. You won't be able to find them even if you go."

Others also persuaded the old man, and they finally convinced him to leave.

Looking at the old man's lonely figure, Fang Wen sighed. There were countless families like this across China. The soldiers of the Eighth Route Army, the soldiers of the Seventh Division who temporarily evaded the Japanese army, and the millions of Chinese sons and daughters who fought against the Japanese army—weren't they all leaving their hometowns to fight against the invaders?

There are too many; he can't manage them all.

Then, boarding began.

Many young people were so nervous that they were sweating profusely.

A timid girl stepped onto the airplane buoy using the footboard. As the buoy rose and fell slightly, she almost lost her balance, but thankfully, two female companions helped her up from either side.

Those students who had already entered the cabin placed their luggage on the ground, some sitting on the benches on either side, while others simply sat on the ground.

Once the last aircraft had boarded, ten seaplanes took off one after another, gliding across the river.

As the plane climbed, discomfort occurred in various cabins. Students who were airsick turned pale, and the crew quickly distributed the prepared airsickness medication.

Gradually, everyone got used to parting, and many people looked down through the portholes.

That was the place where generations of ancestors had lived, yet it flew by at high speed.

A young man murmured to himself: "Departing from Baidi City amidst colorful clouds at dawn, I return to Jiangling, a thousand miles away, in a single day."

Although it is a Tang poem, it takes on a new meaning at this moment.

"Returning to Jiangling in a single day from a thousand miles away" is the most normal speed for an airplane, even faster than described in ancient poems.

Inside the main control unit, Fang Wen was fully focused on piloting the aircraft.

The lives of hundreds of people on 10 planes were in his hands, so caution was essential.

Thanks to the radar early warning system, he did not detect any trace of the aircraft within a 300-kilometer radius, which was the best-case scenario.

Once we cross the Yellow River and pick up the students from Yan'an, the rest of the voyage will be safe.

An hour later, the flight team arrived at Yan'an Airport and landed on the runway.

The recruitment team members, who were already waiting at the airport, and the staff members who were assisting with the recruitment came over with the student workers recruited here.

Fang Wen disembarked, and the head of the working group explained the situation. "We recruited 400 people in Yan'an, far exceeding our expectations."

400 people? Fang Wen wondered.

The Taishan transport plane, converted from a civilian seaplane, originally had 25 seats.

But the actual carrying capacity is far more than 25 seats. During the transfer of refugees from Nanjing, there were planes carrying 80 people each.

It mainly depends on how much luggage you bring.

He communicated with the head of the Yan'an recruitment team and asked him to explain to the students.

"There's something I need to announce: the company will be responsible for all the students' food, clothing, accommodation, and transportation. They'll have beds and bedding, and work clothes. You don't need to bring any other stuff; just bring some daily necessities. This way, the plane will have space to transport them. Otherwise, we'll have to split them into two batches, and the next batch might not arrive for another month."

After hearing his words, the students in Yan'an put down the items they had brought and piled them up.

Meanwhile, the students on the plane also took their luggage off the plane and piled it into another pile.

The staff registered all the items they left behind and will compensate the students after they arrive in Myanmar, according to the registration information.

Without luggage, there is enough space inside the plane, and the weight capacity is not a problem at all.

Subsequently, the two groups of students were reassigned to airplanes and boarded again.

The planes took off from Yan'an, formed a flight formation, and flew south.

Each plane had 70 people, filling the cabin floor to capacity.

Fang Wen piloted the plane while observing the situation in the rear cabin.

The students were in low spirits due to the overcrowding.

In a high-altitude, enclosed, and somewhat crowded space, it is easy for people to lose control of their emotions.

Fang Wen was a little worried; he didn't want the students to have any psychological trauma before the program even started.

Just then, a student began humming a song. The familiar melody was often sung in the base area, and the student workers couldn't help but join in, singing along softly.

This is indeed a good way to ease the tension among students and staff, Fang Wen said, picking up the microphone.

"Attention all staff, you can organize the students to sing or tell some interesting stories to try to keep their emotions stable."

Upon receiving Fang Wen's order, the crew members of each aircraft began to organize activities on board.

The effect was quite good. Fang Wen listened to the status of each machine, and bursts of singing came from the wireless equipment.

"My home is on the Songhua River in Northeast China... When will I be able to return to my beloved hometown?"

"We are on the Taihang Mountains, where the mountains are high and the forests are dense, and our soldiers are strong and our horses are powerful." As the song played, the students' emotions gradually calmed down.

Six hours later, the flight team left the border and entered Myanmar.

The half-hour layover in several places was spent transiting and landing in Sichuan. In order to avoid being discovered by the Nationalist government, the flight team did not land at the Chengdu Logistics Headquarters, but instead chose the Leshan section of the logistics sea airport.

Subsequently, all 10 aircraft of the flight team landed at the airport at the base in northern Myanmar.

The remaining tasks were left to the administration department and the base's logistics management department.

Fang Wenze and Gong Xiuneng left first and returned to Yangon.

He still had the bottle of medicine on his mind, and as soon as he returned to Yangon, he began to investigate the matter in his own way.

After receiving the telegram, the Shanghai station and Paris branch of Taishan Intelligence in China began to take action.

The investigation took two days and yielded some results.

Two coded telegrams were sent back.

Fang Wen read the telegram in his office.

European branch secret telegram:
[According to investigation: In 36, a German medical expert discovered a drug called methamphetamine. It had the effect of relieving fatigue, and Germany subsequently developed the amphetamine-type stimulant "Pervitin." According to our intelligence, Pervitin is being mass-produced and is expected to be distributed in large quantities to German soldiers.]

[Furthermore, intelligence indicates that this type of drug formula has already entered Japan, and the drugs being used by the Japanese army are of the same substance.]

Germany is also using this medicine!

Fang Wen was astonished. Did the Axis powers in World War II really use drugs to enhance their combat power?!

He then read the coded telegrams from the Shanghai intelligence station:

[It was learned through clandestine channels that this type of drug has different names; in the army it is called "Assault Pill," and in the air force it is called "Air Strike Pill."]

These medications were typically distributed in pill form, allocated by the Japanese Army Headquarters, and distributed to frontline units and the air force.

The Japanese Navy also possesses similar drugs, but due to a lack of supply channels, their availability is currently unknown.

This drug is frequently used by soldiers on relentless marches day and night, and by airmen on long-duration flights, to combat fatigue.

[It was also used in direct combat. This drug could induce extreme excitement in soldiers, allowing them to go without sleep for days and nights, and greatly increasing their aggression and reaction speed. However, it also made them extremely irritable. Some Japanese soldiers, after taking it, experienced a near-manic state, becoming even more aggressive on the battlefield.]

After reading the two secret telegrams, Fang Wen's expression turned cold and indifferent.

After using the medication, the user can remain tireless for a period of time, eliminating fear and maintaining excitement.

It can even drive users into a state of madness, rendering them irrational and causing more destruction in the war.

Now that I know about this factor, I must stop it no matter what.

If we could find a factory that could mass-produce it, and then destroy that factory, it would also reduce the Japanese army's combat power to some extent.

However, such factories must be highly confidential, and it is impossible for external intelligence channels to know about them.

Fang Wen decided to contact his chess piece Yoshida in Japan.

Tokyo.

Having just finished his work at the Ministry of the Navy, Yoshida, as usual, had a couple of drinks at an izakaya before packing food to take home.

After returning home, he sat there blankly, entering a state of inexplicable emptiness.

His daytime work was so boring, and the despicable war of aggression disgusted him.

Since becoming a spy for the mysterious Chinese organization, his ideology has been gradually changing.

He had tried to make contact with the Communists in Tokyo, but their flamboyant words and actions made him afraid to reveal his identity further.

A spy is destined to carefully protect his identity and wait for orders.

After sitting for a while, he opened the food box and finished his dinner.

Then, at fixed time intervals, they would take out the hidden telegraph machine and start sending messages.

The modified Type 12 prototype will have its test flight in a week, and as the section chief of the Equipment Department of the Ministry of the Navy, I have been invited to attend.

After sending the telegram, he put on his headset and answered the reply call.

Most of the time, there were no calls back, but he had gotten used to this rhythm.

Suddenly, a static sound came through the headset, and Yoshida quickly began taking notes.

He then proceeded to translate the coded telegram.

Investigate the source of the drug called "Assault Tablets" and locate its manufacturing plant.

After reading the telegram, Yoshida took out a matchbox, pulled out a match, and lit the paper.

After the flames burned the paper to ashes, he packed everything up and left his residence for an izakaya frequented by high-ranking military officers in Tokyo.

Only officers of his rank and civilian personnel in the military are allowed to go there, and it's also the best place to gather intelligence.

Upon entering the izakaya, the sociable Yoshida was immediately welcomed and pulled into a drinking party with an army member.

These kinds of drinking parties, which aren't part of a formal system, are the best way to see a person's network of connections. It's quite rare for a naval officer to have a good relationship with the army.

After taking a couple of drinks, Yoshida said to himself, "I just received a fleet supply request report that requires a large amount of 'air strike pills.' As a traditional soldier, I despise the use of war drugs."

These words resonated with senior army officers:
"Yes. Those who take 'Assault Pills' are cowards, betraying the spirit of Bushido."

“Soldiers and officers who can use this drug are more effective in war. The military wants results, not Bushido.”

"Now more and more drug application reports are being sent to the military headquarters, and every unit is vying for this drug. No matter how we look at it, it has become a fact."

Yoshida nodded: "Yes. The Navy is the same. With so many demands, can the factories meet them?"

"It's not enough. The workers in the pharmaceutical factory have been given 'blitz pills' and are being made to work overtime tirelessly to produce them, but even that can't meet the army's needs."

“The production capacity of domestic factories is definitely not enough, but a factory has also been built in North Korea, which is larger than the one in China. It is more convenient to transport goods directly to the war zone from there than from China.”

"Really? This is the first time I've heard of this." Yoshida didn't press for the specific address of the North Korean factory, because if it were attacked, he would become a suspect.

He then excused himself and went to a naval drinking party.

There, he and his colleagues clinked glasses, making the atmosphere even more lively.

An hour later, the officers, completely drunk, lay sprawled on the floor.

Yoshida then raised his wine glass and spoke in a low voice to an officer in charge of drug procurement and distribution.

The drunken officer, in a daze, revealed what he knew about the North Korean factory.

Having obtained the information he wanted without anyone knowing, Yoshida considered his mission accomplished. He immediately sobered up and got up to leave.

(End of this chapter)