Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 604 Technology for Equipment Deal, Meeting Point in Lanzhou City

After a flight of more than two hours.

Fang Wen piloted the plane to the airspace over Lanzhou.

Because prior communication had been made with the local Soviet aid-to-China flight team via telegram, the aircraft did not encounter the Il-16 as before, but instead communicated directly with the ground airport tower before landing.

The amphibious gunboat landed on the airport runway, came to a stop, and, guided by ground crew, turned into the parking area.

The cabin door opened, and Fang Wen stepped off the plane, where he was immediately greeted with a warm welcome.

One of the flight officers shook Fang Wen's hand: "On behalf of Kulichenko and the bomber squadron, I thank you for your help. You saved five families."

"It was a coincidence that they were able to land safely; luck played a part too. I can't guarantee they'd succeed if they tried again," Fang Wen replied with a smile.

Clearly, news of what happened not long ago has reached Lanzhou, since it is the location of the Soviet Air Force Command in China.

They were eager to know the details of the DB-3 bomber's forced landing, so they strongly urged Fang Wenxian to visit the Air Force Command in China.

Seeing this, Fang Wen did not refuse and followed the Soviet officers over, recounting the whole incident.

The officers were astonished when they learned that the communication method used to assist the airdrop was a walkie-talkie that Fang Wen had thrown directly from the air into the cockpit of the bomber.

This kind of operation is practically impossible to replicate.

However, there are lessons to be learned regarding how to respond and adjust after a failure in one engine.

After two hours, the impromptu meeting was completed. The officers left the meeting room, leaving only a man in a sharp dark gray suit with silver-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.

He walked up to Fang Wen and extended his hand.

"Hello, I am Major Petrov, in charge of facilitating this transaction."

"Hello. May I ask who you are and which department you belong to?" Fang Wen shook hands with him and asked.

"ГГлавноеРазведывательноеУправление".

Petrov replied in Russian, a phrase that is difficult to translate.

But Fang Wen understood what it meant.

In Chinese, it's called the General Intelligence Bureau. If you use the first letters of the phrase, ГРУ, it can also be called "GRU".

It was the Soviet Union's military intelligence department, subordinate to the General Staff.

According to Fang Wen's understanding, the Soviet Union had two intelligence agencies at that time.

One is the State Security Bureau, currently headed by Beria, which has established a "Bureau to Eliminate Spies" and is conducting a nationwide counter-espionage operation.

The other was the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff, which was Petrov's unit; this was a military intelligence agency.

Unexpectedly, this department was put in charge of an arms deal.

Fang Wen, however, felt that this was an opportunity to build a bridge of communication with him, as he might need this connection in the future.

As they shook hands, Petrov spoke:
"I had long heard that Mr. Fang's flying skills were nothing short of miraculous, and seeing them today, I can attest that they are indeed well-deserved. In such a critical situation, he not only landed safely himself but also helped five DB-3 bombers escape danger. His courage and ability are truly admirable."

Fang Wen smiled and nodded in response, withdrawing his hand: "Mr. Petrov, you flatter me. I was just doing my duty as a pilot."

"Let's get down to business. The Mosin-Nagant rifle and 7.62mm bullet production line, along with the supporting production materials, have already arrived in Lanzhou. According to the previous agreement, you need to provide the relevant technical data on the rockets, as well as $5 in payment."

Fang Wen nodded. The other party's price had not changed; the extra $50,000 was for the purchase of production materials.

"I need to see the actual product."

"Okay, please follow me."

Major Petrov stood up and left the conference room with Fang Wen.

They arrived at the military camp next to the airport. The goods were stored in the camp's warehouse and guarded by two Soviet soldiers.

Upon seeing Petrov approach, the soldiers raised their hands in salute and made way for him.

Petrov pushed open the iron gate.

As you walk in, it explains: "The production line is divided into two parts: a rifle assembly line and a bullet production line. Both are simply packaged to prevent damage during transportation."

Fang Wen followed closely behind, his gaze instantly drawn to the equipment before him—three rows of dark green metal racks were neatly arranged, their surfaces still covered with a dust-proof oil film from the transport process. The gears, conveyor belts, and stamping dies on the racks looked quite new, and some key components were individually packaged in wooden crates with the Russian label "Precision Instruments, Handle with Care" printed on them.

Next to the outermost set of equipment, several Soviet technicians were using wrenches to adjust the position of components.

Hearing footsteps, they stopped what they were doing, turned to look at Petrov, and continued working when they saw that he had not asked them to stop.

“This is the rifle assembly line, which can assemble 15 Mosin-Nagant M1891/30 rifles per hour, including the complete process of barrel cutting, bolt adjustment and wooden stock fitting.” Petrov pointed to the scale on the frame. “We have made special improvements to adapt to your domestic wood specifications, so there is no need to modify the stock processing module.”

Fang Wen squatted down, his fingers brushing over the equipment. The cool metallic touch revealed fine lines—this was brand new equipment, fresh from the factory, with no signs of wear.

He got up and walked to the bullet production line, inspecting the cartridge case pressing machine, primer assembly table, and bullet casting machine. On the shelves next to him were boxes of brass plates and propellant raw materials. The lid of the box was opened to reveal pale yellow propellant granules, which emitted a faint sulfur smell.

Petrov explained, "The supporting production materials are sufficient to support three months of full-capacity production, including 10 tons of brass, 5 tons of lead alloy, and 2 tons of propellant."

Petrov then handed over a list, with the specifications and quantities of various materials marked in both Russian and Chinese. "We also brought three technicians who will be responsible for equipment debugging to ensure that the production line can operate normally."

Fang Wen took the list, quickly glanced through it, and his gaze lingered on the "Spare Parts" section—which listed more than 20 kinds of easily damaged parts, from gears to springs, each with its quantity indicated. He looked up at Petrov: "Are the primer formula for the bullets and the copper armor plating process for the projectiles included in the technical data?"

“Of course.” Petrov pulled a kraft paper folder from his pocket. “This is the production line’s operation manual and technical parameters. It contains detailed data on the mercury fulminate ratio of the primer and the compression pressure of the warhead. Your workers can operate it independently after two weeks of training with the technicians.”

Fang Wen opened the folder. The drawings inside were printed using the cyanotype process, with clear lines and key parts marked in red.

Soviet technology and equipment have always been characterized by their ruggedness and practicality, with relatively simple structures, making them easier to learn than those from Europe and America.

He flipped to the last page, made sure nothing was missing, and closed the folder. "I've checked, the equipment and materials are fine, they meet the agreement requirements. We can proceed with the transaction." Petrov smiled, glanced at his watch, and said, "Then we can arrange the handover of the technical data and payment. The command center's secure room is ready. The rocket-related data needs to be personally verified by our experts. Once confirmed, we will issue a receipt."

Fang Wen nodded, his gaze sweeping over the production line again—these machines would be key to the domestic production of rifles and bullets, greatly alleviating the supply pressure on the front lines.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart: "Let's go, to the confidential room."

The two turned and walked out of the fence, the barbed wire closing gently behind them.

The secure room is located on the basement floor of the command building.

In the next room was a diesel generator that provided basic electricity to the Soviets.

Accompanied by a buzzing sound, Fang Wen and his group entered the confidential room next door.

The room was dimly lit, with only two electric lights hanging in the center. Under the warm yellow light, three Soviet officers in military uniforms were waiting there.

"Please sit down." Petrov gestured for Fang Wen to sit on one side of the long table, while he himself walked to the opposite side and spoke a few words in hushed tones with the three officers.

Then, one of the tall, thin officers stood up and pushed his briefcase in front of Fang Wen: "Mr. Fang, according to the agreement, please show us the technical data of the rockets. We need to verify them one by one."

Fang Wen took out a sealed kraft paper bag from his canvas bag, the opening of which was stamped with red sealing wax. He tore off the wax, took out a stack of neatly bound drawings and documents, and pushed them in front of the other person: "This includes my design for an improved rocket launcher, as well as tail fin stabilization design parameters and data reports."

The tall, thin officer took the blueprints and, together with his companion, flipped through them page by page.

Under the lamplight, they occasionally used pencils to calculate data on draft paper, and sometimes whispered a few words in Russian.

Fang Wen sat to the side, waiting quietly.

The Soviet Union could actually produce these technical documents using its own technological capabilities.

However, it will be delayed for a while; I am simply bringing it forward.

While waiting, he silently pondered: the transaction was definitely not a problem, but how to transport these supplies to Yan'an?
Lanzhou was the location of the headquarters of the Eighth War Zone of the National Army. The surrounding counties of Dingxi, Yuzhong, Huining, and Jingning were all under the jurisdiction of the Kuomintang local administrative offices. The troops stationed there, including the 80th Army and the 165th Division of the National Army, as well as local security regiments, firmly controlled the Xi'an-Lanzhou Highway, which led eastward from Lanzhou to Shaanxi.

The most convenient way to transport goods is to take them from Xi'an to Xi'an via the Xi'an-Lanzhou Highway, and then transfer them from Xi'an to Yan'an.

However, this road is a core passage connecting two major strategic cities in the Northwest, and also a key route for the National Army's material transportation and troop movements. There are multiple checkpoints along the way, making it very difficult to transport supplies to Yan'an unnoticed.

However, the situation has changed somewhat. The Kuomintang is starting to make moves against the Communists again, making secret transportation essential.

What if we don't take the New Zealand Highway?

You can pass through Pingliang and Qingyang.

These areas are located at the throat of Shaanxi and Gansu. The Kuomintang deployed the 3rd Army and the 17th Army here, on the one hand to prevent the Japanese army from infiltrating westward from Shanxi and Henan, and on the other hand to form a "monitoring" posture for the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region to the south.

It is also possible that the information could not be kept confidential.

Further north lies the territory of the Ma Clique, which is also a problem.

Fang Wen couldn't help but get a headache.

From his perspective, this matter is very difficult, and it seems that it will have to be resolved by people in Yan'an.

"Is the data on the burning rate of the propellant for your Taishan-made rockets accurate?" Suddenly, the tall, thin officer looked up and asked in broken Chinese, pointing to a set of data on the drawing. "According to our experiments, the burning rate at this temperature should be 0.3 millimeters per second higher than the stated value."

Fang Wen wrote all the technical documents, so he knew what they were without even looking at them. He then replied, "You are referring to experimental data under standard conditions, but our propellant has a small amount of stabilizer added to reduce burning rate fluctuations under high-temperature conditions. This data was measured in a simulated battlefield environment at 45°C, which is more in line with actual combat needs."

"Could you sell us the propellant formula?" the tall, thin officer asked.

Fang Wen replied with a smile, "I don't think it's necessary. Your existing rockets have already reached a certain standard. Making any changes would involve the entire industrial chain. Do you really think you would make a lot of improvements to the propulsion system just for a little bit of efficiency improvement?"

His reply, given as a manager of a military-industrial enterprise, stunned the two technical officers.

It seems that's really the case.

Immediately, the two officers stopped considering this and continued to examine the subsequent technical data.

Half an hour later, they finally finished checking all the information. The tall, thin officer signed his name on the receipt list and stamped it with the GRU seal: "The information is complete, the data is accurate, and it meets the requirements of the agreement."

Seeing this, Petrov took out a stamped receipt from his briefcase, filled it out on the spot, and pushed it in front of Fang Wen: "This is the receipt. After the transaction is completed, the equipment can still be stored in the military warehouse, and the accompanying technical personnel will also stay here until you pick up the goods and leave. They will go with you. But you must guarantee their safety and living conditions."

Fang Wen nodded and took out a receipt stamped with Taishan Military Industry, which he handed to the other party, thus completing the transaction.

After the transaction was completed, Fang Wen did not take delivery of the goods immediately; the supplies were temporarily stored with the Soviets.

He led Gong Xiuneng away from the Soviet area and into Lanzhou city.

Once inside the city, the streets became noticeably more crowded.

On the blue brick and tile houses of Dongguan Street, red banners with the slogan "Resist Japan and Save the Nation" are hung. The shop doors below the banners are half-closed, and grocery store clerks lean against the door, shouting their wares. The aroma of mutton stew wafts from the halal restaurant on the street corner.

Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng strolled along the street.

In front of Yulong Trading Company, several Soviet merchants were haggling with the shopkeeper in broken Chinese. The goods they were offering were woolen overcoats.
Not far away, a group of children surrounded a stall selling roasted potatoes at the base of a wall. This cheap snack was a favorite among children, but few of them actually had the money to buy it.

One of the chubby kids bought a skewer, held it up happily, and instantly became the leader of the children, leading them to run across the street.

At this moment, Fang Wen also saw his target.

It's a noodle shop, and business is booming.

On the door panel placed to the right of the storefront, someone had drawn the image of a bird in white lime.

Fang Wen knew very well that the bird was a shrike.

He and the underground party agreed to use the shrike pattern as a secret code for communication.

(End of this chapter)