Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 703 Intelligence Undercurrents, Rich People Fleeing Paris, Exorbitant Airfares (Part 1)

At Air Force headquarters in London, a major general is receiving a briefing on Fang Wen.

"According to the description of the 230 squadron leader and other pilots who participated in the air battle, he shot down 6 BF-109Es and one He-111. At the same time, other aircraft that were cooperating in the operation also worked together to destroy one He-111."

The major general was not surprised: "According to intelligence from MI6, he does indeed possess this ability."

"General, why don't we recruit him and have him join our air force?" the officer asked, puzzled.

The major general shook his head: "Compared to his personal capabilities, we need the equipment provided by Taishan Military Industry more. Especially wireless communication equipment. In the air battle at Dunkirk, we used this equipment to conduct real-time communication in the air, making our group operations more coordinated. Therefore, I hope to obtain the advanced military technology mastered by his military industrial enterprises."

The officer, unaware of this, exclaimed in surprise, "Those wireless devices were made by his company! This is indeed very important."

The major general pointedly said, "It's not just us who are interested in his technology; the Germans, the Soviets, the Japanese, and the Americans all want it. It won't be long before his military industry becomes very active."

Just as he said.

In this era, although radio technology had already developed devices that could make calls, those devices were too bulky to be installed in fighter jets.

The Taishan walkie-talkie, a lightweight communication technology device, has deviated from Fang Wen's original design intention. It is not only used for wireless communication by ground troops and special agents, but has also played a role in fighter jets.

How could any major military power not want it?
Even if we can't get it ourselves, we can't let the opposing forces get it.

Therefore, intelligence organizations from various countries, rife with undercurrents, have dispatched secret agents, disguised in various identities, traveling by ship or plane to British Burma in Asia, seeking opportunities to infiltrate Taishan Aviation or Taishan Military Industry.

6 month 2 day.

The war situation has changed.

The intensity of the German air raids on Dunkirk is decreasing.

The fighter jets were redirected to 72 airports and aviation facilities in mainland France, rear transportation hubs and military outposts, as well as supply lines behind the Maginot Line in Paris.

Clearly, the German army had abandoned the failed Dunkirk siege and chose to conquer the entire French territory before the French could regain their fighting spirit.

This massive air raid destroyed hundreds of fighter jets parked at French airfields, giving France air superiority.

6 month 3 day.

Army Group B advanced toward Dunkirk and captured the port, which had been abandoned by the Allies.

But at this point, only 3 French stragglers remained in the port, on the beach, and in the city, and they were all captured on the spot.

Subsequently, Army Group B advanced toward the Somme-Ammen direction.

Rommel's 7th Panzer Division was the first to cross the Somme River, break through the French defenses, and advance 20 kilometers that day.

Meanwhile, Army Group A, which had left Dunkirk ahead of schedule, launched a diversionary offensive along the Aisne River in preparation for the subsequent main attack on Paris.

(The German Red Plan after Dunkirk.)
In just two days, the situation in France has become serious again.

On the night of November 3th.

Three seaplanes are parked on the upper reaches of the Thames River in London.

Fang Wen arrived at the location by car with 101 pilots and Gong Xiuneng.

After getting off the car, the group walked directly to the riverbank.

Three pilots were also waiting by the river, one of whom was Lieutenant Colonel Hunter, who had exchanged gifts with Fang Wen in Ramsgate three days earlier.

Fang Wen smiled and walked over to shake hands with Lieutenant Colonel Hunter: "It's good to see you again so soon."

“Yes. I was given this night flight mission at the last minute, and I didn’t really want to take it, but when I heard it was you, I wasn’t worried anymore,” Lieutenant Colonel Hunter said happily.

"Where are you planning to land?" Fang Wen asked.

"The Seine River on the Île Saint Louis within the city. I will take off after dawn to pick up a group of people and return to London."

"Flying during the day would be very dangerous. What are your plans?"

"We are preparing to cross the English Channel from the Normandy region, where there should be no German warplanes."

As the two were talking, six people emerged from the cabin of a seaplane.

The leading officer introduced himself, "Hello Mr. Fang, I'm from MI6. On this flight, I hope to take a few of my colleagues to Paris as well."

The officer stepped aside to let the five men behind him come over.

“Sure, but I have one condition: tonight’s flight must be flown by one of my men,” Fang Wen replied.

The MI6 officer looked at Lieutenant Colonel Hunter, and after the latter nodded, he agreed to Fang Wen's request.

Immediately, the 108 people were divided into three teams and boarded three planes.

Fang Wen piloted one of the planes to take off first, followed by the other two.

With navigation lights on, the two aircraft maintained a safe distance and followed each other via radio communication, and the three aircraft flew south at a constant speed.

Three seaplanes in formation safely crossed the English Channel in the dark sky.

To the northwest below lies the Somme River defense line, where lights flicker continuously, indicating that German and French troops are still engaged in combat.

However, judging from the local battle zones, the French army had already suffered a crushing defeat.

Fang Wen couldn't help but sigh. Everyone said that the National Army was weak in combat, but compared with the French army, the National Army was much stronger.

In this state, the French army was simply unable to stop the German advance.

Clearing his mind, Fang Wen focused on driving.

Half an hour later, three seaplanes flew into the airspace near Paris.

Now that Paris is under German bombing and in a state of war, with searchlights constantly sweeping across the ground below, Fang Wen doesn't want to be mistakenly shot at by the anti-aircraft fire from below.

He circled around Paris with the plane behind him, while Lieutenant Colonel Hunt maintained contact with the ground.

After communicating and confirming that the air defense forces below knew the plane had landed, Fang Wen led his team into the city's airspace.

Soon, the plane arrived at the Île Saint-Louis section of the Seine, where a group of people had already gathered and two rows of lights had been set up on both sides of the river to guide them.

Three seaplanes landed one after another and docked on the riverbank of the island.

Fang Wen and the pilots disembarked, and Lieutenant Colonel Hunter stood at the cabin door waving to Fang Wen: "Goodbye."

Fang Wen waved goodbye and watched as the three planes turned around and headed towards St. Louis Island across the water.

Across the street, Île Saint-Louis is one of the areas with the highest property prices and rents in Paris. It is home to aristocrats, the wealthy, and social elites, and is considered an "independent living circle exclusively for local aristocrats and wealthy people from other places."

Now, after a day of bombing, a large number of wealthy people are anxiously waiting on the shore with their luggage, preparing to escape by seaplane.

Turning his gaze away, Fang Wen led the pilots along the river and up the steps.

Then I found a phone and called the Paris branch office.

When the call connected, a slightly panicked voice came through: "Hello, this is Taishan Airlines. Our services have been suspended."

"I am Fang Wen."

The employees who stayed behind exclaimed with delight, "General Manager, you're finally back!"

"How are our planes?" Fang Wen asked directly. "They're hidden in the company hangar. We've kept the doors closed and haven't let any outsiders in these past few days, so no one has noticed."

“Drive over and pick us up. On the north shore of St. Louis Island, bring several cars. We have 100 people.”

"Yes, general manager."

After the call ended, Fang Wen and his group waited by the roadside.

After a while, five trucks arrived.

The group climbed onto the truck and drove back to the branch office.

The hangar door inside the base was open, revealing a Huashan Type 1 passenger plane parked inside.

Fang Wen explained the situation to the pilots.

"This passenger plane can carry 30 passengers, as well as 1000 kilograms of luggage and cargo. If it's just carrying people, it can transport 50 people at a time. I plan to fly two times tonight to take you to Geneva."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "This kind of short takeoff is very difficult. It requires breaking the stall speed in an extremely short acceleration period to get into the air. Aviation school doesn't teach these things, but similar situations will occur when flying high-speed fighter jets in the future, such as: temporary grassy airfields, ship decks, damaged runways, etc. Although the specific operations of fighter jets and passenger planes are not the same, there are still some things that can be learned from each other. Now you can observe my operation and learn in advance."

His words turned this flight into a learning experience, greatly boosting the pilots' enthusiasm.

Immediately afterwards, 50 pilots followed Fang Wen into the cabin.

Fang Wen sat in the cockpit and adjusted the left pitch lever to "short takeoff mode" to ensure that the propeller continuously outputs high thrust during takeoff and to avoid power delay due to automatic pitch change (passenger aircraft are heavily loaded, and power delay can easily lead to insufficient takeoff distance).

Then he shouted, "Ten people in the front row, twenty in the middle, and twenty in the back! Don't let your center of gravity shift!"

Fifty pilots entered the cabin and took their seats as instructed by Fang Wen, causing the plane's center of gravity to shift slightly backward.

Gong Xiuneng went over and slammed the hatch shut.

Then, the engine was started and warmed up.

The moment the engine speed reached 2600 rpm, Fang Wen released the brake valve and adjusted the flaps to 30°.

The fuselage, with its center of gravity slightly rearward, taxied quickly on the runway.

As the speed continued to increase, the aircraft surprisingly broke through the stall speed during a short takeoff run.

Immediately, the fuselage pulled up and took off into the sky.

After the plane reached high altitude and flew smoothly, the pilots finally couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "It's flying!" "If the general manager can do it, we can too!"

Fang Wen smiled and said, "Go back and practice hard, you can do it too. You haven't mastered enough skills yet. The second half of the semester will not only be fulfilling for you, but also a challenge. Only those who persevere to the end can become excellent fighter pilots. Of course, don't be discouraged if you can't reach that level yet. Your physical fitness is very good, and you will still have opportunities to improve in the future. Moreover, the battlefield needs more than just high-speed fighter pilots. Other types of aircraft are also important. Don't limit yourself to one branch of service. As long as you can fight the Japanese, that's fine."

The pilots seemed to be deep in thought as they listened to Fang Wen's words.

After accompanying Fang Wen on his trip to Europe, they witnessed the air powerhouses of Britain and Germany and participated in combat zone flights. Although they did not fly fighter jets, it still gave them a lot of insights.

These experiences and fighting spirit are invaluable and require time to absorb and consolidate.

One hour and twenty minutes later, the plane arrived over Geneva.

Because it is a neutral country, the scene here is completely different.

There were no refugees or troops around, and the area around the airport was very quiet.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone and called out, "This is a temporary passenger plane from Taishan Airlines, requesting to land."

Inside the airport below, dispatchers were talking to staff at Mount Tai. Upon hearing the call, they replied directly: "Requesting permission. Please land after the runway indicator lights illuminate."

A moment later, the runway lights below came on. Fang Wen adjusted his position, lowered his altitude, and landed on the runway.

After the 50 passengers disembarked, he immediately took off and flew back to Paris, where he also took the other half of the pilots to Geneva.

After completing two flights, it was already 5 a.m.

The night passed just like that.

Afterwards, Fang Wen rested for 3 hours in his dormitory at the residence before getting up feeling refreshed.

Gong Xiu, who was in the outer room, opened his eyes upon hearing the noise, yawned, and said, "Commander, you're really made of iron, getting up so early."

"You go back to sleep, I'll go out and take a look."

"No, I have to go with you." Gong Xiuneng immediately forgot his fatigue and sat up from the bed.

His attitude was so resolute that Fang Wen knew he couldn't be persuaded and could only agree.

The two left the dormitory, got into a car, and drove away from the branch office.

It's already past 8 a.m.

Most of the residents in the city had already gotten up, but their faces showed fewer smiles and more worry about the future.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced the sky—an air raid siren—instantly shattering the tranquility of the morning.

Parisians, who had already endured a round of air raids, fled in panic, some going home and others to air-raid shelters.

Gong Xiuneng shouted nervously, "Commander, let's get off the vehicle and find a place to hide nearby."

"You can't get off the bus," Fang Wen said calmly.

He activated his superpower, becoming one with the car.

Although the range of perception gained through this fusion is smaller than that of an airplane, it still exceeds the upper limit of human observation.

Three Ju-88 bombers flew in formation overhead. Under the power of supernatural observation, the bomb bay doors under the wings could be seen slowly opening, revealing black bomb heads.

From this angle, it can be determined that this is where the bomber landed after dropping its bombs.

Fang Wen's heart tightened. Ahead, there were crowds of people fleeing the bombing everywhere. If the car drove forward, it would definitely not be able to get out before the bombs were dropped.

He jerked the steering wheel, and the car turned around and drove back. The engine power suddenly increased to maximum, and the wheels spun rapidly as it headed towards the branch office.

Behind the car, aerial bombs fell one after another, and houses collapsed in the flames of the explosions.

Seeing this, Fang Wen understood that there was not much time left before they had to leave Paris.

He slowed down and waited for the bombers to fly away before turning around and driving back.

The car drove to the city center and stopped in front of Pierre's residence.

Fang Wen got out of the car, walked straight to the door, and knocked.

The door didn't open, but a sound came from Fang Wen's feet.

"Fang, we're in the basement. Come down from the left."

Fang Wen looked to his left and saw a set of steps leading down. He then went down the steps.

After walking up the zigzagging steps, Fang Wen met Pierre at the entrance to the basement of the house.

His family had already been sent away, and the Frenchmen hiding in the basement were the ones who were preparing to leave with him on a secret flight.

Among them were not only the technical experts recruited by Fang Wen and their families, but also some wealthy people willing to pay high prices to leave.

(End of this chapter)