Republic of China: Ace Pilot

November 6st

The French troops, assembled overnight, set off from Paris toward Melu.

In an effort to give the city's residents hope and confidence, announcements about the army's offensive were broadcast on the radio.

The announcer, speaking in French with a high-spirited and excited voice, declared: "At this moment, our army has departed from Paris and is advancing towards Melu! Carrying the banner of Lafayette, bearing the glory of Verdun in their hearts, and shouldering the mission of protecting Mother France and Paris, they are heading to the battlefield! We will be victorious!"

Pedestrians hurry along the streets of Paris, listening to news broadcasts on 'Zhongxing Semiconductor Radios' made in Taishan.

Some people stopped and turned the radio volume up to the maximum so that everyone around them could hear it.

Hope is quietly rising in the city.

At 11:00 a.m., French troops arrived in Melu.

The town was quiet; there was no attack.

As a precaution, the French troops stopped outside the city and prepared to send a small detachment to scout.

At that moment, some people came out of the town.

With countless gun barrels aimed at him, the man trembled as he raised his hand: "Don't shoot! I'm the head of the Melu Telegraph Office. The Germans are gone."

Soldiers immediately rushed over and brought him out.

After some questioning, it was learned that the German tank unit had left Melu and headed towards Tire.

Although Thilete held a vital passage from Paris to the war zone, the French army did not launch an offensive there.

They planned to build fortifications in the Melu area to deal with the German tank forces' attack.

And this time.

The German 7th Tank Division, however, under Rommel's leadership, advanced westward.

His target was Rouen on the lower reaches of the Seine.

This step meant that the 7th Tank Division would be deployed alone deep behind enemy lines in France.

However, once they successfully control the Rouen area, they can replicate Guderian's previous Ardennes blitzkrieg tactics and cut off the retreat routes of the French 9th Corps and the British 51st Division once again.

And at the same time.

Army Group A launched an offensive along a 150-kilometer-wide front.

Guderian's 19th Panzer Corps broke through the French defenses and outflanked the Maginot Line from the southwest.

If the German army completes this deployment, it will form a second ring of blitzkrieg encirclement tactics.

Separate Paris from the troops in the north and east!

At that time, Paris became an isolated city and had no choice but to evacuate to the southern mountains.

The headquarters of Taishan Airlines Paris branch.

Gong Xiuneng knocked on the bedroom door from outside.

"Commander, I have something important to report to you."

Fang Wen opened his eyes as he lay in bed. Although he had only slept for 3 hours, he had already regained his full energy.

He sat up and opened the door.

Gong Xiuneng and Pierre were outside the door.

"Pierre, what is it?"

"We just received news that the army has assembled overnight and is marching towards Melu. Also, the radio stations in Paris are broadcasting this all the time, saying that they are going to defeat the German army."

Fang Wen pondered this.

Historically, the French army has essentially never been able to turn the tide.

Even without looking at history, based on Fang Wen's observations over this period, the French army was inferior to the German army in many aspects, including strategy, tactics, equipment, and morale.

There was simply no way to continue the fight.

Pushing aside his thoughts, he asked Pierre.

"Any news from Lenegru?"

"Not yet, he's at the telegraph office in the city waiting for a reply."

Fang Wen looked at Gong Xiuneng: "Go and gather all our people, except for the security personnel on duty, to the company conference room for a meeting."

"Yes." Gong Xiu was able to leave.

Pierre also took his leave.

Half an hour later, the branch office staff who remained in Paris, except for those under security, all came to the conference room.

Fang Wen stated bluntly, “The situation is becoming increasingly dangerous, and the night flights will be suspended after tonight’s flights. All Asian staff will board tonight for Geneva and take our own flight to Yangon tomorrow. As for the European staff, I don’t recommend staying in Paris. I have two options: either go to Geneva or go to Asia. Okay, you can make your decision now.”

After he finished speaking, one of the company's mechanics acted as a registration staff member to record everyone's choices.

All the Asian employees are Chinese, so they had no difficulty choosing and all registered to return home.

The situation with employees in Europe is more complicated.

Some wanted to go to Geneva, some preferred to stay in Paris, and a few went to Asia.

Fang Wen had already given them a hint and did not participate in their choice.

After the registration was completed, the mechanic came over with a piece of paper and explained the situation: "General Manager, the European employees have made a request: can they bring their families?"

"Yes, immediate family members can fly to Geneva, and the company will take care of their accommodation."

Fang Wen's arrangement made the employees who wanted to stay in Paris hesitate, and three more chose to leave.

The meeting ended there, and the employees were temporarily divided into shifts. Some continued working, while others prepared to leave. They would switch shifts when they were done.

3pm.

A car drove up to the location of Taishan Airlines branch.

Because several cars were stopped ahead waiting to be allowed to enter, the people in the cars simply got out and walked across.

After their passes were checked, the two were allowed to enter.

The two were taken to the second floor of the office building, outside Fang Wen's office.

Gong Xiuneng, who was guarding outside the door, glanced at the newcomer and went inside to report: "The appraisal expert has returned, and he brought an old man with him."

"Let them in." Fang Wen, who was reviewing the employee departure and arrival records, put down the records and stood up.

Gong Xiu opened the door and let the two in, then stood guard beside Fang Wen.

René Greu introduced him, saying, "This is Eric Shaw, the director of our Guimet Museum."

Fang Wen shook hands with him and led the two to sit facing each other on the sofa.

Eric Shaw spoke up, saying, “After declaring war on Germany last September, we were considering how to prevent our collection from being damaged in the war. So, before the end of the year, we quietly moved the museum’s collection out of Paris and to another location. This decision seemed to be the right one; the German bombing had no effect on the collection. But we did not expect that the Germans could reach Paris in such a short time. Therefore, we had to move those artworks a second time.”

In response, Fang Wen asked, "Why not use your military's planes for transportation?" The curator shook his head: "They want to surrender. If they really surrender, these collections will be given to the Germans as reparations from the defeated side. I absolutely cannot allow that to happen. As for you, you have nothing to do with this war, and you have the planes we need. Therefore, after discussion, we agreed to your request."

Fang Wen smiled and said, "Alright, what are your specific arrangements?"

Eric Shaw hesitated for a moment, but decided to say it here: "Our collection is stored in several places, and it's impossible to transport them all by air. Therefore, air transport will only take place in one place. That place is called Chambord Castle. You will need to load the collection from Chambord Castle and then fly south. Our people will inform you of the specific flight destination after takeoff, and you must ensure that you remain in the cockpit after the plane lands."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "I know this request is unreasonable, but it's entirely for the sake of secrecy."

Fang Wen maintained his smile: "I know Chambord Castle. It's about 150 kilometers southwest of Paris, on the Loire River. I once flew there to attend a wedding. If that's the case, I suggest using a seaplane for transport; the Loire River is a great landing spot."

Eric Shaw exclaimed with delight, "That's even better! When can we start here?"

Fang Wen glanced at his wristwatch.

“It’s already 3:30 pm, and I’m afraid even if I fly over there, I won’t have time. I think you should use this time to prepare the landing site. A 500-meter-long, flat, hard-surface runway, or a river or body of water at least 20 meters wide would be fine. This is essential, otherwise the plane won’t be able to land, and we can’t just drop things from the sky.”

The two art experts nodded repeatedly. Fang Wen's words reminded them, and they were about to take their leave to inform the people in the south to make preparations.

Fang Wen spoke up and stopped the two of them.

"I haven't finished yet. You also need to arrange ground support personnel to make markings using smoke, lights, or bright colors so I can see them from the air. Also, do you have aviation gasoline?"

The two shook their heads.

They are experts in the field of art, but know nothing about air freight.

Fang Wen continued, "In other words, I need to prepare fuel for multiple round trips, as well as maintenance and repairs for potential aircraft malfunctions. It's clear you're completely unprepared. I think you should write down everything that needs to be done."

He got up, took out his notebook, and began sketching on it with an ink pen.

He wrote something on a piece of paper, tore it off, and handed it to the curator.

The two then hurriedly said goodbye and left.

Watching their retreating figures, Gong Xiuneng whispered, "Commander, are you sure they'll hand over the artifacts you want after you've flown them over?"

Fang Wen replied coldly, "I'm not sure. If I can't get the reward I want, then I'll trade them my collection."

Just then, the sharp, piercing air raid siren sounded.

The wealthy people stranded at the branch office immediately became chaotic.

Taishan Airlines staff shouted to maintain order: "Don't panic, everyone. Follow us. There are air-raid shelters here."

The guests then followed the staff into the branch company's air-raid shelter for refuge.

Fang Wen, however, did not go.

The sounding of air raid sirens meant that in ten to thirty minutes, German air raid formations would appear over Paris.

He immediately ran into the hangar and activated the aircraft's radar detection system.

Through the combination of his supernatural abilities and radar detection devices, he saw what was happening in the air.

Dozens of aircraft reported incidents in the northeastern region of Paris.

Judging from the flight path, it is the German Air Force.

Fang Wen frowned. Where were the French interceptor planes?
Enemy planes were almost overhead in Paris, but the French planes guarding the city were nowhere to be seen.

However, judging from the flight path of the enemy aircraft, it was not flying this way.

He exited his superpowered state and got off the plane.

"General Manager, let's go to the air-raid shelter," Gong Xiuneng said urgently from outside the plane.

"No need, I'll go take a look over there."

Fang Wen climbed to the top of the office building.

On the rooftop, he looked up and gazed into the distance.

A large, dark formation of German aircraft appeared in the northeast.

These planes were headed straight for downtown Paris.

Anti-aircraft guns throughout the city fired strings of fire into the sky, and black smoke from the exploding shells continuously billowed in the air.

A plane was shot down.

But what came down even more were the constant barrage of aerial bombs.

Seeing the massive explosions and flames in the city, Fang Wen understood the German army's intentions.

Clearly, the German army was employing psychological warfare tactics, using the panic caused by bombing the city to break down the psychological defenses of the French people and the upper echelons.

9pm late at night.

The last night's flight is about to take off.

Fang Wen walked down from the roof of the office building with a solemn expression. He looked at Gong Xiuneng and said, "Notify everyone to prepare for the last night's flight. Employees and their families, as well as wealthy people who have registered to evacuate, will board planes to Geneva in three batches. The first batch will take off at 10 p.m. sharp. No waiting for latecomers. Leave two mechanics behind. They will come with me to Château de Chambord tomorrow."

"Yes!" Gong Xiu immediately accepted the order and turned to relay it.

The area instantly sprang into action, with staff moving about to guide people in organizing their luggage and verifying their registration information; mechanics crawled under the aircraft to carefully inspect the engines, fuel, and propellers to ensure a flawless night flight; the wealthy clutched their valuables, not daring to waste a moment, even abandoning their usual meticulous manners.

Pierre rushed over, followed by several business partners—people he had contacted who were to be evacuated on the last flight.

"Fang, the German bombing is becoming more and more frequent. Will the flight path be in danger tonight?"

Pierre's tone carried a hint of worry, and the collectors behind him echoed him, their faces filled with unease.

Just half an hour earlier, the German army had carried out a bombing raid at night.

The target area is still the city of Paris.

This brought the people in the city to the brink of collapse.

In response, Fang Wen explained: "Night air raids don't precisely hit the target area; German pilots just use the lights below as a guide to bomb. But this is very dangerous. If they don't return to the correct flight path, they might end up in the sea or somewhere else. So, they don't use this tactic frequently. Don't worry, I'll be piloting; we won't encounter any German aircraft."

His words calmed the passengers and staff, and everyone relaxed. Those who were supposed to board boarded, while those who were supposed to wait for the next flight went to the waiting room.

At 10 p.m. sharp, Fang Wen piloted the Huashan No. 1 aircraft and took off. Inside the cabin, the employees leaned back in their seats. Some looked down at the fire-lit city of Paris with complicated expressions; others closed their eyes to rest, their faces full of relief at surviving the disaster.

More than an hour later, the plane landed at Geneva Airport.

After the passengers disembarked, Fang Wen took the opportunity to talk with Paul Lin.

"Paul, haven't the Germans contacted you?"

"No. That's strange, the military attaché clearly said he was coming. Should I go to the German consulate?"

"Never mind that for now. Get these people off as soon as possible. Also, those boxes I brought need to be delivered to Yangon tomorrow."

"Ok."

"Also, I will stay in France for another 2-3 days. If there are any problems during this time, I will contact you by telegram. Your branch's radio should be kept on at all times."

"Yes."

After giving the instructions, Fang Wen started the plane and took off back to Paris to continue the remaining two night flights. (End of Chapter)