Republic of China: Ace Pilot

At 5 p.m., Fang Wen, accompanied by several company executives, arrived at the hotel owned by Taishan Airlines.

Several French guests were leisurely drinking coffee and chatting on the outdoor sunshade seats outside the hotel. When they saw Fang Wen coming over, they waved and greeted him.

"Fang, thank you."

Fang Wen smiled and waved in response, but did not stop. Instead, he walked straight into the hotel.

As soon as I stepped into the lobby, the hotel manager rushed up to me, his face full of anxiety, and his voice was very low: "General Manager, something has happened. In the lounge next to the hotel banquet hall, the French and Germans are arguing, and their voices are getting louder and louder. We can't stop them."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Shanhu, the tall and burly head of the security department, rushed over. His dark uniform accentuated his stern expression. He reported, "President Fang, British plainclothes officers have appeared at several major intersections around the hotel. I recognize one of them; he's a guard from the Governor's Mansion. Several more patrol teams have arrived since then, quietly surrounding the area. They're ostensibly patrolling, but in reality, they're monitoring it. They're even checking vehicles entering and leaving the hotel."

The accompanying executives' expressions changed slightly. Britain and Germany were mortal enemies, and the French had a deep-seated grudge against Germany. The three forces were facing off at the hotel, and with British surveillance, a slight misstep could ignite an incident.

Fang Wen remained calm and composed, saying, "What's the panic? The French are holding back their hatred, it's normal for them to want to vent their anger on the Germans. They haven't made a move, have they?"

"No. The French were shouting and cursing outside the banquet hall, but I've already arranged for the Germans to get in," the hotel manager replied.

The conflicts arising from this war situation are difficult to reconcile, and Fang Wen did not want to do such a thankless task.

He told the hotel manager, "Tell those people that they are guests and must abide by the hotel rules. All guests, regardless of their nationality, are treated equally."

Fang Shouxin also spoke up: "Go and deal with it immediately. If you can't even handle this small matter, how can you manage the hotel?"

The hotel manager quickly turned around and went to the banquet hall to negotiate with the French guests.

Fang Wen then instructed the security minister: "Zhao Shanhu, take some men and guard the hotel entrance. Don't let anyone with unknown identities sneak in. The situation is unclear right now, and the Germans can't afford to get into trouble on my property."

"Yes!" Zhao Shanhu replied in a deep voice, then turned and quickly left to make arrangements.

At this moment, the Frenchmen over there also stopped shouting and looked at Fang Wen.

He then wisely left.

Fang Wen and his party then entered the banquet hall.

The entire banquet hall was currently only occupied by Germans, who were seated in the largest private room.

The waiter pushed open the door to the private room, and Fang Wen walked in, smiling as he said in German, "I'm very sorry about what happened earlier. It was an oversight by the hotel management. I hope you don't mind."

The Germans stood up, and Major Hans Krupp said, "We can understand the French feelings; after all, we were the losers in the last war."

Fang Wen nodded and took his seat with the company executives.

He sat next to Major Hans Krupp.

Major Hans Krupp feigned surprise and asked, "General Manager Fang, you actually speak German, and so fluently at that!"

"I've been self-studying these past few years," Fang Wen replied.

"I heard you've been to Germany before?"

"Yes. I visited Berlin a few years ago and made some friends there. Unfortunately, they did some foolish things and ended their lives."

"I know about this too. Mr. Fang wasn't involved, was he?"

"How could that be? I had already returned to Asia at that time and had not contacted them."

As the two were talking, a waiter pushed a food cart in and placed plates of food on the table.

The menu was arranged by Fang Wen, featuring a full range of German dishes, including sauerkraut stewed pork, roast goose, and mashed potatoes, prepared by a German chef specially hired from a Western restaurant in Yangon. Of course, local Burmese dishes were also included to reflect the Burmese ambiance.

In addition, there is beer.

They ate and drank, chatting and laughing, having long forgotten the unpleasantness the Germans had experienced earlier.

The next morning, Fang Wen led the German delegation onto a plane bound for northern Myanmar.

The base in northern Myanmar is nestled in a dense forest in the mountains. The air is fresh, the area is large, and the various buildings are neat and orderly.

Upon seeing the scale of the event, the members of the German delegation changed their casual demeanor from the previous day and became much more serious.

After the plane landed, Fang Wen had breakfast with the German team in the canteen, and then took them to visit the No. 2 aircraft manufacturing plant.

Of course, the places visited are selective and do not involve technical secrets.

The group walked through the aircraft manufacturing plant's assembly hangar, testing ground, and maintenance workshop.

They watched the young, skilled workers at Taishan Military Industry work proficiently, took out paper and pen to take careful notes, and occasionally asked some technical questions. Some of these questions could be answered, but those involving technical secrets could not be disclosed.

After visiting the aircraft manufacturing plant, Fang Wen took them to the conference room in the base's office area to rest, which was also the post-visit discussion.

The Germans held a special discussion and had Major Hans Krupp give a summary.

"General Manager Fang, we've visited the aircraft manufacturing plant, and we can say that your engineering technology is no less advanced than that of European aircraft manufacturers. No wonder you can produce such excellent aircraft. We have a question. According to reports from the frontline tank unit commanders, your gunships, while not very fast, are highly stable and carry a lot of heavy weapons for air-to-ground strikes. We would like to ask you how you manage to do this?"

This issue doesn't involve technical secrets; in fact, it's something worth telling the client.

Fang Wen organized his thoughts and answered:
"This involves technology integration and resource consolidation. It can be said that this is a major breakthrough for Taishan Military Industry in the field of low-speed military aircraft. It allows the advantages of speed and altitude to be better utilized in the battlefield. Of course, this type of aircraft also has many disadvantages, such as poor maneuverability and low speed. It needs to be used in conjunction with high-speed aircraft, ground troops, and airborne troops to achieve better results."

Major Hans Krupp nodded: "In France, they attacked our tank units with 10 gunship aircraft. Because the tank units were advancing deep into the enemy territory and lacked anti-aircraft firepower, several tanks and armored vehicles were destroyed by the gunship aircraft. Although it is slower than a fighter jet, it is precisely because of its low-speed maneuverability that it can achieve a variety of air-to-ground strike capabilities, which is why we want to purchase it."

Fang Wen smiled and replied, "Whether we can sell to you depends on the British response. I'm also very curious why the British would agree."

"Sorry, I don't know the specifics either." Major Hans Krupp shrugged, indicating that he was not of a higher rank.

At this moment, the German next to Major Hans Krupp asked, "General Manager Fang, I have a question."

"You said."

"As far as I know, your Taishan Military Industry also produces a new type of high-speed fighter jet. Can you reveal some information about it?"

"We have indeed produced a batch of high-speed fighter jets in trial production, but they have not yet been officially finalized, so naturally we will not announce their model to the public."

"Do you have any other military aircraft development projects?"

This question made Fang Wen's thoughts wander.

Of course, there are.

Before going to Europe, when he was producing individual combat aircraft for special forces, he had the idea of ​​manufacturing helicopters.

Helicopters are cheaper to build than gunboats, and a helicopter only requires 2-3 people: 1 pilot and 2 weapons operators in the rear cabin.

Once the rocket guidance function is developed, the helicopter research and development can be formally approved.

At that time, using helicopters to take off and land on ships and in different terrains to attack Japanese ground troops and facilities will be much more flexible. The low-altitude hovering capability of helicopters can even be used to more accurately deploy troops, supplies, and evacuate personnel.

Shaking off his thoughts, he smiled and said, "There are indeed some projects, but I can't tell you about them."

Major Hans Krupp asked, "What is the price of your gunboat aircraft?"

"40,000 US dollars." Fang Wen added 10,000 US dollars to the previous price.

Major Hans Krupp had no objection to this. The gunboats had proven their value on the French battlefield, and the Germans, in order to replenish their military strength, didn't care about the money.

By then, it was noon. They left the conference room, had lunch, and then rested at the base's guesthouse.

Two hours later, the inspection continued, this time to the Taishan walkie-talkie assembly plant.

The Germans made no secret of their desire for the Taishan walkie-talkie.

After visiting the assembly plant, Major Hans Krupp made a direct request.

"General Manager Fang, we'd like to purchase the entire technology. Is that possible?"

Fang Wen shook his head: "If this technology were to leak out and fall into the hands of the Japanese, I would be a traitor to my nation. Therefore, I have never considered selling the technology. Not to mention, given your relationship with Japan, I am still considering whether or not to sell you walkie-talkies."

Upon hearing that Fang Wen did not want to sell, Major Hans Krupp became anxious.

"Please rest assured, we will not sell walkie-talkies to Japan. As you said, this technology is exclusively yours, so the number of devices that are leaked out will definitely be limited. The countries that own it will cherish it even more and will not give it away to others."

Fang Wen neither confirmed nor denied this, saying that it was still unknown whether the arms deal with Germany would be successful, and he would wait for the results before making a decision.

As time went by, there was still no response from London.

The Germans returning from northern Myanmar were restricted to their hotel rooms after checking in, and were monitored by a large number of people around the hotel.

Fang Wen couldn't possibly stay with those Germans forever. After returning from northern Myanmar, he left them aside and focused on handling company matters.

In the past few days, the situation in Europe has deteriorated further, and Taishan Airlines' Swiss branch has been sending telegrams daily to report on the situation in Europe in real time.

The French government declared Paris an "open city" and moved its capital to Tours.

Four days later, the French capital of Paris, which was unguarded, was occupied by the German army without firing a single shot.

Two days later, the Reno government collapsed, and 84-year-old Marshal Pétain became prime minister.

His first act upon taking office was to announce a ceasefire.

This proposal caused the German army to halt its advance and instead focus on consolidating its occupied territories.

a few days later.

Germany and France formally signed an armistice agreement.

The location was chosen in the Compiègne Forest.

In order to avenge the humiliation of World War I, Hitler deliberately chose the same train car (the Foch Car) where Germany signed the surrender document in 1918.

In accordance with the ceasefire agreement.

About three-fifths of northern and western France were directly occupied by Germany, including Paris, the Atlantic coast, and the northern industrial region.

A puppet regime was established in about two-fifths of the southern territory, with its capital in Vichy.

Internationally, it is known as the Vichy government.

As for the French Navy, it must be demobilized and disarmed under the supervision of Germany or Italy.

With this, the Franco-German War ended, and the entire Western European continent was now under Nazi influence, with the exception of neutral Switzerland.

The only one still persisting is Britain.

6 month 25 day.

One day after the signing of the Franco-German armistice agreement.

Fang Wen visited the Governor's Mansion again.

He walked along the marble corridor, while the British staff passing by hurried past, no longer displaying their usual composure.

Upon arriving at the governor's office, the assistant outside the door stood up and said, "Mr. Fang, the governor is waiting for you inside."

He pushed open the door and gestured for Fang Wen to come in.

Upon entering the room, Fang Wen saw the governor, who had already stood up.

After his assistant closed the door, he walked up to Fang Wen and sighed, "Fang, do you know that France has surrendered?"

"Isn't it a ceasefire agreement?" Fang Wen asked, feigning surprise.

The governor said angrily, "No, they surrendered. According to the agreement, the French government has a maximum of 10 troops, including those from the colonies. They are also prohibited from possessing offensive weapons such as tanks, heavy artillery, and aircraft, and can only retain light weapons. Furthermore, their air force has been disbanded, and their navy has been taken over by the Germans."

Fang Wen looked at the governor: "Then what will you do?"

The governor's face was grave: "We still have an army, and we can fight the Germans by relying on the strait. The problem is that once the Germans attack our overseas territories, we will lose our resource supply."

In response, Fang Wenwei analyzed, "I'm afraid it's not just Germany. As you know, Germany, Italy, and Japan are the Axis powers. Under the current circumstances, Japan will probably take action against Europe's sphere of influence in Asia."

The governor's expression changed: "You're right. France has surrendered, and their troops in French Indochina will lose their homeland support. There's also the Dutch East Indies. The Dutch government-in-exile is in London, and the East Indies are rich in oil. Japan lacks oil, so they certainly want it too."

He said that French Indochina includes the future Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, while the Dutch East Indies includes the future Indonesia, western East Timor, a small part of Malaysia, and the islands surrounding Brunei.

Having already poured all its national resources into invading China, how could Japan possibly give up such an easy opportunity?
Fang Wen asked, "Governor, did you call me here just to discuss this?"

The governor nodded: "War is not far away for me, and the army in Burma makes me feel unsafe. They lack combat experience and could be easily defeated by the Japanese, as can the French and Dutch. I don't think they can handle the Japanese either. Therefore, I have an idea and would like to ask you to join our defense. After all, you have many important businesses in Burma and need to be wary of the Japanese."

Fang Wen was not surprised by this; his troops had earned their reputation through battle, and it was only right that they defend their own base.

He agreed to the governor's request.

However, the headquarters of the Taishan Independent Regiment will not leave Yangjiang entirely at present.

Therefore, they could only allocate a portion of their forces to Myanmar and recruit new troops to expand their own power.

Immediately afterward, Fang Wen left the Governor's Mansion to convene a high-level meeting to discuss the matter. (End of Chapter)