Republic of China: Ace Pilot

"Please speak, General Manager Fang. If the Aviation Commission can help, we will definitely do so," Director Zhou replied.

Fang Wen explained the situation: "It's like this. Two days ago, the Governor-General of Burma contacted me. He wanted me to form an army in Burma, modeled after the Taishan Independent Regiment, to defend the Burmese mainland."

"You're building an army on British territory?!" Director Zhou exclaimed in surprise, then asked with great interest, "That's great! The Burma Road is our lifeline, and we absolutely cannot afford to lose it. If you build the army, we can coordinate our defense efforts. However, you need to explain clearly how this will be done."

Fang Wen nodded and explained.

“I plan to recruit a group of brave and skilled veterans from the anti-Japanese armies in various places, but the situation in various places is complicated now, so I want to get a military order from Chongqing to facilitate communication with the local areas.”

In response, Director Zhou said: "I can help you clarify the key points: If you want to recruit soldiers from anti-Japanese armies in various places, you have to coordinate across regions. Local warlords and war zones will mostly use 'the front line is in dire straits' as an excuse, or they will fill in some old and weak soldiers. If you want to get brave and skilled backbone soldiers, you have to take the hard way."

He leaned forward and lowered his voice to add, “There are two ways. One is to go through the General Staff Office of the Military Commission. Right now, the Chairman controls the entire army through the General Staff Office, and his power is even stronger than that of the Ministry of Military Affairs and the General Staff Headquarters. Your matter concerns the defense of the Burma Road, which is the lifeline that the Chairman values ​​most. As long as we can persuade the people in the First Division of the General Staff Office to issue a document in the name of ‘General Staff Telegram,’ no one, whether it is the Central Army or local troops such as the Sichuan Army and the Guangxi Army, will dare to openly disobey orders. Only then can the document be sent to the commanders-in-chief of each war zone and the military districts of each province, and the matter of troop deployment can truly be implemented.”

He paused for a moment, then added, “There’s another option: the Ministry of Military Affairs. According to the rules, recruiting new soldiers is under the jurisdiction of the Military Service Department of the Ministry of Military Affairs, while coordinating the transfer of troops is under the jurisdiction of the Military Affairs Department. You can have the Ministry of Military Affairs issue training orders and complete the formalities simultaneously, so that you can legitimately connect with the local military districts to recruit people.”

Finally, he offered his advice: "Our aviation committee can help you report the situation to higher authorities, but whether it will be successful is hard to say."

What Fang Wen wanted was the other party's attitude.

"Then I'll leave it to Director Zhou. As long as the military order is fulfilled, payment in four installments is absolutely no problem."

"Sure, by the way, how are the pilots we sent to Yangon doing with their training?"

“They are all very good. A while ago, I even took them on a mission to Europe.”

"Really? Then I'll be relieved."

At this point in the conversation, Fang Wen stood up, said goodbye, and left.

Watching Fang Wen's departing figure, Director Zhou seemed lost in thought.

After passing through the underground passage of the air-raid shelter, Fang Wen arrived at the surface.

The officer who escorted him out asked, "Mr. Fang, the Japanese have been launching constant air raids lately, and the security outside is not good. Where are you going? I'll take you there."

Shangqing Temple.

"The area around Shangqing Temple is home to many military and political officials. Who is Mr. Fang looking for?"

"A national talent, do you know him?"

"Oh, it's him. I know him. Mr. Fang, please wait a moment while I go get your travel documents."

After the officer finished speaking, he walked towards the office building.

Fang Wenze met up with Gong Xiuneng and Sun Debiao, who were waiting for him in the courtyard of the Aviation Commission.

Sun Debiao asked, "General Manager, how is the matter progressing?"

"The aviation commission has agreed to help, but I don't think it's reliable to rely on them alone."

"What should we do?"

"Go find Quan Yuncai and try to get in touch with the Chen family."

Just then, the officer came over with two soldiers carrying rifles.

"Let's go, Mr. Fang, I'll take you there."

Fang Wen nodded and left the courtyard of the Aviation Commission with him.

The officer explained, "I know a shortcut that goes directly to Xiangguo Temple Wharf. But it's all downhill, so you have to walk there."

They walked along the stone path toward the dock below, encountering soldiers in uniform along the way, some carrying rifles and hurrying to their posts, others pushing carts full of ammunition boxes.

Anti-aircraft guns were placed in the courtyards of the houses on both sides of the road.

This shortcut is an air defense position, and ordinary people cannot go down from here.

As the group reached the corner of the anti-aircraft gun emplacement halfway up the mountain, a piercing air raid siren suddenly sounded.

"Quick! Get into the air-raid shelter!" The officer who was escorting Fang Wen's face changed drastically. He grabbed Fang Wen's arm and ran towards the anti-aircraft gun position by the roadside. Gong Xiuneng and Sun Debiao followed closely behind, and two soldiers with rifles on their shoulders hurriedly followed.

They rushed into the courtyard of a civilian house, where 10 soldiers were working together to operate a large-caliber anti-aircraft gun.

Fang Wen glanced at it; he had seen this gun before in Nomonhan. It was the Soviet M1931 76.2mm anti-aircraft gun, which was very powerful against air.

据说国民政府用40万美元购买了20门炮和2000发炮弹，这价钱都够买12架伊-16战斗机。

These anti-aircraft guns were originally deployed in Lanzhou, but unexpectedly, some of them were transported to Chongqing for air defense.

He glanced at it and then followed the officers from the Aviation Commission into the room ahead.

The officer pulled open the floor cover and shouted, "There's an air-raid shelter down there, come down quickly!"

With that, he jumped in first.

Fang Wen and the others dared not delay and quickly followed.

The air-raid shelter, located five meters underground, is cramped but has been specially reinforced with cement and pillars. It is used by soldiers at air-raid positions to store supplies and prepare for air raids.

It's a bit cramped for six people to stay inside.

No one said a word, waiting for the air raid to begin.

With his keen hearing, Fang Wen immediately heard the muffled sound of an engine coming from afar.

A moment later, the engine noise became increasingly deafening. Just from the noise, Fang Wen could tell that dozens of Japanese warplanes were attacking.

Just as he judged.

More than 30 Type 96 bombers, in neat wedge formation, rushed toward the skies over Chongqing like dark clouds pressing down on the city.

"Fire!"

With a roar from the position commander.

The anti-aircraft guns in the courtyards of the houses on both sides of the road roared to life instantly.

The domestically produced Type 37 20mm anti-aircraft gun, Maxim water-cooled anti-aircraft machine gun, Soviet-made 7.62mm anti-aircraft machine gun, and domestically produced Type 20 14.5mm anti-aircraft machine gun were used for intense anti-aircraft fire.

Meanwhile, the M1931 76.2mm anti-aircraft gun in Fang Wen's courtyard was also firing into the air. Shells exploded around the Japanese bomber formation, creating plumes of white smoke and forming a dense network of fire. The violent recoil of the gun caused the ground to tremble slightly, and sparks from the muzzle fell into the mud, only to be instantly extinguished by the rain.

Japanese bomber formations also began air raids.

Bombs fell one after another, exploding in quick succession.

The enormous explosion caused soil to fall from the top of the air-raid shelter, the flames illuminated half the sky, and scorching heat waves rushed in through the entrance, carrying the acrid smell of gunpowder.

Immediately afterwards, more bombs fell in succession. Some hit houses along the roadside, causing the bamboo-framed mud-brick houses to collapse instantly, with rubble flying everywhere. Others landed near anti-aircraft gun positions, with shrapnel whistling through the air, and several soldiers operating the artillery had no time to dodge and fell directly into pools of blood.

Fang Wen frowned inside the air-raid shelter; the feeling of not being able to control his own safety made him very uncomfortable.

If only we could activate our mechanical perception ability at this moment.

Unfortunately, I didn't bring any portable mechanical equipment.

He suddenly remembered the anti-aircraft gun outside, so he climbed to the entrance of the air-raid shelter and looked out. He saw a soldier's body lying on the gun mount, and the other soldiers were nowhere to be found.

The cannon fired only two shells, its muzzle still pointing into the air, with the ammunition box lying beside it, rendering it an unmanned, empty cannon.

Fang Wen stepped back and said, "I need to go open that anti-aircraft gun outside. Anyone want to come with me?"

Sun Debiao and Gong Xiuneng agreed without hesitation. "I'll go." "Wherever the regimental commander is, I'll be there."

The officer was stunned. How dangerous it was outside at this time!
He now understood why Fang Wen had such a distinguished record; only those who were not afraid of death could achieve that.

For some reason, a surge of enthusiasm rose within him, and he replied, "I'll go too."

The officers went, and the two soldiers responded as well.

Immediately, Fang Wen gave instructions: "That's a Soviet-made M1931 76.2mm anti-aircraft gun, with a crew of 7-10, but that can be streamlined. Captain Liu, do you know how to load shells?"

The officer nodded: "Yes." "Alright, you and Sun Debiao will load the shells, Gong Xiuneng will be in charge of setting the fuse, and the two soldiers will carry the shells. I will be in charge of adjusting the direction and firing."

The officer was surprised: "Can you do this by yourself? We lack observers and gunners to command."

"There are planes all over the sky. If we can fire our cannons, we have a chance to shoot down the Japanese planes."

After Fang Wen finished speaking, he climbed out of the air-raid shelter.

Sun Debiao and Gong Xiuneng immediately followed.

After hesitating for a moment, the officer turned back and instructed the two soldiers: "You two do your job of transporting the shells. We'll go over there too, so as not to embarrass the Central Army."

Japanese aerial bombs exploded throughout the mountain town, sending flames and scalding smoke rising into the air.

Fang Wen rushed out of the room at lightning speed. He went straight to the M1931 anti-aircraft gun. The soldiers' bodies on the gun mount were mangled and bloody. Warm blood flowed down the grooves of the gun barrel, accumulating into a small dark red pool at the gun wheel.

He forcefully pulled the body out of the gun mount, ignoring the bloodstains on the bench, and sat down directly on it.

The next second, the mechanical perception ability was activated.

The sky and the ground, the surrounding environment are all under our control.

Sun Debiao and Captain Liu stood by at the loading position behind them.

Two soldiers went to the ammunition box, lifted the wooden lid, and found 6.5-kilogram high-explosive shells neatly stacked, with Soviet military industry markings printed on the outer shell.

Gong Xiuneng squatted beside the ammunition box, holding the fuse setter in his hand, waiting for Fang Wen's order.

Fang Wen shifted his perspective to the high altitude to observe the enemy aircraft.

At this moment, he simultaneously served as gunner, rangefinder, elevation gunner, and azimuth gunner, fulfilling four roles.

The enemy aircraft were positioned at altitudes between 3500 and 4000 meters.

He immediately exclaimed, "Gong Xiu can set the fuse for ten seconds!"

Gong Xiuneng, who was waiting, was the only one who had learned how to set the fuse of a shell. He quickly adjusted the fuse of a shell.

The two soldiers immediately moved the shells to the anti-aircraft gun.

Sun Debiao and Captain Liu took the shells and began loading them.

Fang Wen then began the operation.

With his left hand on the height adjustment wheel and his right hand on the direction wheel, he locked onto the target using his supernatural perception and began adjusting his firing direction.

The cannon barrel was moving when it suddenly stopped.

Fang Wen pressed the firing lever without hesitation.

The cannon recoiled violently, and the hydraulic-pneumatic recoil device instantly absorbed the impact. Sparks, half a meter long, shot out from the muzzle, splashing into the mud and creating tiny water droplets.

A high-explosive bomb shot straight into the sky, trailing a wisp of white smoke, and exploded in a cloud of white smoke to the left of the Japanese bomber group, with shrapnel sweeping around like a torrential rain.

Unfortunately, they failed to hit the enemy aircraft.

However, this shell also provided Fang Wen with comparative data for observing his supernatural abilities.

Fang Wen quickly adjusted the firing direction and shouted, "Continue reloading!"

Captain Liu immediately pushed the shell into the breech. The semi-automatic vertical wedge breechblock closed automatically with a "click," the gun barrel sank slightly, and the recoil mechanism began to preload.

After making minor adjustments, Fang Wen pressed the firing lever again.

"boom--!"

The gun recoiled violently again, then exploded at high altitude. A bomber's right wing was hit by shrapnel, causing the aircraft to lurch sharply and stray from formation, trailing black smoke.

"I've won!" Sun Debiao shouted excitedly.

"Continue," Fang Wen calmly commanded.

Everything had become a routine, and the six of them were working together seamlessly.

Shells were fired one after another, blooming deadly flowers in the sky.

Three enemy aircraft were shot down.

At this moment, a group of Il-16 aircraft from the direction of Chengdu joined the battle.

In this situation, to avoid accidentally damaging friendly aircraft, the powerful M1931 anti-aircraft gun could no longer be used for anti-aircraft firing.

Fang Wen released his grip and said, "Stop loading. Everyone can relax now."

Upon hearing this, the five men immediately relaxed.

The initial excitement and fervor of war faded, and everyone felt exhausted.

One of the soldiers carrying the shells swung his aching arms: "How many shells did we fire just now? I feel like my hands are about to be ruined."

Gong Xiuneng, who had expended the least physical energy, replied, "31 shots."

Fang Wenye added: "A rate of fire of 8 rounds per minute is much slower than that of regular artillery."

Captain Liu exclaimed, "It doesn't matter if you're slow, as long as you're accurate. Mr. Fang, you're really lucky. Without an observer, you managed to shoot down three planes by relying on estimations."

Fang Wen smiled and nodded: "I'm a bit lucky."

At that moment, his expression suddenly tightened.

He was multitasking, observing the airspace from his supernatural perspective that a Japanese dive bomber was descending.

Such dive bombers are typically dealt with using anti-aircraft machine guns and 20mm anti-aircraft cannons.

This time, however, Fang Wen wanted to try whether he could hit low-flying aircraft with a 76.2mm anti-aircraft gun.

He re-entered battle mode.

"Gong Xiuneng, 5-second delay."

While Gong Xiuneng was setting the delayed fuse, Fang Wen gripped the vertical and horizontal handwheels with both hands, quickly adjusting the firing direction based on the data observed by his special ability.

The muzzle moved downwards, then began to turn.

At this moment, the first shell with a five-second delay had already reached Lieutenant Liu's hands.

After completing the trajectory correction, Fang Wen shouted, "Load!"

Captain Liu immediately loaded the shell.

A 76.2 mm anti-aircraft shell was fired.

It exploded over the head of the dive bomber.

However, the other plane was moving very fast and was not affected by the explosion.

"Keep loading, hurry up!" Fang Wen shouted.

Even with supernatural aiming, this semi-automatic single-shot anti-aircraft gun still requires teamwork.

The five men, fully focused, were also working hard when another shell was delivered to Captain Liu. Taking advantage of the gap when the breech automatically opened and ejected the shell, he quickly pushed the new shell in.

The muzzle flashes again.

This time, they finally caught up with the enemy plane's dive trajectory.

The massive shell struck the frontal cockpit of the dive bomber directly.

In an instant, the plane exploded in mid-air, scattering into countless sparks and fragments that fell to the ground. (End of Chapter)