Republic of China: Ace Pilot

After listening to Fang Wen's remarks about the situation in Asia, the guests who had been gathered quietly dispersed and gathered in twos and threes.

The topics of discussion were consistent: everyone was concerned about the future of French Indochina.

They explored various possibilities, seeking help from the British, Americans, and even the Soviet Union.

But none of them could get around the hurdle of the Vichy government.

The Vichy government failed to play its proper role in the war, disappointing the French people at the banquet.

The guests' chatter grew louder, and anxiety spread like a plague. Some silently finished their champagne, while others stared blankly at the dark night sky outside the window.

They had finally shaken off the shadow of the "invincible Japanese army" and had finally rekindled their fighting spirit to defend this land, but the "abandonment" from their motherland brought that fighting spirit to the brink of extinction.

Governor De Gu stood on the edge of the terrace, listening to his secretary explain the discussion below. Looking down at the dejected guests, the smile on his face had long since faded, leaving only deep weariness and solemnity.

He remained silent for a long time before speaking: "Gentlemen, I know you are unwilling. But I must tell you that just yesterday, the Vichy government sent a secret telegram. They have dispatched a special envoy to Tokyo to negotiate with the Japanese government. The core of the negotiations is to abandon resistance in French Indochina and allow Japanese troops to enter, in exchange for the Vichy government's colonial rule in the Far East."

“How could this happen… We clearly won, why did the Vichy government do this?” A young colonial official gripped his wine glass tightly, his knuckles turning white, his voice filled with grief and indignation. “Was all of this we did worthless?”

“The Vichy government surrendered to Germany long ago, so why would they care about the lives of us Far Eastern colonies?” Another elderly nobleman shook his head and sighed, his tone full of despair. “Bowing to Japan is just another move by them to curry favor with the Axis powers. We…we are afraid we can only become puppets of the Japanese army.”

"No! I will never accept this!" A roar broke the silence as a man in the uniform of a French colonel stepped forward and stood in the center of the banquet, his face filled with determination. "I would rather die fighting than bow down to the Japanese, and I will never obey the orders of the Vichy government!"

His roar was like a spark, igniting the emotions of some of the guests, who echoed, "Yes! We will never give in! If we can win once, we can keep winning."

But most people fell silent. The Vichy government was the legitimate government of France at present. To resist the Vichy government meant to "betray the motherland" and face retaliation from the Axis powers. But to obey orders meant to give up the fruits of victory and lose everything here. The dilemma plunged everyone into a struggle.

Just then, another tall figure stepped out from the crowd and walked straight to the center of the banquet hall. He gave Governor De Gu a standard French military salute: "Your Excellency, ladies and gentlemen, I am Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire, representing Free France led by General de Gaulle. I have a message to convey to you that you do not necessarily have to recognize the legitimacy of the Vichy government. You can also join Free France, and Free France is willing to fully support you."

Upon hearing this, the banquet hall fell silent instantly, and all eyes were fixed on Le Maire, their eyes filled with astonishment.

Free France was a resistance force that went into exile after France's surrender, and it was also a sworn enemy of the Vichy government.

No one expected that there would be Free French people in Hanoi.

The colonial army commander's eyes were filled with shock: "Lieutenant Colonel Lemaître? You... how could you make such remarks? We are soldiers, we shouldn't be involved in politics."

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire glanced at the Army Commander, his gaze sweeping across the room. "No, besides being a soldier, I am also a French citizen. For the sake of my country, I must make a choice. I know you are all facing a difficult decision at this moment. But I want to tell you all that the surrender of the Vichy government does not mean the surrender of France! Free France has been resisting relentlessly, and we have received full support from Britain. If Your Excellency the Governor is willing to stand with Free France and Britain, I can immediately contact the British Far East Fleet in the Indian Ocean and have them stationed at the Malacca-Singapore military base to block the Japanese southward advance and help us defend French Indochina!"

His words struck like a thunderbolt, exploding in the hearts of the guests.

The support from the British fleet was undoubtedly a ray of hope in this desperate situation!
Hope rekindled in the guests' eyes, and they began to discuss among themselves: "The British fleet is here, we're saved!" "Free France has British support, perhaps we really won't have to bow down to Japan!"

But many people also expressed concern: "If we side with Free France, we will offend the Vichy government and Germany. What should we do if they send troops to retaliate?"

"Germany is bogged down in the European theater and has no capacity to attend to the Far East!" Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire said firmly. "And the Japanese ambitions extend beyond French Indochina to the entire Southeast Asia. If we persist in our resistance, the Japanese will also have to consider the consequences. Moreover, if we side with Japan, we will lose everything; only by joining forces with Free France and Britain and holding firm in our resistance can we preserve the fruits of our victory and safeguard the dignity of French Indochina!"

The divisions within the banquet hall became increasingly apparent, with military and political officials splitting into two factions.

One faction firmly supported defecting to Free France and joining forces with the British army to resist;

The other faction, however, was hesitant, fearing they would offend the Vichy government and Germany, and advocated for a wait-and-see approach.

Both sides stuck to their own versions of events and argued endlessly, causing the scene to descend into chaos.

Governor Degu stood silently to the side the whole time, his face expressionless, as if he had expected all of this.

He slowly raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet. His gaze swept across the room, finally settling on Lieutenant Colonel Lemerre. His tone was calm yet carried an undeniable authority: "Lieutenant Colonel Lemerre, I will consider your proposal. But before that, there must be no internal strife in French Indochina."

This statement, seemingly neutral, has in fact already made its stance clear.

Instead of rebuking Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire's remarks, he tacitly approved of the Free French presence in Indochina.

A glint flashed in Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire's eyes, and he saluted again: "Your Excellency, please rest assured, Free France is willing to fully cooperate with you to defend French Indochina and eliminate all forces that hinder resistance!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a series of orderly footsteps came from outside the banquet hall. Dozens of soldiers dressed in French military uniforms but wearing Free French badges rushed in and quickly took control of all the exits of the banquet hall.

The lead soldier, with sharp eyes, swept across the entire area and shouted sternly: "By order of His Excellency the Governor-General and the Free French Command, all those who are inclined towards the Vichy government and advocate compromise with Japan must immediately lay down their weapons and undergo investigation! Those who resist will be treated as traitors!"

The guests were instantly in an uproar. Those military and political officials who advocated waiting and were inclined to support the Vichy government turned pale instantly. Some tried to resist, but were quickly subdued by the soldiers; others tried to escape, but found that the exits had already been blocked.

“You…you are committing treason!” a colonial official who was inclined to the Vichy government roared, but was grabbed by two soldiers and led out of the banquet hall.

“Your Excellency, you cannot do this! We are loyal to France!” another official pleaded, but only received a cold look from Governor De Gu.

Fang Wen stood at the edge of the crowd, holding a glass of champagne, calmly observing everything before him.

Things have changed subtly.

After two victories on the northern border and in Haiphong, the Governor-General of French Indochina had broken free from the control of the Vichy government and instead moved closer to Free France.

This change is something Fang Wen is happy to see.

This sudden purge was carried out without fierce gunfights or bloody battles; it was exceptionally decisive and swift.

In just ten minutes, more than a dozen military and political officials, nobles, and merchants who were aligned with the Vichy government were all arrested by the soldiers. The remaining guests in the banquet hall were already terrified and silent; no one dared to speak, and they simply stood aside, watching what was happening before their eyes.

They knew in their hearts that from this moment on, French Indochina had completely severed ties with the Vichy government, and a brand new resistance was about to begin.

After the purge was completed, Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire walked to the center again and saluted Governor De Gu: "Your Excellency, all destabilizing factors have been eliminated."

Governor De Gu nodded slowly, his gaze sweeping across the room, his tone calm and firm: "Gentlemen, from this day forward, French Indochina will no longer obey any orders from the Vichy government. We will join forces with Free France and Great Britain, continue to employ Tarzan's troops, defend this land, and never bow to any aggressor!"

"Never bow down! Never compromise!" Lieutenant Colonel Lemerre shouted first, and the guests and soldiers in the banquet hall raised their glasses and responded in unison. Their loud voices resounded throughout the governor's mansion, dispelling the previous gloom and rekindling their fighting spirit to defend their homeland.

Governor De Gu approached Fang Wen with a meaningful smile on his face and handed him a glass filled with bright red wine.

Fang Wen took the wine glass and said in a low voice, "Your Excellency, you acted very decisively."

“If we don’t do this, we will be dragged into the abyss by the Vichy government sooner or later.” Governor De Gu sighed softly, his tone tinged with relief. “From now on, the resistance in French Indochina will depend more on Mr. Fang and your troops.”

Fang Wen smiled faintly, "And the British army too."

“Yes, and the British too.” The governor raised his glass, turned and left. He still had much to do tonight to make up for the problems caused by the purge.

At this moment, Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire walked over and extended his hand to Fang Wen.

"Mr. Fang, we meet again."

Fang Wen shook hands with him and smiled, "You've succeeded. In the current situation, only one voice is needed. But I'm curious, what are your plans next?"

“Of course, we will proceed according to the plan I gave you,” Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire replied.

Fang Wen shook his head: "I know the British better than you do. I'm afraid they won't do what you say."

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire's pupils constricted, and he instinctively looked around.

"This isn't the right place to discuss this. Can we go outside to talk?"

"can."

Fang Wen and Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire went outside, where a group of soldiers were escorting officers who supported the Vichy government away.

Watching the soldiers' departing figures, Fang Wen continued, "Germany is currently waging the 'Battle of Britain,' sending hundreds of bombers to bomb the British mainland every day. Almost all of the Royal Air Force's fighters and pilots have been deployed to defend the homeland, while the elite army is stationed in the British Isles to guard against a German landing. They are struggling to defend the homeland and have no way to spare troops for the Far East."

“I was referring to the British troops in Asia,” Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire retorted.

“I haven’t finished yet,” Fang Wen continued. “After Italy entered the war, the British army fought a fierce battle with the German-Italian allied forces in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Malta was besieged, the North African battlefield was repeatedly stalemate, the main ships and transport ships of the Mediterranean fleet were all tied down, and the Suez Canal could be cut off at any time. The British army had to prioritize protecting this ‘lifeline of the empire’, and Southeast Asia could only be put on the back burner.”

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire's face turned pale. "Is there anything else?"

"Furthermore, in the Atlantic, German U-boats roamed like wolf packs, hunting down British transport ships. Britain relied entirely on the Atlantic route for supplies of food, oil, and weapons. Almost all of the British Navy's destroyers and frigates were deployed for anti-submarine escort missions, and even old warships were taken to the Atlantic. There were simply no spare ships to send to Southeast Asia."

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire was unwilling to give up and persisted: "What about the Far East Fleet? It is indeed stationed in Asia."

"As I just mentioned, in order to support the Mediterranean and Atlantic theaters, the Far East Fleet has already deployed its aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean. They currently have no battleships, no aircraft carriers, only a few old heavy cruisers and destroyers, with zero carrier-based aircraft. Even if they are sent to the Singapore base, they can only rely on the large fortifications and coastal artillery there to prevent the Japanese fleet from passing through the Strait of Malacca."

Fang Wen's words revealed the weakness of the British in Asia; despite having a powerful Far East fleet, they were no longer able to defeat the Japanese fleet.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire gradually went from being skeptical to believing Fang Wen's words.

After all, such intelligence can be obtained with effort and money, and Fang Wen's account was so detailed that it didn't seem like a lie.

He asked dejectedly, "Then why do you still support us in resisting the Japanese? Is it just for resources and those shares that will be worthless after the Japanese occupation?"

Fang Wen frankly replied, "Of course not. I need French Indochina to hold off the Japanese, and the British also need you to continue the resistance. Supporting you is essential."

"But the British will not send troops for us in the end, and your Taishan mercenaries alone are not enough."

"Yes, you need more high-quality weapons and ammunition, and you also need a buffer period. I can't provide those, but the Americans can."

"Americans? Don't they have neutrality laws?"

"The Neutrality Act was amended last year to allow all belligerent nations to be supplied with cash-and-carry."

"So, you mean we should go to the Americans now and buy military equipment from them?"

At this point in the conversation, Fang Wen smiled and shared his thoughts.

“Yes, that’s right. But considering you don’t have the capacity to transport weapons and equipment from the United States to French Indochina, I can accept this deal.”

This is the real reason why Fang Wen told Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire about the weakness of the British, causing him to become pessimistic and disappointed.

Only after the French realized that the British were unreliable would they use their savings to purchase military equipment to strengthen themselves and resist Japan.

The French in French Indochina had been running their businesses for decades and were quite wealthy.

However, they lacked transportation capacity. By taking on this arms deal, Fang Wen could not only make a fortune but also use the opportunity to expand the strength of Taishan Military Industry and his own troops. (End of Chapter)