Republic of China: Ace Pilot

On the western side of the North Pacific Ocean, the Japanese Sixth Fleet's Palauau base.

Under the dim light, a huge Pacific Ocean chart hung on the wall, and the planned track of the I-15 type submarine No. 17 was clearly outlined in red pencil. However, the end of the track came to an abrupt end in the waters west of the Cook Islands, with no further extension.

The communications officer came in from outside and reported to Rear Admiral Miyamoto, the fleet commander, again: "Your Excellency, we have not received any reply from submarine No. 17 for seventy-two consecutive hours. Repeated calls have gone unanswered. Within the range of radio monitoring, no distress signals or encrypted telegrams belonging to submarine No. 17 have been detected."

Major General Miyamoto stood in front of the nautical chart, his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed, and his face grim.

His eyes were filled with seriousness and doubt.

The I-15 submarine was one of the main submarines of the Japanese Sixth Fleet. It had strong endurance, excellent underwater performance, and was equipped with an advanced sonar system. How could it have suddenly lost contact?

"Damn it!" Rear Admiral Miyamoto slammed his fist on the chart table, his voice filled with suppressed anger and anxiety. "Submarine No. 17 carried its most elite crew, with ample fuel and supplies. How could it suddenly lose contact? Did it encounter a storm? Or a mechanical failure?"

The staff officer beside him quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Excellency, according to the reply from the intelligence department in Fiji, the weather in the waters near the Cook Islands has been clear and calm in recent days, with no strong storms, huge waves, or other extreme weather, ruling out the possibility that the loss of contact was caused by a storm. As for mechanical failure, the I-15 submarine has undergone multiple inspections and its performance is stable. Even if a minor malfunction occurs, it is impossible for it to completely lose communication; at the very least, it will send out a distress signal."

"What could be the reason?!" Rear Admiral Miyamoto demanded sharply, his gaze fixed on the area on the nautical chart where submarine No. 17 had lost contact. "Could it have been sunk by the enemy?"

The staff officer's expression hardened, and he slowly shook his head: "Sir, the possibility is extremely small. The only forces that can pose a threat to us in the entire Pacific are the American and British fleets. The American fleet is deployed in Honolulu, more than 4000 kilometers away from the western waters of the Cook Islands; the British fleet is in Asia, also a long distance away, and the British Far East Fleet has transferred many capital ships to the Atlantic to participate in the war, so it is impossible for them to send troops deep into this area to attack our submarines."

The command room fell into dead silence after those words were spoken.

Everyone knew that the staff officer was right. The US and British fleets were too far from the area where they lost contact to reach the area in a short time, sink a high-performance Japanese main submarine without leaving any trace, so that the No. 17 submarine would not even have time to send a distress signal.

However, there is no other reasonable explanation for the disappearance of submarine No. 17.

A young Japanese staff officer spoke up: "Could it be the Australian and New Zealand navies?"

There's a slight possibility of that.

The commander immediately ordered: "Send a telegram to the Naval Intelligence Division and have them check the movements of the Australian and New Zealand navies."

An hour after the telegram was sent, a reply was received.

The communications officer returned with the telegram and read it aloud.

"Because a New Zealand passenger ship was sunk by a German submarine in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, the Australian fleet is currently transiting the southern Indian Ocean toward southern Africa to escort Australian ships there."

"The New Zealand Navy has only two light cruisers and two escort ships. Although they patrol the waters around Fiji and the Cook Islands, they do not have the capability to detect and attack our submarines."

Major General Miyamoto closed his eyes.

He knew very well that the disappearance of submarine No. 17 was of great importance and the truth had to be found out. If it had been sunk, it would not only be a matter of losing a main submarine and dozens of elite crew members, but also that the attackers had the means to find the submarine and sink it quickly.

"No matter what, we must find out the whereabouts of submarine No. 17!" Rear Admiral Miyamoto said firmly. "Order the Haida-6 type submarine No. 23 to set sail immediately at full speed to the waters west of the Cook Islands and conduct a comprehensive search. Focus on checking for oil spills on the sea surface, submarine wreckage, and conduct inquiries with the locals on the Cook Islands. We must confirm the condition of submarine No. 17, find out the cause of its disappearance, and report back immediately if we find anything!"

"Yes, sir!" The staff officer quickly bowed and responded, then turned and hurried away to relay the order.

At the pier of the Shrewsburg base, an alarm suddenly sounded. The Haida-6 type submarine No. 23, which was originally docked at the pier, immediately started up. The engine made a deep roar, the propeller spun rapidly, and it slowly left the pier, heading at full speed towards the waters west of the Cook Islands.

Meanwhile, the Taishan fleet was speeding southwest along the planned new route.

They then encountered the New Zealand Navy's HMS Achilles and HMS Leander light cruisers.

This was an escort operation requested by the Free French government from the British in London.

The remaining voyage will be escorted by these two light cruisers all the way to the Asian waters.

The sea was calm, the sun shone on the deck, and the crew members on the five cargo ships all wore relaxed smiles.

The fleet is getting closer and closer to Wellington, New Zealand, and will arrive at its destination in two days.

Two days later, the Haida-6 type submarine No. 23 successfully arrived at the area where submarine No. 17 lost contact.

Captain Sato immediately ordered a halt to the advance, activated all-around sonar detection, and dispatched divers to dive underwater for investigation.

The search continued, but without any progress.

One night, after sending two English-speaking divers ashore and bribing the locals with gifts, they learned that a small tsunami had occurred a few days earlier.

Upon learning of this situation, the Haida-6 type submarine No. 23 immediately submerged and sailed to the target area.

There, they discovered that submarine No. 17 had sunk in the trench, with black oil slicks floating on the surface.

This was clearly caused by an attack.

The Haida-6 type submarine No. 23 surfaced and reported the situation to the Palau base.

Although the cause of the submarine's demise has been determined, the identity of the attacker remains a mystery. Even if they knew that the submarine was destroyed by Fang Wen using a homemade depth charge from his plane, they probably wouldn't believe it.

Two days later, the Taishan fleet sailed into Wellington Harbour.

This place is not only an important port hub in New Zealand, but also a sourcing point for Taishan Meat Trading & Transportation Company in the Southern Hemisphere.

As the five cargo ships docked one after another, the crew members disembarked, stretching their stiff bodies with relief on their faces as they reached land. After a long and tense voyage at sea, they finally got a short rest.

Zhou Ming, the regional manager of Taishan Meat Trading and Transportation Company stationed in Australia and New Zealand, who had been waiting at the dock, immediately led more than ten employees to greet them and busied themselves with the resupply.

"General Manager, you've finally arrived!" Zhou Ming strode up to Fang Wen, bowed, and greeted him with utmost respect. "We have already prepared the supplies in advance. Fresh beef and mutton, fresh water, vegetables, and fuel are all in place and are being unloaded and loaded."

Fang Wen nodded, his gaze sweeping over the neatly stacked supplies beside the dock: "Thank you for your hard work. How is the meat procurement situation in Australia and New Zealand going?"

Upon hearing the general manager inquire about his duties, Zhou Ming quickly produced a prepared report and stated, "General Manager, we currently have a total of one thousand head of cattle and sheep carcasses sourced from New Zealand, mainly from ranches on the South Island. These are all plump and healthy adult animals, slaughtered and transported on-site, and their quality fully meets the company's requirements. However, our company's meat procurement volume is quite large, and the supply from New Zealand is still insufficient. We mainly supplement our supply through procurement points in Australia, where ranches are larger and the supply is more stable."

Fang Wen flipped through the reports, his fingertip pausing on the purchase price column. He looked up and asked, "With the war raging in Europe, have purchase prices been affected? Will there be any price increases?" This was one of his biggest concerns. Meat procurement was an important business for Taishan Foreign Trade, responsible for the production of a new generation of high-quality protein supplements for military canned goods. Price fluctuations directly affected the purchase volume.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ming quickly shook his head: "General Manager, don't worry, the price of beef and mutton carcasses has not only not increased, but has actually decreased. This is mainly because German submarines are carrying out a massive blockade and attack on cargo ships in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. A large amount of beef and mutton from New Zealand and Australia was originally destined for the UK, but now that the shipping routes have been cut off, this beef and mutton cannot be transported out and can only be stored in cold storage."

He paused, then continued, “The local ranchers and meat distributors are extremely anxious. The cattle and sheep were slaughtered in their best condition, and storing them in cold storage for a long time will not only increase storage costs but may also cause the meat to spoil. So they have come to us and are willing to offer a 15% discount, requesting that we increase our purchases to help them clear their inventory. According to company regulations, this matter should have been reported to headquarters and a decision should have been made after receiving a response from headquarters. I hadn’t had a chance to report it before you arrived.”

A glint of light flashed in Fang Wen's eyes. This was undoubtedly a worthwhile deal, as it would reduce procurement costs and expand Taishan Meat's procurement scale in Australia.

He put down the report and said decisively, "These conditions are perfectly acceptable. You don't need to report to headquarters. I've made the decision and agreed."

He then added, "You should proactively contact those ranchers and distributors again and try to lower the price with a larger purchase volume. If they can lower the price by another 20%, Taishan can double the purchase volume, not only to buy up the current stockpiled inventory, but also to sign long-term purchase agreements and give priority to purchasing their beef and mutton."

"Yes, General Manager!" Zhou Ming responded quickly, his face full of excitement. "I'll contact them tomorrow and get it sorted out and reported to headquarters as soon as possible."

Fang Wen nodded: "Go ahead, make sure the fleet is resupplyed first, we can't delay the departure time."

Outside the tents, the dock was already bustling with activity. The crew members and company employees had clear divisions of labor: some were responsible for unloading fresh water and food and transferring them to the cargo ship's storage hold; others were responsible for loading fuel oil and carefully inspecting the oil pipelines to prevent leaks; still others were responsible for moving cattle and sheep carcasses and carefully placing them into the refrigerated hold to ensure the meat was fresh.

Gong Xiuneng led his special forces team to patrol and guard the dock and cargo ship area to prevent any unexpected situations and ensure the smooth progress of the resupply operation.

Meanwhile, in the command center of the Japanese Sixth Fleet's base in the South Pacific, a tense atmosphere persisted.

Major General Miyamoto's face grew increasingly grim as he held the follow-up report sent by Captain Sato.

Submarine No. 23 searched the trench carefully for several days, but apart from more wreckage of Submarine No. 17, it found no clues about the attackers. The local residents only knew that there were tsunami-like waves and muffled explosions, and could not provide any other useful information.

Major General Miyamoto flew into a rage again, slamming the telegram on the table. "After investigating for so long, we still haven't found any clues! Where exactly is that Chinese arms fleet? Who attacked submarine number 17?"

The staff officers were silent, none daring to speak. They had never seen such a bizarre attack. There were no traces of ships, no clear source of weapons, as if Submarine No. 17 had been destroyed out of thin air. All their doubts could only be buried deep in their hearts.

Rear Admiral Miyamoto took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and said in a deep voice, "Order submarine No. 23 to continue searching in this area, expand the search area, and find no trace of the attackers! In addition, increase the search area of ​​all submarines, and find the convoy!"

Port of Wellington
The one-day resupply operation has been successfully completed.

The storage tanks, fuel tanks, and refrigerated tanks of the five cargo ships were all loaded, and the crew members had all rested and were full of energy as they boarded the ships, ready to embark on a new voyage.

The New Zealand Navy's HMS Achilles and HMS Leander light cruisers are already waiting in the waters outside the harbor, ready to carry out escort missions at any time.

Fang Wen boarded the captain's cabin of the Hetu and gave the order: "Notify all ships to depart from the port, maintain formation, and remain vigilant. Do not let your guard down."

The fleet slowly departed Wellington Harbour, escorted by two New Zealand light cruisers, and sailed northwest along the southern coast of Australia.

The sea remained calm, the sunlight shimmering on its surface, and the distant Australian continent was faintly visible.

The crew members stood on the deck, enjoying the sea breeze, their faces relaxed.

With the escort of the New Zealand Navy, they no longer had to worry too much about attacks by Japanese submarines, and they were getting closer and closer to their destination, Rangoon.

Over the next period, the convoy sailed steadily along the southern coast of Australia. The New Zealand cruiser was very responsible, using sonar to detect the surrounding waters and closely monitor the situation to ensure the safety of the convoy.

During this time, Zhou Ming also sent a message to Fang Wen, informing him that local ranchers and distributors had agreed to reduce prices by another 20%, and Taishan Meat Trade and Transportation Company had also successfully signed a long-term procurement agreement, doubling the procurement volume, thus successfully completing the task assigned by Fang Wen.

As the convoy sailed out of the waters northwest of Australia and was about to enter the Andaman Sea, the New Zealand light cruiser communicated with the convoy via flag signals.

They will end their escort mission, and the British Far East Fleet will take over the next escort duties.

Subsequently, the two New Zealand light cruisers slowly turned and headed back towards New Zealand, where a British escort ship joined the convoy and took over the escort mission.

Escorted by British warships, the convoy successfully entered the Andaman Sea and sped towards Yangon port. (End of Chapter)