Republic of China: Ace Pilot

US military tank instructors did not believe that someone could teach others about armored vehicles after only driving an M2A4 light tank once.

But the one in front of him was different; machinery was like his flesh and blood, and he could understand it perfectly once he had touched it.

Fang Wen stood in front of 40 drivers: "Everyone has some basic knowledge of tanks, so you don't need to start from scratch. I will lead the training in three stages. The requirement is that you must be able to get the hang of it within two days and participate in escort missions. Now we will divide you into groups of 10, for a total of 4 groups. You will take turns using 5 tanks, with 2 people per tank, one driving and one observing and learning. You will rotate every 15 minutes to maximize the use of time."

The 40 people were immediately divided into groups and quickly stood in four rows.

The U.S. military instructors stood still and communicated with the English translator arranged by Taishan Company.

"I remember your general manager was supposed to be a pilot, how come he can also drive a tank?"

Taishan's translator replied, "The general manager knows a lot. He designed and produced the Taishan Pine medium tank, which was deployed to our own troops two years ago. Shouldn't driving a tank be a simple matter for him?"

"So that's how it is."

The American instructors were still surprised, but they were also curious to see what kind of crash course this "genius boss" could come up with.

"The first stage, getting familiar with the basics, takes half a day. The core is to master starting, braking, and straight-line driving, and to get a feel for the operation."

Fang Wen precisely broke down the key points of operation for the trainees: "After starting the M2A4's radial engine, you should lightly press the accelerator to avoid excessive power causing the car to lurch forward; you don't need to use excessive force with the dual control levers, just pull them slightly to control the direction, just like our Taishan Pine operation, 'pull left to turn left, pull right to turn right,' the force is proportional to the steering angle."

After the explanation, Fang Wen climbed onto a tank, started the engine, and demonstrated the basic operation to the first group of drivers. He slowed down the whole time and explained as he operated the tank: "Look, after starting, put it in neutral first to make sure the tracks are not stuck, then put it in forward gear, press the accelerator at a steady speed, and make minor adjustments to the direction after the vehicle is stable; when driving straight, keep the control lever neutral, look ahead into the distance, avoid frequent adjustments, and reduce vehicle swaying."

Afterwards, the trainees took turns getting on the vehicle for hands-on practice.

For trainees who had operational problems, Fang Wen would go to the tank to watch them operate it once, and then point out the problems.

"You're pressing the accelerator too hard, the engine speed is too high. Slow down and maintain a steady speed."

"You pulled the lever too sharply, and the steering angle was too large. Gently straighten it a little."

"If you brake too late, remember to start lightly applying the foot brake 5 meters before you see the stop line."

With Fang Wen's precise guidance, the trainees made rapid progress.

The soldiers of the Independent Regiment already had experience driving tanks, so they quickly got the hang of operating the M2A4. In less than an hour, they were able to skillfully perform basic actions such as starting, driving in a straight line, and braking. The technicians and engineers from the tank factory, although slightly less experienced in driving, were able to quickly understand the operating logic based on their knowledge of the mechanical structure. Combined with Fang Wen's explanations, they were also able to master the basic driving skills.

The U.S. military instructors observed the entire process and were greatly impressed as they watched Fang Wen guide the teaching like a skilled tank instructor and successfully complete the task.

He originally thought that even if the students had a foundation, the basic familiarization stage would take at least a day. However, under Fang Wen's guidance, all the students passed the first stage assessment in just half a day and were able to perform basic operations proficiently.

That afternoon, the second stage began: steering and controlling the car, which took half a day.

The core is to adapt to the steering characteristics of the M2A4, master vehicle control techniques in rugged road conditions, and adapt to the road and jungle conditions of the South Asian environment.

Fang Wen specifically instructed them to drive to the weapons testing range. Using the rugged road surface and simple obstacles left by the explosion at the testing range, he required the trainees to drive tanks, successfully pass through the obstacle area, and complete maneuvers such as small-radius turns, turning on the spot, and obstacle avoidance.

"The roads along the Thai border are mostly dirt roads with rugged surfaces. In some situations, you need to make agile turns while being careful to protect the tracks and avoid running over sharp stones." Standing beside the obstacle course, Fang Wen reiterated the key points: "When making small-radius turns, gently pull one control lever while keeping the other neutral, and slow down the throttle to allow the tracks to engage slowly and prevent them from coming off. When encountering obstacles, first slow down, observe the height and width of the obstacles, and go around them if possible. If you can't go around them, slowly run over them while maintaining a constant throttle speed to avoid insufficient power that would prevent the tank from crossing the slope."

The trainees were divided into groups to practice in the obstacle course. At first, a few trainees had problems with steering and slight track slippage, but under Fang Wen's guidance, they quickly found the right techniques.

As evening fell, the second phase of the assessment began. Forty trainees drove tanks through the obstacle course in turn. Whether it was turning with a small radius, turning on the spot, or avoiding obstacles, they were able to complete the task smoothly and with standard movements. No one made a mistake.

Fang Wen looked at the trainees' performance and nodded slightly: "Very good, all of you have passed the second stage. Tomorrow we will enter the third stage, which is also the most crucial stage: formation following and wartime simple escort, simulating actual escort and transportation scenarios, to practice coordination and reaction."

Training began early the next morning.

The core objective is to cultivate trainees' ability to coordinate in formations, master basic wartime escort skills, and respond to possible ambushes, interceptions, and other emergencies.

Fang Wen instructed the trainees to drive the tanks in a formation of three tanks per group, with front and rear cover and left and right guards, while practicing emergency response after an attack.

"During the convoy's movement, there will be 15 tanks at the front and 15 at the rear. 30 of you will be driving, and the other 10 will rotate and handle emergencies. The tanks are mainly responsible for escorting the ammunition trucks. The formation must be tight and not too far apart. Group 1, please advance."

He personally led the first group, demonstrating formation driving and simple wartime escort maneuvers.

"When traveling in formation, due to road conditions, each vehicle travels alone, maintaining a distance of 10 meters between vehicles. Walkie-talkies are kept on at all times to transmit road condition information in a timely manner. If an ambush is detected ahead, the tanks in the lead platoon slow down to guard the area and send a warning to the platoon commander. The tanks in the rear platoon provide cover for the trucks to stop, while adjusting the formation to form a flanking defensive posture."

The tactical arrangement he described was mainly because the tank only had a driver and no gunner or machine gunner, making the defense relatively passive.

However, it's not entirely without the means to launch an attack. The 10 reserve drivers are a backup plan. In case of an emergency, the 10 reserve drivers can enter the tank and become temporary gunners to attack the enemy.

After explaining the tactics and marching rules.

Each team began group training, and Fang Wen observed the team's coordination and corrected any problems in a timely manner.

Some squads were too loosely organized, so he directed them to adjust the distance between vehicles and emphasized the importance of coordination; some squads were slow to react after being attacked, so he simulated ambush scenarios and required them to practice emergency response repeatedly until the trainees could quickly adjust their formation; some squads had poor walkie-talkie communication, so he required everyone to standardize their communication scripts, simplify instructions, and improve transmission efficiency.

During the training, the trainees cooperated and learned from each other, and the soldiers of the Independent Regiment gave full play to their combat advantages, leading their squads to quickly adapt to the formation rhythm.

That afternoon, the final training began, simulating the complex scenario of the Thai border highway, setting up ambush points, obstacle zones, etc., requiring the six teams to complete tasks such as formation driving, emergency response to attacks, and covered evacuation in turn.

Gong Xiuneng handed an M50 submachine gun to Fang Wen.

The French bought a lot of this submachine gun; it was a simplified version of the Thompson submachine gun, but its power was still quite good.

Fang Wen picked up the M50 submachine gun, pointed it at the sky, and pulled the trigger.

A burst of gunfire signaled an enemy attack.

The simulated convoy immediately stopped moving.

Fang Wen picked up the walkie-talkie: "I am the convoy commander. We have detected an enemy attack from the east. Five vehicles in the front and five vehicles in the rear, move to the east to cover the convoy's flank."

Under his orders, five tanks at the front and five at the rear moved to the open space on the right side of the convoy to provide defensive cover.

This round's performance was good.

Fang Wen continued with further training.

During an afternoon of simulated escort training, the various squads cooperated seamlessly and moved smoothly. Whether it was convoy driving or emergency response after an attack, they completed tasks methodically. The tanks were driven steadily, and the guards were in place, fully meeting the requirements of actual combat escort. At this point, Fang Wen lined up the drivers and announced: "In my opinion, you have all met the standards after two days of training! I believe you are qualified M2A4 light tank drivers. Tomorrow morning, you will be assigned to the Thai border road transport corps, responsible for munitions escort missions. I hope you will perform well in the operation."

The 40 trainees responded in unison, their loud voices echoing across the training ground, their eyes filled with determination and confidence.

The U.S. military instructor standing nearby walked up to Fang Wen, saluted, and said with great respect: "Mr. Fang Wen, you are amazing! You were able to train a group of trainees into qualified tank drivers in just two days, and even complete formation escort missions. This is simply a miracle! I think your training methods are worth learning from and could even be used in our U.S. military's standard training."

Fang Wen showed no emotional reaction to the compliment. He calmly replied, "They already have a foundation. I just combined the mechanical characteristics of tanks with guidance that was more suitable for the current environment. It's not as good as you say."

The U.S. military instructor asked, "Can I participate in this operation as well? I'd love to join the fight alongside them."

How could Fang Wen refuse an excellent tank instructor? He immediately agreed. In preparation for tomorrow's operation, he had a private conversation with the American instructor, especially about the use of the walkie-talkie, to avoid communication problems after the operation.

The next day, early in the morning.

Dozens of trucks prepared by the British lined up in a long queue inside the port.

These trucks were loaded with firearms, ammunition, and military supplies, which were of enormous value.

Thirty olive-green M2A4 light tanks traveled together in a convoy, one at the head and one at the tail.

Accompanying them were dozens of French soldiers and a British infantry company.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire, the convoy commander, sat in a military vehicle in the middle of the convoy, picked up the Taishan walkie-talkie, and ordered the convoy to depart.

The convoy left the port in a grand procession and headed northeast.

Not long after, Fang Wen also flew northeast in a low-speed gunboat used for reconnaissance to scout ahead of the convoy.

At almost the same time, in a southern port of Thailand, 500 kilometers southeast of Yangon, an inconspicuous civilian vessel entered the port and docked.

Two hundred men in plain clothes disembarked from the boat. Although they were dressed in local clothes, their skin color and behavior were completely different from the locals.

They unloaded the cargo from the ship and waited in the port.

Then, several locals came over and handed them over.

They used only Japanese in their speech.

"Inoue-kun, it's been a long time."

"Yes. After graduating from the Naval Academy, I joined the Naval Intelligence Department and was assigned here, while you became the Marine Corps officer I've always dreamed of being."

"Once this mission is completed, you will definitely be able to successfully apply."

“That’s what I was thinking too. Let’s get down to business. According to the army’s intelligence, the military train convoy has already departed from Yangon and is confirmed to take the Thai-Myanmar border highway. It will pass through the northwestern section of the pass within three days. The road there is narrow and the sides are surrounded by jungle, making it the perfect place for an ambush.”

“Very good. Mr. Inoue, please arrange for us to go there and set up an ambush immediately.”

"I came here for this reason. You all take all your equipment and come with me to take the train to the northwestern border of Thailand to set up defenses in advance!"

Then, these people loaded the boxes onto the truck and headed to the train freight station.

Inside the freight station, one freight car after another opened, and people carried boxes onto the cars, then all of them boarded the train.

Half a day later, they arrived at the northwestern border of Thailand. Then, under the cover of night, they secretly crossed the border and sneaked into the dense forest beside the Myanmar-Thailand highway.

Japanese soldiers had a clear division of labor:

Some people planted landmines on the road surface and in concealed locations on both sides of the road, specifically to intercept convoys and bring trucks and tanks to a standstill.

Another group of people worked in pairs, setting up grenade launchers at the edge of the dense forest. One hundred grenade launchers were arranged in a fan shape and aimed at the road. As soon as the convoy was stopped by landmines, a barrage of grenades would rain down on the convoy, directly detonating the munitions on the vehicles.
Even those thirty M2A4 tanks were part of the Japanese plan; they had no intention of engaging in close combat, but rather of launching an attack using the large number of explosive weapons they had brought.

With everything in place, two hundred Japanese soldiers lay in ambush in the dense forest, waiting for the convoy to drive into the trap.

In their view, the ambush was foolproof, and the shipment of weapons worth tens of millions of dollars was destined to perish here.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen's P-40 was cruising at low altitude along the border highway.

Extremely cautious, he did not rely on visual observation, but instead activated his mechanical perception. His supernatural perspective was like an invisible net, covering the roads and jungles below.

Halfway through the flight, his brow suddenly furrowed.

There seem to be people in the dense forest on both sides of the road ahead.

If there were fewer people, it would be fine, but there are at least hundreds of people in the mechanical perception!

Something's not right!

Fang Wen immediately increased the mechanical sensing and observation. There were hundreds of people, all dressed in plain clothes, who looked like local villagers, but they were lying motionless in hidden positions, showing no signs of working or traveling.

This is completely illogical.

To further confirm.

Fang Wen activated the X-ray vision ability of the vertical gemstone.

Using his X-ray vision, he saw the ammunition boxes, grenade launchers, and numerous landmines buried on the road beneath the camouflage.

Therefore, it is clear that what follows is definitely a Japanese ambush force!
They had somehow managed to find the border highway ahead of time and set a trap, waiting for the military train convoy to walk right into their trap.

Without the slightest delay, Fang Wen abruptly pulled the stick to lift the fighter jet and turned back to base.

After flying back 100 kilometers, the convoy was visible below.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone and spoke with the convoy commander. (End of Chapter)