Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 250, 249: Adaptability: Majuro's Military Coup, Transit in Honolulu, First Encounter with the Pearl Harbor Navy
The fact that the Japanese had secretly hidden armored vehicles on Majuro Atoll has made the situation delicate.

The gangsters Zhao Jiu brought were ruthless, but lacked organization. Once they were scattered by the armored vehicles, the situation would turn around.

Therefore, it must be removed.

Fang Wen instructed Zhao Jiu to send men to intercept them first, while he and Wu Yingzong went to the tallest building on the island, the hotel where airplane passengers rested.

The two hurried up to the top floor of the hotel, encountering panicked inquiries from passengers who had been awakened by the gunshots.

"Make way, we need to go upstairs," Wu Yingzong called out.

"What happened?" the passengers asked.

"Don't panic, everyone can continue sleeping. If you can't sleep, just stay in your room and don't go out. It will be fine in a while."

Fang Wen gave a vague explanation, saying that although what happened tonight was a complete falling out with the Japanese, there was no need to tell the passengers, as it would only cause them more panic.

The three of them ran to the rooftop and used binoculars to observe the situation in the distance.

Majuro Atoll is not large, and with the help of the moonlight, Fang Wen, whose eyesight is better than average, saw the armored vehicle.

So that's what it is.

Fang Wen purchased military intelligence from Shanghai that included information on this type of armored vehicle.

The Japanese Navy purchased the Crossley M1925 armored car from Britain.

Later, with the introduction of the domestically produced Type 91 wheeled/rail armored vehicle, this thing was abandoned.

But I didn't expect to run into one here.

Looking at this bizarre armored vehicle with a cover, Fang Wen felt there were many ways to deal with it.

Its two machine gun turrets, which fire at narrow angles, mean it can only engage in direct frontal combat and cannot handle flanking attacks in narrow terrain.

Of course, this problem has now been solved by a large number of armed Japanese.

Then let's use a remote-controlled bomb to deal with it.

Immediately, Fang Wen went downstairs.
Outside, Zhao Wanping and two officers had returned from the plane, bringing two large boxes.

These are remote-controlled bombs; since they are only for emergencies, there are only two in total.

Wu Yingzong volunteered: "General Manager, Wanping and I are conducting special operations training. Let us handle the practical application of this remote-controlled bomb to deter the enemy."

The two are currently in charge of the security and defense department of Taishan Aviation Group. In private, they are the captain, deputy captain, and training officer of the Taishan Volunteer Army Combat Team. The Taishan Volunteer Army Combat Team mainly focuses on special operations, and the use of bombs is one of its important methods.

Remote-controlled bombs, a cutting-edge military application, are also a key area of ​​research and training for them.

Practical experience was also valuable to the two, since neither of them had participated in the Shanghai general's hostage-taking and bombing incident.

Fang Wen nodded in agreement and handed the task over to the two men.

Wu Yingzong and Zhao Wanping busied themselves on the road that the armored vehicle was bound to take. One of them pried open the stones on the road, while the other took out the remote-controlled bomb and assembled it.

Meanwhile, under the cover of armored vehicles, the gang led by Zhao Jiu gradually lost their resistance and retreated continuously.

Seeing that it would take some time before the remote-controlled bomb was planted, Fang Wen opened another box, took out six fragmentation grenades, and prepared to go and provide support.

“Let’s go too,” said two officers from the 19th Route Army.

Fang Wen looked up at the two of them and asked, "Do you know how to use this kind of British-made fragmentation grenade?"

"We've used it," they both replied in unison.

"Alright, let's throw grenades together and try to buy some time."

After discussing with the other two, Fang Wenhe jogged all the way to the forward ambush position.

There, gang members hid behind houses on both sides of the road, occasionally peeking out to shoot into the middle of the road.

The Crossley M1925 armored car blocked a large number of bullets from the direction they were firing, while the armed Japanese soldiers firing from behind were all using Type 38 rifles.

This shows that these people had close ties with the Japanese Navy.

The tactic of armored vehicles advancing while infantry provided support allowed them to keep moving forward, forcing the gangsters to retreat time and time again.

We were about to reach the corner of the road.

If they round the corner and find Wu Yingzong and Zhao Wanping planting the bomb, the landmine will lose its effect.

At that moment, three British-made Mills No. 5 grenades were thrown through the air and landed behind the armored vehicle.

Because it was a fragmentation grenade, the sound and light of the explosion were not strong, but it bypassed the armored vehicle's cover by following a parabolic trajectory, creating a good suppressive effect among the enemy.

At each of the three explosion points, enemies were wounded and fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

To cover the infantry, the armored vehicles had to stop and fire machine guns forward.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen and the others had already hidden behind the house.

After the machine gun fire, the armored vehicle continued to advance, while the infantry behind it formed a skirmish line to avoid grenade attacks.

But just a few steps later, three more grenades flew by.

This time they learned their lesson and lay down on the ground, which reduced the area affected by the fragmentation grenade.

After the second round of grenade attacks, the enemy remained silent.

After waiting for a while, they assumed the enemy had retreated and the armored vehicles continued forward.

With no further obstacles along the way, the armored vehicle, carrying dozens of infantrymen, turned and attacked the inn in the distance.

Just a few dozen meters after the armored vehicle moved forward, two bursts of fire suddenly exploded in its abdomen.

The flames and shockwaves that burst from the ground were completely absorbed by the belly of the armored vehicle. The powerful blast lifted the armored vehicle up before it fell heavily back down.

Immediately afterwards, flames erupted from inside the armored vehicle, accompanied by an implosion sound like popping beans.

This armored vehicle is completely destroyed.

Meanwhile, gangsters lying in ambush on both sides of the road launched an attack, annihilating all the enemies who had lost their cover.

With this, the Japanese Navy's military presence on Majuro Atoll was resolved.

Now it's time to think about how to deal with this mess.

Fang Wen's original plan was to have the cargo ship anchor at Majuro Atoll so that the aircraft could transit there. After all, it is located in the central Pacific Ocean. Although it is nominally under Japanese administration, the Japanese Navy does not actually have a base there, nor do they have any patrol warships.

Therefore, the cargo ship hired a group of gangsters to temporarily control the situation on the island. After the plane had been repaired for two hours and was about to take off, the cargo ship would also leave.

But things don't always go according to plan.

Passengers cannot tolerate long-haul flights of more than 30 hours.

Among them were also Japanese spies who had gone undercover.

They also contacted secret members of the Japanese Navy on the island to launch an attack.

Now look what happened. They only intended to stay for one night, but the undercover agent died, and the entire Japanese naval force on the island was wiped out.

So what should we do next?

Completely ignoring the issue and simply leaving is the simplest, but also the most problematic, response. It would enrage the Japanese, escalate their actions, and could even have repercussions for the United States.

That would cause a lot of trouble for the other party later on.

Fang Wen was thinking about how to turn this matter into something that would benefit him.

He recalled his previous discussion with two officers from the 19th Route Army. The US and Japan had conflicts at sea; after World War II, the US took over all of Japan's controlled islands in the Pacific.

What if the Marshall Islands were to become U.S. territory ahead of schedule, or be protected by the U.S.?

If the United States is willing to accept this land, it will be tantamount to planting a seed of antagonism between the two countries.

After having this idea, Fang Wensheng immediately began to implement it.

He instructed Zhao Jiu to gather all the gangs involved in the operation.

At 4 a.m., the gang members, exhausted from a night of turmoil, forced themselves to attend the meeting.

They were very curious about Zhao Jiu's real boss, who was the legendary Oriental pilot featured in the recent newspapers.

Putting everything else aside, tonight's operation alone is enough to impress them.

Everyone was curious about why this person wanted to hold a meeting with them.
Once everyone had arrived, Fang Wen spoke up without Zhao Jiu needing to introduce him.

"Hello everyone, I want you all to know who I am. In five hours, I will be flying away from here. Before that, I'd like to have a word with you. Would you like to establish a country?"

The gangsters were stunned; this was the biggest plan they had ever heard of.

They didn't even dare to think about it.

Seeing that the gangsters didn't react, Fang Wen smiled and continued:

“Last night, we destroyed most of the Japanese naval forces in the Marshall Islands. Now, the entire archipelago nation is in a state of chaos, without an army or political parties. I think you have a responsibility to restore order, establish a political party belonging to the Marshallese, overthrow the Japanese-controlled government in the name of the local people, and then establish an independent nation.”

Is it still possible to do this?

The gangsters were incredibly surprised, but upon reflection, it seemed like it might actually work.

They looked eager and asked how exactly to do it.

Fang Wen thought for a moment: "You find an agent locally to carry out all of this. What you need to do is provide money, materials, and force to help this agent's power grow. Of course, to achieve all this, the number of people you have is not enough."

A gang member interrupted, "What are our interests? Are these deserted islands worth the trouble of establishing a country?"

As expected of a gangster, they only care about profit.

Fang Wen has already thought of everything for them.

"This is in the central Pacific Ocean. For one thing, Majuro Atoll is an extremely important transit island for Pacific shipping routes, boasting not only a seaport but also sea and land airports, as well as ocean-going tourist attractions. Moreover, it can be a tax-free country, with no tax records, so your money can..."

What can it do?

The gangsters suddenly realized that even the most ruthless gangsters were afraid of the IRS.

Al Capone, who had suffered greatly from the scheme, was the first to understand the enormous benefits involved. He stood up and declared, "I am willing to join this plan."

His example led other gangs to agree as well.

Fang Wen continued, “The Japanese will definitely not let this go, so tonight’s events must become an independence war for the Marshall Islands natives. The local natives overthrow the Japanese proxy rule, launch a military uprising, and establish a party government, and you are the hired fighters, and may even become foreign employees of the new government. This is the first step.”

"The second step is to gain international support to counter the Japanese. The main support is from the United States."

Al Capone asked, puzzled, "How do we get American support?"

“This involves a very complex operation and lobbying process. Leave it to Taishan International. You just need to control the situation here,” Fang Wen replied. His second plan was indeed complicated, such as offshore finance and tax havens, which were entirely prepared for the rich and politicians in the United States. He was just realizing these things decades ahead of schedule. He figured those people would be willing to accept these tactics.

After a night of discussion, the gangsters underwent a significant shift in their thinking.

They will become the masters of the entire archipelago nation from among a group of hired hands.

Attracted by Fang Wen's wonderful vision, they are ready to take active action in the days to come.

Meanwhile, the passengers of the Xuanming boarded a seaplane in a small boat and began another day's journey.

Once the plane reached high altitude, Fang Wen picked up the wired telephone receiver and made an announcement.

"Passengers, last night an independence uprising took place in the Bashall Islands. The indigenous army defeated the Japanese army and gained their freedom. They are now establishing an independent government."

The passengers were surprised and discussed among themselves, realizing that this was what had happened last night.

Fang Wen then continued broadcasting.

"We still have half the journey left. We'll fly to Honolulu, rest for two hours, and then continue flying, finally arriving in San Francisco to complete the entire trans-Pacific flight. Does anyone have any objections?"

Everyone readily agreed that it was better to endure another night on the island and head straight to the mainland than to spend another night on the island.

Since no one had any objections, Fang Wen drove with peace of mind.

The aircraft was traveling at a constant speed of 200 kilometers per hour at an altitude of 3000 meters.

As we continued our journey, the sea stretched out endlessly blue, with no landmarks in sight.

Even the most beautiful sight can cause visual fatigue.

Ten hours later, all the passengers were exhausted and fell asleep.

Only then did the rare islands appear on the flight path.

Johnston Island.

This small island will also belong to the United States in the future, and it will share the same fate as the Marshall Islands, becoming a nuclear testing site.

Fang Wen merely glanced at the small island below before piloting the plane forward.

After passing Johnston Island, the remaining flight time is estimated to be only 8 hours.

That means we need to arrive in Honolulu at 3 a.m. on the third day.

This was a very boring flight. Apart from Fang Wen, Wu Yingzong, and Zhao Wanping, everyone else on the plane had fallen asleep. In order to keep Captain Fang Wen awake, the two flight attendants had to keep talking on the landline to stay active.

And so, the 18-hour flight finally came to an end, and the plane arrived in Honolulu.

Wu Yingzong woke up the passengers via public address system.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at the transit point. The island below is called Honolulu, which we Chinese call Honolulu. There is a natural deep-water harbor on the island, Honolulu Harbor, also known as Pearl Harbor. Because of the presence of a U.S. naval base, we can only land in a more distant area, so you will be able to move around on the sea."

While Wu Yingzong was broadcasting, Fang Wen also located his own cargo ship and immediately lowered the aircraft onto the sea.

This action attracted the attention of a U.S. Navy ship.

After the plane came to a stop, the naval vessel launched a small boat and sailed over.

The ship's officer asked, "Which company manufactured this aircraft?"

Fang Wen stepped out of the cockpit and stood on the floatboard next to the fuselage, replying, "Made by Taishan Aircraft Manufacturing Plant."

The officer examined it carefully and praised, "It's a very good aircraft. No wonder it can cross the Pacific Ocean, but it's not as good as the new seaplane we're about to equip."

Fang Wen chuckled to himself. His own Xuanming was a copy of the PBY seaplane that the US Navy was about to fully equip. Although some changes were made to its appearance, there were many similarities in its overall design.

He wouldn't say it aloud, but instead invited U.S. Navy officers to board the plane.

He inspected the entire aircraft, from nose to tail, except for the mobile machine gun compartment.

I couldn't help but exclaim, "The East can actually build such a good airplane!"

Fang Wen wasn't proud of this; he was currently only assembling parts, mainly because time was of the essence. If the war ended, Taishan's machinery industry would develop into a complete industrial chain.

After seeing off the naval officers and resting for two hours, the plane took off again, heading towards its final destination, San Francisco.

(End of this chapter)