Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 324, 323: Fuping Refugees, Dezhou Offensive and Defense, Taishan Independent Regiment Launches Attack

Fang Wen put the note away.

Bai Yunfei should have already left.

He left his contact radio frequency so that there would be opportunities to contact him again in the future.

However, from Bai Yunfei's words, Fang Wen also deduced that the Red Army had already crossed the Yellow River from Yan'an and begun to fight against the Japanese.

It should be said that the current designation is the Eighth Route Army.

Thinking that Bai Yunfei was probably still on his way to find the main force, Fang Wen did not contact him by telegram for the time being, but instead prepared to go to the next refugee gathering place.

That place is called Fuping County, in northern Shanxi Province, located below Lingqiu County, which had already been occupied by the Japanese army.

Fang Wen learned from the refugees that many refugees fled to northern Shanxi after the Japanese army occupied Zhangjiakou. Later, the area around Lingqiu County in Datong, northern Shanxi, was occupied by the Japanese army, so they took a boat and fled south from Shahe.

He discussed this with William.

The map unfolds, and the Fuping area is marked out.

Fang Wen drew a river on the map and said, "This river is called the Shahe River. It flows down to Fuping County. Fuping County is located in the Taihang Mountains, and it is difficult to travel there, so a large number of refugees can only stay there."

William communicated in Chinese: "Now that the Datong area has been occupied by the Japanese army, they could march south at any time to attack Taiyuan and Shijiazhuang. Fuping is on their route of attack. Once the Japanese army enters Fuping County, the refugees will be in danger."

Fang Wen replied confidently, "That's possible, but the Japanese army can't send a large number of troops into the Taihang Mountains. Without the support of mechanized troops and the air force, we can deal with them."

Indeed, the Taishan Independent Regiment may be small in number, but it is equipped with the best gear and has an absolute advantage in combined air and ground operations.

William couldn't help but marvel that even in Europe, this configuration would be considered an elite regiment.

The discussion then ended, and the advance rescue team departed from the Dezhou Canal, flying to Shijiazhuang, 200 kilometers away.

The reason for going to Shijiazhuang first was to make contact with the Fuping County government there. It would be easier to get things done with the help of local government officials.

The seaplane travels at speeds of over 200 kilometers per hour and takes only one hour to reach Shijiazhuang.

This is the advantage of speed; in this era, only Fang Wen and the national-level air force could achieve such speed.

However, the ability to transport personnel to any place with a river was unique to Fang Wen, something that neither the Nationalist Army nor the Japanese Army could do.

After an hour's flight, the gunboat arrived in Shijiazhuang and landed on the Taiping River.

Taishan Airlines staff, along with some local officials and military and police personnel, were already waiting by the river.

Once the plane landed, the staff on shore quickly took the ropes thrown from the plane and secured them to the rocks on the shore.

Afterwards, Fang Wen and his group disembarked from the plane, where William conducted the communication.

William, who has a foreign appearance but speaks fluent Mandarin, communicated with officials in Shijiazhuang under the guidance of Taishan Airlines staff.

"I am the company commander of the 2nd Company, 3rd Battalion, Taishan Independent Regiment. I have been ordered to come here to organize refugee relief work."

Local officials have heard about this from Taishan Airlines staff and have highly praised this action.

"In these times of national crisis, there are not many people like you who care about the people. We are very grateful for your decision to go to Fuping County to transfer refugees. However, there is something I need to explain. Due to the approaching Japanese army, the officials of Fuping County have fled. You probably won't get official support if you go to Fuping, so you'll have to do it yourself."

William was taken aback when he heard the official say this.

"Are the Japanese troops about to reach Shijiazhuang?"

"Not yet, but soon."

This situation is very tricky.

Fuping County is located north of Shijiazhuang. When the Japanese army attacked Shijiazhuang, Fuping County was also in danger.

Not to mention that the officials in Fuping County had all fled, leaving the defenses even more vulnerable.

Fang Wen did not give up on the rescue; instead, he decided to fly there immediately.

The plane then took off again, heading north to Fuping, 90 kilometers away.

Half an hour later, the plane entered the Taihang Mountains.

Compared to Shijiazhuang, Fuping County is mountainous with complex terrain.

The villages we saw along the way were mostly single-story houses, scattered sparsely throughout the mountainous areas.

The plane then arrived over Fuping County.

The county town is not big, and there are many single-story houses in the town as well.

The city wall was dilapidated and had been neglected for many years.

Outside the city, there is a river, the Shahe River.

Where are the refugees?

Fang Wen carefully observed with his mechanical eagle eye and spotted the target.

Large groups of refugees stayed in a small square in the city, living in makeshift shacks.

Immediately, Fang Wen controlled the plane to land on the Shahe River.

The plane swooping down surprised the residents of this small county.

Many of them had seen such flying creatures in their entire lives, and they all rushed out of the city to watch them by the river.

Under their watchful eyes, the plane landed, and an advance team member jumped off the plane first, tying the cable to a willow tree on the riverbank.

Afterwards, Fang Wen and his group disembarked from the plane.

At this moment, an elderly man dressed in a long robe and exuding wealth walked over, surrounded by the crowd.

The old man bowed and asked, "Where do you come from, sir, and what brings you to Fuping?"

He noticed the military uniforms on the advance team members. In those days, the most feared people were soldiers with guns, so he spoke very politely.

This time, Fang Wen didn't have William communicate with them. Instead, he spoke up, saying, "We came from Shijiazhuang, ordered to relocate the refugees here. I heard that all the officials in your county have fled. So who's in charge now?"

The old man replied, “I am ashamed to say that those officials from other places could not stand with Fuping through thick and thin and have indeed all left. I once passed the imperial examination in the late Qing Dynasty and had a career in government. The villagers recommended me to temporarily take charge of various affairs in the city. Your arrival to transfer the refugees is wonderful. Fuping County is small and the treasury is not full, so it is really too difficult to take in those refugees.”

"Okay, let's go register now and then arrange for a plane to come and rescue us."

After Fang Wen finished communicating with the old man, he left five advance team members to guard the plane, while he led his men into the city with the old man and his group.

The bustling crowd headed into the city. Fang Wen walked side by side with the old man, followed closely by his bodyguard Gong Xiuneng, while William and the other 10 advance team members followed behind.

They arrived at the small square in the city and met the group of refugees.

The refugees were overjoyed when they heard that the people coming to rescue them were there.

Then, just like in Texas City, William explained how to register, got some tables and chairs, and had the refugees line up in several queues, and the registration began on the spot.

Seeing the advance team's orderly actions, the old man's belief grew even stronger.

He continued his conversation with Fang Wen.

"Sir, you are truly doing a great act of charity."

"If you have the ability, then do what you can. It's nothing." Fang Wenping replied calmly. Taishan Airlines currently has more than 100 seaplanes, but all water routes north of the Yellow River have been suspended. These idle planes are perfect for rescuing refugees.

He looked at the old man and couldn't help but ask, "The Japanese army is about to attack Shijiazhuang, and Fuping will probably be affected as well. Aren't you leaving?"

The old man shook his head, and the burly man next to him shouted, "We can't leave. We've been people of Fuping for generations. No one can drive us away. Even if the Japanese are ruthless, we dare to fight them."

"How many men do you have? How many guns?" Fang Wen asked again.

“More than 100 long guns, and about ten short guns, as well as firearms used by hunters in various villages and towns, and also homemade cannons with slingshots,” the burly man replied.

The weapons he mentioned were varied, but Fang Wen was somewhat familiar with them all. One of them, the "lifting pole" was a homemade firearm that was 2 to 2.5 meters long. Because it had a large amount of powder, it was quite powerful and could fire shot, causing damage within a range of 200 meters.

As for homemade cannons, they were rare items, since it was not easy to obtain the materials needed to make cannon barrels.

Fang Wen inquired and learned that it was a bronze cannon barrel left over from the Qing Dynasty. The local villages kept it to protect peace and deter bandits, but they never expected it to become a weapon to fight the Japanese.

After a conversation, Fang Wen gained an understanding of the brave and courageous spirit of the people of Fuping County.

He had always wanted to fight on the northern front to avenge the massacred civilians, and perhaps he could do something about it here. The terrain of Fuping County flashed through his mind.

The terrain here is complex, making it difficult for Japanese troops to assemble their vehicles and tanks. Shahe River could also serve as a temporary military waterborne airfield.

If this place is used as a temporary stronghold to launch attacks on the Japanese army outside the Taihang Mountains, it can restrain the enemy and disrupt their offensive.

A picture of gunboats and aircraft attacking the Japanese army flashed through Fang Wen's mind, and he was immediately moved.

After deciding to establish a temporary base in Fuping to fight against the Japanese army, Fang Wen began to make arrangements.

He first had William count the number of refugees and then dispatched planes from the Yellow River waterway to transfer them.

Seaplanes arrived and transported these refugees to Jinan, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, Kaifeng and other places on the south bank of the Yellow River.

Once they crossed the Yellow River, these refugees would be safe.

Subsequently, William and the advance team were left behind to build a temporary seaplane airport in Fuping County.

Fang Wenze flew back to Jinan and, based on the military situation in the north, formulated a practical action plan.

The military situation in the north is extremely complex.

Zhangjiakou fell by the end of August, and the Japanese army then marched south to northern Shanxi to attack the Datong area and occupied Lingqiu.

Their next target in this direction is Shijiazhuang, followed by Taiyuan.

Fang Wen's arrangements in Fuping County were intended to make some use of that opportunity.

However, the Japanese army did not only attack this one place; Japanese troops had already been spotted in Dezhou City on the other side.

Once Dezhou falls, the Japanese army will advance towards the north bank of the Yellow River and approach Jinan.

Therefore, Fang Wen had to shift his focus to Dezhou first.

October 2, Jinan Water Airport.

Four gunboats were anchored on the water.

One of them was piloted back by Fang Wen, and the other three were Water Tiger No. 1, Water Tiger No. 2, and Water Tiger No. 3, which were dispatched from West Lake in Hangzhou.

Meanwhile, at the seaplane base camp on shore, 100 soldiers, along with gunboat pilots and gunners, stood in neat rows in different formations.

Fang Wen explained the current situation to them.

"The Japanese army has appeared north of Dezhou, and the 29th Army has requested our assistance in combat. Therefore, starting today, we are in a state of emergency preparedness and must be ready to go into battle at any time."

Everyone responded in unison, full of fighting spirit.

After completing the pre-battle mobilization, Fang Wen allowed the various units to begin training, while he himself communicated with the 29th Army via telegram from the temporary command post at the sea airport.

Through continuous communication, the 29th Army explained the movements of the Japanese army.

The Japanese army appeared today in Sangyuan Town, north of Dezhou. Sangyuan Town belongs to Cangzhou and is adjacent to Dezhou. The Japanese army could launch an attack on Dezhou along the railway at any time.

However, the 29th Army did not request the Taishan Independent Regiment to participate in the attack immediately.

They believed that the Taishan Independent Regiment was an important force to be used unexpectedly at the most critical moment.

That was when the Japanese army launched an attack on Dezhou City.

Fang Wen agreed with this, since prematurely revealing the existence of gunboats would invite targeted attacks from the Japanese Army Air Force, which would be counterproductive.

Now, all that's left is to patiently wait for the right moment to join the battle.

During this brief waiting time, Fang Wen took the opportunity to supplement his new bodyguard Gong Xiuneng's military knowledge.

This Taoist priest, who had come down from the mountain and lived a secluded life, received training in firing and loading 12.7mm machine guns and 20mm cannons.

These powerful weapons amazed Gong Xiu, who then developed a liking for the feeling of firing from gunships and aircraft.

However, he didn't know enough about the Taishan Independent Regiment. When the two tanks appeared at the water airport, Gong Xiu was even more surprised.

On October 4, the 10th Army sent a telegram requesting immediate deployment to support Dezhou.

The Taishan Independent Regiment immediately set off northward.

The tank company of the 2rd Battalion of the Independent Regiment, along with two Taishan Pine medium tanks and one supply truck, were transported to the north bank of the Yellow River by cargo ship.

Meanwhile, four gunboats from the 4nd Aviation Battalion of the Independent Regiment, carrying 100 soldiers, took off and headed ahead to Texas.

After a half-hour flight, Fang Wen led the gunboat squadron to the skies above Dezhou City.

Fang Wen, in a state of mechanical perception, observes the battlefield situation below with an eagle eye.

The Japanese army launched an attack from the west gate.

The force consisted of 5000 men and was equipped with artillery and tanks.

There were five artillery pieces, towed by trucks: one howitzer and four infantry guns.

The tanks are Type 95 light tanks, of which there are six, equipped with a 37mm main gun and two 7.7mm machine guns.

This is a fully-equipped Japanese army regiment.

The small number of soldiers and weapons in Texas were simply not enough to hold the city.

But this time, with Fang Wen's involvement, things might be different.

Immediately afterwards, Fang Wen led the gunboat squadron to land on the canal.

One hundred ground soldiers immediately disembarked from the plane and quickly assembled on the riverbank.

Their orders were to enter the city to assist in defense and wait for the tanks to arrive before coordinating the attack.

Immediately afterwards, 100 soldiers, with the support of the Texas garrison, jogged into the city.

Four gunships also took off, beginning the first round of support firepower.

The plane flew to Westgate, Texas.

A fierce battle is taking place there.

The defenders fired at the Japanese troops below from the city walls, while artillery fire exploded all around them, and dense bullets came from outside the city, making it difficult for them to peek out.

Some of the cannonballs even flew over the city walls and exploded inside, causing a huge fire.

Gong Xiu couldn't see the situation below through the observation hole, and cried out in anguish, "Senior brother!"

The Gaozhen Temple on the west side is engulfed in flames, and it is unknown whether Gong Xiuneng's senior brother, the abbot, is alive or dead.

Fang Wen, who was piloting the plane, shouted, "Gong Xiu, stay calm. Now we're going to avenge your senior brother."

He flew directly over the Japanese ground forces in his gunboat and headed towards the artillery positions that posed the greatest threat to the siege.

However, tolls could not be waived, and during the flight, the gunners of each aircraft launched an attack on the ground.

The dense barrage of bullets rained down from the sky onto the ground. Although it was a side-firing attack that could only cover one side, it still dealt damage to the Japanese troops, causing chaos in their attack formation and forcing them to temporarily halt their siege and retreat in disarray.

Meanwhile, the Japanese artillery also began to frantically relocate, mounting their gun mounts on vehicles in an attempt to avoid attacks from gunboats and aircraft.

Unfortunately, trucks can't possibly match the speed of airplanes; even a low-speed airplane traveling at 200 kilometers per hour can easily catch up with a fleeing truck.

After catching up with the convoy, Fang Wen issued instructions to the other gunships and aircraft to conduct a circling firing operation around the convoy.

Immediately, four aircraft circled around the convoy, raining bullets on the canopies, front of the vehicles, and the artillery towed behind them.

After a barrage of fire, the entire convoy was riddled with bullet holes, the artillery was destroyed, and the drivers and artillerymen on board remained motionless.

It seemed that the Japanese artillery unit was doomed, and Fang Wen immediately ordered a return to base.

This attack is just the beginning. After the gunboat squadron returns to refuel and replenish ammunition, it will launch a counterattack with two Taishan Pine tanks and ground troops.

Meanwhile, the Japanese army was also stunned by the sharp attacks from gunboats and aircraft. Having lost their artillery units, they were temporarily unable to attack the city and could only set up camp ten kilometers outside the city and send messages to the rear for support.

(End of this chapter)