Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 348: 346 Spy Annihilated, Armored Vehicles, Tanks, Gunships, and Aircraft: Fang Wen's Armored Blitzkrieg
Fang Wen left the garrison headquarters and immediately began to take action.

In his capacity as Commander Fu, the garrison commander of Taiyuan, he convened a meeting with the heads of the police station, military police, and security regiment to discuss the matter.

The location was a courtyard house opposite the garrison command. The Taiyuan police chief was the first to arrive, followed by the military police captain and the head of the city's security regiment.

Once everyone had arrived, Fang Wen explained the situation directly: "Gentlemen, I have been ordered to take full responsibility for the security of Taiyuan City, mainly to find out the Japanese spies who infiltrated the city a few days ago. According to reliable sources, these spies are planning to cause trouble in Taiyuan City, and the Japanese army will be arriving soon. We must find these spies as soon as possible."

The police chief quickly asked, "What are the characteristics of these people, or any clues that could help in the search?"

“There may be six people who disguised themselves as refugees and sneaked into the city.” Fang Wen suddenly paused, thinking of a very important clue: those Japanese spies probably didn’t speak the local Shanxi dialect, which is why the four who tried to assassinate him had such different accents.

However, Fang Wen did not intend to reveal this important clue here. He was not sure whether Japanese spies had infiltrated Taiyuan City in earlier years, or even served in the garrison.

Therefore, Fang Wen directly addressed the issue of action.

"That's the situation. I need your cooperation to search among the refugees in the city, and at the same time mobilize the residents of Taiyuan to capture the Japanese spies."

After a brief conversation, Fang Wen and the others agreed to divide the city into four search areas: east, west, south, and north. Each search area would be staffed by a search team from the Taishan Independent Regiment, with the police station and other departments sending personnel to assist.

After the discussion, the group immediately went out to prepare.

Fang Wen then selected two companies from the Third Battalion of the Independent Regiment, dividing them into four groups, and instructed them: "When you participate in the search for enemy traitors this time, be careful of one thing: enemy traitors are very likely not to speak the local Shanxi dialect, and their accents are closer to those from the Hebei area. If you find such people, pay special attention, and arrest them immediately if anything seems amiss."

After following Fang Wen's instructions, the four teams of soldiers assembled outside the courtyard.

Subsequently, the police, military police, and security forces arrived, and their men led four squads of soldiers to set off in all directions of Taiyuan City.

With a major war looming, the city streets were unusually quiet, but many people did not leave the city and instead stayed at home to wait for the war to end.

The loudspeakers on the streets broadcast their messages as the search team moved through the area.

"Fellow villagers, we are searching for Japanese spies. These little devils have disguised themselves as refugees and infiltrated the city to cause trouble. We hope you will cooperate to find these guys."

In an instant, the quiet city of Taiyuan came alive again, and people came out of their houses to talk to the police officers who were shouting.

"A Japanese soldier infiltrated? What does he look like? I need his help."

"I don't know. Right now, we need to gather the refugees who have entered the city together and find out the situation."

“That’s right.” Someone with some influence in the area shouted, “Everyone, help out! If you have any families taking in refugees, bring them out so the police can question them. If they’re not Japanese, they’ll be fine. Don’t be afraid.”

From a street corner, a group of disheveled refugees stepped forward. "We escaped from Xinzhou. Those Japanese devils, all they did when they entered the village was rob money and food, murder, rape, and loot—they committed all sorts of atrocities. That's why we fled here. We hope Taiyuan can hold off the Japanese army so we can catch our breath. Come and ask us; we're definitely not Japanese spies."

The search team, along with police officers and military police, spoke with the refugees and then let them go without any trouble.

Subsequently, more refugees came out and were questioned one by one.

This was happening throughout Taiyuan, with both local residents and refugees cooperating fully.

As the number of refugees questioned continued to increase, the search team soldiers had identified some targets.

These targets were all refugees who spoke with accents from other regions.

They focused their investigations on these individuals, asking if they had relatives in Taiyuan seeking refuge, or if there were any other refugees who could vouch for them.

If none of these are present, it is highly suspicious and the person will be placed under special surveillance.

The citywide manhunt has ended, and more than 100 suspects have been detained in the police station.

Among these people, there are the most likely Japanese spies.

But with so many people, finding them isn't easy.

Fang Wen asked Gong Xiu to go back and bring Fujimoto Teruya and Morimura Yuji back with him.

The two prisoners were taken to a courtyard across the street from the garrison command headquarters, where Fang Wenxian and Fujimoto Teruyasu had a talk.

"Fujimoto Teruya, you are already a fallen officer, and no one will come to save you. As for the crimes you committed in China, I can execute you at any time."

Fujimoto Teruya nodded vigorously and bowed deeply: "Sir is right. I bombed the North China Plain. Such a crime deserves to be executed. Please give me a chance. I am willing to spend my life atoning for my sins."

Fang Wen coldly looked at Fujimoto Teruya. Whether the other party was truly repentant was not the point. Now he needed to use him as a bridge to help Morimura Yuji find his accomplices among those more than one hundred people.

“Go out and have a good talk with Morimura Yuji. If we can’t catch his accomplices today, it won’t be as simple as just torture. Also, if Morimura Yuji doesn’t cooperate, you will be punished as well.”

These words sent chills down Fujimoto Teruya's spine.

He nodded repeatedly, bowed, turned and left.

Right there in the courtyard, Fujimoto Teruya spoke loudly in Chinese to Morimura Yuji, trying to get him to comply with Fang Wen's demands.

Morimura Yuji, looking terrified, refused to agree no matter what.

Feeling helpless, Fujimoto Teruya thought about Fang Wen's words and then saw Gong Xiuneng monitoring him from a distance, which made him tremble with fear.

He knew he couldn't possibly bear that kind of pain, and a sudden surge of inexplicable anger arose within him, causing him to slap Morimura Yuichi hard across the face.

After the resounding slap, Fujimoto Teruya grabbed the other man's shoulder: "Now we only have one last hope. Either we both continue to be tortured today and die in agony, or your companions die. Which do you choose? You have to choose, otherwise we'll be worthless after today."

These words finally made Morimura Isamu make a decision: "I want to live."

Gong Xiuneng grabbed his arm from behind and dragged him, along with Fujimoto Teruya, into Fang Wen's room.

Inside the room, Fang Wen said with satisfaction, "Very good, you've earned yourselves an opportunity. We'll go identify people in a bit."

Immediately afterwards, Gong Xiuneng led the two prisoners, Fujimoto Teruya and Morimura Yuji, along with a company of soldiers from the Independent Regiment, to the police station.

There, Morimura Yuji, who deliberately covered his face with a cloth to avoid being discovered by his companions, inspected each prison cell.

After spotting the target, he would turn to Gong Xiuneng and say, "There's one, the one squatting against the wall on the left, the one wearing a headscarf."

Gong Xiu could get the guards to open the cell, then rushed over and struck the guard's neck with his palm, rendering him unable to retaliate.

The soldiers who came in then tied him up and took him away.

In the ensuing search, Morimura Isamu found three more people, but never discovered them again.

There were clearly 6 people, so why were only 4 caught?

In the face of the urgency of the situation, Gong Xiuneng resorted directly to torture.

The technique of dislocating tendons and bones was used together, causing the four Japanese spies to scream in agony.

This time, Gong Xiuneng didn't dislocate their jaws; he wanted the screams to be contagious.

The agonizing cries sent chills down the spines of even the police officers in the station who had also subjected prisoners to torture; the people of this Independent Regiment were truly ruthless.

After the screams continued for 20 minutes, Gong Xiuneng finally used his methods to relieve the pain of the four people.

At his signal, Teruya Fujimoto asked one of them, "Where are the other two?"

The person didn't say it, but Gong Xiu was able to use heavy force directly, tying the tendons in his hands and feet into knots.

Instantly, his whole body curled up like a shrimp, in so much pain that he couldn't even scream.

Fujimoto Teruya then asked the next person, "Where are your other two companions?"

Although the person looked terrified, they did not answer and naturally suffered indescribable pain.

The third one, before Fujimoto Teruya could even ask, he took the initiative to say it.

“I said. We were originally planning to take action this afternoon. The other two went out to investigate, and before they returned, your search team arrested us.”

There's a problem with this situation.

Fang Wen, who was eavesdropping outside the room, immediately realized that the other two Japanese spies were probably nearby.

This area is the only one that hasn't been searched; it's a classic case of being in the darkest corner.

Fang Wen immediately went out and drove his car around the garrison command headquarters.

While driving, he activated his mechanical senses. In this state of oneness with the vehicle, his perception was amplified, allowing him to observe the surrounding environment more precisely.

The garrison command has two gates.

There are guards at the main gate. Because I warned Commander Fu, the security has been increased, and everyone entering and leaving needs to be checked.

So there's no chance of getting the main entrance.

There is a small gate in the backyard wall, which is used by the garrison command kitchen to purchase ingredients and transport food waste out.

This is likely where the other party made their move.

Fang Wen reduced the car's speed and slowly drove closer to the rear door.

He found out.

Two porters are carrying today's ingredients inside. Their movements are somewhat clumsy.

This is definitely not the behavior of someone who frequently uses a carrying pole.

Fang Wen immediately became alert and reached for the pistol at his right waist.

Unlatch the gun and quietly pull it out.

At that moment, the two porters on the roadside also noticed the slowly moving car behind them.

The atmosphere suddenly became solemn.

One of the porters stopped, suddenly dropped his carrying pole, turned around, and pulled out a pistol.

At the same time the other side took action, Fang Wen also raised his gun and fired.

After being enhanced by mysterious energy, not only did his mechanical perception improve, but his physical fitness, overall coordination, and reaction speed also increased significantly.

Just as the other party drew his pistol and raised his arm, Fang Wen, with his mental focus highly concentrated, had already raised his gun and fired.

At that moment, the opponent's movements seemed to slow down considerably; before his arm was even parallel to the ground, Fang Wen's pistol had already fired a bullet.

Several gunshots rang out, and the porter's chest was riddled with bullet holes, turning a deep red.

Meanwhile, another porter decisively abandoned his companion, dropped his carrying pole, and ran desperately across the street.

There's an alley across the street; if he goes into the alley, he might still have a chance to escape.

Unfortunately, that was just his imagination. Fang Wen, who hadn't yet eliminated mechanical perception, would never allow him to cross the road safely.

The car accelerated instantly, rushing forward and sending the person flying ten meters away.

The impact was quite severe; he was unable to stand up again.

The gunshots attracted the garrison troops and officers from the command post. They ran out the back door, looking at the two porters, one near and one far, and the pistol lying on the ground, completely bewildered.

Subsequently, Gong Xiuneng led a group of soldiers over and subdued the two porters.

Fang Wen then got out of the car and said, "The Japanese spies who infiltrated the city have been killed. The danger is over, and everything is fine."

Hearing Fang Wen's explanation, the officers were relieved, while Fang Wen proceeded with the aftermath of the capture of the spy.

He walked to the scattered baskets next to the body and had the soldiers carefully lift the cloth covering them.

Inside, there were suddenly several bombs.

The elimination of spies within Taiyuan was merely a minor episode in the defense of Taiyuan.

The real danger came from the two Japanese divisions to the north and east.

On November 6, battles broke out in Yangqu Town and Mingqian area.

The defending troops on both sides engaged in fierce fighting with the Japanese army.

As agreed with the Sixth Squadron, eight fighter jets from Xi'an took off in batches and patrolled the airspace over Taiyuan City together with the Sixth Squadron.

These aircraft, due to their multiple sorties, could continuously put pressure on the Japanese army, but could not play a crucial role.

In the current situation, to lift the siege of Taiyuan, a surprise force needs to emerge and inflict massive damage on the Japanese army.

There was no such army originally, but Fang Wen wants to give it a try.

He requested permission from Commander Fu, the garrison commander of Taiyuan City, to leave the city and engage in combat.

Commander Fu did not expect that under these circumstances, someone would still dare to take the initiative, especially Fang Wen, who was somewhat famous.

"Are you really going to lead your troops out of the city to fight?"

"Yes. Taiyuan is now an isolated city, and it cannot be defended. I am prepared to take a risk and see if there is any chance of turning things around."

"How should we proceed?"

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war. I will wage a mobile war to defeat them one by one in the east and north of the city."

"The two places are more than 30 kilometers apart, is that okay?"

"I think it's okay."

Fang Wen replied with great confidence.

This confidence infected Commander Fu, who wanted to see how Fang Wen would do it, so he agreed.

Immediately, Fang Wen left the city and, at his post in the south of the city, summoned the Third Battalion of the Independent Regiment, the Second Air Battalion, and all the troops of the Provisional Seventh Division.

The officers from various units gathered in the conference room, where a topographical map of Taiyuan was displayed before them.

Fang Wen pointed to the circles and dots on the map with a wooden stick and said, "This time we will take the initiative, but the operation is divided into two parts: a mobile force and a supporting defense force. The mobile force includes 13 mobile armored command vehicles, 2 Taishan Pine tanks, and 10 gunboats. They will launch mechanized warfare against the Japanese army through rapid movement. The supporting defense force is mainly composed of the Provisional 7th Division. After the mobile force completes its operations, it will go to the positions to defend them. In this way, the mobile force can free up its resources to continue its attacks on other targets."

The officers listened attentively to Fang Wen's words.

This was the first mechanized blitzkrieg tactic in Europe before the outbreak of World War II.

Fang Wen used this tactic in his own troops ahead of time.

After explaining the tactics, he assigned participants from both units.

The mobile force consisted entirely of soldiers from the 3rd Battalion of the Independent Regiment.

They will advance rapidly in mobile armored command vehicles and tanks.

The main supporting forces for the defense were the Provisional 7th Division and supply convoys. After the mobile forces completed an offensive, they would be resupplyed with ammunition and fuel through the supply convoys.

After making these arrangements, the troops immediately assembled as planned.

Meanwhile, all the supplies in the camp were loaded onto trucks and transported.

Of the 15 armored command vehicles, 2 were left to assist the defense forces and be used for liaison during marches, while the other 13 were assembled separately.

After a flurry of activity, 13 armored command vehicles and two tanks lined up in a long queue.

The soldiers of the 3rd Battalion of the Independent Regiment entered the armored command vehicles in batches, with 20 people in each vehicle, 260 people in 13 vehicles, plus two tanks and 20 people carried outside the tanks, making a total of 300 ground combat personnel in the entire mobile force.

They set off first, heading towards Mingqian Township in the east of the city.

Half an hour later, thousands of soldiers and convoys assisting in the defense also marched eastward.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen was at the seaplane base, where 10 gunboats were anchored on the water, with pilots and crew members on standby.

It wasn't until another 40 minutes had passed that Fang Wen finally ordered the gunboat squadron to depart.

Fang Wen piloted the Water Tiger No. 4 gunboat, leading nine other gunboats, and flew towards Mingqian Township in the east of the city.

Twenty minutes later, the gunboat squadron arrived at Mingqian Township in Yuci, Jinzhong.

Fang Wen uses mechanical sensing to observe the following situation.

The terrain here is flat, but there are also some small hills. The garrison built fortifications and defenses on the hills.

However, given the open terrain, the Japanese troops dispersed immediately upon arrival and launched a pincer attack on the defensive fortifications.

If Fang Wen had not existed in this era, these defensive forces would likely have been defeated by the Japanese army.

After all, they only had rifles and a few small cannons, while the Japanese army had complete firepower, as well as air support and tank assistance.

But now, it's different.

Two tanks and 13 armored command vehicles have arrived at the rear of the position, and 10 gunships in the air have also arrived.

Fang Wen gave the order, and the ground mobile forces launched an attack.

Two Taishan Pine Tanks were in front, followed by an armored vehicle, speeding across the plain.

Gunboat squadrons also flew towards the Japanese forces.

The arrival of 10 gunboats in a grand manner greatly boosted the morale of the officers and soldiers of the 27th Route Army on the ground.

The officer on the position shouted, "Brothers, do you see that? These are the fighter jets, tanks, and armored vehicles of the Taishan Independent Regiment. With their help, we will definitely be able to hold the line."

The soldiers looked up as ten gunships flew overhead.

To their surprise, these aircraft, tanks, and armored vehicles launched an attack on the Japanese army.

(End of this chapter)