Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 355 353 Construction of Fuping Base, Meeting with Pan Am Representatives

During his one-day stay in Wuhan, Fang Wen did a lot of things.

The secret route to Fuping will take place in half a month, as it requires the production of radio wave guidance equipment in Yangon and the modification of the seaplanes involved in the transport in Wuhan.

The task of recruiting domestic talent was entrusted to Fang Shouxin, and it was most appropriate for the Taishan Airlines Administration Department to handle the recruitment.

In addition, he notified the Guangzhou branch to send Pan Am's representative to Wuhan.

After making these arrangements, Fang Wen went to the secret supply warehouse of Taishan Airlines headquarters.

The warehouse contained a large quantity of clothing, blankets, homemade military rations from Taishan, ammunition, and other supplies.

Manager Liu introduced it with great pride.

"These supplies include bullets and shells produced in Yangon, homemade military rations processed at the Xiangxi Airport, and bedding and blankets we purchased from the south. We didn't have this much at first, but when the general manager said we needed to prepare supplies for 8000 people, we immediately started purchasing them. Sun Debiao played a big part in this; his distribution department traveled to airports all over the country, which helped him understand the business situation in different regions. If one factory couldn't produce enough, he would have different regions process the goods, and he managed to complete the stocking in the last two months."

Fang Wen looked at Sun Debiao and said, "Isn't this a good thing? Why go to the front line? Without you, those 8000 Sichuan soldiers will suffer from the cold in winter."

Sun Debiao, a free-spirited man, felt embarrassed by Fang Wen's words: "General Manager, I was just doing what I should do. By the way, are you taking a batch of supplies back with you this time?"

"Yes, we probably can't fit all the bedding and blankets, but some of the military rations need to be transported back first; there's a food shortage in Fuping."

As Fang Wen spoke, he picked up a piece of Taishan-made compressed military rations.

This thing is compressed using a cold heading machine, making it very compact. One piece is about the size of an adult's fist and weighs about one kilogram.

Just this one piece can be equivalent to an adult's food rations for 3 days.

However, it is a bit troublesome to eat. You need to cut off a part with a knife. If you eat it dry, you must soak it in water to dissolve it before swallowing. Alternatively, you can cook it in water and eat it with other foods by burning it in a stove in the wild.

Nutritionally, it's perfectly adequate.

It contains various ingredients such as cooking oil, rice flour, crushed peanuts, wheat flour, dried shredded meat, salt, and spices.

The taste has also been verified by the soldiers of the Independent Regiment.

He pondered that with an 8000-strong army and several hundred men in the independent regiment, each man's standard monthly ration was 10 yuan, which would require more than 8 yuan in compressed rations.

One kilogram of compressed military rations weighs 80 tons.

Just the grain alone requires many transport trips to complete.

You can imagine how troublesome the logistics and supplies were.

Fang Wen couldn't help but admire the Red Army's ability to endure hardship, but other troops couldn't do what the Red Army did. They needed to ensure their supplies in order to maintain their combat effectiveness.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen said, "When the gunboat arrived, it had already emptied its internal space, which can hold 1.5 tons of supplies. It was all loaded with compressed military rations."

Immediately, Manager Liu went to arrange for people to move the goods.

The people he recruited were all trustworthy, including the five brothers who stole the gate, as well as the nephews and nieces that Fang Shouxin brought from his hometown of Cangzhou, Hebei.

These people carried the military ration boxes onto trucks and then headed towards the seaplane base.

After a flurry of activity, it was all set up.

Fang Wen boarded the plane and took off, flying back to Fuping.

For Fang Wen, taking off at night was very easy, and he didn't have to worry about Japanese planes appearing on the flight path.

The flight lasted more than four hours, and it was in complete darkness, except for the stars and the moon.

Fang Wen took a moment to look at the situation inside the cabin at the back.

The 20-kilogram military ration box filled the interior space of the gunboat.

Only a narrow passageway, just wide enough for one person to walk through, remains.

Therefore, Gong Xiuneng and Kuang Anming had no place to sit and could only stand next to the compressed military ration boxes.

Now that there were no outsiders present, Gong Xiuneng couldn't help but ask, "Kuang Anming, did you finalize the deal with your wife?"

Kuang Anming was quite uninhibited when talking about his comrades: "Of course. Who am I? I'm good-looking, I'm well-educated, and I can fight in the army. What girl wouldn't like someone like me?"

Gong Xiuneng leaned closer: "Then teach me. I'm thirty years old and I've never even touched a woman's hand. I have no experience in this area."

"No way." Kuang Anming was very surprised. "You're not a bad person either, how did you end up like this?"

“My master said that one should detach oneself from the world and be indifferent to emotions in order to have a peaceful mind. When I was detached from the world on the mountain, I really didn’t think about women. But when I came down the mountain and entered the world, the dazzling world blinded me, and my heart became active again.”

Gong Xiuneng honestly recounted his romantic experiences, which made Kuang Anming burst into laughter.

Upon hearing that Gong Xiuneng was a novice, Kuang Anming immediately started talking.

He told Gong Xiuneng about his experiences in Europe, especially what he saw and heard in Paris.

Paris is a place of wine and women, and after Kuang Anming embellished it, it became even more colorful, making Gong Xiuneng's ears turn red and his neck thick with anger.

Hearing the conversation between the two people behind him, Fang Wen couldn't help but chuckle to himself and interrupted them.

“Gong Xiuneng, don’t listen to An Ming’s nonsense. He hasn’t experienced it himself; he’s just heard it from others. You’re not suited for that kind of environment. If you really want to find a wife, go find one yourself. If you like someone, you can confess your feelings. If you’re not confident, tell us, and we’ll give you some advice then.”

Kuang Anming immediately interjected, "Yes, the regimental commander is an old hand at this. My sister only met him twice before he lured her away. And that guy from the Fuxing Society too,"

"Hmph." Fang Wen interrupted in time: "An Ming, I think you need to improve your flying skills. When we get to Fuping, I'll give you some extra training."

Kuang Anming quickly shut up, unsure whether his brother-in-law was genuinely teaching him or just looking for an opportunity to discipline him.

After that, Fang Wen stopped participating in the conversation and focused on piloting the plane. Four hours later, they arrived over Fuping.

Fuping City was shrouded in darkness late at night.

There's practically no entertainment in the county town late at night; the town dwellers go to bed early.

The only light visible from the sky was the bonfire lit at the water airport on the banks of the Shahe River outside the city.

Fang Wen activated the central communication equipment inside the gunboat No. 4, and notified his subordinates.

"Attention Shahe Airport, Water Tiger 4 has arrived and is preparing to guide passengers to the water landing area."

The response below was: "Received from the group leader, will provide guidance immediately."

A moment later, two rows of firelight appeared on the banks of the Shahe River, with the riverbed in the middle.

Fang Wen adjusted the aircraft's position and landed on the river.

The gunboat, loaded with supplies, landed on the river, creating a huge splash. The fuselage was also submerged in the water, and even the floats were submerged.

Fortunately, the gunboat's watertight compartment provided greater buoyancy, and the fuselage quickly rose back to the surface.

After the plane taxied for a while and gradually slowed down, Fang Wen controlled the plane to turn and used the propeller thrust to head towards the river dock. They landed at Fuping Water Airport late at night, arranged for the unloading of the cargo, and then Fang Wen, Gong Xiuneng, and Kuang Anming went to the airport camp to rest.

The next morning, Fang Wen got up, washed up, and went to the river to take a look.

All the supplies have been unloaded and placed in the wooden cabins at the airport camp to prevent them from getting wet in the rain.

William, the person in charge of the Fuping camp, proactively reported the situation.

"Commander, we reached an agreement with the people in the county yesterday. They agreed to let us build a garrison camp outside the city."

Fang Wen nodded: "Good that you agree. Today, you and I will go south to check on the marching situation of the Provisional Seventh Division."

“Okay. What do we need to prepare?” William asked.

"There are some airdrop bags in the cabin, all filled with compressed military rations, which will be sent to the Provisional 7th Division in a while."

The airdrop bag Fang Wen mentioned is a simple airdrop supply tool. It is a cotton and linen woven airdrop bag with a small parachute on it. It is used to hold compressed military rations and other shock-resistant supplies, and can be directly airdropped into mountainous areas.

William then instructed the soldiers of the Independent Regiment at the seaplane camp to unpack some of the compressed rations and repack them into airdrop bags.

After finishing all that, Fang Wen had a quick breakfast and then took off with the crew of Water Tiger 4 and William.

The plane took off and flew directly south, with mountains all below.

The Taihang Mountains, with their continuous undulations, give people a very desolate feeling. These towering mountains are extremely dangerous, and many places are inaccessible to humans.

However, hidden passages exist within these mountains.

(Aerial view of the Taihang Mountains)

Looking at the scene below, Kuang Anming asked, "Commander, were the ancient Taihang Eight Paths located down here?"

Fang Wen had some understanding of the Taihang Eight Paths area, after all, he planned to deal with the Japanese army in this area.

He explained to Kwong On-ming, as well as to the other crew members and William:
"This area is not within the scope of the Eight Paths of Taihang. The so-called Eight Paths of Taihang refers to eight access routes, which must be easy to pass through. The roads here are too difficult to travel. Although there are some ancient roads built by locals, they are not very famous. William, I heard that you consulted a lot with the locals in Fuping. Do you know about the Eight Paths of Taihang?"

William, who had lived in China for many years, not only became fluent in the language but also developed a love for Chinese culture. He did indeed learn some geographical knowledge about the Taihang Mountains from the locals in Fuping.

Now's the perfect time to show off: "Commander, I know. The Eight Paths of Taihang are eight ancient roads in the Taihang Mountains that connect Shanxi, Hebei, and Henan. From north to south, they are Jundu Pass, Feihu Pass, Puyin Pass, Jingxing Pass, Fukou Pass, Bai Pass, Taihang Pass, and Zhiguan Pass. They were eight important passages for the three provinces of Shanxi, Hebei, and Henan to cross the Taihang Mountains in ancient times, and also important military passes on the border of the three provinces."

(Taihang Eight Paths)
Kuang Anming interjected, "I understand. The Japanese army attacked from Niangziguan, taking the same route as before."

At this moment, Fang Wen noticed the situation and said, "Look down there, the Provisional Seventh Division is marching."

Everyone lay down at the observation post and looked down; a long line was walking along the ancient mountain path.

That road hidden in the mountains is the ancient Tea Horse Road of Shanxi merchants, which facilitated trade between goods from the grasslands and those from the Central Plains, earning huge profits.

Now, with the advent of the railway, few people travel this ancient road anymore. If it weren't for a guide, the Provisional Seventh Division wouldn't have been able to find this road.

Fang Wen issued the order: "Use the radio to make contact with the lower levels."

The communications officer immediately complied, because the troops below did not have armored command vehicles and could not establish real-time voice communication; instead, they communicated using Morse code.

After a series of keystrokes, a response was received.

The messenger immediately reported: "Commander, it has been confirmed that they have reported good news."

Fang Wen smiled and said, "Then ask Wu Yingzong if he needs some more military rations."

After a series of communications, gunboats circled overhead and dropped bags of compressed military rations.

The airdrop bag, equipped with a small parachute, fell from the sky like a blooming white flower.

The soldiers cheered and collected the airdropped supplies along the hillside.

Today is a good day for them; they can finally have an extra meal.

After the airdrop of supplies was completed, Fang Wen returned to Fuping.

With these compressed military rations, the Provisional 7th Division no longer needs to worry about supplies.

The unit is expected to arrive in the Fuping area in two days.

Therefore, Fang Wen went to Fuping City in advance and issued a notice.

The announcement was simple: silver dollars, legal tender, or food would be exchanged for construction materials, and locals would be hired to participate in the construction of the garrison camp.

The people of Fuping County were surprised by the generosity of the army that had come; at first, they couldn't believe it.

But later, those compressed military rations, along with the gleaming silver dollars and legal tender, were successfully traded, convincing them that these items could indeed be used for trade.

Immediately, not only people in the county town, but also people in towns and villages outside the town received the news and came with stones, timber, mules and horses.

Construction materials quickly piled up on an open space in the south of the city, along with a group of locals working there and hundreds of mules and horses.

When the Provisional Seventh Division arrived in Fuping two days later, the area had already become a bustling construction site.

After a short rest, 8000 soldiers also joined in the construction of the camp.

With the combined efforts of so many workers, barracks were built, a drill ground paved with gravel was constructed, and an airstrip was built on the other side, all gradually taking shape.

As time passed, by mid-November, the Fuping garrison camp had been built from scratch, with a large number of barracks completed, and the soldiers finally had a place to live.

In addition, a hard-surface runway has been laid near the seaplane base, which can be used to land fighter jets.

Meanwhile, fuel depots and maintenance hangars are also under construction.

But these are only the basics; a large amount of supplies need to be transported from the south to ensure the army's combat effectiveness.

Therefore, Fang Wen left Fuping and returned to Wuhan.

I have two things to do during this trip back to Wuhan.

One task was to inspect the radio wave guiding equipment that had been pre-manufactured in Yangon.

Another was conducting business negotiations with representatives of Pan Am.

The inspection of the radio wave guidance equipment was quickly passed. The radio wave guidance equipment installed in the seaplane can accurately receive ground radio wave signals in the air and point accordingly.

This means that by installing this equipment on twenty seaplanes, secret air transport routes could be operated.

Fang Wen immediately instructed the company to make all the necessary changes in this area.

He then went to the company headquarters to negotiate with representatives of Pan Am.

(End of this chapter)