Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 381, Section 379: Special Operations Road, Distributing Military Pay, Mobile Forces in Southern Shanxi
Walkie-talkie, a very descriptive name for this device.

Based on Fang Wen's description, the officers of the Independent Regiment and the Provisional 7th Division had a general impression.

This is a type of wireless device that can be carried by soldiers. Unlike ordinary radios, it can be used for voice communication.

Therefore, in order to provide this equipment, Fang Wen also required that each company-level unit select a communications soldier to carry a walkie-talkie and communicate with the rear in real time.

Anyone who has fought in a war knows that things can change in an instant, which is why there is the strategy of adapting to changing circumstances, such as generals in the field sometimes disobeying orders.

That was just a last resort. If the rear command center could know the situation at the front in a timely manner, it would make the front-line troops more flexible and allow for better cooperation and coordination between different units.

This measure directly led the Independent Regiment and the Provisional 7th Division onto the path of special operations.

But having the equipment alone is not enough; the troops must accept this concept and change accordingly.

Fang Wen said meaningfully to the senior officers present, "If we want to be the best, we must discard the dross. For example, the traditional military structure is relatively loose, and the ability of various units to coordinate operations is weak. The advent of walkie-talkies will change this situation. But equipment alone is not enough. I ask you to focus on improving this aspect in the following training."

He paused, stood up, and pulled back the blackboard that was covered by a cloth.

There was a sentence written on it.

Fang Wen pointed to the blackboard and said, "Sun Tzu's Art of War says: 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle.' This means that if you have a thorough understanding of both your own and the enemy's situation, fighting will be very smooth and successful. Understanding the enemy's strength and the number of troops they deploy is the key to victory, which is the importance of information. The purpose of the walkie-talkie is the same. But you need to figure out how to use it and conduct actual combat simulation training based on that. It's best to use adversarial simulations so that you can identify problems. Now that we don't have walkie-talkies, let's start by making assumptions. Imagine you discover enemy activity on the front lines, report back via walkie-talkie, and then change your combat strategy based on the feedback. When you're facing the enemy in a real combat scenario, you need to put yourself in their shoes and not hold back. This will give you the most realistic effect."

His words made everyone feel as if they were back in Yangon, where they often conducted competitive training.

This model is indeed very helpful, and because of the competition, it can also improve and maintain the fighting spirit of the soldiers.

Everyone carefully noted down the training requirements set forth in the document and prepared to immediately begin making changes.

The military portion of the meeting also concluded here.

Fang Wen said with a smile, "Now, let's discuss the Spring Festival. There are still more than 20 days until New Year's Eve. We want to have a festive atmosphere. Does anyone have any suggestions?"

The Spring Festival is the most important festival of the year. Although families cannot reunite, it is still a time for celebration and festivities.

Even the foreign officers in the Independent Regiment were very interested in the Spring Festival.

Everyone was discussing this.

In the North, dumplings are a must for the New Year, but considering the thousands of Sichuan soldiers, we also need to prepare Sichuan specialties for them.

Fang Wen promised to specially purchase a batch of Sichuan-style cured pork, sausages, and semi-finished specialty Sichuan dishes from Sichuan.

At this point, everyone thought the meeting was about to end.

Unexpectedly, Fang Wen waved.

Gong Xiuneng and three soldiers struggled to carry a large tin box inside.

The heavy box was placed on the ground, and Fang Wen walked over and opened it.

It's full of money.

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the huge box full of money.

Fang Wendao said, "It's the end of the year, and the wages that are due must be settled. We can't let everyone work hard without getting paid. Wu Yingzong, William, Pan Jiafeng, you are each in charge of your own troops. Go and get the roster. We'll settle the accounts first and then get the money."

All three wanted their men to receive their wages as soon as possible, so they quickly got to work.

Using the information in the roster, they began to calculate how much military spending was needed.

Different military branches will have different salary standards.

The 3rd Battalion of the Taishan Independent Regiment: Basic infantrymen, their monthly salary was 40 legal tender, equivalent to the original 35 silver dollars. Officers received a salary of 10 legal tender for each rank.

The 2nd Aviation Battalion consisted of pilots, ground crew, mechanics, and aircrew members (communications officers, gunners, and loaders), with salaries ranging from 40 to 100 French francs.

These were all arranged beforehand, so there are no problems.

The main problem lies with the Provisional 7th Division.

Those new recruits in the Sichuan Army originally received very low pay, only asked for enough to eat and wear. As for their military pay, it depended entirely on the attitude of their superiors.

Even if they send them out, there probably won't be many.

But now that they've been scattered and joined the Provisional Seventh Division, becoming Fang Wen's soldiers, their benefits can't be neglected.

Fang Wen set a standard for these soldiers.

The starting salary is 30 yuan, which will increase to 40 yuan after one year of service. If there is a promotion, it will be increased according to the rules.

When the news reached the army camp, the entire camp was in an uproar.

The thousands of Sichuan soldiers were in high spirits, extremely happy.

They looked longingly towards the airport, anticipating the moment their paychecks would be issued.

In the afternoon, Wu Yingzong, acting commander of the Provisional 7th Division, and Fang Wen arrived at the camp.

Large boxes filled with money were placed in the middle of the camp, and thousands of soldiers flocked to them.

Wu Yingzong called out loudly, "Everyone, don't rush. Stand in your respective company and we'll distribute wages to each company one by one."

After the soldiers lined up, Wu Yingzong said, "Before we distribute your pay, remember one thing: who is giving you this money?"

The soldiers called out loudly, "General Fang."

"General Manager Fang" was the name everyone had come up with. After all, Fang Wen held the title of regimental commander, but in reality, he was everyone's leader. It was a problem to figure out how to get the subordinates to address him. In the end, they compromised and simply let the soldiers call him General Manager Fang.

Fang Wen couldn't help but smile.

He said loudly, “Since ancient times, it has been a matter of course for soldiers to receive pay. You risk your lives to save the country, and I, Fang Wen, will not shortchange you in terms of money. In addition, you can keep these military pay yourselves, or you can send them back to Sichuan through letters home. It’s almost the New Year, so you can both let your families know you are safe and give them some money so they can have a good New Year.”

This was a good idea, and the soldiers were all eager to try.

Fighting on the front lines, there's not much need for money; it's better to send this money home.

My boss owns an airline, so sending him home by plane is much faster; it might only take a day.

However, there are some minor issues.

A soldier shouted, "Commander Fang, we are all illiterate and can't write letters home. What are we going to do?"

Fang Wen replied, "Don't worry about that. After the military pay is distributed, we'll have officers who can write write letters home. But remember, make sure to write your home address and the names of your family members on the envelope. Otherwise, what if we can't find the recipient after the package is delivered?"

So the soldiers stopped making a fuss, lined up obediently, and received their pay in batches, by company.

After receiving their pay, they immediately moved to the other side of the camp to find the officers waiting there to write letters home.

There were too many soldiers; the officers simply couldn't keep up with the writing.

Upon seeing this, Fang Wen sent someone to the city.

Subsequently, a group of teachers and accountants came to the city, and their involvement made it possible to successfully complete the writing of family letters.

Two days have passed. Things are considered done in Fuping.

The soldiers and officers all received their wages, and there would be annual freight to ensure they had a good New Year.

Fang Wen took off with thousands of letters home and returned to Wuhan.

Upon returning to Wuhan, Fang Wen handed over two large boxes full of letters from home to Sun Debiao, who had returned from the three southwestern provinces.

"Minister Sun, these are letters from Sichuan soldiers fighting on the front lines, along with their pay. Take them home with you. You must deliver these letters to their families before the Spring Festival."

Sun Debiao looked at the two large boxes and nodded seriously: "Don't worry, General Manager, I will definitely deliver these family letters before the Spring Festival. Now we have logistics stations in various counties in Sichuan, so there will be no delays."

Fang Wen took out another piece of paper: "Also, there's one more thing. You need to purchase a batch of New Year's goods from Sichuan. Here's the list. Once you've purchased them, send them to Wuhan so they can be delivered to Fuping."

"Okay, I'll arrange for someone to make the purchase, General Manager. I'll be going now."

After Sun Debiao finished speaking, he hurriedly organized the logistics department to take the boxes onto the plane and head directly to Sichuan.

After finishing the family letter, Fang Wen did not go home to rest.

The Taishan Independent Regiment's troops were not limited to Fuping.

There's also the 1st Air Battalion in Xi'an, and the mobile troops stranded in southern Shanxi.

Immediately afterwards, Fang Wen returned to headquarters, took two suitcases, boarded the plane, and took off again.

The first stop was Xi'an. The Water Tiger 4 landed at a sea airport that was no longer in use.

After the plane landed, a military vehicle drove up from Xiguan Airport.

Deng Zhongyu jumped out of the car: "Commander, you're finally back."

"Let's talk at the airport. I won't be here long; I'm going somewhere else." With that, Fang Wen put a suitcase in the car and got into the driver's seat.

He left Gong Xiuneng to guard the plane, while he drove the military vehicle with Deng Zhongyu to Xiguan Airport.

As the car entered the airport, Fang Wen got out and immediately convened a meeting with all members of the First Aviation Battalion.

During the meeting, Fang Wen first listened to everyone's report on the Jinan air battle.

In late December, the Japanese army launched a fierce attack on Jinan.

Supporting the attack were Japanese warplanes from both the north and south.

The attacks were mainly carried out by the Japanese Army Air Force at Tianjin Airport in the north, and by the Japanese Navy Air Force at Shanghai Airport in the south.

Under such dire circumstances, everyone fought very cautiously, using the high-to-low ambush tactics designed by Fang Wen to launch multiple attacks on the Japanese army, causing the loss of several Japanese warplanes.

However, the battle deteriorated too quickly, and the ground forces soon captured Jinan, leading to the defeat of the defending army.

In this situation, aerial warfare becomes meaningless.

Subsequently, the Sixth Air Group abandoned its air support mission, and the five supporting combat aircraft of the First Battalion of the Taishan Air Force also ended the air support battle and returned to Xi'an.

After listening to the report, Fang Wen said, "You did a great job. You caused damage to the Japanese Air Force with zero casualties. Even if I were in command, I could only achieve this result. Qi Baoqian, you are now officially appointed as the deputy battalion commander of the First Air Battalion. When I am not here, you will be in full charge of the affairs of the First Air Battalion."

Qi Baoqian stood up and gave the Independent Regiment salute: "Yes, sir."

Fang Wen continued, "The New Year is approaching. Besides checking on the recent situation, I also came here to pay everyone's salaries and ask what their needs are."

Everyone was happy to hear that they would be receiving military pay.

Immediately, Fang Wen opened the box and, in his capacity as the commander of the Independent Regiment and concurrently the commander of the First Aviation Battalion, distributed the military pay.

After the military pay was distributed, Fang Wen spoke privately with the seven pilots.

“I won’t be staying long this time; I have more important things to do. You must maintain your usual training. If an emergency support request is made in Fuping and I am not there, Qi Baoqian can take over command of the First Battalion and go to Fuping to fight.”

The pilots of the First Aviation Battalion were Fang Wen's core combat force and the ones he trusted the most.

After giving his instructions, Fang Wen returned to the sea airport and piloted the Water Tiger 4 to take off again.

The plane flew northeast, crossed the Yellow River, and arrived at the central basin on the southern slope of the Taihang Mountains.

There, the Independent Regiment's troop movements are stranded, but their exact location is still unclear.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone, dialed the frequency with one hand, and called out.

"This is Tiger 4, mobile unit, please respond."

After several attempts, a delighted response came from the ground.

"Is this the commander? We've been waiting for you."

Fang Wen felt a pang of tenderness. This mobile force, composed of a tank company and an armored mobile command vehicle, was hastily formed but achieved remarkable feats in the defense of Taiyuan. However, due to its distance from the city, it was lost and they eventually had to break out from the south of the city together with Commander Fu's troops.

Because I was busy with various things, I could only send them a telegram to stay here, which made me feel a little guilty.

Fang Wen, holding the microphone, replied, "Tell me your current location. Is there a river nearby where you can stop?"

The equipment emitted a voice: "We are stationed west of Pingyao County. The Fen River is two miles to the west. We can land here."

Fang Wen activated his mechanical senses and looked down.

The ancient city below is very compact. Within the not-so-large city, apart from a few streets, there are courtyard houses pieced together everywhere.

This shows how prosperous this ancient city once was.

No wonder this place is said to be the birthplace of Shanxi merchants.

To the west of the city, an official road leads directly to the Fen River. In the middle of the road, there is a threshing ground where the tanks and armored mobile command vehicles of the Taishan Independent Regiment are parked.

Fang Wen descended to a lower altitude, and the mobile troops below also saw the gunboat and waved excitedly.

After circling the area once, Fang Wen piloted the plane to land on the Fen River.

(Pingyao Ancient City)
Unlike the Taihang Mountains, the Fen River in January did not freeze due to the cold, allowing Fang Wen to easily land his plane on the river.

As the plane approached the riverbank, Gong Xiuneng opened the cabin door, stepped onto the buoy, and jumped to the shore. He then tied the cable to a large rock on the bank.

Fang Wen then got off the plane.

At that moment, an armored command vehicle drove up from the east and stopped outside the embankment.

Liu Yubao, the temporary commander of the mobile force and the company commander of the reinforced 1st Company of the 3rd Battalion of the Independent Regiment, jumped out of the armored command vehicle and ran quickly up the embankment.

Upon seeing Fang Wen, he immediately stood at attention.

"Reported by Liu Yubao of the Mobile Unit."

"Tell me about the situation of the mobile forces during this period," Fang Wen asked.

(End of this chapter)