Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 470, Section 466: Operations in the Clouds, Factory Construction in Yanchuan
The Tongren area, located in the southwestern part of western Hunan, is also a gathering place for the Miao people.

At this time, the Miao people are gathering in the village and town for the market.

The term "gan chang" refers to a specific time when villagers from nearby areas bring their agricultural products to the market for trading.

Generally, a time is agreed upon, and the market is held on a lunar day that has the fourth or ninth day of the month.

But now, everyone has stopped what they are doing, stopped talking about buying and selling, and is looking at the sky and communicating in the Miao language.

There's a war going on in the sky!
Two of them were shot down and crashed in the nearby wilderness.

The bold Miao people rushed to that place to see what it was.

Among them were the director and staff of the local township office.

When they arrived at the crash site, they saw a Japanese Type 97 fighter plane broken in two, emitting black smoke.

Someone spotted the Rising Sun flag on the plane.

He said in broken Chinese, "Isn't this the Japanese military flag design painted in town?"

There were anti-Japanese propaganda posters that students had put up in the countryside in the town. They showed soldiers carrying Japanese flags with their guns, so many people recognized them.

Upon hearing that they were Japanese devils, everyone grabbed their tools: sickles and carrying poles for baskets.

As they cautiously approached, they discovered that the plane was riddled with bullet holes, and the pilot was dead beyond recognition.

Is there one more?

The crowd immediately dispersed to search, and behind another mountain, they found the wrecked warplane stuck upside down in a tree.

But they couldn't find the pilot, so they immediately searched and eventually found the lame Japanese pilot by a nearby ravine.

This guy even pulled out a gun to fight back, shooting a villager. He was then grabbed by the angry villagers and beaten to a pulp.

By the time the people from the township office arrived, the man was already on the verge of death and beyond saving.

Just when everyone thought the matter was over, five more Japanese fighter planes began falling from the sky, like dumplings being dropped into a pot.

Aerial battle is underway.

The remaining five Japanese fighter planes actually tried to break up and encircle the enemy, but Fang Wen decided to play along.

The best way to counter these Japanese pilots' tactics is through spatial displacement—jumping out of the plane.

He maneuvered the aircraft upwards to climb, while simultaneously sensing the airflow.

There was an updraft above, which helped me gain altitude.

As the aircraft climbed to this altitude, he retracted the flaps and spoilers, eliminating all possible drag, allowing the aircraft to climb to higher altitudes at a faster speed.

The five Japanese fighter planes had never seen such technology and performance before. In the blink of an eye, the enemy broke out of the encirclement and flew into higher space.

Five enemy planes tried to catch up, but were left far behind.

Fang Wen's fighter jet had already disappeared from their sight.

Above is a layer of clouds. Has Fang Wen vanished into the clouds, or is he lying in ambush above them?

Fighting in the clouds is an extremely dangerous activity in actual combat.

High water vapor content in clouds can severely obstruct a pilot's vision, making it difficult to see the surrounding environment and other aircraft. This increases the risk of flight and can easily lead to collisions.

Meanwhile, the airflow within clouds is often complex, including updrafts, downdrafts, and turbulence. These airflows can cause turbulence in aircraft, affecting flight stability and comfort, and may even lead to loss of control.

It can be said that all piston-engine fighter pilots were warned during training that they were strictly prohibited from fighting in the clouds.

But now that Fang Wen's plane has entered, would the Japanese plane dare to?

Of the five Japanese planes, two chose to fly into the clouds, and the remaining three followed suit.

In the clouds, Fang Wen, in a state of mechanical perception, became one with the aircraft, sensing the surrounding situation.

Visibility was low, and the cockpit's glass canopy was covered in condensation.

Fang Wen discovered that icicles were forming on the edge of the wing.

This is an unformed cumulonimbus cloud, which presents a very harsh environment for air combat.

Fang Wen chose to play hide-and-seek here because it was entirely his home turf.

With his mechanical perception and eagle-like vision, combined with his X-ray vision, he saw through the clouds and into the distance.

If the Japanese fighter planes don't dare to come, he will look for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack, and then continue to hide in the clouds to play hide-and-seek, outplaying them until they are exhausted.

If you get in, that'll be amazing.

The Japanese troops below, living up to his expectations, actually charged into the clouds together.

Alright, let's begin.

Fang Wen piloted the plane, hurtling towards an enemy aircraft like a ghost.

Once the enemy plane entered the clouds, it became blind and had no idea what was happening around it.

A hail of bullets riddled the enemy plane's side with holes, and its engine exploded on the spot.

The enemy plane, having lost power, plummeted from the clouds, tumbling and falling in a dark shadow.

There are four more.

Four enemy planes burst out of the clouds from below, only to find that one of their teammates was missing.

A ferocious monster seemed to be lurking in the clouds below, devouring their teammates.

Three planes have already been lost, and the remaining four Japanese warplanes have gone berserk.

There is only one enemy, and we must eliminate him no matter what.

They then descended again and plunged into the clouds.

Fang Wen dismissed this with disdain.

Fang Wen could see them, but they couldn't see him. Faced with such a foolish and reckless enemy, Fang Wen didn't even want to waste ammunition.

As the enemy planes re-entered the clouds, he deliberately weaved among them to attract their attention.

Disturbed by the airflow, the Japanese pilots strafed wildly, trying to hit the ghostly enemy.

Unbeknownst to them, they were being led towards their teammates.

Two planes were hit by machine gun fire from their own aircraft and crashed out of the clouds.

Two more aircraft collided with each other during the chaotic pursuit, exploding into a burst of fire and falling as fireballs.

At this point, all seven enemy aircraft that had attacked had been shot down, with none escaping.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone and notified the transport plane group: "Alarm over. Pan Jiafeng, report your current location. I will take you to the airport."

Pan Jiafeng's voice came through the radio: "The landmark has been confirmed as the Wujiang River. We are circling over the river."

The Wujiang River section was not far from here. Fang Wen quickly flew the plane and searched along the Wujiang River section before he soon discovered the transport aircraft group.

He led the transport aircraft to reorient themselves and fly to Xiangxi Airport, 300 kilometers away.

The transport aircraft group landed safely at Xiangxi Airport for transit.

They refueled and underwent maintenance at the airport, which took two hours to complete due to the large number of aircraft.

Fang Wen was not in a hurry. He first contacted the Yan'an Air Force to arrange a time for escort rendezvous, and then took out his notebook to record the situation of this actual combat.

The Taishan's first-generation fighter jet has reached the level of a top-tier aircraft at present in terms of overall performance.

It has good flexibility and mobility, and its firepower is also very strong.

But there are also problems.

Although the improved Shiro aircraft engine has a power output of 1000 horsepower, it operates at high power for extended periods, and the engine's heat dissipation remains a significant problem.

During the battle, Fang Wen sensed the aircraft's heat dissipation deficiencies through mechanical perception.

Especially when firing rotating machine guns simultaneously, the combined effect of eight machine guns firing at once and the high load on the engine causes the temperature inside the entire aircraft to rise instantly.

Fortunately, Fang Wen was very familiar with the aircraft and was able to reduce the output power in time, which prevented the aircraft from having problems due to overload.

It seems that if they want to surpass their competitors, they need to put more effort into the cooling mechanism.

Fang Wen stopped writing, put away the notebook, and made a plan in his mind: when he got back, he would continue to improve the aircraft.

He then inspected each aircraft one by one, and after two hours, all of them took off.

The transport planes took off again, heading to Yan'an, 800 kilometers away.

Fang Wen continued to accompany and protect them.

The Yan'an Air Force arrived at the Fengjie section of the Yangtze River, with seven Il-16s escorting the transport aircraft on both sides. No further incidents occurred during the subsequent flight, and the aircraft safely arrived over Yan'an.

There is a river in the Yan'an area below, called the Yan River.

However, the river was not deep enough to be suitable for landing a large number of seaplanes.

The transport planes were headed to land at the Yellow River Water Airport in Yanchuan County.

That airport was originally the Yellow River route of Taishan Airlines' domestic branch. Later, the business stopped and it was abandoned. Now it has been reopened.

Therefore, the plane landed in two parts.

Taishan-1 landed at Yan'an Airport, while other seaplanes landed at Yanchuan Yellow River Water Airport.

(Photo of the Yellow River in Yanchuan section during the Republic of China period)
Fang Wen piloted the Taishan first-generation aircraft and landed it on the runway of Yan'an Airport.

After the plane came to a stop, he opened the cabin canopy, slid down the edge of the plane, and jumped to the ground.

Qi Baoqian and the other members of the Yan'an Air Force surrounded him, curiously inquiring about the aircraft.

Fang Wen laughed and said, "You guys will also be going for training in a while, and we'll learn more about it then. Don't hold me up now."

Qi Baoqian nodded: "Commander, Bai Yunfei is almost at the airport. He's in charge of coordinating with the factory."

As they were talking, a figure ran over from the other side of the airport; it was Bai Yunfei.

He rushed over.

"Have all the planes landed safely?"

“I watched them land at the seaplane base, but I don’t know much about the unloading,” Fang Wen replied.

Bai Yunfei nodded and discussed with his comrade beside him. The man left quickly, obviously to find out about the situation in Yanchuan.

As for him, he was responsible for unloading and transporting cargo on the Taishan No. 1.

A group of soldiers came over and, using logs as a base, carefully unloaded the large wooden crate from the rear hatch of the Taishan No. 1.

Then, they worked together to lift the wooden crate onto the car.

There were three cars in total, and the rest were transported by horse-drawn carriages.

Bai Yunfei explained, "This is the motorcade from Yan'an. All kinds of supplies can be delivered to Yan'an thanks to them."

Fang Wen nodded; he understood that Yan'an was impoverished and needed a large amount of material assistance.

This area is short of water and located on the Loess Plateau, so the soil fertility is limited and there are not many crops that can be grown.

In the absence of building materials, people mostly lived in mud buildings and cave dwellings.

It can be described as a barren land with scarce food and poor living conditions.

Who could have imagined that in such a harsh environment, the Red Army could be reborn from the ashes?

Pushing aside his thoughts, he and Bai Yunfei continued discussing the factory construction.

"If the factory is located in Yanchuan, will it be convenient for the convoy to get there?"

"It's alright, the roads along the way have been repaired. Let's get in the car and go."

Bai Yunfei invited Fang Wen to sit in the passenger seat of the second car.

Fang Wen then suggested that he drive, saying, "I have a little quirk; I like to drive myself. Could I drive?"

Bai Yunfei laughed and said, "I can't make that decision myself. We need the team leader's approval. Let's go ask him together."

He led Fang Wen to the first truck, where the team leader turned out to be the driver.

“Comrade, this is Fang Wen from Taishan Airlines. He wants to come with me. Can he drive the car in the back?” Bai Yunfei asked.

The captain looked at Fang Wen and asked, "You're that ace pilot?"

Fang Wen nodded.

The captain laughed and said, "Of course, someone who can fly a plane, what do I have to worry about when it comes to driving a car?"

Therefore, Fang Wen became the driver of the second truck, and the original driver moved to the passenger seat.

The convoy started moving.

The lead car swayed along the dirt road, and Fang Wen started his car to follow.

Three trucks and two horse-drawn carriages headed toward Yanchuan.

Along the way, Fang Wen got a clearer view of the situation here.

The environment is worse than what can be seen from the air.

Everywhere you look, there are loess gullies, and you often travel a long distance without seeing any houses.

In populated areas, the residents are scattered, with no contiguous residential areas.

(The Loess Plateau of Yanchuan)

The convoy traveled along the newly repaired dirt road, where problems arose along the way, such as large chunks of dirt and rocks falling from above, requiring them to stop and clear them before they could pass.

After traveling and stopping frequently, we eventually arrived near Yanchuan County.

That requires crossing a stone bridge.

(Yanchuan Ancient Bridge)
It was an ancient arched bridge, the middle section of which was very thin, and Fang Wen was unsure whether a car could cross it.

He honked his horn to signal the car in front to stop.

The car in front stopped, and the captain asked, "What's going on?"

Fang Wen also shouted back, "Can't we get through?"

"I've been here before, so it shouldn't be a problem."

Faced with the captain's response, Fang Wen couldn't say anything more.

The convoy continued on its way, with the team leader's car passing by first.

Fang Wen kept a certain distance and only drove forward after the car in front had completely crossed the bridge.

This process felt even more dangerous than flying a plane. He activated his mechanical senses and carefully drove across the middle of the bridge.

It seemed that the dust on the bridge had been scattered below after the cars passed, making it look like it was about to collapse.

But nothing happened.

After a close call, the convoy crossed the stone bridge and entered Yanchuan County.

In the humble county town, a group of folk dance troupes were organized to welcome the arrival of the motorcade.

Amid cheers, the convoy drove into the Chengnan compound.

Fang Wen got out of the car, and Bai Yunfei introduced him to the people who were there to welcome him.

Some were from Yanchuan County, and others were sent from Yan'an.

The Yanchuan County Party Committee was responsible for handling various issues during the factory construction period.

The people sent from Yan'an came from different places, including progressive young people from all over the country, as well as overseas Chinese youth and students studying abroad.

These people will be the technical backbone of the semiconductor factory.

Fang Wen smiled and chatted with them, while waiting for more supplies and accompanying technical personnel to arrive from the Yanchuan Water Airport.

Two hours later, another convoy drove into Yanchuan County and entered the Chengnan Courtyard amidst cheers.

The supplies from the seaplane airport have arrived.

Gong Xiuneng, who had come along, wanted to jump off the truck and find Fang Wen to report the situation: "Our technicians and supplies have all come with the truck."

Fang Wen nodded, found Bai Yunfei, and discussed with the people from the county committee. They decided to hold a factory construction conference directly.

At the simple ceremony, Fang Wenxian took the stage to deliver a speech.

"Hello everyone, I am Fang Wen from Taishan Airlines. The purpose of this joint venture to build a factory is to generate foreign exchange, which I will not elaborate on here. What I want to say here is that semiconductor technology will be the future. More and more new things will be derived from semiconductor technology, and you will be the founders of the entire industry and the future. I hope everyone will work hard for this."

He finished speaking and was greeted with enthusiastic applause. As for how many people agreed with what he said, Fang Wen didn't care; he was certain about the future.

Afterwards, Bai Yunfei and other people from the county also went on stage to give speeches, thus concluding the entire factory construction ceremony.

Next, Fang Wen's task was to arrange for Taishan's technicians to provide technical guidance and instruct them on equipment installation.

He will return to Yangon once the factory is operating smoothly and producing finished products.

(End of this chapter)