Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 509 Secret Talks about the Treasure, the Japanese Army's Theoretical Strategy
At 4 p.m., Fang Wen piloted the Qinyuan back to port.

On his way back, he pondered.

Today's battle is a bit strange.

The elite regiment of more than 3000 Japanese soldiers suddenly became orderly in its advance and retreat.

At the same time, no Japanese naval aircraft came to attack the warships on the Beijiang River.

There's a feeling that a storm is brewing.

Fang Wen couldn't help but suspect that a new Japanese commander had taken office in Guangzhou, and only a Japanese general of this rank could control the situation.

Did they have prepared methods to deal with the anti-Japanese forces in Beijiang?

This is not impossible.

With apprehension, he landed on the runway at the Yangjiang base.

As soon as he got off the plane, Wu Yingzong greeted him with a middle-aged man in a long robe.

Fang Wen, a middle-aged man, had met him before. He was the manager of the "Baoguangge" gold shop in Guangzhou. The owner of "Baoguangge," Sun Yaozong, had acquired some properties in Yangjiang and left Fang Wen here to look after them. The Independent Regiment's office in the city was located on one of the Sun family's properties.

"Did you want to see me?" Fang Wen asked.

"I'm here to deliver a message," the middle-aged man said, glancing at Wu Yingzong before hesitating to speak.

"It's alright, Battalion Commander Wu is the person I trust most," Fang Wen replied.

“Then I will tell you. This afternoon, I received a telegram from Hong Kong saying that there is something important I want to tell you, but it is not me, but someone else. This person is already on their way to Yangjiang.”

"Did he come from Hong Kong to Yangjiang? How did he get here?"

Fang Wen was surprised. The coastline was now blockaded by the Japanese army, and it was hard to imagine how anyone could get here.

“It’s my fourth young master. He flew here and has already set off.”

Fang Wen's expression changed. The waters near Hong Kong were already surrounded by Japanese warships. If planes took off during the day, they would be easily detected by the Japanese.

This person is too reckless.

Not everyone can move freely like Fang Wen when surrounded by Japanese warplanes.

He strode toward the radar station and gave orders to the radar operators.

"Monitoring the direction of Hong Kong."

"It's the regimental commander."

Two radar operators began operating the system.

"Radar detected a plane approaching from the Hong Kong direction."

This guy was really lucky to escape being hunted down by Japanese warplanes.

So Fang Wen waited at the airport for the audacious pilot to arrive.

I waited for almost 50 minutes, and they should have arrived by now, but no one showed up.

The Sun family manager asked anxiously, "Could something have happened to the Fourth Young Master?"

Fang Wen then instructed the radar operators to search the nearby airspace.

It turned out that the plane was flying north of Yangjiang, clearly lost its way. If it continued flying like that, it would not be heading to Yangjiang, but to Yangchun.

Fang Wen had no choice but to board the Qinyuan to find the lost fellow.

As the Qinyuan took off, Fang Wen activated his mechanical senses and used the radar detection device to locate the lost aircraft, then flew directly in that direction.

A few minutes later, they found the guy.

It is a biplane.

It is flying at a speed of 270 kilometers per hour.

By this point in the war, aircraft had undergone rapid upgrades and replacements, and biplanes had become obsolete.

However, judging from the aircraft's external features, it does not have machine guns, so it should be a civilian version.

Fang Wen piloted the Qinyuan over, reduced the engine power, and gradually decelerated until the aircraft was parallel to the other aircraft.

The driver on the other side saw it and waved enthusiastically.

Fang Wen made a hand gesture, indicating that the other party should follow the flight.

But the other party didn't seem to understand, so he could only gesture again.

Now that the total number was clear, the Qinyuan turned around and headed towards Yangjiang with the brand-new pilot.

Once the plane arrives in Yangjiang, getting it to land safely will also be a problem.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone: "Attention ground control, a biplane is preparing to land. Its pilot is a novice. Everyone, maintain a safe distance. In case of a landing accident, provide immediate assistance."

The ground crew and soldiers below quickly got ready, holding fire extinguishers and waiting on both sides of the runway.

Fang Wen then signaled for the other party to land first.

The biplane circled twice, then wobbled and descended.

However, he clearly didn't practice this kind of hard landing much, resulting in a severe nose-down tilt that caused excessive stress on the front wheels. As a result, one of the front wheels swung off during the descent, and the plane skidded sideways.

The plane glided for over a hundred meters before finally coming to a stop, where ground crew and soldiers rushed to its aid.

The pilot was lucky; he escaped unharmed.

The wrecked plane was then towed off the runway, and Fang Wen landed.

Once the Qinyuan came to a stop, Fang Wen got off the plane and immediately went to find the pilot.

The man was smiling broadly and talking excitedly with the Sun family manager.

"Uncle Sun, I succeeded. I flew from Hong Kong to Yangjiang, and even the Japanese devils couldn't stop me."

His ignorant words provoked Pan Jiafeng, who was involved in the rescue, to angrily say: "You're just lucky to be flying this old-fashioned aircraft. Once the Japanese warplanes spot you, you'll be shot down in a single encounter."

"It's not an antique; I bought it from the Shaoguan Aircraft Manufacturing Plant three years ago," the young man explained.

Fang Wen, who happened to be walking over, asked, "Shaoguan Aircraft Manufacturing Plant? Is that the plant that assembles the Hawk III?"

(Fuxing trainer aircraft)
“Yes, that’s the factory. They also produce the Fuxing bullet train, the kind of plane I fly. I used a lot of connections to buy this plane,” the young man replied.

Fang Wen did not dwell on this topic further; the Fuxing bullet train can be considered an attempt by the Republic of China in aircraft manufacturing.

Unfortunately, it was too late. This type of biplane had been phased out by the times, and the outdated technology could not be used in war.

He led the young man to the hangar on the right side of the runway, where the two spoke alone.

"Commander Fang, I've long admired your name. Let me introduce myself. My name is Sun Tianrui. My family owns the Baoguang Pavilion in Guangzhou. My father is Sun Yaozong."

Fang Wen picked up a small stool that mechanics used to sit on during breaks and placed it in front of Sun Tianrui. He also picked up a stool for himself: "Sit down, let's talk slowly."

“Hmm.” Sun Tianrui sat on the stool and continued, “My family and the Shao and Kuang families are old friends. When I was little, I liked to follow my older brothers and sisters around. Your wife, Kuang Mingzhu, was the eldest sister, her younger brother, Kuang Anming, was a troublemaker, and there was also an older brother, Shao Sicheng, who was the oldest. I didn’t know anything, so I just followed behind them. Later, when I grew up, Shao Sicheng joined the Guangdong Air Force, and my dream was to fly in the sky like him.”

A single sentence brought them closer.

Fang Wen smiled and said, "So you bought the Fuxing bullet train and are planning to learn to fly yourself?"

"Yes. It's a pity I don't have a master to teach me; I can only barely take off and land," Sun Tianrui replied honestly.

Because of his wife, Fang Wen decided to give him a chance.

“You’re pretty brave. It’s good enough that you made it to Yangjiang alive. But I think you’re a promising talent. When the aviation academy starts next semester, you can come to my flight school to study.”

"That's wonderful." Sun Tianrui stood up and bowed deeply: "Greetings, Master."

Fang Wen stood up and stepped aside, saying, "I don't just take on apprentices randomly. We'll see how you perform."

"I will definitely do my best."

"Alright, now tell me why you came to Yangjiang to find me."

Now, let's get to the main topic.

Sun Tianrui explained his reason for coming here in detail. "My father originally wanted Manager Sun to pass on this message to you, but I was afraid of leaks, so I took on this task and came to find you. Here's what happened: In September, our Guangzhou Gold Industry Association, fearing the deterioration of the war situation, secretly buried a batch of gold and silver. Later, when the Japanese attacked Guangzhou, the 12th Army abandoned the city and fled. We didn't have time to retrieve the gold and could only escape the city. Now we've received news that the Japanese and traitors have discovered where we hid the gold, but we don't know the exact location yet. Several of us gold merchants met and discussed it, and decided that rather than letting the Japanese and traitors profit from it, we'd rather give it to you as anti-Japanese military supplies."

"For me?" Fang Wen asked in surprise.

“Yes, my father and uncles said that in this world, there are too few people like you who are dedicated to the country and its people. It’s better to give it to you than to anyone else.”

Upon receiving such good news, Fang Wen showed no emotion.

The situation is somewhat tricky now. We don't know what the Japanese army will do tomorrow, and the gold situation is hard to predict.

But the situation still needs to be clarified.

He asked, "How many?"

“Four tons of silver and one ton of gold.” Sun Tianrui paused, then added, “Some of the gold is the same batch you sent to Guangzhou to exchange for gold notes back then.”

Fang Wen suddenly realized that the gold he had used to start his business was obtained from the Young Marshal's Mansion, which was occupied by the Japanese army in Northeast China, and then converted into cash in Guangzhou.

But unexpectedly, it will come back into my hands.

One ton of gold is 1000000 grams, which, according to the current exchange rate pegged to the US dollar, is equivalent to one million US dollars.

Silver is not worth much anymore.

Because the United States has refused to buy silver from abroad, the market price of silver has now fallen to less than $0.35 per ounce, or less than $0.011 per gram.

Four tons of silver is worth only $11,000.

In other words, all that is needed to retrieve this hidden gold is to extract the gold itself.

$100 million is no small sum. Fang Wen's current wealth is all invested in the military industry, and most of it is in the form of loans from American capital. He definitely wants this money.

It can at least be used as military expenses for the Taishan Independent Regiment.

He continued, "Where is it hidden?"

Sun Tianrui subconsciously observed his surroundings and lowered his voice.

"It's in Pantang, west of Guangzhou city, next to the West Suburbs Swimming Pool. If you're planning to retrieve the treasure, I'll go with you and point out the exact location."

Fang Wen nodded and went out to ask Wu Yingzong to bring him a map of Guangzhou.

He asked Sun Tianrui to mark the specific location on the map.

Sun Tianrui's treasure secret has been revealed.

Whether or not to retrieve the treasure depends on how the situation develops tomorrow.

Fang Wen arranged for him to rest at the residence.

The night passed peacefully.

But at 3 a.m., the telegraph operator on duty suddenly received an urgent telegram and immediately took the telegram to report to the regimental commander.

Fang Wen got out of bed and looked at the contents of the telegram.

[62nd Army Telegram: Our troops were attacked by Japanese troops at 3:1 AM on January 1st in Chini Town.]

The Japanese army dispatched a large number of troops, along with tanks and armored vehicles, and bombarded the town with mountain artillery.

Our army was outmatched and had no choice but to retreat to the Datang area.

After reading the telegram, Fang Wen was lost in thought.

It's still unreliable as expected.

The 62nd Army could only fight when the wind was favorable; once the Japanese army came prepared, its true colors were immediately revealed.

Their retreat to the Datang area meant that their planned two-pronged attack could no longer proceed.

Fang Wen originally planned to command two attacks simultaneously from the air, but things turned out like this on the third day.

He sighed, went straight out, boarded the Qinyuan, and took off to conduct reconnaissance.

The Qinyuan took off and flew directly to Beijiang.

Upon arriving in the vicinity of Sixianjiao in Beijiang, Fang Wen activated his supernatural abilities to the fullest, using radar to detect enemy movements and mechanical perception eagle eyes to observe the area below.

According to radar detection equipment, two squadrons of Japanese aircraft flew out from the sea. The first squadron had already reached the Quhebei area and was likely conducting an air raid on the 62nd Army. The second squadron had just entered the land and was presumably to take over the continuous air raids.

Fang Wen climbed the plane to an altitude of 7000 meters and waited for the Japanese air raid formation to return and leave before descending to continue observing the situation below.

Smoke billowed from the direction of Chini Town, and houses collapsed.

Japanese troops have entered Chini Town and are building positions within the town. They have no intention of advancing westward to continue fighting the 62nd Army in Datang.

Fang Wen's expression was solemn.

The movements of the troops reveal the operational style of those who trusted Japanese commanders.

This person is very shrewd and calculating, taking every step with care and leaving no room for error.

If he intends to deal with the 62nd Army in a steady and methodical manner north of Quhe.

Will he use the same methods against the Independent Regiment coalition and the division sent by the 62nd Army?

Fang Wen didn't speculate too much, but instead observed the situation south of the Qu River more carefully.

He realized something was wrong.

The Japanese regiment that was stationed in Quhe South yesterday is no longer there.

They headed west, making a large detour, attempting to attack from the west.

Meanwhile, a group of Japanese soldiers was quietly approaching from the east.

Meanwhile, the Japanese army also dispatched a 2000-strong main force, which slowly approached the riverbank positions from the north gate without launching an attack.

It was yet another different command style.

When dealing with the Taishan Independent Regiment's combined forces, they adopted a three-pronged encirclement strategy.

Clearly, this commander was taking into account the mobility and flexibility of the Taishan Independent Regiment.

Once this three-pronged attack is in place, the Independent Regiment's allied forces will have no room to maneuver north of the river. Apart from fighting to the death on the position, they will have no choice but to retreat south of the river.

They might even face a desperate battle due to a lack of means to cross the river and the possibility of being attacked by the Japanese army.

Fang Wen couldn't help but sneer.

The opponent's command strategy is indeed unique, but I have already seen through his intentions, so I will no longer passively respond according to his ideas.

Immediately, Fang Wen picked up the microphone and switched to William's contact frequency.

"Airborne call to ground commander."

"Ground received." William answered quickly.

"There's a big problem now. You'll be surrounded by the Japanese on three sides in an hour. There will definitely be a large-scale air raid by the Japanese, and even three warships won't be enough to defend against it."

"Commander, you must have a way."

"Yes, but it requires good coordination between the navy and the army. Is Commander Huang here?"

"He's here."

"Alright, let me explain the plan. You will immediately abandon your positions and advance northwest. We expect to encounter the Japanese western encirclement force in about an hour. At the same time, the warships will sail up the Beijiang River and launch an artillery barrage when the two armies meet. I will also bring gunboats and aircraft to provide support."

"What about the enemy's air force?" William asked.

This kind of mobile warfare tactic involving large-scale ground maneuvers is vulnerable to Japanese aircraft joining in.

Fang Wen confidently stated, "We are exploiting the time difference to defeat the enemy in a short period of time. The Japanese naval air force is launching air raids according to a pre-arranged plan. By the time they reach the coastal defense positions, they will find nothing there and will not be able to continue flying northwest to assist in the battle."

This was Fang Wen's plan: to fight an information gap battle through effective air communication and command. Even if the Japanese army made a very meticulous plan, it would be useless.

Fang Wen wanted to show this new commander what it meant to be all talk and no action.

(End of this chapter)