Republic of China: Ace Pilot

In the Andaman Sea, Fang Wen piloted a seaplane towards the Strait of Malacca in the southeast.

The sea is unusual these days; there are almost no large ships in sight.

A thought popped into Fang Wen's mind: Could it be that the Strait of Malacca has been cut off by the Japanese army?
Only in this way could such a situation occur.

However, the intelligence he received indicated that the Japanese army was still attacking the Kingdom of Sarawak.

As a precaution, Fang Wen activated his special ability and radar target acquisition device to survey the surrounding airspace.

In the northeastern direction, at the edge of the radar's detection area, there was feedback from an aircraft.

However, it is impossible to determine which type of aircraft it is.

Suppressing his thoughts, Fang Wen focused on driving.

Two hours later, the plane arrived at Sembawang Naval Base in Singapore, and he picked up the microphone.

"The civilian waterplane in Taishan requests to land."

The British troops on the ground, using the Taishan radio equipment, replied: "Landing approved, dock at the outer pier."

Fang Wen put down the microphone, controlled the plane's landing altitude, landed on the water in the port area, taxied for a while, and then adjusted and steered to dock at the outer pier.

The cabin door opened, and guard Gong Xiuneng disembarked first to secure the aircraft with cables. Fang Wen then disembarked.

He stood on the dock waiting for his waiting party to arrive.

After a while.

A British Army jeep drove up.

A British officer wearing a khaki-colored Far East Army uniform with the rank of lieutenant colonel stepped off the vehicle.

The officer strode forward. He knew that the young Chinese man in front of him was the head of the Taishan Group in northern Myanmar, and one of the few foreign forces that the British army could rely on in Southeast Asia at present. Therefore, he was very polite.

“Mr. Fang, I am Lieutenant Colonel Allen, the liaison officer of the Malayan Command. Lieutenant General Percival has been waiting for you at the Fort Corning Command for some time. Please come with me into the city immediately.”

Fang Wen nodded and boarded the military jeep with Gong Xiuneng.

As the military vehicles drove out of the port area, the route was lined with densely packed coastal defense artillery positions, heavily armed Indian garrison units, and mountains of military supplies.

After a while, they arrived at the British Far East Command Headquarters at Corning Fort.

This is a small hill only 60 meters high. The white building on the hill was once the residence of the Governor of Singapore and is now the headquarters of the Far East Command, which coordinates the defense of Malaya, Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei.

Fang Wen followed the officer up the steps and into the building.

He arrived at the headquarters' operations command room.

"Please wait a moment, I'll go report to the commander," the officer said, leaving Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng in the command room while he went to see the Far East Army commander.

Fang Wen couldn't help but look around.

There were many people busy in the command center.

On the east wall, there was a huge military map.

It's from Malaya, Borneo, and the Straits of Malacca, and the map is covered with dense markings.

Fang Wen couldn't help but observe carefully, and realized that the areas marked on the map in the northern and northeastern parts of the Malay Peninsula were probably Japanese troops.

On the map of Sarawak, many markers of the same color appear.

"Mr. Fang, this way," the officer said as he approached.

Fang Wen told Gong Xiuneng to wait, and then followed the officer to the small door on the other side of the command room.

Upon entering, the room was filled with smoke.

Wearing an army lieutenant general's uniform, looking exhausted with bloodshot eyes, Arthur Percival clutched a war telegram and puffed on a cigar to relieve his stress.

He was the Commander-in-Chief of the British Far East Army and the Supreme Commander of the Malayan Theater, whom Fang Wen had met before.

"Commander, he's here," the officer said.

Percival put down his cigar: "Well, you can go now. I need to speak with Mr. Fang Wen alone."

"Yes." The officer went out and closed the door behind him.

Percival stood up and waved, "Please sit down."

Fang Wen sat down, and Percival sat opposite him.

"Mr. Fang, thank you for providing the British Army with excellent radio communication equipment, but I am not clear about the purpose of your visit to Singapore?"

“My enemy is the Japanese. As long as I can defeat them and weaken them, I am willing to go anywhere and cooperate with any force,” Fang Wen replied.

Percival asked, "I know about your work in French Indochina; the French should thank you. You mean you're willing to support us in our fight against the Japanese?"

“Yes, the Strait of Malacca must not be lost,” Fang Wen said firmly.

He didn't mention one more thing: if the Strait of Malacca were lost, Yangon would lose its maritime shield, and the yellowcake factories on Little Andaman Island would also be in danger.

Fang Wen's statement gave Percival the idea of ​​having a deeper conversation.

Percival said in a deep voice, "The current situation in Southeast Asia is far beyond any of the London General Staff's estimates."

He stood up, pointed to the map on the wall, his fingertip landing on the northern part of the Malay Peninsula.

"Currently, the Japanese 25th Army under Tomoyuki Yamashita is fighting on two fronts. The first front's main force has landed forcefully at the ports of Songkhla and Pattani in southern Thailand, while simultaneously dispatching elite airborne troops to launch surprise attacks on all airports in northern Malaya. Our three major northern air force bases—Alor Setar, Sungai Padang, and Kulim—were subjected to saturation air attacks within an hour, with half of our ground aircraft destroyed on the runways, and we have completely lost air superiority in the north."

"On the morning of the same day, the Japanese amphibious landing force launched a strong attack on the beaches of Kuantan and Mersing on the east coast of Malaya. The defenses of the Malay Volunteer Army and Indian infantry companies stationed on the coast collapsed completely, and the Japanese ground armored and jungle troops quickly penetrated inland."

Percival lowered his fingertip, placing it on Sarawak, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

"The second Japanese Marine Corps of the South Seas advanced directly to the northern part of Borneo. They landed in Miri and seized the entire core oil and gas fields of Borneo; then they captured Kuching, and within a few days occupied Sibu and the entire territory of Brunei. The royal guard of the Royal Family of Brooke in Sarawak collapsed without a fight, and the royal family's high-ranking officials fled to Australia. The Japanese army has now taken over all the oil and gas resources in northern Borneo, making up for the fuel shortage of the navy's long-distance voyages."

He raised his hand and pointed to the sea route to the east, his tone carrying a hint of hope.

"Last evening, Admiral Phillips led Fleet Z out of Sembawang Naval Base, with the battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser HMS Repulse, along with four escort destroyers, heading north at full speed to reinforce the waters off Kuantan. Our plan is to use the heavy firepower of the battleships to defeat the Japanese landing transport fleet, cut off the Japanese maritime supply line in Borneo, and take the opportunity to open up the maritime support channel for the remaining anti-Japanese militia in Sarawak and the remnants of the Brooke army, thus holding the last foothold in Borneo."

At this point, Percival looked at Fang Wen and asked, "Mr. Fang, what are your thoughts?"

Fang Wen stared at the military map, drawing on his memories from his previous life.

My mind is racing with thoughts.

The British still harbored wishful thinking, overestimating the power of their battleships' heavy artillery and underestimating the naval bombing capabilities of Japanese aircraft. Did the British also fail to see through the Japanese's entire encirclement strategy as they advanced southward?
The Japanese military's strategic layout was extremely ruthless, with a two-pronged, interconnected campaign:
The northern army penetrated from both southern Thailand and the east coast of Malaya, cutting off the Malay Peninsula army's defenses and completely severing the land link between the Singapore Far East Command and the British forces in Burma.

The Eastern Front Navy swiftly swept through Sarawak and North Borneo, plundering oil fields and military resources, while simultaneously cutting off the British forces' room for maneuver in retreating eastward.

With the north cut off and the east locked in by the sea, the entire encirclement network has been largely completed.

Fang Wen composed himself and looked at Percival.

"Commander, if I may be so bold, the Z Fleet's northward journey is fraught with peril. Without carrier-based aircraft escort and with all the coastal air bases destroyed, the two main warships are sitting ducks for Japanese bombers."

Percival's expression changed abruptly. The fact that the air force had been crippled by the Japanese using German blitzkrieg tactics was one he could not deny.

Fang Wen stepped forward, his fingertip landing on the western exit of the Strait of Malacca, at the location of Penang Island.

“If your fleet fails to sail north, the Japanese will have no more scruples. Their next target will definitely be Penang Fortress. Once Penang falls, the western entrance to the Strait of Malacca will be closed, and your sea supply route to the Indian Ocean and the land supply road to the Malay Peninsula will be completely cut off.”

"You will be cut off from Burma by land to the north, lose the heart of Borneo by sea to the east, and have your southern port blocked by the Japanese fleet. At that time, you will be completely isolated on an island."

"No fuel, no food, no ammunition supplies, no external air support, and all escape routes by land and sea are blocked."

Fang Wen's gaze was calm as he revealed the final outcome: "Once Penang falls and the strait encirclement is complete, the British army will be trapped on the main island of Singapore. After running out of ammunition and food, the only option left for the entire army is to surrender."

Percival's face turned deathly pale.

As a professional soldier, he naturally understood what Fang Wen was saying.

Fang Wen's analysis revealed the root of his deepest fears and shattered the British army's illusions of turning the tide.

"So... the remnants of the Sarawak army, the Malayan defense line, and the Singapore fortress, all of them couldn't be held?" Percival asked in a dry voice.

Fang Wen did not answer, thinking to himself, "That's how it has always been."

But now, with him here, this situation can change.

The British army was the best force in Southeast Asia to contain the Japanese army. Only if the British troops here held on could they become a solid shield in front of the enemy.

Just then.

The communications officer burst through the door, his face deathly pale, and roared his report:
"Lieutenant General! Urgent telegram! Off the coast of Kuantan! Fleet Z has been attacked by the Japanese fleet, which has deployed a large number of aircraft! HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse have both been hit and sunk! Fleet Z has been completely annihilated!"

The sudden bad news left General Percival, commander of the British Far East Army, frozen in place.

Fang Wen's cold analysis just now came true in just three minutes!

The Z Fleet was completely annihilated.

Two of the Royal Navy's flagship warships sank to the bottom of the sea, and thousands of Royal Navy officers and men perished in the deep ocean.

This meant that the British forces completely lost control of the Strait of Malacca, and there was no longer a main naval force in the waters near Malaya and Singapore that could intercept Japanese warships. The British forces were left with only coastal fortifications, ground troops, and a depleted air force, and had completely lost the ability to fight back.

Without a navy, it is impossible to provide aid to the isolated forces in Sarawak, or to defend the strait. Even the defense of the waters near Singapore Island is practically non-existent.

The situation was dire and collapsing like a landslide.

Percival's shoulders slumped, though his lieutenant general's uniform remained impeccably straight, but all his military spirit had vanished.

"All gone... Admiral Phillips, both capital ships, all gone."

He looked up at Fang Wen, who had a calm and composed expression. His arrogance and pride were completely crushed. The rationality of a professional soldier told him that, according to the current battle situation, the fall of Penang, the occupation of Malaya, and the surrender of Singapore were already a foregone conclusion.

Percival suppressed his despair and stared intently at Fang Wen: "Mr. Fang, I admit your prediction was correct; you saw things more clearly than those in London. Do we... still have a chance to turn things around?"

Fang Wen replied, "Yes."

Just one word instantly reignited the flame in Percival's eyes.

"any solution?"

"I am currently building a deep-sea combat fleet belonging to the Taishan Group," Fang Wen stated frankly.

Percival pressed, "Where is your fleet? How many warships do you have? Can you confront the Japanese South Seas Fleet head-on?"

At this moment, he was like a drowning man clinging to a piece of driftwood, desperately hoping that a powerful fleet would come to the rescue and break through the Japanese naval blockade.

Fang Wen did not hide anything and told the truth: "The fleet is not yet fully formed. There is only one semi-finished light aircraft carrier and three cargo ships converted into escort warships."

Percival's ecstatic joy vanished instantly.

Half-baked aircraft carriers and cargo ships converted into warships.

As the Eastern proverb says, "distant water cannot quench immediate thirst."

At present, the Japanese fleet can completely blockade the Strait of Malacca. A few unfinished and modified ships are simply not enough to confront the elite Japanese South Sea Fleet head-on.

"Forgive my bluntness, Mr. Fang, but this nascent fleet is of no use at the moment," Percival sighed softly, his voice filled with helplessness.

Fang Wen continued calmly, "The fleet is not finished. What it lacks is not the hull, but a dry dock, precision military machine tools, shipborne armor, a ship gun assembly line, and experienced ship technicians. And Singapore's Sembawang Naval Dockyard has all of these."

He looked directly at Percival and said firmly, "As long as you open Singapore's top-class military shipyard, allocate British ship engineers, open the port's military supplies reserves, and allow our ships to enter the port for wartime expedited modifications, my fleet will be ready to set sail and engage the Japanese fleet as soon as the modifications are completed."

To make it more convincing, Fang Wen added, "At this point, Australian warships cannot help you protect the Strait of Malacca. Apart from my fleet, you won't find another one like it in the entire Asia."

Percival was stunned, and then he understood Fang Wen's intention.

Fang Wenming was clearly taking advantage of the British army's defeat and desperate situation to use Singapore's first-class naval docks and military industrial resources, which had taken decades to build, to complete the urgent renovation of his own fleet free of charge.

But he simply couldn't refuse.

If they refuse, the British army will be isolated and helpless, and it won't be long before tens of thousands of British soldiers become prisoners of war.

The agreement was made by lending out idle shipyards, surplus skilled workers, and military steel, in exchange for a fresh force to face the Japanese fleet directly, which might change the inevitable outcome of the battle.

The pros and cons are clear at a glance.

Percival closed his eyes and pondered for a full ten minutes.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and made up his mind: "I agree. The main docks of Sembawang No. 1 and No. 2 will be open to you, and all ship technicians, naval gun steel, and machine tools will be allocated to your fleet first to complete the warship conversion for you in the shortest possible time. However, I also have conditions."

Fang Wen was delighted. "What are the conditions?"

"You must defeat the Japanese army just like you did in French Indochina."

"That's for sure."

Fang Wen replied confidently. (End of Chapter)