Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 200 "Sky Corridor" Project

After a thoroughly enjoyable "ball game," Su Yaoyang felt completely refreshed, as if all the fatigue of the past few days had been swept away, and his spirits were exceptionally high.

He quickly tidied his disheveled military uniform before leaving the study, which was filled with a romantic atmosphere, feeling refreshed. He went out of the house, got into the jeep that was waiting at the door, and, escorted by Xu Dapeng and dozens of guards, arrived at the headquarters of the Shanxi militia in the north of the city.

The command post is located in a large courtyard, which, after several months of renovation, has acquired basic military command functions.

In the courtyard, communications staff moved back and forth carrying documents, while operations staff worked busily in various rooms, creating a tense yet orderly atmosphere.

As Su Yaoyang stepped into the operations room of the command post, just as he was about to greet Pi Ruoyu, who was working at his desk, he saw a figure pacing anxiously at the door, glancing out from time to time. It was John, the tank battalion commander.

Upon seeing Su Yaoyang, John's typical Western face immediately showed a complex expression of surprise and anxiety. He almost ran over, and a slightly broken but very fluent Chinese came out:

"Boss... Boss! Great news... fantastic news! But it's also a huge problem!"

John's voice was loud with excitement, and his grammatically flawed sentence also drew curious glances from the staff officers around him.

Seeing John's impatient appearance, Su Yaoyang had a sudden thought, knowing that something important must be happening.

He patted John on the shoulder, signaling him to calm down, and then led him to a relatively quiet small meeting room in the operations room.

“John…you’re a major now, so stay calm and don’t rush. Tell me slowly, what happened?” Su Yaoyang gestured for John to sit down, and then pulled up a chair for himself.

John took a deep breath, trying to calm his excited emotions, but the excitement on his face was still hard to hide: "Boss... do you remember what I mentioned to you a while ago, that I asked my friend in the United States to help recruit some experienced pilots and ground crew?"

Su Yaoyang nodded: "Of course I remember. How come... there's news?"

A faint sense of anticipation stirred within him. In this era, possessing one's own air force, even if it consisted of only a few reconnaissance or transport aircraft, held undeniable strategic significance.

"It's not just news! They've arrived!"

Perhaps due to excitement, John's voice rose a few decibels, "My friends just sent me a telegram through secret channels; they have successfully arrived in Hong Kong!"

"Oh? That's great!" Su Yaoyang's spirits lifted upon hearing this; it was indeed fantastic news.

But John's expression immediately fell, his brows furrowed, and he looked troubled: "But boss, the biggest problem now is how to safely bring them from Hong Kong to here."

As you know, China today is rife with war and chaos. If you travel by land from south to north, a journey of thousands of miles, how many checkpoints would you have to pass through, and how many bandits and mutinous soldiers would you encounter?
This is too dangerous! What if something happens on the road and we all get caught? We'll have no one to turn to for help then!

Su Yaoyang frowned as well.

John is right. The risks of transporting goods by land are indeed too great, especially with such a large group of foreigners. They are too conspicuous and easily attract the attention of various forces.

"How many people came? What are their specific personnel?" Su Yaoyang asked in a deep voice, beginning to think of a solution.

John immediately replied, "According to the telegram, there are a total of one hundred and twenty-seven people."

Among them were forty experienced pilots, most of whom had participated in the Spanish Civil War or had flying experience elsewhere.

There are also more than fifty ground crew members, including aircraft mechanics, radio operators, navigators, and so on, all of whom are skilled technicians.

In addition, there are more than thirty... my old comrades-in-arms from the tank unit. They heard that I was fighting the Japanese here and were willing to come and help. They are all experienced veterans who can strengthen our tank unit or serve as instructors.

As Su Yaoyang listened to the numbers and personnel composition reported by John, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Forty pilots! More than fifty ground crew members! This is almost enough to form the core of a small air force! There are also more than thirty experienced tank veterans, which is a valuable asset for the newly formed tank battalion.

He stood up and paced back and forth in the small meeting room, his mind racing. If the land route was out of the question, then he would have to go by air or sea and then inland. But the sea route also faced the risk of blockade and inspection, and ultimately would still require venturing deep inland.

“Since they’re pilots, why don’t we let them fly over themselves?” Su Yaoyang suddenly stopped, a bold glint in his eyes. John was taken aback: “Fly over themselves? Boss, you mean…”

Su Yaoyang smiled and said, "What I mean is, since the land route isn't safe, let's just go all out!"
John, you need to find a way to contact your friends in Hong Kong immediately and ask them to help you rent or buy two or three large transport planes or passenger planes in Hong Kong.

Then, let our pilots and ground crew, carrying those tank veterans, take off directly from Hong Kong, destination… Wutai County!

"A direct flight from Hong Kong to Wutai County?" John was stunned by Su Yaoyang's audacious idea. "But boss, Wutai County... doesn't have an airport! How will the plane land?"

"If there's no airport, we'll build one!"

Su Yaoyang said decisively, his tone leaving no room for doubt, "Immediately summon Chief of Staff Pi Ruoyu and the heads of other relevant departments! We'll hold a meeting right away to study the feasibility of building a simple airport near Wutai County!"
Time is of the essence, and the runway must be able to accommodate transport aircraft! We must have the airport built before they arrive!

This plan was undoubtedly insane and risky. Building an airfield behind enemy lines and guiding aircraft to make cross-regional flights and landings over thousands of kilometers—any problem in any of these steps could have catastrophic consequences.

But Su Yaoyang knew that these technical experts were invaluable to his troops. Taking some risks to acquire them was entirely worthwhile.

Soon, Pi Ruoyu, the chief of staff of the militia, along with the heads of the engineering, logistics, and communications departments, were summoned to the operations room. When Su Yaoyang laid out his plan, a collective gasp filled the room.

Pi Ruoyu, Su Yaoyang's right-hand man and his most trusted chief of staff, pushed up his glasses and pondered, "Chief, this plan... is feasible, but extremely difficult."

First, building a runway capable of handling transport aircraft requires a high level of engineering and technical expertise, and we lack professional airport construction experience and equipment.

Secondly, the flight route from Hong Kong to Wutai is long, and it may pass through Japanese-occupied territory or airspace controlled by other forces, posing significant challenges to navigation and communication. Finally, ensuring the aircraft accurately locates the small town of Wutai County and lands safely also requires meticulous planning.

John added, "Yes, Commander, Chief of Staff Pi is right. In addition, we also need to consider a series of issues such as refueling, ground guidance, and secrecy."

Su Yaoyang nodded; he knew the difficulty of this plan. But looking at everyone, he said firmly, "There are difficulties, but there are always more solutions than problems!"
In terms of engineering, we can mobilize engineering battalions and civilians; there's strength in numbers!

As for technical issues, we can learn as we go and simplify the standards as much as possible, as long as basic takeoff and landing safety can be guaranteed.

Flight routes and navigation can be planned in advance by experienced pilots, taking advantage of nighttime or complex weather conditions to avoid reconnaissance.

For ground guidance, we can set up temporary radio beacons or establish clear ground markings in the designated landing area. As for secrecy, this is of paramount importance; all personnel involved in the project must maintain strict confidentiality!

Next, Su Yaoyang, Pi Ruoyu, John, and other department heads engaged in heated discussions and thorough deliberations surrounding this bold "aerial corridor" plan.

They spread out a map, carefully studied the terrain, and selected a preliminary location for the airport; they calculated the workload, assigned tasks, discussed communication methods, and developed contingency plans…

After several hours of repeated discussions and deliberations, a preliminary framework for the plan was finally finalized.

They decided to urgently construct a temporary earthen runway, about 1,500 meters long and 50 meters wide, in a relatively flat and open river valley about 10 kilometers east of Wutai County.

Meanwhile, John was responsible for liaising with Hong Kong to finalize the preparations for aircraft and personnel. Pi Ruoyu was responsible for coordinating the construction of the airport and ground support.

The advantages of having a one-man rule became apparent at this point. As the founder and controller of the Shanxi militia, Su Yaoyang's words were law, at least within the areas of Wutai and the newly occupied Dingxiang counties.

With a command given, the Shanxi militia began issuing announcements, recruiting 10,000 able-bodied laborers under the pretext of building a training base. The recruitment period was half a month, and the laborers were offered food and lodging, as well as a reward of three silver dollars.

The news caused a sensation in the towns and villages surrounding Wutai County.

With room and board provided and a three-dollar wage, such a good deal was a once-in-a-century opportunity, and followers flocked to join in an instant.

In just two days, countless young men flocked in from all directions, and in the end, a total of more than 16,000 people came.

When Pi Ruoyu asked Su Yaoyang for instructions, Su Yaoyang waved his hand and said he would take it all. After all, many hands make light work, and the sooner the airport was built, the sooner people could come over.

(End of this chapter)