Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 662 The sudden surge in arms sales, the joint war meeting points to Fang Wen

On the morning of March 5, 1940, it was still dark.

Fang Wen, with his strong mental fortitude, had already gotten up early.

After washing up, Fang Wen opened the wardrobe in the bedroom.

Inside the wardrobe, a curtain is used to block out dust.

When the curtain was opened, a strong smell of mothballs wafted out.

A note left by his wife a year ago was still pasted on the curtain.

[Pujacs on top, underwear on the bottom, socks in the drawer, and remember to throw dirty clothes in the basket by the door; someone will take them to wash.]

Fang Wen smiled warmly. Although his wife, Kuang Mingzhu, was in the United States, she had not abandoned their family.

He took some underwear and socks and threw them on the bed, then opened another wardrobe.

Inside that wardrobe, sets of clothes were neatly arranged.

Fang Wen took a set of crisp military uniforms, which were Nationalist Army uniforms he had obtained two years ago in Nanjing when he got the Independent Regiment designation. However, unlike other armies, the uniforms did not have rank insignia, only the military insignia of the Taishan Independent Regiment.

This military uniform is for meetings, representing the identity of the commander of the independent regiment. There are other clothes for other occasions. Fang Wen also took a trench coat. He heard that Guilin is rainy, and the trench coat can not only protect against the wind and rain, but also make it easy to move around.

Seeing these clothes, Fang Wen couldn't help but think of his wife and child who was not yet one year old in the United States. He felt a little guilty that he hadn't been able to visit his wife and child in Las Vegas during his last trip to the United States.

Pushing his thoughts away, Fang Wen put his clothes and daily necessities into his flight bag.

Having done all that, he left his residence with his long flight bag slung over his shoulder.

Gong Xiuneng waited outside the door: "Commander, shall we eat in the canteen or buy something outside?"

At this time, the cafeteria had not yet prepared breakfast, and Fang Wen had not notified the cafeteria to prepare it in advance.

He said, "Let's just buy some clean food outside and make do. We need to get to Guilin by 10 a.m.

As they spoke, the two went down the stairs, entered the elevator, and soon arrived at the lobby on the first floor.

"Good morning, General Manager," said the staff member in the lobby.

"Good morning." Fang Wen smiled and nodded, then walked with Gong Xiuneng to the courtyard behind the headquarters building, and drove off in a car.

Cars travel through the streets of Yangon.

At this time, Yangon, under the shadow of war, saw an increase in foreigners seeking refuge from Europe.

Due to the tense situation, the British are also strengthening security measures.

British soldiers and Indian-Burmese police officers patrolled the streets and alleys to maintain order.

Shops on the street have already opened, and newsboys are waving newspapers and loudly hawking the latest news on the fighting in Burmese and English.

While driving, Fang Wen also observed the shops along the roadside, preparing to buy two breakfasts.

Before he could make his choice, Gong Xiuneng, in the passenger seat, pointed in a direction and said, "Commander, that restaurant has good food. Zhao Junping and I have eaten there."

The location he pointed to was bustling, with British soldiers and locals dining inside the shops.

“Really? Then let’s buy from him.” Fang Wen parked his car by the roadside near the shop, and Gong Xiuneng got out and went over.

After a while, Gong Xiuneng came over with two bundles of lotus leaf bags and got into the car.

"Team leader, I bought fried fish rice."

Fang Wen nodded, started the car, and drove towards the dock.

Not long after, the car drove into the sea airport in the dock area.

The two got out of the car and went directly to the aircraft dock.

There, Fang Wen picked up the fried fish rice that Gong Xiuneng had bought and unwrapped it in a lotus leaf package.

Inside the lotus leaf wrapper are two layers: the top layer is tilapia chunks wrapped in local rice noodles and fried until golden brown, and the bottom layer is Burmese indica rice, with each grain distinct.

Fang Wen took a bite. The food had a strong Burmese curry flavor. This curry recipe, made of turmeric and tamarind, had a slightly sour taste. Combined with chili, garlic, fish sauce, and lemon juice, it was still acceptable to eat.

After finishing his breakfast in a few bites, Fang Wen opened the cabin door, entered the cockpit, started the aircraft, and used his supernatural abilities to check the aircraft's condition.

According to his supernatural abilities, the plane was in good condition, so Fang Wen instructed Gong Xiuneng to untie the mooring ropes and close the cabin door.

The plane turned around, accelerated by gliding on the water, and took off into the sky.

Because the coastal area of ​​southern Guangxi was occupied by the Japanese army, it was no longer possible to fly from southern Guangxi to northern Guangxi. Therefore, the flight route was changed to Yangon-Northern Myanmar-Southern Yunnan-Guilin, with a distance of 1800 kilometers.

At the base in northern Myanmar, the plane made one landing to pick up five guards before continuing its flight.

More than five hours later, after an in-flight refueling, the plane arrived over Guilin.

Below, in Guilin city, many places are ruins, which appear to have been bombed by the Japanese army.

Gong Xiuneng couldn't help but ask, "Commander, this city doesn't look very big, why did you choose to hold the meeting here?"

Fang Wen replied, "Guilin is the core hub of the Southwest Anti-Japanese War rear area. It is not only the strategic base of the Guangxi Clique, but also a transportation hub connecting Central China, South China and Southwest China. Although the city is small, its strategic significance is great."

As he spoke, Fang Wen piloted the plane toward the riverbank in the east of the city, where a Taishan gunboat was parked.

Then, a call prompt came over the radio.

It is a dedicated frequency left by Taishan walkie-talkies for the Guangxi system.

Fang Wen connected.

"Commander Fang, this is the place. There are no obstacles on the water. You can land directly here."

"Ok."

Fang Wen disconnected the communication and controlled the plane to land on the river.

The plane landed and the cabin door opened. Gong Xiuneng jumped onto the dock first and tied up the cable.

Fang Wen then shut down the engine and instructed the five security personnel in the cabin: "You stay on the plane and do not let anyone into the plane."

"Yes," the five guards transferred from the base in northern Myanmar replied loudly.

Fang Wen then stepped off the plane and was greeted with a warm welcome.

He was a member of the Guangxi Army Air Force.

Captain Huang and his team of air force personnel came to greet them.

"Commander Fang, it's great to see you again. These days, my comrades in the air force and I often think of you. Under your command, we fought so well during that period."

Fang Wen smiled and shook hands with him; "It was all thanks to everyone's sincere unity that we were able to achieve this. I dare not take credit for it."

"Commander Fang is too modest."

Just as Captain Huang was about to continue speaking, a soldier ran over to report: "Captain, our plane has returned."

Everyone looked up at the sky and saw two gunships flying over from the east.

Captain Huang quickly explained, "These are the participants we picked up in northern and western Guangdong. Head of Delegation, please wait a moment, I'll go pick them up from the airport."

Fang Wen smiled and nodded, and then Captain Huang quickly walked towards another dock.

The two gunboats landed one after the other and docked at the pier.

A group of people disembarked from the plane, including officers in Nationalist Army uniforms and others in ordinary clothes.

These people received a warm welcome from Captain Huang and his team, and then got into a car and drove into the city.

After seeing the people off, Captain Huang hurried back. "Commander Fang, let's go too. The banquet will be held at noon, right inside the administrative office."

Fang Wen nodded and led Gong Xiuneng into Captain Huang's car.

As the car drove out of the sea airport, Captain Huang talked incessantly while driving.

"Since the end of our defense of southern Guangxi, the Japanese army has been entrenched along the southern Guangxi coast and has not launched any further attacks. Our air force has also been transferred back to Guilin. I heard that our air force is going to be expanded. Commander Fang, you must sell us more planes."

Fang Wen smiled without saying a word. In this kind of military procurement, the real decision-makers are not people like Captain Huang. Moreover, the current aircraft production capacity is very tight, and it is difficult to spare a share of fighter jets to sell to the Guangxi Army.

Seeing that Fang Wen did not express his opinion, Captain Huang cleverly changed the subject.

"Nowadays, Guilin has seen a significant increase in population due to the relocation of people from various places, and it is not unreasonable to call it the most important town in Guangxi."

Fang Wen looked at the crowds walking along the street: "Yes, there are a lot of people."

Seeing Fang Wen speak, Captain Huang became very talkative: "Before the war, Guilin's population was only 10. This year, due to the war, the number of people relocated has increased to more than 30. As a result, the city has been divided into four areas: East, South, West, and North, as well as the suburbs. Refugee shelters and relief associations have been set up. The military police and local security forces work together to maintain social order, and so far there has been no large-scale refugee riots."

"How will these people be distributed?" Fang Wen asked.

"The factory will recruit a group of workers. After Wuhan and Guangzhou fell, many factories moved to Guilin and needed a lot of labor. In addition, we will also recruit soldiers from these people to participate in the war of resistance. This month, we recruited 3000 soldiers."

The two chatted for a while and soon arrived at the administrative office.

Captain Huang led Fang Wen and the other two to the administrative office's guesthouse.

"Arrange two rooms for Commander Fang."

"I'm sorry, Captain Huang, there are too many people attending the meeting, and we don't have any extra rooms. We can only open one room," said the guesthouse staff.

"you"

Captain Huang didn't even have time to get angry.

Fang Wen then said, "It's fine, one room is fine, but there must be two beds."

"There are two beds," the waiter quickly replied.

Seeing this, Captain Huang was no longer angry: "Alright then, Commander Fang, you can rest here for now. Someone will come to pick you up in an hour to attend the banquet. I'll be leaving now."

After saying this, Captain Huang clasped his hands in a fist salute and left.

The guesthouse attendant also left the counter with a bunch of keys. "Commander Fang, please come with me."

He led Fang Wen upstairs and stopped at the third room on the second floor. He unlocked the door with his key and then took the key off: "This is the room key. Please keep it safe. If you lose it, you can ask the front desk. We have a spare. Also, please let us know if you need anything."

"Okay. Go ahead." Fang Wen took the key and handed it to Gong Xiuneng. The two of them carried their luggage into the room.

In the guest room, Fang Wen took out his military uniform and changed into it.

Waiting for arrangements from the Guangxi clique.

Half an hour later, there was a knock on the door.

Gong Xiuneng got up to open the door, and after ascertaining the other party's identity, he turned around and reported: "Regimental Commander, it's the Chief of Staff of the 12th Army Group. He wants to talk to you."

Fang Wen had cooperated with the 12th Army Group during the Guangzhou campaign, but unfortunately the 12th Army Group lacked the strength to continue its operations, otherwise it could have expanded its gains.

Although this force is not strong, it controls the defense of northern Guangdong. Fang Wen must cultivate a good relationship with it in order to better unite the Guangdong army to fight against the Japanese.

Therefore, Fang Wen stood up and said, "Please invite Chief of Staff Zhang in."

Gong Xiu let go, and a high-ranking officer in a National Army uniform walked in.

He smiled broadly: "I have long admired Mr. Fang's name, and today I finally meet you in person. I never expected that Mr. Fang would know me."

Fang Wen took two steps forward with feigned enthusiasm and shook the other person's hand: "We fought together before, and I remember very clearly the riverside assault plan designed by Chief of Staff Zhang."

Upon hearing Fang Wen's words, Chief of Staff Zhang's smile widened.

"I am representing the 12th Group Army at this joint operations meeting for two reasons: firstly, I want to join forces with the Guangxi Army to fight the enemy, and secondly, I want to take this opportunity to meet Mr. Fang."

"See me?" Fang Wen asked in surprise.

“Yes, although the 12th Army Group is located in the mountainous area of ​​northern Guangdong, there are also waters where it can land and take off. They are looking to purchase a batch of gunboats from Taishan Aviation for use in fighting the Japanese army.” Chief of Staff Zhang revealed the purpose of his visit to Fang Wen.

Fang Wen suddenly understood.

It was Chongqing that opened the door for the purchase of military aircraft from Taishan, which allowed the Guangxi and Guangdong armies to make their own purchases without worrying about Chongqing making things difficult.

However, Taishan Military Industry no longer has the extra aircraft production capacity to provide gunboats for the Guangxi Army and the Guangdong Army.

The Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army absolutely cannot be cut off from their aircraft. If they want to supply the Guangxi Army and the Guangdong Army, they have to reduce the number of aircraft orders from Chongqing.

But now that 30 flight trainees from Chongqing have enrolled, it would be unreasonable to reduce the supply again.

Fang Wen felt a bit of a headache. When military purchases were not needed, no one paid attention to them, but once they were purchased in large quantities, they couldn't produce enough.

He anticipates that the same situation will occur again at the lunch banquet. How should he deal with it?

Inside the guest room, Fang Wen spoke vaguely with Chief of Staff Zhang, giving no clear answer whatsoever.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before the Gui Army's reception staff arrived.

He led a group of attendees from the guesthouse to the banquet venue.

They walked to a temporary banquet hall inside the administrative office and were guided by the staff to sit in different seats.

As an air force student, Fang Wen was assigned to Captain Huang's table, which allowed him to have some free time.

As the steaming dishes were served, Director Bai of the Administrative Office rose and raised his glass.

"Gentlemen, General Li has gone to the front lines of the Fourth War Zone to supervise the battle. I will be the one to chair this joint meeting. I will do my best to thank you all for your support."

He tilted his head back and drank it down in one gulp, and the others also raised their glasses to drink with him, including Fang Wen.

After a glass of wine, the atmosphere gradually became lively, and the sounds of conversation echoed throughout the room as people toasted and exchanged drinks.

Aside from having a drink with Captain Huang, Fang Wen did nothing else.

He already understood his role in this joint meeting, and decided to save his energy for dealing with the procurement requests from various parties.

The banquet lasted for an hour before Director Bai stood up and said, "Gentlemen, the meeting will be held at 2 p.m. in the auditorium next door. I'll be leaving now."

As soon as he left, people began to leave one after another, and Fang Wen also took the opportunity to find an excuse to return to the guesthouse.

Not long after, the Guangxi faction's reception staff came to inform everyone that it was time for a meeting.

Fang Wen went out again and followed the crowd to the auditorium.

Everyone entered the auditorium and sat down in their seats with their names on them. Director Bai walked to the center of the podium, and the staff behind him immediately unfolded a huge military map—the kraft paper was marked with Japanese strongholds and our army's defense lines in red and blue pencils, with a striking red circle drawn around the location of Qinzhou Bay in southern Guangxi.

"Gentlemen," Director Bai's voice came through the tin loudspeaker hanging from the beam, "Last month, the Chairman sent a telegram, strictly ordering the Fourth War Zone to 'defend the gateway to South China to the death and not retreat again.' I have invited you all here today not to make grand pronouncements, but to explain thoroughly and practically how to defend it."

He raised his hand and pointed to Yangjiang on the map: "The Japanese army is entrenched in southern Guangxi and has reinforced its troops in eastern Guangdong. Their goal is very clear—to take Yangjiang first, then attack Nanning, and cut off the southwest rear area in half. Right now, the 12th Army Group is guarding northern Guangdong, the Guangxi Army is guarding southern Guangxi, and the local troops are guarding the coast. They can fight on their own and will be defeated by the Japanese one by one sooner or later."

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone in the back row stood up. It was Brigade Commander Chen of the Guangdong Eastern Security Brigade. He was wearing a faded yellow woolen military uniform with the collar insignia worn at the edges. "Director Bai is right! But we're short of weapons! Japanese planes are bombing us every day. We don't even have many anti-aircraft guns. The anti-aircraft guns we have are relics from ten years ago. We can't even gather three basic loads of shells. If we don't find a way, we won't be able to hold out sooner or later!"

“Let me add something for Brigade Commander Chen!” Chief of Staff Zhang of the 12th Army Group immediately chimed in, his gaze sweeping over Fang Wen. “Our 12th Army Group is facing off against the Japanese army in northern Guangdong, and our soldiers are shooting down planes with rifles. But Regiment Commander Fang’s fighter jets are able to cooperate with your Guangxi Army in southern Guangxi and drive the Japanese away in disarray. If our 12th Army Group also had such fighter jets, I think we could also take back Guangzhou.”

These words were like lighting a powder keg. A regimental commander of the Guangxi Army slammed his fist on the table and said, "In our bloody battle in southern Guangxi, our brothers used hand grenades to blow up tanks. When Commander Fang's gunships and aircraft came, the Japanese armored convoys became sitting ducks! Now that the air force is expanding, we also want to get better equipment!"

All eyes were on Fang Wen. Even Director Bai turned to look at him, his tone expectant: "Commander Fang, the gunboats of Taishan Aviation have been tested in war and are very suitable for mountain warfare in Guangxi and Guangdong. Tell me, could you spare some gunboats for each unit? Even if you only need to allocate one squadron to each of the Guangxi Army and the 12th Group Army, it would be good to stabilize the defense line."

It was bound to happen eventually. Under everyone's watchful eyes, Fang Wen stood up.

(End of this chapter)