Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 670 Large Number of Prisoners of War and POW Camps, Military Interview from Hong Kong

3 month 17 day.

The all-night chase is over.

The soldiers drove the disheveled prisoners back to Heshan Town.

After entering the town, they followed the directions to the temporary command post of the Independent Regiment and reported their respective battle situations to Deputy Regiment Commander Wu Yingzong.

After collecting these details one by one, Wu Yingzong went to the small room behind the command post.

"Commander, most of the troops have returned, and the overall battle situation is clear."

Inside the room, Fang Wen was sleeping fully clothed on the bed. He had been commanding the battle all day yesterday, and was still using his supernatural abilities to track the fleeing Japanese troops in the sky until late at night. After finishing his flight, he had to drive to Heshan to oversee the operation. The exertion of the whole day was even greater than that of high-intensity air combat.

Upon hearing Wu Yingzong's report, Fang Wen, who was half asleep, immediately sat up. "Come in."

Gong Xiuneng, who was sitting behind the door, immediately got up and opened the door.

The door opened, and Wu Yingzong walked in, reporting to Fang Wen.

"Commander, last night, our units pursued the retreating Japanese troops and killed 3000 Japanese soldiers, captured 2000 puppet troops, and there are still 600 Japanese soldiers left."

Fang Wen nodded. The Japanese army, without tanks, military vehicles, and artillery, was no stronger than the Chinese soldiers, and was even much worse in terms of physical fitness.

Now that the Japanese troops in southern Guangdong have been annihilated, it's time to clean up the battlefield and notify our allies.

He got up, walked out of the room, and went to the radio station in the command post.

"Send a telegram to the Guangxi Army and the 12th Army Group, saying that our unit, in close cooperation with the Southern Guangdong Anti-Japanese Allied Army and the 171st and 172nd Regiments of the Guangxi Army, has annihilated the Japanese troops attempting to capture Yangjiang in eight days. A total of more than 4000 people were killed or wounded, and more than 2600 were captured. Some Japanese troops have also fled to the mountainous areas of southern Guangdong and are being searched for."

"Yes!" the telegraph operator shouted, and immediately began sending the message.

Fang Wenze and Wu Yingzong left the command post, gathered the soldiers of the Independent Regiment, and went to the outskirts of the town to clean up the battlefield.

Although the battle was a great victory, it also consumed a huge amount of resources.

Nearly a thousand 82mm and 132mm rockets were used, and the consumption of various bullets, shells, bombs, and landmines was enormous.

Now that the war is over, those scrap metal pieces from the battlefield can't be left to waste; they can be recycled and transported back to the base in northern Myanmar for reuse.

This scene was witnessed by other units, who, not knowing what was going on, inquired and learned the truth, and then sent their soldiers to help.

Outside Heshan Town, soldiers collected various shell casings and bullet heads, and useful items were also dismantled from the wreckage of Japanese tanks.

To avoid polluting the land, the bodies of the Japanese soldiers were all collected on the spot and burned.

Telegraph room of the temporary command post of the Second Route Army of the Guangxi Army, Luoding County Government.

The ticking of the telegraph machine stopped, and the telegraph operator, who had translated the code, immediately got up and handed it to the duty officer.

When the duty officer saw the words "more than 4000 killed or wounded, and more than 2600 captured" on the telegram, his knuckles trembled slightly.

He rubbed his eyes, incredulous, and checked the codebook three times before clutching the telegram and running out of the telegraph room.

At this moment, Commander Wei, the military commander of the Second Route Army, was staring at the map in a daze. The Japanese army's attacks on Qingyuan and Zhaoqing in the past few days had been more bark than bite, which made him realize that the Japanese army's real target was southern Guangdong.

But since the day before yesterday, there have been no more messages from southern Guangdong, and I don't know what the situation is.

He sent the 171st and 172nd Regiments to reinforce southern Guangdong. If the Independent Regiment couldn't handle the Japanese army, would the two regiments be severely damaged?
"Commander-in-Chief! Urgent telegram from southern Guangdong!" The staff officer rushed in, forgetting even the rules of the army.

Commander Wei intended to reprimand the staff officer, but upon seeing the staff officer's red-rimmed eyes, he immediately realized the gravity of the situation and took the telegram.

After reading the telegram word by word, he suddenly slammed it on the table, making the enamel mug vibrate loudly.

"Great! What a great victory!"

Immediately, everyone else in the command post came over, and after learning what had happened, they were also delighted with the victory in this battle.

After all, the victory in the southern Guangdong campaign relieved the pressure on the Guangxi 2nd Route Army, and the participation of two regiments in the battle also contributed to the victory.

The operations director pointed to Heshan Town on the map: "Commander-in-Chief, the main force of the Japanese army attacking Yangjiang has been completely annihilated! They can no longer connect southern Guangxi and southern Guangdong into a line. The situation is very favorable to us, and we can be stable for at least three months!"

Commander Wei nodded: "The Independent Regiment deserves the greatest credit for the great victory in the southern Guangdong campaign. Our 171st and 172nd Regiments also participated in the battle and made contributions, without disgracing the Guangxi Army. Immediately send a telegram to the headquarters to inform them of the good news of the great victory."

The same telegram was sent to the 12th Army Group in northern Guangdong, which also brought a great shock.

The news gradually spread, reaching Chongqing and Hong Kong from Guangxi and Guangdong.

The military commission in Chongqing did not fully believe this intelligence.

Some generals even conducted simulated sand table exercises.

During the simulation, they couldn't figure out why, with equal troop strength and equipment, even the Taishan Independent Regiment in southern Guangdong was still far inferior to the Japanese army, yet they suffered such a crushing defeat.

Furthermore, this battle was led by the Taishan Independent Regiment.

The Nationalist government suppressed this major victory and did not report it.

However, it was reported in Yan'an.

Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, being the closest to southern Guangdong, upon learning of the great victory, they immediately sought out people connected to the Independent Regiment, wanting to conduct on-site interviews.

3 month 18 day.

The various units departed from Heshan Town.

The Independent Regiment returned from Heshan Town to its garrison south of Yangjiang City.

When the troops arrived in Yangjiang, they were warmly welcomed.

The county magistrate led the people to line both sides of the road to welcome them.

They presented flowers and cheers to the soldiers of the Independent Regiment, while throwing rotten eggs and mud at the puppet troops and Japanese soldiers who were being escorted there.

The county magistrate wanted to send someone to stop it, but Fang Wen stopped him.

"Let them vent. The Japanese have done so many bad things in the past two years, and the people hate them to death."

"Hmm." The county magistrate nodded. "I hate it too. If it weren't for maintaining the dignity of the county magistrate, I would have thrown a few rotten eggs. By the way, Commander Fang, what do you plan to do with these prisoners?"

Fang Wen understood that the county magistrate's question must have been instructed by someone.

So he smiled and asked, "Chongqing or Guilin?"

The county magistrate was taken aback, then took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "I knew this job wouldn't be easy. You guessed it as soon as I opened my mouth. It's a telegram from the Guilin Military Headquarters."

Fang Wen nodded: "You tell them for me that once they've interrogated me, they'll send me to Luoding."

"Okay." The county magistrate immediately relaxed.

At 2 p.m., the troops returned to their barracks. All the prisoners were escorted to the parade ground on the east side. The parade ground was packed with 2000 puppet troops and 600 Japanese soldiers.

Seeing this, Wu Yingzong said with difficulty, "Commander, these people consume a lot of food every day, and they also need a place to stay."

Fang Wen looked at the prisoners below, thought for a moment, and replied, "Go to the county town and get some tools. Let those puppet army prisoners build their own houses and create a prisoner-of-war camp. These guys are no good at fighting; surrendering is their first instinct. As long as we're firm, they won't dare to cause trouble. By the way, don't feed the prisoners too well. Three meals a day of cabbage porridge with little oil and salt. That way, they won't starve to death, and they won't have the energy to cause trouble."

"Yes, Commander." Wu Yingzong liked the plan very much and made the arrangements immediately.

On the same day, a large number of tools for work were delivered to Yangjiang City. The puppet army prisoners were untied and worked obediently under the watchful eyes of the Independent Regiment soldiers who were armed with guns.

The Japanese soldiers were then taken into the barracks.

Fang Wen gave Gong Xiuneng a task: "Find some people, teach them interrogation techniques, and try to extract some useful information from these Japanese devils within the next few days."

“I have no problem teaching people how to conduct interrogations, but where do I find people to do that?” Gong Xiuneng asked.

"They'll definitely be chosen from among the soldiers in our Independent Regiment." Fang Wen thought to himself, sighing at Gong Xiuneng's slow thinking, and then led him to the Third Battalion.

The Third Battalion was the main force stationed in Yangjiang, and its commander was William.

Fang Wen instructed William to gather all the soldiers, then loudly announced, "I want to select 20 men to form an interrogation team, requiring them to be ruthless. Who wants to volunteer?"

Immediately, a large number of people raised their hands.

Fang Wen turned to Gong Xiuneng and said, "Isn't this it? You can choose for yourself."

Gong Xiuneng then stepped forward and selected 20 physically strong soldiers, since interrogation is also a physically demanding task.

3 month 18 day.

The Independent Regiment's telegraph office received a coded telegram from China, and the telegraph operator immediately reported it to Fang Wen.

"Commander, this is the Morse code received on the frequency you requested to be monitored."

Fang Wen took the telegram, glanced at the frequency band, and saw it belonged to the Yan'an 2nd Bureau.

The telegram, after being translated, read: "The victory in southern Guangdong has had a significant impact both domestically and internationally. It is beneficial in curbing the arrogance of the Japanese invaders. After learning of the victory, people in Hong Kong contacted us, requesting to come to Yangjiang for an interview. You will make the decision on this matter. If you agree, please reply, and we will coordinate."

Fang Wen also thought this was a good thing; it was time for the whole world to know about the weapons produced by Taishan Military Industry.

Especially now that Germany is about to attack France in Europe, there might be more overseas military orders as the interviews and reports spread.

Only in this way can Taishan Military Industry maintain its resource consumption and continuously innovate.

He then personally sent a telegram in reply, agreeing.

Two hours after the telegram was sent, Fang Wen received a reply.

A plane will take off from Hong Kong and fly to Yangjiang, carrying three interviewers.

To ensure the safety of the aircraft, Fang Wen piloted the Qinyuan to escort it.

The Qinyuan took off and arrived over Macau in just 25 minutes.

The radar detection system detected only one aircraft nearby, and judging from its flight path, it was coming from the direction of Hong Kong. It should be the British aircraft.

A minute later, Fang Wen saw the plane.

It was a Hudson bomber belonging to the British Army in Hong Kong.

Also known as the Lockheed A-29, it is a military bomber purchased by the British Army from Lockheed Corporation in the United States. It is said that the U.S. Army Air Corps, Britain, and Australia have all signed large orders with Lockheed Corporation to purchase this light bomber.

Fang Wen, who was interested in all kinds of aircraft, only knew about this aircraft from military intelligence data, but had never seen the real thing, and had the idea of ​​observing it up close.

He adjusted the aircraft's orientation and, at a distance of several hundred meters, adopted a parallel flight attitude.

With the two planes parallel, Fang Wen communicated with the pilot of the Hudson bomber on his left through the cockpit glass using hand gestures.

Don't worry, I'm an escort plane.

The other pilot understood the general meaning from Fang Wen's gestures and responded with gestures in return.

Fang Wen took the opportunity to observe the plane.

It adopts a rare mid-wing design, with a single main sparsity, three-section outward-expanding metal skin, and Führer flaps. The leading edge of the outer section of the wing is equipped with low-drag slotted wings, and two fuel tanks are installed at the left and right wing roots.

It features dual tail rudders, dual engines, an all-metal shell, and a rear tricycle hydraulically actuated landing gear.

The central cabin has a large space and is expected to accommodate four crew members.

Fang Wen commented on this.
The aircraft's speed and defenses are lacking, but its bomb load is suitable for a light bomber, and even better.

Its positioning should be multi-functional, with certain advantages in range and reliability.

It can perform auxiliary tasks such as reconnaissance, patrol, and transportation, and can also be used for wartime bombing, but its combat intensity and adaptability are relatively narrow.

In high-intensity combat, aircraft that lack speed, defense, and bombing power are definitely unsuitable.

It seems that the British and American air forces are still focused on multi-purpose applications. Only after experiencing high-intensity air combat will they realize that this type of aircraft is actually not very useful.

Putting his thoughts aside, Fang Wen controlled the plane to accelerate and flew in front of the Hudson bomber to guide it.

Twenty minutes later, the two planes arrived in Yangjiang.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone and communicated with the ground.

"Ignite the guiding smoke device."

Upon receiving his order, plumes of smoke rose from the small airport runway at the base, guiding aircraft to land.

The Hudson then adjusted its landing position and landed on the runway.

After the bomber took off from the runway, Fang Wen also landed.

The Chin Yuan slowed down, pulled off the runway, and stopped next to the Hudson bombers.

Fang Wen opened the cockpit canopy, slid down the outer wall of the aircraft, and strode over.

The hatch of the Hudson bomber opened, and a group of people emerged from it.

They introduced themselves to Fang Wen.

"Hello, I am a reporter from The Times of London."

"I am a reporter from Hong Kong Island Weekly."

"I am a news observer for the United States in Hong Kong, and I contribute articles to several newspapers, including The New York Times and Time magazine."

In addition to the three journalists from Hong Kong, there were also two bomber pilots.

Fang Wen shook hands with them and said, "Hello, I am Fang Wen from the Taishan Independent Regiment. What would you like to know about this interview?"

The first question from a British journalist was: "Commander Fang, did you really annihilate 8000 Japanese troops?"

“Strictly speaking, this unit consists of 5000 Japanese troops and 3000 puppet troops cooperating with the operation. There are still a small number of remnants fleeing in the mountainous areas of southern Guangdong. I estimate that we will be able to capture them all soon,” Fang Wen replied.

An American news observer asked: "As far as I know, in this war, Chinese soldiers had to suffer six times the losses to kill one Japanese soldier. Why is it that you were able to annihilate so many Japanese soldiers with so few losses?"

This was a pointed question, and Fang Wen responded calmly.

"Modern warfare relies more on mechanized equipment to achieve combat superiority. Our country has experienced over a century of internal strife, and our industrial system is severely lagging behind, while the invaders have continued to develop. This is also an important reason why they were able to gain the upper hand in this war of aggression. The great victory in southern Guangdong proves to countless Chinese people that we, the sons and daughters of China, are by no means inferior to the Japanese devils. As long as we have equally excellent military equipment, we can be stronger than the invaders."

Fang Wen spoke with great confidence, which impressed the interviewing reporter.

Just as a reporter from Hong Kong Island Weekly was about to ask a question, Gong Xiu Neng rushed over and whispered in Fang Wen's ear, "Commander, there has been a major discovery during the interrogation."

Fang Wen looked at Wu Yingzong: "You're here for the interview. Try your best to meet their interview requests. I have some things to take care of."

Wu Yingzong nodded and smiled at the reporters: "If you have any questions, please ask me."

Fang Wenze and Gong Xiuneng left the airport and walked quickly toward the place where the Japanese prisoners were being held.

(End of this chapter)