Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 684 Fifty Eighth Route Army Candidates, Special Forces Selection
The compensation process lasted for two days, and all the families of the fallen soldiers received compensation and pensions, which was a huge sum of money for them. Many of them did not know how to handle it.

These days, having money doesn't mean everything. Once you bring your wealth back to your hometown and flaunt it, the local bullies, thugs, militiamen, and local security guards will all be eyeing you.

Considering the various unforeseen circumstances that might arise when they take it back, Taishan Airlines offered a financial management suggestion.

Family members can set aside a portion of that money and deposit it with the company to establish a soldier care account, which can be used as a family retirement savings plan. Once a family member gets old or loses their ability to work, this fund can be activated, just like Taishan Airlines' own retirement pension, to provide a monthly payment for daily living expenses.

Although most of these family members were illiterate, they understood that this was a great thing, so many of them opened soldier care accounts.

Therefore, they need to stay in Chengdu for a while longer and wait for staff from Taishan Airlines headquarters to come and handle their business.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen flew to Yan'an to meet up with Gong Xiuneng.

4 month 15 day.

The Shuiyun-1 seaplane landed on the Yellow River at the Yanchuan East Yellow River Seaplane Airport.

There were three people waiting for him on the shore.

Fang Wen didn't recognize Gong Xiuneng, Isabella, or a man in a homespun military uniform.

As the plane landed, Fang Wen pushed open the cabin door, threw the cable to Gong Xiuneng, and then jumped onto the wooden dock.

Isabella, dressed in a Chinese cheongsam, walked over with a smile on her face.

She cut her hair short, and it seems like her overall demeanor has changed a lot.

The two had a lot to say to each other, but now was not the time.

Fang Wen looked at the unfamiliar man in military uniform.

The man walked over and introduced himself: "Hello, Mr. Fang, my name is Qiu Shanhe. I am the new liaison officer assigned to you by the organization to take over the work of Comrade Shu Zhitao."

Fang Wen nodded. The original liaison officer, Shu Zhitao, was now the director of academic affairs at Taishan Aviation School, using the alias Bai Yunfei. He had a special mission and could no longer work as a liaison officer. Fang Wen did need a new liaison officer.

He shook hands with the man.

"Hello, it's a pleasure to work with you."

"This is my job, Mr. Fang, please don't be so polite. The matter that Mr. Gong Xiuneng, whom you sent, mentioned earlier has been approved by the organization after review. A group of elite soldiers has been transferred from the Eighth Route Army and Yan'an for you to select."

"Really? That's great. When do we start?"

"Tomorrow. Tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock, I will bring people to Yanchuan. I have to go back now."

Thank you. See you tomorrow.

"See you tomorrow."

After exchanging words with Fang Wen, Qiu Shanhe left immediately, displaying the decisive manner of a soldier.

Now only Fang Wen, Isabella, and Gong Xiuneng remain on the dock.

Fang Wen glanced at Gong Xiuneng: "Where's the car?"

"Okay, I'll go open it."

Gong Xiuneng smiled and jogged away, even though the company's transport truck was nearby.

Now that everyone was alone, Fang Wen looked at Isabella and asked, "Have you been settling in well these past few days?"

Isabella tossed her short, ear-length hair and said in French, "At first, I wasn't used to it. My Chinese isn't very good, and there were some problems communicating. Fortunately, there are patriotic international students here who speak English, and with their help, I've gotten used to it."

Fang Wen walked towards the car, and the two talked as they walked.

"So what are your impressions of Yan'an during this time?"

"It's been too short a time, and I don't know much yet, but for now, they seem perfect."

Isabella wore a complicated expression.

As a Spaniard and a supporter of the Popular Front, having personally experienced the passion and defeat of war, and witnessed the rise and fall of the Popular Front, Yan'an before her eyes is practicing the beliefs she once fought for in a completely different way.

The two strolled and talked, and although the distance to the car was not far, it seemed like it would take a long time to walk.

She was the one who poured out her heart, and Fang Wen was the one who listened.

"I saw things that didn't exist in my homeland, and I wish I could have seen them sooner. In Spain, the Popular Front's supporters came from workers, peasants, intellectuals, and the petty bourgeoisie. They shouted slogans loudly, but lacked internal 'equality' and were full of contradictions. But in Yan'an, I saw that everyone, regardless of rank, wore the same simple coarse cloth uniforms, treated everything with such enthusiasm, and had extremely high discipline. I saw generals and soldiers eating from the same pot of millet rice, carrying rifles together to charge up hills during training; I saw in literacy classes, old farmers, female soldiers, and young soldiers huddled together, learning to recognize characters stroke by stroke from the teacher."

She talked on and on.

Spain also took the opportunity to do something similar to land reform, but the obstruction of the landlord class and the constraints of the church ultimately rendered it a dead letter.

But here, everything actually went through with it.

With land, impoverished farmers could escape hunger and despair and live a life full of hope.

After speaking at length, Isabella concluded: "I understand why we failed. The Popular Front's foundation was inherently weak, and it lacked a clear, correct, and directional political program. Here, we see a model of success."

Fang Wen couldn't help but ask, "Are you planning to learn here before going back to continue fighting?"

Isabella shook her head: "I am just a soldier, not a politician. This place has made me understand the cruelty of class struggle. They are strong and great. I can't imagine whether such greatness can be repeated in Spain. Perhaps I should stay here and witness firsthand the continuation and expansion of Yan'an's success."

Fang Wen felt relieved upon hearing Isabella's decision.

He didn't really want Isabella to work for the People's Front's fleeing government; it would be better for her to stay in Yan'an.

"I believe that the future of China will be shaped by them."

"Is that so? Then we'll wait and see."

The two smiled and quickened their pace to the transport truck.

Gong Xiuneng handed the keys to Fang Wen: "Commander, I know. Same as always, you drive. I'll go to the back so as not to disturb Miss Yi's report to you."

After saying that, he climbed directly onto the train carriage.

Fang Wen and Isabella also got on the bus.

The car started and bumped along the dirt road.

Forty minutes later, the car entered Yanchuan County and stopped in the yard of a semiconductor assembly plant.

The small courtyard to the east of the assembly plant is the office and residential area of ​​the Taishan office, which is responsible for compiling monthly statistics on the arrival of parts and the shipment of Zhongxing Semiconductor radios, and also serves as the liaison between this area and the central region.

Isabella is the head of the office, and there is another female employee.

The employee was from Yan'an and was the international student Isabella mentioned who knew English and helped her adapt.

Fang Wen smiled and shook hands with him: "It's a waste of your talent to have you working in the office."

The female employee replied, "No, I really like working here. I know these transistor radios are sold to Europe, which can earn a lot of foreign exchange, which can then be used to make weapons and ammunition to fight the Japanese."

“You’re right,” Fang Wen nodded.

Unfortunately, this highly profitable business is about to become unsustainable.

Since he was already in Yanchuan and would be staying for another day, he decided to visit the assembly plant.

After putting down his luggage, Fang Wen and Isabella went to the factory manager's office. As soon as the assembly plant manager heard that Fang Wen wanted to inspect the factory, he immediately put down his work and took Fang Wen to the factory building.

The assembly plant was built by Fang Wen himself. It has dustproof cloths and ventilation openings. The temperature inside is slightly higher than outside. Young workers in work clothes are carefully assembling semiconductor components.

They are already very skilled and can complete an assembly process in a few minutes on average. In an assembly line model, one production line can assemble 12 semiconductor radios per hour. With 5 assembly lines in the factory, 600 radios can be assembled per day.

At this rate, that's 18000 units per month.

But in reality, there aren't that many parts available for them to assemble; there's actually excess production capacity.

However, the semiconductor plant in northern Myanmar is unable to expand its production capacity to supply components.

After all, the semiconductor factory still needed to supply Taishan walkie-talkies, and the escalation of the war also constrained the European sales market.

After inspecting the assembly plant, the plant manager suggested arranging dinner for Fang Wen and his team.

Fang Wen refused, choosing to resolve the issue himself.

The group then left the assembly plant and strolled along the streets of Yanchuan.

There is only one main street here, and it is drizzling. Many pedestrians on the street are wearing straw hats.

"I'll go get the umbrellas." The girl from the office jogged back and came out a moment later carrying four oil-paper umbrellas.

One for each person is just right.

Holding an oil-paper umbrella, I walked along the muddy street, where the shops on both sides were diverse and colorful.

The girl at the office took the initiative to introduce Fang Wen.

"General Manager, the commerce in Yanchuan is similar to that in Yan'an. There are public commerce, cooperatives, and private shops and stalls. Over there, you see Guanghua Store, which both purchases goods and sells them at reasonable prices to ensure the daily needs of the city's residents. Next to it is a collectively-owned cooperative store. The consumer cooperative is responsible for purchasing the salt, cloth, and kerosene that the people need daily; the production cooperative organizes blacksmiths and carpenters to produce farm tools and daily necessities; and the transportation cooperative organizes mule teams to transport goods."

Fang Wen listened to the introduction while watching.

There weren't many people coming and going at the cooperative shops, but Guanghua Store was very lively.

The food stalls next to Guanghua Store are also doing brisk business.

"What are they eating?" Fang Wen asked.

“Heluo noodles and mutton soup with bread,” the girl from the office replied.

"Then let's have this for dinner tonight," Fang Wen suggested, and the other three had no objections.

Then, the four of them sat around an empty wooden table.

The stall owner, wearing a small hat, came over with a smile and asked, "What would you like to order?"

The four of them each ordered their own food, and also ordered a plate of stewed mutton.

As Fang Wen ate, he kept an eye on his surroundings and noticed that passersby didn't seem to care much about Isabella's foreign face.

"You go shopping often, don't you?" Fang Wen asked in a low voice.

“Yes, there’s not much to do at the office, so I come out every day to take a look around,” Isabella replied.

After taking a sip of mutton soup, she added, "Actually, I want to do something, and I hope to get your support."

"what's up?"

"I plan to establish a translation cooperative in Yanchuan to translate documents from various countries with the international students studying in Yan'an. Knowledge is power, and Yan'an is in great need of all kinds of useful knowledge right now. I speak Spanish, French, and English, so this is perfect for me."

This is a good business opportunity, and Fang Wen strongly supports Isabella's idea.

"Sure, give me a book list. I'm going to Europe anyway, and I'll buy them for you."

"That's great! I'll get someone to make a book list tomorrow." Isabella was happy to have found a new purpose in her life.

After finishing their meal, the group strolled around the streets for a while before returning to the office.

That night, Fang Wen and Gong Xiu were able to sleep, while Isabella slept with the girls from the office, and the laughter of the two women could be heard from next door from time to time.

The rain stopped the next morning.

Fang Wen got up, washed up, and then ate the millet porridge and cornbread that Gong Xiuneng had bought from outside.

Shortly after breakfast, a truck drove into the assembly plant yard.

The passenger door opened, and Qiu Shanhe got out, loudly announcing, "Get out and line up!"

The soldiers on the vehicle got off one by one.

Fang Wen walked over and looked him over.

Fifty soldiers stood in a straight line, all wearing gray uniforms. Although the fabric was rough, they were washed very clean.

Most of them were in their early twenties, with dark skin from sun and rain, and their eyes lacked the restraint of ordinary soldiers, instead exuding a sense of "unruly arrogance."

A capable soldier will not easily submit to others.

Fang Wen observed more carefully.

Some had large finger joints, calluses from years of holding guns; some had a distinctive stance, clearly showing they had a solid foundation in martial arts; and one wore glasses, his demeanor different from the others, and it was unclear why he was chosen.

“Mr. Fang, these fifty people are all elites selected from various units of the Eighth Route Army.” Qiu Shanhe walked to Fang Wen’s side and handed him a roster. “There are scouts, sharpshooters, engineers, and three student soldiers who know mechanics. They are all tough guys who are not afraid of death and are willing to study hard.”

Fang Wen took the roster, but didn't rush to look at it. Instead, he walked to the front of the line and slowly scanned each person's face with his gaze:
"I know you are all skilled at fighting the Japanese, but the special forces team I'm recruiting today is different from the regular troops. What I require is good physical fitness, quick reflexes, proficiency in operating various specialized weapons, and the ability to operate in the air, on land, and at sea."

What?! Up in the sky, down on the ground, and underwater?!
The soldiers were immediately surprised, not understanding why Fang Wen would say such a thing.

Fang Wen smiled slightly and continued, "Don't doubt what I say. I, Fang Wen, never lie. You'll know what's going on once you've been chosen. If you don't believe me, you can withdraw now."

The queue was completely silent.

A tall soldier suddenly stepped forward, his voice booming: "Report! My name is Wang Dashan, from North China. The Japanese devils burned down my home and killed my parents. As long as I can fight the Japanese devils, I'll go to heaven or hell!"

As soon as he spoke, the others echoed, "We must fight the Japanese devils!" The shouts reverberated across the open space.

Fang Wen nodded in satisfaction and raised his hand to signal for quiet: "Alright! Since you're all determined, let's let's let our skills speak for themselves. The assessment consists of three parts: physical fitness, skills, and adaptability. In the end, twenty people will be left. The first part is a five-kilometer cross-country run. The destination is the mountain ridge outside the city. The first thirty to arrive will advance! We'll start when the whistle blows."

As soon as Gong Xiu blew his whistle, the soldiers rushed out like arrows released from a bow.

After the last person ran out of the courtyard, Gong Xiuneng asked, "Commander, shall I go and take a look?"

Fang Wen shook his head and took off his coat: "I'll join too. Let's wait for them on the ridge first."

After saying that, Fang Wen strode out of the yard.

Qiu Shanhe exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Fang, you didn't need to join the test yourself!"

Gong Xiuneng laughed and said, "Our regimental commander has the best physical fitness. Believe it or not, those soldiers can never outrun the regimental commander."

Qiu Shanhe didn't believe it. These 50 candidates were all top-notch. To prove it, he and Gong Xiuneng also went for a run.

(End of this chapter)