Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 693 British Burma Oil Company Changes Planes, Dunkirk's Taishan Airlift (Part 1)

The British officer strode up to Fang Wen and said urgently:
“Mr. Fang, we can buy your plane, but the cabinet is just starting to reorganize and we can’t approve the funds yet. Could you send the plane over first? Also, it would be better to use your pilots, as that would be more reliable.”

Fang Wen pondered this.

Former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain also bears responsibility for Germany's invasion of France due to his appeasement policy and the mistakes made in the Norwegian campaign.

Therefore, he resigned when the German army launched its attack on May 10.

On May 13, Defense Secretary Winston Churchill was appointed as the new Prime Minister and formed a new cabinet.

It's safe to say that the current British government cabinet is in a state of considerable disarray.

Perhaps this is why the hardliner Churchill abandoned the offensive and allowed the Allied forces to retreat.

However, for Taishan Airlines, selling aircraft to the British was acceptable, but providing pilot transportation was not, since the Dunkirk evacuation was an extremely dangerous matter.

He hesitated for a moment, then replied, "I cannot allow my pilots to fly in such great danger. In fact, our Shuiyun-1 low-speed aircraft is very easy to fly; anyone with some aircraft flying experience can operate it."

The officer replied, “But that wouldn’t guarantee a stable supply of soldiers; we need efficiency. I know it will be dangerous, but your decision could save many soldiers’ lives.”

Fang Wen actually had a solution to this.

As long as he leads the flight squadron to take off and land, he can evade German air raids through his supernatural abilities and radar.

The key question is whether such behavior will offend Germany and disrupt the operation of the Geneva route.

Unless the British can offer sufficient conditions to allow Fang Wen to participate.

Fang Wen thought of one thing: the British oil company in Myanmar.

This oil company controls the oil assets of British Burma, with its core assets concentrated in the Yenangyaung and Chauk oil fields in central Myanmar, along with refineries, pipelines, and sales networks.

90% of the profits earned each year are remitted to the UK.

In the past two years, local Burmese people have been on strike repeatedly, demanding better treatment, but their efforts have been suppressed by the British.

Fang Wen once considered getting involved to increase Taishan's oil refining industry chain and reserves.

The other party's shareholders were willing to sell under favorable acquisition terms, but the UK side was unwilling to give up.

This seems like a great opportunity.

Then, Fang Wen smiled and shared his thoughts.

Unable to make a decision, the officer turned and left to report.

London.

Cabinet meeting.

The House of Commons was filled with MPs on the second floor, with the front row reserved for cabinet members.

In the middle of the hall, a member of parliament was giving a passionate speech.

"The German army has cut off the retreat and supply lines of the front-line troops. We now only have two options: either advance or retreat."

His words drew opposition from some members of parliament.

The argument resumed.

The speaker struck the gavel: "Quiet. Let's hear from the military chief of staff about their views."

The chief of staff walked to the center of the meeting room: "The current situation is extremely critical. If we continue to fight towards Belgium, we will soon have to stop due to lack of supplies. If the troops turn back to attack France, the German army will follow us, thus forming a two-pronged encirclement. Therefore, no matter how we fight, it will be very dangerous."

"Do you mean the war is off?" a member of parliament asked.

"We must be responsible for those 40 soldiers. As long as they are there, we still have a chance. If they are defeated by the Germans, I'm afraid we won't even have enough troops to defend the British mainland."

The chief of staff's words made the lawmakers realize the seriousness of the situation.

There are far fewer people who support continuing the fight.

Subsequently, a military colonel explained the evacuation plan, known as "The Generator."

"We recommend that all available ships in Britain be assembled, and sailors be gathered to sail across the Dover Strait to Dunkirk to bring back 40 troops."

For the sake of the security of the British homeland, the members of parliament approved the plan.

The colonel continued, “In addition to ships, we also plan to use aircraft for transport. Taishan Aviation’s Shuiyun-1 seaplane has a large carrying capacity and can take off and land directly on the water, making it perfectly suited for the shallows and harbors around Dunkirk. However, he put forward two conditions: first, we must receive a partial advance payment; second, he refused to send pilots unless we agreed to sell some of the assets of Myanmar’s Bema Oil Company to Taishan Group at a reasonable price.”

One lawmaker asked, "How many people can this plane transport? Do we really need their pilots?"

The colonel replied, "Taishan Airlines' seaplanes were originally designed for seaplane passenger transport. They have 20 seats and, based on their load capacity, can actually transport 40-50 people at a time. They can make a round trip in 30 minutes, and one plane can transport more than 1000 people a day. They can provide 53 planes, which means that, theoretically, we can use them to transport 5 people. As for pilots, they are very necessary. Time is of the essence, and we need pilots who are familiar with the aircraft to fly them and ensure continuous flight without problems."

Hearing him say that seemed to alleviate the pressure on transportation capacity.

The speaker asked the colonial minister, "Can we sell?"

“Berma Oil?” The Colonial Secretary asked incredulously. “That’s a core asset of British Burma! The Yenangyaung and Qaung oil fields, along with the entire pipeline, contribute 5% of the British Empire’s total oil production each year, and he actually wants that?”

The meeting room instantly erupted into commotion.

Cabinet members whispered amongst themselves, their voices filled with discontent and hesitation. The coalition government had just been formed, and there were already internal divisions between the Conservative and Labour parties. Furthermore, Bermaral, as one of the pillars of the British colonial economy, was a matter of great concern to many interest groups.

"This is outrageous!" The Chancellor of the Exchequer slammed his fist on the table. "The cabinet reshuffle isn't even finished, the budget isn't sorted out, and we're already in a bad position by not being able to come up with advance payments. Now we're going to have to give up colonial assets? This will make Parliament and the people think we're selling out the Empire's interests!"

“But we have no choice now,” Colonel Sinclair said urgently. “Fang Wen’s pilots are familiar with those planes, and more importantly, his air force is equipped with advanced radar and wireless communication equipment, which can evade German air raids. Yesterday, our three transport ships were all sunk because we didn’t detect them in advance and they were targeted by German bombers.”

All eyes were on Churchill, who sat at the head of the conference table.

The new prime minister, with a cigar dangling from his lips and a pen between his fingers, stared silently at the Dunkirk battle map before him, smoke slowly escaping from the corners of his mouth, blurring the expression on his face.

“Berma Oil…” Churchill finally spoke, his voice hoarse but strong, “Colonial Secretary, tell me, what is the current situation of this company?”

Colonial Secretary George pulled out a document and quickly flipped through it: "Prime Minister, although Bermah Oil has a monopoly on Burma's oil, the constant strikes by local Burmese in the past two years have led to ever-increasing costs; moreover, the Japanese are stirring up trouble in Southeast Asia, and Burma's security situation is already precarious. More importantly, some of the company's shareholders have long wanted to sell assets, but the government has been suppressing it..."

"In other words, this asset is not insurmountable," Churchill interrupted him. "What is our core objective now? It is to preserve those 200,000 British troops! It is to retain the vital forces for the Empire's future counterattack! Without soldiers, no matter how rich the colonial assets or how large the oil production, they will eventually fall into the hands of the Nazis and the Japanese!" The Colonial Secretary nodded in agreement: "Yes, if we are defeated on our home soil, those overseas colonies will also lose their foundation, and the final result will be nothing more than burning them down or handing them over to new owners."

Sitting in his wheelchair, Churchill stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray, his tone firm: "The mission of the coalition government is to put aside partisan differences and imperial vanity, and do everything for victory! As for the advance payment, let the Treasury allocate funds from the emergency war reserves; the assets of Berma Oil will be sold to Fang Wen, but not in whole, only the equity of the Yenangyaung oil field and the associated refinery, and an agreement must be signed that oil will be given priority to local British troops during wartime."

"Prime Minister!" The Chancellor of the Exchequer tried to argue, but was interrupted by Churchill's cold gaze.

“I know this is hard to accept.” Churchill’s voice softened slightly, but remained firm. “But we must face reality: now we are begging for help. Fang Wen is a businessman; he wants profit, which is more reliable than any empty promises. Once we weather this crisis and win this war, the Empire will have plenty of opportunities to take back everything that is rightfully ours.”

Deputy Prime Minister Attlee nodded: "I agree with the Prime Minister. Labour supports the safe withdrawal of soldiers at the necessary cost; it is a responsibility to the soldiers on the front lines and to the people of the country."

With the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister's statements, the opposition from other cabinet members gradually subsided. The Colonial Secretary sighed: "I will immediately contact the management of Berma Petroleum and arrange to discuss the specific terms with Fang Wen's representatives."

“Very good.” Churchill nodded in satisfaction and looked at Colonel Sinclair. “Tell Fang Wen immediately that we agree to his terms. Have him arrange for pilots and planes to depart as soon as possible. Every minute of delay will mean another batch of soldiers dying on the front lines.”

"Yes, Your Excellency the Prime Minister!" Colonel Sinclair stood at attention, saluted, and quickly walked out of the conference room.

Paris, ten minutes later.

Fang Wenzheng, having left the Moulin Rouge, stood on the street and watched Roger get into his car and leave.

Just as Roger's car drove away, another car stopped in front of Fang Wen.

It was the British officer who reported the situation.

His first words after getting out of the car were: "Mr. Fang, the Cabinet has approved your conditions!"

"The advance payment will be delivered to your residence tomorrow, and a specialist will follow up on the equity agreement with Berma Petroleum. Please arrange a plane and pilot immediately."

Fang Wen smiled; he felt he had made a great profit from this deal.

Oil has immense uses in mechanized warfare!
Taishan Military Industry will break through its bottlenecks once again.

He extended his hand, "It's a pleasure doing business with you. I'll go back and make the arrangements right away."

After saying that, Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng got into the car and drove to the Paris branch office.

Upon arriving at the base, Fang Wen immediately sent a telegram to Yangon.

The telegram instructed Yangon to prepare immediately.

Upon receiving the telegram in Yangon, Fang Shouxin immediately convened relevant departments to begin operations.

Seaplanes parked in hangars at Yangon Airport and at the base in northern Myanmar immediately began pre-flight maintenance and preparations.

At the same time, pilots need to be summoned to fly the plane.

Taishan Airlines currently has 20 available civil aviation pilots, and the remaining vacancies will be filled by drawing flight students from aviation schools.

Those flight trainees not only learned to fly high-speed fighter jets, but also trained in low-speed fighter jets such as gunboats, so they were also able to fly the same type of seaplane with ease.

Upon receiving the message, Bai Yunfei, the director of instruction, immediately summoned all the students to assemble on the training ground.

Aviation cadets from the Nationalist government and the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army, after two months of study, have put aside their differences and formed a mixed formation.

Bai Yunfei stepped to the front of the line and announced loudly, “Just a few days ago, Germany launched a war against France, breaking through the defenses built by Britain and France within days and entering French territory. They even encircled the British and French troops at the front. Currently, nearly 40 British and French troops need to be evacuated back to Britain. The British have purchased 53 seaplanes from Taishan Aviation for this purpose. Our aviation school has been given this opportunity to send students as pilots to participate in this large-scale military operation. There are only 80 spots available; not all students can participate. Now, I will select students based on their preliminary exam scores. Those whose names are called, please step forward.”

More than a hundred trainees looked at Bai Yunfei expectantly. Those who were chosen stepped forward excitedly, while those who were not chosen were secretly disappointed, thinking that they must work harder in training in the future.

After the selection process was completed, the 80 flight trainees left by car with the staff of Taishan Airlines.

They split into two groups: one went to Yangon seaport, and the other took a plane to a base in northern Myanmar.

The next day, 53 seaplanes set off, flying along the coastline of the British colonies, following the secret route that Fang Wen had previously established for Asia-Pacific.

Eventually, it will cross the Mediterranean from North Africa into Spain, and then reach Paris, France.

5 month 21 day.

Taishan Airlines' seaplane is still en route.

The British evacuation is still being prepared.

Fang Wen also prepared to pilot the plane for takeoff.

Because he had accepted the British evacuation order, which concerned the lives of Taishan Airlines' civil aviation pilots and aviation school students, he needed to have a better understanding of the airspace over northern France.

The engine started, and the aircraft taxied on the runway, accelerated, and took off.

At an altitude of 3000 meters over Paris, several French fighter jets were returning from the front lines, and the two sides passed each other.

Currently, only Fang Wen's civilian aircraft has received permission from the military to take off and fly in this sky.

The plane departed from Paris and headed north.

During the flight, Fang Wen observed the situation below.

On the road to Paris, horse-drawn carriages, bicycles, cars, and refugees on foot mingled together for dozens of kilometers.

The further you go, the more chaotic it becomes below, with abandoned luggage and clothing, as well as dead livestock, scattered everywhere along the roadside.

The railway to Paris has been shut down.

Flying further ahead, we would reach the 'iron ring' interception line controlled by Guderian's tank army group.

Fang Wen used his special abilities in conjunction with a radar detection device to search for aircraft in the nearby airspace.

Through long-range judgment, he successfully bypassed the air combat zone and entered the encirclement trap created by the German army for the British and French forces.

What are the British and French troops doing now?

Fang Wen used his supernatural ability to search downwards.

(End of this chapter)