Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Fang Wen hurriedly went to the telegraph department.

Inside the telegraph room, the intelligence personnel were still performing their duties and appeared extremely busy.

Zhao Junping had just returned to his post and was checking a telegram when he saw Fang Wen enter. He immediately stood up to greet him respectfully, "General Manager, what brings you here?"

"Send a telegram to the Junshanhu base immediately, urgently and with encryption." Fang Wen dictated the contents of the telegram at an extremely fast pace. "Ask Shao Sishen whether the New Fourth Army headquarters has any plans to relocate recently, especially in the direction of Maolin in Jing County. Also, confirm whether he has received any orders from the headquarters to participate in any missions involving troop relocation. Be sure to reply truthfully."

"General Manager, this isn't a good idea. After all, we only have a cooperative relationship with the New Fourth Army. These issues involve their military intelligence," Zhao Junping said with difficulty.

"Don't worry about all that. Just send the telegram and see how they respond," Fang Wen insisted, unchanged.

Seeing Fang Wen's attitude, Zhao Junping knew the matter was urgent and dared not delay. He immediately picked up a pen, quickly wrote down the telegram, and then turned to hand it to the intelligence officer in charge of sending the telegram. He ordered in a deep voice: "Level A encryption, send urgently, monitor the reply signal throughout the process, and report immediately once a reply is received."

Fang Wen stood beside the telegraph machine, his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed.

His sense of urgency grew stronger and stronger. Fragments of that forgotten history kept surfacing in his mind: the New Fourth Army headquarters being surrounded and suffering heavy casualties. It was a major loss for the Chinese anti-Japanese forces and a heartbreaking internal strife.

He absolutely could not allow this to happen again. Shao Sicheng, in the New Fourth Army Air Force, might be able to detect the signs in advance. Even if there was only a sliver of a chance, he had to prevent this tragedy.

Time ticked by, and Fang Wen paced back and forth in the telegraph room, his expression growing increasingly grave.

Gong Xiuneng also came over and stood aside, not daring to disturb him easily, but just silently keeping him company.

About an hour later, the intelligence officer in charge of the wiretapping suddenly stood up and shouted urgently, "Section Chief, we've received a reply from the Junshanhu base. It's from Shao Sishen!"

Zhao Junping immediately took the telegram, quickly deciphered it, and handed it to Fang Wen with both hands: "General Manager, this is the reply."

Fang Wen quickly took it and began browsing through it.

Shao Sicheng's reply was concise and clear, with a hint of doubt in his words, but it also clearly answered Fang Wen's question: "General Fang, the New Fourth Army headquarters has not issued any clear relocation orders in the near future. Last October, after I went with the air force to support the operations in northern Jiangsu, I returned to Junshan Lake for rest and recuperation. Since the beginning of this year, I have not received any combat notices. At the beginning of the month, I led a team to northern Jiangsu to transport urgently needed medicines, medical equipment and other supplies to the base area. I did not come into contact with the core deployment of the headquarters, nor did I hear of any action plans in the Maolin direction."

After reading the reply, Fang Wen's tense nerves did not relax at all. The fact that Shao Sichen had not received a notification meant that things might not have reached the final stage yet, and there was still room for reversal.

But he knew that the course of history was not easily changed, and the Kuomintang army's siege plan was most likely already being secretly deployed.

"It seems I overlooked some things that happened in the second half of last year." Fang Wen muttered to himself, then ordered: "Zhao Junping, immediately retrieve all the intelligence data about the New Fourth Army from the second half of last year, especially the content involving the dispute between the New Fourth Army and the Third War Zone of the National Army, and the movements of the New Fourth Army headquarters. Not a single detail can be missed."

"Yes, General Manager!" Zhao Junping didn't dare to delay and immediately turned around and went to the intelligence archive room next door to quickly flip through it.

The intelligence archives room was also under Zhao Junping's charge. The archives were meticulously categorized and filed by time, region, and military type. Before long, a thick stack of intelligence materials was brought out and neatly placed on the desk in the outer room of the archives room. All of them were intelligence related to the New Fourth Army from the second half of last year.

Fang Wen pulled up a chair, sat down, picked up the intelligence documents, and began to carefully read through them from beginning to end.

In the latter half of last year, he was busy in Europe for a period of time, with nighttime airlifts to Normandy, secret routes to Paris, and the affairs of French Indochina after his return. He didn't have the energy to attend to anything else.

Regarding the domestic situation, most of the information was gathered through general intelligence reports, without in-depth and detailed analysis.

In particular, he didn't pay much attention to the conflict between the New Fourth Army and the National Army, as intelligence at the time indicated that the New Fourth Army had the upper hand. Now, he thinks that may have been the calm before the storm.

The first intelligence report, sent last July, documented the first direct clash between the New Fourth Army and the Third War Zone of the National Revolutionary Army.

The New Fourth Army's troops in southern Anhui were carrying out anti-Japanese activities in the Xuancheng area of ​​Anhui when they were unjustly obstructed by the Third War Zone troops of the National Army. A small-scale conflict broke out between the two sides, and the New Fourth Army took the initiative to back down, thus avoiding an escalation of the situation.

Intelligence analysis indicated that Commander Gu of the Third War Zone of the National Revolutionary Army was very wary of the New Fourth Army's development in southern Anhui. He repeatedly wrote to Chongqing, requesting restrictions on the New Fourth Army's activities and even proposed to "suppress" the New Fourth Army in southern Anhui.

Fang Wen frowned slightly and continued scrolling down.

Last August, intelligence indicated that Chongqing secretly ordered Commander Gu of the Third War Zone to closely monitor the movements of the New Fourth Army headquarters and the southern Anhui troops, and to secretly mobilize troops to strengthen the blockade of the southern Anhui region.

At this time, the New Fourth Army was focusing its efforts on carrying out anti-Japanese guerrilla warfare, fighting the Japanese army in southern Anhui and northern Jiangsu, and expanding its base areas. It was unaware of the National Army's covert deployment and was even communicating with the National Army's Third War Zone about joint resistance against Japan.

Seeing this, Fang Wen's unease grew even stronger.

He continued flipping through the documents, and a piece of intelligence from last September made his heart sink.

The Third War Zone of the National Army began to secretly mobilize troops, successively transferring the 32nd Army Group, the 23rd Army Group, and other units to the Jingxian and Maolin areas in southern Anhui, forming an encirclement of the New Fourth Army headquarters. However, at that time, the troops had not yet been fully assembled, and the operation was covert, so it failed to arouse the vigilance of the New Fourth Army.

Last October, while Shao Sicheng was supporting the New Fourth Army's air force operations in northern Jiangsu, the National Army's Third War Zone significantly accelerated its troop buildup. Gu convened several military meetings to deploy a "mopping-up" plan against the New Fourth Army.

During that period, Han, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Kuomintang's Lu-Su War Zone, regarded the New Fourth Army's northern Jiangsu troops as a major threat. Even after the New Fourth Army voluntarily ceded Jiangyan to unite against Japan, Han still mobilized 25 regiments and more than 3 troops to attack Huangqiao in three routes, attempting to annihilate the New Fourth Army's northern Jiangsu command in one fell swoop.

At that time, the New Fourth Army had only 7000 people, including 2000 non-combatants.

The battle lasted only three days.

On the 4th, the Kuomintang Army's Independent 6th Brigade attacked Huangqiao North, but was divided, surrounded, and annihilated by the New Fourth Army's 1st Column; the 89th Army attacked Huangqiao East Gate, briefly breaking into the city, but was repelled by the 3rd Column.

On the 5th, the New Fourth Army launched a counterattack and instead surrounded the headquarters of the 89th Army. The army commander fell into the river and drowned while trying to escape.

On the 6th, the New Fourth Army pursued and annihilated the remaining enemy forces, and Deputy Commander-in-Chief Han of the Lu-Su War Zone led his remaining troops in a hasty retreat.

The National Army suffered a crushing defeat, losing 1 men in the battle.

Subsequently, the National Government Military Commission issued a telegram ordering all New Fourth Army and Eighth Route Army troops south of the Yangtze River to withdraw to the north of the Yellow River.

After reading this, Fang Wen had a clearer understanding of the domestic situation.

With the War of Resistance against Japan already in such a state, the Kuomintang has reverted to its old ways, making it unlikely that the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party in resisting Japan can be sustained any longer.

Clearly, after suffering repeated setbacks in its operations against the New Fourth Army in the latter half of last year, the Kuomintang army did not give up, but was instead planning an even bigger operation.

Although I had a memory of knowing that this would happen.

However, mere words are insufficient; more evidence is needed to persuade the New Fourth Army headquarters to change what is happening or about to happen.

how should I do it?

Fang Wen plans to adopt a two-pronged approach.

On the one hand, a telegram was sent to Sun Debiao of the logistics company, asking him to gather intelligence.

On the other hand, they planned to fly directly to Junshan Lake to conduct aerial reconnaissance in southern Anhui.

The telegram to Sun Debiao has been sent, and they are investigating.

Fang Wen is also preparing for his trip.

To make the aerial reconnaissance more convincing, Fang Wen will use a new type of high-altitude reconnaissance and photography equipment during this aerial reconnaissance mission.

This was purchased during his military procurement trip to the United States. The manufacturer is called Fairchild, a company that specializes in professional photography equipment. The owner is now shifting his focus to aircraft manufacturing, and their K-17 high-altitude vertical reconnaissance and photography system has already been adopted by the US military.

The company's Chinese name is 'Fairchild', the cradle of the future semiconductor industry. The founders of Intel, AMD, and Sequoia Capital all came from this company, which was also the company that Fang Wen most wanted to invest in after the war ended.

Inside the assembly hangar of the No. 2 Aircraft Manufacturing Plant, Fang Wen and several mechanics were busy working around Fang Wen's gunboat.

Fang Wen personally installed the K17 high-altitude vertical reconnaissance and imaging device, which he had brought back from Fairchild Semiconductor in the United States, in a separate space on the belly of the aircraft.

It is not a simple camera device. In order to shoot at high altitudes, it is essential to have functions such as electric heating, airtight chamber, and vacuum pressing. It is also relatively large in size.

After the internal devices are installed, there is also an external camera, which is fixed on a special bracket on the belly of the camera body.

This camera system features a large-aperture lens and a long focal length, enabling it to clearly capture ground troop movements and fortification deployments from thousands of meters in the air. It is a newly deployed reconnaissance tool for the U.S. military.

Wiring, debugging, locking, and shutter testing—everything proceeded smoothly and efficiently.

Just as the device was calibrated, Zhao Junping rushed over with a telegram in his hand.

"General Manager, this is a reply from Sun Debiao."

Fang Wen took it and glanced at it, his eyes instantly turning cold.

Sun Debiao put it very bluntly in the telegram:

The attitude of Chongqing's top leadership towards the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army has completely changed. Within the Military Commission, voices advocating for strong suppression and "reorganization" by force have gained the upper hand. Meanwhile, Commander Gu of the Third War Zone has been sharpening his knives, waiting for a suitable opportunity to take action.

"They've arrived as expected."

Fang Wen folded up the telegram and put it away, saying nothing more.

All he needs to do now is go to the area where the Southern Anhui Incident occurred, take pictures of the situation, and bring them to the New Fourth Army headquarters. This will carry more weight than any warning.

Immediately afterwards, he took Gong Xiuneng and three crew members and piloted the gunboat equipped with the K17 high-altitude vertical reconnaissance and photography device out of the hangar and took off.

The plane flew northeast, covering an extremely long distance of 1900 kilometers as the crow flies.

In order to arrive as quickly as possible, Fang Wen did not plan to transfer or detour, and the plane flew directly to Junshan Lake along a straight route.

Two and a half hours later, the plane arrived in southern Yunnan, and Fang Wen checked the fuel level.

Only one-third of the fuel tank remained.

"Gong Xiuneng, replenish the fuel."

Gong Xiuneng immediately got up, opened the rear cabin door, and together with the crew, connected the large fuel drum to the spare fuel tank using a fuel hose.

After the spare fuel tank was filled, Fang Wen switched the fuel line, and the aircraft maintained stable flight.

This aerial refueling method was used three times and took more than seven hours before the plane finally arrived at the Junshanhu base.

The plane landed smoothly on the surface of Junshan Lake and slowly approached the simple dock.

Those who had been waiting there were Shao Sishen, the commander of the New Fourth Army's air regiment, and Sun Tianrui.

Sun Tianrui, the former fourth young master of Baoguangge in Guangzhou, has long since shed his playboy image. His skin is tanned dark, his back is straight, and he looks like a warrior.

"General Manager Fang!"

The three stepped forward.

Without exchanging pleasantries, Fang Wen spoke directly to the squadron leader, his tone grave:

"I have received intelligence that Chongqing has made up its mind to take action against the headquarters of the New Fourth Army in southern Anhui. Gu Zhutong's seven divisions, more than 80,000 men, are setting up an ambush. Once the headquarters moves as planned, it will be surrounded, and the consequences will be unimaginable."

The regimental commander's expression changed drastically.

"General Manager Fang, are you telling the truth?"

“Absolutely true.” Fang Wen nodded. “I came here for two reasons: first, to warn them in person, and second, to personally fly to southern Anhui for high-altitude reconnaissance and photograph their entire troop deployment.”

"I'll report to the military headquarters immediately!" The regimental commander didn't dare to delay and turned to run towards the command post.

Only Fang Wen, Shao Sichen, and Sun Tianrui remained on the dock.

Fang Wen first looked at Shao Sichen, sensing that he didn't seem to be in good condition, and frowned slightly: "How are you feeling? Have your old injuries flared up again?"

Shao Sichen paused for a moment, gently flexed his fingers, and gave a wry smile:
"My hands and feet get numb and painful on rainy days, and I'm not as strong as before. But... I can still fly."

Fang Wen's heart sank.

The healing effects of the secret treasure are slowly fading, and Shao Sichen's old injuries are making a comeback.

"Once things are settled here, I'll arrange to take you to the United States and have you treated with that thing again. It should keep you going for another year."

Shao Sichen sighed, "That's all we can do. Thank you."

"No need to thank me, our relationship doesn't need thanks."

After Fang Wen finished speaking, he turned to Sun Tianrui, his gaze softening slightly: "Is it tough here?"

Sun Tianrui straightened his back:
"It's tough, but it's worth it. Before, in Guangzhou and Hong Kong, I only knew about money, business, and face. After coming here, I realized what it means to be a country and its people. Our people should not suffer like this anymore. I want to stay and fight until all the Japanese devils are driven out, until the day the new China is founded."

Fang Wen looked at him.

People change. In the atmosphere of the New Fourth Army, this young master transformed into a revolutionary.

Shortly after, the flight commander rushed back and told Fang Wen:
"General Fang, the military has received your warning. They will carefully consider your reminder and re-examine the relocation route and timing."

This didn't sound like complete belief, after all, Fang Wen had only said one sentence.

Fang Wen didn't say anything more.

Talk is cheap and no amount of words can convince you as much as a stack of aerial reconnaissance photos.

"I understand. I'll fly to southern Anhui first thing tomorrow morning. But I have a request: I hope someone from the flight squadron can fly with me." (End of Chapter)