Republic of China: Ace Pilot

No one in the management of Myanmar Oil Company dared to make a decision on the betting agreement proposed by Fang Wen.

Sir Vera immediately had a telegram drafted, sending Fang Wen's installment plan, interest terms, and the capital gamble that concerned the fate of the nation to London, England, word for word.

The London wartime cabinet and the House of Lords mentioned this matter incidentally after the war.

Selling the Burma Oil Company to Taishan Aviation was a self-preservation measure by Britain in response to its pessimistic outlook on the war situation in the Far East: with its homeland under blockade and the Far East in grave danger, it was better to cash out as soon as possible and reduce losses than to wait for the oil fields to fall into the hands of the Japanese army.

Fang Wen's betting plan was even more secure than their expected complete sale: if Britain won the war, they could get back the full £1200 million; if the worst-case scenario came, they could still get back £200 million in compensation and all the shares. No matter how you looked at it, they could only make a profit.

More importantly, Fang Wen was betting that Britain would win.

At a time when morale is low and setbacks are frequent, this confidence from the East has a positive impact on morale.

After careful consideration, the Senate passed a resolution by a large majority, approving all of Fang Wen's conditions.

The news quickly made it to all major British newspapers, with prominent headlines on the front page:
Merchants from the East firmly believed that Britain would win the war.

The article not only detailed this rare transnational bet, but also specifically mentioned that before the outbreak of the European war, Fang Wen accurately predicted that the German army would bypass the Maginot Line and launch a flanking attack from the Ardennes region, a prediction that came true.

Combined with his outstanding command and flying talent over the Chinese battlefield, public opinion naturally shaped him into a Far East strategist with vision ahead of his time and amazing judgment.

The newspaper stated bluntly: Such a person betting on a British victory deserves the unwavering confidence of the entire nation.

at the same time.

Yangon also received a reply from London, and the two sides immediately entered an intense asset inventory phase in the equity transaction negotiations.

Staff from Taishan Airlines' finance department were stationed at the Ren'anqiang Oilfield, the Sirian Refinery, the riverside oil depot and wharf, and the oil pipelines to check and register each item.

Only after all assets have been inventoried can the installment payment agreement and capital performance agreement be formally signed.

These matters were tedious and time-consuming, and Fang Wen did not have time to stay in Yangon to wait.

He entrusted all matters to Manager Liu and Fang Shouxin, while he himself flew directly to Hanoi.

The plane landed at Hanoi Airport.

Colonial pilots are learning to fly the P40 from American flight instructors and pilots from the Taishan National Salvation Air Force.

Fang Wen glanced at their studies, and soon after, people from the Governor's Office arrived at the airport to pick him up and take him to the Governor's Office in Hanoi.

The car drove into the Governor's Mansion, and Fang Wen, led by his secretary, went straight to the Governor's office on the third floor.

The governor and senior colonial officers were in the office.

“Fang, we are ready,” the governor said with a smile.

"Really? Could you elaborate?" Fang Wen asked with a smile.

"Thirty new American fighter planes have been deployed, thirty light tanks are all in place, and thirty thousand new infantrymen have been recruited and equipped with American gear. Now we have a total force of sixty thousand, with aircraft, tanks, and artillery all in place, and we are fully capable of fighting the Japanese army!"

The governor spoke with confidence, as if victory was already in sight.

Fang Wen frowned, his tone serious and direct:
"Governor, forgive my bluntness, but this is far from enough. You only see the number of men, equipment, tanks, and aircraft, but you don't see the real problems of this army. Haven't the lessons of the French campaign been profound enough? The army may seem large, but once the Japanese mechanized forces tear a small hole in the defense line, a large army lacking tactical flexibility, tenacity, and strategic depth will collapse instantly and fall apart. An army built solely on numbers can fight well when things are going smoothly, but once it faces adversity, it is utterly powerless to resist."

These words left the governor extremely embarrassed, yet he had no way to refute them.

After all, the defeat on French soil was the greatest humiliation for them.

However, the governor and some senior officers did not seem to have learned a lesson from it.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire, the Free French officer representative, agreed with Fang Wen's words, his tone extremely sincere:

"Mr. Fang, your words hit the nail on the head! Many of us are aware of the danger, but we don't know how to change things. We humbly request your guidance—what should we do to avoid repeating the mistakes of France?"

Fang Wen's gaze swept over the French military high-ranking officers present, and he felt it necessary to use more direct language to pull these senior officers back to reality from their worship of firepower.

He knew all too well that the hastily expanded force before him, though seemingly strong and well-equipped, was in fact just like the French army that had been defeated a year earlier. It was heavy on equipment and organization, but light on tactics and coordination, and lacked a core plan to deal with the Japanese army's mechanized elite forces, which were adept at flanking maneuvers and night raids.

Once the Japanese army breaks through the border, the defensive line built with only 60,000 troops will not be able to stop the enemy's sharp attack.

“Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire, you are more clear-headed than many others.” Fang Wen walked to the military map of French Indochina hanging in the Governor’s Palace, his fingertip landing heavily on the defensive triangle area of ​​Hanoi. “The defeat on the French mainland was not due to insufficient troops or outdated equipment, but to rigid defensive thinking, bloated command structure, lack of troop mobility and adaptability, and complete disconnect between different branches of the armed forces. The Maginot Line was impregnable, but the Germans bypassed it and cut off supplies from the rear, causing the French army to collapse immediately. Now we are piling 30,000 new recruits, 30 fighter jets, and 30 tanks on the triangular defensive line between Haiphong and Hanoi, which is no different from our desperate defense of the Maginot Line back then.”

The governor's face grew increasingly grim, but he had no choice but to nod and admit, "Mr. Fang, I understand what you're saying, but we don't have any more troops or equipment. Free France has very few overseas outposts, and being able to muster 60,000 troops and equip them with American equipment is already our limit."

"It's not a matter of troop strength, nor is new equipment an advantage. The key to victory is to use the right troops in the right places and to unite the scattered units into a cohesive force." Fang Wen's finger moved quickly across the map, from Lao Cai and Cao Bang in the north, Hue and Da Nang in the central region, all the way to Saigon and Phnom Penh in the south. "If the Japanese army attacks Indochina, they will never divide their forces for a horizontal push. They will only concentrate their mechanized forces and advance directly from the northern border of Vietnam into Hanoi, cutting off our command center. Their core tactics are rapid breakthroughs, flanking maneuvers, and cutting off defensive positions. Our response is no longer to build fixed defensive lines. We must create a three-dimensional combat system with tiered defenses, mobile reinforcements, multi-point containment, and air-ground coordination."

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire leaned closer to the map, his eyes focused: "Mr. Fang, if you were in command, how would you deploy the troops?" "First, completely dismantle the existing organization and abolish the bloated command structure," Fang Wen said resolutely. "The 30,000 new recruits should not be mixed with the old units. They should all be formed into light mobile infantry brigades, eliminating redundant command positions above the regimental level, with battalions and companies as the basic combat units. Each company should be equipped with a radio and walkie-talkie to ensure vertical communication for the frontline troops and to allow them to report their situation at any time. In the French campaign, the frontline troops lost contact with command for several hours; command paralysis was the root cause of the defeat. This mistake must never be repeated."

The French officers present were deeply moved. In the past, the French army emphasized a strict hierarchy, and platoon-level units had no right to directly contact higher command. Fang Wen's proposal completely overturned their established command system, but precisely hit the French army's fatal weakness.

"Second, the tanks must not be dispersed; they must all be concentrated into an armored assault battalion." Fang Wen's fingertip landed on the mountain pass in northern Vietnam. "Thirty light tanks should not be evenly distributed across the various defensive lines; all should be stationed at mobile strongholds fifty kilometers outside Hanoi. If the Japanese break through the first line of defense, the armored battalion will immediately flank the Japanese forces and coordinate with the main force to counterattack; if the main Japanese force moves south, the armored battalion will directly attack their supply lines. Although the Japanese mechanized forces are strong, their logistics depend on roads. Cut off their supplies, and even the most elite troops will become isolated."

Lieutenant Colonel Lemerre's eyes lit up: "This is exactly the reverse of the German Blitzkrieg! They use armored forces to attack, and we use armored forces to hold the flanks and cut off supplies!"

“That’s right, use maneuverability to counter maneuverability, use flanking maneuverability to counter flanking maneuverability.” Fang Wen nodded and continued.

"Third, thirty American fighter planes will abandon defense and launch an offensive. The Japanese have more fighter planes than us, and we will not gain an advantage in a direct air battle. So we will not use these fighter planes for defense, but instead launch surprise attacks on small Japanese fighter formations. As long as we can shoot down a certain number of Japanese fighter planes, we can accumulate small numbers into an advantage."

Fang Wen paused, then turned his gaze to the governor, whose expression was complex: "Governor, you previously said that 60,000 troops, fully equipped, could fight the Japanese army. This is a huge misconception. A Japanese division has only 20,000 troops, yet they can defeat an opponent several times their size. This is not due to numbers, but to superior equipment, flexible tactics, excellent teamwork, and well-trained soldiers. Our 30,000 new recruits have just put down their farm tools and picked up guns. They are not even familiar with basic tactical maneuvers. Sending them to hold the line is tantamount to sending them to their deaths."

"Then... how should we train these new recruits?" the governor asked hastily, his tone losing its previous confidence and becoming more anxious.

"Fourth, abandon traditional positional warfare training and focus on mountain guerrilla warfare, night raids, and short, rapid assaults." Fang Wen said calmly, "Northern Vietnam is mostly mountainous and jungle, which is not suitable for large-scale troop deployments, but is suitable for small units to infiltrate covertly. Although the local soldiers' combat effectiveness is limited, they are familiar with the terrain and are better suited to combat methods in this type of terrain."

He looked at Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire: "Lieutenant Colonel, I recommend that you take on the role of commander-in-chief of the mobile infantry brigade, with full authority over recruit training and frontline defense deployment. Your task is simple: let them figure out how to fight in the jungle themselves; they have their own advantages in that area."

"What advantages?" Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire asked, puzzled.

"They've disappeared into the jungle, making it much harder for the Japanese to find them. You need to make them understand this and fight by taking advantage of the jungle."

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire stood tall and saluted solemnly: "Mr. Fang, I will never betray your trust! From today onwards, I will immediately head to the training grounds in northern Vietnam and, according to your plan, completely reorganize the troops!"

Fang Wen nodded slightly and continued to deploy the fifth key point: "Fifth, mobilize the local people. French Indochina is not part of France. The civilians here have suffered from colonial oppression for many years and have no goodwill towards the French army. If we just use them as cannon fodder, once the war starts, the civilians will not only not support us, but will also lead the Japanese army. We must immediately issue a decree to reduce the local civilians' taxes for three years, promise to grant Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos a certain degree of autonomy after the war, and allocate food to relieve refugees who have fled the war zone."

This point completely hit the sore spot of French colonial rule.

In the past, the French army in Indochina only knew how to plunder resources and oppress civilians, and never thought about winning the hearts and minds of the people.

Fang Wen's proposal made the colonial officials present look troubled, but faced with the crisis of the Japanese army pressing in, they also knew that this was the only way to stabilize the rear.

The governor remained silent for a long time before finally gritting his teeth and nodding: "Good! I will immediately sign a decree to reduce taxes, provide relief to civilians, and promise that the three regions will gain certain autonomy after the war. Only when the rear is stabilized can the front lines be free from worries."

"Finally, we need to coordinate with the battlefields in China and Burma." Fang Wen pointed to the border between Yunnan, China, and North Vietnam. "I have reached an understanding with the relevant forces of the Nationalist government. If the Japanese launch a major offensive in Indochina, the Yunnan Army will flank the Japanese from Yunnan. The Burmese oil company I control will prioritize supplying fuel to the Indochina forces to ensure the uninterrupted operation of fighter jets, tanks, and vehicles. Taishan Aviation will send ten gunship aircraft to Hanoi Airport to provide air support and reconnaissance. I myself will remain in Indochina to assist in the overall command and control of the operation."

After he finished speaking, the conference room in the Governor's Mansion fell silent.

Fang Wen's deployment, from command system, troop allocation, inter-service coordination, and new recruit training to winning over the people and international cooperation, was interconnected and completely abandoned the rigid thinking of the French army. It constructed a brand-new combat plan that was fully adapted to the Indochina terrain and targeted the Japanese army's tactics.

The French officers present gradually went from initial skepticism and embarrassment to admiration and conviction.

They finally realized that the pilot from the East was not only proficient in business, flying, and reconnaissance, but also possessed a strategic vision that surpassed that of all European military strategists.

“Mr. Fang, I admire you very much.” The governor stood up and said with admiration, “Everything you said sounds very professional and insightful. I think we should trust what you say. I have decided to reinstate you as the Commander-in-Chief of the Wartime Air Force. In addition, I would like to ask you to provide some useful advice on the Army’s operational command.”

"Thank you, Governor. We are all fighting against the Axis powers and protecting this land," Fang Wen replied calmly.

After adopting Fang Wen's suggestion, Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire became the commander of the colony's 3-strong new army and began new training.

The training had only one purpose: to make them dare to pick up a gun and fire at the Japanese army from the forest.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen was also considering how to improve the command system for this war.

The future is different.

The future command system will be built on efficient and complex information aggregation, statistical analysis.

A command center has a large number of computer devices and links to the grassroots level, satellites, and command posts at all levels, enabling it to quickly issue command orders based on changes on the battlefield.

Currently, the military's long-distance communications rely solely on radios, supplemented by short-range walkie-talkies.

Therefore, the biggest problem with the military command system is the lack of overall control.

More often, it relies on the commander to make his own judgment based on battlefield information from various sources, and then to give orders.

This results in each battle reflecting the commander's own characteristics and habits, which can lead to mistakes and significant consequences.

Fang Wen didn't want this to happen. He had mechanical perception abilities and was the best battlefield commander.

Therefore, he wanted to seize command of the entire battlefield, not just air command. (End of Chapter)