Republic of China: Ace Pilot

The news that Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire had been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Indochina Army quickly spread to all the military garrisons in French Indochina.

The troops that originally belonged to the old-school officers, after learning that the governor had officially authorized the Free French faction to take control of the military, although a few junior officers and soldiers had doubts, they quickly calmed down under the reassurance of the Free French officers and expressed their willingness to follow Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire's command.

After consolidating his military power, Fang Wen immediately set about building a temporary battlefield command system.

The command system he wanted was not complicated; its core logic was singular: with himself as the command center, relying on his mechanical perception ability to gain a global perspective, he would coordinate various branches of the armed forces and units to achieve efficient collaboration and rapid response, completely abandoning the rigid hierarchical command model of the old-fashioned officers, and maximizing the mobility advantage of the troops.

The key to making all of this possible is the new type of real-time radio communication device produced by Taishan Military Industry. Without efficient communication, no matter how precise the command or how flexible the tactics, they cannot be transmitted to the front-line combat troops, let alone achieve overall coordination.

That afternoon, Fang Wen notified the Taishan Military Semiconductor Factory to transport a batch of new wireless communication equipment to Hanoi overnight.

The transport plane landed on the runway of the military airport.

Fang Wen led soldiers from the Independent Regiment's Special Forces Team to pick them up at the airport.

The hatch opened, and Bai Zeshan, the head of the semiconductor factory, came down with several of the factory's technicians.

Bai Zeshan said, "General Manager, this is one hundred sets of the new 'Taishan Wind' wireless communication equipment."

"Let's unload the equipment first." Fang Wen organized the soldiers of the Independent Regiment's Special Forces Team to unload the equipment and transport it to a dedicated hangar at the airport.

He then explained the mission to the special forces soldiers in the airport hangar.

"These devices are important military secrets of Taishan Military Industry and cannot fall into the hands of outsiders. Therefore, you will learn to use these new communication devices and serve as communication liaisons for various French military units, protecting these devices and ensuring smooth communication."

During training, the soldiers studied the Independent Regiment's previous battles, including the Yangjiang blocking battle, in which soldiers from the Independent Regiment were sent to friendly forces to serve as radio communication liaisons.

Therefore, they had some understanding of this action and did not have many questions.

Seeing this, Fang Wen asked Bai Zeshan to explain the function of the new equipment.

Bai Zeshan opened a canvas equipment bag and took out the new equipment inside.

"Please send a soldier up here. I need someone to help with the demonstration."

Fang Wen raised his hand and selected the first special forces soldier: "You go."

The soldier stepped forward, and Bai Zeshan and the semiconductor factory technicians helped him put on the equipment.

This equipment has a green casing, is rectangular in shape, and includes a vertical antenna, a microphone, and some control knobs and buttons.

Bai Zeshan explained, "This is the 'Taishan Wind' communicator manufactured according to the technical ideas provided by the general manager. It has a communication range of up to fifty kilometers and can realize long-range tactical and strategic communication."

The soldiers were utterly astonished.

They naturally knew about the walkie-talkies in Taishan. Didn't the old walkie-talkies only achieve a communication distance of up to five kilometers?
How come the technology has suddenly increased tenfold, reaching fifty kilometers?

In response to the soldiers' questions, Bai Zeshan looked at Fang Wen and asked, "General Manager, could you explain some basic principles to them?"

Fang Wen nodded: "Go ahead and speak."

Bai Zeshan explained, "Originally, the communication range of our walkie-talkies was determined by the model, terrain, and antenna. Even at a high point in an open area, it was only within a 5-kilometer range. That was already the limit of the equipment. But the current 'Taishan Wind' uses a repeater mode. With the new mode, as long as the repeater is running, the signal can be greatly expanded within an acceptable range."

As for what a repeater is and how it works, Bai Zeshan didn't explain, but instead jumped to explaining how to operate the new individual walkie-talkie.

Fang Wen observed for a while, then left the hangar and headed towards the transport plane.

Gong Xiuneng followed behind and couldn't help but ask, "Commander, what is a repeater station?"

Fang Wen smiled and replied, "Relay means relaying or transmitting messages. For example, if you shout in a valley, your voice won't travel far because it's blocked by the mountains. What a repeater does is transmit your voice louder out of the mountains and to farther places. On equipment like walkie-talkies, a single soldier's walkie-talkie can only transmit for 5 kilometers. After receiving the signal, the repeater relays it, which can transmit the signal for tens of kilometers, thus breaking through the upper limit of communication distance."

"Where is our repeater station?" Gong Xiuneng asked, puzzled.

"Airplanes. By installing repeater equipment on airplanes, we can cover the entire war zone with signals."

As Fang Wen spoke, he walked towards the 'transport plane'.

Actually, this was not a transport plane, but an airborne command aircraft specially designed for war by the No. 2 Aircraft Manufacturing Plant.

It was specifically designed for Fang Wen.

The aircraft is equipped with a relay station and powerful radar equipment. Combined with Fang Wen's special abilities, it will become an excellent tool for airborne command and control.

A tactical communications team composed of special operations soldiers from the Independent Regiment is undergoing equipment usage training.

Without any delay, Fang Wen immediately invited Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire and officers from the Free French faction to a special meeting on the establishment of the command system in a temporary command tent at the Hanoi military airport.

Inside the tent, a huge military map of French Indochina was spread out on the table, and modern wireless equipment was neatly arranged to one side, with indicator lights flashing faintly.

"Gentlemen, the core of the command system is 'efficiency, unity, and coordination'." Fang Wen stood in front of the map, his tone calm, pointing his finger at the various strongholds on the map. "I will equip all troops on the battlefield with real-time combat command equipment. As commanders of your respective units, you will receive my commands in real time. I hope you will trust my command capabilities. What you need to do is strictly execute my instructions and, at the same time, use the new type of radio to promptly report the situation at the front lines to me, achieving vertical and horizontal coordination."

He pointed to the new radio: "This is the key to our command system, the new radio from Taishan Military Industry. Every unit will be equipped with one of these devices, and the frequency will be uniformly tuned to ensure smooth communication. Its communication range reaches 50 kilometers. As long as communication is maintained, the Japanese army will no longer be able to replicate the European Blitzkrieg through the mobile warfare of mechanized units."

Lieutenant Colonel Lemerre and the other officers examined the device closely, their eyes filled with admiration: "This device is far more advanced than the radios we used before. It is small, portable, and can also be used for voice communication. The distance between commanders and frontline troops will be shortened infinitely as a result."

“That’s right.” Fang Wen nodded and continued the deployment, “Next, we will advance the construction of the command system in three steps. The first step is to complete the deployment of wireless equipment. We will assign a communications officer to each battalion and regimental-level combat unit to ensure that all combat units can achieve unimpeded communication.”

"The second step is to integrate the troop organization and clarify the division of command." Fang Wen placed his hands on the table. "Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, you will coordinate all army units, including the 30,000 new troops, armored tank units, and the infantry units left over from the old school. According to the plan I proposed earlier, completely dismantle the old organization and form several light mobile infantry regiments, armored assault battalions, and artillery battalions. Each unit will be equipped with its own radio, and the responsibilities of the commanders will be clearly defined to ensure that every unit can respond to orders quickly."

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire immediately nodded: "Please rest assured, Mr. Fang, I have already arranged the manpower and will complete the integration of the troops in the shortest possible time. We will strictly follow your requirements to form a mobile force, clarify the division of command, and ensure that every unit is ready to be dispatched at any time."

"The third step is to establish a joint mechanism and conduct coordinated training." Fang Wen said firmly, "On the air force side, I will directly command thirty French P-40 fighters, ten P-40 fighters from the Taishan Salvation Air Force, and ten gunship aircraft, divided into reconnaissance, support, and mobile teams. Each aircraft is equipped with a radio to achieve real-time coordination with ground troops—if ground troops discover Japanese targets, they can directly call for air force support; if the air force detects Japanese movements, it can also transmit the information to ground troops immediately, achieving air-ground coordination."

He paused, then added, "In addition, a thousand new Burmese troops will be incorporated into an armored assault battalion. This assault battalion will serve as a surprise force, ready to support various battlefields at any time. As for the Yunnan Army in China, I have already made arrangements so that once the Japanese launch a major offensive, the Yunnan Army will flank the Japanese from Yunnan to attack their rear. We will coordinate our operations via radio, forming a pincer movement."

After the meeting, all parties immediately sprang into action.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire personally went to the various unit locations to oversee the integration of the troops.

Following Fang Wen's instructions, he abolished the rigid organizational structure left by the old-school officers and reorganized the 30,000 new troops with the infantry units left by the old-school forces, forming six light mobile infantry regiments, focusing on training in jungle warfare and night raid tactics; he also concentrated all thirty light tanks to form an armored assault battalion; at the same time, he integrated the artillery units to form three artillery battalions, which, together with the armored and infantry units, formed a fire support system.

The remaining units that were not reorganized continued to defend their existing positions in order to lull the Japanese into a false sense of security. Subsequently, Taishan's communications personnel, carrying Taishan Wind communication equipment, went to various combat units.

This command system still needs to be refined; otherwise, French officers may not be able to adapt to it after the war begins.

Therefore, Fang Wen prepared a drill.

The exercise was held in the plains west of Hanoi.

The terrain here is flat and covered with dense forests, which is very similar to the characteristics of areas where the Japanese army might operate.

Fang Wen specifically ordered that the newly reorganized armored assault battalion play the role of the Japanese army's elite mechanized forces.

Thirty light tanks were deployed, mimicking the Japanese Type 95 and Type 97 tank formations, and launched a blitzkrieg attack on the French defenses.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire personally oversaw the defense, directing six lightly armed mobile infantry brigades and artillery battalions.

Everything was conducted according to the old-fashioned French military command model. There were no airborne command aircraft, no radio relays, only traditional messengers and old-fashioned radios.

And positional defense.

As soon as the exercise began, the armored assault battalion advanced at full speed.

Tank engines roared, tracks rolled over bushes, tearing gaps in the jungle.

The armored units, playing the role of the Japanese army, did not engage the French positions head-on, but instead focused on rapidly penetrating deep into the French territory, attempting to directly sever the connections between the various French units.

The French soldiers reacted relatively quickly, opening fire with machine guns and mortars.

But before long, chaos inevitably broke out.

The frontline company spotted a tank formation and sent someone back to the brigade headquarters to report. By the time the message reached the command post, the tanks had already changed direction. The left-wing unit requested reinforcements, but the right-wing unit did not receive the order. The artillery wanted to open fire to cover the enemy, but did not know where their own troops were and were afraid of accidentally hitting friendly forces.

The entire French army seemed to have lost its nerves; the chain of command broke down at every level, and the troops fought independently.

In less than half an hour, the defensive line was completely torn apart by the armored assault battalion.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire was sweating profusely in his command post, ordering the telegraph operator to issue a hold-the-line order to the front-line troops. However, the French positions, which had been repeatedly breached and destroyed by the Japanese tank units, were already in chaos.

Fang Wen, who was observing everything from the air, calmly announced the suspension of the exercise.

"Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire, do you see this? This is a repeat of the defeat on the French mainland—delayed command, broken communications, and disjointed troops. The real Japanese mechanized forces are even more ferocious and faster than our exercise troops. If we continue fighting like this, Hanoi will fall within a day."

Le Maire turned pale and was speechless.

"Now, restart the exercise," Fang Wen ordered. "Everyone, activate the Taishan Wind radio."

After the order was given, he also activated the onboard repeater equipment.

A moment later.

The repeater station inside the cabin was operating at full capacity, providing signal coverage throughout the entire war zone.

Fang Wen activated his mechanical perception ability, and the entire battlefield of the exercise unfolded clearly in his mind.

"Attention all units, this is Fang Wen, I am now taking command."

The steady voice, relayed clearly through the airborne repeater, reached the communications soldiers next to the commanders of each unit.

"The 1st Mobile Brigade, maneuver three kilometers to the left, seize Hill 3, and block the retreat route of the Japanese tanks!"

"Second Brigade, maintain frontal containment, do not charge head-on, and maintain fire suppression!"

"Third and Fourth Brigades, flank from both sides and form a pocket!"

"Artillery battalion, coordinates 3-7-9, provide coverage fire. Don't worry about friendly forces, I'm giving you an absolutely safe firing line!"

"Armored assault battalion, be warned, you are surrounded! Halt immediately!"

The orders came one after another, clear, decisive, and precise.

French officers hardly needed to think; they simply had to strictly follow Fang Wen's instructions.

A miracle happened.

The previously chaotic troops seemed to have suddenly been brought to a standstill.

The soldiers were no longer confused, and the officers were no longer panicked.

The left flank moved, the right flank joined, the front pressed, and the artillery bombarded. Infantry coordinated with their own tanks, and positions and infiltrations were combined. The entire army moved as if guided by an extension of its own limb, moving with fluid grace.

In just forty minutes.

The armored assault battalion, playing the role of the Japanese army, was surrounded by multiple forces and, after losing more than ten tanks, chose to break out and retreat.

The exercise has ended.

Fang Wen piloted the plane and landed at the military airfield.

Subsequently, Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire led a group of officers who had participated in the exercise back overnight.

They went directly to see Fang Wen and had no further doubts about the new command and control system.

One day after the exercise ended.

The real war is already quietly approaching.

A large number of transport ships entered Haiphong port under the escort of the Japanese fleet.

Large numbers of soldiers, motorized equipment, tanks, and other supplies were unloaded from the transport ships. (End of Chapter)