Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 799 Night Flight to Shuoxian, Gaining Military Support

Because Datong was a key military town for the Japanese army in the Jin-Sui region, Fang Wen was very cautious when planning this operation.

He has many things to consider, and two important issues must be resolved.

First: This operation is far from our own base in Taishan, so the available troops and aircraft are limited. Even if we quickly seize control of the factory through airborne operations, we still need to withstand the Japanese counterattack for a period of time.

Second: How to get the graphite stored in the Japanese factory out? That's not just a little bit, but ten tons of supplies. It can't be transported by air. There must be a proper way to transport the captured supplies to the area controlled by the Eighth Route Army.

Daydreaming in Chengdu won't do; Fang Wen plans to personally visit Shuoxian County to learn more about the local situation from the local anti-Japanese armed forces.

Fang Wen contacted the anti-Japanese troops in Shuoxian County through his liaison Qiu Shanhe and confirmed that the rendezvous would take place the following night in the Sanggan River section northeast of Shuoxian County.

The itinerary is set, and we'll depart tomorrow.

Fang Wen packed his belongings and then went to the room of Gong Xiuneng and his apprentice.

Master Jingxu had already woken up and was lying in bed talking to his disciple.

When the door was pushed open, both master and disciple noticed that it was Fang Wen. When they saw that it was Fang Wen, Master Jingxu sat up.

Fang Wen quickly went over to stop him: "Daoist, you should just lie down. I came over to see how you are."

"It's alright. The doctor said I'm just malnourished. I'll be fine if I eat more," Master Jingxu said with a smile.

Fang Wen nodded: "I'll take the things. Just tell me what you want, Daoist."

What he was talking about was the secret treasure that Gong Xiuneng and Jingxu had obtained.

Jingxu smiled and said, "That's good. I was worried it wouldn't suit your taste. Since you asked me to name my price, I'll tell you!"

Gong Xiuneng was surprised by his master's reaction and didn't want to interrupt him, so he was extremely anxious.

Fang Wen didn't seem to mind and nodded seriously: "Go ahead and speak."

Master Jingxu looked at his disciple and sighed, "I've lived a solitary life, devoted to the Dao, yet I've achieved nothing. It was only that day, flying in your plane through the skies, that I had a sudden enlightenment about some of the principles of the universe. In this life, I have no desires or wants. But I just can't let go of my disciple. If one day I can't return to the Daoist temple, could you please take good care of him for me?"

This is entrusting an orphan to someone!

Fang Wen was surprised, but replied without hesitation, "I promise you."

Gong Xiuneng became anxious: "Master, why are you saying that?"

Master Jingxu sighed, “In my life, I’ve been trying to understand the Dao, but I haven’t figured out anything else. However, I do know my own time limit. I’ve raised you from a baby, caring for you every step of the way. I know you’re a sincere person. I originally thought you would suffer a lot after you left the mountain, but I didn’t expect you to follow such a good person. Following the right person is more important than anything else for you. Don’t waste your time on this in the future.”

Hearing this, Fang Wen even suspected that Master Jingxu had seen through his identity as a person from the future, which was why he had Gong Xiu stick with him.

In response, Fang Wen patted Gong Xiuneng's shoulder forcefully, "Take good care of your master, and I'll grant you another long leave. Don't rush back."

Gong Xiuneng was deeply moved and nodded vigorously, saying, "Okay."

Unexpectedly, Master Jingxu stopped him, saying, "No need. Once I get out of bed, I'll be traveling the world. I can hardly take care of this disciple anymore, so let him continue to follow you."

Seeing this, Fang Wen didn't want to get entangled with the old man, so he gave Gong Xiuneng a wink and then took his leave.

After a while, Gong Xiuneng came out of the room.

Fang Wen said, "Don't listen to your master. Take good care of him. He raised you and is closer to you than your own parents. How can you abandon him when he's old?"

Gong Xiuneng was in low spirits: "Master just said that our lineage of Daoists are all free spirits. After passing on the torch to the next generation, we seek our own death and do not seek to be worshipped. We are buried between heaven and earth. I have known this rule since I was a child, but I just can't let it go."

Such rules were too unrestrained, yet devoid of familial affection. Fang Wen couldn't quite understand it and didn't know what to say. He could only pat Gong Xiuneng on the shoulder and then leave.

One night passed.

In the morning, Fang Wen summoned Zhou Pomen and Sun Debiao to hold an emergency meeting in Sun Debiao's office to make arrangements.

Fang Wen stood in front of the map, pointing his finger at the locations of Datong and Shuoxian, and said in a deep voice, "This time when we go to Shuoxian, I plan to fly a plane. Too many people will only attract the attention of the Japanese army and expose our whereabouts."

Zhou Pomen immediately tried to dissuade him: "General Manager, you can't! Datong is adjacent to Shuoxian and is within the Japanese army's sphere of influence. Although there are anti-Japanese forces in the area, they are all hidden in the shadows. There are Japanese sentries and patrols everywhere in the open. It would be too dangerous for you to go there."

Fang Wen replied calmly, "Night flying is my forte, you have to believe me on that. Besides, I've done this kind of flight behind enemy lines more than once."

Seeing Fang Wen's attitude, Zhou Pomen knew he couldn't stop him, so he replied, "Then I'll take a few elite team members with me."

"That's a good idea," Fang Wen nodded in agreement.

Sun Debiao also spoke up: "I'll go too."

Fang Wen shook his head: "You don't need to do it for now. It's your job to do it after I've figured out how to transport the captured supplies."

The meeting then concluded, and Fang Wen went to the dock to inspect the aircraft, taking advantage of the daytime to fix some minor issues.

Zhou Pomen also went to select team members to prepare.

Time passed, and it was afternoon.

Zhou Pomen arrived with five special forces members. Fang Wen ate with them at the dock and waited for nightfall before setting off.

As dusk approached, another person arrived at the dock.

It was Gong Xiuneng.

He walked straight up to Fang Wen and said, "General Manager, I'm back."

Fang Wen couldn't help but look towards the airport dormitory in the distance: "Where is your master?"

"He left secretly, leaving me a letter saying not to look for him, that he would disappear into the world."

This was just a metaphor. Fang Wen had heard Gong Xiuneng mention their sect's rules that morning, and it was clear that Master Jingxu didn't want his disciple to see him die.

Fang Wen was inwardly struck by this peculiar inheritance of death, but said nothing.

He then said to Zhou Pomen, "Give Gong Xiuneng a set of equipment, and he can go with us."

7 p.m.

The plane's engines started, it glided slowly across the water, accelerated, took off, and gradually disappeared into the night.

The direct flight from Chengdu to Shuoxian is over 1200 kilometers long. The plane does not have enough fuel to support the round trip, so it must make a stopover midway.

After about an hour and a half of flight, the plane arrived at the Yanchuan Yellow River Water Airport.

Staff who had been waiting at the airport dock saw the plane land and immediately pushed a cart containing aviation gasoline cans over to quickly refuel the aircraft.

After a brief 20-minute stop, the plane took off again and continued flying towards Shuoxian County.

After another two hours of flight, at midnight, Fang Wen finally piloted the plane to the airspace above the Shuoxian section of the Sanggan River.

He activated his mechanical perception ability to observe the river below.

The river below is narrow and the current is rapid, making it impossible to meet the take-off and landing requirements of seaplanes.

A question arose in Fang Wen's mind: Where exactly would the anti-Japanese armed forces in Shuoxian choose to meet them?

He piloted the plane, flying along the Sanggan River, his supernatural abilities constantly scanning the area below.

A few minutes later, the river in front suddenly widened, revealing a wide open waterway.

(Map of the lake, then Shuoxian County, now Shuozhou) The water there flows gently and is surrounded by reeds.

In the center of the marshland, there were two small boats with people on board holding torches that swayed in the night, clearly guiding the planes in the sky.

"Found it." Fang Wen felt relieved and immediately adjusted the aircraft's attitude, slowly lowering the altitude and landing towards the marshland.

The aircraft's floats touched the water, creating a large splash, and the waves spread out along the surface, causing the two small boats to bounce violently.

The anti-Japanese armed personnel on the ship were not flustered at all; on the contrary, they were excited and waved at the plane.

The plane landed steadily on the water. Fang Wen signaled Zhou Pomen to lead the special forces team to get ready. Everyone held their weapons and looked toward the small boat with a fire in the distance.

Two small boats paddled quickly toward the plane. The man in the lead was tall and dressed in a coarse military uniform, holding a rifle in his hand.

As he approached the plane, he shouted, "Are you comrades from Yan'an? We are the Shuoxian Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Force!"

As he spoke, one of the men beside him waved his torch, spinning it around and around three times.

Qiu Shanhe kept Fang Wen's identity a secret, saying they were from Yan'an, which is why the people who were supposed to meet them said that.

Waving the torch three times was also a secret signal.

Fang Wen said, "It's them. Open the hatch."

The cabin door opened, and Fang Wen responded loudly, "We've come from Yan'an. Thank you for waiting."

As he spoke, he gestured for Gong Xiu to give a secret signal.

Gong Xiuneng pointed the flashlight at the small boat, turned it on, turned it off, and flashed it three times.

Once the code was matched, both sides immediately dropped their guard.

The small boat came closer.

The man said, "Hello, we are the Yanbei Cavalry Detachment! We are here to meet you on orders from the 5th Military Sub-district of the Jin-Sui Military Region."

Fang Wen nodded, signaling Zhou Pomen to leave two team members to guard the plane, while the rest of them followed him off the plane.

The group boarded a small boat brought by the guerrillas and rowed towards the shore.

In the darkness, the reeds swayed in the wind, concealing their figures and making them very well hidden.

A few minutes later, the small boat docked, and everyone disembarked. The group walked through the dense reeds and arrived at a simple wooden hut.

The cabin was covered with hay, and contained a simple wooden table and a few worn-out chairs.

There were still some people waiting for Fang Wen and the others.

After introducing themselves, Fang Wen learned that the other party was the captain and political commissar of the Yanbei Cavalry Detachment and the 3rd Guerrilla Brigade of Shuoxian County.

Fang Wen introduced himself: "I am the captain of a special operations team sent from Yan'an. Our mission is to launch an attack on an important target in the Datong area and seize its vital military supplies."

He then gestured for Gong Xiuneng to take out a map from his backpack and unfold it on the table.

Inside the dimly lit wooden house, the soldiers of the anti-Japanese forces brought in a kerosene lamp to light it up.

With the help of the lantern, everyone could see the map clearly.

This is a topographic map of Shuoxian and Datong.

Fang Wen spoke up: "Our target is the Datong Black Lead Factory. Does anyone know its exact location?"

“I know.” An officer pointed to the map: “Right here, before the Japanese occupied Datong, I was a miner there. Later, someone who escaped from Datong specifically mentioned that a black lead factory was built at this location. People who went into the factory never came out; many died in the mine shafts below.”

Fang Wen circled it with a red pen and continued asking questions.

Whenever they learned of a situation, they would mark it on the map: Japanese sentry posts, patrol routes, and so on.

Fang Wen then said, "Thank you all for the intelligence. I will conduct aerial reconnaissance over Shuoxian and Datong areas over the next two days. Now let's discuss the next topic. If my troops capture the Black Lead Factory, what are some ways to transport the seized materials from the factory to Shuoxian and then into the Taihang Mountain base area?"

This is a big problem.

The leaders of the anti-Japanese armed forces in Shuoxian County were racking their brains.

A cavalry officer spoke up: "Even if you capture the Black Lead Factory, there are still many Japanese troops in Datong. They will definitely attack the Black Lead Factory quickly. How can you hold it?"

Fang Wen replied confidently, "Defense shouldn't be a big problem, it will just consume a lot of ammunition. I estimate we can hold off the Japanese for one or two days. But during this time, we must be able to transport all the graphite supplies out of there."

Another officer asked, "How many?"

Fang Wen replied, "The black lead factory's daily output is 4-5 tons, but that's just primary output. What I need is high-purity graphite. As far as I know, the black lead factory has ten tons in stock, and they will ship it to Japan in March for military production."

In response, another officer from the anti-Japanese forces raised a question.

"Transporting ten tons of supplies, especially in Datong, means that even if you manage to stop the Japanese army's attack in Datong, there will still be Japanese troops stationed along the way harassing you. What should you do?"

The questions they raised were all very targeted.

But they didn't know that these visitors from Yan'an were none other than the renowned Taishan Group.

What is Mount Tai most famous for?

Weapons and aircraft.

Furthermore, Fang Wen has already stated that it will consume a lot of ammunition.

This is a lot, referring to the ammunition stockpile of the Taishan Group.

If that much ammunition were poured into the local Japanese army in Datong, the scene would be quite spectacular.

Fang Wen naturally could not explain this.

The discussion that night only settled some basic information and arranged for a meeting with ground support troops.

Subsequently, Fang Wen and his group returned to the plane by boat and took off again late at night.

This time, I'm flying to Yan'an to give a very special briefing.

The plane landed at Yanchuan Water Airport two hours later.

Subsequently, Fang Wen traveled to Yan'an in a truck belonging to the Yanchuan Semiconductor Assembly Plant.

It was already dawn when they arrived in Yan'an. After a short rest at Yan'an Airport, Fang Wen met with his contact, Qiu Shanhe.

He said to Qiu Shanhe, "Thank you for your support in Yan'an. I did not explain the specifics of my actions in Datong. I have come here specifically to report on them."

He then handed over a report document detailing the importance of the lead black factory to Japan's military industry to Qiu Shanhe.

The use of graphite in nuclear physics research was also mentioned in the document.

Two hours after Qiu Shanhe took the document away, he returned.

He said seriously to Fang Wen, "We do have many shortcomings in our understanding of the military industry; we didn't know that the lead quarry played such a significant role in military affairs. The higher-ups have decided to support your operation, and the local military region will be responsible for leading the operation and conducting it jointly with you." (End of Chapter)