Chapter 36: 36, Shanghai Falls, Bombing The Izumo
Fang Wen, who slept in his clothes, got up directly and strode toward the hangar just 200 meters away.
Jianqiao Airport at night was very quiet, with rows of military aircraft parked by the runway.
These were most of the National Government’s Air Force assets.
Retracting his gaze, Fang Wen walked into the hangar.
Gui Hongyuan was waiting inside. He took out a map.
“This night’s flight has already been notified via radio. They will light a circular torch pattern at the airdrop point around 1 o’clock. The exact location is here.”
Looking at the marked position on the map, it was the Miaohang area. Several high-rise buildings there needed special caution.
Fang Wen recalled the terrain there in his mind and closed his eyes without speaking.
Gui Hongyuan did not disturb him. He walked over to the two corporals and directed them to load supplies onto the airplane.
An hour and a half later, preparations were complete.
Fang Wen and the two corporals boarded the airplane and began the action.
Under the cover of night, the airplane took off and flew north along the coastline.
A bright moon hung high in the sky, and the airplane’s silhouette passed in front of it.
Everything was so quiet. No enemy aircraft came to interfere, nor were there friendly forces accompanying. The Rhein NYP-2 flew alone.
In mechanical perception state, Fang Wen merged himself with the airplane, becoming an iron bird. Using the moon as a coordinate and the coastline as a guide, he easily found the flight path to Shanghai.
An hour later, the Rhein NYP-2 smoothly arrived in Shanghai.
Looking down from high altitude, flashes of fire dotted the west bank of the Huangpu River area, showing that the war continued even at night.
Fang Wen piloted the airplane, circling high in the sky, searching for the airdrop point.
After two circles, he saw it.
A circle of firelight in the northwest direction.
Comparing that position with the terrain in his mind, it was indeed the airdrop point on the map.
The problem now was how to descend below 1000 meters altitude and complete the airdrop accurately and quickly.
Flying low at a few hundred meters altitude, a larger transport aircraft like the Rhein NYP-2 would certainly be spotted and easily become a target for machine guns.
At a few hundred meters, machine guns could still cause damage.
Therefore, completing it in one go was the key to this action.
Fang Wen took a deep breath and controlled the airplane to descend.
After two circles, the airplane reached over 800 meters in the air.
He leveled the fuselage. The next circle would be the airdrop node.
Fully focused, the airplane flew toward the airdrop point target.
To avoid the ropes catching on building tops, he specially chose an entry point without high-rise buildings.
“Prepare.”
The two corporals unhesitatingly threw down the ropes.
As the rope loops in the cabin continuously decreased, the long ropes dropped into the air, only dozens of meters from the ground.
This took less than ten seconds.
Fang Wen issued a new order.
“Begin.”
The brief order turned into a mechanical reaction for the two corporals.
Without thinking, the two relied on instinct to forcefully throw out wicker baskets loaded with supply boxes from the cabin.
After the wicker baskets flew out of the cabin, due to the ring buckles, they spiraled down along the ropes.
A series of wicker baskets were thus airdropped to the ground.
The positions were right in the area near the airdrop point. The wicker baskets that fell to the ground decelerated due to the ropes, plus the shock absorption of the wicker baskets themselves. Although the wooden boxes inside broke, the supplies inside were not badly damaged.
After the airdrop was complete, Fang Wen used mechanical perception to roughly judge that it was successful.
He had the two corporals cut the ropes, close the hatch, and then climbed to high altitude to return to base.
Another hour passed, and the airplane arrived over Jianqiao Airport.
Two rows of lights lit up on the ground, guiding the runway position.
This kind of night landing was not Fang Wen’s first time. He skillfully found the descent direction, and the airplane decelerated and landed precisely on the runway.
As soon as the Rhein NYP-2 stopped, Gui Hongyuan came over and eagerly asked.
“Fang Wen, was it successful?”
“It was successful.” Fang Wen, getting off the airplane, reported the good news, making Gui Hongyuan overjoyed.
“Lend me some money.”
“Ah?”
“I came too hastily, didn’t bring a dime. Lend me some; I’ll pay you back in a few days,” Fang Wen replied.
The night airdrop was officially confirmed, and Fang Wen also gained a long-term mission in this war.
Every late night, he would pilot the Rhein NYP-2 back and forth, delivering some urgently needed supplies to the frontline.
This kind of thing was dangerous and uncertain for others, but it became his special strength.
Until Jianqiao Airport suffered a large-scale bombing by the Japanese Army, that Rhein NYP-2 did not escape the disaster, and the night airdrop mission finally ended.
By then, it was already March.
Both sides needed a special victory to end this war.
March 2nd.
After the bombing, Jianqiao Airport runway was full of craters. Civilian workers were filling the craters on the ground and urgently repairing.
Fang Wen was strolling on the other side of the airport, followed by two inseparable corporal soldiers.
He arrived at the airport dormitory and knocked on the door of the third room on the second floor.
Gui Hongyuan opened the door. Seeing it was Fang Wen, he chuckled, “Are you here to pay back the money? I gave you my allowance from last month.”
“Aren’t you going to invite me for a cup of tea?” Fang Wen took out a bag of silver dollars, brought through Yue Jinping’s connections.
“No tea; I don’t drink that stuff.” Gui Hongyuan, taking the silver dollars, counted them carefully before putting them in his pocket. “Come on, I’ll treat you to a meal, to celebrate your great fortune and luck.”
“I’ll treat you.” Fang Wen agreed.
The four walked out of the airport and found a decent-tasting restaurant outside to dine.
While eating, they chatted about that day’s events.
“Fang Wen, I originally didn’t believe in fate. After that day, I do. If not for heaven’s protection, how could you have dodged the bombing.”
“Yes, heaven’s protection.”
Fang Wen nodded in agreement, but he did not think so in his heart.
Jianqiao Airport was near the coastline and a key National Government Air Force location, so it was bound to be bombed by the Japanese Army.
Based on his bombing experience, the easiest places to be bombed at the airport, besides the runway, were the hangars.
So, when the bombing started, he immediately took the two corporals and ran out of the hangar.
That was how he dodged the disaster.
It was a pity about that Rhein NYP-2. He had piloted it to the Northeast, bombed warships, and done night airdrops. He had feelings for that airplane.
A bit emotional, Fang Wen poured himself a glass of yellow wine. With no one to drink with him, he drank alone.
After the meal, the four returned to the airport. Gui Hongyuan was called away by someone, and Fang Wen continued his bored stroll.
Not long after, Gui Hongyuan rushed over.
“Fang Wen, come with me. There’s something important.”
“What important thing?”
“Military secret. You’ll know when you get there.”
Following Gui Hongyuan to an office at the airport, several military officers sat solemnly.
Seeing Fang Wen enter, they got straight to the point.
“Due to the Japanese Army’s sneak attack landing at Liuhe, our army is attacked from both front and rear and has been forced to retreat to the second line of defense.”
“What? Shanghai has fallen?” Gui Hongyuan was stunned.
“Just a temporary withdrawal.” The military officer glared at Gui Hongyuan and continued, “Currently, Britain and France are sending people to mediate. The Japanese Army has been very aggressive. We need a victory to gain more negotiation chips.”
Fang Wen felt a chill in his heart. Was this another abandonment of China’s interests?
The War of Resistance was turned into that state step by step by the National Government’s retreats.
“Fang Wen, this time we’re mainly looking for you, to have you participate in a very important plan. The situation is this: the 19th Route Army plans to send a suicide squad to bomb the Izumo. Our idea is, if we’re doing it, let’s do it big—send the Air Force to bomb the Izumo, with cooperation from both sides. If we can heavily damage the Izumo, the Japanese Army will surely take the initiative to cease fire.”
“Bomb the Izumo?” Fang Wen was stunned. “The Izumo is at sea, with a fleet guarding it. How to bomb it?”
“Because our army has temporarily withdrawn from Shanghai, there are no ground forces that can threaten it. It has sailed to the nearshore area of Shanghai. This is a rare opportunity. Your talent in high-altitude bombing—if you can participate in this action, it’s too important for our plan.” The military officer spoke with some excitement on his face.
“What airplane this time?” Fang Wen asked.
“Still the Rhein NYP-2. There’s one more in Guangzhou. We can have it flown over immediately.”
“You want me to pilot a transport aircraft for bombing again? I refuse.” Fang Wen felt cold inside. Now that things were set, bombing or not the Izumo wouldn’t change much. Moreover, even nearshore, facing a large number of carrier aircraft, using a transport aircraft for bombing would be suicidal even with mechanical perception. There would be no escape after bombing.
The military officer was somewhat surprised.
“You’re an air hero! How can you refuse?”
“Why should I rush to die? Unless…”
Fang Wen paused and looked toward the airport runway outside the office.
