Chapter 224: 223 Toying With Type 92 Fighter Jet, Huaqing And Beiping Universities Recruitment, Stand-in ‘fang Wen’
Due to the War of Resistance and occupational reasons, Fang Wen has always paid close attention to Japanese fighter jets.
He also frequently purchases various intelligence on Japanese Army fighter jets.
But previous flights in the airspace above North China were all nighttime secret operations, and he had never made direct contact with Japanese Army fighter jets.
Now, seeing a Japanese Army active-duty Type 92 fighter jet for the first time, Fang Wen immediately focused his mind and carefully observed it in mechanical perception state.
This is a Type 92 fighter jet, different from the Type 92 heavy bomber design blueprint he snatched in Austria last year.
But this Japanese Army fighter jet is also related to Germany; it was designed by German genius aircraft designer Dr. Richard Vogt for the Japanese Army and produced by Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
It is currently equipped to the Kwantung Army as one of the main fighter jets of Manchukuo’s Air Force.
In the flash of an instant, he had already completed a comparison between the enemy and our sides in his mind.
Both being late-model biplane fighter jets, the Type 92 and the Hawk 2 fighter jet he had tangled with in the air before have similar performance.
Previously, the Shrike Hao could easily maneuver around the Hawk 2; now, the improved Cloud Crane Seaplane can also handle the Type 92.
The only thing to note is that the Cloud Crane Seaplane has a larger fuselage and less maneuverability than the Shrike Hao. In a one-against-many situation, he needs to watch for the opponent’s three-aircraft tactical coordination to avoid forming a pincer attack posture.
Fang Wenzheng was thinking this when the opponent suddenly changed.
After escorting the Japanese airliner to land at Qinghe Airport, the three Japanese Army fighter jets patrolling above North China suddenly flew toward the Cloud Crane Hao.
“Everyone fasten your safety belts; enemy aircraft approaching,” Fang Wen issued the order.
The 9 action team members immediately complied, fastening safety belts for each other.
“Sit tight.”
Before Fang Wen finished speaking, the airplane suddenly accelerated away from the Type 92 airplane, facing backward.
This was not to flee, but to use the speed advantage to pull open the distance; only then would there be room to maneuver and tangle with the enemy aircraft.
Above Beiping City, the situation suddenly changed: three Japanese Army fighter jets actually flew toward a civilian aircraft that was clearly Chinese. The civilian aircraft immediately turned to evade, forming a pursuit posture above Beiping.
This situation was seen by residents, security troops, and diplomats inside Beiping City. Countless people came out of their houses to look up, or stood on rooftops observing with binoculars.
A sense of indignation spread and grew among the people.
One year after the Tanggu Agreement was signed, North China had become a demilitarized zone, yet the Japanese Army was pressing closer step by step.
Japanese patrol aircraft seen every few days across the mountains left people furious but speechless; now even their own aircraft were being driven away in their own airspace.
Students from Tsinghua University and Peking University finally could not tolerate this humiliation and gave street lectures.
The students temporarily organized; a stool served as the podium, and the one good at speaking stood on the stool and loudly said
“Fellow compatriots, today I stand here, filled with grief, anger, and unyielding spirit, because right above our sky, an outrageous scene is unfolding—three Japanese Army fighter jets, like jackals, are openly pursuing our Republic of China’s airplane. This is not just a pursuit of one airplane, but a trampling of our national dignity and a negation of their so-called peace agreement!
Since the Tanggu Agreement, the land of North China seems to have lost its former peace and tranquility overnight, becoming a demilitarized area. Japanese troops lurk outside the Passes, their aircraft frequently appear in our skies like a sword hanging over our heads, constantly threatening our safety. However, facing such a predicament, we must not retreat, much less remain silent!
Compatriots, look at that civilian aircraft desperately evading—it is not just an aircraft, but a symbol of our Chinese nation’s unyielding spirit. It tells us that even in the most difficult times, we must hold to our beliefs and bravely move forward. We cannot let the enemy’s arrogance prevail, nor let their atrocities spread unchecked on our land!”
Listening to the students’ passionate words, everyone occasionally looked toward the sky.
Someone suddenly exclaimed: “What is it doing?”
Fang Wen controlled the Cloud Crane Seaplane to pull away the distance from the Type 92 biplane.
The speed boost from the two 800-horsepower engines was no joke; whether in speed or endurance, the Type 92 was not in the same league.
Shaking off the 3 enemy aircraft would be easy, but Fang Wen was a bit reluctant.
Although he could not openly shoot down these three enemy aircraft above Beiping City, he could toy with them a bit.
Doing so would be like placing an advertisement in advance for the northward operation, letting the people of the northern region see the performance of the Cloud Crane Seaplane. Then, whether for recruitment or promoting the seaplane plan, it would have a very good effect.
Fang Wen, with mechanical perception ability, thought of it and acted.
He made a combat plan for himself.
He would absolutely not appear in the enemy aircraft’s machine gun aiming angle, yet maneuver around the enemy aircraft’s periphery, making it unable to attack him while unable to shake him off.
This required keeping the Cloud Crane Hao out of the aiming view of the two 7.7 mm caliber machine guns at the nose of the Type 92.
It was the same tactic as using the Shrike Hao against the Hawk 2 in South Asia.
Immediately, the airplane suddenly climbed, entering the clouds.
Facing the Chinese airplane that suddenly dove into the clouds, the three Type 92s closely followed.
But after they emerged from the clouds, they did not spot the airplane’s trace and involuntarily dispersed to search.
What they did not know was that at a higher altitude, Fang Wen controlled the airplane to fly parallel above the Type 92s.
Between the two, there was only a thin layer of clouds separating them.
Precisely this cover meant the Japanese aircraft did not discover the Cloud Crane Hao flying parallel at low power.
For this scene, people inside Beiping City saw a different sight.
A strange scene in the sky made the people of Beiping City look up and watch, discussing animatedly.
“What’s going on? Are the little Japanese airplanes blind? They can’t even see such a big thing right above them?”
“They have no eyes on top of their heads. I say, if it dropped a bomb, it might just hit them.”
“That’s the blind spot under the lamp. From below, it looks close, but it’s probably 1000 meters apart, and with clouds blocking, of course they can’t spot it.”
“I think this airplane is capable, better than the Japanese fighter jets.”
“I think so too; it flies faster, higher. Compared to it, the Japanese fighter jets are like fools.”
They were watching a hilarious scene: high in the sky, the Cloud Crane Hao maintained the same speed as the enemy aircraft, synchronously cruising at a higher position above the enemy aircraft. Wherever the enemy aircraft flew, the Cloud Crane Hao followed.
Because of the synchronized altitude, the Type 92 fighter jets surprisingly did not notice for a long time.
By the time they noticed, the Cloud Crane Hao immediately pulled away the distance.
The Japanese fighter jets were enraged by this mocking behavior.
They immediately reorganized the pursuit.
But they had clearly overestimated their endurance; in less than half an hour, they helplessly chose to return to base.
And so, the Cloud Crane Hao played hide-and-seek with the three aircraft, circling around for dozens of minutes, until the Japanese aircraft finally slunk away.
Until the Japanese aircraft flew far away, Fang Wen then began the landing.
He turned to survey below; places where a seaplane could land in Beiping included several spots: the Summer Palace and Old Summer Palace north of the city, the Yongding River west of the city, and the canal section east of the city.
But since he was going to Tsinghua University and Peking University, he ultimately chose Kunming Lake inside the Summer Palace as the landing point.
The airplane passed over a field of paddy; ahead on the left was Longevity Hill, whose buildings had originally been burned by the Eight-Nation Alliance and were rebuilt after Empress Dowager Cixi returned to Beiping.
On the right was Kunming Lake, ready for landing.
Fang Wen controlled the airplane to lower the fuselage; by the time it flew over the lake surface, the altitude had dropped to 100 meters.
After a taxiing, the seaplane drew a white line on Kunming Lake, gradually decelerating to a steady stop.
Then, the airplane headed to the northeast dock of the lake to moor.
Waiting there were professors from Tsinghua University; besides their cooperative relationship with Taishan Airlines, they more wanted to see with their own eyes this seaplane said to be personally manufactured by Fang Wen.
The airplane moored and was secured with cables; Fang Wen and the 9 action team members disembarked.
Immediately, a group of professors came forward, exchanged greetings briefly, and proactively requested to admire the airplane.
They say men are boys until death; in ancient times, one showed off strutting through streets in fine clothes on a fine horse; nowadays, it’s driving cars, boats, or even airplanes.
For science professors, their romance is building an apparatus that can travel on water and fly.
Fang Wen understood them and, with a bit of small pride, introduced it to the professors.
“This Cloud Crane Hao of mine has undergone two modifications. The first used Pratt & Whitney R1340 engines from the Boeing 247, with power similar to the Boeing 247. Later, I upgraded it to the latest Pratt & Whitney R1830. The overall design of the airplane was also completed by me myself; it can seat 10 people inside, carry 1.5 tons of cargo, and serve multiple purposes: transport, passenger service, private airplane, special flight, and more.”
“Indeed impressive. Earlier, you compared it with Japanese fighter jets in the sky, proving its capability,” a professor praised.
Everyone laughed heartily; Fang Wen’s aerial real-world comparison had indeed worked very well.
Afterward, Fang Wen was about to disembark to hold recruitment activities at the two universities when he heard the professors propose another suggestion.
They believed the actual object was more attractive than anything; better to transport the airplane to the school for better recruitment results.
This made sense, and Fang Wen immediately agreed, but transporting the airplane—he had not prepared in advance; just the small wheels under the seaplane’s floats could not reach the university campus.
Then fly there.
The Summer Palace has water called Kunming Lake; the closer Old Summer Palace to Tsinghua University and Peking University also has water called East Lake.
Immediately, everyone boarded the airplane again; more than twenty people stood inside the airplane without crowding.
Fang Wen controlled the airplane to turn, leave shore, and take off.
The airplane climbed to 1000 meters altitude, passing over the ground to a stretch of garden ruins.
At the southeast of the Old Summer Palace ruins is Qichun Garden, which has a section of East Lake, right next to Tsinghua and Peking Universities—perfect.
The water there is deep enough, just that the water area is small, so landing requires some skill.
The low-speed flying airplane rapidly descended, pressing out a huge wake on the water surface. Using the water surface resistance from the rapid descent, Fang Wen made the airplane taxi a shorter distance before stopping steadily on the water, then approached the pavilion on the small island in Qichun Garden lake.
Taishan Airlines’ homemade seaplane moored on the water surface of Qichun Garden; news that it would soon be exhibited spread like wildfire through Tsinghua and Peking Universities.
Spreading at the same time was that Taishan Aircraft Manufacturing Plant would recruit at the schools, and that this airplane was the Chinese one that had recently tangled with Japanese Army fighter jets in the sky.
Various pieces of news brewed, whetting the appetites of students at the two universities.
Afterward, on an outdoor clearing 200 meters near Qichun Garden, a podium was set up, and hundreds of chairs were arranged.
To make the recruitment fair achieve the best effect, the temporary venue even used the best sound equipment: eight German Siemens tube amplifiers, with speakers covering the entire venue range.
The name of this event was: “China’s First Aircraft Manufacturer, Taishan Aircraft Manufacturing Plant Recruitment Conference”
Everything was ready, appetites whetted; the recruitment fair officially began.
Students from the two schools who received the news spread the word excitedly and went in groups.
They arrived at the recruitment fair venue entrance, filled out sign-up forms with their majors, names, and other basic information, and could then enter.
Inside the venue, as more people arrived, all seats were filled; many later students could only stand.
Seeing the venue was packed, Wu Yingzong, the temporary person in charge of the 9-person action group, came backstage to report.
“General Manager, it can begin.”
Fang Wen nodded and was about to go onstage to give a speech when Wu Yingzong stopped him.
“General Manager, you’re formidable in the sky, but on the ground you’re just an ordinary man. We cannot let you expose yourself to assassination by the Japanese. This time, it’s the main wife’s request and our wish. If you wake up and want to blame someone, blame me.”
“You?” Fang Wen did not understand what Wu Yingzong was saying.
“I learned five skills in Tou Men, but I’m best at disguise.”
Wu Yingzong took out a sheet of human skin mask, put it on his face, and operated skillfully.
That face, under his exquisite craftsmanship, gradually changed bit by bit into Fang Wen’s appearance.
Eight points similar; from afar, it was Fang Wen.
This was Wu Yingzong’s meaning: he would disguise as Fang Wen’s appearance and take Fang Wen’s place to risk a public speech.
To make Fang Wen agree, he spoke earnestly.
“That night in Harbin, I ran through the streets carrying the signal transmitter; every time I aimed at a target, it turned into a sea of fire. That was the happiest moment of my life. I saw my father, mother, sister, and brother’s smiles. Thank you, General Manager, for avenging me. I think your mission, General Manager, should be in the sky, not assassinated by the Japanese here. If there’s danger, let me bear it.”
After speaking, ignoring Fang Wen’s attempts to stop him, he took the speech draft and strode onstage.
Watching Wu Yingzong go onstage, Fang Wen felt stirred in his heart, suddenly more nervous than if he were going himself, unwilling to see this loyal subordinate harmed.
He was prepared: metal detection devices at the venue entrance prohibited weapons, and he himself wore bulletproof clothes. As long as the head and face were protected in time, there would be no problem.
But Wu Yingzong, disguised as himself, had no bulletproof vest; the kid had left in too much of a hurry for him to remind him.
He did not want such a loyal person to fall here.
For this, Fang Wen carefully observed the situation under the stage from backstage.
The recruitment fair host announced: “Welcome Taishan Airlines General Manager Fang Wen onstage to give remarks for this recruitment activity.”
Amid enthusiastic applause, ‘Fang Wen’ strode onstage.
