Chapter 233: 232, Insider Story Of Traitor Assassination, Air Combat Downs Type 95, Japanese Break Promise
“My name is Qin Liangdong. That day, our team took an airplane to Jinan, and then a train to Tianjin. Team Leader Yue Jinping took us to the French Concession to rendezvous. The plan was like this: go to the French Concession to meet the local contact person, and then get the mission target information from him. Four groups arrived at the French Concession one after another. We were still wondering who the target was, when suddenly the house we were in was surrounded.”
Qin Liangdong, a subordinate of Yue Jinping, recalled the events of that day and recounted them weakly.
“We were surrounded, so the contact person must have betrayed us. The four groups decided to break out separately. Captain Yue led us to charge out from the west side, but the enemy’s firepower was too fierce, and we couldn’t break through. Later, Captain Yue was shot in the leg and captured. Seeing that the situation was bad, I went back to the house and hid in a cesspool.”
After a night passed like this, due to the betrayal of the liaison officer, the entire army was annihilated.
Fang Wen even suspected that there were spies among these action team members.
He even dared not believe the Qin Liangdong in front of him.
Therefore, he took out a money bag and placed it by the water vat.
“Recover well from your injuries. You can stay here. When you’re healed, you can decide where to go.”
Qin Liangdong took the money bag and asked hesitantly, “Can you give me a gun?”
“What do you want a gun for?” Fang Wen asked vigilantly.
“That day, my brother died. This was his first mission. I don’t want him to have died in vain. I will take care of those two targets.” As Qin Liangdong spoke, there was no desire for survival on his face. He was tired of this life and wanted to end it all in a brilliant way.
Regardless of who a person is, there is always a moment of blooming in their life, and Fang Wen saw it.
“Give him a gun.”
Liu Yu Bao handed a Broomhandle Mauser to the man.
There was also a map of the Japanese concession, and the addresses of the Purple State Power newspaper and the Purple Zhen newspaper, which they had incidentally investigated.
“Thank you.”
The man climbed out of the water vat, changed his clothes, and then ate food in large gulps.
After resting for a while, he stumbled out with a pistol in his hand.
Fang Wen hesitated, then said, “Follow him.”
Everyone left the courtyard and dispersed, trailing far behind.
They followed him all the way to the Japanese concession.
He first went to the Purple State Power newspaper, and when he couldn’t find an opportunity, he went to check the Purple Zhen newspaper.
There were Japanese soldiers guarding both sides, and the people entering and exiting were not the two presidents.
The man decided to wait outside the State Power newspaper.
It wasn’t until the afternoon that several cars drove over.
The two targets actually got out of the same car.
On the second floor opposite the State Power newspaper, Fang Wen watched the assassination about to happen below.
“General Manager, you can’t be impulsive! This has nothing to do with us,” Liu Yu Bao advised.
“Don’t worry, I won’t participate,” Fang Wen replied calmly.
He just wanted to witness one person’s most brilliant moment.
The man rushed out from the street corner, raising the Broomhandle Mauser in his hand.
At the same time, Fang Wen also saw someone rushing out from another side.
Gunfire suddenly erupted. The bullets fired by the man did not hit the two traitorous presidents; the bullets were blocked by the car.
Subsequently, the man fell under the Japanese army’s gunfire.
The two traitorous presidents, who were hiding behind the car, then stood up and kicked him forcefully.
It seemed that only under the protection of the Japanese could they dare to be so arrogant.
Afterward, the two discovered that the other group attempting the attack was unharmed.
They asked the Japanese military officer.
“Officer, what shall we do with those people?”
The officer said nothing and took the two men away.
Just as the two traitorous presidents were about to assert themselves further, the other party, in front of the Japanese soldiers, raised their guns and shot the two traitors on the spot.
Afterward, these people gave a military salute to the Japanese officers and ran away.
All of this was witnessed by Fang Wen and six special action team members.
The action team members were greatly puzzled.
“What’s going on? Those people should be working with the Japanese. Why would they kill their own people?”
“Yeah, and they even opened fire in front of Japanese soldiers and got away with it.”
“I don’t understand.”
While the action team members were discussing in low voices, Fang Wen was also speculating on the reasons but couldn’t figure out why.
The Tianjin trip ended. Fang Wen confirmed that Yue Jinping had been arrested. Since he couldn’t find where she was being held, he could only place the matter of rescuing Yue Jinping on bounty hunting and aerial combat betting.
To prepare for the aerial combat, Fang Wen returned to Shanghai to recuperate and prepare.
Every day, he would run and exercise at the airport to maintain his energy, and he would also conduct daily inspections of the aircraft.
At the same time, many reporters also came to the airport, attempting to conduct interviews.
These interviews were all refused by Kuang Mingzhu. Before the impending aerial combat duel, no accidents could occur.
This included diet and daily contact.
And in the Shanghai Bund, a carnival centered around the aerial combat duel was also in full swing.
Tycoons, high-ranking officials, socialites and rich wives, gangsters, brokers, arms dealers, and intelligence dealers were all interested in this aerial combat.
Many bookmakers had opened in the Shanghai Bund, betting on who would be the victor.
As the stakes grew higher, information about both sides was collected and sold as valuable intelligence.
Wu Yingzong, who was lurking in the Shanghai Bund, disguised himself and went out of the city to deliver this intelligence.
In disguise, he confirmed his identity through Kuang Mingzhu and was led into the hangar.
Fang Wen, who was inspecting the aircraft in the hangar, carefully examined this intelligence.
The first item was a comparison of the two parties’ information.
Yellow Ishikawa Gentaro, a candidate Count in the House of Peers, member of the noble organization Taiga Kishi, a distinguished graduate of the Army Aviation School, currently serving in the Kwantung Army’s aviation combat unit. Red
Yellow Battle record: None. Red
Yellow Fang Wen, General Manager of Taishan Airlines, graduate of Nanyuan Aviation School, civil aviation pilot, and entrepreneur. Red
Yellow Battle record: Skilled in high-altitude bombing, sank two warships. Red
Yellow Win rate: Ishikawa Gentaro 63 : Fang Wen 37 Red
Fang Wen was stunned. Was his win rate so low?
He looked up and asked, “Why do they think I will lose to a pilot who has never been in battle?”
Wu Yingzong replied, “There are several reasons. 1. The Japanese nobility is overwhelmingly supporting Ishikawa Gentaro, betting heavily through the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce. 2. Ishikawa Gentaro’s performance at the aviation school was very outstanding. 3. His aircraft is the latest Japanese Army fighter jet model, the Type 95 fighter jet, and it may have undergone some modifications.”
Fang Wen nodded. It seemed the opponent was not to be underestimated. In terms of ability, Fang Wen was confident that he was no worse than Ishikawa Gentaro. It all depended on the aircraft.
He continued to flip through, wanting to know how the outside world evaluated the aircraft of both sides.
And indeed, there was.
Aircraft comparison data.
Yellow Type 95 fighter jet Red Yellow Shrike Hao Blue p-26b fighter jet Blue Red
Yellow Biplane Red Yellow Monoplane Red
Yellow 850 horsepower water-cooled engine Red Yellow 600 horsepower Wasp engine Red
Yellow Maximum speed 400 km Red Yellow Maximum speed 377 km Red
Yellow Cruising speed 333 km Red Yellow Cruising speed 320 km Red
Yellow Ceiling: 11500 meters Red Yellow Ceiling: 8350 meters Red
Yellow Range: 1100 km Red Yellow Range: 600 km Red
Yellow 7.7mm Type 89 aircraft machine gun * 2 Red Yellow 7.62mm machine gun * 2 Red
Blue Japanese Army Type 95 fighter jet, deployed to the army in ’35. Blue
After reading the aircraft comparison, Fang Wen understood why his odds were so low.
Judging by the data, it was comprehensively weaker than the Type 95 fighter jet.
No way, among the fighter jets of the same period, the US Army Air Corps’ P-26 was so much worse than the Japanese biplane fighter jet, the Type 95?
Fang Wen chuckled inwardly. A 200 horsepower power difference could not account for such a data discrepancy. Whether there was any exaggeration would be known during the aerial combat.
Howard, who rarely spoke, picked up the aircraft comparison data and said,
“Replace two M2 aircraft machine guns; they have greater power.”
Howard’s words were concise but offered a suggestion to enhance the aircraft’s combat capability.
The Japanese Type 95 fighter jet’s 7.7mm machine gun was slightly inferior to the Shrike Hao’s existing 7.92mm machine gun, but not by much. If it were replaced with M2 aircraft machine guns, the weapon power would be overwhelmingly superior, definitely enough for the opponent to deal with.
12.7mm caliber bullets could easily tear through all aluminum alloy skinned aircraft.
Fang Wen, however, hesitated.
This new type of aircraft machine gun developed by the US Army was small and powerful.
However, its current version had a significant flaw: its slow rate of fire.
In aerial combat, opportunities are fleeting. If the rate of fire is slow, it is easy to lose the chance to hit the enemy.
If he cannot hit the enemy in time, no matter how powerful the weapon, it is not suitable for Fang Wen.
His mechanical perception ability brought about high maneuverability and high accuracy.
“No need to modify.”
Shaking his head and rejecting Howard’s modification suggestion, Fang Wen closed the documents.
He had no worries about the aircraft’s performance. The performance seen outside was of the Shrike Hao before modification; the current Shrike Hao was much stronger.
He then saw his wife’s worried expression and immediately spoke to comfort her: “Mingzhu, you don’t need to look at these things. I know what I’m doing, and I’m sure I’ll win.”
“Alright then, I’ll have someone place a bet. If my husband doesn’t win, those money are meaningless,” Kuang Mingzhu replied.
Looking at the situation, she intended to bet all the 2 million US dollars Fang Wen had brought back.
This was unthinkable. If it were all bet, no one would likely compensate, and the principal might even be taken by others. Fang Wen quickly stopped her: “Don’t be silly. I have other uses for that money. If you bet it all, who will I ask for it when I come back? Will I have to go around collecting debts from everyone?”
His confidence made Kuang Mingzhu smile.
She then continued to look through the intelligence brought back.
“Huh, there’s news from Tianjin.”
Fang Wen took the intelligence and looked at it.
Yellow President of Purple State Power newspaper Hu Enbo and President of Tianjin Purple Zhen newspaper and concurrently President of the puppet “Manchukuo Central News Agency” Bai Yuhuan were assassinated in the Japanese concession. The Chief of Staff of the North China Area Army, Sakai Taka, publicly declared: “These two were assassinated by people sent by the Blue Shirts Society, a secret organization under the Kuomintang.” Red
Yellow In response, the Japanese side aggressively went to Beiping to find He Yingqing, Acting Chairman of the Beiping Military Commission, attempting to restart negotiations. Red
Looking at this intelligence, Fang Wen suddenly understood the strange shooting he had witnessed that day.
The Japanese approach was to re-negotiate and gain more benefits on the North China issue.
This was the reason for the deaths of the two traitors.
Their deaths became chips for the Japanese to seek greater interests.
May 27, 1935.
The day for the aerial combat challenge.
On this day, people from various concessions waited on the Bohai Sea by ship to watch.
And the two participants were preparing in Tianjin and Jinan respectively.
In Tianjin, people from the Japanese concession and Japanese from other areas even organized a parade, celebrating victory in advance as if.
Jinan was also very lively. A large number of countrymen gathered outside the airport, with police officers guarding to prevent any incidents.
They shouted loudly: “Take down the little Japanese, we will surely win.”
This slogan, whoever started it, formed a consensus, and the sounds of shouting entered the airport.
Inside the airport, members of Fang Wen’s inner circle and the staff of Taishan Airlines were also seeing Fang Wen off.
“General Manager, you will surely win.”
“Wishing the General Manager a victorious start.”
Quan Yuncai was also present.
He spoke with Fang Wen in private: “The higher-ups’ stance is neither support nor obstruction. This is a private duel and has nothing to do with the country.”
After a pause, Quan Yuncai added, “I have another message: if you win, you’ll gain great face, and everyone will have face too. This face will be useful in the future. If you lose, it’s all over.”
“Understood,” Fang Wen nodded, waved to the farewell crowd, and climbed up the boarding ladder into the airplane cockpit.
At 10 AM, the scheduled time for the challenge arrived.
Two airplanes took off simultaneously from Tianjin and Jinan airports, heading for the Bohai Sea.
After takeoff, Fang Wen deliberately reduced the speed, allowing the Shrike Hao to return to the performance level of the P-26B.
His experiences over the years had taught him a lesson: the more trump cards he had, the safer he would be.
When dealing with biplanes, Fang Wen had no reason to fail. The Hawk-2 and Type 92 had already proven this, and even the Type 95, no matter how it was hyped, was the same.
Thus, the Shrike Hao flew at a low speed of 320 kilometers and arrived at the Bohai Sea after forty minutes.
Upon arriving at the battlefield, Fang Wen immediately entered a state of mechanical perception, his mind highly concentrated.
Integrated with the Shrike Hao, he quickly assessed his surroundings.
The weather today was clear, with little airflow over the sea and no clouds.
A sky without any obstruction was the best stage for an aerial combat display.
And below in the Bohai Sea, Fang Wen saw many ships. Two Japanese warships were anchored in the center of the Bohai Sea, and various other vessels carrying passengers were waiting to watch.
Where was the opponent?
Fang Wen observed towards the northwest.
A black dot flew over.
Boom!
White smoke rose from the sea surface. It turned out to be the Japanese warships welcoming their contestant with cannon fire.
Fang Wen’s expression turned slightly cold as he controlled the Shrike Hao towards the target.
The two airplanes charged at each other. The pilot of the biplane roared with excitement and pulled the machine gun trigger as he aimed.
Bullets poured out from both sides of the nose.
However, the target suddenly disappeared.
Bullets poured out from both sides of the aircraft’s nose.
Taiga Kishi arrived in Beiping, and Howard was also in Beiping.
The target suddenly disappeared.
The Shrike Hao descended its fuselage and weaved under the opponent before the bullets were fired.
In this engagement, Fang Wen deliberately suppressed his desire to shoot, wanting to learn more about this latest Japanese fighter jet.
Currently, the biplane’s level flight speed can indeed rival the P-26, perhaps even slightly stronger.
But its flexibility is much worse.
After Fang Wen weaved through, both sides immediately engaged in a spin to adjust their positions. The Type 95’s turning radius was far larger than the Shrike Hao’s.
By the time it had completed half of its turn, Fang Wen had already turned his fuselage and was aiming.
In mechanical perception state, Fang Wen, integrated with the airplane, aimed and immediately fired.
The 4-gun machine gun fired 7.92mm brass bullets, with two streams of fire on each side rapidly heading towards the target, converging at the Type 95’s aircraft tail.
Hundreds of bullets rained down on the fuselage, instantly tearing apart its tail fin.
Fang Wen was stunned; the opponent wasn’t as durable as he thought.
He had used brass bullets and expected some to drift or ricochet.
He hadn’t expected that a single burst would sever the opponent’s tail.
Fang Wen judged that to support the biplane’s high-speed flight, its skin and internal frame structure must have undergone lightweight treatment.
Fang Wen, who was building airplanes, knew exactly what lightweight treatment meant; aluminum alloy of the same material was at least half as thin.
The thinned aircraft skin’s defense would naturally decrease, it had little to do with hardness.
Was this the high speed gained by sacrificing defense?
Fang Wen shook off his thoughts and looked at the Type 95 fighter jet whose tail fin had been shredded by machine gun fire.
War is like this; there’s no plot, no process. If you’re hit, you die.
The airplane, with black smoke trailing from its tail, lost balance, spinning in the air and unable to maintain stability. Its left wing tore off during the spin, followed by the right wing. Then, flames from the tail fin ignited the fuel tank. The airplane, before even falling into the Bohai Sea, detonated mid-air.
The air combat concluded just like that.
The victory was too easy; the winners below hadn’t even had time to cheer before it was over.
A moment later, the winners cheered, but the Japanese on the ship remained silent.
At this moment, a Japanese person suddenly shouted happily, “Our fighter jet, the duel isn’t over yet.”
“You cheated!” an angry wealthy merchant from Northern Shanxi exclaimed.
His companion quickly stopped him from saying more.
The Japanese bookmakers announced, “Our odds were for leaving the Bohai Sea alive.”
An ugly scene of breaking an agreement unfolded on the ships below, while Fang Wen in the sky faced an encirclement by a flight formation.
If it were a flight or even a squadron, Fang Wen could still fight, but a flight would be too much.
Facing 12 Type 95 fighter jets, Fang Wen had to make a decision immediately and choose a direction to retreat.
