Chapter 234: 233 Japanese Army Pincer Attack, Fang Wen Tactics Strike, Tit For Tat
A Japanese Army aviation squadron formed a pincer attack posture in Bohai Airspace.
This was a long-premeditated action. It seemed they had planned it long ago. Even if the air duel failed, they would not let Fang Wen go back.
As long as Fang Wen died in Bohai Airspace, the subsequent external propaganda would turn into their victory.
Precisely because of this, they used 12 Type 95 fighter jets to ensure absolute success.
The formation of 12 fighter jets had already been pre-arranged, surrounding Fang Wen from all sides.
In mechanical perception state, Fang Wen quickly gathered information on the enemy fighter jet formation.
Eight Type 95 fighter jets formed an external encirclement posture, four above and four below, perfectly forming a cubic cage.
Four more Type 95s inside this cage jointly attacked Fang Wen, carrying out a strangulation.
This tactical formation was obviously designed specifically against Fang Wen, sealing off all ranges above, below, front, back, left, and right in the entire airspace.
Fang Wen sneered.
From the earlier contact battle with the Type 95 fighter jet, he already had some understanding of this aircraft.
This airplane, as always, followed the Japanese pursuit of speed in its design concept.
Just like the Type 3 Navy fighter jet he encountered in Shanghai back then, it had light fuselage weight and weak defense, exchanged for high cruising speed.
But this thing was still a biplane, a thin-skinned biplane, which had big problems in vertical maneuvering and curved changes.
These 12 fighter jets actually wanted to deal with him through a pre-arranged three-dimensional cage formation; it was simply a joke.
Let’s see just how far these Japanese pilots could go.
Fang Wen immediately controlled the fuselage to ascend, thereby dodging the incoming flat-firing bullets.
Four Type 95 fighter jets also promptly made ascent maneuvers.
They knew the biplane’s ascent could not compare to Shrike Hao. The four Type 95s on outer defense above had already begun aiming. As soon as Shrike Hao ascended to horizontal angle, they would carry out crossfire shooting.
But they did not anticipate Shrike Hao’s maneuverability.
The Shrike Hao modified by Fang Wen could perform tactical maneuvers more nimbly than before.
This time Fang Wen used an aerial feint maneuver.
Shrike Hao rose to a certain height, then suddenly performed an aileron roll.
The fuselage spun and rolled in the air, using the aileron roll to adjust downward, charging back in a U-shaped reversal toward below.
This completed the spatial displacement and fuselage turn.
（Fang Wen’s flight maneuver was similar to: the half-roll reversal military maneuver invented in World War II, suitable for the autocannon era.）
This set of flight maneuvers successfully shook off the pursuit of the four Type 95 airplanes and swapped positions between both sides.
Now Fang Wen was below the aerial cage, with 8 fighter jets above his head, and flying in the opposite direction to them.
His current danger became the four peripheral fighter jets below.
Perhaps there was no need to forcibly break through the lower airspace. The key to this aerial three-dimensional cage was the 4 pursuing aircraft inside. Since he had shaken them off, he could just accelerate in reverse and break away.
Immediately, Fang Wen accelerated flight. Shrike Hao suddenly boosted speed to 400 kilometers per hour, piercing out of the aerial cage like an arrow.
This scene was seen by the spectators on the sea below.
Waves of cheers rang out, from Chinese people, British people, Americans, Russians—everyone except Japanese.
This was a huge humiliation, even more embarrassing for them than failing the air duel.
Twelve of the latest fighter jets, using what seemed like an inescapable tactical blockade, yet letting him break free.
That feint was done too realistically, and the continuous aileron roll and looping maneuver could simply be called a classic paradigm of military flight maneuvers.
The onlookers were not just ordinary people; there were military personnel from various countries. They all hurriedly sketched this scene on paper for their own domestic pilots to learn from.
But without mastering the knack, it would probably be very hard to practice this maneuver.
At this moment, the situation in the sky suddenly changed again.
An entire aviation squadron, the conspiratorial blockade of 12 fighter jets, had actually failed.
And it failed under the witness of so many people.
This was the shame of the aviation squadron, something these usually arrogant pilots least wanted to see.
Unable to bear returning with this shame, they actually chose to accelerate in pursuit.
The 12 airplanes completely disregarded fuel consumption, following Shrike Hao at maximum cruising speed toward the coastline.
Fang Wen’s flight direction was Shandong, outside the scope of the Tanggu Agreement, and there were large numbers of National Army garrisons locally. If Japanese Army aircraft entered the border, it would be a breach of agreement.
Faced with this situation, the local forces did not dare to decide and immediately reported to Nanjing.
Nanjing replied by telegram: “Watch quietly and bide time; do not act rashly.”
Thus, the garrison made no moves, looking up at the sky.
Watching the airplanes streaking overhead, the garrison general was filled with righteous indignation. He kicked a stool flying and shouted loudly.
“Brothers, set up the machine guns, aim at the sky. If the Japanese dare to act recklessly, shoot them down for me.”
In the sky, Fang Wen circled around with 12 enemy aircraft.
A bit troublesome. There were too many enemy aircraft. If he wanted to deal with them, not only would it be dangerous, but he would also have to reveal all his trump cards.
Fang Wen was unwilling to reveal all his trump cards before formal war broke out. One feint spin had already made him feel it was a loss.
One must know these aerial supreme skills—the Japanese might not learn them, but they could develop countermeasures against them. They absolutely could not be used recklessly.
But if these enemy aircraft did not retreat, he could not land in Jinan either.
He was thinking, how about leading them to Nanjing for a spin, letting the president feel in advance what it was like to be bullied by the Japanese?
At this time, the Japanese fighter squadron suddenly split off two aircraft, flying toward Jinan City.
What were they going to do?
Fang Wen immediately felt a chill in his heart.
This was clearly the Japanese aircraft using Jinan City as a threat to keep him here.
His mind raced, and he instantly understood.
It was fuel consumption.
The Type 95 fighter jet boasted a maximum range of 1100 kilometers, but that was only achievable at normal cruising speed.
Now the Japanese aircraft had been entangled with him for a while, always in high-load state, with very high fuel consumption.
If they continued following, they would not be able to return to base, so they wanted to fight here.
But this behavior was too despicable, actually using innocent people as threats.
Fang Wen was instantly furious in his heart and immediately turned the fuselage around.
Two Type 95 fighter jets dived down.
They actually arrogantly strafed the streets outside the city.
Fortunately there were no pedestrians on the road. Two lines of machine gun bullets raised high clouds of dust from the strafing.
“General, do we shoot?” the adjutant shouted loudly. The soldiers on the city wall stood in two rows: the front row as gun racks, the back row aiming at the sky behind.
In hesitation, reason returned, and the general became cowardly.
He could not utter that order no matter what.
After the strafing, the two Type 95s flew over the city wall, and their arrogant shouts could faintly be heard.
The general clenched his fists tight. “Shoot.”
Before the words were finished, the adjutant exclaimed: “Shrike Hao is flying back. What is it going to do?”
Everyone looked up.
In the sky, Fang Wen shook off the enemy pursuit again through a large spin.
His target was the two Japanese aircraft strafing low over Jinan City.
The opponent was courting death; Fang Wen had already issued a death warrant in his heart.
The diving Shrike Hao intercepted the two enemy aircraft, one against two.
The opponent immediately opened fire, with a rain of bullets flying horizontally in the air.
They had no requirements for hit rate; they just wanted to block Fang Wen’s path with the bullet rain, then form an encirclement with the 10 aircraft behind.
In mechanical perception state, Fang Wen controlled Shrike Hao to leap up, dodging the bullets through spatial difference.
At the same time, the fuselage began rolling again.
This time it was not some feint maneuver, but Fang Wen’s self-created angled shooting.
During the aileron roll, the nose adjusted to aim at the two enemy aircraft at a 25-degree slant angle.
The bullet rain fired during the aileron roll rotation shot toward the enemy aircraft at an angle no ordinary fighter jet could achieve.
The spiraling bullets fired in rotation turned into a death spiral, strangling the two airplanes.
The dense bullet rain circled bullet holes on the Type 95’s fuselage, instantly detonating the fuel tanks inside the airplanes.
In an instant, the two airplanes exploded in mid-air, shattering into countless fragments of firelight scattering over the ground.
This scene stunned the onlookers inside Jinan City.
It also made the Japanese Army fighter jets harbor thoughts of retreat.
The Japanese aviation squadron leader signaled his team members with hand gestures.
【Fuel insufficient, return to base.】
Immediately, the 10 Type 95 fighter jets turned and flew toward the Tianjin direction.
Watching the Japanese aircraft leave, Fang Wen did not land in Jinan.
This plan to rescue Yue Jinping had failed.
Bullshit bushido spirit; in the end it turned out like this.
Fang Wen had long anticipated the Japanese people’s fickleness.
Since this path did not work, he could only repay them in their own coin.
For this, the backup plan should also be activated.
Immediately, Fang Wen piloted the black Shrike Hao south, landing at Shanghai Airport.
At Shanghai Airport, from the moment Fang Wen landed, Taishan Airlines people were busy.
Flights suspended, employees guarding the surroundings.
In the hangar, Fang Wen’s small circle members held an emergency discussion.
Pan Jiafeng said excitedly: “Master, your battle in the sky—I got super excited just hearing it on the radio. You must teach me those techniques later.”
“What time is it, and you’re still thinking about that.” After rebuking Pan Jiafeng, Shao Sishen analyzed the current situation. “Now the Japanese have lost three fighter jets. Even if it was an air duel, the Japanese will not let it go easily. The general manager must be careful from now on.”
Fang Wen nodded: “I plan to relocate Taishan Airlines Headquarters from Shanghai to Wuhan. Leaving a branch here is no problem. It’s just Yue Jinping’s matter—I don’t want to give up halfway.”
Everyone fell silent, after all, General Manager’s wife Kuang Mingzhu was also present.
Kuang Mingzhu spoke up: “Yue Jinping has helped the general manager many times; she is also my friend. Speak any good plans freely.”
Hearing Madam’s stance, Sun Debiao spoke.
“I think, since the Japanese captured Yue Jinping and wanted to use her to lure the general manager, we should do the same: capture an important Japanese figure and exchange person for person.”
This proposal was good—repay them in their own coin.
Fang Wen thought it feasible. Things had developed to this point; he must see it through, no matter the means.
But who to capture?
Fang Wen issued orders.
“Notify Wu Yingzong to find an action target.”
“Taishan Airlines Shanghai Headquarters can relocate to Wuhan.”
“All executives completely relocate to Wuhan. Here will be managed by mid-level employees.”
Hearing Fang Wen’s words, everyone had no objections.
They had long guessed about the headquarters relocation.
After the meeting adjourned, everyone began working busily.
The action team members returning from Tianjin went to the urban area to contact Wu Yingzong.
Fang Shouxin, Shopkeeper Liu, and Sun Debiao sorted and boxed all administrative personnel, financial, and Distribution Company information, then loaded them into Taishan One.
Kuang Mingzhu, Chun Cao, and Qiu Ju organized the flight attendant department and business telegraph section to withdraw.
Pan Jiafeng and Shao Sishen organized flight apprentices to box and transport away the items from the training center that needed to be moved.
Within one day, Taishan Airlines Headquarters at Shanghai Airport became an empty shell.
All relevant personnel boarded airplanes and headed to Wuhan.
Wuhan had long purchased a building with complete office equipment; once the information and equipment were moved over, operations could begin.
Unknowingly, three days passed.
The Bohai Airspace showdown became a big joke.
The noble pilot was shot down in one encounter, and the subsequent 12-aircraft aviation fighter squadron also failed to intercept successfully.
Moreover, people even heard that two more fighter jets were shot down outside Jinan City.
In response, the Japanese side firmly denied it, describing the whole incident as: On the day of the duel, the noble pilot’s airplane malfunctioned, causing the tail fin to break off and crash. Subsequently, 12 airplanes were dispatched for search and rescue in the Bohai Sea. As for the later two fighter jets’ incident, it was the same malfunction. Currently, Type 95 fighter jets would undergo a comprehensive malfunction investigation.
In this way, the loss of three fighter jets became an accident.
Thus, the Japanese side announced that the duel had no winner and would not continue.
Subsequently, the Japanese intelligence institution in the Japanese Concession in Shanghai dispatched large numbers of plainclothes secret agents to Shanghai Airport to investigate Fang Wen’s whereabouts.
They arrived at Shanghai Airport and were surprised to find Taishan Airlines Headquarters completely emptied.
The flight paths were still operating normally, however.
After inquiring around, they learned that Taishan Airlines had relocated its headquarters to Wuhan overnight.
Japanese influence was weak in Wuhan, so there was no need to fear Japanese sabotage.
However, no trace of Fang Wen was found in Wuhan either.
Where on earth had Fang Wen gone?
Shanghai, Hongkou.
The former luxurious casino had now become the office of Anping Trading Company.
In this three-story building, the first floor was the reception and warehouse, the second floor was the manager’s office and meeting room, and the third floor was the residence of the Anping Trading Company manager.
Wu Yingzong, disguised as the Anping Company manager lurking in Shanghai, finished handling his work as usual.
Until the afternoon, when employees got off work, he went out for a stroll and returned carrying an oiled paper package.
Closing the door securely, Wu Yingzong went up to the third floor.
The third floor had now become the temporary residence of the Special Action Team, where Fang Wen was discussing with action team members.
After Wu Yingzong entered, he proactively reported the situation.
“General Manager, everything was normal today. I specially went out for a stroll and found no secret agents.”
As he spoke, he distributed the pastries he bought to his partners.
Fang Wen took a small piece and asked: “When will Zhao Wanping return?”
“She is accompanying a group of rich madams playing mahjong to gather intelligence; probably around 8 or 9 in the evening,” Wu Yingzong replied.
“Then we’ll wait for her to return before talking. Who is cooking dinner tonight?” Fang Wen asked. For secrecy, the Special Action Team could not buy large amounts of food from restaurants and had to cook themselves.
The action group members proactively took on the cooking task and soon prepared a table of meal.
The dishes still were not as good as Zhao Wanping’s; barely edible.
After dinner, they waited until late at night when Zhao Wanping returned.
Unable to contain her delight, she reported: “General Manager, I heard good news. A distinguished guest named Nagano Shuu came from Japan.”
“Who is this?” Fang Wen asked.
“I haven’t checked his exact identity yet, but he must be of high status. All senior Imperial Japanese Navy officers stationed in Shanghai went to the port to receive him,” Zhao Wanping replied.
