Chapter 245: 244, Battlefield First-aid Kit Investigation, Airdrop Aid To The Red Army Before Crossing The Grassland
The newsboy’s warning made Fang Wen alert.
He immediately entered mechanical perception state.
The special perspective gained by merging with the car gave him a wider field of observation.
The people on the street nearby seemed a bit off.
A homeless man sitting by the wall of the Kang Yuan Can Factory across the street had been watching him.
There was also a man in a suit leaning against a tree, pretending to read a newspaper, but constantly glancing in their direction.
Once suspicion arose, Fang Wen discovered many things that were not right.
Where did these people come from?
What were they doing?
Were they targeting him specifically?
The thought of Qian Yinxing made Fang Wen a little worried.
If these people had ill intentions, Qian Yinxing could be in trouble.
Fang Wen prepared to act, starting the car’s engine.
Kang Yuan Can Factory.
Led by a staff member of the can factory, Qian Yinxing was taken to the manager’s office.
Qian Yinxing had been here with Fang Wen last year, but the manager of the office was not the same one as before.
This made Qian Yinxing vigilant.
But the next second, when the other party enthusiastically extended his hand for a handshake, he noticed more abnormalities.
Those who pick locks must have nimble hands; keen hand perception is a basic requirement.
During the handshake with the new manager, he detected something strange about the man’s palm.
This was definitely not the hand of someone who sat in an office working, as prolonged use of a pen would lead to calluses on the joints of the index and middle fingers.
Nor was it the hand of a worker or farmer, as the calluses on the base of the thumb were not prominent.
This hand shape, however, resembled that of someone who frequently handled a gun.
The master’s teachings flashed through Qian Yinxing’s mind: “There’s a callus between the thumb and index finger, but it’s not large, which could be from frequently holding a gun. If there are calluses on the sides of his index finger, it might be from repeatedly pulling the trigger. If both are present, be cautious, as he is almost certainly a gunman.”
How could a manager of a can factory frequently handle a gun?
Qian Yinxing realized he had fallen into a trap today.
He had to escape immediately; only by escaping could he notify the General Manager that there was danger here.
With a smile, he said, “I’m here today because I heard that your factory’s newly established toy department has a popular tin frog. I’d like to buy some samples to test sales in my shop.”
“Tin frog?” The manager’s enthusiasm vanished instantly. “You don’t need to find me for that. Take him to the toy department.”
Subsequently, Qian Yinxing was taken to another office, then to the factory building. After a convincing display of activity, he left the can factory carrying a cardboard box.
He walked out of the factory gate without any obstruction and headed across the street.
Fang Wen, who had already started the car, was considering how to notify Qian Yinxing. If the latter were captured, he could also forcibly drive in with his bulletproof combat car to attempt a rescue.
After multiple modifications, his car was comparable to a small armored vehicle, with extremely powerful firepower, high defense, and good speed and flexibility, capable of fighting its way in and out of the factory.
But just as he was about to turn around and drive over.
A black sedan drove towards them and stopped at the entrance of the Kang Yuan factory.
A tall woman wearing a hat and a trench coat alighted from the car.
Fang Wen recognized Yue Jinping immediately.
Encountering Yue Jinping here felt inexplicably strange to him.
At this moment.
Qian Yinxing emerged, carrying a cardboard box.
He looked as if nothing had happened.
Qian Yinxing exited the factory, and Yue Jinping entered, neither noticing the other.
Faced with the complicated situation, Fang Wen immediately abandoned the idea of a direct confrontation.
A moment later, Qian Yinxing crossed the road, got into the car, and suddenly lowered his voice to report.
“General Manager, leave quickly, there’s a problem here.”
“I know, stay calm and don’t arouse suspicion.”
Fang Wen slowly started the car and drove forward.
Only when he realized no one was following did Fang Wen ask, “What happened inside?”
“Their manager has changed. When I shook hands with him, I felt he wasn’t like someone who sits in an office, more like a gunman. I realized something was wrong, so I didn’t say anything and instead asked about buying the tin frog, managing to get away.”
As Qian Yinxing spoke, he took out the sample he had purchased from the cardboard box.
Fang Wen glanced at the tin frog in Qian Yinxing’s hand through the rearview mirror.
He said, “There are people watching outside too. Something might have happened at the Kang Yuan factory.”
The two had already determined that the Kang Yuan factory was problematic.
But where was the problem?
Was it aimed at Fang Wen?
Japanese people?
Thinking, Fang Wen felt that the Japanese would not be able to link him to the Kang Yuan factory.
Was it just a coincidence, and those people were not after him?
And why did Yue Jinping come here?
Because of the battlefield first-aid kit, Fang Wen felt it was necessary to understand the truth of the matter.
He drove around Huade Road and headed to Zhabei.
（Tin jumping frogs, toys from Kang Yuan factory, now with same model on sale）
At the Anping Trading Company in Zhabei, Wu Yingzong met with Fang Wen.
After hearing Fang Wen’s account of the situation, he immediately stood up and said, “General Manager, please wait here for a moment, I’ll go and gather some information.”
Over the past six months, by supplying the miracle drug penicillin, he had established his own intelligence network in Shanghai, making gathering information very convenient.
After Wu Yingzong left, Zhao Wanping stayed to entertain Fang Wen and Qian Yinxing.
She brought over two bowls of noodles, saying, “General Manager, please have some lunch. This is the Yang Chun noodles I just learned to make.”
Fang Wen took a bowl and took a bite.
It was a scallion oil broth, plain noodles, with a little chopped green onion as a garnish.
The key was the savory flavor of the scallion oil and bone broth; even without other toppings, it was delicious.
“Not bad, your cooking is getting better and better.”
Her praise made Zhao Wanping extremely happy. “General Manager, would you like more?”
Fang Wen shook his head, finished the last bite, and put down his bowl and chopsticks. “You and Wu Yingzong are wasted in Shanghai. I want you to come back and help me train troops.”
Zhao Wanping showed delight. Living in a state of disguise and lurking for a long time was not easy.
However, she did not agree directly but said she would wait for Wu Yingzong’s return.
Another half hour passed, and Wu Yingzong returned in a hurry.
He reported the findings: “General Manager, it has been clarified. It’s people from the Revival Society Special Agent Division. They were ordered to investigate people in Shanghai with Communist connections. The Kang Yuan factory was their focus of investigation. Some time ago, everyone at the Kang Yuan factory was investigated and interrogated, but they were all released as they found no issues.”
Speaking of which, Wu Yingzong produced a piece of paper. “They were investigating this thing.”
Fang Wen took the paper, which depicted the design of a battlefield first-aid kit.
The situation suddenly became clear.
With over ten thousand battlefield first-aid kits, there were bound to be omissions during military campaigns. The Kuomintang army discovered this and reported it to their superiors, leading to an investigation.
As for how they found the Kang Yuan factory.
Fang Wen thought of the celluloid medicine bottles. As long as they spent time investigating, with the current state of domestic manufacturing, it wouldn’t be difficult to find.
Therefore, the Revival Society agents were waiting at the Kang Yuan factory, and Yue Jinping had already been transferred to Shanghai Station; her visit to the Kang Yuan factory was likely part of the operation.
Fang Wen couldn’t help but lament that he and Yue Jinping were now adversaries.
Fortunately, he had used a disguised identity at the time; otherwise, he would have been exposed in this matter.
The Kang Yuan factory could no longer be used to manufacture the iron boxes and celluloid medicine bottles for battlefield first-aid kits.
Other factories likely also had Revival Society informants, so this style could no longer be used.
Fang Wen pondered what method to use for transporting medicine.
If iron boxes and celluloid were not feasible, then simpler methods would suffice.
Battlefield medical kit.
Using a canvas bag for packaging, it would contain various medical utensils, as well as penicillin, Baiyao, and cinchona bark.
This would be lighter and would not provide any clues for the agents to investigate.
Moreover, the battlefield medical kit wouldn’t require an airdrop. A seaplane could land on the water surface, meet with the Red Army, and complete the transaction on the water.
This idea made Fang Wen want to put it into practice immediately.
He looked at Wu Yingzong and asked, “The Volunteer Army is expanding. I want you and Zhao Wanping to come back and help me.”
Wu Yingzong hesitated, “General Manager, if we both leave, what about this place? Others won’t be able to manage it well.”
True, handing it over directly wouldn’t work for managing the intelligence network.
Fang Wen thought for a moment: “Qian Yinxing, you stay here. Liu Yu Bao will also come in a while. The two of you will learn from them and take over from Wu Yingzong and Zhao Wanping in Shanghai after a month.”
The arrangements were made. Fang Wen’s trip to Shanghai concluded, and the next day he took an international flight back to Yangon.
Upon returning to Yangon, Fang Wen immediately began working on the battlefield medical kits.
The airplane transported a large quantity of medical gauze.
Local female workers boiled this gauze at high temperature for sterilization, dried it, cut it into strips, and then rolled it into bandages for use.
As for the celluloid medicine bottles, since airdrops were no longer needed, they could be replaced with porcelain bottles.
China is a great country for porcelain, with countless places producing ceramic items, making it extremely difficult to investigate.
These porcelain medicine bottles were filled with single-dose medicinal powder for treatment.
Besides bandages and three types of emergency medications, Fang Wen felt the medical first-aid kit should be more comprehensive.
He procured surgical knives, medical scissors, suture thread, and a medical manual suturing device he had developed from the British.
These instruments all needed to be placed in a bag, and the canvas bag design would need to be outstanding.
Fang Wen recalled the structure of future multi-functional backpacks and designed an interior with multiple compartments.
The left external pocket had a copper pipe hot sterilization syringe, surgical knife, medical scissors, and disposable needles.
The right external pocket contained a steel plate for fracture fixation （ set ）.
The upper part of the main compartment held a large quantity of medical bandages.
The lower part of the main compartment contained emergency medication in addition to medical bandages.
With this process, the new battlefield medical kit was created.
In late August 1935.
The first batch of 1000 battlefield medical kits was completed.
Fang Wen then notified the Xiangxi Airport to contact Bai Yunfei, preparing for the transport of the first batch for trial.
Bai Yunfei, lurking near Xiangxi Airport, received the news and telegraphed his superior, then relayed the situation to Xiangxi Airport.
The handover destination: Tangke Town, Ruoergai County.
Fang Wen immediately conducted in-depth research on this target.
It was the junction of the Yellow River and the Bai River, also known as the First Bend of the Nine-Bend Yellow River.
The grasslands mentioned in “climbing snow mountains and crossing grasslands” were also there.
Fang Wen immediately designed a flight path.
Departing from Yangon, with a transfer at the Lancang River seaplane airport in Jinghong, then a direct flight to Tangke Town.
The total length of this flight path was about 2100 kilometers, and the modified Yunhe was capable of refueling along the river and completing the round trip.
The key issue was that the plane had never flown there before, and the first flight could easily lead to getting lost.
Only Fang Wen was confident he could fly the entire route himself.
After making preparations, he loaded 1000 battlefield medical kits and 15,000 newly produced bullets onto the plane.
Subsequently, Fang Wen took off alone in the aircraft.
Flying from Yangon towards the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, Fang Wen himself felt a bit nervous.
The plane refueled with high-octane aviation gasoline in Jinghong and flew north.
By the time he reached the upper reaches of the Lancang River, it was already dark.
In mechanical perception state, Fang Wen observed the landscape below.
The rivers served as the best ground guidance for the seaplane; in the moonlight, the dark ground still reflected the water surface.
Using this, along with the starry sky and the map, Fang Wen cross-referenced them to roughly determine his current location.
He adjusted his direction and flew northeast.
This flight veered off from the Lancang River.
However, after several hundred kilometers, he reached the Jinsha River, the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
Crossing the Jinsha River and continuing north, he traversed the Yalong River twice.
Then he arrived in the heartland of Sichuan.
Flying over a stretch of towering mountains, he reached the border region of Tibet.
Fang Wen used mechanical perception to locate the Yellow River but could not find its confluence with the Bai River.
Without finding the confluence, he also couldn’t find Tangke Town in Ruoergai County.
Fang Wen could only explore along the Yellow River from the air.
After flying forward for a while.
Below, the moonlight reflection on two river channels finally appeared.
Fang Wen judged that he must have arrived at the location.
To attract the attention of the personnel below, Fang Wen descended in the aircraft.
The noise generated by the engine and propeller successfully revealed his presence.
Immediately, torches lit up on the water surface.
Guided by the torchlight, Fang Wen saw a row of rafts.
He adjusted the fuselage and slowly descended, stopping steadily on the river surface.
Then he adjusted the fuselage and drove towards the raft.
As the airplane approached, Fang Wen heard voices from the raft opposite.
“Is it a water bird?”
This was a special code word given by Bai Yunfei to prevent the identity of Taishan Airlines from being leaked. After all, for safety, only Bai Yunfei and his contact knew this secret of the entire transaction.
Fang Wen naturally kept this secret as well.
He replied, “It’s a water bird. All the goods you need are in the cabin. I flew here alone, please have your organization’s people help load them onto the plane.”
“Okay, thank you very much for your support of the revolution.” After the man finished speaking, he organized soldiers to paddle the raft over.
Fang Wen went to the cabin, opened the rear hatch, and dropped an anchor with a chain into the water, allowing the floatplane to stay in a fixed area.
After a while, the raft arrived.
Fang Wen guided from the rear hatch: “Come up from here.”
Immediately, the raft was brought to the rear hatch of the airplane, and the Red Army officers and soldiers entered the cabin.
These soldiers were very simple.
“So this is an airplane!”
“I always wondered how people sat inside without falling out; it turns out there’s a bottom.”
The soldiers chuckled. The officer explained to Fang Wen helplessly, “I apologize. My soldiers are uneducated; their cultural lessons were learned in the army, so their knowledge base is rather narrow.”
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Knowledge takes time to acquire. If they have the opportunity, they can also master a lot of useful knowledge,” Fang Wen replied with a smile.
The officer’s eyes lit up: “I think so too. One day, everyone will be able to study, regardless of their social standing.”
His dream would surely come true one day.
Fang Wen didn’t say anything more about it. Time would prove everything.
He introduced the supplies to the officer: “Be careful when you load them. The medical kits cannot get wet, and the bullets cannot get wet either.”
“Understood.” The officer turned sternly and instructed the soldiers.
They had those who were poor swimmers load inside the airplane, and those who were good swimmers control the raft to transport the goods to the shoreline.
Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
However, gunfire erupted from the riverbank, clearly indicating that the Red Army was again engaging the pursuing troops.
None of this caused the Red Army soldiers to panic; they had strong confidence in their comrades.
Two hours later, the fierce battle ended. The enemy was actually routed and scattered, and the transportation of supplies was simultaneously completed.
Fang Wen shook hands with the officer: “I wish you success and a smooth journey ahead.”
The officer saluted in response, “Thank you.” He then led the soldiers onto the raft and departed.
Fang Wen quietly closed the rear hatch, moved the oil barrels inside the cabin, and connected the oil pipe.
After refueling, he returned to the cockpit to take off.
Dawn had broken by then. Looking at the meandering Yellow River and the vast grasslands from the air, there was an inexplicable, poignant beauty.
The airplane flew south.
The Red Army would face its most arduous challenges, then be reborn and become even stronger.
Fang Wen also had to complete his own challenge: to build a large aviation industry and defeat Pan American Airways.
