Chapter 248: 247, First-generation Fuzzy Radar Early Warning, Naval Autocannon Bombardment At Sea, Japanese A5m Type 96 Carrier Fighter
Xuan Ming Seaplane flew in the sky.
The passengers’ excitement had not yet subsided, and they were watching the sea view below from the windows, some even taking out cameras to shoot.
Wu Yingzong and Zhao Wanping were also not resting.
Each of them was responsible for one cabin: the front cabin had 8 male passenger berths, the middle cabin had female passenger berths, so the couple was perfectly positioned one in front and one in the middle.
At the same time, they had to respond to passengers’ occasional inquiries about their current location.
Judging the sea surface flight position was a very important task. Wu Yingzong would use the sextant in the observation room in front of the passenger cabin for positioning, then report to Fang Wen via the wired telephone inside the aircraft.
The latitude and longitude information measured by these sextants would provide good assistance to Fang Wen’s flight.
In the cockpit behind the huge wings, Fang Wen received Wu Yingzong’s call and corrected the mark on the map.
They had now reached the central East China Sea, with the Dongsha Islands below and Taiwan to the northeast.
Fang Wen chose to take off from Guangzhou out of safety considerations, as half of the South China Sea was outside the influence of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
But east of Dongsha, that was another story.
After all, Taiwan had been under Japanese control since the Qing Dynasty signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki.
1895—1935, 40 years already, and the Japanese had operated it for 40 years.
It would only return in the future when Japan surrendered.
The current Taiwan island was an important base for the Imperial Japanese Navy, and even Pan American Airways’ trans-Pacific route had to avoid it to prevent danger.
Fang Wen was the same, even more likely to suffer attacks from the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Therefore, he chose a detour flight, turning the airplane southward.
At the same time, Wu Yingzong also made an announcement inside the cabin.
“Passengers, for this flight, to avoid harassment from the Japanese Navy, the heading has deviated. After entering American Philippines airspace, we will resume the normal route.”
The passengers all expressed understanding and had no unusual reactions.
Fang Wen, observing the cabin situation through mechanical perception, felt a little disappointed.
He found no anomalies, so he couldn’t determine if there were Japanese spies lurking among the passengers.
The airplane’s temporary route adjustment had a good effect: the naval ships dispatched from the Taiwan base to intercept did not find traces of the Xuanming on the original route.
The Imperial Japanese Navy, of course, would not give up just like that.
Several carrier-based aircraft formations took off and searched in different directions.
Fang Wen, flying south, toggled the right end of the dashboard to activate an electronic equipment that PBY seaplanes did not have.
This equipment was not even available on any aircraft in the world; it was the Xuanming’s first use.
‘First generation fuzzy radar’
It was called fuzzy radar because the Tsinghua University research team had not yet perfected the radar positioning function.
But it could already produce early warning effects.
Any aircraft appearing within 300 kilometers would encounter radio waves and produce reflected waves, thus being detected by the fuzzy radar.
Therefore, the Imperial Japanese Navy carrier-based aircraft were detected and early warning feedback was given before they even encountered them.
The buzzing alarm sound emanated, and Fang Wen immediately entered wartime state.
He picked up the in-aircraft wired telephone to notify Wu Yingzong: “Within one hour, we may encounter Imperial Japanese Navy fighter jets. Enter wartime state immediately.”
Wu Yingzong, upon receiving the order, immediately went to the middle cabin to notify Zhao Wanping.
The two immediately took action and opened the sealed door to the rear compartment.
They entered the rear compartment and began equipping as aircraft machine gunners.
Bulletproof apron, heat-resistant gloves, thick fur pants, windproof glasses.
These were all essential equipment; otherwise, firing 12.7mm M2 machine gun bullets would prevent normal sustained shooting.
Dressed in equipment, the two stood left and right at the swivel machine gun positions, loading whole boxes of 12.7mm ammunition belts.
Then came the silent wait.
They needed to enter shooting state the moment Fang Wen issued the shooting order to ensure hit accuracy.
（Mid-to-late World War II M2 machine gun manual swivel shooting position）
The passengers in the Xuanming cabin were completely unaware.
The three crew members, however, entered a highly tense combat readiness state.
Wu Yingzong and Zhao Wanping gripped the machine guns, with the wired telephone beside them turned on, waiting.
Fang Wen entered mechanical perception state, fully focused.
He was not a machine after all; although his superpower had been upgraded by absorbing mysterious energy, his sensing range was still only 1000 meters.
But this range was already sufficient for actual combat.
What he needed to do now was, after enemy aircraft appeared, conduct shooting command.
Just like artillery long-range artillery strike requiring a remote observer to provide shooting elements guidance.
He was now the observer, directing Wu Yingzong and Zhao Wanping to pre-fire and destroy the enemy at the moment of encounter.
Time passed bit by bit, but the enemy aircraft had not yet appeared, yet the buzzing alarm continued.
Sweat beaded on the foreheads of Wu Yingzong and Zhao Wanping; their equipment had poor breathability, and they were already soaked with sweat.
Fang Wen also maintained high-intensity mechanical perception state, merging as one with the airplane, scanning the surrounding 1000-meter range.
Another 2 minutes passed, and the enemy finally appeared.
Fang Wen had never seen this type of Imperial Japanese Navy carrier-based aircraft before.
But he knew its name: A5M/Type 96 carrier-based fighter.
According to information bought from the Shanghai intelligence network, this was the Imperial Japanese Navy’s secret weapon, only entering service this year.
Produced by Mitsubishi, all-metal low-wing monoplane fighter, comparable to Boeing Company’s P-26 series.
Speed even reached 430 kilometers per hour.
Such high speed had already reached the speed peak of current fighter jets.
Yet Fang Wen was not optimistic about this fighter.
Because its skin was too thin, range limited, and it couldn’t sustain high-altitude maneuver combat for long.
But currently, Fang Wen was piloting a civilian seaplane, with speed and flexibility incomparable to it, so he could only shoot it down from long range.
Fully focused Fang Wen controlled the forward fuselage machine gun turret to adjust angle, while silently calculating in his mind.
Moments later, he issued an order via the in-aircraft wired telephone.
“Muzzle right 15, up 30 degrees, 200 rounds rapid fire.”
Wu Yingzong and Zhao Wanping, upon receiving the order, immediately adjusted their shooting positions as required.
The swivel machine gun positions they controlled had the fuselage aiming cross replaced with a simpler direct sight lens scale; through this direct sight lens scale, Fang Wen, one with man and machine, directed the two to complete preset aiming.
The A5M/Type 96 carrier-based fighter flew in at high speed.
It had already spotted the Xuanming, and the pilot excitedly accelerated to rush in, wanting to open fire and shoot down this civilian seaplane within effective shooting range.
This idea was correct, but unfortunately, his opponent was Fang Wen.
The A5M/Type 96 carrier-based fighter rushed in at over 400 kilometers per hour, and the opposing airplane didn’t even turn, responding from the side.
The pilot, thinking he just needed to get a bit closer to blast this civilian airplane, couldn’t help but fantasize about the military rewards after returning to base and the commendations from the domestic House of Peers.
But the next second.
Two strings of bullet shadows shot from the rear of the Xuanming, and one from the nose position.
Too fast, and it was pre-fire; the pilot of the A5M/Type 96 carrier-based fighter couldn’t react at all.
50 BMG bullets with flight speed reaching 820 meters per second, exceeding twice the speed of sound, traced marks in the air（shock waves）, visible even to passengers inside the airplane cabin.
“What is that?” Passengers ignorant of military matters looked in surprise at the scene outside.
Some also showed strange expressions.
The next second, the bullet shadows hit the oncoming A5M/Type 96 carrier-based fighter.
50 BMG bullets capable of tearing armor crossed from three directions into the fuselage.
The pilot’s memory stopped at that moment of pleasant fantasy, torn to fragments along with the fuselage.
A huge fireball exploded in the air, and this attacker was shattered to pieces in the East China Sea.
At this time, an announcement came from inside the cabin.
“Passengers, you probably saw a burst of fireworks just now. That was a stateless airplane preparing to attack us. To ensure the safety of the airplane and passengers, we used self-defense measures. It was very unlucky and ran into the muzzle. The danger is now over, and the journey continues.”
The passengers breathed a sigh of relief, acting as if nothing had happened.
They couldn’t feel the tension and danger of that moment; instead, they felt it was a memorable experience.
Except for those few.
Air combat ended, and fully prepared Fang Wen resolved the danger.
Subsequently, the airplane flew into American Philippines territory, no longer needing to worry about Japanese threats.
But on the other hand, Fang Wen did not let down his guard.
In mechanical perception state, he was one with man and machine, fully aware of the situation inside the airplane.
Those few who showed abnormal reactions after seeing the air combat shooting were all suspicious.
For the journey’s smooth progress, while controlling the airplane back to the original route, Fang Wen checked the passenger information.
A total of four suspicious individuals showed abnormal behavior.
Fang Wen first ruled out two.
Those two were officers of the 19th Army. Due to the Fujian Incident, the 19th Army had fallen apart; officers unwilling to follow Chiang Kai-shek either retired to the countryside or went to Hong Kong, while these two chose to start anew in San Francisco.
They had fought Japanese Navy airplanes in Shanghai, engaging in head-on shooting with machine guns against aircraft in the air without anti-aircraft weapons.
When seeing the Type 96 carrier-based fighter destroyed, their emotions were excitement and joy.
What about the other two?
One was a reporter from Shanghai, the other a businessman from Beiping.
These two had originally been vetted and seemed very ordinary, but after this incident, Fang Wen felt they might have issues.
To make the subsequent flight smoother, Fang Wen decided to talk with the two 19th Army officers.
In the following flight, no more problems were encountered, and the Xuanming flew unimpeded over the American Philippines colony, through the Philippine Sea,
Finally, hours later, spotting islands in the vast Pacific skies.
All passengers rushed to the windows upon hearing the news.
From south to north, there were several islands.
He circled the airplane at high altitude, then picked up the microphone for an in-aircraft announcement.
“Passengers, today’s journey ends here, and we will stop overnight. Let me introduce the situation. The southernmost is Guam, above Guam are Rota Island, Tinian Island, Saipan Island, Medinilla, Anatahan, and other small islands. Guam is controlled by the United States, while the other islands are collectively known as the Northern Mariana Islands, controlled by Japan.”
The passengers were very surprised: how did the little Japanese have territory in such a distant Pacific?
Their questions reached the cockpit, and Fang Wen continued the announcement to explain.
“In 1898, the United States went to war with Spain. The defeated Spain compensated Guam to the United States and sold the Northern Mariana Islands to Germany. Later, in the world war, defeated Germany was unable to manage overseas colonies and ceded them to Japan. Not only the Northern Mariana Islands, but Palau to the south was also controlled by the Japanese. So, our safest landing point is only Guam. Next, everyone sit tight; the airplane is about to land.”
After speaking, Fang Wen turned the fuselage and returned to Guam airspace.
At this time, Guam had no large naval base, and the island was not prosperous.
Only some small towns scattered on the island.
At the northern end of the island was the natural port Apra Harbor.
A ocean cargo ship was moored there.
It was Taishan International’s cargo ship.
Fang Wen then landed on the sea surface beside the cargo ship.
Next, several small boats were lowered from the cargo ship, carrying various supplies to the Xuanming.
Fang Wen also came down from the cockpit and announced.
“Sea surface layover rest for 2 hours. Everyone can eat here or take a boat tour, but cannot go ashore.”
Not allowing them ashore was to prevent these passengers from running around, making it hard to find them at takeoff, which would affect the race.
Subsequently, the airplane began refueling and taking on water, and the freshly delivered food was laid out before the passengers.
Red rice, large crabs, and roast fish.
Fang Wen looked at the English menu description and explained to the passengers.
“Today’s food is local Chamorro people’s food. Red rice is cooked with raw rice mixed with juice from the lipstick tree. The other seafood is also prepared using Chamorro cooking methods. But I must warn you: foreign food may cause indigestion. If you can’t get used to it or are worried, you can request our airplane instant noodles instead.”
Among the passengers, there were no few interested in foreign food; even after Fang Wen’s reminder, many wanted to try it.
But some were unwilling to take the risk and chose the food made by Zhao Wanping.
Fang Wen also didn’t want to take risks; as captain and pilot, if he got diarrhea, this flight race would be lost directly.
Therefore, he had Zhao Wanping make a portion of fried rice, then sat down in front of the two 19th Army officers.
The two officers were eating airplane instant noodles and stopped upon seeing Fang Wen.
“Have we met?” Fang Wen asked.
One officer said: “In 1934 Republic of China, you landed at Fuzhou airport to deliver supplies to us; I happened to be in the receiving team.”
Fang Wen sighed: “After that, there was no more 19th Route Army.”
The two officers looked somber; it was clear they missed those days.
Fang Wen beckoned Wu Yingzong to give the two a cup of yellow wine each, but he himself didn’t take any.
“Sorry, I can’t drink with you; I still need to pilot the airplane.”
The two officers nodded in understanding, raised their glasses and said: “Thank you for the hospitality, General Manager Fang.” “Once we settle in the United States, we will definitely invite President Fang to visit.”
Fang Wen smiled, raised a glass of clear water to drink with them, then said in a low voice: “I suspect there are Japanese lurking among the airplane passengers. To ensure everyone safely reaches the United States, I’d like you two to help.”
