Chapter 203: Construction
About eighteen kilometers east of Wutaixian County, there is a winding and tortuous river that the locals call the Nine Bends River.
On the south bank of the river, there is a vast expanse of open wasteland that is rarely visited by people. This wasteland is relatively flat, with firm soil quality, and what’s even rarer is that there are not too many towering mountains blocking the surroundings, offering an open view. In Su Yaoyang’s words, it would be such a pity not to use such a good place to build an airport.
Ever since Su Yaoyang decided to adopt John’s suggestion and risk airlifting that precious batch of pilots and technical personnel from Hong Kong, building an airport capable of taking off and landing large transport aircraft has become the most important and urgent task for the Shanxi Militia at present.
These days, the usually desolate and quiet banks of the Nine Bends River have suddenly become bustling with noise and excitement.
Tens of thousands of local people, organized and mobilized by the Shanxi Militia, carrying hoes and shovels, pushing wheelbarrows, and driving oxen and horses pulling stone rollers, have gathered here from all directions.
Encouraged by the ocean and grain, more than 10,000 local people have thrown themselves into this massive airport construction project.
For a moment, the wasteland was crowded with people.
The people were highly enthusiastic and full of energy.
They used the most primitive tools to level the land with one hoe and one shovel, clearing weeds and stones. Loud work chants rose one after another, echoing across the wilderness.
In addition to the massive manpower input, the engineer battalion under Su Yaoyang also played a key role.
The engineer battalion was equipped with more than a dozen large excavators and bulldozers, these heavy engineering machines that were extremely rare in inland China at the time. Although not many in number, they played an irreplaceable role in the airport construction process.
These steel behemoths roared deafeningly while using their huge buckets and bulldozer blades to quickly level the uneven ground, greatly accelerating the project progress.
The truck fleet of the truck company was also not idle; they worked day and night to transport truckloads of rebar, cement, sand, and gravel building materials from the rear warehouses to the site.
Under the guidance of the engineer battalion’s technical personnel, the foundations of simple but sturdy barracks, the prototype of the control tower, fuel depot, and ammunition depot began to rise from the ground.
The core of the airport… the runway, was even more the top priority of the entire project.
Based on the takeoff and landing parameters of transport aircraft like the DC-3 provided by John, and possible professional advice from Doolittle and others communicated via telegram, Pi Ruoyu and the officers of the engineer battalion carefully planned the length, width, and orientation of the runway.
In the end, they decided to build two main runways and four short runways dedicated to fighter takeoffs and landings, forming a “two long and four short” runway group to cope with different wind directions and emergencies.
These runways extended toward the distance at an astonishing speed.
The people stunned everyone by using their sweat and hands to repeatedly compact and roll flat the road base mixed with crushed stones and soil. Some key road surfaces were even poured with thick layers of rebar and cement to increase their load-bearing capacity and durability.
Su Yaoyang knew this matter was of great importance and could not afford any mishaps. He temporarily set aside his other work and personally came to the airport construction site on the banks of the Nine Bends River to take command.
He braved the scorching autumn sun, patrolling back and forth on the dusty construction site, inspecting the engineering quality and solving problems on the spot.
Seeing their big boss personally coming to the front line to share joys and hardships with everyone, even footing the bill out of his own pocket for extra meals, with Spam luncheon meat guaranteed for every young and strong participant in the airport construction.
Seeing that there was actually meat to eat, the civilian laborers all put in their utmost effort, working day and night. As one elderly man put it: the boss is treating us to meat, anyone who dares to slack off and dawdle would be struck by lightning.
Under the joint efforts of the military and civilians, the airport’s runways were extending outward rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Su Yaoyang stood on a temporarily built earth mound, overlooking the hot and bustling construction scene before him, his heart filled with emotion and anticipation.
He knew that this airport not only carried his dream of building a powerful air force, but also related to the future development of the entire Shanxi Militia and the safety of Wutaixian County.
As long as the planes could arrive smoothly, that group of “foreigners” from America would be able to give his troops the wings to soar.
Just as Su Yaoyang was fully focused on the airport construction, eagerly awaiting good news from Hong Kong, Chief of Staff Pi Ruoyu hurriedly found him and brought a piece of news that shocked everyone present.
“Commander!” Pi Ruoyu’s face was somewhat grave. He lowered his voice and leaned close to Su Yaoyang’s ear, saying, “We just received news from Wuhan… something big has happened there!”
Su Yaoyang’s heart tightened, gesturing for him to continue.
Pi Ruoyu took a deep breath and slowly said: “That Japanese lieutenant general Ushijima Jiro, whom we handed over to the Second War Zone earlier for transport to Wuhan for public display… is dead!”
“What?!” Su Yaoyang’s eyebrows shot up upon hearing this, a flash of astonishment in his eyes. Several militia officers who were reporting work around him also stopped what they were doing and looked at Pi Ruoyu in surprise.
Pi Ruoyu continued: “According to the report from Wuhan, shortly after the plane escorting Ushijima Jiro arrived at Wuhan airport, it encountered a bomb attack on the way from the airport to the press conference venue.
It is said that someone had pre-planted a massive explosive by the roadside, directly blowing the car carrying Ushijima Jiro sky-high.
Ushijima Jiro… along with dozens of Military Statistics Bureau agents escorting him, were all killed on the spot, with no remains left, not a single survivor!”
“Hiss…”
Hearing this news, Su Yaoyang and everyone present involuntarily drew in a sharp breath.
This news was too sudden and too shocking! A high-ranking Japanese officer about to be publicly displayed was actually so easily bombed to death in the heavily guarded capital of the National Government’s controlled area, under the protection of dozens of elite agents—this was simply unbelievable!
A hard-to-describe expression appeared on Pi Ruoyu’s face as he continued: “It is said that this incident caused the National Government to lose all face. The Chairman smashed a cup on the spot in rage upon hearing the news, cursing loudly, shaking all of Wuhan. Now foreign and domestic reporters are in an uproar, with all sorts of speculations. Chongqing has ordered a strict investigation, but it’s probably just another muddled account.”
Su Yaoyang was silent for a moment, his gaze becoming profound.
He slowly shook his head, his tone carrying a barely perceptible sarcasm and sigh: “It seems… the National Government side has long been infiltrated by various forces like a sieve…”
As soon as he said this, the other militia cadres present all nodded in agreement.
One operations staff officer couldn’t help saying: “Yes, Commander! Even such a high-level important prisoner couldn’t be protected on their own turf, showing just how chaotic their internal management is! Japanese puppet spies, traitor sabotage, even internal factional struggles—anything is possible!”
Another staff officer analyzed: “With Ushijima Jiro dead, although we lose a usable bargaining chip, it’s also one less trouble.
However, this incident shows that the waters there run very deep! We must be extremely cautious in dealing with them in the future.”
Su Yaoyang nodded slightly, his gaze turning back to the airport under construction in the distance.
Ushijima Jiro’s death, though unexpected, further strengthened his determination to build a powerful force completely under his own control.
Relying on others is ultimately unreliable.
Only by firmly grasping one’s fate in one’s own hands can one stand invincible in this chaotic world.
“Pass on my orders!”
Su Yaoyang said in a deep voice, “The airport construction progress must not slacken in the slightest! It must reach the standard for large transport aircraft takeoffs and landings in the shortest possible time! At the same time, strengthen security around the airport to strictly prevent infiltration and sabotage by any enemy agents!
Lu Shaobin, hurry the airport guard troops and the recruitment for the two new regiments; it must be completed before the Spring Festival!”
“Yes! Commander!” everyone responded in unison.
Ushijima Jiro’s death was like a small stone thrown into a lake, rippling Su Yaoyang’s heart slightly, but it was soon overwhelmed by the greater wave of airport construction.
For him, the most important thing right now was to welcome those “hopes” about to descend from the sky.
As for the filth and chaos in the National Government controlled areas, he had no time for them and was too lazy to delve deeper.
He only knew that his own path had to be walked step by step by himself. And this airport on the banks of the Nine Bends River was an important step toward his future.
After issuing the orders, Su Yaoyang was about to leave but suddenly stopped, feeling as if he had forgotten something very important, though he couldn’t recall it for the moment.
After arranging the various matters for the airport construction and instructing Pi Ruoyu and the engineer battalion leaders on a few technical points and safety issues regarding runway construction, Su Yaoyang rubbed his somewhat swollen temples and prepared to return to the command post first to handle the backlog of military affairs.
However, just as he took a step, a flash of lightning seemed to strike his mind, and he abruptly stopped! “Damn it! How did I forget about this!”
Su Yaoyang slapped his forehead, a look of annoyance on his face.
He suddenly realized that in his rush to push the airport construction, he had overlooked a crucial issue—preparing planes for those American pilots who were coming from afar to fly once they arrived!
The airport is the nest, the planes are the birds.
Without planes, no matter how well the airport is built, those precious pilots would arrive only to stare helplessly, their talents wasted.
If they traveled thousands of miles to Wutaixian County only to find not a single decent combat aircraft here, wouldn’t that be the biggest joke?
Not only would it disappoint them utterly, but it would also severely damage their enthusiasm and trust in the Shanxi Militia.
“Mudheaded! I’m really mudheaded!”
Su Yaoyang silently cursed himself.
During this time, with fighting wars, construction, and handling various internal base affairs, everything was overwhelming, leaving him stretched thin, and he had actually overlooked this critical link.
Fortunately, he remembered now, and it wasn’t too late.
