Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 826 Prime Minister's Meeting, Sale of Airplane, and Trip to America

In the early morning of June 8, 1941, the Bismarck sank completely into the deep Atlantic Ocean.

The two-day, two-night Atlantic encirclement and annihilation battle has finally come to an end.

The British fleet did not immediately withdraw. The destroyer squadron was scattered throughout the sea, retrieving the bodies of German prisoners of war and missing British soldiers. The oil slicks and burning wreckage on the sea told the story of the brutality of this naval battle.

At dawn, a group of fifteen German shore-based fighter planes appeared over the area where the Bismarck sank.

British fleet anti-aircraft weapons are on high alert.

They circled high in the sky, but all they could see was a devastated sea. Apart from British ships, there were no steel behemoths, only a few lifeboats floating around and endless oil slicks.

The German pilots had no choice but to change course and head back towards the French base.

That afternoon, the British Atlantic Fleet changed course and sailed north toward Scapa Flow, Orkney, Scotland.

Upon arrival at Scapa Flow, the surviving British soldiers on board finally relaxed after days of tension, cheering and shouting erupted as some waved flags and others embraced each other, celebrating this hard-won victory.

The following morning, the entire fleet held a solemn collective mourning ceremony.

All officers and soldiers, dressed in military uniforms, stood in neat rows on the decks of their respective warships, their horns blaring, echoing throughout the bay.

The commander stood in front of the bridge, mourning the soldiers who died on the battlecruiser HMS Hood, and also remembering the British pilots and sailors who sacrificed their lives in the battle.

Fang Wen stood in a corner of the deck of the Royal Ark, quietly watching the memorial service, his expression calm.

He was not a British soldier and could not fully empathize with the grief, but he understood the heavy price behind this victory.

After the memorial service, Fang Wen received an invitation from the commander of the Atlantic Fleet to attend a celebratory banquet organized by high-ranking officers to recognize his crucial contributions in the battle to destroy the Bismarck.

Fang Wen knew that if he wanted the British to keep their promise and help him successfully purchase centrifugal accelerators in the United States, he could not refuse the invitation.

He took a clean set of civilian clothes from the plane's cockpit, changed into them, and went to the fleet headquarters to attend the victory celebration banquet for the British military's senior officers.

At the banquet, the lights were on, and the officers raised their glasses in celebration, their words filled with joy at the victory. Fang Wen became the focus of the entire banquet.

Whether it was the fleet commander, the captain of HMS Ark Royal, or the flight squadron leader, they all came forward to raise their glasses with him, praising his textbook-level ultra-low-altitude penetration and precise torpedo dropping, their words full of admiration and respect.

During the conversation, Fang Wen brought up the matter of going to the United States. The fleet commander immediately stated that London would give a clear answer as soon as possible and asked him to wait patiently.

Fang Wen didn't ask any more questions and continued to entertain everyone until the banquet ended.

The following afternoon, news reached Scapa Flow base from London that the Prime Minister had invited Fang Wen to London, where he would be received in person.

Without delay, Fang Wen immediately went to the flight deck of the Royal Ark and boarded his Taishan seaplane.

With engines roaring, the fighter jets slid off the deck and took off, heading towards London.

Hours later, the fighter jets landed at a military airfield on the outskirts of London.

Fang Wen got off the plane.

A middle-aged man in a suit walked over.

He took the initiative to say, “Mr. Fang, I am the second secretary in the Prime Minister’s office, here to take you to see the Prime Minister. But before that, I must remind you that you cannot bring any weapons, not even a box cutter. You will be searched before you see the Prime Minister.”

Fang Wen nodded and raised the box in his right hand: "Understood. I only brought one gift."

He and the second secretary then got into the car.

Half an hour later, the car drove into Whitehall Street in Westminster.

This street, only one kilometer long, houses several important government facilities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of the Navy. When Fang Wen came last time, he went to the Ministry of the Navy building.

This time, the car drove into the Ministry of Finance building.

Afterwards, the group got out of the car, and the second secretary led Fang Wen into a heavily guarded gate.

After entering, go down to the underground space of the Finance Building.

Then, two guards blocked his way.

The second secretary said, "Please accept their inspection."

Fang Wen nodded, handed the gift box to the guard, and then allowed the guard to search his entire body. Another guard opened the gift box to check if there were any dangerous items inside.

After a full body check to confirm that no dangerous items were being carried, the guards did not return the gift box: "I'm sorry, this thing has sharp edges, so you can't give it to the Prime Minister. We have to hand it over to him."

“No problem,” Fang Wen replied.

Immediately, the guard opened the door and led Fang Wen and the second secretary into the underground passage.

Fang Wen was then led into a spacious room with a bedroom.

The British Prime Minister sat behind his desk, holding a cigar and looking at him with a gentle smile.

Churchill stood up, extended his hand, and said, “Thank you very much for your contribution to the battle to destroy the Bismarck. Without you, it would have been difficult for us to sink this steel behemoth so smoothly. You are a hero of the British Empire.”

Because of his height, Fang Wen bowed and shook hands with Churchill: "I just did what I was supposed to do. It was my honor to fight alongside the British army and defeat the fascist forces together."

After exchanging pleasantries, Churchill gestured for Fang Wen to sit down, and then they began their conversation.

He didn't dwell on the war situation, but instead focused on Fang Wen and his Taishan Group, inquiring about the group's development history, military production capabilities, and Fang Wen's widely circulated legendary experiences, from air combat to exploration, each of which piqued Churchill's curiosity.

Fang Wen answered frankly, briefly introducing the group's development in aviation, military industry, communications and other fields, while cleverly avoiding matters related to the nuclear program, without mentioning his true purpose in purchasing centrifugal accelerators.

As the conversation drew to a close, Fang Wen pointed to the gift box in the guard's hand: "Mr. Prime Minister, this is just a small token of my appreciation. It is an exclusive badge from our Taishan Group's Golden Eagle Aviation series, symbolizing courage and glory."

Churchill looked at the guard, took the gift box from him, opened it, and saw a pure gold badge with an eagle on the front and the Taishan Group logo on the back. It was exquisite and weighty.

He nodded in satisfaction and placed the gift box on his desk. "It's very exquisite; I like it very much. I know you made a request to participate in our operation. Tell me, what kind of help do you need from us?" Fang Wen was delighted, knowing that the main topic had finally arrived.

"Mr. Prime Minister, to be honest, the main reason I am going to the United States is to purchase a batch of centrifugal accelerators for our Taishan Group's material purification research. We are developing a new type of industrial material, and this device is an indispensable core piece of equipment. However, this equipment is technologically advanced and the United States has strict controls on it. I hope that the British government can step in and provide me with the necessary assistance to ensure that I can successfully purchase the equipment."

He deliberately concealed the truth about the nuclear program, attributing the procurement to the purification of industrial materials, which was both reasonable and would not arouse suspicion.

Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister did not pursue the matter further, as the strength of Taishan Group in the military industry was evident to all, and it was only natural for them to develop new industrial materials.

After a moment's thought, Churchill nodded: "Given your crucial contributions to the British Empire in this war, the British government is willing to fully support your trip to the United States. I will immediately send instructions to the British Embassy in the United States to fully cooperate with you, assist you in connecting with relevant American departments and companies, and ensure that you can successfully procure the necessary equipment."

With Churchill's explicit promise, a huge weight was finally lifted from Fang Wen's shoulders.

He thanked Churchill, saying, "Thank you for your support, Mr. Prime Minister."

The meeting ended there, and Fang Wen got up and was escorted out of the underground facility by the guards.

With the Prime Minister's promise, the success rate of the trip to the United States increased significantly, and Fang Wen prepared to set off for the United States.

However, a real problem loomed before him: the Taishan seaplane he was piloting was a coastal tactical attack aircraft with limited range, making it impossible to complete a long-distance flight across the Atlantic; and at this time, the Atlantic shipping lanes had been completely blockaded by German U-boats, so traveling to the United States by merchant ship would be tantamount to walking into a trap, with extremely high risks.

The only way to travel safely to the United States is to acquire a long-range seaplane with transatlantic range.

Just as Fang Wen was pondering a solution, the head of the British Armaments Department took the initiative to approach him, making a request with utmost sincerity: "Mr. Fang, your Taishan seaplane is of outstanding performance and is the meritorious aircraft that sank the Bismarck. The Royal Navy and Imperial War Museum hopes to permanently acquire this aircraft as a lasting memorial to the naval victory. We are willing to purchase it from you at a reasonable price."

Upon hearing this, Fang Wen's heart stirred.

This fighter jet was originally designed as an export verification model. Selling it to the British as a meritorious collection was both reasonable and allowed him to quickly obtain funds while also completely resolving his aircraft disposal issues.

Without much hesitation, he immediately agreed and ultimately sold the warplane, which had made great contributions, to the British Royal Navy for $5.

After selling the plane, Fang Wen immediately requested the British government to coordinate his trip to the United States.

In less than half a day, the problem was perfectly resolved: the British Foreign Office minister would travel in a Short Sunderland long-range seaplane patrol bomber from Liverpool, Scotland, across the Atlantic to New York, USA, to discuss wartime material cooperation.

The minister agreed to allow Fang Wen to accompany him and agreed to provide him with a reserved seat on the plane.

The next morning, Fang Wen, carrying only a few personal belongings, drove to Liverpool Port with an accompanying employee from Taishan Airlines' UK branch.

After arriving at the port smoothly, Fang Wen had his employees drive back to London, while he waited quietly at the designated docking point in the port area.

At 10:00 a.m. sharp, the deep roar of engines could be heard from the sea.

A massive Short Sunderland seaplane sliced ​​through the thin mist on the sea surface and landed smoothly on the waters of Liverpool Harbour. Its huge buoys cut through the waves as it slowly approached the shore.

After the plane came to a complete stop, the cabin door opened, and the captain led the crew ashore.

The lead pilot was taken aback when he saw Fang Wen standing on the shore, but then his face lit up with surprise.

He strode forward, his tone full of eagerness.

“Mr. Fang? It really is you! I’m Eller. I flew the night route with you on last year’s Normandy airlift mission!”

Fang Wen had a good memory; although he hadn't spoken to the pilot at the time, he remembered what he looked like.

"You were also piloting the Short Sunderland seaplane back then, weren't you?"

"Yes, I did fly that plane during the operation. I can never forget those days."

Eller was extremely excited and loudly introduced him to the crew behind him, making no attempt to hide his admiration: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Mr. Fang Wen! An air combat ace from the East, the meritorious pilot who sank the Bismarck. During the Normandy airlift, he led us to rescue hundreds of thousands of soldiers by plane. His flying skills are the best I have ever seen in my life!"

Upon hearing this, the crew members looked at Fang Wen with immediate admiration and stepped forward to express their respect.

They had long heard of the legendary deeds of this Eastern pilot, and now that they had met him in person, they could hardly contain their excitement.

Afterwards, Eller chatted enthusiastically with Fang Wen about his flying experiences from back then, without any sense of unfamiliarity.

At 11:00 a.m., two black cars drove into the port area, and the British Minister arrived at the port with his secretary and security personnel.

After a brief handover and identity verification, Fang Wen followed the minister and his entourage onto the Short Sunderland seaplane.

The crew completed the final checks, started the engine, and the huge propeller spun rapidly.

The plane glided smoothly on the water, its speed increasing until it broke free of the water, took off, and flew towards the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

During this transoceanic voyage, Fang Wen did not participate in any flight operations and remained a quiet passenger throughout the entire journey.

The plane flew smoothly over the Atlantic Ocean, passing through clouds and waves. After flying for a full 20 hours, it finally arrived over New York Harbor the following morning.

As the outline of Manhattan and the silhouette of the Statue of Liberty appeared in the mechanical perception field of vision, Fang Wen leaned back in his seat and slowly opened his eyes.

Ten minutes later, the plane landed at Manhattan Harbour.

After the plane landed at the pier, the group disembarked, and the American staff greeted the ambassador at the pier.

Fang Wen bid farewell to the minister: "Mr. Minister, thank you for letting me fly to the United States. I have some things to take care of, so I'll be leaving now."

The minister nodded: "Your matter will be handled by the consulate. If you encounter any problems that cannot be solved, I can also provide assistance."

"Thank you." Fang Wen picked up his suitcase and left the dock.

He walked out of the dock, looked for a public phone on the street, inserted a coin, and dialed Taishan International.

The call connected, and a female voice came through the receiver: "Hello, this is Taishan International. How can I help you?"

"Tell your General Manager Lin that Fang Wen has arrived and to come pick me up."

The secretary exclaimed in surprise, clearly recognizing Fang Wen's identity, and quickly rose to report. (End of Chapter)