Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 791 This Month's Intelligence Summary: Yugoslavian Military Procurement Representative

After successfully completing its first accurate hit test launch, the TV-guided rocket project has officially entered the mass production verification and finalization phase.

In accordance with the stringent standards for military products, the project team needs to complete no less than fifty rounds of live-fire tests under different wind speeds, ranges, and lighting conditions. At the same time, a comprehensive assessment must be conducted on the reliability of the projectile, its radio interference resistance, and the continuous working stability of the ram air turbine motor. Only after all indicators meet the standards can the production line modification and small-batch production be started.

This work is time-consuming, involves complicated procedures, and requires the R&D team to be stationed at the test site for a long time for repeated debugging.

As the head of Taishan Group, Fang Wen's energy should not be limited to the detailed polishing of a single weapon. He needs to keep abreast of the ever-changing domestic and international war situation, expand domestic military production capacity, and manage the mountain of affairs at the Yangon base. All of these require his personal coordination.

After confirming that the project team had mastered the core technologies and that the direction for subsequent optimization was clear, Fang Wen officially handed over the responsibility for the subsequent testing and mass production preparation of the TV-guided rocket to Jiang Wenjin, while he himself flew back to Yangon from the base in northern Myanmar to resume his overall management of the group.

Upon returning to the top-floor general manager's office, the first thing he did was retrieve a summary of global intelligence gathered over the past month.

Zhao Junping neatly arranged a thick stack of encrypted files in front of his desk.

The covers are all marked with different security classifications, covering everything from the situation on the front lines of the War of Resistance against Japan in China, to the troop movements of Japanese troops in Southeast Asia, and the latest battle situation in Europe and North Africa.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, opened the document cover, and began reading them one by one.

The domestic battlefield was generally stable. After the large-scale mopping-up operations in the early stage, the Japanese forces gradually dispersed. The fighting on the main battlefield slowed down, while the base areas behind enemy lines continued to develop under difficult conditions.

The weapons, communication equipment, and medical supplies transported by the Taishan Group to the front lines were continuously delivered, effectively enhancing the combat and logistical support capabilities of the troops. Although this was insufficient to reverse the overall war situation, it did indeed inject real strength into the War of Resistance.

What truly affected the overall situation was still the overseas battlefield, especially the new round of all-out offensive launched by the Axis powers. Within just one month, the world order underwent a dramatic upheaval.

In the North African campaign, after his tank forces were transported from his homeland by warship, Erwin Rommel led the German Afrika Korps to Libya and immediately launched a fierce counter-offensive.

This renowned German general, skilled in armored assaults and mobile tactics, reversed the previous decline of the Italian army, commanding armored units to quickly penetrate and outflank, and swiftly recapture the El Aguilar region previously occupied by the British.

The British defenses in Libya collapsed instantly, and the troops retreated in disarray. The German armored corps advanced rapidly, completely encircling the Benghazi region.

Even though British squads were equipped with advanced real-time voice communication equipment, enabling rapid communication and tactical coordination, they were still no match for the German army's mature armored tactics, efficient infantry-tank coordination, and Rommel's masterful command.

The British army's hard-won advantage in North Africa was completely lost with the intervention of the German Afrika Korps, and the strategic situation along the Mediterranean coast once again tilted in favor of the Axis powers.

Fang Wen looked up at the map hanging on the wall.

Benghazi was captured by the British from the Italian army in North Africa with great difficulty, and they hoped to use it to expand their war effort in Africa.

Unexpectedly, the Germans turned the tide as soon as they arrived.

Fang Wen was well aware that the British army's defeat was not simply due to equipment, but rather to tactical concepts and battlefield command.

Semiconductor walkie-talkies solved the communication problem, but they could not make up for the lack of armored forces, much less offset Rommel's command talent for daring to take risks and launching precise surprise attacks.

If the Taishan Group's TV-guided rockets could be mass-produced ahead of schedule and mounted on fighter jets to carry out precision strikes against German armored formations, it might have provided a glimmer of hope for the British army to reverse its decline. Of course, that was impossible. Once TV-guided rockets were mass-produced, they would only be used to deal with Japanese mechanized forces.

Pushing aside his thoughts, Fang Wen continued to peruse the intelligence.

A naval battle also took place in the Mediterranean, but the situation was completely different.

The Italian Navy launched a surprise attack to cut off Britain's sea supply line from Egypt to Greece, but was unexpectedly ambushed by the British Mediterranean Fleet.

The British military, leveraging the technological advantage of its shipborne radar, was able to detect Italian movements in advance, thereby gaining the initiative on the battlefield.

After a fierce battle, the British sank three Italian heavy cruisers and two destroyers, severely damaging the main force of the Italian navy and causing it to lose control of the Mediterranean. The sea lanes were then regained to British control.

The Italian army has lost again.

Fang Wen continued reading.

In the East African theater, taking advantage of the low morale and lack of supplies of the Italian army, the British launched another offensive and successively captured many strategic locations.

The British army's two victories in the Mediterranean and East Africa barely reversed the disadvantage in the North African campaign.

The entire African theater presented a strange balance: the German army was invincible in North Africa, while the Italian army suffered defeat after defeat in East Africa and the Mediterranean. The British barely managed to maintain the African theater and avoid a complete collapse thanks to the continuous defeats of the Italians.

Having read this, the global situation is roughly clear.

Fang Wen closed the intelligence data booklet.

At this moment, the office door was gently pushed open, and Zhao Junping came in and reminded him, "General Manager, the group's monthly senior management meeting will be held in ten minutes. All department heads are already present and waiting."

Fang Wen nodded, stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked towards the conference room.

The meeting began ten minutes later.

The heads of each department reported on their work progress in turn.

Civil aviation business shrank further due to frequent conflicts in the Balkans, the Mediterranean, and North Africa, with flights departing from Switzerland reduced by two-thirds.

Southeast Asian maritime navigation has not been affected for the time being, but Japanese warships have appeared in the South China Sea region multiple times, and the Emirate of Sarawak is considering shutting down their seaplane services.

The newly established petroleum and minerals department reported on the extraction and transportation of oil in Myanmar and in French Indochina.

With the completion of the refinery's upgrades, the production capacity of high-quality aviation gasoline has increased, and the continuously decreasing aviation gasoline inventory has begun to recover.

The bicycle assembly plant, meat cannery, and cold storage facilities in the Yangon Industrial Park are all operating normally.

This month, 3000 carcasses of cattle and sheep were shipped from Oceania. One-third of them were canned, the rest were stored in cold storage, and some were cut up, salted, dried, and made into cured meat. This cured meat will be transported to northern Myanmar by waterway and then back to China via the Yunnan-Burma Road.

In the latter half of the meeting, Fang Shouxin casually mentioned a previously shelved military procurement intention:

"Recently, many European forces have sought to purchase our military radio equipment, but at present, our production capacity is entirely supplied to domestic, Soviet and British countries, and we simply cannot spare any extra goods. I have rejected all such offers."

Upon hearing this, Fang Wen looked up and casually asked, "Which forces are involved?"

Fang Shouxin glanced through the records and replied, "Most are from European governments in exile and armies of small and medium-sized countries. One is rather special; it's a military procurement request from Yugoslavia. They want to purchase a large quantity of military radios and are offering a very high price, willing to settle the entire amount in gold and minerals." "Yugoslavia?" Fang Wen raised an eyebrow, instantly becoming interested.

Having just reviewed the intelligence summary, he was clear about the recent situation in Yugoslavia.

Previously, under pressure from Germany, the government of Prince Paul, the regent of Yugoslavia, formally signed an agreement to join the Axis powers, allowing German troops to transit through Yugoslavia and advance into Greece.

Just two days after the agreement was signed, a military coup broke out in Yugoslavia. The military forces, led by General Simovic, overthrew the pro-German government and enthroned the young Peter II. The new government immediately announced its withdrawal from the Axis powers, refused German troops from crossing the border, and openly broke with Germany.

It is no coincidence that a country that has just turned against Germany and is now facing the threat of war from Germany urgently needs a large amount of military supplies to enhance its combat power, and that it has turned to Taishan Group to purchase weapons.

Yugoslavia, located in the Balkans, was already surrounded by the Axis powers, and Türkiye could not provide them with military equipment. The Soviet Union was at peace with Germany and was even less likely to intervene.

Therefore, they actually targeted Taishan Group for military procurement.

Fang Wen pondered this.

The Balkans hold a crucial strategic position, being the last piece of Germany's expansion into Southern Europe and a pivotal link between Europe and the Middle East.

The resistance from Yugoslavia was able to tie down some of the German forces, slowing down Germany's expansion into the Middle East and the Mediterranean, and indirectly relieving the battlefield pressure on the Soviet Union and Britain.

But this small country was ultimately unable to resist the Axis powers' attack.

In his memory, the Axis powers, led by Germany, including Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria, launched an attack on Yugoslavia and forced the small country to surrender in just over ten days.

Therefore, agreeing to a military purchase deal with this country might mean not even getting the final payment back.

However, a nation on the verge of collapse also means that its domestic assets will fall into German hands and become fuel for the war machine.

Before that, Fang Wen wouldn't mind taking a share of the benefits in advance.

He had done this more than once, and profited greatly from it in Poland and France.

This time, he felt he couldn't let it go either.

Immediately afterward, Fang Wen asked Fang Shouxin, "Where is this Yugoslavian arms purchase representative now?"

"I haven't left Yangon yet. I'm staying at our Taishan Aviation Hotel. Because my arms purchase request was rejected, I originally planned to return to China soon," Fang Shouxin replied.

"Have someone go to the hotel and invite this representative to headquarters. I want to see him."

Everyone in the conference room was stunned. Everyone knew that the group's production capacity was already saturated and it was simply unable to take on new military orders. The general manager's move obviously had a deeper meaning.

No one questioned Fang Wen's past decisions, which had always accurately predicted the situation and led Taishan Group to seize opportunities and avoid risks time and time again. This judgment had long convinced everyone.

"Understood, I'll arrange for someone to go and invite them right away." Fang Shouxin stood up and walked out of the conference room to carry out the instructions.

Fang Wen also announced the end of the meeting and returned to his office to wait.

Half an hour later.

Zhao Junping pushed open the door and came in to report: "General Manager, the Yugoslav military procurement representative has arrived."

"Bring him in." Fang Wen put down the documents in his hand.

A middle-aged man in a dark suit followed Zhao Junping into the general manager's office, his eyes showing a hint of anxiety and exhaustion.

When he saw Fang Wen, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes; he clearly hadn't expected the general manager of Taishan Group to be so young.

Fang Wen stood up, walked over, and extended his hand: "Welcome to Yangon. I am Fang Wen from Taishan Group. We can have a good talk about your country's military procurement needs."

The middle-aged man was very excited about the sudden turn of events.

“Mr. Fang, I have long admired your name! I am Milosevic, the military procurement representative of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Thank you for your willingness to meet with me. Our country is facing the threat of German invasion and urgently needs your company's military communication equipment and weapons. As long as you are willing to supply them, we are willing to purchase them at a high price.”

"Please sit down." Fang Wen gestured for Milosevic to sit down and asked Zhao Junping to make him some tea.

Hot tea was served and placed in front of Milosevic, while Zhao Junping stood behind Fang Wen.

Fang Wen said, “Our wireless equipment production capacity is already saturated, and it will be difficult to supply other potential buyers unless there are special circumstances. Moreover, I am very curious, what you lack is not wireless equipment, but weapons to deal with German aircraft and tanks. Without those, even if you buy our Taishan walkie-talkies, they will not be of much use.”

Milosevic was not angered by Fang Wen's frank words, but sighed: "Indeed, we cannot resist. Many people in the country believe that this war should not have happened at all, and I'm afraid that when the Germans attack, those people will not participate in the resistance."

He paused, then continued pleadingly, "But we've come this far. If we don't resist, everything we've done before will have been completely meaningless. I hope you can understand and help us."

Fang Wen looked at Milosevic calmly, though he had long believed that Yugoslavia, as a small country, was doomed to failure for daring to challenge the strongest country on the European continent.

But he wouldn't say that outwardly. Instead, he asked, "You still haven't told me what you're going to do with the wireless equipment?"

Milosevic hesitated for a moment before replying, "We learned through special channels that your radio equipment can conduct real-time voice communication, which is extremely beneficial to our air force operations. If our air force pilots can communicate in real time in the air during combat, they will be able to coordinate tactics better, and perhaps even create a miracle to defeat the German air force."

Fang Wen was taken aback by the other party's ingenious idea.

Although theoretically, this is somewhat possible.

However, in practice, Fang Wen did not think so.

After all, as far as he knew, Yugoslavian military aircraft were far inferior to Germany's BF-109 series fighters.

This gap cannot even be replaced by the tactical effects provided by radio equipment.

(Yugoslav Air Force: Ikarus IK-2)

(Yugoslav Air Force: Breguet 19 biplane) (End of Chapter)