Chapter 58: Provocation! (Recommended, Collected)
Sun Xiang did not attend the subsequent meeting, having said what he had to say. There was nothing more for him here, and the top priority now was to build an air force. Sun Xiang left Jiangxi and headed straight for Nanjing.
Chen Nade is now in a bad mood. Sun Xiang gave Chen Nade an F4U so that he can inspect the current situation of the Chinese Air Force.
Through investigation, Chen Nade found that the domestic air force situation in China at that time was very complicated. Different regions had their own aviation schools, and different aviation schools also had various training methods.
Chennault reported to Soong and Madame Chiang that nominally China had about 1,400 pilots at the time, but most were primary aviation personnel. Only about 500 were actually qualified, having been trained by the Central Aviation School, plus another hundred or so from other aviation schools.
Chennault also learned from some officers that the Nationalist government nominally had 500 planes, but in fact only 91 could take off and fight, which made Chennault anxious who was still under investigation.
The telegram indicated that Sun Xiang needed to get a batch of planes from the US to China. In this situation, once the war starts, with insufficient number of planes, it would be easy to destroy them within three months. After reading the telegram, Sun Xiang remained silent. Before coming to China, he already knew about this situation. With the current number of planes and pilot quality, they had to rely on foreign support in a short period of time, and now they must increase their application efforts.
After thinking clearly, he immediately sent a telegram to the Washington authorities and the Pearl Harbor Air Force Base, hoping to get support from the United States. President Roosevelt considered Sun's request repeatedly and refused it, citing that the US was not convenient to intervene in the Far East dispute at this time, but took an attitude of disapproving but not opposing Sun's appeal to the Pearl Harbor Air Force Base.
But Roosevelt made a wrong move this time, because he underestimated Sun Xiang's appeal. Sun Xiang's distress call was like an atomic bomb in the Berlin base, and more than half of the pilots responded to the call, including the top instructor team and the best students.
Sun Xiang then sent a telegram to Yan'an and Chiang Kai-shek, hoping that Yan'an and the National Government would request air support from the Soviet government.
Joint Base Andrews
The airport loudspeaker crackled to life: "Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'm Colonel Ralph, and I'll now read a telegram."
The big soldiers in the base stopped what they were doing and listened quietly to Ralph's voice.
He paused for a moment and then continued: "Cadets of the Polin Air Force Base, hello, I'm Steve." A cheer erupted from the apron.
"Since coming to China, I have seen the backwardness of the air force here, but I cannot escape because this is my hometown. Now I lack some helpers, I don't know the high-level officials of the US military, and the highest-ranking officer I know is Colonel Ralph, and the most pilots I know are also students and instructors from Pauling Base. Now I want to ask for your help, I need a large number of flight-experienced instructors to help me establish the Chinese Air Force. I hope that China's airspace will not see the shadow of invaders, I love my hometown, so I don't want to see her unprotected. Steve requests that all students and instructors can help me protect her together. Steve, June 8th, 1937, Nanjing, China."
At first, the faint sound of laughter from the soldiers at the base could still be heard, but gradually everyone's face turned serious. After Colonel Ralph finished reading the telegram, everyone fell into deep thought...
The next day, Colonel Ralph's office was besieged by over 400 officers and men who wanted to go to China. In the end, a total of 323 people were confirmed, most of whom were pilots with more than 400 hours of flight experience. This batch of pilots will greatly strengthen the strength of Sun Xiang.
Another secret telegram was sent to the H.S. Secret Institute in Los Angeles, and after Hughes read Sun Xiang's telegram, his eyebrows furrowed... The next day, ten ships of goods were dispatched from the Hughes Group in Los Angeles, with no one knowing what was inside. Howard Hughes stood at the port watching the large ocean-going cargo ship depart, secretly letting out a sigh of relief. Subsequently, Hughes ordered the aircraft factory to double its production of aircraft.
At the same time, Sun Xiang and Hughes Aircraft's mechanics inspected the first batch of F4U aircraft that had arrived. The solid manufacturing level of H.S company would make these aerial combat weapons from the assembly line a nightmare for the Japanese! On the same day, Sun Xiang piloted an airplane taking off from Nanjing to Beijing!
Sun Xiang's plane arrived over Taiyuan after flying for 1 hour and 15 minutes, refueled and flew directly to Beijing! The Japanese side was greatly surprised. This strange-shaped plane had long been familiar to people, especially the Japanese, who attached great importance to Sun Xiang, this air combat hero. On that day, Sun Xiang piloted his plane over Beiping City, performing 20 consecutive rolls, shocking the entire city of Beiping.
At first, the people thought it was a Japanese plane, but when Sun Xiang flew low in the sky, everyone in Beiping City and its surroundings saw the huge firebird and blue sky white sun flag on the plane. Suddenly, cheers spread throughout Beiping City! Because the people knew that the world's number one air combat ace had returned!!
The Japanese garrison was greatly panicked, especially the pilots, because Sun Xiang's record was dazzling like the sun in this era. The Japanese side immediately took off 4 Type 96 land-based aircraft to intercept, and Sun Xiang's plane met with the enemy in the sky. At first, people on the ground looked at Sun Xiang worriedly, fearing that he would be shot down by the Japanese planes, but what happened next made all the old and young men of Beiping laugh heartily.
Sun Xiang flew the modified F4U and encountered Japanese planes. If he hadn't considered that China wasn't ready yet, Sun Xiang would have directly shot down these four sons of guns. Sun Xiang restrained himself, opening the loudspeaker on this specially modified plane: "All you old and young masters in Beiping, I am Sun Xiang, and the four sons of guns following behind me are Japanese pilots. We don't need to bother with them. I just want to have a word with you all. Our country has suffered many losses from war over the years. If another clown wants to take advantage of us again, can we tolerate it?"
"No, no!!" The voices in the city gradually converged into one word, first from soldiers, then students, businessmen and ordinary people. This is the unyielding voice of the Chinese nation. As long as this voice still exists, the Chinese nation will still exist!!
Sun Xiang's eyes suddenly became moist, he sat in the cockpit of the plane, very clearly hearing such a shout, he felt that the burden on himself was very heavy, very heavy!!
Sun Xiang's voice rose again: "Our country has gone through hardships, what are we afraid of now? Is it the destruction of our home, the separation of loved ones, or the collapse of our nation? But if we retreat, will the Japanese return to their island? No, so rather die than be a slave to a lost nation!"
"Rather die than be a slave to an invader! Rather die than be a slave to an invader!!" The roar of the crowd shook the sky above Beiping, and what was trembling was the soul of the devils!
The 96 landings behind, couldn't catch up with Sun Xiang at all. Sun Xiang led them in a circle above the North Ping City, and gradually people saw clearly that Sun Xiang's flight was like acrobatics, bringing four foolish men to eat dust behind him. The four Japanese pilots used their utmost efforts, but they couldn't keep up with Sun Xiang. Sun Xiang smiled in the plane and broadcast it throughout the city through a loudspeaker.
Four planes broke off in pursuit, and Sun Xiang pulled up after a flip, becoming the F4U pursuing four Japanese planes. The planes made S-shaped turns in the sky, and the Japanese pilots were on the verge of collapse. After ten minutes of pursuit, not one of the four Japanese planes was able to fire a shot. The terrified Japanese pilots gradually lost their strength, as every time they were outmaneuvered, the city would erupt in thunderous cheers. With low-altitude flight requiring extra concentration, the mental panic gradually spread to their bodies. Originally unable to catch up with Sun Xiang, they now fell even further behind...
The loudspeaker broadcast the sound: "Old and young masters, you can rest assured that I have returned. Hmph, the title of Air Combat King is not in vain! See you later!" Sun Xiang played with his four grandsons for 15 minutes before leaving with a flourish.
The Japanese commander Tada Hayao, who received the news, smashed everything that could be smashed and later fell seriously ill, dying on July 15, 1937.
