Victory: The Ambition of the Steel Ants

Chapter 238: Air Force Graduation Only a humanities student from the 21st century would understand the value of the Ryukyu Islands. Once the Ryukyu Islands align with China, Japan would effectively be trapped in Northeast Asia. Any access to Southeast Asia or the Pacific would depend entirely on the goodwill of the Ryukyu Islands and China. Furthermore, the First Island Chain—designed to contain China and prevent its rise—would collapse on its own. China’s strategic assets, such as its nuclear submarines, could then threaten Hawaii. Therefore, on the eve of the full-scale war, courting the Ryukyu exile government was the perfect opportunity. Moreover,Yun Liu had far-reaching ambitions: in addition to establishing a “Blue Army” modeled after the Japanese military, he also planned to help the Ryukyu Islands build a regular army. While the Ryukyu population was currently small, they could directly absorb surrendering Japanese troops in the future. First, this would prevent ordinary Japanese soldiers from fighting to the death; second, it would boost China’s reputation; and third, it would provide sufficient cannon fodder for the bloody island-landing operations in the latter stages of World War II. However, this last point would require the Ryukyuans to actively pursue it; otherwise, whether the U. S. military would even allow them to restore their nation remained an unknown—as evidenced by the developments in the alternate timeline. Once the makeshift Ryukyu government-in-exile was established,Yun Liu stepped down voluntarily, as the overall situation had been settled. The next step was to recruit Blue Army soldiers. To match the quality of the Japanese military, a shift in mindset was necessary, and tangible results would be hard to achieve in the short term. However, Commander Liu had already devised a specific strategy. The future Blue Army would not merely be a unit existing for show, but rather a special force akin to a training battalion. In peacetime, it would study and practice Japanese military strategies and tactics; in wartime, it could operate alongside field forces or special forces to strike enemy strongholds or key cities. Therefore, the specifics of its formation required not only the involvement of the Ryukyu government-in-exile but also joint research by military personnel from Kawanishi, particularly the participation of Jia Lian, Guo Qixun, and Hei Lang. Fortunately, matters such as summoning personnel did not fall to Yun Liu; his secretary, Yin Qinlan, had already been notifying everyone individually. Over the next two days, Commander Liu had no major affairs to attend to. Aside from meeting with his trusted subordinates, he received important officials and dignitaries to discuss the development of the Western Sichuan Special Administrative Region. What truly occupied his mind, however, was the impending graduation of the cadets, so he re-examined the records of all the trainees. Naturally, he gave special attention to those approved by the German instructors. However, he did not truly give up on the cadets who were unable to graduate. He believed that while some still held potential for further development, the rest should be considered for graduation—at worst, they could receive ground crew or maintenance certificates. Commander Liu did not act arbitrarily on this matter. After consulting with the Air Force instructors, they all agreed that this approach was worth considering. Following adjustments to the graduation plan, the instructors communicated with the cadets again, allowing them to choose their graduation track on a voluntary basis. As a result, more than 400 cadets opted to receive alternative graduation certificates. These cadets weren’t fools. Since they couldn’t graduate normally from the Air Force Academy, returning to their original units would be rather embarrassing. Besides, President Liu was right: the Air Force doesn’t just need pilots; it also requires ground crew, maintenance, and medical support. Consequently, these “alternative” graduates actually became highly sought-after. With such a high proportion of pilots, could they really be expected to handle maintenance and ground crew duties all by themselves? This immediately sparked uproarious laughter among the “alternative” graduates. Even the flight cadets who were set to graduate normally were taken aback—they hadn’t considered this angle. The idea of a single person handling flying, maintenance, and ground crew duties was downright terrifying. Should they just go ahead and take on medical duties too? That was clearly impossible. These Air Force cadets were all educated men. Before Commander Liu could even point it out, they began forming factions, scrambling to recruit these “alternative graduates” for their respective units. Some even promised that once they had aircraft, these maintenance and ground crew members could undergo flight training as well. Excellent. After some effort, over a hundred more joined the alternative graduation assessment, leaving more than two hundred who flatly refused to graduate. They considered themselves late bloomers, convinced they would definitely become ace pilots in the future. What was this “alternative graduation” business? Wasn’t that just blatant disrespect? Never mind. Think back to the days before China’s college entrance exam reforms: some high school students would retake the exam seven or eight times just to get into their dream university, euphemistically calling it the “Eight-Year War of Resistance.” Yun Liu’s own college entrance exam experience was somewhat better, but unfortunately, upon graduation, he had to fend for himself—it’s hard to say whether he came out ahead or not. But the principle is the same. Since these cadets possess such perseverance and determination, how could he, as the school’s principal, deliberately make things difficult for them? Very well, let them start over alongside the new intake of cadets. If they still fail to graduate, the West Sichuan Air Force Academy will have no choice. Alright, prepare to issue the diplomas. Thirty-nine ace cadets were awarded the West Sichuan Gold Graduation Commemorative Medal, along with a brand-new Jianjiao trainer aircraft as a reward. This left all the teachers, students, and dignitaries in attendance speechless. The aircraft was valued at 15 kilograms of gold—and that was the factory price; on the open market, it would cost double. What a generous gesture. Commander Liu paid no heed to such details. He personally awarded the diplomas to these ace cadets and posed for photos with them. As for the elite and qualified cadets, their instructors presented them with their certificates. Each received a silver commemorative medal and a discount voucher entitling them to a 50% discount on the purchase of a personal fighter jet. As for the ground crew and maintenance graduates,Yun Liu, accompanied by the ace cadets, presented them with their diplomas, silver commemorative medals, and a set of aircraft maintenance or ground crew equipment. He also urged all graduates to remember the importance of camaraderie and unity, emphasizing that ground crew and maintenance personnel are the pilots’ right-hand men. The moment Principal Liu announced the adjournment, various factions immediately began recruiting graduates, each offering more enticing terms than the last. Only the West Sichuan faction had made prior arrangements, having already formed not one, but two West Sichuan Air Force Wings—a necessity, given that they had enrolled over six hundred cadets at the outset. Among this graduating class, although there were fewer than 500 graduates from the Sichuan-West system, forming two flight regiments was a breeze; they even had the capacity to provide support to the Red Army and the Sichuan Army. As for the Central Army, about a hundred graduates emerged, and with their formidable reputation, many cadets were eager to join their ranks. Consequently, the Central Army took away over 200 cadets—more than they had originally expected. As for the Sichuan Army system, had it not been for Yun Liu’s assistance, they likely would have barely exceeded 200. The Red Army, which had few cadets to begin with, had about ten who wished to continue their advanced training; however, since their benefits couldn’t match those of the Central Army, their numbers naturally remained under a hundred. Fortunately, Commander Liu had already made plans: under the pretext of cooperation and aircraft sales, he would assign nearly a hundred graduates to work in Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia. As for whether Yan’an could seize the opportunity in time, that was not his concern. On July 2, 1936, the graduation ceremony for the air force cadets was held, marking the official formation of the Western Sichuan Air Force. All cadets and attending dignitaries were invited to participate. The Western Sichuan Air Force Training Wing was stationed in Western Sichuan Town, while the First Air Wing was based in Maozhou City. Each wing comprised two flight squadrons. Since this was a peacetime period, the fleet consisted of only seventy-two aircraft, with an additional thirty-six kept in reserve. The uniform rows of aircraft and hangars left all the attendees wide-eyed. Many trainees from other factions even wanted to stay in Western Sichuan; after all, once they returned home, they likely wouldn’t have any planes to fly. Here, however, the planes were waiting for the pilots—it would be strange if they didn’t have second thoughts. Principal Liu had no choice but to step in personally to address the situation. He earnestly reassured them, explaining that the Central Army, the Sichuan Army, and the Red Army had all placed large orders for fighter planes with him. He assured them they had nothing to worry about; once they returned, not only would they be given important roles, but a large number of aircraft would be waiting for them. Only then did their tears turn to smiles. What Yun Liu said wasn’t entirely untrue. At least regarding the Red Army, he planned to donate fifty aircraft first. As for the Sichuan Army, Liu Xiang had already issued a formal notice stating they would purchase two hundred aircraft; however, due to a shortage of gold, they hoped to pay with silver dollars instead, which would increase the unit price by 50%. You can’t make two Liu’s out of one stroke of the brush, and besides, he currently needed the Sichuan Army and Liu Xiang’s assistance in many areas, so Yun Liu naturally agreed. However, he also urged Chairman Liu to keep it confidential; otherwise, he would be in a difficult position. Chairman Liu wasn’t a fool—the prosperity of Western Sichuan meant the prosperity of the Sichuan Army, so he naturally wouldn’t undermine the deal. The only complication lay with the Central Army, as they wished to evaluate the fighter-trainer’s performance. Chiang Kai-shek’s position was to purchase fifty units first; if they proved truly reliable, they would be mass-produced. However, this would require Western Sichuan to transfer the technology, with plans to construct a new aircraft manufacturing plant near Nanchang. That was fine by him. After all,Yun Liu had plenty of aircraft orders. Ever since the successful direct flight from Chengdu to Jiujiang’s Lushan, Feihong passenger planes had become the mainstay of flights within Sichuan. Currently, over twenty were in service. If not for Liu Xiang’s shortage of pilots, this model would have long since spread throughout the three southwestern provinces. With the recent graduation of the Western Sichuan Air Force cadets, Liu Xiang has ordered another ten or so passenger aircraft, preparing to officially launch Sichuan Civil Aviation. This truly places them at the forefront of this era, while Nanjing’s United Airlines is still in the midst of intensive preparations. It is said that DC-3 aircraft have already arrived in Shanghai and will begin operations by Double Tenth Day. Meanwhile, the Chengdu Railway has opened, making air transport very convenient. Deliveries to Nanjing are also straightforward: departing from West Sichuan County, flights first arrive at Chengdu Airport, then transfer through Chongqing, and proceed directly to the Wuhan Military Airport. The Nanjing Military Commission has specifically established the “Wuhan Air Force Training Brigade” for this purpose. Only then did Yun Liu realize the full picture. Judging by Nanjing’s preparations, it was clear they intended to establish the Wuhan Aviation School. Fifty fighter-trainer aircraft were more than sufficient for initial training alone. It was no wonder they had been hesitant about large-scale aircraft purchases—they were planning to build their own factory. Commander Liu didn’t bother racking his brain over the matter. The question of the Jianjiao’s performance could wait until the air force experts in Nanjing had verified it. Once the Hawk series was completely defeated, he wouldn’t need to promote it himself—Chiang Kai-shek would send over a large purchase order. Of course, the purchase wasn’t merely an economic issue. When that time actually came, to save face with the West, Old Chiang would likely rebrand the Hawk series as new trainer aircraft—ideally flying them daily along the coast so everyone would assume they were China’s main combat aircraft. This would perfectly serve as cover for the fighter-trainers in western Sichuan—truly killing multiple birds with one stone. The only aircraft that posed a logistical challenge were those destined for the Red Army. Well, since Yun Liu was heading to Guangyuan anyway to survey the Guangyuan Railway and plan rail routes across the Northwest, he might as well take the opportunity to explore how to open a route to Yan’an. If all else failed, air transport would be the only option. Before heading to Guangyuan, Commander Liu still needed to inspect the state of the Army’s development. The Western Sichuan Training Brigade had long since taken shape; with the assistance of Red Army personnel and German experts, its morale was naturally high. Jia Lian was a man of ambition, and he possessed genuine ability—the brigade was now on par with the elite units of the Sichuan Army. As for Guo Qixun’s First Brigade, it was the cream of the crop, selected from the very best. Especially after he was tasked with reorganizing and training the various garrison brigades across the region, he became quite rampant. Day after day, under the pretext of reorganization, he drained the units of all the elite troops he coveted. The matter even reached Liu Xiang’s desk, but fortunately, Chairman Liu merely smiled and said nothing.