NOVEL NEXT Chapter 126: From Nanjing to Tokyo
Pierre not only had transport planes, but also fighter planes.
Over a hundred aircraft, including BF109 fighters and several other types from Germany and Italy.
They were trophies won by the Allies on the North African front. Due to a lack of spare parts and other reasons, these planes were not shipped back home, but left at airports in North Africa, where they would have become nothing but scrap metal under the sun and wind.
But at Pierre's request, all these planes were restored.
Now, over a hundred newly repaired aircraft were parked at the airport in Tunisia.
All Pierre lacked were pilots, so he specifically began training pilots in Tunisia.
After all, Borneo would need an air force in the future.
Now, facing the first Chinese woman to earn a pilot's license, Pierre sincerely admired her—not for any other reason, but for her love of her country. After the "September 18th Incident," overseas Chinese were filled with indignation, organizing protest marches across the United States, raising funds to support the war of resistance, and establishing flight schools in San Francisco, Portland, New York, Los Angeles, and other cities, encouraging young people to learn to fly so they could return to China and join the fight.
Li Yueying was among the first batch of students at the Portland flight school, and the only woman among thirty-two trainees. After earning her pilot's license in 1934, she returned to China, but because the air force did not accept female pilots, she could only return disappointed. Yet this did not stop her from contributing to the war effort in another way.
"…That's how I flew the plane to Montana."
Because she had lived in China for two years, Li Yueying spoke fluent Mandarin, though her accent was distinctly Cantonese.
"P-39s, P-40s, P-63s, C-47s, B-25s—we flew almost every type of plane. I've flown a thousand planes, and logged over 7,000 flight hours. You know, I really love flying. When we ferried planes, we'd even have mock dogfights in the air—every day! I even beat fighter squadron pilots several times…"
After saying this, Li Yueying added helplessly,
"But we never got the chance to go to the front lines. It seems women just aren't allowed in combat."
After thinking for a moment, she continued,
"But that's not quite right—Russian women pilots can go into battle."
Looking at the woman in front of him, so frustrated at not being able to fight, Pierre said,
"You can come to us. I have my own air squadron and fighter planes. The planes are German BF109s, but they have excellent performance. I can't guarantee you'll get to fight the Japanese, but Miss Li, I hope you'll accept my invitation—to become the first Chinese woman fighter pilot!"
Faced with this sudden invitation, Li Yueying thought for a moment, then said,
"Mr. Pierre, actually, in our service group, there's another Chinese pilot—she's also a woman. If possible, I'm sure she'd be willing to join too. Her flying skills are excellent."
What a great opportunity!
Of course, Pierre would not refuse such a good thing. After all, what he lacked most right now was talent like this.
Sometimes, a chance encounter can change many destinies. A month after Pierre's invitation, Li Yueying and Zhu Meijiao, two pilots, joined the North Borneo Airlines, becoming the first batch of fighter pilots, thus avoiding an aerial accident.
A few hours later, Pierre once again boarded a DC-4, heading straight for Amchitka Island. After nearly ten hours of flight, the plane landed at Amchitka, where the runways were lined with B-29 Superfortresses, as well as large numbers of B-24s.
"Those are C-109 fuel tankers. Their cabins are fitted with eight tanks, carrying up to 2,900 gallons of aviation gasoline at a time. In the past, we used them to transport fuel to China over the Hump route,"
explained Major Cage.
"But now, these C-109s are aerial tankers—each one refuels a Superfortress…"
Although it was already past eight in the evening, the airfield was still brightly lit. Fuel trucks surrounded the B-29s, loading them with fuel, while bombs were being hoisted into the bomb bays.
Riding in a car to the front of a B-29, Pierre picked up a paintbrush and wrote a few words in paint on a 500-pound bomb.
"For Nanjing!"
The reason he came here was to write this sentence. Perhaps Pierre could not personally pilot a B-29 bomber to drop bombs on Tokyo, but that did not stop him from coming to this airfield with a certain wish, leaving a message on a bomb.
From Nanjing to Tokyo.
It is not far.
But for this short distance, we have walked eight years, paying the price of tens of millions of military and civilian casualties.
For this short distance, we sacrificed, we fought, we were betrayed, we endured humiliation…
For this short distance…
We spared no cost.
We even staked the fate of our entire nation on this unknown journey. And it was on this journey, filled with sacrifice and tears, that we—
It became a profound transformation in the soul of the nation.
No matter what, we have reached the other shore.
From Nanjing to Tokyo...
Now, Pierre is merely adding a few bricks and tiles to this process, and these bricks and tiles are just the very beginning. In the future, this fire will only grow more intense.
A few hours later, as the massive fleet of aircraft thundered into the sky, watching one B-29 bomber after another take off into the night, seeing the red and green wing lights flicker across the darkness, in that instant, Pierre seemed to understand why hundreds of thousands of people would bring their own food to build large airfields, and why, even when the Americans delayed reimbursements for various reasons, the Chinese still gritted their teeth and, at the cost of currency collapse, insisted on building those airfields.
It was for nothing else but the deepest desire in their hearts—to bomb Tokyo!
To avenge the compatriots who perished in Nanjing, to avenge the millions who died in the war of resistance!
"Today, our wish has come true six months ahead of schedule!"
The corners of Pierre's mouth lifted, and at that moment, the brightest smile bloomed on his face. Those around him were much the same, even the photographer wore the same expression. Earlier, when he had left a message on a bomb, the film cameraman had captured that moment as well.
Very soon, the film would be developed and copied, and released as a newsreel about the "Bombing of Tokyo." By then, the whole world would see footage of Tokyo being bombed.
As Pierre watched the bombers disappear into the sky, someone walked up beside him and said,
"Mr. Pierre, thank you for your company's aerial refueling technology. It allowed us to bomb Tokyo ahead of schedule. Hello, I'm Curtis LeMay."