Chapter 35: Comparison

Before he had traveled through time, Zhou Zhihan possessed a deep understanding of Chinese history, especially the major events of the last hundred years, which he had studied to varying degrees. There is an old Chinese saying: "Use history as a mirror to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past."

Studying history is not merely about understanding the past; it is about using history as a guide and using it to clarify one's ambitions.

Zhou Zhihan did not fully understand many of the events and battles that occurred during the War of Resistance Against Japan, but he knew that the process of the war was long and arduous. He knew he could not change the entire trajectory of the war by himself; at most, he could only alter a small, localized situation or change the fate of a few individuals.

He could not change the ultimate outcome of the Battle of Shanghai in 1937, nor could he prevent the battle from happening. He could not save the Chinese Air Force from being completely wiped out during that conflict.

The wheels of history do not stop or change their course for any one person. Everyone in history, whether a great figure or a commoner, is merely a speck of dust beneath those grinding wheels.

That morning, Vice Chairman Liu Yunyi and all the overseas Chinese had discussed the various matters regarding donations to purchase P-26 fighter aircraft, and the meeting adjourned before noon.

Transportation was not yet very advanced at that time, and many overseas Chinese had traveled from other cities; they needed time to return home. Everyone had their own jobs and families. Patriotism was a grand endeavor, but life had to go on. Only by improving their own lives could they provide more resources to support their motherland; otherwise, slogans of patriotism would only become empty, grandiose, and false words.

At noon, several young people found a Chinese-run restaurant in Chinatown to gather.

Shu Qin's uncle, Qin Youfu, did not want to join the young people, complaining that it was too noisy. He preferred to find a small tavern with a few old overseas Chinese, ordering a plate of raw peanuts, a plate of scallion-stewed tofu or toon-mixed tofu, and two hot stir-fried dishes. With a pot of old white spirit or southern yellow wine, the old friends would sit together, chatting and savoring the moment.

The overseas Chinese who had been chatting with Qin Youfu and Shu Qin at the door that morning was named Tang Yong. He lived in New York, not far from there, and he also joined Qin Youfu and the others for drinks and conversation.

According to Shu Qin, Uncle Tang was a kind and honest man. He was always at the forefront of every donation drive. He was from near Nantong, Jiangsu, and had come to the United States to study at the age of 19. He had originally intended to return to China after completing his studies, but because of the infighting among warlords, he eventually chose to stay in the United States. Over the years, he had contributed greatly to the Chinese Association in New York and was considered a veteran figure of the organization.

Shu Qin said that after Tang Yong finished his studies in the United States, he married an overseas Chinese girl from Southern California. They had a son and lived a prosperous life. Unfortunately, his son died in infancy at the age of three, and his wife, overwhelmed by grief, passed away two years later. Under the weight of this double blow, he almost gave up on life himself. Later, persuaded by friends, he moved away from California to New York City, where he had lived alone ever since. Outside of his work, he devoted most of his energy to the patriotic cause of the Chinese Association.

Hearing Shu Qin’s introduction, everyone felt a sense of reverence for Tang Yong. It was hard to imagine that after suffering such great losses, he could still stand up again to contribute his money and effort to the association. He was truly respectable.

A plate of pig ears, a plate of raw peanuts, a plate of home-style tofu, a plate of scrambled eggs with chili, a small pot of braised cabbage, pork, and bean starch noodles, a large bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, and two bottles of Yanghe Daqu.

Chinese flavor!

As the young people sat together, the more they drank, the more they found to talk about.

Huang Xinrui, Huang Panyang, and two other young men believed that the Japanese Air Force was not as powerful as legend suggested.

After a few drinks, Huang Xinrui appeared very excited: "When I was learning to fly, our American instructors said that Japanese fighter planes were 'short-legged' and relatively backward compared to American fighters, and their pilots' combat capabilities were only mediocre."

Huang Panyang added, "Japan is also average in terms of pilot training and tactics. Compared to us pilots trained in the United States, there is a huge gap. I’ve also heard my American instructors say that many Japanese pilots are crudely trained; as long as they can fly a trainer plane in two circles, they are allowed to pilot fighter planes themselves."

Hearing this, Zhou Zhihan felt a sense of worry. Their arrogance was not a good thing. These two pilots were full of ambition, but they had not experienced war and did not know its cruelty. They believed that once the war began, they could use their advanced skills and tactics to destroy the Japanese fighters in one fell swoop.

Underestimating the enemy and arrogance are common flaws among young officers. It is just like many university graduates in the 21st century who believe the world belongs to them, that the era is theirs, and that there is nothing they cannot achieve. Only after struggling in society for years do they realize they are merely a drop of water in the torrent of time, a grain of sand beneath the wheels of society.

Confidence is a good thing, but most young people pay a price for being overly confident.

This was also normal. The level of pilot training in the United States at that time was indeed the best in the world. There was no need to mention the military aviation schools; even the faculty and scale of private aviation schools were more impressive than the formal aviation schools in most other countries at the time.

It was natural for American-trained pilots to believe that the performance of Japanese fighters was poor and that their pilots were inferior. Moreover, information was relatively scarce at the time, and the direct consequence of closed information was a narrow perspective and a limited outlook, which easily fostered arrogance and complacency.

In reality, the quality of Japanese aircraft and the proficiency of their pilots were indeed far behind those of the United States at that moment.

"Zhihan!" Huang Panyang said with high spirits, "Tell us your assessment of Japanese pilots."

"Yes, yes! Zhihan is a top student from the West Point Aviation School; he must have unique insights into fighter aircraft and pilot techniques." Huang Xinrui, his face flushed after a few drinks, felt full of heroic ambition. "Zhihan, after you finish your studies and return to China, we might even fight together in the same air force unit!"

Looking at these two passionate young men who would eventually engage in life-and-death struggles against the Japanese over China, Zhou Zhihan felt deeply moved. He stood up and said, "Brothers, I will toast you both first. Thank you for the magnificent contributions you will make to the Chinese nation's war of resistance! Your glorious deeds will be forever recorded in the history books of the Chinese people!"

"Well said, Zhihan! That sounds great! Let's drink to that!" Huang Xinrui and Huang Panyang stood up simultaneously.

Shu Qin and the other two young people also stood up. She did not drink alcohol, so she raised her teacup and toasted with them.

Zhou Zhihan said, "As far as I know, the training level of Japanese pilots still has a significant gap compared to the Americans. In the future, you two brothers will certainly be able to strike terror into the hearts of Japanese pilots in the skies over China! You two are the future ace pilots of China!"

Zhou Zhihan felt that his words sounded a bit like lines from a movie of the 70s or 80s, but they were truly from his heart. To young people in the 21st century, these words might sound a bit fake or dated, but to people in the 30s and 40s, they felt like a refreshing breeze. Zhou Zhihan believed that the two men before him were worthy of all such praise.

"Brother! I'll take your word for it!" Huang Panyang and Huang Xinrui stood up again. "Bottoms up!"

"Bottoms up!"

Zhou Zhihan drank the wine and then reached for the bottle to refill his glass. "However, although Japanese aircraft have major weaknesses—their short range, in particular, is a fatal flaw—they possess aircraft carriers as mobile platforms, which greatly compensates for the short reach of their fighters."

Huang Xinrui and Huang Panyang nodded; what Zhou Zhihan said made sense. The three touched glasses.

"Boss, bring two more bottles of wine!" Zhou Zhihan was in high spirits.

"Coming right up!" The boss brought two more bottles of Yanghe Daqu.

Zhou Zhihan filled their glasses. "Brothers, do you know how many naval vessels China has at this moment?"

Both shook their heads.

"At this moment, what China lacks most is a powerful navy. We don't even have a single decent destroyer; no battleships, no cruisers, let alone aircraft carriers that can carry planes to roam freely across the sea."

Huang Panyang, Huang Xinrui, and the others fell silent at the same time.

Zhou Zhihan held the bottle, closed his eyes, and shook his head, his expression solemn and pained. "Our naval power, compared to the Japanese fleet, is completely like throwing an egg against a rock!"

The room fell into a deathly silence.