Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 127, Section 126: V-1710 Engine - Site Selection for Factory Construction

Neil from Boeing Trading arrived at the airport and went straight to the general manager's office at Taishan Airlines.

Fang Wen was waiting for him there.

As soon as Neil entered, he asked,

"Fang, when will the next batch of tung oil be transferred to the plane?"

Fang Wen, who has some knowledge of tung oil production, explained: "Tung fruits usually ripen in mid-to-late October. The shells need to be removed, the seeds dried, and then many processes are required to produce raw tung oil. During this period, there is a need for purchasing, production, and transportation. In addition, the amount of tung oil exchanged by plane is very large, and it takes until April to prepare enough."

"April. It'll be here soon." Neil was planning how to report the situation to the company.

Fang Wen asked, "I want to recruit a pilot who can fly the P26 aircraft to Calcutta to bring my Shrike back."

"Oh, that's easy. The company has sent two more salespeople to specifically contact your government about selling fighter jets. They both have extensive flying experience and have flown the P-26. As long as you offer enough compensation, they'll definitely agree."

The business that Neil mentioned the two salesmen came to China to discuss was somewhat related to Fang Wen. If it weren't for the Shrike's Eurasian cruise, this deal probably wouldn't have been finalized so soon.

Fang Wen nodded and asked Neil to help negotiate the matter so that the Shrike could be sailed back to China as soon as possible.

Although the plane was small, Fang Wen, who was used to flying it, really didn't want it to gather dust in Kolkata.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of this for you." Neil readily agreed, then placed the small suitcase on the table, opened it, took out a wad of US dollars, and pushed it toward Fang Wen: "This is your share of the last bonus."

Fang Wen pushed the US dollar bill back, saying, "Use this money to do me a favor."

"Buy a plane?" Neil asked.
"No, I recently bought a large transport plane, you know?" Fang Wen replied with a smile.

“A large transport aircraft, isn’t it a large night bomber?” Neil replied meaningfully. As a veteran aircraft salesman, he certainly knew about the Farman F.220, one of the competitors of his company’s newly developed B-17 fighter jet.

“It has no weapons, so it can only be considered a transport plane,” Fang Wen argued, then added his idea of ​​returning the dividends to Neil: “The problem is that the engine it uses is a bit inefficient, and I want to replace it with a better one.”

Neil was practically bursting with envy: "Fang, do you know what you're saying? Isn't a 750-horsepower engine good enough?"

"not good."

Fang Wen recounted what he had heard from executives at the Farman company in Europe.

"I've heard that Allison Engineering in your country has a V-1710 engine. You don't know about it, do you?"

Neil knew, of course, and to demonstrate his knowledge of aircraft, he blurted out, "Of course I know. The Navy just accepted this engine last year. It has 12 cylinders, a 6-inch stroke, and the latest generation of the 1710 is said to be able to produce more than 1000 horsepower."

As soon as he finished speaking, Neil regretted it; this was the most efficient engine currently available.

He shook his head: "Fifty thousand dollars is a lot, but it can't buy it."

Fang Wen knew, of course, that $50,000 wasn't enough, but he also knew that this kind of high-efficiency engine would still be the best thing even if World War II broke out a few years later.

He even suspects that this engine will be the mainstream fighter jet used by the US military during World War II.

Therefore, if we can get our hands on it, it's worth spending more money.

He smiled and said, “Relax, Neil. You know how much I love airplanes. Even if I bought a V-1710 engine, I couldn’t build the same one. Here’s what we’ll do: if you get the V-1710 engine, I can give you $50,000 as a reward. As for the cost of buying the engine, I’ll cover that separately.”

Fang Wen's words moved Neil.

The Navy has only purchased one V-1710 engine, and it hasn't even been decided what kind of aircraft it will be used for. If we go there ourselves and offer a high price, it's possible to buy it.

Just as Fang Wen said, even if it were in Fang Wen's hands, it would be impossible to build the V-1710 engine.

He wanted the $50,000, but also wanted to maintain a good relationship with Fang Wen, so he nodded in agreement.

"Once the tung oil shipment is completed in April, I'll go back to China and see if I can buy some for you."

"Thank you." Fang Wen stood up, shook hands with Neil, and saw him off.

Neil has left.

Fang Wen returned to his office.

Now that most of the necessary tasks have been completed, it's time to consider building a factory.

Where should the napalm bomb factory be built?
Fang Wen took out a map of China and pondered.

Coastal areas are not an option; they're too dangerous.

The same applies to the North.

Wuhan, Chongqing?

No, if we achieve nighttime bombing, the bomb debris left on the battlefield will be evidence.

If this happened in cities like Wuhan or Chongqing, there was a risk of leaks and being discovered by lurking Japanese spies.

There's also the issue of the Nationalist government; what if it's requisitioned?
This possibility is still very high, and could even lead to aerial bombs being used against one's own people.

Absolutely not.

Fang Wen rejected this idea.

He realized the crux of the whole problem.

That means we must find a place where neither the Nationalist government nor the Japanese are involved.

Are there any places like this across the entire land of China?
Fang Wen stared at the map: Feng Yuxiang in the Northwest, the Three Mas, Sheng Shicai, Yan Xishan in Shanxi, the Sichuan Army, the Yunnan Clique, the Guangxi Clique, and Tibet.

Although some of these warlords had joined the Nanjing government, they still held actual control.

Fang Wen felt weary. In this chaotic world, all crows are black; if you lose your wealth, you'll be devoured by hungry wolves.

Not to mention something like napalm.

Just then, the office door opened, and Kuang Mingzhu brought over a bowl of soup.

"Sir, you've been working hard lately. Have some of the Rehmannia and Smilax soup I made for you."

Seeing Fang Wen's frown, she put down the soup and asked with concern, "Sir, what's wrong?"

“I’m thinking about something, but I don’t have an answer. I have a headache,” Fang Wen replied.

Kuang Mingzhu walked behind Fang Wen and gently massaged him: "What's wrong?"

Fang Wen pointed to the map: "Look at our China, with its various powers vying for control. Where am I supposed to put an aerial bomb factory? I'm afraid it will be swallowed up by someone else."

“Didn’t you say the Red Army could be trusted?” Kuang Mingzhu reassured her.

Fang Wen shook his head. He knew that the fifth counter-encirclement campaign had failed and the Red Army would embark on the Long March.

Although they could help them by airdropping supplies, they couldn't solve the problem of building a factory.

Seeing that her husband didn't say anything, Kuang Mingzhu knew that this path was not feasible.

She was also looking at the map, pointing to a spot on it.

"Is this where Fourth Sister and the others are staying?"

Fang Wen nodded, but then suddenly froze.

There! Yes, right there.

In his past life, he had watched some TV dramas about that place, especially those about bandit suppression.

The area had long been rife with bandits, and its barren mountainous terrain, along with numerous karst caves, made it difficult to eradicate the bandits who occupied these caves.

It was precisely because of the harsh environment there that no one was interested in getting involved.

As a result, by the end of the War of Resistance, the Japanese had not even reached that area.

It can be said that there were no powerful warlords there, and Japanese spies disdained to go there. Although there were many bandits, it was a stable place during the War of Resistance against Japan, and it also became a hiding place for universities and arsenals that retreated from the north.

It is here.

Fang Wen pointed to the left of Changde, where his fourth sister was.

Xiangxi.

After deciding to establish a napalm bomb factory in western Hunan, Fang Wen began making preparations.

To successfully build a factory there, a good transportation route is needed to transport various materials into western Hunan and to other places at any time.

For Taishan Airlines, it's simply a matter of building an airport in western Hunan.

Fang Wen decided to go there in person and also to meet his fourth sister and brother-in-law.

Because this trip was to a chaotic place, Kuang Mingzhu was very worried and insisted that Sun Debiao, the best marksman, take them with him.

On March 12, Fang Wen flew his old biplane trainer jet, Qingyun, to the airport established by Taishan Airlines in Wuhan.

The plane landed at the airport and drove into the newly built hangar. Fang Wen and Sun Debiao came down the boarding stairs.

After arranging for airport staff to take good care of their meritorious fighter jet, Fang Wen and Sun Debiao left the airport.

The airport is located in the suburbs of Wuchang. To get to western Hunan, you have to take a boat upstream from the Yangtze River wharf, passing Dongting Lake and entering western Hunan via the Yuan River.

There are no direct passenger ships on this route, but Fang Wen has a solution.

That means taking a large cargo ship back to port. Although the conditions are not as good, there are more options.

The two waited at the Yangtze River dock for a day, and finally a tung oil ship returned. While it docked to refill its water and supplies, Fang Wen and Sun Debiao went over to inquire.

"Where is your ship headed?"

The people on the boat were somewhat wary and remained silent, but Fang Wen spoke up again.

"I'd like to go to western Hunan, is it on your way?"

At this moment, a man in a long gown stepped out from the back of the boat: "We're not going to western Hunan, we're going to Yuanling Wharf. We're going the same way, five silver dollars each for those who want to go."

Sun Debiao was about to haggle when Fang Wen stopped him, saying, "Debiao, give him the fare and let's get on the ship."

The two men stepped onto the tung oil boat on the wooden planks. Sun Debiao paid the money, and the man in the long robe said, "Come with me, I'll take you to where you'll stay for the next two days."

He led Fang Wen and Sun Debiao to the cabin next to the engine room: "This is the place. There are two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I will have someone call you when it's time to eat."

After saying that, he weighed the ten silver dollars in his hand and left satisfied.

After he left, Sun Debiao said, "General Manager, everyone says that even innocent people like drivers, boatmen, shopkeepers, and smugglers should be killed. This is the Yangtze River. If they get greedy and want to do something, they can just throw them into the river afterward, and no one will know. I have to keep watch tonight, in case something really happens."

As Sun Debiao spoke, he took out his Mauser pistol and carefully wiped it with a cloth soaked in gun oil.

Fang Wen, however, was connecting with the ship through mechanical perception.

This is a coal-fired steamship, and two workers in the engine room at the front are working hard to shovel coal into the boiler.

Although primitive, it has stable power and can sail on water for a long time.

The entire ship had a total of 6 people: the owner in a long gown, two boiler operators, the helmsman, the head chef, and a general helper.

Besides these two, there are Fang Wen and Sun Debiao.

Through mechanical sensing, Fang Wen had a clear understanding of the situation inside the ship, and there was no danger.

But the place we're going to in western Hunan is a poor place with not much machinery, so wouldn't my special abilities be useless?

Fang Wen reached out and touched the cross pendant on his chest. A weak energy continued to flow into his body, but nothing changed.

Is there no change, or have I simply not noticed it?
Fang Wen was unsure, as he had been busy with other matters and hadn't had time to test it.

He was a little tired, so he lay down on the wooden board, fully clothed, and fell asleep without realizing it.

Two hours later, Fang Wen woke up.

Looking around, still inside the room, where is Sun Debiao?

He looked towards the doorway, where Sun Debiao had found a stool and was sitting behind it, keeping watch.

He couldn't help but sigh that he had been too busy lately, working non-stop. He couldn't delegate the penicillin and napalm matters to others, so he had to do everything himself.

It was really tiring. I never expected that I would be most relaxed on this ship.

He couldn't help but think of the things he hadn't finished because of his impromptu trip.

I'm too busy; I don't even have time to visit my sixth sister's teacher, who was just released from prison.

There was also his high school classmate, Min Bangren, the one he had corresponded with at Nanyuan Flight School. He also sent someone to deliver a letter saying that he was planning to visit Taishan Airlines, but he changed his plans at the last minute, so they could only meet up at another time.

As he pondered, his thoughts returned to his special ability.

Does this mean my special abilities will be useless during my trip to western Hunan?
It is currently known that by touching mechanical structures, one can gain the ability to sense mechanical objects, thus achieving human-machine integration.

The mechanical structures that can be made include: airplanes, cars, and ships.

Among them, because they mainly develop applications related to aircraft, their aircraft piloting skills are also the strongest.

In other situations, are there any special abilities?
Fang Wen remembered something.

Yeah, why did I forget that?

Security gate.

Security gates are also mechanical structures and operate on a special electromagnetic field. If one were to become one with the security gate, wouldn't one gain the ability to see through the electromagnetic field?
If feasible, miniaturizing electromagnetic equipment or installing it in airplanes and cars would add another detection function.

Furthermore, with the advent of airborne radar in the future, its capabilities will become even stronger.

But we're already on the upper reaches of the river, so we'll talk about it when we get back after we finish our business.

Fang Wen felt regretful, but he did not give up exploring his own abilities and continued to try.

A day passed quickly; eating and sleeping on a boat is not a pleasant experience.

This refers to Sun Debiao.

The 1.8-meter-tall man from Northeast China, after enduring for several hours, finally revealed his true nature as a non-swimmer.

And I also get seasick, very badly.

He vomited clear water, but it didn't stop, and eventually he couldn't get out of bed at all.

Now, the day's journey on the water has turned into Fang Wen taking care of him.

Therefore, they had no choice but to disembark at Yueyang Wharf. Fang Wen simply rented a room at a hotel near the wharf so that Sun Debiao could rest and recover.

After a day of rest, Sun Debiao was finally able to get out of bed.

He waved his arm and said, "Alright. I've survived this water calamity, so I have nothing to fear from now on."

"Really? Shall we continue on the boat?" Fang Wen asked jokingly.

Unexpectedly, Sun Debiao nodded seriously: "We have to take a boat. I heard from the boatman that taking the waterway is the safest and most convenient way to go to western Hunan. Don't worry, General Manager, I won't get seasick again."

Fang Wen was skeptical, but he and Sun Debiao switched to a passenger ship bound for Changde. On this journey, he did not experience seasickness or vomiting again, except that he had to go to the toilet more often.

(End of this chapter)