Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 156, page 155: Kunming-Guangzhou Airport added to international routes, arriving in Kolkata.

Half an hour later, the Boeing 247, having refueled, took off again.

As the plane flew across Guangxi, the towering mountains below drew the attention of everyone on board.

This is the most difficult natural barrier to cross, completely different from other places.

Although the mountains in the north are steep, the plains lie just beyond them.

The hills in the central Yangtze River basin are not high, but they stretch out in large, continuous areas.

This place combines the two; as far as the eye can see, there are mountains, one after another, stretching endlessly.

The passengers were amazed by the unique landscape.

Gu Xingzuo sighed, "Everyone says that the southwest is all mountains. I thought it was just a comparison. Could it be more precipitous than the Great Wall? I never imagined it would be so vast."

Zhao Jiu scoffed, "That's because you haven't been to enough places. The southwest is mountainous, how can you compare it to the mountains of the northern plains?"

Dai Shimao retorted, "The Qinling Mountains are very large, and the Greater Khingan Mountains in Northeast China are also quite large."

Bai Zeshan, who was reading a book, suddenly interrupted: "I think the provinces in the Central Plains have no natural defenses left. Only the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Qinling Mountains can stop the Japanese. If the Yangtze River and the Yellow River can't stop them, then this is the only place in the whole country that can resist the Japanese army."

"Come here? What can we do here?" Flight attendant Cheng asked, puzzled.

Others shared the same thought: although the southwest was mountainous and easy to defend, it was also extremely poor in resources. What else could they do besides defend? They were afraid that even a future counterattack against Japan would be difficult.

Fang Wen listened to these conversations from the driver's seat, and he also pondered the matter.

Is the only future hope to watch as large numbers of people flee to the southwest and rely on air travel to solve the problem of material shortages?
He didn't know either. If that was the only way, then they should expand and strengthen international flights to ensure that this air route could continuously transport supplies to China.

Another three hours of flight time have passed.

The Boeing 247 flew over the mountains of Guangxi and arrived in Kunming, Yunnan.

It was already 12:30 pm.

The plane will rest here for an hour and a half, mainly because Fang Wen is going to visit Chairman Long Yun at the provincial government to discuss the issue of international routes using this route.

Meanwhile, the passengers and other crew members went to a tavern outside the airport to enjoy a meal of local Yunnan cuisine.

After getting off the plane, Fang Wen got into the military vehicle that had come to pick him up and headed to the Kunming Provincial Government.

As the car drove through the streets, Fang Wen surveyed the city.

Here you'll find 'gentlemen' in Zhongshan suits and round-brimmed hats, as well as impoverished people in tattered clothes, and mostly ordinary people who are simply dressed but look quite well.

In addition, there are guards maintaining order within the city.

Fang Wen also saw defensive structures with machine gun firing ports on the bridgehead.

And rows of utility poles.

All of this gave him the feeling that life here was actually no worse than in the Central Plains, and that he was even doing quite well because he was in a remote corner of the country.

People have enough to eat, the city has electricity in large areas, and the public security is good, which shows that the local administrators are very capable.

With these thoughts in mind, he felt a greater sense of anticipation for the meeting with the local officials.

The car drove into the provincial government building, and the officer led Fang Wen into the two-story building in the middle.

There, many people were waiting, all waiting to meet that person.

Fang Wen glanced at his watch and said in a low voice, "Could you let me know in advance? I can only stay here for a little over an hour, otherwise it will be dark by the time I get to Kolkata, and landing might be dangerous."

The officer nodded, knocked on the door, and went inside.

After a while, he came out and said, "Come with me."

He was then led into a room and introduced: "Fang Wen, the general manager of Taishan Airlines, has something to discuss with you."

The man behind the large desk stopped writing and looked at Fang Wen.

He smiled and said, "Fang Wen, it's been half a year since we last met. Your company has grown bigger and bigger, and you're even starting to operate international flights."

"It's all thanks to everyone's care and support that we've achieved what we have today," Fang Wen replied with a smile.

"I heard you won't be staying long, so let's get down to business."

"It's about international flights. I want to travel from Kunming to Kolkata."

“No problem. I can agree, but you have to bring us a batch of supplies every month.”

Fang Wen didn't expect the terms to be so simple. Trading part of the capacity of international flights for security here was not bad.

He readily agreed and then left by car.

Now both Guangzhou Airport and Yunnan Airport are fine. The domestic segments of international flights have all been resolved. It all depends on the negotiations with the foreign countries.

Fang Wen took a car back to the airport, where they had already finished lunch.

He hadn't eaten yet, so he simply asked the restaurant to prepare two dishes to appease him.

After finishing his lunch, he remembered something else and reminded him of it.

"We'll be spending the night in Kolkata. There are a lot of mosquitoes there at night, and we need to be careful about the hygiene of our food. I personally suggest you try not to eat out. There's food on the plane, so you can ask me if you get hungry tonight."

After giving the reminder, Fang Wen took two more portions of Yiliang roast duck from the shop to take away as dinner that night.

Only then did he lead the team onto the plane and continue the flight.

The plane took off and flew southwest, covering a distance of 1500 kilometers, which exceeded the maximum normal range of the Boeing 247.

However, this Boeing 247 had been fitted with additional fuel tanks, and under Fang Wen's mechanical perception skills, there would be no issues such as yaw.

More than four hours later, the plane finally landed at Kolkata airport.

Flight attendant Cheng Dayou opened the cabin door and enthusiastically announced, "We have arrived in Kolkata. Passengers, please disembark."

The moment the cabin door opened, a wave of heat rushed into the plane.

The passengers, who hadn't felt the heat during the flight, suddenly felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Why is it so hot? I didn't feel it up there," Zhao Jiu asked, puzzled.

Fang Wen explained, "That's because we're flying at an altitude of over 3000 meters, where the outside temperature is low, so of course you can't feel the heat."

"Is that so?" Zhao Jiu was quite surprised. It turned out that what the old people said about the higher the place being, the cooler it was, was true.

Fang Wen's words made the passengers realize that the climate conditions here were not good, but they still wanted to go out and see the exotic scenery.

In response to their request, Fang Wen said, "Wait a minute, I have something to do. I'll take you out after I'm done."

After saying that, he led the passengers off the plane to find the person who was supposed to meet them.

The person who met him in Kolkata this time was Shao Sishen.

Fang Wenyuan spotted Shao Sishen's limping figure from afar and quickly walked over.

He asked with concern, "Shao Sishen, how are you adjusting to life abroad this month?"

“I grew up in South Asia, so of course I can adapt,” Shao Sichen replied with a smile.

The two continued their conversation.

“When I went to Yangon, the local Chinese community was very supportive of the airport construction project and was willing to help. With their assistance, I reached an agreement with Kolkata to build the airport and also to build a road between Yangon airport and port to facilitate the transport of goods.”

"How are the negotiations for international flights from Kolkata going?"

"Regarding the international flights, they suggested that we discuss it together with Delhi. I was originally planning to take a boat from the Ganges, but now that your plane is here, I can hitch a ride to Delhi."

"That's good. We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning. By the way, everyone who flew here wants to see the exotic atmosphere of Kolkata. I've never been outside of Kolkata before, so why don't you be my tour guide?"

Upon hearing Fang Wen's suggestion, Shao Sichen readily agreed: "No problem, arrange accommodation first, then we'll head out."

Afterwards, Shao Sichen summoned the steward sent by his family to help, arranged for local guards to watch the plane, and then settled everyone in their accommodations at the airport. Only after doing all this did he lead the team out.

Unlike the previous two times, Shao Sicheng led the group on a stroll through the streets of Calcutta, recounting the local customs and traditions. "For 140 years, from 1772 to 1911, this was the capital of British India. It can be said that this city was the center of education, science, culture, and politics in British India."

At this point, Shao Sicheng pointed to a cluster of buildings.

“Look over there. That’s a Victorian building. This style of architecture is common in Kolkata, coexisting with other religious buildings.”

From this perspective, Kolkata at this time was similar to Shanghai, both being prosperous regional cities of that era.

But there's another side to this.

Shao Sichen led them to the other side of the city, to vast slums, where naked people slept in the open and children begged along the streets.

"This is the scar of Kolkata, where poor people and people of low castes can only live."

"How do they make a living?" Gu Xingzuo asked, puzzled.

Zhao Jiu replied, "Beggars, laborers, and robbers at night. Let's go, let's see some good scenery, this place is an eyesore."

These were things Zhao Jiu had experienced before. He had no interest in these poor people abroad and felt no pity for them.

At his suggestion, Shao Sichen led the team to the wealthy area of ​​Kolkata.

The place was mostly British: officers in uniform, gentlemen and businessmen in tailcoats and top hats, and ladies in pleated skirts walking small dogs.

They greeted each other politely, removing their hats in greeting.

And in this affluent area, you can also find the cleanest food, in British restaurants.

Led by Shao Sichen, the group walked to the outside of a restaurant.

It was a lively place, with many people chatting on the street outside the restaurant, mostly military officers.

"This is a naval restaurant, opened by a retired naval officer. All the ingredients are transported by sea, so although they are expensive, you can eat with peace of mind," Shao Sishen explained.

"Really?" The passengers were pleasantly surprised. It would be too boring not to eat some local food at their first stop abroad.

Even Zhao Jiu and flight attendant Cheng Dayou were eager to try.

Thinking that flying was important, and also because of his aversion to Indian food, Fang Wen was the only one who refused.

He picked up the Yiliang roast duck oil paper package in his hand: "I'll go with you, but I'll only eat this."

The group then entered the 'Naval Restaurant'.

The restaurant had a fairly nice ambiance, not noisy at all. A waiter approached from a distance and asked in a low voice, "Are you here to dine?"

“Yes. Seven seats.” Shao Sichen replied.

"plz follow me."

Led by a waiter, Fang Wen and his party arrived at the inner room, a lavishly decorated private room.

The waiter explained, "I'm sorry, we have too many guests today. If you're willing to pay a 10% tip, I can arrange for you to dine here."

"Okay," Fang Wen agreed.

Then, everyone sat down and prepared to order.

The waiter announces the menu.

"Today's menu includes potato and beef patties, sausage and mashed potatoes, tripe and offal pudding, fried fish, and French fries."

The last two items are signature dishes that will never change, while the first three are dishes that change every day.

For guests coming from China, there were practically no other options.

Zhao Jiu said casually, "Let's just bring them all. Whoever wants that particular dish can choose it, and we can add more if it's not enough."

That's a good idea, everyone agreed.

Before long, all the dishes were served.

The large, semi-circular flatbread, when cut open with a knife, reveals chunks of filling: black beef and yellow potato pieces.

Sausage and mashed potatoes, as the name suggests, is a plate of mashed potatoes served with two sausages.

The fish and chips were plentiful; the large chips were fried to a golden brown, and the fish used were small fish about the length of a hand, which made them crispy.

The most distinctive dish is: lamb tripe and offal pudding.

This is a famous dish from the waiter's hometown of Scotland, so he gave a special introduction to the preparation process.

The sheep's internal organs, including heart, trachea, liver, and lungs, are chopped up and mixed with mutton fat, onions, oats, salt, parsley, black pepper, and other seasonings. The mixture is then stuffed into the sheep's stomach, the opening is tied with rope, and the stomach is boiled in water for several hours.

When eating, cut open the sheep's stomach with a knife, and the food inside will flow out and spill onto the entire plate.

The taste was actually okay, but when the sheep's stomach was cut open, a lot of granular substances flowed out, which was a bit uncomfortable.

Of course, this kind of lamb offal soup is completely different from the Chinese version.

Fang Wen didn't touch the food on the table.

Before eating, Shao Sishen talked with the waiter and immediately lost his appetite.

He proactively reminded everyone, "I'm sorry, everyone, the owner here has changed hands, and it's now run by a local. I think you'd better not eat here."

“It’s alright, I think these things are edible,” Zhao Jiu replied.

Flight attendant Cheng Dayou and the three passengers nodded in agreement.

“Then you guys eat, I’m not eating,” Shao Sichen replied helplessly.

Fang Wen couldn't help but laugh and said, "Shao Sishen, you're not very considerate. You brought everyone here, but you don't eat anything yourself."

"General Manager, I already warned you. If you get an upset stomach, it's not my fault. It'll just be a stomachache, nothing serious. General Manager, how about you give me half of the roast duck?"

"That works too. This is Yiliang roast duck from Kunming. The shop owner who sold it to me said it tastes good."

As Fang Wen spoke, he took out a Yiliang roast duck, unwrapped the oil paper package, and gave one to Shao Sishen.

The two tore off small pieces and ate them with relish.

The outer layer is crispy, and the inside is tender and flavorful.

The room was full of people, each eating their own food, and everyone thought it was quite good.

An hour later, after finishing dinner, the group returned to the airport.

While everyone was preparing to rest, Fang Wen retrieved a large bag of mugwort from the plane and distributed it to everyone, instructing them to burn it to repel mosquitoes that night. He also gave each person a bottle of medicated oil for future use.

That night, Fang Wen slept fully clothed, as the preparations were thorough and it went relatively well.

But it was late at night.

Muffled snoring sounds came from next door, rising and falling.

Then, one by one, they left the room to take care of their personal matters.

A night has passed in Kolkata.

Fang Wen got up, stretched, and woke everyone up.

Shao Sishen was the first to come out, followed by Cheng Dayou, a flight attendant who was on duty, and then Zhao Jiu.

Flight attendants Cheng Dayou and Zhao Jiu were relatively okay; the three passengers were the ones who hadn't slept a wink all night.

Zhao Jiu couldn't help but admire the food here: "Amazing, amazing! I've eaten everything since I was a child, but I'm completely taken in here. Mr. Shao, that's not fair of you. You introduce such delicious food to us, but you don't eat any yourself."

Shao Sichen looked embarrassed: "I warned you, but you wouldn't listen to reason."

Fang Wen spoke up to stop them, saying, "Stop arguing. We're flying directly to Tehran today. The Persian food will definitely suit your tastes. Take your antidiarrheal medicine, get on the plane, and let's go."

(End of this chapter)