Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 177, Section 176: A Lucky Showdown, The Universal Milling Machine and Ability Enhancement

A new gambling game begins, and the other two tycoons temporarily leave, leaving Fang Wen and Getty sitting opposite each other at the table.

As Getty suggested, it was still Five-Card Draw, with each person starting with 10 chips, and the game ended when one side's chips fell below 5000.

Fang Wen agreed to the request.

The area outside the VIP room No. 1 suddenly became lively.

A betting game involving 15% of Taishan Amusement Park was underway when the wealthy gamblers suddenly lost interest in continuing and came over to watch.

Their request was relayed back to Room 1 of the Heavenly Rank by Zhao Jiu. After obtaining Fang Wen and Getty's consent, a circle of chairs was arranged in the spacious room of Room 1 of the Heavenly Rank, where the wealthy guests sat to watch this lavish gambling game.

The game began, and both sides were relaxed.

Getty is lucky tonight.

Fang Wenze had no sense of gain or loss; winning was an unexpected surprise, and losing was simply part of the planned effort.

Therefore, he didn't care even if he couldn't use his mechanical perception ability at the gambling table.

In the first round, Getty placed a $3000 bet.

Since no one else was participating, this initial bet was not very meaningful, so Fang Wen skipped the betting phase and placed a $3000 bet.

Getty deals the cards, five cards to each player.

Fang Wen picked up his watch.

Hearts 6, Clubs 10, Diamonds King, Hearts 9, Spades Ace
I haven't started thinking about how to arrange the cards yet.

Getty has already placed his bet.

He bet $1 in chips.

They clearly want to speed things up.

Now, to get a pair, you have to call or raise.

Fang Wen was deep in thought.

How should I play this hand?

Remove the 6 and 9 of hearts, and find the Jack and Queen to form a straight or a pair.

Keep the 6 and 9 of hearts to match the same suit.

Fang Wen was deep in thought.

不止啊，留红桃6、红桃9，梅花10，还可以配7、8、5、10做顺子。

The three matching methods have slightly different probabilities, but whether or not a match can be made is not determined by the magnitude of the probability.

It was luck.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen felt relieved.

If it's about luck, he feels he's not bad either.

After all, the four-faced Buddha of the ancient Khmer kingdom, the amber cross suspected of containing holy blood powder, and the mysterious ancient Native American bronze artifacts are not things that ordinary luck can withstand.

Immediately, keep the 6 and 9 of hearts, and exchange the other three cards.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the dealer used a stick to pick out three cards and place them in front of Fang Wen, and then picked out two more cards and placed them in front of Getty.

Getty picked up two cards, expressionless.

He placed 2 chips.

Now, the viewers were a little confused.

In the first round, they bet 33,000 chips. What an amazing hand they had!

Or perhaps Getty gets a terrible hand but wants to bluff by betting big to scare his opponent away?

Everyone looked at Fang Wen, wanting to know how he would respond.

Fang Wen picked up the three cards, looking completely bewildered.

7 of hearts, 8 of diamonds, 10 of spades.

自己将梅花10换出去，结果回来一张黑桃10，这些牌还配成了6、7、8、9、10的顺子。

A straight is considered a strong hand; it can beat three of a kind, two pairs, single pairs, and high cards. Fang Wen decides to call.

He threw down $30,000 in chips.

The dealer announced: "Place your bets now, let's see the cards."

He used a flat wooden stick to pry open the signs on both sides, and all the wealthy onlookers stood up.

Getty has a strong hand: a pair of Aces and a pair of Queens.

But Fang Wen's is larger.

The dealer announced, "Straight, Big," and collected the chips, pushing them towards Fang Wen.

The game ends, and the chips on both sides have changed.

Fang Wen: 133,000.

Getty: 67,000.

This made Fang Wen even more interested in just how lucky he could be.

In the second round, he placed his bet, still $3000 in chips.

After his somewhat clumsy dealing of the cards, both sides picked up their hole cards to examine them.

This time it's the Jack of Clubs, the Jack of Diamonds, and the 5, 6, and 7 of Hearts.

The choice is simple: keep the pair of Jacks to make three or two pairs, or keep the 5, 6, and 7 of hearts to make a straight or flush.

Clearly, the later hand is better, and the earlier hand has a higher probability of being won.

Trusting in his luck, Fang Wen chose to keep the 5, 6, and 7 of hearts and exchange them for two cards.

He bet 3 chips, hoping to capitalize on his momentum and defeat Getty.

The first round was 3, which made Getty a little distracted; it seemed that Lady Luck had run to the other side.

With so many people watching, he didn't want to back down.

Moreover, the cards I had weren't too bad.

I gritted my teeth and decided I had to see the result of the card swap no matter what.

Therefore, he also placed a bet of 30,000.

The dealer changes the cards: Fang Wen has two cards, and Getty has three cards.

Fang Wen picked it up and saw that it contained two sevens.

There was no straight, no flush, but it formed three sevens.

It is one level lower than a straight and can beat two pairs, single pairs, and random cards.

Judging from Getty's performance, the hand shouldn't be very strong.

Fang Wen threw out 1 chips.

Getty was conflicted and hesitant.

The wealthy people present analyzed the situation in hushed tones.

"Getty's hand was definitely bad, but he was reluctant to give up his initial bets, so he shouldn't have called in the first place."

"But the bet for the second round is only 1. If I give up, I'll lose the 3 I started with. If it were me, I would keep playing and see what the other person has in their hole cards."

"The problem is that both sides only have 10 chips. Once they run out, it's over. If they keep going like this, their chips will only dwindle."

In a hushed discussion, Getty made his decision and pushed out a stack of chips. "I call."

With this stack of chips pushed out, he was left with only two stacks of chips.

"Place your bet and you're done." The dealer reveals the cards.

Fang Wen's cards didn't have a single card higher than 10, but he had three 7s.

Getty had a full deck of high cards, but only managed to play a pair of Jacks and a pair of Queens.

"Three of a kind wins two pairs," the dealer announced, gathering the chips and pushing them toward Fang Wen.

Now, Getty has only 24,000 left, while Fang Wen has 176,000.

This made Getty, who was unwilling to accept defeat, more cautious.

He only made an initial bet of 3000, and when he realized his hand was bad, he immediately folded.

He finally got a good hand when he had 8000 chips left.

At this point, with a total of eight thousand chips, there was simply no way to turn the tables.

His gambler's mentality made him desperately want to win back the chips he had lost.

He declared loudly, "I demand more chips."

This is Fang Wen's territory. Whether they agree or not, all it takes is one word from Fang Wen, and everyone looks at him.

In response, Fang Wen asked, "How do you want to add it?"

"A 30% stake in a refinery, or the right to transport oil and gas from the Persian Gulf."

Fang Wen was deep in thought.

The original cooperation plan was that Taishan Airlines would hold 40%, Getty's oil company would hold 60%, and after winning 30% of the refinery shares, Taishan Airlines would become a 70% shareholder.

But this is not what Fang Wen wants. He wants to use the refinery to bind Getty in order to obtain long-term technical support. For China, petrochemical technology is more important than the profits of a refinery.

The Persian Gulf is a gulf shared by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Oman.

These countries are all oil-producing countries.

It can be said that the vast majority of goods shipped out of the Persian Gulf are crude oil.

Fang Wen couldn't help but ask, "What is the Persian Gulf oil and gas transportation right?"

In order to recoup his losses, Getty had no choice but to patiently explain.

"In 1928, our American oil consortium signed the Red Line Agreement with the Anglo-Polish companies, which delineated the joint exploration area of ​​the five companies from the United States, Britain, France, and the Netherlands, namely, east of Egypt and west of Persia, encompassing all Gulf countries except Kuwait. This agreement established the exploration and transportation rights of the oil companies in the Persian Gulf region. The Persian Gulf oil and gas transportation rights I am referring to are the rights to transport oil from the Persian Gulf region to South Asia by sea."

So that's how it is. Getty is indeed a shrewd businessman. His company's interests are mainly in the western United States, specifically the Persian Gulf oil and gas transportation rights to South Asia, because the oil supplies from Myanmar and Indonesia are actually of no use to him.

But it is very important to Fangwen.

With this oil and gas transportation right, high-quality crude oil can be transported from the Persian Gulf for refining, thus ensuring China's future crude oil refining supply channels.

Therefore, Fang Wen had a strong idea about this. Even if Getty won, he would find a way to buy it later.

Therefore, Fang Wen replied, "Okay, I'll give you another $10 in chips."

Getty happily agreed and asked, "I'll bet whatever amount you bet, or I can bet myself."

"You can come," Fang Wen agreed.

Getty thought for a moment, but only put up 30,000 chips.

Judging from this move, Getty must have a strong hand, perhaps even a very strong one.

But fearing he might scare Fang Wen away, he only placed a bet of 30,000.

Fang Wen picked up his cards and looked at them.

stunned.

Jack of Hearts, Queen of Hearts, 10 of Hearts, Ace of Hearts, 8 of Diamonds.

All that's missing is the King of Hearts to complete a straight flush.

Or it could be a flush of hearts.

There are almost no other options but to play the 8 of Diamonds in exchange for one card.

This kind of hand is the winner-takes-all hand; you have to change it before deciding whether to give up or not.

Therefore, Fang Wen decisively followed suit.

After both players placed their bets, the dealer exchanged cards: Fang Wen had one card, and Getty had two.

Whether to fold or not depends on this card, Fang Wen picked up the card.

King of Hearts!

But then they heard Getty shout from across the way, "I've bet everything."

He pushed all of his remaining 78,000 chips into the pool.

At that moment, Fang Wen froze.

He has a straight flush, and the highest possible straight flush at that. No one should be able to beat him now.

Originally, he should have been the one to keep raising the stakes, enticing Getty to hand over his remaining chips, but Getty did it first.

He looked at Getty, suppressing a laugh, and replied.

"Follow me."

The dealer takes out the corresponding chips and puts them into the common pool, then announces the transaction.

"Place your bets and reveal your cards."

Is this the final outcome of a gamble involving a 15% stake in Taishan Amusement Park, plus gas delivery rights?

The wealthy stood up and eagerly awaited the news.

They saw Getty's cards first.

AAA, for nine.

This is called a "full house" hand, second only to four of a kind and a straight flush.

Very rare.

No wonder Getty was so quick to demand an increase in the stakes.

Just when everyone thought Getty had it all figured out, the dealer revealed Fang Wen's cards.

A straight flush of hearts: 10, J, Q, K, A.

The last Ace is on Fang Wen's side.

Exclamations and applause erupted simultaneously; this bet was absolutely thrilling!

Getty stood up and shook hands with Fang Wen.

Instead of the dejection of a loser, a smile appeared on his face.

"You won, congratulations. I believe in fate and am willing to cooperate with lucky people. I hope our cooperation will bring more opportunities."

Fang Wen smiled and replied, "Your expectations will definitely be met. Now let's talk about the cooperation agreement."

John Harvey was responsible for drafting the cooperative investment agreement for the refinery.

To protect its rights, the contract was signed by Taishan Casino Company.

After all, the Taishan Casino Company is a US-based enterprise, and only in the event of a contractual dispute will it be protected by US law.

The contract stipulates the rights and obligations of both parties.

Construction of the refinery is required to begin in the first half of next year.

Getty Petroleum provided refining equipment and technicians, while Taishan Casino provided land for construction, various infrastructure facilities, and recruitment of workers, as well as local affairs.

According to the contract, the ocean-going vessel carrying oil refining equipment and technical personnel will not depart until January next year.

This can't be rushed. After all, various refining and chemical equipment needs to be manufactured, and Getty Oil also needs to make arrangements for which technical personnel to send.

Al Capone, on the other hand, is already prepared.

Fang Wen made a special trip to San Francisco.

At the port there, an ocean-going cargo ship was docked.

Al Capone's men led Fang Wen aboard the ship to inspect the supplies prepared for shipment to South Asia.

Both 1710 engines and the bullet production line equipment are still there.

The 1710 engine was prepared by Fang Wen for himself. He felt that his abilities were still improving and wanted to see what effects a better engine could bring.

This 1000-horsepower engine is what he's after.

The bullet production line will be located at Yangon or Xiangxi Airport, depending on which location is more suitable.

Once the bullets can be mass-produced, they will be able to be supplied to the anti-Japanese army and the Red Army.

This can also be considered Fang Wen's contribution to the War of Resistance against Japan, in addition to his aerial bombing.

After inspecting the supplies, Fang Wen raised some questions.

"What about the production process data for the bullet production line?"

This is also important, since different bullets have different production processes. Having the equipment but not knowing how to use it and figuring it out from scratch is not what he wants.

Al Capone's men handed a leather suitcase to Fang Wen.

explained:
"The 7.92mm Mauser rifle bullets have been out of production here for a long time. The production technology data has also been lost. The ones here were obtained from the library of the Chicago Arms Factory. I don't know if they are complete."

Fang Wen didn't say anything. The other party was just a gang member, so of course he didn't know how to make bullets. It was already good enough that he could get the stuff.

He disembarked and watched the ship leave port for South Asia.

They then returned to Las Vegas to prepare for their return flight the following day.

On his last day in Las Vegas, Fang Wen opened his briefcase and looked at the information collected by the gang members.

These people actually managed to obtain the complete bullet manufacturing process.

It's the complete set.

include:

Knowledge of the metallic composition and proportions of cartridge case materials and projectile materials, as well as alloy smelting.

Gunpowder formula: Smokeless gunpowder formula suitable for 7.92 mm caliber bullets, primer formula.

And most importantly...

The main equipment on the bullet production line: Milling machine user manual.

These universal milling machines from World War I showed Fang Wen that they could do many things besides producing bullets.

Fang Wen, who had no prior experience in mechanical processing, developed a strong interest in it.

As he read further, he came to understand why the eighth-grade milling machine operator was so highly regarded for a long period after the founding of the People's Republic of China.

This is a universal machining tool used in early mechanical equipment. It can process horizontal surfaces, vertical surfaces, keyways, T-slots, dovetail grooves, gears, splined shafts, sprockets, threads, spiral grooves, and various curved surfaces.

It can be said that it is capable of processing the vast majority of current parts.

If someone else masters the universal milling machine, they might be able to produce urgently needed repair parts.

But if you master the technology of a universal milling machine, then it's a different story.

Can we use mechanical sensing capabilities to modify existing equipment, thereby making it more powerful?

(End of this chapter)