Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 196, Section 195: The Astute Father-in-Law, the End of the 19th Route Army, the Refinery and D.332 Receiving Goods
The late-night snack continued, but the conversation was no longer about quinine; it turned to broader topics.

Through tonight's conversation, Fang Wen suddenly realized that his father-in-law's understanding of the world situation was far superior to that of people in China.

This may be related to my father-in-law's experience. He returned to China from Los Angeles when he was young and then worked hard in Southeast Asia to build a considerable family business.

Fang Wen wanted to hear his father-in-law's opinion.

He poured a glass for his father-in-law.

"There's a lot of turmoil in the Weimar Republic right now, and the US has also changed presidents. What's your take on this?"

Fang Wen's father-in-law, Kuang Shanming, did not answer immediately, but instead beckoned to a waiter, "Bring two glasses of Qintongning cocktails."

The waiter brought over two wine glasses of cocktails and placed them in front of Fang Wen and Kuang Shanming.

Kuang Shanming took a sip first, then pointed to the half-full cocktail and said, "This is a cocktail with quinine. I know the recipe: gin, orange juice, sugar, and quinine water. It can cure diseases and also refresh you. If you hold the glass up to the light, it looks quite pretty."

(In the British Gin and Tonic cocktail, "Gin" refers to gin, also known as juniper berry liquor, and "Tonic" refers to a quinine solution.)
(It is said that long-term use of quinine can damage the kidneys; consume with caution.)
Following his father-in-law's instructions, Fang Wen raised his wine glass to the light, and the liquid inside displayed a peculiar light blue sheen.

As a person from the future, he was wary of any beverage with a strange color, and smiled and shook his head to indicate his refusal.

Kuang Shanming didn't seem to mind, took another sip, and continued:
"You're still too young. Things in this world aren't that simple. You think the Nazis in Weimar came to power just because of their inflammatory rhetoric? Wrong. At its core, it was all about interests. Do you know how much money Weimar has borrowed over the years?"

"I don't know," Fang Wen replied.

"Let me tell you. Let's not even talk about what Versailles owes; it's a debt they can't repay. A few years ago, because of the global economic crisis, Weimar's currency depreciated, and shopping carts were used to carry cash. The reason they were able to recover was because of American aid. This money wasn't borrowed for nothing; they used it to control Weimar's industries. General Electric, United Steel, and the dye industry interest group—these three companies control most of the resources in the power, steel, and chemical industries."

Kuang Shanming drank two different kinds of alcohol, which mixed them up. Under the influence of alcohol, he became very impulsive and vomited up things he wouldn't normally say.

He counted down on his fingers.

“Dillon Reed, Harris Forbes, National City, and Equitable Trust are all Wall Street financiers and behind-the-scenes controllers. They need a powerful figure to take the stage who can control worker strikes and union activities, and Nazis is the best candidate.”

Fang Wen nodded and added, "But they underestimated the Nazis, and now things are out of control."

"Yes, yes, out of control, out of control. It's ridiculous that Wall Street people think they can control things through finance, with such an extreme party and an even more extreme leader."

Kwong Shan-ming finally shared his opinion: "I think the Nazis will never be content to be controlled. They have already monopolized Congress, and they will definitely do something big next. The Americans' approach of using economic control will soon become ineffective. The Nazis will definitely take back all economic control, and then, chaos will ensue again."

Fang Wen strongly agreed, pointing out that the Junkers aircraft company had already fallen to the Nazis.

Right now, they're only targeting domestic companies; in the future, they'll definitely be going head-to-head with Wall Street.

As a participant in history, he saw the course of history more and more clearly.

Raise a glass.

"Father-in-law, I admire your foresight. Please give me more guidance in the future."

"Of course, I'm most satisfied with you as my son-in-law. You're much more capable than my two sons. My Mingzhu really made the right choice."

Amidst laughter and chatter, the two drank until midnight, finally returning to the presidential palace in the king's car.

The night has passed, it's time to get down to business.

Lin Guangzhong and Lin Shuiwang contacted Kuala Lumpur and learned that the cargo ship had already left the Strait of Malacca and would arrive at Kuching Port today.

The quinine from my father-in-law, Kwong Shan Ming's side, is stored in a warehouse in southern Borneo. It will be shipped to Kuching Port by sea and is expected to arrive tomorrow.

During the wait, the King of Sarawak extended a warm invitation to Fang Wen to attend the maiden flight ceremony of his aircraft.

It was a custom-made amphibious aircraft.

The lower body is shaped like a boat with wheels at the bottom for landing on land, while the upper body is a normal wing with a propeller above it.

This amphibious aircraft prioritizes safety and comfort, can be parked and taken off on water, and has a speed of just over 100 kilometers per hour.

It is clearly a toy specifically designed for wealthy people who enjoy dabbling in hobbies, serving no purpose other than leisure.

Fang Wen, having nothing better to do, accepted the king's invitation and piloted the plane, taking the king on its maiden flight.

The plane slowly took off from the runway and struggled to get into the sky.

Fang Wen piloted the seaplane, slowly circling in the sky, while the king behind him was very excited.

"This feels amazing. Fang, I heard you can pilot all kinds of airplanes, is that true?"

"I can't say all of them, but there must be close to 10," Fang Wen replied, recalling the planes he had flown.

南苑航空教练机，底特律人短途客机，莱茵NYP-2、k-47、Potez 25（青云号）、波音80、波音247、p26-b(伯劳号)、福特三发、f.220(泰山一号)、d332。

He had accidentally flown 11 different aircraft types, which even impressed him a bit.

The king behind him continued the conversation: "Fang, you really should consider establishing a new air route here. There are many Chinese people here, and they need a better way to travel."

Fang Wen was slightly tempted; as long as he didn't invest in airport construction in Southeast Asia, he could avoid the risk of war.

Moreover, as the King said, there are many wealthy Chinese in Southeast Asia who can afford air travel.

Unfortunately, Taishan Airlines is currently in a period of development bottleneck, mainly dealing with international routes between Asia and Europe, and simply does not have enough resources to develop new routes.

There are no planes available. Boeing 247 orders are booked until next year, and the DC-1 is too expensive at $800,000 a unit.

There are no pilots available either. Taishan Airlines is already short-staffed with the number of pilots it needs for its Asia-Europe international flights, so how could it possibly spare anyone to fly to Southeast Asia?

Fang Wen could only give a vague response: "The South Pacific route is good. I will discuss this matter with the company when I get back."

This reply pleased the king greatly, as if it were already confirmed.

Over the next two days, they were warmly received by the King of Sarawak while loading the arriving goods onto the plane.

After the 8-ton cargo was loaded, Fang Wen bid farewell to the King of Sarawak, and the group boarded the plane to return home.

The plane flew across the South China Sea back to Guangzhou Dashatou Airport, where it first unloaded 6 tons of quinine.

When unloading the cargo, Lin Guangzhong told Fang Wen what he had learned.

"Something has happened. Fuzhou is now surrounded, and the 19th Army is fighting against the Central Army."

"Is the airspace off-limits?" Fang Wen asked.

"The airport is still operating even without the air force participating."

According to Lin Guangzhong, the war will not affect the FZ city area, which is still operating normally and the airport is also functioning normally.

Given this, Fang Wen chose to continue flying to Fuzhou.

Two hours later, Taishan No. 1 entered Fujian and will soon arrive in Fuzhou.

Upon entering the war zone, Fang Wen activated his mechanical perception ability and merged with the aircraft, thereby gaining insight into the battle situation below.

Outside of Fuzhou, the 19th Route Army deployed defensive lines at three different locations.

From Fang Wen's perspective, he had a clear understanding of the situation below.

He consulted the map and learned the names of the locations on each front.

Heavily guarded Gutian and Yanping, 100 kilometers from Fuzhou.

Subsequently, troops were also deployed along the Minjiang River within the territory of Minqing County.

The situation is not good now.

Gutian and Yanping have been partially captured, and a large army is advancing rapidly, heading straight for the defending force along the Minjiang River.

The objective was clear, indicating that the deployment of the 19th Route Army had been compromised.

Seeing this situation, Fang Wen quickly spoke up, knowing that the 19th Route Army's defense in Fuzhou was bound to fail.

"Lin Guangzhong, I'm about to land. Hurry up and contact the 19th Route Army to retrieve the goods, or Fuzhou City will be taken over." Upon hearing this, Lin Guangzhong was sweating profusely with anxiety, and Lin Shuiwang could only comfort him.

Fang Wen turned on his radio and contacted the ground, then immediately landed at his own airport.

As soon as the plane came to a stop, Lin Guangzhong rushed out of the airport.

More than an hour later, he returned with a convoy of military vehicles and organized the soldiers to busily move supplies.

At the same time, a gaunt middle-aged military officer approached Fang Wen.

Reach out.

"Nice to meet you."

After shaking hands with him, Fang Wen asked, "Who are you?"

“Cai Tingkai of the 19th Route Army, we fought the Japanese together last year, and I still remember your two bombing raids vividly.”

It turned out to be him.

Fang Wen gripped the other person's hand firmly and shook it, showing a soldier-like respect.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. At that time, the whole country was focused on the situation, and the 19th Route Army turned the tide. I admired them greatly."

"Alas. A hero doesn't dwell on past glories; one wrong move and the whole game is lost."

Cai sighed as he got into the military vehicle and waved goodbye to Fang Wen.

Their army was leaving Fuzhou, having lost the largest and most prosperous city in Fujian. The 19th Route Army no longer had the resources to confront Chiang Kai-shek.

Fang Wen couldn't help but sigh, this was a very powerful army in the Republic of China.

They fought in the Northern Expedition, the Central Plains War, and the January 28 Incident (Shanghai Incident), making them a formidable force.

Having witnessed the end of the 19th Route Army, Fang Wen immediately flew back to Shanghai in an F.220.

No matter how the situation changes, it cannot stop his plan from proceeding.

mid-December.

Four cargo ships carrying refinery equipment, along with a group of skilled workers and engineers, arrived at Yangon Port.

Workers carefully unloaded the heavy refining equipment from the ship and transported it to the vicinity of the port.

It was an ideal location to build a refinery, close to the seaport, so that once the tankers arrived, the crude oil could be immediately transported to the refinery's storage facilities via pipeline.

However, installation and construction are very complex and rigorous processes.

According to the plan, a three-month construction period is required, followed by a one-month trial production period. Only if everything goes smoothly can it officially start production.

The management of a refinery requires a professional.

The bullet factory in Yangon also needs a factory manager.

Fang Wen had a long talk with Huo Duanyang about this.

"Duan Yang, I want you to go to Yangon to manage the bullet factory and the chemical plant. I don't trust those Americans, and the chemical plant needs to be overseen by our own people."

Huo Duanyang, who frequently travels between western Hunan and Yangon, looks a bit haggard.

“I’m willing to go to Yangon, but what about the bomb factory in western Hunan? I’m the only one who knows the formula for the napalm bomb catalyst. Didn’t we agree that it could only be known by the two of us and not be told to anyone else for the sake of secrecy?”

Yes, this military secret absolutely cannot be leaked; the side effects of leaking it would be enormous.

“I’ll do it,” Fang Wen replied.

"That's good, it's not difficult at all." Huo Duanyang began to explain and teach how to make a catalyst.

The catalysts used in the production of napalm bombs mainly involve substances that gum the gasoline.

Specifically, napalm is gelled by adding specific thickeners to gasoline. These thickeners act as catalysts, promoting the transformation of gasoline from a liquid to a gel-like state.

Making this requires two materials: aluminum naphthenate and palmitic acid.

Aluminum naphthenates may sound complicated, but they are actually very common in reality and are also known as fatty acids.

Palmitic acid accounts for 40% of palm oil.

This is why Huo Duanyang used palm oil when making napalm bombs.

Huo Duanyang carefully taught Fang Wen these steps of the chemical reaction and then demonstrated them in practice.

He learned it in a day, and then Huo Duanyang left his post at Xiangxi Airport and went to Yangon to start a new career.

Because he needed to make catalysts, Fang Wen spent more time at Xiangxi Airport.

Here, in addition to producing catalysts, he also organized his employees to build an aircraft repair and modification plant.

Before the aircraft repair and modification plant was even completed, a telegram arrived from France.

Two D.332 passenger planes have been delivered and are awaiting acceptance.

Five more aircraft manufacturing engineers will also be coming to Asia.

This was Fang Wen's main job; he couldn't wait to pilot the D.332 to Europe.

Flight d.332 flew to Europe, quietly opening an international route between Asia and Europe.

The route is the already confirmed Asia-Europe international route of Taishan Airlines.

Shanghai—Guangzhou—Kolkata—Delhi—Kabul—Tehran—Ankara—Rome—Paris (Toulouse), except that the last Paris was changed to Toulouse.

There were eight French pilots among the passengers.

Tickets for transit airports are also available for purchase, but only reservations are accepted, specifically for return flights from Europe to Asia.

The plane took off immediately, following standard international flight procedures.

Taishan Aviation Telegraph Department sent route requests to various airports and notified the Taishan Aviation office personnel at each airport.

After negotiations were completed, takeoff and landing clearances were obtained, and contact was maintained, the aircraft took off.

After flying over Guangzhou, the plane sends a telegram to Taishan Airlines headquarters each time it lands at the airport to confirm the landing and ensure that headquarters knows the plane has safely arrived at the transit airport.

Meanwhile, staff at Taishan Airlines offices at each transit airport will be responsible for matters such as fuel replenishment, overnight accommodation, meals, and cargo loading and unloading.

When we arrived in Kabul, we made a special stop to check on the progress of the joint venture airport construction.

There is now a much more complete airport infrastructure there, and even hotels, restaurants, and shops belonging to the airport.

Fang Wen was satisfied with these changes, continued the flight, and eventually arrived in Toulouse.

The plane landed at Toulouse Devatina Airport, where two brand-new D.332s were parked beside the runway.

Fang Wenfei piloted two new D.332s for test flights, and with his mechanical perception, he did not find any problems.

This indicated that the aircraft's structure and mechanics were up to standard, and he then had eight French pilots accompany him on a test flight.

The eight French pilots already had two months of D.332 piloting training experience, so they could easily get the hang of flying these two D.332s, which relieved Fang Wen of his worries.

He then led the two D.332 passenger planes to Paris.

Starting from Paris, the return journey also marks the commencement of Eurasian air routes.

It's just unknown how many people will book Taishan Airlines' Eurasia flights to Asia.

(End of this chapter)