Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 247, Section 246: A Transnational Gamble – Lin Shuiwang's Scheme Makes the General Manager a Sensation in America; Instant Noodles for Airlines

Taishan International Office Building, New York, USA.

This listed company, which has been revived through innovative means such as restructuring, refinancing, and issuing new shares, has recently been in the spotlight.

The Hoover Dam was completed this year, and the construction workers left, but this did not cause a decline in Las Vegas.

On the contrary, people from all over the West Coast and even the Midwest are coming to visit.

Whether by plane, train, or car, their first destination after arriving in Las Vegas is Tarzan Land, where they'll then gamble a couple of times at the Tarzan Casino.

That's what it means to have been to Las Vegas.

(Las Vegas, 1935)

Because the Taishan Casino has become a landmark in Las Vegas and its business is booming, its parent company's stock price has soared.

Therefore, these days, almost every day reporters want to interview every staff member of Taishan International.

Lin Shuiwang, president of Taishan International, was naturally the person they most wanted to interview.

Lin Shuiwang, however, did not expect that he would evade the reporters' pursuit time and time again.

Until he received a telegram from the East.

"A challenge?!" Lin Shuiwang scratched the back of his head.

Everything in the telegram is a bit difficult.

Pan Am was no small company; it was backed by the Rockefeller and Whitney families.

One controlled the steel industry, and the other controlled the railways and arms industry. These two behemoths were backing Pan Am Airlines.

Not to mention that, with this immense power, they also gained the support of the US government.

Pan Am now accounts for a large portion of the airmail business in North and South America.

The general manager actually wanted to challenge such a behemoth to a duel.

Lin Shuiwang has a headache.

He felt he couldn't even meet with Pan Am executives.

Have it.

He suddenly thought of a method.

On September 21, Taishan International suddenly released a message to the public.

The company president agreed to be interviewed.

Immediately, reporters from New York flocked over.

The journalists had assumed it was an appointment to interview one person at a time, but to their surprise, everyone was invited.

In the company's large room, Lin Shuiwang had a conversation with the reporters.

He was telling an embellished story, the legend of an Eastern pilot.

These kinds of stories are far more interesting than interviewing a business owner, and the reporters listened with great interest as Lin Shuiwang recounted them.

Lin Shuiwang, with his talent for languages, was also quite eloquent. He vividly described to the reporters Fang Wen's experiences, from joining the war to establishing an airline, venturing across Eurasia, across the Atlantic, traversing North America, building the Taishan Casino, and acquiring a bankrupt listed company to bring it back to life.

Of course, everything was embellished; he said what needed to be said and kept silent about what couldn't be said.

These words provided journalists with a wealth of material to report, and they could simply pick a few to publish in the newspaper.

A reporter, very interested in these matters, asked, "May I write a biography for him?"

Lin Shuiwang was stunned: "I don't think that will work. He's only in his twenties. Aren't biographies usually written by older people?"

Everyone suddenly realized, "Yes, that's even more interesting. Such a rich life experience is concentrated in one young man. Will it become a new idol if it's published?"
Reporters need stories they can continue to tell, and the person Lin Shuiwang mentioned fits their needs perfectly.

This made Lin Shuiwang a little afraid that he would lose control, so he quickly explained why he had called the reporters.

"He is now going to make a bet with Pan Am, the bet is to see who can complete the trans-Pacific flight first."

Lin Shuiwang wanted to use the reporter's coverage to let Pan Am know about this.

He succeeded, and he also successfully introduced Americans of this era to an Eastern pilot.

In the United States, which has just recovered from the Great Depression, not only is economic recovery needed, but people also need spiritual support.

Such an amazing person is just like a fantastic hero in a comic book.

But it's more real than the characters in the comics.

People are fascinated by the legendary exploits of the Eastern pilots and are also curious whether Pan Am will dare to accept this challenge.

As a result, the pressure was put on Pan Am.

Pan Am had made many preparations for its trans-Pacific flights, so why would it want to join this inexplicable gamble?

But its shareholders think differently.

A showdown involving airlines from the East and West, a battle for the honor of being the first to cross the Pacific, is far more interesting than successfully completing the Pacific flight.

Subsequently, at the request of Pan Am's major shareholders, the bet was established.

Lin Shuiwang, president of Taishan International, signed the trans-Pacific betting agreement with Pan Am executives in front of a large number of reporters, on behalf of his boss Fang Wen.

The message was quickly transmitted to Shanghai via transoceanic radio waves.

Newspapers in Shanghai also published articles about this.

The Bet

Taishan Airlines, a Chinese company, and Pan Am, an American company, hereby agree to a contest of speed and endurance, taking off simultaneously from Guangzhou, my country, and San Francisco, USA, on November 4, 1935. In the spirit of fair competition, both parties hereby establish this aerial wager to determine the victor.

Both parties must have their flight paths verified by the seal of the telegraph office along the route, or obtain the personal signature of a respected local figure, as proof of impartiality. This measure aims to demonstrate the transparency of the event and ensure the unquestionable accuracy of the flight paths.

Although the bet between the two agencies was not tense, it still had a prize.

The two parties agreed on an equity-based performance-based agreement: if Taishan wins, it will receive 3% of Pan Am Airlines' shares; if Pan Am wins, it will receive 10% of Taishan's shares.

This bet is made public so that everyone can monitor it. Anyone who breaches the bet will have their reputation ruined.

The bet between Taishan Airlines and Pan Am Airlines quickly gained traction after being spread through newspapers and telegrams.

This issue has not only gained attention in China and the United States, but also in other regions.

The wider the story spreads, the clearer the details become.

It was discovered that both planes were passenger planes.

Pan Am's China Clipper has 18 passengers and 4 crew members.

Taishan Airlines' Xuanming aircraft carried 16 passengers and 3 crew members.

That means that more people can participate in this competition, in addition to pilots and crew members.

People are always filled with longing for adventure, especially the adventure of crossing the Earth's first ocean.

It's possible now, and there are many daring people out there.

Neither airline missed out on this highly effective promotional method.

Pan Am, on the other hand, took the lead in launching a public recruitment drive for passengers through newspapers.

They quickly selected the passengers, including journalists, tycoons, writers, painters, and more.

Fang Wen was only half a step slower.

Passenger recruitment was launched simultaneously in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beiping.

However, compared to the United States, the recruitment of this group of passengers was much more cautious. After all, there was a Japanese person causing trouble among them. If a Japanese person were to infiltrate and cause damage, they would definitely do something bad.

Therefore, the entire recruitment process involved careful background checks on passengers, and 16 reliable passengers were selected.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was November 4th.

On this day, a large number of people gathered at Guangzhou Dashatou Airport.

Dashatou Airport has both a land-based airport and a sea-based airport; everyone is at the sea-based airport. Fang Wen, the pilot, is performing pre-flight procedures, checking the aircraft's condition.

no problem.

Fang Wen went down into the cabin and talked with the two crew members.

Flying with him were Wu Yingzong, who has now been promoted to chief instructor of the Taishan Volunteer Army, and his wife Zhao Wanping.

"Okay, open the cabin door and let the passengers in."

The two then opened the cabin door on the belly of the plane and placed the retractable board on the shore.

Passengers carefully boarded the ship, holding onto the airplane wall, when someone behind them shouted, "General Manager Fang, you should at least give an interview before you depart, otherwise there's no atmosphere at all."

It was reporters from Guangzhou who called out to him, and for the sake of the company, Fang Wen got off the plane to deal with it.

The reporters bombarded him with questions, and he answered them one by one.

"Mr. Fang, can your plane win?"

"If I can win, why would I fly it?"

"Americans have very strong technology, how can you be so confident?"

"Americans are indeed technologically advanced, but we have legs to run around. If we keep chasing, we'll eventually catch up."

When he answered the reporter's question, Kwong Shan-ming and his daughter Kwong Ming-chu were watching from the side.

Kuang Shanming smiled broadly: "This son-in-law, the more I look at him, the better he seems. Daughter, you have excellent taste."

Kuang Mingzhu smiled without saying a word. The scene from back then was still vivid in her mind. To be honest, it seemed like she hadn't done anything at all; she had just eloped with her husband in a daze. She was still a little confused when she thought about it now.

The interview ended a dozen minutes later.

Fang Wen went to say goodbye to his wife and the subordinates who had come to see him off.

It's not time for takeoff yet.

Both sides agreed to depart simultaneously at 9:00 AM, and the total time would be calculated based on the arrival time of each party.

Everyone looked west, where a large clock tower stood on the riverbank in the distance.

That is one of Guangzhou's iconic buildings: the Guangdong Customs Building.

(Now it is No. 29 Yanjiang West Road, Guangzhou, the Customs Museum)
When the time came, the clock on the customs building struck nine, and Fang Wen started the engine to prepare for takeoff.

At this moment, Kuang Shanming waved to Fang Wen from the shore with a joyful expression. "Son-in-law, it's done. The legal tender will be issued today."

Only Fang Wenhe and the owners of the twenty-odd gold shops in Guangzhou who were involved in the matter understood what Kuang Shanming was saying.

As fiat currency is issued, the expected value of silver will gradually decline.

Once it's confirmed that the US won't buy back overseas silver, the Japanese will panic and sell off their silver holdings.

But this will take time; it's estimated that it won't be done even after Fang Wenfei returns from the Pacific.

Therefore, Fang Wen didn't pay much attention to it.

He accelerated the plane, going upstream, splashing water onto the shore, where spectators ran and cheered him on.

Once the speed reached takeoff level, Fang Wen pulled up the control stick, and the plane took off over the Pearl River.

It wasn't until it reached an altitude of 3000 meters that the plane stabilized and began to fly southeast.

Only then did the passengers on the plane relax.

The 16 passengers were located in the front and middle cabins. Because it was a long-haul flight, there were no seats in the cabin, but rather sleeper berths.

There are 8 in one cabin, which makes a total of 16.

They stood up from their bunks, but dared not move.

Tall Zhao Wanping and Wu Yingzong, dressed in flight attendant uniforms, explained to passengers in the front and middle cabins.

"Don't be afraid, everyone. You can move around in the plane now. But please note that you cannot jump or make loud noises. Jumping will affect the flight of the plane, and making loud noises will affect other passengers."

Hearing what the two said, everyone immediately relaxed and started moving around in the plane.

The civilian version of the aircraft is modified to incorporate all its everyday functions.

In addition to sleeping berths for living, there are also hot water rooms and toilets.

Zhao Wanping continued, "The hot water room is where you can make tea or coffee."

"What shall we eat?" a passenger asked.

Wu Yingzong picked up a bag, opened it, and took out the fried dough cakes, dried vegetables, seaweed and dried shrimp, and salt and soy sauce.

He put all of these things into the round iron box, then turned on the hot water pipe and connected it to water.

"This is instant noodles. You can eat it once it's soaked in hot water."

Everyone froze, standing there for a full five minutes, until Wu Yingzong lifted the lid.

The noodles really soaked up and smelled really good.

One of the passengers must have been hungry, as he eagerly requested to be the one to try the food.

"It's a bit hot, let's put a wooden board on it." Zhao Wanping picked up a mat, placed the instant noodle box on it, and handed it to the passenger.

The passenger took the metal box, took a bite, and then finished it all in one go, leaving not even a drop of soup.

Seeing this, Wu Yingzong couldn't help but pick up the wired phone in the cabin and report to Fang Wen.

"General Manager, the passengers really like instant noodles."

"Oh, I see."

Fang Wen hung up the phone and continued flying.

However, this distracted me a bit.

Instant noodles were a product developed during the research and development of portable military rations.

When Fang Wen was making fried rice and rice cakes for the Red Army, he wondered if he could make instant noodles instead.

He passed on this idea, and it actually came to fruition.

Deep-fried noodles can be preserved for a long time, and dried vegetables, scallions, and garlic can regain some flavor in boiling water. There are also umami packets made up of seaweed, dried shrimp, and cooked kelp powder, plus a sauce packet made with lard. Fang Wen once thought this was the best military ration.

But all of this became meaningless after Fang Wen invented the cold forming machine to make compressed biscuits.

Compressed biscuits are far superior to instant noodles in terms of nutritional value, portability, and practicality, making them the best choice for military operations.

Therefore, the instant noodles that were developed were phased out, but they became a new direction for airline meals in this era.

As for the hot water in the hot water room, it's even simpler.

It's all auxiliary cooling water for two 800-horsepower engines.

This water, after flowing through the engine, not only cools it down but also becomes the best way to make boiling drinking water and instant noodles.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen couldn't help but smile. Since he came to this era, it seemed that the entire era was being changed by him.

He picked up the landline: "Wu Yingzong, make me a bowl of instant noodles too."

(The sleeper berths inside the Martin M130 are also arranged in the forward and middle cabins of the Xuanming.)
A few minutes later, Wu Yingzong finished preparing the instant noodles. He fanned the noodles to cool them down so they wouldn't burn the general manager before putting the noodle box into the hanging basket and tugging at the top of it.

Fang Wen lifted the hanging basket, focusing half his energy on mechanical perception and the other half on eating instant noodles.

It has a spicy flavor, made with stir-fried Sichuan green peppercorns and fragrant Erjingtiao chili peppers, which is very appetizing.

While eating instant noodles, Fang Wen did not neglect to learn about the surrounding environment.

After flying for two hours at a cruising speed of 200 kilometers per hour, we have only covered a distance of more than 400 kilometers, and we haven't even left China's territorial waters yet.

He needs to fly for 14 hours today to reach Guam, located in the western Pacific Ocean.

That will be the first stop.

(End of this chapter)