Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 360, Section 358: War Logistics Plan, Evacuation and Recruitment

The evacuation operation was terminated as soon as it began, which was something Fang Wen had expected.

He had a plan for this when he came to Nanjing, which is why he asked for the help of the National Games experts.

Now, it's time to leverage this connection.

Fang Wen immediately went to the government officials' residential area on Beiping Road.

Quan Yuncai seemed to have known that Fang Wen would come, and opened the door to greet him.

Fang Wen walked into the family's courtyard and saw some people he didn't recognize.

Quan Yuncai introduced him to each of them one by one:

"Secretariat Secretary Yin Chun-jui, Ministry of the Interior Tai Szu-yuan, Ministry of Economic Affairs Kung Juo-feng, Relief Committee Mei Tung-chen"

Although he didn't know why these people had come, Fang Wen still politely interacted with them.

After the introductions were finished, Quan Yuncai said, "What you are doing is being watched by everyone in Nanjing. Some people feel that you have lost face, but not everyone feels that way. The people here represent their wishes and have come to help you."

After speaking, Quan Yuncai looked at those people.

Yin Junrui from the Secretariat spoke up: "We are all human, and we have seen and been deeply moved by Mr. Fang's actions. If the tragedy Mr. Fang described were to happen, we who have done nothing would regret it for the rest of our lives. Compared to that, what does a little face matter?"

He started it, and the others chimed in.

"Yes, all means of transportation out of Nanjing have been requisitioned. It's not only expensive for civilians to leave, but also very difficult. If the Japanese army really attacks, I estimate that most of the people in the city won't be able to leave."

“Various ministries have been discussing this privately. If it weren’t for Mr. Fang’s actions, people would probably have pretended not to know and kept quiet. But now that it’s out in the open, many people can’t get over it.”

"Mr. Fang, don't worry. Even if someone tries to trip you up, someone else will help you."

Fang Wen clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute to both sides: "Thank you, when can we continue?"

Quan Yuncai replied, “As long as you agree to three things, we can continue immediately. First, those students must not be allowed to spread propaganda on the main street. Second, those who wish to evacuate must do so in an orderly manner and without disrupting the city’s order. Third, the headlines of newspaper articles must not be shouted out by newsboys when they are selling them.”

Fang Wen understood that this was already the greatest help they could offer during the National Games.

He readily agreed.

Fang Wen then took his leave and returned to his residence, where he explained the situation to the participants who had gathered there.

In response to this new situation, everyone immediately took action.

Newspapers could not be sold by newsboys, so Fang Wen funded the printing of a large quantity of them, which were then distributed free of charge.

Instead of promoting their message on the main street, the students took newspapers to various residential areas and distributed them free of charge to spread the word to the public.

As for the water airport northwest of Nanjing, since the authorities don't want this matter to have too much of an impact, they won't put up a sign.

With these measures in place, the operation resumed.

Students and newsboys carried stacks of newspapers and distributed them in the streets and alleys, asking about each newspaper as they handed it out.

For those who can read and write, there's not much to say.

But for illiterate civilians, the students would read the contents of the newspapers aloud and explain them to them.

It took only two days to see results.

Manager Liu returned from the airport and reported the situation to Fang Wen.

"General Manager, there are a lot of people gathered outside the airport, but most of them are just watching."

Fang Wen was stunned: "Aren't they going into the airport?"

Manager Liu replied with a sigh, "I guess they're afraid."

"Let's go to the airport."

Fang Wen immediately drove back to the sea airport with Manager Liu.

There, a large number of people stood outside the airport, three or four deep.

Fang Wen parked his car near the crowd, got out, and walked over. Gong Xiuneng followed closely behind to protect him, and Manager Liu also went over.

He gently patted a middle-aged man on the shoulder, "Brother, are you watching?"

The middle-aged man turned around: "You didn't know? There are airplanes here that you can ride for free. They say they can take us away from the war."

“That’s a good thing,” Fang Wen replied, feigning ignorance.

Upon hearing Fang Wen's words, several people nearby turned to look at him.

One of them complained, "There's no such thing as a free lunch. Don't do what you used to do and trick people into going to Southeast Asia to be sold like pigs."

Another person spoke up: "No, my uncle works at the police station. He said that this is a great philanthropist doing good deeds, and once the opportunity is gone, it's gone forever. He told me to prepare early."

"If that's the case, why don't you go?"

"I can't bear to leave. At least in Nanjing, I have a livelihood. If I leave here, how will I make a living?"

These words resonated with others, who echoed them.

Hearing their words, Fang Wen suddenly realized the truth.

In this day and age, the strongest attachment to one's hometown is for Chinese people. It took a lot of effort for me to get my parents to leave Jiaxing.

There is another important issue.

How will they survive after leaving Nanjing?

This is an escape from disaster. It's good to have a plane to fly on, but what will happen after we get off the plane?
These ordinary people, unlike the officials and public servants of the Nationalist government who could continue working elsewhere after leaving Nanjing, faced difficulties even in making a living outside of Nanjing.

After figuring things out, Fang Wen returned to the car and drove into the airport.

He wrote a notice and had his staff make several copies, which were then posted outside the airport.

At the same time, airport staff were also mobilized to prepare.

The notice was posted outside the airport.

People gathered around to look at the notice.

[Notice Regarding Civilian Evacuation Operation]

[One option is a daily waterway service to Wuhan, flying along the Yangtze River with several stops along the way. There are also five cargo ships that can reach Wuhu. You can choose according to your needs.]

[Secondly, if there are concerns about the inability to make a living away from home, Taishan Airlines is willing to provide some basic jobs in mainland China.]

[Thirdly, regarding capacity, Taishan Airlines will provide 50 seaplanes, capable of two round trips per day, with a total capacity of 2000 passengers.]

[The above information explains the details of this civilian evacuation. If you wish to leave using the free evacuation flight provided by Taishan Airlines, please immediately apply for a ticket on the left side of the main entrance. Those needing assistance with post-evacuation employment should go to the right side of the main entrance for employment consultation and application.]

This notice finally prompted the hesitant crowd to enter the airport.

Some of them went to the left to apply for tickets directly, while others came to the right to inquire.

Behind the large table on the right sat Manager Liu and Fang Shouxin.

Sun Debiao and Kuang Anming, along with their staff, maintained order.

Holding a megaphone, Sun Debiao shouted, "Everyone line up, one by one. Don't worry, as long as you meet the requirements, you will have a job."

In such a war-torn era, having a job that provides enough food and shelter while staying away from the flames of war is arguably the best outcome.

Everyone was eagerly anticipating the event, so they lined up neatly without any arguments or chaos. They then began their job consultation.

The first person seeking advice stood before Fang Shouxin, very reserved.

Fang Shouxin smiled and said, "I need to ask everyone about their basic information so that I can understand your abilities. I'll ask and you answer; it's very simple, so don't be nervous."

"Yes." The man nodded nervously.

"what's your name?"

"Xu Wang".

What will it do?

“I worked as a pastry chef at the Central Hotel and I know a lot of pastry making skills.”

After a brief inquiry, Fang Shouxin put down his pen and replied, "We are short of a lot of support staff. Someone like you, who does pastry making, can become a support staff member. We will arrange for you to work in a food processing plant. Are you willing?"

The man froze, then nodded hastily. "I'm willing. Could you tell me exactly what it will be about?"

"You'll find out the specifics after you join the company." Fang Shouxin didn't explain that he would be assigned to work at Xiangxi Airport producing compressed military rations, as a certain level of secrecy was required.

"It's alright, I've succeeded, haven't I?" the man quickly asked.

"As long as you really know how to make pastries, this job is yours. Take this form and report to the airport tomorrow."

Fang Shouxin handed the man a pre-written job offer letter, thus completing the job recruitment process on the spot.

This behavior became the best demonstration, and the people in line eagerly awaited their turn.

Throughout the day, many people completed their consultations.

Among them were cooks, rickshaw pullers, odd jobs, company employees, farmers, and so on.

There were even workers from the Jinling Arsenal, as well as workers from other local factories in Nanjing.

Those with professional skills, such as chefs, can be assigned to work in the food processing plant near Xiangxi Airport, as well as in the logistics canteens of various departments. Workers from arsenals and machinery factories can have their backgrounds investigated and then be assigned to Yangon as reserve skilled workers.

As for the majority of people without special skills, Fang Wen also offered them a job that could support their families: joining Taishan Aviation Logistics Department.

Seeing more and more people joining the logistics department, Manager Liu couldn't sit still and came to ask Fang Wen for advice.

"General Manager, what exactly is the purpose of the logistics department you've added, and why do you need to recruit so many people to do it?"

The logistics department was an airline department that Fang Wen set up for these people, but he wasn't just supporting them for nothing; Fang Wen had his own ideas about it.

This line of thinking reflects his modern mindset, and Fang Wen patiently explained it to Manager Liu so that he could understand.

"In this war, the Japanese army had a clear advantage in resources, and we were outnumbered and outgunned. If we wanted to reverse the situation, we needed to mobilize the resources of the entire nation. Our Taishan Airlines has the fastest transportation methods. Even if these civilian aircraft cannot be used for combat, they can play a role in logistics. This is the meaning of logistics and the flow of goods."

He pointed it out on the map.

“Look, our current air network covers most of the country’s waterways. This is our advantage. If we establish core hubs for our logistics network in provincial capitals, these hubs will serve as the ‘heart’ of the logistics network, responsible for the collection, sorting, and distribution of goods.”

Manager Liu stared blankly at Fang Wen: "General Manager, what is the internet?"

Oh dear, I slipped it out. Fang Wen quickly explained, "If you connect these places, they form a network, like veins, which is why I call it a network."

"I see. I understand, General Manager, please continue."

Fang Wen continued, “A logistics network is a large framework. To enable the rapid flow of resources across the country, logistics stations need to be established in major cities and important regions nationwide, serving as ‘important nodes’ in the logistics network. These stations will be responsible for receiving, storing, and distributing goods. Each station should be equipped with the necessary warehousing and loading/unloading equipment. Our seaplane and land airports across the country are the best nodes. As long as we increase warehouses and loading/unloading equipment to ensure the efficient operation of the logistics process, we can carry out logistics work.”

Fang Wen's words represent the realization of the future development of Taishan Airlines ahead of schedule.

However, it also presents certain difficulties.

For example, timely and effective information exchange and aggregation are necessary to ensure the smooth operation of the entire logistics network.

In this era, without networked computers, information exchange and aggregation required a large amount of manpower for statistical analysis.

However, Taishan Airlines has an advantage in this regard that other companies do not have.

With Fang Wen's full support, all branches of Taishan Airlines have established commercial telegraph offices.

It was precisely because of the large number of commercial telegraph rooms that information exchange and summarization of the entire logistics network could be achieved on the same day.

Manager Liu understood this and took the initiative to say, "General Manager, as the chief accountant of Taishan Airlines, I will definitely cooperate to do this well. It seems that the general accounting department will need to increase its staff, and we will also need to expand our recruitment of accounting personnel in various regions."

Fang Wen laughed and said, "It's not just your general ledger office; the logistics department also needs a lot of grassroots management personnel. It just so happens that those grounded seaplane airport managers can be sent to the southwest to manage local logistics stations."

"How many employees does the logistics department need?" Manager Liu asked curiously.

Let's calculate it.

Fang Wen calculated it back then.

A grassroots logistics department.

One manager is needed to manage departmental operations and communicate with local authorities.

Two dispatchers are responsible for cargo scheduling and transportation planning.

Two warehouse managers are needed to handle the receipt, dispatch, storage, and inventory of goods in the warehouse.

There are 8-10 loader/unloaders responsible for loading, unloading, handling, and stacking goods.

One accounting staff member is responsible for real-time information summary and reporting.

One telegraph operator for the business telegraph office.

This requires 15-17 people.

Such a basic logistics department can be responsible for the logistics of a seaplane airport and the surrounding area.

Currently, Taishan Airlines mainly sets up logistics stations at seaplane airports in the southwest, central south, and northwest river basins. There are about 60 such airports, which requires nearly 1000 people.

The civilian evacuation operation in Nanjing is proceeding smoothly.

What started as a wait-and-see attitude among the public quickly escalated into a mass exodus of people from the area.

An average of more than 2000 people are evacuated each day, which is not enough to meet the evacuation needs of all the people.

However, this behavior made ordinary people in Nanjing aware of the crisis, and more people began to consider leaving.

As long as they don't stay in Nanjing, this is a good thing for Fang Wen.

In a way, it saved these people's lives.

As a result, Fang Wen's Taishan Airlines expanded its workforce significantly, which not only helped people evacuate but also solved their livelihood problems, a win-win situation.

The number of these newly hired employees is constantly increasing, with some being sent to Xiangxi Airport and Yangon, and many more being sent to Wuhan.

The staff sent to Wuhan were all employees of Taishan Aviation Logistics Department, which was conceived by Fang Wen. Fang Wen still needed to carefully consider how to carry out the work and come up with a set of rules.

But now is not the time; it must be done at least after the evacuation is complete.

With 100 flights making round trips every day, even civilian aircraft attracted the attention of the Japanese army.

Faced with the Japanese air threat, Fang Wen had to ensure the smooth evacuation of civilians.

Therefore, Fang Wen ended his brief command of the evacuation operation, returned to piloting his fighter jet, and began his battle again.

(End of this chapter)