Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 458 The Secret Recruitment at Huaxi Dam and the Effectiveness of the Logistics Project
Upon the return of the expedition team, Fang Wen immediately began arranging production.

Currently, Taishan Airlines' manufacturing scale has gradually increased to the same level as its aviation operations, and it has begun to restructure its internal industrial structure.

The No. 1 Aircraft Manufacturing Plant is responsible for civil aviation. Currently, apart from the conversion of gunboats, only the Xuanming-type long-haul seaplane ordered by Pan Am is being delivered at a production rate of one aircraft per month.

The surplus engineering and technical personnel were initially transferred to small-scale military-industrial positions and reassigned to the newly established engine manufacturing plant and aircraft manufacturing plant No. 2.

Now that domestic orders have been secured, Fang Wen immediately began large-scale retraining and reassignment programs.

Although it was called a job transfer and retraining, it was actually just an internal transfer and did not involve crossing industries. This group of civilian amphibious aircraft engineering technicians quickly completed their training and stepped into the manufacturing positions of aero engines and military fighter jets.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that the technology at present is not very advanced. After all, most of the German Bf 109, the most powerful fighter plane in the world during World War II, came from factories in concentration camps. It is conceivable that its difficulty is not the same as the highly integrated equipment of the future.

In addition to transferring engineers and technicians from the aircraft manufacturing plant to northern Myanmar, Fang Wen is also recruiting a large number of general workers and trainee technicians.

The recruitment of general laborers mainly focused on the refugee workers in northern Myanmar. After completing the basic construction of the base in northern Myanmar, they also needed new jobs. Therefore, it was only natural for them to switch from construction workers to general laborers in various factories.

While a small portion of the trainee technicians are selected from refugee workers, the majority are from within the country.

As the war dragged on, a large number of schools went to various parts of the southwest. These students had acquired basic knowledge and, after training, were able to better understand the production processes and technologies, thus forming productivity more quickly.

Therefore, Fang Wen led the company's administrative staff to various parts of Southwest China to recruit a new batch of talent.

Taishan Airlines' new headquarters building in Yangon.

Fang Wen held a pre-departure discussion with the administrative staff.

"Currently, there are many schools that have relocated to the southwest region of China. Everyone knows about the Southwest Associated University on the shore of Kunming Lake. Besides it, there are many others. This time we are going to the Sichuan region, so let me explain the situation there."

He turned around and began writing and speaking on the blackboard behind him.

“The Chongqing Shapingba Cultural District was established in February of this year. It brings together a large number of schools that have relocated from other parts of the country, including Chongqing University, Central University, Nankai School, SC Provincial College of Education, Central Radio and Television Station, and SC Provincial Chongqing Women's Vocational School. Currently, there are thousands of students from schools across the country.”

"The Huaxi Dam area in Chengdu was originally the site of West China Union University. After the outbreak of the full-scale War of Resistance against Japan, a large number of schools also moved there, including the Medical School of National Central University, Nanjing University, and Ginling Women's College of Arts and Sciences in Nanjing, Qilu University in Jinan, the Department of Biology of Soochow University in Suzhou, Yenching University and Peking Union Medical College in Beiping, etc."

"Our purpose in going to Sichuan this time is to recruit as many talents as possible in these two regions and expand our reserve of technical personnel."

After he finished speaking, he looked at the staff in the administration department.

The employees had no objections and immediately began preparations, boarding the plane and departing in the afternoon.

After the administrative staff left the meeting room, Fang Shouxin, the head of the administrative department, did not leave. He asked worriedly, "Young Master, now that we have a falling out with the Kuomintang, if we continue like this, I'm afraid someone will try to trip us up behind our backs."

Fang Wen nodded, "That is indeed possible."

But we cannot refrain from taking action because of this.

He replied, "The situation over there is a bit complicated. Our interviews can only be conducted in secret, with underground party members cooperating with our operations."

"How do we do it?" Fang Shouxin pressed, even if it was a secret, he needed to know, otherwise he wouldn't feel at ease.

Therefore, Fang Wen continued to explain: "We went there under the guise of recruiting workers for the Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan Logistics Company, but we did not promote it on a large scale. Instead, we relied on the underground party and anti-Japanese activists in various universities to assist in the propaganda. Although the impact was not great, it still attracted some patriotic students."

So that's how it is. It wasn't that Fang Shouxin was planning to recruit there in a big way. In fact, the Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan logistics company is now operating under the name of an American company and involves interests in three regions, so it has a kind of protective umbrella.

Fang Shouxin went to prepare with peace of mind.

After a morning, 15 administrative staff members boarded the company shuttle bus with promotional materials and registration forms. Fang Wen drove ahead in his car with Gong Xiuneng and Fang Shouxin, heading towards the sea airport.

Upon arriving at the port, the group loaded all their belongings onto the plane.

The seaplane departs from Yangon and takes the Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan route.

After 10 hours and several transfers, the plane arrived at the water airport of the logistics company on the banks of the Jiang'an River in Chengdu.

Fang Wen circled the plane and took out a microphone to make a call.

"Logistics Unit 19, requesting landing."

Ground response: "Aircraft No. 19, please wait. The berth is currently full and you will need to wait for 10 minutes."

"receive."

Fang Wen put down the microphone and controlled the plane to continue circling.

Meanwhile, observe the area below.

The Jiang'an Logistics Water Airport is now very busy.

Rows of warehouses stand in the logistics park behind the airport, with vehicles constantly coming and going, transporting goods in and out.

Each warehouse has a sign; some are operated by logistics companies themselves, while others are rented by large merchants from Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan.

It has become Chengdu's largest distribution center for goods.

On the river, several planes were parked, unloading and loading cargo, while the dock on the other side was bustling with activity, serving as berths for cargo ships.

As I was watching, a sound came from the wireless device.

"Aircraft No. 19, aircraft No. 7 are about to take off, which berth are you landing at?"

A seaplane pulls out of its berth and accelerates to take off over the river.

After it flew away, Fang Wen controlled the plane to land steadily on the river, and then turned and drove into the berth.

After parking, the group disembarked carrying a rattan suitcase containing documents and forms and went directly to the logistics airport office building.

That place was also the office location of the entire Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan logistics company. Since Fang Wen and his group were disguised as employees of the logistics company, they naturally had to report to the company's office.

Upon arriving at the office building, an unsuspecting receptionist approached.

"You came on flight 19, right? Please follow me."

The receptionist led Fang Wen and his group to a conference room on the second floor.

He told them, "Wait here, someone will be here in a bit."

Then he left directly.

Not long after, Sun Debiao arrived at the conference room.

As soon as he entered, he closed the door and said eagerly, "General Manager, you've finally arrived! I've been on tenterhooks these past few days, afraid something might happen."

"Nothing happened, right? I see things are developing very well here," Fang Wen replied with a smile.

"Yes, I still don't quite understand it. After becoming an American company, they gave me the green light everywhere, and business became much easier. Big merchants from Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan all came to cooperate with us. In just a few months, we've grown the business to what it is today. The goods coming in and out of the Chengdu Jiang'an Logistics Park alone can meet the daily needs of half of Chengdu."

As Sun Debiao spoke, a hint of pride couldn't help but show.

Fang Wen smiled and nodded; this development aligned with his plan.

Although it is just a private logistics project, once the entire system is perfected, the resulting massive flow of goods can alleviate some of the shortages of goods caused by war.

This is very important. This is exactly what the Kuomintang needs most right now. Not only the Kuomintang, but the people of the entire Southwest region are also benefiting from the flow of goods.

such as:

food.

In the first half of 1936-1937, Sichuan suffered a severe drought, affecting more than 80% of the province's area and impacting 3700 million people. The number of people who starved to death was difficult to count.

At this point, the major grain-producing areas of the Yellow River, Yangtze River, and Pearl River basins were occupied by the Japanese army, and the national food supply was tight. The soldiers at the front and the people at the rear mainly relied on Sichuan for food supplies. In order to ensure the food supply, the Sichuan provincial government formulated measures to reward land reclamation and called for saving food. In many places, the military and civilians "implemented two meals a day".

But such a measure is undoubtedly a case of drinking poison to quench thirst.

The emergence of Taishan Logistics Company has linked up grain suppliers across Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces.

They successfully gathered surplus grain from various regions and brought it to Chengdu.

The people's grain reserves are still very abundant. Through this collection and distribution, the grain problem faced by Sichuan was solved in a timely manner.

others.

The raw materials for the relocated factory were difficult to obtain on its own in the southwest region, but the problem was solved by Taishan Logistics Company.

The surge in demand for daily necessities caused by the large influx of people moving inland has led to the rapid availability of clothing, bedding, medicines, and other essential items, all of which have been quickly resolved through logistics.

Therefore, it wasn't just because of the American company's name, but more so because the logistics company was doing better and better, and was able to solve the livelihood problems in the rear areas in a timely manner, which made the Nationalist government hesitant to act against it.

After all, if the logistics company runs into problems, the entire logistics network will be thrown into chaos, and they don't want to face criticism from people at all levels.

This concludes the business discussion regarding the logistics company.

Fang Wen then explained the purpose of his visit.

Sun Debiao stated directly that with Fang Wen in charge, he would fully cooperate.

Fang Wen took out a notebook, wrote down contact information and location, tore off a page and handed it to Sun Debiao: "Go and make this contact. They will be in charge of recruitment and publicity. Also, you will be in charge of arranging a job fair in the logistics park."

Sun Debiao took the note and nodded seriously: "Okay, I'll take care of it right away. By the way, I'll still have the same person arrange your food and lodging. He doesn't know your identities, so it'll be easier for him to cover up."

After saying that, he got up and left.

After a while, the logistics company staff member who had previously received Fang Wen and his group came over and led them to their dormitory.

Sun Debiao went out and, following the contact address on the note, went to Huaxi Dam.

Huaxi Dam is located in the central area of ​​the city, east of Wuhou Temple.

There were school buildings everywhere, and students wearing thin long gowns walked along the roads.

The meeting place was a bookstore. The owner was kind and always had a smile on his face. He also allowed students to read books in the bookstore.

Because the small bookstore was full of customers.

Sun Debiao walked into the store, recalling the connection method on the note, walked to the bookshelf of classics and history, and picked up a thread-bound book, "Historical Commentary on the Han Dynasty".

He couldn't understand these reprinted ancient books, but that was the way to communicate.

As he was looking through the items with great interest, the shop owner noticed him, walked over, and said with a smile.

"This book was written by Ling Dizhi of the Ming Dynasty. I only have one set in my shop. Would you like it, sir?"

“I like the Records of the Grand Historian, but the Book of Han is so-so. These days, I don’t have the energy to study the past to understand the present, so let’s forget about it,” Sun Debiao replied.

After exchanging the secret code, the shop owner whispered, "I am Maple Leaf. The organization assigned me to be in charge of this operation."

Sun Debiao looked up, quickly scanned his surroundings, and replied in a low voice, "Come to Jiang'an Logistics Airport tomorrow morning. It would be best if there were a few more people with you. There's something I need you to bring back."

"Ok."

After the two made their meeting, Sun Debiao put down the thread-bound book, brushed past the shop owner, walked around alone for a moment, and then left.

Sun Debiao successfully completed the rendezvous.

Fang Wen and his group also stayed at the logistics park dormitory.

Subsequently, an empty warehouse was cleared out and used as an interview site.

The next morning, five people arrived from Huaxi Dam.

The bookstore owner was among them, along with four other students.

They were led into the warehouse by Sun Debiao to meet Fang Wen and the others.

The five then left carrying the rattan boxes.

After returning to Huaxi Dam, they split up and secretly spread the message to like-minded students.

Looking at the materials and listening to the propaganda, the progressive students realized that there was actually a military industrial base located overseas near Yunnan.

Weapons, ammunition, and military aircraft are being produced there.

However, due to a shortage of talent, a large number of knowledgeable personnel need to be recruited to participate in the construction of the military industry.

The first batch of students arrived at Jiang'an Logistics Park with a mix of skepticism and belief.

There, they found the warehouse where the recruitment office was located, and a student went up and knocked on the door.

The door opened, and a staff member from the administration department of Taishan Airlines stood behind it. "Are you here for a job interview?"

"Ah."

"Please come in."

The students were brought in and met with the recruitment team led by Fang Shouxin.

In response to the students' doubts, the personnel experts from the administration department easily dispelled their concerns.

After confirming that it was a business of Taishan Airlines, the students no longer hesitated and took the initiative to request to join.

After all, Taishan Airlines' performance over the years has indeed been very attractive.

Gradually, the news began to circulate secretly among the progressive students in various campuses. Students went in groups to the logistics park by the Jiang'an River in the south of the city, where they were led to the recruitment point set up in the warehouse.

These students, after undergoing preliminary interviews, registering their information, and having their family circumstances explained, qualified for the written test.

Their written test mainly focuses on their knowledge.

As long as you pass the basic knowledge assessment test, you will be accepted and can become an intern technician and receive further training.

Soon, the first batch of candidates were recruited, and they packed their bags and boarded a plane to fly to the overseas production base.

This recruitment will continue; Taishan Airlines will never stop seeking talent.

However, Fang Wen could no longer stay in Sichuan to oversee the recruitment process.

He received a telegram from the north.

The telegram was sent by Bai Yunfei, and it contained two parts.

One is about the tobacco company's summer tobacco harvest; the first batch of finished products is ready for delivery.

Another issue is the overall training of pilots, ground crew, and mechanics proposed by Fang Wen. To this end, large-scale selections were held in various base areas, and Fang Wen was invited to participate and provide some opinions.

These two matters are also very important. Fang Wen is prepared to make the trip himself, and then entrusts the subsequent recruitment work to Sun Debiao and Fang Shouxin.

(End of this chapter)