Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 479, page 465: The European Arms Sales Plan, the Traitor Zhao Dasheng

Taishan Airlines Headquarters.

Fang Wen was handling company affairs. Since his wife was not present, he needed to sign off on these routine matters before they could be handed over to the departments below to ensure the smooth operation of the entire company.

Taishan Airlines has now fully transformed its business towards the military industry, and its civil aviation business is now limited to Asia-Europe routes, Southeast Asian sea routes, and domestic joint venture seaplane business in the southwest and northwest waterways.

Therefore, many of the documents he read concerned the military industry.

As he looked at it, Fang Wen couldn't help but frown.

The rapidly developing military industry faces the challenge of huge investment but low output.

In terms of domestic military procurement, although three Taishan first-generation aircraft and a batch of infantry special equipment have been sold, the gap is still huge compared with the huge investment.

As for other business areas...

Although cigarette sales are good, the distribution channels are currently only operated by individual branch offices, and it will take time for sales volume to increase.

Although the Asia-Europe route is Taishan Airlines' main source of profit, the profit is fixed, and in fact, due to the recent situation, revenue has even declined.

The biggest revenue growth came from semiconductor radios, but because a large number of skilled workers have moved to the military industry, the production capacity needs to be restarted only after the factory in Yanchuan reaches full capacity.

However, these civilian products alone cannot support the hugely expensive military industry.

If this trend continues, the entire military industry will be unable to achieve a virtuous cycle, making it difficult to continue expanding production capacity and providing more military supplies to the front lines.

He glanced at another report, his expression slightly relaxed.

Exports of gunboats are growing rapidly.

On the Spanish Popular Front side, due to the good results of the gunboats in the Aragonese mountain operations, they have placed an order for another 10 gunboats.

The profit margin for military products is much higher than that for civilian products.

Taishan Airlines can earn a gross profit of $28,000 from a single gunship aircraft.

Currently, the purchases made by the Spanish Popular Front alone have generated more than 100,000 US dollars in profit for Taishan.

Think of this.

Fang Wen couldn't help but make a decision to take advantage of the outbreak of war in Europe to increase the sales of foreign trade military products to Europe and provide financial support to the domestic military industry.

So what's the situation in Europe now?
Fang Wen pulled out the coded telegram sent by the Shanghai intelligence station that morning.

This time, the Shanghai intelligence station had a new source of intelligence, obtained through Yue Jinping's channels from the Military Intelligence Bureau.

After translating the coded telegram, Fang Wen skipped directly to the European side.

In November of the 27th year of the Republic of China, Europe was turbulent and chaotic. The following is a report on important matters:

[Firstly, the "Kristallnacht" tragedy. From the night of November 9th to 10th, civilian clashes erupted in Germany and Austria. The mob ran rampant, burning approximately 267 synagogues and destroying over 7,000 shops and 29 department stores. Shattered glass littered the ground, reflecting the moonlight like crystal, hence the name "Kristallnacht" (Night of Broken Glass). This event resulted in the deaths of 90 to 150 people, with many more suffering horrific atrocities. Approximately 30,000 Jewish men aged 16 to 60 were forcibly detained in their homes and subsequently deported to concentration camps such as Dachau, Buchenwald, and Sachsenhausen.]

Secondly, Italy enacted new policies, including laws similar to those of Nuremberg. From then on, the situation of Jews in Italy deteriorated rapidly, with discrimination and persecution intensifying.

Thirdly, Germany sought to annex Czechoslovakian territory. German troops entered Czechoslovakian territory and forcibly declared the local population as German citizens.

Below is a supplementary paragraph by Chen Suoxin, the head of the Taishan intelligence station.

In conclusion, the atrocities and ambitions of the Nazis are blatantly obvious and will likely jeopardize the situation in Europe. I will closely monitor further developments and report back promptly.

It seems that the situation in Europe has deteriorated to the point where many people feel it is dangerous.

Under these circumstances, everyone in Europe felt insecure.

The demand for military products will naturally increase significantly.

It seems it's time to promote Taishan Military Products in Europe and do some arms business.

However, it is estimated that this matter will not make much progress if only the people from Taishan Airlines' European branch are tasked with it.

After all, it's a completely different circle, and you need someone who's an expert in this field to make connections and guide you.

This led Fang Wen to think of the People's Front.

After all, they had experience using gunboats, so they were the most convincing.

However, the Spanish Popular Front coalition government had no supporters in Europe and instead got very close to the Soviet Union.

Letting it act as a go-between will probably not be very effective.

However, Fang Wen did not have high-level connections in other European countries; at most, he only had some friends in the aviation manufacturing industry.

Relying on them probably won't work either.

Ultimately, he thought of Indiana.

It wasn't that Indiana had the ability to contact various European countries, but rather the intelligence agency he had previously worked for.

Although the U.S. foreign intelligence agencies at this time were relatively rudimentary and not yet the post-war CIA, they certainly maintained contact with intelligence agencies of other countries.

If we can connect with them and get their help with the sales, it might be very effective.

As for whether those people are willing or not, Fang Wen thinks they probably won't refuse, after all, Indiana was a typical example back then.

Moreover, this won't affect their regular jobs; it's just a way to earn some extra income.

Therefore, Fang Wen made a decision to go to the company's telegraph room immediately.

He sent the telegram using a high-powered antenna.

After sending the telegram, Fang Wen prepared to return to his office to continue working, but was stopped by Fang Shouxin at the door of the telegraph room.

"Young Master, the Internal Investigation Department has made a discovery," Fang Shouxin said in a low voice.

Fang Wen nodded and returned to the office with Fang Shouxin before asking, "What did you find?"

"It's the surveillance system of the Taishan Research Institute. Our monitors take turns watching six monitor screens every day, and they made a discovery today."

Fang Shouxin repeated the situation reported by Zhao Shanhu.

Fang Wen's expression immediately turned serious.

He made these arrangements out of a sense of precaution, but he didn't really want any traitors to appear.

But human nature is the most unpredictable thing, and it still happened in the end.

He said in a deep voice, "What's his name? Have you launched an investigation into him?"

Fang Shouxin explained the situation of this person: "Zhao Dasheng is a long-time employee of the company. He joined the company when it opened in Shanghai. He was originally a member of the Eight Great Families. After we parted ways with the Eight Great Families, a group of people stayed with the company, and he was one of them. Over the years, he has always worked diligently. Later, when the Taishan Research Institute moved to northern Myanmar, he was transferred there as a logistics staff member."

Upon hearing Fang Shouxin's words, Fang Wen, with his exceptional memory, immediately recalled the man: a round-faced man who always smiled and could talk to anyone.

People with good interpersonal relationships tend to get along well in the company. Later, as the company grew, one of them became a junior manager in the logistics department.

Wait a minute, Fang Wen realized something was wrong.

"Isn't he a logistics staff member? How did he get into the archives as a researcher?"

“I’m also a little confused, because the research institute isn’t under my jurisdiction, so I don’t know what’s going on yet,” Fang Shouxin replied.

"What about his family situation and financial situation?" Fang Wen continued to inquire.

“He has never married. But according to our investigation, he would go out for a period of time after receiving his salary each month. In addition, he did not have much money in his company's pension account, and there were multiple withdrawal records.”

The problem has been found.

As a long-term employee, this person enjoys good benefits and treatment. As long as they don't squander the money in their company retirement account, they will accumulate a considerable sum.

But now it has been brought up by him.

Where was it used?
Fang Wen decided not to go to northern Myanmar to alert the enemy, but instead to gather information indirectly from his former colleagues and friends.

The internal investigation department launched a secret investigation. People who had worked with Zhao Dasheng, as well as those who had a good relationship with him, were secretly summoned and questioned.

These people entered the administrative department on the fifth floor of the headquarters building.

Unaware of the situation, they were led into the conference room one by one by personnel from the internal investigation department.

The meeting room, with the curtains drawn, was somewhat dim.

There were only Fang Wen and Fang Shouxin inside.

Upon seeing that it was the general manager and the head of the administration department, everyone who came in panicked.

Fang Wen said in a friendly tone, "Don't be nervous. I called you here not because of you, but to get information about Zhao Dasheng from you."

Upon hearing that it had nothing to do with them, those who were being questioned immediately relaxed.

They then answered Fang Wen's questions.

"During the time you worked with Zhao Dasheng, did you discover any unusual hobbies he might have?"

"No, he's easy to get along with at work, but after get off work he's not very sociable and likes to be alone. At first I thought it was strange, but after a while I stopped thinking about it."

"Are you Zhao Dasheng's friend?"

"Yes, we have a good personal relationship. He's a bit strange after get off work. He likes to stay in his room alone and doesn't want to live with anyone. I asked the person in charge of the dormitory several times, and finally they gave him a small single room. I live next to him. Since we both like to play chess, we became chess friends and often play a few games together after get off work."

"Does he have any other hobbies besides playing chess?"

"No, he doesn't play chess much. After get off work, he eats dinner and always stays in his room with the door closed."

As the questioning continued, Fang Wen gradually gained a new understanding of Zhao Dasheng.

This person has many problems.

However, because he performed well during his working hours at the company, these problems remained unexposed.

What exactly was he doing in the room?

Fang Wen decided to visit Zhao Dasheng's residence in Yangon.

Taishan Airlines' employee dormitories in Yangon are located behind the headquarters building. There are a total of 3 buildings, all of which were purchased and renovated.

There are three apartment types: three-person, five-person, and single-person.

Zhao Dasheng lived in a single room on the third floor of one of the buildings.

This is where Fang Wen and Fang Shouxin are headed.

Because there were spare rooms in the dormitory, Zhao Dasheng was transferred to work in northern Myanmar, but no new people had moved in yet, and the rooms remained vacant.

When they arrived at the location, Fang Shouxin took out the key he had obtained from the dormitory manager and prepared to open the door.

"Let me do it."

Fang Wen took the key and simultaneously entered his supernatural state.

Although there is no machine to sense it, physical fitness and mental strength have been greatly improved.

He inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it gently.

Even in his supernatural state, Fang Wen could clearly hear the slight sound of the key pressing into the lock cylinder.

The door opened, and he pushed it open, observing the situation inside from the doorway.

The walls of the room were covered with newspapers, and there were no blankets on the bed frame, only a bed board.

There wasn't much clutter left in the room, indicating that Zhao Dasheng had cleaned it before leaving.

Under such circumstances, is it still possible to make any discoveries?
Fang Wen stepped into the room.

After observing for a while, his attention turned to the wallpaper covering the walls.

Using newspapers to cover the walls is not a habit of everyone. Does Zhao Dasheng have any special reason for doing this?

Fang Wen looked at the newspapers and found that they were all from Shanghai and dated last year.

In other words, before Shanghai fell to the Japanese and his company moved to Wuhan, Zhao Dasheng collected many newspapers from that time.

Was he already bribed by the Japanese at that time?
No, the information in the newspapers is useless to the Japanese.

So why were these newspapers collected and carried with them from Wuhan to Yangon?
Fang Wen frowned and touched the newspaper.

Through his extraordinary senses, he felt through the newspaper whether there were any hidden channels in the wall behind him.

It really does.

Fang Wen stopped at the wall in the middle of the room and tore off the newspaper pasted on the outside.

As the newspaper was torn open, a specially carved-out small groove was revealed inside.

Some parts of the dark area were blackened, likely by candles or other sources of heat.

Fang Wen leaned closer and smelled a very complex and strange odor.

The smell seemed to be present not only in the gutter but also on the newspapers on the wall.

However, the scent has faded over time, and I doubt others would be able to detect it.

"Uncle Fang, do you know what smells like caramel, rotten grass roots, and also burnt hair?" Fang Wen asked.

Fang Shouxin shook his head: "I don't know."

Fang Wen could only continue searching.

But this time, he followed the scent to find it.

Guided by the strange smell, Fang Wen walked out of the room and found a pipe in a wooden barrel in the corner.

Fang Wen had seen this before; it was a dry tobacco pipe. Sometimes, tobacco farmers would put the dried tobacco into the pipe at the front, light it with a flint, and take a couple of puffs.

But wait, that's not right. Dry tobacco doesn't have that strange taste.

Fang Wen vaguely had an answer.

This kind of smoking paraphernalia was not only used for dry tobacco, but also for smoking opium paste.

Once you think about it this way, things make sense.

The newspaper was used to wrap opium paste. Zhao Dasheng was an addict. You couldn't tell from his usual behavior, but after get off work, he would smoke in his single dormitory room.

That hidden compartment was where smoking paraphernalia and opium were stored.

Thus, the money that was constantly being withdrawn from his retirement account had a place to go. Opium paste is very expensive, and even if there is a lot of money in the retirement account, it will not be enough.

Without money, and with his opium addiction discovered by Japanese spies, he could very well be bribed and become an internal traitor.

This hypothesis requires confirmation that the smell is indeed opium paste.

To find this, Fang Wen discovered a secret underground opium den that was still operating in Yangon.

There, they smelled the same odor, thus confirming that it was opium paste.

Furthermore, it was in this opium den that he learned that Zhao Dasheng had been there.

This confirmed Fang Wen's guess.

Immediately, he flew to northern Myanmar to investigate Zhao Dasheng, find out who was connected to him, and identify the Japanese spies who had secretly bribed him.

(End of this chapter)