Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 51: Republican Era Bureaucrats, Eight Families of Northeast China Come to the Door
The telegram has been sent.

Yan Bangfu said, "I asked them to expedite the process under the guise of an official letter. They will send someone to deliver the telegram directly, but I don't think they can get back today. Come stay at my house for the night and come over tomorrow."

Although he has not yet called back, Yan Bangfu has already made it clear that a cooperation has been reached.

Fang Wen understood. All that pretense was just an act. This guy was shrewd; no wonder he could get along with everyone and act as a front man for the big boss behind the scenes.

He and Manager Liu exchanged a glance, and neither of them refused.

So the group went downstairs and left in two cars.

The car drove through the bustling city of Guangzhou and stopped at an official residence.

Yan Bangfu proudly introduced, "This was the residence of a prefect of Guangzhou during the Qing Dynasty. It changed hands several times before I finally bought it. However, I won't be living here for long. I'll be moving to Nanjing in a few months."

Fang Wen remained silent, while Manager Liu echoed and praised the residence. The group followed Yan Bangfu into the courtyard.

This place isn't very large; it was probably the outer residence of a former Qing Dynasty prefect. It has artificial hills and ponds, and houses with carved beams and painted pillars—a typical, rustic Chinese courtyard.

However, Yan Bangfu renovated the room, adding carpets, a fireplace, Western paintings, and even a piano.

The original Chinese style has been ruined, becoming neither fish nor fowl, and lacking any practicality.

Who would use a fireplace in Guangzhou?

Walk through the living room and go up the stairs to the second floor.

Several ladies were engrossed in playing mahjong and didn't even acknowledge Yan Bangfu when he came upstairs.

Upon entering the study on the second floor, Yan Bangfu said, "The woman in white is my wife. She will be going to Nanjing with these officials' wives in a few days, so it's a good opportunity to have her go there first to make arrangements."

Following up on the conversation, Manager Liu asked, "We've come all the way from the Northeast to Shanghai, and we're still unfamiliar with the situation in the South. Why did the government, which was doing so well, suddenly dissolve?"

Yan Bangfu looked at Fang Wen: "Didn't Mr. Fang tell you this?"

Fang Wen shook his head: "I was in the military for the past two months and don't know much about it."

"Since we have nothing else to do, let's have a private chat, just like casual conversation."

Yan Bangfu came and talked about sex, revealing a secret of the Nationalist government that ordinary people did not know.

Manager Liu had no idea and listened with great interest to the story.

Although Fang Wen had some knowledge of history, it wasn't in great detail; he obtained more information from Yan Bangfu.

Before 21, there were actually several Nationalist governments in China.

May 1930, the 19th year of the Republic of China.

Fang Wen passed the assessment and went to work for China Airlines in Shanghai.

At the same time, the Central Plains War broke out in the north.

Chiang Kai-shek, Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, and Li Hongzhang were locked in a fierce battle in Henan, Shandong, and Anhui.

During that period, Wang Jingwei established the "National Government" in Beiping, and Yan Xishan served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Navy and Air Force of the Republic of China.

However, this Nationalist government only lasted for a little over two months before it was dissolved.

In 20, Wang Jingwei, unwilling to accept his political defeat, went south again and incited a group of people to establish the Guangzhou National Government in Guangzhou, emulating the Xinhai Revolution.

After the Mukden Incident, Chiang Kai-shek was forced to step down, and the Guangzhou Nationalist government moved into Nanjing.

This led to the dissolution of the Guangzhou Nationalist Government and its relocation to Nanjing.

Yan Bangfu spoke with great enthusiasm, as if his master was about to gain power and he himself would also rise to prominence.

He said all this to show off the resources he currently possessed, so that Fang Wen and Manager Liu could weigh their options.

Manager Liu nodded repeatedly, agreeing with everything Yan Bangfu said, completely taken aback.

Fang Wen, however, did not.

He knew what would become of Wang.

Chiang's downfall is only temporary; he will likely return to power soon. These people have clearly bet against the right direction.

We'll see if they can switch allegiances in time. If they haven't chosen the right side yet, everything we're saying now is meaningless.

By then, the shares they want will have to be transferred to the people who actually hold power.

No, that's not right either, Fang Wen suddenly realized. The other party values ​​the Fuxing Society so much, and the Fuxing Society was founded by Chiang Kai-shek's confidants, with most of its members being graduates of the Whampoa Military Academy.

These people are indeed adept technocrats; they've already started preparing for both scenarios.

It seems that he will be dealing with them for a long time to come. Fang Wen smiled and nodded in agreement.

The atmosphere in the study was very harmonious.

The next day, in the morning, the telegraph office staff brought the telegram over on their own initiative.

The telegram was brief.

The organization is undergoing restructuring, divided into an Organization Department, a Publicity Department, a Training Department, and a Special Service Department. Because of my contribution at the airport, I'm currently an officer in the Publicity Department. Regarding your request, the higher-ups have approved it; I'll collect 10% of the shares on your behalf as a supplement to the Publicity Department's operating expenses.

The information revealed in the telegram made Yan Bangfu feel that Fang Wen and the Fuxing Society seemed to have some kind of relationship, and his attitude became much more enthusiastic.

He then made numerous phone calls, contacting various parties and giving Fang Wen and Manager Liu a promise.

That is, after the Shanghai Armistice Agreement was signed, the airline could be established directly, and all subsequent procedures and documents would be handled by them.

After making this promise, Manager Liu sent a telegram overnight to the owners in the Shanghai International Settlement to report the situation.

After obtaining the owner's consent, the deal was finally finalized.

Now that the matter was settled, the eight prominent families of Northeast China took the initiative.

They were eager to finalize and implement the airline's details before the armistice agreement was signed, striving to establish and operate the company as soon as possible.

Therefore, they took the initiative to send a telegram to Fang Wen, arranging a meeting in Nanjing to discuss specific matters.

Fang Wen, who had originally planned to stay in Guangzhou for two more days, had to say goodbye to Teacher Liu and prepare to fly back to Nanjing.

Subsequently, Instructor Liu used his connections to fill the main and auxiliary fuel tanks of the Potez 25 with fuel.

Just before boarding the plane for takeoff, Fang Wen hesitated, wanting to remind Instructor Liu, who had been kind to him, but he didn't know how to bring it up.

Should we tell them not to take sides blindly, or say that Chiang Kai-shek will make a comeback in a while?
These things shouldn't be said carelessly. Let's find an opportunity to talk to Instructor Liu privately later.

After saying goodbye, the plane, fully loaded with fuel, took off from Dashatou Airport and headed to Nanjing.

After a flight of more than seven hours, the plane landed at Nanjing Airport.

After the plane landed, Fang Wen went down the boarding stairs and heard Fang Shouxin's report.

"Young Master, the people from Northeast China have arrived. They've rented a place outside the airport and are waiting for you to come over."

Since the other party was so eager, Fang Wen didn't want to keep them waiting, so he took his small group: Howard, Fang Shouxin, Fang Shun, and Manager Liu, Sun Debiao, and went over together.

The large mansion the other party rented outside the airport turned out to be the same mansion rented by Japanese spies.

There was a gunfight in the yard last time, and fire and smoke were used. The black smoke marks and bullet holes on the walls are still there.

But the members of the eight major families in Northeast China didn't care about these things, and the people they sent were all people who could make decisions.

They greeted Fang Wen on the open ground in the courtyard and explained the situation.

“The Japanese came to us, wanting us to invest in their trading company. How could we possibly do such a thing? We simply transferred our assets out of Shanghai in batches and hid them separately. But this kind of thing can't last long. Since you've already reached an agreement, then the eight of us will go all the way and partner with you to the end.”

So that's how it is. It seems the armistice agreement is about to be signed, and the Japanese are trying to make one last profit in Shanghai.

No wonder the eight great families were in such a hurry; they were afraid that their wealth would be seized by the Japanese, so they might as well take a gamble.

Fang Wen smiled slightly and said, "Shunzi, bring out the topographic map. Let's get this straight today."

"Alright, young master." Shunzi unfolded the large scroll on the ground behind him.

That was a traditional Chinese ink painting of the terrain.

This is not only a judgment he made based on historical memory, but there is also corroborating evidence.

That is, the Fuxing Society, which Yue Jinping mentioned to him, was not affected by Chiang Kai-shek's resignation and continued to operate normally.

According to Yue Jinping, although the Fuxing Society has not yet been officially established, its organizational structure is already clear, divided into an organization department, a propaganda department, a training department, and a special affairs department.

Yue Jinping was assigned to the propaganda department, a civilian cadre position, for her merit in capturing Japanese spies at the airport.

(End of this chapter)