Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 518 London Equity Negotiations, Unexpected British Military Procurement Intentions
Because of his supernatural abilities, Fang Wen has successfully found various lost treasures many times, so he is quite interested in this area.

"Could you explain in more detail?" Fang Wen asked.

“Of course, how much do you know about Napoleon?” Pierre asked from the passenger seat.

"I know he was from the 18th century, your emperor, very famous."

"In France, he has many admirers and is also controversial. He is both a hero and an opportunist. He abolished slavery, yet he also established slavery in the colonies, making France powerful, while at the same time personally destroying the French Empire."

Pierre used his own words to describe his impression of Napoleon, then said, "Tell me about the treasure. 100 years ago, Napoleon led his army to invade Russia and occupied Moscow. He ordered the Kremlin to be looted of all its gold, silver, jewels, and works of art. Later, due to the overextended front lines, insufficient food and ammunition supplies, and the onset of winter, Napoleon had to order the abandonment of Moscow and a slow retreat to the southwest. During the retreat, wagons loaded with spoils from the French army's massive supply train suddenly disappeared."

After a pause, Pierre revealed a fanatical emotion.

“I’ve studied this for a long time, and I believe that Napoleon hid the spoils he plundered from Moscow in a place called Samlyop. But after checking the map, there is no lake in the Samlyop area, but there is a river called Samlyovka in the swamp 29 kilometers southwest of Biajma nearby. That swamp may have been a lake at the time. The treasure should be hidden in that lake.”

Fang Wen exclaimed in surprise, "You think the treasure is hidden underwater? Just because it's easier to place treasure underwater? If Napoleon did that, he must have been a fool."

"Why?" Pierre was stunned and asked in return.

“The underwater environment is not friendly to jewelry and handicrafts. Hiding them underwater would undoubtedly be a waste of those works of art and jewelry, unless Napoleon didn’t want the treasure,” Fang Wen replied.

In Fang Wen's treasure hunting experience, he had never seen anyone hide treasure underwater.

Pierre thought about it for a while; as an art investor, he naturally understood what it meant.

“If it’s not underwater, it should be hidden in that area. If I help you complete the share purchase, can you come with me there to search for treasure?” he asked.

Fang Wen did not immediately agree, but instead asked a crucial question: "How much treasure did Napoleon actually plunder from Russia? What was in the treasure?"

"They took everything, including ancient weapons, the cross on the Ivan the Great's monument, church costumes, precious paintings and statues. They also took 80 tons of the Tsar's gold. I have consulted many documents, and that batch of gold, as well as many jewels and famous paintings from the Kremlin, were not transported back to France. They must have been hidden by Napoleon."

80 tons of gold!
Once so much gold is found, there are many things that can be done.

Fang Wen had a sudden thought and decided to accompany Pierre there to take a look. If they could find it, they would dig it up.

Pierre, as a collaborator, is also quite good. He's an art investor, perfect for turning treasures into cash, and we might even be able to establish a long-term partnership with him in the future.

He immediately agreed. "Okay, if you can help me acquire the shares, I'll cooperate with you."

The DC-3 private jet crossed the English Channel and arrived over London in less than an hour.

After making contact with the ground, he controlled the aircraft to land smoothly on the runway at London Airport.

This was Fang Wen's first time piloting a plane to London, and his second time here.

Last time it was for penicillin formulations, this time it's for turbojet engine technology.

But this time it's significantly more difficult.

To avoid attracting the attention of the British military, Fang Wen did not go directly to the Power Jet Company, but was instead led by Pierre to Lombard Street.

The car arrived, and the group got out.

Fang Wen looked around at the classic neighborhood.

This place has been the heart of the British banking industry since the 17th century, named after the early Italian Lombard merchants who conducted financial business here.

Today, this area is home to the UK's four major clearing banks (Barclays, Lloyd's, Midland, and National Westminster), as well as private banks such as NM Rothschild & Sons and Schroders.

"Where are we going?" he asked Pierre.

"If I don't take you to a private club, you won't be able to get in."

After Pierre finished speaking, he led Fang Wen to the roadside and into a coffee shop.

The café was quiet, but that was only on the surface; its actual business was upstairs.

Upon seeing Pierre's gold rose card, the waiter said, "Sir, you can only bring one person upstairs."

“Me and him.” Pierre pointed to Fang Wen.

Gong Xiuneng and Pierre's assistant stayed on the first floor, while Fang Wen and Pierre followed the waiter upstairs in the elevator.

Upstairs was a private club with a sign that read "Bridge Club," where bankers enjoyed playing these mental games to pass the time.

Among the bankers Fang Wen was looking for who had invested in Power Jet Company, one was a frequent card player at this place.

Coincidentally, he was there today.

But in a card game with someone.

After waiting for a while, the game ended, and he put away his glasses, stood up, and said goodbye.

Pierre then came over: "Murphy, do you remember me? Pierre Dupont of Paris."

“I remember, the paintings I bought from you made my wife very happy. Her favorite is Edgar Degas’s ‘Ballet Dancer’.”

“I also have another original Edgar Degas painting. I’ll show it to you next time you come to Paris.”

After a smooth opening exchange, Pierre introduced Fang Wen, who was standing next to him.

"By the way, this is my friend, Fang Wen, the general manager of Taishan Airlines."

Banker Murphy looked at Fang Wen and extended his hand: "I know you. The fact that you obtained a $2 million loan from the American consortium is often talked about on Lombard Street. We've always been curious about how you managed to get such a large loan from those three consortia."

Fang Wen shook hands with him: "A very good project, plus some things they're interested in."

"Really? I think we can explore this matter more deeply."

Murphy unexpectedly invited Fang Wen to talk at the club, a development that exceeded Pierre's expectations.

Fang Wen did not refuse, and the three of them sat down on the other side of the club and ordered coffee and black tea as drinks.

Then, Fang Wen spoke eloquently about semiconductor technology.

After listening to Fang Wen's introduction of the new technology, Murphy was very surprised: "Does the portable radio from Zhongxing Electric also use your technology?"

"Yes. It's our technology."

"No wonder the American consortium invested in you. We've been looking for the source of technology for Zhongxing Electric, and we never expected it to be you. Does your company still need investment?"

Fang Wen originally intended to buy the shares of Power Jet Company from the other party, but he did not expect that the other party would want to invest in him.

This gave Fang Wen a new idea.

Semiconductor technology is not impossible to replicate.

Taishan Aviation can only control the production of polysilicon in the upstream semiconductor industry. However, once researchers from other countries understand the downstream semiconductor technology, it can still be replaced by other materials, at most with slightly lower performance.

This is an inevitable process of technological development. It would be better to take this opportunity to transfer downstream semiconductor technology in exchange for the benefits we want.

For example, turbojet engine technology.

Thinking of this, he said, "Zhongxing Electric is our authorized manufacturing company. Its products are currently selling well in Europe. This is a trend. More semiconductor technology products will be launched in the future, and vacuum tube technology will be phased out. This process will bring about a major change in the industrial field, and those who invest in this technology in advance will benefit from it. I am willing to accept new investment and cooperate in other ways. But I came to London today for another matter, and this matter is related to you."

"What is it?" Murphy asked in surprise.

"Shares in PowerJet, or the technology of turbojet engines," Fang Wen said bluntly.

Murphy shook his head at this: "I can't decide that. In fact, all the shareholders have signed a confidentiality agreement, and we can't even access the technical data of the turbojet engine."

The conversation stalled there. Even with Fang Wen using semiconductor technology as bait, he still couldn't get shares from Murphy.

The root of the problem lay not with bankers like Murphy, but with the British military. Faced with this, Fang Wen could only end the conversation and leave with Pierre.

They checked into an upscale hotel in the nearby Cornhill neighborhood and agreed to try their luck with another banker the next day.

In the hotel, Fang Wen went to take a shower, planning to go out for a walk with Gong Xiuneng after he finished washing up.

But then the room phone rang.

Gong Xiuneng got up and looked through the peephole.

Through the peephole, two men in suits could be seen outside.

"Who are you looking for?" he asked through the door, his hand already on the pistol at his waist.

"Secret Intelligence Service," a voice came from outside the door.

Gong Xiuneng, who could understand some everyday English, couldn't comprehend the meaning of the sentence and exclaimed, "I don't know what you're saying!"

It was quiet outside the door.

After a while, Fang Wen finished showering and came out wearing a bathrobe.

"What happened just now?"

"There were two men in suits outside, and I couldn't understand what they were saying. Later, they left," Gong Xiuneng explained.

Just then, the doorbell rang again, and Gong Xiuneng went to the door once more.

This time, a voice in Chinese came from outside the door: "I am a translator representing the Secret Intelligence Bureau. Please open the door."

Secret Intelligence Agency?

Fang Wen knew that.

Its abbreviation is SIS, and its internal code name is "MI6" (Military Intelligence Six). It is responsible for overseas intelligence gathering and covert operations.

Another well-known department, MI5 (Military Intelligence Five), is responsible for counter-espionage, subversion, and security reviews within the United Kingdom.

It is considered one of the departments with a very clear division of labor among intelligence agencies today.

Fang Wen gestured for Gong Xiu to open the door and receive them, while he went back to his room to change his clothes.

When the people came in, Gong Xiuneng said indifferently, "Please sit down, my commander is changing clothes."

Two men in suits and a Chinese translator sat down on the living room sofa.

After a while, Fang Wen came out after changing his clothes.

Ask directly in English.

"Hello, what can I do for you?"

"We've come to you about the Taishan walkie-talkies your company produces. Are they available for sale?"

They came to buy a Taishan walkie-talkie.

This radio communication equipment has excellent applications in the military and intelligence fields and is a proprietary technology of Taishan Aviation.

Fang Wen decisively stated: "I'm sorry, the Taishan walkie-talkie will not be sold to the public at this time."

“We understand why you keep this technology secret; it can play a very good role on the battlefield and greatly help your war effort. But this equipment is also very useful to us, Britain. If you are willing to sell a batch of Taishan walkie-talkies, we can meet some of your conditions.”

They simply sell the product, not the technology itself, and they can even set conditions.

Fang Wen's heart skipped a beat.

“I came to London this time to purchase an engine technology. It has its flaws, but it could inspire our company’s products. However, because it’s a project of your military, I can’t obtain this technology from your company. If you can solve this problem, I can sell you a batch of Taishan walkie-talkies.”

The two MI6 agents could not give Fang Wen an answer, but instead took their leave and reported the situation to their superiors.

Over the next two days, Fang Wen traveled back and forth between several banker shareholders of Power Jet Company, hoping to find a breakthrough.

Unfortunately, they did not agree.

Everything still revolves around the British military.

In this situation, Fang Wen could only pin his hopes on MI6. If that didn't work either, he would have to leave London and go to Junkers in Germany to try and find a solution.

But it's probably even more difficult there.

On his fourth day in London, MI6 agents found Fang Wen again, this time accompanied by military personnel.

They stated their demands.

"We can sell you the engine technology, but there are conditions. Taishan Aviation needs to provide 100 sets of Taishan walkie-talkies. In addition, we would also like to obtain your company's technical data on the improved Shiro aircraft engine."

The other party's request was outrageous; they actually wanted the technical data of the improved Shiro aero engine developed by Fang Wen.

Although this engine technology will inevitably be phased out by Fang Wen in the future, it absolutely cannot be leaked at present. After all, if the data is leaked from the British and then compared with the stolen technical data from the Japanese, the erroneous data that Fang Wen deliberately created will be discovered.

In that case, the hole that Fang Wen specifically dug for the Zero fighter will be filled!
In response, Fang Wen countered, "I can only provide 50 sets of walkie-talkies; the technical data for the Xiluo improved version cannot be purchased."

"How about using your engines to design a fighter jet for us?" the military personnel changed their offer.

This was something Fang Wen hadn't expected; a foreign military would actually approach him to design a fighter jet.

He asked uncertainly, "Why would you think that? Your British fighter jets are quite capable."

“But your planes are cheaper, and we need a low-cost war consumable suitable for ordinary pilots. If you can provide fighters that cost less than £8000 each and meet the performance requirements, we will definitely place a large order.”

The military personnel shared their thoughts.

This is just one of many strategies employed by the military.

If Fang Wen can do it, they certainly wouldn't mind making the purchase.

But if they can't do it, they won't lose anything, and they won't even need to make a lot of upfront investment.

For Fang Wen, this was a good opportunity.

£8000 is roughly equivalent to $4, while the cost of producing the stripped-down export version of the first-generation machine was only $2.

If a scaled-down export version of the first-generation fighter is sold to Britain, and if the progress of the gunship aircraft in France goes smoothly, the military industry can enter a virtuous cycle.

In this way, more fighter jets can be produced for domestic combat.

Thinking of this, he held out his hand: "Okay."

"Deal." The military official shook hands with him.

The matter was settled.

Trading a technology that is currently impossible to use in actual combat for the military equipment of Taishan Aviation is a good deal for the British.

But for Fang Wen, it was a huge win.

Subsequently, Fang Wen negotiated with them on the price, transaction and transportation methods, and finally made a decision.

(End of this chapter)