Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 618 Abwell's Agents, Tarzan Walkie-Talkie Trade-in Program

The ink on the supplementary agreement document was not yet dry when the meeting room door was gently pushed open.

White's secretary peeked in and whispered, "Mr. White, British Airways' President Clark and Vice President Wilson have arrived and are waiting in the meeting room."

White smiled at Fang Wen and said, "I mentioned our cooperation to Clark yesterday. As soon as he heard that it involved turbojet engines, he immediately said he wanted to come and meet you—after all, civil aviation now has to keep an eye on the military's technological trends."

Fang Wen handed the signing documents to the lawyer sent by Taishan Airlines' European branch, agreeing to Walter's arrangements.

In 1930s London, the lines between civil aviation and the military were already blurred. The visit of senior executives from British Airways at this time was probably not just a matter of "curiosity about technology".

He then followed White into the reception room, where two gentlemen in bespoke suits were talking around the fireplace.

The older President Clark, whose hair was already somewhat gray, still stood up straight. When he saw Fang Wen enter, he extended his hand and said, "Mr. Fang, I've long admired your name. We've heard about your outstanding performance on the Asian battlefield in London as well."

After exchanging pleasantries, a servant served red tea, and Wilson took the initiative to get to the point: "Actually, we came here today for two reasons. First, we wanted to learn about the progress of turbojet engines—if this technology matures, it may be used in future commercial airliners. Second, we wanted to talk to you about the current war situation. After all, you come from the East Asian battlefield, and your understanding of 'war' may be more genuine than those of us sitting in our London offices."

Fang Wen picked up his teacup, his mind filled with thoughts. He also wanted to know what the British upper class's attitude was towards going to war with Germany.

But the topic can't be discussed so directly.

“Mr. Clark, Mr. Wilson, let’s talk about the technology first.” He put down his teacup, his tone calm. “If turbojet engines are used in civil aviation, the core requirements will be different from those of the military: the military needs thrust and maneuverability, while civil aviation needs stability and fuel economy. I estimate that the future version adapted for civil aviation may be able to increase the range by 40% and be much faster than existing propeller aircraft, but the premise is that the war can end as soon as possible.”

Clark sighed softly upon hearing this. "Time is precisely the most luxurious thing right now." He pulled a folded newspaper from his briefcase, pointing to a small print headline in the corner. "Look, yesterday's Times was still saying 'no fighting on the Western Front,' but this morning I received private news from Paris that the French army has amassed 80 divisions behind the Maginot Line, yet they don't even dare to cross the Rhine. We in the civil aviation industry are now worried every day—if the Germans break through the Western Front, will London's airports still be usable?"

Wilson picked up the conversation, his tone tinged with anxiety: "The attitude at the top is very delicate. Some in the cabinet say 'we must fight to the end,' while others are privately contacting the Germans, wanting to discuss 'conditional peace.' You know, two days ago our company received a warning from the Air Force that all future flights must be reported to the Air Force and the number of flights must be reduced. We heard that German aircraft were spotted in the English Channel."

Fang Wen was surprised: "Did German planes appear in the English Channel? Didn't the British and French air forces intercept them?"

"It was nighttime when a radar station near Sussex detected a formation of enemy aircraft flying across the Channel. But they were not found."

Night flight, radar.

Fang Wen immediately became very interested.

The military technology in Europe is far more advanced than that in Japan, and there are many things that Fang Wen can learn from it.

Do you know the details?

"That's all we know. It's said to be just a coincidence, or it could be a radar misjudgment."

Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of them, Fang Wen turned to ask, "If the German army really attacked the British mainland, what would British Airways do?"

Clark paused for a moment before replying, "We have already signed an agreement with the Royal Air Force—in the event of heightened tensions, our passenger planes will be used to transport soldiers and supplies, and the crews will receive military training to be ready to carry out airdrop missions at any time."

He paused, then added, "Actually, it's not just us; many businesses in London are preparing: car factories are converting to produce military trucks, and textile factories are producing military blankets."

"And the people?" Fang Wen pressed. "Are they fearful or angry about this war?"

“Most people are confused. When the Munich Agreement was signed last year, everyone was cheering in the streets, thinking that ‘peace’ could last for another ten years; but now, newspapers are reporting on the situation on the Polish battlefield every day, butter and sugar in stores are being rationed, and air raid drills have increased from once a month to three times a week. Last week I went to a farm in the suburbs and saw farmers digging air raid shelters in the fields. They said, ‘We don’t know if the Germans will come to bomb us, but it’s better to dig than not to.’”

From these words, Fang Wen sensed that the British, including the upper class, were very confused about the war.

They probably never imagined they would be at war with Germany again before they declared war this month.

Fang Wen concluded: "You were not completely unprepared; appeasement diplomacy has numbed your senses."

White, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up and joined the 'chat':
"Yes, after the Munich Agreement last year, our appeasement diplomacy completely failed. The compromises with Austria and the Sudetenland only emboldened Germany's ambitions. To prevent Germany from further expanding eastward, especially to control the Danzig Corridor and industrial resources in Poland, this year we made a formal security guarantee to Poland: if Poland is attacked by "any European country" with armed force, Britain will immediately provide Poland with "all the support it can"; and we signed the Anglo-Polish Mutual Assistance Treaty, which legally clarifies the "obligation of mutual defense," and the treaty specifically stipulates that "if Germany attacks Poland, Britain will declare war within 48 hours."

So that's how it is. Britain had put itself on the war machine, believing that drawing a line for Germany would deter the other side from taking any rash actions.

Clearly, the Nazis didn't care about Britain at all.

Germany's invasion of Poland using a "blitzkrieg" was essentially a blatant violation of Britain's "security guarantees."

If Britain were to breach the agreement at this time, it would not only lose all international credibility and become a "treacherous" country, but also cause neighboring smaller countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and Norway to completely lose their trust in Britain.

This is very serious for the Commonwealth, so Britain has no way out.

Just then, White's secretary came over and walked to Fang Wen's side.

"Mr. Fang, people from the Ministry of the Army have arrived and would like to invite you to come over."

Fang Wen nodded, said goodbye, and left.

The officer outside the door was the same one who had previously received Fang Wen; he took the initiative to explain the situation.

"There are two things I wanted to ask you to come here for. One is about the procurement of gunboats and aircraft, and the other is that the people who attempted to attack the hotel have confessed. The lieutenant general said you could know some information about it."

Fang Wen nodded and followed the officer into the car, leaving the aerodynamics company.

The car stopped outside the Army Ministry building, and Fang Wen and his entourage went through identity checks before entering the building.

I went to the Strategic Research Office again.

There, Lieutenant General Hawkins explained the situation.

"After interrogation, the identities of the people arrested at the hotel were revealed. They were agents of Abwell, and the body that fell from the building had copies of Aerodynamics' blueprints on it. Their goal was to obtain our new engine technology."

“Abwell?” Fang Wen asked, as the name was unfamiliar to him.

The lieutenant general explained: "Abwell was a secret organization established by the Weimar Republic in 1920. According to the provisions of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, the Weimar Republic was prohibited from establishing its own intelligence organization. Therefore, the following year they secretly formed a spy group within the Ministry of Defense, called Abwell. Last year, the Ministry of Defense was dissolved, and military power was centralized in the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces. Abwell then became an intelligence agency that served directly to the Führer."

That's right, it's equivalent to Germany's military intelligence agency.

The two countries have already declared war, and the Germans are also conducting research on this new technology, turbojet engines. It is quite normal for them to steal military secrets from enemy countries.

Fang Wen was targeted because German agents discovered that he was there to conduct technical cooperation with the aerodynamics company, and therefore wanted to obtain some new technical information from him.

Unfortunately, they had no idea that Fang Wen possessed a small bronze cauldron that could warn of danger, which directly led to the failure of their operation.

Fang Wen couldn't help but ask, "They're in Britain, there must be more than just these people, right?" The lieutenant general nodded, "We found their leader in the port area, but he's disappeared. And this person is somehow connected to you."

Fang Wen asked in surprise, "What does this have to do with me?"

“During our investigation, we discovered that your military industrial enterprise took in an engineer who had escaped from Germany. He is your nephew and had visited him before.”

There was another coincidence that Fang Wen hadn't expected: the engineer was an expert in rocket propellants, and he had also shared his experience. After disembarking from the refugee ship, he went to find his uncle, who was a trader at the port, and borrowed a car from him to go to central London.

Now, by some twist of fate, it has come back to haunt me.

The lieutenant general then changed the subject.

"Regarding the procurement of gunship aircraft, the Army does intend to purchase a batch of gunship aircraft to serve as carriers for the Army's rapid reaction airborne forces. However, due to the new Supply Department Act, all procurements by the Army now need to be handled by the Supply Department. Therefore, you will need to make a trip to the Supply Department."

"No problem, shall we go now?"

"Okay, I'll take you there."

The lieutenant general stood up and, accompanied by Fang Wen and his bodyguard Gong Xiuneng, left the Army Ministry building and drove off.

The supply department is located in the Shell-Mobil Building on Riverbank Street in London.

Starting this year, it was requisitioned by the newly established Supply Department and became the Supply Department's office building.

Fang Wen followed the lieutenant general into the building, which was bustling with activity as people in suits went in and out.

Clearly, the supply department, responsible for the procurement of all British military equipment and supplies, was extremely busy.

Fang Wen has excellent eyesight and can see the floor information at the front desk in the lobby from a great distance.

The second floor houses the material receiving and registration area, the arsenal liaison office, and an emergency meeting room.

The third floor is the "Primary Procurement Review Group" of the Supply Department, which is responsible for receiving material requests from the Army Ordnance Corps and the Royal Arsenal.

Layers 4-7 include: "Armerie Production Coordination Department", "Arsenal Management Department", and "Materials Allocation Department".

The 8th floor houses the Minister of Supply's office and the wartime emergency command center.

Floors 9-11: No description provided, but likely the supply department's archives and secure room, storing important documents.

At this moment, the lieutenant general stopped and said, "Fang, we need to go to the minister's office. Your bodyguard can't go up. Let him wait in the lobby."

Fang Wen nodded, instructing Gong Xiuneng to wait in the lobby, while he followed the lieutenant general through the inspection and entered the elevator.

The elevator went up to the 8th floor, the doors opened, and the two people got out.

This floor was very quiet and spacious, with only one civilian employee sitting at the front.

She stood up and said, "Lieutenant General Hawkins, the Minister of Supplies is waiting for you in his office. I'll take you in."

She then led the lieutenant general and Fang Wen into the office of the supply department minister.

The Minister of Supply's office was simpler than Fang Wen had imagined.

Behind the dark walnut desk hung a huge map of Britain, with the locations of various arsenals marked in red.
A thick stack of procurement reports was piled on the filing cabinet in the corner, and the halo of the brass desk lamp fell on the open "1939 Army Equipment Requirements List", on which the ink of the signatures was still wet.

“Hawkins, this must be Mr. Fang Wen from Taishan Military Industry?” Sir John Anderson, the Minister of Supply, rose from his chair. He was wearing a dark gray suit, his tie was impeccably tied, and the ring on his finger gleamed under the light.

He came over.

"Please take a seat."

Lieutenant General Fang Wenhe sat down, and the minister also sat down in the main seat.

"I've long admired your name. I know a lot about Taishan Military Industry's products, including the semiconductor radios you sell under the name of an American company. Your London stores are very popular. I even have one of your small portable radios, and it works very well."

"Thank you for the compliment. Our goal is to meet our customers' needs as much as possible, whether it's civilian or military products," Fang Wen replied politely.

The minister nodded: "I have heard the experts' analysis of your company's gunship aircraft. It's not that we in Britain can't make this kind of product. But right now, all the factories are working at full capacity to increase production, and we really can't add a new production line. Therefore, we agree in principle to the War Ministry's purchase of these aircraft. But the condition is that it must be cheaper than the price offered by France."

The French Air Force's purchase price for gunboats is $39,000; lowering the price is not out of the question.

Fang Wen replied, "Sure, we're willing to reduce the price by ten percent. But the production of gunship aircraft needs to meet the domestic wartime needs, so we can only provide two per month."

The minister looked at Fang Wen and said, "Ten aircraft would take five months to deliver, that's fine. Besides the aircraft, we also want other equipment. Hopefully, we can reach a procurement agreement today."

"What else?" Fang Wen had a vague idea.

"It's your walkie-talkies. Currently, only Taishan Military Industry can provide this kind of semiconductor technology equipment. We bought some before for military command and communication between units operating behind enemy lines, and they work very well. Therefore, we want to purchase an additional 5000 units."

That's outrageous!

With walkie-talkies being supplied domestically and also to the Soviet Union, the remaining production capacity simply could not meet the British demand of 5000 units.

Fang Wen shook his head: "The walkie-talkies are military products with strict quality requirements and limited production capacity. We cannot provide you with such a large supply."

The minister was not displeased by this, and instead said, "If you can't supply it, can you transfer the technology? We are willing to pay a high price to buy it."

So that's what they were waiting for. Wanting semiconductor technology? Absolutely not.

Fang Wen smiled.

"Minister, I have no intention of disseminating this technology before the end of the war, in order to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Japanese. But I have an improvement plan. If the British are willing to provide a batch of equipment and supplies, I can increase the supply of walkie-talkies."

His target was British equipment; it would be ideal if another shipment of supplies could be transported to South Asia before the full-scale war in Europe broke out.

(End of this chapter)