Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Lieutenant Colonel Lemaître felt a chill run down his spine. Fang Wen's words were like a heavy hammer, shattering his last shred of hope for British support.

His family operated rubber plantations and tin mines in French Indochina, which was not only a French colony but also his roots. To protect Indochina was to protect everything he owned.

“I need time to verify your words.” Lieutenant Colonel Lemerre took a deep breath. “If what you say is true, I will do my best to mediate. But if you deceive me and delay the Indochinese resistance, I will not let it go.”

Fang Wen smiled slightly: "Every word I've said can be verified. If you need reliable intelligence channels, I can also provide assistance."

“No need.” Lieutenant Colonel Lemerre left with a squad of soldiers.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire was very busy for the next three days.

He contacted the Free French liaison office in London via radio and received a reply that was exactly the same as what Fang Wen had said: the Battle of Britain was in full swing, the British army was stretched thin in its home defense, the situation in North Africa was becoming increasingly critical, and the Far East Fleet's aircraft carriers had already been transferred to the Mediterranean and were simply unable to support Indochina.

He then asked someone to verify the U.S. Neutrality Act, confirming that the November 1939 amendment had indeed come into effect, allowing belligerent nations to acquire arms "cash and carry," meaning that as long as they had sufficient funds and transport capacity, they could buy the weapons and equipment they needed from the United States.

In addition, he secretly investigated the strength of Taishan Military Industry.

They learned that Fang Wen's military industrial base could not only mass-produce ammunition, but also produce gunboats, high-speed fighter jets, rockets, special aerial bombs, and other weapons.

All the verification results confirmed Fang Wen's honesty and gave Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire a new idea.

On the morning of the fourth day, he took the initiative to find Governor Degu. Subsequently, the governor summoned all the military and political officials, nobles and merchants who supported the resistance to hold an emergency meeting in the conference room of the governor's mansion.

"Gentlemen," Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire said, standing in the center of the conference room, his tone heavy yet firm. "The British are bogged down in the European, Mediterranean, and Atlantic theaters and are simply unable to spare any troops to support us. The Far East Fleet is a sham; it has no aircraft carriers and no elite warships. Even if it were to be stationed in Singapore, it would not be able to stop the Japanese fleet. We can no longer place our hopes on the British. The only way out is to rely on ourselves."

The meeting room fell silent, everyone's faces grave—although they had vaguely guessed this outcome, hearing Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire confirm it with their own ears was still hard to accept. A noble merchant spoke in a low voice: "Rely on ourselves? Our weapons and equipment are outdated, and we lack ammunition. Even if the army's morale is good right now, we can't stop a larger-scale Japanese offensive."

"Therefore, we must purchase arms to strengthen our own power." Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire changed the subject, his gaze sweeping across the room. "The United States' Neutrality Act has been amended, and we can purchase fighter jets, tanks, firearms, and ammunition from the United States; while Mr. Fang Wen's Taishan Military Industry can provide us with gunboats and special aerial bombs adapted to the French army, as well as other advanced weapons."

“Purchase arms? But what about our funds?” Governor Degu frowned, a hint of concern in his voice. “Most of the colony’s tax revenue goes to the Vichy government. The funds we have are simply insufficient to support large-scale arms purchases.”

“We have last year’s colonial surplus,” Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire said firmly. “That sum was originally intended for the French government, but now that we have severed ties with the Vichy government, this money should be used for military expenditures to protect Indochina! As far as I know, the amount of that surplus is enough to support us in building an army of 10,000 men; if it works well, we can also launch a fundraising campaign throughout the colonies, uniting all the French with property in Indochina to raise more funds and purchase more weapons.”

These words immediately sparked a discussion in the meeting room. Some agreed: "That's right! Instead of handing that money over to the Vichy government, we should use it to buy weapons and defend our homeland!" Others hesitated: "But if we use the surplus funds, won't Free France hold us accountable later?"

“No,” Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire said firmly. “The General has already made it clear that all decisions made to resist the Axis powers and protect French colonies will be recognized and supported by Free France. This money used to resist the Japanese and protect Indochina will not only not be held accountable, but will also be recorded in the annals of French resistance!”

Governor De Gu remained silent for a long time, his gaze slowly sweeping across the entire room before finally settling on Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire. His tone was calm and firm: "Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire is right. We have no way out. Rather than waiting to be killed, we should take the initiative and use this surplus to purchase weapons and strengthen our forces."

The governor's statement gave the pro-war faction at the meeting a sense of support, and they all expressed their agreement.

Subsequently, Governor Degu had Fang Wen invited to formally finalize the details of the military procurement.

Honghe Riverside Water Airport.

Fang Wenzheng spoke with Pan Jiafeng, the battalion commander of the 2nd Aviation Battalion of the Independent Regiment.

"I'm going back now. You stay here and assist the new regiment in defense. Supplies will be transported from the base in northern Myanmar regularly."

"You're going to stay here? What about Yangjiang?"

"The remaining gunboats and aircraft in Yangjiang can also cooperate with ground troops in combat. Do you know how much the French are paying to station troops here?"

"do not know."

"Enough supplies for us to produce 10 Taishan first-generation fighter jets."

"No way, Master, the French are so rich!"

"Of course, the French colonized this area for decades, and all the local minerals, rubber, and timber belonged to them."

"I will definitely stay here and try to earn 10 more first-generation aircraft."

"You little brat."

Fang Wen laughed and punched his apprentice.

At this moment, the bodyguard Gong Xiuneng came over, accompanied by a French officer.

"Hello, Mr. Fang, please come with me to the Governor's Mansion to discuss the arms purchase."

Fang Wen nodded and whispered to Pan Jiafeng, "Ten first-generation aircraft are the small part; the big part is here."

He then boarded a French military vehicle and headed to the governor's residence.

The car drove into the Governor's Mansion, and Fang Wen got out of the car and went upstairs to the conference room.

A group of Frenchmen were already waiting for him there.

Fang Wen smiled and took his seat in front of the French people.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire, who was presiding over the negotiations, said, "Mr. Fang, we invited you here to discuss matters related to the arms purchase."

Fang Wen nodded: "I'm very happy to participate in this collaboration."

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire continued, "Regarding this arms purchase, we have two parts: The first part, directly supplied by Taishan Military Industry, includes 10 improved gunboats. This gunboat has been proven in the previous coastal defense battle, and its protection and firepower are excellent. In addition, we want to purchase 100 special aerial bombs, the same high-explosive aerial incendiary bombs you dropped on the North Vietnamese border. We also want to purchase 100 Taishan walkie-talkies, as well as your rocket weapons."

Fang Wen interrupted, "I'm sorry, Taishan Military Industry currently has limited production capacity and mainly supplies the domestic market. Of what you requested, I can only agree to an order for 10 gunboats. Special aerial bombs are not within the scope of foreign sales. Walkie-talkies can be provided, but rockets are not."

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire was taken aback and asked, "If those special aerial bombs cannot be sold, could your air force use them in this war?"

"That's no problem."

Fang Wen's reply relieved Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire. As long as the aerial bombs landed on the Japanese, he didn't care who dropped them.

The purchase of military equipment from Taishan Military Industry is only a small part of this arms trade negotiation.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire then moved on to the next stage.

"We want to buy fighter jets, tanks, a large number of American rifles and machine guns, and enough ammunition to support three months of combat from the United States."

Fang Wen asked very bluntly, "How much money are you prepared to spend to buy weapons from the Americans?"

“We have 5 million Piastres,” Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire replied.

Fang Wen quickly calculated the value of the money in his mind.

The Piastre was the official currency of French Indochina. According to the exchange rate policy of France and its colonies, the Piastre was fixed at a rate of 1:10 against the French franc.

In other words, 50 million piastra is equivalent to 5 billion francs.

Based on the current exchange rate of 1 US dollar = 5.6 francs, this is approximately US$8929 million.

So much money!

Fang Wen's heart raced.

The French have really pulled out all the stops!
Fang Wen collected his thoughts and asked, "Can you tell me where this money came from?"

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire looked at the man beside him: “Let our finance ministry officials answer that question.” The man replied: “Our colonial government allocates its trade surplus with the mother country annually. Sixty percent is transferred to mainland France through the Banque de l'Indochine to balance the international payments deficit. The remaining forty percent is allocated to businesses in Indochina. This year, this sum remained in French Indochina due to the war on our home soil. Now that we have broken with the Vichy government, we naturally will not give them the money.”

"So you're using it to buy weapons! Okay, that's a very large sum of money. Let me explain what I'll do."

Fang Wen revealed his long-planned scheme.

"I own a listed shipping company in the US, Taishan International, and I have many high-level friends there. I can definitely help you expedite the arms trade negotiations. I can immediately contact my friends in the US and have them provide you with a list of arms to purchase. What do you think?"

"You can talk to the Americans today?" Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire was quite surprised.

“Yes. I know you are very eager, and if you choose me to do this, it will definitely be the most efficient way,” Fang Wen said sincerely.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire paused the meeting and whispered among himself and the other attendees on the other side of the conference room.

After a while, he and the other attendees returned. "Okay, we're willing to believe you."

"Wait for my good news." Fang Wen stood up and quickly left the conference room.

Gong Xiu, who was guarding outside the door, saw Fang Wen's appearance and asked in surprise, "Commander, what's wrong?"

"A very big deal! Let's hurry, we're going to the telegraph office," Fang Wen said urgently.

Securing huge arms trade orders is not something that can be achieved by mere words.

He and Gong Xiuneng left the Governor's Palace and went directly to the Hanoi Telegraph Office to send a telegram to Taishan International in the United States.

New York, Taishan International Holdings building.

Lin Shuiwang looked at the telegram he had just received and could hardly believe it.

The telegram was sent from the Yangon Telegraph Office, but it was sent in Fang Wen's name.

Moreover, it uses Taishan's own commercial encrypted code.

The content, however, is quite astonishing.

[Go to Indiana immediately and tell him about the $9000 million arms deal. Have him call me back right away.]

To confirm, Lin Shuiwang drafted a secret telegram and asked the people in the telegraph office to reply.

A while later, I received a call back.

He then realized it was true and immediately picked up the phone to dial a secret number.

The call connected, and a woman's voice came from the other end: "Please state your code name."

"The White River in Polis flows upstream."

"Okay, don't hang up, someone will contact you."

After a while, the call was transferred to another person.

"Lin? Why did you use my informant's hotline? Didn't we agree that we shouldn't use this unless it's an absolute emergency?"

"It's very urgent, I need to see you immediately."

"Okay, the usual place."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Shuiwang put on his coat and drove alone to the meeting place.

A traditional restaurant on a highway in the suburbs of New York City.

He arrived first, ordered a pan-fried steak, and ate while waiting.

When they were halfway through their steak, Indiana, dressed in a suit, came in and sat down opposite Lin Shuiwang.

The waiter came over: "Hello, what would you like to order?"

"Just like him. Give me a glass of water first."

"Okay." The waiter brought over a glass of water.

After the waiter left, Indiana asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

"It's not me looking for you, it's the boss."

"Fang? What's wrong with him?"

"The boss said there was an arms deal worth $9000 million."

Indiana, who was taking a sip of water, choked and turned his head to cough repeatedly.

"Ahem. Your joke isn't funny."

In response, Lin Shuiwang said seriously, "The boss never jokes, you know that."

Indiana stopped coughing. "What exactly is going on?"

"You need to come back to the company with me and contact the boss directly through the company's high-powered radio."

"Okay. Wait until I finish my steak."

After a while, Indiana's steak arrived. He ate it in big bites, finishing it in a few bites. Then the two of them drove their own cars to Taishan International.

Upon arriving at Taishan International, the two entered the telegraph room, dismissed all the staff, and remained alone inside.

Radio communication spanning more than 10,000 kilometers began.

Through a series of radio waves, Indiana finally learned the reason for the incident.

A large-scale arms trade led by Taishan International.

This will involve countless vested interests.

This is a very valuable opportunity for Indiana, who hasn't had a promotion in a long time.

He has a lot of connections, but these connections are not enough to help him gain a higher status, mainly because of self-interest.

If he can't bring benefits to others, why would they help him? Even in the United States, this is a very real situation.

But things are different now. A $9000 million arms deal, if handled well, will benefit everyone involved, and Indiana will also rise to power as a result.

But to do that, we need to come up with a list of arms deals and give it to Fang Wen first.

Therefore, Indiana hurriedly left Taishan International. (End of Chapter)