Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Indiana drove away from Taishan International without any delay, heading straight for "Blue Harbor," an old-fashioned Irish pub in Lower Manhattan, New York.

This seemingly ordinary bar has become a gathering place for graduates of the military academy in New York because the bar owner is a former instructor at the Army Command and Staff College.

The Army Command and Staff College, located at Fort Leavenworth, has been the core training institution for mid-level officers in the U.S. Army for 20 years. Intelligence courses are an important part of the command profession, so many graduates go on to work in the military intelligence field.

Indiana was one of them; if it weren't for Fang Wen's influence, he would still be working as a foreign affairs military attaché in Tehran.

The car was parked outside the bar, and Indiana strode inside.

The bartender, who was acting as a bartender, saw Indiana and greeted him with a smile: "Hey big guy, it's been a while."

"Yes, may I borrow your phone?"

"Hit me however you like."

The bar owner placed the telephone on the bar counter and pushed it over.

Indiana picked up the phone, dialed the numbers, and contacted them one by one.

Then came the waiting.

As evening approached, customers began to arrive at the bar.

Among them were four people connected to Indiana.

The first person with a cigar in his mouth and wearing a casual suit was Jack Hansen, the FBI's New York division chief and Indiana's best old friend at the FBI. It was through Hansen's help that Indiana was transferred back to the FBI from overseas.

The second was Lieutenant Commander Allen Cole, a tall man from the Naval Intelligence Department.

The third is David Lockwood, who works for the Department of Defense.

The fourth is James Evans, in the Army General Staff Intelligence Office.

They have one thing in common: they are all graduates of the same class at the Army Command and Staff College.

Their years of friendship gradually built a deep bond between them.

"Indiana, what's wrong with you today? Didn't we agree to meet next week?" Jack exhaled a smoke ring, chuckling and teasing, his tone casual. "You haven't gotten into trouble again and need our help?"

Indiana shook his head and raised his glass: "How have you guys been lately?"

The four of them drank alcohol and relaxed.

After finishing his glass of whiskey, Allen said, "German submarines are going on a killing spree in the Atlantic right now. Our naval intelligence department has to work overtime every day to organize and analyze intelligence."

His words resonated with David Lockwood and James Evans, who were both complaining about how the war in Europe was affecting their work.

Jack Hansen joked easily, "That's why Indiana and I went to the FBI, now you see?"

Indiana poured drinks for everyone, a gesture that made the others feel strange.

Thankfully, he finally spoke.

"The whole world is at war right now, not just in Europe, but also in Asia. War is a huge opportunity for us."

"What opportunity? To join the war?" Jack Hansen laughed.

"Of course not. Do you know France's colony in Asia? It's called French Indochina. Not long ago, they defeated the Japanese invasion. The local governor decided to disobey the Vichy government's orders and wanted to fight the Japanese to hold onto this colony."

The other four were drawn in by Indiana's words and realized that Indiana must be saying something related to calling them here today.

Under the watchful eyes of the four men, Indiana continued, his voice barely concealing his excitement: "I called you here today to discuss a $9000 million arms deal from South Asia. The buyer is the colonial authorities of French Indochina, who want to purchase fighter jets, tanks, rifles, and a large stockpile of ammunition."

The air in the private room seemed to freeze.

Jack's cigar stopped in mid-air, ash falling softly onto the table;
Allen abruptly stopped playing with the coin, and the coin fell to the ground without him noticing.
David and James exchanged a glance, both seeing disbelief in each other's eyes.

"Are you crazy?" Jack was the first to react, his tone full of skepticism. "$9000 million? Indiana, do you know what that means? The entire U.S. Army's total small arms procurement last year was less than $1.2 million!"

“I’m not crazy.” Indiana pulled out a chair and sat down, leaning forward slightly, her tone firm.

David Lockwood advised, "I work at the Department of Defense and know more about the arms trade than you do. If it's a $9000 million arms deal, do you think you'd be in charge of it?"

His question hit the nail on the head, and it's the fundamental reason why people don't trust Indiana: why would such a massive arms deal involve a lowly FBI agent?

In response, Indiana explained: "The telegram was sent by Fang Wen, the owner of Taishan International. You all know his background—he has a military industrial base in northern Burma, owns an international airline, and has a listed shipping company in the United States. He participated in the fight against the Japanese army in French Indochina and played a very important role in it. Therefore, the colonial authorities of French Indochina agreed to let him handle this arms trade."

As he spoke, he pulled out a conversion table and pushed it in front of everyone: "The French are willing to offer 500 million piastres. One piastre equals 10 francs, and the current exchange rate is 1 franc to 5.6 US dollars. 500 million piastres is 5 billion francs, which is equivalent to 8929 million US dollars, or 90 million US dollars. Fang Wen has already confirmed that the buyer has the money readily available in their account at Banque de l'Indochine. As long as we can provide them with a satisfactory list of arms and complete the entire transaction, we can receive a commission of two percent of the total transaction amount."

The four of them huddled together, looking at the conversion table. Although it was just simple numbers, it still made them feel excited.

They all knew the dialect spoken in Indiana, which was spoken by a noble person from the East who had given Indiana a great deal of help.

Unexpectedly, this nobleman from the East continued to bring immense wealth.

Two percent of the $9000 million commission is $180 million.

This is legal income written into the transaction contract, and it can even be used to avoid taxes.

Today, the assets of a middle-class family in the United States are between $5000 and $25000.

Take Jack Hansen, the best-off of the four, for example. He owns a mortgage-free house worth $6000, a two-door Lincoln Zephyr worth $1500, and his only financial assets are $2000 in bank savings. He has no retirement account. With other assets and deducting liabilities, his net worth is only $20,000.

The situation of others was even worse than his.

Therefore, even if the legal income of $180 million is divided into 5 parts, it is still a huge sum of money!
The four of them immediately became friendly.

Jack Hansen, who was initially the least skeptical, became the most enthusiastic: "So what do we do?"

Indiana replied, "We take the lead in handling the arms supply, approvals, and domestic transportation in the United States, while he is responsible for connecting with buyers and export freight."

Allen bent down to pick up the coin, staring at Indiana with a hint of fanaticism in his voice: "Are you serious? French Indochina really willing to spend so much money on arms?"

Indiana answered succinctly, “The Japanese are now pressing forward in Southeast Asia, and the British are unable to provide support. They can only rely on themselves. If this money is not used to buy weapons, it will ultimately belong to the Japanese.”

He paused for a moment.

He added, "This deal is more than just money for us. If handled properly, we can all benefit unexpectedly."

This statement hit everyone's weak spot perfectly.

Indiana had been in the FBI for many years, but remained stuck in the middle management level and was unable to get promoted.

Although Jack is a district commander, he has always wanted to be transferred to Washington headquarters, lacking a significant achievement; Allen is frustrated in the Department of Naval Intelligence and wants to switch departments.
David and James were just ordinary management positions; by the time they reached the supervisor position, they would be close to retirement.

A brief silence fell over the private room as everyone considered the potential profits behind the deal.

After a long pause, David spoke up: "$9000 million, this order is too big. We five people just can't handle it."

“I know.” Indiana had already planned ahead, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. “Jack, you’re in the FBI, you can handle the security checks during transport, prevent anyone from interfering, and even help us avoid some unnecessary investigations; Allen, you’re in Naval Intelligence, you can contact arms manufacturers like Northrop and Lockheed to ensure we get enough fighter jets and tanks; David and James, you’re in the Department of Defense, responsible for streamlining the approval process, speeding up order approvals, and ensuring the arms can be shipped as soon as possible.”

He paused, then continued, "But that's not enough. We lack a stronger supporter."

"You mean, we should share the pie?" Jack frowned, a hint of reluctance in his voice. "180 million in commission is a lot for us, but it's nothing to those people. If that big shot takes a lot, we won't get much."

“It’s not what you think,” Indiana explained. “We get a fixed commission, a reward for working on this. The big shots who endorse us don’t get the commission stipulated in the contract, they get kickbacks. Fang Wen didn’t tell me the exact amount, he said I should confirm it and then talk to that person separately.”

"Then who should we contact?" Allen asked.

Yes, who can they find to support them?

The five of them started discussing it together.

Given their circumstances, it would be natural for them to follow the Army Command and Staff College faction.

Having enough real power to circumvent the approval and supply of arms, and being willing to take certain risks and accept a share of the profits behind the deal.

Finally, they found a candidate.

“Brigadier General William Turner, deputy director of the Army Armaments Department, graduated two years ahead of us. He was a top student in the intelligence section back in college,” Jack Hansen said confidently. “He has the authority to approve arms procurement in the Department of the Army and can directly deal with manufacturers like Northrop and Lockheed. Moreover, I’ve heard that he’s always wanted to be promoted to major general but lacks any notable achievements. This $9000 million arms deal would be both an achievement and a considerable amount of extra income for him. He has no reason to refuse.”

The four nodded in agreement. Brigadier General Turner's identity and demands perfectly aligned with their needs. He had real power, motivation, and, more importantly, the bond of being from the same school, which would reduce a lot of suspicion and obstacles.

“We’ll find Brigadier General Turner!” Indiana declared first. “Let’s split up now and try to finalize everything as soon as possible.”

Indiana immediately divided the tasks, his gaze sweeping over David Lockwood, James Evans, and Allen Cole. "David, you work for the Department of Defense and are familiar with the types, specifications, and manufacturer quotes of arms. You, James, and Allen will draft the arms trade list together. Jack Hansen and I will go visit William Turner."

Asia.

Fang Wen has already flown back to British Burma, shuttling between Yangon and the base in northern Burma to handle his own affairs.

The current situation in China is very good.

The Japanese army suffered a powerful blow from the Hundred Regiments Offensive north of the Yellow River and could no longer control the Pinghan Railway.

After their supply lines were cut off, the Japanese troops could only retreat to defend three locations: Taiyuan, Shimen (Shijiazhuang), and Baoding.

Therefore, the Japanese army mobilized a large number of troops from Northeast China and the mainland in an attempt to recapture the Pinghan Railway.

The fighting north of the Yellow River caused logistical difficulties for the Japanese army's northern route, and the Japanese offensive in the Wuhan area towards Changsha slowed down.

However, in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the New Fourth Army not only had to deal with the encirclement and suppression and attacks of the Japanese army, but also had to face attacks from some Kuomintang troops in the Third War Zone.

Overall, the Japanese military's strategy had gradually shifted from China to Southeast Asia, preparing to seize the colonies that European countries had cultivated in the region for over a century.

To this end, Fang Wen is also actively organizing military factories to produce weapons and ammunition and continuously supplying them to the domestic market.

Meanwhile, he was also waiting for a reply from the United States.

On October 3, he finally received a telegram from the United States.

Fang Wen immediately stopped what he was doing and carefully read the contents of the telegram.

The telegram was split into two parts: one was a list of arms, and the other was a special telegram from Indiana explaining that Brigadier General Turner was endorsing this arms deal.

Fang Wen carefully read the arms list.

The first item on the list is the P-40 fighter jet.

This fighter jet was originally ordered by France, with 120 units ordered at the time.

However, the deal fell through because of France's rapid defeat and surrender.

Curtiss is also preparing to negotiate with the British to sell some of the P-40 fighter jets that have already been produced to them.

Now, things are really messed up. The British haven't even reached an agreement yet, and the French colonies are already placing another order, this time for cash.

Curtiss was certainly willing to do so.

They agreed to initially provide 30 P-40C fighter jets.

Each P-40 fighter jet costs $5.

As for tanks, the only tanks that the United States can currently sell abroad and have in stock are the M2A4 light tanks.

It features a 37mm M6 main gun, five M1919A4 machine guns, 10-25mm thick armor, and a maximum speed of 58 km/h.

Because it was a light tank, it was well-suited to the terrain of French Vietnam.

Each M2A4 light tank costs $4.5.

Regarding rifle weapons.

The available weapons for sale are the M1903 Springfield rifle and the M1917 Enfield rifle.

Both rifles are bolt-action rifles, with huge stockpiles and production, and are being supplied to the UK.

There is also the M1 Garand semi-automatic rifle, which is currently prohibited from sale to foreign countries and is only supplied to the US Army.

The M1903 Springfield rifle costs $30 each, and the M1917 Enfield rifle costs $25 each.

Regarding machine guns and automatic weapons.

Three options are available in the list.

Browning M1919A4 air-cooled heavy machine gun, Browning M2HB heavy machine gun, Reising M50 submachine gun.

The Browning M1919A4 air-cooled heavy machine gun costs $1100 per unit.

The Browning M2HB heavy machine gun costs $1800 per gun.

The Reising M50 submachine gun is priced at $150.

After reviewing the list of prices, Fang Wen planned to go to Hanoi first to reach an agreement with the French, and then discuss the follow-up matters with Indiana and the others. (End of Chapter)