Republic of China: Ace Pilot

The arms trade purchase order has been finalized, but there is still a lot to be done.

The biggest hurdle is financial delivery.

If this is not done well, then the procurement delegation from French Indochina will be unable to go there to sign arms trade contracts with the US government.

A week later, they completed this step.

The 5 million Piastres at the headquarters of the Banque de l'Orient in Hanoi were directly converted into gold reserves for the colony.

To this end, Banque de l'Indochine, the official bank of the colony, emptied all its gold reserves and bought back a batch of gold from the market to gather enough gold.

Besides the gold, a series of proofs are needed to demonstrate that the funds were unrelated to the Axis powers and the Vichy government, since the Vichy government had surrendered to Germany and had been blacklisted by the United States.

10 month 10 day.

Fang Wen and Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire went together to the headquarters of Banque de l'Indochine in Hanoi.

The bank's general manager was already waiting in the lobby, dressed in a sharp French suit, with staff behind him holding thick stacks of account documents.

These documents are from the French Indochina colonial government's treasury account, with a clear balance of 5 million Piastres. The transaction records are densely packed, showing all the proceeds from the export of rice, rubber, and tin ore from the colony. There are no records of any financial transactions with Axis powers, and the Vichy government has no connection whatsoever with them.

“Mr. Fang, Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire, as per your request, we have prepared all the documents.” The general manager handed over a neatly bound stack of documents, “including account balance certificates, bank statements for the past six months, and proof of the source of funds, all of which have been translated into English and stamped with the bank’s official seal and my signature. They can be submitted directly to the United States.”

Fang Wen took the documents and carefully read through them.

After he finished reading it, the general manager took out another document.

"This is a 'Special Funds for Gold Replacement Statement' issued by our Crédit Agricole Bank, which replaces 500 million Piastre with gold of the same value, which is $8929 million. The gold asset is clearly marked as 'only for payment of US arms trade related payments.' Our bank will send an accompanying supervisor to participate in the gold transportation until the gold is traded in the United States."

Fang Wen nodded.

Gold trading is the simplest and most direct method, requiring no complicated procedures.

Especially now that the international financial system in French Indochina has broken away from the Vichy government and is no longer functioning properly.

He and Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire, accompanied by the bank's general manager, then went to the vault to inspect the gold.

Passing through two heavy cast-iron doors, you descend, surrounded by reinforced concrete walls.

The temperature was gradually dropping, but it wasn't too cold. That was because the underground vault maintained a constant temperature and humidity year-round, making it feel particularly refreshing in the subtropical environment of South Asia.

They arrived at yet another heavy steel door, which had a rotary lock that required two people to verify the password and key simultaneously.

The lock could only be opened by two vault managers operating simultaneously.

With a dull "click," the true appearance of the vault was slowly revealed to everyone.

There were no fancy decorations, only reinforced concrete walls, the surfaces of which were polished smooth.

The overhead incandescent bulbs emitted a cool white light, pouring unreservedly onto the gold piled up in the central area, reflecting a dazzling yet captivating luster.

There were stacks of gold bars neatly arranged, and next to them were some gold items of different sizes, which should be gold repurchased by the bank.

Layer upon layer of gold bricks were stacked to form five "golden platforms" that were half a person high, and even the ground seemed to be coated with a warm yellow by the heavy luster.

Even Fang Wen, who had seen large quantities of gold many times, was taken aback by the sight.

He was lucky; Gong Xiu, who was protecting him from behind, was turned into a wooden sculpture and was completely shocked by the golden mountain in front of him!

Regaining his composure, Fang Wen walked over, reached out, and ran his hand along the edge of the gold brick. The cool touch traveled through his fingertips, carrying the heavy, metallic feel of the metal. The surface of the gold brick was very smooth, with the logo of Banque de l'Indochine printed in some places, along with the mark of "99.9% purity" and the corresponding weight markings.

Lieutenant Colonel Lemaître strode forward, reached out and laboriously picked up a gold ingot, and asked, "How heavy is this gold ingot?"

The general manager quickly stepped forward to explain, “All the gold bars are of standard size, each weighing 12.5 kilograms, with a purity strictly controlled at over 99.9%. Each bar has an independent number and inspection certificate, completely consistent with the details in the ‘Special Funds for Gold Replacement Declaration.’” As he spoke, he gestured to the employee beside him to hand over an inspection manual. “Look, this is the inspection record for each batch of gold, including the privately purchased gold. We have also conducted tests on it to guarantee the quality of the gold.”

Lieutenant Colonel Lemaître looked at Fang Wen: "Mr. Fang, as you can see, we have made all the necessary preparations for the arms trade. Now it's your turn."

Fang Wen nodded: "You're right, give me two more days."

The two days of preparation time were reserved for Fang Wen himself.

As the middleman in this arms deal, he wouldn't just take the transportation fees.

Middlemen have their own profit channels, namely, A/B pricing.

The arms price he offered to the French (Price A) was not the actual price quoted by the American manufacturers (Price B), but rather 10% higher than the actual price. This 10% difference was his main profit, apart from transportation costs and commissions.

During the break in the financial verification process, Fang Wen sent a telegram to the United States, instructing Indiana to confirm with the arms manufacturers again.

Within two days, arms manufacturers such as Curtiss and Browning responded.

Curtiss's requirement was that at least 30 P-40C fighter jets must be purchased in order to qualify for their discounted terms.

勃朗宁公司回复，如果采购量大的话，可以将M1919A4重机枪单价降至990美元、M2HB重机枪单价降至1620美元、雷辛M50冲锋枪单价降至135美元；

American automotive foundry also stated that if the military purchases more than 30 tanks, the unit price of the M2A4 light tank could be reduced to $4.05 per tank.

Clearly, these arms companies underestimated the scale of this arms procurement. If they had disclosed the actual order details, they might have been able to lower the price even further.

Fang Wen, however, did not do so. He felt that taking this opportunity to establish good relationships with these American military factories would be more valuable than making more profits.

Therefore, he did not intend to continue to lower the price, but instead kept the middleman's profit at ten percent.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and Fang Wen had already arranged all the follow-up matters.

It's time to go to the United States to finalize the arms deal.

At Hanoi's Red River Water Airport, Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire, dressed in civilian clothes, boarded the plane with an assistant, each carrying a suitcase.

Inside the plane, Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire asked nervously, "Mr. Fang, are you sure we can finalize the deal if we go there?"

Fang Wen smiled and said, "Yes, all the procedures have been completed. The Americans only need to meet with the official representative of French Indochina to finalize the deal. Then we'll come back, ship the gold to the United States, and bring the arms back."

These words did not reassure Lieutenant Colonel Lemerre, but he was very eager to accomplish this, so he said nothing more.

Fang Wen then entered the cockpit and asked Gong Xiuneng to close the hatch.

The plane accelerated on the water and took off.

Fang Wen activated his special abilities and radar detection device to begin scanning.

In the Beibu Gulf, the Japanese fleet is still stationed, and there are still traces of a small number of patrol aircraft.

Fang Wen controlled the plane to fly south, all the way to the airspace of the southern territory of French Indochina.

Flying from this position towards the Philippines, you will no longer encounter Japanese warships and fighter planes.

He then steered the plane to the sea.

Flying eastward for more than four hours, we arrived over Manila, Philippines.

Upon landing at Pan Am's seaplane terminal, Fang Wen picked up the microphone and called out in English, "This is a Taishan Airlines civilian aircraft, requesting to land." The control tower personnel below had already received notification from the company that "landing is permitted."

The plane then landed on the water and, guided by airport staff, docked at the seaport berth.

The cabin door opened, and Fang Wen, Gong Xiuneng, Le Maire, and their assistants disembarked.

Fang Wen spoke with the airport manager he had met before.

"This plane will stay here until I return from the United States, and then I will fly it away."

"No problem, I'll arrange for someone to look after it. General Manager Fang, are you willing to participate in the flight piloting of the Xuanming type this time?"

"What, do you not have enough pilots again?"

“The Air Force is currently recruiting again, and some retired military pilots have resigned and returned to China to rejoin the military, so I am indeed a bit short-staffed. If you can fly, I can transfer one of my pilots to add new flights.”

In fact, Fang Wen felt safer piloting the plane himself, so he agreed.

He then explained the situation to Le Maire.

"I promised the aviation supervisor here that the flight I'm boarding later will be piloted by me and another pilot."

"You're going to pilot it? Oh right, I almost forgot this kind of plane was made by your company."

As they talked, they walked toward the Xuanming-type long-haul seaplane.

A queue had already started forming over there, and Fang Wen and his group were standing at the back of the line.

The aviation manager came over and said, "Mr. Fang, please go in. You can get to know the pilot."

Fang Wen nodded and followed the aviation supervisor forward, directly into the aircraft.

The aviation manager called the pilots out of the cockpit and introduced them:

"This is Anton. He graduated from our company's flight school and was transferred to the Pacific route six months ago."

"This is the general manager of Taishan Airlines. He will be flying this flight with you."

Anton knew Fang Wen, or rather, every pilot on the Pan American Pacific route knew Fang Wen's name.

He warmly shook hands with Fang Wen: "It's a pleasure to fly with you. You are my idol."

"What did I do that makes you admire me?" Fang Wen joked.

“You are a legend among pilots, and I love hearing every story about you,” Anton said excitedly.

The aviation manager couldn't stand it anymore. "Anton, no matter what, you must maintain a good condition and fly this flight well, otherwise I will replace you with another pilot."

"Don't worry, sir, I definitely will," Anton replied seriously.

The aviation executive then left.

Immediately, Fang Wen and An Dong entered the driver's seat.

The cockpit is divided into a pilot's seat and a co-pilot's seat. The co-pilot is the navigator who ensures the course during navigation, and Anton took the initiative to choose the co-pilot's position.

Fang Wen didn't hesitate and got into the driver's seat.

As soon as he sat in the pilot's seat, Anton got into the zone, checking the instruments and reporting the situation to Captain Fang Wen.

Everything was normal, and Fang Wen's ability test showed no major problems.

Ten minutes later, boarding began.

Passengers boarded the plane one after another.

Gong Xiuneng, Le Maire, and his assistant were also among them.

After everyone boarded, the flight attendants closed the cabin door, made an announcement, and then Fang Wen piloted the Xuanming type very smoothly to turn, taxi, and take off.

After a two-day transoceanic flight, the Xuanming-class seaplane finally landed at the Los Angeles seaport.

At the airport dock, Lin Shuiwang and five others from Indiana stood among the welcoming crowd, waiting.

When they saw Fang Wen, they waved enthusiastically.

Fang Wen walked over with his men and introduced them to Le Maire with a smile: "This is my team in the United States, specifically in charge of this arms trade."

After a brief introduction of the group, Fang Wen and Le Maire followed Lin Shuiwang and Indiana out of the seaplane airport and got into a car.

The car drove directly to an army base in the west.

There, Fang Wen and Le Maire met Brigadier General William Turner.

Upon seeing Fang Wen and Le Maire, the brigadier general extended his hand to shake hands with them: "Mr. Fang, Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire, welcome to the United States. Regarding the arms procurement in French Indochina, the President has authorized me to handle the matter fully. As soon as the gold is delivered, we can immediately sign a formal trade contract and begin the arms shipment."

The three entered the base's conference room, where a detailed weapons list, price list, and transaction process documents were already laid out on the table. Le Maire carefully reviewed the documents, confirming that the quantities and specifications of the P-40C fighter jets, M2A4 light tanks, and various heavy machine guns on the list matched the previous agreement, before turning to Fang Wen.

Fang Wen exchanged a glance with Brigadier General Turner and slowly said, "Brigadier General, we have prepared all our gold, totaling 80 tons, worth $8929 million, and can deliver it at any time according to the US requirements. The only requirement is that after the gold delivery is completed, the US must start loading the weapons onto the ship within 72 hours."

Brigadier General Turner nodded in agreement: "After the gold is verified, our munitions will be released from the warehouse and transported to the dedicated port in Los Angeles. Once the gold transaction documents are signed, we will immediately organize the delivery."

“We still have some details to discuss,” Le Maire said seriously.

The talks lasted two hours, during which both sides reached an agreement on the location and timing of the gold delivery, details of the weapons loading, and transportation routes, and finalized all subsequent procedures.

As he stepped out of the base, Le Maire's tension finally dissipated, replaced by a sense of relief: "Mr. Fang, that's great. As long as the gold is delivered smoothly, we'll be able to get the weapons we desperately need."

"The matter is not completely over yet; the gold transportation is the most crucial step." Fang Wen's expression remained calm. "We must immediately return to Asia, report the situation to the Governor, and then launch the secret gold transportation plan. We absolutely cannot afford any mistakes."

The two returned to Manila on a Xuanming-type seaplane, and then switched to a seaplane piloted by Fang Wen to arrive in Hanoi.

Upon meeting with the Governor-General of French Indochina, they gave a detailed report on the results of their talks with Brigadier General Turner, as well as the subsequent plans for transporting gold and arranging weapons.

After listening to the report, the governor pondered for a moment and finally nodded in approval: "This shipment of weapons is related to the safety of the entire colony. No matter the cost, we must ensure that it is absolutely safe."

The gold transport plan has been officially launched.

As night fell, the vault of the Banque de l'Orient in Hanoi was opened again, and 80 tons of gold were carefully packed into specially made wooden crates. The crates looked no different from ordinary supply crates, but the inside was lined with moisture-proof and impact-resistant padding.

The box was also clearly marked as being from a tungsten mine in Laos.

Tungsten, a metal with a similar density to gold, is the best disguise.

The convoy, escorted by 50 hand-picked French soldiers, quietly left the bank at night, heading towards French Laos, and then from Laos into British Burma.

Meanwhile, along the border, the Special Operations Brigade of the Taishan Independent Regiment was there to provide support. After the two sides met up, they jointly escorted the goods to Yangon. (End of Chapter)