Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Ten days later, the Taishan International sailed north and arrived at the Marshall Islands.

The cargo ship sounded its horn, the sound echoing across the sea, before sailing into Majuro Port along the waterway.

The port wasn't bustling, but it was orderly. Several small civilian cargo ships were docked at their berths, and dockworkers on the shore were loading and unloading cargo in an orderly manner. In the distance, the islands were covered with lush vegetation and verdant greenery.

This place was once under the jurisdiction of the Japanese army. It was Fang Wen who personally led the people to clear the Japanese troops off the island.

According to the plan, the cargo ship will make a short stop here to replenish fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and purified water in preparation for its subsequent voyage to Honolulu.

During his stay, Fang Wen, accompanied by his bodyguard Gong Xiuneng and two special forces soldiers, walked along the cement road of the dock toward the offshore financial agency on the island.

The company is located in the heart of the area near Port Majuro. A two-story white building stands out, with a clean and tidy exterior and a company nameplate hanging at the entrance, without any unnecessary decorations.

Although it appears ordinary, it was jointly established by three top American financial groups. Its core purpose was to circumvent the Roosevelt administration's high tax policies and conduct legal tax transfers. All of this was also part of Fang Wen's carefully planned "shifting the blame eastward" plan after he eliminated the Japanese garrison in Majuro: to introduce the power of American financial groups, make the Marshall Islands a territory of American influence, and prevent Japan from taking it back.

More importantly, Taishan International holds a stake in this offshore financial company. Although it does not hold a controlling stake, it is still considered a non-controlling industry of the Taishan Group. Fang Wen's visit was not only to inspect the situation but also to confirm whether the plan he had suggested to the consortium had gone smoothly.

As soon as the group arrived at the company entrance, a middle-aged man in a suit with his hair neatly combed quickly came to greet them with a smile on his face.

He was the head of this offshore financial agency, named David, an American with a keen understanding of finance.

"Mr. Fang, you've finally arrived!" David extended his hand proactively, his tone warm yet tactful. "I received the notification long ago and have been waiting for your arrival."

Fang Wen shook hands with him: "I won't stay long, and I won't interfere with your work. Can you briefly tell me about this company?"

“Okay, Mr. Fang, please follow me!” David stepped aside to lead the way, introducing the company as they walked, his pride barely concealed. “Since our company was founded, it has developed very smoothly. This is inseparable from your foresight, Mr. Fang, and even more so from our excellent relationship with the newly established Marshall Islands government. You might not believe it, but the agency fees our company pays to the Marshall Islands government every year are equivalent to a full 70% of this Pacific island nation's annual fiscal revenue!”

Fang Wen paused slightly, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes, but he didn't say anything more, only gesturing for him to continue.

Gong Xiuneng and two special forces members were spread out on both sides, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily, always on guard against any possible anomalies.

David led the group into the office area, where most of the employees were Americans and a few local elites, all engrossed in their work. The sound of typewriters clicking on keyboards filled the air, creating a tense yet efficient atmosphere.

David explained the business details, saying, "These are all agencies handling offshore financial transactions."

The Marshall Islands' tax laws are entirely designed for offshore financial companies, with virtually no taxes levied.

They can establish a tax-free company by charging only a small "registration fee and agency fee".

Then, American factories manufacture goods and sell them at low prices to shell companies in the Marshall Islands, which then sell the goods to customers at higher prices.

In this way, all profits remain with the Marshall Islands company, which operates at a 0% tax rate, while the U.S. domestic company has "no profit" on its books and does not have to pay high taxes.

The key point, of course, is that the money doesn't actually need to be transported to the island; it only needs to be registered on paper.

Since there was no electronic oversight in 1940, as long as the document stated, "This income belongs to a certain company in the Marshall Islands," the IRS could do nothing about it unless they had evidence to refute it.

The money is actually still in the bank of the American consortium, but the account has been changed to the account of a local Marshall Islands company.

Of course, this is not the most perfect one yet. Once the Marshall Islands offshore bank is established, the entire offshore financial system will be in a closed loop.

After listening to David's explanation, Fang Wen nodded. The greater the American interests here, the faster they are likely to get involved in the war. Of course, even if the Japanese don't want the Marshall Islands anymore, this offshore company can still improve the relationship between Taishan Airlines and the American conglomerate.

His approval made David very talkative, after all, he also had a strong desire to confide in others on such a lonely island.

He then proudly introduced the company's other achievements.

"Because we are the Marshall Islands government's main source of revenue, the government attaches great importance to us. Not only have they given us the most favorable policies, but they have also officially hired our company as an advisor on national financial and economic affairs, giving us the right to make recommendations on various domestic matters. From small things like simplifying customs procedures and adjusting foreign investment access policies, to large things like allocating the national fiscal budget and planning infrastructure construction, the government will take the initiative to solicit our opinions."

He paused, then added, "Even the repairs to the island's roads and docks, as well as the payment of public officials' salaries, mostly rely on the service fees we pay. It's fair to say that our company has become an indispensable part of the Marshall Islands."

"Very good. I hope you can continue to work hard and take on more important responsibilities in the future."

Fang Wen smiled, shook hands with him, and left, concluding his brief inspection.

He returned to the port, where the supplies had already been loaded onto the ship. He then boarded the cargo ship and set sail.

From Majuro onwards, the flight routes returned to normal.

The cargo ship sailed eastward and arrived at Honolulu, an important U.S. naval base in the Pacific Ocean.

They stayed there for half a day before setting off again, finally arriving at the Port of Los Angeles after 35 days.

The cargo ship entered the port, but the people on board did not relax after arriving in the United States.

On the contrary, everyone became even more nervous.

The so-called free country of the United States is closely associated with rampant gang crime. If the gangs knew about the 80 tons of gold on the ship, the entire Los Angeles and even the West Coast would go crazy for it.

Therefore, on the cargo ship, Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire held tense talks with Fang Wen.

"What should I do next? I'm not comfortable shipping this batch of gold off the cargo ship unless the US officials in charge of arms trade come forward to inspect it. Otherwise, I'd rather just keep guarding the gold and not let it out of my sight for a moment."

Fang Wen nodded: "Indeed, gold cannot be moved carelessly. Here's what we'll do: you stay on the ship and take our people to guard the gold. I'll go ashore to contact the American side and urge them to complete the fund verification process as soon as possible."

"Please do it as soon as possible." Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire pleaded earnestly. When Fang Wen was about to disembark, he was alone facing 80 tons of gold, which was a huge pressure.

Fang Wen patted Lieutenant Colonel Lemerre on the shoulder, his tone resolute: "Don't worry, with me here, the deal will go smoothly. I've already contacted the American officials in advance. Brigadier General Turner is personally leading the team, and the arms manufacturers' personnel are all in Los Angeles. You guard the cargo ship. No one is allowed to approach the cargo hold without permission. My special forces will also stay on the ship to assist you. Until I return, no outsiders are allowed to approach the cargo ship."

Lieutenant Colonel Lemerre nodded and gripped the pistol at his waist: "Don't worry, no outsiders will be allowed to board the ship. Also, when the munitions arrive in port, I must be present in person. Every weapon and every round of ammunition must be checked against the inventory list, and there can be no mistakes."

“That’s how it should be.” Fang Wen agreed, then turned around and instructed the leader of the special operations team to be careful and on guard. After making the arrangements, he prepared to take Gong Xiuneng off the ship.

To ensure success, he brought his own supernatural personal equipment.

The strange backpack carried by Gong Xiuneng contained a device that could activate mechanical perception abilities and a helmet.

On the dock, the Indiana group was also very nervous. Only by completing the transaction could they receive the commission of more than one million US dollars.

They've already come this far, and they don't want to fail.

After all, it might only happen once in a lifetime for lower- and middle-ranking officials and military officers like them to unite and do something like this.

When they saw Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng disembarking with backpacks, they quickly went to greet them.

"Where is Brigadier General Turner?" Fang Wen asked.

“He’s at the Biltmore Hotel. The Treasury Department’s fund-accepting officer, the Department of Defense people, and representatives from arms manufacturers are all there,” Indiana replied.

"Let's go, let's get this done," Fang Wen said with high spirits, inspiring the Indiana group.

The group left the dock, got into two cars, and drove into Los Angeles. Their destination was the Biltmore Hotel, now the most luxurious landmark on the West Coast, which has hosted presidents, diplomats, high-ranking military officials, and Hollywood stars.

The U.S. arms trade officials were all in the conference room on the third floor, eagerly awaiting the completion of the $9000 million arms deal.

An officer strode in. "General, the men have arrived."

Brigadier General Turner nodded and said to the people in the conference room, "Let's get the gold back!"

Everyone stood up, walked out of the conference room, and greeted Fang Wen's arrival.

Fang Wen walked over with a smile and shook hands with Brigadier General Turner: "Brigadier General, we've arrived. We hope the deal will go smoothly."

"That's what I think too. Let's go in and talk."

Surrounded by people, Fang Wen walked into the conference room.

He sat opposite Brigadier General Turner, while the others waited on either side.

Did you bring the gold?

"We brought it. We were almost intercepted by Japanese submarines in the Pacific Ocean because of this batch of gold."

"Really? How did you escape the Japanese submarine?"

"It's simple, just sink it."

Fang Wen’s casual words, however, piqued Brigadier General Turner’s interest.

"After the transaction is completed, could you tell me about how you sank the Japanese submarine?"

"Sure. The condition is that the transaction is completed as soon as possible."

"That's right."

Brigadier General Turner stood up and began the meeting.

Please take your seats.

The U.S. personnel are on the right, while Fang Wen and Indiana, among others, are on the left, with the two sides sitting opposite each other.

The first step is to check the previously signed agreement to determine if there are any errors.

After reviewing the agreement and confirming that it was correct.

Fang Wen opened the briefcase and took out various supporting documents from the French side.

These include:

The colonial governor's authorization letter clearly stated the purpose, amount, and source of funds for the purchase of arms, and was confirmed by the U.S. consul in French Indochina.

Declaration of non-axis affiliation, proof of the source of funds used for arms trade.

Gold withdrawal certificate from Crédit Agricole.

and many more.

After reviewing the documents, the U.S. personnel announced: "All documents confirm that the funds involved in this transaction are not outside the scope of the Neutrality Act, and that French Indochina is at war with the Axis powers, which complies with the arms sale terms of the Neutrality Act Amendment."

All the procedures have been completed.

Brigadier General Turner looked at Fang Wen: "Then let's go take a look at that batch of gold."

Fang Wen nodded: "I think it's best to complete the acceptance today. Have you prepared the personnel and tools for the acceptance, as well as the preparations for transporting and storing the gold?"

Brigadier General Turner instructed the official beside him: "This is Leonard, the Treasury Department's fund verification officer; he's in charge of this matter."

Treasury official Leonard said, "Rest assured, we have made all the preparations. Once the inspection is completed, we will issue a Treasury receipt, and the gold will be transported to the Los Angeles bank vault for safekeeping. Once the gold is in the vault, the transaction will be officially effective."

Fang Wen nodded and shook hands with Brigadier General Turner and Leonard: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

The group went downstairs and set off in a car.

Accompanying them were 13 military vehicles, 10 of which were empty, while the other 3 were filled with special forces from the Ministry of Finance responsible for escorting them.

The convoy proceeded to the port and blocked off the section of the pier where the Taishan International was docked.

The group then boarded the Taishan International, where Lieutenant Colonel Lemerre personally greeted them on the deck. He only relaxed his guard slightly when he saw Fang Wen and Brigadier General Turner appear together, but he still did not remove the guards at the cargo hold door.

Only after Fang Wen explained the situation did he agree to bring people in to inspect the gold.

The inspection team entered the cargo hold, accompanied by Brigadier General Turner and several arms dealer representatives.

Under their watchful eyes, Gong Xiuneng, Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire, and the supervisor of Banque de l'Indochine jointly removed the seal and unlocked the door.

The heavy iron gate opened, and as the lights came on, the dazzling golden mountain instantly came into view.

"My God! What I've just seen!" exclaimed a representative of an arms dealer.

Each gold bar is a standard gold bar, with its purity mark and weight engraved on its surface. It shines so brightly that it's hard to open your eyes.

The Ministry of Finance's inspection officials immediately took out professional testing tools to test the purity and weight of each gold bar, while checking the list to count the number of gold bars.

It was a very time-consuming process, but no one present found it troublesome, after all, admiring a mountain of gold was a very pleasant thing.

Time passed slowly, and after three hours, the inspectors had their results, which were reported by Leonard, an official from the Treasury Department.

"General, the gold is 99.9% pure, and each gold bar weighs 12.5 kilograms. The quantity is correct and meets the payment requirements."

Brigadier General Turner nodded and looked at Fang Wen: "The funds have been verified. We will issue a receipt and notify the companies to ship the weapons and equipment on the purchase list to the Port of Los Angeles. Are you sure you want to proceed with the transaction?"

Fang Wen looked at Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire and nodded, saying, "We're sure we'll continue."

Subsequently, Treasury official Leonard issued a receipt for the gold from the U.S. Treasury Department.

The Ministry of Finance's troops entered the site, packed the gold into crates, and used cranes to lift it onto cargo ships.

With the funds verified, the convoy of arms transport vehicles, which had been prepared in advance, began to arrive at the dock one after another.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire immediately led his men and the manufacturer's representatives off the ship to receive and inventory the munitions, referring to the previously agreed-upon purchase list. (End of Chapter)