Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Time flies, and it's already the New Year.

As people celebrated the New Year in Los Angeles, the port resumed its busy activity after a short day's rest.

The arms transport is nearing its end. All the firearms and ammunition transported by 850 vehicles have been stored in the warehouse. The special warehouse is filled with densely packed wooden crates, which are sealed with double seals from the military factory and the Ministry of National Defense.

M2A4 light tanks were neatly arranged on flatbed trailers, all covered with thick waterproof tarpaulins.

The oil tanker's oil storage work had already been completed, the oil pipelines had been dismantled, and professional monitoring personnel from the oil company were inspecting the condition of multiple oil storage tanks on the tanker to prevent oil leaks.

On the deck of the Hetu cargo ship, anti-slip mats were neatly laid out, ropes were secured in place, and cranes were ready to go, waiting only for the final instructions to steadily hoist the P-40C fighter jets onto the ship.

Meanwhile, a group of people dressed in standard military uniforms and looking capable quietly arrived in Los Angeles.

They are instructors responsible for operating aircraft and tanks, along with supporting logistics personnel, totaling over a hundred people.

As soon as these people got off the plane, Fang Wen's men properly settled them in the hotel where the Taishan Patriotic Aviation Team was staying, where they lived separately from the team members but without disturbing each other.

Dedicated personnel were stationed inside and outside the hotel to ensure the safety of the coaches and support staff, and to prevent unauthorized personnel from spying on them.

They need to wait until Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire completes all the signing procedures for the munitions before boarding the ship with the supplies. Once at the destination, they will be responsible for teaching the buyer how to operate the equipment and providing subsequent logistical maintenance guidance.

During this period, Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire spent almost all his time in the port area. The list of supplies in his hands was worn out from being read so many times. He personally checked and inspected every batch of supplies, from quantity and specifications to condition, leaving no stone unturned.

As the French representative and on-site executor, he was well aware of the importance of this batch of weapons to his side and could not tolerate the slightest mistake. Occasionally, if there were minor discrepancies between the list and the actual items, he would immediately verify with the military representative and only sign the receipt column solemnly after confirming that there were no errors.

Fang Wen would occasionally go to the port area to check on the progress of transportation and delivery. When the two met, they would usually exchange a few words about related matters. Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire didn't say much, but he always maintained his respect for Fang Wen.

After all, the real difficulty is not now, but transporting this batch of extremely valuable weapons back to Asia, which is the real reason why the French cooperated with Taishan.

This trust reached its peak after the sinking of the Japanese submarine in the Pacific.

Unlike the tense and orderly atmosphere in Hong Kong, undercurrents were quietly surging in New York's Wall Street over the past month, as Fang Wen's meticulously designed capital operation plan was gradually taking root.

After arriving in New York with funds raised from the gang, Zhao Jiu began the stock acquisition process in an orderly manner, following Fang Wen's instructions.

His subordinates were scattered across multiple brokerage firms on Wall Street, opening dozens of personal accounts. Every day, they quietly purchased shares of Taishan International according to a predetermined quota, buying but not selling, never causing the slightest disturbance.

Initially, the market did not pay much attention to the small, continuous rise in stock price caused by the continuous purchase of shares. However, as time went on, more and more Taishan International shares were purchased, and the circulating shares on the market gradually became scarce. Some astute institutions began to notice the anomaly, but they could not figure out what was hidden behind this behavior.

When the month was up, Zhao Jiu sent word that, through tireless efforts, nearly half of the circulating shares of Taishan International on the market had been transferred to accounts related to Taishan.

It's time for the good news to materialize.

On the first trading day after New Year's Day in 41, shortly after the New York Stock Exchange opened, Taishan International issued an important announcement, which clearly stated that the company had recently signed a major transportation contract worth US$600 million with relevant parties. The contract involved a large-scale foreign trade of military supplies, and all financial transactions had been completed through formal channels.

The announcement specifically stated that, at the request of the contracting party, its specific information would not be disclosed at this time. However, it included a copy of the original contract approved by the New York Stock Exchange, proof of fund transfers, and the exchange's investigation report on the contracting party, clearly indicating that the contract was genuine and valid, and not fraudulent.

The moment the announcement was released, the entire New York Stock Exchange went into a frenzy.

Capital, which is already extremely sensitive to the benefits of war, immediately sensed a huge profit potential. The $600 million transportation contract was undoubtedly a huge profit for Taishan International, enough to make the company's quarterly and even annual reports extremely impressive, and a subsequent rise in stock price was inevitable.

More importantly, the funds gathered on the New York Stock Exchange have been eagerly anticipating the emergence of a leading theme representing American companies and the benefits of war.

A flood of buy orders poured in as investors scrambled to buy shares of Taishan International. However, by this time, Fang Wen's side had already bought up half of the circulating shares on the market, and the remaining holders were extremely reluctant to sell, leaving very few shares available for trading.

Eager to enter the market, investors could only keep raising their purchase prices in an attempt to attract existing shareholders to sell. As a result, Taishan International's stock price soared like a rocket.

The stock opened at $10 per share on the day the announcement was made, and within just one day it rose to $15 per share.

After that, it experienced a continuous rise, with the stock price breaking through the $20, $30, and $40 marks and still rising without any sign of stopping.

On January 10, the stock price hit a new high. The trading hall was bustling with noise, cheers, exclamations, and the sound of trading orders being placed. Everyone's eyes were focused on the stock price chart of Taishan International. Some were overjoyed, some were regretful, and some desperately raised their prices, just to get a share of the profits.

Inside the exchange's listed company representatives' lounge, Lin Shuiwang looked through the transparent glass window at the frenzied scene of traders outside, then turned and left the lounge.

He took out a handful of five-cent coins from a public phone booth outside the exchange and kept inserting them to make long-distance calls.

Fang Wen, who was far away in Los Angeles, received a call from Lin Shuiwang.

"General Manager, the stock price reached a high of $73, then fell back down. Should we continue to wait?"

Fang Wen smiled. Based on his future-oriented thinking, he believed that market sentiment had reached an extreme. Even if there was room for further gains, he shouldn't be greedy.

After all, a large-scale sell-off of stocks will inevitably lead to a continuous decline in stock prices, and it will take time to complete. Naturally, one cannot wait until the stock market sentiment has been fully vented before taking action.

Therefore, he replied: "You will release a supplementary explanation of the subsequent contract and an announcement of the significant increase in the company's profits this quarter the day after tomorrow."

After ending the call with Lin Shuiwang, Fang Wen dialed Zhao Jiu in New York and gave him only a simple order.

"Start selling in batches."

Zhao Jiu immediately followed Fang Wen's instructions and had his subordinates sell off the stocks in the account in batches.

As a large number of shares flooded the market, the previously soaring stock price finally began to fall back, gradually declining from $73. Even so, many investors still believed that Taishan International had room for growth and took the opportunity to buy, supporting the stock price and preventing a collapse.

The sell-off lasted for five days. In the middle, Taishan International released a positive announcement and the stock price rose for another day. When the last stock was sold at a price of $42 per share, Fang Wenyi had completely liquidated his holdings.

According to statistics, Fang Wen invested approximately US$800,000 in this capital operation and ultimately made a profit of over US$4 million, with a return rate of over 500%.

This was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise, far exceeding Fang Wen's initial expectations. The profits obtained through capital operations were already roughly equivalent to the freight revenue of Taishan International.

Upon receiving the news of the clearance sale, Fang Wen was preparing to go to Curtiss Corporation to formally sign a technology cooperation agreement with Curtiss' senior management.

Upon arrival at Curtis, the general manager and technical director of Curtis were already waiting in the conference room, their faces full of eagerness and attention.

After two weeks of negotiations, both parties have reached an agreement on all the details of the technical cooperation, with only the final signing process remaining. Inside the meeting room, representatives from both sides took their seats, with documents such as the technology confidentiality agreement and the cooperation agreement neatly arranged on the table.

Fang Wen picked up a pen, quickly scanned the agreement terms, and after confirming that everything was correct, solemnly signed his name in the signature area for Party B. The general manager of Curtis Company followed suit and signed his name. Then, the two parties exchanged agreements and shook hands firmly.

“Mr. Fang, I look forward to a win-win cooperation between us.” The general manager of Curtiss spoke sincerely, his eyes full of expectation. He knew that this cooperation would allow Curtiss to get out of its current technical predicament and regain its footing in the aviation field.

Fang Wen smiled and nodded: "I also believe that our cooperation will create a win-win situation. By the way, I have another plan."

"What are your plans?" General Manager Curtis asked.

Fang Wen smiled and said, "I have some funds on hand recently, and I was wondering if you need any investment opportunities?"

"How much can you invest?" General Manager Curtis asked, somewhat surprised.

"That depends on your attitude. I have $800 million at my disposal, and I'm willing to invest in you if you offer the right conditions."

Fang Wen's words impressed the Curtiss executives.

$800 million, equivalent to 160 P-40 fighter jets.

This is a fairly large sum of money.

“We need to hold a board meeting to discuss this,” Curtis’s general manager replied.

"No problem, I'll wait for your reply." Fang Wen shook hands with him and left with Gong Xiuneng.

The day after the technical cooperation agreement was signed, Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire finally completed the receipt of all the munitions.

Holding the complete receipt list, he approached Fang Wen and solemnly handed it to him: "Mr. Fang, all the supplies have been checked and are in order. Next, I need to entrust you with the safe transport of this batch of military supplies back to Asia." Fang Wen took the list, glanced at it, and casually handed it to Gong Xiuneng beside him, smiling: "Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire is too kind. Fulfilling the contract is what we should do."

With the signing process officially completed, the port area immediately entered its busiest phase: loading the ship.

Once the order was given, action began in all sectors.

The crane slowly started up, and its huge boom extended, steadily lifting the M2A4 light tank and P-40C fighter jet and slowly placing them into the cargo hold of the cargo ship. The staff quickly stepped forward and used ropes to secure the equipment to prevent collision damage during the voyage.

Wooden crates filled with firearms and ammunition were carried onto the ship in an orderly manner by the workers, neatly stacked in the designated location, and the cargo hold was closed after the seals were checked again to ensure they were correct.
The instructors and logistics personnel, carrying their own luggage, boarded the ship in an orderly manner under the guidance of the soldiers. They would spend a long voyage on the ship until they reached their destination and began their mission.

Fang Wen stood on the railing of the Taishan International, looking at the bustling scene below, lost in thought.

The arms deal, worth nearly $9000 million, lasted for a month, and he himself never imagined it would be implemented on such a massive scale.

Many forces now know that Taishan was involved in the transaction, and the Japanese certainly know as well. There are probably many Japanese spies lurking outside the port area right now, and as soon as the fleet sets sail, these people will probably immediately send the information to Asia via telegram.

At that time, the Japanese naval fleet will definitely send troops to intercept us, and the journey back will be far more dangerous and difficult than the journey there.

How should we plan our return route to avoid being intercepted by the Japanese?
He turned and went into the cargo ship's lounge, where he spread out the nautical chart.

The entire Pacific Ocean chart covered the long table, with clear ink lines. Islands, shipping lanes, ocean currents, and known Japanese-controlled areas were circled in advance with a red pen.

That was the information Fang Wen had marked based on the intelligence he had collected before setting off.

Fang Wen bent down, his fingertips first lightly touching the port of Los Angeles, then drawing a straight line eastward across the Pacific Ocean, passing Hawaii, Majuro, then southward through the Coral Sea of ​​the Solomon Islands, and across the Torres Strait between Papua New Guinea and Australia.

At this point, his hand stopped moving.

Upon closer inspection, a clear problem becomes apparent.

If the Japanese had known that the fleet would return to Asia at some point in time, they would certainly have taken precautions.

The Torres Strait and the Arafura Sea will be key areas of interception for the Japanese military. After all, the Japanese naval fleet is stationed in Palau and controls the route from the northern seas to Asia. It is safest for the fleet to pass through these areas.

"No."

He denied it in a low voice.

That will be the area where Japanese naval submarines patrol most frequently.

The last time they were able to get through safely, it was mainly because they caught the enemy off guard; but this time it's different. With nearly 90 million US dollars worth of arms being loaded onto the ship, and such a big commotion in the Port of Los Angeles, it's impossible that the Japanese intelligence agencies were unaware of it.

As long as the fleet passes through there, even if the Japanese Combined Fleet only sends a cruiser squadron and a few submarines, it can sink the entire fleet, along with its crew and equipment, in the Pacific Ocean.

That level of naval warfare is not something Fang Wen can handle by piloting a single aircraft.

What other safer way is there to return to Asia?
He looked at the nautical chart, his gaze shifting.

Got it!

Taishan Airlines' meat procurement in Oceania includes not only Australia, but also New Zealand in the southeast.

Therefore, Taishan Airlines has two meat shipping routes.

One route involves loading the goods at the port of Bei'ao and then transporting them back to Yangon.

The other route is via South Australia, through Melbourne, to Wellington, New Zealand.

At this point, Fang Wen had an idea in mind.

The route could be changed to: heading south from Majuro, bypassing the Coral Sea-Torres Strait section of the Solomon Islands, and instead going directly through Fiji to Wellington, then taking the South Australia route back to Yangon.

This route looks much safer, and the Japanese naval fleet can't cover such a large area of ​​the open ocean.

(New route map) (End of this chapter)