Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 79, Section 78: Boeing Trading is not a shell company; P-26B arrives in port.
"Trading tung oil for airplanes" became another popular new term in Shanghai.

There's also aircraft leasing.

These two new developments have brought Taishan Airlines back into the spotlight.

People are curious whether the plane will actually be leased to Taishan Airlines to open a new route after it arrives.

Most people don't realize how successful this business case is.

Did Taishan Airlines contribute any money? No.

But they gained the benefit.

However, the biggest beneficiary was Boeing Trading Company.

The potential profits were so great that Neil Toledo wasn't sure if he could handle the fortune.

As an aircraft salesman who frequently travels abroad, Neil Toledo has a wealth of life experience and has witnessed many disputes arising from interests.

Having witnessed a performance that could be considered a commercial magic show in its entirety, Neil Toledo felt he needed to have a serious talk with Fang Wen.

In the afternoon, the Boeing 80 returned and landed at Shanghai Airport on time.

Fang Wen carried the shrine off the plane and turned to Sun Debiao and Xie Yuwen.

"I have to go now."

"Mr. Fang, are you going to the bar tonight?" Sun Debiao asked.

"We'll see. I've been quite busy lately."

After saying that, Fang Wen left the airport, went home to change his clothes, and then went to the training center to find out more about the situation.

The flight trainees at the training center are still in class. Without multiple theoretical instructors, they can only undergo more physical and simulated flight training.

Flight simulators are made of wood and can sway back and forth and side to side. Flight apprentices sit in them and are assisted by two other students to simulate various states during flight.

Although this method is rudimentary, it is still a form of pre-flight training.

After observing the flight apprentices' performance, Fang Wen went to Taishan Airlines.

As an intermediary in the exchange of tung oil for airplanes, Taishan Airlines temporarily set up a tung oil trade office, with Manager Liu in charge of the trade transactions with tung oil merchants.

Fang Wen went directly to Manager Liu of Taishan Airlines' general accounting office to find out what was going on.

"how are you today?"

Manager Liu, who was working at his desk, took out a piece of paper from the side, looked at it, and said...

"Two tung oil merchants came today and signed supply agreements. They will transport the tung oil to the designated warehouse at the end of the month to complete the handover."

Fang Wen nodded. Things were progressing smoothly, and the tung oil merchants mentioned in the letters of intent were coming over one after another to complete the transactions.

Manager Liu then added, "Neil Toledo is waiting for you in your office."

"He's here again?" Fang Wen left the general accounting office and went into the general manager's office next door.

Inside the general manager's office, Neil Toledo leaned back in his chair, engrossed in reading a comic book.

These days, what's popular in the US is a small comic book that's the size of a palm, easy to carry, and you can take it out and continue reading anytime.

Fang Wen walked over, glanced at the comic book, and asked, "What story is in this?"

Neil Toledo, engrossed in the story, excitedly recounted: "A hero named Dick Tracy lives in a city of the future. He uses his wisdom and skills to fight against evil forces and protect the peace and justice of the city."

Fang Wen was surprised; individual heroism was already popular in the United States as early as the 30s.

He couldn't help but be interested in the future depicted in the book.

He decided to take a look. The future depicted inside did not exceed Fang Wen's expectations; in fact, it felt even more backward than the future he had lived in before.

It seems that there are still big differences in the perceptions of different eras. Even if people in the 30s had a lot of imagination, they still couldn't imagine what the future would look like after the rapid development of technology.

After returning the comic book to Neil Toledo, Fang Wen sat down at his desk, preparing to sign the company's routine documents before leaving to go home.

Neil Toledo put away his comic book, stood up, and said seriously, "Fang, we need to talk."

Fang Wen, who was signing the document, didn't even look up: "Yes, you can say it now."

“I have to admit one thing to you: Boeing Trading Company has absolutely no connection with Boeing Airlines; it is just my privately registered company.”

Fang Wen put down his pen and looked up at Neil Toledo. Fang Wen had made this guess before, but what he wanted was the result. Whether it was a subsidiary of Boeing or Neil Toledo's private company, as long as they could get the plane, that was fine.

Therefore, he calmly replied, "So what? It's precisely because of your desire that this deal was made possible. As long as you can persevere and complete it, you won't have to work so hard anymore."

Neil Toledo revealed a hint of longing: "I want to buy a piece of land, raise a lot of cattle, and then hire a group of cowboys to work for me. But right now, I'm under a lot of pressure, and I don't know if I can handle the profits; it's just too much for me."

Fang Wen's heart tightened, but he pretended to be calm and asked, "What are you worried about?"

Neil Toledo took off his hat, rolled it up, and held it tightly in his hand, trying to ease his tension. This gesture also alerted Fang Wen to his unusual emotions.

“I’m worried. Fang, you’re very capable. I think you could become a millionaire even if you went to Wall Street. I’m afraid you’ll scheme against me. How about we go into partnership? Boeing Trading Company, we can each own 50/50. That way, when we make money, I won’t be afraid of you targeting me.”

So that's what it was about. I thought Neil Toledo was planning to quit.

Fang Wen breathed a sigh of relief, got up and walked to Neil Toledo's side, deliberately putting his arm around his shoulder to show his closeness.

"I understand how you feel. Being alone in a foreign land, without friends, yet having to accomplish a great feat and earn enough wealth for a comfortable life later in life, it's easy to be under a lot of stress and have wild thoughts. How could I possibly scheme against you? Don't worry."

“But I’m really scared. What you’ve done is like the devil’s work, making people willingly cooperate without spending a penny,” Neil Toledo revealed the real reason.

Fang Wen was surprised, but then understood. Different eras have different ideas, and sometimes it's hard to see things clearly.

The concepts of sale-leaseback and credit generated by traffic effects are things that future generations have already overused.

There are many such examples in this era of information explosion, and people have gradually come to accept them.

However, in the 30s, it brought a completely different feeling; some people found it amazing, while others found it unbelievable.

Especially for someone like Neil Toledo who experienced the entire process firsthand and knows the details, the more detailed the information, the more terrifying it becomes.

He couldn't understand how credit could be exchanged without any effort, solely through the effect generated by 'traffic'.

Therefore, no matter how Fang Wen explained it, he insisted on the two of them partnering up, as if only in this way could he feel secure.

He even emphasized, "If you don't agree, I will stop cooperating."

This really scared Fang Wen, who had no choice but to sign a Boeing trading share reallocation contract and put his fingerprint on it.

Having done this, Neil Toledo made the sign of the cross: "God, I have made a deal with the devil of the East, please forgive me."

Fang Wen couldn't help but roll his eyes. Wasn't this all just Neil Toledo's own wild imagination? How did he become the Eastern Devil?

But since they had become partners, it also meant their relationship was closer, so Fang Wen asked directly:

"Now tell me how you plan to trade tung oil for airplanes?"

“This is my plan,” Neil Toledo said shrewdly, speaking fluently.

This also allowed Fang Wenlian to understand another side of this era. In 1929, the United States enacted the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, imposing high additional tariffs on more than 2000 imported goods.

This move led to a global trade dispute, and other countries responded with countermeasures.

As a result, U.S. export trade declined year by year, until it hit rock bottom in 1932.

In this situation, even Boeing is not having an easy time.

To this end, a large number of aircraft salesmen were dispatched around the world in an attempt to expand foreign export trade.

The China was a market that Boeing was trying to open up. Before Neil Toledo, they sent an aircraft salesman to help, but unfortunately, the salesman was too brave and died heroically in a fight against five opponents while flying the fighter jet he was promoting.

Subsequently, the Boeing 80s sold by Neil Toledo rekindled Boeing's interest in the Chinese market.

In order to gain this market share, they gave Neil Toledo certain pricing power and the right to apply for sample machines.

In other words, Neil Toledo could decide on price adjustments within 10%, and at the same time obtain the qualification to apply for the company's prototype aircraft, so that the two aircraft could be delivered to China ahead of schedule as exhibits for Boeing.

In this way, Neil Toledo's Boeing Trading Company had aircraft to sell, and the profits came from two sources: a 10% price discount and the price difference in the tung oil trade.

No wonder Neil Toledo was so bold as to come to China and demand a trade of 10,000 tons of tung oil; it turns out he had two planes to back him up.

Fang Wen felt relieved. Now that Neil Toledo considered him a partner, the subsequent trade would be much easier.

He directly asked Neil Toledo to order two Boeing 247 aircraft as samples.

He then made sure to inquire about his fighter jet.

Where is my plane?

“The radio station has contacted us, and it should arrive in five days. Where are you going to unload the cargo this time?” Neil Toledo asked.

Fang Wen's thoughts were racing.

The docks in Shanghai are definitely out of the question; the Japanese are still keeping an eye on us.

It would be best to find a nearby dock where you can unload your cargo.

After seeing Neil Toledo off and leaving the office to go home, he was still thinking about this problem.

When it was time for dinner, Fang Shouxin and Shunzi opened the food box and took out the food they had received from the cafeteria.

Fang Shouxin filled a bowl with rice for Fang Wen: "Young Master, it's time to eat."

"Oh." Fang Wen, snapping out of his thoughts, asked directly, "Uncle Fang, are there any ports near Shanghai suitable for ocean-going vessels to dock? I'd like to find a safe place to unload my cargo."

"Is that the plane? It's not safe in Shanghai, so we should land it at Jiaxing Port," Fang Shouxin replied.

Does Jiaxing have a port? Fang Wen almost let slip.

How could someone from Jiaxing not know whether Jiaxing has a port?

Fortunately, he didn't say it aloud. Fang Wen asked in a different way, "How is Jiaxing Port now? I haven't been there in a long time."

"Young Master doesn't go there often, but when we were in Jiaxing, Shunzi and I went there quite often."

"Do you think it's okay to moor ships there?"

"Of course."

"Alright, I can't leave by flying right now. You and Shunzi go back and make sure to arrange for the ship to enter the port. Once you've arranged it, contact me by telegram, and I'll have Neil notify the ship to stop there. Oh, and take 1000 silver dollars back with you so they can pave a road outside the port. It needs to be a hard, smooth surface."

Fang Shouxin and Shunzi left Shanghai Airport with Fang Wen's orders.

The two returned to Jiaxing by boat, and when they came back, they had changed completely.

Fang Shouxin was dressed in a clean long robe, with a dignified demeanor, and looked like a gentleman.

Shunzi, who used to be carefree and playful in Jiaxing, has matured a lot and his demeanor is now quite capable.

The changes in the two surprised the employees of Fang's rice shop, who then escorted them back to the Fang residence.

Upon entering the Fang residence, Fang Shouxin bowed as usual and reported, "Master, we were sent back by the young master. He wants to dock a seagoing vessel at Zhapu Port."

"Why stop the ship at sea? Can't we stop in Shanghai?" Master Fang asked, puzzled.

"Young Master was ambushed by the Japanese in Shanghai last time, so it's inconvenient for him to go. Besides, the ship is carrying the young master's newly purchased airplane."

The first half of the sentence dispelled the family's doubts, but the second half surprised them all.

"He bought another airplane. Isn't that wasteful?" Young Master Fang blurted out.

"How much does an airplane cost?" Young Master Fang asked more directly.

Shunzi proudly replied, "Young Master's last airplane was bought from the Young Marshal of Northeast China for only 3000 silver dollars. This time, it was purchased directly from an American aircraft manufacturing company. I know the people at that company. They said it cost 2 US dollars, which was exchanged for an equivalent amount of tung oil from the Fourth Miss's husband's family."

These words elicited a variety of expressions from the Fang family members. Fang's father smiled, Fang Wen's mother was overjoyed, while the others each wore expressions of sorrow.

There was no need to compare, no way to compare. The eldest and second young masters suddenly lost all interest. This third brother was no longer the person they could bully at home when they were children.

After explaining the arrangements for returning home, Mr. Fang surprisingly took over the task himself.

He personally sought out a friend familiar with port affairs, and together they went to Zhapu Port, where they resolved the port entry issue in half a day.

Subsequently, Fang Shouxin sent a telegram to the airport, instructing them to make preparations.

The potholed dirt road outside Zhapu Port was also repaired by the Fang family at their expense.

This action aroused curiosity among the people nearby.

Several days later, a ship flying the Stars and Stripes sailed into Hangzhou Bay and docked at Zhapu Port.

There was only one cargo on board: a Boeing P-26b, securely fastened to the deck with cables.

The ship did not unload its cargo immediately after entering the port, but waited overnight.

The next day, Fang Wen, who was on his Boeing 80 undergoing maintenance, arrived at Jiaxing Zhapu Port early.

Upon entering the port, his gaze was immediately drawn to the Boeing P-26b.

To get a better view, he immediately boarded the ship to get a closer look at the long-awaited military aircraft.

For some reason, Fang Wen's first impression was that this was a somewhat cartoonish-looking airplane.

The low-wing design features support lines connecting the upper and lower parts of the wing to the fuselage to maintain the wing's structure and rigidity.

The fuselage is an all-metal semi-monocoque structure, with a fixed landing gear covered by a streamlined fairing underneath, which looks a bit like a bird's claw wrapped in thick feathers.

Its cockpit is open, with a windshield in front, and the machine gun sight is mounted in front of the windshield.

As for the internal structure and weapon systems, Fang Wen could only inspect them after the aircraft was started.

Now it's time to get the plane off the ship and sail it back to Shanghai Airport.

Immediately, the port staff brought in a gantry crane and hired dozens of helpers to begin unloading the cargo.

(End of this chapter)