Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 122-121 Another Panacea of ​​War: Quinine, Calcutta-Yunnan
Fang Wen held a uniquely shaped cross pendant in his hand.

It was sealed in a lime wall for 1000 years. Who would have thought that the lime wall was not concealing the cross decorated with a golden crown behind it?

It is that.

It is 2 centimeters long and 1.5 centimeters wide, which is the perfect size to make a pendant.

Its material is yellowish and semi-transparent. It has a simple shape but is very smooth and has a soft luster.

It's not a stone; it's rather light.

Fang Wen suspects it is made of a resin similar to amber.

At the center of the cross intersection, there is a groove containing some black powdery substance.

Perhaps this is the remaining part of the true Holy Blood Cross, and only by preserving it with resin can it remain uncorrupted for thousands of years.

Although it has been buried underground for 1000 years, the things it carries are still very profound, even more so than the golden statue of the four-faced Buddha that has been worshipped all along.

Fang Wen felt that absorbing the energy of this cross might bring about a qualitative change in his abilities.

Moreover, this thing has another advantage: it can be hung directly as an ornament, unlike the Four-Faced Buddha statue which requires carrying a shrine on and off airplanes every day.

Fang Wen put the necklace back on his chest and felt the tiny amount of energy being absorbed by him, feeling a sense of comfort.

Then, I summarized my trip to Europe.

The journey was arduous, the encounters complex, the time was tight, and the expenses were enormous.

The F.220 was purchased for 480 million francs, equivalent to US$18.

German arms production materials were purchased for 10 marks, equivalent to US$2.38.

£1000 was spent in London to purchase the original penicillin strain and the initial preparation process.

Nearly $100,000 worth of various medical experimental equipment and books.

The $50,000 in expenses paid in advance for the treasure hunt at Lake Van.

In addition, there were personal expenses in the UK, France, and Germany.

It cost nearly $40 in total.

If it weren't for the fact that my father-in-law's interest-bearing certificate-type treasury bonds were worth far more than $30, this trip might not have been enough.

The money was completely spent.

But surprisingly, this trip to Europe was not a loss.

The $30 bond payment from the profit sharing of the Lake Van trip covered most of the expenses.

The treasure in the last three canvas bags was not auctioned off; Fang Wen took it himself to cover various expenses.

In addition, there is a mysterious cross that can absorb energy to enhance one's abilities.

And the connections and relationships I gained.

This trip to Europe was a huge success.

After mentally completing the calculations, Fang Wen felt a sense of relief and hummed a song as he flew up to the Iranian plateau.

The Shrike returned to its origin.

After spending a night in Tehran, while Indiana was still in Europe and had not yet returned, Fang Wen was received by another military attaché from the US embassy.

After a night's rest, the plane refueled and made a stopover at the ancient city of Bam before flying to Karachi.

After resting in Karachi for an hour, it was already afternoon when they flew to Delhi.

The final leg of the journey is still 1300 kilometers away; there's no need to fly there overnight.

Fang Wen then spent another night in Delhi, filling up the tank overnight to avoid inconvenience when looking for someone the next day.

The next morning, the Shrike took off and, after flying for more than four hours, finally arrived at Kolkata Airport.

Inside the airport, Kwong Ming-chu greeted him with a group of people; she seemed to be in good spirits.

Fang Wen got off the plane and asked with concern, "Are you alright here?"

Kuang Mingzhu smiled and said, "Sir, that's a question I should be asking you. How were you after traveling 20,000 kilometers back and forth?"

The two looked at each other and smiled without saying a word.

Unfortunately, the people next to us didn't understand the romance of this moment and came over.

"Miss, sir, is there any luggage on the plane that you need to collect?"

Kuang Mingzhu quickly introduced, "These are all my family members, who came from Thailand to help. My younger brother is also here."

Fang Wen nodded: "Kuang Anming speaks French, so he'd be a great translator. Where is he?"

"I went out with friends yesterday, and I've had diarrhea ever since. I took some quinine and am lying in my room now."

"Cinnamomum?"

"It's a miracle drug for treating malaria, and it works very well. My family bought it from Indonesia."

Kuang Mingzhu's words reminded Fang Wen of another name for this drug: 'quinine'.

It was also a very sought-after drug during World War II, capable of treating malaria caused by various sanitary conditions, and had a remarkable effect on malaria parasites.

During wartime, conditions were harsh, and malaria outbreaks were common, making this medicine essential.

Fang Wen immediately asked, "Is there a lot of quinine in Indonesia?"

“Sir, you probably don’t know much about quinine. My family sells this product. Let me tell you.” Kuang Mingzhu took her husband’s arm and, ignoring the people waiting behind them to carry their luggage, the two strolled and chatted along the track.

"Cinchona bark is a specialty of Peru in South America, extracted from the bark of the cinchona tree. Later, Peru banned the export of this precious medicine, but the Dutch secretly brought out some seeds. They planted them in Indonesia, where the climate is similar, and successfully propagated a large number of cinchona trees. Now, the two largest markets for cinchona bark in the world are the Netherlands and Indonesia."

Fang Wen saw another aspect in the story of Indonesia overtaking Peru to become the world's largest producer of quinine.

After the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, Indonesia was bound to become a battleground for the Japanese army, which was in line with the Japanese army's future Southeast Asian strategy.

It might even be possible to control Indonesia's quinine exports in advance.

Therefore, stockpiling quinine as early as possible would have a significant effect on the later stages of the war of resistance.

He stopped and asked, "Could your family buy large quantities of quinine? I'm worried that if the war continues, our domestic drug supply may be disrupted."

Kuang Mingzhu quickly understood. "The Japanese navy is powerful. If they control the sea routes near Indonesia, it will be really difficult to buy quinine. I'll go back and talk to my father, and ask him to discuss with my uncles and elders how to buy as much as possible and ship it back to China."

"That's good. Buy as much as you can. Not only will our people need it in the future, but I will also have a use for it," Fang Wen replied. Cinnamon is not only very useful in China, but once World War II breaks out and the Netherlands is controlled by Germany, the Allies will not have a stable supply of cinnamon. At that time, he can sell cinnamon to Europe through the Asia-Europe shipping route he has opened, and in return, he can exchange it for a large amount of supplies.

The conversation about quinine has come to an end. Nobody knows how much can be stockpiled.

Fang Wen and Kuang Mingzhu returned, opened the aircraft's auxiliary fuel tank storage compartment, and took out their luggage.

I went there with a big bag full of things, but came back with only clothes.

With so many people here, we don't need their help to carry things.

Fang Wen suddenly thought of the security situation here, "Right, we need to hire local Kshatriyas to guard the planes at night."

"Don't worry, sir, the airport is all under my control now," Kuang Mingzhu said smugly. She hadn't come here early for nothing; she had already taken care of everything.

Not only about the airport, but also about accommodation. She rented a two-story house belonging to a wealthy businessman nearby, cleaned it inside and out, and used it as a temporary residence.

Fang Wen followed his wife back to their residence. Looking at the clean and tidy room and the busy servants, he finally understood why his wife was doing so well here without any problems.

He closed the door and embraced his wife.

But he was pushed away.

"Sir, you smell bad, I can't stand it."

"It doesn't smell?" Fang Wen sniffed himself.

"It must be because you've been with Europeans for too long and picked up their body odor. Go take a shower; I've prepared essential oils and perfume." Four days later.

The cargo ship that departed from the port of Marseille in southern France has finally arrived in Kolkata.

The cargo ship sailed from the Bay of Bengal into the Hooghly River and traveled more than 100 kilometers along the river before arriving at the port of Kolkata.

This inland waterway trip was relatively smooth; the cargo ship was only carrying one F.220, with a cargo weight of nearly 10 tons and a shallow draft.

Guided by the port pilot, the cargo ship entered the only deep-water berth, which was also the berthing point for British naval warships.

To ensure the cargo ship could unload its cargo smoothly, the British Navy provided a special sponsorship, and the Navy readily gave up its berth.

Then, the task was to unload the several-ton F.220 from the ship.

This is a huge project.

For this purpose, 300 local laborers were hired.

They were moving large quantities of thick planks and building ramps along one side of the ship; one layer wasn't enough, at least three layers were needed.

The ramp was set up, and Fang Wen boarded the ship and started the F.220 engine.

To change direction on a heavy bomber, the wheels must be moved at small angles repeatedly within a narrow space to adjust the fuselage position.

This is a meticulous task that takes time and effort; even if Fang Wen enters a state of mechanical perception, he cannot easily complete it in one go.

Little by little, the fuselage turned to one side, forward, and straightened.

But can the wooden ramp below really support the weight of an airplane?

No one can be sure.

To be on the safe side, scaffolding was erected on both sides of the slope for reinforcement, and wooden stakes were used for support underneath.

This is just the beginning.

Fang Wen entered a state of mechanical perception, merging with the massive f.220.

The plane moved forward, exiting the area where the cargo ship's railings had been removed. Its front wheels were suspended in the air, and the fuselage wobbled as it pressed down, landing on the sloping wooden planks.

The wooden planks creaked painfully.

Three hundred dark-skinned laborers pulled hard on the ropes tied to the fuselage, using pulleys to reduce the weight of the aircraft.

During this process, only Fang Wen could sense when the timing was best.

He applied the brakes and continued the aircraft forward ten seconds later.

As the plane descended, the laborers on both sides shouted work chants. Kuang Mingzhu and her family watched nervously, barely daring to breathe.

Fortunately, everything was fine and no problems occurred. The 10-ton heavy bomber landed smoothly on the flat ground.

That's not all; there's still a distance between the port and Kolkata Airport.

The large aircraft was not suitable for entering the city; it had to be detoured around the city to reach the airport.

This route doesn't require manpower to pull it, but it does require paving the ground.

More than 300 laborers removed the wooden planks used to build the ramp and laid them out in front of the plane, thus avoiding the rocky terrain outside Kolkata.

After traveling for a while and laying the plane for a while, they finally delivered it to Kolkata Airport.

British troops inside the airport were waiting for this moment, and Hull, a Calcutta cultural researcher who had previously served as a rendezvous point at the airport, also arrived.

He warmly shook hands with Fang Wen: "I haven't been transferred back to England yet, and you're already back. I didn't expect you to have bought such a big plane. By the way, some of my British military friends would like to take a picture with it, is that alright?"

“No problem,” Fang Wen agreed.

A row of British soldiers and Hull stood under the plane; compared to the aircraft, they appeared tiny.

After taking one photo, they invited Fang Wen and Kuang Mingzhu to join them for another one.

He then asked for Fang Wen's address in Shanghai, saying that he would have someone deliver the photos to him once they were developed.

After finishing his conversation with Hull, Fang Wen led Kuang Anming to hand over the goods to the escort from Farmand and paid the remaining $8.

After doing all this, it's time to fly the plane back home.

Fang Wen said, "Pack your bags, let's go home together."

Immediately afterwards, a large group of people with simple luggage entered the F.220.

They were amazed by the enormous space inside the plane; if it weren't a transport plane, it could carry dozens of people.

Outside the plane, Fang Wen was refueling it with airport refueling truck staff.

Such a massive aircraft also has an astonishing fuel capacity.

There are four fuel tanks, located on both sides of the wing and together with the engine, and a total capacity of 4000 liters is required to fill them completely.

The gas truck couldn't fill the tank completely in one go; it took two trips to fully fill the big guy.

After refueling and checking the plane, it was time to take off and return home. Fang Wen entered the cabin, closed the door, and went into the cockpit.

The plane started up, its four engines roaring, and slowly taxied onto the runway before accelerating for takeoff.

A strong wind picked up and blew up the clothes of the British soldiers watching. To avoid the dust, they all retreated.

At that moment, the F.220 began to accelerate and took off.

Oh, and the Shrike, because we had to fly back in an F.220, had to leave it at the airport temporarily and put it under the care of the British Navy.

Fang Wen planned to hire a brave and skilled pilot in Shanghai to fly him back after he returned.

Fang Wen was still uneasy about having Pan Jiafeng drive.

Pan Jiafeng lacked experience and had never piloted the Shrike before; it was too dangerous. Even if the Shrike crashed, he didn't want Pan Jiafeng to suffer any harm.

F.220 returned to China via the Kolkata-Kunming-Shanghai route.

The route from Kunming to Shanghai is over 1900 kilometers long, spanning southwest, central and southern China, and eastern China. It is a domestic long-haul flight route that has never been seen before.

More than four hours later, the plane reached the airspace over Kunming, and Fang Wen called the ground.

"Ground crew, please respond. Taishan Air Transport aircraft requests landing."

The landing application was processed through the shareholders of Taishan Airlines, and Kunming has agreed to it.

Fang Wen was still a little worried, after all, this was the territory of Yunnan King Long Yun, and who knew if he would take advantage of the situation.

However, landing here is not an option, as the distance from Kolkata to Guangzhou is 2500 kilometers, exceeding the maximum range requirement.

At this moment, the radio received a ground signal: "Landing approved, runway cleared."

Fang Wen adjusted the F.220's fuselage and landed on the runway at Kunming Airport. After bringing it to a stop, he asked the person behind him, "Kuang Anming, do you know how to refuel?"

“Brother-in-law, I’ve seen it, I know,” Kuang Anming replied.

"Take the gas tank key. Be careful when you're taking photos later, don't let anyone in. Go out and fill up the tank by yourself, then come back. Don't argue with the people at the airport," Fang Wen instructed.

"Okay, brother-in-law."

Kuang Anming went to the cockpit, took the fuel tank key, and, following Fang Wen's instructions, opened the boarding door, pulled out and lowered the ladder, and got off the plane alone to refuel.

Things were progressing quite smoothly, and there seemed to be no unexpected complications, so Fang Wen breathed a sigh of relief.

But then, a military vehicle drove up and stopped beside the runway.

An officer got out of the military vehicle, holding a camera.

He approached Kwong On-ming and began to speak with him.

After a while, Kuang Anming called out through the boarding gate: "Sister, please tell your brother-in-law that Long Yunzhu, the head of the YN Provincial Government, wants to invite us to a dinner party. He also said that it's okay if we don't go. Could you ask his adjutant to take a picture?"

(End of this chapter)