Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 125, Section 124: Napalm Production - Manager Liu of Tsinghua University Recites from the Script
While in Europe, Fang Wen sent a telegram requesting a translator fluent in German.

At the time, the reply from China said that they had found a suitable candidate who was currently teaching in Shanghai, majoring in Chinese and Western architecture, and who had studied in Germany in his early years and was fluent in German.

Unexpectedly, it was a woman.

Fang Wen then thought that in academia, female scholars are sometimes respectfully addressed as "Mr." to show respect for their academic achievements and status.

He and Shunzi walked over and he took the initiative to introduce themselves.

"Hello, gentlemen. My name is Fang Wen. I just returned from Europe with some German weapons data, and I need someone fluent in German to translate it for me."

The man wearing glasses climbed down from the scaffolding, and the woman helped him to avoid slipping.

The man chuckled, "We know who you are, the general manager of Taishan Airlines. Your wife has already visited our home twice. Let us see the documents; after all, they're German weapons data, and we can't guarantee they'll be accepted."

Fang Wen asked Shunzi to take out the suitcase and hand it to the man.

The two leaned against the scaffolding, flipping through documents and exchanging ideas from time to time.

As he looked at the two people, he felt they were becoming more and more familiar, and his memories of them overlapped with those of his past life.

"Is this Mr. Liang Shicheng and Ms. Lin Huiyin?"

“Yes.” The two replied without looking up, focused on flipping through the German documents.

After a while, they gave their reply.

"We've taken a look, and some of the technical terms might not be able to be translated accurately, but we can ask a friend who understands German; that should be able to solve the problem. The question is, what are you going to do with all this weapons data?"

"Of course, it's to strengthen our military and drive out the Japanese," Fang Wen said confidently.

“That’s good, we’re happy to translate for you,” Mr. Liang replied.

Fang Wen was overjoyed and shook hands with the two men to express his gratitude.

It was noon, time for lunch, and Fang Wen invited the two to come into town for lunch.

Ms. Lin replied, "There's a restaurant near the Forbidden City that has pretty good food and is close by. Why don't we go there? We'd also like to hear about Mr. Fang's trip to Europe."

Fang Wen agreed and went out to get the car.

It turned out that Liang and Lin had arrived by bicycle.

He placed the bicycle on the roof of the car and took it with him. The four of them left Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and headed to a restaurant near the Forbidden City.

The car drove from Zhongshan East Road to the moat of the Ming Palace, turned onto the road along the moat, and went uphill for several hundred meters to reach the restaurant.

Zijin Restaurant

Despite its impressive name, the place itself is quite small, just a small courtyard.

But the layout is very elegant, and each room is a private room.

Fang Wen and his group sat down in the room on the east side, and the waiter came over to ask them what they wanted to eat.

"Mr. Liang and Mr. Lin, please order something. You're familiar with this place," Fang Wen said with a smile.

The other party didn't stand on ceremony and directly ordered several dishes that they thought were good.

Before the dishes were even served, the four of them started chatting.

Fang Wen was the one doing most of the talking, while the others were listening.

Starting from Shanghai, the route passes through Wuhan, Chongqing, Kunming, Kolkata, Delhi, Karachi, Tehran, and Istanbul.

Every place has its own unique geographical features.

As someone who experienced it firsthand, Fang Wen spoke with great conviction.

This greatly interested Liang and Lin.

Mr. Liang remarked with emotion, "My wife and I have also traveled to many places abroad. It was precisely because we saw the diverse architecture in different places that we had the idea of ​​focusing on achieving something in architecture. But you have explored the world in a different way, which is even more carefree. I really admire you."

Mr. Lin took out a notebook from his small bag.

"Mr. Fang, why don't you describe your journey in more detail? I'll compile it into a travelogue and serialize it in newspapers so that people of our country can appreciate the exotic customs of this country."

Shunzi agreed: "Good, young master has traveled thousands of miles and experienced many things. It would be a pity not to publish it."

All three looked at Fang Wen.

Fang Wen thought this request was acceptable. At most, he could remove the things that couldn't be said and only talk about romantic and poetic things, which would be quite interesting.

He also wants to share his experiences with others, just like he plans to publish travelogues on his blog and share them online in the future.

Fang Wen then recounted the itinerary in more detail.

These experiences remain vivid in my memory, and Fang Wen spoke of them fluently and in detail.

From the beautiful mountains and rivers in China to the unique natural landscapes and customs abroad.

The humid and rainy countries of the Indochina Peninsula.

Arid and impoverished India.

The revival of the ancient Persian kingdom, and the local highlands and ancient cities.

The Mediterranean has a unique climate and the Istanbul Strait, which connects the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

etc.
The entire process is interpreted from the perspective of a pilot, offering a unique viewpoint.

After Mr. Lin finished writing it down, he thought for a moment and came up with a name.

"How about we call this travelogue 'A Flight Through Eurasia'?"

“Okay.” Fang Wen agreed, and then called the waiter outside: “Reheat these dishes, and add some more delicious dishes.”

Because they had been talking about their trip to Asia and Europe, they had even forgotten to eat lunch, and that's when everyone started eating.

After lunch, Fang Wen made an appointment with the two scholars to pick up the German translation in a month. As for the "Travelogue of Eurasia," he didn't care when it would be published.

The two scholars were then sent back to the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum.

Shunzi was very sensible. "Young master, why don't you take me to the airport? Don't we have a suite there? I'll stay at the airport tonight and wait for you."

After dropping Shunzi off, Fang Wen drove back to the city.

It was already 4:30 pm.

The car stopped on the street outside the Nationalist government building and waited.

After a while, Yue Jinping, dressed in a cheongsam, walked out gracefully. Seeing the car in the distance, she walked straight over and got in.

The two had dinner together and chatted happily.

Yue Jinping suddenly looked up at the door and smiled: "They've arrived."

"Who's here?" Fang Wen asked, turning around in confusion.

Kuang Mingzhu walked gracefully towards them, while Shunzi followed timidly behind.

Seeing Fang Wen looking at him, Shunzi quickly protested, "Young Master, it's not me! I don't even know the way."

“I sent the telegram to your wife; she and I are friends,” Yue Jinping said with a smile.

Kuang Mingzhu sat down next to Yue Jinping naturally: "Yes, we are friends."

"Then I'm your friend too?" Fang Wen suddenly realized that his wife was quite shrewd.

The two women smiled, as if they agreed, but also as if they disagreed.

After returning from Nanjing, Fang Wen got back to work.

The first thing to do was to understand the airline's operating situation over the past two months.

Manager Liu, who had not yet gone to Beiping, reported on the situation during this period as the company's chief accountant, or financial director.

Currently, the company enjoys stable revenue on five routes with a load factor of 70-80%, making it arguably the leading civil aviation company in China. However, other civil aviation companies have also emerged in the domestic market.

However, they all run short-haul routes, and some even use seaplanes to travel along the coast.

After listening to Manager Liu's words, Fang Wen made a business decision.

“Under these circumstances, apart from the Shanghai-Wuhan and Shanghai-Fuzhou routes which are not yet open, there is no need for Taishan Airlines to further expand its domestic operations.”

Manager Liu agreed: "I think so too. Quality over quantity. Taishan Airlines has seven routes radiating from Shanghai, which is enough. We should focus on employee training to lay a solid foundation for the general manager's international flight plan."

Yes, Fang Wen's next goal is to open international flights to Mount Tai on the Hump route, connecting Asia and Europe.

But this is a long-term plan, and it can't be rushed.

After reporting the situation, Manager Liu and Sun Debiao went to Beiping to discuss the penicillin matter with Tsinghua University.

Just as Manager Liu boarded the plane and left, Huo Duanyang arrived from Nanjing.

Huo Duanyang was eager to know how his napalm bomb project was progressing.

Fang Wen is also considering this.

He discussed it with Huo Duanyang.

Do you have a complete process flow for preparing napalm?

"Yes, I have quantified the formula required for the complete preparation process. The amount of reagents for every mixing step and chemical reaction is accurately recorded. You can replicate my operation by following these steps."

Huo Duanyang had prepared the most crucial things, and Fang Wen breathed a sigh of relief.

He listed 1234 in his notebook.

"Let's break things down and tackle them one by one. Now that we have the process for napalm, you can hire a group of people who understand chemistry to help you prepare the napalm. This is the first step in making napalm bombs. Next is the carrier for the napalm. I think the tin flasks we used before were good, but they're too rudimentary. Have Fang Shun find a factory that manufactures tin flasks and have them make a batch of containers that meet your requirements. Then there's filling and loading the napalm, which is the most dangerous part. How do we solve that?"

The two were deep in thought about this.

To maintain secrecy, the filling of napalm bombs requires a team of skilled workers who adhere to safe operating procedures.

Where can you find someone like that?
It's impossible at the Jinling Arsenal; those skilled workers simply couldn't leave in large numbers.

Is there any other alternative?
Huo Duanyang hesitated and said, "How about we find someone from the fireworks factory to do the filling and loading? They are experienced and know more about safety than just anyone we hire."

This suggestion is feasible.

Fang Wen asked Fang Shouxin to inquire about the current production situation of fireworks and firecrackers nationwide.

These details were easy to find out; Fang Shouxin went around and came back to report.

"Fireworks and firecrackers are produced all over the country, and most of the demand can be met locally. But if we're talking about the largest production volume and the best craftsmanship, we have to mention Liuyang fireworks. Their fireworks and firecrackers not only sell well domestically, but are also exported overseas. It's said that they account for half of their exports."

After listening to Fang Shouxin's words, Fang Wen felt that this was a breakthrough.

Manager Liu went to Beiping.
Fang Shouxin went to Liuyang.
Shunzi went to find a factory that makes tin wine jugs.

Huo Duanyang then went to his alma mater, Danfu University, to find alumni resources in the Chemistry Department so that he could visit them one by one.

Fang Wen himself wanted to find a pilot in Shanghai to fly his plane back from Calcutta.

Five flowers bloom, one by one.

Beiping.

After disembarking in Jinan, Manager Liu and Sun Debiao took a train directly to their destination.

After getting off the car, the two went directly to Tsinghua University according to their agreed plan.

Upon arriving at Tsinghua University, Sun Debiao asked, "How should I start the conversation when I get to the Chemistry Department?"

Manager Liu took out a piece of paper, glanced at it, and then carefully put it away. "The general manager said to read it aloud; those people like to hear this."

“What’s so good about that? I can’t even read it properly.” Sun Debiao scratched his head; the things on the paper were too profound for him.

The two asked a student for directions and ended up at the Chemistry Department.

After knocking on the door of the chemistry department office, they took the initiative to introduce themselves.

"We are from Taishan Airlines, and we are here mainly to discuss collaborative research and development."

“Collaborative research and development?” one teacher recalled. “Last year, your Taishan Aviation and Physics departments collaborated on the development of an electromagnetic gate, right? It cost 3000 silver dollars.”

"Yes, it's a security gate," Manager Sun replied.

"So what are you planning to research this time? We're from the biology department, we deal with plants and animals." The professor became even more interested.

Manager Liu took out the piece of paper.

"Research Project Introduction: The preparation process of penicillin. It is derived from the metabolites of Penicillium mold and can destroy the cell wall of bacteria and exert a bactericidal effect during the bacterial cell's reproduction period."

As soon as he spoke, all the other professors looked up.

Under watchful eyes, Manager Liu continued.

"It has good therapeutic effects on a variety of bacterial infections, such as streptococci and staphylococci. However, a skin test must be performed before each use to prevent allergic reactions."

"Wait a minute." A professor interrupted Manager Liu. "If I heard correctly, this is a medicine."

"Yes." Manager Liu nodded.

"Is it a drug extracted from microorganisms to treat bacterial infections?" another professor asked incredulously.

"Yes."

This greatly piqued the interest of biology professors.

They argued fiercely.

"I knew it. Everything in the universe has its counterpart, and even when animals get sick, there are medicinal herbs to cure them."

"Microorganisms can inhibit bacteria, which is a fact I have discovered in my experimental observations. It's a pity that I didn't study it further."

"If our biology department could develop this drug, how many lives would it save!"

Seeing their excited expressions, Manager Liu spoke up.

"Hmm, hmm. Do you want to hear me continue?"

"Yes." The professors fell silent.

Manager Liu continued.

"This project was originally discovered by a biologist in London, England. He has traded the production process and original strains he has mastered to Taishan Airlines. Currently, Taishan Airlines is the owner and promoter of this technology."

"Our company believes that once this technology is realized, it will be a great thing for all mankind, and therefore we have decided to fully support the development project."

"If Tsinghua University's Department of Biology is willing to cooperate, we will provide the aforementioned technical data and bear the research and development costs as well as various biological experimental equipment."

Manager Liu has finished speaking.

The professors were somewhat disappointed; they wanted to hear about the proposed penicillin preparation process and more details.

But these words were enough to convince them to agree to jointly develop penicillin with Taishan Airlines.

Manager Liu then made another request.

"Due to the influence of the war, Taishan Airlines does not want the penicillin research project to fall into the hands of the Japanese army. If you are willing to participate in the research and development project, you will have to go to the newly built laboratory in the mainland. Taishan Airlines will be responsible for all the expenses of the laboratory."

The professors thought of the Japanese army attacking beyond the Great Wall and did not object to it.

They asked, "Where is the laboratory located?"

“In Wuhan, that’s a route that Taishan Airlines will soon be opening, so it’s very convenient,” Sun Debiao replied.

(End of this chapter)