Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 128, Section 127: Changde: Fang Wen visits his fourth sister's husband and drives a steamship into western Hunan.
The passenger ship docked at Changde Wharf.

The boatman shouted, "We've arrived at River Street. Line up to get off the boat. Don't crowd. Someone fell into the river last year."

Perhaps his words had an effect, for the passengers lined up and stepped ashore onto the wooden plank road at the stern of the ship.

Looking at the wooden plank road that was several meters long, Sun Debiao felt a little apprehensive.

"General Manager, when we get there, please pull me along. This board is very shaky, and it's making my eyes blurry."

Fang Wen chuckled to himself; these big Northeastern men were seasick and afraid of water.

But he didn't say anything, after all, Sun Debiao's most precious possession was his face.

The two climbed onto the wooden plank and carefully walked across the swaying path that stretched for several meters. For the last half meter, Sun Debiao jumped.

But he didn't expect the dock to be so slippery, and he landed on his backside in a "sand-sand landing" style.

This attracted the attention of fellow travelers and people on the dock, who found it quite amusing.

Fang Wen helped him up and comforted him, "Even horses can stumble, and people can find a place to land. It's alright, let's go up." Sun Debiao nodded awkwardly.

The two stepped up the stone steps, surrounded by pedestrians carrying loads, baskets, and hampers—a beautiful scene of western Hunan.

After walking for a while, Fang Wen stopped and asked the shop next door for directions.

"Excuse me, how do I get to Wu's Restaurant?"

Which Wu Ji?

"They buy tung oil."

"You mean Wu's Oil Shop? Go straight ahead, turn a corner, and enter the city. Anyone in the city will know it."

Fang Wen thanked him, then led Sun Debiao out of the river street and followed the flow of people into the city.

In the city, if you ask around at Wu's Oil Shop, you'll definitely find someone who knows about it.

Following the direction, Fang Wen went outside the oil shop to take a look.

Inside the shop, they were collecting tung oil. Two workers were lifting wooden barrels of tung oil with a large scale and weighing them.

Besides the shopkeeper selling tung oil, there was also a man in a long robe in the shop, who was calculating with an abacus.

Fang Wen went inside and asked, "Excuse me, is this the tung oil shop owned by Wu Ziyue?"

The person using the abacus stopped, looked up, and sized up Fang Wen: "Who are you?"

“I am his wife’s brother.”

The other party immediately smiled: "The master's brother-in-law has arrived. Da Geng told the young mistress that her brother had come to see her."

A shop assistant ran into the back of the shop in response; it seemed to be a shop with a front store and a back yard.

Not long after, a well-off young woman walked out quickly.

With a beaming smile, she saw Fang Wen and blurted out, "Five-snot, you've grown into a grown-up!"

Fang Wen was a little embarrassed when he asked what "five snots" meant. Perhaps it was the affectionate nickname his fifth sister used for him, probably something from when they were children.

But he had no personal experience of it and no memory of it, so he could only make excuses and laugh it off.

"Fourth Sister, don't call me that. You're a grown woman now."

Fourth Sister chuckled and said, "Yes, yes, our Third Young Master has grown up. Come on, let's go to the back to talk. I've sent someone to inform your brother-in-law; he'll be back soon."

Then, Fang Wen and Sun Debiao followed them into the backyard and sat down at the stone table in the courtyard, where a maidservant laid out fruits.

The weather is most refreshing in the courtyard.

Having something to say to his siblings whom he hadn't seen for many years, Sun Debiao made an excuse to go out for a walk to avoid being disliked.

What followed was a conversation between the siblings.

It was mainly the older sister who was talking, and the younger brother was listening.

Perhaps because they hadn't seen each other for many years, Fourth Sister talked nonstop.

"You said you wanted to save the country, and you went north to study when you were just a teenager. That was the last time I saw you. I remember you were so thin back then, and we were all worried you wouldn't adapt well. Mom cried many times. Later, you got into Nanyuan Aviation University, and the whole family was overjoyed. I wanted to wait for you to come back before I got married, but alas..."

Fang Wen was completely unaware of what his fourth sister had said, which involved her and her brother-in-law. He then asked, "What's the pity?"

Fourth Sister blushed a little: "The other day when the matchmaker came to propose marriage, I secretly looked at your brother-in-law. He's good-looking. If I don't agree, there might not be anyone better than him."

There's not much secrecy between siblings, and the fourth sister confided her long-held secrets to her brother.

Fang Wen smiled and said, "Sis, you've taken a liking to your brother-in-law's looks?"

“Look at what you’re saying. He’s good-looking and a nice person. Although his family has fallen on hard times, he doesn’t complain. My wife and I took over his cousin’s shop with 500 silver dollars and built it up to what it is now. We’re quite well-off.”

The fourth sister talked about her past with her husband, only mentioning the good things, her face full of happiness.

Fang Wen understood how a younger brother should continue the conversation; at this point, he needed to show concern for his older sister.

"Sister, you can't keep things from me. If you've been wronged, you have to tell me."

“I need your help. With your brother-in-law’s build, I can let him use one hand at home,” Fourth Sister said proudly.

Just then, someone returned from outside.

One big and one small.

They were all wearing long gowns.

The older one was tall and thin, the younger one was short and thin, they looked like they were made from the same mold.

These must be my brother-in-law and nephew. No wonder my sister said that. How can they eat so much and be so thin?

My sister's statement that she only needs one hand is probably true; she does indeed have a slender build.

But can he be considered to have a decent appearance?

Perhaps it's a case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder.

Shaking off his thoughts, Fang Wen stood up, and his fourth sister quickly introduced them: "This is my younger brother Fang Wen, this is your brother-in-law Wu Ziyue, and this is my son Wu Yiwen. Yiwen, you should call him uncle."

The child said in a clear voice, "Hello, Uncle."

Since this was the first time the nephew had called his uncle, there had to be a welcoming gift. Fang Wen opened the leather suitcase he had brought and took out three exquisite boxes.

The first box was for my nephew.

"This is a gift from your uncle, take it."

The child opened it directly, and inside was a sparkling pendant, which he loved.

Fang Wen handed the other two boxes to his brother-in-law and sister.

"Brother-in-law, this is for you. Sister, you get one too."

The fourth sister opened hers, revealing a jewelry bracelet that looked quite valuable.

"This thing must be very valuable, I wouldn't dare wear it out."

Fang Wen nodded. The item was definitely valuable; he had picked it out specifically as a gift during his trip to Lake Van.

Seeing her brother's attitude, the fourth sister quickly said to her husband, "Open your box too, and see what good things our brother has for you."

Wu Ziyue opened his gift box, only to find a watch, or rather, a gold watch.

This thing is a status symbol for men in this era. Showing it off at any gathering is a sign of status, and Wu Ziyue was immediately delighted.

The three gifts brought joy to my sister's family, which is quite nice.

Fang Wen explained the purpose of his visit: "I plan to stay in Changde for a day, and then go to western Hunan tomorrow."

"Why go to western Hunan? It's very chaotic there," Wu Ziyue asked, puzzled. "We're planning to build an airport there."

Where to build an airport?

"Yes, it's mainly used for transportation and transshipment, making it easier for planes to take off and land mid-journey," Fang Wen offered a plausible excuse.

Fourth Sister was very worried about Fang Wen's safety on his trip. She tugged at her husband's clothes and said, "My brother is a man who is destined for great things. He can't be allowed to get into trouble in western Hunan. Don't you often go there? Go with him."

“Okay, I’ll bring my guys and your brother over tomorrow,” Wu Ziyue readily agreed.

I came to visit my sister with the intention of inquiring about the situation in western Hunan in Changde, and also to find some people familiar with the area to guide me.

Unexpectedly, my brother-in-law was willing to be the guide, which was even better.

That evening, the sister's family also warmly entertained Fang Wen and Sun Debiao, and took them on a tour of Changde City.

Touring the city and admiring Changde from the air are two different experiences.

Looking at Changde from the plane, the city is intact. Except for the river street on the Yuanjiang side, the rest of the city is protected by the city walls.

But once inside the city, you'll find that the city walls aren't very high.

Standing on the city wall, Fang Wen asked, "This city is quite old, isn't it?"

My brother-in-law, Wu Ziyue, is quite knowledgeable about these things.

"In 1928, during the civil war among warlords, Tang Shengzhi's Hunan Army was pursued by Bai Chongxi and Cheng Qian's Western Expeditionary Army of the Guangxi Clique. He Jian's 35th Army and Ye Qi's 18th Army were stationed in Changde and fought fiercely with Chen Jiayou's 14th Army of the Western Expeditionary Army, relying on the city for defense. Both sides requisitioned grain and laborers and demolished houses inside and outside the city in order to fight the war, almost destroying the entire city."

When he got excited, Wu Ziyue started talking about what he knew about Changde.

This city has a long history, dating back two thousand years.

However, due to its location at a crucial waterway and land route, it has experienced numerous wars.

In the early Northern Song Dynasty, this place was called Langzhou City. At that time, the country was not yet settled and the north and south were at war. The city was destroyed in the war.

When Li Zicheng of the Ming Dynasty attacked Changde, the Ming army general burned the city to protect himself.

The following year, the Ming Dynasty fell. Li Zicheng and the Southern Ming jointly occupied Changde City to fight against the Qing army.

Later, Ma Jinzhong recaptured Changde City, but due to grudges with others, he was unwilling to give up Changde and simply burned the ancient city down, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless.

Later, Wu Sangui, Geng Jingzhong, and Shang Kexi launched the "Rebellion of the Three Feudatories".

Wu Sangui's army occupied Changde and was locked in a stalemate with the Qing army.

After Wu Sangui died, the troops guarding the city simply set fire to Changde and burned it down.

Brother-in-law Wu Ziyue's words ended there, fully expressing the sorrow of Changde City over the past 2000 years.

Fang Wen looked at the low city wall beneath his feet and an idea came to him.

Perhaps this is a silent form of resistance from the residents of Changde. What's the use of building a high city wall if it's always the locals who suffer in the fighting?

He recalled the destruction of cities after the War of Resistance against Japan, when ancient cities all over the country were demolished, and he was afraid that the city walls here would not be spared either.

After one night, Fang Wen set off again.

This time, my brother-in-law Wu Ziyue was there as our guide, and he also brought along two helpers from the oil shop.

This time, however, Fang Wen did not intend to travel on someone else's boat. He suggested to his brother-in-law, Wu Ziyue, that they buy a small steamship.

The small steamship was a coal-fired steamship. Fang Wen felt he could easily steer this rudimentary steamship through his mechanical senses.

Wu Ziyue hadn't expected his brother-in-law to have this idea, but after thinking about his brother-in-law's various actions, he suddenly realized what was going on and then took Fang Wen to the shipping company.

"Fang Wen, wait for me outside. I need to talk to them," Wu Ziyue instructed before entering the shipping company alone.

After waiting for a while, he came out with the owner of the shipping company.

“I’ve already told her that the shipping company has three small steamers. The new ones cost 2000 silver dollars, while the older ones cost between 500 and 1000. You can choose whichever one you want to buy.”

This price is acceptable, and it will be useful for future airport construction.

Fang Wen went to see three ships.

The new ones are only about 80% new, and one of the older ones has a hole in it and should be worth 500 silver dollars. There's also another one that's neither here nor there.

Which ship is better isn't determined by its appearance.

Fang Wen boarded three boats, had the captains start them and take them for a spin, and then he understood which one to choose.

The new one looks good, but the steam turbines are badly worn.

This may be related to the quality of the coal used. Fang Wen saw that there were some impurities mixed in with the coal, which must have been because the crew of the ship were greedy for cheap coal.

The one costing 1000 silver dollars was alright; although the steam turbines had been used for several years, there weren't any major problems.

He then had Sun Debiao pay in cash, and a contract was drawn up in the city to complete the transaction directly.

Instead of going by boat, they set off by boat, and the group boarded the boat at the Changde River Street Wharf.

Fang Wen was in charge of the helm, Sun Debiao and two other workers took turns feeding coal to the coal-fired steam turbine, and Wu Ziyue acted as the guide.

In order to make it able to travel long distances, they specially loaded a small portion of the boat with coal to avoid running out of fuel and breaking down midway.

Having made preparations, Fang Wen said from the wheelhouse, "Let's set sail."

Sun Debiao took off his shirt, shoveled up the burning coal, and put it into the boiler.

As the firepower increased and the steam turbine started operating, Fang Wen pulled the ring next to the driver's seat, and a clear steam whistle sounded.

The small steamer made a U-turn on the river and headed upstream on the Yuan River.

After the small steamer started moving, Sun Debiao, who was working hard to shovel and deliver coal, suddenly made a surprising discovery.

"That's strange, General Manager. As long as I work in this engine room, I won't get seasick!"

Since that's the case, let him do more work; consider it a form of treatment.

The ship is traveling upstream on the Yuan River.

Passing through Taoyuan County.

According to Wu Ziyue, there is a place in Taoyuan County called Taohuayuan, which is the place described in "The Peach Blossom Spring" by Tao Yuanming, a poet of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

However, this claim exists in various places, and it cannot be confirmed whether it applies to this location.

The ship then passed by numerous riverside docks.

It didn't dock until it reached the wharf in Yuanling County.

Fang Wen asked, "Brother-in-law, what's the next step?"

Wu Ziyue explained:

“Yuanling is located at the confluence of two rivers, where the You River from the west merges into the Yuan River. The You River is the waterway to western Hunan and the most convenient channel for this impoverished area to transport goods and conduct trade. We used this route to collect tung oil and sell timber. Daily necessities from the south were also transported from here to the mountains of western Hunan.”

After hearing his brother-in-law's words, Fang Wen did not set off immediately. He asked, "Brother-in-law, I want to ask, what is the situation over there?"

"Two years ago, King Chen of Xiangxi was defeated and went to Changsha. Now there is no one in charge there. If you want to build an airport, you have to find a good location first, and then see how things go. In areas where Miao people live, you need to find the chieftain. In other places, you can deal with the local gentry," Wu Ziyue replied. This brother-in-law is quite good.

Fang Wen asked the last crucial question.

"Brother-in-law, what's the situation with those bandits over there?"

His question also greatly interested Sun Debiao. As a former bandit in Northeast China, Sun Debiao was eager to know what made the bandits in western Hunan different.

For him, this is called knowing yourself and your enemy, so that you can do a good job as a bodyguard.

(End of this chapter)