Republic of China: Ace Pilot

What's in Chapter 19, Box 19? Airplane Sales Brochure

After all the belongings were moved into the room, Howard offered, "I'll watch over things from outside."

"it is good."

Fang Wen closed the door.

A slight sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex feeling of mixed emotions, including regret and a touch of melancholy) welled up within me.

He could sense that Howard genuinely considered him a friend.

As someone who is somewhat introverted, his journey of thousands of miles to Shanghai, besides being a means to make money, probably also stems from a desire to escape his original environment.

But here, apart from Fang Wen, no one was willing to communicate with him outside of work.

He was always lonely.

This action seemed to have made him more lively, but also more dependent on himself.

Shaking off his thoughts, Fang Wen looked at the five wooden boxes.

The unboxing that followed was much more exciting than the treasure appraisal; each box was sure to contain something valuable, but we didn't know exactly how valuable it was.

He tore off the seal on the largest box, and since he couldn't get the key, he simply used a crowbar to pry open the lock.

Under the light, a warm, bright reflection shone through.

They are pearls.

They come in various sizes, some are single, some are in strings, and there are also earrings, ornaments, and other accessories.

Whose stuff is this? It's like they packed all their pearls and shipped it over here.

Although the quantity was large, Fang Wen was somewhat disappointed.

Times change, and so do the values ​​judged by those things. Pearls may be very valuable in this era, but they may be commonplace in the future.

Therefore, this large box of treasures did not amaze him at all.

After closing the box, Fang Wen walked towards the second largest box.

This is a red lacquered box with mandarin ducks and two large "double happiness" characters on it.

This must have been part of the dowry of a young mistress of a wealthy family. I bet she's at home making a huge fuss right now.

Fang Wen smiled slightly and pried open the lock without hesitation.

You guessed it right.

Upon opening the box, a strong scent of cosmetics filled the air.

Inside were exquisite red wedding dresses and small boxes.

These boxes contained women's gold and silver jewelry, all of which were valuable items.

At the very bottom, there was a stack of letters.
Fang Wen hesitated for a moment and did not take out the letter to read it.

He intuitively felt that these things must be very important to the owner of the box, and he estimated that the owner would come looking for them soon.

He was after money anyway, and he was willing to exchange it for silver dollars or other hard currency.

Then, they closed the box and moved on to the third large box.

This time, the box contained something truly special.

The pistols were neatly stacked, very new, and still had gun oil on them.

I don't know which family brought it over, but it makes sense. After all, in chaotic times, having a gun is essential for self-defense.

Fang Wen took out the items inside to inspect them.

These are all Mauser C96 pistols, manufactured by the German Mauser rifle factory. They are automatic pistols that can fire in bursts, providing a huge firepower advantage in close combat, but their accuracy is insufficient.

There are ten guns in total, plus accessories, bullets, and stocks, which probably weigh about 20 to 30 kilograms.

Fang Wen had also practiced shooting that year, and he knew how to handle a Mauser pistol. He then took one out and played with it in his hand.

He soon discovered the ingenious use of the gunstock.

There's a latch on the stock. Insert the pistol grip into the latch, then rest the stock against your shoulder, and it becomes a makeshift submachine gun. This makes it more accurate when firing in bursts.

After putting down the pistol, Fang Wen became more interested in what was inside the last two small boxes.

Those two boxes were taken by Fang Wen after he understood Sun Debiao's hint; no one knows what good stuff was inside.

He placed the two small boxes on the table and pried them open one by one.

Look at the left side first.

Opening the box revealed ten small wooden boxes, all exquisitely crafted, their contents clearly valuable just by looking at them.

Open one of the wooden boxes, and inside is a dried ginseng root, tied with a red thread.

Fang Wen, who doesn't understand this, just felt that the root system was particularly dense, so it was difficult to make a judgment.

Perhaps this is wild ginseng from Northeast China.

Ten wild ginseng roots would certainly fetch a high price.

What's in the other box?

Fang Wen put down the wooden box and opened the small box on his right.

Inside were small yellow croakers reflecting a golden luster.

This stuff is definitely hard currency. According to the standard in Shanghai, a small gold bar weighs 30 grams, so these ten gold bars would weigh 300 grams.

Fang Wen was overjoyed; these ten gold bars were enough to compensate for the spoils of his trip to the Northeast.

He got up, opened the door, and let Howard in.

He handed the two gold bars to Howard.

"This is your payment."

"Gold! My God!" Howard took the gold bar, delighted with it.

Looking at Howard, Fang Wen revealed his long-held idea: "I'm planning to start a private airline specializing in business charter flights. Would you like to work with me?"

"A private airline? I only know how to repair machinery. If you want to start a company, I can join you." Howard nodded.

Fang Wen, eager to share his thoughts, revealed his plan, which he had been preparing for a year. Howard was the audience, and even if he knew the whole plan, it wouldn't have any impact on him.

"My plan is this: first, liquidate these assets, then purchase a civilian passenger or transport aircraft, along with an airport, to serve those with specific needs. Didn't you say last time that there were ways to buy an aircraft in the US?"

When it comes to airplanes, Howard immediately becomes very knowledgeable.

"It's Curtiss Aircraft & Engines. I received word that they've merged with Wright Aircraft. They're clearing out some older models; if you're interested, you can find some cheap and reliable ones during this clearance sale. Oh, and there's a package from the US we haven't opened yet before we leave; it should contain their sales brochure. I'll go get it now."

Howard left the room and returned about ten minutes later.

He was holding a product brochure, which was actually printed in color.

They are all Curtiss aircraft products.

It has F7C fighter jets.

According to Howard, this aircraft is a shore-based fighter jet developed by Curtiss for the U.S. Navy to replace the previous FU-1 fighter jet. The F7C can perform air defense and air superiority missions, and with its excellent performance and advanced technology, it occupies an important position in the current naval air force.

Besides the F7C, the Curtiss Hawk II is also quite impressive.

This fighter jet was the winning design in the 1930 fighter jet tender by the United States Army Air Forces.

The Curtiss Hawk II is equipped with a powerful liquid-cooled engine and features advanced landing gear and weapon systems, making it competitive in the fighter jet market.

Fang Wen was surprised. He had heard Fei Yizhen say that an American businessman was lobbying the Nationalist government to buy Hawk II fighter jets from the newly established air force.

From this perspective, Curtiss is a very powerful company.

Fang Wen looked at the price of the Hawk 2 model sold overseas. The catalog quoted only $1.5, and with shipping costs, it would cost a maximum of $2.

I couldn't help but ask, "Can I buy military fighter jets too?"

(End of this chapter)