Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 197, page 196: The opening of the Asia-Europe air route, the US Gold Reserve Act, and the gold rush.

1933 12 Month 31 Day.

Three D.332 aircraft landed in Paris.

Fang Wen announced: "We will rest in Paris for three days and then return to base."

Tomorrow is New Year's Day, an important holiday for Europeans.

This is a holiday for French pilots, allowing them to go home and reunite with their wives, children, girlfriends, and parents.

The French pilots happily left the airport and rushed home.

Instead, only Fang Wen was left.

This trip to Europe was rather lonely without Lin Shuiwang by my side.

Fortunately, Taishan Airlines has an office at Paris Airport.

A slightly balding Chinese-American man waves from the side of the track.

Fang Wen knew this person.

After getting off the plane, Fang Wen smiled and asked, "Paul Lin, it's been a long time."

“General Manager Fang, I am now the manager of Taishan Airlines’ Paris office,” Lin Baoluo replied with a smile.

Paul Lin was the assistant that Lin Shuiwang found when Fang Wen first came to Paris, France. His father was a former Qing Dynasty student who had studied abroad, but unexpectedly, he was now recruited by Lin Shuiwang into Taishan Airlines Overseas Company and became the head of the Paris office.

Fang Wen was led to the Taishan Airlines office outside the airport.

There were only Paul Lin and a local French female employee there for the time being.

Paul Lin explained, “Her name is Mary, the office’s ticketing specialist, who answers the phone. I have already placed an advertisement in the newspaper and on the radio for tickets for the Eurasia flight departing in four days.”

"Has anyone booked tickets?" Fang Wen asked.

"Yes, there are passengers along the route. It is estimated that the occupancy rate should be around 30% by takeoff."

A 30% occupancy rate is a bit low, mainly because Taishan Airlines doesn't have much of a reputation in Europe and relies on demand, so it's already quite good.

Adding in the scattered passengers at transit airports along the way, it should be possible to reach a 50% occupancy rate.

Fang Wen wasn't worried about the occupancy rate; it was a unique business, so there was no need to worry about not making money.

After talking with Paul Lin for a while, he went up to the second floor of the office.

The second floor is the pilot's dormitory, used for pilots on Asia-Europe flights to rest temporarily. It is clean and tidy.

Fang Wen put down his canvas bag and lay down on the bed to rest.

After a while, I got bored and thought I might as well go out for a walk.

When something comes up, I always regret not having had enough fun in a foreign country. When I really want to relax, I don't know what to do in Paris.
He went downstairs and talked to Paul Lin.

"Paul, what are some fun places to visit in Paris?"

“There are many. General Manager, what would you like to do?” Lin Baoluo asked.

"Whatever, how about you be the tour guide and we'll get a car too?"

“Great! Tonight is New Year’s Eve, everyone will be out on the streets, it’ll be very lively. I have a friend who owns a nice car, a Peugeot 301 from last year, that car is amazing.”

"Okay, borrow it for me, I'll drive it tonight."

Paul Lin went out for a while and drove back in a very unique car.

Fang Wen glanced at it and knew it was a front-wheel drive sedan. The design was not bad, but it only had two seats.

Generally, car companies will produce two models: a regular two-row seat model and a single-row sports car model.

This is a sports car model; even if it were placed in the future, it would still be a very cool classic car.

Fang Wen got into the car and beckoned Lin Baoluo to get into the passenger seat. The car then drove into the streets of Paris.

Because it was New Year's Eve, the streets were indeed very lively.

People walk along the streets, carrying food and flowers.

Paul Lin explained, "They wait for the clock to strike 12 to celebrate the arrival of the New Year."

"Where is the clock from?"

"The bell tower of Notre Dame rings every year."

Fang Wen held the steering wheel with one hand and looked at his watch with the other. By the light of the streetlights and signs outside, he saw that it was 11 o'clock.

So they parked the car on the side of the road and followed the crowd with Paul Lin.

Everyone walked to Saint-Michel Square at the entrance of Notre Dame Cathedral. The square was not large, but it was crowded with people, all waiting.

A hunchbacked man in a cloak limped over toward the gates of Notre Dame.

People made way, some calling his name: "Quasimodo".

Paul Lin explained, "That man is imitating the Hunchback of Notre Dame from Victor Hugo's novel. He will be the one to ring the bells tonight."

A strange man with a limp walked into Notre Dame, and everyone was filled with anticipation.

At exactly 12 o'clock, the bell rang, and people cheered.

This lively atmosphere, however, did not bring Fang Wen much emotional change. The future would be even more exciting, with fireworks, firecrackers, drones, and everything else, but this did not excite him.

It would be more fun to numb yourself with alcohol.

He and Paul Lin got into the car and drove around the streets, looking for a bar that stayed open all night.

Both places are packed with people; everyone is indulging tonight.

Just when Fang Wen thought they had nowhere to go tonight, the two arrived at the outside of a tall and magnificent building.

Cars were parked along the roadside, and people in formal attire got out, showing their invitations as they entered.

Paul Lin said, "General Manager, this is a high-end gathering. You can't go without an invitation."

Fang Wen nodded, but then stopped the car. He saw several familiar faces.

The executives of Farmand, and Emil de Vatina.

The former met through purchasing an F.220, while the latter ordered a D.332 from his company. As business partners, Fang Wen felt he should go over and say hello.

He got out of the car and walked over.

The other person also saw him, and Emil de Vatina said in surprise, "Fang, what are you doing here? We were just talking about you."

"Spending Christmas Eve in Paris, but not being able to find a bar to drink at," Fang Wen replied.

Several people smiled; this was normal tonight.

They took the initiative to invite Fang Wen to join the dinner party.

Wanting to experience Parisian high society life, Fang Wen agreed. He told Lin Baolu to wait outside, and then went into the building with the executives of Farman and Émile de Vatina.

The banquet inside the building was held in the underground section; you could see the lively banquet scene by walking through the corridor.

Here you can see upper-class people from different races coming together.

Europeans in suits, Turks in round hats, and dark-skinned Black people in brocade robes, among others.

There were many people, but Fang Wen didn't recognize any of them. He strolled over to the dining table by the wall, grabbed a glass of wine and a plate of food, and then looked for a quiet corner to fill his stomach first.

After I ate about half of it, more people arrived.

Two men in suits, each holding a wine glass, were talking to themselves.

"Investment in the United States should be reduced as much as possible."

"why?"

"I have news that something big might happen."

Fang Wen had investments in the United States, and he immediately became interested. He figured the other party wasn't just trying to scam him, and he wanted to hear what was going on.

Then I focused my attention.

Although he couldn't use his mechanical senses, his physical condition was still better than before, and his hearing was much stronger. He heard.

"On the issue of gold and currency, Roosevelt would absolutely not stop his reforms. Now the US government is out of money, and they need a lot of currency to stimulate the economy, so they must sever the direct link between gold and currency."

"How do I cut it?"

"In the middle of this year, Roosevelt ordered American citizens to surrender all their gold coins and bars, ceasing the circulation of gold as currency. The Federal Reserve collected the gold from the people at a rate of 20.67 US dollars per ounce, thus enabling the Federal Reserve to rapidly accumulate a large amount of gold reserves. In this way, Americans could no longer exchange gold directly for currency, and the Federal Reserve, which possessed all the gold reserves, could print and issue large amounts of currency."

Fang Wen already knew about these things, so he spent all the US dollars he had on his trip to the United States.

What he was more curious about was how the other party knew the information.

But that person just wouldn't say.

After one of them left, Fang Wen got up and followed.

He saw this person walking back and forth in the crowd, seemingly having a wide circle of friends, but upon closer listening, it was all the same thing: talking about problems in the United States, and then saying that he had news, but without specifying what it was.

I understand. This is a financial information broker, also a type of intelligence dealer.

He seemed to want to sell the intelligence he had as something valuable.

Unfortunately, no one was willing to pay for it, which made him very frustrated.

In the end, he chose to give up, took a glass of wine, and stayed alone in a corner.

Fang Wen walked over: "How much did that information cost?"

The man looked up in surprise and replied, "1 francs."

No wonder nobody wants to buy it; it's almost $2600, which is very expensive.

Fang Wen also felt that this was too expensive, so he turned around and left.

The man quickly called out, "Please wait, we can discuss the price."

“2000 francs,” Fang Wen replied. This was his firm price; he would accept it even if he bought a fake for $500.

Seeing Fang Wen's determination, the man thought he had to make a sale at least once that night, so he gritted his teeth and agreed.

"Okay, give me the money, and I'll tell you."

"No, tell me first, then I'll pay."

Fang Wen counted out 2000 francs and flashed it in front of the other party.

Ultimately, the deal was completed.

"At the end of January, a new gold bill will be passed. In order to control the nation's gold reserves, the Federal Reserve will raise the gold exchange rate, possibly to over $30 per ounce."

Gold is about to surge!

Fang Wen was stunned. He handed the money to the other party and lost all interest in staying there.

He left the banquet, got into his car and drove back to his office, then used the office's telegraph machine to send a telegram to New York across the Atlantic.

Paris and New York are six hours apart, meaning that at 00:20 on January 1st in Paris, it is only 6:20 in New York.

They haven't celebrated New Year's Eve yet.

Meanwhile, the streets of New York were just beginning to come alive.

Indiana had just finished dinner with his wife and two children on the street.

They planned to go to the department store on Fifth Avenue, then see a movie, and then celebrate the New Year as a family.

This is the happiest time Indiana has had in recent years. There's no need to worry about missions or dangers, and the pace of life is much more relaxed.

Comparatively speaking, the FBI was a better fit for him than the Office of Strategic Services.

The family entered the mall and strolled around when Indiana saw his subordinates waving in the distance.

Those are the special agents who stayed behind. Is there something else going on today?
He told his wife to watch the children and then went over there.

The agent whispered, "Boss, a telegram came in on a special frequency. I've made a note of it."

The special frequency involved some FBI informants, as telegraph communication was a highly confidential method in those days.

These special frequencies may involve insiders in arms dealing, drug trafficking, smuggling, and other illegal activities. Only someone in Indiana would know the true contents of the coded messages.

When Indiana received the Morse code table, his nervousness naturally vanished.

It wasn't an inside problem, but rather that old friend from the East.

He looked at the cipher and translated it skillfully.

I learned today in Europe that the Federal Reserve will raise its gold purchase price. I'm unsure if this information is accurate; please verify.

[Also, Happy New Year!]

Indiana calmly burned the Morse code table and instructed his men, "Understood, go back."

After sending the telegram, Fang Wen went to sleep, since it was impossible to know such intelligence immediately.

He spent the next three days of his holiday waiting at home.

The telegram was sent back on January 2.

It is understood that Congress is likely to consider a "Gold Reserve Act," which would significantly increase the gold purchase price while prohibiting private gold storage and gold exports.

Fang Wen was thrilled after reading the telegram.

Good heavens, something big is about to happen.

He has to calculate it.

The current exchange rate for gold at the Federal Reserve is $20 per ounce.

If the price rises to $30 per ounce, the gold brought back from Northeast China will have increased in value by one-third.

That alone wouldn't have excited him so much, since the gold exchange rate would continue to rise for a long time, and he could always ship the gold to the United States to exchange it.

If we can receive more gold by the end of January, we'll make as much profit as we receive.

Therefore, from now until the bill is passed on January 31, it's time to make money.

He must go back immediately, hold a meeting, explain the situation, and make arrangements.

On January 4, three D.332 aircraft took off, eager to return to China.

Two days later, the plane arrived at Shanghai Airport, and the first batch of passengers disembarked with great joy.

After briefly explaining the situation to the French pilot, Fang Wen immediately disembarked and gathered everyone in his inner circle for a meeting.

Because the matter is urgent and important, everyone must participate.

Fang Wen asked Pan Jiafeng to pick up Fang Shouxin, Shunzi, and William at Xiangxi Airport.

I will go to Yangon to pick up Huo Duanyang myself.

The meeting began once everyone was due.

Fang Wen, who personally chaired the meeting, was straightforward and direct.

"This meeting is a bit rushed, and time is tight, so I won't beat around the bush. There's only one topic: how to acquire as much gold as possible in less than a month."

Everyone was stunned.

Shunzi, being straightforward, said, "General Manager, don't we have a lot of gold stored in the south? Do we still need to buy more?"

“Well, that’s not enough, the more the better.” Seeing everyone’s puzzled looks, Fang Wen explained: “This secret is something I brought back from Europe, and it’s valid until January 31st. Before January 31st, we need to buy a lot of gold, after which the price of gold will rise by at least 30%.”

Manager Liu, the head accountant, was most sensitive to this and quickly asked, "Is it a temporary increase, or has the price remained above 30%?"

“The Americans have always wanted gold, more and more. With gold, they can print more money to solve their problems. Few people know about this now. If we succeed, we'll have the money to expand the company and do even more,” Fang Wen said, revealing his true thoughts and reasons.

People started discussing how to acquire gold.

China has always been a major holder of gold reserves, with gold stored among its people. The question is how to acquire large quantities of gold from the public?

This business can only be done before the end of January. After January, the Nationalist government will be scrambling to do this big business.

(End of this chapter)