Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 333, Section 331: Negotiations with the Sichuan Army, Overseas Military Procurement
Fengxiang Restaurant on the banks of the Wei River in Baoji City.

The generals of the 22nd Army Group of the Sichuan Army hosted a banquet for Fang Wen, who had come from afar.

A waiter in the restaurant, with a white towel draped over his shoulder and a smile on his face, came to greet them, but was stopped by the restaurant owner.

“I’ll go. You’ve given the wrong answer to this situation. I’m afraid those soldiers will be unhappy.”

Immediately, the restaurant manager greeted them with a smile: "Distinguished guests, please go to the private room on the second floor. It's quiet there."

"Screw quiet, we're here to eat. It's more lively this way. Bring out all your best food."

In a single exchange, the shopkeeper was left speechless. These generals who had come from Sichuan to fight the Japanese were used to it and weren't deliberately targeting him, but it still made the shopkeeper's palms sweat.

Of course, there are rude people and there are refined people.

"Be civilized, don't embarrass us Sichuan people. Shopkeeper, let's go upstairs. Can you tell us what good wine and dishes we have?"

The shopkeeper then replied, "Yes, yes, please go upstairs first."

Once upstairs, we sat down in a private room on the south side, with the Wei River visible through the window.

The manager quickly introduced, "Our Fengxiang Restaurant is a long-established brand. The officer just asked what good wines and dishes we have, so I'll take the liberty of introducing them. As for wine, in Baoji, you should naturally drink our Fengxiang Xifeng Wine. It's a famous local wine with a mellow and fragrant taste that won't give you a headache or burn your throat."

This introduction is quite interesting. The person recommending the liquor actually claims that their liquor doesn't cause headaches or burn the throat. What kind of liquor is that?

Fang Wen smiled and said, "I've tasted this wine before, and it's definitely the same. Those who like it will naturally like it."

With his help, the generals became interested in the wine and wanted to try it.

The shopkeeper gave Fang Wen a grateful look and continued, "In Shaanxi, we mainly eat noodles, so you can choose noodles as your staple food, such as Qishan Saozi noodles or white steamed buns. If you don't like those, you can have white rice instead."

"We want rice, why would we eat noodles?" The generals immediately rejected the suggestion that noodles be the staple food.

The shopkeeper stopped recommending other noodle dishes and instead introduced the stir-fried dishes of Fengxianglou Restaurant to cater to the tastes of these Sichuan people.

Soon after, the food and drinks were served.

Only then did we enter the stage of discussing business over drinks.

They warmly poured wine for Fang Wen.

"Commander Fang, you are a remarkable person. You are incredibly wealthy, an expert pilot, and a skilled commander. We should get along well in the future."

"It's not just that he's incredibly wealthy; he also has many businesses overseas. Even a fortune wouldn't be enough. I admire these kinds of heroic businessmen who are willing to sacrifice their wealth for the country and its people. Come, let's toast to Commander Fang together."

Under such warm hospitality, Fang Wen drank with everyone. The Xifeng liquor was indeed as the shopkeeper had said: smooth on the palate, yet not harsh. Although it had the taste of alcohol, it lacked the overpowering nature of other liquors. Just as Fang Wen had said, those who like it will naturally like it, while those accustomed to strong liquor may not be interested.

After a glass of wine and some food, the Sichuan generals began their work again.

Fang Wen understood that this was a common drinking game tactic: to use alcohol to create a lively atmosphere, ideally getting the drinkers five or six tenths drunk so they could open up to each other and discuss business.

But he didn't want to do that, so he spoke up on his own initiative.

"Gentlemen, you all know why I have come to Baoji this time. Let's speak frankly here."

The general, who was about to offer a toast, put down his wine cup.

Fang Wen continued, "Nanjing gave me an order to transfer a division-level unit from the 22nd Army Group to cooperate with the Independent Regiment in future operations. But the specifics were not given, and I would appreciate your clarification."

Everyone looked at the two highest-ranking military officers.

Commander Deng and Commander Sun.

Among them, Commander Deng had the highest prestige and was also the commander of the first column to leave Sichuan (the 22nd Army Group), so naturally he spoke.

"Commander Fang, let's speak frankly. The Sichuan Army's soldiers are capable fighters, but going to the battlefield without weapons is just suicide. We requested military supplies from Nanjing, but they were passed around to the Northern Theater Command, and later transferred to the Jin-Sui Army. Yan Xishan verbally agreed, but when the vanguard crossed the Yellow River into his territory, he gave them nothing. Our soldiers are also born of parents, and we can't just go to the front lines to die with sticks, can we? So we seized the Jin-Sui Army's armory."

Upon hearing this, Fang Wen exclaimed in surprise, "You robbed the Jin army's armory. That's not a good idea."

"We've already looted everything. Now, when other armies see our Sichuan Army, they treat it like a plague. They can only designate a separate area for us to defend. The problem is, we still can't solve the issue of military equipment."

At this point, Commander Sun, who was standing next to Commander Deng, chimed in.

"Commander Fang, your airline is making a fortune every day. Could you support our Sichuan Army with some military equipment? If you agree, we'll give you a complete division."

It turned out that I was waiting here.

Fang Wen pondered to himself, it wasn't impossible, the key was how big the other party's appetite was, and whether it could be satisfied.

He calmly asked, "How will you provide support?"

Upon seeing that there was hope, the Sichuan army generals were overjoyed.

Commander Sun spoke again: "We won't overcharge. Here's the deal: one gun for one soldier, plus 10 bullets. But you'll be responsible for the weapons, pay, and supplies of the soldiers you give them."

Fang Wen immediately began to make a decision in his mind.

I need a regular reorganized division's worth of soldiers.

That is, two brigades, four regiments, and 8000 people.

According to their conditions, they need 8000 guns and 8 rounds of ammunition.

With this armament, they could also equip a fully equipped infantry division.

He himself also had to pay for the supplies, equipment, and military pay of a division sent by the Sichuan Army.

Although the exact amount of the Sichuan Army's pay is unknown, other expenses are estimated to be in the millions of yuan.

The problem is, how do we get so many guns?

Arms trade in Shanghai has now ceased due to the war, and so many guns cannot be sourced from other parts of the country.

The only option is to purchase from overseas.

Fortunately, I own an airline and shipping vessels, so I don't have to worry about transportation issues.

As he was thinking this, the Sichuan army generals assumed that Fang Wen was unwilling because the price was too high.

Immediately, a general spoke up: "If you think it's too high, we can talk about it again. Don't rush."

Fang Wen looked up and smiled, "I can meet your requirements, but you need to give me some time. Here's what I'll do: I'll leave a group of people in Baoji to select soldiers, a total of 8000 soldiers, including junior officers. I'll give you 8000 guns and 8 rounds of ammunition."

"Only junior officers? Then who will take command?" Commander Sun asked.

“Transfer a commander from my independent regiment,” Fang Wen replied.

This request was somewhat difficult for the Sichuan Army generals to accept.

They originally thought that they would send a unit to cooperate with the Independent Regiment in combat, but now the Independent Regiment is trying to gain control of a newly formed division.

Is it worthwhile to exchange 8000 people for 8000 guns and 8 rounds of ammunition?

They didn't shy away from the topic and discussed it in front of Fang Wen.

"I think it's a good idea. Most of my soldiers have never even touched a gun before, and even those who do have guns have all sorts of models."

"Yes, those guns are quite old, and some of them aren't accurate enough. If Mr. Fang is willing to be generous this time, I would be willing."

"That can't be generalized. We can't give away the soldiers we bring ourselves, but we can let the newly recruited ones choose whatever they want." "That's what I think too. We can keep the veterans and let the new recruits choose whatever they want. In exchange for new equipment, we'll have the strength to fight the Japanese army."

At this point in the discussion, a general asked Fang Wen, "You're not going to use some lousy gun that can't even fire to pay the bill, are you?"

"Of course not, but whether we can get them in time is another matter. How about this, give me some time, and I'll figure something out. As for your selection of soldiers, that also needs to be done."

"Start now?" Commander Deng asked in surprise.

Fang Wen nodded: "Yes, time is of the essence. I'll give you a rough idea: 7.92mm bullets, and rifles that can use these bullets."

"It's a word."

Commander Deng stood up, raised his glass with the other Sichuan Army generals, and reached a deal with Fang Wen.

Once the decision was made, Fang Wen immediately got up and boarded a plane back to Xi'an.

Subsequently, a team of selection officers from an independent regiment were sent to the Baoji military station to begin the selection process.

Following Fang Wen's instructions, since the Sichuan Army was recruited from different places and had regional characteristics, the selection of soldiers should be based on company-level units. Company commanders and other junior officers were usually from the same hometown as the soldiers, so in this case, the company officers had to be retained as well.

At first, the Sichuan soldiers at the Baoji military station didn't understand this selection process, but after learning that the Independent Regiment was wealthy and powerful, and that they wouldn't have to worry about supplies and pay in the future, they were eager to be selected.

While selecting soldiers in Baoji, Fang Wen also began to prepare for overseas military equipment procurement.

After arranging the selection of soldiers in Baoji, Fang Wen immediately flew the Water Tiger No. 4 gunboat to Fuping.

Today, the area around Fuping is engulfed in war, but the mountainous region here remains untouched by the Japanese army.

Fang Wen found the completed water airport on the river outside Fuping County and landed on the river.

The plane landed by the river, and Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng got off the plane and went straight to William, who was in charge in Fuping.

Fang Wen explained the situation to William.

“I went to Baoji to recruit soldiers, and they agreed to exchange one gun for one soldier.”

“Great, we just don’t have enough troops,” William replied.

"The problem is that I need to purchase at least 16,000 rifles. Due to the war, there are no purchasing channels in Shanghai, and we can't get that many guns domestically either. I want to buy them from abroad."

"Go abroad? Where?"

"I need to consider the ammunition. I'm planning to use a 7.92mm rifle, so the British ones won't work, but the Spanish-made M1916 will. I happened to have some connections there last year, and there's a channel for trading penicillin. I'm planning to go to Spain to buy it from there. You speak Spanish, so come with me."

(Spanish 7.92mm M1916 pistol)

William was somewhat pleased to hear that he could return to Europe.

He analyzed for Fang Wen: "The Spanish-made M1916 has mediocre performance and uses Mauser technology. If there is an opportunity, we can directly purchase the German-made Mauser 98k rifle. I have connections with the gun factory and can get it."

Upon hearing this, Fang Wen immediately recalled what had happened in Berlin, Germany. William and his fellow officers were able to obtain production technology data for German-made weapons, which meant they indeed had good relations with the German arms factories.

Now that everyone else has been executed for the crime of assassinating Mustache, only William is left who has fled to Asia. Can those connections still be used?

When Fang Wen voiced his concerns, William said he didn't know either, since he had been away from Germany for so long.

Fang Wen didn't say anything more about this and prepared to go to Europe first. After all, apart from the Spanish Civil War, other parts of Europe were relatively safe. As long as William didn't reveal his identity, there shouldn't be any problems.

He then handed over the work in Fuping to others and left with William.

The Water Tiger No. 4 gunboat departed from Fuping and flew directly to Wuhan.

We'll stop in Wuhan for a day.

He met the fifth senior apprentice who had taken over the security work.

These five men, who had been wealthy for several years, are now quite proactive in their work. Although they haven't discovered any Japanese spies, they have pointed out and corrected many of the existing security loopholes.

After chatting with the five men for a while, Fang Wen returned home to meet his wife.

Kuang Mingzhu, who was waiting for him at home, asked with concern, "You're fighting on both the north and south fronts, it must be very tiring. You must take care of your health and not wear yourself out."

"It's alright, I'm in good spirits," Fang Wen replied with a smile.

His wife gently massaged his shoulders: "I know you're full of energy, you only need to sleep for 2 hours a night."

Fang Wen held the soft little hand on his shoulder: "I'm fighting a war outside, and the company has a lot of work to do. You've worked hard. Once we drive out the Japanese, we'll have a good rest, and then I'll take you around the world."

“Okay, I’ll wait,” Kuang Mingzhu replied gently. She trusted her husband’s words completely; every word he had said over the years had come true.

"By the way, when I come back this time, I will activate the Anti-Japanese War Fund. I plan to withdraw some money to purchase military equipment in Europe."

Fang Wen trusted Kuang Mingzhu to manage the anti-Japanese war fund the most.

At his request, Kuang Mingzhu took out a stack of bearer U.S. Treasury bonds from a hidden compartment. This was the best form of international payment, and it was more convenient than national banknotes when used for large transactions in Europe.

"These are some of them, specially prepared for you at home."

"I don't need that much. I also need to bring a batch of penicillin to offset the payment for the goods."

Fang Wen took out a portion of it, put it into a small leather suitcase, and then turned off the light.

After one night, Fang Wen, carrying a small leather suitcase, left home.

He took his bodyguard Gong Xiuneng and William to Wuhan Water Airport and flew the Water Tiger 4 to Yangon.

After the plane arrived in Yangon, Fang Wen spoke with Huo Duanyang.

"What is the current production status of 7.92mm bullets?"

"In the past two months, we added two more production lines. The current assembly line production mode is one-third faster than before. At present, we produce 6 rounds of ammunition per month, and the warehouse has an inventory of 15 rounds."

Ammunition is a major consumer of bullets. With the current ammunition stockpile, it is enough to meet the needs of the Independent Regiment, but it is not enough for the 8000-strong reorganized division that will be added soon.

It seems we need to replenish our ammunition in Europe.

After speaking with Huo Duanyang, Fang Wen inspected the newly established 20mm machine gun ammunition production line in Yangon.

This expensively purchased machine gun shell production line can produce 200 rounds of machine gun shells per day, which is 6000 rounds per month.

The main problem is the inability to keep up with the supply of raw materials, especially the primer.

If Huo Duanyang can successfully develop the same primer, the production capacity of 20mm cannon shells can be expanded.

After that, Fang Wen went to the aircraft manufacturing plant.

The aircraft manufacturing plant has stopped producing civilian amphibious aircraft and is focusing on converting them into gunboats. At the current production rate, it can produce 7 aircraft per month.

To date, they have completed the modification of six gunboats. In addition to the already delivered Tiger 4, the remaining five are undergoing final testing. After passing the tests, they will be sent to Wuhan Water Airport.

After inspecting the industrial situation in Yangon, Fang Wen boarded a plane and took off for Europe.

The first stop will be Spain, which is currently at war.

(End of this chapter)