Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 365, Contract 363 Signed, American Capital Outflow, Fang Wen Becomes an Investment Target
At 10 p.m., the seaplane arrived over Wuhan.

The landing point on the river below was brightly lit, and Fang Wen piloted the plane directly down.

The plane docked at the airport pier. Gong Xiuneng got off the plane first and tied the cable, and then Fang Wen also got off the plane.

Waiting for Fang Wen at the dock was his wife, Kuang Mingzhu. Due to the evacuation of civilians from Nanjing, most of the senior executives of Taishan Airlines went to Nanjing, while Kuang Mingzhu stayed in Wuhan alone to maintain the company's operation.

Knowing how hard his wife had worked, Fang Wen whispered tenderly to her, "You've worked so hard."

Three words, yet they conveyed a thousand, and Kuang Mingzhu smiled happily.

There was no humility or compliment; it was simply what she was supposed to do.

Looking at his wife dressed as a woman, Fang Wen couldn't help but feel a surge of desire, and a fire rose within him.

He simply pulled his wife into the car and drove away.

Gong Xiuneng, Chuncao, and Qiuju stared blankly at the departing car before silently getting into another sedan.

After a night's rest, Fang Wen, feeling refreshed, got up early.

This time, he was going to make breakfast for his wife. It seemed that they had never done anything so romantic before, even after being married for so long.

what to do?

Fang Wen, who hadn't cooked in years, pondered the recipes he had mastered.

Over the years, I've eaten food from all over China and abroad, and I've learned about some cooking methods, but I've never actually cooked anything myself.

He asked the cook, "Aunt Wu, what dishes do you have at home?"

“Master, what would you like to eat? I’ll make it for you right away.” Wu Ma misunderstood Fang Wen’s words.

"No, I'll do it. Just tell me what ingredients you have at home."

"There's meat, scallions, green onions, and leafy greens," Aunt Wu said, then asked, "Sir, is this enough?"

"Okay, that's enough. You can go now. I can handle this myself."

"Sir, are you sure you don't need my help?"

"No."

Wu Ma left the kitchen, feeling depressed.

She went to the master bedroom and knocked on the door, asking to see Kwong Ming-chu.

With her hair flying everywhere, Kuang Mingzhu sat at the dressing table fixing her makeup and asked, "Aunt Wu, what's wrong with you?"

Aunt Wu said aggrievedly, "Miss, I've been working for the Kuang family since I was little. I've watched you grow up. Do you think my cooking skills are good enough?"

"It's very good. Everyone in my family loves your cooking." Kuang Mingzhu stopped combing her hair and turned to ask in surprise.

“But the master didn’t like it. He kicked me out of the kitchen. I don’t think I can stay in this house anymore.”

"How could that be? Aunt Wu, help me comb my hair, let's go to the kitchen to take a look."

After a brief tidying up, Kuang Mingzhu and Wu Ma went to the kitchen.

The place was filled with smoke and fire, and Fang Wen was squatting under the stove, starting a fire.

Kuang Mingzhu couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Sir, what are you doing?"

"You can't cook without a fire. Look, I've already chopped the vegetables and I'm just about to start."

These days, without natural gas, even the wealthiest families have to cook over a fire. Restaurants and public stoves use coal, while most homes use firewood.

To start a fire, Fang Wen had to stack up pieces of firewood and then ignite them.

But something seemed to be wrong; a lot of white smoke was billowing out, which was very choking.

Wu Ma couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she squatted down and hooked the firewood out of the fire.

“Master, you don’t need to do this kind of servant’s work. I collected this firewood yesterday, and it’s not dry yet. You need dry firewood to start a fire, and it’s piled up behind you.”

Fang Wen was stunned. No wonder there was so much smoke; it turned out to be wet firewood.

He brushed the dust off his hands, stood up, and said awkwardly to his wife, "I've made a fool of myself. I was trying to make you breakfast, but I've turned it into this mess."

Kuang Mingzhu gently patted the white dust off Fang Wen's clothes. "I'm grateful for your kindness. If we can't eat today, we can make it again later. Let's go to the cafeteria to eat, and then we'll pick up Whitney and the others."

Seeing Wu Ma cleaning the stove, Fang Wen nodded and put on his coat with his wife before going out.

After the two left, Kuang Mingzhu smiled and said, "You didn't see it just now, but Aunt Wu was very aggrieved. She said that you kicked her out of the kitchen, which meant you wanted to get rid of her."

"She said that?" Fang Wen was surprised, but then he understood. Everyone has their own value. Someone like Wu Ma had worked as a cook for most of her life and was very satisfied with the treatment she received. Fang Wen's behavior probably made her feel that she was about to lose her job.

He laughed and said, "It seems that if I want to cook in the future, I shouldn't do it at home, lest Aunt Wu misunderstand again."

The two entered the company chatting and laughing.

Along the way, the employees of Taishan Airlines consciously took a detour so as not to disturb the general manager and his wife's brief moment of sweetness.

The two entered the headquarters cafeteria and ordered some noodles, pastries, and other snacks for breakfast.

After breakfast, it was already 8 o'clock.

The cafeteria was empty; everyone had started their work for the day.

Fang Wenze and Kuang Mingzhu drove to the airport next to the headquarters.

Half an hour later, a Taishan International flight landed at the airport.

After the plane landed, ground staff pushed the boarding ladder and set it up outside the cabin door.

The cabin door opened, the flight attendants checked the boarding stairs, then stepped aside, and the Whitneys stepped out.

The two saw Fang Wen from afar and waved happily.

Fang Wen said in a low voice, "Those are Whitney and his wife, heirs to a prominent American family."

As he spoke, he waved, and Kuang Mingzhu smiled and waved back.

Then, the Whitneys disembarked from the plane, followed by several other passengers. The cargo door opened, and the flight attendants unloaded the luggage one by one.

The plane was chartered by the Whitneys and flew directly from Paris to Wuhan.

The wealthy American couple, who were coming down the boarding stairs, shook hands with Fang Wen and his wife.

"Fang, it's been a long time. My wife and I often talk about you; those experiences were so profound."

"Yes, it's so good to see you. No matter where we are, you always give us a sense of security."

"Thank you for the compliment. This is my wife, Kwong Ming-chu."

"Hello, beautiful lady."

"Mrs. Kwong, your skin is so good. Do you have any beauty secrets? We can talk about it privately. You know men don't like these kinds of topics."

During their conversation, the four people naturally split into two groups.

Mrs. Whitney and Kwong Ming-chu chatted about beauty and skincare.

Fang Wenze and Whitney were discussing serious matters.

"You've come here to sign the contract and you're also staying in China. I find that a bit strange. Could you have some other purpose?"

"You're amazing, you always bring surprises, you guessed right."

"How to say?"

“Remember our collaboration in Bashall? We’ve already invested heavily there. But that’s not enough. Hoover, with the president’s backing, is targeting us.”

Fang Wen listened to Whitney's story.

That was something related to him.

Fang Wen, who had taken over Majuro with American gangsters, devised a plan to create conflict between the US and Japan as soon as possible. The plan was to support Bashall in breaking away from Japanese control and establishing an independent nation.

At the same time, American capital was introduced to establish an offshore financial and tax haven in Majuro.

This new type of financial instrument, which was very attractive to the wealthy, drew the attention of the Whitney and Rothschild families, making it easy for them to establish connections.

This led to the subsequent pirate treasure hunt and overseas kidnapping incidents.

Later, as the two families increased their investment in Bashall, Fang Wen also instructed Taishan International to reduce its manpower in Bashall, allowing them to operate more deeply in Bashall.

Two years have passed, and offshore financial and tax-free policies have been established there, with American capital attempting to transfer funds through that route.

But now, some problems have arisen.

Roosevelt's financial policies were very unfriendly to the rich, with the income tax rate already raised to 79%.

Therefore, many wealthy people have adopted similar methods of tax avoidance overseas.

In response to this situation, Roosevelt enacted a new anti-tax avoidance law this year, the "Tax Avoidance Act of 1937".

This would eliminate the possibility of tax evasion by transferring equity through foreign shareholders.

Hearing this, Fang Wen vaguely understood.

"You mean you want to invest directly overseas?"

“Yes, and it’s not an overseas investment by American taxpayers, so they can’t tax it. The aircraft purchase is just the beginning of the plan; we need a channel for exporting funds, and there will be more in the future,” Whitney replied.

No wonder, Fang Wen suddenly understood why Taishan Aviation Aircraft Manufacturing could receive a large order for 100 aircraft.

Not only are their own seaplanes high-performing, but they are also inexpensive.

It also involves the outflow of American capital.

How to deal with it?
Fang Wen thought rapidly.

His future memories told him.

This capital outflow may seem like a windfall, but in reality, there are many requirements and restrictions.

In the course of capital flows, many countries’ industries have lost their autonomy.

Even without looking to the future, looking at the past, Germany is a good example. A large number of industries were controlled by foreign capital. If Hitler hadn't come to power, the Weimar Republic would have been unable to control its domestic economic situation.

But there is a good side.

China's situation couldn't get any worse. If it could accept American capital, it could rapidly increase its strength.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen asked, "What are your plans?"

"In fact, American capital has already invested a lot in Asia, especially in Japan, with a large amount of funds going to trade every year. In recent years, in particular, Japan has purchased a lot of steel, oil, rubber and other materials from the United States. But that has nothing to do with me. We can't invest a lot of funds in Japan, so we can only choose a new investment opportunity elsewhere."

"So, you chose China?"

No, we chose you.

Whitney revealed the real purpose of her visit.

Fang Wen was very surprised.

"Me? You mean investing a lot of money in me?"

Whitney nodded seriously.

"This is the kind of business you're building. We've done a very thorough investigation of you. Within five years, you've established an international airline with routes connecting Asia and Europe. Simultaneously, you've acquired a controlling stake in a shipping company listed on the NYSE, and through a share issuance, you've merged with a Las Vegas casino company, becoming the only gaming company listed on the NYSE. In our view, you're a highly ambitious entrepreneur, always facing risks. This is something rarely seen since the Age of Exploration, and we're willing to invest; perhaps you'll create a miracle."

Fang Wen was not misled by this explanation.

He calmly asked, "What do you want?"

Whitney replied, “Own a stake in your business. And incidentally, get some funds flowing through your channels.”

Fang Wen understood.

This is how capital controls everything.

Capital always has a margin of safety. It invests, obtains rights and returns, and when the invested capital encounters problems, that's when capital will step in again to increase its investment.

These continuously increasing funds can alleviate the company's pressure, but they also dilute the shares of existing shareholders, ultimately leading to a change of ownership.

However, for Fang Wen, it was impossible to gain control of this capital.

Having memories of the future, he will always be on the right path; these resources are ultimately just a timely help.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen smiled.

"Investment is something we can discuss. But for now, let's sign the aircraft sales contract first."

Whitney laughed. “Okay. One step at a time.”

Fang Wen nodded: "Then let's go, I'll take you to try some Chinese food. I heard that your family ancestors came from Scotland. I had a traditional Scottish dish called lamb tripe pudding at a restaurant in Calcutta. There's a similar dish in Wuhan called 'baodu'."

"Really? I can give it a try."

The four of them then left the airport and ate at a restaurant in the commercial street outside.

The shop is simply called "Baodu" (爆肚), and that's the only type of food they serve.

(Photo of a woman with a protruding belly during the Republic of China era)
This food has a muttony smell, but when eaten with various condiments, it has a unique flavor.

The Whitneys, who can eat Scottish tripe and offal pudding, have a particular fondness for this dish, so Fang Wen found a dish that suits their tastes.

After a night.

Conference room at the headquarters of Wuhan Taishan Airlines.

Fang Wen signed a sales contract with Pan Am, represented by Whitney, for 100 Xuanming-class long-haul seaplanes.

On the day the sales contract was signed, Whitney, on behalf of Pan Am, paid the first installment of the purchase funds.

Furthermore, the four Pan Am staff members who accompanied them will stay in Wuhan to establish the Pan Am China office, so as to regularly receive the newly manufactured Xuanming-type long-haul seaplanes.

With that, the large order was finally confirmed.

Whitney, after the contract was signed, did not immediately discuss the investment with Fang Wen. Instead, she said she would travel with him in China to see the mysterious ancient country.

Fang Wen understood that this might be Whitney trying to understand herself from another perspective.

He agreed.

Our first destination was Fuping.

So, the Whitneys, along with two assistants, boarded the Water Tiger No. 4 gunboat that Fang Wen was about to fly to Fuping, wearing thick fur coats.

The Tiger 4 gunboat took off, and because there were four more people, the space inside the cabin was a bit cramped.

The couple embarked on a journey through China, finding everything fascinating.

Whitney took out her camera, but Gong Xiuneng stopped her: "You can't take pictures inside the gunboat."

His assistant, who understood Chinese, immediately translated the sentence.

Fang Wen, who was piloting the plane, also spoke up: "Whitney, the internal structure of this plane is a military secret. You can look at it, but you can't tell anyone. You can't take pictures either."

"Okay." Whitney put away his camera and helplessly shrugged at his wife, but then started chatting with Gong Xiuneng.

"You're Fang's bodyguard, right? Where are you going this time?"

"Didn't the commander tell you?" Gong Xiuneng suddenly became interested and said with feigned nervousness, "We are going to the Japanese-occupied area. Battles can break out there at any time. Be careful, bullets don't have eyes."

Listening to the assistant's translation, the Whitneys started to panic.

They didn't expect that Fang Wen's life would still be so exciting. This time, he would probably have to go through another adventure like the one in the Pacific Ocean.

(End of this chapter)