Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 433 Special Agent Equipment: Miniature Transmitter, Acquiring Aircraft Engine Technology

The plane landed on the Loire River.

Chambord Castle, not far from the riverbank, comes into view.

Fang Wen had already done his homework on this matter beforehand.

The Loire River region is the place with the richest aristocratic atmosphere in France.

The area is covered in forests and is rich in timber and wine. Throughout history, kings and nobles have built palaces here for vacations, hunting, and entertainment.

Take Chambord Castle for example. It was Francis I's dream masterpiece. The huge white castle is exquisitely carved, with spires and bell towers reaching into the sky, and the interior also has a large number of works of art on display.

Now, with the outbreak of the French Revolution and the overthrow of the monarchy, the castle is state property.

It is said that the financially strapped French government is preparing to sell it.

However, the proposal was never implemented, and the place became an entertainment venue for the wealthy.

There's a reason why one of the holding families of Hispano-Suiza chose to hold their wedding here.

Because the founders of the two families were Swiss and Spanish, respectively.

The Spanish family had no roots here, and there was war in their homeland, so they chose this beautiful castle, which could be rented for money, for their wedding.

Shaking off his thoughts, Fang Wen steered the plane to shore.

Gong Xiuneng lowered the anchor, then took the cable ashore and tied it up.

Then everyone boarded the wooden pier by the river.

The private bank manager craned his neck, looking for the person who would greet him.

Before he could even see them, Fang Wen, with his superhuman eyesight, spotted two young men approaching from a distance.

They were dressed in tailcoats and walked briskly towards us.

"Hello, are you Mr. Fang from Taishan Airlines?" one of the young men asked.

“It’s me,” Fang Wen nodded in response.

The young man looked at the 20 or so people behind Fang Wen and hesitated, saying, "I'm sorry, this is a private wedding, and they only invited you. The others probably can't come."

The private bank manager asked in surprise, "I wasn't invited either?"

"Yes, it's just Mr. Fang."

Fang Wen didn't see anything wrong with this. After all, it was someone else's marriage, and it was understandable that they didn't want too many strangers to appear.

He instructed Gong Xiuneng, Bai Yunfei, and Zhao Junping: "They only invited me to participate, so you guys stay on this side of the plane."

Bai Yunfei was a little worried: "How will you solve the safety problem if you go alone?" In his view, Fang Wen was the king in the sky, but on the ground he was just a fragile ordinary person.

Gong Xiuneng didn't want Fang Wen to go alone: ​​"Commander, how can you go without me protecting you?"

Fang Wen laughed and said, "The Japanese devils are not as fast as me. Even if they know I'm here, they won't have time to send anyone to deal with me. Besides, it's not like I'm incapable of protecting myself."

Gong Xiu recalled the gunfight that took place at the city gate of Cangzhou, where the regimental commander had single-handedly killed several Japanese soldiers.

As he hesitated, Fang Wen added, "Don't forget we have another way to contact each other."

Gong Xiuneng's eyes lit up immediately.

Yes, the group leader has been tinkering with semiconductor technology lately, and small handheld radios have already started mass production.

For the war effort, the commander also developed a new type of intelligence device.

It was called a miniature radio transmitter. The transmitter was placed in Fang Wen's handbag and powered by a dry cell battery. It could send radio waves to the outside world.

The radio frequencies emitted by this device can be received by the radio equipment on the aircraft, thus enabling secret communication.

Gong Xiuneng understood immediately and said, "I understand. Then you must let me know you're safe once you're inside."

"Will do."

Immediately afterwards, Fang Wen and the two young men in tuxedos left.

Fang Wen, having parted ways with his own people, followed two young men on the road to Shannon Castle, arriving at the side of the castle.

The two communicated in French and Fangwen.

“Mr. Fang, your company is very famous in France, and we have flown on your company’s plane before.”

"Really? Where are you going by plane?" Fang Wen replied.

“We went to Ankara and Tehran. Next time we have the chance, we’ll travel to even farther places,” the young man replied.

As they were talking, the three of them walked from the side of the castle to the front.

There, a large group of people had gathered, waiting for the wedding to begin.

Fang Wen also stepped inside, as a guest.

A small boat is approaching on the water in the distance.

After reaching the shore, the woman in the white wedding dress was helped ashore by an elderly man.

The woman, arm in arm with the old man, walked toward the guests along the central avenue in front of the castle.

The pastor, the groom, and their relatives greeted the bride upon her arrival.

Afterwards, the pastor officiated at the wedding ceremony for the two newlyweds in the open air.

The music is ringing.

The wedding festivities were just beginning.

Fang Wen opened the handbag and reached inside.

He touched the miniature telegraph machine, pressed it with his index finger, and sent out a message in Morse code to indicate that he was safe and sound.

He then observed his surroundings, looking for an opportunity to intervene in the conversation.

Judging from what I just saw, the person I need to meet is among the groom's relatives and friends.

But I don't know which one it is.

There's no need to rush this. Since the other party has agreed to let me attend the wedding, they must have made arrangements.

He walked alone to the buffet table next to him, picked up a plate, filled it with some food, and ate slowly and deliberately.

In the distance, several men who were talking were occasionally observing him.

Seeing this, one of them walked towards Fang Wen, while the others entered the castle.

"Hello, Mr. Fang."

Fang Wen, who was eating, heard a sound behind him.

He put down his plate and turned around.

The other person continued, "Please follow me."

Fang Wen nodded and followed the other person into the castle.

They entered the castle's main hall and went up the spiral staircase to the second floor.

I met the person I was supposed to see in a usable meeting room.

Five men from the Kudla family were waiting for him there. Fang Wen walked in and smiled, "Gentlemen, I don't think we need to introduce ourselves. On this auspicious day, shall we get straight to the point?"

The eldest among them spoke up: "Hispano-Suiza was founded by my grandfather and the Swiss man Brett. They were equally talented and produced and sold many luxury cars in Europe. I say this so that you can understand its great significance to our two families."

Fang Wen nodded: "I understand. And I don't want to take it from you. All I want is to acquire the technology you have, and for that, I'm willing to pay a price that will satisfy you."

The five people whispered among themselves, then another person took over speaking.

"We want to know, what exactly do you plan to do?"

It seems that my personal visit had a good effect; at least the other party was willing to listen to me.

Fang Wen smiled and said, "I can sign a competitive contract that will ensure that after I purchase your products and production lines, I will not sell any related products in Europe."

That's a good suggestion. Hispano-Suiza has lost its automotive business due to the shutdown of its Spanish factory, and aircraft engines are their only source of income.

Europe is their base of operations, and Fang Wen's suggestions can ensure that their interests are not compromised.

One of them asked, "After you obtain the technology license, who will you sell the engines you produce to?"

“I will not sell them. These engines will become power components for my company’s aircraft. To be honest, I need an aircraft engine that I can produce myself to avoid the risk of engine shortages,” Fang Wen replied.

Another person then asked, "You previously mentioned through an intermediary that you wanted to establish a joint venture factory. What exactly is that about?"

The conversation was getting into a good mood at this point.

Fang Wen could tell that these people were willing to cooperate with him.

It seems that their economy is indeed facing serious problems.

Fang Wen maintained his smile and continued, "You can contribute your technology and production lines as equity. We will provide the factory buildings, capital, and workers. The factory will be located in Asia, and you will receive a share of the profits for every engine produced. This is a cooperative factory construction. Compared to me investing in and purchasing your technology, this method will bring more long-term profits. In the long run, it will be more than a buyout."

The eldest of the five stood up. "Okay, we need to discuss this. Please give us some time. You can go downstairs and continue with the wedding. I promise I'll give you an answer soon."

After he finished speaking, he extended his hand to Fang Wen, and the other four people also stood up.

Fang Wen shook hands with them and left the room.

Having already decided that they would return with a full haul, these people were only discussing how to obtain their profits.

He went downstairs, returned to the buffet table, and continued eating.

The wedding ceremony is still ongoing.

The groom gave the bride 13 gold coins blessed by the priest.

Fang Wen had witnessed this ceremony when he participated in the Spanish Civil War.

The coins represent Jesus and his twelve disciples, symbolizing the bridegroom's vow to care for and support his wife.

Then, children will hand out small bags to the guests.

Fang Wen also received a small bag. When he opened it, he found that it contained rice.

By the way, it's sprinkled towards the bride and groom, similar to the Eastern custom, symbolizing blessings for the newlyweds to have plenty of food and clothing and to have children soon.

Fang Wen also joined in the fun, pouring out rice and scattering it on the two newlyweds.

Amidst laughter and cheers, the bride placed a small hairpin on the dress of a female guest.

That little hairpin also has special significance.

Unmarried women wear their jewelry from the bottom up, while married women wear it from the top to prevent it from being knocked off.

If a hairpin falls off during a banquet, it means that an unmarried woman is about to find her future husband.

When a girl looked at Fang Wen and walked over, about to bump into him, Fang Wen quickly stepped aside.

Disappointed, the girl chose to leave with other goals, and Fang Wen breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked back at the castle, hoping for a result soon.

Half an hour later, Fang Wen was invited to the second floor of the castle.

There, the elders of the family made the announcement.

"We have agreed to the deal with you, but the terms have changed. 1. We need a technology transfer fee of $2 million. We also need to sign a competitive contract stipulating that your aircraft engines cannot be sold to Europe. 200. We have also agreed to your proposed joint venture factory plan. We will send technical personnel to your Asian factory to guide you in factory construction and subsequent production, and transfer one of your existing production lines. You will need to pay a fixed fee of $20 annually for five years, totaling $100 million, as our profit sharing from the joint venture factory."

After listening to their words, Fang Wen began to make plans.

In other words, $300 million can acquire the entire aircraft engine technology, with them responsible for providing technical support to ensure that the same aircraft engine can be produced.

Is it worth it?
$300 million is no small sum in this day and age.

Fang Wen's Taishan Airlines once had a total of only $300 million in assets, including all its routes, aircraft, and airports.

But now, he feels that exchanging $300 million for aircraft engines is a very worthwhile deal, since it can reduce a lot of research and development and setbacks.

This allowed us to master the entire technology decades ahead of schedule.

He immediately agreed.

“Deal, but I need to make sure that the other shareholder also agrees to this plan.”

“We agree.” Two of the five people identified themselves; they were not from the Kudla family, but rather the heads of another shareholder, the Bright family.

They can represent the Bright family in agreeing to this proposal.

Fang Wen was overjoyed, as this indicated that he had successfully acquired the aero-engine technology.

That's fantastic. As a pilot, he was extremely eager to master an aircraft engine technology.

After the castle wedding trip, Fang Wen acquired aircraft engine technology in exchange for $300 million.

Of course, this matter still requires some business steps to complete.

In the following days, Fang Wen returned to Paris and, on behalf of Taishan Airlines, signed a contract with the representatives of the two major shareholders of Hispano-Suiza.

The contract stipulates that the 300 million yuan will be delivered in installments in Yangon in the name of Taishan Airlines headquarters to ensure the full performance of the contract.

Furthermore, to ensure the smooth progress of the entire project, Fang Wen transferred Li Tiezhu from the international department of Taishan Airlines to supervise the process.

Li Tiezhu, who was once reckless in the special operations team, has matured and become much more capable after spending two years in the international department of Taishan Airlines.

After accepting the project, he took the initiative to go to Hispano-Suiza with his luggage, intending to stay there and ensure that the production line and technical personnel were sent to Asia as soon as possible.

Fang Wen was very satisfied with Li Tiezhu's performance. He also telegraphed the production base in northern Myanmar, asking them to add an aircraft engine manufacturing plant to the construction project there, so as to ensure that the European personnel and equipment could be built smoothly after they arrived.

At the same time, a telegram was also sent to the aircraft manufacturing plant, requesting the plant director, Lin Yifei, to select a group of engineers and technicians who would form the technical backbone of the aero-engine plant and receive training from European technicians.

After making these arrangements, Taishan Airlines' management began to work around the whole thing, and the remaining details would be coordinated by headquarters.

The matter concerning aircraft engines has come to an end.

Hispano-Suiza expects to complete the relocation of its production line in two months. Before that, they will send technical personnel to Asia to begin training.

Fang Wen's European trip has come to a successful conclusion, and his next destination is the United States.

He's going over there to master the individual rocket launcher technology.

This technology is more suitable for the research and development and production of Taishan Military Industry at present. As for the Soviet Katyusha rocket, that's still a long way off.

Subsequently, after undergoing maintenance and refueling, the Xuanming-type seaplane took off again, crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Paris to New York.

(End of this chapter)