Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 68, Recruiting Bodyguards, Trip to Hebei
After meeting Zhao Jiu, Fang Wen realized that even if he possessed superpowers, the world did not revolve around him.

If it weren't for Zhao Jiu's warning, I probably would have been finished.

Being mindful of potential dangers even in times of peace, he began to consider how to create a safer environment for himself, knowing that he might face even more perils in the future.

Ideally, one should recruit a group of people who will obey one's orders and can protect one's safety at any time.

These individuals can be arranged to work as airline security personnel, ensuring their safety both during work and vacation.

But what kind of person should we look for?

Because of Zhao Jiu's situation, Fang Wen thought of the Shanghai underworld.

He asked Fang Shouxin to inquire about it, thereby learning about the situation of the Shanghai underworld.

Two days later, Fang Wen piloted the Boeing 80 back home and listened to the information Fang Shouxin had gathered.

The situation of gangs in Shanghai these days is complex and chaotic.

As the most prosperous adventurer's paradise in the Far East, Shanghai attracts people from all over the world with different backgrounds and purposes to seek opportunities.

Here, one can easily obtain wealth from the weakened Eastern dragon, dumping industrial products at extremely high price differences in exchange for various resources and silver.

Against the backdrop of a complex environment, gang organizations sprang up like mushrooms after rain, among which the most well-known were the Green Gang and the Hung Gang.

The Green Gang was one of the most powerful and notorious gangs at the time.

It has a large number of members and a tight organizational structure, and obtains huge profits by controlling places such as opium dens, gambling tables, and brothels.

Leaders of the Green Gang, such as Huang Jinrong and Zhang Xiaolin, not only wielded widespread influence in Shanghai but also maintained intricate connections with other political forces and criminal organizations. They used their spheres of influence to manipulate Shanghai's underground order and even, to some extent, affect the functioning of society.

Although the Hung Gang differed from the Green Gang, it was still a powerful criminal organization. They had their own territory and areas of interest in Shanghai, and their relationship with the Green Gang involved both cooperation and competition.

Besides the Green Gang and the Hong Gang, many smaller gangs also existed in Shanghai, such as the Shaoxing Gang, the Pudong Gang, the Northern Jiangsu Gang, and the Northern Hubei Gang.

Although these gangs were relatively small in size, they wielded considerable influence in their respective spheres. They profited through kidnapping, extortion, and robbery, and thus established a foothold in Shanghai's underworld.

In addition, during the Republican era, Shanghai's gangs had close ties with the concession authorities, foreign hooligans, and criminals from all over the country.

Often, the concession authorities relied on gangsters to solve problems they couldn't handle, while foreign hooligans and criminals viewed Shanghai as an "adventurer's paradise," seeking thrills and profits there.

After learning about these circumstances, Fang Wen abandoned the idea of ​​recruiting people from the Shanghai gangsters.

While there may be patriots among these people, their involvement in gangs is driven by self-interest, and they have no loyalty whatsoever. How can we possibly entrust our trust to them?

Seeing the young master's hesitant expression, Fang Shouxin tentatively asked a question.

"Young Master, are you looking to recruit a group of trustworthy people?"

"Ah."

"How about my fellow apprentices and their descendants? Most of them are farmers, probably still working in the fields. They are honest and kind-hearted, with no ulterior motives. If you agree, I'll take Shunzi back with me."

Fang Wen's eyes lit up. It seemed like a good idea, but he wanted to go there himself.

Perfect timing! Next week is the aircraft's routine maintenance week, so the company will be closed for a week.

I can take this opportunity to go and see if the people Fang Shouxin mentioned are really honest and kind.

A week later, Taishan Airlines put up a sign at its ticket office that read, "Aircraft under maintenance, grounded for one week."

Passengers hoping to fly this week left disappointed.

Meanwhile, at the airport, Fang Wen drove his private flying vehicle, the 'Qingyun', out of the hangar.

He boarded the plane, and then Fang Shouxin and Shunzi also got into the rear cockpit.

"Uncle Fang, won't it be crowded?" Fang Wen asked.

“Yes, a little. Shunzi, get ready and don’t move around,” Fang Shouxin replied. The back seat wasn’t spacious; it would be a tight squeeze for two people.

"Looks like we still need to use that thing." Fang Wen asked Howard under the plane to bring up a metal object.

This object is made of two thick iron wires, with a hook on top and a stool covered with cotton cloth on the bottom.

Hanging it on the front crossbar of the rear driver's seat, Shunzi reluctantly huddled up on it, like a child.

This solves the problem of cramped seating for two people.

Immediately afterwards, the Qingyun took off, beginning a long-haul flight of nearly five hours.

This time, the landing airport was no longer the closed Nanyuan Flight School, but Qinghe Airport, north of Beiping City.

It's not far from the Old Summer Palace, right above Tsinghua University.

However, it is a national airport, and if you want to stop there, you have to make arrangements in advance and schedule a landing time.

After a five-hour flight, the plane finally arrived at its destination.

Fang Wen circled in the air while making contact via radio.

"Calling Qinghe Airport, this is the Qingyun from Shanghai, please respond."

"Qingyun, you may land now. Be careful with your landing speed. This is a civilian airport runway."

"clear."

Fang Wen adjusted the aircraft's position, descended, and touched down the ground 100 meters from the start of the runway. After gliding for a while, it gradually came to a stop.

An airport worker waved a flag, indicating that the plane should be flown over to him.

Following the instructions, the plane drove off the runway and parked in a hangar.

As Fang Wen descended the boarding stairs, he shook hands with the airport staff who were there to greet him.

"Senior Du, thank you for your arrangements. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to land in Beiping."

This person came from Nanyuan Aviation University. After being introduced by an instructor, it was easy to make contact, and naturally, he helped with this matter.

The other person replied with a smile, "We're all from Nanyuan, so of course we should take care of each other."

"That's right, if you come to Shanghai, you must let me know."

As Fang Wen spoke, he handed a gift bag to the other party.

The heavy gift bag pleased the recipient, who smiled even more broadly.

How many days are you going to stay here?

"Five days at most. By the way, teacher, how's the car-borrowing thing going?"

"I do have a car, but it's not a good one, just a drivable one. Do you want it?"

"What car?"

"Come on, I'll show you around."

Fang Wen followed the other person to the back of the airport, where an old five-seater Ford convertible was parked.

This thing is probably several years old; I don't know if it's even operational.

Fang Wen got into the driver's seat.

(End of this chapter)