Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Fang Wen rejected the deal request and turned to walk out of the conference room.

He came to meet this Swiss arms dealer for two reasons: first, to ascertain the identity of the man's financial backer, and second, to express his stance.

Now that everything is done, there's no need to waste energy on it.

Hans sat there, completely stunned.

Having spent many years in the European arms trade, he was used to seeing various powers bow down and compromise for their own interests. Especially now that Nazi Germany was sweeping across the European continent and its military might was at its peak, almost no power dared to easily refuse Germany's request for cooperation. Moreover, Fang Wen didn't even listen to the conditions offered by the Germans before directly rejecting them on the grounds of being an Axis power, which was completely beyond his expectations.

In his view, Taishan Group, located in Myanmar and sandwiched between British, Japanese, and Chinese forces, should have been able to play both sides and seek its own interests. As the leader of the group, Fang Wen should have valued the tangible benefits such as technology, gold, and military equipment.

But Fang Wen prioritized his principles and bottom line over personal gain, which Hans, who had long operated in the gray area, simply couldn't understand.

After a full half minute of stunned silence, Hans suddenly came to his senses and quickly got up to catch up.

He caught up with Fang Wen but was stopped by security personnel. He could only shout, "General Manager Fang, please let me tell you about the terms of the deal. I'm sure you'll be interested."

Fang Wen did not stop, and continued walking forward without turning his head.

Seeing this, Hans could only shout, "My employer is willing to offer five tons of gold, three sets of Germany's top precision machine tool production lines, and the technology transfer of Jumo 210. As long as you agree, even if it's just selling finished walkie-talkies without transferring the technology, these things can be sent here immediately through Swiss channels!"

He was unwilling to return empty-handed. The intermediary fee given by the German Army Equipment Department was enough to ensure his livelihood for the rest of his life. If the mission failed, not only would he not receive the fee, but he would also offend the German high command, with unimaginable consequences.

The terms were indeed generous; it seems the Germans truly understood the tactical uses of the Taishan walkie-talkie.

Five tons of gold is quite a lot!
A precision machine tool production line is something Fang Wen has always wanted.

The Jumo 210 is an aircraft engine technology from Junkers and was the engine for the early BF-109 aircraft. Although it is not a top-tier engine technology, it still has great reference value.

But Fang Wen, who knows history, will never be misled by these short-term interests, and continues to leave.

Hans, however, was forcibly removed from the Taishan headquarters building by security personnel.

Hans, who was forcibly pushed out of the Taishan headquarters building by security, staggered to his feet, feeling resentful.

After a moment's thought, he decided to go to the hotel owned by Taishan Airlines, where the German technical observer who had been stranded in Yangon was still under house arrest. If he could secretly contact them, there might be a chance for a turnaround.

Having made up his mind, Hans straightened his suit and headed straight for the Taishan Aviation Hotel.

Little did he know that from the moment he was expelled from the Taishan headquarters building, he had been targeted by British military intelligence.

The MI6 intelligence agents originally assigned to protect the Taishan headquarters noticed something amiss, immediately reported it to their superiors, and sent someone to follow them.

Upon receiving the report, the Yangon Military Intelligence Bureau, located within the Governor-General's Palace, immediately began investigating the man.

The investigation revealed that Hans was Swiss, but had no formal job, his source of income was a mystery, and he spent lavishly in his daily life.

This strange person came to Yangon from Switzerland, and the first thing he did after getting off the plane was to go to the Taishan headquarters.

But they were kicked out again.

There are many suspicious points in it.

The Yangon commander of M16 decided to keep a close eye on Hans.

Subsequently, the tracking personnel reported that Hans had actually checked into a hotel owned by Taishan Airlines.

They even tried to go to the floor where the Germans were being held, but were stopped in time by hotel staff.

At this point, British intelligence decided to arrest him immediately.

The arresting officers set off quickly, and plainclothes officers and military police entered the hotel and took him into custody without saying a word.

In an effort to win over the Taishan Group and to demonstrate their sincerity in cooperation, the British military immediately informed the Taishan security department of Hans's arrest, clearly stating that the reason for the arrest was suspicion that he was colluding with the enemy country of Germany and attempting to release the German detainees in the hotel.

Taishan expressed its understanding regarding this.

Hans, who was locked in the British army's temporary interrogation room, originally wanted to hold out to the end, but the British army's interrogation methods were ruthless. In addition, he was just a middleman who was paid to do things and did not have the die-hard will of a German agent. He confessed everything honestly after a short time.

He recounted in detail the entire process of how the German Army Equipment Department commissioned the procurement, offered an exorbitant price of five tons of gold, precision machine tools, and Jumo 210 engine technology, and how Fang Wen resolutely refused, without daring to conceal anything.

The interrogation records were urgently sent back to London, England, and the cabinet immediately convened an emergency closed-door meeting.

"The Germans are also purchasing walkie-talkies from the Taishan Group, which shows that our judgment was correct. This equipment and technology will have a huge impact on the war. Although Fang Wen has rejected the Germans' request, it cannot be guaranteed that he will not side with the Axis powers in the future. We must offer more sincere terms to completely stabilize him and finalize the cooperation!" The Minister of War said frankly, his tone urgent.

The Minister of War's words brought a brief silence to the room.

Everyone knew that Taishan Group was no longer an ordinary private aviation company, but a key piece that could influence the Southeast Asian war and even the North African battlefield. One wrong move and the British army would be plunged into a desperate situation of defeat on two fronts.

The Colonial Secretary slammed his fist on the table, breaking the silence: "We absolutely cannot allow Fang Wen to side with Germany! Once they provide the German army with walkie-talkies, the Germans will have a much faster way to communicate in combat. Just think about it, the German blitzkrieg tactics, combined with semiconductor wireless equipment that can communicate in real time, will make their military operations even more difficult to deal with. Our troops overseas will be completely suppressed."

The Air Force Commander chimed in, “We urgently need the walkie-talkies from Taishan to fill the communication gap. If the Air Force is equipped with real-time communication devices, it will be able to perform better tactically. I’ve looked into ramjet turbine technology, but it’s not very useful to us. But just providing the technology isn’t enough. Fang Wen is based in northern Myanmar, and what he cares about most is the autonomy of the base. We must offer him real territorial rights to make him completely feel at ease and committed to us.”

The crowd argued heatedly, some worrying that transferring jurisdiction would damage the British colonial image, others concerned that tax exemptions would affect the colony's finances, but many more knew that these interests were insignificant compared to the outcome of the war.

With the German army sweeping across Europe, the situation in North Africa becoming increasingly tense, and the Atlantic shipping lanes being strangled by U-boats, Britain was already in dire straits due to a shortage of supplies and a dispersed force. They had to seize any opportunity to change the course of the war.

After nearly two hours of intense discussions and careful consideration, the Prime Minister finally approved three new cooperation proposals, each of which crossed previous British red lines, demonstrating a strong desire to win over the UK:
First, the nominal jurisdiction over the area surrounding the base in northern Myanmar was transferred. This area was originally a region where the British had little actual control, far from the colonial core of Yangon, and had been in a semi-autonomous state for many years. The British military only retained the nominal right to file diplomatic reports, while the administration, security, defense, and production control were all handed over to the Taishan Group. This was equivalent to allowing Fang Wen to completely control the military industrial heartland in northern Myanmar, thus freeing him from the unwarranted obstruction of the colonial authorities. He could make independent decisions on base expansion, technology research and development, and defense deployment.
Second, accelerate the delivery of ram air turbine technology. If Taishan Group agrees to the transaction, the complete set of technical drawings and core component samples from the Royal Aeronautical Institute in the UK, along with two senior experts who have been deeply involved in this technology for ten years, will be transported to North Africa on a Royal Air Force special plane within three days, and then transferred to India to fly to Yangon Airport.

Third, Myanmar has relaxed its trade privileges throughout the country, granting Taishan Group permanent duty-free privileges for the import and export of all military raw materials, finished equipment, and petroleum products, and also granting Taishan Group trade preferences in the Commonwealth and colonies.

After the resolution was finalized, the Prime Minister immediately ordered the Cabinet Secretariat to draft the cooperation text and send an encrypted telegram to the Governor-General's Office in Yangon, instructing the Governor-General to invite Fang Wen to the office for talks within 24 hours and to ensure that exclusive cooperation was achieved, leaving no room for Germany to take advantage of the situation.

The encrypted radio waves crossed the Eurasian continent and quickly reached the Governor-General's Palace in Yangon.

After reading the telegram, the governor-general did not dare to delay for a moment and immediately sent his secretary to the Taishan Aviation headquarters to invite Fang Wen to the governor-general's residence for talks.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen was not in Yangon. After rejecting Hans's offer, he flew to his base in northern Myanmar. Based on his television-guided missile concept, he was preparing to build a research and development team specifically responsible for turning his technical ideas into practice.

Before the project was even officially approved, Zhao Junping knocked on the door and came in to report.

"General Manager, we received a call from Yangon saying that the Governor-General's Office has sent someone to invite you to participate in a new round of trade negotiations. They are very eager for you to return to Yangon as soon as possible."

Fang Wen put down his pen, surprised by the British efficiency.

He vaguely understood that it might be because of Hans.

The fact that the Germans were also purchasing Taishan walkie-talkies provokes the British, who, already at a disadvantage in the war, certainly do not want Germany to make a deal with Taishan.

Therefore, the British may make significant concessions in this negotiation.

He then temporarily put aside the TV guidance technology project and went to the airport of the No. 2 aircraft manufacturing plant to fly to Yangon.

Upon arrival in Yangon, Fang Wen drove his own car directly from the airport to the Governor's Palace.

The guards at the Governor's residence immediately let him through when they saw him, and then his secretary greeted him in the parking lot.

Follow the secretary to the Governor's Palace reception room.

This time, the person participating in the negotiations was not the quartermaster of the Far East Fleet, but another officer whom Fang Wen did not recognize.

The officer introduced himself: "Hello, I am Colonel Hunter from the Yangon Intelligence Service. I am here on behalf of the Cabinet to present you with new terms of the deal."

Since the other party was so direct, Fang Wen skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.

After reading the text of the new deal terms proposed by the British side, he pondered.

The British used privileges to make deals, which were also very attractive.

The transfer of nominal jurisdiction over the area surrounding the base in northern Myanmar undoubtedly gives them an opportunity to expand their power in northern Myanmar.

It was also the British people's tacit approval of themselves.

The relaxation of trade privileges throughout Myanmar, as well as the permanent tax exemption, is not bad.

Furthermore, the trade preferences granted to the Commonwealth and its colonies allowed Taishan to obtain the same preferential treatment as intra-Commonwealth transactions, enabling it to acquire resources from British colonies at lower prices.

These are all the conditions Fang Wen wanted.

He was almost about to agree.

But since the British were so eager, he was not in a hurry.

I was thinking to myself, should I add any more requirements?

For example, the UK is currently a world leader in short-range radar-assisted technology, while Taishan also has technological reserves in this area, but they are not as complete as those of the UK. It would be better to take this opportunity to acquire this technology to facilitate the accelerated development of television guidance technology.

He then proposed this additional condition.

Colonel Hunt said he could report this directly to his superiors.

He then left the reception room, where the governor and Fang Wen waited while he spoke.

After a while, he returned.

“Mr. Fang, I have already reported your additional request to the local authorities, and they have approved it directly. In other words, if you agree to these terms now, we can reach an agreement immediately, and then we can discuss the purchase quantity and delivery method.”

Fang Wen deliberately feigned consideration, and after a while, replied: "Taishan can reach a long-term cooperation with Britain. I will allocate a quarter of the semiconductor walkie-talkie production capacity to supply the British army, which is 400 units per month. Gunship aircraft will be supplied in sufficient quantities according to the British army's needs. However, the premise is that the technology transfer must be completed within a week, the transfer documents for the jurisdiction of northern Myanmar must be signed immediately, and all cooperation terms must be kept strictly confidential to avoid retaliatory sabotage from Germany and Japan."

The British representative immediately agreed, and the next step was to finalize the details of the cooperation and sign a confidentiality agreement.

After some negotiation, Fang Wen gave a reply.

Each month, 300 Taishan walkie-talkies for the army and 50 pieces of radio communication equipment for fighter jets will be provided.

Subsequent orders for gunboat aircraft will all be upgraded to include the Taishan radio communication system.

Subsequently, both parties drafted a contract in accordance with the transaction terms and signed a confidentiality agreement, thus finalizing the entire transaction.

As soon as the deal was struck, the UK immediately deployed personnel to take action.

A group of technicians departed aboard a Whitley night bomber.

This bomber, manufactured in 37, had just finished bombing Berlin when it flew to North Africa, transited through British air bases in North Africa, and then flew to India, its final destination being Rangoon.

Such a long journey, mostly at night, was a major challenge for British pilots.

After all, they didn't have Fang Wen's special ability to determine the direction of night navigation; they relied more on the aircraft's equipment and magnetic navigation tools for judgment.

But just after the British pilots finally managed to fly the plane to North Africa overnight, they encountered problems.

Mid-January 1941.

The Whitley night bombers arrived at Benina Airport in the early morning.

Benina Airport is the largest airport in Cyrenaica, Libya, and was captured by British Operation Compass in early February.

The massive Whitley night bombers landed at the airfield, only to be met with a battle.

The Germans actually attacked Benina Airport.

(The "Whitley" night bomber) (End of Chapter)