Chapter 195: 194, Trans-south China Sea Flight, Sarawak White Chiefdom, Cinchona Bark
Shunzi’s wedding concluded, and guests returned home.
The airplane took them to Shanghai Airport. Most stayed in Shanghai, only Fang Shouxin’s fellow disciples continued by plane to Jinan, and then returned to Cangzhou.
The tobacco matter was also quietly progressing.
However, this year’s output would not be large. After all, tobacco is a once-a-year crop, planted in March-April and maturing in July-August. Currently, all bases were left with only the current year’s stock.
Next year, the output would significantly increase to solve economic problems.
Time passed, and the company’s operations were calm and orderly, unnoticed, it was already December.
This month, the conflicts in the north and south subsided slightly, and attention from all sides focused on Fujian, a southeastern province of China.
There was a powerful army, the “19th Route Army,” which openly confronted Chiang Kai-shek.
Because of this, Lin Shuiwang, who was overseas preparing for Asia-Europe international routes, specifically returned to China.
He had just brought his mother back when he unexpectedly found his hometown in a state of war, how could he not worry?
After Lin Shuiwang visited his relatives, he not only brought his mother back to Shanghai but also brought a guest from Fujian.
At Taishan Airlines Headquarters, Fang Wen received the guest brought by Lin Shuiwang.
The other party took the initiative to introduce himself.
“General Manager Fang, hello, my name is Lin Guangzhong, president of the Nanyang Min Qiao Association. I met Lin Shuiwang in Fujian and happened to have an urgent matter to seek help with, so I shamelessly came to find you.”
Fang Wen looked at Lin Shuiwang.
Lin Shuiwang quickly explained, “He wants to transport a batch of supplies from Nanyang to the 19th Route Army using our company’s Taishan No. 1 cargo airplane.”
Fang Wen asked curiously, “The 19th Route Army is the Yue Army, right? Why do you value them so much?”
Lin Guangzhong sighed, “Our Min Land is mountainous and not very habitable. Min people mostly rely on the sea for a living, and over time, they have spread all over the world. For many years, it’s shameful to say, bandits were rampant in Min Land, and money mailed home had to be worried about being robbed by bandits. For this reason, we repeatedly raised funds to suppress bandits, but with little effect. This time, the 19th Army came and truly fought to suppress bandits. We saw it with our own eyes and are willing to support such an army.”
So that’s how it is, Fang Wen smiled, “They are genuinely suppressing bandits, yet they end up in such a situation. I am willing to help. I will personally fly the route to Nanyang, as others cannot.” By the way, how much supplies do you need to transport?
“Two tons.”
“No problem then. Lin Shuiwang, you take the guest to rest. I need to make some arrangements first.”
After Lin Shuiwang led the guests out, Fang Wen organized the tasks he needed to do recently and thought about how to arrange them.
Mid-month, three cargo ships would arrive at Port of Yangon fully loaded with oil refining equipment to begin the cooperative construction of a refinery.
Late this month, two D.332s would be delivered. He would have to personally go to France to fly the airplanes back with the French pilots. Fortunately, the Asia-Europe international routes would officially commence in January.
Now he had time to do this.
Besides, wasn’t his father-in-law saying he was procuring cinchona bark in Indonesia with someone?
He wondered if help was needed. This trip to Nanyang had a carrying capacity of 6 tons available for use.
He got up and went out to the adjacent office to talk with his wife.
“Mingzhu, how is the progress of your father’s joint acquisition of cinchona bark?”
“That matter. They have stockpiled several warehouses of goods and haven’t started shipping yet.”
“How much?”
“Probably over ten tons.”
“This time I’m going to Nanyang, I’ll take Taishan One, and I can help him transport six tons.”
“You’re going to Nanyang, you can bring my father back. He went there three months ago and hasn’t returned yet. My mother has mentioned it to me several times, worrying about him.”
So his father-in-law had already gone. Fang Wen asked Kuang Mingzhu to contact her father first, so it would be convenient to find him upon arrival in Nanyang.
Subsequently, a reply was received via telegram, providing contact information.
Next was contacting airports.
This required the help of overseas Chinese in Nanyang; Fang Wen had no connections there.
For the next two days, both sides jointly searched for landing airports.
Lin Guangzhong’s Min Qiao contacts found a flat landing spot in Kuala Lumpur.
In this era, there was no formal airport there yet.
In the end, they chose the landing spot found by Fang Wen’s father-in-law.
The Kingdom of Sarawak.
There was a royal airport at the Governor’s Residence of Kuching City, the Rajah of Sarawak, and a deep-water port nearby, which was perfect for unloading cargo.
This way, the supply ship wouldn’t have to unload in Kuala Lumpur; it could directly sail out of the Strait of Malacca to the country of Sarawak.
Two days later, Lin Shuiwang brought Lin Guangzhong and boarded the Taishan No. 1 Transport Aircraft.
Although it was nominally a transport aircraft, it was actually a night strategic bomber, well disguised.
There were no fixed seats in the cabin, but there were several card slots. As long as the long board on the wall was removed and inserted into the card slot, it became a seat.
After Lin Shuiwang taught Lin Guangzhong how to secure the seats, the airplane took off.
The airplane flew from Shanghai to Guangzhou, refueled and transited in Guangzhou, then headed south across the South China Sea, and flew directly to Sarawak.
The airplane flew over the vast South China Sea, dotted with beautiful islands in the blue sea.
The first to be seen were the Sansha Islands.
The crescent-shaped island base combined with the azure sea made Fang Wen think of the Tai Chi symbol.
Afterward, it was the Xisha and Zhongsha Islands.
Further down was NSQD.
It was a vast area composed of a series of submerged reefs, shoals, and small islands.
Finally, they arrived at Sarawak.
（The red dots are all within the NSQD area, these are all our territories.）
The airplane circled over Sarawak, searching for a landing spot.
Fang Wen was surprised to see a huge pattern below.
A white character “Fang”.
It was a pattern displayed by people holding white cloths.
Beside the pattern was a not-too-large airport.
Although not large, the runway was quite wide, capable of landing an F.220.
Fang Wen turned on the radio device and called.
“Taishan Airlines Transport Aircraft requests landing at Sarawak Airport. Please respond if you hear.”
After calling three times, the other party replied.
“Received, you may land. Son-in-law, come down.”
The first part was in English, likely from the ground control personnel; the latter part was undoubtedly from his father-in-law.
Fang Wen gave an awkward smile and adjusted the aircraft’s position, landing steadily on the airport.
As the airplane came to a halt, music was heard from the side of the runway.
It was a band in bright attire playing music to welcome them.
The attire looked a bit peculiar, combining British style with local characteristics.
Fang Wen and his party disembarked and received a warm welcome.
People stood in two rows, forming an aisle of welcome.
This scene made Fang Wen, Lin Shuiwang, and Lin Guangzhong feel rather bewildered.
Until a man with blond hair and blue eyes, dressed in grand attire, approached from the opposite side.
Beside him were Fang Wen’s father-in-law and a group of other people.
Father Kuang took the initiative to introduce, “This is Charles Vyner de Windt Brooke, the Rajah of Sarawak.”
Fang Wen smiled and looked at him, “Hello.”
The Rajah of Sarawak replied happily, “I have always wanted to establish a flying airport. I heard you have a very large airline company, could you open a route here?”
So that was the case. Fang Wen had encountered this situation before; these kings were very keen on opening flight routes.
However, opening a flight route was not that easy. Fang Wen smiled and explained, “I also wish to open flight routes. The more routes there are, the stronger my company appears, but such matters must be profitable. From where to where do you want to establish the route?”
“Let’s talk as we walk.” The Rajah of Sarawak led Fang Wen towards the distant palace. “Below our country are Dutch territories. They have always harbored greed towards Sarawak. I want to establish a route with Kuala Lumpur in Malacca Province. This way, I will have a faster way to unite with allies.”
Malacca Province was actually the contemporary name for the Malaysian and Singaporean regions north of the Strait of Malacca.
It belonged to the British colonies, and Sarawak had the same suzerain.
The islands south of the Strait of Malacca and the land south of Sarawak were controlled by the Dutch.
Therefore, the two sides had been in conflict for a long time, with a certain degree of hostility between them.
This was why the Rajah of Sarawak had the idea of establishing a flight route.
He certainly hadn’t done anything about it before, but the British had too many overseas colonies and simply didn’t have the time to pay attention to his enclave.
Fang Wen did not give an immediate response. This was a business matter, and he was unwilling to invest without sufficient value.
Besides, Sarawak had nothing to do with him, and if the Japanese were to move south in the future, this route would be rendered useless.
Seeing that he was not responding, Father Kuang immediately understood.
He then spoke on behalf of the Rajah of Sarawak, “Fang Wen, this is a good thing. The two places are 1200 kilometers apart, which is perfect for the range of the Boeing 247. This is a route between the capitals of two countries, and the wealthy people of both places will surely choose to fly back and forth. You will definitely not lose money by opening this route.”
While speaking, he also gave a wink. Fang Wen understood that his father-in-law was giving him a hint.
After a slight hesitation, he replied, “Then can I study it and make a decision?”
The Rajah of Sarawak looked delighted and readily agreed.
Afterward, Fang Wen and the other two were invited to the imperial palace and had a dinner that combined local and British styles.
This meal was filled with the taste of curry, and turmeric once again occupied Fang Wen’s stomach.
After dinner, Fang Wen took his leave, “Your Majesty, I haven’t seen my father-in-law in half a year. Today, I can have a good chat with him.”
After receiving the king’s permission, Fang Wen and Father Kuang left the imperial palace.
As soon as they left the palace, Fang Wen breathed a sigh of relief, “Father-in-law, I really can’t stand curry. Let’s switch to something edible.”
Father Kuang laughed heartily, “I knew you were just looking for an excuse to sneak out. Let’s go, I’ll take you to eat local Chinese delicacies.”
The two arrived at the Chinese gathering area, and Father Kuang ordered the food.
Boiled shrimp, sticky rice with salted meat, and Kolomee.
The food was good and suited Fang Wen’s taste.
Especially the Kolomee.
After finishing, Fang Wen commented, “This is similar to the cold noodles and hot dry noodles in China, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it originally came from China. This place was once a kingdom established by Chinese people,” Father Kuang replied.
Fang Wen became interested.
“Father-in-law, tell me about it.”
Father Kuang was in a good mood today and spoke at length.
Long ago, this place might have been part of the Sultanate of Brunei.
Below it was the Lanfang Republic, a peculiar kingdom in the nature of a Chinese company.
Later, due to internal conflicts within the Hesun Company of the Lanfang Republic, Liu Shanbang led a group of people northward and occupied a piece of land.
At the same time, James Brooke, using the inheritance of 30,000 British Pounds from his father, bought a ship and came to the Singapore area of Nanyang. Taking advantage of a rebellion by the indigenous people within Brunei, he borrowed British soldiers and occupied a piece of land, settling down there.
Later, James Brooke and Liu Shanbang secretly colluded and caused trouble in Brunei multiple times, gradually occupying parts of Brunei’s territory, which was the Sarawak region.
Of course, it sounds easy, but the process was very long, taking 100 years. Liu Shanbang’s forces had long since disappeared, but Sarawak became a white rajah’s domain, passed down to the present day.
The current king is the nephew of the former king, who successfully ascended after the former king had no heirs.
Fang Wen was filled with emotion after hearing this history.
This was merely the welfare of the Age of Discovery; with the backing of the British government, speculators could also obtain immense opportunities.
At the same time, the Qing Dynasty was in a state of self-imposed isolation.
Perhaps these Chinese regimes in Nanyang were unwilling to have contact with the Qing Dynasty, which led to the Lanfang Republic and Liu Shanbang fading into history.
Shaking off his thoughts, he discussed serious matters with his father-in-law.
“Why did you ask me to agree to the Rajah of Sarawak establishing a new flight route?”
Father Kuang smiled leisurely, “Don’t you want oil? There is a lot of oil here.”
Oil was something Fang Wen had always wanted. Upon returning, he planned to establish a refinery, with supplies sourced from Persian Gulf maritime oil and Myanmar oil fields.
However, the procurement volume from both sources was unstable; they had to satisfy the few international oil large companies first before Fang Wen’s refinery could procure.
From his father-in-law’s words, could it be that there was oil here?
Fang Wen’s spirits lifted. He poured wine for his father-in-law, “Father-in-law, don’t speak in half-measures.”
After drinking the wine poured by his son-in-law, Father Kuang’s face flushed with joy and said, “The Dutch Shell Company secretly sent people to explore in Sarawak. They discovered oil fields in the coastal areas. They have currently established an oil field exploitation company in the Miri area. That local king is still living in the past, thinking Britain and the Netherlands are competing. He doesn’t realize that land is useless now; oil is what’s truly valuable.”
Fang Wen agreed with his father-in-law’s statement. Shell Company was a symbolic enterprise of Anglo-Dutch cooperation, wasn’t it?
He ultimately did not agree to his father-in-law’s suggestion to establish a flight route here. Obtaining oil produced by Shell Company was not the only way.
No matter how shrewd his father-in-law was, he couldn’t escape the constraints of the era. How could he imagine that the Japanese would later occupy this place for oil?
The more he invested now, the more he would lose in the future.
After rejecting his father-in-law’s suggestion, to avoid embarrassing him, Fang Wen quickly changed the subject.
“Father-in-law, how is the cinchona bark?”
Father Kuang, slightly displeased, glared at Fang Wen, feeling unhappy that his carefully conceived business venture was not appreciated by his son-in-law.
However, since they were family, he quickly let it go and began talking about the cinchona bark.
“The Dutch consider cinchona bark a proprietary business and plan to transport most of it to Europe for sale. They believe their controls are strict, but they are no match for my little finger.”
Speaking of this, Father Kuang became proud again. His second spring of business seemed to be doing well.
According to Father Kuang, he used one trick to break the Dutch control.
In the process of making cinchona bark.
To make cinchona bark, the cinchona tree bark must be dried and ground into powder.
This process was not complicated, and the Dutch were watching the entire time, unable to tamper with it.
Since he couldn’t make any moves in that regard, Father Kuang used a more direct and effective method.
Father Kuang, using friends in Nanyang, spread the word that he would buy it at 1.5 times the market price.
Once this news was released, both the Dutch and the locals were tempted.
They colluded and tampered with the genuine cinchona bark, replacing it with ordinary bark.
Fang Wen was astonished, “So you bought out this year’s cinchona bark?”
Father Kuang said proudly, “Yes, if the Dutch don’t come to investigate, I will use the same method to buy out cinchona bark for the next two years. As long as the supply is in my hands, I control the global demand and can earn enough to live on for a lifetime.”
Fang Wen realized for the first time how formidable his father-in-law was.
Although he did not know the future, he keenly sensed the prevailing wind through his conversation with Fang Wen.
If he were truly allowed to monopolize the cinchona bark for three years, no, even just for one year of cinchona bark, it would be considerable.
When the real outbreak occurs, these will be life-saving items.
Fang Wen had no intention of stopping his father-in-law, as long as China’s supply of cinchona bark was sufficient. As for other places, isn’t it the law of the capitalist jungle? Then one must abide by the rules of the game.
