Chapter 201: Taishan Airlines Earns 80%, New Life Movement, Suspected Unit 731
Shopkeeper Liu brought people into HSBC Bank to prepare to withdraw gold.
The bank was also very lively today.
People crowded in front of the counter, scrambling to handle business.
As a major client, Shopkeeper Liu was greeted by the Hotel Manager.
“What are they doing?” Shopkeeper Liu asked.
“They’re all exchanging US Dollars. The US Dollars in their hands depreciated by 40% overnight, and they’re afraid of further depreciation, so they’re all thinking of selling them off quickly.” The Hotel Manager was in poor spirits, clearly also a victim of the US Dollar depreciation. He couldn’t help but continue grumbling: “They all want to exchange for US Dollars, but no one dares to accept them. Our bank is mainly holding US Dollars ourselves, with not much reserve in other currencies, so we can’t exchange them all.”
Shopkeeper Liu dealt with money every day and was very interested in this: “Yeah, who can stand such depreciation of the US Dollar. Luckily our General Manager is wise and exchanged it into gold in advance, otherwise we’d have taken a loss too.”
“That’s right, you made a big profit.” The Hotel Manager looked envious as he led Shopkeeper Liu and his group to the manager’s office.
Shopkeeper Liu took out the gold note and requested to withdraw all the gold.
The manager asked: “Are you planning to exchange for silver? Everyone is betting on silver rising now. Silver has already risen 10%, so the earlier you exchange, the better.”
Overnight, because gold prices rose, the silver price in China also increased somewhat.
This meant that exchanging gold for silver dollars would result in a 10% loss.
Shopkeeper Liu didn’t dare make this decision and immediately called back to the company to inform the General Manager.
In the General Manager’s office at Taishan Airlines Headquarters, Fang Wen picked up the microphone.
Shopkeeper Liu’s voice came through the microphone: “General Manager, silver dollars have risen 10%. Should we exchange?”
“First tell me about the situation in Shanghai.” Fang Wen asked.
“At the Gold Exchange, everyone is scrambling to buy gold. There are people selling gold, but not many. At the bank here, everyone is exchanging US Dollars for other currencies, with silver dollars being the most popular. But foreign banks don’t have enough silver dollar reserves, so few people can exchange.”
Fang Wen pondered; this should be a state of panic, with everyone afraid the US Dollar would continue to fall.
But in reality, the US Dollar was still pegged to gold; it was just that the exchange rate had changed, and this exchange rate of 35 US Dollars per ounce of gold would likely last for a long time.
Fang Wen was bullish on the US Dollar; it shouldn’t continue to depreciate later.
In this situation, wasn’t it exactly “what others discard, I take”?
Why not take this opportunity to make a little extra profit.
He spoke up: “Since silver dollars have risen 10%, don’t exchange yet. Go ask if anyone is willing to exchange US Dollars for gold, but not at the current price—10% higher. They might be willing.”
“Understood.” Shopkeeper Liu got the idea and hung up the phone. He said to the bank manager: “Let’s discuss something.”
“What is it?” the HSBC Bank manager asked.
“In a bit, use your bank’s space to do a deal on site.”
After communicating with the bank manager, Shopkeeper Liu and the manager came to the bank lobby together.
There, Shopkeeper Liu said loudly: “Everyone, we’ll take the US Dollars in your hands, Taishan Airlines.”
Instantly, all the tycoons and foreigners in the lobby turned around to look at him.
The crowd suddenly shifted from the counter toward Shopkeeper Liu, surrounding him.
“How are you taking them?”
“Exchanging for silver dollars?”
“Take mine first.”
In the crush, Taishan Airlines staff hurried over to help block the crowd.
Forced by the situation, Shopkeeper Liu climbed onto a table and said loudly: “Don’t rush. If you keep this chaotic, we won’t take any today.”
Instantly, those people quieted down and stepped back.
Shopkeeper Liu, relieved, continued: “Taishan Airlines is taking a risk by accepting US Dollars now. We can’t take them at the original price; it has to be 10% higher.”
The people were immediately furious.
They had just lost 40%, and now it was rising 10% here.
These tycoons and foreigners from Shanghai glared at Shopkeeper Liu.
Shopkeeper Liu said leisurely: “You don’t have to exchange. In today’s Shanghai, I estimate only Taishan Airlines dares to take your US Dollars.”
Everyone hesitated; it really was the case.
While they hesitated, Shopkeeper Liu added: “We’re raising it by 10%, but we’re not shortchanging you; we’re using gold to exchange.”
Instantly, everyone’s eyes lit up.
Gold was the most valuable now; exchanging for gold was the best choice. People were going crazy at the Gold Exchange.
Thinking this way, a 10% increase wasn’t unacceptable.
Immediately, someone agreed.
The bank manager took out a stack of US Dollars and said eagerly: “I’ll exchange.”
He wasn’t just acting in coordination; other bank employees also took out their own US Dollar savings.
In this major US Dollar depreciation, HSBC Bank employees had also suffered heavy losses.
With the HSBC Bank employees taking the lead, the others had no more concerns and all agreed to the terms.
Subsequently, gold from the vault was brought out—all standard gold bars purchased from the Gold Exchange, in two sizes: 1 tael and 10 taels.
The 1-tael ones were called small gold bars, 31.25 grams.
The 10-tael ones were called large gold bars, 312.5 grams.
Calculated at the current price of 35 US Dollars per ounce, plus 10%, that was the transaction price.
Shopkeeper Liu conducted the deal on the spot, cash on one hand and goods on the other, completing the gold-for-US Dollars transaction directly at HSBC Bank.
As the news spread, more and more people rushed over, all wanting to exchange their US Dollars for gold.
Unfortunately, Taishan Airlines’ gold reserves were limited and not enough for all; it lasted less than 2 hours before all the gold was exchanged.
Of the US Dollars obtained from the exchanges, Shopkeeper Liu deposited 50% at HSBC Bank, and exchanged the other 50% into silver dollars to supplement the company’s working capital.
In this back-and-forth, they profited again amid the US Dollar depreciation storm.
With the US Dollar depreciating and gold rising, Taishan Airlines made its own funds profit 85% through this operation.
It could be called a windfall from heaven; thanks to the Federal Reserve.
Meanwhile,
Construction of the oil refinery had progressed halfway.
Taishan Airlines’ international flight paths were also entering a growth phase.
After more than a month of international flight operations, the load factor steadily climbed from 40% to ultimately 70%.
A 70% load factor was enough to ensure profitability on international routes, and with flights also carrying air cargo and mail, the actual profits were very substantial.
Silver was also transported via the Asia-Europe route to Switzerland, awaiting the Federal Reserve’s next move.
Cigarettes were also starting to sell overseas through the overseas branches of international flights.
Taishan Brand Cigarettes, as Taishan Airlines’ branded product, appeared in airport shops in Yangon, Kolkata, Delhi, Kabul, Tehran, Ankara, Rome, and Paris.
At the same time, to expand the influence of the cigarettes, Taishan Brand Cigarettes also became complimentary gifts for airplane passengers.
Meanwhile, airport offices in various places were also tasked with stocking retail channels in those cities.
This was replicating the domestic aviation distribution center model to form an internationalized distribution network.
But different regions had different customs and languages; the original packaging of Taishan Brand Cigarettes wasn’t suitable and needed changes.
For this, Fang Wen needed to find someone to create cigarette labels with strong regional characteristics.
In addition, the script discussed with Huanzhu Louzhu two months ago was taking shape, so Fang Wen decided to go to the Shanghai urban area again.
Going to the Shanghai urban area required disguise.
This time, he wanted to do it himself, so that he could complete the disguise process in the future without Kuang Mingzhu’s help.
First, clean the facial oil, then put on the thin, elastic human skin mask.
Fang Wen looked in the mirror, setting the appearance he wanted to disguise into.
He set a gaunt face shape.
He filled out the chin, slightly lengthened the face, smeared the mask’s skin tone to light yellow, then stuck on eyebrows and mustache.
The mustache was an essential prop. The human skin mask wasn’t perfect; the mouth area was the easiest to reveal flaws. Without a mustache, the lip movements when speaking would create wrinkles, letting others spot something wrong.
After finishing the facial disguise, Fang Wen put on a wide-brimmed hat and a long trench coat.
His whole appearance immediately changed to a gaunt long-faced man with a mustache—weathered and cold.
This face seemed familiar.
Fang Wen looked again and suddenly realized; it seemed like a killer from a TV drama he had watched in his previous life.
Probably a supporting character, but very cool.
He pulled the wide-brimmed hat low, walked out of the room, and asked his wife outside to evaluate.
“How’s my disguise?”
Kuang Mingzhu looked surprised: “It feels so strange; clearly very fierce, yet not scary. But overall, no flaws; others shouldn’t associate this appearance with you.”
“Good then. I’ll go out the back; help cover for me today.”
Fang Wen turned and walked to the back kitchen, exiting through the back kitchen’s miscellaneous door into the back courtyard.
There was originally no exit there, but there was a ladder. Fang Wen set up the ladder and climbed over the wall.
Out of his courtyard, he took a small alley to the bungalow where the car was hidden and drove out his modified armored bulletproof car.
The car headed to the Shanghai urban area and stopped at the door of Mr. Liang and Mr. Lin’s house.
He locked the car, went upstairs, and knocked.
The door opened, and Mr. Liang warily sized up Fang Wen: “Who are you?”
“The pilot.” Fang Wen replied.
Mr. Liang immediately understood and smiled teasingly: “The thousand-faced General Manager is here. You’re really amazing; every time I see you, it’s a new appearance.”
He brought Fang Wen inside without introducing him to the salon people, but took him into the guest room.
After a while, Fang Wen emerged from the guest room with his real face restored and quietly joined the salon, sitting silently in a corner.
The salon was currently exchanging information.
“I lost big time. If I’d known the US Dollar would fall like this, I’d have exchanged my money for gold.”
“That’s you; you just returned to China. We don’t have much US Dollars on hand.”
“What do you think of the National Government’s New Life Movement promoted this month?”
“It’s just rephrasing Confucian propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame. What he says is putting the cart before the horse.”
“Yeah, make the country rich and the people strong first, then know propriety. When you’re too poor to eat, where does new life come from?”
“I have his speech text; does anyone want to see it?”
The “he” discussed in the salon naturally referred to Chiang Kai-shek. Fang Wen wasn’t familiar with Chiang Kai-shek’s New Life Movement and was also curious about what he would say.
A man picked up the paper, mimicking the appearance and giving a speech: “Weimar revived in less than fifteen years… They had just been defeated in war, yet after a few years could refuse to pay reparations and just default on the debt, while our reparations from decades or over a century ago are still paid annually even now. In short, Weimar is a country, China is a country; Weimar achieved equality with other countries without military force, while China, though having military force, still can’t achieve equality. What’s the reason? Nothing else—it’s simply because our ordinary citizens’ knowledge and morals are inferior to theirs.”
Pfft, Fang Wen laughed out loud, but his laughter didn’t draw attention because everyone was laughing.
The Republic of China President actually believed the reason for China’s such decline was that ordinary citizens’ knowledge and morals were inferior to Weimar’s.
Fang Wen detected a strong public intellectual flavor: magnifying partial issues to the whole, then denying everything.
Turns out even in the Republic of China era, there was precedent.
The salon continued, and Fang Wen wanted to hear what else would be discussed next, so he didn’t reveal his identity and continued listening silently.
During this time, in the eyes of intellectuals, it was like another book burning and scholar burying incident had occurred.
In February, five radical writers in Shanghai were killed, and a large number of books with progressive remarks were destroyed.
Not just Shanghai; other major cities were staging the same events.
This behavior carrying strong threats made the salon’s atmosphere heavy.
Mr. Liang spoke up: “Alright, no more discussion of that. Let’s welcome Mr. Shi Fengyuan who came from the Northeast. Let him talk about the situation there now.”
Shi Fengyuan, dressed in a long robe, stood up, cupped his fists in salute, and sighed:
“Ah, coming from the Northeast is like going from hell to heaven, but the Japanese’s evil deeds are still vivid in my mind, unforgettable for life.”
The salon fell silent as everyone listened to Shi Fengyuan recount his experiences in the Northeast.
He, Shi Fengyuan, an ordinary culture teacher in Harbin, had personally witnessed the changes in the two years of Japanese occupation of Harbin.
Shi Fengyuan lived in Lalin Town on the outskirts of the city, commuting to the city for teaching; his life wasn’t affluent but stable.
In February 1932, when the Japanese occupied Harbin, such days were gone.
At first the Japanese were active in the urban area, but later a team of military officers came to Lalin Town. They selected a small market of about a hundred households nearby, drove out all the household heads, demolished the houses, and built barracks.
The Japanese even named these barracks: Zhongma Castle.
Zhongma Castle straddled the only highway, blocking the passage; to pass, one had to detour.
For nearby residents, it was a forbidden area. Once someone curiously observed around it and was directly shot dead.
Shi Fengyuan’s words stirred indignation in the salon members.
Someone angrily denounced: “The Japanese forcibly occupy land and kill our countrymen at will; outrageous.”
Everyone echoed agreement.
Fang Wen, however, was thinking.
What Shi Fengyuan said felt a bit strange to him.
He couldn’t help asking: “Ordinary barracks wouldn’t be so heavily guarded; there must be something suspicious.”
Everyone turned to look, surprised when Taishan Airlines’ General Manager had arrived.
At the same time, Shi Fengyuan responded: “Yes, definitely something wrong. Ever since this barracks appeared, people in our area frequently went missing, causing widespread panic. My family members had to barricade doors and windows with large wooden beams to sleep at night. Later, we couldn’t stay any longer and used Russian connections to escape on their cargo ship.”
The others didn’t react much to Shi Fengyuan’s words, but in Fang Wen’s heart, they stirred huge waves.
He knew about the bad things the Japanese did in the Northeast, including Unit 731’s human experiments.
Although Unit 731 might not have appeared yet, it wasn’t guaranteed the Japanese hadn’t started human experiments early.
Those missing people were probably doomed, turned into the Japanese’s test subjects.
Anger rose in his heart; Fang Wen wanted to pulverize Zhongma Castle.
No, not just pulverize Zhongma Castle; he also wanted to expose the Japanese’s human experiment evil deeds and publicize them.
At this moment, a hand lightly patted Fang Wen’s shoulder: “General Manager Fang, how did you zone out?”
Fang Wen snapped back; Japanese matters could wait. For now, complete what he came for.
