You must know that although the Republic of China was weak during this period, it was still an out-and-out sovereign country. The territory, airspace and territorial waters of a sovereign country are not allowed to be occupied or violated by other countries.
At present, the Republic of China's navy is too weak, and its territorial sea rights have become purely paper words. It can only watch the warships and smuggling ships of Western powers and small Japan running rampant in China's territorial waters without any solution.
But airspace is different. No matter how powerful a country you are, when it comes to civil aviation, safety must be the first factor, otherwise no one will pay to fly on your plane.
The first factor in security is that it must be legal, which means it must obtain the consent of the sovereign country where it is located.
Without the cooperation and consent of the sovereign state, you will be restricted in the use of the airport alone. It is even more dangerous in the air. If it is shot down by other warlords with anti-aircraft guns or fighter jets, I will not be responsible. Who told you not to say hello?
In the Republic of China, the National Aviation Commission was the certifying agency for the legality of civil aviation companies. So, do you think Chief Qian has great authority?
There are currently two airlines in the Republic of China.
A company called China Airlines was established in 1929. The Ministry of Transportation of the Republic of China government holds 55% of the shares, and American investors including the American aircraft manufacturer Stimson Company hold 45% of the shares. The main types of aircraft are American aircraft, and the routes are mainly in major cities along the Yangtze River.
Another company is called Eurasian Airlines, which was established in 1931 as a joint venture between the Republic of China government and Lufthansa, with Lufthansa accounting for one-third of the shares. Eurasia Airlines mainly opens routes between north and south China. For example, Shanghai-Zhengzhou-Xi'an-Lanzhou, Guangzhou-Hankou-Zhengzhou-Taiyuan-Beijing, Beijing-Suiyuan-Ningxia-Lanzhou, Kunming-Chengdu-Hanzhong-Xi'an, etc.
If these two airlines want to open any route and the time plan of each flight, they must apply and report to Governor Qian's Aviation Committee, which will uniformly plan the aircraft routes and airports along the way.
Therefore, at current airports across the Republic of China, whether military or civilian, as long as Chief Qian says hello, Zhou Wen's plane can be parked and refueled, and it is nothing more than paying some fees. Even airports operated by warlords such as Kunming, Chengdu, Guilin, etc. still have to give Chief Qian this face.
Moreover, Eurasia Airlines is headquartered in Shanghai. Almost all of their aircraft are 17-seat Junkers JU-52 and 6-seat Junkers W-33 aircraft. There is no shortage of experts and technicians. Zhou Wen’s aircraft can be hired just in time. They help with maintenance. What's more, German technology and German rigor have always been the most trusted by Zhou Wen, so the aircraft can be left to Eurasia Airlines with complete confidence.
Having solved the problem of aircraft maintenance and parking, the next step is to solve the problem of aircraft ownership.
On this point, Chief Qian saw it better than anyone else. He just nodded a few words vaguely, and Zhou Wen understood what the elder brother meant.
Through Chief Qian’s introduction, Zhou Wen learned that at this period, even the principal’s plane was only a six-seater biplane gifted from Italy. In terms of the appearance, advanced nature and comfort of the aircraft, it was different from Zhou Wen’s Queen Junkers Ju52. Airplanes are simply not comparable.
This brings up a question. Your plane is more high-end and classy than the principal's. How can you make the principal feel embarrassed?
Just like in later generations, as a subordinate, you drive a BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but the leader's car is just a Santana. Don't you want to live a good life?
If the principal asked for the plane, he would have to think hard to find a suitable excuse.
Damn it, you must not allow irrelevant people to get on the plane to observe. After returning, you will immediately use the excuse that the plane is faulty to fly to Shanghai and modify it in the hangar of Eurasia Airlines. It is necessary to remove all the luxurious facilities in the cabin and install two rows of simple seats that can be stowed away like ordinary transport aircraft, so that the Queen can return to the appearance of the original transport aircraft.
This was the first preventive measure Zhou Wen took, which was to prevent people who were close to the principal from seeing the real appearance of the Queen, and then immediately flew to Shanghai to have it remodeled. It was best to make the appearance and cabin as old as possible.
Anyway, Zhou Wen originally only regarded the plane as an efficient means of transportation, and there was no need for those fancy decorations.
Zhou Wen knew that the most important thing was not to let the principal know that this plane was the King of Siam's plane, otherwise he would definitely use both kindness and power to get the plane over, and he would do it for free without paying a dime.
At this stage, Zhou Wen still needs the support of the principal, and naturally he cannot make the relationship too tense, so he has to figure out how to deal with this somewhat greedy principal.
After the plane landed at Nanjing Ming Palace Airport, only Chief Qian, Zhou Wen, Liu Ruolan, Zhang Xiaoping and a few of Chief Qian's entourage got off the plane. The others replenished some fuel on the Queen and then flew directly to Longhua, Shanghai. Airport.
Thanks to Chief Qian's help, Zhou Wen had already reached an agreement with Eurasia Airlines' management staff through long-distance calls when he was in Kunming. Eurasia Airlines would be responsible for the modification, maintenance and parking of the aircraft, while Zhou Wen had to pay the modification fee and Parking maintenance fees.
Of course, along with the plane to Shanghai were the weapons and equipment obtained from the British. These good treasures were not safe to store in Nanjing, and they were too eye-catching. Zhou Wen knew that after learning that he had returned home safely, the British would never give up and would definitely come back to demand the return of these equipment.
After Zhou Wen and the others got off the plane, they were immediately picked up by a vehicle from the principal's attendant's office, and they were greeted by Adjutant Wang. Of course, Liu Ruolan took another car back to Liu's house, and she wanted to quickly inform Zhou's father and Hong Xiu, who were still worried, about Zhou Wen's safe return.
However, it was said that when Zhou Wen was taken to the reception room of the principal's official residence, he was given a rare warm reception by the principal.
Not only did the principal hold Zhou Wen's hand and praise him repeatedly, saying that he had contributed to the country and the government, he would immediately urge the Military Commission to give him commendations, etc., but he also kept asking the guards to bring tea and water to Zhou Wen, as if he were receiving distinguished guests. The showmanship made Zhou Wen feel a little uncomfortable.
And the more this happened, the more vigilant Zhou Wen became. This principal is so enthusiastic. Could it be that he has done something sorry for himself before or has some agenda?
He guessed very accurately. After seeing Zhou Wen return safely, the principal may have felt guilty for having some inappropriate thoughts towards him. Maybe it was because this kid had earned himself a total of 10 million US dollars, which made him feel very guilty. Satisfied, perhaps because he further realized Zhou Wen's role and importance. Anyway, after seeing Zhou Wen today, he felt that this boy was more pleasing to the eye than usual, and he felt a little more close to him.
Next, Zhou Wen reported in detail the entire process of the operation.
