CHAPTER 76: CHAPTER 85: ITALY IS ALSO AN ALLY

The friendship between scholars is simple, and also pure.

A casual conversation and academic discussion can further deepen the bond between scholars—a bond far deeper than outsiders could imagine.

However, such friendship is ultimately limited to scholars themselves. Outside of that circle, you either learn to toast others, or you’re toasted by others.

Clearly, Pierre belonged to the latter group.

After all, sometimes, money really is omnipotent!

A few days later, the Imperial Uncle once again visited Zhenhua Company. Upon seeing Pierre, he exclaimed excitedly:

"Zhiyuan, it’s done!"

With that, he waved the telegram in his hand and smiled.

"Look, this is a telegram from home. Let me read it to you... ’The country is full of refugees; if they can be settled in North Borneo, it would be a wise move. The execution of the immigration agreement must prioritize the protection of Chinese interests. The North Borneo Company must guarantee the legal rights of Chinese immigrants, strictly adhere to all terms of the agreement, ensure that housing is provided upon arrival, and establish special schools for Chinese children...’"

The telegram was quite lengthy, with about half of it reiterating the importance of Chinese interests. Pierre wholeheartedly agreed—housing, schools, those absolutely needed to be established immediately, and as for the rights of the Chinese, they would certainly be higher than those of the locals.

As Pierre put down the telegram, the Imperial Uncle said,

"Zhiyuan, after my persistent efforts, the government has fully agreed to your terms, as long as Chinese rights are ensured. After all, we have a large population and little land; sending immigrants to North Borneo is indeed a good thing."

Why did the Imperial Uncle say this? Of course, it was to curry favor—there’s no shame in toasting a billionaire.

Pierre, fully understanding, immediately expressed his gratitude. He had to accept this favor, but whether he would return it was something only he knew.

After that, the two of them chatted about many things. Upon learning that the merchant fleet was about to arrive in Havana, the Imperial Uncle said,

"The Americans have agreed to let the merchant ships pass through the Panama Canal. Once through, they can head straight for India."

Whether intentionally or not, the Imperial Uncle emphasized,

"Zhiyuan, don’t worry, all of these supplies will be used at the front, for the war effort!"

"Mm, mm."

He really doubted their integrity!

But there was nothing he could do—they were back home, after all!

"But, can these supplies be delivered back to China in time? I heard there’s been some friction between our government and the Americans over the allocation of supplies."

Pierre asked directly.

"That’s true, but don’t worry. The Americans can only control the supplies they provide. The materials we purchase independently can be handed directly to the China National Aviation Corporation and flown home via the ’Hump Route.’ Hmm..."

After thinking for a moment, the Imperial Uncle continued,

"But right now, the China National Aviation Corporation’s capacity is limited. Every month, they can only transport a little over 12,000 tons of supplies. The main problem is a shortage of pilots. The Americans can provide more transport planes, but not more pilots. We don’t have enough pilots in China either, and those we do have are prioritized for fighter planes. So, unless we solve the pilot shortage, the transport capacity issue won’t be resolved any time soon."

The Imperial Uncle’s answer made Pierre frown slightly. Ever since the Japanese occupied Burma in the spring of 1942, for nearly three years, the only way for American aid to reach China was by air over the Himalayas. This terrifying route began in Assam, northeastern India, and crossed some of the world’s most dangerous terrain. Combined with frequent Japanese fighter attacks, the "Hump Route" became the most perilous air route of World War II.

But when did the "Hump Route" truly come into its own?

In 1945!

With the end of the European war, a large number of pilots were transferred from Europe to India. In just a few months, monthly transport capacity jumped from a little over 10,000 tons to 60,000 tons. The "Hump Route," combined with road transport and fuel pipelines, finally reached 100,000 tons, of which 65% was via the Hump Route. But by then, it was already July 1945!

After thinking it over, Pierre asked,

"So, the root cause of the limited transport capacity is..."

"Is there a shortage of pilots?"

"Zhiyuan, you might not know this, but the United States can build hundreds of airplanes every day. However, they simply don’t have enough pilots. The U.S. was drawn into the war because of Pearl Harbor, but their policy is ’Europe First.’ Pilots are prioritized for Europe, and the Pacific also needs a large number of pilots. As for Asia, the ’Hump Route’ over there..."

He shook his head and continued directly,

"It’s simply not a consideration for the Pentagon. When I negotiate with them, they always say the same thing: whatever number of transport planes we need, they can provide, but as for pilots, we have to solve that problem ourselves!"

After saying this, his tone was filled with helplessness.

"But pilots aren’t like Sun Wukong’s hairs—you can’t just pluck a handful and have them appear. Without pilots, even if they provide us with planes, we still can’t transport supplies back home! Right now, we’re doing everything we can to train pilots domestically, but that takes time. In about a year, we might be able to train at least a thousand pilots and tens of thousands of ground crew. By then, maybe we can allocate another one or two hundred pilots to the Hump Route, but time... time is the problem."

After saying this, he let out a long sigh. This was the helplessness of a poor agricultural country: even when giving it their all, they could only train a handful of pilots.

While lamenting the nation’s backwardness, Pierre suddenly recalled those unemployed pilots he’d seen in Italy—because of the Allies’ distrust, the Italian military was basically just existing in name. Even the pilots were grounded at the airfields, doing nothing. How long would they stay grounded? Until the war ended. And what was their common situation?

Poverty!

Thinking of this, Pierre’s eyes lit up and he said,

"So, as long as we have pilots, the Americans will provide the transport planes?"

"That’s what General Marshall said. He even promised that as long as we have enough pilots, he’ll provide us with at least 500 C-46 transport planes within half a month."

Hearing this, Pierre said directly,

"Then tell him—we have pilots!"

"What?"

The old statesman was surprised.

"Pilots? Where?"

"Italy!"

Pierre replied bluntly,

"There are thousands of pilots in Italy. As long as we’re willing to hire them, they’ll definitely be willing to work for us."

While the old statesman was still surprised, Pierre added,

"You have to remember, Italy is also an Allied nation now..."