At the small square at the entrance of Spring Airlines Erhai Base, Liu Minxue squinted his eyes and looked at Xu Cang and Zhu Ming who were standing together in the distance.
Just now, Xu Cang, for some unknown reason, suddenly mentioned the acquisition of Phoenix Aviation School. If it was someone from another airline, Zhu Ming would definitely not bother to care about it, but facing Xu Cang, Zhu Ming still showed great patience.
In the corner of the square, Zhu Ming looked distressed: "Junior brother, was what you just said true?"
"Then you won't feel that I am making fun of you, right?" Xu Cang asked back: "How about it, is it feasible?"
"What is feasible and what is not feasible? Isn't it just a matter of money?"
Xu Cang understood what Zhu Ming said and changed his words: "Do you know the price range in the mind of the owner of Phoenix Aviation School?"
"Junior brother, do you really want to listen?" Zhu Ming hurriedly advised: "I'm telling you, let's just forget about it."
Xu Cang clicked his tongue and said, "Why, it's a huge amount. Tell me about it, I also want to know the current price of aviation schools in China."
Zhu Ming sighed. He could see that Xu Cang had made up his mind, so he held up two fingers and said, "Two hundred million! "
"How much?" Xu Cang's face was half squeezed together. He thought he had heard wrongly: "Two hundred million? Has inflation reached this point? I remember that your boss only spent less than 20 million when he acquired Phoenix Aviation School. It's only been a few years, and it's ten times!?"
That’s right, the current boss of Phoenix Aviation School is not the founder, but the second boss.
"You still know the purchase price back then?" This surprised Zhu Ming a little. Of course, the purchase price was not a top secret, but only a few people knew about it. How did Xu Cang know it?
Of course Xu Cang couldn't say that this was the information advantage that came from being reborn.
If the development in the previous life continues, Phoenix Aviation School will be merged with Flight Academy in about twelve years. During the merger, Flight Academy needs to review various documents of Phoenix Aviation School, and the previous acquisition documents are naturally within the scope of review, and the person in charge of the review is Xu Cang.
Because the Flight Academy is a direct subsidiary of the General Administration, any major academy affairs are subject to the supervision of the General Administration.
"Uh, I'm just guessing." Xu Cang laughed dryly, "That's not important. What's important is why the price has increased tenfold."
Zhu Ming was not wary of Xu Cang, so he naturally believed whatever Xu Cang said, and was really fooled by Xu Cang.
"Ten times, you're underestimating it." Zhu Ming then said something shocking: "Two hundred million is just the transfer price of the aviation school license."
"I..." Xu Cang almost wanted to curse, it turned out that his imagination was not rich enough.
The transfer of an aviation school includes the transfer of the aviation school's license and the transfer of the aviation school's fixed assets.
The aviation school license is like a company's business license, except that this license is not issued by the Industrial and Commercial Bureau, but by the Civil Aviation Administration. As a special training institution, the aviation school's license issued by the Civil Aviation Administration is the most valuable. However, the aviation school itself has other fixed assets, such as land, buildings and aircraft.
At first, Xu Cang thought that 200 million was the price of the aviation school license plus fixed assets. In the end, Xu Cang was still young, and 200 million was only enough to buy an aviation school license, which was really outrageous.
Phoenix Aviation School has a long history, so the buildings and facilities on campus are quite old and worthless. Phoenix Aviation School is located in a remote area, 40 minutes’ drive from Qiongzhou Airport, their training airport, and the land is not expensive. Its fleet is also full of old models, and the only relatively expensive one is the KINGAIR high-performance aircraft.
Therefore, when Xu Cang heard Zhu Ming mention 200 million, he felt that the price was too high, even taking into account the fixed assets of the aviation school.
However, things are unpredictable and everything has changed.
"What if I buy them all?" Xu Cang's mouth twitched: "How much does it cost?"
Zhu Ming smiled and said, "Without more than 300 million, I think you'd better not even think about it. Besides, more than 300 million is just a relatively low price. I think the price will go up, after all, there are other buyers."
Xu Cang was stunned: "Are there other buyers?"
"Why do you think the price can be raised so high? You think the price is outrageous, but it's not that outrageous." Zhu Ming said, "In the past few years, even the official way of the flight academy couldn't recruit enough people, let alone our unofficial way. In the past few years, our boss was thinking about who to take over, but after working hard for several years, no one was willing to take over. Just when he thought the aviation school was going to rot in his hands, the domestic civil aviation control was relaxed, and the fortunes suddenly improved. You know, tomorrow's expected student orders will be three times that of this year, and this is the first year of the relaxation of control. The demand will only get higher and higher in the future. All the orders that the flight academy couldn't take over were divided among us. The future is a time to make money without doing anything. Aviation school licenses are so difficult to obtain. Now Phoenix Aviation School is not a money-loser, it is a high-quality asset."
Xu Cang was overwhelmed when he heard that, so the policy was the biggest bonus. Just the aftermath of a policy could make an aviation school that had been ignored and on the verge of bankruptcy turn around and directly become a carp leaping over the dragon gate.
"You work for an airline company, so you should know how profitable it is to train students. You are not the only one who is optimistic about the future of aviation schools. Many people share the same view as you. With the right policies and the right environment, even pigs can thrive in such a favorable environment. Moreover, running an aviation school can actually make money now. How can the price not be high?"
Xu Cang was speechless: "But I didn't expect it to be so high. More than 300 million, or is that the bottom line?"
"Let me tell you this. If you've really made up your mind, then go for it now. The impact of the domestic civil aviation deregulation policy will last for another ten years. At least in the next ten years, people will have a very high opinion of aviation school investment. It's over 300 million now, but it may be over 400 million tomorrow. And now is the bonus period. If you delay for a year, not only will you have to spend more money, but you will also get one year less of bonus. It's not worth it."
From a standpoint, Zhu Ming can be said to have treated Xu Cang as his own and even provided analysis for Xu Cang.
Indeed, the deregulation of domestic civil aviation is still in its early stages, and its impact may not be that obvious yet. Most investors are still late to the party , after all, civil aviation is a relatively niche and professional field, and there is a lag in the interpretation of policies and the assessment of subsequent impacts.
However, as time goes by, and domestic civil aviation enters a period of rapid development, everything will become clear. Once capital really pours in, Xu Cang will not be able to compete with those big capitals, and his acquisition costs will be greatly increased, which will not be worth the loss.
"More than 300 million." Xu Cang was really convinced: "How can I come up with so much money in such a short period of time?"
A large amount of Xu Cang's funds will be used for Asiana Airlines, and another part will be used for Jinghong Airport. As for the rest, let alone 300 million, even 30 million would be a stretch.
"Then I advise you to just give up this idea." Zhu Ming sincerely said: "Once hot money pours in later, you won't be able to compete with them."
Xu Cang pondered for a moment: "The reason why the price of aviation schools is so high now is that people in the industry are highly optimistic about the future of civil aviation. If...something happens to undermine this confidence, will everything go back to the way it was before?"
Obviously, this sentence was completely beyond Zhu Ming's understanding.
"Everything is going well now, what could happen?"
Xu Cang waved his hand: "No, I'm just talking. Senior Brother, I will remember what you said. Whether to acquire Phoenix Aviation School or not, we will know this year."
…
Ginza in Tokyo, Japan, is a prosperous business district that ranks among the top in the world. After sunset, the flow of people does not decrease, but it is the beginning of the real night life. Like the Champs Elysees in Paris, it has a large number of high-end department stores, traditional old stores and luxury consumption places.
Amid the hustle and bustle of traffic, everything around is full of lights and bustle, demonstrating the vigorous vitality of the "Heart of Tokyo".
In one of the watch shops, Yukio Nakamura was trying on a gold watch. As a public official, his income was a little out of place. However, judging by his appearance, it was not just a simple try, but he was seriously considering whether to buy it.
Next to him, a tall and slender clerk was explaining the advantages of gold watches to Yukio Nakamura. However, before he could finish a few words, with the sound of leather shoes hitting the floor, JAL President Nagano Hideki slowly came in.
Nagano Hideki waved his hand, signaling the clerk to leave. The clerk obviously knew Nagano Hideki, bowed slightly, and walked away obediently.
"I didn't expect Mr. Nakamura to have such a special liking for watches." Nagano Hideki didn't even look at the pile of famous watches displayed in the glass cabinet. Instead, he leaned against the edge of the cabinet and smiled casually, but his words seemed to have another meaning.
Yukio Nakamura seemed to have known that Nagano Hideki was coming. He didn't even turn his head and just looked at the gold watch on his wrist: "Pilots usually like two things, one is a watch, the other is sunglasses."
"But why don't I like any of them?"
Hideki Nagano has done a lot of flying, so his expertise is among the best among airline executives.
"So you retired and did company management." Nakamura Yukio seemed to like the gold watch he chose very much. While speaking, he looked at himself in the mirror for a long time, changing the angles.
Nagano Hideki was not impatient either. He just waited by the side without saying a word.
"Not bad." The more Yukio Nakamura looked at it, the more satisfied he felt.
"That's right, then keep it." Nagano Hideki said lightly.
Yukio Nakamura naturally lowered his arm, without any sign of taking off his gold watch, nor did he intend to pay the bill. He just smiled at Hideki Nagano and said, "President Nagano is still as generous as ever."
Nagano Hideki did not respond to Nakamura Yukio's compliment, but asked indifferently: "Mr. Nakamura, have you figured out the matter of ANA Flight 45?"
"That's about right." Nakamura Yukio yawned. "I've been staying up late several times for this matter recently, and now I feel a little relieved. Is President Nagano interested?"
"Let's talk in the car."
Hideki Nagano was the first to leave the watch shop, followed closely by Yukio Nakamura. The clerk knew that the gold watch was on Yukio Nakamura's wrist, but did not stop him.
Not far from the store was Nagano Hideki's luxury car, and the two sat in the back seat. The driver was quite tactful, and when he saw Nagano Hideki and Nakamura Yukio sitting in together, he immediately asked, "President, can I go out and watch?"
Nagano Hideki hummed, and the driver immediately left on his own accord, standing three or four steps away from the car.
"President Nagano, are all your people so smart?"
Nagano Hideki said calmly: "Eliminate the unintelligent ones, and the only ones left are the clever ones. Isn't that simple?"
"That's true, but we can't just change people at will in our official institutions. Often, there are people as stupid as pigs under us, and we can't do anything about it."
"Mr. Nakamura, have you forgotten what you just said?"
Nakamura Yukio smiled shyly: "I just have some feelings. The incident of ANA Flight 45 is not complicated at all..."
As he spoke, Yukio Nakamura began to tell Hideki Nagano what the JCAB had investigated so far. Although these things would be made public later, they were still confidential at this point in time, but in front of Hideki Nagano, Yukio Nakamura did not hold back at all.
Judging from the way the two of them interact with each other, it seems that this kind of "cooperation" is not the first time, and they are obviously very familiar with it.
As Yukio Nakamura said, although the hijacking of ANA Flight 45 was full of twists and turns, it was not complicated to tell from a third-party perspective. As Xu Cang, the subject of the incident, had almost nothing to hide, what he said was consistent with what the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) knew, which greatly reduced the difficulty of the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau's investigation.
Only a few days have passed, and JCAB has basically sorted out the cause and effect.
About forty minutes later, Yukio Nakamura finally finished his account of the hijacking of ANA Flight 45. During these forty minutes, Yukio Nakamura was the only one talking, which made him very dry-mouthed.
"According to you, Xu Cang not only handled most of the incidents, but even decided to sacrifice himself in the end to buy time for the passengers to evacuate?"
Yukio Nakamura hummed, "We have checked and found that there is indeed a problem with the DC drive of the outflow valve. This is consistent with what Xu Cang reported, and there is also a verbal statement from the captain on duty, so it is highly credible."
"The credibility is extremely high..." The Civil Aviation Administration of Japan has not yet released the final incident report, so even the most certain things cannot be described in affirmative sentences, but Yukio Nakamura's use of the word "credible" is basically equivalent to a foregone conclusion.
But when he thought of this situation, Nagano Hideki felt a surge of anger in his chest, and kicked the back of the seat in front of him again. Such a sudden change scared Nakamura Yukio, he really didn't expect Nagano Hideki to have such a reaction.
"President Nagano, what are you doing?"
The veins on Nagano Hideki's neck popped out, and he said bitterly, "What a suitable candidate! He fits my vision perfectly. Ahhhh, but why did he reject me?"
In Nagano Hideki's opinion, Xu Cang's request to buy 1% of Class A shares was no different from a direct rejection, because there was no possibility that the JAL board of directors would agree.
Nagano Hideki had seen Xu Cang's amazing manipulation skills, and Xu Cang's final act of sacrificing himself to save others was simply the best publicity material. Under these conditions, Nagano Hideki felt that he could make Xu Cang a perfect character logo, which would be more recognizable than those stars and more representative of Japan Airlines' image.
Nagano Hideki believed that Xu Cang was the most suitable person for the spokesperson of Japan Airlines. But Xu Cang seemed to have no interest in this at all, which made Nagano Hideki more and more angry.
"Candidate, what candidate?" Yukio Nakamura asked curiously.
Nagano Hideki slapped himself on the forehead and said, "ANA has been very aggressive in the domestic market recently, so we want to change our spokesperson. Don't you think Xu Cang is very suitable? He is professional, has a great image, and has a spirit of sacrifice. He is simply the image of all the beautiful qualities of human beings."
"I see." Nakamura Yukio roughly understood what Nagano Hideki meant: "But, President Nagano, you should probably feel lucky."
Nagano Hideki raised an eyebrow: "Oh, what do you mean?"
"Xu Cang will not become a hero, and we will not allow him to become a hero. Therefore, President Nagano, your idea should only be an idea."
Nagano Hideki was stunned for a moment, and his expression froze for two or three seconds. However, with Nagano Hideki's knowledge, he understood Nakamura Yukio's words in an instant. However, even Nagano Hideki, who was used to seeing conspiracies and intrigues, was shocked by Nakamura Yukio or the entire JCAB chair. He confirmed again: "But, wasn't Xu Cang's performance on ANA Flight 45 perfect?"
"Perfect? ​​Humans don't believe in perfection. They are only keen on finding the wounds of heroes."
Nagano Hideki thought for a moment, but still couldn't come up with a suitable reason: "But Xu Cang didn't have that kind of wound, and his performance was flawless. Flying at a low altitude and passing through the tunnel of the Tokyo Bay Bridge, this kind of operation, how many people in the world can do it."
"Did I say it was a technical problem?" Nakamura Yukio said with a smile, "It doesn't matter if he has any technical problems. It's just that his music is too high to be appreciated by the public. The greatest judgment of a person is never the law, but morality."
Nagano Hideki frowned, "This shouldn't be the case. Xu Cang sacrificed himself to help others evacuate. Is there anything morally wrong with this?"
“What if the saint who sacrificed himself was actually a cold-blooded butcher?”
Nagano Hideki looked deeply at Nakamura Yukio who was smiling: "Although I don't know what you want to do, just hearing now, you make me feel sick."
"Then I feel sorry for this." Nakamura Yukio said this, but no matter from his expression or demeanor, he did not show any remorse. "Soon, a recording will be released, and the hero on Tokyo Bay will eventually become an executioner despised by everyone. By then, President Nagano will be extremely grateful for the strong cooperative relationship between you and me."
Nagano Hideki didn't say anything, and no one knew what he was thinking, but from his expression, it seemed that only Nakamura Yukio was happy about this matter. At least the relief that Nakamura Yukio mentioned was not seen on Nagano Hideki's face.
"Let's not talk about Xu Cang for now. I came to see you for another important matter." Nagano Hideki's tone gradually turned solemn, and even his expression was slightly ferocious: "I received news that the priority choice for the next batch of new official European routes was given to All Nippon Airways? I want to know, is this true, or was the message misdelivered?"
"This..." Nakamura Yukio, who had a faint smile on his face the moment before, instantly froze his expression. He could feel that Nagano Hideki cared about this matter. The loss of the priority right for the next batch of newly added official European routes had touched Japan Airlines' bottom line. At least it made Nagano Hideki more angry than Xu Cang's matter.
Nagano Hideki raised his chin and said, "Mr. Nakamura, there is no free lunch in the world. I believe you understand this."
Thinking of the various bribes he had received from Nagano Hideki in recent years, Nakamura Yukio could only reluctantly reveal some information to Nagano Hideki: "This is true."
"Damn it!" Nagano Hideki suddenly shouted: "Shouldn't we be the first to choose the European route? What on earth are you doing?"
Facing the furious Nagano Hideki, Nakamura Yukio sighed, "President Nagano, things are not the same as they used to be. There are no policies or regulations stipulating that JAL still has a monopoly on international routes. Since the restructuring more than ten years ago, we have only continued to favor you based on previous habits, but this does not mean that this is mandatory. I believe President Nagano should have a clear understanding of this."
"I'm not here to listen to you talk about policies and regulations. Any change in habits will have its source of motivation." Nagano Hideki narrowed his eyes: "Is this your reward for ANA's emergency landing in Tokyo Bay?"
To be honest, from the perspective of results, the emergency landing of ANA Flight 45 in Tokyo Bay was undoubtedly a huge success. It is understandable that JCAB rewarded ANA for this. If this is the reason, Nagano Hideki can accept it a little more.
After all, this was an extremely rare case, and he had no idea that ANA would make another emergency landing in Tokyo Bay.
If it were just an isolated case, it would fall within the range of what Hideki Nagano could tolerate.
It's not that Nagano Hideki is overly sensitive, but he understands that Japan Airlines is now the only strong point. Now Japan Airlines has been declining uncontrollably, at least he feels that with his own ability, he can delay this situation from happening and he should be thankful.
However, the reason why JAL can still be strong at least on the surface is because of its dominant position in international routes. It has only been a few years? ANA is almost catching up with JAL. If the international routes cannot bear it, then JAL will be the last breath, and then it will collapse like a landslide.
International routes are Japan Airlines' bottom line and no mistakes are allowed.
However, Nagano Hideki soon discovered the problem: "That's not right. The emergency landing in Tokyo Bay was completed by Xu Cang. It has nothing to do with ANA."
A trace of embarrassment flashed across Yukio Nakamura's face: "President Nagano, this matter has been decided, you don't have to worry about it. Besides, I think this situation should not happen again in the future."
Yukio Nakamura didn't dare to tell Nagano Hideki exactly what Director Nagashima said. In the eyes of the JCAB Director, JAL was already declining, while ANA was thriving. At least in Nagashima Kenshin's mind, the weight between JAL and ANA seemed to have begun to reverse.
That's right, this time, Director Kenshin Nagashima chose to cooperate with ANA because of the need to keep the security loopholes at Haneda Airport confidential. It seems forced, but in fact, it is also a sign that Nagashima Kenshin is going with the flow and gradually starting to ease relations with ANA.
After all, JCAB’s relationship with ANA has always been bad because it was too biased towards Japan Airlines.
The security loophole at Haneda Airport is a completely isolated case, but the decline of Japan Airlines and the rise of All Nippon Airways are ironclad facts. With the change of priority for European routes as a starting point, more and more cooperation between the two engines is definitely possible. Yukio Nakamura said that "it probably won't happen" is completely a lie.
However, in order to appease Hideki Nagano, Yukio Nakamura had no choice but to do this.
Nagano Hideki's eyes were like an eagle's. When the two looked at each other, Nakamura Yukio felt uneasy and unconsciously avoided Nagano Hideki's gaze.
This small gesture alone says a lot.
Nagano Hideki let out a long sigh: "Can I trust you?"
Yukio Nakamura immediately put on an ugly smile: "Of course, after all, Japan Airlines is still the mainstay of domestic civil aviation."
"However, it seems that some people are beginning to think otherwise." Nagano Hideki did not continue speaking, but just looked a little sad. However, he had a good ability to control his emotions, and that feeling of loneliness only appeared for a moment and was then perfectly hidden.
"Let's go, it's not on the way today."
Yukio Nakamura was startled, then immediately understood and left the car.
Less than two minutes later, Nakamura Yukio stood on the side of the road, looking at the luxury car going away, with a mocking arc on his lips: "Angry but powerless? Tsk tsk tsk tsk."
In the car, Hideki Nagano fell into a long silence. The driver saw Nagano Hideki, who looked like a sculpture, through the rearview mirror and swallowed. This dead silence was really uncomfortable.
Suddenly, Nagano Hideki, who had not moved for a long time, moved slightly. He raised his eyelids and suddenly found that the driver was looking at him.
In the past, he would have at least made some sarcastic remarks, but now he couldn't even get angry. In the end, he just said calmly, "Please contact Xu Cang for me."
…
The next morning, Xu Cang yawned, put on casual clothes, and went to the cafeteria leisurely without even tidying his hair.
Of course, for Xu Cang, who always likes to stay in bed, breakfast usually does not exist. In his life, there is only the concept of brunch.
However, it was only ten o'clock when Xu Cang came, and the canteen chef had not prepared lunch yet. Fortunately, Xu Cang was not the kind of person who was particular, so he asked the chef to make a bowl of noodles, and then went to the corner to get today's newspaper, so that he could amuse himself while eating noodles.
In this era, entertainment means are relatively scarce, and the only thing you can do is read a newspaper.
The canteen chefs here were specially hired by Xu Cang from several hotels in Jianchuan City. One of them can even cook Weiyang cuisine, which is a little selfish of Xu Cang.
The cooking skills of the Weiyang cuisine chef are very good. He made Xu Cang a bowl of clear soup noodles , which was light and refreshing, and very much to Xu Cang's taste.
However, the food here in Erhai Lake is not very rich, at least for Weiyang cuisine. Therefore, Xu Cang cannot satisfy his appetite too much, and it is good to eat hometown food occasionally.
He had just taken a sip when suddenly, Xu Cang's eyes fell on an area on the lower left side of the front page of the newspaper, which introduced that Muhua Airlines had terminated its cooperation with Asiana Airlines on international routes and instead signed a new contract with Korean Air.
"It's on the news?" Xu Cang stopped eating noodles. This newspaper is not a tabloid. It is well-known in China. Xu Cang asked Ma Cheng to make this matter bigger, but he didn't expect it to be on this level of newspaper.
Needless to say, Ma Cheng must have put a lot of effort into the Korean newspapers. Moreover, Korean Air itself has a relatively deep cooperation with the Korean newspaper industry. Wouldn't it be necessary to publicize such self-serving news?
Xu Cang thought about it, put down his chopsticks, and decided to give Ma Cheng a call. No matter what, Ma Cheng did contribute to this matter, and it was not small.
Taking out his cell phone and finding Ma Cheng's number, Xu Cang called. Soon the call was connected, and Ma Cheng's lazy voice came from the other end: "Xu Cang, you've been contacting me quite frequently recently."
There was some teasing in his tone, and Xu Cang started laughing: "I just read the newspaper, and the thing I told you about was in the newspaper."
"Did you see it?" Ma Cheng laughed. "It took some effort, are you satisfied? I have informed Korean Air in Korea, and they will be responsible for the publicity of the news in Korea. This matter is good for them, and it can also hit Asiana Airlines. They will definitely try their best, and I will not get involved."
"It's okay. Let Korean Air take care of South Korea. They'll probably work much harder than you do." Xu Cang said with a smile, "I'll remember this."
"I feel relieved when you say that. Of course, even if you don't remember, I will find a chance to make you remember it." With Ma Cheng's personality, it is normal to say this, but Ma Cheng's tone doesn't seem to care too much. After all, in this matter, Muhua Airlines actually made a profit. It was not helping Xu Cang in a sole sense, but more like going with the flow.
"It's okay. There will be plenty of opportunities for cooperation in the future," said Xu Cang.
Suddenly, after mentioning Korean Air, Xu Cang remembered something: "Boss Ma, what did Park Deok-gyu from your company say later?"
Park Deok-gyu is a leader of the safety and supervision department of Muhua Airlines, of Korean descent. Previously, Xu Cang forcibly replaced him to avoid the Busan air crash. He was supposed to be the captain of that flight. That time, Park Deok-gyu also went to Ma Cheng's office and made a scene. However, Ma Cheng replaced him later, and Xu Cang no longer cared about him.
As a result, when talking about Korean Air today, some memories in Xu Cang's mind were activated.
"He's gone." Ma Cheng said casually.
"Gone?" Xu Cang was stunned: "How did he die?"
"No, no, it's not that person who left, it's that person... he quit and changed jobs."
Xu Cangli was a little embarrassed: "Oh, sorry, I misunderstood. Do you know where I went?"
"He went back to Korea." Ma Cheng said, "I heard that he seemed to have joined Korean Air."
"What did you say, he went to Korean Air?"
Ma Cheng hummed: "What's wrong?"
Xu Cang did not answer. Some memories in his mind were not only activated, but also became completely clear.
"Park Deok-gyu." Xu Cang muttered to himself in an inaudible voice: "Korean Air Flight 8509 crashed!"