Volume 1: Initial Exposure! Chapter 21: The Arrival of Fa Gong (Vote and Collect)

  The first thing upon arrival in France was to send a telegram to Shirley's family and Howard, where Sun Xiang promised the two elderly people that he would take good care of Shirley.

  At the same time, Sun Xiang also received a telegram from Howard, who said in the telegram that the plane would be transported directly to the port of Marseille, but there were some minor technical issues and it would take some time to get the plane. Moreover, Hughes' munitions company had supplied a batch of munitions to the French Communist Party, which was currently stored in Warehouse No. 12 at the Lympne dock in Marseille, and asked Sun Xiang to pay attention to the people on the French side and complete the transaction. The person in charge on the French side, Drecker, would come to meet Sun Xiang.

  Historically, the International Brigades were formed by the French Communist Party. The idea of forming an international brigade was first proposed in August 1936 by the leaders of the French Communist Party. If in July, when the rebellion broke out, Germany and Italy provided air power to Franco's forces as a temporary expedient, then by August, with the establishment of a special committee in Italy responsible for transporting troops and weapons to the Iberian Peninsula, and the establishment of a "W" command center in Berlin responsible for leading Germany's armed intervention in Spain, the prospects for long-term and large-scale fascist support for the Spanish rebels had become very clear.

  In this situation, even the Soviet Union, which was not very willing to provide large-scale assistance to the Republic in the first month of the war, changed its attitude. On August 23, Stalin accepted the French government's proposal to establish a Non-Intervention Committee, but at the same time pointed out that "if the Soviet Union is not to be held responsible for the actions of the Comintern (referring to the formation of the International Brigades), Germany and Italy must stop their aid to Franco, and Portugal must sign a non-intervention agreement".

  On September 18, 1936, a decision was made at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Communist International in Moscow to form an international brigade, and subsequently, the formation of the international brigade began to take practical action.

  The International Brigades were formed by the Comintern, so it is not surprising that although in theory the International Brigades took a non-party stance and anyone willing to fight for the Spanish Republic could join freely, the actual organizational work of the International Brigades was almost entirely carried out by the Communist Parties of various countries. The French Communist Party played the most crucial role in this regard, as it not only first proposed the idea but also hosted the international recruitment center of the International Brigades in Paris. Of course, not all those who worked at the international recruitment center were French; the best talents from the Comintern and the Communist Parties of various countries flocked to Paris, with some going directly to Spain to fight and others staying at the recruitment center to engage in equally complex and important recruitment work.

  It's already September, and the International Brigade has begun to take shape. The leaders of the French Communist Party are now in Marseille, receiving people and goods at the port. As soon as Sun Xiang and his group walked onto the street, they saw a group of military-like figures approaching. The leader was a tall, medium-built man with a radiant face, wearing a crisp military uniform that made him look impressive at first glance. This group of people was clearly walking in their direction. The leader looked at Sun Xiang, then at Snowy, and finally at Lock and Rita, furrowing his brow as if confirming something: "Hello, sir. Are you from the Howard Hughes Aircraft Company?"

  Sun Xiang: "Oh! Yes, you are?"

  The first military officer smiled and said, "Oh, great, I am Roger Faure, a French congressman, and also the person in charge of this arms deal." The two shook hands. At the same time, Roger's information appeared in front of Sun Xiang:

  Waldeck Rochet (1905-1982) was one of the leaders of the French Communist Party. He joined in 1924.

  Elected Central Committee member in 1937. Elected as a deputy in 1936. After the outbreak of World War II, he was arrested and imprisoned in 1940.

  In Algiers. After being released in February 1943, he participated in the North African delegation of the French Communist Party Central Committee and mobilized a large number of party members to join the resistance movement against fascism.

  Anti-struggle. Once represented the CPC Central Committee to establish contact with London and Fighting France.

  "Delighted! Delighted! I'm Steve Sun, partner of Howard Hughes, thrilled to be working with your country, Senator!"

  "Rochet: "I represent the French government and welcome you! The representative of your arms company in France, Dreux, has gone to accept an invitation from the Mayor of Marseille today and is currently studying follow-up orders. He can't leave yet, but you'll see him soon. He entrusted me to meet you, so let's go take a look at the goods now."

  "Alright, sir." Sun Xiang and several others boarded a French vehicle heading to Warehouse No. 12. On the way, Sun Xiang learned about the current situation in Spain from the driver. The rebel forces led by Franco had gained significant strength with support from Germany and Italy, while the government army was under pressure everywhere.

  Rogers was delighted to learn that Sun Xiang would be assisting Spain and told him that the French side was forming an international brigade, inviting Sun Xiang to join. Sun Xiang smiled and agreed to Rogers' request. At the same time, Rogers was also eager to understand the strength of the Hughes Aircraft Institute, and under Sun Xiang's detailed introduction, the power of the Hughes Institute was understood by Rogers. A few days later, the arrival of the F4U fighter would prove this point. Upon hearing about the powerful American-made aircraft from Hughes, Rogers wanted to cooperate with Sun Xiang.

  As they arrived at Warehouse No. 12, the warehouse was extremely large, with goods constantly moving in and out, making it look very busy. Rosche told Sun Xiang that there were many such warehouses on the dock, and Warehouse No. 12 was a temporary storage warehouse for goods, so the volume of goods was very large. The group entered the warehouse, with Sherry, Rita, and Lock following behind Sun Xiang with a curious expression. Rosche's guards stayed in the car, with only two people following behind Rosche. As soon as they entered the warehouse, a fat man came running from behind: "Hey! Rosche~~ my friend, how did you get here so quickly?"

  A group of people watched with interest as a humanoid beach ball rolled in from the warehouse entrance. Drake was sweating profusely, his large hands fanning himself non-stop, but when he saw Sun Xiang and Sherry, he immediately understood and formally introduced himself to Sun: "Nice to meet you! Mr. Sun, I'm Drake Slade, head of French distribution."

  Sun Xiang suppressed a smile from head to toe: "I'm also very happy to work with you, Mr. Drexler." This is too ridiculous! With such a physique, he's actually called the famous NBA star Drexler~~~~ Ah! Can he even compare to a hang glider?

  After they had all become familiar with each other, Drake Slade took Rochelle to check the quantity of arms and ammunition. After confirming that everything was correct, Rochelle signed on behalf of the military, and Drake also received the final payment. Before leaving, Sun Xiang made an appointment with Rochelle for a meeting three days later, and then they bid each other farewell.