Chapter 768: A Simple Transaction

Xiaguan Wharf.

Zhang Yong led his team and arrived in a hurry.

Director Lin did mention a windfall. It could be worth tens of thousands of dollars.

However, there was a slight problem with this windfall. It was ownerless property.

Why is ownerless property a problem?

Although it appears to have no owner, it actually does have an owner.

The owner's surname is Wang.

The Wang Jingwei Wang.

Director Lin is asking Zhang Yong to declare his allegiance.

If you touch the Wang family's goods, you have to break with the Wang family. From now on, you can only follow the Wei-Zuo.

Does Zhang Yong have a choice disorder?

Of course not.

At least Chiang Kai-shek didn't become a traitor.

It doesn't matter if you are used as a gun. As long as there are enough benefits.

So...

immediately took action.

He led his team to the docks in a mighty procession.

He found the location of the warehouse. He forced the door open. Inside were rolls of cotton fabric. Imported. Also known as 'foreign cloth'.

There was a lot of it. It wasn't tens of thousands of taels of silver as Director Lin had said. In fact, it was probably worth 30-40,000 taels. He couldn't help but feel resentment.

This Director Lin is a bit greedy! This is hinting that he, Zhang Yong, can only take 10,000 taels. The rest has to be given as tribute.

The more he thought about it, the more upset he became.

Damn it, I've come out in the open, and I can only get 10,000. You get everything else?

No wonder Li Boqi is desperate with the Kuomintang.

The literati are just as greedy.

Fortunately, I still have some extra income...

'Huang Chu!'

'Here!'

'Move all this foreign cloth over there!'

'Yes.'

Huang Chu and the others immediately got to work.

They carried away bales of cotton cloth. They found a package inside.

They drag the parcel out. They open it. It is full of thick cotton wool. The parcel is packed very tightly. It is very shock-resistant.

They use a knife to cut the cotton wool open bit by bit. Finally they see the object hidden inside.

It is a submachine gun. But they cannot determine the exact model.

It is somewhat like a combination of a Thompson and a machine gun. The barrel is of the machine gun type. There are many holes.

After a while, they finally figure it out. It is a Steyr submachine gun. Or it is also called the MP34 submachine gun. It was designed by the Swiss company Saurer and manufactured by the Austrian company Steyr.

It is complicated to say, but in fact, it was designed by the Germans. It was designed to circumvent the sanctions of the Paris Peace Conference. This Saurer company is actually a subsidiary of the German company Rheinmetall. It is controlled by the Germans. The reason for putting it in Switzerland is to completely circumvent the sanctions. The Saurer machine guns it later produced were very popular with the Chinese army.

The Steyr submachine gun is also of very high quality. It is a masterpiece among masterpieces. The only drawback is that it is expensive. It is similar to the Thompson. Both are drop-forged. The cost is high.

However, it fires a .45 ACP cartridge. The cartridge is interchangeable with the .45 ACP cartridge, so it is more versatile than the Thompson.

The original Thompson is 11.43mm in calibre. The source of cartridges is relatively limited.

However, .45 ACP cartridges are everywhere.

'Continue!'

Zhang Yong led the men to move to a different location.

Soon, they found a second batch of Steyr submachine guns.

Like the previous ones, there were five of them. They were all loose. All the parts were in a disassembled state.

Of course, for Lu Keming and the others, this was not a problem at all. Even if they had not encountered such submachine guns before, after a little thought, they were all put together.

'Continue!'

Zhang Yong led the men to the corner of the warehouse.

There were a total of three weapon markings. This indicated that there were three batches of Steyr submachine guns.

Sure enough, they were quickly found. There were also five.

The quantity was a bit low. There were only fifteen. But it was better than nothing.

They were immediately distributed. Each squad had five.

In this way, each squad had a machine gun, a submachine gun, and a rifle, which formed a complete firepower structure.

The Wang family was indeed very powerful. They were even able to get weapons from Austria.

If there were no Thompsons, Steyr was also good...

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

A red dot appeared on the edge of the map. It was on the river.

He turned his head. He raised his binoculars. He saw a bamboo raft floating down the river. There was a man standing on the raft.

He recognised him. He was Hao San Ge, a Japanese spy. He was disguised as a Chinese. He was a good swimmer. He was an important member of the Fish Gang. There was another person called Lord Qing, also a hidden Japanese spy. Zhang Yong did not reveal the identities of the two men, considering the needs of the future.

I wonder how the Fish Gang is developing now?

He, Zhang Yong, has experienced so many things. And he often has to run around from place to place. So, he often starts things but doesn't finish them.

Often, he hasn't finished something here when he is called away there.

It would be best if someone else could tidy up the mess he has left behind. If no one else is around, then the mess will just keep getting worse.

Suddenly, he spots a yellow dot on the edge of the map.

Huh?

Zhang Yong raises his binoculars. He realises that it is someone he knows.

He didn't know what the other person's code name was. But he had seen him before. Also by the river. Could it be that the other person had been living here all along?

He put down the binoculars. Pretending not to know him.

If he could avoid disturbing the other person, it would be best not to, so as not to cause the other person to take any emergency measures.

Gu Mozhai was the person.

In order to avoid causing harm to the organisation, Gu had taken the initiative to self-isolate.

Strictly speaking, this was all his fault, Zhang Yong.

Alas, he felt a little guilty...

'Lu Keming!'

'Here!'

'On guard!'

'Yes.'

At a word's command, martial law was declared near the warehouse.

It so happened that Hao San's bamboo raft also arrived near the dock. He slowed down.

He saw Zhang Yong. And he saw Zhang Yong waving at him.

In fact, he didn't want to see Zhang Yong. Every time, he felt a little guilty.

Although he believed he was hiding extremely well, Zhang Yong could not possibly discover his undercover identity. However, it always felt strange.

However, Zhang Yong was already waving at him, so he couldn't refuse.

He had no choice but to pull his raft closer.

'Captain Zhang...'

'I've been promoted. I'm now a team leader.'

'Congratulations, Captain Zhang...'

'Do you know where Lord Qing is? Ask him to come here. I need to see him.'

'I don't know. I need to arrange for someone to ask. Captain Zhang, what's so urgent?'

'You see the warehouse behind me? There's a warehouse full of foreign cloth that needs to be sold. I want to ask Lord Qing if he knows any merchants. 20% off. It's a bargain. But I want cash. No credit.'

'Team Leader Zhang, if you just want to get rid of the goods, I know someone too.'

'Oh? You do? Tell me.'

'Mr Xu Sheng of Shanghai Beach is currently in Jinling. If you sell to him, he'll definitely want it.'

'Xu Sheng?'

Zhang Yong was a little surprised.

This guy is actually in Jinling? Then it's fine.

It's exactly the person we're looking for. He is a spy for the Japanese.

If you sell to other businesses, the Wang family will definitely retaliate afterwards. It will implicate others.

However, if you sell to someone with a background as a spy for the Japanese, the Wang family will have to swallow their pride. If he goes to trouble for Xu Sheng, Xu Sheng will definitely have his superiors warn the Wang family. Then the Wang family will not dare to make a move.

And then...

It's over.

Once Xu Sheng sells the foreign cloth again, Zhang Yong can collect the 4,000 taels of protection money every month.

What's this called? Internal circulation? I think so...

It's like eating fish twice...

Ah, thinking about eating fish...

I can't help but look around. It's rare to come to the river.

It's May, and it seems like the time when the river fish is the fattest. All the fishing boats are busy. The catch is full.

Good, we'll eat fish again tonight!

'Very well, you help me contact Boss Xu,' Zhang Yong took out a 100-yuan banknote, 'This is your reward.'

'Thank you, Team Leader Zhang,' Hao Sang went off happily.

Zhang Yong was also very happy. It was actually quite comfortable to send a Japanese spy on errands.

The main thing was not to worry about the consequences. You could also divert the blame. Let the traitors and Japanese spies fight among themselves.

If it is sold to a normal merchant, such as the Liao family, it will definitely be constantly harassed by the Wang family in the future. It will be difficult to do business in the future.

And even the Japanese behind the Wang family may resort to various despicable means. Including but not limited to assassination, kidnapping, extortion, etc.

But if it is sold to Xu Sheng or Wen Zhenping, there will be no problem at all.

Let them fight each other.

Good.

'Cen Zhaohai!'

'Here!'

'Go, arrange dinner. We will have grilled fish for dinner tonight.'

'Yes,'

Cen Zhaohai agreed.

He was the leader of another squad. He liked to keep quiet. He was unremarkable. But he was very good at martial arts.

All the police academy students suddenly became happy.

Grilled fish?

Great! Yangtze River saury!

Zhang Yong took out 30 silver dollars and handed them to Cen Zhaohai to make the arrangements. That was enough.

There were only 50 people in total. Half a silver dollar per person. It was definitely a luxury. Last time it seemed that three people were very satisfied with one silver dollar.

Seafood is not worth much these days. Yangtze River sauries are also ridiculously cheap. It's a completely different story from the past.

Soon, Xu Sheng really came.

Huh?

Zhang Yong was surprised to find out. Xu Sheng was carrying a beautiful girl behind him.

The girl was also winking at him, hinting that he should not reveal his identity.

Zhang Yong: ???

Jin Xiu Zhu?

Why is she here?

And she's dressed up, looking quite the lady.

I'll have to ask her sometime.

She's really pretty, too!

Back in Tianjin, she didn't look like much without all the makeup.

Now she's all dolled up, she's gone from 90 to 95 on the looks scale. He can't help but want to keep her for himself.

The future chaebol has good taste. It's normal to have good taste in aesthetics.

The girls in those girl groups are all incredibly beautiful. It's just that there are too many places where they could have had work done.

But this is 1936, so no one has had any work done. They're all in their natural state. To have a 90-point face, that's definitely considered pretty.

In the evening, have some grilled fish, then drink some wine, and then...

Stop!

Stop!

He pinches his hand in secret.

His old lustful habit has returned. Sooner or later, he'll be in trouble...

'Boss Xu!'

'Team Leader Zhang.'

'I didn't expect to find you in Jinling...'

'I didn't expect to find you here either...'

The two men exchanged polite pleasantries.

Inside, they were both secretly cursing the other for being so damned hypocritical.

One despised the other for being a Japanese spy, yet still pretending to be more Chinese than the Chinese. Damned Japanese devil.

The other despised the Chinese for being so damned greedy. This damned Zhang Yong had caught himself trying to fleece him. Every time he encountered him, nothing good happened.

However, Xu Sheng knew that he had already been targeted by Zhang Yong and there was no way to escape.

He could only play along with him.

Fortunately, this bastard only wanted money. He didn't have any other excessive demands.

'Boss Xu, let's look at the goods first.'

'Yes, yes, Team Leader Zhang, please. Please. Please.'

'Please.'

Zhang Yong showed Xu Sheng the goods.

The goods were of course in perfect condition. High-quality foreign cloth.

As to why it had been temporarily detained here, Zhang Yong didn't know. There might be some complicated background to it.

There were even weapons hidden in the middle of the cotton cloth. It was obvious that this was no ordinary merchant.

But it didn't matter. He didn't care about the background.

As long as he resold the cotton cloth and got the money, he would let Wang and the Japanese fight it out.

'Fifty thousand dollars,' Zhang Yong said, "Mr Xu, is that okay?'

'Team Leader Zhang..." Xu Sheng's smile was a little awkward.

He wanted to tear Zhang Yong to pieces.

What a big mouth!

He's just sitting there and raising the price!

Damn it!

He definitely won't agree to it!

'No problem,' Jin Xiu Zhu suddenly said, "Boss Xu can accept it.'

Zhang Yong looked at the other party curiously.

What role is this woman playing?

'Good, good, good," Xu Sheng had originally wanted to refuse. But on hearing this, he immediately changed his mind. At the same time, he arranged for a cash transaction.

Soon, a suitcase was handed over to Zhang Yong.

The banknote for 50,000 silver taels was not a penny less.

It's from the Commercial Bank. That means it's from Tian Qingyuan's bank. No big deal.

As long as it's not from the Baoshang Bank in the north...

No, wait.

Zhang Yong suddenly had a flash of insight.

At the moment, Baoshang Bank notes could only be used in northern China. No one would want them once you left the north. However, with the Japanese army's full-scale invasion of China, the Japanese army occupied most of China's coastal areas. Baoshang Bank notes could also be used in the Japanese-occupied areas. The Japanese themselves recognised Baoshang Bank notes.

In other words, for a number of years to come, before the Japanese announced their unconditional surrender, the banknotes of the Baoshang Bank could also be used in the Jiangnan region. So, it seems that there is no need for him to be so resistant. As long as they are sold before the Japanese surrender unconditionally, there will be no major losses.

Right.

That's it.

Now, Zhang Yong is curious about what role Jin Xiu Zhu is playing.

Finally, he finally gets the chance to ask Jin Xiu Zhu.

'Me? I'm following Miss Aoi now.'

'What Aoi?'

'Aoi Akiyama.'

'Huh?'

Zhang Yong was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe it.

Kim Soo-ju had actually got mixed up with Aoi Akiyama?

My goodness!

One liar, one big liar...

No, two beautiful liars. If they got mixed up together, they would surely fool everyone else!

That Aoi Akiyama was really something. She really had found a good partner.

How did these two meet?

'No, you two...'

'I'm Korean. She's Japanese. It's only natural that we work together.'

'Does Xu Sheng know that you're Korean?'

'Yes! I still use my original name. Kim Soo-ju.'

'Aren't you afraid that the Japanese will find out about your background?'

'Miss Aoi says she's not afraid.'

'Er...'

Zhang Yong nodded slowly.

Indeed, with Aoi Akiyama looking after her, she really didn't have to be afraid.

Other Japanese people would not offend Aoi Shuiko just because of a Korean woman. His father was the Consul General.

I don't know what kind of luck Aoi Shuiko has, but he was promoted from the Tianjin Consul to the Shanghai Consul General. The two ranks and weights are completely different! The latter is the most powerful of all the Consul Generals. Especially for many years to come. Even the Chinese Expeditionary Army Command and the Shanghai Consulate General have a peer-to-peer relationship. The Wang Clique government also has to look at the face of this Consulate General.

In short, it was a very powerful presence. With it on your side, you could get things done.

'This is for her,' Zhang Yong took out a 5,000-silver banknote.

Of course she was Aoi Koji.

When dealing with someone as clever as her, words were useless. You had to look at actions.

So, pay up.

Although she didn't appear in person, at least her name was used. So, the 5,000 silver taels were worth it.

'Good,'

Jin Xiuzhu immediately put it away.

She was also a little money-obsessed.

Two beautiful con artists, two beautiful money-obsessed people...

Alas...

Zhang Yong realised that he seemed to have lost out?

The rest had to be given as tribute to Director Lin. It seemed that he would only get 5,000 if he kept it for himself?

Alas...

Really...

But he soon had an idea.

'Boss Xu!'

'Yes, yes.'

'What was the amount of our transaction?'

'Fifty thousand...'

'How much?'

'Forty thousand...'

'How much?'

'Thirty thousand...'

'No, that's not right.'

'Twenty-five thousand, twenty-five thousand, I got it wrong, I got it wrong...'

'That's right. Twenty-five thousand, right?'

'Yes, yes, twenty-five thousand. Twenty-five thousand...'

'That's good!'

Zhang Yong nodded with satisfaction.

Not bad.

Both parties were satisfied.

A deal was struck at twenty-five thousand. A successful handover.

It's twenty-five thousand!

Even if the emperor himself asks, it's still 25,000!

A simple transaction.

A pleasant collaboration.