manynovel Chapter 98 Digging Your Own Hole
Chapter 98 Digging Your Own Hole
He walked to the center of the drill ground, had Wu Meng gather all the trainees together, and, standing before the ranks, addressed them with a heavy yet firm tone: "Fellow trainees, I know you have all worked very hard, and I know many of your comrades have already sacrificed themselves for the country and the nation. But I hope you remember that you carry the future of the country and the hope of the nation on your shoulders. As long as you train diligently, you will be able to kill one more Japanese soldier, avenge one more fallen comrade, and bring more peace to the people. I hope you will continue to work hard to serve the country and the Party!"
"Serve the country! Serve the party and the country!" the trainees shouted in unison, their voices so loud that the leaves around them trembled slightly.
After the speech, Shen Qingcai, Yan Shuo, and the others left the base together and returned to their residence in the International Settlement.
On the third day, Yan Shuo accompanied Shen Qing to inspect his properties, visiting the soda factory, spinning mill, garment factory, and Fengming Records and Film Company, and finally taking a tour of Ximei Trading Company.
Seeing that these industries were operating smoothly and were generating good profits, Shen Qing once again suggested expanding the scale, but Yan Shuo directly rejected the suggestion.
"Why can't we expand the scale?" Shen Qing asked, frowning, somewhat puzzled. "These industries are doing very well right now. Expanding the scale will make more money and allow us to provide greater support to the front lines."
Yan Shuo picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and slowly said, "Because the Japanese haven't left yet."
He put down his teacup, his eyes grave. "Do you think it's easy for these industries to have operated smoothly until now? Many powerful Japanese and Japanese agents have been eyeing them for a long time. They hold shares in these factories without contributing a single penny, yet they want to take 30% of the profits. If I expand now, it will only attract more attention, and they will only exploit us even more, or even seize the industries altogether. At that point, forget about making money to support the front lines; we might even get ourselves into trouble."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qing's expression changed slightly. After a moment of silence, he nodded: "I was not thoughtful enough. I was only thinking about making money and neglected our current situation."
He then changed the subject, asking, "What about weapons? The front lines are desperately short of weapons right now—heavy weapons, bullets, and shells are all urgently needed. Can you procure them?"
As he spoke, he took out a cigarette case from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and handed it to Yan Shuo.
Yan Shuo took the cigarette, lit it, took two puffs, and then sipped his tea before slowly saying, "I've already made arrangements for the weapons. I've had Lucas increase the volume of weapons shipments, and I've also contacted several steel and chemical suppliers to prepare for expanding weapons production. The production of bullets and shells will definitely be increased by the end of the year, which should be enough to meet the basic needs of the front lines."
"What about shells, cannons, and tanks?" Shen Qing pressed, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Upon hearing this, Yan Shuo gave a wry smile and looked helplessly at Shen Qing: "Brother Shen, are you trying to fleece me like this? Aren't you afraid of plundering me bald?"
He shrugged. "I can handle light weapons like bullets and grenades, but heavy weapons like cannons and tanks are extremely difficult to transport, and they are too conspicuous targets that could be easily intercepted by the Japanese army. The risk is just too high."
Seeing his helpless expression, Shen Qing suddenly burst into laughter: "Just kidding! Do you think I don't know your predicament? I just wanted to see how much I could squeeze out of you."
He paused, his tone becoming serious, "Actually, the Chairman's wife has already coordinated the procurement of airplanes, artillery, and tanks from European and American countries. Your smuggling route certainly can't support the needs of the entire front line. However, the quantity of bullets and grenades you've provided is considerable, enough to equip more than a dozen divisions. The Director and the Chairman have praised you many times."
"Hey, I knew it!" Yan Shuo breathed a sigh of relief, then pointed at Shen Qing with feigned displeasure, "Brother Shen, that's really unfair of you, you're just teasing me on purpose."
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you." Shen Qing waved his hand, a mysterious smile on his face. "Wait, I'll have good news for you in a few days."
"What good news?" Yan Shuo's curiosity was immediately piqued, and he leaned forward, asking eagerly.
"If I tell you now, it won't be a surprise." Shen Qing kept everyone in suspense, stood up and pulled Yan Shuo along, "Come on, let's go eat!" He turned to Xiao Qing and instructed, "Bring over that bottle of foreign liquor I brought. I want to have a good drink with Yan Shuo today."
Yan Shuo's heart skipped a beat when he heard this—that bottle of foreign liquor was the one he had given to Xiao Qing before. It contained a little bit of "highly technological" Xiao Zhi special supply, which would make you feel intoxicated quickly but would not harm your health. It was originally intended to be used to entertain the troublesome Japanese agents.
Yan Shuo inwardly groaned. If he had known that Shen Qing was going to bring out this bottle of foreign liquor with "high-tech" added, he would never have brought it out.
That's terrible; they've shot themselves in the foot. They've only dug their own grave.
Complaining aside, we can't neglect our business.
In the afternoon, Yan Shuo, accompanied by Wang An and six other attendants, headed straight for Yangshupu Industrial Zone.
Located at the border between the Chinese-controlled area and the Japanese-occupied area, right next to the Jiuyue River, this area of more than 500 acres was densely packed with sixteen factories, including machinery manufacturing, spinning and weaving, canning, flour milling and oil pressing, printing and typesetting... everything was available. Japanese and puppet troops patrolled around the factory area from time to time, creating a tense atmosphere.
Yan Shuo and his group stopped in front of a simple tea stall on the edge of the industrial zone.
The teahouse was made of a few broken pieces of wood, covered with tar paper on the roof, and hung with faded blue cloth curtains all around, looking dilapidated.
But when Yan Shuo's gaze swept over the tea stall owner, his eyes instantly turned cold.
That boss had a ruthless air about him, the kind that comes from years of navigating the underworld.
"Hmph, he's no good." Yan Shuo sneered inwardly. This kind of person wouldn't have gotten to this level if he hadn't taken a few lives and done a few dirty things.
The cursor above Xiao Zhi's character's head is completely black, like ink. This guy is utterly wicked.
"Hmm." Yan Shuo gave a soft hum and waved his hand.
Wang An immediately ran over like a dog, bent over and leaned close to Yan Shuo, listening intently.
"Get the owner of this tea stall back tonight."
Yan Shuo lowered his voice to a whisper, "If he doesn't obey, knock him out and tie him up. This kid is no pushover, interrogate him thoroughly and dig out everything he's got to know."
"Understood!" Wang An's eyes sharpened, and he nodded solemnly.
He glanced at the tea stall owner and then at the proprietress who was clearing away the dishes, secretly memorizing their appearances.
This woman, who's able to live with gang members like this, is probably no pushover either. We should just take her back for questioning to avoid missing any clues.
"Where is the person in charge of this area?" Yan Shuo asked, turning his gaze away.
"Xu Heng is in charge. He just went to the restroom and should be back in a few minutes," Wang An quickly replied.
"Hmm." Yan Shuo responded, walked to the table under the tea stall and sat down. He casually picked up a plate of melon seeds on the table and started cracking them, but his eyes subtly scanned the surrounding factory area.
"Boss, bring tea, the best of everything."