Chapter 666: The Ruthless Scholar Chen Gongshu

In the office at the North Station warehouse, Wang Yan tore open an envelope sealed with confidential markings, took out the several sheets of letter paper inside, and began flipping through them one by one.

After a good while, he burst into laughter for no apparent reason.

Shi Changxing and Gu Zhang Yongcheng, who were sitting on the sofa, exchanged a glance. They tactfully spoke up to play along: "Brother Yan, what did the Red Party side say to make you this happy?"

Wang Yan flicked the letter paper in his hand and smiled: "We are about to have trouble, but we are also about to make a fortune. You two should take a look too. It really is scientific technology that makes money..."

Shi Changxing and Gu Zhang Yongcheng put their heads together to read the letter. Gu Zhang Yongcheng asked: "Brother Yan, is what's written here accurate? Is it really that powerful?"

"You've had plenty of contact with the Red Party; aren't you clear on what they're like? They never open their mouths about things they aren't sure of. Now that they are mindful of our many years of good cooperation, they've handed this treasure to us to resell, so it must be true. Since the goods have reached us, I think in a few days they will issue a statement. Having researched such a good product, they will definitely want to make a name for themselves, letting the world know they have better anti-inflammatory medicine in their hands, so those foreign devils will hurry to buy from them, sending them money and supplies."

As he spoke, Wang Yan opened a large leather suitcase placed on the table and pulled out the straw and rags used for padding. Inside, more than six hundred small glass bottles containing tablet medicine appeared before their eyes.

The bottles had labels on them, and the calligraphy written in brush was vigorous and powerful, like dragons flying and phoenixes dancing; the three large characters written were: Penicillin.

After more than half a year, on the basis of detailed data, the experts and scholars in Yan'an finally finished research, development, and experimentation, achieving mass production. Although the output was meager relative to the massive demand, they finally had a sharp weapon in their own hands capable of saving wounded soldiers and making a fortune.

Actually, Wang Yan had known about this news for a long time; naturally, it was conveyed to him by the handsome man. With penicillin, he would no longer be unilaterally shipping supplies to the Soviet Area, but would have exchanges, allowing for larger scale and greater safety. Because there were more goods and the volume of traffic was larger, the accounts would be harder to calculate. Moreover, the letter this time also said that money was secondary; they needed large quantities of grain, steel, cloth, and other supplies, and could use his line to do more things.

Of course, he "knew" nothing. The only ones who knew that he knew were the handsome man and other high-level Red Party officials. If one had to say, there was also the telecommunications staffer accompanying the handsome man; he held the codebook and knew all the intelligence passing back and forth. But those who could work by the handsome man's side generally had no chance of defecting; if one instance occurred, it would be a catastrophe that would topple the Red Party.

The Red Party was not the Nationalist Party. In the later stages of the war, they could reach the point where the Red Party formulated combat plans, the Red Party executed the plans, and the Red Party fought on the front lines... Hence, the Bald One sighed, "Who in the world is not communicating with the Communists?" That was the helplessness of having an interior like a sieve, about which he could do nothing.

"Brother Yan, this stuff can't be sold cheaper than sulfonamide, right?" Shi Changxing picked up a bottle of medicine and shook it by his ear, listening to the clattering sound of the tablets colliding.

Seeing Wang Yan look at him, Gu Zhang Yongcheng also picked up a bottle to fiddle with. He said: "I think selling it at the same price as sulfonamide is fine. After all, sulfonamide comes from outside, while this penicillin comes from Yan'an, saving a lot of trouble, and the supply is faster. If we sell it too high, it will actually make sulfonamide sell better, and the penicillin will be stuck in our hands; that's not good."

Shi Changxing didn't quite understand and asked bluntly: "Isn't it said that penicillin's effect is better than sulfonamide? Isn't it natural to sell it for more?"

"You silly boy, how have you had no progress after all these years?" Wang Yan slapped the back of his head and pointed at Qi Si, who was sprawled on the sofa smoking: "A-Si, you tell him."

Qi Si's eyes rolled, he thought for a moment, and chuckled: "Whether the effect is good or bad, the grunts fighting on the front lines have a hard time using it anyway."

"Sigh..." Wang Yan nodded with gratification: "I tell you to read more and think more, but you just won't listen. Look, you're not even as sharp as A-Si."

"Not bad, kid, you've made progress after being by Brother Yan's side for so long." Shi Changxing ran over and slapped the back of Qi Si's head. Seeing Qi Si flip up and prepare to spar with him, he calmly hugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows: "Think it over. Whether you can beat me is one thing, but don't blame your brother for not taking you out to have fun."

Qi Si's dog-like face instantly changed into a fawning smile: "Look at what you're saying, Brother Shi. How could I raise a hand against you? Come, sit down quickly, I'll knead your shoulders. Brother Yan even said my technique is good and that I could make money opening a shop."

Wang Yan ignored Shi Changxing and his teasing of the silly boy. He said to Gu Zhang Yongcheng: "Although the letter is long, there isn't much key information. In these two days, you contact the Yan'an side, discuss specifically with them how much profit they can leave for us, and also determine the supplies they need. Make a list so we can negotiate with a target. In addition, you contact the British, the Americans, and the Soviets. Give each side two bottles; I'll go find the French and the Japanese. One is the side I eat from, the other is the side that wants my life; I have to serve them well..."

Gu Zhang Yongcheng nodded: "Alright, I'll go handle it in a moment."

Wang Yan picked up the telephone on the table and dialed directly to the Iwai Mansion. Iwai Eiichi was generally there; he had to discuss this kind of thing with Iwai Eiichi; Nantian Yoko wasn't qualified.

Once the call connected, after saying a few simple pleasantries, he said he had important matters to discuss and made an appointment with Iwai Eiichi for lunch at noon.

After contacting Iwai Eiichi, Wang Yan took a few bottles of penicillin, called over Qi Si—who was busy fawning over Shi Changxing—and went out to take a car back to the police station. He called Aige to find Judit, took out two bottles of penicillin for them, and let them test the efficacy so they could resell it to Europe later.

At a time like this, although Europe wasn't at war, penicillin wasn't just for treating wounded soldiers. It was an antibiotic; it could treat other ailments too. Its efficacy was good, which sulfonamide couldn't compare to. Getting it to Europe would mean it would sell well there too.

After hoodwinking the two foreign devils, the time was almost noon. Wang Yan took Qi Si to Hongkou, to a Japanese restaurant again. Iwai Eiichi was training him like livestock; he always ate Japanese food when dining with him and never went into the concessions, also because he was terribly afraid of death.

Everyone is afraid of death, but Wang Mou is a famous joke in the Shanghai Bund for being greedy for life and afraid of death; this is a base human sickness. This includes Iwai Eiichi, the Deputy Consul General of the Japanese Consulate; after all, this little devil relied on threatening Wang Yan's life to both make money and obtain various precious antiques.

Being led inside, Iwai Eiichi was the same as always, already kneeling on the floor in a kimono, drinking tea. Wang Yan took off his large leather shoes, walked over, and sat cross-legged: "Apologies, Mr. Iwai, I arrived a bit late and kept you waiting."

Iwai Eiichi smiled and poured tea for Wang Yan: "Wang Sang, there is no need for this between you and me. You are a friend of the Great Japanese Empire, and even more so a personal friend of mine; no need to be so formal. Otherwise, I would think you don't want to be friends with us."

Wang Yan nodded in agreement: "You are right, then I won't be polite in the future."

"That is exactly what I want—your lack of politeness, hahaha..." Iwai Eiichi let out the unpleasant laugh unique to Japanese people, then turned to ask: "You said you had important matters to find me for; is there some movement from the French?"

"No."

Under the puzzled gaze of the short, stocky little devil, Wang Yan took two bottles of penicillin out of his pocket, placed them on the table, and gestured to him.

Iwai Eiichi looked at Wang Yan in confusion, then picked up a bottle and looked at it in a circle. Although there were no sound standards at this time, the paper on the bottle still had indications and precautions written on it.

Iwai Eiichi had been in China for more than twenty years, so naturally, he recognized Chinese characters. He frowned as he read it once, then opened the lid, took out the tablet inside, and pinched it between his fingertips to examine it.

He asked: "It says Yan'an Pharmaceutical Factory on here; was this researched by the Red Party?"

"Yes, Mr. Iwai. The situation is like this: because of business dealings, our Yonghua Industry has an office in Yan'an. I have to admit this to you: the Yan'an office has employees with Red Party status, and employees without Red Party status. As for those employees without Red Party status, whether they are Red Party now, I am not clear. Moreover, the Qinglian Bank that I control also opened a branch there. Aside from a portion of employees sent from Shanghai, the rest are Red Party members from Yan'an. They..."

"I am clear on these situations; business requires it, it doesn't matter, talk about the important business."

Iwai Eiichi waved his hand, not caring at all. Wang Yan was a man without secrets; they had a very clear grasp of Wang Yan's situation. Naturally, they were clear and understood this kind of thing; there were even some of their people there. Wang Yan's only secret was that they didn't know exactly how much money he had, but on this point, they firmly believed that Wang Yan himself didn't know either...

Wang Yan nodded and took out the letter from the morning from his pocket: "They had my subordinates bring this back from Yan'an for me; it only arrived this morning. This is the letter; you can take a look. It introduces this penicillin in detail, and then expresses that they are willing to let me do business with all forces and individuals except the Nationalist Party. On this point, I still quite appreciate the Red Party; they are mindful of old feelings. For so many years, I have sold them many supplies, and they have returned the favor, giving me such a large source of wealth. To tell you the truth, Mr. Iwai, I am flattered."

Iwai Eiichi looked at the content of the letter with a smile, extremely satisfied with Wang Yan's attitude. He was not omnipotent, so he hadn't received the news yet, but in less than two days, he would definitely know. Now that Wang Yan had consciously come over, even showing him the Red Party's letter, Wang Sang was a great friend.

He carefully read the letter from beginning to end, then raised his head to look at Wang Yan, who was sipping tea across from him: "How much credibility do you think this medicine has?"

"Ten percent. The Red Party is meticulous in its work; they have always kept their word. If it weren't accurate, they wouldn't bring it out, especially to me. After all, I have been dealing with them for so many years and am the main supplier of materials for the Soviet Area; it is impossible for them to cheat me."

"Then how do you want to sell it? Sell it to whom?"

"This is the purpose of my coming to find you. The preliminary pricing is the same as the sulfonamide currently on the market; specifically, I still need to contact the Yan'an side and listen to their opinions. As for who to sell to, naturally, whoever buys, we sell to. You are also clear that this was researched by the Red Party; continuing to limit the sale of medicine to them loses its most important significance. So who is it that cannot be sold to?

Before coming, I already met with my superior, Commissioner von Judit, and also had my subordinate manager make appointments with the British, the Americans, the Soviets, and people from other countries, striving to sell this penicillin to the whole world. Mr. Iwai, you are clear that monopoly is the most profitable. Now only the Red Party can produce it, but after a period of time, if it is researched by other countries, the money earned will be much less. Of course, the lion's share belongs to the Red Party; I just follow along to earn some hard-earned money. I wonder if the Great Japanese Empire has any ideas?"

"Wang Sang, don't you know the Army General stationed in Shanghai? You should go directly to them, instead of coming to see me."

"Mr. Iwai, how could I do such a thing? You just said we are friends, so since we are friends, naturally I must consider things for you. Besides, it was you who introduced me to those Army and Navy generals in the first place; without you, how could Wang Mou have today? When drinking water, don't forget the well-digger; it is better for you to push this kind of thing."

Iwai Eiichi laughed happily; he liked Wang Yan more and more—sensible, on the ball, spoke nicely, willing to spend money, and saw the situation clearly.

Because if he pushed for the procurement of penicillin, there would be merit, and not a small amount. Even if this was sending supplies to the Red Party and creating difficulties for the Imperial warriors on the front lines, the world was just like this; they couldn't not use it. So, fighting on the front lines while doing business in the rear was nothing impossible. After all, they had been doing it before, only this time the scale might be larger. The military people would only thank him and not blame him. Because they were also in urgent need of anti-inflammatory medicine, and when some people with status were injured in the war, sulfonamide often didn't work. If they used the new medicine, it wasn't impossible for them to recover, and then they would establish connections with the backers of these people.

In short, after going around in a circle, it was still "you are good, I am good, everyone is good"; only the little devils on the front lines died miserably.

"Then what price do you want to sell to our Great Japanese Empire?"

"You are clear that this is a unique medicine. Although I say it's the same price as sulfonamide, the final price will definitely be much higher. But because we are friends, and because we need to transport through the Japanese-occupied areas, I think the same price as sulfonamide is the best; what do you think?"

"The roads are in our hands!" Iwai Eiichi said very firmly and domineeringly: "So naturally, the price is determined by us. Otherwise, no matter how much stuff you sell, if the supplies can't be transported to the Soviet Area, it's all in vain. Money is the most useless thing. So I think this price can be lowered even more."

"Then that is not something I can decide. On this point, I need to go back and contact the people on the Red Party side to discuss this matter further. Mr. Iwai, I hope you can understand."

"Of course, I have always been clear on your difficulties. Alright, let's talk about these things in two days; let's eat."

Iwai Eiichi clapped his hands, the doors slid open to both sides, and Japanese women in kimonos filed in with dishes, then left.

After drinking with Wang Yan, Iwai Eiichi asked: "How was the 14th Generation I sent you before?"

"Very good. I have to trouble Mr. Iwai to entrust someone to get some more good Japanese liquor; of course, it should be a double portion. I will treat you to good liquor from my hometown."

"As long as you like it, why would you need to treat me? I'll send it to you. Next month, I'll have friends in the country bring a batch of all the famous Japanese liquors."

"Then many thanks to you. I will look for some antiques and have someone send them to you in two days." After bleeding money again, Wang Yan turned to ask: "When I came just now, I saw you were burdened with worries; did something happen?"

"You discovered it." Iwai Eiichi shook his head and smiled: "Naturally, it's still about Wang Zhaoming."

"Isn't he staying perfectly well in Hanoi? What happened again?"

"Just yesterday, he encountered an assassination attempt. However, because the people acting recognized the wrong person and killed the person next to him, Wang escaped a disaster. But Wang was also frightened, and these two days have been very difficult. The ones who acted were people from the Military Statistics Bureau, named Chen Gongshu; you must not be unfamiliar with this person, right? Although he doesn't have as much fame as the Red Party's Pei Min, he is also very famous. Others gave him a nickname, called something like the Ruthless Scholar, and he is a capable general under Dai Yunong. Aside from him, there are also the Eighteen Arhats of the Military Statistics Bureau, all ace assassins; they are still looking for opportunities in Hanoi."

"Wang Zhaoming's life is really big; so many people couldn't kill him."

Regarding Wang Yan's words of watching the fun, Iwai Eiichi just glared at him seriously, then continued: "The Great Japanese Empire naturally won't watch a friend fall into danger. Lieutenant Colonel Yingzuo Zhenzhao has already taken people to Hanoi to rescue Wang personally; there will be news very soon. However, this time, he can't stay in Hanoi; he might have to come to Shanghai first..."

Wang Yan didn't say anything and took the initiative to change the subject; if he said more, it would become him deliberately prying. He had no interest in Wang Zhaoming; after all, he couldn't kill him anyway... ===== CHAPTER 667 =====