Chapter 473

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Lv Muzhi opened his mouth asking one hundred dollars per Siden submachine gun, leaving Governor Smith stunned.

Is this doing business? It's clearly robbery!

This cheap Siden submachine gun that looks like a water pipe, actually wants to sell at half the price of a Tomson submachine gun?

Governor Smith said: "What's the difference between this and robbery? Just take it directly from my pocket?"

Hearing this, Lv Muzhi turned his head to look at Chen Cheng, whose expression was equally grim beside him:

"Since Governor Sir is still hesitating, shall we talk?"

Chen Cheng felt somewhat embarrassed: "Where can the Central Government come up with so many US dollars?!"

Lv Muzhi waved his hand: "We're all our own people, but even brothers settle accounts clearly. For such good goods, I don't accept legal tender. Gold or grain—you see how much the Central Government can come up with, and I'll try to give you a discount."

Chen Cheng grimaced and asked: "A discount? You can't sell to the Gui clique, can you!"

Lv Muzhi nodded: "Don't worry, the highest bidder wins!"

Governor Smith panicked a bit. This was openly looking down on people—should those with money in cooperation be slaughtered?

The British Isles were now under the shadow of Hans State, and the mainland's large-scale military expansion plan had caused a shortage of submachine guns.

If they didn't take these thirty thousand Siden submachine guns in stock, many soldiers wouldn't even have a decent weapon.

A hundred-dollar Siden submachine gun indeed had a price advantage over the American Tomson submachine gun costing over two hundred dollars, and most importantly, there wasn't such a huge stock of Tomson submachine guns.

"Wait! General Lu, one hundred dollars, I accept!" Smith gritted his teeth, as if cutting his own flesh.

"One hundred dollars per gun, thirty thousand guns in stock, Great British Empire accepts! But I have one request."

Smith stared fixedly at Lv Muzhi: "We need fifty thousand submachine guns in total. The follow-up order of twenty thousand submachine guns absolutely cannot be at one hundred dollars, otherwise I can't explain to London."

Lv Muzhi chuckled and said magnanimously:

"Governor Sir is refreshing! For the follow-up twenty thousand, I can give you a preferential price: fifty dollars per gun, delivered in installments within one year."

Smith quickly calculated in his mind. One year was enough for the British mainland to introduce production lines and expand capacity.

This first high-priced order could be considered Lv Muzhi helping Britain put out a fire; it couldn't be counted as normal business behavior.

It could be seen that Lv Muzhi was doing a one-shot deal, never thinking Britain would be a repeat customer—slaughter them if they could.

Finally, Governor Smith could only helplessly agree to this condition and signed his name on the agreement.

Chen Cheng was dumbfounded. Did he come here just to help Lv Muzhi raise the price?

After settling the arms order, they should discuss today's core topic: reopening the Burma Road.

"Governor Sir, since you were forced by the threat of the Japanese Army in July this year to close the Burma Road."

"Now Rangoon Port in Burma is piled full of supplies from the United States. Among these supplies, there are both Central Government's and my Youth Army's. With the road blocked, goods can't get into Xia Guo, and American merchants can't receive payment. They're very angry. You shouldn't offend these American merchants."

"Reopening the Burma Road is actually for your Great British Empire's own good."

Governor Smith nodded: "This matter we are considering. Reopening the Burma Road still needs careful study."

Lv Muzhi shook his head: "No need to study. The stakes here are obvious. Britain now faces the threat of Hans State and absolutely needs to import large quantities of war supplies from American merchants and enterprises."

"Closing the Burma Road is cutting off these American enterprises' financial path. You're slapping Americans in the face!"

"When Britain imports war supplies later, it will still face these American enterprises. You can't afford to offend them!"

"If you had opened the Burma Road earlier, I could put in a good word for you. On importing certain American war supplies, I could give you a preferential price—for example, penicillin?"

Governor Smith's eyes lit up. This was indeed a very significant stake.

War dragged more and more countries into the abyss, only the United States developed shabbily, selling war supplies everywhere.

Even powerful Britain had to buy supplies from the United States in the end!

Rumor had it Lv Muzhi had some connections in American business circles. If he could strive for a preferential price on certain supplies, it would be better to reopen the Burma Road early and do a favor.

Lv Muzhi continued: "As long as you open the Burma Road, my convoy can directly deliver the arms you bought to Yangon Port, avoiding repeated loading and unloading, saving time and effort."

Smith asked: "When can they be delivered to the port?"

Lv Muzhi said confidently: "Have your cargo ships wait at Yangon Port. In three days, I'll deliver all thirty thousand submachine guns to the port. Your ships load the goods and can go directly to the mainland!"

By the way, besides buying guns, you have to buy bullets too. Want a preferential price?

Smith certainly hadn't forgotten to buy bullets and said they'd discuss that last.

He was thinking: the Japanese Army had now extended its tentacles into French Indochina. Sooner or later they'd set their sights on Britain's Burma, Malaya, and even India colonies!

He tentatively asked: "General Lu, if the Japanese Army invades Britain's colonies in the future, can your army consider entering Burma to support operations?"

Lv Muzhi felt somewhat surprised and looked at Chen Cheng.

Chen Cheng frowned and asked: "Sorry? What did you just say?"

Noon the next day, Hankou, the Old Man's official residence.

Chen Cheng personally reported the contents of the Kunming meeting to the Old Man.

Hearing that the Burma Road had been reopened, the Old Man let out a strange laugh, praising and cursing Lv Muzhi at the same time.

"What a Lv Wei Yue! This rebellious brat really has some methods!"

"One hundred dollars per submachine gun, he actually made those high-and-mighty British pay. Truly satisfying!"

"The British previously closed the Burma Road and stabbed me in the back. Now Lv Wei Yue has slaughtered them again. Hmm, not bad. This rebellious brat is truly to my liking."

However, thinking that Lv Muzhi was also doing business privately with Li Zongren, the Old Man snorted coldly again.

Chen Cheng said: "Lv Wei Yue asked whether the Central Government needs to purchase arms. If needed, the Central Government can pay him with grain and gold. He only accepts these two forms of payment."

The Old Man cursed: "Bastard! Earning foreigners' US dollars on one side, earning Li Zongren's silver on the other, and still wanting the Central Government's gold and grain?"

"Ungrateful and treacherous! He's simply money-grubbing!"

"Besides, what right does he have to refuse my Legal Tender? Then what's the point of printing so much money..."

Cursing aside, the old man eventually regained his senses; he tapped the desk and issued a directive to Chen Cheng.

"Go! Buy them! Don't let the Gui clique buy up all the good stuff."

"Tell Lv Wei Yue that the Central Government wants five thousand submachine guns, fifty thousand Zhongzheng Rifles, and five million bullets!"

"Also... ask him if he's selling those tanks? Those armored vehicles he made—I'm green with envy."

Chen Cheng gave an embarrassed laugh: "Commander, I actually did ask about the tanks, but Lv Muzhi said they're not for sale, no matter the price."

The old man was so outraged he nearly slammed the desk again: "Damn it..."

Chen Cheng quickly threw out one last bombshell, fearing the old man might faint on the spot.

"Calm your anger; there's one more thing, about the twenty million pounds sterling loan we owe the British..."

"At yesterday's talks, after Lv Muzhi's proposal, Governor Smith clearly stated:"

"When the Japanese Army invades British colonies, if the Xia State Army can help the British repel the Japanese Army, our debt to Britain can be reduced or even entirely waived!"

The old man's angry expression vanished without a trace, replaced by an incredible surprise.

Twenty million pounds sterling—that was an astronomical figure; if he could wipe out this debt, the old man felt he could live several more years.

"Is this true? Can he really get the British to waive the debt?" the old man asked eagerly.

Chen Cheng nodded: "All I can say is there's such a tendency; if the Japanese Army attacks British colonies and we send troops to help them repel the Japanese, debt reduction is certain—just a matter of how much."

The old man paced a few steps in the room, his expression gentle.

"Ha! That white-eyed wolf... no, Wei Yue is truly a pillar of our Great Xia!"