Chapter 316: Old Lu is Showing Off Again

"Zhiyou, I'm curious. Tang Enbo is a Whampoa Central direct descendant of the Generalissimo, and his military supplies are all exclusively provided by the higher-ups. Why would he still need to buy military supplies privately from Lu Qiao?" Yu Zecheng asked.

"Because he lost battles and even managed to lose Zhang Lingfu.

"Right now, among all the generals of the Nationalist Government, even if they don't participate in the reselling of military supplies themselves, the officers and field-grade officers under them rarely miss out on such windfall profits.

"The Generalissimo knows this problem, and people like Gu Zhutong, Chen Cheng, and Du Yuming know it too.

"You have so many questions, aren't you going to offer me a cup of tea?"

Speaking of this, Hong Zhiyou couldn't help but feel a bit parched.

"Look at me.

"This is top-grade Longjing tea that Mr. Yong gave me; you should try it."

Yu Zecheng smiled and hurriedly brewed some good tea.

"That would be wonderful. You are a professional when it comes to tea; I'm afraid this tea is even a cut above what Zhou Xiangxian gave the Station Chief." Hong Zhiyou accepted it happily.

After tasting a cup, Yu Zecheng urged, "Since the Generalissimo and all the officers know, why don't they investigate?"

"They can't investigate.

"Ever since the myth of Hu Zongnan capturing Yancheng became a joke, the Nationalist Army has been retreating step by step, and the death of Zhang Lingfu in battle, in particular, has had a huge impact on the morale of the Nationalist Army.

"You have to know that for the attack on Ludong, three of the five major American-equipped corps were sent this time, including the ace Reorganized 11th Division of Chen Cheng's Tumu clique, the Qiu Qingquan unit of the 5th Army, and the Zhang Lingfu unit, among others.

"The Generalissimo basically bet all his best-fighting 'Heavenly Kings' and 'Vajras' on it.

"But they couldn't withstand the North-South integration of Chen and Su; they were invincible. You know how terrified the Nationalist Army is—units are positioned in linked formations less than thirty miles apart, just for fear of being outflanked and eaten up by the Su army. Now, hearing General Su's name is a nightmare.

"Is this why Xue Yue, who advocated for the split-advance tactic, was removed from his post? They had to replace him with Gu Zhutong to take command.

"But according to the first-hand information obtained by the US observation group on the front line, Qiu Qingquan isn't acting crazy anymore, Gu Zhutong isn't effective, and the Air Force's airdrops aren't accurate.

"A pile of messes; the combat power is nothing like an ace army combination.

"Instead, it looks like a makeshift troupe that could fall apart at any moment.

"Who's going to pull a straw.

"Bang!"

Hong Zhiyou spread his hands, making a gesture of 'it's over.'

"Yeah.

"This kind of thing can't be done without some means and courage; whoever touches it is doomed.

"If Boss Dai were still alive, perhaps he could still suppress it. The boss was greedy, but at least he got things done, and his methods were sophisticated.

"Slippery characters like He Yingqin and Zheng Jiemin have always avoided trouble whenever they could.

"When they failed to curb this corrupt trend while arresting Ji Weimin, the Nationalist Army's disease of corruption became basically incurable."

Yu Zecheng nodded in deep agreement.

"Maybe it would be a little better if Boss Dai were alive, but not by much.

"He couldn't even handle Ma Hansan or Tang Zong.

"Do you really expect him to dare to arrest the Generalissimo's protégés like Tang Enbo or Hu Zongnan? Even if he arrested them, Dai Li wouldn't know how to command a battle either," Hong Zhiyou laughed.

"I understand.

"If Gu Zhutong could win battles, all problems wouldn't be problems.

"Now that they've lost, they must drag Tang Enbo and the others out to 'whip the corpse,' and the fact that reselling military supplies led to a massive loss in combat power is bound to be one of the reasons.

"So, Tang Enbo—or rather, his subordinates—are in a hurry to 'fill the hole,' which is why they are restocking from the US military in Jinhai, giving Lu Qiao the opportunity to make a fortune."

Yu Zecheng summarized.

"Yes.

"Enough talk.

"Okamura Yasuji is heading to Ludong again, and Wang Yaowu is secretly gathering heavy troops. They refuse to believe in bad luck and are determined to turn the tables on Chen and Su.

"Kirk has ordered the Seventh Fleet to provide support; there might be long-range gui... artillery and aircraft support.

"The focus is on the Weifang area."

Hong Zhiyou, as if just chatting, leaked the intelligence he had pried out of Kirk to Yu Zecheng.

"Got it."

Yu Zecheng nodded gratefully and quickly memorized it.

"How much?"

After a moment's thought, he called out to Hong Zhiyou.

"I'm in a good mood, it's on the house," Hong Zhiyou smiled, shoved his hands in his pockets, and walked out jauntily.

Back in the office, before he could even settle into his seat, Zhang Li walked in and said in a sugary voice:

"Secretary Hong, Section Chief Lu wants you to come over."

"Is it 'wants' or 'requests'?" Hong Zhiyou sat with his legs crossed, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, looking at her with a sneer.

"It's... a request," Zhang Li hurriedly corrected herself.

"That's better.

"A girl who doesn't know how to speak will suffer for it."

Hong Zhiyou stood up and gave her a hard slap on her shapely buttocks:

"Get out!"

"Yes!" Zhang Li trembled in fear, lowered her head, and walked out.

Hong Zhiyou, with one hand in his pocket, strolled over to the Intelligence Section.

Lu Qiao was brewing coffee.

Seeing Hong Zhiyou, he greeted him warmly:

"Zhiyou, sit down, it's freshly ground coffee.

"Brazilian stuff.

"Try it."

"Brother Shan, you're glowing lately; there must be some good news," Hong Zhiyou sat down with his legs crossed and sipped the coffee unhurriedly.

"It's alright.

"It's alright."

Lu Qiao tapped his fingers on the armrest.

"Why haven't you been active lately, brother? I've been waiting for you to get me some work," he looked at Hong Zhiyou with a beaming smile, intentionally trying to disgust him and show off.

"To be honest, brother, I've been having a streak of bad luck lately, and I've got a lot of orders backed up.

"Heaven knows why Philson ran out of stock.

"I asked for grain, rice, and flour, and he said there was a hurricane in the Pacific and the ships couldn't get through.

"I asked for guns and artillery, and he said the North American arms dealers are bickering with the Democratic Party and are watching things too closely to ship them out.

"Everyone used to call me the 'Jinhai Expert.'

"Now I really can't get anything through.

"Sigh, it's a headache."

Hong Zhiyou sighed helplessly.

"That is quite a streak of bad luck.

"Running into a hurricane is no joke; I heard the winds in the Pacific can even blow warships away.

"Just let it sit for a while then.

"Once this passes, the Americans will supply you sooner or later."

Lu Qiao tried to comfort him, but he couldn't hide the smugness on his face.

"Brother Shan, since I can't keep things moving on my end, you'll have to bear with me; I'm truly at my wit's end," Hong Zhiyou said.

"Understood, understood.

"We're all brothers; if you had any good opportunities, you'd surely think of me."

Lu Qiao chuckled, moved closer to him, and whispered:

"Brother, I know you have a line that can transport goods to Ludong.

"Could you lend it to your brother to use?"

"Transport what?" Hong Zhiyou asked.

"Just a batch of old equipment phased out by the Northeast Arsenal back in the day. A friend entrusted me to ship it to Commander Tang. If it's convenient for you, let me use your route.

"Also, your truck fleet.

"I'm in a hurry to use them."

Lu Qiao said in a low voice.

"How many trucks do you need?" Hong Zhiyou asked.

"Twenty trucks, I want them all," Lu Qiao said.

"No.

"Brother, you've got so much stuff, you must be making a killing, right?" Hong Zhiyou said with an envious look.

"It's a friend's stuff.

"It's all old junk; I'm just lending a hand, I won't make much.

"Do me a favor."

Lu Qiao opened his drawer, took out two thousand dollars, and handed it over.

"Brother Shan, what do you mean by this?" Hong Zhiyou asked.

"We've been brothers for a long time, just a small token, take it." Lu Qiaoshan pushed the money over.

"Why not go by sea? The Boatmen's Gang has ships; I can contact Long Er for you," Hong Zhiyou said.

"No, no."

"The Boatmen's Gang has too many eyes and ears. This kind of business can't see the light of day; it's more reliable to use your land route."

Lu Qiaoshan said.

He and Lin Sufang were secretly smuggling arms from Anderson, but using the Boatmen's Gang's ships would easily be discovered by Hong Zhiyou, and furthermore, Lin Sufang would charge a huge transportation fee.

Lu Qiaoshan was already taking the smaller share, so naturally, he didn't want Lin Sufang to squeeze him for nothing.

As for Hong Zhiyou, he was being kept in the dark anyway, so why not use him?

Even if he found out later, it wouldn't matter; he would have already made a fortune and monopolized the arms channels.

If Hong Zhiyou was sensible, he could still toss him a scrap.

If he wasn't, Lin Sufang had already handled Anderson, and he wouldn't be able to turn the tables.

Not only that.

Lu Qiaoshan had also secretly acquired a winery with Lin Sufang, planning to buy a Hennessy label and build a foreign liquor brand.

Since Anderson and the Americans could lift Hong Zhiyou up.

With Zheng Jiemin and the massive Boatmen's Gang as backing, what was there to fear?

Hong Zhiyou sold Axe brand.

He would sell Cherry brand.

He didn't understand business, but Lu Qiaoshan was confident he could copy Hong Zhiyou's commercial thinking.

Moreover, this plan had received high approval from Zheng Jiemin and Ke Shufen.

Last time, the arms deal with Ma Bufang and Bai Chongxi in the Northwest was successful.

Zheng Jiemin was very pleased and invested an additional 50, 00 USD, telling him to take the liquor market at all costs.

The current Lu Qiaoshan was bursting with confidence, feeling that he was terrifyingly strong.

In his eyes, Hong Zhiyou was truly just a little brother!

"How about this, after it's done, I'll add another 1, 00 USD, how about that?" Fearing Hong Zhiyou wasn't satisfied, Lu Qiaoshan added.

"Brother, look at what you're saying."

"We're family, isn't my line your line?"

"Don't worry, I'll give the word, you just go ahead."

"What's with the money? You're being too formal."

Hong Zhiyou smiled and pushed the money back.

"This line of yours has to go from Henan around to Cao County, right? The fuel costs for such a long loop are significant, you must take it, you must," Lu Qiaoshan insisted.

"Brother Shan, I can just go to the club a few times less to cover the fuel, why must you squeeze me?"

"If word gets out, wouldn't it hurt our brotherhood?"

Hong Zhiyou said with a look of displeasure.

As he spoke, he blinked and chuckled: "Old Yu's position as Deputy Station Chief has been officially stripped, and looking at the Station Chief's intentions, it seems he wants to promote you."

"When that time comes, you'll be Deputy Station Chief Lu, surely there will be benefits for your brother?"

"That's true, that's true!" Lu Qiaoshan laughed heartily.

"Don't worry, if I can sit in the Deputy Station Chief's chair, there will definitely be a share for you, brother."

He patted his chest and gave his word.

"Alright, then I thank you, Brother Shan," Hong Zhiyou said quickly.

"Brother Shan."

"I have to say this first: Li Ya has been keeping an eye on me and Director Yu. If you want to borrow the fleet and use my transport line, that's no problem."

"But if something goes wrong, I can't take the responsibility."

He took a sip of coffee, preparing the scapegoat in advance.

"Li Ya?"

"Heh, he won't be jumping around for many more days. I've been too busy making money to deal with him lately."

"Once I have the time, I'll have him in the slammer in a minute."

Lu Qiaoshan sneered.

"Don't worry."

"I'll find him some work to do and distract his attention."

"You just get the fleet ready."

Lu Qiaoshan said confidently.

"When are you moving the goods?" Hong Zhiyou asked.

"Hehe..." Lu Qiaoshan chuckled and said nothing.

"Understood."

"I'll have Kong Fang prepare the fleet now, at the Embroidered Uniform Guard church."

"You can manage it yourself then."

Hong Zhiyou said.

"Thanks." Lu Qiaoshan nodded in satisfaction.

"Don't mention it, we're brothers," Hong Zhiyou said.

"That's right, we are... brothers, real brothers!" Lu Qiaoshan patted his shoulder hard.

After chatting enough, Hong Zhiyou got up and left.

Lu Qiaoshan's smile suddenly turned cold; he closed the door and quickly picked up the phone:

"Hello, Old Peng, prepare a team of drivers on your end, ten guards per vehicle, fully armed, they must be our own people. Have them gather at the Embroidered Uniform Guard church at eight tonight."

"Remember, it must be kept secret."

"Good."

After hanging up, he dialed another number: "Is Captain Li there, in the Station Chief's office? Good, I understand."

He put down the phone.

Just as Lu Qiaoshan was about to leave, the phone rang again. He answered, and his face instantly beamed:

"Mr. Jack, it's ME, it's ME."

"Mr. Powell is arriving in Jinhai tomorrow night?"

"That's great."

"Don't worry, you will definitely get your share."

"Alright, happy to cooperate."

"See you tomorrow night."

Hanging up the phone, Lu Qiaoshan was grinning from ear to ear, slapping his thigh in delight:

"When luck comes, you really can't stop it."

"I'm destined to get rich!"

Once he took down the Cherry brand, he could swallow another huge deal of Hong Zhiyou's.

Thinking of this, he picked up the phone again and quickly dialed a number:

"Miss Lin, it's me."

"Mr. Powell from the Hennessy headquarters is coming to Jin tomorrow night."

"Get the money ready."

"Also, bring the products from our joint-venture winery; Mr. Powell wants to taste them."

"Remember, you must show sincerity; these foreign devils are very particular."

"We must buy the Cherry brand name."

"Good, waiting for your good news."

After making all these calls, Lu Qiaoshan was parched.

He drank a glass of plain water.

Then, he walked quickly toward the Station Chief's office.

Station Chief's office.

Wu Jingzhong was giving Li Ya his orders:

"Currently, the theft of military supplies is rampant. Jianfeng is deeply disgusted by this. Why did Ludong become such a mess, with defeat after defeat from Xue Yue to Gu Zhutong?"

"It's because military supplies and ordnance couldn't keep up."

"Now, the Red side's heavy machine guns and artillery power have already caused huge casualties to our frontline troops."

"And what about us?"

"There are frequent reports of shells failing to explode on the front lines."

"I just received news from the Ministry of National Defense that Tang Enbo and Li Changxia have been dismissed."

"Jianfeng and Director Mao have instructed that as Jin and Ping are of the utmost importance, we must curb this evil trend before the flames of war rise, in order to prepare for fighting good battles and big battles."

"Commander Chen has issued an order for our Bureau of Investigation and Statistics to assist in investigating the 94th Army's illegal resale of military supplies."

"Lu Qiaoshan is Zheng Jiemin's man; he certainly won't put his heart into investigating Zheng Tingfeng, so this task must be shouldered by you. You must not let down the high expectations of Jiang Jianfeng and Commander Chen."

"The 94th Army?" Li Ya's eyes sharpened, and he let out a cold laugh.

Back when Xu Zhi was still around, he had once beaten Li Ya severely; although the man surnamed Xu had lost his official position, Li Ya had kept that grudge bottled up in his heart.

He had been fretting over having no opportunity to take a knife to this bunch of arrogant fools.

And now, the opportunity had arrived.

"Station Chief, rest assured, they certainly won't be so lucky this time," Li Ya said coldly.

Just as he was speaking, Lu Qiaoshan walked in and said with a smile:

"Oh, Captain Li is here. It just so happens I have something to discuss with you."

He walked quickly to the Station Chief to report: "Station Chief, I just received news that a battalion commander surnamed Tong from the 94th Army has stolen a batch of arms, canned goods, winter clothing, and quilts. They will be meeting for the handover at Mawang Town at eight o'clock tonight."

"The buyer is a ship merchant from Huludao in the Northeast."

"I suspect this person has a Red background."

"Do you think we should have Captain Li make a trip?"

"Arrest them. We must arrest them," Wu Jingzhong said righteously, holding up his index finger.

"Division Chief Lu, is your intelligence accurate?"

"It isn't another case of calling me over just to get beaten up, is it?" Li Ya squinted at him and asked with a cold sneer.

"Captain Li, in the past, I, your elder brother, treated you poorly, but let's not bring up old history."

"This intelligence was provided by one of my informants."

"It is definitely accurate."

"When you have performed a meritorious service, just don't forget my share."

Lu Qiaoshan said.

"Eight o'clock tonight, Mawang Town, are you certain?" Li Ya asked again.

"Certain, eight o'clock," Lu Qiaoshan nodded.

"Fine, thanks," Li Ya said.

"Station Chief, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave." Lu Qiaoshan still had a pile of money-making matters to handle, so he offered a greeting and walked away quickly.

"Lu Qiaoshan giving me intelligence to earn merit—the sun must be rising in the west," Li Ya pursed his lips, frowning in confusion.

"He has finally returned."

"He certainly wouldn't dare pull that Lu Yuxi routine again, so the intelligence is most likely true."

"You should go and make the trip."

"If there is merit to be earned, earn it."

"If there is no merit, just consider it a trip out of the city to get some fresh air."

Wu Jingzhong said with a smile.

"I just feel that something is not right."

"Teacher, don't forget, he still holds the position of Division Chief of the Inspection Division. He could now legitimately earn merit for Lu Yuxi, so why give the intelligence to me?"

"This is most likely 'a weasel wishing a chicken a Happy New Year'."

Li Ya said with a frown.

"That is also possible."

"Then you should keep your wits about you and keep an eye on him," Wu Jingzhong said with a smile.

"Understood."

"I understand, I will make the arrangements now."

Li Ya bowed to Wu Jingzhong, shoved his hands into his pockets, and walked away quickly.

A cold sneer appeared on the corner of Wu Jingzhong's mouth.

The good show was finally about to begin.

Lu Qiaoshan was afraid he was going to take a big tumble this time.

To be precise, Zheng Jiemin as well.

Heh.

Jinhai is a piece of fat meat, but not everyone can swallow it.

The way people like Lu Qiaoshan and Zheng Jiemin eat, they will choke to death sooner or later.

……

Seven-forty in the evening.

Office of the Division Chief of the Garrison Command Inspection Division.

Lu Qiaoshan, in full military uniform, sat in his luxurious office making a phone call:

"Deputy Minister Zheng, it's me."

"Rest assured, the people on Philson's side have agreed to deliver the goods on time at eight o'clock tonight, and I have already cleaned up the tails following me."

"This time it is nearly eighty thousand US dollars in arms."

"Tang Enbo quoted me a price of one hundred and fifty thousand; after deducting the kickbacks, I can pocket at least one hundred and ten or one hundred and twenty thousand US dollars."

"Yes, there won't be a loss."

"The Americans are just like that; they must be paid before the goods are handed over. Past transactions with Ma Bufang and Bai Chongxi were all fine, and Hong Zhiyou used to do it this way too."

"The goods will definitely be delivered in full, there won't be any problems."

"Alright, goodbye."

After hanging up the phone, he glanced at his watch and instructed the clerk at the reception desk outside the door: "Go and call Peng Chengtao over."

Soon, Peng Chengtao, with his burly build, round face, and hair cut into a few millimeters of short stubble, walked in.

"Division Chief Lu, you were looking for me." He sat down very casually with his hands in his pockets.

As the Division Chief of the Garrison Command Adjutant Division, he was at the same rank as Lu Qiaoshan, but since Peng Chengtao was once a student of Zheng Jiemin, the two usually addressed each other as brothers.

"Are the vehicles all in place?" Lu Qiaoshan asked.

"They are in place."

"After Hong Zhiyou's convoy arrived, I replaced all their drivers, and the soldiers escorting the cargo are also my own men; they are absolutely reliable," Peng Chengtao said.

"Good."

"I trust you to handle things. Has the equipment been loaded?" Lu Qiaoshan nodded and asked.

"It has been loaded."

"This is the manifest, you can check it," Peng Chengtao handed over the manifest.

Lu Qiaoshan took a look and frowned: "Why is there so little? It's not even one-third of it?"

……

(End of chapter)