socalfunplaces Chapter 76 Meeting Ji Chuan
Chapter 76 Meeting Ji Chuan
West American Trading Company Office
Yan Shuo, dressed in a suit, was standing in front of the map, listening to Lucas's incredulous exclamation from the other side.
The owner of the trading company, a slightly overweight German, was taking off his gold-rimmed glasses and tapping his fingers heavily on the table, his face full of astonishment.
"Double the number of cargo ships? Bernd, do you know what you're saying?" Lucas's voice was clearly filled with incomprehension. He put his glasses back on, leaned forward, and stared intently at Yan Shuo. "You always ask for five large ships, with a minimum carrying capacity of seven thousand tons! Five ships, that's thirty-five thousand tons of cargo! Isn't that enough for you to sell in Shanghai? You suddenly want to double it, are you trying to empty the entire shipping capacity of the trading company?"
Yan Shuo leaned against his desk, hands in his pockets, his face showing no hesitation, his tone resolute: "Add more! Whether it sells or not is my business. Just do your best to arrange as many ships as you can, I want them all! As soon as the ships arrive at Shanghai port, I'll pay in full immediately, no delays. If you're still worried, I'll give you a deposit of two hundred thousand US dollars right now, is that enough?"
Lucas fell silent, looking at Yan Shuo with a complex expression.
In the past two years, Yan Shuo has helped him make a fortune, and even thoughtfully arranged for his fiancée to work as a clerk in a foreign firm so that he could take care of her.
But today's Yan Shuo was completely different from the calm and cautious financial officer of the past. His eagerness and certainty made Yan Shuo feel uneasy.
He picked up the cigar box on the table but didn't open it. Instead, he asked in a deep voice, "What exactly happened? What could have made you make such a crazy decision? If you don't explain, I won't be able to sleep, and I won't dare to help you relocate the ship."
Upon hearing this, Yan Shuo smiled faintly, stepped forward, and reached out to pull Lucas's cigar box towards himself.
He skillfully opened the box, took out a thick Cuban cigar, snipped off the cap with the cigar cutter, picked up the lighter on the table, and the flame shot up. He twirled the cigar, evenly heating the body, before lighting it, taking two deep drags, and exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.
"You know I own a record and film company, right?" Yan Shuo leaned back on the sofa and asked casually.
Lucas nodded, opened his cigar box, took out one of his own cigars, and handed it to Yan Shuo.
Yan Shuo raised his hand to light it for him. He took a puff before pressing for an answer: "I know, but what does that have to do with you needing so much stock? Do you intend to rely on the record company to handle 35,000 tons of goods?"
"Of course not." Yan Shuo shook his head, leaning forward slightly and lowering his voice. "Yesterday, the company paid salaries, and I invited the general manager to dinner at the Tuileries Restaurant. In the next private room, I overheard officials from the British and French consulates in Shanghai talking. They said that Germany's power has greatly increased after annexing Poland, and now it's getting closer and closer to Japan. The whole of Europe is a powder keg ready to explode!"
He stood up and walked to the map, his finger scribbling heavily over the locations of the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal. His tone grew increasingly grave: "Lucas, if we don't stockpile goods now, what will we do when war breaks out in Europe? If the warring nations blockade each other's shipping lanes, and key chokepoints like the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal are cut off, will your cargo ships still be able to get through Europe? If Shanghai faces a shortage of supplies and we have nothing to sell, will we starve?"
"Heh!" Lucas laughed, shaking his head repeatedly. He waved at Yan Shuo, "Kid, you're too pessimistic. Germany just occupied Poland. Such a large country—it'll take at least a year or two to digest and assimilate it! What they need now is stability, not continued war. You're worrying unnecessarily!"
"No, no, no!" Yan Shuo immediately retorted, drawing a large triangle on the map with his finger, covering a large area of Europe and East Asia. "Look, Germany has Austria's backing, Italy is cheering it on, and then there's Japan in the Far East—what a terrifying triangular alliance! Which country in this triangle can defeat Germany alone? Once war breaks out, the European countries will inevitably join forces. If they can't defeat Germany, they will frantically blockade Germany's supply lines, affecting even the shipping lanes of the entire neutral countries!"
He stared at Lucas, his eyes sharp: "When that happens, your cargo ships will either be unable to get through or will be seized directly. Who will we complain to then? Do you want to make more money now, or wait until the shipping lanes are blocked and starve to death with your empty trading company?"
"Hiss—" Lucas gasped. Yan Shuo's words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing his wishful thinking.
Lucas cares most about money, and anyone who hinders his earning of money is more hateful than anything else in his eyes.
He abruptly stood up, paced around the office a couple of times, and finally made up his mind: "Fine! Give me a detailed list of goods, and I'll contact European shipping companies right now! But a 30% deposit is required! That's my bottom line!"
"Leave it to me!" Yan Shuo made a deal gesture, a satisfied smile on his face, and turned to walk out of the office.
He had just stepped into the corridor and hadn't even had a chance to open his office door when a familiar figure blocked his way.
The tall, thin man, wearing a white top hat and a black short jacket, was one of Hu Erkui's men.
The last time we met, this man was arrogant and had a tough attitude, but now he lowered his head slightly, clasped his hands in front of his abdomen, and spoke with a hint of humility.
"Mr. Liu, do you still remember me?" The tall, thin man cupped his hands in greeting, a cautious smile plastered on his face.
Yan Shuo raised an eyebrow, his tone indifferent: "You're Hu Erkui's man, of course I remember. What, is Meng Jia causing trouble again this time?"
"No, no." The tall, thin man quickly waved his hand, took out a sealed letter from his pocket, and handed it over with both hands. "This time, our boss invited you, saying that a distinguished guest wants to meet with you. This is the letter; you'll understand once you read it."
Yan Shuo took the letter, stroked the envelope, and already had some guesses in his mind.
He opened the envelope, pulled out the letter inside, glanced at it quickly, and his pupils contracted slightly.
The letter contained very little, just a few words: Hu Erkui hosted a banquet on the third floor of the Taifeng Hotel to introduce him to Ji Chuan, the captain of the second team of the 76th Action Team.
Kikawa!
Yan Shuo's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the letter, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Why would this staunch traitor suddenly arrange a meeting with me through Hu Erkui?
A private room on the third floor of Taifeng Hotel.
Hu Erkui sat beside Yan Shuo at the mahogany round table. When Yan Shuo entered, Hu Erkui quickly stood up and smiled obsequiously, saying to the man in the main seat, "Captain Ji, this is the Mr. Liu Jie of Ximei Trading Company that I told you about. He is young and promising, and he holds the financial power of the trading company."
Ji Chuan slowly stood up. He was wearing a black Zhongshan suit with the cuffs buttoned tightly. He had a formulaic smile on his face, but his eyes were like those of a hawk, scrutinizing Yan Shuo from head to toe.
This man was in his early thirties, slightly overweight, with an oily sheen on his forehead and shrewd eyes. He was the captain of Team 2 of the 76th Action Team, a traitor known as Iron Rod.