lerbook Chapter 54 Trade and all that, what difference does it make what you do with the money you make from
Chapter 54 Trade and all that, what difference does it make what you do with the money you make from
Fifty million pounds.
That sounds scary.
But Mo Huixin knew better than anyone that this money was simply not enough to cover her expenses.
The price of a light cruiser was £2.8 million, a destroyer £1.2 million, and a squadron of twelve fighters £960,000.
To build a naval and air force capable of challenging the combined fleet of Japan, 50 million pounds wouldn't even be a fraction of the budget.
So, on the same night, as Chen Zijun's tank crushed the barbed wire fence of the concession, Mo Huixin was sitting in an underground wine cellar at the end of Avenue Joffre in the French Concession.
The wine cellar was deep. Three granite steps led down to the walls, which were lined with moldy oak wine racks. The lighting was dim, with a kerosene lamp flickering in the corner.
She was wearing a navy blue modified cheongsam, with a black briefcase resting on her lap.
There was no money in the purse.
It's something more valuable than money.
Two glasses of red wine were placed on the mahogany table in front of her, and the chair opposite her was empty.
The person I made an appointment with was ten minutes late.
Mo Huixin was in no hurry. She picked up her wine glass, took a sip, and glanced at the iron door deep inside the wine cellar.
The crisp sound of high heels clicking on the stone slabs came from outside the door.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The rhythm was steady. Neither too fast nor too slow. It was like walking to a metronome.
The iron gate was pushed open.
A young woman came in.
She was around thirty or forty years old, wearing a light purple satin cheongsam with an Italian-style black mink coat draped over it. Her hair was styled in the most fashionable finger waves of the moment.
His eyes were bright, and there was a slight smile at the corner of his mouth. But his smile concealed seven parts shrewdness.
Sister Gui, Su Guiying.
She was once the most famous courtesan in Shanghai, and also the chief steward behind the entire Green Gang. Now she is the deputy director of the intelligence department of the Military Intelligence Bureau.
She was also the only Chinese woman in the entire Shanghai Bund who dared to wear a mink coat into an underground casino in the French Concession.
"Sister Mo." Su Guiying sat down gracefully and poured herself a glass of wine. "The tanks are rumbling outside, yet you can sit still."
Mo Huixin smiled.
"What happens outside is the young master's business. I'm in charge of the money."
Su Guiying raised an eyebrow.
"Manage the money? The Chen family army's money is more than enough for you to manage!"
"Not enough." Mo Huixin put down her wine glass, her voice gentle, but the light in her eyes was cold. "That's why I came to find you."
Su Guiying leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs.
"Looking for me? I'm just an intelligence officer, what help could I possibly offer?"
"The Green Gang experienced its fastest growth under your leadership, making money like the Huangpu River." Mo Huixin stared directly at her. "You have a real talent for business; it's a waste that you're in the Military Intelligence Bureau. Why don't you come and work for me?"
There was a two-second silence in the wine cellar.
Su Guiying's smile remained unchanged, but her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Miss Mo is really well-informed."
"I'm no longer in business." Su Guiying opened the briefcase on her lap. "I'm now the deputy director of the Military Intelligence Bureau of the Shanghai Garrison Command, I have an official position..."
She pulled a piece of paper from her purse and pushed it in front of Mo Huixin.
Mo Huixin glanced down.
His expression changed.
"This is……"
"Pharmaceutical-grade morphine." Su Guiying's voice was as gentle as saying goodnight. "Ninety-nine point seven percent purity. German standard. A level that pharmacists worldwide could only dream of."
Mo Huixin picked up the paper and examined it carefully three times.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
"This thing...you can mass-produce it?"
"Not just morphine." Su Guiying pulled out a second sheet of paper. "Cocaine extract. Heroin semi-finished product. Specialty drugs. All pharmaceutical grade purity. All can be mass-produced."
Mo Huixin put down the paper, her voice very low.
"Sister Su, do you know how much these things would be worth if shipped to Europe?"
"I know," Su Guiying nodded. "A pound of morphine costs six hundred pounds on the London black market. A pound of cocaine costs nine hundred pounds in Paris. Assuming a monthly supply of one thousand pounds..."
She held up one finger.
"Monthly net profit is no less than £1.5 million."
Mo Huixin gasped.
"One and a half million?!"
"A conservative estimate," Su Guiying pushed her glass forward. "From Shanghai to Marseille, from Marseille to Paris, and then from Paris to the rest of Europe."
She stared into Mo Huixin's eyes.
"Do you have this line?"
Mo Huixin stared at Su Guiying for a full five seconds.
Then she laughed.
Her smile is beautiful. And also fierce.
"Miss Mo, I don't have it, but I contacted her before. It's about the ear from the Paramount that your sister has. I checked, and Feng Chengcheng studied opera vocal music in Italy for three years, but she has a best friend..."
Su Guiying curled the corners of her lips. "That girl's roommate is named Lily Kurrag. Her father is the head of the Kurrag family in Sicily."
Mo Huixin's eyes lit up.
"The Italian Mafia?"
"Not the Mafia," Su Guiying corrected. "It's the 'Glory Society.' They prefer that name."
She took a business card out of her handbag and placed it on the table.
The business card had a golden cross and a line of Italian text printed on it.
"Lily just arrived in Shanghai this year. Otherwise, I wouldn't know her. She used to control the entire smuggling route from the Mediterranean, Europe, to the whole of Tsarist Russia in the St. Petersburg area. She transported everything—arms, medicine, tobacco. Half of the customs along the Mediterranean coast had been dealt with by her family. But as you know, Tsarist Russia was gone a couple of years ago, so she chose the Far East to expand her family's influence..."
Su Guiying's voice suddenly lowered.
"As for how to convince them, that depends on the charisma of our young marshal..."
"It's likely that Italian Mafia families would love to have a warlord son-in-law from the Far East!"
"What a coincidence."
Mo Huixin smiled slightly. "Our mistress also said that the young master is already over twenty and still has no children, which is quite worrying."
The two women exchanged a glance.
Su Guiying picked up her wine glass.
"Great. So, how do you plan to split the profits?"
"Four or six," Mo Huixin held up four fingers. "We provide the goods, she provides the distribution channels and the fleet. She gets four, we get six."
"Fifty-fifty..."
"46. No bargaining."
Mo Huixin's tone suddenly changed; that gentle shell shattered instantly, revealing a cold, iron fist beneath. "Miss Feng's father, Feng Yong, is the young master's man. The reason she's so famous in Shanghai today is not only because we're willing to support her and she's willing to be our listener, but also because the young master gives her songs. But there are plenty of women in Shanghai who can sing. It's not because she's outstanding, but because the young master is looking out for her father, Feng Yong. So, she has to use this connection."
"As for Lily Kurlag, she now has two choices: accept our terms or fight those Jews. What do you think she'll choose?"
Su Guiying's smile froze for a moment.
But only for a moment.
She put down her wine glass and clapped her hands.
"I'm still a seasoned veteran of the martial world, and I'm a bit petty when it comes to comparing these national and state powers. The idea that harmony brings wealth doesn't seem to apply between nations. I'm afraid that only the winner takes all is the way to go."
She paused.
"But I have one condition."
"explain."
"I want to set aside a portion of the profits," Su Guiying said, a sudden seriousness creeping into her eyes. "To use it for orphanages and girls' schools in Shanghai."
Mo Huixin remained silent.
"I don't trust the money of the Shanghai municipal government. Officials in our land are never truly incorruptible when it comes to money." Su Guiying's voice was soft, but every word struck the table. "Opium money, casino money—I've never spent a single penny of that dirty money in my life. But this deal is different."
She looked at Mo Huixin.
"For a hundred years, foreigners have been dumping opium on us. Now we're dumping it back on them. What goes around comes around. Who can escape the wrath of Heaven?"
She smiled.
"I feel perfectly justified in spending this money."
Mo Huixin looked at her and remained silent for two seconds.
Then he chuckled softly.
"I'll make the decision for my young master. The money is approved."
Su Guiying stood up and extended her hand.
Mo Huixin took her hand.
Both hands were very white and slender.
But the strength with which they held each other was no less than that of the soldiers outside carrying guns.
"I'll draft the contract when I get back," Mo Huixin said. "But there's one thing that needs to be decided now. You need to see Lily Kurlag as soon as possible and finalize this deal. Also, you need to have someone keep an eye on the Jews; I don't think they'll stay put..."
She picked up a telephone in the corner of the wine cellar and dialed a number.
The phone rang twice before being answered.
It was very noisy over there. You could vaguely hear the rumble of tank tracks rolling over the road and the sound of soldiers marching in unison.
"Young Master," Mo Huixin's voice softened again. "Huixin has important news to report."
"explain."
Chen Zijun's voice was brief and cold.
Mo Huixin explained the entire transaction framework in thirty seconds.
There was a five-second silence on the other end of the phone.
"What is the purity level?"
"99.7. Highest quality."
"What about the distribution channels?"
"The Kurrag family. The 'Sicilian Glory.' Controlling the entire sea route from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic."
There was another three seconds of silence.
"What's wrong with making money from foreigners in trade? It's all about making money!"
"but--"
"Not a single gram is allowed to enter the country. Anyone who dares to smuggle it in will have their entire family executed. Do you understand?"
"clear."
"Let's do it then..."
A cold laugh suddenly came from the other end of the phone.
"A century ago, they used opium to break our backbone. Today, I will squeeze every last drop of their gold and foreign exchange to build my fleet!"
The phone hangs up.
Mo Huixin put down the microphone.
Su Guiying stood to the side, her mouth slightly open.
"Our young marshal... he really dares to do anything."
"He's capable of anything." Mo Huixin took out a bronze seal from her purse. "So we're capable of earning anything."
She dipped the seal in ink and pressed it heavily onto the end of the memorandum of understanding.
The three red characters "Chen Mansion" were particularly glaring under the dim yellow light.
Su Guiying also took out a small silver seal from her handbag and stamped it next to her.
Two seals side by side. One red and one silver.
Mo Huixin was about to put the documents away.
boom!!
The entire wine cellar shook violently!
Dust fell from above. Wine bottles on the shelf clattered and rattled. One bottle fell and shattered on the stone floor, leaving a red puddle.
Su Guiying grabbed the edge of the table for support.
"What's going on?!"
Mo Huixin's expression changed instantly. She rushed to the entrance of the wine cellar, pushed open the iron gate, and ran up the stone steps.
She pushed open the wooden door to the ground floor.
The night wind blew in.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.
Mo Huixin looked up at the sky.
Her pupils suddenly contracted.
In the southeastern night sky, countless black dots were approaching. The roar of engines, like a swarm of frenzied wasps, was so loud it hurt one's eardrums.
Beneath each black dot on the wing was painted a bright red Japanese flag.
Biplane bomber.
At least thirty.
Formation. Carrying live ammunition. Flying straight towards Shanghai.
Su Guiying also ran up. The moment she saw the sky, all the color drained from her face.
"The Japanese...they sent planes?!"
Mo Huixin gripped the iron door frame tightly.
She had only one thought.
The young master is still exposed on the streets of Nanjing Road!