Chapter 85: Doing Business Means A Steady, Long-term Flow!
Cao Weida’s heart sank. That funeral stick bastard was putting me on the spot!
“Cao Ye, we’re wronged! We’re just honestly doing business. We’re really not anti-Japanese elements!” The few captured men had pale faces and tearfully pleaded.
Looking around, many people who saw this dared to be angry but not speak out, with grief and indignation flashing in their eyes.
Today it’s these shop bosses being arrested. Who knows who they’ll randomly grab tomorrow?
Everyone couldn’t help but feel a sense of sorrow for the death of a fellow rabbit.
“Don’t worry. As long as you’re really not, there absolutely won’t be any problem.”
Turning back, he looked at him expressionlessly and ordered the patrolmen behind: “Send everyone to Master Duo. Before my orders, if anyone dares to privately detain or torture them, I’ll skin him alive!”
After saying that, he coldly glanced at Sang Liuji, hailed a rickshaw, and hurried to the police station.
If he didn’t need to keep him to take the blame, he’d really want to kill him right now!
Behind him, Sang Liuji spat at Cao Weida’s back and sneered arrogantly: “Fuck, he’s just lucky. He got lucky and hooked up with Ono Taijun. Look at him acting all smug.”
“Fuck, wait until this old man hooks up with Ono Taijun. Just you wait!”
After returning to the police station, Cao Weida went straight to Xu Hancheng’s office.
After knocking and entering, Cao Weida recounted what just happened and asked: “Bureau Chief, this order wasn’t from you, right?”
Xu Hancheng hurriedly waved his hands in denial. “How could it be? I’m not that idiot Sang Liuji. I just passed down the higher-ups’ instructions to arrest suspicious elements.”
“Last night there was a shooting near Yangzi Dance Hall. They say it was some kind of assault rifle. Taijun is taking it very seriously. Those from the East Asia Academic Research Association came out in full force. That scene would scare anyone to death.”
“I reckon that dog Sang Liuji is taking the chance to extort, thinking of killing innocents to claim merit.”
Cao Weida naturally knew this. He asked: “Who gave the order? Officer Ono?”
“I sounded out Officer Ono indirectly. This time it’s an order from the Special Higher Police: better to kill a thousand by mistake than let one go.” Xu Hancheng sighed helplessly.
“Cao’er, I know you want to save them, but there’s no way. At this time, I don’t dare release anyone either, or those officers won’t let me off.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t put you in a difficult position.”
It seems the little devils are getting serious this time. They want to kill a batch of Chinese people to intimidate!
Leaving the bureau chief’s office, Cao Weida quickly arrived at Ono Shiota’s office door but didn’t go in immediately.
After silently drafting something in his mind, he then knocked and entered.
“Ono-kun, sorry to disturb you.”
“Cao Sang, come in quick, sit.”
Ono Shiota had been in a good mood lately. Helping Cao Weida’s “friends” “mediate” had earned him quite a bit. The loan they got from the bank had mostly been exchanged for supplies.
Lately, the purchasing power of union bonds had been continuously declining. To others it was a disaster, but they had made a killing.
Moreover, they’d recently “adjusted” a batch of supplies and were just planning to contact Cao Weida.
“Cao Sang, I was just looking for you. We have a batch of scrapped weapons and ammunition that need handling. See when you can deal with them.”
“No problem. Give me a time, and I’m available anytime.” After chatting a bit, Cao Weida steered the topic to the arrest of people.
“Ono-kun, I just encountered Sang Liuji on the road. He arrested quite a few people. Back at the police station, they grabbed a bunch too, saying they were anti-Japanese elements.”
At these words, Ono Shiota understood the implication and said awkwardly: “This is Major Goto’s order. It’s hard for me to do anything.”
“Money, I definitely want to make, but”
“Cao Sang, remember what I told you before? The Special Higher Police’s dogs have sniffed something. If we go against them now and get targeted, our goods will be hard to handle.”
Cao Weida suddenly realized: “Ono-kun means the guy leading this is one of them?”
“Yes, his name is Goto Kenji. He’s a guy whose brain is full of long live the Emperor. Very tough to deal with. If he latches on, we’ll have a headache.”
“I see.” Cao Weida sighed regretfully and probed: “This isn’t delaying our making money? Plus, I suspect the Special Higher Police have already eyed our batch of goods.”
Ono Shiota’s heart tightened: “How so?”
Cao Weida said helplessly: “We’ve been extra careful lately, but that guy Sang Liuji is just too high-profile.”
“You don’t know, relying on your orders, he’s been rampant, stirring up chaos in the Maintenance Association and Xinmin Society.”
“You know what the Special Higher Police are like. How could they not catch any wind?”
“This batch of supplies was forcibly levied under the name of supporting the front lines, upsetting quite a few people. If they don’t get shipped to the front later, I’m afraid…”
Mentioning money, Ono Shiota’s face immediately darkened. His eyes flashed with murder, and he said viciously:
“Cao Sang, don’t worry. If he really dares to delay our getting rich, he’s making an enemy of us!”
“Not just me—Fujita-kun and Matsui-kun won’t let him off either!”
“Sang Liuji is an idiot too! Good for nothing but screwing things up!”
Hah, anyway, it’s just empty talk for a one-time thing. Can’t even let him strut a bit?
“Ono-kun, better safe than sorry. If something happens, it’ll be too late to fix!” Cao Weida said with narrowed eyes:
“You said before we have someone in the Special Higher Police?”
“Hai, so what are you saying, Cao Sang?”
“I’m saying, why not prop our guy up?” Cao Weida smiled lightly, his eyes gleaming.
“If our guy gets a high position in the Special Higher Police and we pull in some not-so-loyal higher-ups, won’t our business be even safer?”
Ono Shiota’s heart moved. “Tell me more.”
“Ono-kun, pardon my pessimism, but waiting every day for you to skim some supplies and then risking it all to sell them is too tedious and unsafe. If we get targeted, we’ll be on edge constantly.”
“Not to mention anything else, Ono-kun, think about it: those huge batches the last two times—how many times can you do that, and what risks?”
Ono Shiota fell silent at once. Cao Weida was right. Opportunities like the last two transactions weren’t common, and the risks weren’t small.
For example, this batch he had Cao Weida sell couldn’t compare to the previous two—only about twenty thousand silver dollars.
And that money wasn’t all his; what he got was less than five thousand.
“So what do you say we do?” Since Cao Weida brought it up, he must have a way. Ono Shiota listened intently.
“Ono-kun, in this business game, let me ramble to you.” Seeing Ono Shiota hooked, Cao Weida smiled inwardly and spoke eloquently:
“Whether the previous two transactions or scraping up supplies with union bonds, these can’t last. They can only be one-off deals.”
“Doing business needs a steady stream, forming an industrial chain! Just us few can’t do it. We need more people in our industrial chain!”
“Once we turn everyone in Beiping and even the surroundings into our own, that business won’t be comparable to these trifles!”
Ono Shiota’s heart surged, though hesitant. “Wait, Cao Sang, doing this won’t pull all the high-level officials in?”
“Not just government officials—the surrounding armies too!”
“Then pull them all in!” Cao Weida’s eyes shone wisely as he grinned: “Not afraid of too many joining, afraid of none!”
“Get them all on our industrial chain, and our business will go smoothly!”
“Just open a gap at the border, and I’ll set up a freight station near the city gate. I can ship out a steady stream of supplies and bring back a steady stream from the front!”
Holding up two fingers confidently: “I won’t boast big, but this number per year, I guarantee—for each person!”
“Twenty thousand silver dollars?” Ono Shiota was a bit tempted but not overly excited.
His sights now were beyond before. Twenty thousand a year really wasn’t much.
“No, two hundred thousand!”
“Two hundred thousand?!” Ono Shiota exclaimed.
Cao Weida smiled faintly. “US dollars!”
Hiss~~
Ono Shiota sucked in a cold breath, contributing to future global warming.
The current exchange rate between US dollars and silver dollars was about 1:1.5, meaning if the business took off, they’d make three hundred thousand silver dollars a year?!
Why!
It shocked him too much!
He’d never had so much money in his life!
His little heart pounded like a drum. He confirmed:
“Cao Sang, this can’t be a joke. Two hundred thousand US dollars is too unbelievable!”
Cao Weida said confidently: “Ono-kun, for other things I might not guarantee, but for business, I know what I’m doing.”
“If I had no confidence, why would I talk big?”
“However…”
“However what?” Seeing his hesitation, Ono Shiota asked urgently: “Whatever the issue, say it. If we can handle it, we’ll sort it for you!”
Compared to two hundred thousand US dollars in dividends a year, he felt nothing could stop it—not even the Emperor!
Compared to massive wealth, the Emperor was nothing!
Cao Weida pretended to struggle a moment, then said sheepishly: “You know, doing business means dealing with those who have money.”
“On this land of ours, it’s definitely the Kuomintang. The Communist Party is weaker, but their wealth isn’t negligible.”
“So, once we form the industrial chain, we’ll inevitably have dealings with them.”
“And if contact gets too close and those Emperor loyalists find out…”
Ono Shiota’s face twisted ferociously. “Then let them die!!”
Suddenly turning, he stared hard at Cao Weida: “Cao Sang, you know you’re the Chinese person I trust most. Tell me now—is that number you just said real or fake!”
“If we fix everything for you but you don’t deliver the money, as your friend I might be lenient, but I can’t stop the others’ wrath!”
“They might even take it out on me!”
“So, for our safety, you must come clean now—can you really do it!”
