Chapter 175: Medillen’s Troubles
“Mr. Chen, this way please.” Mr. Medillen obviously didn’t want anyone to know that he had run into trouble.
The two avoided the crowd and came to the balcony corridor outside the banquet hall.
Mr. Medillen squeezed his massive body between the terrace marble railing and a pot of lush palm, his thick finger joints turning white from gripping the crystal whiskey glass tightly.
Chen Yang closely followed his pace, appearing in the shadows at his side, his black tuxedo almost blending into the night, the dark red ember of the cigar at his fingertips flickering indeterminately.
“Mr. Chen, I want to know what the conditions are?” Mr. Medillen’s voice was kept extremely low, carrying the rough texture unique to an oil tycoon.
Chen Yang said slowly: “I know that Asia Oil Company and Standard Oil spent a fortune to build an oil pipeline at Huishan Wharf.”
“Now I want to buy your oil storage warehouse in Yangshupu at a reasonable price.”
Mr. Medillen felt a slight shock in his heart and said in surprise: “Mr. Chen, are you perhaps wanting to do energy business?”
“However, aren’t you being a bit naive? If you do energy business, you would be my competitor.”
“I have no reason to help a competitor bring trouble upon myself.”
Chen Yang shook his head and said: “Mr. Medillen, what you call a competitor may not be quite appropriate.”
“Shell is a multinational enterprise, while I am just a small-time businessman.”
“To be honest, there seems to be no competitive relationship between us.”
“Because I certainly don’t think I have the ability to acquire as many oil fields as you have.”
“What I want to do is just crude oil processing. Perhaps we won’t compete but can even cooperate.”
“I see.” Mr. Medillen nodded and said slowly: “I need to go back and hold a meeting to study this matter.”
“However, don’t worry either. You now have the support of Your Highness. She can make decisions on behalf of the royal family, so there shouldn’t be much of a problem.”
“But I need you to add some chips so I can persuade the board of directors.”
Chen Yang was slightly stunned: “What do you want?”
Mr. Medillen took a breath, his voice suddenly rising a bit: “Mr. Chen, I think you may know our current situation.”
“Ever since the Japanese launched their military invasion of China, our tankers have been drifting like damned live targets off the Wusongkou outer sea!”
At this point, Mr. Medillen suddenly downed a gulp of wine. “In just the last two months, the Japanese destroyers, on the pretext of ‘military control zones,’ have detained three of my ships!”
“Light crude oil from Sumatra was supposed to enter the oil tanks at the Takahashi refinery last month! But now…”
“Mr. Medillen,” Chen Yang’s voice was calm and steady, yet like an ice-quenched needle piercing straight into Mr. Medillen’s heart: “You don’t need to complain to me about these things. I just want to know what I can do to help you.”
Mr. Medillen said slowly: “Crude oil transportation from the north is just a small dish. Even if it really can’t get through, it would only affect some sales volume and won’t shake the fundamentals.”
“What gives me a headache now is the crude oil from Indonesia and Myanmar.”
“They’ve named their price: they want 15% dry shares in Shell’s new Borneo oil field before they’ll issue ‘passage flags’ to my tankers.”
“God damn it, this is outright robbery. The Borneo oil field is Shell’s future and its biggest lifeline in Asia.”
“They just want to take 15% with a few words.”
They obviously meant the Japanese Naval Marine Corps Headquarters…
Chen Yang gently flicked off the cigar ash, the gray-white powder silently drifting onto the river surface: “Passage flag?”
“That thing might work at the Yangtze River Estuary. Once on shore, heh… Mr. Medillen, perhaps you should consider other shipping routes…” The corner of Chen Yang’s mouth curved up slightly, forming a cold arc, his gaze seizing Mr. Medillen like a hawk.
“For example, the ‘old route’ from Manila along the outside of the Taiwan Strait, brushing past the high seas line by the Dongsha Islands, then turning toward Xiamen Gulangyu…”
“An old tanker flying the Portuguese flag, carrying some ‘industrial solvent’—who would pay particular attention?”
Mr. Medillen’s breathing suddenly hitched!
The “old route” in Chen Yang’s mouth was one almost forgotten by everyone on the nautical chart.
It was a secret shipping route long since departed from the current main routes.
If it was an old tanker flying the flag of a neutral country like Portugal, carrying “non-strategic materials” like “industrial solvent”..
Of course, the so-called industrial solvent wasn’t really chemical products. Usually to evade taxation, these oil companies would declare crude oil before refining under this name for customs declaration…
But pulling these underhanded dealings under the Japanese nose was like dancing on a knife’s edge.
But compared to being extorted for oil field dry shares by the Japanese…
“Too risky!” Sweat beaded on Mr. Medillen’s forehead. “There are Japanese navy patrol boats in the Taiwan Strait! And typhoon season…”
“Risk? Heh.” Chen Yang chuckled lightly: “How much does it cost you for those tankers drifting at sea to be detained for one day? Ten thousand pounds? Twenty thousand? And if a ship ‘accidentally sinks’ in the high seas…”
He meaningfully drew out his tone. “Shell’s insurance compensation would be enough for you to buy three new ships, but can the Japanese compensate you for an oil field?”
Mr. Medillen shuddered all over, as if struck by lightning!
Chen Yang was hinting at utilizing insurance rules.
But this was a financial game that only those Wall Street vultures who would gnaw corpses clean would play!
His fat fingers clutched the cold railing tightly, knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
The river wind carrying moisture hit his face, but it couldn’t dispel the stormy waves in his heart.
“The patrol boats you’re worried about,” Chen Yang’s voice returned to calm, yet carried the confidence of controlling everything, “I happen to know their shift change times and patrol route maps.”
“As for typhoon paths… the Central Meteorological Observatory at Xujiahui Observatory will also provide some reliable ‘suggestions’.”
He slowly exhaled a smoke ring, his gaze turning back to the brightly lit hall interior. “Once the tanker enters Shanghai Wharf, you won’t have to worry anymore.”
“I can get you a slip for transporting industrial ‘waste’ materials. Even if you unload openly at the wharf, no one will care.”
Mr. Medillen looked at Chen Yang half-believingly, unsure where he got such confidence.
Just a section chief in the Southern Transportation Department, yet he could influence things at the wharf.
Chen Yang calmly stubbed out the cigar, crushing the last ember: “Time is running out, Mr. Medillen.”
“The choice is yours: continue being live targets drifting at sea, or… take the ‘old route’?”
“This…” Mr. Medillen was momentarily unsure how to choose.
On the surface, Chen Yang had pointed out a bright path for him, but he knew very well that this road was not as simple as Chen Yang made it sound.
There were simply too many uncertain factors; any one going wrong would turn the tanker into a Japanese live target.
As for insurance, that was the last resort means.
Mr. Medillen clearly understood the principle that the wool comes from the sheep.
As soon as he claimed compensation from them, premiums would rise the next year.
Moreover, Shell wasn’t only in the Asia region; there were also Europe, India, the Middle East, North Africa, and other areas.
Just a 10% fluctuation in premiums would cost enough to buy five tankers.
“It seems you’re not as bold as I imagined.” Chen Yang shook his head.
At that moment, a deafening roar suddenly came from the Huangpu River in front of the Cathay Hotel.
A “boom.”
A muffled roar suddenly came from the direction of the Bund, shaking the terrace glass with a buzzing sound!
Immediately after were several sharp car horn blares and Japanese language shouts.
Both men looked up simultaneously, only to see several blinding searchlight beams cutting through the night sky, focusing on a small cargo ship flying the British flag by the riverbank!
Japanese military police motorboats were roughly pulling alongside to board!
Mr. Medillen slowly squatted down, his thick fingers trembling as he tried to pick up a sharp glass shard, but accidentally cut a bloody gash.
Sure enough, only when blood is shed does one feel the pain.
Mr. Medillen looked at the blood bead oozing from his fingertip and gritted his teeth hard.
“Fine, I’ll do it…”
Hearing this, Chen Yang revealed a pleased smile.
“That’s right!”
“Mr. Medillen, I think I forgot to tell you: I can settle everything for you, but this requires paying the corresponding remuneration.”
“My usual quotation is 10% of the total materials…”
“Of course, I will also guarantee your materials’ absolute safety. If there’s a problem, I will compensate in full.”
Mr. Medillen pondered for a long time, then slowly nodded.
“No problem. As long as the crude oil can smoothly enter Shanghai without affecting our sales, 10% fee is very reasonable.”
Heh, of course it was reasonable. Oil was just like certain mineral water.
We were merely porters of nature.
Chen Yang extended his hand: “Then here’s to happy cooperation…”
………..
Time entered early October, and the previously arrogant Japanese finally tasted defeat at Wanjia Ridge.
On October 2, when Matsuura Division penetrated deep into Wanjia Ridge, a fatal problem emerged: the 1:50,000 military maps used by the Japanese army were actually stolen by Commander Okamura from Sun Chuanfang 12 years ago, with multiple terrain markings in error!
Even more fatal was that the magnetite deposits underground at Wanjia Ridge made all compasses malfunction.
Without a complete map or compass guidance, on the third day after entering Wanjia Ridge via the Xiaolang Mountain shortcut, Division Commander Matsuura Junroku of the 106th Division was met head-on by the 74th Army and 66th Army dispatched by Xue Boling.
These two troops were among the elite of the Blue Army. To prevent Matsuura Junroku from retreating, Xue Boling spared no expense. After the 106th Division entered the encirclement, he placed his fiercest Fourth Army on their retreat path.
The Fourth Army was his own troops, naturally shouldering the most critical checkpoint: cutting off the 106th Division’s rear, while also facing the reinforcing 101st Division.
Next, the 91st Division, 139th Division, 142nd Division, 146th Division, Newly Formed 9th Division, Newly Formed 15th Division, and Newly Formed 16th Division totaling over 30,000 men laid an iron barrel formation, surrounding the 106th Division layer by layer.
In this battle, the Blue Army not only waited at ease for the exhausted enemy but had five times the numbers, pulling up almost every mobile unit from the Mount Lu defense line.
Among them, the Fourth Army faced the greatest pressure.
After realizing they were surrounded, the 106th Division immediately requested reinforcements from the 101st Division.
Both sides attempted to coordinate from inside and out to devour the Fourth Army.
But the Fourth Army was like an iron door, firmly separating the two troops. No matter how fiercely the Japanese attacked, it stayed rooted in place without retreating.
After seven days of fierce fighting, the 106th Division suffered heavy casualties. Most alarmingly, as the battle progressed, the mid- and low-level officers of the 106th Division were completely wiped out.
To salvage the situation, Commander Okamura issued an order to temporarily transfer 200 officers to support the 106th Division…
