coobybook Chapter 289: Three months is too long. I wonder if Mr. Chen has any way to shorten this time!
Chapter 289: Three months is too long. I wonder if Mr. Chen has any way to shorten this time!
Li Yunlong stayed in the base for two days, checked the resettlement of the people, and went to the recruit camp to see the training situation. Only then did he feel at ease to leave again. Three days later, he rushed back to Pingyuan Town, found the monk to understand the situation, and planned to meet with Chen Minggeng again the next day.
When Chen Minggeng learned the news that Li Yunlong had returned, most of his worries were relieved. He had been very anxious these days and rushed back to his hometown in Nanyang to tell his family that he was safe.
Early the next morning, after breakfast, Chen Minggeng came to him on his own initiative. Li Yunlong did not delay deliberately, but directly agreed to meet with the other party. This time he planned to have a frank talk with Chen Minggeng. He also understood the situation clearly yesterday and learned some information about Chen Minggeng from the monk, which made him more confident.
"Mr. Chen Minggeng, please take a seat. Let's have a good talk today. We have already thought of a solution to your previous concerns. Don't worry, just listen to me."
Li Yunlong spoke a powerful word as soon as he opened his mouth. Chen Minggeng was really shocked by his words. He really didn't expect that the transportation problem that he was most worried about would be solved by Li Yunlong. This was simply like a fairy tale, and it shocked him so much that he stood up from his chair.
"Captain Li, are you sure you're not kidding? The distance between us is tens of thousands of miles. Even if I can buy a large amount of rubber from Southeast Asia, I can only help you transport it to the border. It would be harder than climbing to the sky to transport it to your base. This is not my excuse, but it is true."
"Captain Li saved my life, and I don't intend to deceive you. Rubber doesn't make much profit, but if you want a large quantity, I can still make a lot of money. If it weren't for the transportation problem, I would definitely be very happy to do this business. After all, it is very difficult to find a stable customer like you. I ventured from Southeast Asia to come to China just for money. Even a businessman like me can't do anything about this. Can Captain Li make rubber grow legs and fly over to me?"
Li Yunlong felt very pleased when he saw Chen Minggeng's shocked expression. The opening of this air route was indeed a great innovation. The span was several thousand miles, which was also a huge test for the transport aircraft.
"Mr. Chen, we have already learned about the transportation method. For the sake of confidentiality, I cannot tell you yet! You only need to transport the rubber to China, as close as possible. We will take care of the rest of the journey!"
"Mr. Chen, just tell us the meeting place in advance and level out a large open space. Then Mr. Chen should know what means we will use to transport it, right?"
"For the sake of confidentiality, it is better not to say those three words, just keep them in your heart. Let's talk about the transportation route. This time I came here with the Japanese map we seized before. With your experience of traveling all over the country, we should be able to find a suitable location."
Chen Minggeng did not expect that the independent regiment had such strength to support such a costly air transport route. This was really beyond his expectations.
"Captain Li, I didn't expect you to be so powerful. This is beyond my expectations. Rubber is relatively cheap in Southeast Asia. The purchase price is usually three to four thousand dollars a ton. Considering the cost of transportation, I will quote you five thousand five hundred a ton. What do you think of this price?"
After hearing this, Li Yunlong slammed the table heavily and replied with an unhappy face: "Mr. Chen, I, Li Yunlong, have always treated people with sincerity. The price of 6000 yuan per ton is a bit low. We are willing to pay yuan per ton to leave enough profit for Mr. Chen, so that the cooperation between the two parties can be more long-term! The ton of rubber that Mr. Chen used before has fallen into our hands. We are willing to pay yuan per ton to get it, so that Mr. Chen can have the travel expenses to go back!"
"We have a huge demand for rubber. The more we purchase, the better. The first batch cannot be less than 30 tons. What do you think, Mr. Chen?"
Chen Minggeng did not answer directly. After serious consideration, he agreed directly: "Since Captain Li is so kind, I can't be unkind. I will ship 50 tons for the first transaction, and we will pay for it upon delivery! I didn't expect your army to be so sincere and give me the payment. I will never forget such a great favor. If this matter is blamed, both humans and gods will be outraged!"
It was because of Li Yunlong's sincerity that Chen Minggeng made up his mind. In addition, the profit was quite large, so he could make a lot of money to make up for his previous losses. Fortune and wealth are sought in danger, so he decided to make another big effort. Maybe in the future he could accumulate more wealth by providing rubber to the independent regiment.
Li Yunlong was not as happy as Chen Minggeng had imagined. Instead, he replied with a worried look on his face: "Mr. Chen, I know you are very sincere. We can afford the payment for 50 tons of rubber, but it will take at least two months to go back and forth. If something goes wrong in the middle, it will probably take another three months. I wonder if Mr. Chen has any good ideas?"
Chen Minggeng finally understood why Li Yunlong was not as happy as he had imagined, but instead had a worried expression on his face. Now thinking about it, he did drag things out a little. He was about to explain when suddenly an idea flashed in his mind and he said excitedly, "Captain Li, this matter is also very easy to solve. There are many Nanyang merchants who transport rubber to sell domestically. I can buy some from them first. The first batch may be a little small, about ten tons. With my old face and the tens of thousands of dollars in my hand, I can definitely get a batch of rubber from my friends, so that Captain Li will not be delayed in using it."
Li Yunlong happily held Chen Minggeng's hands, expressed his gratitude, took out the map in his hand, and began to discuss the escort route with Chen Minggeng. They talked until the evening, and finally ended the conversation today. For safety reasons, Li Yunlong decided to send a platoon of soldiers to escort Chen Minggeng back to Nanyang.
The next morning, Chen Minggeng rushed to the border under the protection of a platoon of soldiers. Before leaving, Li Yunlong handed five silver notes of 1,000 yuan to the platoon leader Wang Daniu in case of emergency.
"Daniu, you must be smart on the road and try to take some small roads. It's best to avoid the Japanese checkpoints. I have equipped you with 60 horses, and each of you will have two horses, so as not to delay the journey. As for weapons, I have equipped you with a pistol, a submachine gun, a rifle, two mortars and two bullet tubes, rounds of bullets for you, and four more light machine guns for you. Even if you encounter a squad of Japanese, you can easily lead your men through."
"You must have heard how important rubber is to our independent regiment. I will not waste any more words. No matter what the cost, we have to open up this rubber transportation line." Li Yunlong solemnly instructed.
Wang Daniu knew that his team leader had been running around for days on end for the rubber issue and had finally found a way. Especially after learning about the plan, Wang Daniu was even more determined to complete the task no matter how great the cost.
"Captain, I will remember your instructions in my heart. Even if I die, I will open up this rubber transportation line!"
Wang Daniu wanted to say a few more words, but at this moment he heard Chen Minggeng's shout. He saluted Li Yunlong, turned around on his horse and followed him.
Looking at Wang Daniu's leaving back, Li Yunlong was sad for only a moment, and then he led his troops to launch a surprise attack on Zhangjia Town again, seizing a large amount of daily necessities, making the independent regiment's material storage plan progress exceptionally smoothly.
The time came to August 1941, 8. After nearly two months of the Japanese mopping-up operation, it was completely ended on this day. The Japanese troops participating in the mopping-up operation began to return to their bases, and the newly formed Japanese divisions that had been baptized by the battlefield also began to return to Taiyuan City and began to move south according to the predetermined orders. The Japanese in Taiyuan City became busy again.
Li Yunlong was not idle, and was seizing the last window of time to collect more supplies. Lin Zhenhua was also not idle these days. Under Duan Peng's protection, he began to conduct a mineral survey in the base. Except for oil and tungsten, the veins of other minerals were found, especially the discovery of three small copper mines, which surprised Lin Zhenhua the most.
"We have discovered four copper mines in our base. If we mine all of them, the monthly copper output should be able to reach 30 tons, which can be used to smelt 3 tons of crude copper, which can barely meet the production needs of bullets."
"This is already a very big surprise for us. Although we are not self-sufficient at present, as the mining volume increases in the future, there should be some surplus for the production of artillery shells. Especially these days, the commander has made a lot of gains and brought back a lot of materials for us. The copper alone is about six tons. After a series of refining, we should be able to get five and a half tons of brass, which can temporarily meet the arsenal's artillery shell production needs."
"Duan Peng, these are all the mines I have found these days. You must immediately hand this map to Political Commissar Zhao and ask him to organize people to start mining." Lin Zhenhua said with a serious face.
Duan Peng said with a worried look on his face: "College student, for the sake of safety, you should come back with me. This time we only brought one company of soldiers, and we are going to a place where there are few people. It is very dangerous. For your safety, let's go back and rest first, and then continue prospecting after the commander's large force comes back!"
Lin Zhenhua knew that Duan Peng meant well, so he patted him on the shoulder and said in a brisk tone: "Duan Peng, some things can be delayed, but some things can only be done in a race against time. The mines we found before were all small mines, and mining was quite difficult. I hope to find a medium-sized mine, preferably one that is easier to mine, so that we can solve our current crisis of insufficient raw materials!"