Chapter 9: The Arms Deal (2)

  ument.write(

  "As for the seller, I've already contacted them and I, Li Wanqi, never do business without being sure of it," Li Wanqi laughed heartily twice. After his laughter subsided, he let out a low sigh and resumed his serious tone, saying "However, as for these buyers, their identities are quite tricky, so your father asked you to come over and discuss this matter together because he knows you'll definitely be able to help."

  Li Zhenning was somewhat perplexed, but just as he was about to ask, he suddenly thought of something and became urgent, saying: "Father, aren't you going to sell these military supplies to the warlords in the south?"

  "Zhen Ning, you are indeed a clever person. No mistake about it, this batch of goods from the north will definitely not be sold back to the north, so for now, they can only be sold to the south." Li Wanqi said seriously.

  Li Zhenning's emotions became somewhat urgent, and he asked seriously: "Dad, have you contacted the buyer yet?"

  "This kind of thing, how would Father personally come out and deal with it? Father is not a child," Li Wanqi said in a very casual tone, as if this was just an ordinary small business that wasn't worth making a big fuss about. "However, Tang Jiyao from Yunnan, Lu Rongting from Guangdong and Guangxi, even the Nationalist Party which had recently reorganized in Japan as the Chinese Revolutionary Party, all of them have sent people to negotiate this batch of military supplies."

  Li Wanqi paused, and said with a sigh: "Ammunition is indeed not an ordinary commodity, but it has always been in demand. In these times, having guns and ammunition means having power and influence, and there's no other commodity that can be more valuable than this."

  "Dad, do you know or not, if this matter is found out by the authorities, it's treason! And besides, Dad, now that you've told me, don't you know I'm serving in the Garrison Command?!" Li Zhenning said anxiously. He really didn't know what his father was thinking, even if he was doing arms deals, secretly and quietly would be okay, why did he have to tell him?!

  "Zhen Ning, you're still too impulsive. The deal hasn't even started yet and you've already lost your footing. How are you going to handle big things in the future?" Li Wanqi scolded, his tone somewhat angry. "Use your brain for a moment. With your father's current prestige in Shanghai, even if Zheng Rucheng finds out that I'm selling arms to the southern warlord, he wouldn't dare make a move against me. Hmph, back then, if it wasn't for my organization of manpower and resources to assist Zheng Rucheng, his small forces would have been overthrown by the revolutionary army long ago."

  He said this and softened his tone a bit, then continued: "Moreover, the reason your father asked you to come today is that he hopes you can help out and make this deal go more smoothly."

  "But, Father..."

  "Dad knows your current stance is putting you in a difficult position," Li Wanqi interrupted Li Zhenning's words, "but Dad has told you before, the current situation between the north and south cannot be simply viewed through the lens of stances. The Beiyang government is indeed legitimate now, but this government is unpopular, which dynasty in history has been able to continue existing without being popular? Although the southern warlords are fragmented and the Nationalist Party is weak and powerless, fate is unpredictable, who knows when a small warlord will become the new orthodox?"

  Li Zhenning thought carefully and then asked: "Father, what do you want me to do?"

  "This batch of goods will arrive by the end of the month. I'm negotiating with several Chinese bosses in the concession area because I hope to place these goods there first, it's safer that way." Li Wanqi saw Li Zhenning relax and his tone also eased up a lot, "You're now working at the headquarters' staff office, you should know that recently Shanghai officials have increased their vigilance. What your father is hoping for is that you can use your authority to loosen up the checks on the roads in Zhabei area around the end of the month, so the goods can be smoothly transported in."

  Li Zhenning nodded slowly, his face looking somewhat difficult, and said: "Dad, I know, I'll try my best to do well."

  Li Wanqi nodded in approval and said, "Zhenning, this is the way it should be. My son is destined for great things. Although I took over this batch of military supplies, I will divide them among several bosses to sell together. The reason for doing so is twofold: first, to spread the profit among more people; second, with more distributors, if anything unexpected happens, there are more people to take responsibility. Of course, the most important thing is that with more bosses, when the goods change hands, there will also be opportunities for private deductions. I plan to quietly set aside a small portion of guns and ammunition, accumulating them over time, which you can use in the future when you do great things."

  "Understood, Father, I will definitely not disappoint the expectations of the Li family."

  Xu Shaowen stood outside the door and heard the entire conversation between Li Wanqi and his son Li Zhenning. However, he didn't feel any excitement or thrill about it. In this chaotic era, smuggling and selling arms was nothing new, and it wasn't worth getting excited about. Even if Li Wanqi was selling arms to the southern warlord, Xu Shaowen didn't think there was anything wrong with that. Although his uncle was Xu Shichang, he still hadn't decided to take a stand on behalf of the Beiyang government.

  He is from the 21st century, so he naturally knows that the Beiyang government's days are numbered. Although the Beiyang government is currently the orthodox government of the Republic of China, he will not deliberately continue to rush in knowing the outcome.

  However, since Li Wanqi mentioned the matter of selling arms, Xu Shao himself had a bolder plan in his heart.

  Xu Shaowen waited for a moment outside the door, then stretched out his hand and knocked on the door, saying: "Uncle Li, Shaowen has something to see you about."

  The study was quiet for a while, and then Li Zhenning walked forward and opened the door. Li Wanqi stood up and said enthusiastically: "Wen Yuan, come on in, please."

  Xu Shaowen walked into Li Wanqi's study, and Li Wanqi invited him to sit down. Li Zhenning stood aside.

  "Mr. Wen, is there something you want to see me about?" Li Wanqi asked with a smile.

  "Oh, that's right. This afternoon at the Weston Club, Shao Wen was indeed too impulsive. Fortunately, Uncle Li, you intervened in time. So, Shao Wen has come specifically to thank Uncle Li this time." Xu Shao Wen spoke very politely and his expression was also very calm, without any signs of unease after eavesdropping on the other's conversation.

  "Huh? Did you encounter some difficulties this afternoon, Wen Yuan?" Li Zhenning asked with a puzzled expression.

  Li Wanqi dropped the matter, chuckled and said: "It's just a small thing. Today I happened to be passing by and saw Yu Shao Yan being too arrogant. Wen Yuan, you're also too concerned about outsiders, still remembering such a trivial matter, hehe."

  Yu Shao Yan, I've never liked this kid. Li Zhen Ning shook his head and showed a disgusted expression.

  "Now that it's all over, let's just forget about it!" Li Wanqi said magnanimously.

  Xu Shao hesitated for a moment, then suddenly spoke up and said: "Actually, Shao came to find Uncle Li not only to thank him for what happened this afternoon, but also to make a request."