Volume 2: The Rise of Shanghai Chapter 9: Arms Deal (3)

  Li Wanqi thought for a moment, he was eager to have Xu Shao Wen ask him for more favors, so that Xu Shichang's nephew would owe him even more, and it would be easier to ask for help in the future. He burst out laughing and said: "Wen Yuan, if you need anything, just speak up, no need to be so polite, don't treat your uncle Li as an outsider, as long as Uncle Li can help, he will definitely not decline."

  "Well, then I'll thank you first," said Xu Shaowen, taking a deep breath and summoning up his courage. "Actually, Uncle Li and Brother Wenhann, regarding the military affairs you were discussing earlier, please forgive me for my rudeness, but I inadvertently overheard it, and I also have some different views on this matter."

  Here is the translation:

  In an instant, both Li Zhenning and Li Wanqi were shocked. The father and son exchanged a glance, and suddenly they were both at a loss for what to do. Li Zhenning forced a smile and hastily said: "Shao Wen, did you... mishear? There must be some misunderstanding here. Just now... just now my dad and I were in the study room chatting about the Mid-Autumn Festival."

  Li Wanqi was more composed than Li Zhenning, he didn't rush to explain anything like Li Zhenning did. Instead, he sat behind his desk, motionless, staring straight at Xu Shaowen with an unwavering gaze.

  Xu Shaowen glanced at Li Zhenning, smiled and said: "Wenhann, you don't have to be nervous. Just because I'm the nephew of Premier Xu Shichang doesn't mean I'll go tattling on you. If I really wanted to do that, there'd be no need for me to tell you that I overheard your conversation."

  Li Zhenning let out a slight sigh of relief, but his face was still somewhat tense.

  Li Wanqi laughed again after hearing Xu Shao's words and said, "Wen Yuan is indeed insightful. So, Wen Yuan, when you mentioned this matter, did you hope to get a share of the profit? Don't worry, if this deal goes smoothly, Uncle Li is not a stingy person. I can promise to give you 40% of the profit."

  Xu Shaowen smiled slightly, Li Wanqi was indeed a generous person, 40% profit was absolutely not a small number, which far exceeded the standard of hush money. Of course, he knew that Li Wanqi's 40% share for himself, in addition to the hush money, also included the cost of pleasing him, truly killing two birds with one stone.

  "Uncle Li, a big boss like you with such a broad mind is truly rare in Shanghai," Xu Shaowen said calmly, without showing any signs of being tempted by the money. If he wanted money, it would be better to ask Li Wanqi directly for a loan, which would likely be more acceptable to him. "However, Uncle Li, aren't you looking down on me too much?"

  Li Wanqi's expression changed slightly, and he secretly wondered if he had given Xu Shaowen less than what the other party was satisfied with.

  "Wen Yuan, what exactly do you mean?" Li Zhenning had always considered Xu Shaowen as his good friend, now that Xu Shaowen was trying to extort money from his own father, how could he not be angry.

  "Wenhan, Uncle Li, you've both misunderstood," Xu Shaowen's expression remained calm and composed, with a warm smile at the corner of his mouth. "Uncle Li, any money you earn from doing business is your own hard-earned money, earned through your own efforts. How could I, a mere eavesdropper, possibly accept even a single cent from you? As for you, Uncle Li, you can rest assured that I will not betray your trust regarding the matter of selling arms to the southern warlord. I will treat it as if I had never heard anything."

  Li Zhenning and Li Wanqi's father stared at each other in confusion, unable to understand what Xu Shaowen was trying to do.

  "In that case, I was just being overly cautious and too distant from you, it's my fault, let's consider this a favor owed to you by me." Li Wanqi forced a smile, but his eyes still held a hint of wariness.

  "Uncle Li, you're being too serious. This afternoon, Weston, you helped Shao Wen out of a difficult situation, and Shao Wen still owes you one. Xu Shao Wen smiled calmly, knowing that Li Wanqi wanted to return a favor for a favor, so they could call it even. Even so, it was not bad for himself, at least he didn't owe Li Wanqi anything anymore. "Shao Wen mentioned the military supplies only because he felt that Uncle doing such small business was beneath him, and twenty thousand guns would at most earn only over two million, which was probably not worth a smile to Uncle Li."

  Two hundred thousand silver dollars in this era is absolutely not a small number, Li Wanqi, even if he had more money, would not take twenty thousand silver dollars lightly. For him, the annual profit of all his companies was only over a million, and he also had to consider the good market and economic environment. Moreover, twenty thousand silver dollars could make a middle-class person live a plain life for a lifetime.

  Li Wanqi's expression changed slightly, he knew that Xu Shao Wen said this must be something bigger than 20 million. He thought for a moment and then said: "Wen Yuan, 2 million is not too much, but for Uncle Li, it's also not too small."

  "If Uncle Li can help, I can guarantee that Uncle Li will add at least two zeros after 200,000." Xu Shaowen smiled confidently, with a hint of mystery on his face.

  "Two hundred million!?" Li Zhenning was so shocked that he even got the number wrong.

  Li Wanqi glared at Li Zhenning, but his expression was also excited. He looked seriously at Xu Shao Wen, his face gradually becoming solemn, and his tone turned serious as he asked: "Wen Yuan, are you saying 200 million?! Last year I had someone calculate the total value of all my assets under my name, it was only 450 million, even if I add the few houses I have in Shanghai and Guangzhou, at most it's only 500 million."

  "Uncle Li, are you saying that Shao Wen is exaggerating?" Xu Shao Wen smiled slightly. He knew that what he was saying was unbelievable to others. A profit of 200 million, and it's still a conservative estimate - this number isn't something that modern capitalists or entrepreneurs can just say they want to earn and then actually earn.

  However, Li Wanqi said that his total assets were only 450 million, which Xu Shaowen would not believe. Just the three ships of Li Wanqi's shipping company could be sold for 200-300 million. It was clear that Li Wanqi told himself this because he was worried about boasting too much and dragging himself down.

  "Wen Yuan, Uncle Li doesn't distrust you, but how can a young person like you easily make 20 million? Doing business requires capital, and to make 20 million, the investment must be substantial. Even if you, Wen Yuan, can guarantee making 20 million, I would have to take out that much capital too." Li Wanqi smiled wryly and said with some helplessness.

  Xu Shaowen naturally knew that Li Wanqi was saying this, it was just that he didn't believe in himself and couldn't be bothered to put on a polite face. He smiled slightly, without making any sound or expression, and calmly said: "It doesn't matter if the deal can't be made, but Uncle Li has nothing to do now, why not listen to my plan for earning these 200 million first?"

  "Alright, Wen Yuan, you can share your ideas. If it's a good plan, even if I, your uncle, can't help you, I'll introduce you to other bosses who might be willing to collaborate with you." Li Wanqi's words always left room for himself to retreat.

  Xu Shaowen smiled and began to describe his plan, saying: "The plan I'm talking about is also related to arms, but it's not just a small quantity of 50,000 rifles. It's not that simple, selling from the north to the south. Now that the contradictions in Europe are intensifying, there have been reports that the Allied and Axis powers have begun formal hostilities."

  The First World War began on July 28, 1914. Of course, this time is only the time when both sides declared war. The first battle broke out on August 2, 1914, when Germany sent troops to occupy Luxembourg. Today is August 15th, and the curtain of the First World War has slowly opened.

  Li Wanqi was a businessman, but his vision was currently limited to the domestic market, so he didn't pay much attention to international affairs. However, he had considerable patience and did not interrupt Xu Shaowen's words, continuing to listen carefully.

  "What war brings is chaos, and in chaotic times, one must speculate to make money. Last year, both the Allied Powers and the Central Powers engaged in an arms race, with both navies and armies expanding to an extreme degree. As personnel expanded, it was only natural that military weapons would follow suit, and during this period, some neutral countries took advantage of the situation to sell arms to both the Allies and the Central Powers, earning a huge profit." Xu Shaowen continued.

  "Wen Yuan, aren't you referring to the United States?" Li Zhenning was a young man like Xu Shaowen, and compared to Li Wanqi, he cared more about some international situations.

  "That's right." Xu Shaowen nodded, "The United States took the lead through last year's European arms race and made a fortune. They seized the opportunity because they were well-timed. However, if we continue to sell arms to European countries during this period of war between the Allies and the Central Powers, that is, now, we can also take advantage of this opportunity."

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