Chapter 29: Super Scam
After five minutes of silence, Wu Sheng and Hu Qian finally made up their minds. Chen Xiaoqi could roughly understand the psychological state of these people. Huang Zhen Shan was someone who had experienced a lot and was not easily intimidated; Li Junfeng was a brave warrior who would charge forward in the face of danger and never back down, or rather, he didn't take this seemingly ominous statement seriously. Zhu Dacheng was almost like a fool, eating and drinking his fill, and listening to orders without question. He Bao Wen had inherited his family's ideology: a great man should strive for greatness in the world, fighting to create a legacy that would bring honor to his wife and children. They were not afraid of chaos; it was in chaotic times that heroes emerged! Hu Qian was someone who liked to take advantage of situations and be clever, but he didn't have much sense of responsibility. These people had some adventurous spirit, but they wouldn't do anything that would obviously get them killed. They sought wealth and glory, but always left themselves a way out, making them the most unreliable type of person. However, they were good at weighing risks and benefits, so as long as it wasn't life-threatening, they dared to take on even the biggest challenges! Wu Sheng was actually indecisive, but he had already resigned himself to his fate; after all, his brother was already involved, so what difference did one more person make? Zhou Yunpeng, on the other hand, seemed to be unaware of the danger and treated this as a game.
Chen Xiaoqi sighed in his heart: The psychological quality of people in this era is really good! Having seen life and death, war and chaos, people's hearts are either numb or don't care anymore. They're willing to risk everything for a chance, and danger doesn't matter; whether they die here or there, it's all the same - human life is worthless in these chaotic times!
Chen Xiaoqi smiled slightly and patted the table, saying: "Alright, since you all have made up your minds, I'll speak directly. You all know that I have some clever ways of making money, and people in my hometown call me 'Little God of Wealth', although it's a bit exaggerated, but I can accept it. The reason I came back to America is for two purposes, one of which is naturally to make money, a lot of money, how much? Hehe, boasting a bit, I want to buy the entire Shandong province. You don't know how big that is, right? Let me tell you, Shandong has 1.4 billion mu of land, and I want to be the largest landlord in Shandong."
Seven people simultaneously inhaled a breath of cool air, even the somewhat muddle-headed Zhu Dacheng knew what this number meant. How big is Shandong Province? He took the train from De County (now Dezhou) all the way to Qingdao, traveling for a whole day and night, which made his head spin. Having never been on a long trip since childhood, he now knew how vast the world was. The other people naturally understood what this number meant; there wasn't anyone in the entire country who dared boast about this harbor, Chen Xiaoqi was really good at bragging!
Chen Xiaoqi laughed and said, "You may not believe it, but that's okay. You'll see later. What I can tell you now is that the money I made this year is enough to buy all the factories in Qingdao. In the future, I will make a fortune and become a rich man. With so much money, I won't just live a stable life as a wealthy person. I will use the money to recruit soldiers and horses, which is my second goal. Of course, not everyone can be used immediately after being recruited. All personnel must undergo rigorous training before they can take up their posts. Ultimately, I will turn America and even Europe into my talent training schools, gradually accumulating the talent teams I need. This includes scholars who can invent and create, as well as soldiers who can conquer the world. When the opportunity is ripe, I will return to my hometown and compete for the Central Plains! How about it? Is this game fun?"
That's so much fun! It's too damn fun!
Seven people almost all think this way, well, now they've really gotten on the wrong boat. They ran thousands of miles to America, but who would have thought that their boss was a madman! It's not like no one has ever thought or done such things before - aren't warlords and countless political parties doing just that everywhere?! But Chen Xiaoqi, this guy with hair that hasn't even grown in yet (Huang Zhenshan's thoughts), actually dares to spout crazy words and have wild fantasies! Conquering the world and competing for the central plains requires a huge amount of courage and strength - what about now, with just his small arms and legs? Is it possible?!
Chen Xiaoqi looked at them with interest and smiled: "Do you think I'm bragging? Or do you think I've gone crazy? No, no, let me tell you! You may not know that I am now the world's top explosives inventor. I have established my own munitions factory and produced the first batch of firearms. I invented the most needed medicine in the world, the best-selling lighter in the world is mine, the most popular clothing in the world is designed by me. I am studying armored vehicles, I will build the world's best tank, I will build the world's best aircraft, I will build the world's largest warship. I will establish the world's largest enterprise and the most elite army. All of this, you will see in the next few years, what you know today is just a small part of it. You will be the first core force of the greatest team in the future, you will get honors and achievements that you can't even dream of, you will become people who you dare not think about. This is a long struggle process, we may need to work tirelessly for decades, but I firmly believe that my past success, present success, and tomorrow's success will all prove that everything is true, achievable, and certain. You just need to do what I say, and feel it along the way."
Everyone was stunned. This is really going to happen! The eight characters have not been written yet, and he dares to publicize it like this. This is no longer just a clever move, but simply **a big joke!**
"Huang Zhen Shan coughed and said: "This... Young Master Chen, Seventh Brother, what you're saying is really making us feel a bit out of tune! I know you're very capable and make a lot of money, but conquering the world isn't something that can be done by just a few shrimp soldiers and crab generals! Others I don't know about, but our General Zhang now has 20-30 million troops, occupying the three eastern provinces and the capital region, this is a huge territory and influence, he wouldn't dare say such things! Are you starting too late? Isn't it already the Republic era? Are you going to rebel?"
"What are you rebelling against? At most, it's just a family affair, only the noise and actions are bigger. You're talking about Zhang Daqian, aren't you? In your opinion, can he take on the great responsibility of our mighty China? Do you think Wu Peifu, Sun Chuanfang, Feng Yuxiang, Yan Xishan, and those people would be willing to follow him? Would the Guangzhou National Party and Communist Party agree? In my view, whether it's 3 million or 30 million people, they're just a bunch of disorganized mobs that can't withstand a single blow. You can ask Junfeng what his evaluation is of these Northern Warlords."
Li Junfeng nodded slowly, his voice devoid of emotion, saying: "Mr. Chen is right, these people are all of the same moral character, they are all skilled at fighting for fame and fortune, power and influence, and grabbing money and land, but not one of them can stand up straight and make people admire and praise them sincerely. They are all just a bunch of mediocre people, nothing more. It's a pity that we military men who are determined to serve our country have nowhere to go and no one to turn to!"
"It can be said that none of these people have ever truly thought about the nation, country, sovereignty and other such things. They are only ceaselessly plundering and taking for their own private interests and desires, without any regard for the suffering, comfort and dignity of the people's lives. My ideal is to change all this, so I must accumulate strength and plan carefully."
"I also know that these people are not quite right, over the years from north to south I've seen everything clearly, but ordinary people have no way out! Seventh brother, if you really have this intention, old Huang's hundred or so pounds can be sold to you without any problem, but you must give me some reassurance in my heart. It's always difficult to start something new, and now that you're taking action, if those guys are all settled down, I'm afraid there won't be much opportunity!"
"They'll be able to calm down? Don't make me laugh, let's just say that in the next ten years, they will absolutely not be able to calm down. This period of time is enough for us to muddy the waters and fish around. To grab territory, you have to fight, and fighting means spending money and resources. What I need to do now is first build a machine that can continuously make money for myself, then cultivate a core team of people, and at the right time go back and find a place to settle down. With money paving the way, secretly expand our territory, nurture our troops, cultivate our own literary and military teams, step by step erode their power, and wait for the opportunity to arise. These things would not be possible if they were done under the stable situation of the European and American powers, but our great empire is full of changes, it's a good time for heroes to show off their skills! After you all arrived, each person has important tasks to do, I hope everyone can put in their greatest effort. In a few days, you'll rest first, starting tomorrow, I will arrange specific work for each person, and in the following days, everyone will be very busy, I hope we can cooperate sincerely and create great things together!"
Huang Zhen Shan still didn't get a clear answer from Chen Xiao Qi, but thinking about it, he also understood that this was all about seeing is believing and hearing is deceiving. Talking about it for half the day, it still had to come down to action. Since things were already like this, he might as well put his mind at ease and wait and see what happened next.
He Bao Wen listened to them speaking in vernacular, and then said: "Mr. Chen, the things you mentioned are still far away now, we don't need to rush to talk about him. What I want to know now is how you plan to use us, I only understand two fists and feet, nothing else!"
"Brother Bao Wen, in my place, no one is useless. Each of you has your own important duties, for example, your kung fu skills. My sixth brother said your knife skills are quite good, and your ancestors have even used big knives to chop down Japanese devils. I guarantee that as long as you live, you will have the opportunity to chop off a little Japanese pig's head! Now, your task is to receive modern warfare mode military training! Other things can be put aside for now. Got it?"
He Bao Wen was delighted, haha laughed: "Okay! Listen to you! Anyway, I've grown up so big and don't know the taste of firing a gun, this time I'll just indulge in it!"
Zhu Dacheng saw everyone laughing, and he also chuckled and said: "Hey, Seventh Young Master, my dad went to Beijing City when he was young, cut down the foreign devils, can't I also give it a try? My dad said that if you want to make a name for yourself in this world, you have to be more impressive than him!"
Chen Xiaoqi laughed and said, "I don't dare guarantee that you'll have the chance to chop off the heads of those foreign devils now, but I believe we will definitely have the opportunity to drive out those foreign devils who are lingering in China and refusing to leave! In this way, you're even more capable than your father!"
Zhu Dacheng chuckled and said: "That's good, that's good! I also heard that... this American devils' place is pretty good to live in, can eat meat every day?"
Huang Zhen Shan laughed and slapped him on the back of the head, saying: "You rascal, all you know is to eat meat! Can Mr. Chen, such a big boss, lack that little bit of meat?"
"As long as you like it, I'll take care of it every day."
Everyone burst out laughing. Hu Qian blinked his small eyes and said: "Boss Chen, I'm not good at lifting my hands or reciting poems, what can I do for you? It's not very nice to just take money without doing anything!"
"Rest assured, your abilities have been praised by my sixth brother. Not only will you be of great use to my career, but also in the future, you will definitely be able to fully display your talents. Just set your mind at ease."
"Seventh brother, what am I supposed to do? My dad wants me to learn from you, but you're so knowledgeable and learned, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up! Please don't arrange for me to study or anything, just the sight of books gives me a headache, let alone foreign ones!"
Xiaoqi Chen laughed and said, "Brother, this matter is probably not up to you. Your father let you out to gain experience, not to go sightseeing. Here, I won't force you to learn classical Chinese, but you must learn the foreigners' English. Otherwise, you can't even get out of the door, let alone meet those beautiful foreign girls!"
"Who wants those foreign women, anyway! They look like White Impermanence, with a whole package of sweat smell on them, it's too smelly, and the hair on their body is even longer than mine, no way!"
"Hey, you little stinker! You really think that's going to happen? Marrying a foreign woman? Has your yellow son grown up yet? Just dreaming of beautiful things! Don't even think about it, first be a good soldier under my command!"
"What?! Join the army?! My dad didn't say that! Seventh Brother, is this true?!" Zhou Yunpeng's eyes widened in shock, staring at Chen Xiaoqi in disbelief.
