Chapter 66 Global Logistics

  PS: Today's update is complete! Please spare your hands and collect them!

  The Mei Hua Arsenal was upgraded again and finally qualified to undertake heavy military facilities, especially in the field of artillery. Their shortcomings were made up for under the openness and requirements of the military, which greatly accelerated the research on large-caliber artillery and various shells in this laboratory and arsenal. Companies like Browning also opened their firearms technology to them at the request of the military, thus allowing them to obtain truly official first-hand materials through their own exploration, providing rare technical support for their ordnance research.

  After the hustle and bustle, Chen Xiaoqi finally came up with his largest invention to date in 1924. This grand plan, which had been brewing for several years, was finally taking shape under the efforts of a growing team of over 100 people. All relevant links had been repeatedly refined to achieve coordination and consistency, and everything was ready for its debut.

  The first weekend after Christmas, Chen Xiaoqi invited Thomas Anderson, the representative of DuPont and Rockefeller, to his newly completed "MeiHua Building" on the shores of Lake Chicago. In the spacious and bright top-floor office, the three men sat in front of a new glass-steel tea table by the floor-to-ceiling window, each holding a cup of tea or coffee, quietly enjoying the warmth of the sun. Although the noise of the central air conditioner was somewhat unbearable, people generously ignored it for providing them with rare warmth on a winter day.

  Among the three people who are already very familiar with each other, it seems that there is no need for any hypocritical pleasantries anymore.

  Holding a slender, crystal-clear glass cup in his hand, savoring the top-grade "Bi Luo Chun" from China, and admiring Chen Xiaoqi's impromptu Chinese tea ceremony, Thomas, over 30 years old, sincerely praised: "Clayne (Chen Xiaoqi's English name), I have to say, you're not only a genius inventor and a cunning businessman, but also a connoisseur who knows how to enjoy life. You can create so many variations with such simple things, I really wonder if you're the illegitimate son of God! Hmm, otherwise, how could you know so many things? And that wonderful exercise routine you taught us, called 'Tai Chi', this pronunciation is difficult! But indeed very effective."

  Xiaoqi Chen sat on the leather chair, lazily stretching out his legs, holding his teacup in his hand, gently swirling the tea fragrance under his nose, then lightly taking a sip, softly sighing: "Thomas, you have to admit, there are many things in China that you can't even think of or understand! Take this 'tea ceremony' for example. My skills are really not worth mentioning, compared to the ancient Chinese people from thousands of years ago, my level is like an infant compared to a master fighter. If you have the chance, I hope you can go to China and let me show you what real 'red sleeves adding fragrance' looks like. Oh, you can't imagine a beautiful woman wearing silk, brewing tea for you in a soothing and melodious music scene."

  That wooden board face of He De, which rarely showed a smile, relaxed for the first time, and in a cold voice said: "I've seen that thing in Japan, the process is very interesting, but those people have to dress up in that strange way, with their faces looking like they've been smeared with white powder, and that ghostly opera performance, the taste of that tea is far worse than yours!"

  "Ah, no, no, no, Hede," said Chen Xiaoqi, shaking his head. "You have to understand that the Japanese are not very good students, you know? They've been learning from us for two thousand years, but they still can't even get the basics of eating and dressing right. Let alone something as refined as tea ceremonies or wine tasting! And it's not just Chinese culture they've botched - they've also ruined Western culture in their own way! In a country like that, how can you expect to experience any authentic enjoyment? Forget about it, go to China instead, I guarantee you'll have a much better time. For example, when it comes to food, you can't even imagine the scene of having one thousand different flavors of dishes presented before your eyes at once."

  "Thomas raised his hand and said, 'I completely agree with this. I have no opinion on Chinese food at all. At least I think that in terms of eating, the whole world put together can't compare to the variety and flavor of Chinese cuisine. Hurd, I think you should try it out, don't keep living that puritanical life of yours every day, my god, how do you bear it? I'd rather eat at Klein's every day, his chef is quite good.'"

  "Hedda: "I still maintain that to indulge one's desires excessively is a sin, and people shouldn't be too eager for pleasure, or they will degenerate. Thomas, I must say, you no longer have the reserve of an English gentleman."

  "Come now, dear Hurd," Thomas laughed. "This is America; we are the smartest people of this age and should create a culture of our own instead of clinging to those moldy relics of the Middle Ages. I think Crane has done just that, at least his inventions, including the jeep and phonograph, are things I like - that's the kind of life we should be living!"

  He Hong hummed and didn't speak. Chen Xiaoqi smiled and said, "Although we have different understandings of life pursuits, there is one thing that we are the same in, which is the pursuit and exploration of wealth. I think this completely identical point of agreement is enough."

  "Ah, that's a sensible remark," said Thomas. "There's nothing more delightful in this world than the pursuit of wealth, which is why we're all gathered here today, sipping on this delicious Chinese tea, basking in the warm sunshine, and quietly discussing how to turn one dollar into a massive fortune - what a wonderful thing indeed!"

  "Alright, let's end this worthless chatter. As we all know, each of our time is precious and every second that slips away from us is a fortune lost. It's an unforgivable sin to continue making the same mistake."

  A few people laughed, and Hede's smile was still a bit awkward, but Chen Xiaoqi's words were very much in favor of him, so he immediately agreed: "Chen, your words are exactly what I want to hear. So, you brought us two together today, is there some important investment plan you want to share with us? I believe that with your talent, you won't come up with something small to fool us, right?"

  Thomas stroked the glass, smiling meaningfully at Chen Xiaoqi. Chen Xiaoqi nodded: "Of course, without sufficient benefits, how could I dare to waste your time? The plan we are going to discuss this time will be epoch-making, and it may change the current pattern of the world in this aspect, and even create a new business empire. This is an undiscovered cake, and I think we should divide it into our plates before others discover it."

  Hurd's eyes gleamed, and he asked in a low tone: "What is it? I thought everything in the world had already been invented, where did such great wealth come from waiting for us to dig up?"

  Chen Xiaoqi stood up, gesturing to the two people with a hand: "You two, for this grand plan, I have prepared for three whole years, spending countless amounts of the smartest minds of this era's blood and energy. Once you see it, you will understand."

  As he spoke, he walked to a corner of the living room and pressed twice on an unremarkable spot on the wall. The entire wall then slid inward and slowly moved sideways, revealing a very spacious and bright space. In this nearly 100-square-meter large room, a huge square platform was built in isolation, covered with a layer of opaque white gauze, making it impossible to see what was underneath.

  The mysterious scene made Thomas and Hurd more excited, because in their view, something that could be so carefully and tightly protected must be a great secret, at least worth the lives of the three people present.

  Chen Xiaoqi deliberately did not lift the veil first, but after closing the door, he solemnly said to the two: "Two, what I will show you next is a complex system that contains many things that I cannot fully describe today. Among them are wealth and business opportunities for you to discover yourself. So next, please enjoy my latest invention - Global Logistics System!"

  In this era, using the term "system" to refer to something is undoubtedly a very difficult thing to understand. If you add the even more incomprehensible term "logistics", ordinary people will not know what is being said and it will be even harder to clearly understand what kind of connotation is represented here.

  Chen Xiaoqi used force to lift the covering cloth from one side, then rolled up this layer of cover with a long pole until what was covered underneath was completely exposed.

  This is a miniature version of the eastern United States map, which only represents the majority of the landscape from New York to Chicago. Only dozens of cities are symbolically dotted on it, with emphasis on New York's port and Chicago's enlarged appearance. Next are the highways and railways between various cities, as well as ports and other buildings.

  This giant sandbox, 10 meters long and about 6 meters wide, is made with considerable precision. From a high vantage point, the entire complex terrain can be seen clearly. Chen Xiaoqi also specially prepared several two-meter-high chairs with stairs, allowing several people to stand at different heights to carefully appreciate what secrets this unique large-scale map holds.