The Twenty-Third Chapter: The Young General's Great Wealth

  "Alright, four of you, I still have some things to attend to personally, so I won't keep you company any longer. Once your business with Director Liu is settled, we can gather again and I'll be the host." After discussing in the 8th Battalion cafeteria for a whole morning, the overall partnership plan was basically finalized. Jin Yiyu saw that it had been decided, stood up, bowed to everyone, and then placed a stack of silver tickets and a contract in front of Liu Mingjiu, saying: "Director Liu, this is the 400,000 yuan I'm lending you, just sign this contract and we'll consider it settled."

  In the midst of four people's astonished gaze, Liu Mingjiu took over a fountain pen that had been held by Wu Tongjin beside him and wrote his name on the contract with flair. He then handed it back to Jin Yiyin: "Boss Jin, thank you for your help. Great kindness doesn't need to be thanked, please take care, I'll come visit you again another day."

  They sent off Jin Yichen, and the four major merchants followed Liu Mingjiu back to the cafeteria. Soon, during lunch, the five of them reached a cooperation agreement, with the four families taking out their businesses in salt, grain, medicine, tea leaves, and cloth. After negotiating, they formed a new business company, and Liu Mingjiu became the largest shareholder with 40 million yuan invested, holding 50% of the shares. The other four people were Su Shixing with 5%, Wu Tongzhou with 5%, Mao Dezhong with 1%, and Pu Zhe with 1.5%. Liu Mingjiu also included Huang Zuoshan, who held 5%. Wu Tongzhou served as the general manager of the company, and Huang Jide, Huang Zuoshan's son, was in charge of accounting. Huang Zuoshan suddenly appeared before everyone at noon, and by evening, he invited the five of them to drink together at Zhao's Linglong Wine Tower in the town until midnight before dispersing.

  "Dad, that kid's mother really teamed up with those five guys. From now on, it'll be even harder for us to deal with him?" Zhao Dongqu rushed into Zhao Miaosheng's study after receiving the news.

  Zhao Miao Sheng, who was reading a book, heard his son's words and suddenly jumped up from the chair: "What? Are those five guys stupid? That kid has only been in business for a short time, how much money can he have? Five families are eating together, he doesn't have the capital, those five old guys will all be at a loss."

  Zhao Dongqu wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Dad, this time it's Mr. Jin who has taken action personally. I don't know what method that kid used, but he actually managed to get 400,000 yuan loaned to him by the Jinyuan Money House in one go, a full 400,000 yuan."

  "What? Four hundred thousand?" Zhao Miao Sheng heard that Jin Yi Yan had actually borrowed such a large sum of money, and immediately felt dizzy and fell backwards.

  "Dad, Dad." Zhao Dongqu hastily stepped forward two steps and supported Zhao Miaosheng, anxiously shouting.

  The servants and attendants outside heard Zhao Dongqu's shout and rushed in. Some pounded their chest, some rubbed their back, and some pinched the "people's middle". After a flurry of activity for a short while, Zhaoyu finally woke up slowly: "Damn it! Heaven won't help me! Heaven won't help me." After speaking, he fainted again. The Zhao family was in an uproar, and the doctor was invited by the second young master of the Zhao family to diagnose that Zhaoyu had a sudden attack of heart fire. This illness lasted for over two months, and the Zhao family dared not mention Liu Mingjiu's matter to him again. By the time he recovered, Liu Mingjiu's Liuheshangshuo had already opened up and become the leader of the first commercial army in Chaoyang Prefecture.

  On the other side, Zhao Miaosheng was seriously ill and bedridden. However, Liu Mingjiu didn't idle around, first selecting 600 robust men from the Security Guard to establish the Liuhe Escort Bureau. Han Xinfeng's son, Han Zhongyuan, the original regiment commander of the Security Guard, took on the role of General Escort Head, while Wu Tongzhou's younger brother, Wu Tongda, became the Accountant. Below them were six teams of men and horses, all originally company commanders who left the Security Guard to take up new roles. Additionally, funds from the Liuhe Commercial Society were used to fully equip them with German Mauser rifles, revolvers, and each platoon was equipped with a machine gun. As soon as the Liuhe Escort Bureau was established, Liu Mingjiu ordered that the 8th Company and Security Guard would no longer be allowed to participate in escort missions, instead allocating a portion of the funds each month to his subordinates as "example money". Furthermore, he openly instructed each team of thirty men from the Liuhe Escort Bureau to display the "Liuhe-Liu" emblem with a six-clawed dragon flag, so that everyone could recognize from afar that it was Xiaolong's escort team.

  Then, invitations were sent out everywhere, and on August 15th, the Linglong Tower Liuhe Business Firm was formally established. More than 120 business people rushed to Linglong Tower to congratulate them, and some of the Hu family's heads also secretly dispatched people to congratulate them and make a gesture of goodwill, reaching an agreement not to offend each other. Sun Congzhou, Kang Daxuan, Zuo Zhenyuan, Sun Congli, and County Magistrate Deng Zhisheng all personally attended the opening ceremony of Liuhe Business Firm at the invitation of Jin Yigan. Jin Yigan also invited Liang Shenglu, the nephew of Chaoyang Liang Shilong and the commander of the Guard Regiment, to attend. Pu Che also went to Zhenchengde and invited Jiang Guotie's third son to come. After Liuhe Business Firm opened, Liu Mingjiu not only was no longer ostracized by his colleagues but even began to be enthusiastically supported.

  "Haha, Lian Chang, this month our business made 36,000 yuan and the security bureau earned 124,000. Shang Jun has recruited 900 more people, all equipped with war horses. Now we don't have to worry about anyone causing trouble." Wu Tong Jin excitedly walked into Liu Ming Jiu's office and put a copy of the 8th month financial summary he had just organized on Liu Ming Jiu's desk.

  Liu Mingjiu picked it up and took a look, then smiled: "Hehe, you're so happy with this little bit of money? If we really fought, this amount wouldn't even be enough for our brothers' resettlement fees and rewards."

  "That's also perfectly fine, we don't have to rely on the first team anymore, haha, isn't your idea to invest again after having some capital? Slowly rolling it in, in a year or two, won't we truly have enough money then?" Wu Tongjin took a cigarette from Luo Xiliang who was sitting next to him and lit it up, taking a puff.

  "Profit rolls in, profit returns, the welfare of brothers is most important. In a while, you'll go with me to the county town and deliver the last three months' living expenses to those widows and orphans. I should also visit Auntie and the big ladies." Originally, Liu Mingjiu would let Wu Tongjin give money to the families of the eight company's martyred brothers every month, but later due to busy training and escorting, Wu Tongjin had many things to do, so it was changed to sending once every three months.

  At this time, the 8th company had completely separated its internal and external affairs. Wu Tongjin was in charge of asking for money, food, and weapons from the regiment, managing logistics and ideological work within the company. Luo Xiliang was responsible for daily training, the morale of the officers and soldiers, and the cultivation of squad leaders and platoon leaders. Liu Mingjiu spent every day listening to reports from his subordinates on various tasks, making overall arrangements, which was already very similar to the troops he had been in later in life.

  Wu Tongjin burst out laughing: "Haha, Aunt Zhao last time I went she said you had no conscience and would soon forget about them. Haha, this time if you don't go, Aunt Zhao might just come with me."

  Although Liu Mingjiu didn't have time to return to the county town for half a year, he often asked about the situation of Zhao Zhengyi's family through Wu Tongjin. He heard that after Liu Mingjiu's reforms and changes, the 8th Company had undergone great changes. Zhao Li and many other relatives were genuinely happy, after all, no matter whether Liu Mingjiu was now in the 8th or the original 4th Company, he was someone they had watched grow up and change. Zhao Li especially liked this kind-hearted and promising young man, so whenever it was time to send support funds, he always wanted to see Liu Mingjiu.

  It's been almost a year since I came to this era, and Liu Mingjiu is starting to miss his old mother and familiar relatives and friends from his previous life. Is his old mother's body better? Has she been heartbroken because of his departure? Are his aunts and uncles worried about him, have they lost their nephew and are they heartbroken? His true love in his previous life, who couldn't be together with him, has he found a new confidant in this world without him? Those brothers who often played games and had fun together, have they found new good brothers?

  I think I've returned, that in the world I died and crossed over to this one. All of this is the arrangement of the master of all things, and no matter how much I think about it, there's no way to change it. In my past life as Liu Mingjiu, I saw many thoughts from literary figures and philosophers. What I feel most convinced by is that you should cherish the people around you, don't wait until they're gone before thinking of ways to get them back. Cherish your current relationships, don't wait until you've lost them before thinking about how to win them back. Cherish what you currently have, don't wait until it's not yours anymore before thinking about how to force it.

  To prevent himself from thinking about those people and things in his past life, Liu Mingjiu could only choose to put himself in a high-speed rotating environment. When people are busy, they don't have time to think wildly. If he really can't forget, he would think of transferring that nostalgia to the people and things around him. That's why there was the support and comfort of the bereaved families; that's why there were the high welfare benefits and loving care for the soldiers like one's own children in the Eighth Company.

  Money is the best capital to save one's life in this era. However, the people around him and their hearts are even more so his greatest capital to save his own life. After half a year of reform and restructuring, the military's heart has completely belonged to Liu Mingjiu. Even the security team, because of the "example money" distributed monthly, formed a unified ideology at the grassroots level, with only Director Liu being obeyed. It wasn't until then that he really felt somewhat at ease.

  At this time, the equipment of the 8th company also became the best in the 18th regiment and even the entire Yi army. Privately purchased fully equipped with German original factory rifles, each person had a pistol. Each class set up one machine gunner operating a light machine gun, each team was given a Maxim heavy machine gun, and everyone still kept five Soviet-made hand grenades on their body. The training of the troops was completely in accordance with the methods of later generations, and it could be compared with that army. Every time Liu Mingjiu saw his team progress, he would feel very relieved. When the news reached those relatives and family members of the current officers and soldiers, each update of equipment meant that the possibility of the officers' death was greatly reduced, which also caused a celebration among the family members and relatives. Many family members of the officers now regard this 18-year-old officer as their greatest spiritual reliance.