What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 440 A Hundred Billion Order (6000 Monthly Tickets in May)

Yangcheng Shipyard

"Tan Jun, Zhao Jun, red bean paste Arigato Emas!"

Beneath the massive hull of the battleship Musashi, Horikawa bowed ninety degrees to Tan Qing and Zhao Hande.

This made his already thin and short stature appear exaggerated, but others followed suit.

It’s not easy, it’s not easy.

They actually paid a huge price of $17 billion to buy a pier from the University of Tokyo.

If someone had said something like that last year, it would have been considered a complete fantasy.

But the deal was actually finalized in less than ten days.

While the pressure from the empire was certainly a factor, the fact that the country was willing to back down was also a huge surprise.

The payment will be made in full by August 16, and the ship will be dispatched to Puget Sound Shipyard on the same day.

Although it was ostensibly unrelated to Japan, a considerable number of Japanese expatriates had gathered outside the shipyard, waving and holding up signs that symbolized friendship between the two sides.

Zhao Hande just smiled slightly, but in his heart he was thinking, "You're celebrating too soon."

When the ship is finally ready to leave the dock, the newspapers will inevitably be filled with voices of opposition, and some actual actions will be taken to appease the public, at least another sum of money will be needed.

The total amount will be at least $13 billion in cash plus $7 million in goods (including sensitive materials). The cash will go to Tang Wen, and China will also benefit from obtaining the already scarce imported goods and sensitive materials.

Moreover, China's investment promotion has moved beyond the novice stage of the 80s, and by the late 90s, it had developed a mature system and forward-thinking approach, clearly understanding how to maximize profits.

They negotiated the allocation of $7 million in home appliances, electronics, and automobiles among their various subsidiaries:

While the goods are used as a deduction amount, no money is paid, but the company is willing to spend extra money to import production lines and purchase technology and patents, and even accept the deduction of physical shares through technology premiums.

This is undoubtedly a way to open up the market. After all, bringing in production lines and technology does not mean that it will be 100% domestically produced immediately. Many components still need to be imported and patent fees need to be paid. It is just like a relatively deep holding joint venture. Japanese manufacturers can still make money.

This turned out to be a win-win situation, especially since many large Japanese companies and financiers had realized that the financial storm in the second half of the year would sweep across Asia, and they would not be spared either.

Securing domestic orders worth hundreds of millions of dollars and receiving continuous financial support during the Great Depression was undoubtedly great news.

In this way, China saved foreign exchange to import technology, and Japan also benefited from a long-term "meal ticket" for several years. Strictly speaking, simply purchasing bare ships did not incur much cost.

The subsequent operations no longer required Zhao Hande's micromanagement; just as he was about to return to the capital, he received a call from Tang Wen:
"Old Zhao, there's a big business opportunity you'd like to try?"

"We're really out of money; we're not buying ships or super cannons."

"It's not about asking you to spend money, it's about someone wanting to do a big business deal with you and buy something from you."

"How big of a business?"

"Give me 10 billion first."

"..."

Zhao Hande walked calmly to the corner and asked in a low voice:

"Ten billion? Are you serious?"

He couldn't imagine what in China could sell for 10 billion.

Mushroom-shaped missiles? But they're not uncommon in Southeast Asia either; there are at least ten on nuclear submarines, right?
Could it be a DF3? No, no, no, this can't be sold.

However, Tang Wen's opening remarks shocked him:

"Is 2.5 million tons of steel and 500,000 tons of high-grade cement worth 10 billion?"

"Seize the young master?"

"A total of 300 million tons of infrastructure materials, is that too much trouble?"

Tang Wenyao's figure was roughly the requirement for 12 air raid shelters, but with some margin. Only one-third of the cement was needed, so 500,000 tons would suffice.

"You don't intend to fence off the Spratly Islands and make them your own, do you?"

Zhao Hande strongly suspects that Tang Wen has gone mad. Last year, China's crude steel production reached 100 million tons, of which about 50 million tons were used for construction.

5% of the nation's steel consumption in construction—what an outrageous figure!
More than 30 provinces, 1/20 of the usage, which means it exceeds the provincial average?
However, Tang Wen's next sentence shocked him even more:

"The buyer didn't say... you know."

Tang Wen didn't say it explicitly on the phone, but Zhao Hande understood almost instantly.

Yes, who else could it be but the Lost Empire?
His first reaction was to refuse; he couldn't get involved with the other party.

However, steel and cement are not considered sensitive materials; it's just that the quantity is slightly larger.

Ten billion! That's no small number. 250 million tons is enough to support the annual production capacity of a large steel mill.

"If this deal goes through, it can be used to offset the loan for purchasing the ship, or they can provide oil, but only a small portion."

"Oil? How much of it?"

"At most... 60 to 80 tons of high-grade crude oil, mainly because transporting such a large quantity is troublesome and carries high risks."

Four or five hundred thousand tons of crude oil, at current prices, would be worth at most 10 billion yuan, but that's only a small portion.

However, what did Nanyang, acting as an intermediary, get from the Second Fleet by using the ship purchase loan as collateral?
Zhao Hande did not ask any further questions, but simply said that they would discuss the matter in detail at Tang Wen's house.

……

Siam.

In fact, Wang Qiqiang and Uncle Tai couldn't hold out for more than half an hour before they started talking, even revealing that they had secretly watched the older girl next door taking a bath when they were kids.

But Smith wasn't entirely convinced, so he used some of the IAA's magical gadgets to confirm its authenticity.

He obtained a name from the two people who had become fools.

After inquiring about the name within the industry and offering a fee of $2, an IM6 agent in Hong Kong took on the job and relayed the message at dawn:

I learned that he was a big shot in the smuggling business in Hong Kong, involved in many industries.

Dissatisfied after having his hands and feet cut off, he impulsively shouted that he would spend $50 to buy Tang Wen's life.

The second-in-command, perhaps having watched too many movies, went to hire mercenaries and gave an intermediary $40 to contact an organization in the United States, who then contacted Grand, who had just retired.

The latter was originally going to the Bassin rainforest with Ryan's team, but he wanted to escape, so he retired. However, he was told that his retirement pension could not be withdrawn for the time being. After receiving the first $2000 and returning home, he found that his wife was having an affair. As a result, the woman not only divorced him decisively but also took most of the property.

Grand went from having a little money to being penniless and in debt, and even his son was in debt from his business. So he decided to take on orders and go back to his old profession.

A search of his account revealed a $5 transfer record, and the M24 was even purchased out of his own pocket for nearly $4000.

The remaining money was audited by the IRS, and after paying taxes and loan repayments, about $1000 was left...

The entire operation was completely undisguised; in fact, many people knew about the assassination plot against Tang Wen as early as half a month in advance, making information gathering extremely convenient.

However, after checking each step, it was found that it indeed had nothing to do with the IAA.

Smith was relieved and reported the findings to the regional headquarters.

Upon learning of the news, the regional headquarters immediately compiled the information and sent it to the Hong Kong Consulate via email.

When Zhao Hande arrived at Tang Wen's villa, he received news quite suddenly:

"The case has been basically solved. The police have arrested the mastermind and taken the witnesses into custody. We will have results soon!"

"So fast? Is the police station that capable?"

(End of this chapter)