Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 12 Is this just a little bit? This is a billion bits!
Looking at the list, Cao Weida was secretly astonished. This is just one point?
This is a hundred million points!
Any one of these supplies alone would be worth more than ten heads!
It's really tough at the beginning, and then it gets even tougher at the end!
Those Japanese devils are something else! They made such a big move without making a sound!
Cao Weida's mind raced as he rapidly calculated the prices of the supplies.

Although the domestic war situation is now stabilizing, these supplies remain scarce.

The yen has depreciated slightly, but its purchasing power remains relatively strong.

The cost of a Type 38 rifle is around 40 to 50 yen, but it can easily double on the black market, and there's still no market for it.

Needless to say, a crooked-handled dagger costs at least a thousand yen on the black market.

Not to mention tung oil, gasoline, sugar, and rubber, all of which are important strategic materials and have no trouble selling.

He did a rough calculation and came up with an approximate price.

Weapons and ammunition cost about 50,000 yen, and supplies cost about 40,000 yen.

That's a total of 90,000 yen. With the current exchange rate between the yen and the yakiniku (Chinese silver dollar) at around 1:2.2, it would eventually be around 41,000 yen.

hiss~
This is truly a huge business opportunity!

Looking at numbers alone might not give you a clear picture, but if we replace them with yellow croaker, you'll probably get a better understanding.

A small yellow croaker weighs about 31.25 grams and can be exchanged for about 35 silver dollars.

A large yellow croaker weighs ten taels, which is about 350 silver dollars.

How many large yellow croakers can you get for 41,000 silver dollars?
A total of 117!
Even at the current low price of 500 per gram, that would be 19 million!

Moreover, the purchasing power of that money during that period far exceeded that of today!

"Well, Cao Sang, I wonder if you have the ability to deal with him?" Duobianyi swirled his empty wine glass, his eyes fixed on Cao Weida.

The other three Japanese soldiers remained silent, but their gazes, focused on Cao Weida, revealed their stance.

Cao Wei Da was not intimidated at all. Instead, he smiled confidently and said, "Although there are quite a lot of things, they are not enough to frighten me."

Although there were indeed a lot of things, it was no problem for him as a time traveler. The moment he saw the list, he already had a target in mind.

Not only can you make money, but you can also pave the way for the future and live a carefree life before the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan. It's a win-win-win situation!
Ono Oda laughed heartily, "Yoshi, Cao-san, I knew I hadn't misjudged you."

"I must thank Ono-kun for his kind words,"

"However, I'm curious, why did the officers choose me?"

"Such a large deal must have plenty of people willing to cooperate with the higher-ups, right?"

To be honest, he didn't initially expect to take on such a big order; he just wanted to deepen his relationship with Ono Oda and Fujita.

The initial goal was to gradually build up cooperation between the two parties, and then slowly expand and strengthen the partnership.

Unexpectedly, the other party came out with a trump card right away, and such a big order fell into his lap in an instant, it felt like a pie had fallen from the sky.

If it's just because of a few so-called 'friends,' this reason is clearly insufficient.

"Cao Sang is indeed cautious," the Japanese soldiers not only didn't mind, but were even more satisfied with Cao Wei Da.

Boldness, caution, and intelligence—that's what makes a good business partner.

Ono Oda clinked glasses with Cao Weida, and after finishing his drink, he said, "Actually, it's very simple. The reason I'm looking for you isn't complicated, because you have a clean background."

"clean"

“Yes, it’s clean.” Fujita pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and began to read:

"Cao Weida, a native of Caojia Village, was born on February 16, 1925. He lost both his parents. In June 1942, he sold his family's property and went to Beiping. By chance, he met Duomen, the captain of the Fifth Precinct of the Outer Police Bureau, and rented a house. He joined the police force the following month and earned the nickname 'cowardly and timid' within six months."

"So far, no connection has been found with any force, and he is completely uninvolved."

Upon hearing this title, Cao Wei Da blushed instantly and awkwardly picked up his teacup to take a sip.

As for the fact that the other party thoroughly investigated his identity...
This information is not a secret at all; he even filled out the forms using this information. It's not difficult to find if you're willing to look for it.

So he wasn't surprised at all.

If they can't even find this much information after spending most of the day, it only proves that these Japanese devils are idiots, and he wouldn't dare to cooperate with them.

After reading it aloud, Fujita put down the paper and smiled at Cao Weida: "This is your cleanest identity, and it's also the reason we chose you."

"Cao-san, you should be familiar with the name Special Higher Police, right?"

Cao Weida nodded: "Of course I'm familiar with it. It's a name that makes people tremble at the mere mention of it."

The Special Higher Police Section (TQPS) was a notorious intelligence agency in the history of the War of Resistance against Japan.

In fact, there were far more intelligence agencies in China than just the Special Higher Police. In Beiping alone, there were three intelligence agencies: the Special Higher Police, the Beiping Special Service Agency, and the Matsui Special Service Agency.

However, the Special Higher Police (THD) was the most notorious and powerful organization in the history of the War of Resistance against Japan. In particular, Kenji Doiyama was hated by countless Chinese people who wished they could eat his flesh and drink his blood, for he committed countless heinous crimes.

Suddenly, he paused and looked at Matsui Koji. "Matsui-kun, if I remember correctly, the Matsui of the Matsui Special Service Agency is you, right?" The chubby Matsui Koji smiled and nodded slightly: "Matsui Takuro is my uncle."

I am!

Cao Wei Da was immediately surprised. He had only had some doubts, but he didn't expect it to be true!
No wonder he got the lucrative job as the logistics department inspector; he must have some powerful connections!

Many people may not know Matsui Takuro, but if you mention his position, they will understand his significance.

Matsui Takuro served as the head of the Beiping Special Service Agency in 36, a major general in the army in 37, the highest military advisor of the puppet Manchukuo in 39, a lieutenant general and division commander in 40, a military advisor to the regime of the notorious traitor Wang Jingwei in 42, and now in 43, he serves as the chief of staff of the Japanese Expeditionary Army in China.

In the future, he will even serve as the commander of the 13th Army in Shanghai!
This relationship is simply off the charts!

No wonder he felt something was off before he entered; a captain of the same rank and two majors of higher rank were treating a captain with such respect.
Looking back now, with such an impressive background, it would be strange if he weren't treated with respect.

At the same time, he finally understood why these Japanese devils were so bold as to intercept so many strategic materials at once. They must have a powerful backer protecting them!
But then again, with such a powerful background, how come Matsui Koji is only a captain?
Although he had doubts and some guesses, he didn't say much.

"I understand." Cao Weida finally figured out the intricacies of the situation.

The Special Higher Police (THT) was not only responsible for espionage and intelligence activities during the invasion of China, but also had the power of internal investigation.

Once corruption is discovered within the military, there is the right to arrest and interrogate without prior approval.

While Koji Matsui's background is indeed impressive, the Special Higher Police (THD) wields even more power.

It's important to know that Kenji Doiyama, a Class A war criminal, was actually a general in the Japanese Army!

You, Matsui Takuro, are awesome, but I, Doiyu Kenji, am even more awesome!
Small-scale corruption can be covered up quickly, and as long as it looks good on the surface, and with the Matsui Special Service Agency providing cover, the Special Higher Police won't investigate too much and will be happy to pretend they don't know and give them face.

But if evidence is collected, then it's hard to say.

If Koji Matsui doesn't want to cause trouble for Hisahi Matsui, the safest course of action is to sell off the supplies he has as soon as possible.

Cao Weida had only been at the police station for six months, had simple relationships, and had no contact with the Japanese, especially the Special Higher Police. This was the "cleanest" element.

Matsui Koji's next words confirmed his guess.

“Cao, I won’t lie to you, some people in the Special Higher Police have already caught wind of this.”

"Many people inside still give you some face, but there's an old Chinese saying: 'In a big forest, you'll find all kinds of birds.'"

"Some people are straightforward and have nothing but the thought of 'Long live the Emperor.' They can't stand seeing others doing well, even if they themselves are not doing well."

"To avoid causing any trouble, this batch of supplies must be sold as soon as possible. Therefore, you only have three days. If you haven't sold them by then, then..."

“It’s definitely no problem to make a move in three days, but I need to make it clear beforehand.” Cao Weida paused and said, “This batch of supplies is not a lot, but it’s not a small amount either, and time is too limited. It will be very difficult to control its flow.”

"Therefore, I cannot guarantee who will ultimately receive these supplies."

Koji Matsui immediately stated: "I don't care who ends up with the supplies, it's none of my business. As long as I see the money, I don't care about the rest."

Well, since that's what they've said, what other questions are there?
No problem at all!

In fact, when they sold these supplies, they had already guessed roughly what was going on.

After all, supplies like gasoline, tung oil, and sugar are relatively easy to obtain, but weapons like rifles, machine guns, and even mortars—besides the Communist Party and the Kuomintang, who else could consume so much of them all at once?
Surely they can't be bandits?

"Any other questions? If so, say them now."

"Private Marseille." The proprietress's alluring voice came from outside.

Duobianyi stood up. "You two talk, I'll have them wait a bit."

After Duobian Yi left and closed the door, Cao Weida finally spoke: "How do we make the deal?"

"I'll handle the order processing, Duobianyi will handle the review, Fujita-kun will handle the transportation of the supplies to the warehouse you designate, and Ono-kun will handle the passage permits along the way."

"There's another accomplice in the Special Higher Police who's responsible for blocking and monitoring intelligence on the Special Higher Police's side for a certain period of time. If anything unusual happens, the transaction will be canceled immediately."

Wow, this has cleared away all the obstacles to a failed deal.

Such meticulous arrangements, made by the Military Police Headquarters, the Police Bureau, the Matsui Special Service Agency, and even the Special Higher Police, clearly indicate that they have done this more than once, maximizing security to the highest degree.

However, this made things much easier and safer for Cao Wei Da, so he was naturally happy to accept it.

"I still need some passes; I'm responsible for ensuring the supplies can be transported out of Beiping smoothly."

Fujita immediately replied, "No problem, leave it to me, but we need to exchange money for goods on the spot."

"Of course, then let's wish each other a pleasant cooperation in advance." Cao Weida raised his wine glass slightly towards the three Japanese soldiers.

"Happy cooperation, cheers!" The three Japanese soldiers laughed loudly, then Ono Oda shouted outside, "Dobian-kun, why did you take so long to go to the toilet? Are you out of your mind?"

(End of this chapter)