Under One Person: The Puppet Immortal in the Tang Sect

He shook hands with Cui Ming warmly as soon as he saw him.

"Yamashita-kun, it's an honor to meet you! Your 37th Regiment has quite a reputation lately!"

Cui Ming smiled and welcomed him into the reception room, served tea, and exchanged pleasantries.

Sawada didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point.

"Yamashita-kun, let's speak frankly."

We've heard about all the 'side businesses' your team has been up to these past few months.

Our Osaka division is very interested in this and would like to discuss cooperation with you.

Cui Ming feigned surprise.

"Side hustle? What side hustle?"

Sawada's eyes were full of laughter.

"Yamashita-kun, stop pretending. The accounts for the supplies in your warehouse don't match up, do they?"

"The goods you transported into the interior, and the money you brought back in exchange, you wouldn't use for yourselves, would you?"

Cui Ming was silent for a moment, then smiled easily.

"Sawada-kun is indeed well-informed."

Sawada waved his hand.

"Hey, it's not that we're well-informed, it's that we're too familiar with this kind of thing."

From top to bottom, who in the Osaka Division doesn't do some business?

"Fighting is the higher-ups' business; making money is my own business."

As he spoke, he leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"There's a saying in our division: being able to go back alive and make money is better than anything else."

Therefore, we should postpone high-risk, low-return tasks whenever possible.

When the higher-ups are pushing hard, we just dawdle and procrastinate.

Anyway, there are many mountains and forests, making it easy to get lost; supplies are scarce, and soldiers are hungry, making them prone to illness. How can they fight a war like that?

Cui Ming chuckled inwardly upon hearing this.

This unit truly lives up to its reputation.

Sawada continued.

"We heard that your 37th Regiment has connections to transport supplies into the interior of the pass and exchange them for goods."

Our division also has some stock, much more than yours.

If we cooperate…

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Cui Ming pondered for a moment.

"What does Sawada-kun want?"

Sawada didn't hide anything.

"Money. We'll provide the supplies; you'll be responsible for transportation and sales."

The profits will be split 40/60.

Cui Ming shook his head.

"No, we're taking on too much risk. Transportation routes, smoothing things over, dealing with inspections—all of these cost money."

"Three times seven, you three, us seven."

Sawada stared wide-eyed.

"37%? Yamashita-kun, that's outrageous! We provide the supplies, you only handle the transportation, why should you take 70%?"

The two went back and forth, haggling over the price, and finally settled on a 40/60 split.

But Sawada also made one point: the Osaka Division could turn a blind eye to the 37th Regiment's actions.

But if the higher-ups discover the problem, they won't be able to handle it properly.

The implication was that they wanted Cui Ming to make more concessions, so that even if the higher-ups had objections.

They are confident that the Osaka division can handle the task, allowing them to focus on their business with greater peace of mind.

Cui Ming's expression was inscrutable; he simply chuckled and said that he would definitely visit him in the future to discuss the matter in more detail.

After reaching an agreement, Sawada left satisfied, agreeing to officially launch the cooperation a month later.

After seeing Sawada off, Chimiya came over.

"Master, if we split it 40/60, aren't we losing out?"

Cui Ming shook his head.

"It's worth it. The Osaka Division has far more supplies than we could have intercepted."

Even if we split it 40/60, and get 40%, that's still more than ten times what we have now. And…”

He paused, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.

"This is a perfectly legitimate opportunity; who knows, it might even be possible to take control of the entire Osaka Division..."

Qianmian was taken aback for a moment, then understood.

With Cui Ming's abilities, as long as he has the opportunity to contact the high-ranking members of the Osaka Division, he can gradually infiltrate and control them.

Once the entire division is in his hands, won't he be able to use those supplies however he wants?

"understood."

A thousand faces nodded.

"I'll arrange it."

One month later, in Shanghai.

Cui Ming stood on the Bund, gazing at the lights across the Huangpu River.

This place has been occupied by the Japanese army, but the concession is still bustling at night, with bright lights, wine, and song and dance.

Standing next to him was a Japanese man in his fifties, who was none other than the de facto leader of the Osaka Division—Division Commander Shinichiro Sawada.

This person is Ichiro Sawada's uncle, a director of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce, and has close ties with zaibatsu and members of parliament in the island nation.

"Yamashita-kun, isn't this place nice?"

Shinichiro Sawada laughed.

"Shanghai is a great place, much more prosperous than Lushun."

"Once our business grows bigger, we can set up an office here."

Cui Ming nodded.

“Sawada-kun is right. Shanghai is indeed a good place.”

The two strolled along the riverbank, followed by several attendants.

Shinichiro Sawada said.

"Ichiro told me everything when he got back. The 37th Regiment is capable and has connections. If we cooperate, we can definitely make a lot of money. But there's one thing..."

He stopped and looked at Cui Ming.

"Can you really get through to the higher-ups? Those people up there are not easy to talk to."

Cui Ming smiled.

"Don't worry, Sawada-kun. We've already made arrangements for the army."

As he spoke, he reached into his pocket, took out a document, and handed it to Sawada.

Sawada took it and looked through it by the light of the street lamp.

The more he looked, the wider his eyes widened.

That was a very detailed plan.

It details how to bribe high-ranking army officials, how to secure supply routes, how to deal with potential inspections, and even how much money is required for each step.

"This...this is..."

Sawada looked up at Cui Ming, his eyes filled with shock.

Cui Ming said calmly.

“Sawada-kun, when it comes to business, small-scale operations won’t amount to much.”

If we're going to make money, let's make big money. If this plan comes to fruition, we'll not only make a fortune, but we can also completely free the Osaka Division from the constraints of the military.

There are many ways to be loyal to the Emperor; making more money for the Empire is just one way to support the front lines.

Shinichiro Sawada stared at Cui Ming for a long while, then suddenly smiled.

"Yamashita-kun, you really are a business genius!"

Cui Ming smiled too.

“Sawada-kun, it’s not me, it’s us.”

That night, the two talked for a long time.

Cui Ming used the power of Dan Shi to subtly influence Sawada Shinichiro's consciousness.

It wasn't like the forced brainwashing used on those extraordinary people, but rather amplifying the greed in his heart little by little.

Let him see the naked money and interests, let him indulge in the imagination of a future where his house is full of money, and make him more willing to cooperate with Cui Ming.

By the time Sawada left, he had already regarded Cui Ming as his most reliable partner.

In the following months, the cooperation between the Osaka Division and the 37th Regiment was fully launched.

The Osaka Division provided supplies—food, medicine, clothing, weapons and ammunition, and even a few mountain guns and a batch of machine guns.