NCCnovel Chapter 128 Making Money
Chapter 128 Making Money
Three months passed in a flash, and the fortress's foundation had been poured and backfilled.
The next step is to complete the ground buildings, including some fixed artillery positions and sentry posts on the periphery, barracks and office areas inside, etc.
As the Chinese New Year is approaching, the people working on the construction sites are also preparing to go back home to celebrate the New Year.
"Mengzi, the New Year is more important to ordinary people than God. We have had a hard time these years, and only the lively New Year can give us hope. I plan to let the villagers go back first, and after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, they will come back happily to continue working!"
"Okay, then I'll think of a way to pay the villagers the wages they promised!"
When Zhang Xuan "kidnapped" the puppet army and the detective team, he extorted dollars and small yellow croakers. In the past three months, he used them to buy rice and noodles, and they had long been spent.
Now even if every citizen gave ten silver dollars, that would be twenty thousand silver dollars, which would make the penniless Li Yulong very upset.
Our Eighth Route Army can't just default on its debt, right?
"Damn it, a penny can make a hero fail. How about I ask Monk Wei to go to the Japs county again and buy some things from the Japs' trading companies and traitors' shops?"
"Forget it, forget it. The Japs are too busy to deal with us now. Let's finish the work at hand and don't provoke them!"
Just as the two men were staring at each other, Dr. Ke Lihua came to Wang Meng to discuss building a modern hospital in the fortress.
"Chief of Staff Wang, you must ensure that the hospital has enough medicines, especially penicillin, which is a miracle drug!"
Wang Meng's mind suddenly lit up and inspiration came to him. He excitedly grabbed Ke Lihua's hand and shook it excitedly!
"Thank you, Doctor Ke. Don't worry, as long as it can save the lives of the soldiers, you can make whatever medicine you want!"
Wang Meng sent Ke Lihua away, then pulled Li Yunlong aside to discuss something.
His idea now is to sell penicillin to wealthy people all over China, high-ranking officials in Chongqing, and wealthy businessmen in Shanghai, but there is a condition: he will never sell it to anyone who has any connection with the Japanese!
When penicillin was at its most expensive, one dose was worth two hundred grams of gold!
Even if there are 200 grams of gold, it will be priceless. No matter in which era, the lives of rich people are far more valuable than gold.
Li Yunlong narrowed his eyes. He doubted that a small bottle of penicillin was worth two hundred grams of gold.
"Mengzi, you said this small bottle of medicine is worth 200 grams of gold? You are not lying to me, are you?"
"Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, let's go find Old Man Yan for help first!"
"Okay! It's not far anyway, let's go!"
Li Yunlong handed his family over to Zhao Gang, and took Wei Heshang and a company of the reconnaissance battalion and marched quickly towards the Second War Zone Command.
Four trucks stopped in front of Yan Laoxi's headquarters, and Li Yunlong and Wang Meng got out of the cars in high spirits.
More than one hundred soldiers from the reconnaissance battalion also lined up in front of the headquarters entrance.
Wearing uniform desert camouflage, helmets, combat boots, and two guns, one long and one short, they wiped out the Shanxi Suiyuan Army's proud pistol team.
The head of the Eighth Route Army headquarters informed Yan Laoxi in advance and reported it to the Second War Zone Command on the pretext of exchanges between the two armies.
Originally, Yan Laoxi didn't want to have too much involvement with the Eighth Route Army, but Li Yunlong had just won a great victory. If Yan Laoxi avoided meeting him, he would appear petty.
"Then let's meet! If you're here to ask for equipment and supplies, there are only two words: No!"
Yan Laoxi listened to the sound of the engine outside the headquarters and was not surprised. He had heard that Li Yunlong had a car. Was this his only car, used for show?
Old Man Yan changed his expression and went out to greet them with a smile.
"Commander Li, it should be me, Yan, who is visiting you, a great general. After such a great victory, why do you have to come to see me?"
Li Yunlong cursed all of Yan's ancestors in his heart. They were all wolves, so why should they pretend to be sheep?
"Commander Yan, we have been waiting for you in Taihang Mountain for three months but you have not come. We have no other choice but to come to you with such a thick face! We need your help!"
Yan Laoxi's heart skipped a beat. It seemed that he couldn't just meet with this person casually. If he met him, he might lose dozens of guns.
"Commander Li, I'm really busy with military affairs. All the big and small matters in Shanxi are brought to me! I have no choice! You fought very hard this time, but Chongqing really doesn't have any supplies."
Old Yan tilted his head and pondered for a moment, as if he had made a great sacrifice.
"Well, on behalf of the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army, I will personally support you with twenty rifles and two hundred rounds of bullets!"
Li Yunlong and Wang Meng looked at each other and tried their best to hold back their laughter.
"Master Yan, you have misunderstood. I am not here to ask for money. I have another small matter that I would like Master Yan to help me with!"
Yan Laoxi was now even more alert. Twenty guns and two hundred bullets couldn't defeat him. Did they want his mortar?
"Commander Li, even though you have the title of the commander of the Second War Zone, who else in this small area of the Second War Zone listens to me except the Shanxi-Suiyuan Army? I really have no power!"
Wang Meng couldn't stand it any longer. How long would they have to wait? He saluted.
"Commander Yan, I am Wang Meng, the chief of staff of the Independent Column. Our Independent Column seized some medicines in this battle. They are all in foreign currency and we can't understand them. But the foreign doctors of our Eighth Route Army said that this stuff is very valuable. In foreign countries, a bottle can be worth four taels of gold!"
Old Yan became interested. There was actually such a valuable thing, more expensive than gold?
"Chief of Staff Wang, do you have this kind of thing? Bring it here and let me see it!"
Yan Laoxi took the penicillin and looked at the beautifully packaged and pure penicillin. He believed Wang Meng's words a little more.
"I'll ask our doctor to see it later, do you want to?"
Li Yunlong is best at crying poor.
"Commander Yan, Chongqing doesn't care about our lives. They say the independent column is not in the military and political department, and they won't pay us. People are poor and have low aspirations. It's almost the New Year, so I want to sell these medicines and get some cash to make dumplings for my brothers!"
When Yan Laoxi heard this, he wanted to sell the medicine for money.
"Okay, I'll ask someone to take a look. You guys wait. If it's really worth that much money, I'll pay for it. It's just a token of my appreciation."
Now it was Wang Meng's turn to curse Yan Laoxi a hundred times in his heart.
Mind?
If you want to express your feelings, you can just pay the money. Why do you need to find someone to check it out? And you need to exchange medicine for it?
The corners of Wang Meng's mouth twitched, but he was still polite and made a gesture of invitation.
"Then I'll trouble you, Commander Yan. It's almost the New Year and I'm causing you trouble!"
"It's okay, it's okay. We are all brothers fighting the Japanese. Even though Chongqing doesn't recognize you, I, Yan, recognize you! Wait a moment!"
Yan Laoxi let them into the reception room and went to see a private doctor with penicillin.