money player

"Come pick it up tomorrow. The item hasn't been processed; there are marks on it."

“I have experience.” Zhao Lian nodded. “Miss Sun, I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now and visit again tomorrow.”

"I send you."

Zhao Lian was escorted to the shop entrance, but instead of leaving, he spoke with Alice again.

"Miss Ferreira, I have 30 packs of American cigarettes, 100 francs per pack. Do you want to take them?"

"Oly Air Force Base?"

"Yes."

"Give me half a day, and I'll contact the buyer."

"it is good."

In the blink of an eye, Zhao Lian arrived at the central market in District 1.

This market, known as "the stomach of Paris," is currently the largest food wholesale market in Europe, offering everything related to Parisian food.

It was almost six o'clock, and the restaurant's purchasing time was coming to an end. The shops and stalls that only did wholesale were packing up, and the less diligent retail vendors were setting up their stalls. The early risers wandered around the stalls, looking and calculating what they could buy with their living expenses.

Some women who felt ashamed covered their faces with headscarves and took away some of the pickled-out, flawed vegetables from the wholesale stalls.

The world may be terrible, but there are people who try to fix it, and there is humanity everywhere.

"High-quality stock, a mysterious high-quality stock from the East. Just a sprinkle of it will make your stewed horse meat with potatoes incredibly delicious... Madam, we're having a tasting event. Take some home... Frenchmen, we don't know how to make it."

A very French face, when encountering another woman who doesn't give him any face, he complains with a hint of discouragement.

He is Robert DuPont, general manager of Golden Condiment, a subsidiary of Golden Trading, a subsidiary of Golden Trading.

He was the product of a French smuggler's one-night stand in Tangxi. His father was a decent man; he didn't deny the affair after the fact. He paid a large sum of money to redeem his mother from prostitution and settled the two of them in Hong Kong. His father then returned to Saigon to continue his smuggling business.

When he was seven, his mother and son were taken to Saigon, where they lived the life of a pampered young master for over ten years and received a good education. Then his father took a gamble and participated in a large smuggling business, which resulted in his death and the loss of all his money, leaving his mother and son homeless.

Robert had been a scoundrel for two or three years, and was supported by his mother who went back to her old ways. Then he had a sudden change of heart, turned over a new leaf, and started trading grain between Saigon, Hong Kong, and Paris. He was noticed by the Golden Company, which took him in along with their business.

Jinliao, also known as Jinji seasoning, initially mainly exported Asian seasonings to Europe and America, such as star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, soy sauce, curry powder, turmeric, fennel, fish sauce, cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, coconut milk powder, wasabi powder, and seaweed.

While we're at it, let's also help promote the branded products from our sister company, such as Shi Ye Chicken Broth and Narcissus Soy Sauce.

Zhao Lian arrived at the entrance of the gold shop and offered DuPont a cigarette, "Manager Du, have a smoke."

"Mr. Zhao," DuPont responded, taking the cigarette. "What brings you here?"

"I brought you something." Zhao Lian took out a lighter, lit DuPont's cigarette, lit one for himself, took a puff, and said, "Is the chocolate selling well?"

"They sell very well; we can sell four or five boxes a day."

"Please place the next order later; I'll take the unsold ones with me."

"Not for sale?"

“I’m not selling it anymore.” Zhao Lian said, taking a tin can out of his bag. “I’ve found a new channel for the chocolate. Shi Ye wants our company to promote it.”

DuPont took it and looked at it, "Eight Treasure Porridge?"

"Ah."

DuPont stared at the tin can in his hand, frowning. "How do we position it? Convenience food or dessert?"

"What you have here is the original version of Eight Treasure Porridge. A French-style modified version will be delivered in a few days. The ingredients are oats, red beans, vanilla, and honey. Both versions can meet various needs, including convenience food, desserts, and hospital meals. The idea from Shi Ye is to try both."

"Repositioning after observing market reaction?"

“Yes.” Zhao Lian nodded. “If it doesn’t sell well, we can give it away as a free gift, and then follow up on the feedback, such as the taste, whether it’s served cold or hot, and how to cook it again.”

“I’m not optimistic about the sales of Eight Treasure Porridge in France, but I will promote it seriously.” DuPont put the tin can aside and whispered to Zhao Lian, “The gold is having some trouble in Goa and we need the trading company’s help to resolve it.”

"There's trouble with the gold; you should report it to General Manager Xiao."

"It's inconvenient to report this to President Xiao. Guo Shi'an, who was sent to Goa, took a shortcut and sought cooperation with Cao Charlie, but he was tricked."

"So it was Charlie Cho from Wharf Holdings?"

"It's that Macanese."

"He went back to Goa?"

"I went back more than ten years ago."

"No wonder we haven't heard from him since; did he get involved with organized crime in Goa?"

Did he shirk his responsibility?

Charlie Cao, whose Portuguese name is José Maria de Sosa, was born to a Portuguese military officer father and a mother who was a descendant of Indian-Chaozhou immigrants. The two married in Goa. While his mother was pregnant, his father was transferred to Macau, so he was born in Macau and became a Macanese.

In the mid-1920s, no one in Hong Kong knew why Charlie Cho's family had fallen on hard times. He went to work as a laborer at the Kowloon Wharf. As an outsider, he was naturally ostracized and bullied. However, he was exceptionally talented and could be described as having "natural strength." As the saying goes, one force can overcome ten techniques, and as the saying goes, a fist is afraid of youth. He was surrounded and attacked several times, but he was able to fight his way out.

Back then, triads relied heavily on the concept of loyalty and brotherhood. Just because someone was an outcast or a skilled fighter, they would resort to underhanded tactics to get rid of them. To put it bluntly, that's how Charlie Tsao gained a foothold in Kowloon Wharf and gradually joined the triads in smuggling gold and opium.

Zhao Lian mentally reviewed all the information he knew about Cao Charlie and asked, "Is Cao Charlie still involved in smuggling in Goa?"

"The information I have is that in 1942, he took advantage of the chaos caused by the Japanese blockade of the Indian Ocean to organize fishing boats to smuggle rubber from Burma to India and earn his first pot of gold."

After India gained independence in 1947, the import tax on gold skyrocketed, and he monopolized the gold smuggling route from Dubai to Goa to Mumbai.

Now, he controls the smuggling of Sri Lankan cinnamon and Indonesian cardamom from Goa.

Zhao Lian said thoughtfully, "How did we get tricked?"

"Guo Shi'an smuggled a batch of turmeric from Tamil Nadu to Goa through Cao Charlie's channels, but was detained at the Dalmapur checkpoint in India. That passage was Cao Charlie's main smuggling route, so in theory there shouldn't have been any trouble. Moreover, afterward, Guo Shi'an tried to smooth things over, but Acha was completely unmoved."

Zhao Lian smiled faintly and said, "You haven't satisfied Cao Charlie's appetite; he wants more."

DuPont shook his head. "We can't give any more. If we give any more, it will break even with the cost of legitimate exports, and smuggling will be pointless."

“You shouldn’t have been smuggling in the first place. The company’s plan for Jinji Trading is to conduct legitimate trade. You’ve violated the rules.”

"Mr. Zhao, don't talk like you're not in the same boat. The chairman wants profits, and Mr. Xiao wants efficiency. If we don't make a profit by the end of the year, everyone at Jinliao will starve. Right now, everyone in the condiment trading business is smuggling. Jinliao doesn't smuggle, so our purchase price is higher than everyone else's selling price. What am I supposed to do?"

Facing the excited DuPont, Zhao Lian calmly said, "No need to complain. Nobody has it easy. The first time I negotiated business alone, I almost lost my life. I was so scared that I peed my pants, I really peed my pants. But now, I've made it through step by step."

"Coming to me directly won't help. Without the chairman's approval, I can't send anyone to help you on my own. You should report to your superiors as soon as possible; the longer you delay, the more trouble it will cause. If the goods are really lost, the trading company will definitely hold you accountable."

DuPont looked troubled, hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, I'll report right away. Does Golden Season Logistics have anyone in India?"

"Luckily, there are people nearby. They can get to Goa in less than two days after receiving the order."

"Row."

"I'm leaving now. Take care of the eight-treasure porridge."

"I know."

DuPont knew perfectly well that the owner of Shiye was his own boss's wife, so how could he dare to be negligent?

After leaving the Central Market, Zhao Lian arrived at the Paris office of Jinji Logistics, located in Place de la Pont Neuf in the First District.

Jinji Logistics bought two Haussmann apartments here. One is used as offices, and the other is used as staff dormitory and guesthouse, where people who come to Paris on business trips can find accommodation.

Jinji Logistics has officially entered a phase of operating on two legs. In addition to its smuggling business, it is rapidly developing its legitimate business and aims to complete the transformation within two years.

Zhao Lian entered the office and immediately went into the telegraph room to send a telegram to Saigon using a commercial radio that had been approved by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.

Paris is very strict about cracking down on radio stations. Once an unauthorized frequency is detected, you face endless surveillance. Unless it's a highly confidential communication, there's no need to use a secret radio station.

……

embankment.

Long Xuemei's office.

Lin Shilan stood up, went to the next office, and placed the copied telegram on Long Xuemei's desk.

Lin Thi Lan was one of Vu Kui Nguyen's former subordinates in Cholon. Going back a few years, when the 53rd and 93rd Armies of the National Revolutionary Army were in charge of accepting the surrender of Japanese troops in Vietnam, Chiang Kai-shek had the idea of ​​supporting a pro-China Vietnamese regime. Moreover, he made multiple preparations, training the Vietnam Revolutionary Alliance troops, the Vietnamese Nationalist Army armed forces, and a temporary mixed force mainly composed of Vietnamese soldiers in the Japanese army.

Lin Thi Lan was trained in the Vietnamese Nationalist armed forces, dreaming of a bright future where the Chinese would be masters of their own destiny. Little did she know that her dream would be so short-lived, lasting only a few months before it came to nothing.

Disheartened, he drifted aimlessly along the embankment, gathering a few people to engage in honey trap scams. Later, Wu Kuiyuan went into seclusion on the embankment, discovered Lin Shilan, and recruited her as his subordinate. He began to play more sophisticated honey traps—no longer casting a wide net, but making precise traps, going three years without a single successful scam, but then making enough to live off for three years.

Long Xuemei picked up the telegram and read it through. Then she said to Lin Shilan, "Alan, send a telegram to the ground rat. A batch of American equipment will be arriving soon. Get ready to receive it. It's not for our own use; it's for sale to Cambodia."

"Yes."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a knock sounded at the door. Lin Shilan closed the door to the telegraph room and then called out to the office door, "Come in."

Upon hearing this, Papriya, carrying two cups of chrysanthemum tea, entered the office.

"Miss Long, today's afternoon tea is chrysanthemum tea."

Long Xuemei smiled at Papriya and said, "Papriya, are you working overtime today?"

Papriya went to her desk and put down her tea. "The rice from the north will arrive in two hours, the Brazilian coffee will be a little later. The transshipment needs to be completed tonight."

"Thank you for your hard work." Long Xuemei picked up her teacup. "I'm going to a party hosted by you Sindh people tonight."

"A party to entertain Tata Textile workers?"

“Yes, Indian cotton yarn and fabric are important export commodities in Southeast Asia. I want to acquire the agency rights of Tata Textile and do cotton re-export trade. If the project can move forward, I hope you will participate.”

"Ok."

Long Xuemei waved her hand, signaling Papriya to leave.

Once she was alone in the office, she picked up the phone and called Li Shiguang to arrange lunch for the next day.

We should never forget those who helped us. She was able to quickly make progress on the embankment thanks to the help of Lai Sai-kwong. Although the help came from an exchange of benefits with him, she still had to express her gratitude.

Across the street, number 103.

Observer Washington and sniper Lincoln are packing their things.

The task of protecting Long Xuemei was taken over by the Ground Rat Squad half a month ago. They stayed to cooperate for a few days, and today is the day they officially leave the mission.

"Lincoln, how many did we take down?"

“I have 17.” Lincoln disassembled the Model 1886 Lebel sniper rifle, collected the valuable parts, and broke the gun body in half.

Carrying long weapons out of the country can easily cause unnecessary trouble, and rifles are not easy to take with you.

Washington put away his M49 observation glasses and Bausch & Lomb-7×50 binoculars, put a bit of chewing tobacco in his mouth, and said, "I have nine, so there are 26 in total."

“Wrong, it’s 29. We still need to take out 3 more before we board the ship.” Lincoln waved the 1935A automatic pistol in his hand. “I’m giving you a chance to be the main character. I’ll provide cover, and you’ll lead the attack.”

Washington glanced at him sideways. "Save your courtesy for when you're choosing a woman."

Lincoln chuckled and said, "That's impossible."

Washington chewed on his cigarette, paused for a moment, and said, "Are you planning to participate in the Armadillo Six team selection?"

"Higher commissions, better retirement benefits, better logistical support—why not go?"

Washington said quietly, "A third of the candidates die in the primaries, a third die in the semi-finals, and the survivors advance to the final election. The dead only receive a pension and have no chance to earn commissions again. Is it worth it?"

Lincoln paused for a moment and said, "How many people like us does the boss support? With each batch of retirees, a new batch has to be brought in, and the burden will only get heavier. The fewer people who retire, the better for the boss. A pension payment can settle the matter."

"You mean we won't live to retirement?"

"No, the most useless batch might not even live to retirement. Frequent missions mean there's always a chance they won't return." (End of Chapter)