Under One Person: One Person Goes

Chapter 417 No good banquet
The next day, at the Jianghu Xiaozhan Restaurant located on the other side of Zhonghuamen.

Wang Yi held a banquet, and more than a dozen representatives of the city’s garrison troops, big and small, came, including Cha Hongtu who had come to cause trouble yesterday.

As for Wang Yi, he was accompanied by only Zhou Weiguo, who represented the Teaching Corps.

The outgoing Cha Hongtu also generously explained at this time which faction of the city's garrison troops these colleagues who attended the banquet with him came from.

"Boss Wang, let me introduce you. This brother Liu is from the 72nd Army. This guy is from your family, Boss Wang. We both have the surname Wang. He is from the Military Police Corps. This guy is from the 74th Army..."

Cha Hongtu was introducing the troops there, and Zhou Weiguo, who was sitting next to Wang Yi, also helped to explain which army behind these representatives was the central army and which was the miscellaneous army or local force.

After some scientific research, Wang Yi only had a good impression of Commander Wang of the 74th Army.

Because the 74th Army was the central army, his immediate superior had the same surname as him, Wang. He was considered a rare new-style military officer among the military commanders of the National Government who did not exploit the blood of his soldiers and even opened his own factory to pay the soldiers' salaries. He also had a tough combat style, was good at fighting, and his soldiers obeyed him.

Later, during the War of Liberation, this military commander of the Kuomintang government, who had the same surname as Wang Yi, made his own troops suffer a lot.

There is another interesting story about this officer. When he was defeated and captured, our soldiers found two American-made tractors in his home.

The soldiers asked him, "You are a general, why do you hoard this stuff at home?"
He replied, "The Japanese were all driven away. If there had not been the civil war in the past few years, I would have stayed for a few more years and then retired back to my hometown, where I would have become a farmer and landlord with these two tractors."

Among all the military commanders of the national government, he is indeed a good man, a rare gem.

As the saying goes, if the upper beam is not straight, the lower beams will be crooked. Conversely, if the upper beam is straight, the lower beams will naturally not be crooked.

Although the representative of the 74th Army also came to the banquet, he made it clear from the start that they would not get involved in this business and they were only there to show their faces. Don't throw dirty water on his troops if the spoils are not divided equally.

After everyone's backgrounds were reported, the next step was to serve the food and eat.

The Jianghu Inn, which had been closed for a long time, has finally reopened, but there are guards outside the store and no one is allowed in. Inside the store, there are a lot of snakes and rats, all of whom are drooling over every delicious dish served.

These guys who were just calling each other brothers now acted like starving ghosts and stuck their chopsticks into every dish as a mark.

There are three kinds of duck: salted duck, Jinling roast duck and eight-treasure duck.

Next came the crab meat lion head, steamed shad, and abalone soup.

Some people who pretend to be polite will even say at this time, "The army is approaching, this is truly a critical moment for our survival, it's too much."

Having said that, his hands' movements were no slower than those of others.

No wonder, at this moment in Jinling City, those who could escape first have all escaped, and those who were not in a hurry to escape had already prepared their retreat plans early, and now they are just trying to make the last profit.

Only those who could not escape were left. Those who had no way to run away huddled together for warmth, hanging on tight and starving, waiting for the natural and man-made disasters to take over them.

Even for the garrison troops who stayed behind to defend the city, it was rare for people of their level to have the opportunity to eat so many delicious foods, so naturally they were unwilling to miss the delicacies in front of them.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Wang Yi knocked on the table and signaled for Shopkeeper Lin, who was to act as the waiter, to take out the bill distribution sheet he had prepared last night from the backstage and give each person at the table a copy.

"Everyone, Chief Cha came to my place yesterday and wanted me to help him, his superior, and his brothers find a way out, or a guarantee, so that I could raise the price of my business at the dock to two dollars per person. I also asked Chief Cha to pass on a message, asking him to call everyone who needs my help. Let's discuss it here today, so that no one will come and disturb my business. Everyone, everyone, are you all here?"

"We're all here, Boss Wang, don't worry. I told my superior yesterday what Boss Wang meant, and my superior called all the other superiors over and passed it on. All the brothers present here today are our own people. As long as Boss Wang satisfies everyone, we promise that we will leave after Boss Wang when the city is captured!"

Cha Hongtu's face was beaming with joy, and he patted his chest to assure Wang Yi. But on the other hand, if Wang Yi made everyone present unhappy, the business of this wharf would not be able to continue.

As for his so-called guarantee of evacuation after the city was captured, Wang Yi just ignored it.

"Now that everyone is here and has eaten and drunk their fill, let's take a look. If you have any dissatisfaction or confusion, please let me know and I will help you solve it now."

Hearing this, everyone looked at the account distribution table in their hands, and soon someone exclaimed.

"Five yuan per person? Fixed price?!"

"Brother Cha, didn't you say that all the business at Boss Wang's dock was for poor people? Can poor people squeeze out five dollars?"

Someone asked a question here, and Wang Yi naturally gave an explanation.

"Of course, a poor guy can't squeeze out five yuan. If he can squeeze out two or three yuan, that's his entire fortune. But if a few poor guys work together, they can still get five yuan. Let's see how you guys share it first."

The carrier sampan can carry up to ten people at a time, without luggage.

The daily income was divided into 30% and 70% respectively. One tenth of the 70% was given to Commissioner Kong who had already arrived in Hankou by plane. This amount of money had been agreed upon by Liu Wei before. Even though he was now in Hankou and had a larger share, he still had to give the money.

Otherwise, if they sent a telegram, made some small moves, called some people, they could make Wang Yi here very uncomfortable. Could he go to Hankou just for this matter and kill them? It's not the right time.

The remaining 0.5% was divided into twelve parts. Including Wang Yi, there were exactly twelve people including Zhou Weiguo, and they each accounted for 74%, including the man from the th Army, who had stated in advance that he was here to act as a witness representative.

Even though he could refuse it, Wang Yi had to give it to him, otherwise the remaining guys would be worried.

The classic saying goes: If you don’t take it, how can I take it? If I don’t take it, how can Commissioner Geng take it?
Finally, the middleman Wang Yi accounted for 30%.

"Boss Wang, your idea is good, but even if you raise the price to five yuan per person, the boats you have at the dock are all small sampans. How much money can people get by riding in a small sampan? You squeezed money out of these poor guys, but the money that comes to us brothers is no different from your previous business. You still keep 30% for yourself. This is not a fair way of doing business."

"Sir, did you forget to turn the page?"

"Oh, here it is. Boss Wang, you only take 15%? The remaining 15% is for the soldiers under us? Then we don't have to show respect to the superiors above us?"

So you bastards want me to just work and not get paid? You guys are eating and getting paid?

Although he was prepared to be blackmailed and retaliated by them, Wang Yi still felt that his three corpse gods were jumping up and down in anger.

But he still had to hold back his temper and continue explaining.

"I understand. You think there are too many people and not enough porridge. Then we can cook more porridge and make it thicker. We can turn the pot into a big earthenware pot. Then everyone will be happy, right? In addition, I will only take half of the last 15%. The remaining 15% is for you to honor your superiors. I won't ask you to pay any more."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You should have noticed that it is already the second half of the month, and the business at the dock is decreasing day by day. However, the dock is in the second district, and the people who come here are basically from the first and second districts. You are all from the city garrison, stationed in various districts of the city, and you have soldiers at your disposal. If you move your legs, you can drive the poor people from the third to fifth districts who want to leave the city but have no way to come to me. Are you still afraid that the money you get will be less?
So the 15% is the hard work of the soldiers under your command who go door to door to drive people away. After everyone gets it, it's just one or two bowls of vermicelli soup, at most the money for a restaurant. Why are you so fussy about it?"

As Wang Yi explained, the eyes of the middle-level Kuomintang officers present became brighter.

Yes, they are the superiors, and it is natural for them to let the soldiers under them work, not to mention that they are driving people away. They do not have the courage to fight the Japanese, but they have the courage to oppress the people and drive people away to make money under the pretext of fighting the Japanese.

"Boss Wang really woke me up with his words!"

"Forget the polite words. I just want to ask, what do you think of my plan now?" "Okay!"

"clever!"

"Get rich!"

"Then I have to pour cold water on you first. In order for everyone to get the money when the time comes, my people will have to watch over you in your jurisdiction and supervise you. In simple terms, your people will go to your house and play the good cop and drive you away, while my people will play the bad cop and make them listen to you and cooperate with you.

By doing this, I can also have a good reputation. After all, the business of Sitong Company is all over the country, and it is connected to the United States. The business here is a one-time deal, which does not mean it will be the same in the future. Doing this is also to prevent your subordinates from being cunning and slippery, but when the money is divided, they take more and make everyone unhappy. That would be bad. You should also come out and say hello to the superiors. "

As soon as Wang Yi finished speaking, the captain of the ship, who had met Wang Yi yesterday, had been fine-tuned by Wang Yi's bone-pinching and skin-painting skills learned from Quan Xing's mask-maker Liu. He and dozens of his key members walked out of the backyard, went up the stairs, and stood in front of these Kuomintang officers.

At the same time, he also showed the thing on his waist.

Moreover, the strong military atmosphere on each person made these guys think that the people in front of them were the elite troops of the Northern Expedition.

"Don't be surprised, everyone. Since I have the support of the Americans behind me and can command American soldiers, naturally, I can also command some of our Chinese soldiers. They represent me to supervise whether the people under your command have done their work well. If the work is done, they are transparent. If the work is not done, then the weapons on them will make a sound, and when the weapons make a sound, someone will cry, but who will cry depends on your luck."

A strong, pure murderous aura enveloped the entire restaurant, making every guy sitting at the table feel very uneasy and having difficulty breathing, as if as long as they frowned or said no, they would be doomed.

Wang Yi stood up and poured wine for everyone present in turn while speaking.

"After you get the money, you can decide how to deal with it. Do you want to pack it up and take it away, or do you want to exchange it for US dollars, gold bars or silver dollars at Citibank or HSBC and keep it in the bank? I heard from my partners in the United States that the Secretary General of our Aviation Committee is responsible for purchasing aircraft to strengthen our air force.

Her favorite thing to do was to take out 70% or 90% of the military funds for purchasing aircraft and deposit them in Citibank to earn interest, and use the rest to buy aircraft. The reason was very simple. Money was just paper, and foreigners changed their aircraft frequently and quickly. It would be better to put the money in the bank to earn interest than to buy all of them now, and then buy better ones when they came out. Money made money, and interest compounded interest. It would be great to buy aircraft non-stop.

The bank is still open now. After all, it is an American bank. Even if the Japanese invade, they dare not do anything to the bank. After all, it is money. The most feared thing is that people die with the money not spent. If you really can't take it with you, you might as well find a place to keep it first. Even if you encounter an accident, you can leave a way for your children and grandchildren to come and withdraw the money, right?

Everyone, what do you think of my proposal? "

As he spoke, he clinked glasses with each person in turn, then returned to his seat and sat down, looking at these people with a smile.

He had given the attitude and plan for dividing the money, so naturally he had to put some pressure on these greedy guys, so as to avoid letting others think that he was easy to talk to and that anyone could come to him to make money.

Under the mental pressure, Wang Yi's words just now were like a series of devilish sounds that drilled into the minds of these guys, affecting their subconsciousness, making them nod their heads continuously and sweat profusely when facing Wang Yi's pressure at this time.

"Boss Wang has profound insights."

“Take a long-term view.”

"Heavenly man."

"Haha, let's eat, everyone."

Wang Yi also smiled and retracted his murderous aura, raising his glass in gesture.

Whether forced or voluntary, everyone raised their glasses and drank them all. Some even took a few sips of the wine, fearing that they would be slow.

"Huh? You really eat it, hahaha."
-
Upstairs in Jianghu Inn, Wang Yi stood on the attic balcony and watched the officers get in the jeep and leave in a hurry.

The only ones who didn't follow them were Zhou Weiguo and the captain who had changed his face.

Obviously, after yesterday's incident with Cha Hongtu, Zhou Weiguo, an orthodox soldier and a good family man from the six counties, has been shaken.

Wang Yi also confronted Zhou Weiguo directly yesterday and bluntly stated that the boatmen of these small sampans on the dock were all in disguise and were from the same team as the workers and coolies at the dock in the Songhu Concession.

I don't ask for anything from you. If you are still a soldier defending your country, please give me a hand and help the people in the city.

In the future, the two armies will face each other, and life and death will be left to fate.

In other words, he knew this guy well and knew that he was not a bad person, so he dared to make such a showdown. However, in this day and age, in this world, no one who maintains a good nature in the government will have a good ending.

The other party did not refuse, but just said that he would cooperate with me, and that was enough.

"What's the use of this?"

"What's the use? It can save more people out of the city. As for the money, it's just temporarily in their hands. If these guys don't have any thoughts, how can they do anything and contribute? Oh, of course, you are not."

"But there will still be people who are blind and ungrateful, and they may not trust you."

"This is better. I've already said it in advance. If one or two ungrateful people don't show up, how will they know what I can do? Boss Jiang, from now on, I'll ask you to supervise carefully. If anything happens, just fire a gun and it will be over. I can hear it and come quickly."

"I know what Boss Wang is capable of, so I'll get busy then."

The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously. When Wang Yi called out "Boss Jiang", Zhou Weiguo also widened his eyes.

He turned around and watched the ship captain with a distinguished temperament go downstairs, take his men away, and rush to various districts in the city, and finally ask Wang Yi for confirmation.

"It's him?"

"You know him?"

"You seem to have forgotten the predecessor of the Republic of China Army Officer School. How could those of us who entered later not know the name of the Three Heroes? But back then, wasn't it because of their internal strife that there was no news of him?"

"No news does not mean he is dead. The two sides have been fighting for ten years. How many people have disappeared for no reason? Who can count them? I just saved him once by chance. Captain Zhou, you are a real soldier who only defends your country. Think about it carefully. What are you fighting for now? Is it for the country or for the government? The difference of one word makes a world of difference."

Patting Zhou Weiguo on the shoulder, Wang Yi was about to leave as he still had to arrange follow-up matters.

"What about you, Wang Yi? What are you doing this for?"

Hearing this, Wang Yi stopped, turned around and gave Zhou Weiguo a free and easy smile, then looked behind Zhou Weiguo before turning around and leaving.

Zhou Weiguo was puzzled, and he also looked behind him in the direction where Wang Yi had just turned his head.

What he saw was a city that was gradually becoming desolate and deserted before the Japanese invasion, with people walking hurriedly on the streets from time to time, carrying their families but not knowing where to go.

It was a plane flying across the sky, leaving the city.

What he heard was a few gunshots coming from afar and the whistle of a train.

Finally, there is Wang Yi’s back as he merges into the crowd of pedestrians on the street and slowly disappears.

(End of this chapter)