Korean TV series: King of Peninsula 1997

Chapter 341 Cigarette Business
"President Li of the Kinmen Group has publicly stated in an interview that he will continue to develop real estate in the three districts of Gangnam."

The TV program reported it in great detail, with the host saying in a clear and loud voice, "This will be a residential complex worth hundreds of billions of dollars."

There is a lot to say, but the propaganda implication is indeed obvious.

In Li You's office, he turned off the TV and looked at Quan Zaijun who was sitting upright, "How is the situation in Vietnam going?"

"Choi Chun-il was quite cooperative," said Jeon Jae-jun, "and the people monitoring him didn't find anything wrong or abnormal about him."

"Isn't Zhong Lie coming back from Vietnam today?" Li You looked at his watch. "Where is he?"

"He will be here soon," Quan Zaijun whispered, "He will come back mainly to report to you the specific situation in Vietnam."

"I know," Li You said again after thinking for a while, "When he goes again this time, let him bring Wang Wu and the other four Yanbian veterans with him."

He lit a cigarette. “It’s a waste for these four people to stay in Seoul and do nothing.”

Quan Zaijun nodded, "I understand. Do we need to transfer more people from Kinmen Security?"

"Not for the time being," Li You shook his head. The people Xu Zhonglie brought with him in the past few days were all Cui Douri's subordinates, and they were just the reserve forces of Kinmen Security. "The underground forces over there are very brave and aggressive, and guns are rampant. The number of people in Kinmen Security is not yet enough to be wasted."

The two chatted for a while, and Yoon Ji-woo, who was in the secretary's office, knocked on the door and walked in, "President, someone is here."

"Xu Zhonglie?"

Yoon Ji-woo nodded. Xu Zhonglie was also a stranger to her, but she had received training in Kinmen security and recognized photos of Kinmen’s senior officials.

"He's here?" Li You was a little confused. "He didn't come in?"

"He's waiting outside," Yoon Ji-woo said with his head down, "He can't enter your office without permission until the president says so."

"Is this the rule he made up himself?" Li You smiled and asked her to call Xu Zhonglie in. He turned around and talked to Quan Zaijun, "It seems that he hasn't changed at all."

Xu Zhonglie was a knife from the beginning. He was the kind of person who would never go back on his word if his superiors said so.

Ever since the merger into Kinmen, his position has been somewhat awkward. Xu Zhonglie doesn't need to do many things. Li You also wants to move him to the management level, but the effect has not been very good.

Later, when the smuggling and illegal immigration business came out, Li You put Xu Zhonglie in charge, and he managed it quite well.

This time, the smuggling industry in Vietnam was handed over to Xu Zhonglie.

"Jong Yeol is an old man too. He has been following you for a long time and is loyal to you," Jeon Jae-jun explained. "He has indeed been following this rule."

For the old people who have always followed him, Li You actually doesn’t have that many rules as the president, but these old people are also very sensible and abide by the rules.

"You too," Li You glanced at him, "The only one who can be careless in front of me is Ding Qing."

"Director Ding is a little different from us," Quan Zaijun smiled. "When I first met Director Ding, I thought he was not loyal to the chairman, but later I found out that he is actually a very loyal person."

Before he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.

"It looks like Jong-ryul is here," Li You turned around and saw Yoon Ji-woo and Seo Jong-ryul slowly walking in.

"President," Xu Zhonglie's expression didn't change much, "I'm here."

Li You smiled and said, "Since you are here, please sit down. It happens that I haven't seen you for a while."

Quan Zaijun nodded with a smile, pulled Xu Zhonglie and stood up, "President, I will go and inform Wang Wu and the others to pack their luggage and prepare to leave."

Li You waved his hand, indicating that he could go.

After Jeon Jae-jun left, Li You looked at Seo Jong-yeol who was sitting down and asked with concern, "Are you getting used to Vietnam?"

Xu Zhonglie laughed, "It's not bad there. I like the style there, and I met a lot of acquaintances there."

"Acquaintances." Li You was speechless. "Are they the people from Garibong Cave?"

After Garibongdong was taken over by Kinmen, a large number of people left the Korean Peninsula, and the more chaotic Southeast Asia became their destination.

Xu Zhonglie nodded, and Li You spoke again, "They didn't stop us?"

"No," Xu Zhonglie shook his head silently. "The violent elements over there are much crazier than here, and there are more weapons circulating on the black market. The bigger the force, the more military power they have. They won't think too much."

"According to what you said," Li You laughed, "it seems that you and Choi Chun-il have cooperated well over there."

"That's it for now," Xu Zhonglie said seriously, "I came back this time to explain the situation to the president."

He opened the briefcase beside him, took out a stack of documents and photos, and placed them on Li You's desk. "President, this is the factory where we will conduct smuggling business in the future."

Li You raised his eyebrows, "Tell me about it."

“Choi Chun-baek is really doing real work,” Seo Jong-yeol said. “He sold the resort there, and we made deals with some locals.”

“Several factories over there were converted into factories for making cigarettes.”

"Still in Ho Chi Minh City?" Li You looked at the photo.

"Yes," Xu Zhonglie picked out a few photos, which showed an inconspicuous factory building in the industrial area of ​​Ho Chi Minh City.

"We decided to separate its operation at night and during the day," Xu Zhonglie said slowly. "During the day, it is no different from other factories in the surrounding area, manufacturing local Vietnamese cigarettes." Xu Zhonglie explained, "This step is necessary because the local government has extremely strict control over cigarettes and does not even allow foreign capital to establish wholly-owned companies. It only allows the establishment of OEM factories there."

He unfolded a document and said, "Only in this way can we obtain the machines and equipment for making cigarettes and recruit workers in a formal way."

"During the day, the roar of machines and the noise of workers are mixed together, which can eliminate other people's suspicion to the greatest extent."

"It's completed so quickly?" Li You looked at some photos. The factories in them had been built very completely.

In one of the photos, the two-story building has a mottled exterior and is surrounded by barbed wire.

The person at the door was obviously from Kinmen, and he was patrolling the surroundings vigilantly to make sure no outsiders were approaching.

There are also pictures of the interior of the factory at the back, where workers are wearing uniform blue work clothes and masks. They skillfully operate the equipment to process raw materials into cigarettes.

Looking at the pictures, Li You could smell the strong smell of tobacco in the air and the incessant roar of machines.

"The local government is also worried," Xu Zhonglie smiled. "There are already many bankrupt tobacco factories there. We just take over and do some simple renovations."

"These photos were taken during the trial production."

Xu Zhonglie continued, "Because there are a lot of factories operating there at night, the factories we purchased will not arouse suspicion even if the machines are running non-stop at night."

They make local specialty cigarettes during the day and Korean Peninsula brand cigarettes at night. They really do both at the same time.

To put it simply, during the day they make the kind of cigarettes that Vietnamese locals smoke, and at night they transform themselves into factories of some Korean brands in Vietnam, even if they are not aware of it.

Li You nodded. "Have you communicated with Zicheng about the shipping channel over there?"

"We communicated a little bit," Xu Zhonglie nodded, "but I still need to go back to Incheon to meet with him and confirm the plan."

"Sure," Li You said affirmatively, "Specialty cigarettes don't need to be smuggled, just go through normal customs. If that doesn't work, we can sell them locally. Those cigarettes that are manufactured in Vietnam will all go through Incheon."

"I understand," Xu Zhonglie nodded.

"What do the local workers think?" Li You was very concerned about confidentiality. "What do they think of this kind of thing?"

"Cui Chunbai suggested that I pay him a higher salary," Xu Zhonglie said with a smile on his face. "I disagreed at first, but after seeing the amount, I agreed decisively."

He smiled and shook his head, "The labor over there is really cheap."

"Although the working environment of cigarette manufacturing is not good and the protective measures are not good, accidents can easily happen, but the local workers we recruited are full of gratitude to the company."

Xu Zhonglie said with a smile, "At least here, they can at least get a decent income to support their families."

He then turned to the issue of channels, "I do have some ideas about how to transport it, but it still needs the president's decision."

Xu Zhonglie said, "In the preliminary plan, we intend to store a large number of packaged cigarettes in the basements of these factories."

"They are packed into large cartons and then affixed with false labels to disguise them as other legitimate products."

He said, "Ho Chi Minh City is Vietnam's largest port city and Vietnam's economic center. Regular trade ships can dock here, transport these boxes to the port, and load them onto ships heading to Incheon."

The risks of smuggling cigarettes are extremely high, but the profits are equally astonishing.

"But before boarding the ship, I'm afraid we still have to pay some necessary fees," Xu Zhonglie glanced at Li You, "but this is also to ensure that the goods can be safely boarded. Cui Chunbai has some connections with the port staff. Every time the goods are shipped, someone will secretly release them to ensure that the goods will not be discovered by customs."

“These people who let it go must be paid to support themselves.”

"That doesn't matter," Li You waved his hand, "It's just a little money. They make it easier for us to do our work, so we should support them."

"President, I understand," Xu Zhonglie nodded, "Then should we record the number and export time of each batch of goods like before?"

"After all, that's not our territory. I think it might be risky to do this," he said, somewhat undecided.

Li You raised his eyebrows and thought for a while, "Just let Zicheng, the receiver, record it, and you can also record it over there, but don't keep your records, and remember to delete them regularly."

“By the way,” Li You looked at Xu Zhonglie, “You should have heard it when Jaejun was here just now.”

"I plan to let Wang Wu and the other four go with you there," Li You smiled, "They are experienced and tough guys, so they should be able to help you."

"Thank you, President." Xu Zhonglie was a little surprised. "Did Jaejun go over there to explain these things to them?"

"Yes," Li You nodded, "Don't be in a hurry to leave. Remember to contact them before you leave. Staying with them will also mean that you will have reliable helpers over there."

Xu Zhonglie looked serious. He looked at Li You and said, "If that's the case, will Seoul feel a little empty?"

He was a little worried about the shortage of manpower at the base camp, especially the elite troops. Currently, only Quan Jae-jun and his men were left.

After Zheng Zaizhong and his companions returned from Asan, they went back to the United States.

"Don't worry about the manpower," Li You waved his hand, "the next step will be made soon."

After the two of them had a conversation, Xu Zhonglie left. He had to rush to Incheon to confirm the delivery process with Li Zicheng to ensure that the entire chain was foolproof.

(End of this chapter)