Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 132 No one is uninterested in money.
“Sode shinie~~” Meize Pingba nodded in agreement. Although they didn’t have this phrase in Japan, or a similar expression, the meaning was not profound and was easy to understand.

Then think about all the people who died during the invasion of China over the years. Most of them were children of ordinary people. How many of them came from wealthy and powerful families?
To put it bluntly, whether a war is won or lost has little to do with ordinary people; those who enjoy the benefits are always the rich and powerful.

Although the Mei Ze family had some connections and their ancestors had some glory, in the end, they were only slightly better than ordinary people. Compared with those truly great nobles, they seemed rather insignificant.

Besides, the larger the family, the greater the expenses. Without enough money, how can they support such large expenditures?

Moreover, he was not only thinking about himself, but also about his son, grandson and future generations!
It is the future of the entire Umezawa family!

Seeing that he was interested, Cao Weida smiled to himself. There was a saying he agreed with: no one is uninterested in money. If someone is, it just means they don't have enough money!

Even a saint cannot remain completely indifferent to money!
Without money, even a saint would find it difficult to move an inch!

We can't just let him get full from drinking water, can we?
"So, as I always say, we can't have a grudge against money, no matter who it is!"

"No matter how the situation changes in the future, having money in your own hands is the most real and greatest source of confidence! Everything else is just empty talk!"

"but."

After finishing a cigarette, he threw away the cigarette butt and reached for a new one in his pocket.

Click~
Click~~
Another burst of gunfire rang out.

Mei Zepingba's eyes widened: "Baka!! Rude oh ha da gu na!! Xi lei lu ge!!"

"Hai!" The Japanese soldier who was being scolded was innocent. He didn't know what he had done wrong, but he didn't dare to argue back. He had to obediently bow and leave.

"Cao Sang, please don't mind. I apologize for their rudeness." Mei Zepingba's tone was quite sincere, and his attitude was completely different from before.

"Commander Umezawa, you're too kind. They were just doing their duty for your safety, so why would I mind? On the contrary, you shouldn't punish them; you should praise them for being loyal to their duties."

"You should be happy to have such a loyal and dedicated subordinate."

In short, Mei Zeping was all smiles, and the subordinates who had been scolded were also in a good mood. Sure enough, when those subordinates looked at Cao Weida again, their eyes were filled with goodwill.

"Wow, Cao Sang is so understanding, I really admire him."

He readily accepted the cigarette offered by Cao Weida, put it in his mouth, and ordered his subordinates, "What are you all standing there for? Go thank Cao Sang for his magnanimity!"

"Hai!" The Japanese soldiers bowed gratefully to Cao Weida and said, "Cao-san, we apologize for our rude behavior just now!"

"No need for apologies, it's just my duty, I understand." Cao Weida quickly stepped forward to help them up. These people were clearly Mei Zeping's confidants, so their main intention was to curry favor.

Anyway, saying nice things doesn't cost anything, and a few words can win the goodwill of these little devils, so why not?

He wouldn't mind giving more small favors; after all, the King of Hell is easy to deal with, but his underlings are hard to handle. Making friends with these people would be beneficial in every way.

One of them offered them a cigarette. If you want to build good relationships with others, you have to cultivate them on a regular basis. If you try to cram at the last minute when something really urgent happens, not only will you not be able to do it, but you might even get kicked by Buddha.
Mei Zeping lit a cigarette and took a satisfying puff. Although the taste wasn't as good as his Xuguang brand cigarettes, it was still acceptable.

"Cao Sang, let's continue our previous topic. You just said 'but,' but what?"

All he can think about right now is making money and getting rich. He admits he's tempted.

Who can resist the temptation of making a fortune?

"What I'm trying to say is, when it comes to making money, the sooner the better. The sooner you have the money in your pocket, the sooner you can feel at ease," Cao Weida said, puffing on his cigarette, his eyes gleaming with a dark haze.
"The situation on the Chinese battlefield is complex right now, and nobody knows when the results will be available."

"The Red Party and the National Party must have a very good understanding of the international situation, and the enthusiasm for resistance at home has always been high. It would be difficult for the Empire to expand its gains in China in a short period of time. It is already quite remarkable that it has been able to maintain its current gains."

"No one knows when the balance of power on the Chinese battlefield will tilt; what if..."

He glanced at the other party and said quietly, "If your country fails to withstand international occupation, the war could be lost at any time, and Beiping could very well return to China's hands again."

"To put it bluntly, Beiping is still under the jurisdiction of your country's army. It's easy to make money there now, but once the situation turns unfavorable, it will be nothing but a pipe dream."

"Therefore, what we should do most right now is to make money as fast as we can. Every day we delay means we earn less money!"

"Don't wait until you've really missed the best time and then regret it later," Cao Weida said sincerely. Mei Zepingba listened with a sudden realization and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yoshi, Cao-san, what you said makes perfect sense. Today's trip was definitely worthwhile."

"I apologize for disturbing you today. Please wait for me for a while, two days at most, and I will definitely give you an answer."

Compared to retaliating against the army, after Cao Wei Da's "advice," he suddenly felt that making money was more important.

Cao Sang is right. Disagreements between the military and the government are two different things from doing business together to make money, and they should not be confused.

"Commander Mei Ze, you are indeed a man of great things!" Cao Weida smiled. "There is an old Chinese saying: 'Choose a high place to stand, a level place to sit, and a wide place to walk.' With your intelligence and talent, I have always believed that you will make the right choice."

"Choose a high place to stand, a level place to sit, and a wide place to walk." Mei Zeping carefully pondered these words, and the more he pondered them, the more profound they became.

If only the Chinese people had this one phrase, that would be perfect. Unfortunately, they also have the resounding fervor of "The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen."
After a long silence, he sighed again in his heart. China is truly a land of outstanding people and abundant resources. He had received higher education and had been to several countries, but he had never encountered a country with such a rich cultural heritage as China.

If it were any other country, on a battlefield where the disparity in strength was so vast, they would have been utterly crushed by the Japanese army, with no ability or will to resist.

But how did China do it?
Better to die fighting than to be a slave to a conquered nation!
I regret not dying fighting the Japanese, leaving this shame for me today. Even with the nation broken, I am still in such a state; why should I hesitate to give my life!

We will fight the war to the very end, and never waver. As long as the enemy troops do not withdraw from our borders, the Sichuan Army will never return home!
All of this was not just empty talk, but a practice put into action with their own bodies, one after another, like locusts that can never be eradicated, one wave after another, never giving up or showing fear even in the face of the empire's long guns and cannons.
Faced with such a spirited Chinese nation, they could not subdue them when they were unstoppable. Now that the empire is weakening and its foundation is becoming increasingly weak, the enthusiasm of the Chinese people to resist the Japanese is rising day by day. Do they really still have a chance of winning in what they consider their last opportunity?

His heart tightened. The more unfavorable the war situation was to the empire, the higher the chance of their empire's defeat.

This also means that they have less and less time to make money.
No, we have to hurry. He knows a thing or two about the current situation in the country. It would be good if we could conquer China, but he doesn't even dare to imagine what the situation would be like if we were to be defeated in the end!

What will happen to their soldiers then?
What will happen to the family?
Only when you have money in your hands!

Money is the ultimate foundation!

He stood up abruptly, his face serious, and said, "Mr. Cao, please rest assured, I will do my utmost to facilitate our cooperation! Please await my reply!"

"Your wife is inside and unharmed. I must take my leave now!"

"Too much game, give it to the donkey!"

Upon receiving the order, the Japanese soldiers immediately withdrew from the courtyard in a steady and orderly manner.

Cao Weida saw them off to the door, smiling as he bid them farewell. Only after disappearing from his career did the smile fade from his face, and he returned to the courtyard with a stern expression, closing the door behind him.

"master!!"

Du Shiniang's face was streaked with tears, and her eyes revealed worry and fear, clearly indicating that she had been quite frightened earlier.

"Shi Niang, are you alright?" Cao Weida held her in his arms. Leaning against his strong arms, Du Shiniang's fear subsided slightly. She hugged his broad back tightly and shook her head in his embrace, her tears soaking his clothes.
"No, they just locked me in the room and wouldn't let me out. I was so worried about you, Master. I wanted to tell you, but they were watching me too closely, I didn't have a chance at all, sob sob sob~ Master, am I so useless?"

"You silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about? How could you think like that? Alright, alright, don't be afraid. They're gone now, and this will never happen again."

He offered words of comfort, but inwardly his murderous intent was building.

Damn Meizehe Plain, damn Japanese devils, you just wait!

When the war is won, none of you will escape! I'll kill you all, or I'm not Cao Weida!!
It took him a while to calm Du Shiniang down, but she refused to let go of his arms. He could only hold her in his arms and call Xinghong.

"Hey, Xinghong, has anyone come to visit unexpectedly today?"

"Oh, okay, it's nothing. I was just asking. Um, bye."

After hanging up the phone, Cao Weida breathed a slight sigh of relief. Fortunately, Mei Zeping hadn't gone too far, but this only made him more wary.

This means that his every move is under surveillance.

With a sigh, I realized that operating within someone else's sphere of influence truly leaves one with no control over their own destiny.
Damn it, I have to kill a few more Japanese devils tonight to vent my anger!

(End of this chapter)