Film and Television World Life Record

When assisting Li Mu in selling goods, they don't need to worry about how the goods are transported; the Far East Trading Company only needs to help Li Mu sell the goods in the warehouse.

It sounds simple; all you have to do is run errands, negotiate partnerships with other businesses, and sign contracts.

The first thing the business did after its establishment was to assist Li Mu in procuring supplies.

With over $1.6 million in hand, it wouldn't be enough to purchase all the medicines. Not only does Singapore not have that much stock right now, but even if we bring it back to China, it won't be able to be used up in a short time.

Li Mu had someone analyze the situation and found that, in addition to the shortage of medicines and military supplies, some civilian goods that used to need to be imported are also in short supply in China.

With sea routes blocked and import channels reduced, domestic merchants, even those with existing stock of these goods, quietly reduced their supply and began stockpiling.

With reduced supply and widespread competition, the prices of these imported goods have skyrocketed, making it easy to make a fortune as long as they are brought into the country.

Over the next few days, with the assistance of the Far East Trading Company, Li Mu began to purchase various supplies, mainly commodities that were in short supply in China before the war.

After purchasing those items, we bought some medicines and various other miscellaneous things, such as various hardware tools, machine parts, some general-purpose instruments, and steel that cannot be produced domestically.

The last few miscellaneous items purchased may seem to have low domestic demand, but the profit margin is definitely not low.

The entire procurement effort cost approximately one million four hundred thousand US dollars.

Selling all these supplies domestically would take a considerable amount of time. Purchasing supplies domestically would also require a significant amount of time and preparation.

So, this time back in China, time couldn't be wasted. Li Mu decided to train his security regiment well, arm it properly, and expand its size several times over.

After all, in chaotic times, having troops at your disposal is more practical than anything else.

The next step was to procure military equipment. As the gateway to the Strait of Malacca, Singapore not only attracted merchants from all over the world, but also a number of arms dealers.

With the advice of the Far East Trading Company, Li Mu came into contact with a trading company that acted as an agent for German military equipment.

Although German military equipment was relatively expensive, its quality was excellent. Looking at the weapons list provided by the other party, the Kar98k rifle was at the top. This was a new rifle introduced in 1935, which later became the famous Mauser 98K.

As the standard rifle used by the German army during World War II, it entered service in 1935 and remained in use until the end of the war, serving as the standard issue for the German army.

This rifle has a built-in 5-round magazine, a length of 1.1 meters, an effective range of 800 meters, and a rate of fire of approximately 15 rounds per minute. It is a classic rifle from World War II.

Between 1935 and 1945, approximately 1450 million of these rifles were produced, accompanying the German army from the start of the war to its surrender.

Looking at the price again, unsurprisingly, each Mauser 98K rifle, with 500 rounds of ammunition, was priced at $45.

It also says on it that there is 2,800 in stock.

Looking further down, the M24 hand grenade was priced at $0.45 per grenade.

Next came various firearms and artillery, even armored vehicles.

However, given the current state of the security regiment soldiers, apart from firing a gun and throwing a grenade, they don't even know how to operate an armored vehicle or a cannon, let alone an armored vehicle.

These are things we can only look at.

In the end, Li Mu bought 2,800 Mauser 98K rifles, 30,000 hand grenades, and 30 German-made Grw 34 medium mortars.

This mortar has a maximum range of 2400 meters, a maximum rate of fire of 25 rounds per minute, a total weight of 57 kilograms, an ammunition weight of 3.5 kilograms, and requires approximately four soldiers to operate.

During World War II, its accurate shooting and high rate of fire earned it high praise from Allied soldiers, and it participated in almost every battle fought by Germany in the war.

Compared to various types of artillery, mortars are relatively simple to operate. With proper training, one should be able to learn them quickly.

Thirty mortars, each equipped with three hundred rounds of ammunition, at a unit price of one thousand one hundred US dollars.

The total cost for the thirty items was $33,000.

Thirty thousand hand grenades, each priced at $0.45, totaling $1.35.

Two thousand eight hundred Mauser 98K rifles, each with five hundred rounds of ammunition, at a price of forty-five dollars, for a total of one hundred and twenty-six thousand dollars.

Total: US$172,500, which is roughly equivalent to 430,000 silver dollars.

Despite purchasing so many German weapons, the firepower was still relatively weak. The next day, Li Mu contacted a reputable arms dealer again.

After reviewing the supply list, he quickly selected his target: one hundred Browning pistols, each with one thousand rounds of ammunition, at a unit price of seventy dollars.

These pistols can be used by guards, and in the future, every officer in the army will also be issued one.

Next, we need to strengthen the army's firepower configuration; rifles alone are not enough.

After much deliberation, they finally chose the famous Czech light machine gun.

The official name of the Czech light machine gun is the ZB-26 light machine gun, but because it was produced in Czechoslovakia, people prefer to call it the Czech-made.

If you were to ask what weapon was most famous in the Chinese army during the War of Resistance against Japan, the Czech-made light machine gun would certainly be mentioned. For example, in the TV series "Bright Sword," the gun Li Yunlong carried while charging was a Czech-made light machine gun.

However, Li Yunlong was clearly using it improperly; this gun was not meant to be carried while charging.

This light machine gun was one of the few effective weapons available to the Chinese army during the War of Resistance against Japan to deal with Japanese aggression. It is said that, through a combination of imports and domestic production, at least tens of thousands of Czech-made light machine guns were produced in China during the war, making a significant contribution to the resistance.

However, this light machine gun was quite expensive. Although the price has dropped somewhat in recent years as the technology has matured, it is still not cheap.

A Czech-made light machine gun, with two thousand rounds of ammunition, costs two hundred and twenty dollars.

Li Mu thought for a moment and bought 180 guns, totaling 39,600 US dollars.

We'll set up a regimental-level machine gun company, and equip each squad with one. That'll significantly increase our firepower.

Finally, Li Mu spent another $20,000 to buy several motorboats that could navigate inland waterways before he stopped.

After this round of shopping, Li Mu had spent most of his money. Without delay, he boarded a plane the next day and returned to Wuhan.

After returning to Wuhan, he did not rush to sell the goods. There were too many supplies involved this time, and he could imagine that there would be even more in the future. He also needed to set up a trading company in China to handle these matters for him.

With the fall of Beiping and Tianjin, and the ongoing war in Shanghai, the coastal areas were filled with fear and panic, and many people fled inland only to face disaster.

At that time, Wuhan was a famous city in China, a transportation hub connecting nine provinces, a vital waterway, and home to many foreign concessions, making it a popular destination for refugees.

Therefore, the war at the front made it appear somewhat abnormally prosperous, and all kinds of talents flocked in, with people looking for work everywhere.

Li Mu bought a small building in the British concession in Hankou and established the Muwu Trading Company, officially starting to recruit soldiers.

In just over a week, a trading company with more than eighty employees was established. To this end, Li Mu transferred over a hundred men from Nanyang, thirty of whom were assigned Browning pistols to guard the company within the city. The pistols were concealed for easy movement within the city.

Another seventy men, armed with Mauser 98k rifles, were assigned to guard the warehouses outside the city under the guise of protecting the merchant guild.

Chapter 414 Reorganization and Expansion of the Army

After the establishment of Muwu Trading Company, Li Mu quickly sold a batch of goods, accounting for about a quarter of the total, and received 2.3 million yuan in legal tender.

The remaining goods were all stored in a warehouse, guarded day and night. Muwu Trading Company's next task was to use a gradual, long-term approach, shipping the goods in bulk through small trading companies across the country, and selling them off one by one.

As a transportation hub connecting nine provinces, with convenient access in all directions, small businesses from all over the country come to purchase goods. Given the high demand for these products, it's believed that they will be available in no time.

One month? Or two months?

Meanwhile, Muwu Trading Company also had two tasks. One was to entrust these small merchants to purchase pig bristles from all over the country, saving him the trouble of running around to different places!

Another task was to send people to the southwest region to purchase tung oil.

During the Republic of China era, in addition to pig bristles, tung oil was another commodity that China monopolized in overseas markets.

As a raw material that was already in widespread use in my country during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, tung oil still has great uses in modern society.

In ancient China, tung oil was often used to coat furniture, doors, and windows for protection. In fact, tung oil is also an indispensable machine maintenance agent in the modern military industry.

Due to its fast drying, strong adhesion, and properties of heat resistance, acid resistance, alkali resistance, corrosion prevention, rust prevention, and electrical conductivity, tung oil became the most sought-after military supply during wartime.

After the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, transportation was difficult and tung oil was in short supply on the international market. In 38, China and the United States reached a "Tung Oil Loan" of up to US$2500 million. According to the treaty, China was required to repay the loan with 22 tons of tung oil.

Following this experience of cooperation, China and the United States reached two more loan agreements in 1939 and 1940, with China receiving a total of $4500 million in loans from the United States.

However, the tung oil business wouldn't last long for Li Mu. Next year, 1938, to ensure the continued supply of this important strategic material, after reaching a loan agreement with the United States, the government would centrally manage tung oil through a system of unified purchase and distribution.

By then, private merchants would have no say, except for members of the imperial family. For Li Mu, the business of selling tung oil would be over.

However, he still has more than half a year left, during which he can make a fortune.

In fact, tung oil not only provides extra income, but also plays another important role. It's important to understand that China is currently facing resource shortages, and gasoline, diesel, and kerosene are not being effectively replenished.

So, the clever Chinese people put their minds to work and further refined tung oil, producing a large number of alternative energy products.

It is understood that every 3000 tons of tung oil can be refined into more than 2000 tons of fuel that can replace gasoline, kerosene, and diesel. These alternative energy sources can also play a significant role in critical moments.

Naturally, as a crop unique to China, the United States also introduced tung trees for oil production and cultivated them on a large scale. However, even now, compared to the scale of cultivation in China, it is negligible.

Currently, China can indeed be said to have a monopoly on the world's tung oil production.

The recent two-month war has had a significant impact on copper and oil exports, leading to severe shortages overseas and soaring prices. Domestically, however, there has been a surge in stockpiling, with only a small number of well-connected merchants managing to sell a portion and reap huge profits.

Li Mu was clearly also going to join those who were reaping huge profits.

Afterwards, Li Mu stayed at the trading company for a few more days. Once everything was on track, he left one million yuan in legal tender in the company's account and, with the remaining one million three hundred thousand yuan, returned to Nanyang by airship under the escort of guards.

This time, he wants to expand and reorganize the army.

……

Henan Province has been plagued by natural and man-made disasters since the Republican era. We won't even mention the man-made disasters of next year or the natural disasters five years from now. Even in ordinary years, many people flee to other places due to famine.

The Nanyang Basin, with its fertile land and location within the province, was a popular destination for those fleeing famine.

For these refugees, being able to eat, survive, or have another family starve to death was their only hope.

So when Li Mu led his men to recruit soldiers among these refugees, they almost fought tooth and nail to get in when they heard that not only would they be fed, but they would also receive five silver dollars a month.

Not only would they be able to eat their fill, but if they were fleeing famine with their families, they would receive a monthly stipend of five silver dollars, ensuring that the whole family would not starve to death.

However, Li Mu was quite strict in recruiting soldiers, carefully selecting and screening them, and ultimately recruited 1,500 men. He planned to recruit another 1,000 from Nanyang, expanding the security force to 3,000 men.