Volume 2 King of the Northwest Chapter 17: The Japanese and the Jews
"Brother Zhi, thank you for your hard work this time."
After arranging Pei Mo and others, Dai Jiliang came to E Tao again, took out a flat box and handed it to him.
"Congratulations, elder brother. The General's Mansion published it a few days ago."
"Thank you, Marshal!"
E Tao took it with great joy, and when he opened it, he saw that it was indeed a glittering golden star. He felt deeply moved as he thought he was now a general.
"By the way, Marshal, how many of our Shaanxi troops passed this time?"
After finally calming down, E Tao asked.
"Three, and there are Brother Binnan and Ma Kang."
Although Dai Jiliang regretted that Zhang Zili did not get the rank of major general this time, it was a tradition of the Beiyang government that the rank of chief of staff was generally lower than that of frontline officers. He could not get over it all of a sudden, but what did it matter? The Shaanxi Army had its own say. When it came to military rank, Li Genyuan was still a lieutenant general and a general. What could he do?
"Go back and prepare. Some group leaders may want to celebrate for you. I won't give you this gift. Please don't be offended, Brother Zhichang!"
"No wonder, no wonder!"
Although Dai Jiliang said he would not give any gifts, this star was the best gift, so E Tao would naturally not be surprised. As the saying goes, "It is not the wine that makes people drunk, but people make themselves drunk." E Tao was already dizzy, but even so, he had not forgotten the important matter.
"Marshal, I have secured the radio. Secretary Xu introduced me to a Japanese company. They have 15 25-watt radios and 5 50-watt radios. The total price is 60,000 yuan. The Japanese have already entered Tongguan with me. Do you want to meet them?"
Japanese? Dai Jiliang frowned. It was normal that they could only buy Japanese weapons because of the European war, but wasn't it a coincidence that the Japanese entered Shaanxi at this time? Dai Jiliang was a little hesitant.
"Forget it, let's find a time to meet up!"
However, Dai Jiliang considered it again and again and finally made a decision on the spot. The Japanese are coming, and if you don't go to see them, Li Genyuan might want to see them too.
Besides, it was too early to reveal his anti-Japanese nature, so Dai Jiliang finally gave in.
"Where is this Japanese businessman now?"
"It's in Lintong, you see?"
E Tao didn't know what was going on in Dai Jiliang's mind, so he was quite enthusiastic .
"Shall we meet tonight?"
"You arrange it!"
Dai Jiliang nodded, and a new idea formed in his mind.
"General, I am deeply honored to be received in person by you."
Since Dai Jiliang did not want to meet the Japanese in the headquarters, he temporarily booked a teahouse. Of course, everyone in the teahouse was driven out by the guards, and the people who added tea and water were Dai Jiliang's guards.
"Mr. Hirono, your Chinese is very good!"
This scene is quite strange, the Japanese are speaking Chinese.
The Chinese are speaking Japanese.
"From your accent, you should be from Kyoto, right? What a great place! Heian-kyō is famous for its scenery."
His Japanese accent with a strong Tokyo accent immediately made the Japanese man opposite him stand in awe.
"And Arashiyama, the scenery is picturesque."
"General Dai has studied in Japan? Oh, I am so sorry. I didn't know that the general was studying in the Army Academy. Hirono is showing off his knowledge in front of an expert."
The Japanese bowed deeply again. Although the Japanese generally looked down on the Chinese at that time, the sign of Lu Shi was not something that any Japanese could despise.
"Mr. Hirono, you're welcome."
Dai Jiliang thought to himself that you would not know. If you really did not know, that would be weird. In this era, nine out of ten Japanese businessmen served the military, especially arms brokers like Hirono, who might even be directly led by the head of the Tianjin Garrison’s secret service. It might be okay for modern people who are unaware of this, but there is no need to embarrass myself by deceiving a time traveler like me.
"I am Secretary Xu's junior, and I also have deep feelings for Japan, cherry blossoms, hot springs, and beautiful geishas."
But since the other party was pretending, Dai Jiliang would do the same, so he pretended to be fascinated but cursed in his heart.
"By the way, the current governor of Shaanxi is also a classmate of Lu Shi. I think he would be happy to know about the current situation in Japan."
But these are just passing words.
"Mr. Hirono, when will your radio be delivered?"
"General, when can you pay for the goods? Our company's rule is to pay first and then receive the goods."
As soon as they talked about business, the gentleness between the two people disappeared in an instant. One insisted on payment upon delivery, while the other insisted on payment first and then delivery. For a moment, the atmosphere became a little awkward.
"Okay, don't argue. It's just 60,000 yuan. It's normal that Guangye doesn't believe me. It's the first time we trade. But Mr. Guangye doesn't even believe Secretary Xu?"
Dai Jiliang had the upper hand. If he couldn't buy it anywhere else, he would not have bought such expensive and inferior goods from the Japanese.
"How about this? I'll pay half of the deposit first, and I'll pay the rest when the goods arrive. What do you think?"
"For Secretary Xu's sake, yes!"
Hirono finally softened his attitude.
"General, my radio is very advanced. I doubt whether you have the ability to operate it. Do you want me to arrange for a few professionals to come to your department to teach you how to operate it? But in this case, the cost of the training will be calculated separately."
Professionals are just Japanese soldiers. It is wishful thinking for them to extend their influence to the Shaanxi Army.
"No, I have a radio expert who graduated from the University of Massachusetts. I don't think we need to bother your company's technicians."
Dai Jiliang gave Song Cheng'an a fictitious American degree, which completely dampened the Japanese's arrogance.
"I didn't expect that there are so many hidden talents here, General. I'm so sorry!"
Hirono Isoro was stunned and felt very disappointed .
"By the way, Mr. Hirono, I wonder if you have the Imperial Army's latest 105mm field guns?"
Dai Jiliang deliberately made indirect inquiries.
"I'd buy some of it if the price was right."
"Your Mightiness!"
Guangye stood up suddenly, but under Dai Jiliang's indifferent gaze, he sat down again involuntarily.
"If you are really interested, I can ask the foreign bank in China, but I'm afraid the price will be expensive."
"The price is very expensive, but I think it should still be within my affordability."
Dai Jiliang then threw out a bait.
"Shaanxi has a long history of oil. In 1907, the Yanchang Oilfield hired Japanese technicians and workers. I think this cooperation can be further strengthened!"
"General, do you mean to allow our company to invest in and extend the production of the oil mine?"
The Japanese's eyes suddenly lit up. Although the annual oil output of the Yanchang Mine was only four or five hundred tons, it was a small boost for Japan, which was short of oil on its home soil.
Of course, the Japanese always believe that the low oil output of Yanchang Mine is caused by the Chinese people's lack of hard work and insufficient funds. If Japanese capital is allowed to enter the Yanchang Mine, the situation will definitely improve.
"Well, I am only in charge of military affairs. Governor Li is still in charge of Shaanxi provincial affairs."
Dai Jiliang tried to evade responsibility by talking about other issues, as if the proposal was not proposed by him.
"Mr. Guangye still needs to go find Governor Li."
"Yoshi, I understand!"
Guangye certainly understood what Dai Jiliang meant. Even if the Chinese wanted to be whores, they had to put up a virtuous archway outside.
"I will go to the city to visit Governor Li tomorrow , and I hope the general can help me. If possible, the Empire's new field artillery is not impossible."
"No, no, no, you misunderstood."
Dai Jiliang explained, but in fact, even if he didn't explain, the Japanese would find out by going to the city and asking around.
"Although Governor Li and I are classmates at Lu Shi, we do not share the same political views. Do you understand this?"
Although Dai Jiliang's words were ambiguous, Guangye soon realized that this was not an isolated phenomenon in China. Just like the relationship between the president and the prime minister, the relationship between the chief and the vice-chairman would never be good.
"Therefore, what I approve of, Governor Li will certainly oppose."
Dai Jiliang saw the other party nodding frequently, so he continued speaking.
"So, I still hope that Mr. Hirono will not use my name and come directly to my house. As long as Governor Li agrees, I will never object. We each get what we need!"
"understand!"
Hirono Isoro nodded, but he despised Dai Jiliang in his heart. This Chinese warlord only knew how to grasp the power in his hands and seize the land, and didn't care about industry and national resources at all. Of course, once he entered Xi'an, he would find out where he was wrong.
"I will definitely deal with Governor Li in the name of Inosuke & Co."
"That's good, that's good!"
Dai Jiliang picked up the tea bowl with a smile.
"I'll take my leave!"
It seems that the Japanese still know the principle of serving tea to see guests off. Guangye, who had something on his mind, stood up consciously when he saw Dai Jiliang's actions.
"Please rest assured, the radio will be delivered to Xi'an within a month. I hope we can continue to cooperate in the future."
"You are most welcome!"
Dai Jiliang also stood up and made a gesture of invitation with a smile on his face, and then the host and the guests left happily.
Not to mention how Hirono, a Japanese, was going to deal with Li Genyuan, who had no power. A few days later, Dai Jiliang finally received a textile machine worth 100,000 yuan and an American representative sent by Gu Changqing from Shanghai.
“Mr. Driskill.”
Dai Jiliang then welcomed the Slavic American in very standard Russian.
"Welcome, welcome to Shaanxi!"
"Thank you, General!"
Although Driski was surprised to hear the local accent, he still answered in English.
"I didn't expect the general to speak Russian. It's a surprise. But please communicate with me in English. I don't have a good impression of Tsarist Russia."
"Socialists? Jews? Stockades?"
Dai Jiliang was quite surprised and asked casually, but as soon as he said that, an awkward smile appeared on his face.
"I'm sorry, this is your privacy, I shouldn't ask too much."
"It doesn't matter. I can tell you that my father is a Russian Jew and my mother is Lithuanian."
Such a combination is really strange. You know, the Jews are a very closed community, and it is unlikely that someone would marry a pagan.
"Are you surprised?"
Driskill shrugged.
"But I don't think this has anything to do with our business, what do you think, General?"
"indeed!"
Dai Jiliang nodded.
"I admire your professionalism, so shall we get started?"
