The next day, Ning Zhiheng made some arrangements and then entered the concession again, quietly returning to the Tan Mansion, and immediately notified several key members to come and meet him.

In the study, Ning Zhiheng sat in his chair with his eyes slightly closed, listening to the work report from Nian Zhe, the head of the transportation team.

"Currently, our fleet has expanded to four branches, and the number of trucks has reached more than 300, greatly increasing our transportation capacity..."

Nian Zhe was meticulous and reported in detail on the problems that occurred during the transportation process. Finally, he said, "Also, the amount of pig bristles and tung oil we brought back this time is twice that of before, and there is also a lot of tungsten ore. Team Leader Liu said that we can also get involved in these materials in the future, and the profits will be very considerable."

Hearing this, Ning Zhiheng suddenly opened his eyes and asked in a deep voice, "These are all government-controlled and centrally distributed materials. How could you let us get involved? Especially tungsten ore, which is a military strategic material that the Nationalist government has specifically prohibited. Didn't I warn Liu Ruichang? It's one thing to secretly get some, but to openly reach out is just asking for trouble. Is he afraid of not making enough enemies?"

Liu Ruichang is the head of the materials group and the main person in charge of receiving smuggled goods and selling them in bulk, arranged by Huang Xianzheng. The materials group is growing larger and larger, and Liu Ruichang is doing an excellent job. He not only sells the goods cleanly and efficiently, but also has a wider and wider network of channels for receiving goods.

Previously, every time the transport convoy unloaded the smuggled goods, they would load some local specialties on the return trip. It wasn't really for making money, but mainly for the so-called caravan name, to cover up their true intentions.

Later, Liu Ruichang realized that this was a waste of resources, so he collected a lot of special materials from the Kuomintang-controlled areas each time, such as agricultural products, raw silk, cotton, and silk fabrics, and had the caravan take them back to Shanghai. Through Shanghai, they were transported to overseas countries for sale, and the profits were quite considerable.

Later, Liu Ruichang obtained some military strategic materials through connections, such as pig bristles, tung oil, and tungsten ore. These materials were all strictly prohibited strategic materials. When transported to the international market, they could generate profits of ten or even twenty times the initial investment. Tungsten ore, in particular, was the most sought-after commodity, yielding enormous profits.

Liu Ruichang naturally saw the opportunity and tried his best to collect these strategic materials in the Kuomintang-controlled areas. However, these strategic materials were all centrally managed and distributed by the government, and the interest chain involved was difficult for outsiders to interfere with!

Therefore, Ning Zhiheng had instructed Liu Ruichang that such taboo matters should not be handled too drastically, as it would be unseemly and would inevitably make too many enemies, affecting the normal transportation of supplies. After all, the original purpose of establishing the supply line was to support the War of Resistance against Japan. To ruin the overall situation because of some money would be to lose more than one gains.

Although Ning Zhiheng has a strong background and powerful connections, he is not lacking in caution and prudence. On the contrary, he considers things more than others. He may earn less money, but there are some people he absolutely cannot afford to offend, and he must not be too ostentatious.

Hearing the displeasure in Ning Zhiheng's words, Nian Zhe quickly explained, "You gave the instructions beforehand, so how could Team Leader Liu dare to disobey? However, this time it was Commander Zhang's idea, and the Director personally agreed, so we can also transport and sell the supplies from Guangdong and Guangxi. The supplies obtained should be prioritized for transport to Guangdong and Guangxi to support the Fourth War Zone."

Hearing that it was Huang Xianzheng's idea, Ning Zhiheng felt reassured. He knew that Huang Xianzheng was a cautious and meticulous person who would not get involved if there was any real risk.

Moreover, there's the influence of Commander Zhang involved. Not to mention the kindness he showed Ning Zhiheng during the Battle of Shanghai, from the perspective of national interests, the Guangdong and Guangxi regions have seen several major battles in the past six months, making them one of the main battlefields of the Sino-Japanese War. The famous Battle of Kunlun Pass was launched during this period, inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese army.

However, it is undeniable that the National Revolutionary Army made great sacrifices but failed to achieve its strategic objectives. Ultimately, it failed to recapture the strategic city of Nanning, which led to the severing of the Guangxi-Vietnam transportation line. As a result, supplies from Guangdong and Guangxi could not be transported outwards, resulting in enormous losses.

Over the years, the senior figures in the Baoding faction have all come to know that Huang Xianzheng has a hidden trade channel. That's why Commander Zhang, wanting to replenish supplies and restore combat strength as soon as possible, approached Huang Xianzheng.

Ning Zhiheng was naturally willing to lend a hand, and upon hearing this, he immediately nodded and said, "Okay, this matter is important, let's proceed as the Director intends!"

Next, Ning Zhiheng listened to reports from Zuo Rou and Huo Yueze. There weren't many cadres in the concession at the moment. Apart from Yi Huaan and Zuo Gang in the city, and Kang Xuezhi and Deng Zhihong in Nanjing, the only others qualified to report to Ning Zhiheng were Zuo Rou and Huo Yueze.

The telecommunications group and general affairs department under Zuo Rou's management are operating normally, so there's nothing to say. The most important thing now is to listen to Huo Yueze's report.

Huo Yueze reported on his recent work, with a focus on the matter of Phillips, and gave a detailed account of his discussions with Phillips.

After listening, Ning Zhiheng nodded slightly and said, "These two things have really come together. Well, let's resolve them together to save ourselves the trouble. As for Cha Yutang? What do you plan to do about him?"

Huo Yueze replied, "Phillips asked us to act as soon as possible. I have already sent Zuo Qiang to make arrangements. According to our investigation, Cha Yutang has made an appointment with a director of the Municipal Council for dinner tonight at the Bell Hotel. I plan to make an operation on his way home, arrest him, interrogate him thoroughly, and then eliminate all hidden dangers based on his confession to completely resolve this matter."

"Yes, very good!" Ning Zhiheng nodded in satisfaction. Huo Yueze had already arranged everything, and this operation was not difficult, so he didn't ask any more questions.

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