bullyxtreme Chapter 1053 Old Duan
Chapter 1053 Old Duan
A dozen minutes later, there was a knock on the door: "Knock knock knock".
Zhang Yunhe got up, walked over and opened the door. Liu Huilan was standing in the doorway.
After Zhang Yunhe closed the door, Liu Huilan turned to him and said, "Yunhe, I have reported the situation you described to my superiors. My superiors would like to meet with you to discuss the specific handover details of this shipment. Is that alright?"
Zhang Yunhe pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, have him come over!"
"Okay, I'll go and ask Old Duan to come over right away!"
A short while later, Liu Huilan brought a middle-aged man into the room wearing an old long robe, cotton-padded coat, thick cotton shoes, and a sheepskin felt hat.
"Yunhe, this is my superior, Lao Duan! Lao Duan, this is my husband, Zhang Yunhe!" Liu Huilan introduced.
Zhang Yunhe shook hands with the other party: "Mr. Duan, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
Old Duan smiled sincerely and kept shaking Zhang Yunhe's hand, saying, "I've always heard Xiao Liu talk about her husband. After meeting him today, I can see that Mr. Zhang is indeed an outstanding person. No wonder Xiao Liu has been so fond of you!"
“Mr. Duan, you flatter me. Please have a seat!” Zhang Yunhe said, gesturing for him to sit. Then he said to Liu Huilan, “Huilan, go and make some hot coffee. I have some ground instant coffee powder and sugar in my suitcase. Add some sugar to Mr. Duan’s coffee!”
"Okay, you two chat!" Liu Huilan said, then walked over and opened Zhang Yunhe's suitcase, taking out instant coffee and sugar.
Zhang Yunhe invited Lao Duan to sit down in the chair by the window, then sat on the bed himself and asked, "Mr. Duan, did your trip to Xi'an go smoothly?"
"It's snowed in the north these past few days. The roads were difficult to travel for the first three days, and we had a bit of a hard time. But the next few days have been better. Plus, our trip is confidential, so our whereabouts haven't been leaked, and it's been going relatively smoothly!" Old Duan gave a brief overview of the situation.
He then added, “Our superiors were very pleased to hear that Mr. Zhang wanted to donate two divisions of British equipment and ammunition to us, and asked me to express our heartfelt gratitude to you on behalf of the organization. At present, we are in the most difficult period of the stalemate in the War of Resistance Against Japan, and such a large batch of weapons and ammunition will play an immeasurable role in our fight against the enemy!”
Zhang Yunhe said, "I know a little about the situation here. There is a severe shortage of food, daily necessities, and weapons and ammunition. I don't know what to do about food and daily necessities, but as for weapons and ammunition, since I've always been in the arms business, Huilan knows this best, so I can help in that area!"
Old Duan asked, "Mr. Zhang, do you know the exact quantity of this batch of weapons, equipment, and ammunition?"
"The British weapons and ammunition for the two divisions were allocated according to the number of personnel in a British infantry division. This batch of weapons could equip personnel; apart from all civilian staff, every person, including artillerymen, could be equipped with a pistol!"
After Zhang Yunhe finished speaking, he took the briefcase, took out two lists from it, and handed them over, saying, "Except for uniforms, caps, boots, and socks, all the personal equipment of the British infantry is provided, including a blanket, an aluminum mess kit, a canteen, a bullet pouch, as well as raincoats, entrenching tools, binoculars, artillery scopes, and so on!"
"The ammunition for this batch of weapons and equipment is enough for you to use for a long time, enough to support five major campaigns. Given your current scale of operations, I estimate it will last for two years!"
Upon seeing the list, Lao Duan could no longer contain his shock and excitement. He grasped Zhang Yunhe's hand and said, "Mr. Zhang, I won't say thank you. We will remember this kindness. If there's anything we can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask. As long as it's within our power, we will not refuse!"
Zhang Yunhe shook his head: "I never expected anything in return when I decided to donate this batch of weapons and equipment to you!"
At this moment, Liu Huilan had already brewed the coffee and brought over two enamel teacups, placing them in front of Zhang Yunhe and Lao Duan.
"Old Duan, come on, have a taste!" Zhang Yunhe called out.
"Okay!" Old Duan agreed, folded the list carefully and put it into his shirt pocket. Then he picked up the cup, brought it to his nose, closed his eyes and smelled it. After taking a sip, he savored the taste.
"Mmm, good coffee, it's sweet with sugar! The last time I had coffee was 15 years ago when I was studying in France. Time flies, 15 years have passed in the blink of an eye!"
Zhang Yunhe immediately said to Liu Huilan, "Huilan, since Mr. Duan likes it, bring over that can of coffee and sugar so he can take it back with him when he goes home!"
"No, no, Mr. Zhang, I can't accept your things. Besides, we have rules..." Old Duan quickly declined.
Zhang Yunhe laughed and said, "I know you have rules against taking even a needle or thread from the masses, but I am not a member of the masses. This is a small gift between friends, not worth much! If I were giving you this gift because I wanted to ask you for a favor, I wouldn't say anything if you didn't accept it, since I would be asking for something in return. But I'm not asking for anything right now, so there's no exchange of benefits, and it doesn't violate your principles!"
Old Duan pondered for a moment, then looked at Zhang Yunhe and said, "Alright, I'll accept Mr. Zhang's kind offer!"
“That’s more like it! Come on, have some coffee!” Zhang Yunhe said with a smile.
Liu Huilan also came over with a cup and sat down next to Zhang Yunhe, slowly savoring it.
Old Duan took a couple of sips of coffee but didn't forget the important matter. He continued, "Mr. Zhang, the quantity of this shipment you've donated is too large. Xi'an is such a small city. If we transport it into the city, it will put too much pressure on us if we have to transport it out again. Moreover, such a large shipment is very easy to leak. If the Blue Shirts Society and the local forces find out, the consequences will be unimaginable. Do you think it's possible to unload the goods in a more remote place outside the city?"
After considering it for a moment, Zhang Yunhe said, "Okay, I'll try to contact the transport personnel tomorrow, and I'll notify you to pick up the goods when they arrive!"
Old Duan turned to look at Liu Huilan, his face beaming with joy, then shook hands with Zhang Yunhe and said, "Thank you so much! Doing it this way will greatly improve the safety of the goods and save us a lot of trouble!"
The next morning, Zhang Yunhe left the hotel to find a place to store a large amount of goods.
The British weapons, equipment, and ammunition for two divisions were, to be honest, a really huge quantity, requiring a large space that ordinary warehouses and yards couldn't hold.
Zhang Yunhe decided to hand over only the light weapons and equipment of one division and two basic loads of ammunition first. After all, the quantity was too large, and Lao Duan and Liu Huilan could not transport it all. The longer it was delayed, the more likely problems would arise.
As for the weapons, equipment, and remaining ammunition of the other division, as well as heavy weapons, he planned to airdrop them directly to their base, which would be both safe and convenient.