Wang Zhenyu just smiled and didn't say a word, knowing that Ye Zuowen was being sincere. However, Wang Zhenyu wasn't an idiot - with a contract worth 10 million, Ye Zuowen only got 3 million, which was a huge sum of money. Could Mr. Ye, who had no power or influence, swallow this? Wang Zhenyu also knew that this was the nature of businessmen, asking for exorbitant prices and waiting for others to compromise. Since he already knew Ye Zuowen's situation, Wang Zhenyu was confident in his own position. The arms deal was an unexpected windfall, and even if it fell through, Wang Zhenyu wouldn't be too disappointed. On the other hand, Ye Zuowen was different - at this point, the Ye family had reached a dead end. Even if he didn't give Ye Zuowen any share, he estimated that the old man would still agree to his terms. With this 1 million, Ye Zuowen's 500,000 advance payment might have some hope of being returned. At this stage, businessmen like Ye Zuowen probably didn't think about making a fortune; just preserving their original capital was good enough.

  Wang Zhenyu's mind had already shifted to Ye Zuwen, putting aside this business deal. He actually needed businessmen like Ye Zuwen to help him make money. The Republic of China was about to be established, followed by decades of turmoil. To achieve success, he needed a foundation of military power and territory, which ultimately boiled down to money. Wang Zhenyu firmly believed that any income couldn't compare to the wealth generated by commerce. If he wanted to make money, he had to rely on trade. Did he want to be like those warlords who collected agricultural taxes from 1919 to 1980, forcing farmers to rebel?

  Even the most sacred and great ideals need a lot of money to support them, this is the precious conclusion that Wang Zhenyu came up with on the first night he arrived in this era, lying on his bed in the barracks.

  As for this deal itself, Wang Zhenyu also needs a very reliable person to operate it, because a cooperation that is formed solely for the sake of profit can also be dissolved at any time for the same reason.

  So whether it's focusing on the current business or looking to future development, Wang Zhenyu feels that what he needs is a god of wealth who can help him make money.

  "Mr. Ye, I'll take 10% of this deal," Wang Zhenyu said with a very light tone, leaning back against the chair.

  Ye Zuwen's heart suddenly felt stifled, and his previous good impression instantly faded. This kid's appetite is really too big, too overbearing. But he tried to control his emotions, now he has made one thing clear: whether he can make a profit from this deal or not is no longer important; as long as he can get the 1 million silver dollars from the arms trade, he will be able to extricate himself from his current predicament, and the 500,000 he paid out of pocket will come back. It's just infuriating that it was all because of his own greed, thinking he could take advantage of the Governor's power to make a big profit, or else how would he have ended up in this situation today?

  Being able to understand the situation doesn't mean I'll accept it, Ye Zuwen sneered: "Brother Wang, a new generation of talented people will emerge with each passing era, and the old will be surpassed by the new. It seems that Ye has indeed fallen behind the times. Fine, I'll just follow your lead and run errands to earn some tea money."

  Wang Zhenyu smiled easily: "Hehe, Mr. Ye thought it was a misunderstanding, Wang didn't have such a greedy heart, just wanted to change the way of cooperation, you are a senior, don't misunderstand this junior's intention."

  Ye Zuwen gave Wang Zhenyu a strange look, misunderstanding?

  "Haha, that's right. This deal, I, Wang Zhenyu, will take over Rui Cun's position, so it all counts as my business. However, Mr. Ye can't work for nothing. Whether it's the arms trade or the contract for the three sets of equipment, the income generated... please note that it's income, not profit. Mr. Ye can take a 20% commission on everything. As for the cigarette-making equipment, that also belongs to Mr. Ye."

  Ye Zuwen's eyes widened, with a 20% commission on income, this is much better than his own profit of 30-70 split, and not taking a cut from the arms deal. This Wang Zhenyu is really generous! What is he after?

  It seemed that Wang Zhenyu saw the doubt in Ye Zuwen's eyes, so he stood up and walked to Ye Zuwen's side: "You are my senior, I'm sure you're very suspicious of what I've done. As a soldier, I'll be honest with you - whether this deal succeeds or not is secondary. I have only one request for you, Mr. Ye, and I hope you can agree."

  Ye Zuwen now felt as if he was facing the devil's temptation, seeing a way to escape with his life, but at the cost of signing a contract for his soul. He couldn't help but shiver and hesitated before saying: "Brother Wang, just say it."

  Wang Zhenyu liked the feeling of being in control: "Hehe, this request is for Mr. Ye. Mr. Ye is a capable person and a practical senior, what Wang lacks is a friend like Mr. Ye, so after the matter is settled, Wang hopes that Mr. Ye can help Wang manage the company. As for the treatment, one-tenth of the profit will be yours, as for the capital, it's just my share in this deal. How about it, Mr. Ye? If you agree, we'll be like family from now on."

  "Mr. Wang, aren't you afraid I'll take the money and run?" Ye Zuweng became somewhat excited, he really didn't dare to believe that Wang Zhenyu's proposal was real, where in the world would there be such a good thing, this is actually a disguised way of getting a large share, and not even wanting operating rights.

  Wang Zhenyu then grasped Ye Zuwen's right hand: "Although I only met you today, Mr. Wang still trusts your character, and I hope you won't despise me for being a rough man."

  Ye Zuwen stood up excitedly, looked into Wang Zhenyu's eyes, grasped Wang Zhenyu's hands tightly with both hands, and was so moved that he couldn't say a word. After traveling all over the country for decades, he had met countless people, but it was the first time he had seen someone as generous as Wang Zhenyu, which broadened his horizons.

  Ye Zuwen's mind suddenly flashed a strange thought that this child would one day stand above the masses.

  Now that the overall direction has been settled, the details are easy to discuss. After all, Ye Zuowen has become a god of wealth who shares his own interests from an intermediary, so he will raise any problems that may arise during the transaction.

  For his first deal in this world, Wang Zhenyu didn't have the habit of letting others do it for him, he himself went through every detail with Ye Zuwen one by one. As for Ma Xicheng and Zhao Dongsheng, they just sat on the side without expressing any opinions, after a long time, Ma Xicheng was fine, but Zhao Dongsheng couldn't help yawning constantly. In his opinion, writing back and forth on paper with a broken pen was really a bit boring.

  "Mr. Ye, the transaction of arms can only be carried out secretly in my defense zone. Once you receive the payment, I will arrange for someone to load the ship. This way, we can avoid many risks. As for the ship, I think it's best to hire a British steamship as you suggested. Neither the militia nor the Beiyang government will inspect the ship."

  "Mr. Wang, I, Ye, can't go too far either. Since the cigarette-making equipment is not for sale, let's just set up a cigarette factory in this concession area. The business will naturally be yours to count, and I'll take care of it for you."

  "Mr. Ye, these are minor matters, you just need to make a decision. The key is the other two sets of equipment, I suggest you try again and sell them to Han-Ye Ping Coal and Iron Mine Co., Ltd. according to the original contract, so we don't have to transport them to Wuhan, and can trade directly in Shanghai. Currently, the domestic situation is very chaotic, apart from them, I really can't think of anyone else who can pay you such a large sum of money. However, one hundred million seems a bit too much, you should also make some concessions, at least sixty million will be settled. As for the payment, let's put it in the HSBC bank, and once our company in Hankou is established, we'll do import and export business. The rest will follow what we previously discussed, how about that, Mr. Ye?"

  Wang Zhenyu and Ye Zuwen quickly finalized the details of their cooperation, leaving Masicheng and others around them stunned. Can such a big deal be settled with just a few words?

  But all of this is still just a verbal agreement, whether it can be achieved depends on the sincerity of both parties.

  That night, Wang Zhenyu and his two companions stayed at Ye's house as invited guests.

  Wang Zhenyu thus dug up his first pot of gold in this era.

  The next day, Wang Zhenyu had breakfast at Ye Gongguan. Ye Ziyun, as the object of rescue, was not pleased with Wang Zhenyu who had teased her before, but still came out to accompany him under his father's order along with her brothers.

  It's not bad, since finding out that Wang Zhenyu is the revolutionary hero Wang Zhenyu from the newspaper, and last night Father not only didn't scold her but also praised her as his little lucky star. Miss Ye's impression of Wang Zhenyu seems to have improved a bit, feeling not as disgusted as before. However, the impression left at the Western restaurant yesterday was really terrible, knowing that Miss Ye had never suffered such a great loss from childhood to adulthood. Therefore, Miss Ye's temper has not been restrained much, and she deliberately ignored Wang Zhenyu during dinner. But her eyes would occasionally sneak a glance in Wang Zhenyu's direction, as if wanting to find something on him.

  Wang Zhenyu didn't have the heart to care about the thoughts of a somewhat spoiled and immature young girl in his eyes. He was overwhelmed by Ye Zuwen's politeness and enthusiasm. After deciding to leave Ma Xi Cheng in charge of assisting with the arms transaction and responsible for bringing Mr. Ye into his own defense zone, he bid farewell to Zhao Dongsheng and left the concession area back to Hanyang.

  On December 10, Ye Zuwen reached an agreement with the purchasing representative of the Zongshang Party and received half of the advance payment agreed upon by both parties, a total of 500,000 yuan. At this point, if Ye Zuwen had chosen to run away, just this huge sum would have been enough to support his family's livelihood. But he didn't have that idea at all, instead, he sent Zhong Shu to the Taigu Shipping Company to book a small cargo ship, and then personally took Ma Xicheng on board. Under Ma Xicheng's guidance, they sailed north along the Han River.

  Along the way, when passing by Nan'an Kou, looking at the defensive positions built along the river on both sides of the strait, even Ye Zuweng, who had seen and known a lot, couldn't help but tremble slightly. Indeed, this life is full of dangers in pursuit of wealth and honor!

  Wang Zhenyu received Ye Zuwen in his own camp, and when he saw Wang Zhenyu wearing a brand new military uniform with a pipe on his chest, Ye Zuwen's eyes suddenly lit up, and he couldn't help but exclaim: "Brother Wang is indeed young and promising, a talented and handsome man!"

  Coming to this era as a superior, Wang Zhenyu's greatest change is that he has become accustomed to others' flattery. No way around it, this era is all about being carried on a sedan chair by the crowd; either you're of low status and carry others', or you're of high status and have others carry yours.

  "Mr. Ye's excessive praise is unnecessary, let's hurry up and get down to business first, lest we have too many dreams tonight."

  This matter still needs to be done by Yang Wanguo, Wang Zhenyu now relatively trusts Yang Wanguo more. This old fellow is a veteran of the old guard, although he hasn't read any books, he's quite cunning, and the tasks assigned to him are generally carried out in an orderly manner, without any mistakes. Last time it was this guy who cleverly avoided several inspections and safely transported the guns back to Qinduankou, which made Wang Zhenyu very satisfied.

  What's more important is that people like Yang Wanguo have a common characteristic, although their personality isn't foolishly loyal, as long as you are stronger than them, they will follow you obediently. Therefore, Wang Zhenyu doesn't worry about any problems with Yang Wanguo at all now, and the task of loading the ship is naturally handed over to the Left Squad again.

  Yang Wanguo is now also happy to help Wang Zhenyu with some things. In his opinion, the more important tasks that superiors entrust you with, the more it shows that they trust you deeply. At this time, it's best not to have any personal thoughts or distractions, just focus on completing the task well, and your future prospects will naturally be bright.

  Yang Wanguo immediately returned to his team and gathered his subordinates to assign tasks after receiving the order and being reminded by Wang Zhenyu to keep it confidential.