Spy Wars: I am the Captain of the Military Police

Chapter 1126 Indeed a rare business talent

"How did you handle it?" Reiko asked, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

She knew that the sale of pig bristles involved the international market and was very difficult, so it was truly remarkable that Shen Xilin was able to handle it well.

"This is also my first time doing business with pig bristles, and we only got fifty tons of pig bristles from the South Manchuria Railway Company this time, so it's just a trial run," Shen Xilin explained. "I contacted several foreign trade companies in Tianjin, the most important of which was 'Hengchang Foreign Trade Company'."

This trading company has long-term partnerships with many businesses in Europe and America.

I offered them a price of three thousand US dollars per ton to export to Europe and the United States.

This price is slightly higher than the international market price, but they are happy to accept it because our pig bristles are of high quality.

"The volume of exported pig bristles will only increase in the future. Will there be any problems with transportation?" Lingzi asked with some concern.

Currently, the control of Tianjin's export of goods is handled by the Military Police Command, so there is no issue of whether or not goods can be exported; the problem lies in transportation.

"Don't worry about that, Miss Sakura." Shen Xilin smiled confidently. "Hengchang Foreign Trade Company has its own fleet of transport ships and can be escorted by the British and American navies, so it's very safe at sea."

The first batch of fifty tons of pig bristles is currently at sea and being shipped to the United States; payment has already been received.

Even if something goes wrong, it's not our responsibility.

"What about the profits?" Reiko was most concerned about the profit.

"The profit margin for pig bristles is very high." Shen Xilin's tone carried a hint of barely perceptible pride: "The cost of intercepting pig bristles from Manchuria is about one thousand US dollars per ton, and the price we sell them to foreign trade companies is three thousand US dollars per ton. After deducting channel fees, bribes, and transportation costs, the net profit is about one hundred and twenty percent."

The profits are already outrageous; now it all depends on whether you can get more pig bristles from the Manchuria Railway Company.”

Lingzi nodded, her smile widening: "Mr. Shen is indeed a shrewd businessman, managing to sell pig bristles so well. There's no problem with the supply. In the future, not only in Manchuria, but as the empire conquers more places, the resources will only become more abundant."

Shen Xilin's eyes flashed, and he smiled without saying anything.

"Next is iron ore. Iron ore is the largest and most valuable category of the goods intercepted this time." Shen Xilin picked up another document: "The iron ore intercepted from Manchuria this time is mainly hematite, which is of very high grade and contains more than 60% iron. The total amount is about 10,000 tons."

Iron ore is an important industrial raw material, mainly used in steel production, and is urgently needed by all countries. However, I've only contacted the Germans so far, and the reason is... they offered the highest price.

"German?" Reiko nodded after a moment's thought.

“I have leased a dedicated railway line from the South Manchuria Railway Company,” Shen Xilin said. “The South Manchuria Railway Company’s dedicated railway line connects Manchuria and Tianjin directly, so the transportation speed is fast, and the checkpoints along the way are all handled by the South Manchuria Railway Company, so there will be no problems.”

Although the transportation costs are higher, it ensures that the iron ore arrives on time, making it a worthwhile investment.

Currently, all 6,000 tons of iron ore have been transported to the port of Tianjin. The Germans have already paid 80% of the amount, and the remaining 20% ​​will be settled by the end of the month.

The remaining four thousand tons of iron ore are also being expedited for shipment.

"How are the profits?" Reiko asked.

“Although the profit from iron ore is not as high as that from pig bristles, the total profit is still considerable because of the large quantity,” Shen Xilin said. “The cost of intercepting iron ore from Manchuria is about twenty US dollars per ton, and we sell it to the Germans for fifty US dollars per ton, with a profit of about 65 percent.”

After deducting transportation costs, railway line rental fees, and bribing expenses, the net profit is approximately 50%.

After listening to Shen Xilin's report, Lingzi nodded in satisfaction. Just as she was about to speak, Shen Xilin leaned forward and lowered his voice slightly, with a hint of seriousness: "Miss Yingzi, actually, compared to pig bristles and iron ore, the profit of morphine is truly astronomical."

Shen Xilin picked up a separate encrypted file and pushed it in front of Lingzi: "Look, our factory's current monthly morphine production is stable at 500 kilograms, and that's a conservative estimate. Once the equipment is properly adjusted, we can increase it to 800 kilograms."

In terms of cost, the main raw material is poppy extract, purchased from plantations in Manchuria. Including factory labor, equipment depreciation, and purification consumables, the total cost per kilogram of morphine is no more than eighty US dollars.

Lingzi smiled and nodded. The morphine factory was personally entrusted to her by Zhou Zhengqing, and she attached great importance to it, so she was already aware of what Shen Xilin was talking about.

“I resell them all over the world through secret channels in Southeast Asia. The supply price, excluding channel commission, is 1,200 US dollars per kilogram.”

But the price sold to the North China Area Army was three thousand yen per kilogram!

At this point, Shen Xilin's eyes lit up completely, and he tapped his fingers lightly on the table, calculating the profit: "This is... a fifteen-fold gross profit!"

After a pause, Shen Xilin added, "Based on the current monthly output of 500 kilograms, the net profit from morphine alone is $560,000 per month."

Over the course of a year, that amounted to $6.72 million.

Moreover, this is just the basic output. Once the output reaches 800 kilograms, the monthly net profit can reach 880,000 US dollars, and the annual profit can exceed 10 million US dollars.

In comparison, the net profit from 50 tons of pig bristles is approximately $120,000, and the net profit from 10,000 tons of iron ore is approximately $300,000, both of which are less than the monthly profit from morphine.

Lingzi's eyes sparkled with laughter as she listened. She picked up the encrypted document and examined it carefully. The production volume, cost, selling price, and distribution information were all clearly recorded.

After a moment, he looked up and said, "Mr. Shen, you did very well."

The sales of these intercepted goods far exceeded my expectations.

I never imagined you could not only manage the morphine factory's production so well, but also handle the sales of such a complex product so efficiently. You truly are a rare business talent.

Shen Xilin bowed slightly and said humbly, "Miss Yingzi, you flatter me. I just did what I was supposed to do."

The smooth sales of these goods are inseparable from your support and the care of the Military Police Headquarters.

"Without your coordination behind the scenes, I wouldn't have been able to complete my sales target so smoothly."

Lingzi smiled, said nothing, picked up the documents on the table, and continued to look through them.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

As we left the morphine factory, a cold wind carrying fine snowflakes rushed towards us, making a soft, rustling sound as it hit the car windows.

The black sedan that Reiko was riding in drove smoothly on the snow-covered streets. The tires rolled over the thick snow, leaving two clear and neat tracks, which were quickly covered by the light snowfall.

Outside the car window, Tianjin was completely shrouded in a vast expanse of white snow. The roofs of the low-lying Chinese houses were covered with thick snow, like a layer of fluffy cotton wool, while the Western-style buildings in the Japanese concession stood out even more against the backdrop of the white snow, appearing even more abrupt and solemn.

At the street corner, Japanese military police, dressed in heavy uniforms, their boots crunching in the snow, patrolled in a line, rifles in hand, butts on their shoulders, their eyes scanning passersby with the vigilance of hawks.

Occasionally, pedestrians would pass by, all with their necks hunched and heads down, hurrying along, not daring to make eye contact with the military police. The air was thick with a repressive and tense atmosphere. This was Tianjin after its fall, where the oppressive and cold atmosphere of colonial rule permeated everything.

Especially when dealing with military police who are greedy and ruthlessly fine anyone they catch...