NOVPUB
Chapter 340: Chapter 278 Trade Resumes (Please Subscribe!)_1
The day after the ’integration’ in Myanmar was completed, the efficient command room completed all the territory’s construction planning.
Why would the command room design roads and bridges?
Ha, that’s a basic skill, isn’t it?
Designing trenches, camp planning, and constructing secret buildings are all basic skills for the command room, as is road surveying and construction. Don’t forget, we have engineer troops. The overall planning was done by Little Two in the command room, the moment the fighters finished surveying the local terrain. The design plan was not drawn up haphazardly. It considered all the various military uses.
High-standard roads and bridges, concealed constructions, barracks, bomb shelters, etc. We have them all. Tang Qing silently watched the design plan for a while. In the end, he didn’t say anything because he really couldn’t find any reason to chop away any part of it. Every design had a lengthy design explanation and usage introduction. It was not done randomly. As a layperson, it would be embarrassing for him to give his opinion.
The estimated construction cost of nearly 200 million US dollars pained Tang Qing greatly. Fortunately, he didn’t have to foot the bill. The funds from ’robbing the rich to feed the poor’ and the ’leftover’ valuables were sufficient to complete the plan. That was the direct reason why he didn’t raise any objections.
There were no construction materials here. Everything had to be procured. It would be great if we had two teleportation nodes. Then we could teleport a large amount of materials over. I’m really looking forward to the next upgrade.
However, this area borders Thailand. So, we have plenty of ways to obtain materials. After all, these aren’t contraband. They’re just construction materials, power generation, and communication equipment. By greasing the right palms and paying some toll fees to allow them to make some profit, they will deliver these items here. Moreover, they’re not shipping outwards but inwards. Even if the law doesn’t allow it, there aren’t many restrictions in the rules.
April 17th.
Sunday.
In the office of Tang Kai in Bangkok, the company’s vice-president was reporting to him.
"Boss Tang, due to our collaboration with Tian Qian Group, the establishment of our domestic company, and our supply to Mr. Wei Jun, our inventory is declining rapidly. Precious metals like gold are okay, as there are plenty of suppliers both domestically and internationally. However, our stock of high-end jade and gemstones is only enough for two months. After two months, our inventory will be unable to sustain our current supply." Vice President Hu Yi said worriedly.
"Old Hu, let me think of a solution. It’s not easy to find a new, stable supplier of a large number of jade and gemstones. We have spread ourselves too thin. It’s useless even if we cleared the public market, the prices of those things are so high that we can’t afford it," Tang Kai said with a bitter smile.
Hu Yi sighed and said, "I know. I really miss the days when we cooperated with Mr. Wei Jun. Jade, gemstones, gold, etc. were very cheap, and the source of goods was stable. It’s a pity about what happened to Mr. Wei and his family."
Tang Kai nodded and said with emotion, "Yeah, business was so good back then. Old Hu, you go ahead first, and I’ll think of a solution. I have now established contact with a leader in Myanmar, but their quotations are too high, and there is basically no profit. If we really can’t do anything, we can only end our wholesale business."
"Okay, then. I’ll go ahead," Hu Yi said.
After Hu Yi left,
Tang Kai fell into contemplation in his office. If he were an ordinary jeweller, it would be easy to handle his resources. But Tang Kai had spread himself too thin. Not only did he make jewelry himself, but he was also the third-largest jade and gemstone wholesaler in Thailand. He had many jewelry stores and companies under him. Plus, he had established a cooperative relationship with Liu Qian’s company and was preparing to enter the domestic market. Even though he had made contact with a few new suppliers, the price, or the supply volume, was unable to fill this hole.
During Wei Jun’s era, he acted as a middleman. Many forces around him sold their goods to Wei Jun. After Wei Jun made a profit, most of the goods were given to Tang Kai, which maintained the company’s vast business. Now the business was a bit big. He was considering a transformation. If the loss outweighs the gain, he will have to cut off the wholesale business and focus on what a jewelry group should be doing.
"Ding, ding, ding..."
At this moment, the phone by Tang Kai’s side rang.
Tang Kai picked up the phone and said, "What is it?"
"Boss, there is an unknown caller who says he can provide a large number of jade and gemstones, and specifically mentioned it’s related to someone named Wei Jun. He wants to talk to you." His secretary’s voice came over the phone.
Wei Jun?
What does he mean? Wasn’t Wei Jun’s territory taken away? I heard that place is not stable, and that Naidan died with an unclear cause of death. There are many rumors. His men are fighting for power and profits. But it hasn’t settled down yet, and he doesn’t dare to discuss business here for the time being.
"Okay, transfer him in," Tang Kai said.
"Yes."
Two seconds later, a steady voice came from the phone.
"Mr. Tang, hello."
"Who are you? What’s your relationship with Wei Jun?" Tang Kai asked.
"Mr. Tang, I came to you to discuss a business deal. I want to resume the previous transaction." The voice on the phone said.
"The previous transaction? What do you mean?" Tang Kai asked, puzzled.
"The transaction between Wei Jun and you previously," the voice said.
"What? You are?" Tang Kai stood up in surprise and asked. He only knew that Naidan was dead, but the rest he didn’t know. He assumed some ’village head’ had approached him. 𝚗𝚘v𝚙𝚞b.𝚌𝚘m
"That’s right, we have completely taken over Wei Jun and Naidan’s territories, and are now looking to make some money. I’ve heard that your previous collaboration with Wei Jun was quite pleasant, so we figured we’d continue to trade with you. Would that be of interest to you, Boss Tang?" the man on the other side said.
"What?" Tang Kai was shocked once again.
He was frightened by this news.
The other side had already consolidated everything?
So quickly?
Just a few days?
That’s not scientific!
"Mr. Tang, are you interested?" the voice interrupted Tang Kai’s thoughts.
At this point, Tang Kai immediately realized his opportunity had come. If he were to secure the majority supply share from the two territories, he would become the largest jade dealer in Thailand within three years.
Tang Kai quickly said, "I’m here, sorry, I was just caught off guard. Of course, I’m interested. What’s the price?"
"Boss Tang, we can stick with the previous price Wei Jun offered. How does that sound?" the man on the other side said directly.
After hearing this, Tang Kai sighed with relief. The same price wouldn’t be an issue; even if it were a bit more, he could still handle it. So, he immediately said, "I agree to this price, but how much supply do you have?"
"If we follow the previous trading price established between you and Wei Jun, we can offer you a package price for gold, gemstones, raw gemstones, and jade. Two hundred million US dollars. Since we’re in urgent need of funds, the price wouldn’t be this low otherwise." The voice on the phone said. The value of this batch strictly calculated should be nearly ten million dollars more. But since it is a package price, and also he’s Tang Qing’s second uncle, he rounded it off to a whole number.
Regardless of the profit, everything they "picked up" is a big win.
"What? That much?" Tang Kai was surprised. Two hundred million dollars worth of goods, and that’s a discounted package price. That’s much higher than his net worth!
Obviously, Tang Kai guessed right. Not only were those guys selling, but they also played around with a lot of valuable stockpile.
"Boss Tang, Naidan and others left a lot of good things behind to appreciate in value. Plus, the inventory from this period and what’s newly mined, these things are not that many." The other side said.
"Friend, I have to be honest with you. Such volume is more than I could handle on my own. Right now, I can only take goods worth fifty million US dollars at the most. How about I find someone to co-purchase with me?" Tang Kai spoke honestly. His annual trade volume with Wei Jun didn’t exceed one hundred million US dollars, and this was divided over several months, so the financial pressure wasn’t great. But this is a sudden need for a large amount of cash, which he simply doesn’t have. Even with a bank loan, he could only muster up to fifty million US dollars.
However, buying half might not qualify him for the package discount so he suggested finding a partner. It would be a guaranteed profitable deal if they went by the former trading price.
"That’s fine, Boss Tang. We can wait for you for three days. Within these three days, we won’t sell to anyone else. However, after three days, besides the original fifty million dollar goods, we can’t promise not to find others." The other party said.
"Okay, thank you. I’ll give you an answer within three days. How does that sound?" Tang Kai thanked him. This was undoubtedly a huge gift.
"Okay, waiting for your call, you can just phone this number."
"Alright, goodbye."
After hanging up, Tang Kai was far from composed. Happiness had come too suddenly. Just now, he had been worrying a lot. He had been preparing for the worst-case scenario, but now, the problem was solved in less than a minute, and it was even better than he had imagined.
Two hundred million US dollars worth of goods, even after discounting the yet unknown mix of goods, would be enough to keep him busy for half a year.
He really wanted to buy everything, but he simply didn’t have enough money. As for borrowing from friends? Well, this is 150 million dollars, worth more than 1.2 billion RMB, and it’s in 2005. To borrow it within three days, he genuinely doesn’t think he has this level of influence. So, he could only find a financially strong friend to make this money with.
But what Tang Kai didn’t know was...
If he had proposed paying in installments just now, they would have absolutely agreed, since Tang Qing was also listening to this phone conversation in the command room. However, Tang Kai didn’t know that.
As for the partner, Tang Kai suddenly thought of Liu Qian. He didn’t know how much money Liu Qian had, but he was sure it was more than he had. After borrowing some money, he wouldn’t have to worry about supply for the next six months.
Why not ask a local Thai jeweler? That’s to avoid competition.
Yes, that’s what he’ll do.
PS: Something urgent came up tonight, so this is the only Chapter for now. Sorry everyone, if there’s time when I get back, there might be another Chapter.
Please vote!
