Li Yunlong was unsatisfied. "You claim to be an overseas Chinese returnee with connections who wants to send affordable supplies to the country. What kind of good stuff do you have?"
"I have plenty of good stuff. It mostly depends on how much money you have."
"What? You want money? We Eighth Route Army soldiers don’t have any money."
"If you don't have money, what kind of business deal are you trying to strike?"
"When overseas Chinese donate so many planes and cannons to Principal Chang, they don’t ask for money, do they?"
"That’s a donation. I am just a businessman; I can’t afford to donate. I don’t seek a profit, but I must at least break even so I can deliver more supplies."
"Then why do you talk about delivering supplies?"
"I said delivery, not free distribution."
"Call it whatever you want. The fact is, we Eighth Route Army soldiers are so poor we're pissing blood. We have no money!" Li Yunlong began to play the rogue.
"No, you have money—a lot of it. A mountain of gold and silver." Wang Diren was not about to indulge him.
"That’s a curious thing to say. I’ve never heard of it."
"Put it this way: every Japanese soldier is a golden pig's head. The bodies of the devils scattered all over these mountains are your mountain of gold."
"What do you mean by that?" Li Yunlong was piqued.
"The Japanese have a habit of getting gold teeth. They’re pure gold—contraband that they can’t send home, so they disguise them as dental work and carry them around. These are solid gold. A single gold tooth is worth a small gold bar. It's a trend among the devils; almost every one of them has one, some even two or three. On average, you can count one per soldier. Tell me, isn’t every devil a golden pig's head? And they’re proof of their crimes in China, too."
"Well, I’ll be. I used to think they were fake, so I never paid them any mind. I’ve been wasting a gold mine." Li Yunlong was so excited he gnashed his teeth. He immediately called out impatiently to Zhang Dabiao: "Zhang Dabiao! Take the men and sweep the battlefield thoroughly. Check the devils' teeth while you’re at it. Pull out every single gold tooth you find—this lot of devils, every one of them belongs to me! Be sharp about it from now on."
"How am I supposed to pull them out? I’ve never done that before," Zhang Dabiao said, scratching his head.
"Use this." Wang Diren silently pulled out a Swiss Army knife.
"I buy these gold teeth in bulk. On average, one tooth is worth a small gold bar. You do the math—whenever you’re short on funds, just kill a devil to pay the tab. Will you ever be short on money again?"
"The devils are like living banks," Li Yunlong chuckled.
"Don't get too happy," Wang Diren added. "Do you think those gold teeth were brought from Japan? Every single one of them came from the rings and bracelets of Chinese people. They are the blood, tears, and corpses of our own."
Li Yunlong fell silent. Wang Diren didn't want to continue the topic; it was too heavy and grim. The so-called economic miracle of Japan today was built precisely on the vast amounts of gold and silver taken from the Chinese people, which were openly brought back to Japan after the surrender. To call the kindness of the Chinese people "aiding the enemy" was no exaggeration.
"Let's talk about the mountain of silver. Shanxi has many 'dead seas.' They say there’s no grass or fish in these waters, and people float if they fall in, so the locals call them 'dead seas that never die.' They’re just pools of highly concentrated brine. You dig a pit on the side, let it evaporate in the sun, and you get pure white salt. Isn’t that a mountain of silver?"
"We have a legend about the dead sea right here in our base area, but I never knew the history behind it."
"We’re rich! We’re rich!" Li Yunlong jumped up. "Doesn't that mean I can buy tons and tons of stuff?"
"Steady on. Don't get carried away. I'm just scouting the path this time; I’m not prepared with much inventory. Think it through, then discuss it with me. Basically, as long as it’s food or clothing, there’s nothing you can think of that I can’t provide."
He was joking, of course. According to the plot, Li Yunlong would soon be relieved of his command for insubordination. If he bought a massive amount of supplies and the New 1st Regiment got it all, his stubborn nature would inevitably lead to a falling out with Ding Wei, which would be bad for their old friendship. Keeping the quantities smaller would help the old comrades stay on good terms.
"This little knife is quite handy. Do you have any more? Everyone who’s used it says it’s great," Zhang Dabiao asked eagerly as he rushed in.
The Swiss Army knife was a small, inconspicuous item; Li Yunlong shouldn't mind. Doing the mental math—one gold tooth was about 30 to 40 grams, enough to smelt into a small gold bar worth roughly 10,000 yuan, while the knife only cost a few dozen yuan—Wang Diren decided to take the initiative.
"One gold tooth can be traded for a hundred knives. How many do you want?" Wang Diren looked at Li Yunlong.
"The New 1st Regiment is a backbone regiment, less than two thousand men. One for each would only take 20 gold teeth. Deal! But tell the brothers: we are the 'Wolf Teeth.' When we see dog teeth, I want them chewed to pieces and swallowed—bones and all. From now on, I want every man to pry at least eight or ten out for me. I won't complain if there are more." Li Yunlong waved his hand grandly.
*Fine, that’s very Li Yunlong,* Wang Diren thought. He wanted to turn a one-percent gold tooth investment into ten teeth per person—that was a thousand-fold profit! It was a pity that all his calculations would ultimately benefit Ding Wei. Wang Diren didn't point it out, not realizing that his unintentional gesture today would create the formidable "Wolf Teeth" unit of the future.
The Swiss Army knives were in the supermarket warehouse. He dropped them off in a mountain cave, settled the account with Zhang Dabiao, and watched him hand them out happily. Returning to Li Yunlong, Wang Diren felt it necessary to offer a reminder: "There was quite a commotion today. You might just be a 'passing god of wealth'—a classic case of winning big and enjoying the moment. At least half your loot will likely shrink. It would be wiser to secure your gold and silver mountains. As the saying goes, pursue the remnants of the routed foe. Aside from you, no one else could turn a breakout battle into a pursuit and annihilation."
Li Yunlong’s expression soured.
"Then could you lend me your 'hen' to lay a few eggs for me?"
"What do you mean?" Wang Diren was bewildered.
"I mean, can I rent your, uh, 'chicken'? Throw a few grenades from above onto those piles of devils. I’ll give you one gold tooth a day."
True to his nature, Li Yunlong had a genius for unconventional warfare.
"You don't know how to operate it. If you want to rent me along with it, the price goes up. By the way, do you have anyone here who used to herd sheep? I need someone to help me out."
"That’s a coincidence. Wang Gensheng used to be a shepherd. He’s deadly accurate at throwing stones to round up sheep." Li Yunlong pushed his man immediately; if someone else could learn it, he’d save money.
Wang Diren was secretly pleased. A gold tooth a day—forget renting for a day, that would be enough to buy the Drone outright! Most importantly, Wang Gensheng was a prodigy; his throwing accuracy was legendary. This was a sure win.
"Good. Zhang Dabiao, notify Wang Gensheng to report here."
Soon: "Reporting! Wang Gensheng here to report."
"Take orders from this brother here."
"Yes, sir!"
Wang Diren taught Wang Gensheng how to operate the drone. The controls were intuitive and user-friendly, much like playing a game. Wang Gensheng picked it up quickly, precisely dropping grenades into the clusters of Japanese soldiers from a distance. The devils were torn to shreds, and bodies littered the field.
"We’re rich! We’re rich! That’s five more pig heads!" Li Yunlong danced with excitement, directing Wang Gensheng and wishing he could grab the controller himself. Not satisfied, he even started using cluster grenades.
"Forward! Move forward! Now left! Dammit, throw it!" Wang Gensheng felt helpless.
The Japanese weren't stupid; soon, there were few clusters of troops left. The devils could no longer organize a proper resistance, and the bombing efficiency dropped significantly.
"Call Zhuzi! Bring more shells! If you can do it, you do it—you command him!" The drone was better suited for observing the battlefield and guiding the artillery.
"Quick, go get Wang Chengzhu!" Li Yunlong snatched the controller from Wang Gensheng.
Soon, Wang Chengzhu came running, carrying a mortar with an ammunition bearer behind him. The Japanese were collapsing fast; it seemed the loot would be bountiful.
"Quick, fire a shell where the devils are thickest, then follow my lead!" Li Yunlong had been watching for a while and felt he had mastered it. He was like a child with a new toy—and indeed, he was just playing.