Chương 308: Chapter 308: No Guns, No Cannons, the Enemy Made Us
Huo Qingdong did not linger in Hong Kong. After unloading the cargo, he quickly replenished supplies and returned to Iwo Jima, where the second boat was expected to be fully loaded.
Upon arriving at Iwo Jima, he noticed a small American warship docked in the harbor. Its guns were trained on the shore, where the migrant workers were gathered in their camp.
Seeing the American flag on the ship, Huo Qingdong realized it was an American vessel. After the Americans occupied Japan, they established military bases in several locations, including these islands. They must have seen the supply carriers and come to investigate.
As soon as Huo Qingdong disembarked, a steward from the triad approached him nervously. "Qingdong, the Americans are here and have warned us to halt our operations. Look at those warships with their guns aimed at us."
Huo Qingdong reassured him, "It's alright. I'll negotiate with them. Is the second ship fully loaded?"
"It's ready and just waiting for you," the steward replied.
Huo Qingdong approached the American warship in a small ferry. The American soldiers on board noticed the approaching vessel and issued a warning. Huo Qingdong communicated his intentions, and after some negotiation, the captain agreed to let him board.
The captain, looking down at Huo Qingdong, said condescendingly, "Are you in charge? Do you know that the materials on these islands belong to the U.S. military? You're violating U.S. laws."
Huo Qingdong remained calm and replied politely in English, "Mr. Captain, we have the necessary legal procedures for consolidating supplies."
"Legal procedures? Who authorized these procedures?" the captain asked, frowning.
Huo Qingdong presented a certification letter from Victor, issued by the U.S. Logistics Department. The captain reviewed it and saw that it was an official document.
"Hadi Company, are you associated with Hardy Company?" the captain inquired, recognizing the name.
"Yes, these are the formalities for our two ships," Huo Qingdong said, presenting additional documents under the name of Hardy Shipping.
After verifying the documents, the captain nodded, "Well, it's good to see someone dealing with this scrap metal. I will hand it over to you from now on."
"Mr. Captain, are you responsible for this patrol?" Huo Qingdong asked.
"Yes, we are based in Okinawa," the captain replied.
"In the future, our company will be collecting post-war supplies from all nearby islands. Please assist us when that time comes," Huo Qingdong said, discreetly handing over a roll of U.S. dollars, about 1,000 dollars.
The captain's smile broadened. "No problem. Since you're a U.S. company with instructions from the Logistics Department, you can proceed with confidence."
Satisfied with the arrangement, the captain added, "By the way, there are many discarded items on the islands around Okinawa. We're always frustrated to see them. I hope you can clean them up soon."
"Don't worry, it won't take long," Huo Qingdong assured him.
Returning to the station, Huo Qingdong addressed the migrant workers, "Don't worry, it was just a misunderstanding. We are a U.S. company, and everything we do is in accordance with regulations."
Relieved by his words, the workers cheered. Huo Qingdong then announced that the second boat was also full and that he would return to Hong Kong directly. He asked if anyone wanted to leave with him.
"Can we come back?" someone asked loudly.
"Not necessarily. If you want to come back, you'll need to be hired directly. We can't wait for everyone indefinitely. There are many people looking for work," Huo Qingdong explained.
"Then we're staying," someone declared.
"Here, we have food and housing, and you can earn money. Where else can you find such good conditions?" another worker shouted.
Huo Qingdong added, "I've brought vegetables this time, so everyone will have a good meal before continuing work."
Hearing about the vegetables, the workers were thrilled. They hadn't had green vegetables in days, only seaweed.
Although most workers decided to stay, a few still wanted to leave. Out of over a thousand workers, only a dozen were ill. The second ship promptly returned to Hong Kong, where the goods were quickly unloaded and paid for. Huo Qingdong received 1.7 million Hong Kong dollars in cash.
With large-scale construction underway in Hong Kong, especially for Hardy Group's industrial zone and museum projects, there was a high demand for steel. Hong Kong's steel plants were struggling to meet the demand, and Huo Qingdong's supplies were eagerly accepted.
He planned to sell part of the materials domestically and the rest to Hong Kong steel plants for cash. Another 500 workers were recruited and sent directly to an island near Okinawa, where they would gather materials and wait for the next shipment.
Back at Iwo Jima, operations were running smoothly, with the sale of scrap materials on track. Huo Qingdong calculated that if he could sell three boats per month, each generating around 200,000 dollars, the monthly net profit would be 520,000 dollars after accounting for expenses.
His hard work was paying off. Mr. Hardy had previously called him, expressing satisfaction with his performance and offering him 5% of the management stock of the trading company. This meant an additional 20,000 U.S. dollars a month—something he had never dreamed of before. His success was a far cry from his past, where he could only earn a few hundred thousand dollars a year from factory work.
Just then, someone hurried towards him, urgently reporting, "Qingdong, something big has happened."
"What's wrong?" Huo Qingdong asked, alarmed.
"They found a warehouse on the island that was sealed. They broke open the door and discovered a large cache of U.S. military supplies, including ammunition and shells. What should we do?"
Huo Qingdong was surprised. "Let's go and see."
He led his team to the warehouse, which was underground and concealed. It was filled with weapons and ammunition—38 rifles, machine guns, and various shells. An experienced worker identified the shells as Japanese mortars, howitzer cannonballs, and American artillery shells.
An old artilleryman among the workers explained, "This warehouse likely contains supplies collected by the U.S. military after the war. They sealed it off and planned to return for it, but never did."
Huo Qingdong remembered Mr. Hardy's advice about the U.S. military's tendency to waste resources. "Move everything to the ship and bring it back carefully. Don't damage the boxes."
The old artilleryman, pleased with his new responsibility and additional pay, oversaw the careful loading of the weapons and shells onto the ship.
Once full, the ship was sent directly to Lianyungang, avoiding Tianjin. There, the familiar logistics officer greeted Huo Qingdong.
"Any good finds this time?" the officer asked, half-joking.
"This shipment includes thousands of guns and artillery shells, including mortars and howitzers," Huo Qingdong reported.
The logistics officer was thrilled. "Let's get these unloaded immediately. We're in short supply of mortar and howitzer shells, and these will be invaluable."
As the goods were counted, it became clear that the weapons and shells would significantly benefit the army. After all, the army had a diverse arsenal but lacked sufficient artillery shells.
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