70: Chapter 70 If not, let's just write an IOU!

At the entrance of Yang Village, everyone was talking and laughing.

Seeing their old leader again, the Brigade Commander and the others were very happy.

After laughing, the Deputy Director's expression turned serious, and he asked with concern, "Where is Mr. Shen? Where is he now? Take me to see him immediately."

The Brigade Commander quickly replied, "Mr. Shen did drink a bit too much yesterday. He probably hasn't gotten up yet. I'll send someone to invite him right away..."

"No! Absolutely not!" The Deputy Director immediately waved his hand to stop him, his attitude very firm.

"Let Mr. Shen rest well! I can wait; there's no rush for a moment or two. Everything should prioritize Mr. Shen's rest."

Afterward, accompanied by the Brigade Commander and others, the Deputy Director walked toward the regiment headquarters, while once again confirming the news that he and the headquarters found unbelievable:

"By the way, you said in the telegram yesterday... those ten Japanese bombers, were they really... all shot down? How on earth was it done? Tell me in detail!"

Thus, the Brigade Commander once again described in vivid detail how Shen Wang had explained the "Proximity Fuze" yesterday, and the shocking scene of how those twelve 85mm guns had blown ten enemy planes out of the sky in a single volley.

The Deputy Director listened in stunned silence; even with his vast experience and steady temperament, it felt like he was listening to a fairy tale.

He remained speechless for a long time, finally looking at the distant mountains and sighing from the bottom of his heart, "Unbelievable... truly unbelievable! A Proximity Fuze... unheard of!"

"Mr. Shen's actions are truly peerless! Peerless indeed!"

Li Yunlong and the others nodded in deep agreement!

...

On the other side, Shen Wang slept exceptionally well, only waking up slowly when the sun was high in the sky.

His head still ached a bit.

Shen Wang got up, shook his head, and washed his face with cold water before fully waking up.

Thinking about the Brigade Commander's mention yesterday that headquarters would send someone to negotiate, he strolled toward the Independent Regiment headquarters.

Shen Wang was very curious about which big shot the headquarters would send.

However, just as he lifted the door curtain of the regiment headquarters, Shen Wang was dumbfounded!

That middle-aged man with an extraordinary temperament...

He, he, he...

My goodness!

The one sent by headquarters... was actually him?

Shen Wang's heart pounded wildly, and he even felt his legs go a bit weak.

At this moment, seeing Shen Wang enter, the Brigade Commander quickly stood up and greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Shen, are you well-rested? Come, come, let me introduce you."

"This is the Deputy Director of our Eighth Route Army's Political Department, who has come specifically from headquarters to meet with you."

The Deputy Director also stood up immediately, with a warm smile on his face, and stepped forward to offer his hands, "Mr. Shen, I have heard so much about you! I am..."

As he spoke, the Deputy Director noticed that Shen Wang's face didn't look quite right, and he seemed a bit unsteady on his feet, so he asked with concern:

"Mr. Shen, you don't look well. Did you not rest enough yesterday? Or are you feeling unwell?"

Then, as if thinking of something, his expression darkened, and he turned to scold Li Yunlong, Kong Jie, and the others, "Was it you rascals! Did you force Mr. Shen to drink yesterday? You have no sense of propriety at all!"

"Mr. Shen is a distinguished guest of our Eighth Route Army. If anything happens to his health because of drinking, I'll see how you explain yourselves to the Deputy Commander!"

Li Yunlong, Kong Jie, and the others were broken into a cold sweat by the Old Political Commissar's reprimand!

They only then realized the severity of the situation; if they really made him sick from drinking, the Deputy Commander would definitely not let them off!

Several of them hurried forward, apologizing to Shen Wang with guilty expressions:

"Mr. Shen, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It was my fault for being so reckless!"

"Mr. Shen, please don't let anything be wrong. It's all our fault!"

"If you're not feeling well, let's get the medic to check on you right away!"

Seeing this, Shen Wang waved his hands repeatedly to explain, "No, no, no! Deputy Director, Colonel Li, everyone, it's a misunderstanding! I'm fine, I rested very well!"

"Drinking with Colonel Li and the others was very enjoyable. I'm perfectly fine! I was just... just a bit... well, it's nothing!"

He couldn't exactly say he was just startled, could he?

Hearing him say this, the Deputy Director's expression softened, and Li Yunlong and the others also breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone sat down again, and after a few pleasantries, the Deputy Director got straight to the point.

"Mr. Shen, your timely assistance in bringing equipment and factories is like a new lease on life for our army!"

"I won't waste time with formalities. Regarding the price of these materials, do you have any thoughts? Please, feel free to speak your mind!"

Shen Wang immediately sat up straight, like an elementary school student.

"I... I... I don't have any particular thoughts. Anything is fine; I'll follow your lead!"

Hearing this, the Deputy Director's impression of Shen Wang instantly rose to another level.

"Good! Mr. Shen, you're straightforward. Then I'll be blunt and present our preliminary proposal. If there's anything inappropriate, please bear with us."

"Please, go ahead!" Shen Wang immediately assumed an attentive listening posture.

The Deputy Director pondered for a moment and said, "For those over two thousand machine guns, the hundreds of light machine guns, and the complete equipment for four infantry battalions and two artillery battalions... we value them at one hundred thousand silver dollars. What do you... think?"

How should one put this price? It was certainly not enough!

Just those two thousand Type 56 assault rifles were worth more than one hundred thousand silver dollars!

But this was already one of the greatest gestures of sincerity the headquarters could offer under extreme hardship, and it also referenced Shen Wang's previous "friendship price" of "one hundred thousand silver dollars for fourteen tanks."

After the Deputy Director finished speaking, he looked at Shen Wang nervously, prepared for bargaining or questioning.

However, Shen Wang nodded without the slightest hesitation, "Fine! No problem! We'll do exactly as you say, Deputy Director!"

"Huh?"

The Deputy Director was stunned; the stomach full of explanations and arguments he had prepared were all stuck in his throat.

He hadn't expected Shen Wang to agree so readily!

For a moment, an unspeakable wave of emotion and shame welled up in his heart.

This Mr. Shen was truly too understanding of their difficulties!

His impression of Shen Wang instantly improved by more than just a notch.

Taking a deep breath, the Deputy Director continued, "Mr. Shen is truly straightforward! Then... regarding the payment method, do you think... we could settle it using the border region currency we issued?"

"We really don't have that many silver dollars on hand right now. Of course, if you don't agree, we..."

"Agreed! I agree!"

Before the Deputy Director could finish, Shen Wang had already jumped in with his answer.

This time, the Deputy Director was completely dumbfounded.

This was just too easy!

You see, one hundred thousand silver dollars was one thing, but one hundred thousand border region currency was quite another!

To be honest, the Deputy Director really hadn't expected Shen Wang to agree to such a condition!

In fact, Shen Wang was also wondering to himself at this moment.

border region currency? What is border region currency?

Forget it, whatever!

Since this man had spoken, never mind border region currency, he would even accept an IOU...