"North Borneo Company..."
The bright Mediterranean sunshine shone into the room through the window.
Berlin should be cold at this time, and there should be shrill air defense alarms.
Sitting on the sofa, holding a glass of red wine in his hand, Berlin just sat there, staring out the window, and finally, he let out an almost imperceptible sigh in the shadow of the room.
"This may also be a good choice."
A man stood up from the sofa unhurriedly, took a sip of wine, stood by the window again, and stared out the window.
On the road in the distance, the speeding jeeps and American soldiers reminded him that this place had been occupied by the Americans. They are constantly attacking northward.
The Americans have established a foothold on the European continent!
"Four years ago, when we occupied Paris, I thought we won the war, but now it's only been a few years..."
As agents of the Military Intelligence Agency, they have witnessed Germany's victory and also seen Germany's defeat.
With the surrender of the North African Corps, especially after the Allied landing in Italy, the superiors in Berlin began to prepare for the future silently.
They were responsible for carrying out this task. According to the plan, they should go to Spain and use the company established by the Intelligence Bureau there to establish a secret passage to South America, such as Argentina.
But this secret passage requires a ship!
It was at this time that the Italian merchant ships bought by George caught their attention.
George is Chinese, and China is a member of the Allies. It seems safer to travel to America on Allied ships.
Will George agree?
He is a businessman first!
For businessmen, as long as they have enough money, they are even willing to sell their souls!
Just as the initial guess, George did not reject his suggestion. After all, no one can refuse that security guarantee. With this guarantee, they can safely sail on the Atlantic.
However, George's suggestion made Berlin see another possibility.
"Like he said, Argentina is not necessarily the best choice?"
Once again, George's words flashed in Berlin's mind, and he said, looking at the background of his head.
"The whole world knows that Peron is absolutely friendly to us. Even if the United States forces Argentina to declare war on Germany in the future, it cannot change this fact. A friendly country can certainly provide us with shelter. The only problem is... the whole world knows it!"
Gently shaking the wine glass, Berlin put away the smile on his face and said.
"The Allies will also know where we are hiding. If they ask to enter Argentina for investigation, do you think Peron and others can withstand the pressure from the United States?"
"So, he gave us another choice!"
The person standing by the window, staring out the window, looking at the jeep passing by the window, he seemed to think of the future Germany. After the defeat of Germany, will there be Allied vehicles running rampant?
Now they can't think so much. They can only take care of themselves and their families at the moment.
"North Borneo Company!"
"That's a colony. Well, he has bought the company. The colony of more than 70,000 square kilometers belongs to his company. After the war, there are all kinds of people there. We can get what we need from each other. He provides us with shelter, and we help him build his country. Oh, it should be the company..."
"Asia..."
The man by the window nodded slightly and said.
"Who would have thought that we would go to Asia? The whole world thought we were in South America..."
Putting the empty wine glass on the table by the window, he nodded.
"It seems that I need to return to Berlin!"
Then he said to Berlin.
"You continue to communicate with him. Who knows? Maybe this is really a good choice."
Most of the time, the first contact is tentative.
If you want to deepen cooperation, you have to wait a little longer. At least trust needs to be established.
The next afternoon, Berlin appeared in front of George again. Unlike the big cake he painted last time, this time, he came with a contract.
"Iron ore?"
"Yes, 50,000 tons of iron ore are shipped from Spain to Marseille. Spain is a neutral country, and it is in accordance with international law for France to transport materials."
The France that Berlin mentioned must be the Vichy France.
"You can regard this as the beginning of our cooperation, and I believe that you will get rich rewards during our cooperation."
As the voice fell, Berlin put the briefcase at his feet on the table. The heavy weight made people wonder what was inside.
"This is a deposit."
Berlin took out two yellow bricks from the bag.
It's a gold brick!
It also has the eagle emblem of Sandezi and the weight!
10kg!
Two gold bricks, that's 20 kilograms!
Looking directly at George, he said.
It's really generous!
After sighing, George took a look at the gold and said lightly.
"You should know that the freight is very expensive now!"
If you miss this opportunity, you will be sorry for your ancestors.
"I like you."
Berlin shrugged and said.
"Because you are a profiteer!"
Sometimes the reason for liking someone is so simple.
With his hands folded in front of his chest, George just smiled and looked at the other person without saying a word.
And Berlin said straightforwardly.
"Name a price."
...
After signing the iron ore transportation contract with Berlin, he immediately drove to the port of Taranto in southeastern Italy. This is the largest port in southern Italy. During the North African War, the transport ships of Germany and Italy set out from here to Africa.
It is for this reason that hundreds of thousands of tons of Italian merchant ships gather here. Now these useless merchant ships are just moored in the harbor, and there are unemployed sailors everywhere near the port.
Standing at the harbor, looking at the cargo ship named "Tunisia" in front of him, George looked quite proud. He even took out a cigar and nodded his head like Fatty Qiu.
Now all these ships are named George.
"Mr. George, now these ships are all yours!"
Alberto, the deputy manager of the Italian shipping company, said with a regretful tone.
"When we built these ships, it cost 30 million US dollars, and now... they are only worth 2 million US dollars. Sir, you have made the most cost-effective investment."
Listening to Alberto's words, whether he complained or sighed, George didn't care, but smiled and said.
"Mr. Alberto, when the war is over, no one will buy these old ships."
Really?
At least when the "Marshall Plan" was launched in the United States, thousands of Liberty Ships had been piled up in American ports. These old ships... are really not easy to sell!
Difficult to sell does not mean that it cannot be sold. These ships may not look large in tonnage, but in fact, there are not many ports in Asia suitable for berthing 10,000-ton free ships. Cargo ships of several thousand tons are more suitable for North Borneo.
"Who knows?"
Alberto shook his head helplessly, looking at the merchant ships in the harbor, he reminded them specifically.
"Mr. George, although you bought this fleet at a low price, you must understand that there is no reduction in the daily berthing fee. If you cannot find business for it as soon as possible, this fee is a considerable expense..."
"Indeed, so..."
George glanced at the confused sailors at the harbor.
"Mr. Alberto, are you willing to command this fleet?"
"What?"
"Sorry, I didn't make it clear. I mean, are you willing to be in charge of my shipping company?"
Looking at Alberto, George knew this guy. He is definitely an expert in running shipping companies and organizing transportation. Under the attack of the Allied sea and air superiority, he can still guarantee the supply of materials to North Africa to the greatest extent.
It would be a waste if such talents were not used.
"Of course, sir."
Alberto chose to accept it almost without thinking. After all, he needed a job, or should I say, a job that can get a salary.
"Well, okay, Mr. Alberto, now we must get our fleet moving as soon as possible. Do you have any suggestions?"
"First of all, we need to hire crew members. This is not a problem. After all, there are captains, crew members and sailors in the port, and they also need work."
In fact, this is also the reason why George came to Italy. There are not only ready-made merchant ships, but also ready-made crew members.
"Yes."
"But, sir, you know, the Italian lira is depreciating a lot now, so the crew would rather be paid in US dollars or in kind."
In kind, of course.
Other things are not much, but we have a lot of in kind, George said.
"If we take sugar as the standard, how many kilograms of sugar does each crew member need? I mean the monthly salary."
"Sugar!"
Alberto's face immediately showed joy, and he said happily.
"10 kilograms, no, no, 8 kilograms, 8 kilograms is enough for ordinary crew members..."
Instantly, George was stunned... This, this is really cheap!