Chapter 160: Truly Valuable

Seeing how well-behaved Mu Qian had become, Hu Hao smiled and nodded. Less than two minutes later, Mu Zhifu called. Hu Hao deliberately had one of his staff officers answer first before taking the phone himself.

“Oh my, Commander Mu! I’m truly sorry, I really didn’t mean to. You see, we’re short on manpower here, so we accidentally conscripted your son. Look at this, I’m really sorry!” Hu Hao said with a laugh over the phone.

“That’s fine. Since it’s a misunderstanding, I trust you’ll just release my son, Mu Qian!” Mu Zhifu replied, still trying to maintain an air of superiority.

“Mm, yes, I’d like to release him too. But it’s difficult! I’ve already registered him on the roster. You know the Empire doesn’t allow discharges right now. Furthermore, if I let him go, the soldiers under my command won’t accept it.

“You military aristocratic families already enjoy so many privileges. Now, as the son of a General, it’s only right that he comes here to protect Late City. Besides, your family has so many assets in Late City; his being here is protecting your own family’s property, wouldn’t you say?” Hu Hao replied with a smile.

“Hu Hao, let’s not speak in circles. State your terms!” Hearing this, Mu Zhifu knew Hu Hao was undoubtedly seeking revenge. He was currently in his vehicle; his troops were still retreating.

In yesterday’s battle alone, his Central Combat Zone’s 300,000 troops had been reduced to less than 50,000. He was currently rushing to replenish his forces and set up new defensive lines. Moreover, the Mu family had already lost several of its younger generation. His youngest son was his favorite. If Hu Hao killed him, he felt he wouldn’t even want to live anymore.

“Oh my, Commander Mu, hearing you say that breaks my heart. Aren’t we all fighting for the country? And didn’t I conscript troops here to protect your family’s property? There’s no point in saying such things!

“But don’t worry, I’ll have someone protect him. I know he’s your son, so I’ll definitely have him well protected. Of course, you know how things are on the battlefield—no one knows what the next second holds. But I’ll do my best!” Hu Hao sat down, propped his feet up on his desk, and spoke with a laugh. The nearby staff officers heard this and chuckled as well.

“Hu Hao, this was my fault. State your terms,” Mu Zhifu said very calmly.

“Terms? No need! I really don’t need any. If I took a bribe from you, wouldn’t that make this a kidnapping? That won’t do. I, Hu Hao, am an officer of the Empire; how could I commit such a mistake?

“Our Commander just warned me about my private conscription. If I make another mistake, my Commander will shoot me. I wouldn’t dare bend the law for personal gain just for your son. It truly won’t do!” Hu Hao replied from his seat.

“I will give you the power plant. Additionally, my family owns a villa in Late City; I’ll give that to you too! I’ll immediately send someone to the front lines to handle the transfer contracts!” Mu Zhifu offered.

“I told you, I cannot commit a mistake. If I accept your bribe this time, and you go reporting me to the High Command again, where am I supposed to plead my case?” Hu Hao laughed.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about this!” Mu Zhifu raised his voice.

“Oh, I really can’t believe that! We were having such a nice chat on the phone before, but then I was almost dragged away by the High Command. Now, I truly wouldn’t dare. Please try to understand, Commander Mu!” Hearing the urgency in the other’s voice, Hu Hao immediately feigned fear.

“Don’t worry, I was wrong this time. I won’t mention this to anyone, really!” Mu Zhifu quickly suppressed his emotions and spoke in a gentler tone.

“Oh, is that so? It’s difficult. You know, I have to grease the wheels a bit too. Especially with the soldiers below me—if they find out your son just left like that, they’ll definitely be unhappy with me. I have to get them some money.

“You know how it is. We soldiers are poor; we can’t compare to you aristocratic military families, right?” Hu Hao feigned great difficulty.

“10 million in cash!” Mu Zhifu offered.

“Well… is your son really worth that little?” Hu Hao replied, maintaining his tone of feigned difficulty.

“20 million! That power plant is worth billions and brings in hundreds of millions in profit every year!” Mu Zhifu shouted.

“Hehe, I heard your family has shares in the automobile factory!” Hu Hao probed.

“Hu Hao, don’t push it!” Mu Zhifu roared.

“Oh, oh, oh, never mind then! I’m scared, I don’t want it!” Hu Hao feigned fear.

“Wait! Hu Hao, I said I was wrong this time. I guarantee I won’t move against you in the future. Our Mu family will swallow this loss. But don’t go too far either. Even if you kill my youngest son, I don’t believe you’ll live a comfortable life. Even with Jiang Kai protecting you, I can still have you killed!” Mu Zhifu threatened.

“Hehe. I’m a barefoot man fighting on the front lines right now, and you’re saying this to me? Do you think I’m afraid of death?” Hu Hao laughed. Hearing this, Mu Zhifu was at a loss for how to persuade Hu Hao to release his son.

“Alright, I’ll stop messing with you. A villa, the power plant, the shares in the automobile factory, and 50 million in cash. Take it or leave it. If not, bye-bye!” Hu Hao dropped his frivolous tone and spoke calmly.

“Didn’t you say 20 million?!” Mu Zhifu quickly asked.

“What the fuck is 20 million going to do? I have tens of thousands of troops. How much would each man even get?” Hu Hao cursed.

“Fine. I will have someone deliver it to you immediately. Lawyers will also be coming. I expect them to bring Mu Qian back with them!” Mu Zhifu conceded.

“No problem!” Hu Hao nodded.

“Then it’s settled!” Mu Zhifu immediately hung up the phone.

“Well, kid, you really are valuable! Just think: if you had agreed to give me the electricity back then, how nice would that have been? Now look—the power plant belongs to me. And what the hell am I supposed to do with a power plant? Sigh, such a headache. Who’s going to manage it?” Hu Hao looked at Mu Qian lying on the floor and laughed.

Hearing this, Mu Qian was so furious he couldn’t speak. Deep down, he actually felt a twinge of regret. If he had known, he would have just let the power plant people agree to Hu Hao’s demands. Why did he have to go charging over there for no reason?!

“Alright, keep a close eye on him. Put him in the room next door. Don’t let him die; he’s worth a lot of money!” Hu Hao instructed the staff officers beside him.

“Hao-ge, why not just kill him? What’s the point of keeping him?” Xiao Quan asked with a smile.

“What do you know? His life is worth so much money! If he offends me again in the future, couldn’t I just squeeze more money out of his old man? Where else are you going to find an opportunity to get rich like this?” Hu Hao rolled his eyes at Xiao Quan.

Hearing this, Mu Qian almost fainted from anger. The only reason Hu Hao wasn’t killing him was so he could keep him captive and extort more money from his family!

Mu Qian was quickly carried into the next room by the staff officers!

“Well, the power plant is ours, the automobile shares are ours, and we have 50 million in cash. Right, find a few people who understand finance, give them a guard escort, and send them to the power plant right now! Once we sign the contracts here, have them take over the power plant immediately. There’s definitely cash in the plant, and that money is ours now!” Hu Hao told Xiao Quan.

Realizing the issue, Xiao Quan immediately started asking the staff officers if anyone understood finance, but they all shook their heads.

“Are you stupid? They’ve been in the military their whole lives learning how to fight; why are you asking them if they understand finance? If you want to ask, go ask the subordinate units! Especially the reservists we just conscripted—they’ve worked civilian jobs!” Hu Hao rolled his eyes at Xiao Quan.

“Oh, right! Hold on, I’ll call the regimental commanders and have them look for some! Fuck yeah, we’re rich!” Xiao Quan said, elated.

“About this money… I have an idea, let me know what you think. We’re fighting a war right now. Doesn’t the nation provide 100,000 as a pension for those killed in action? Between the 50 million and the cash we confiscated previously, let’s put together 100 million. We’ll divide it evenly among the brothers who sacrificed themselves and the severely wounded brothers who have to be discharged. What do you think?

“Money is useless to those of us still alive, but it’s different for them. They have families. Since the nation only gives that much, we should show our appreciation too. It might not be a lot, but it’s the thought that counts, isn’t it?” Hu Hao proposed to Xiao Quan.

“Hao-ge, absolutely. However you want to use it is fine by me. I have no objections!” Xiao Quan nodded in agreement.

“What about the rest of you? Do you have any objections? If you have better ideas, that’s fine too!” Hu Hao asked the room.

“Hao-ge, how could we possibly have objections to something like this? We’re overflowing with gratitude! Who among us knows when we might die in battle? The fact that you thinking about our fallen and severely wounded brothers… what better idea could we possibly have?” a senior staff officer replied.

“Deal. Then it’s settled!” Hu Hao nodded.

“Thank you, Hao-ge!”

“Thank you, Hao-ge!” The staff officers immediately expressed their gratitude.

“What the fuck are you thanking me for?! We all got this money together!” Hu Hao laughed and cursed, causing the staff officers to laugh as well.

About half an hour later, several vehicles arrived at Hu Hao’s position. Under the escort of the guards, the arrivals were brought into the command center.

There were two lawyers, several of Mu Qian’s guards, and managers from the Mu family bringing the official company seals to complete the transfer procedures with Hu Hao. The process was handled very quickly.

Just as they finished, the financial personnel Hu Hao had located finally arrived at the power plant. Hu Hao ordered them to take over the plant immediately and to detain all the management personnel there until the war was over.

(End of Chapter)