After a short period of chaos, with Wang Yong, Chen Liujin, and a few other soldiers holding submachine guns maintaining order, the situation quickly returned to normal.
These famous people in Shanghai, as well as the representatives of the various large factions in Shanghai, held onto the name cards that Lucy had sent yesterday and successfully entered the courtyard. These people's names were personally selected by Chen Li so that they could only target those who needed them.
As for missing a few, he didn't care. The Chinese knew how to be flexible. They would naturally try their best to find them through various channels. This would be more beneficial to the hunger marketing.
There were more than 30 cars in this convoy, and there were nearly 10 cars that were stopped outside the courtyard. Some of these people were military officers of the Japanese in China, some were from the newspaper office, and finally, there were people that Chen Li had missed or deliberately missed, such as San Ma.
Chen Li had made up his mind that he would never let the Japanese participate in this book sale. After all, some of the Chinese officers might not have seen this type of cannon before, but the Japanese soldiers were very familiar with this type of cannon. They even affectionately called it the " Large Cannon."
If the Japanese found out that their cannon, which was less than five years old, had appeared in China as a gift for buying books, it would definitely cause a lot of trouble. Not only would it cause a diplomatic dispute, but all these cannons would also be taken back by the Japanese, and Lucy and her team would never be able to leave safely.
As for those foreign forces and media, to Chen Li, these people were not his potential customers at all. Naturally, he would not let them in to join in the fun.
After all the guests had entered the courtyard, the courtyard door was closed. Outside the courtyard, a few soldiers armed with submachine guns spread out to guard the surroundings to prevent anyone from approaching and peeping.
At this time, the staff who had been waiting here had already prepared tea. They handed cups to the guests and poured hot tea.
It was naturally impossible to prepare tables and chairs in the wilderness in a day's preparation time. Therefore, these social elites of Shanghai could only stand with their teacups in their hands and greet the people they were familiar with from time to time. At the same time, they sized up the people sent by the factions. There were only so many people in the military world. Even if they didn't usually interact with each other, they could still be familiar with each other.
Of course, none of them had come all the way here to drink this tea that was obviously made from crude tea. They were all waiting for Lucy to show them. It had to be said that the unprecedented marketing method of selling books and giving cannons was indeed very attractive to the people of this era.
And when they saw many people being turned away, those who could enter always felt a sense of superiority.
Soon, Ruth, who had been hiding in the big warehouse for a long time, walked out of the warehouse with a sun hat, a pleated skirt, and fashionable high heels. She was carrying a stack of books with some difficulty.
Behind her, the two sturdy Chinese bodyguards each dragged a cannon behind her.
"What cannon is this? Anti-war cannons?" Someone asked the person beside him in a low voice.
"It doesn't look like an anti-war cannon. Its caliber is almost twice as big as an anti-war cannon. It's just that the barrel is too short, so the initial velocity of the cannonball can't be fast.”Another person beside him shook his head and said.
" This cannon doesn't look too heavy. It can be pulled by one person. A horse should be enough. It's very mobile," another person said.
Just as everyone was getting interested in the cannon and observing it from their own point of view, the two people dragging the cannon behind Lucy had already split up. One of them continued to follow Lucy towards the curious guests, while the other dragged the cannon towards the wall.
" If I'm not mistaken, this should be the Japanese's newly installed Type 92 Infantry Cannon. It's said that they distribute this type of cannon to the brigade headquarters. During wartime, they can directly distribute it to squadrons or even small teams to strengthen their firepower. Although they haven't experienced actual combat, it's said that there aren't many people equipped with it, and its power is not small. I haven't seen the real thing until now, but I didn't expect to see it here," an officer suddenly sighed.
" General Liao is indeed from the Central Army. You're even familiar with the equipment that they have recently equipped. I'm impressed," a thin man beside him said with a smile. It was Du Yuesheng. Because he had a wide range of friends, almost everyone present knew him.
" You're welcome. We're facing a great enemy, and it's our duty to understand the enemy better. Even so, I've only heard a little about it, but I can't compare to Brother Du's wide network. Even this foreign author has to rely on Brother Du's support," the officer called General Liao said with a smile, then added,""I wonder what kind of god this Miss Lucy is to be able to get her hands on this cannon.”
" It's nothing. I only met Miss Lucy yesterday," Du Yuesheng said frankly. At his level, there was no need to borrow a foreign woman to increase his status."Looking at General Liao's appearance, I think he must be determined to get this book today?”
General Liao nodded his head,""Only by knowing the facts can one win every battle. If this item is really three thousand dollars, even if I have to pay it out of my own pocket, I will accept it.”
Du Yuesheng was dejected. He naturally knew that those arrogant Central Army generals would not go so far as to slander him. He might care about the people in society, but he knew General Liao, who was stationed in Shanghai. He had no real power and no outsiders. Basically, his family relied on military pay to survive.
Although his position was still small at this time, he was only a major general, but in the combat troops, he could not even compare to the treatment of a colonel or even a lieutenant colonel. This 3,000 yuan (military pay was paid in French currency) was already his salary for two to three years.
In this era, as long as a war broke out, a soldier could lose his head at any time. Even an advisor would be sent to the frontline combat troops at any time. In other words, General Liao was planning to get such a cannon even if he had to go bankrupt.
Even if he was a gangster. Du Yuesheng was also very clear about society. There were some things that he should do and some things that he should not do. When it came to guns, although he was not as good as those soldiers who were accompanied by guns all day long, he still knew a little about it.
As for the cannons, he did not know where to start. They were specialized in different fields. People with morals would never want to play with things like artillery. No matter where it was, it was a big taboo, especially for people who relied on gray areas. To put it bluntly, as long as the people above were ruthless and drove the troops over, the hooligans under them were nothing.
However, Du Yuesheng now had an idea. He wanted to get one or two of these cannons and study them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to our new book launch. I'm Lucy from America. I love China. There's a lot of delicious food here and many friendly friends. In the coming days, I'll continue to bring my love for China to everyone. Today, I'm bringing you a Battlefield Encyclopedia."
As the main character of the whole incident, this woman who looked like she came from the other side of the ocean began her speech with a Beijing accent. It couldn't be helped, the Mandarin of the future generations evolved from the Beijing accent, and the system recognized it.
At this moment, everyone's eyes were attracted by the booklet in her hand. Yes, even if they only took a glance at it from a distance, everyone's impression was: The printing of this book was too crude.
One had to know that there were many types of printing in this era, but the most basic one was the evolution of movable type printing-type printing.
Even newspapers and magazines that were very time-sensitive were printed in type. The review of the manuscript might only take a few hours or even less. As for the layout and typography, it would also only take a few hours. The reason was very simple. Once there was a headline, you couldn't print it. If other newspapers printed it, the sales of the newspaper would be completely different.
However, the booklet in Lucy's hand was printed on wax paper commonly used by advertising companies. This kind of mimeographed printing was very popular even in the 1980s and 1990s, but it was mainly used by schools to print some mock test papers and teacher-made learning materials.
The principle was very simple. The base was laid with wax paper, and then the writer carved the manuscript onto the wax paper and printed it on the paper with ink.
The advantage of this method was that it was time-efficient, and things like schematics could be shown, unlike printed images that needed professional engraving. This was also the favorite method of advertising companies.
Merchants were after profits, and they only needed to use the lowest cost to achieve the effect they wanted. The advertising companies were even more unscrupulous in this aspect.
However, the consequence of doing so was that all the words would have handwriting. Moreover, the things printed with ink would easily be blurred if they were grabbed by the hand. It would take at least dozens of days for the ink to completely dry before the problem could be solved.
Therefore, there were basically no mimeographed books on the bookshelves of major bookstores. The reason was simple. In this era, books were expensive. One had to know that Mr. Lu Xun's annual royalties were over a million yuan. One could imagine the value of a book published for royalties.
Paying such a high price for such poor quality, that kind of feeling, like you want to buy a chocolate for your girlfriend, but it's so expensive, but it's wrapped in an old newspaper.
Fortunately, everyone's eyes were not on the book, but on the gift.
"Reading this book will allow you to learn many battle techniques. It will also allow your troops to preserve themselves as much as possible when they encounter an irresistible external force. I believe that everyone who buys this book will not feel that they have lost a book. The books we can see on the market are all general and discuss the overall situation. In fact, I agree with some of the views, but it doesn't mean that our soldiers can understand these things.”
" And my 'Battlefield Encyclopedia' is about how to deal with the harsh environments on the battlefield, how to use the most powerful weapons at your side to kill the enemy more effectively, how to protect yourself on the battlefield, and how to kill the enemy as much as possible.”
" In order to encourage genuine reading and oppose pirated copies, I can't reveal too much information about the book. In short, I believe that after everyone buys the book, they will definitely think that it's worth the money."
"In order to thank so many loyal readers in China, my team spent a lot of effort to replicate the Wei Nation's 92 Infantry Cannon. After repeated improvements, it has basically reached or even exceeded the standards of the original Japanese. I have made a decision to give this cannon to those who are willing to protect the country for free."
"Next, please take a look at our sincerity!”Lucy said confidently.
As soon as he finished speaking, 300 meters away, the bodyguard pulled open the hoe of the cannon, took aim, pulled the rope, and fired. A few seconds later, an explosion point exploded in the distance, and dust flew up several meters.
After that, the bodyguard leveled the muzzle of the cannon and fired a cannonball at the only section of the courtyard wall that was made of green bricks and concrete.
"Boom!" .
Three to four hundred meters away, the sturdiest wall of the courtyard, which was made of four to five meters long, collapsed, and dust filled the air…
"This cannon is a replica of Japan's 92 Infantry Cannon. China Min-666. It could attack tanks, armored vehicles, bunkers, fortifications, and even use high explosive bombs to suppress fire. It was currently the most ideal fire support equipment for Chinese battalions and regiments.”
"This imitation infantry cannon can be used to close in on the enemy and even directly push to the front line of the battlefield to fight the enemy. It can directly attack the Japanese tanks, so we named its domestic model: Small cannon!"
This statement made the name of the small cannon finally associated with the previous life. However, including Du Yuesheng and others, no one cared about the so-called domestic production. In their eyes, a foreign girl talking about domestic artillery was simply a fallacy.
"Next, please state your trading intentions. If you are interested in this book, then buy it. I can give you my autograph on the book. Then, don't forget to bring our gifts along. If you don't want to buy it, it's okay. Try the tea we carefully prepared and take a look at the scenery in the suburbs of Shanghai. It's really not bad."
"Miss Lucy, I want to buy two books. These are the checks from the City Bank. When can I get the gift?”General Liao said immediately, waving a check that had just been filled in with numbers and his signature.
"It'll be done soon!" Lucy said with a sweet smile. After receiving the check, the two bodyguards instantly became porters.
Two brand-new infantry cannons were quickly placed in front of the first customer who threw the check. Then, 100 shells were slowly moved. The main thing was that Lucy had confirmed that the check was real.
" Miss Lucy, I want to buy 10 cannons, no, 10 books. I want more cannonballs," another person said.
" The cannonballs cost five dollars a round. Whether it's armor-piercing bullets, high-explosive bullets, or shotgun shells, the quantity is better. If you buy a hundred rounds, you get ten free," Lucy said seriously.
"Miss Lucy, are you involved in an arms deal?”A busybody asked. This was a reporter from Ta Kung Pao that Chen Li had deliberately let in in advance.
" Of course not. We're from the literary world. We're creating a world of words. The welcome we received in China made me understand that art has no boundaries. We sent our righteous ideas to China, and they gladly accepted them. That's it…"
" But, the free gift for your books is a cannon…" The reporter asked. He might be too young, or too experienced, but he was indeed on point.
" Have you ever heard of the saying that the truth is only within the range of a cannon? I don't have the ability to give them a cannon, so I gave them a small steel cannon," Lucy replied directly.
"So, does this mean that you want to use your power?”
" Wrong. For the past hundred years, the imperialists have always been the ones who used their power in China. All China did was protect itself, and now, they can't even do that. That's why they need small cannons.”
"Throw that person out and kill him if necessary!”Lucy finally said.
There were only three bodyguards at the scene, or rather, guards. However, as soon as the order was given, two people immediately rushed towards the reporter in his twenties.
Then, he picked up the submachine gun and pointed it at the man. One of them even fired a few shots at the ground, forcing him out.
On the other side, dozens of people surrounded the cannon and kept sizing it up. Some of them stood further away due to their status, but they still looked carefully. More people approached it directly, the closer the better. There were even some who tried to control this small cannon…Anyway, no one seemed to object. Of course, there were no artillery shells in front of them.
Following that, orders came in one after another. They came inexplicably.
Lucy also carried out all of this faithfully. She sold 100 cannons and left after selling them.
Chen Li's original idea was very simple. If the cannon was sold, it was up to you to research it. Anyway, this was a very famous cannon in World War II. If you could imitate it, then do it. If not, at least you would know that the Japanese had such a thing.
Chen Li still had things to do, so he couldn't guard the telegram office all day long. Moreover, he also knew that Lucy couldn't send him a telegram every day because of her conditions.
To Chen Li, many things could only be left to fate. And now, the first wave of troops that had been sent out for rotation was about to return.
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Even though I'm a fan of Feilu, I still hope that everyone can support me with this 5000-word chapter.。Thank you.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]