The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

January 1946, Bohai Bay.

A biting wind howled, and grayish-white ice shards floated on the sea.

A 4,000-ton cargo ship, the "Jingwei," painted dark gray and flying the dragon flag of the United States of Southeast Asia, carefully avoided the larger ice floes, sounded its deep horn, and slowly entered the western entrance of Lushun Port.

The port facilities are relatively intact. Some cranes damaged by the Japanese have not yet been repaired, but the main dock has been cleared.

At the dock, besides a few Russian soldiers wrapped in heavy cotton coats and patrolling vigilantly, there were two small groups of people waiting.

One group consisted of officers wearing woolen overcoats and peaked caps, while the other group consisted of Chinese people wearing simple gray or blue cotton-padded jackets with serious expressions.

The cargo ship docked smoothly, and the gangplank was lowered.

The first person to disembark was a middle-aged man in his early forties of medium build.

He wore a thick navy blue woolen overcoat and a woolen hat; his face was refined, but his eyes were shrewd.

His name is Zhu Honghui, a descendant of Chinese from Siam. His official identity is the Far East Regional Manager of "Singapore Global Trading Company", but in reality, he is a senior outside agent of the Central Intelligence Agency of Southeast Asia, responsible for the unofficial liaison of the Red Party and specific material channels.

"Manager Zhu. Harasho! Welcome back to Lushun." A tall, robust Russian major general with a thick mustache and a chest full of medals greeted him warmly with open arms and a heavy accent in Mandarin. He was none other than Major General Ivan Levchenko, the Russian garrison commander of Lushun.

He tried to give Zhu Honghui a bear hug.

Zhu Honghui nimbly slid half a step to the side and back, simultaneously extending his right hand with an impeccable professional smile on his face:

"General Levchenko, good day. No need for a hug, my old bones can't handle the enthusiasm of you Slavs."

He skillfully defused the hug with a handshake, the movement fluid and natural.

Major General Levchenko didn't mind at all, laughing heartily as he gripped Zhu Honghui's hand tightly and shook it:

"Zhu, you're still so... well, reserved. But for the sake of our old friendship, you brought enough 'that' this time, didn't you?"

He winked, lowered his voice, and his eyes gleamed with anticipation.

Zhu Honghui understood and smiled, "General, rest assured, as usual, here are ten boxes of 'special gifts' for you and your colleagues at headquarters, all chilled and in the ship's cold storage."

The "special gift" he mentioned is Coca-Cola, which has become popular among a small group of high-ranking Russian officials.

This black sweet soda with a mysterious recipe, with its unique taste and refreshing sensation when chilled, quickly won over the taste buds of everyone from Marshal Zhukov to ordinary officers, becoming a rare and coveted treat.

Every time Zhu Honghui came, he would clear the way with his own Coca-Cola, and the effect was excellent.

"That's great, Zhu, you'll always be my best friend."

Levchenko beamed, then turned to the group of Chinese people in cotton-padded coats beside him, his tone becoming more businesslike:

"Comrade Zhao, you can talk now. Warehouse No. 3 in the dock area has been emptied as agreed, and you can use it until noon tomorrow. Remember, it is only for civilian trade goods."

After saying that, he waved to his adjutant and whispered an order to get the "gifts of comfort" from the ship.

The Red Party representative addressed as "Comrade Zhao" was a man in his mid-thirties, with a thin face but piercing eyes. Zhao Muzhi stepped forward, grasped Zhu Honghui's hands tightly, shook them vigorously, and whispered in Mandarin with a Jiaodong accent:

“Mr. Zhu, you must be tired from your journey. It’s freezing cold in Northeast China, and we are extremely grateful that you came all the way from the warm Southeast Asia.”

Zhu Honghui could feel the roughness and strength in the other person's hand, and solemnly replied, "Mr. Zhao, you're too kind. It's all for the sake of our compatriots."

The two walked to a sheltered spot on the dock, away from the eyes and ears of the Russian soldiers.

The cold wind howled, stirring up ice shards from the ground.

Zhu Honghui got straight to the point, his voice low: "Comrade Zhao, this time, the military-related goods... are not many."

As you know, the White Eagles are keeping a close eye on the sea routes, and they are even more vigilant about the ports in Tianjin and Shanghai.

We went through Lushun, thanks to the Russians, but the quantity of such sensitive items couldn't be large, and the ship wouldn't be a good place to hide them.

Zhao Muzhi nodded understandingly, his eyes sincere:

"Understood. Your decision to open this passage under these circumstances is already a great help."

We will never forget the kindness and assistance shown by Mr. Zhu and your country's leaders.

He spoke from the bottom of his heart.

At this time, the situation outside the Great Wall was volatile, the Russian bear's attitude was ambiguous, and the sea blockade was tight. The Nanyang channel, which was disguised as trade and used Lushun, which was occupied by the Russian bear, was of great significance to them, who lacked an industrial base and stable foreign aid.

Zhu Honghui pulled a copy of the list from inside his coat and handed it to Zhao Muzhi:

"The only military supplies are these: two thousand 'Nanyang Type 1' semi-automatic rifles (M1 Garand copy) produced by the Nanyang Arsenal, and one hundred thousand rounds of ammunition;

Five tons of smokeless gunpowder raw materials (nitrocellulose); also a batch of battlefield first aid kits and sulfonamide drugs. These are mixed in with other goods and you will need to carefully sort them yourselves.

Zhao Muzhi quickly scanned the list, a look of delight flashing in his eyes.

Semi-automatic rifles and sulfonamides were extremely valuable, and he carefully put the list away.

Zhu Honghui continued:

"However, we are better prepared for other things this time."

There are twenty small machine tools of various types, mainly six-foot and eight-foot belt-driven lathes, drilling machines, and milling machines. They are all new products manufactured in Southeast Asia, with good precision, and are suitable for establishing small machine repair shops and tool factories.

Alloy steel tools, including high-speed steel lathe tools, drill bits, taps, and dies, sold by the box, are enough to cover the initial consumption for establishing a tool shop.

There are also chemical raw materials: fifty tons of soda ash, twenty tons of caustic soda, and ten tons of concentrated hydrochloric acid. These are all urgently needed for you to establish a preliminary chemical workshop.

For the Red Party, which was starting from scratch and eager to establish its own industrial base, the value of these raw materials even exceeded that of some readily available weapons.

"In addition," Zhu Honghui added, "one hundred tons of finished natural rubber. You can use it to make seals, tires, rubber shoes, or even simple tarpaulins. Southeast Asia may not have much else, but it has plenty of rubber."

Zhao Muzhi was deeply moved upon hearing this.

These are precisely the industrial seeds they crave most.

He squeezed Zhu Honghui's hand tightly: "Thank you so much, Mr. Zhu. You have solved our urgent problem. As agreed last time, we have prepared 500 taels of gold, 300 tons of high-quality smokeless coal from Fushun, 1,000 pieces of fine Guandong fur, and 50 catties of wild ginseng."

We know that, based on current market prices, these items may not be worth as much as your goods, especially the machine tools and chemical raw materials…

We will remember this kindness and will repay it handsomely in the future.

What he said was true. Gold and resources are certainly valuable, but what the other party provided were the mother machines and raw materials for establishing production capacity, which are of immeasurable value in the long run.

Zhu Honghui waved his hand: "Mr. Zhao, you flatter me. Trade is mutually beneficial."

We in Southeast Asia also need your specialties. Gold is hard currency, coal is ballast and fuel for our fleet's return voyage, and fur and ginseng are very popular in Singapore and Penang.

This deal is fair.

He paused, then lowered his voice even further: "Our President Zhang Chi often says that it is only right for Chinese people to help each other. He greatly admires your party's spirit of perseverance under such difficult conditions."

The assistance we offered was minimal and insignificant. We only hope that there will be more opportunities for cooperation between the two sides in the future.

Zhao Muzhi nodded emphatically, his meaning unspoken.

He certainly understood that the young leader of Southeast Asia, Zhang Chi, was not simply acting out of charity; he must have had long-term strategic considerations behind his actions.

But in any case, this tangible help is invaluable at this time and place.

At that moment, Major General Levchenko returned, his face flushed, holding a bottle of Coca-Cola with a straw in his hand. He took a satisfied sip and sighed contentedly, "Ah... this black sugar water is more addictive than vodka!"

Zhu, Zhao, don't stand here in the wind.

Come, let's go to my headquarters. I've already had a banquet prepared.

There were large crabs freshly caught from the sea, and also some fine... well, some captured sake.

We must celebrate this pleasant trade.

He emphasized the word "trade" and winked.

For him, the fact that Southeast Asia and the Communist Party were using his territory to make deals meant that he could get Coca-Cola, a highly sought-after commodity, without having to lift a finger, and could also profit from the potential regulatory fees. It was a risk-free and highly profitable opportunity, so he was naturally overjoyed.

Zhu Honghui and Zhao Muzhi exchanged a smile and neither of them refused.

Some things are easier to say at the dinner table.

The group headed towards the Russian headquarters.

Behind them, the sailors and dockworkers on the "Haifeng" ship have already begun loading and unloading cargo in a flurry.