The Rise Of A Billionaire 1943

For Pierre, the real good news wasn't buying a steel mill—after all, there were plenty of such assets in Italy—but rather the telegram he received a few days ago: the convoy that had set sail from Chittagong had safely arrived in the Red Sea.

This telegram finally allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief, as he'd been worried about the convoy's safety. After all, Japanese submarines were active in the Indian Ocean and managed to sink several merchant ships every year.

"Well, they finally made it…"

On the flight back to Tunis, Pierre once again examined the plane. It was an SM.75 transport aircraft he'd picked up from an Italian airport. Although this three-engine plane didn't look impressive, its long range made it an excellent choice for transoceanic flights.

So Pierre had snapped up a bargain at the Italian airport—not many, just a few dozen planes. As for the price, just a few tens of thousands of dollars.

With only a few tens of thousands of dollars, he'd started an airline—a fantastic deal.

"When those people arrive, I can select a few to start pilot training and get the airline up and running…"

As Pierre pondered how to make the most of his talent pool, the plane continued south and finally landed safely at the airport.

Near the airport were large barracks left behind by the Germans, as well as a weapons depot in the nearby fields. Even the large repair workshop left by the Germans not far away had all been handed over to Pierre by the Allies.

Before this, apart from the dozens of staff Pierre had brought from the US and over 800 German POWs, this area of over a dozen square kilometers was almost deserted.

Now, things were about to change. Soon, his people would arrive in Tunis…

Thinking of his compatriots about to arrive, Pierre couldn't help but feel excited. After all, these were his core team!

They were the foundation for ruling Borneo in the future!

No matter what, he had to keep these people firmly in his grasp.

…

For Xia Liangzhe, even now, he still remembered a scene that he would never forget for the rest of his life:

"All university students, raise your hands!"

Sitting in the military truck, they heard an officer shouting toward them.

He and hundreds of others raised their hands in unison.

"Salute!"

With the officer's crisp salute, thunderous applause broke out among the crowd, and many civilians even knelt to see them off.

From that day on, he was no longer a university student, but a soldier—a soldier fighting to save the nation.

From Kunming to India, and from India onto a ship—where were they headed next?

"North Africa."

At that moment, Zhang Tingpeng beside him handed him a cigarette and said,

"I heard from the officers that Mr. Pierre has managed to get over a hundred thousand rifles and more than a thousand cannons from the Americans in North Africa. He's just waiting for us to go over, repair the weapons, and then ship them back home."

Pointing at the convoy with his cigarette, Zhang Tingpeng said solemnly,

"We're not just going to North Africa. We'll also go to Europe, collect weapons from the European battlefields, and ship them back home."

"So we're basically scavenging!"

Xia Liangzhe couldn't help but sigh at his friend's words.

"The Americans have given millions of tons of supplies to the British and Russians. We're allies too, but how much did we get? In the end, we're left to scavenge—this is the fate of a weak country, to be looked down upon by foreigners!"

"At least the soldiers at the front have guns now. Didn't Officer Xu say that the batch of arms donated by Mr. Li made a huge difference? If it weren't for those weapons, a few months ago the army might not have been able to hold off the Japanese in Henan. I heard that in Henan, a division only had a little over a thousand rifles, but once Mr. Pierre's donated weapons and ammunition arrived—"

---

Emergency reinforcements were sent to the front lines, and for many units, it was the first time since the start of the war that they had been fully resupplied with weapons and ammunition. This was what led to the great victories that followed. For us, as long as we had guns and artillery, that was enough. As for being picky... at this stage, what is there to be picky about?"

Xia Liangzhe nodded, took a drag of his cigarette, and said,

"Indeed, we have no right to be picky anymore. But Mr. Li's patriotism is truly rare and admirable. I heard that in order to secure arms, he went to the White House several times to seek help from the President. President Roosevelt was so pestered by him that he finally told him there was a batch of German weapons captured by the Allies in Italy. If he wanted them, they were his, but he'd have to handle all the transportation himself. So, disregarding the risks, he went alone to the Italian war zone..."

There are always many versions of a story, just like the tales of Pierre donating hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of arms to support the war effort. Many versions have long circulated in China, from him being a billionaire tycoon to being a personal friend of President Roosevelt. In all these stories, whether or not he actually bought the weapons is not important. What matters is that he went to great lengths to lobby the President and ultimately secured a large amount of military supplies for China.

"So, the large supply of weapons that China received was actually American aid, but these guns were nothing new—just old stock from the last European war, refurbished and sent to us. In fact, in terms of condition, they might not even be as good as the captured German weapons, which at least were all new..."

As these young men in uniform grumbled about the unfairness of the British and Americans towards China, the convoy continued its journey across the Indian Ocean. A few days later, they entered the Red Sea, passed through the Suez Canal, and finally, at the end of June, arrived in Tunisia.

When the convoy entered the port of Tunis, everyone curiously gazed at this unfamiliar land. Standing on the dock, Pierre watched them as well.

In fact, at first, Pierre hadn't dared to hope that the country would send 5,000 men—he had only tentatively requested 2,000.

But later, 2,000 became 5,000.

Why did the number more than double? Because China was in urgent need of all kinds of weapons. When news came that the Allies had landed in France, the leader in Chongqing immediately realized this was a great opportunity—there were over a million German troops on the Western Front. If they could bring back all those weapons, victory in the war would be within reach!

More hands make lighter work.

So, with the intervention of the "bald-headed one," a force of 5,000 set out in grand fashion. Aside from some ordnance maintenance personnel, the rest were all young soldiers who had trained for nearly a year.

Looking at those faces, all about the same age as himself, Pierre nodded silently. At last, his own people had arrived.

Just then, a middle-aged man in a uniform without insignia hurried down from the ship, marched up to Pierre, stood at attention, and saluted.

"Mr. Pierre, I am Zhao Xiyong, the special envoy for this mission, fully responsible for all liaison matters. Reporting to you!"

"Hello, General. Welcome to North Africa. Or rather, on behalf of the company, I welcome you to join us!"