With the officers gone, Gao Fei was free to run things his way.
Although his business back home hadn't been a roaring success, he had employed a few workers at least, so he understood that when it came to distributing money, it was best handled personally.
It wasn't world-class management experience, but it was experience nonetheless.
Gao Fei pulled the remaining thousand dollars from his pocket.
"Time to split the cash. Here's a thousand dollars, divided among the seven of us. Glaski takes two hundred as squad leader, I take a hundred and fifty as team leader, and the remaining six hundred and fifty is split among the five of you—that's a hundred and thirty each. These are all hundred-dollar bills; I don't have change. Whoever has small bills, pool them together to make change. Come on, line up to get your money."
They had spoken of splitting it evenly, but a truly equal split was out of the question.
There had to be distinctions based on rank. The squad leader had to take a bit more; the team leader couldn't take more than the squad leader, but certainly had to take more than an ordinary soldier.
When money was involved, things had to be rigorous. Not just with Russians, but with foreigners in general, the ledger had to be crystal clear. No muddy favors, settled cleanly on the spot every time.
The first split was the most critical. If Gao Fei divided it strictly equally, they wouldn't see it as a favor from him; they would think that was simply how it was owed.
Give too much now, and offering less later would be impossible.
No one ever thought they deserved less; they'd only think, *We're all risking our lives together, so why should you get more than me?*
Money had to be fair, or fighting together down the line would be impossible. Even if Gao Fei was an invincible marksman, without comrades covering him, he would still be finished.
So Gao Fei hadn't taken too much for himself and Glaski. He only took twenty dollars more than the rest, but he secured the vital power of decision.
How to split it wasn't a fixed percentage; Gao Fei's word was final. That was what mattered most.
It was financial authority—financial authority over only seven people, sure, but authority that determined everyone's share nonetheless.
Gao Fei pulled out two bills and handed them to Glaski. Then he slipped two hundred into his own pocket and pulled fifty back out. No one felt this division was unfair, nor did anyone question Gao Fei taking charge of the payout.
Those with small bills fished them out to swap for the hundred-dollar bills. Once two people chipped in small bills, the math worked out easily. It was only a thousand dollars; the entire sum was distributed in moments.
The money was handed out, but the more important matters lay ahead.
Gao Fei spoke with righteous authority: "The smokes and liquor will be delivered soon. We'll trade guns for them. We drink the liquor together, each person gets a pack of cigarettes, and the rest we share. Brothers, the brass can't pay us our bounties right now, which is why they cracked open this door for us to do business. But you've got to be smart about it. Don't go blabbing around, because if this door gets shut, don't come crying to me later."
"Don't worry, my lips are sealed."
"Naturally, we'll sell off all our own gear first before telling anyone else. Then we'll take guns off their hands, pocket the difference, and resell them."
Smart people were everywhere, or rather, there was never any shortage of those who fancied themselves clever.
Everyone had their own business philosophy that they considered foolproof, but they couldn't be allowed to develop bad habits.
Gao Fei said gravely, "Speaking of which, I'm setting a rule right now: nobody is allowed to make private deals with the arms dealer. If anyone dares to cut a deal on the side, don't blame us for turning hostile."
Gao Fei pointed at Glaski, establishing the rule that all trades had to go through himself and Glaski.
"You have to understand: in the past, captured guns were useless, and valuable loot couldn't be turned into cash anyway, so no one held back spoils of war. But now that we have a way to turn gear into cash, someone might be tempted to stash loot for themselves. That cannot happen. If it does, before long, we won't be able to fight alongside each other anymore."
He laid out the stakes clearly so everyone understood why bypassing Gao Fei was forbidden.
Gao Fei said sternly, "You're all veterans, so you should know that we rely on each other. Don't forget that at the end of the day, we are soldiers who can't leave this battlefield. If we only think about money and forget that we rely on combat to get these spoils in the first place, we're done for."
It wasn't high-minded theory, just plain facts spelled out clearly.
Principles didn't matter; rules did.
Glaski chuckled beside him. "Spoken like a true blue beret. Rex laid down the rules clear as day. Keep them in mind, everyone. Whoever breaks the rules gets kicked out. Remember that."
Gao Fei said calmly, "Everyone was here for this deal, but you won't all be present every time. If any of you want something specific, let me know. I'll buy it from the arms dealer, and the cost will be deducted from your cut."
"Rex, I don't want cash. Can I trade my whole cut for liquor?"
Before Gao Fei could speak, Glaski flared up in fury. "Are you insane? A bottle of liquor costs ten bucks in the city at most, and here he sells it for two hundred! Having a sip or two together is one thing, but you want to blow your whole cut on booze? Are you an idiot? Absolutely not!"
Alcohol was important, but this position could not afford to have drunkards.
For Russians, blowing their entire earnings on booze was hardly unheard of.
Gao Fei agreed completely with Glaski's decision. He added without hesitation, "Exactly. From now on, no one is allowed to drink alone. When we have booze, we drink together. If anyone messes up because of drinking, you're kicked out immediately!"
Glaski barked harshly, "Kicked out? Shot on the spot!"
A mere squad leader had no authority over life and death, but then again, did anyone need to file a report for shooting someone dead on the Bakhmut frontline?
Russians truly understood Russians best, knowing exactly how to keep their own in line. As a Chinese man, Gao Fei had still underestimated just how weak a Russian's willpower was against vodka.
Gao Fei didn't feel Glaski had undermined his authority at all; he couldn't agree more with Glaski's stern warning.
"The squad leader is right. Whoever dares to drink on the sly gets shot on the spot."
Nobody dared object. Gao Fei said with satisfaction, "All right, that's all for the rules for now. We're risking our lives here for money, not to drink ourselves to death."
"Rex, someone's coming. Should be Jeffte Li."
Li Jie moved fast—in under an hour, he had already made the round trip.
Before long, Li Jie's voice indeed drifted over.
"I'm heading over. Don't shoot."
Having to call out each time he arrived was a bit troublesome; Gao Fei felt they needed a channel to communicate ahead of time in the future. They had plenty of walkie-talkies now; setting one aside specifically for communicating with Li Jie would do the trick.
They couldn't let Li Jie tap into the Russian military communication frequencies, or one call from him would broadcast to the entire frontline, creating a mess.
While Gao Fei was still pondering, Li Jie dropped into the trench.
Li Jie looked rather excited. The first thing he did upon entering the trench was swing his backpack to his front. "Brought your stuff: a carton of smokes and four bottles of booze. Eighteen hundred dollars. Cash or offset with guns?"
The price was extortionate, but there was no bargaining.
"Offset with guns, of course."
There was no need for nonsense. Li Jie said without hesitation, "Pack up all four SCARs for me, plus two M4s. That's six guns for me, and I'll give you another sixteen hundred in cash. Sound right?"
Glaski murmured, "Can't you carry a bit more? Why not take one more gun and round it up to twenty-one hundred for us?"
Li Jie shook his head immediately. "No way. This is already my limit. They're heavy, and any more will hinder my movement."
Li Jie pulled two rolls of cash from his pocket. He snapped off the rubber band on one roll, slid out four hundred-dollar bills, and handed the rest of the money to Gao Fei. "Count it. If everything's good, I'm out of here."
Gao Fei stowed the cash, then looked at Li Jie. "Can you bring other things? Like drones or something?"
Li Jie refused without hesitation: "Impossible. I'll never carry that kind of stuff. Brother, the only reason I can run this business is because neither side lacks guns. But if I start bringing in other things, this business is finished. And don't ask me for intel, either. First, I don't know anything; second, even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. Same goes the other way—if the Ukrainians ask me for intel on you guys, I won't say a damn word. We all play by the rules, nobody makes trouble for anyone else. Deal?"
"Deal. Just asking out of curiosity, don't take it to heart. Are you coming back tonight?"
Li Jie thought about it and shook his head. "Not tonight. Running back and forth like this is too much; I'm beat."
"Can't you bring a couple of guys to help you carry gear?"
Li Jie shook his head. "No, not right now. Maybe down the road."
"Let's exchange numbers. Before you come next time, call or send a text to give me a heads-up. Can you get me a secure SIM card? This phone is captured gear; who knows when the service will get cut off."
"That's easy. A SIM card is a hundred dollars. I won't take a cut—the whole hundred goes toward preloading call credit."
"All right. Do you have a walkie-talkie? Get one to keep in touch with us. Call me once you reach this side; it's safer and more convenient."
Li Jie said without hesitation, "Walkie-talkies are tight over there, too. I could get one, but it crosses a line and makes things tricky when I come over."
Gao Fei wouldn't force the issue. He smiled. "If it's inconvenient, forget it."
Li Jie nodded, then pulled a pack of cigarettes from his bag. "This is from my own stash—the last pack. It's for you."
On his first visit, Li Jie hadn't known there was a Chinese man here, so he had brought four packs of Marlboros.
This time, Li Jie had deliberately brought a pack of export-version Huanghelou.
Gao Fei's eyes lit up. He took the cigarettes without hesitation. "Thanks, I really like these. By the way, is there anything specific you need? Just say the word; as long as we have it on our side, it's yours."
Courtesy demanded reciprocity. Gao Fei felt Li Jie was a solid, decent guy, so he genuinely wanted to return the favor.
Li Jie considered it and said, "Nothing in particular for now. I'm only taking guns for the moment. We'll talk about other needs later."
Gao Fei smiled. "All right, down the road then. We want this business to last long-term; no rush."
Chapter 85