The Spy

Chapter 315 Recruiting Agents
"Father, do you think this is okay? We should give them the goods for which we paid the deposit first, and then stock them later?"

Chen Changcun returned home and reported the situation to Mr. Chen. He had helped his family with some business before, but he was mainly in an auxiliary role and had no experience in handling an entire company alone.

After becoming the factory director, the pressure on him increased dramatically.

In the past, whenever there was something, his father and brother would help him deal with it, and he only had to do things according to his father's arrangements. Now, everything in the pharmaceutical factory needs him to make arrangements.

If their medicine wasn't so popular and they didn't have to worry about sales, he would be under more pressure.

"No, we have to give them the goods according to the delivery date. As long as we don't violate the contract, we can't give them any goods in advance, and the reserve drugs must not be touched."

Mr. Chen refused without even thinking about it.

He always pays close attention to the situation in Japan. It has now been confirmed that Japan has long wanted to swallow up the whole of China, but the reason why it has not taken any action is because it has many concerns.

When it comes to attitude toward China, the entire Japanese top leadership is very united.

Even if there are a few objections, it will be of no avail.

Xu Qingyun was right. In this situation, once someone ignites this powder keg, the Japanese train will start moving at full speed and will never stop.

The reserve medicines concern the fate of the country’s soldiers and must not be moved.

"Yes, father."

Chen Changcun was just asking questions. Those buyers saw that he was young and deliberately put pressure on him. Mr. Chen understood all of this.

The contract is written in black and white, clearly stating when the deposit should be paid and when the goods will be delivered.

There is no possibility of getting the goods in advance.

If they fail to deliver the goods on time, the penalty will be exactly the same.

"Go recruit a group of reliable guards, two hundred in number. Don't look for them in Singapore. Go back to our hometown and recruit people from our hometown. Treat them better."

Mr. Chen suddenly said, money can make people excited, and sulfa drugs are so valuable that we must be on guard.

Warehouse security must be in place.

These people cannot be recruited locally. The children from the hometown are the most reliable. Mr. Chen has a lot of prestige in his hometown. These people will not be easily bribed after they arrive.

"Yes, father."

Chen Changcun nodded in agreement, but this was not enough. Mr. Chen would also visit the leader of the British garrison in Singapore to get support from the military.

They don’t have much medicine in stock now, but when they have more in the future, who knows if someone will do something crazy and stupid.

"Contact Qingyun before you go and ask him how to recruit people. If possible, ask him to help find someone to train these people."

Mr. Chen suddenly said that Xu Qingyun was smart and was now a soldier, doing intelligence work and knew how to prevent infiltration.

"Okay, I'll contact Qingyun right away."

Chen Changcun would not refuse to contact Xu Qingyun. After he left, Mr. Chen shook his head slightly and said that the opportunity for early supply must not be opened. If you give it now, they will ask for more after getting the goods.

If you don't give, he will find ways to wear you down.

This is not speculation, but inevitability. Once he gives in, his idea of ​​stockpiling strategic pharmaceutical materials for the country will be ruined.

Compared with these people, the country is the most important.

"Stationmaster, telegram."

In Shanghai, Zhao San brought two telegrams. These two telegrams were very special. The telecommunications group did not have any codes, and they were all translated by Zhao San.

Shanghai is not Wuhan. Even if it is Wuhan, Xu Qingyun did not give the code for this kind of private telegram to the communications group. Zhao San is his confidant now, so he can translate it.

For some top-secret telegrams, only Xu Qingyun himself knows the code.

There are not many codebooks of this type at present.

There were two telegrams, one from Chen Changcun and the other from Xu Fuzhong.

Even though Xu Qingyun was in Shanghai, he asked Xu Fuzhong not to call him unless it was a matter of life and death, so as to avoid letting people know about their relationship.

The surname Xu is not a small surname. Without a detailed investigation, others would not know the relationship between him and Xu's Company.

At first, Xu Qingyun kept a trick and did not let Xu Fuzhong and others write down the information about his hometown. Unless someone went to Xu Qingyun's hometown to investigate, they would not know that Xu's Business was related to Xu Qingyun.

This is the most basic protection for yourself.

Whenever Xu Fuzhong had anything to report, he would send a telegram to Xu Qingyun.

Including Chen Changcun's telegrams, Xu Qingyun used to translate them himself. Zhao San was a good guy and was a competent secretary. Later, Xu Qingyun gave these code books to Zhao San so that he could translate the telegrams he received.

The first thing Xu Qingyun read was Xu Fuzhong’s telegram.

Xu Fuzhong reported that the second batch of sulfa drugs had arrived and the warehouse was full. According to the previously signed contract, they needed to purchase 1.5 million US dollars of goods from the United States every year.

The goods were given to them in batches, the first batch being $300,000 worth of goods.

The second batch is 200,000.

The total value of the goods is US$500,000.

Xu Qingyun is a big customer and buys at the lowest price, four dollars a box. They sell it for fifteen dollars a box, which is a huge profit even after deducting the shipping cost.

The price on the black market is even higher, so sulfa drugs are easily sold.

What Xu Fuzhong reported was not particularly important. Xu Qingyun looked at the telegram sent by Chen Changcun.

The pharmaceutical factory in Singapore was in short supply and many people wanted to get the goods in advance, but were rejected by Mr. Chen.

Mr. Chen did a great job in this regard. He is worthy of being a representative of patriotic Chinese. He would rather not make money than stock up on goods in preparation for future wars.

Medicines have a shelf life, so hoarding them like this is actually risky.

In addition, Chen Changcun told him that he would return to the country soon and come to Shanghai to find him, but before going to Shanghai, he would go back to his hometown to recruit two hundred villagers as guards.

Ask him what to do when recruiting guards and if he can help train these people.

We don't expect them to be like real soldiers, but at least they should know how to use guns and keep confidentiality.

Soon, Xu Qingyun wrote two telegrams and asked Zhao San to reply.

First of all, it was sulfa. Before, without Xu Qingyun's order, they had been shipping them in small quantities. This time, Xu Qingyun changed the norm and asked Xu Fuzhong to spread the news that they had a large amount of sulfa and were looking for agents in various places.

The conditions for being an agent are very strict, the first of which is to have sufficient capital.

Their business does not accept credit. You cannot get the goods without money.

Secondly, it must have a certain influence and be able to secure the agency position. This time, we will use radio and newspapers directly to place advertisements in places including Nanjing, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Chongqing, and Beijing.

Starting today, Xu's Company will no longer sell sulfa drugs in small quantities.

The two telegrams were sent out quickly. Xu Fuzhong had been next to the radio station. He received the telegrams and translated them himself. He immediately understood Xu Qingyun's arrangements.

This method is very good. In the past, they did not have much cargo, so it was okay to ship goods in small quantities.

It is really troublesome that so many of them are now scattered.

The company already had a system for finding agents, so Xu Fuzhong was not surprised that the young master found an agent.

Unfortunately, he guessed wrong again this time.

Xu Qingyun used Jiang Taigong's fishing method, and those who are willing will take the bait.

Thanks to the Xi'an protective frame and the relationships with Mr. Chen and others, Xu Qingyun now has the confidence to do so.

His relationship with Xu's Company was indeed not made public.

But for someone with truly extraordinary powers, it is not difficult to find out their relationship.

However, after this incident, the Japanese might also know that Xu Fuzhong and Ma Xiangshun would not be allowed to leave the concession unless there were any accidents, and the people around them would be strictly protected.

Next, Xu Qingyun will select another group of Xu family members and send them to various departments for training.

His idea is similar to Mr. Chen's. Village members have existed since ancient times. In many cases, these clansmen are more reliable than outsiders.

Improve their capabilities first and use them as a reserve talent pool.

Chen Changcun also received a call back from Xu Qingyun.

He wanted to recruit guards, so it didn't matter whether they were literate or not. But after bringing them to Singapore, it would be best to teach them to read in their spare time.

There is no harm in being literate, not to mention that these people are from the same hometown and are loyal and reliable.

Secondly, when recruiting people, it is best to look for men who have elderly parents and young children to take care of, and then give them fixed holidays every year so that they can take turns going back to visit their families.

Singapore is not too far away to do this.

With their families concerned, they would not do anything detrimental to the Chen family. Once discovered by the Chen family, their hometown would easily target their families.

Another point is that such people are generally honest and will not be instigated to cause trouble.

The same is true in later generations. When people reach middle age, they have burdens from top to bottom, plus mortgages and car loans. Even if they suffer great injustice in the company, they dare not resign easily. As for the training mentioned by Chen Changcun, Xu Qingyun agreed.

First recruit a group of people, and when there are fifty of them, send them to Shanghai. The Shanghai station has its own training team, and Xu Qingyun can help them with simple training.

It is difficult to train them into qualified soldiers, but basic abilities such as marching, patrolling, standing guard, shooting, etc. are no problem at all.

In addition to this, the next thing is to prevent subversion and maintain confidentiality.

That's what Military Intelligence does, and it's very easy for them.

The Shanghai station can help them train fifty people each time, with each batch taking half a month, and all two hundred people can be trained in two months.

For training in rotation, some people can be sent to Singapore first. Xu Qingyun also suggested to Chen Changcun that he should invite a foreign instructor so that the soldiers there would not fall behind in training, so that they would have real combat effectiveness.

In troubled times, armed forces are very important.

If these people are really trained, they will become a great help to the Chen family in the future.

The Chen family is rich, so it is no problem for them to arm 200 people.

"Okay, great."

After reading the telegram, Chen Changcun clapped his thigh happily. The escort problem had been solved, and he would return to China immediately to recruit fifty people first and send them over, and then select the rest later.

The Chen family is a prominent family in the local area. When they recruit guards, local people will sign up enthusiastically. Mr. Chen is a well-known good man, and everyone knows that working for the Chen family will never be a disadvantage.

"Father, Qingyun agreed to help us train. I will be back tomorrow. Please help me take care of the pharmaceutical factory."

Chen Changcun came to Mr. Chen and showed Mr. Chen Xu Qingyun's call back.

After reading the telegram, Mr. Chen raised his eyebrows and asked, "Will Qingyun have any impact on him if he uses the people from Shanghai Station to help us train?"

Mr. Chen is not Chen Changcun. He has a lot of issues to think about. This time it is their private training, but the Shanghai Station belongs to the Military Intelligence Department.

Chen Changcun was stunned for a moment, then immediately replied, "I'll send him a message now."

“Don’t send it.”

Mr. Chen stopped his son who wanted to leave: "Qingyun is not you, reckless. Since he dares to say so, there must be no problem. But we can't make it difficult for Qingyun. Before you go to Shanghai, go to Nanjing and give some gifts to their Director Dai and tell them about this matter."

"Yes, father."

"Also, don't mistreat the instructors who help us train. Give them at least the money they deserve. Bring more money with you."

Mr. Chen continued to give orders. He agreed very much with a sentence in Xu Qingyun's telegram. In troubled times, it is very important to have completely loyal armed forces.

Although two hundred people are not many, they are enough to protect them to a certain extent.

He would do as Xu Qingyun said and find foreign instructors and teachers, and both cultural knowledge and training would not be lacking. At that time, he would pay these guards more wages so that they could study and train with peace of mind.

There is no rush for weapons and equipment, they can be purchased based on the situation. He also needs to report so many guards, otherwise there will be trouble.

After the call back, Xu Qingyun started to get busy. The work of the Shanghai station officially started. All the people from the intelligence team and the action team went out. Fang Laibao took a dozen people with him to investigate the previous spies, and Xu Qingyun called a meeting of the leaders of other teams.

"Mobilize all of you, just like we did at Wuhan Station. Don't forget the teahouse. Whoever can find the abnormality will get extra bonus and be evaluated for excellence."

"But you need to be careful about the method. This is not Wuhan. Don't be anxious. Go back and teach them what to do. You need to find out the intelligence without being discovered by others."

The team leaders of each group were brought by Xu Qingyun. They had all worked in Wuhan before and were very familiar with Wuhan's model.

Xu Qingyun is not worried about them, but their subordinates are not.

Fortunately, with the experience of Wuhan, it is not difficult to teach these people.

Screening has been carried out on the site, and those who can stay are at least not mediocre or lazy, and there are no idiots.

People like this would have been kicked back to headquarters long ago.

"Don't worry, Station Master. We know what to do."

Everyone laughed and said that Jiang Cheng was not there, as he was taken away by Fang Laibao to investigate. Dai Jieying and Jiang Cheng were both good at handling cases.

The others are not bad either.

"Okay, you guys go back and prepare, Yi Yongxiang stay."

Yi Yongxiang was a member of the team recruited by Xu Qingyun himself when he was in Nanjing. He was originally in Intelligence Group 4 and followed him to Wuhan and then to Shanghai.

When the fourth group was first established, all the members were Xu Qingyun’s direct descendants.

Yi Yongxiang is now the head of the training group of the Shanghai station. There are not many people in the training group and there is not much work at present. Yi Yongxiang once found Yan Ming and wanted to ask his old leader to help him transfer to another position. Even if he goes to the intelligence group as a soldier, it is better than staying in the training group and reading newspapers every day.

"Yongxiang, get ready. A group of people will be coming over soon. There will be 200 people in total. We will train 50 people each time for 15 days. The main training will be..."

Xu Qingyun arranged for Yi Yongxiang that once the Chen family arrived, Yi Yongxiang's leisurely days would be over.

In addition to the Chen family, Xu Qingyun will also train a group of people himself. The Shanghai War is about to begin, and he will train a group of people openly and secretly, and arrange them in advance to prepare for the fall of Shanghai.

Before coming to the Military Intelligence Department, Yi Yongxiang was an officer and often trained new recruits. He had training experience, so Xu Qingyun arranged him to be the training team leader.

"Stationmaster, rest assured, I will train them well."

Yi Yongxiang stood up straight and accepted the order. Xu Qingyun didn't know that Chen Changcun would go to Nanjing to report to the director.

Mr. Chen was not clear about what he gained specifically from his last trip to Xi'an. He only knew that Virgo was with him.

If you knew, you wouldn't have to spend this money.

Not to mention the Xi'an incident, even if there was no such thing, the Director would absolutely support Xu Qingyun in helping Mr. Chen. The Director himself asked him to build a good relationship with Mr. Chen so that Mr. Chen could help him speak to the old man at the critical moment.

"Your team should not do anything else for now. Prepare the training manual and give it to me for review."

The training will not only include the Chen family, but also their people in the future. Xu Qingyun is very confident in Yi Yongxiang, but his subordinates are all old people from the Shanghai station, so it depends on whether they are capable enough.

If it's not enough, change people.

"Yes, stationmaster."

Yi Yongxiang responded again, it seems that the webmaster attaches great importance to this matter, which is good, as it is better than doing nothing.

The training group is not large, there is no deputy team leader, and there are only seven people including him. Although small, it has all the necessary functions. They have a training base outside the city, which is not large and can only train fifty people at a time.

Previously, the Shanghai station did not require a large training ground.

In accordance with Xu Qingyun's request, Xu Fuzhong sent newspapers and placed advertisements in major newspapers.

He will transfer the advertising fees directly, and there are guarantees in various places so that their advertisements can be sent out first.

According to Xu Qingyun's request, the task of selecting the agent was given to Cassius, the general manager of the bank.

Cassius was British and had been recruited earlier.

Cassius was very serious about the job, he was treated well in Xu's firm with a high salary, and most importantly, working in the firm improved his status.

Before, Cassius was just a translator. After joining the company, he was appointed deputy manager, mainly helping them deal with some foreigners.

Because of this job, he got to know many senior officials of the Municipal Council.

With money and status, he cherishes this job very much.

Only one day after the advertisement was put out, many people came to Cassius. The advertisement from Shanghai appeared first, and the first people to come to him were also from Shanghai.

Including the Green Gang boss and some people with connections, all came to his office.

Cassius followed the boss's request and conducted a careful review. This time the recruitment of agents is very strict. Ordinary people are not qualified at all. If they cannot meet the standards, they would rather not have the job than give it to ordinary people.

"Boss, this is today's newspaper. Look at this advertisement."

At the Nanjing Army Officers School, a man with the rank of colonel hurried into an office.

"Sulfa is recruiting agents?"

General Zhang took the newspaper and was stunned when he saw the content of the advertisement.

General Zhang graduated from the Baoding Military Academy in his early years. He is a general that the old man trusts very much. He is currently the school's principal and has been promoted to lieutenant general and general.

The principal is an old man, and he certainly doesn't have time to manage the daily affairs of the school. In fact, all these things are done by General Zhang.

Although General Zhang did not lead troops, he fought very bravely when he led troops, and he was a rare good general in the Guo Party.

General Zhang led troops more than once, but each time he completed a mission, he would hand over his military power and return to school to teach.

The old man asked him to retain military power but he refused.

"That's right. Does this company have so many sulfonamides that it's recruiting agents everywhere?"

The person who came in was General Zhang’s secretary Lu Zhiheng, who had followed General Zhang for many years.

When he was in school, Lu Zhiheng was a secretary. When he joined the army, he became an adjutant and a subordinate that General Zhang trusted very much.

(End of this chapter)