Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 124: Peace
That evening, Gu Yansheng received a call from Chen Mo.

"Director Gu, I agree to your idea of ​​organizing a small gang to conquer new territories, but I hope you can give me some preferential treatment on the terms." Chen Mo smiled humbly on the phone.

Gu Yansheng knew immediately that the person had been rescued.

Once the person is rescued, everything else will be much easier.

"I told you Mr. Chen is a hero who is willing to support the work of the municipal government. Since that's the case, let's talk in my office tomorrow. The municipal government will definitely treat its meritorious people well."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

The next day at noon, in the office of the Judicial Department.

Chen Mo was brought up by Liu Xiaolou.

"Director Gu."

"Sit down, Xiaolou, make some tea for Mr. Chen."

"Thank you, Miss Xiaolou."

After the person left, Gu Yansheng asked, "I thought you would come in the morning. What's wrong? Can't you get up?"

Gu Yansheng glanced at his wound, worried that it might become infected and affect his mental state.

Chen Mo glanced at his wound following the gaze, and smiled: "I'm fine, don't worry. Do I look like something's wrong? Tell me what's wrong."

The person is safe now. I came here at this time because I went to observe the reaction of the intelligence headquarters. The good news is that I bought the ticket, and as long as there are no obstacles, I can board the ship this afternoon.

The bad news is that Li Shiqun's people already know this person is missing. The informant he placed near the waiter's house told me that the people from the intelligence headquarters went to search the house this morning and also questioned the neighbors. The person has been exposed.

I specifically asked him to call and ask for leave, saying that my mother had fainted and hit her head, trying to stall for time, but I still couldn't hide it from Li Shiqun.

Gu Yansheng was not surprised. "We can only fool Li Shiqun for one night. No matter how we try to hide it, the fact that the waiter didn't go to work today is definitely a problem. Whether he asks for leave or not is also a problem."

Anyone who can run a hotel in Hongkou must have connections with the Japanese. With an explosion of this magnitude, a little thought will make one suspect there's something wrong with the leave request. At the very least, it should be verified. This matter can't withstand scrutiny.

“Now I’m worried that people won’t be able to get out this afternoon. Will Li Shiqun’s men at the dock be keeping an eye on them? It’s easy for this whole family to get on the ship, but if they’re discovered, the ship will definitely be intercepted at sea. I’m asking you, what do you think? Do you think it’s okay for them to get on?”

"Of course we can't go in. We finally managed to rescue them, and if they fall back in, they'll really die without a burial place, especially since it involves a whole family."

"So you're still hiding in the concession? But it's not easy to keep such a large family under control, and we also have to guard against Li Shiqun stealing people. We don't have enough manpower."

“I thought about this for you last night.” Gu Yansheng smiled. “Don’t worry, if we can’t get out, we can’t get out. Let them search if they want. As long as the person is rescued, there won’t be a big problem. I’ll recommend a place to you where people can hide safely.”

Chen Mo was surprised to see Gu Yansheng so calm. He didn't know where this calmness came from, and he was infected by Gu Yansheng's smile and smiled too.

"In Shanghai, with the Secret Service headquarters pressing us, is there a place where Tibetans are absolutely safe? I need to hear about that."

Gu Yansheng blinked, smiled, and said, "Sassoon Building."

Chen Mo instantly understood.

"Is it safe?" Gu Yansheng asked with a smile.

"It's too safe!" Chen Mo sighed in realization. "Even if we killed Sassoon, we wouldn't hand him over to Li Shiqun."

Gu Yansheng smiled and said, "Doesn't Chongqing have connections with Sassoon?"
Contact Chongqing and ask Director Dai to help him reach Sassoon. Tell him that the Japanese know he harbors great resentment, so they are not prepared to accept him and want to get rid of him. The Japanese have an inside source in Chongqing. As long as he helps hide people, Director Dai will find someone to tell him about any new policies or measures the Japanese may take against him.

Don't talk to a businessman about feelings; treat it like a business transaction. Arrange for two rooms for someone to stay in, send someone to deliver meals every day, and keep a low profile. Li Shiqun might not even know where you are.

When the time is right, let Sassoon handle it. He has British connections; arranging the ship's departure will be a piece of cake, and he'll take care of everything else for you.

“It’s perfect.” Chen Mo said with a smile, “That place has everything you need for eating, drinking, entertainment and accommodation. It’s just a bit expensive. Otherwise, I would want to stay there too. Just arrange two rooms. Maybe Sassoon could even call in the British Royal Marines to help them stand guard.”

Gu Yansheng thought for a moment and said, "It's not impossible for you to stay here. As long as this matter is settled, we will have a foundation for long-term cooperation. Sassoon will definitely want to get information from Chongqing. Even if business is not good in Shanghai, he can do business in the Kuomintang-controlled areas."

In this way, it wouldn't be impossible for everyone to unite and establish a smuggling route.

Once it expands, the Sassoon Building will become a safe haven for you in the International Settlement. Why don't you ask Director Dai to suggest to Sassoon that, in private, the Sassoon Building be renamed the Peace Hotel?

Go in, and there will be peace.

"Hahaha, that's a great suggestion!" Chen Mo never expected that this waiter could become a bridge between the Military Intelligence Bureau and Sassoon. The potential for expansion is too high. "Mr. Gu, your thinking is too broad."

As the old saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

"Famous sayings are always true."

Chen Mo is now relieved and not worried at all. As long as Sassoon can take over, there is plenty of time to slowly arrange the departure from Shanghai. If the people at the Special Agent Headquarters want to find him, let them find him.

"There's another matter. The people at the Special Agent Headquarters are still checking the hospitals in their jurisdiction. I guess some people in the Shanghai area were injured in yesterday's operation, and they were worried that they might not have enough medicine, so they sent a telegram to inquire. As a result, the new head of the Shanghai area asked me for medical expenses."

"How much do you want?" Gu Yansheng wanted to laugh.

"200 vials of Browning, 50,000 rounds of ammunition, 100 boxes of sulfonamides, 100 sets of imported medical equipment kits, plus five radios. I don't know how he could ask for this. Even slaughtering pigs wouldn't be done like this." Chen Mo laughed at himself.

“Doctors are highly skilled and their treatments are effective, so it’s understandable that they charge a bit more.” After a moment of reflection, Gu Yansheng said, “I reckon they’re having trouble getting their goods in right now, so they’re trying to get some supply channels from you, an old Shanghainese, and have you foot the bill.” Chen Mo knew this too, but the timing wasn’t right. “But the quantity is too large. It’s impossible to get that much stock in a short time, especially at this critical juncture. The Special Agent Headquarters must be very anxious to find us and are keeping a close eye on us. I do know some black market dealers, but you can’t trust their word.”

"Besides the Japanese, who else in Shanghai has this much stock?"

"The British, Russians, Americans, and some arms dealers definitely have this much stock. I don't know if they have this much. They can sell it to us or to the intelligence headquarters. Information is extremely profitable, even more so than arms."

Your concerns are valid.

"Besides, buying these goods costs a lot of money, and I can't afford it," Chen Mo added.

Gu Yansheng asked in surprise, "Didn't you just make a lot of money? You're broke already?"

“Those belong to Director Dai, not mine. They were taken back long ago.”

"Couldn't you have left some?"

"Can I keep it?"

"Alright." Gu Yansheng thought for a moment and said, "I think we should look at this from a different angle. Director Dai knows that you don't have the money. Either the Shanghai district or Chongqing should come up with the money."

I reckon you're not good at opening your mouth, but I'll give you an idea.

"Wasn't I tasking you with leading the expansion and development? The real problem in the Shanghai area is the difficulty in getting goods in. You can talk to Boss Dai and we can open a smuggling route for him, using the guise of drug trafficking to transport goods into Shanghai."

“I think this is a good idea.” Chen Mo’s eyes lit up. “I’ll make the arrangements, and we can even plant some Kuomintang agents in other areas to help us, saving me the trouble of running around myself.”

The key is that we don't have to pay for it ourselves. Once the line is set up, we can just have Boss Dai send the radio from Chongqing.

“That’s what we’ll do. If the Shanghai region needs them urgently, just buy some to tide them over. The Special Agent Headquarters has been cracking down hard lately, so without guns and ammunition, they’ll be more obedient. It’s good for them to stay out of the way.”

"Okay, I'll go and communicate with them."

Gu Yansheng didn't need to be the sucker who paid for it. There was no reason for him to pay for the money that had been made by Boss Dai. If the money was made too quickly, Boss Dai's desires would swell.

No, they just made a lot of money for Boss Dai, but they didn't even think to give the action team a little more reward. They're so stingy.

"By the way, what about the things we brought back? I need to take a look at their agreement; it's related to the future dynamics between Japan and Wang Jingwei." Gu Yansheng still needed to find out about this, and he could do it openly and honestly, since he was the strategist.

Chen Mo rummaged through his pockets and took out a few photos. "I knew you'd need them, so I kept a copy for you. I'll have someone transfer the film from Hong Kong to Nanjing today."

These are all photos; the text is very small, you need a magnifying glass to see it.

"That British ship, right?"

"Yes, that's perfect, I'll have the team members deliver it."

"Be careful, the Japanese might board the ship looking for that waiter."

"Don't worry, it's just a tiny piece of film. The staff have it. The team members themselves are fine. The Japanese are just looking for someone when they board. The British ship won't be too reckless; they won't even let you search them."

Gu Yansheng hummed in agreement. They had experience with this kind of thing, so they didn't need to worry about it; just reminding them was enough.

I glanced at it twice and then stopped, my eyes were getting tired. "I'll look at it later, you go and arrange the communication with Chongqing first."

"Okay, I'm off now."

In the afternoon, Gu Yansheng went to Shen's Clothing Shop to find Shen Linshen. There was still a customer picking out clothes. Gu Yansheng got out of the car and went inside after the customer left.

"Boss, I need some clothes made. Do you have this kind of fabric here?" he said, handing over a piece of cloth.

Shen Linshen touched the slightly stiff photo inside and laughed, "This material feels nice. I guess I need to touch it more to avoid touching the wrong one."

"My eyes are almost blinding from looking at this," Gu Yansheng complained.

"Is it really that bad? Come in and have some tea, please." Shen Linshen took the photo and went inside to look at it. The words were densely packed in the photo. "He's almost blind. Wait, let me get a magnifying glass."

He can take it as he pleases, but Gu Yansheng said, "I've already read the contents, so don't bother. You'll ruin the tailor's eyesight. There are four main points, I'll tell you."

First, Japan supported Wang Jingwei in establishing a new regime. The source of funding for the new regime was finally determined: the Boxer Indemnity signed by the Qing government, customs duties from the Japanese-occupied areas, drug profits from the Japanese-occupied areas, and some loans.

Secondly, it represented China's full recognition of the puppet state of Manchukuo. The Wang Jingwei regime needed to integrate the puppet governments in North China and Central China, which was equivalent to unifying the ideology in the Japanese-occupied areas, representing China and Japan in concluding an anti-communist agreement, suppressing anti-Japanese activities, and protecting the interests of Japanese nationals in China from infringement.

Third, Japan enjoys the right to permanently station troops in North China, Inner Mongolia, the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and Hainan Island, and legally controls strategic facilities such as railways and ports.

China should recognize the special privileges of Japanese companies operating in China and prioritize meeting Japan's needs for strategic materials.

Fourth, promote the theory of the East Asian Alliance and the idea of ​​Sino-Japanese co-prosperity among the people.

"Permanent garrison? He actually agreed to this kind of territorial concession?" Shen Linshen said incredulously, "Since ancient times, every dynasty can fall and be occupied, but those who voluntarily cede territory will be condemned to the pillar of shame, a shame that can never be washed away."

"To draw the knife and die quickly, to live up to one's youthful ideals—is this the kind of person who would assassinate Prince Regent Zaifeng?"

He's a vice-chairman, no less, and he has plenty to eat and wear. I really don't understand why he had to be a traitor.

(End of this chapter)