Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 138 Flour
Generally speaking, Gu Yansheng is a very kind person who doesn't cause trouble.

Let them forcibly conscript; it's none of their business. They can conscript however they want, because the outcome won't change—they definitely won't succeed. Just watch the show.

But now that he has to do the work, you can't blame him for being unfriendly.

After leaving Luo Junqiang's office, Gu Yansheng had to go to Ling Xianwen's office.

The reputation of the judicial office is not worth it, but he is a member of the consulate faction. Since he knows that something will happen in Shanghai, he still needs to inform Hasegawa, otherwise wouldn't the reaction be too slow?

"Secretary-General, I was conscripted by Vice Mayor Luo."

"What does he want with your judicial department?"

Ling Xianwen walked out curiously and gestured for Gu Yansheng to sit down on the sofa.

Gu Yansheng plopped down and, smiling, recounted what had happened in Luo Junqiang's office.

"According to him, the Industry and Commerce Section of the Finance Bureau will produce a list of businesses, Lu Ying will be in charge of coordinating public security, and I will be in charge of legal provisions. That's roughly how we'll form a joint begging team. We'll discuss the specifics again tonight. He said he'll treat us to dinner tonight to finalize the details."

"Why should he order you around?"

Ling Xianwen didn't care whether the matter could be accomplished or not. He frowned and shouted angrily, "You want to be a prostitute but also want to have a memorial arch? If he wants to steal, he can just steal it. No one is stopping him. Why should your judicial department bear the blame?"

Why did you agree to his request? You should have just replied.

How should I reply?

Gu Yansheng shook his head helplessly and said, "The person is Minister Zhou's man, and the matter is something the Military Police Command wants to handle. If I refuse outright, and then they whisper something in my ear, won't I offend someone again?"
"I can let Minister Zhou's side be, but what about the Military Police Headquarters? Secretary-General, didn't you say that with the new commander here, we shouldn't let things escalate like they did with Iwasa? Offering help and failing to get it done is one thing, but shirking responsibility and not helping are two different things, aren't they?"

What he said made sense, but Ling Xianwen still frowned. "That makes sense, but I'm not optimistic about the final outcome. This is bound to cause trouble."

"I think so too, but I can't refuse."

Ling Xianwen clicked his tongue, "What a troublesome matter."

Originally, we were just sitting back and watching the tigers fight, but now our own people have been dragged into the fray, which is really upsetting.

Gu Yansheng smiled dismissively and comforted him, "Secretary-General, to be honest, it's better to have a short pain than a long one. If he's capable, and he stays, and he really becomes the next Sheng Wenyi, wouldn't it be better to leave sooner rather than later?"

“What you said makes sense.” Ling Xianwen thought for a moment, then looked at Gu Yansheng and smiled slightly. “Since he’s dragged you into this, you should find a way to help him finish this quickly so he can leave sooner. Shanghai can’t tolerate such a big shot.”

Gu Yansheng chuckled lightly: "That's what I think too, but Mr. Hasegawa will inevitably get a few questions from the media."

"It's alright, what else can we do? It's not the first or second time, we're used to it. We're the ones caught in the middle, it's the hardest job. We're supposed to be doing supervisory work, but the current situation is that the military is tough, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants us to supervise. How can we supervise? We need someone to listen to us."

After Ling Xianwen finished speaking, he got up and went to make a phone call: "I still need to say something about this."

"Hello, Mr. Hase, this is Ling Xianwen."

After exchanging a few words, Ling Xianwen hummed in agreement, "Okay."

After hanging up the phone, he said to Gu Yansheng, "Mr. Hasegawa wants us to come over."

Without further ado, we drove to the consulate.

Hasegawa Jinkawa is already waiting.

"Mr. Hase."

Hasegawa frowned and said, "Shanghai has only just calmed down. Do you think it's possible to requisition enough military rations and cotton yarn for 50 people?"

Ling Xianwen shook his head: "No, Mr. Chang Gu, you know the current situation in Shanghai. It's only been a little over a year since the war ended. The foundation is too weak. Industry hasn't recovered, and commerce is just average. 50 military supplies is really not something Shanghai can handle at this stage. If we force it, there will inevitably be unrest."

Hasegawa looked at Gu Yansheng.

Gu Yansheng said, "I agree with the Secretary-General's view. It is very difficult. But Mr. Hasegawa, I have to say that the establishment of the Wang Jingwei regime is, after all, Japan's national policy. They will rule the whole country in the future. If I refuse to help, I will be in a difficult position with both the Military Police Headquarters and the Wang Jingwei faction."

“I understand your difficulties.” Hasegawa was still reasonable, but his expression was displeased. “The main problem with this matter lies in the shortsightedness of the Military Police Headquarters.”

The military personnel are only interested in getting what they need, completely disregarding the serious consequences; they're utterly foolish.

Hasegawa cursed and said, "I called you here today for two things."

First, once the Nanjing government is established, the superior authority will no longer be the Shanghai Military Police Command, but the Nanjing government. Both of you are people I have my eye on, and I hope that one of you can go to Nanjing and enter the core of the Wang Jingwei faction.”

Ling Xianwen and Gu Yansheng were taken aback by these words and exchanged a glance.

Ling Xianwen said, "Mr. Chang Gu, as far as I know, the core personnel of the Wang faction should be determined through consultation between the Wang faction and the military represented by Ying Zuo. They probably won't give us people a chance."

Hasegawa nodded: "I know that, but precisely because of that, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the necessity and absolutely the necessity to supervise their actions and must not allow them to act recklessly."

You need to find a way to get into the core of the Wang faction.

"And the second thing?" Gu Yansheng asked.

"The second thing," Hasegawa paused, "is to completely thwart the military's plan, and then you will carry it out."

This was yet another completely unexpected statement. Ling Xianwen asked, puzzled, "Mr. Chang Gu, there's actually a high probability of failure. But what step would you consider a complete failure?"

Hasegawa made no attempt to hide his true intentions: "If we push ourselves to the brink, everyone in Shanghai will want to kill us."

"Why? Can you tell us?" Ling Xianwen pressed.

Hasegawa said unhappily, "The military's ability to handle economic matters is too poor, and they are a group of people who are particularly prone to arrogance. I need to use failure to make them wake up and put Shanghai's economic development in our hands."

Sometimes, failure can lead us to success.

The reasons for this are complex, and you don't need to worry about them. You just need to do this, and that will be enough.

But I want to remind you, I know it's not difficult to make them fail. What I want is the ultimate success after that failure, a success firmly in your hands. Can you do that?

This is no easy task. Ling Xianwen remained silent for a moment. The supplies for 50 people are no joke. If you can do it, you can do it; if you can't, no amount of talking will change anything.

"Can't do it?" Hasegawa looked at the two of them.

“This…” Ling Xianwen hesitated. “Mr. Chang Gu, as I just explained, it is indeed very difficult to accomplish, almost impossible.”

"Where is Mr. Gu?" Hasegawa asked, glancing at him.

Gu Yansheng hadn't originally intended to accomplish this, but now he really had to think about whether there was a way to handle it.

Working for the Japanese is simple: you have to be useful. "Mr. Hase, give me some time, I'll think about it and get back to you."

After leaving the consulate, Ling Xianwen frowned and asked, "Do you think it's possible to get 50 in military supplies from the current 300 million people in Shanghai? You should have refused directly; you shouldn't have given him hope."

"Don't rush, Secretary-General, let me think about it." Gu Yansheng really needs to think this over carefully.

Ling Xianwen's eyes widened: "You really think that's possible?"

"Why not?"

Back at the judicial office, Gu Yansheng called Lu Bowen, needing to inquire about the cotton yarn matter.

The cotton yarn and grain that Wang's faction wants now—surprisingly, some of them actually know the market.

However, the person who answered the phone at Lu Bowen Flour Mill told him that the factory manager was away on a business trip, so Gu Yansheng contacted He Yun instead. He originally wanted to have coffee, but then thought it would be better to go to the factory for an inspection.

The flour mill was built along the Suzhou River, taking advantage of the river's water transport to facilitate the movement of goods.

Lu Bowen's flour mill was located in Zhabei, and Gu Yansheng's car arrived as soon as it did.

He Yun was already waiting to welcome them at the factory gate. There were quite a few people there, probably including several managers.

The flour mill was a good place to feed people, and with plenty of food, He Yun looked healthier than before.

"Welcome, Director Gu, for your inspection."

"I'm just looking around." Since there were other people present, Gu Yansheng kept his distance.

"Where is your factory manager, Mr. Lu?"

"I went to Jiangsu to discuss business." He Yun smiled and led the way: "Director Gu, please come in. The wheat in Jiangsu and Anhui is winter wheat, which is sown in winter and harvested in summer, around May or June."

This procurement is the most important, as it will probably account for 50-60% of our flour mill's annual needs. Therefore, our factory manager, Mr. Lu, took advantage of the current off-season to go to the production area to negotiate.

Don't the Japanese strictly control the amount of wheat they import? If they cultivate relationships, they can import more, and thus increase their profits.

He Yun chuckled shyly, "There are always some scattered farmers in the area who are not under Japanese control, so we can buy their rice. We'll take any that come our way."

"Oh~" Gu Yansheng nodded and gestured to the people following him: "Let them go to work, you just accompany me for a walk."

"Yes." He Yun instructed her subordinates to get to work.

The subordinates were reluctant to leave, still wanting to give up such a close opportunity to be with the important person.

Gu Yansheng and the others walked over and asked, "Is the wheat here harvested only once a year?"

"That's right. Wheat seeds are sown in November to overwinter, and harvested in May or June of the following year. After that, rice is sown, and then harvested in November. This way, the land won't be left empty. Local farmers will cultivate rice seedlings in advance, and after the wheat is harvested, the cultivated rice seedlings can be transplanted over."

“Going into manufacturing makes a difference; you know a lot more now,” Gu Yansheng joked with a smile.

He Yun smiled and said, "You have to love what you do. How can you do it if you don't understand it? Please come in. Here, this is our production plant. Take a sniff, doesn't it smell good?"

"It smells good, why would I need to smell it here? I can smell it right at the door."

The flour mill has a unique aroma in the air. This is because various volatile substances contained in wheat grains are ground out, forming a wheat fragrance that smells very pleasant.

"After receiving your call, I asked the kitchen to prepare something for you. Try our flour, come on."

He Yun took Gu Yansheng to the office and had someone bring over a plate of steamed buns and some pickled vegetables.

"Try?"

"Try it."

Gu Yansheng picked up a steamed bun, tore off a piece, chewed it, and said with great emotion, "This is much tastier than the steamed buns in the municipal government canteen."

“That’s right, how many of the steamed buns sold outside are like this? This is made from the best wheat.” He Yun said proudly, smiling, “Take some back with you when you go back.”

"Of course we have to take some back. This is even better than what my housekeeper bought. We'll give you the opportunity to have it exclusively for you in the future."

"Sit down and have something to eat."

"it is good."

Gu Yansheng sat down and said while eating, "I came here today to ask if you know anything about the rice and grain industry in Shanghai, and what the actual situation is now?"

The municipal government will never have as much information as those who do the work themselves.

"The rice and grain industry? That depends on which part you want to know about. We're pretty good at this."

He Yun was an accountant and knew the situation well. "Originally, the person who transferred the business didn't explain it clearly. Although the accounts showed a monthly income of 15,000 silver dollars, in reality, the police, the Green Gang, and some scattered officials would also come to take advantage of the situation."

For example, the police were charged a "security management fee" of 1000 silver dollars a month. The Green Gang charged 800 silver dollars a month for "protection money." And then there were the officials, who were much more ruthless, taking bribes from several departments. So the actual profit was far less than that.

However, our factory is different. Bowen secretly told them that this factory has powerful backers, and after that, they stopped coming.

"Thanks to you, no one dares to come and eat and drink for free."

"They wouldn't dare to provoke me even if they had a few more lives." Gu Yansheng wasn't surprised by this. As the director of the judicial department, if someone were to be extorted, he would be laughed at by everyone.

"What about the other factories?"

"The future of other people is uncertain, it depends on their network of connections. The rice industry is now under a Rice Industry Coordination Committee, which was established by the Japanese, and several major businessmen are members."

The main coordination involved determining how much grain each person could buy in their place of origin based on their connections, how much of it would be produced in Shanghai, and how much would be handed over to the Japanese.

Another issue is electricity. Shanghai is currently experiencing a severe power shortage for production, with frequent power outages. For manufacturers that deliver military rations in a timely and accurate manner, the committee will notify them of the time of each power outage and the time of each power restoration.

If he doesn't pay, then I'm sorry, the committee will just cut off his electricity.

Gu Yansheng nodded as he listened. Electricity, that was indeed a point that could be utilized.

He Yun continued, "As for the factory's profits, it depends on the size of the factory. Basically, every factory that can open has connections behind it. The difference is the size of those connections. Let's not talk about Japanese-owned factories; they mainly produce military rations."

"Small factories like ours, whether Chinese-owned or foreign-owned, just barely make ends meet. Medium-sized factories like ours can still earn a profit of ten thousand silver dollars a month. Larger factories earn even more, around thirty to fifty thousand silver dollars a month."

Gu Yansheng grunted in agreement and asked directly, "What if I were to forcibly requisition military rations for 50 people from businesses large and small in Shanghai? Do you think that's possible?"

(End of this chapter)