Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 174 Commendation
After leaving No. 76, Gu Yansheng returned to the teahouse and called Chen Mo.

The first call didn't go through, so Gu Yansheng went to the foreign concession for a meal. An hour later, he made another call, and this time he got through.

"Hey, Mr. Chen, this is Gu Yansheng."

"Oh, Director Gu, hello, hello."

"How's it going with your shipment to Anhui? Why are you dragging your feet? When will it be done?"

"There's been progress. My brothers in Wuhu sent me a telegram saying they've almost wiped out the local forces. Director Gu, please be patient, this will work."

"Oh? Haha, I knew Mr. Chen was handling things properly. Did you encounter any trouble during the process?"

"There will definitely be trouble, after all, it's a drug business, but they're all minor troubles, nothing serious. The remaining individuals are still putting up a small-scale resistance, but they can all be eliminated in a few days."

"Okay, then come and report the details to me tomorrow."

"Okay, goodbye, Director Gu."

"Ah."

Gu Yansheng hung up the phone. As long as Chen Mo was alright, everything else could be handled. Judging from his tone, there hadn't been any major troubles, though there were some minor ones. Most likely, it was because Chen Mo knew about the trap Li Shiqun had planted at the hospital. It was just a difference in information, nothing serious.

Concession.

Wu Sibao led his action team in several groups to simultaneously launch arrest operations in the concession, targeting Chinese-owned banks from the time of the Nationalist government and newspapers that had written anti-Japanese reports.

At this point in time, not long after He Xingjian's death, almost all newspapers are gathering information about him in preparation for tomorrow's front-page headline.

The sudden entry of personnel from Unit 76 into the newspaper office, who vandalized, burned, and arrested people, threw the newspaper office into chaos.

At this time, the employees of the Chinese-owned banks had already finished get off work. They were either checking accounts and books inside the bank or going to the dormitories provided by the bank to eat and rest.

The group from No. 76 split into two groups and launched simultaneous attacks on the bank and dormitory, resulting in frequent violent incidents.

The following day, Shanghai newspapers published on their front pages the news of He Xingjian's execution in the street by the Military Intelligence Bureau for treason.

The scene of his death was captured by numerous reporters, and photos of him dying instantly from a gunshot wound to the head were clearly published.

The Iron-Blooded Assassination Squad, representing the Shanghai branch of the Military Intelligence Bureau, made a public statement, once again shocking everyone: this is the fate of those who dare to be traitors!

The concessions immediately applauded.

As for the incident yesterday where the No. 76 group stormed into the concession to arrest people, newspapers from various countries unsurprisingly vehemently condemned it, criticizing this act of disrupting the peace of the concession.

The consequence was that the No. 76 agents launched another attack, arresting all newspaper and media editors who cheered for Xingjian's death. Their names appeared at the end of the published articles, making it easy to track them down.

As for the harsh criticism from foreign newspapers, they simply ignore it; a few words of criticism are neither painful nor harmful.

This blatant act of defiance directly enraged major newspapers, and some newspaper staff were wrongly arrested, creating a sense of shared misfortune. As a result, protest marches resumed.

Several major newspapers also put pressure on the Municipal Council of the Concession, demanding that they negotiate with the municipal government to release the arrested personnel.

The teahouse and No. 76 were on the same street, and Gu Yansheng could frequently see No. 76's vehicles coming and going on the street.

A little while later, Chen Mo arrived, so they went out for a walk together.

Gu Yansheng laughed and said, "Not bad, that shot that killed He Xingjian yesterday was very accurate."

"I shot it." Chen Mo smiled, a hint of pride in his eyes. "How was it? Not bad, right?"

"You fired that shot?" Gu Yansheng was quite surprised. He had guessed that the final shot might have been fired by the Iron-Blooded Assassination Group, but he didn't expect it to be Chen Mo himself.

"I never knew you were such a sharpshooter."

"If I didn't have some skills, how could I be in this position?" Chen Mo laughed heartily.

"I couldn't get through to you when I called you yesterday. Were you being watched by the 76th Division?"

"No, I chose a location far enough from the Bell Tower. By the time they arrived, I was already gone." Chen Mo recounted what had happened yesterday. "I should have notified you before the operation, but things happened so suddenly. Director Dai kept urging me about He Xingjian's matter, and I suspect he urged the Shanghai district as well."

The people who started the fight at the dance hall entrance yesterday were from the Shanghai area.

The assassination attempt was truly awful. In their haste, they chose this brute-force approach, resulting in the loss of several lives instead of the intended kills. Fortunately, I had carefully chosen the location at the clock tower, allowing me to finish them off with a single shot. Otherwise, if the telegram had been sent back, they would have undoubtedly received a severe reprimand.

After the operation, I sent a telegram to Chongqing, including them in the message, essentially cleaning up their mess.

"You know how to handle people." Gu Yansheng nodded approvingly. After all, they were all going to stay in Shanghai, and things like vying for credit were particularly detrimental to the unity of the infiltrators behind enemy lines.

Chen Mo stopped in his tracks. "A telegram came from Chongqing, commending the execution of He Ni. All members of the team he led were promoted one rank, and you were promoted to lieutenant colonel and deputy team leader. Furthermore, for your meritorious service in killing the enemy, Director Dai specially applied to the President for a third-class Yunhui Medal for us as encouragement. He will personally award it to us after the war. Congratulations."

“It’s clearly a shared joy, thanks to Director Dai for his guidance.” Gu Yansheng was curious, “This matter actually has nothing to do with me. I just provided some photos. It’s mainly your credit.”

"How could it be unrelated?" Chen Mo chuckled. "I killed him with one shot in this matter, so I deserve the credit. But the first credit goes to you for providing the photo. And then, you were the one who provided me with the shooting environment. Without you fixing He Xingjian in that spot, how could I have found such a good shooting angle?"

"what?"

Gu Yansheng smiled in surprise. Yesterday, he was just interested in bulletproof vests, so he asked about them there.

Chen Mo explained, "To be honest, I've been observing that location of the clock tower for more than a day. Given He Xingjian's cautious nature, he doesn't spend much time outside, so he must be very wary of assassination attempts and his mind must be on edge."

I think it would be very difficult to kill him with one shot on the way from where he got out of the car to the entrance of the dance hall. It's only a few meters long, and there are so many men guarding the area. If I fail once, I won't have another chance.

However, he had just survived an assassination attempt yesterday, and the thing he had been hoping for had happened. People always relax after something is over, and their mental defenses are not so tight.

Secondly, your chatting outside and staying put provided me with excellent conditions to snipe him, so you are a key figure and your contribution is indispensable.

They have them in Shanghai, how could you not have them?

Alright, I'll just get a Cloud Banner Medal for free.

After all, Boss Dai was genuinely happy that the man was dead.

"Didn't they give you any money or anything?"

"That wasn't mentioned."

Still stingy.

Gu Yansheng joked, "The president already knows? That's great! Your name, Chen Mo, will definitely be mentioned by the president a lot more now."

Chen Mo chuckled, feeling a sense of smugness at the thought. He smiled and asked, "I heard there's a survivor in Li Shiqun's hands? Can this person speak?"

Gu Yansheng shook his head. "It's fake, a setup. Li Shiqun is very capable in this area; he can come up with these kinds of schemes and tricks with ease."

"It's fake." Chen Mo didn't expect this answer. "Luckily you were here, otherwise the Shanghai region might have gotten into trouble."

He thought for a moment, then frowned and asked, "How many people know about this?"

"Not many. Li Shiqun told me and He Xingjian about it at the time. The only people who knew about it were his men who took him to the hospital. That's about it."

“That makes things a bit tricky.” Chen Mo frowned. “The number of people who know about this is too small. It seems we can’t tell the Shanghai region about this.”

If it were stated that the Shanghai region did not go to rescue people...
In fact, the Shanghai district might not have gone to rescue people in the first place.

But if the Shanghai region is preparing to provide assistance, and they don't say so, then a loss will be incurred for nothing.

But if he were to reveal it, the question would arise about how he got the information. Chen Mo didn't trust the Shanghai region's ability to keep secrets. With their chaotic and disorganized fighting style, if a high-ranking official were arrested in the future, today's news could easily implicate Gu Yansheng.

Whether you say it or not, there are problems.

Gu Yansheng knew what he was worried about. "I thought about this problem for you yesterday. The Shanghai district needs to rescue people, but we need to investigate the hospital's situation first, which will take time."

So you go to rescue him first, but not directly to the ward; instead, you kidnap his attending physician.

Yesterday, the intelligence headquarters sent this person to the hospital, so there must have been a doctor and several nurses present. These are people who know that this person is dead.

The police would set up a tight net in the wards and inside the hospital, but they couldn't stop the doctors and nurses from going off duty.

Yesterday was the first day, and today is the second day. The Shanghai district's operation shouldn't be that quick. After the doctors or nurses have finished their shifts, kidnap one of them, interrogate him, and you'll find out the news. Then notify the Shanghai district that the person is dead.

"Doctors or nurses don't need to be released. Create a fake disappearance. If this person doesn't come to work tomorrow, the hospital and the 76th Division will become alert. Then you kidnap them to a location Li Shiqun can find, like their own home, and let Li Shiqun find them himself. The purpose is to tell Li Shiqun that they are the source of the leak, completing the whole loop and absolving them of any responsibility."

"Brilliant." Chen Mo smiled after a moment's thought. "Let Li Shiqun get the answer himself. Okay, I'll handle it later. Besides, I don't think we need to wait until tomorrow. After asking and making the call, I'll give the people at 76 a bomb and inform them. This will also prevent the people in the Shanghai area from taking action tonight and reduce the risk."

The 76th Division has been very active, arresting quite a few people in the concession. Let's return the favor.

"Hmm." Gu Yansheng raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Sure, it's good to remind you."

"Okay, I'll get right on it."

After Chen Mo left, Gu Yansheng returned to the teahouse to continue his research on porcelain.

To get started in this field, you really need a mentor to guide you, but it seems like all the people around me who know this are officials.

Fu Xiao'an should know a little, and Ling Xianwen should also know a bit about it.

However, Gu Yansheng was afraid that they were only half-baked and might lead him astray.

After thinking about it, I decided to call Ling Xianwen and ask him.

"Secretary-General, haha, it's me. Are you busy? I'd like to invite you for tea. Sure, I'll come over."

Gu Yansheng put the Ru kiln bowl into the box and was about to leave when Wu Sibao arrived.

"Why did you come here? Shouldn't you be very busy right now?" Gu Yansheng asked curiously.

"What's so busy about? Nothing is more important than being the dealer." Wu Sibao winked and smiled.

If Gu Yansheng were Li Shiqun, he would curse Wu Sibao too. He's got the Military Intelligence Bureau under his belt, but his mind is still on stocks. How can he do a good job?

However, Gu Yansheng is not Li Shiqun, so it doesn't matter; slacking off is not a crime.

"Tell me what's going on."

Wu Sibao sat down, unusually serious. "I've found out the background of Wing On Department Store. The owner's surname is Guo, and there are two brothers. The older brother is named Guo Quan, and the younger brother is named Guo Le. These two used to run a fruit market in Australia. They made some money and got some connections, so they came to Hong Kong to do business."

The Wing On Department Store in Shanghai opened in 7. According to information I found on the stock exchange, the first batch of shares issued at that time was priced at HK$250 million.

"Wow, that's quite impressive." Gu Yansheng raised an eyebrow. 250 million Hong Kong dollars, which is about 80 US dollars, is very valuable.

"now what?"

"2600."

"So many?" Gu Yansheng frowned. "Why is a department store worth so much?"

“They own more than just a department store. I only found out after doing some research that Wing On Department Store also owns a building, a hotel, an amusement park, and a bank.”

"A building, a bank, no wonder," Gu Yansheng nodded. "That's quite troublesome. Yong'an Department Store is much richer than we imagined, 2600 million, eight or nine million US dollars."

Wu Sibao laughed excitedly, "If we swallow it, we'll be rich, incredibly rich!"

Gu Yansheng rolled his eyes. "Aren't you afraid of overeating? Just look at how much money people have and how well they can live. You should know that things aren't that simple."

Wu Sibao scoffed, "What's there to be afraid of? As long as someone wants to make a living in Shanghai, even if they're a dragon, they'll have to kneel before me; even if they're a tiger, they'll have to lie low! In Shanghai, money can make you live a carefree life, but what good is money alone!"

This understanding is quite clear.

"I have a plan. I'll go to his place and talk to him first, and ask him to sell some shares to us. If he's willing to sell, I'll help him get rich. If he's not willing to sell, well, humph."
He also has a son, who's in charge now, and that son has another son. I'll kidnap his grandson and teach him a lesson, see if he'll behave himself then.

Gu Yansheng pondered the matter for a moment. Yong'an Department Store was definitely not that simple, but with the idea of ​​causing chaos in Shanghai, it wouldn't hurt to let Wu Sibao get involved.

"You can go and talk to them, let's try it out first, but don't be so extreme in your approach, we'll be cooperating in the future."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely try diplomacy first, then take action," Wu Sibao chuckled. "So, how many shares do you think we should buy initially? Enough to meet the requirements for manipulating the market?"

Gu Yansheng would never know; perhaps Lu Bowen would know.

However, not knowing can be treated as knowing.

"Half it is. If we take half, then we'll have the final say in the company."

Wu Sibao nodded, not seeing any problem. "Half of that is four or five million US dollars in market value. What do you think about us offering a 30% discount?"

Gu Yansheng was filled with respect. "You really dare to think of such things."

"Then go and talk to them."

(End of this chapter)