Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 200 Dean
Gu Yansheng sought out Hasegawa for this matter.

The Japanese are experts at this.

Privately, he said, "Mr. Hasegawa, Minister Zhou wants to go see some dancing to relax. It's just a few of us. Do you have any suitable places to recommend? The key is to keep it discreet so his wife doesn't find out."

This is a good thing. It proves that Gu Yansheng's status in Zhou's heart is rising. The key is that he can help with such small favors easily. Hasegawa immediately nodded.

“I’ll make the arrangements. When it’s almost time, just give me a signal, and I’ll take you out under the pretext of inviting Minister Zhou to the consulate for a meeting.”

"Ok."

Even the Japanese Consul General in Shanghai had to help him when he visited a brothel; he certainly made a grand entrance.

After thanking him, Gu Yansheng went to call Luo Junqiang.

I called for ages but no one answered. I wonder which woman he's with. Pudong's sex industry is booming these days, so this guy's basically self-produced and self-consumed.

Gu Yansheng called the Pudong Police Station.

"Hello? Pudong Police Station? This is Gu Yansheng. Tell your chief... which Gu Yansheng? Gu Yansheng from the Municipal Government!"

Hearing the lazy voice on the phone, Gu Yansheng got angry; the person was even playing mahjong.

The person on the other end of the phone asked the person next to him who Gu Yansheng was, and immediately there was a loud crashing sound of chairs falling to the ground.

The sound is much normal now.

"Hello, sir!"

"Tell your director that I don't care what methods he uses, find Luo Junqiang immediately and tell him to get to the Navy Club in Hongkou as quickly as possible. He won't wait for you if he doesn't."

Gu Yansheng slammed down the phone.

He doesn't even recognize his superiors; he's just coasting along with no future.

Luo Junqiang's journey from Pudong took a considerable amount of time, not counting the time it took the police station to contact others.

Once Hasegawa's side is ready, Gu Yansheng will first inform Minister Zhou so that he can decide whether or not to wait.

We've been adrift at sea for so long, are we still waiting?

Half an hour later, Minister Zhou asked Gu Yansheng if Luo Junqiang had arrived.

Isn't this a rhetorical question?
Of course, he didn't come.

"Then let's head over there first," Minister Zhou said.

"Ok."

Gu Yansheng gave Chang Gu a hand signal, and Chang Gu immediately cooperated, sincerely inviting Minister Zhou to visit the consulate.

"Then I'll reluctantly go for another stroll," Minister Zhou accepted the invitation and left.

Gu Yansheng asked Chang Gu to leave someone here, just in case Luo Junqiang came over and needed to act as a guide.

Geisha ballroom.

Hasegawa had everything arranged perfectly. Inside the spacious private room, a dance troupe of six Japanese geishas performed for the two of them, and their service was impeccable.

As for the women's appearances, it was hard to see clearly. Japanese geishas like to apply a lot of powder to their faces, with pink and white paired with red lips. This is the standard of beauty in the geisha industry, which Gu Yansheng could not appreciate.

However, Minister Zhou watched with great interest. Exotic customs are something you can try all sorts of approaches to; how could you get tired of them? This is called respecting other cultures and is a model of Sino-Japanese friendship.

The Japanese man tactfully excused himself after a short while.

Gu Yansheng and Minister Zhou chatted about exotic customs, but it was mainly Minister Zhou who did the talking, reminiscing about his wonderful years studying in Japan.

In his words, he also mentioned that one night he returned from a geisha house, got drunk, and fell asleep on the roadside not far from his dormitory. He vaguely remembered that a beautiful woman helped him back, but when he woke up, he couldn't remember who the woman was. He couldn't forget about it and felt quite regretful.

Gu Yansheng was deeply impressed that Minister Zhou had such an early experience of being picked up by corpses.

As they were chatting, the sliding door opened, and Luo Junqiang arrived.

"Oh, you have the nerve to come here, Dean Luo?" Minister Zhou put down his wine glass and mocked.

"What dean?" Luo Junqiang chuckled, not understanding what he meant, and walked in blankly. "Minister, I didn't know you were here. I rushed over as soon as I got the call, drove to the shore, got a speedboat, and didn't dare to waste a minute."

"Alright, you're late and you still have the nerve to complain? Sit down quickly." Minister Zhou was watching the hot dance segment, his eyes glued to it for not a minute. "Yes, yes." Luo Junqiang nodded to Gu Yansheng, sat down, and glanced at the woman on stage. Although she had an exotic look, he was immune to it now; he'd seen plenty of that lately.

I'm more concerned about what Minister Zhou just said.

So he asked, "Minister, you just called me Dean Luo, what dean?"

When the Wang Jingwei government was established, it had several "academies" within its organization, such as the Control Yuan and the Executive Yuan.

Luo Junqiang's heart was beating a little fast. Could there be a change in personnel appointments?
Minister Zhou looked away from him and said, "The director of a brothel! Didn't you own a bunch of brothels in Pudong? What else could you be but the director of a brothel?"

Luo Junqiang's smile vanished instantly. He instinctively felt that Gu Yansheng must have said something bad about him, and he said urgently, "Minister, I only did this because the Japanese asked me to do it."

"Did the Japanese tell you to run brothels?" Minister Zhou put down his wine glass and scolded, "Why is it that Yansheng is thinking about developing industry, but you're thinking about running brothels?"

Luo Junqiang said with difficulty, "Well, there's nothing I can do about it. The Japanese are demanding that we improve our economy, or they'll force us to step down. Pudong doesn't have much of an industrial base, and I'm not familiar with Shanghai, nor do I have the connections of Director Gu to recruit factories."

"You have no connections to run a factory, so you're thinking of running a brothel?" Minister Zhou raised his voice and shouted, "You do whatever the Japanese tell you to do? Are you working for the Japanese or for us?"

Even if we don't do this, even if our economy ranks last, and the Japanese are unhappy, so what?
"Don't tell me you were sent by me. The Japanese can't dismiss you. And even if they did, so what? You won't have a place in the new government, will you?"

Luo Junqiang hadn't expected this, and said, "I just wanted to do something and show off, and I did improve the economy, and the amount was quite large. It's just that I don't dare to hand it over now, for fear of causing you trouble."

"Performance? You're making a fool of yourself!" Minister Zhou slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Do you even know who you represent? You're my spokesperson in Shanghai!"
You were a secretary in the Attendant's Office, and a confidant of mine, Zhou. You opened brothels in Pudong as soon as you came to Shanghai. If this gets out, do you think more people will praise you?

The more popular you are, the more ridiculed you become!
"You want to boost the economy? What would I send you to the city government for?"

Minister Zhou tapped the table, exasperated by his son's lack of ambition. "I clearly told you that the key to making you the deputy mayor was the Economic Department, the economy! Money! Bank money, not prostitutes' money!"
Shanghai is an international financial center; how much capital flows through East Asia here?
Banks were everywhere in the concessions, and cargo ships on the Huangpu River never stopped.

What are the three most important things for a government?
Military power, financial power, and personnel power!
Are you in charge of the military, or are you capable of handling personnel matters for several merged governments?
I'm giving you the best position in terms of financial power. All you have to do is take the lead and control the personnel and administration of the municipal government's affiliated bank, and hold this capital in your own hands. By using the name of the municipal government, you can establish a connection with the concession bank. This is equivalent to putting the future central bank's financial lifeline and the concession's connections in your own hands!

From now on, who won't be at your beck and call?

Even if he doesn't become the Minister or Vice Minister of Finance, he's at least guaranteed a position as the Governor of the Central Bank, right?

And you, what are you doing? Running a brothel?

"Is the minister not enough to satisfy your appetite, so you want to add a geisha house to the government structure, turning five houses into six, so you can also get the title of director?"

"Stop scolding me, stop scolding me," Luo Junqiang said, bowing his head and admitting his mistake. "Minister, I was wrong. I was blinded by the Japanese and shouldn't have cared about Pudong's economy."

I thought you told me back then that with the establishment of the new government, I wanted to stay and work for the municipal government, so I thought I should do more to boost the economy and also cultivate good relationships with various factions in Shanghai.”

“That’s true, but the situation has changed.” Minister Zhou’s voice softened. “Shanghai is a city that Central China absolutely cannot give up. We have just arrived in Shanghai to prepare for the new government, and we need someone to enter the government and take control of it. Otherwise, the result will be that government orders will not be implemented.”

During this period, the then Deputy Mayor Su Xiwen fled, leaving behind the Economic Department, and the Japanese military scrip suffered destruction. This was a very good opportunity to start from the economy, so I sent you there at that time to collect the supplies needed by the army and prepare for the establishment of the SH Municipal Bank.

With money in one hand and an army in the other, you'll be prepared for both. If you can get either one, your trip won't be in vain. You'll be able to stand firm in Shanghai and have a powerful voice.

The orders from Nanjing were carried out smoothly and effectively.

But didn't the situation change later? Yan Sheng joined in.

If he is willing to work for the new government, then with his foundation in Shanghai and his network of connections, your position will not necessarily be limited to that of a deputy mayor.
Is there room for further improvement?

If you could become a vice minister or minister, what, do you think I'd hold you back? Everyone knows you're one of my people. Until the final appointment is confirmed, who knows what the final result will be?

Luo Junqiang lowered his head and muttered, "Well, I really didn't think that much about it. I'm not very smart. I just thought of myself as your dog. I did whatever you told me to do, and I bit whoever you told me to bite. I just followed orders and didn't think that much about it."

These words almost made Gu Yansheng spit out his drink. Such a shocking statement, such a shameless remark, and it was said right in front of him, Gu Yansheng, without any regard for his own reputation. No wonder he was able to rise to the top.

Minister Zhou frowned, genuinely annoyed; his abilities were truly mediocre.

However, when choosing trusted subordinates, ability is never the most important factor; loyalty must always come first.

Luo Junqiang has no problems in this area, that's why he told him so much.

"Alright, what's done is done. It's not too late to start over. With Yansheng here, we can always get ahead of Chen Bijun. Come on, let's have a drink."

Minister Zhou raised his glass and clinked it with his as a gesture of consolation, took a sip of wine, let out a long sigh, and asked, "Does the Economic Department have a grasp of the situation with the municipal banks? How is it going?"

After finishing his drink, Luo Junqiang replied, "The current situation of these two departments is basically the same as it was some time ago. Due to the failure of the Japanese military currency, the Economic Department is basically in a semi-functional state."

Because legal tender is currently circulating in the market, municipal banks have no problem with basic capital operations. However, public trust in them is low, resulting in consistently low deposit rates and consequently, a lack of loans. This is also related to Shanghai's economic situation; residents don't have much money, so their business volume is small.

(End of this chapter)