Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 202 Collection
The next day, the Japanese informed him that the guards were in place and that they could depart, so Gu Yansheng went to pick up Minister Zhou.

Upon meeting, they exchanged pleasantries: "Minister, did you sleep well last night?"

"Haha, of course that's great!" Minister Zhou laughed as he got into the car.

We argued for half an hour last night. At first, I used the excuse that Japanese people like to entertain guests in geisha houses and that I had to go because the consulate invited me. I repeatedly assured them that I did not grope or touch any women and that I was just discussing business.

However, Yang Shuhui was shrewd enough to believe him temporarily, but she knew that his temporary trust was just a pretense. She would go upstairs to sleep and then demand that he pay her wages.

That's it, there really isn't a single drop left.

I'm just exhausted after a long day and have no energy.

Yang Shuhui was in her thirties, the prime of her life, and upon hearing this, her expression changed, and she immediately started throwing a tantrum.

Minister Zhou could only try to rouse himself, put on a stern face and say something like, "What nonsense are you thinking? You're so busy all day, how could you have time to find women?" He used his authority to intimidate them.

Then I went to my study to work.

I spent the whole night dozing in the study; it was so hard.

Minister Zhou asked, "Has the municipal government made any preparations for the reception?"

Gu Yansheng nodded. "After I came back yesterday, I spoke with Fu Xiao'an on the phone. He had already received a notification from the Japanese. I just confirmed it as well. The Secretary-General of the Municipal Government has already made the arrangements."

Minister Zhou was very satisfied. There were some things that hadn't been mentioned, but Gu Yansheng had already verified them. That showed his dedication.

"Okay, see you later."

They got into their respective cars and drove forward to meet up with Wang Ni's convoy. The group then headed to the municipal government.

A welcome banner was hung in front of the city hall.

Fu Xiao'an and Ling Xianwen led a group of officials to greet them.

"Welcome, Mr. Wang; welcome, Mr. Zhou."

Everyone exchanged a few pleasantries outside, the publicity department took some photos, and they toured the government offices, discussing both the peaceful founding of the nation and Shanghai's economy.

Fu Xiao'an praised Wang Jingwei's idea of ​​peaceful nation-building as a good one, while Wang Jingwei praised Shanghai for being well-managed under Fu Xiao'an's leadership. The two then had a pleasant and harmonious discussion.

Wang Ni asked directly, "Regarding the preparations for the new government, I wonder if Mayor Fu has any comments to make?"

Fu Xiao'an was also very direct: "I support Mr. Wang's plan for peaceful nation-building. As for Shanghai being brought under the new government, I, on behalf of the municipal government, can also make a decision without objection."

I do need to clarify the issues regarding rights and responsibilities.

The first power of personnel appointment and removal: Does the Shanghai municipal government still have the power to appoint and remove officials, such as department heads?

Regarding the second fiscal authority, Shanghai has been operating on a self-financing model for fiscal revenue and taxation for the past six months. Will the new government make any changes in this regard?

Third, Shanghai is an international metropolis where exchanges and frictions with various countries in the concessions occur daily. So, does the municipal government still have the autonomy to coordinate and communicate with these countries to make decisions?

Fourth, will the new government station troops in Shanghai after its establishment?
I hope Mr. Wang can answer these four questions for me.

Wang Ni was not prepared to give Fu Xiao'an an answer right now, because the answer would definitely be bad, and given his position, he was not suitable to be the negotiator; otherwise, there would be no room for maneuver.

So he smiled and said, "These questions show that Mayor Fu is extremely dedicated to his work. However, I'm not asking you about the municipal government, but about you personally. Do you have any aspirations for the position?"

Fu Xiao'an didn't need to think about it and chuckled, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Wang. I'm getting on in years. If I can serve as the mayor of SH for a few years and contribute to the city's economy, I'll have no regrets in this life."

Wang Ni smiled and said, "I understand Mayor Fu's feelings. Judging from the current situation in Shanghai, under your leadership, Shanghai is thriving. I think you are very suitable to be the mayor of Shanghai."

Wang Ni had given a verbal guarantee, and Fu Xiao'an smiled slightly, "It's nothing, thank you for the compliment, Mr. Wang."

The downside of being a leader is that you can't negotiate with others. Negotiation becomes meaningless; you can only give orders. So after looking around and asking the person in question about their basic alignment, you should go home.

Have lunch, take a nap and rest.

Let the real negotiators take the stage.

Small matters are discussed in large meetings, big matters in small meetings, and truly important matters are never discussed in meetings but are decided privately.

Minister Zhou, Gu Yansheng, Ling Xianwen, and Fu Xiao'an went directly to the office to talk.

Minister Zhou began, “SH City will exist as a municipality directly under the new government. The new government has a high regard for it, so the main personnel power of each bureau and department will be transferred to the NJ Municipal Government with the right to make suggestions. Nanjing will seriously consider the suggestions of the Municipal Government. As for the personnel power below, it can be decided by the Municipal Government and the bureaus themselves.”

"These people will definitely take away some personnel authority when they come," Fu Xiao'an thought to himself, "I have no objection to the general direction, but there are two points that I hope Mr. Zhou and Mr. Wang will consider."

First, the power of the Special Agent Headquarters must be reduced. Aside from investigating espionage and criminal activities, they should not interfere in other crimes. Shanghai's economy needs development; it cannot afford their meddling. Whether someone is in trouble or not rests with the municipal government.

“Okay.” Although the Special Agent Headquarters had agreed to join his command, it shouldn’t be a bad thing for the municipal government to be supervised by the Special Agent Headquarters. However, things need to be balanced. He didn’t want the Special Agent Headquarters to have too much power, after all, the Special Agent Headquarters had a Japanese backer.

Minister Zhou nodded in agreement, since Gu Yansheng's judicial office could still oversee the municipal government.

"What about the second one?"

"Secondly, I have the power to appoint the police chief. The Special Agent Headquarters is no longer under my jurisdiction. The situation in SH City is complicated. I cannot be without any military force to deal with emergencies. If a police station is only obeyed when ordered and not when commanded, then all the military force in SH City is not in my hands. If something happens and no one is there to solve it, what authority do I, as the mayor, have?"

Minister Zhou frowned slightly at this matter. The police station should rightfully belong to the future Ministry of Police Administration; if the bureau chief wasn't under their jurisdiction, it would be tantamount to the Shanghai Police Bureau being Fu Xiao'an's independent kingdom. After a moment's thought, Minister Zhou said, "The police station is also the police station of SH City. Why would the bureau chief deliberately disobey Mayor Fu's orders? Aren't you worrying too much?"

Fu Xiao'an was firm when necessary. "Mr. Zhou, I have to consider the extreme situation. Only when the police station is in my hands can I safely control the situation in Shanghai. My request is not excessive."

This was a difficult question to answer. Minister Zhou thought for a moment and said, "Let's put this matter aside for now and talk about something else. The municipal government can formulate the fiscal expenditure plan, which will be submitted to Nanjing for review. The tax collection authority will be returned to Nanjing, and the funds will be distributed as needed."

Fu Xiao'an shook his head: "At least 50% will be freely allocated by the municipal government, and 50% will be handed over to Nanjing. If the municipal government does not have enough, we will apply to Nanjing."

Why do you need to retain so much tax?

"Shanghai needs to have its own financial independence. If it asks Nanjing for everything, what will happen in the future?"

Minister Zhou pondered for a moment and said, "At most 30%, the tax revenue will be collected by people sent from Nanjing."

Fu Xiao'an shook his head: "If it's completed in Shanghai, Nanjing can send someone to supervise it."

Minister Zhou considered for a moment and said, "Okay, the next step is for the municipal government to contact the concession to handle matters, but if it involves major issues, it needs to be reported to Nanjing for a decision."

Fu Xiao'an had no objection to this, saying, "It's feasible."

Minister Zhou nodded. "The fourth point is that the army will definitely be stationed here. Our negotiations with the Japanese are about taking back control of the region from the Japanese. From now on, it will be a situation where Chinese people govern Chinese people."

Fu Xiao'an asked, "Can I intervene? Do I have the authority to allocate resources?"

Minister Zhou paused for a moment and said, "They are in charge of military affairs, protecting the security of Shanghai and the surrounding areas. In case of war, Nanjing will naturally give them orders. In case of no war, the Shanghai Special Agent Headquarters and the police station should be sufficient to maintain the security of Shanghai."

If needed, you can apply to Nanjing for its use.

Fu Xiao'an then went on to say, "The military can be stationed, but it cannot disturb the people. Civil and criminal cases are handled by the judicial department, the police have the power to arrest, and all military expenses are to be paid into the SH municipal government's account and deducted from taxes in advance."

Minister Zhou scoffed, "If all the money goes through you, does that mean the military is controlled by the municipal government?"

"I can't even mobilize a single soldier or police officer, isn't that inappropriate?" Fu Xiao'an asked with a smile.

Minister Zhou laughed, "What do you mean 'cannot be mobilized'? You can mobilize them if you want to. The police station can mobilize them at any time, and the Special Agent Headquarters can use them if it wants. It's just a matter of name. Even the military is just a matter of a phone call. Mayor Fu, aren't you exaggerating?"

"I need to control either the police station or the military. I just want the power to call upon them. Mr. Zhou, my request isn't excessive, is it? There's still the Military Police Headquarters and Japanese military camps in Shanghai. You don't need to worry about me rebelling. I just want something that's convenient to use. Doesn't that make sense?"

He really is a businessman; he doesn't suffer any loss. Minister Zhou thought for a moment and smiled, "Mayor Fu, I will report the issues and requests you raised to Mr. Wang and then give you a reply."

Fu Xiao'an smiled knowingly; that meant he had agreed to hand it over to the police station, only saying on the surface that the procedure needed to be followed by Mr. Wang.

"Alright, I'll wait for your and Mr. Wang's reply."

Minister Zhou nodded. "There's something I need Mayor Fu's help with."

"You said."

"Starting today, banners or slogans advocating peaceful nation-building will be posted throughout the entire city of SH to promote the idea of ​​peaceful nation-building and raise public awareness. As for the local newspapers, they will be placed under my jurisdiction."

It sounds easy, but upon closer inspection, it is actually quite challenging.

Fu Xiao'an frowned and said, "Mr. Zhou, does the whole territory you mentioned include the concessions? This request is not difficult for the city, but in the concessions, it may not be so easy to put up this slogan."

Minister Zhou just smiled and said, "I believe it won't be difficult for Mayor Fu. You are the pillar of Shanghai."

The police station has already been given the money; if they can't even handle this small matter, why should they take the police station's money?

Fu Xiao'an nodded, "Alright, I'll figure out a way to handle this. For Mr. Wang's cause of peace, I'm willing to risk my old bones and lose face."

Minister Zhou laughed heartily, "Thank you for your hard work, Mayor Fu. I look forward to your good news."

"Yes, I will roll it out as soon as possible."

"Okay, I'll discuss it with Mr. Wang and get back to you as soon as possible."

"Then I'll see you off."

We left the city government building.

Minister Zhou asked, "What is your opinion on Fu Xiao'an's demands?"

Gu Yansheng raised an eyebrow and said, "Looking at the issues together, the core issue is that we need a police station. That's not unreasonable, is it?"

Fu Xiao'an made a very good point: for other places, establishing a police station might involve force, or there might be ulterior motives and the risk of creating a state within a state. But for Shanghai, this problem does not exist.

I believe he wanted the police station purely for convenience when dealing with complex situations in Shanghai.

Gu Yansheng had to say nice things to help Fu Xiao'an preserve some of his methods. Local areas needed power to fight against Nanjing. Only when everyone was fighting each other would the situation be interesting.

Minister Zhou nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "Mr. Wang should have rested enough. Make a call, and we'll go to the Special Agent Headquarters."

"Ok."

Gu Yansheng made a phone call, and after the group regrouped, they set off again for the Special Agent Headquarters.

(End of this chapter)