Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 211 Situation

Mr. Wang

"go out!"

Mr. Wang

"roll!"

When Wang Ni was betrayed, his anger was palpable, and the vice president's authority instantly emerged, which was indeed quite imposing.

Peace talks are a major event. As long as the military doesn't order the abandonment of peace talks and the extermination of these people, none of the Japanese present dare to offend the traitor Wang Jingwei.

Even a major general like Miura Jiro could only endure the insult, bowing and saying, "Please calm down, we will come to visit again later."

After the Japanese retreated, Wang Ni let out a long sigh, his face still somber.

He didn't speak, but his subordinates had something to say.

With the family members here, everyone heard what Wang and the Japanese said. Now that the Japanese are changing their minds and the future is uncertain, there will inevitably be some discussion and some cursing.

"These Japanese have absolutely no integrity!"

"Those Japanese devils are really no good!"

"What's the use of cursing? The right thing to do is to think about what to do next. What if the Japanese negotiate with Chiang Kai-shek and succeed? What will we do then? Won't we be dragged away and executed by Chiang Kai-shek?"

"How could there be any peace talks? Mr. Wang said it himself: Chiang Kai-shek's personality makes it impossible for him to negotiate with the Japanese."

"That's what they say. You all know how treacherous, cunning, and ruthless Chiang Kai-shek is. If I were Chiang Kai-shek, I would tell the Japanese to kill a few of Wang Jingwei's men as a sign of sincerity, and then sit down at the negotiating table to talk. Whether we can reach an agreement or not is another matter. If you were the Japanese, would you be willing to give it a try?"

For Chiang Kai-shek, wouldn't watching the Japanese kill us bring him great pleasure?

These words terrified the group, and the women chattered amongst themselves, expressing their unease.

"Then we shouldn't have come to Shanghai. Let's leave. Our lives are in other people's hands now. Whether we live or die isn't up to them to decide."

"Yeah, let's leave the concessions. We're doing alright in the British and American concessions now, but if we go back to the Japanese-occupied area, won't the Japanese just detain us and not let us leave?"

"That's too frightening. The Japanese wouldn't do that. Mr. Wang's status is what it is. Historically, no one has ever dared to kill a peace negotiator of this rank. Look at Chiang Kai-shek, he didn't like the Communists, but Zhou Enlai was still working at No. 50 Zengjiayan, wasn't he?"

"Then they cooperated with the Communist Party, we are different."

"Shut up, all of you!" Minister Zhou suddenly roared, his fierce eyes sweeping over the crowd. "This is a hospital, not a theater. If you want to be a gossip, go home!"

They know nothing but complain. Did you understand what Mr. Wang was saying to the Japanese? This was negotiation! This was a game of strategy!
Do you think we are the weaker party?

Mr. Wang made it clear to the other party that Chiang Kai-shek would never sincerely negotiate with them!

If the Japanese still can't see this point, we'll leave. They won't even have a plan to use Chinese against Chinese anymore, and they'll end up losing on both ends!
This is putting pressure on the Japanese!

You don't even understand who has the upper hand. And you think the Japanese killed you? People like you would wet themselves if you were just intimidated at the negotiating table. They would eat you alive, leaving not even bones!
waste!

idiot!

"What are you looking at, you gossip!"

He could scold his subordinates with one sentence and a woman with the other.

Minister Zhou's authority was even greater, and the woman didn't dare to utter a word in response.

With just a few words, he calmed the chaotic and uneasy atmosphere down.

"Don't stay here anymore. I'm annoyed just looking at you. Anyone without injured family members, leave! Anyone with injured family members, leave only one person and the rest of you! Mo Cun, pay more attention to the guards."

Ding Mocun replied, "Okay, leave it to me."

"Then where do we go?" a woman asked.

Minister Zhou glared at him, "Go back to your own homes! Didn't we already buy you houses? Do you even need to ask?"

"But there was just a gunfight over there where people died. Would it be okay to stay in a hotel?"

"They're all your colleagues and relatives, are you afraid of ghosts? Besides, they didn't die in your house!"
"Stay wherever you like, it's up to you. Pay for your own accommodation and hire your own guards! If the Military Intelligence Bureau comes knocking and you die, don't blame anyone, Madam Wang."

"Ah."

"Thank you for your help. We'll watch over things here."

Minister Zhou didn't give her any extra glances, and Chen Bijun understood that she was needed to take the lead and reassure people at this time.

She was very bold. "Okay, leave it to me. Come on, go back."

With Madam Wang taking the lead, the crowd began to disperse, and the scene quickly quieted down, bringing the situation under control.

"Sit down for a while."

Minister Zhou patted Wang on the back.

"I'm not sitting anymore." Wang Ni took a few steps forward, away from the crowd, and stood with his hands behind his back.

He frowned and asked Minister Zhou, "What do you think of the Japanese perspective?"

It's just a few deaths. Let alone the families of his subordinates, even his own family members, at this point in time, they still have to continue doing what they were doing.

The important thing is still negotiation.

Minister Zhou said, "The Japanese are just being foolish. Although Japan's military strength currently overwhelms Chongqing, their advance is not as fast as they imagine."

The slow progress in military operations has led to political instability in their country. The resignation of Konoe is enough to illustrate that the Japanese are now riddled with internal contradictions, and their economy is in a complete mess.

It's not surprising that they came up with the idea of ​​negotiating with Chiang Kai-shek, hoping that he could reach an agreement with them. If they could actually reach an agreement, all their troops could be freed up from the Chinese battlefield and set their sights on other islands in East Asia to develop the economy. That would indeed be much faster than negotiating with us.

But this is nothing more than the unrealistic expectations of some naive people regarding the uncertainty of the future.

He was just like Sugiyama Gen, the Japanese Army Minister who proposed conquering China in three months: arrogant, eager for quick results, and impatient to see the outcome.

I believe that those who make this claim are politically naive. The Japanese military, relying on its advanced weaponry and industry, did indeed overwhelm China in terms of military capabilities.

But when it comes to politics, those people in the Japanese military aren't even fit to carry the shoes of the Chinese; they're incredibly stupid.

This plan is doomed to fail. In the end, he'll have to beg us for help. He can't do without us; he has to use Chinese against Chinese." Wang Ni chuckled and nodded. On this point, he and Minister Zhou were in complete agreement.

This conclusion is based on an understanding of Chiang Kai-shek and the situation in Chongqing.

"How do you think the Japanese will react next?"

"Just wait. Since they're bound to lose, let them do it. What's there for us to panic about? Let's stay in Shanghai and have some fun, just like taking a vacation."

“We’re fine, but look at those people just now. They were making a complete fool of themselves and were terrified.” Wang Ni glanced at them coldly.

Minister Zhou sneered, "They were frightened by the Japanese theory of Chongqing's collapse; their mentality is truly terrible."

After thinking for a moment, he whispered, "Perfect, let's take this opportunity to see how these people react and eliminate any unstable factors."

Wang Ni nodded, glanced around, and caught sight of Gu Yansheng. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Ding Mochun and Gu Yansheng both overheard the conversation with the Japanese. Do you think they might have second thoughts after hearing it?"

"This is so simple," Minister Zhou said, turning his head and calling out, "Yansheng, come here for a moment."

"Hey." Gu Yansheng got up from his seat, walked over and said, "Mr. Wang, Minister Zhou, my secretary just called me. The coffin is ready. Since it was bought at the last minute, the size can only be standard, but the quality is good. I hope the family can understand. In addition, the other funeral supplies are being purchased as soon as possible. Everything should be ready by tomorrow."

After the man died, the Kuomintang military intelligence killed him, and Gu Yansheng, the temporary steward, had to help with the aftermath, running around handling the body. It was hard work, but there was no other way.

"Thank you for your hard work. As long as it's usable, that's fine. Don't ask for too much." Minister Zhou nodded. "You heard what the Japanese said earlier. What are your thoughts?"

"It won't succeed," Gu Yansheng said calmly.

Minister Zhou waited a while and was slightly taken aback when he realized that this was actually the entire answer.

That's it? Just that one sentence?

"Yeah, what else do I need to say?" Gu Yansheng asked, looking puzzled.

Minister Zhou and Wang Wang exchanged a glance and chuckled softly. "How can you be so sure? The Japanese say that officials in Chongqing are all eager for peace talks. Do you think Chiang Kai-shek won't negotiate?"

Of course, Gu Yansheng, a historian, is certain.

"Whether or not there are peace talks is not the point. Whether or not the talks can be successful, I am not optimistic about it."

"Tell me your reasons." Wang Ni was anxious. Although Gu Yansheng's statement was good, it was too brief. It was so brief that he couldn't guess what made Gu Yansheng so confident.

“Yes, tell me your opinion,” Minister Zhou said with a smile.

“Alright, then I’ll say something.” Gu Yansheng encouraged the two of them. “In my opinion, there are two kinds of officials: those who stand up for the people and those who don’t.”

As Mr. Wang said, when the Huayuankou dike was breached, hundreds of thousands or even millions of people were killed without warning. Although these people died from the flood after the dike breach, in reality, they were people killed by Chiang Kai-shek.

Human life was worthless in Chiang Kai-shek's eyes; Chiang Kai-shek clearly belonged to the latter group.

What about China's population? Four hundred million people. What's there to negotiate? Keep fighting, fight towards national annihilation. Another two hundred million will die. After a few more years of fighting, Japan's domestic economy will be even worse, and the turning point will arrive.

Britain and the United States would not want China to fall into Japan's hands, and they would certainly provide assistance to China.

It's not impossible that they might even send troops to intervene.

When Britain and the United States confront Japan, the president will still be the president, and Chiang Kai-shek will still be able to live his good life. Why would he need to negotiate?

Why talk to Japan when we should be talking to the US?

There is a precedent for this in the Battle of Shanghai.

Having discussed the reasons from the perspective of war, there is also a reason from Chiang Kai-shek's own perspective.

That's the attitude of the United States.

Now that Britain and the United States are providing him with assistance, what will happen to Britain and the United States once he accepts peace talks with Japan?
What do the UK and the US think?
First, aid was definitely cut off. Second, did Britain and the United States really want the war to end? Under the guise of aid, they forced Chongqing to sign a large number of loans. War is a money-making machine, and weapons and medicines that couldn't be sold before could now be sold.

If the war really ends, firstly, goods will be harder to sell, and secondly, Chiang Kai-shek will have to start paying off his debts. This will not benefit him at all.

Even if the Japanese are negotiating, they should at least take something back with them, right?
Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek could not possibly negotiate peace.

Upon hearing this, Wangwang smiled and said to Minister Zhou, "I didn't expect Yansheng to have such a broad perspective. We discussed the US's attitude back then, and it was pretty much what we thought at the time."

Minister Zhou smiled and said to Gu Yansheng, "That's right. When we came out, we took these points into consideration. All countries want to extract benefits from China. If Chiang Kai-shek could survive in the cracks, he would never choose to compromise."

"Saying he's surviving is too idealistic; making money is what he really is." Wang Ni rolled his eyes and sneered. "He can even sell out aid; the four major families are so greedy they're practically insane."

Yansheng, since you believe that Britain and the US will intervene, what is your view on the subsequent situation if they intervene on a large scale?

Wang Ni became interested.

Gu Yansheng satisfied him, saying, "I can't say for sure about the war situation, but one thing I'm clear about is that if Mr. Wang hadn't stepped forward to raise the banner, the Chinese people would have been utterly annihilated in this war."

The situation was dire in the Nationalist-controlled areas, but even more so in the Japanese-occupied areas.

The Japanese have a military advantage, which requires a lot of money to maintain. However, the Japanese are really bad at managing the economy, which is why they resorted to the strategy of using Chinese against Chinese. To put it bluntly, they know they are not capable enough.

Without Mr. Wang, if the Japanese had discovered that the economy of the Japanese-occupied territories was insufficient to support their war effort after the war had continued, they would have inevitably resorted to plundering the civilians in those territories from the ground up.

People will suffer and starvation will be the norm.

The Japanese-occupied areas urgently needed Mr. Wang's intervention, both for economic development and for the benefit of the Japanese themselves. If the economy of the Japanese-occupied areas improved, people would naturally leave the impoverished and oppressive Nationalist-controlled areas, and the hearts and minds of the people would fall into Mr. Wang's hands.

Chiang Kai-shek has already lost the support of the people, and if he loses his manhood, his position will be very unstable.

At that point, Britain and the United States will decide whether to change the communication partners, the Japanese will be able to extricate themselves from the war, and the overall situation will be settled.

Wang accepted the praise with a smile, feeling very pleased. He said to Minister Zhou, "I think Yan Sheng is qualified to be the Minister of Justice. You have made a very good choice."

Minister Zhou laughed heartily, "Of course."

People are dying here, and you're all laughing.
At the entrance to the emergency room, the doctor was informing the family that the resuscitation efforts had failed.

Of the seven people who were being treated, two died before they even reached the hospital. Of the five people who were being treated, three have already been brought out by doctors who say they died on the operating table from excessive blood loss.

Medical skills are indeed lacking now; it's very difficult to save someone from a gunshot wound to the chest or similar areas.

The subordinate was filled with grief and indignation when he heard laughter, which made his fists hard. He turned around abruptly, saw who was laughing, and realized that everything was fine.

(End of this chapter)