Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 216 Venue
Wang Ni was filled with boundless pride and ambition.

"Recognize the legitimacy of Manchukuo."

The Japanese army could maintain a long-term military presence in war zones until the end of the war.

Regarding the development of economic resources, Japan will be given priority in purchasing and developing resources that are helpful to the war effort.

Ports, aviation, and railways are all related to the war, so it is necessary to allow the Japanese to station troops to monitor them.

Another issue is preventing communism, which must be addressed.

That's about it; there won't be any major changes.

As the negotiations have progressed, Takeo Imai has reported to their military countless times, and their former Prime Minister Konoe has also been involved.

Although Konoe has stepped down, he did so voluntarily, so his influence on the cabinet will not be diminished.

Moreover, the Konoe clan was the head of the five regent families of Japanese nobility and had a very good relationship with the Emperor.

In short, this trip to Japan will lead to a new country upon return.

Although we made some concessions in the agreement, they were not significant. We endured humiliation and hardship, striving to build a new China. We must tell Chiang Kai-shek, the people of the whole country, and the people of the world that our path of peaceful nation-building is the people's path, the path of rebirth from the ashes!

"Good!" The men applauded.

"cheers!"

"cheers!"

"Have a meal."

"Wow, the food here is pretty good."

"Of course, this is the famous Cathay Hotel, one of the best in Shanghai. How could the food be bad?"

A bunch of people couldn't get good food in Hanoi, couldn't get good food at sea, couldn't get good food in Hongkou, and when they came to western Shanghai they didn't dare to go out, for fear of being targeted by the Kuomintang secret police.

Seeing today's top-notch Chinese meal, my appetite was whetted, and I ate with great relish.

"Then you should thank Yansheng; he's the one who's been running around taking care of everything."

Minister Zhou took the opportunity to joke, "You local bigwigs in Shanghai, you'd better curry favor with him. If you get into any trouble in Shanghai in the future, you'll have to come to Yansheng. With his help, you'll achieve twice the results with half the effort."

"Well, Director Gu, we have to have a drink."

Upon hearing this, the others immediately turned their attention to Gu Yansheng, all wanting to have a drink with him.

Of the people who came today, there were three from Shanghai: Gu Yansheng, Ding Mocun, and Chu Minyi.

Considering their respective identities and positions, the fact that outsiders were invited to such an internal meeting carries a certain implication, which those present could easily understand.

Except for Li Shengwu, who was not happy, everyone else had a drink with Gu Yansheng.

Gu Yansheng was busy for a while, but when he had a moment to sit down, he jokingly complained to Minister Zhou, "Minister, it looks like you're trying to get me drunk. How am I supposed to get things done?"

Minister Zhou laughed heartily, “Mo Cun knows some people, but you don’t know any of them. Today, we’re getting to know each other and building relationships so that things will be easier in the future. I’m doing this for your own good, and you’re actually turning the tables on me, Mo Cun. Don’t you think so?”

Ding Mocun, channeling his henchmen, laughed and chimed in, "That's right! Yansheng can still turn the tables on us. I think he just hasn't had enough to drink. Come on, Yansheng, let me toast you too."

Gu Yansheng rolled his eyes at him, but reluctantly agreed, thinking, "Why are you meddling in this?"

Minister Zhou said to Ding Mocun, "The situation in Shanghai is severe. You must keep a close eye on this. As the director of the Special Agent Headquarters, you must not allow any more trouble. Security is of paramount importance."

Ding Mocun nodded, his smile fading as he reported, "The Special Agent Headquarters is intensifying its search of the Military Intelligence Bureau in Shanghai. Regarding security, I've discussed it with the elite members of the department, and we're now preparing a more detailed plan to ensure the best possible protection."

"Hmm," Minister Zhou replied.

The fact that Li Shiqun wasn't called today is a warning.

Li Shih-Chun was in charge of the last protection operation, and people died. Li Shih-Chun is absolutely responsible.

"In the coming period, your special agent headquarters' task is to focus on protecting the venues for the propaganda sessions. We will all be holding propaganda meetings in various locations, including schools and concessions. The situation will be quite complicated, so we must not give the Military Intelligence Bureau another opportunity to assassinate us."

"Isn't this inappropriate?" Ding Mochun exclaimed in surprise. "Minister, this venue is too complicated."

In the concessions, although our people could enter in plainclothes and hide among the crowd, the concessions were not our territory. We couldn't check the identities of the people attending the meeting in advance, and we couldn't even conduct body searches.

For example, in schools, identities might be able to be checked and verified, but if the Military Intelligence Bureau recruits students to act as assassins, or if the assassins are actually students, we wouldn't be able to tell before they carry out the assassination. If they were to open fire during a speech, the consequences would be unimaginable.

You must think this through carefully; I think it's absolutely unacceptable.

Minister Zhou frowned. "I only mentioned two locations, and you rejected them both. The concession is where consulates of all nations are located. It is China's window to the world. Are we going to cut off contact with the world just because we are afraid of the Military Intelligence Bureau?"

Schools and student groups are the easiest places to inspire patriotism. With their participation, the new government can complete the blood transfusion and avoid becoming corrupt.

How can we not go?
"If that's how it is with you, then where else can we go to give presentations? Your intelligence headquarters?"

"Yansheng, offer a few words of advice." Ding Mocun had a headache.

They kept giving him meaningful glances, implying that even the King of Heaven couldn't guarantee safety in a place like this.

He wouldn't dare gamble with his future.

Gu Yansheng sneered at Ding Mocun, "Didn't you just give me wine? Well, I'm drunk now."

Ding Mocun begged for forgiveness, "Brother was wrong. Let's get down to business. This is a safety issue, no jokes."

“Alright, then I’ll offer a few words of advice.” Gu Yansheng advised Minister Zhou: “Minister, you and Mr. Wang should minimize your public speaking engagements outside, avoid giving advance notice, and launch surprise attacks. For example, give a public speaking engagement tomorrow so that the Military Intelligence Bureau can’t react in time, and do it in one day in both locations.”

Secondly, future presentations should be held in enclosed spaces, such as banquet halls or municipal government meeting rooms, and only reporters from major newspapers should be invited to attend.

First, their identities are fixed, making it easier for Director Ding to investigate. Second, reporters can be routinely searched; they are experienced and have been checked many times, so there won't be any disputes.

The important thing is still publicity and newspaper sales, and building good relationships with these reporters. As long as the news spreads widely enough, and the commentary is all positive, the effect will be the same. Since you used to manage the publicity department, I won't presume to offer my own advice.

In the future, let other people handle these external publicity efforts. You and Mr. Wang can meet with key figures privately. It's a bit more troublesome, but it's safer.

A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall. To be honest, if I were a member of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and I saw you and Mr. Wang come out, I would be excited too, and I would do everything I could to help, right?

Director Ding's considerations are reasonable.

"Director Ding, how was the persuasion?" Gu Yansheng gave a look.

Ding Mocun chuckled, "Thanks, have a drink."

"I'll have one cup, you'll have three."

"so much?"

"Would you like to drink?"

"Drink, drink, drink."

Minister Zhou, who had been frowning and weighing his options, sneered upon seeing this, "I haven't even said yes yet, and you're already throwing a celebration banquet. You've succeeded in scheming against me, haven't you?"

"Hahaha, Minister, listen to me and Yansheng, the situation in Shanghai is indeed complicated." Ding Mocun earnestly tried to persuade him again.

Minister Zhou was indeed worried about his safety. After assessing the situation, he could only sigh, "Although other people can give speeches, the effect is definitely not as good as Mr. Wang and I giving speeches directly. It's really hard to get anything done. Come on, cheers."

After taking a sip of wine, Minister Zhou asked, "Where do you think would be a suitable location for propaganda within the concession area?"

This location is actually quite difficult to choose. Ding Mocun frowned. "It's definitely not going to work on the main street. As for the public venues in the concession, we'd have to ask the Municipal Council. Would they allow us to use them?"

The concession's current stance is definitely on Chongqing's side. They nominally recognize the Chongqing government, and if they try to get a venue, they're likely to be refused.

Minister Zhou was aware of the situation. "How about a hotel? For example, the Cathay Hotel, could we open a banquet hall there?"

“That depends on whether the British are willing to help.” Ding Mocun shook his head slightly after saying that. “Other hotels might be easier to help, but the Chinachem Hotel is difficult. Sassoon has a particularly bad relationship with the Japanese, and Li Shiqun even killed Sassoon’s son.”

"Is that so?" Minister Zhou raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Ding Mocun nodded helplessly, "Li Shiqun said he didn't kill him, but everyone knows he did. He threw the man's son off the roof of the Municipal Council building, smashing his brains and leaving blood and gore all over the ground."

Several people had been listening intently to their casual conversation while enjoying Hunan's famous chopped chili fish head, but now, seeing the fish head being picked up piece by piece with chopsticks, they silently withdrew their chopsticks.

"Then let's change hotels. Do you have any recommendations?" Minister Zhou readily agreed.

"A hotel is fine, it's just a matter of booking a banquet hall. The main concern is that since this is a political speech, we're worried about the Municipal Council obstructing it. If we hold a banquet, we still need to invite guests, right? We still need to send out invitations, right? What if we rent the venue and send out invitations, and then the Municipal Council seals off the venue and refuses to let us hold the banquet? Wouldn't we lose face then?"

Minister Zhou rolled his eyes at him. "I can tell. You're just telling me about difficulties. I need solutions. Get out of here. Yansheng, you have a lot of connections. Can you think of a way to handle this?"

Gu Yansheng thought for a moment, "Wait for me a moment, I'll go see if Sassoon is here."

"You want to do it here in Sassoon? Is that even possible?" Ding Mocun was greatly surprised.

“What’s wrong with that?” Gu Yansheng stood up and pulled out a chair. “This is our new government, not the Japanese government. He has a grudge against the Japanese, but not against Mr. Wang.”

Wang Ni heard this and got excited. "Hey, Yansheng, what you said is true. Although we are talking about cooperation with Japan, we are not one entity. We must distinguish between them. We need to make good contact with the foreign concessions, get them to base everything in Chongqing, and bring them to our new government to put pressure on Chongqing. Yansheng, try to get us off to a good start."

"Mr. Wang is right, I will try my best."

Minister Zhou raised his glass, "Then we'll wait for your good news."

Gu Yansheng smiled, went out to find the manager, and knowing that Sassoon was there, he called him and took the elevator upstairs.

“Knowing you were eating, why did you come up to find me? You didn’t come to ask for a discount, did you?” Sassoon joked.

Gu Yansheng chuckled, "The Wang faction wants a banquet hall here to hold receptions, but they're worried the Public Works Bureau will object, so they asked me to come to you for help."

Sassoon raised an eyebrow, poured a glass of red wine, and handed it to Gu Yansheng. "I heard they went to sea with the Japanese. How did the talks go?"

"How would I know the specifics? The content of the negotiations is confidential. How much do you think a local from Shanghai like me would know?"

Gu Yansheng took the wine glass and swirled it. "But I mentioned a couple of things during dinner. The talks seemed to go well, otherwise they wouldn't have held a reception."

Sassoon nodded, then thought for a moment and said, "You want me to help you fend off the Municipal Council?"

Gu Yansheng hummed in agreement. "If you just want a banquet hall, that's doing your business a favor. You should be thanking me. Why would I have to come all the way here? That would be going against the grain."

Sassoon chuckled, then his smile faded as he said seriously, "This matter is a bit troublesome. In Chongqing, both Britain and the United States are concerned about their attitude."

"Tch, don't give me that. You, Sassoon, think you can't do it if you want to?" Gu Yansheng scoffed.

"Whether it's under the pretense of being coerced or in the name of currying favor with the new government, the Municipal Council of the Concession is not some otherworldly deity. After the establishment of the Wang Jingwei regime, the Municipal Council's business dealings with China will be mostly conducted within the territory of the Wang Jingwei regime."

You guys have to maintain some relationships, right?
It's just a banquet, and you won't even let it be held? If you don't do business in the Chinese-speaking areas, the Municipal Council still has so many people who need to do business, right?

"By befriending them, you'll create a buffer between yourself and the Japanese. Otherwise, if you have a conflict with the Japanese later, who will speak up for you?"

“I understand the logic, but it’s still a bit troublesome.” Sassoon frowned after thinking for a moment. “After all, it involves politics.”

Gu Yansheng smiled faintly, "I might be transferred to Nanjing. At that time, this approval from the Ministry of Justice will be readily available in all Japanese-occupied areas. Do you want to use it in the future?"

"You're going to be promoted to vice minister??" Sassoon was surprised. He really didn't expect that Gu Yansheng, a local, would actually get a vice minister position.

Gu Yansheng said disdainfully, "Deputy Minister? I wouldn't want him even if he were given to me. I'd rather live a leisurely life in Shanghai."

"Minister?!" Sassoon was taken aback; this was a one-step appointment.

Gu Yansheng raised his glass and swirled it. "Can you do it or not? Get it over with. Stop dragging your feet. It's not like I'm asking you to join the new government. If you don't like it, I'll find someone else."

(End of this chapter)