Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 219 Representative
Back in western Shanghai, the security guard downstairs reported that a man named Lu Bowen had come looking for him earlier.

The missing person has returned!

Gu Yansheng was quite pleased and made a phone call to He Yun's office.

"Miss He, I heard Mr. Lu has returned?"

"Yes, we'd like to invite Director Gu to dinner tonight. Would you do us the honor of joining us?"

"Okay, see you tonight then."

In the evening, in a private room at a restaurant by the river.

Gu Yansheng gave Lu Bowen a hug, "You've been gone for quite a while. I thought you'd been kidnapped by bandits and taken to the mountains to be their wife."

If it weren't for telegrams, people wouldn't even know if they had disappeared these days.

"Hahahaha." Lu Bowen laughed heartily, "With Director Gu protecting me, who would dare to kidnap me? They'd be courting death!"

"Please sit down, let's eat and talk," He Yun said with a smile, having already ordered the food.

"Alright, let's talk while we eat." Gu Yansheng sat down and poured Lu Bowen a glass of wine. "When did you arrive?"

"This afternoon."

"He Yun said you traveled all over southern Anhui?"

Lu Bowen downed the wine he had poured in one gulp. “Yes, not only in southern Anhui, but I also went to Jiujiang. It’s an important transportation hub. I’d never been there before and didn’t know what the situation was like there, so I went to check it out. That way, I’ll know what to do when I’m shipping goods in the future. If I wasn’t worried about missing the wheat harvest, I would have also wanted to go to Nanchang.”

Gu Yansheng asked with concern, "You should avoid going to places that are too far away. If something really happens, we won't be able to take care of you. Did you encounter any danger on the way?"

"Yes," Lu Bowen recounted what happened on the way.

In this chaotic world, besides soldiers, there are also bandits, making the journey much more difficult.

"Otherwise, I would have brought dozens of good men from my factory, along with their weapons. Even with your reputation as Director Gu, it wouldn't be enough. And even so, I still had to pay a lot of travel expenses."

Gu Yansheng smiled dismissively, "If smuggled goods weren't so expensive, anyone could do business if the roads were this smooth."

Lu Bowen smiled mysteriously and lowered his voice, saying, "Do you know what I've heard along the way?"

"what?"

"When I left Shanghai, I took basically the same route back. Do you know what the biggest change was?"
I've noticed a significant increase in our guerrilla forces!

Locals say that many Japanese outposts are being repeatedly captured, and the Japanese can't do anything about it. Many villagers have joined the New Fourth Army; they're like walking maps, knowing every nook and cranny. They're keeping the Japanese completely bewildered. Things are going very well now.

"Of course, with so many guns, it would be strange if it didn't develop. It's like the Type 38 rifles fighting the Type 38 rifles."

Gu Yansheng smiled and asked, "How's the grain situation in southern Anhui?"

"Of course, no problem. Otherwise, how would I have time to go to Jiangxi?" When it comes to doing business, Lu Bowen is very knowledgeable. From Anhui to Shanghai and Jiangsu, all the city stations in this area have been set up.

With the relationship established, all that's left is to wait for the wheat to ripen and be harvested.

The only problem is that as long as Director Gu can keep his position and doesn't lose his official rank, everything will be fine.

These days, you can't do business without official protection.

"Have you been going out lately?" Gu Yansheng asked.

“I won’t go out.” Lu Bowen said while drinking. “The stations outside have all been set up and are receiving goods normally. There are local people operating them, so there are no problems. I won’t get involved. If any problems arise somewhere, I will mediate.”

Our main focus going forward should be on production. After that, there's sales to do—a whole host of things to do. I don't have the energy to go out.

“It’s good to stay put. As a boss, you don’t have to do everything yourself.” Gu Yansheng patted Lu Bowen on the shoulder and said, “Take a good rest for a couple of days. I’ll find you two more factories to open later.”

Lu Bowen's smile vanished. "Do I really have to hear this kind of bad news on my very first day back?"
You two planned this out, right?
"I've been running non-stop for months, my legs are almost crippled, can't you let me rest for a couple of days, have some comfortable time before talking to me?"

"What did He Yun say?" Gu Yansheng looked at He Yun.

He Yun chuckled silently.

Lu Bowen said, "He Yun just told me that it's great that I'm back. She can leave the factory in western Shanghai to me to manage, and she will go and study the advanced experience of the listed company Yong'an Department Store."

"No, there are over a dozen factories! If I manage each factory for an hour, the day is over in no time. Then I still have to handle ordering and sales. Do you two think I'm an animal?"

Seeing Lu Bowen like this.

He Yun said, "I managed things the same way when you weren't here. It was a bit troublesome at first, but now that it's been sorted out, it's actually not bad. You just need to get used to it."

Gu Yansheng also had something to say: "A full two days of vacation, that's quite a lot. If you think it's not enough, I'll arrange for He Yun to take care of you for an extra day. He Yun, is that alright?"

Gu Yansheng and He Yun exchanged a smile.

"OK, no problem."

Lu Bowen sighed, "You two."

Two days later.

Gu Yansheng received a call from Minister Zhou, asking him to come over.

The French Concession wasn't far from here.

Zhou Mansion.

Gu Yansheng arrived by car. As expected of a high-ranking official in the Chongqing government, he owned such a luxurious villa in the French Concession years ago. It was very close to the police station, and with the presence of undercover agents observing the surroundings and guards inside the gate, the security here was extremely tight.

"Minister." Gu Yansheng entered the room.

"Hey, Yansheng is here. Are you tired? If you're not, come for a walk with me."

Minister Zhou invited Gu Yansheng to take a walk together in the front garden.

"The news from Takeo Imai's side has come back. The Japanese cabinet is ready to welcome us over, and the departure will take place in the next couple of days."

"That's great! It seems we're getting close to finalizing the date."

"Well, the itinerary is tentatively scheduled for one month so far, mainly because there are quite a few things to discuss."

The rhetoric about peaceful nation-building is gaining momentum. Once we arrive there, people from Shanghai will likely arrive gradually. Others will receive us, but they don't hold official positions. If any problems arise, we'll need your help to arrange the reception.

"Sure, no problem. If you need anything, just have them call my office in Huxi."

"Yes, I will tell them. There's another thing: these people are coming to Shanghai, and accommodation is a problem."

When a large family comes over, it's not feasible to rent a house or stay in a hotel the whole time, as that would be too expensive.

Mr. Wang and I discussed it, and we're thinking of buying them a batch of apartments in advance to settle them down. We'll buy a batch for each of several tiers. What do you think?

This is essentially a notification, mainly because the money is still in Gu Yansheng's hands.

But Gu Yansheng disagreed.

"Why spend this money?" Gu Yansheng said dismissively. "Minister, many people will probably go to Nanjing. Houses in Shanghai are so expensive. Wouldn't it be a waste to buy one?"
It's better to just buy in Nanjing; houses there are much cheaper.

Besides, the house in Nanjing will be useful in the future.

After they arrive in Shanghai, they'll spend a couple of days there, then head straight to Nanjing to get familiar with the city. Then, when you return, you can meet up in Nanjing, and that will be perfect, won't it?"

"Wow, that's a great idea!" Minister Zhou exclaimed, impressed. "Is the price difference between Nanjing and Shanghai really that significant?"

"One set is equivalent to ten sets."

"Tsk, such a big difference?" Minister Zhou hadn't been to Nanjing in a long time, and in his memory, Nanjing was not cheap.

"Yes, the key point is that the house you buy in Shanghai might be average, but in Nanjing you can buy a villa or a luxury house. Doesn't that give newcomers a different impression?"

Minister Zhou nodded and smiled, "That makes sense. Okay, let's buy Nanjing then."

Gu Yansheng seized the opportunity to ask, "Minister, how was the matter of that bank we talked about last time ultimately resolved? Did the Japanese mention anything about it, specifically the Huaxing military notes?"

Minister Zhou nodded. "The Japanese said they were canceling their negotiations with Chongqing. Huaxing Bank will continue to operate because it is involved in the matter of Japanese companies compensating the military. However, Huaxing Bank will automatically shut down or stop issuing Huaxing bonds on the day our new government is established."

Gu Yansheng nodded. "No wonder I heard from others that Huaxing Bank is still pushing forward."

"It's alright." Minister Zhou waved his hand: "The Japanese themselves have failed twice with military scrip. Even if they were given a chance to try again, ordinary people wouldn't buy it."

There's no need to worry about military scrip.

There's one more important thing to do.

"Please speak," Gu Yansheng said solemnly and attentively.

"It's about the Party Congress." Minister Zhou stopped and looked at Gu Yansheng, saying, "We went to Japan and made agreements with the Japanese, but these agreements are private matters. Formal documents require official signatures and formal agreements to be convincing."

The legal system needs to be established ahead of schedule.

We need to find some people to go to various Japanese-occupied areas, and even Kuomintang-controlled areas, to every city, and find some party members, preferably veteran party members with seniority, to participate in the party congress.

The fifth session was held in 1935, and it hasn't been held since the war. This year, we are holding the sixth session in the name of the Sixth National Congress of the Communist Party of China to complete the legal procedures.

Transportation is inconvenient now, and finding people takes time. Starting from Shanghai to find someone and then calling them back would take a month or two. We can't delay; we have to get started.

"I've never done this job before," Gu Yansheng said with an embarrassed smile. "With no experience, how should I proceed?"

“There’s a leader.”

Minister Zhou patted Gu Yansheng on the shoulder and said casually, "This morning, Chen Gongbo arrived in Shanghai from Hong Kong. He has experience with this matter and he is in charge. You are responsible for coordinating the customs clearance and other matters for the people coming to Shanghai. After all, the Japanese are strict at the various checkpoints, so we don't want any problems to occur."

Another thing is to work with Chen Gongbo to select people, to see who to send to other places to find people. He's familiar with this matter, and you're familiar with Shanghai. The two of you working together will get this done.

"Chen Gongbo," Gu Yansheng murmured, "that Standing Committee member of the Central Executive Committee in Chongqing?"

“Yes.” Minister Zhou smiled. “We are old friends with him. Mr. Wang intends to give him the position of Speaker of the Legislative Yuan, which is in charge of holding plenary sessions and signing agreements. You are the judiciary and he is the legislator, so you can have business dealings.”

It's no small matter; this thing represents the highest level of power and the highest executive body in Chongqing.

However, the judiciary and the legislature are separate entities, namely the Judicial Yuan and the Legislative Yuan. Therefore, Gu Yansheng can only be considered to have a legal relationship with him, but he is not under his jurisdiction.

"Okay, then I'll visit Dean Chen later."

Gu Yansheng went out to find Shen Linshen.

"Why did you arrive so quickly?" Shen Lin asked, bewildered. "Has Wang Jingwei already finished his talks with the Japanese?"

"No, they haven't even gone yet. How could it be that fast? Even flying there wouldn't be enough time."

Gu Yansheng smiled and said, "I'm here to give you something. Ask the organization if they're interested in sending someone to represent the Kuomintang at the Sixth National Congress of the Wang Jingwei regime, and getting seventeen or eighteen members."

(End of this chapter)