Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 239 Arrested
The next day, Minister Zhou came to see Gu Yansheng.

"The talks are almost over."

Not only have we finished talking with the Japanese, but we've also finished discussing the various positions with Mr. Wang.

In the end, he still agreed to let Chu Minyi become the Minister of the Navy. He had no choice but to make some concessions when Chen Bijun said she would take control of both military and financial power.

Chen Bijun brought this up in front of Mr. Wang, so they must have discussed it in bed. He couldn't ignore what Mr. Wang thought. The fact that Mr. Wang didn't say anything at the time made it clear that he had to give him face.

Let things move forward first, and deal with Chu Minyi's problem later. The Navy will not give this useless person any authority.

"Did the Japanese make concessions?" Gu Yansheng asked.

"We've conceded." Minister Zhou smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, then took a sip of tea and said, "The Japanese and Soviet armies are currently fighting in the Mongolian region. According to reports from spies in the concessions, things aren't going well, and the Japanese have suffered considerable losses."

The Japanese are currently increasing their troops in Mongolia, but they want to withdraw troops from the Chinese battlefield. This raises the question of what to do with the Chongqing government. They need us to establish a new government as soon as possible to counterbalance the Chongqing government.

We persisted in not yielding during this period and did gain some benefits. You are credited for that. There was definitely wiretapping before, but now that it's stopped, the Japanese are unsure of our intentions.

Gu Yansheng knew about the Battle of Khalkhin Gol. Recently, the newspapers in the concessions and the Soviet army's radio broadcasts had reported on it quite a bit. He didn't know what had gotten into the Kwantung Army, that it had gone to fight the Soviet army while it was already bogged down in the Chinese battlefield.

What might have started as a mere skirmish between the two armies has escalated into a full-blown war, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers engaged in a meat grinder-like conflict, the meat in which being Japanese soldiers.

I heard that the Japanese sent hundreds of planes and tanks, but they still couldn't escape being minced into meat paste.

"That would be great."

"Now that the basic problems are all resolved, we should know when to stop and not continue to entangle with the Japanese. We should first establish the new regime and then proceed gradually."

By the way, your Minister of Justice has been appointed. The list was submitted to the Japanese last night. They need to review these people to see if there are any issues with their political stance. It's a routine check, mainly targeting those who subsequently defect. You're definitely fine; it has nothing to do with you.

Minister Zhou smiled, explaining that he had come today mainly to tell Gu Yansheng this good news.

"Thank you for your kind invitation, Minister." Gu Yansheng raised his teacup. "I'll toast you with tea instead of wine."

Minister Zhou chuckled and took a sip of tea. "What's wrong with the delegates' arrival?"

"More than sixty have arrived so far," Gu Yansheng reported. "After all, the agreed time is the end of August, and there is still time. The later it goes, the more concentrated their arrival will be. Moreover, Shanghai is not peaceful right now, so it's actually easier for us if they arrive a little later."

Minister Zhou nodded and pondered, "The situation in Shanghai is indeed too tense. The Special Agent Headquarters must suppress the chaos in Shanghai as soon as possible, otherwise how can the representatives feel at ease? This is also not conducive to the establishment of the new government. Come, accompany me to the Special Agent Headquarters."

"Ok."

Gu Yansheng and Minister Zhou went out and drove to No. 76.

When Li Shiqun and Ding Mocun learned that Minister Zhou was coming, they immediately came down to greet him.

"Minister Zhou."

"Minister Zhou."

"Okay, let's talk in the room." Minister Zhou waved his hand, strode into the director's office, and started a small meeting.

First, throw in the bait.

"These past two days I've been discussing personnel appointments with Mr. Wang for the new government. I will definitely help you secure the positions of director and deputy director of your Special Agent Headquarters; I won't let anyone else interfere."

Furthermore, I propose that you, Shih-Chun, concurrently serve as Minister of Police to manage the national police force, and that you, Mok-Cun, concurrently serve as Minister of Social Affairs to oversee party affairs nationwide.

Once the bait is thrown out, it's hard for the two men not to be moved, as these are both positions of real power.

The Minister of Police is actually a bit more powerful than the Minister of Social Affairs, since there are more police officers, they have more contact with society, and there's more money to be made from them.

But his party affairs were also quite good; he was essentially the CC Clique in Chongqing, which was Ding Mocun's old profession.

"But after all, you are old Shanghainese. Mr. Wang has some objections. He thinks it wouldn't be wrong to consider other people for these positions. As you know, quite a few people have come. You have already secured the position at the Special Agent Headquarters. If you ask for more, many people will object."

Especially... I shouldn't have said this, but you're all my people, so it's fine to tell you. The main issue is Mrs. Wang; she has a different opinion.

Therefore, I also need to present concrete evidence to prove your capabilities.

After offering the bait, Minister Zhou then presented the difficult problem.

"I've heard that the situation in Shanghai is quite serious recently, and the personal safety of the delegates is not guaranteed. What solutions does your intelligence headquarters have in mind?"

Logically, Ding Mocun is the director, so he should be the one to report.

But Li Shiqun spoke first: "Minister Zhou, I have already made a complete plan. Give me some time, and I will be able to take down the entire Shanghai region in one fell swoop."

"Oh?" Minister Zhou became interested. "Tell me about it."

Li Shiqun bowed and reported, "Recently, the Military Intelligence Bureau has been carrying out assassinations in western Shanghai, mainly targeting the delegates attending the conference. I have set many traps, and some Military Intelligence Bureau members have already fallen into them. Just yesterday, I tracked down the whereabouts of Wang Tianmu, the adjutant and head of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai district. Perhaps in a day or two, I will be able to find Wang Tianmu, and then the entire Shanghai district will be eradicated by me."

"Is the news true?" Minister Zhou was moved, not expecting such a great discovery.

Li Shiqun nodded, “It’s absolutely true. Wang Tianmu’s adjutant was directing the assassination operation in western Shanghai. I sent people to set up ten photo booths near the representatives’ residences to take photos of everyone who passed by around the clock. The developed photos have been verified by us, and one of the people is Wang Tianmu’s adjutant.”

Minister Zhou's eyes flashed. "Good, produce concrete results as soon as possible. I'm waiting for your good news."

"Yes!" Li Shiqun bowed.

"And you?" Minister Zhou asked Ding Mocun.

Ding Mocun felt a bit numb. When did Li Shiqun ever have such merit? Compared to him, his position as director was nothing to brag about.

“Minister, I’ve been dealing with the concessions lately. I’ve managed to suppress the British, and the Municipal Council is now turning a blind eye to our actions. To save their lives, some British directors have already left Shanghai by ship.”

"This is a double-edged sword." Minister Zhou tapped his fingers on the table. This method is not good, but if the Japanese want to be fathers, then they don't need to worry about so much.

"Alright, then we should do some publicity. One of you is in charge of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and the other is in charge of the concessions. You're both doing well. Keep up the good work."

"Yes."

Knock knock knock, someone is knocking on the door.

"Come back later!" Ding Mocun called out.

"Director, is Deputy Director Li here? It's urgent," a subordinate called from outside the door.

Minister Zhou raised his head and said, "Go."

"Yes."

Li Shiqun went out to open the door and listened to his subordinate's report. He quickly returned and said, "Minister, Wang Tianmu has been found. I need to arrange the operation."

"Alright, go ahead and get busy." Minister Zhou didn't hesitate any longer and stood up, saying, "Yansheng, let's head back home and not disturb their work."

"Great!" Gu Yansheng patted Li Shiqun on the shoulder and laughed, "Minister Li, you've done a great job. You have to treat me to dinner afterwards, or I'll be jealous."

Li Shiqun smiled and said, "Of course, Minister Gu. We're celebrating together."

"Hahaha, they're gone."

As soon as Gu Yansheng and Minister Zhou left, Li Shiqun began to arrange the arrests.

Gu Yansheng decided not to get involved in this matter. In the end, Wang Tianmu verified Gu Yansheng's identity on behalf of No. 76.

Knowing the news in advance but not leaking it, Wang Tianmu was successfully arrested, which was more effective than any other evidence to prove his clean identity.

Gu Yansheng watched the people from No. 76 come and go in the teahouse.

The next day, he went to the intelligence headquarters to gather information.

"Director Li, have they caught him?"

Li Shiqun laughed heartily, "How could we not catch him? He has a stronghold in western Shanghai. When his adjutant left and he went out alone, we caught him without anyone noticing."

"Have you confessed?" Gu Yansheng asked eagerly.

"Not yet." Li Shiqun shook his head and said, "Wang Tianmu is a veteran agent, and it won't be easy to get him to talk. But don't worry, once he's in our 76th Division, he'll have no way out, and he'll definitely confess."

"We need to hurry. What if the Military Intelligence Bureau finds out he's been arrested and he escapes?"

"It doesn't matter." Li Shiqun smiled. "With Wang Tianmu in hand, the Shanghai region won't be able to escape. As for those small fry, it really doesn't matter."

I'm telling you, I don't plan to torture Wang Tianmu at all.

I'll treat him to good food and drink for three days, then have the newspaper take some photos of Wang Tianmu at No. 76 and publish them, and then release Wang Tianmu."

"Let go?"

“Yes, he was released.” Li Shiqun smiled. “A district head from Shanghai went into No. 76, but came out unharmed.”

Does anyone believe he didn't betray his country?

Even Boss Dai won't let him off the hook.

(End of this chapter)