Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 241 Negotiation
In the evening, a celebration banquet was held at the Cathay Hotel.

The names of the senior executives have already been decided, so let's get to know each other again, whether we know them or not, and build relationships to make things easier for future work.

The lowest-ranking person to attend the meeting must be a vice minister.

They can bring their family members, and some of these family members even hold positions, such as Chen Bijun, who serves as a standing committee member of the Supervisory Commission.

"The next task is to prepare for the opening of the new government. The specific time should not be too long. We will communicate with the Nanjing Reformed Government and the North China Provisional Government to resolve the issue of the placement of the original staff after the merger, and then we should be able to officially start work."

In the time leading up to the government's opening, everyone should familiarize themselves with their work. Those who need personnel should make their own contacts. For those unfamiliar with Nanjing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Jiangsu, and other places, please familiarize yourselves with them as soon as possible.

Minister Zhou outlined the next steps, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Someone asked, "Minister Zhou, when will those two governments be removed? They seem reluctant, after all, no one showed up for their meeting today."

"So, we need to go to Nanjing to start our work, but that work can't even begin?"

Minister Zhou smiled faintly: "If they don't want to come, they don't have to. Some people are just being stubborn and trying to form factions with us. That's really childish."

Their Meiji Restoration government was essentially a provisional government set up by the Japanese. If the Japanese stop allowing it, it can't continue. I will communicate with the Japanese and urge them to remove them from their posts as soon as possible.

After answering some of the questions below, Minister Zhou had a private conversation with someone, but after going around in circles, he still had to come back to find Gu Yansheng.

"Others need to be familiar with both places, but you're a local expert in Shanghai, so you only need to take care of Nanjing, which saves you a lot of trouble."

I'm planning to go to Nanjing to meet with Liang Hongzhi, and then I'll be going to Beiping to meet with that guy in North China. They're both troublemakers. Do you want to come along?

Although he spoke lightly to others, this matter was still quite troublesome. The Japanese agreement stated that they should resolve it themselves. If Liang Hongzhi insisted on playing dead, it was unknown how long it would take to resolve this matter.

The situation was actually quite dire. On one hand, we were about to start work, but on the other hand, we didn't even have an office, and people didn't recognize us at all.

It's impossible to expect these ministers from other regions to solve the problem; we don't know anyone in Nanjing. We'll have to consult with Gu Yansheng.

Gu Yansheng raised an eyebrow and said, "They can't do anything? This is actually a good opportunity to get to know their own department. They can go over and talk to them. Do you think Liang Hongzhi can arrest them?"

Minister Zhou shook his head helplessly, "They can only start using power once they have it in their hands. Right now, these people are all just commanders without any real power, and they don't know the place or the people. It's impossible to expect them to have any solutions. They probably won't even be able to get through the government gates."

Even if you give them a chance, it's useless. They're just used to being high-ranking officials; they don't know how to start from scratch.

Gu Yansheng now understands why Minister Zhou tried to win him over and several powerful figures in the 76th Division as soon as he arrived in Shanghai.

The people who came from Chongqing with them had a very comfortable life in the Chongqing government; their positions were so high that even a dog could be tied up in them. They weren't actually very good at starting businesses.

“I don’t think I’ll be of much use in the past. It would be better if you brought Ding Mocun along. Liang Hongzhi won’t give in, but the people in the Nanjing government might. I think we can focus our breakthrough efforts on them.”

Now that Liang Hongzhi is launching a scathing attack on Mr. Wang's legitimacy in the newspapers, if at this moment some senior members of the Nanjing government were to step forward and refute Liang Hongzhi in the newspapers, defend Mr. Wang, and stand with Mr. Wang, it would be quite a sight to see someone from within the party turn against them.

Minister Zhou's heart skipped a beat. "Is there such a person?"

"Yes," Gu Yansheng smiled and said, "Have you forgotten? When we were raising funds for the new government, several friends in Nanjing heard that Mr. Wang was going to establish a government. Without me even contacting them, they took the initiative to contact me to buy bonds."

"Isn't that the kind of person we can use?"

Minister Zhou suddenly realized, "Yes, I remember now, you did mention this."

Since they were willing to pay back then, it proves these people can indeed be used by us. But weren't any of them party members? Or were they not invited? Why didn't any of them attend the meeting?

"I suspect Liang Hongzhi pressured them to not come, but Minister, this is not up to Liang Hongzhi. Although they may not have been sincere when they handed over the money, as long as the preconditions remain unchanged, they have to be sincere whether they are sincere or not."

"If you go to Nanjing and bring this matter out into the open, I guarantee there will be something to discuss."

"What are the prerequisites?"

"Of course it's their business in Shanghai!" Gu Yansheng chuckled. "Nanjing's economy is not doing well, so these officials who want to monetize their power will set their sights on Shanghai. Which one of them doesn't have some business in Shanghai?"
At that time, I was in Shanghai confronting all the businessmen and raising funds. They were so well-informed that they rushed to call me to buy bonds, hoping that I would go easy on the businessmen they sent to make a name for themselves.

It's better for them to donate voluntarily than forcibly take it from me like a stranger. They can at least curry favor with you and keep their positions in the new government.

Now they're being forced to choose sides by Liang Hongzhi, so we'll force them to do the same. If they don't choose sides with us, I'll step in and confiscate all their businesses in Shanghai.

If they want to start a war, we're ready, as long as they can withstand this wave of losses.

When it comes to their own interests, I don't believe they can be that tough.

There's no need to be polite to them.

Minister Zhou understood everything now, and a smile appeared on his face. "Alright, I don't object to them going into business. After all, it's really difficult to maintain a decent life with such a fixed salary. But the premise is that they must be wholeheartedly devoted to the Party and the country."

“That’s right, that’s why I said to send Ding Mocun. I’ll give you the list, and you can have his people find these people to refute Liang Hongzhi. Once this matter is in the newspaper, Liang Hongzhi will lose face, and the difference between you and Liang Hongzhi will be immediately apparent.”

Minister Zhou thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay, then I'll go and talk to Ding Mochun."

“I’ll go talk to him. You’ve talked too much with Ding Mochun, and now Vice Minister Li is easily upset.” Gu Yansheng would try to sow discord between Li Shiqun whenever he had the chance.

Minister Zhou's smile faded slightly. "What could he possibly be unhappy about, all because of the vice minister?"

Gu Yansheng smiled. "He thought it was the Minister of Police."

Minister Zhou paused for a moment and said, "The power of the 76th Division is already great enough. He lives a more comfortable life as the deputy director than the director. If we give him the position of Minister of Police, won't Shanghai become his personal fiefdom?"

The deputy minister is not doing him a disservice.

"Alright, I'll go tell Ding Mocun to get to know them better."

The more displeased Li Shiqun was, the more he would be reprimanded.

Minister Zhou patted Gu Yansheng on the shoulder, gave him a smile, and walked over to talk to Ding Mocun.

After he finished speaking, Gu Yansheng stepped forward to claim credit.

He swirled his wine glass and said, "How about it? This opportunity to make a name for yourself is easy, isn't it?"

Ding Mocun laughed heartily and downed a drink enthusiastically. "Brother, you're the only one I can rely on. You always think of me when something good happens. Don't worry, I'll definitely handle this matter perfectly."

When Ding Mocun recalled meeting Li Shiqun and Gu Yansheng, he realized that their character and conduct were worlds apart.

Li Shiqun, that bastard!
Gu Yansheng whispered, "When you go to Nanjing this time, you can set up the Social Affairs Department, spend some money, and recruit some people. In the future, you can handle our affairs through the Social Affairs Department, which will give you another channel."

What's better than No. 76 is that you have complete control over the Social Affairs Department. You, the Social Affairs Department, set up the operations, and I, the Ministry of Justice, issue the permits; you can move freely throughout the entire occupation zone.

Ding Mocun nodded repeatedly, "Okay, I'll keep it in mind and take care of it right away."

Gu Yansheng hummed in agreement, scanned the entire room, spotted Li Shiqun, and went over to offer a few words of comfort.

He acted a bit awful, but there was no other way; he had to consider everyone's feelings.

First, I mentioned Minister Zhou's comments about him, just to put some pressure on him.

Then Gu Yansheng said, "This matter may not necessarily be a bad thing."

Li Shiqun didn't understand and scoffed, "Could it be a good thing?" Gu Yansheng clicked his tongue, "You have to think about it from the other side. What is Minister Zhou worried about? Is Ding Mocun being suppressed by you? Most of the power of No. 76 is in your hands. Now that he has promoted Ding Mocun to Minister of Social Affairs, do you think Ding Mocun will gradually shift his focus of work to the Ministry of Social Affairs?"
"So, regarding Unit 76, there used to be two groups of people. Will they eventually become one group? It's only a matter of time."

Li Shiqun frowned slightly and thought about it. This statement was not without reason. From the perspective that No. 76 would gradually be completely under his control, this was not without its gains.

Li Shiqun raised his glass, smiled faintly, and gestured to Gu Yansheng, "Let's drink."

After appeasing Li Shiqun, the only remaining issue is Gao Zhongwu.

He managed to become a vice minister of foreign affairs by doing odd jobs, which is far inferior to Li Shiqun.

Li Shiqun's intelligence headquarters was a powerful unit. Even if Ding Mocun continued to compete with him, Li Shiqun was still a local tyrant in Shanghai.

As for Gao Zhongwu's position as vice minister, to put it bluntly, he couldn't even compare to Wu Sibao in terms of power.

Whom could the Wang Jingwei government engage in diplomacy with?
Moreover, Gao Zhongwu's biggest problem was that he was disliked by Wang Jingwei, and his path was completely cut off.

This person can be used to obtain the details of the negotiations that the organization needs.

Upon seeing him, Gu Yansheng disappeared; it was best to keep one's distance.

The next day, Minister Zhou led a group to Nanjing.

Gu Yansheng decided not to go with them. He didn't know how long they would be gone. Nanjing was one thing, but there was also Beiping. Flying that far would be too much trouble.

Now that he's already secured the ministerial position, he can simply sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor; he can't be expected to do everything himself.

Without comparison, there is no gratitude. Let Minister Zhou take the old men of the Wang faction to experience the danger firsthand. They will be even more grateful to him in the future.

The problem in Nanjing isn't too big, but the problem with the Provisional Government of North China is quite significant. Gu Yansheng isn't familiar with that area and can't offer any advice.

Now that it's cotton season, and Gu Yansheng doesn't have much time to spare, he needs to figure out how to raise the price of cotton yarn.

Gu Yansheng invited Lu Bowen over for tea.

How's the cotton harvest going?

"The first batch has arrived, and the rest will probably take a few more days. This year's high temperatures have caused the cotton to ripen a few days earlier. I sent a telegram to inquire, and it should arrive in Shanghai in about a week."

“We’ll start raising prices as soon as cotton is put into storage. Don’t sell cotton yarn recently. On the contrary, if others want to sell, you can buy some.”

This had been discussed before, so Lu Bowen was prepared. He nodded and asked, "What price are you planning to raise it to?"

How much is a piece of cotton yarn now?

"The weather is still hot now, and a piece of cotton yarn costs around 70 yuan."

"Let's raise it to 300 first."

Lu Bowen was surprised. "Such a large increase? Can those businessmen handle it?"

"You have to eat it even if you don't want to."

Gu Yansheng had flattered Minister Zhou for so many days and worked tirelessly to finally secure the ministerial position; he couldn't let all his efforts go to waste.

“I am in charge of the Ministry of Justice, and now I can oversee the legal affairs of the Japanese-occupied territories. Those who make money as traitorous businessmen have to give it all back to me.”

Lu Bowen bowed admiringly, "Minister Gu's imposing presence is truly remarkable!"

Who would have thought that this college student would eventually climb to the core of the Wang Jingwei regime? Lu Bowen still finds it unbelievable when he thinks about it.

Of course, although his dream of becoming the "King of Rice" has not yet been realized, he has already earned the title of "King of Flour," and his rise to wealth has been astonishing.

With power and money, one is invincible.

"The specific business operations are up to you. If other manufacturers are willing to sell, then buy. If anyone dares to cause trouble, then tell me. From today onwards, no dissenting voices will be tolerated in Shanghai. If we're going to be traitors, then we'll be traitors to the end."

"Okay, leave it to me."

After meeting with Lu Bowen, Gu Yansheng still needed to find Fu Xiao'an.

"Mayor Fu." Gu Yansheng made a trip to the municipal government.

"Minister Gu," Fu Xiao'an said with a smile, instructing his secretary to make tea.

In terms of rank, Gu Yansheng is no lower than him now.

Of course, because there are expectations of business cooperation, the relationship between everyone is not as strained as before.

Gu Yansheng sat down on the sofa, crossed his legs, and said, "Your cotton should have arrived by now, right?"

"We've arrived." Fu Xiao'an was definitely more capable than Lu Bowen. His cotton arrived in Shanghai two days earlier than Lu Bowen's. However, no amount of money is too much, so he increased his cotton purchases this year and is still buying more from other places.

He was talking about the amount of cotton he owned.

Gu Yansheng interjected, "I don't know anything about business. I'm here today to discuss with Mayor Fu what price to sell cotton yarn at this year."

"What do you think of 400?" Fu Xiao'an had already considered this question and answered it offhand.

"You're really ruthless," Gu Yansheng nodded and said readily, "I have no objection. Then I'll ask Mayor Fu to make sure that after our cotton is put into storage, we communicate with all the cotton yarn merchants in Shanghai and make sure they don't sell at low prices. They must wait until our cotton is put into storage, otherwise the Japanese merchants will renege on their promise and not give us the cotton, which will cause us a lot of trouble."

Fu Xiao'an understood the reasoning perfectly. "Alright, then let's start a week from now. The price will be the same throughout Shanghai. I can control Shanghai, but there are some factories in Nanjing, Jiangsu. For those factories, we'll have to have Minister Gu handle that."

“Let’s solve it together.” Gu Yansheng smiled. “My position as minister is just nominal now. Mayor Fu’s connections in Nanjing are much more effective than mine.”

Fu Xiao'an smiled and said, "Alright, let's solve this together. You're not going to suffer any losses. You're familiar with No. 76, and they have people in other places, right?"

"Hahahaha!" Gu Yansheng laughed loudly, "Anyway, if we work together, we can make ten years' worth of his money in just one year!"

"Shall we also make a move in futures?" Fu Xiao'an raised an eyebrow. "Let's empty these foreigners' pockets."

“Sure.” Gu Yansheng was intrigued at the first hearing. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Then you can release some negative news in the name of the municipal government to give me some time to build up my position. Seven days should be enough.”

“That’s not difficult,” Fu Xiao’an said. “I told you that this year’s cotton harvest was bumper, with production increasing by 70% compared to usual.”

"So many?" Gu Yansheng smiled in surprise. "What should we say when we negotiate the price?"

“Simple.” Fu Xiao’an smiled. “I told you the New Fourth Army attacked the cotton warehouse and burned it all down.”

"Hahaha, brilliant!" Gu Yansheng gave a thumbs up in praise.

“Come on, have a drink.” Fu Xiao’an, in high spirits, took a bottle of whiskey from the shelf behind him.

He poured some for Gu Yansheng, and then some for himself.

Raising his glass, he said, "I've heard that the situation in Europe is unstable right now. We don't need to give the British too much face. The fact that we're drinking the wine they're giving us is just a way to get our hands on their wallets. Last time, the Sassoon ganged up with those big shots and took advantage of my illness to try and kill me. I haven't forgotten that. A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years!"

(End of this chapter)