Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 244 Business trip
Shen's Garment Factory.

“It happened suddenly. I’m going to Hong Kong in the next couple of days. You can ask the organization if they need to arrange a meeting.”

"It's a bit rushed. If I notify him now, I don't know if Mr. Wu will be able to spare the time. How many days can you stay?"

"We need to find people first, then negotiate. It definitely won't be quick. It will probably take about ten days to half a month in Hong Kong."

"Okay, then I'll ask the organization how to contact them if they have time?"

"At that time, we can publish a missing person notice in the Ta Kung Pao in Hong Kong, stating that Wang Haifeng is looking for his sister Wang Ruyan, and the time and place will be determined by the other party."

"Okay, I see."

After leaving Shen's Clothing Shop, Gu Yansheng went to Hongkou to find Hasegawa Renchuan.

consulate.

“Mr. Hase,” Gu Yansheng said, explaining Minister Zhou’s request to protest.

"Is that so?" Hasegawa was clearly unaware that the military had other plans, and frowned in surprise.

Gu Yansheng nodded. "They don't know if this is Chief of Staff Itagaki's own idea or the Cabinet's idea. They hope to use the consulate's channels to report this matter to the Cabinet to clarify whether the Cabinet intends to violate their agreement."

"They always manage to pull off some unexpected things." Hasegawa said this in an unfriendly tone, and after a moment's thought, he said, "It's not exactly a sudden idea for some people in the army to persuade President Chiang Kai-shek in Chongqing to surrender, but after several years from before the war to now, the result is obvious."

The cabinet cannot abandon established matters by choosing an uncertain outcome.

This is likely just wishful thinking on the part of certain individuals within the military.

How are the people in the "Wang" group feeling?

“I heard from Minister Zhou that Mr. Wang is not in a good mood.” Gu Yansheng kept in mind that he was a member of the consulate and spoke frankly and frankly. “From his point of view, the negotiations were almost over, the conference was held, and he was just waiting to complete the merger work so that the new government could open its doors. But now it is indefinitely delayed, like a spare tire, dispensable.”

Minister Zhou seemed to be in a relatively good mood, though he was somewhat dissatisfied, but he kept it brief. He knew I had connections at the consulate and probably didn't want to reveal too much.

Hasegawa understood, and with a frown, he let out a long sigh and said, "I will respond to this matter as soon as possible. You should try to calm them down. There won't be any major changes."

“I understand.” Gu Yansheng nodded. “In addition, Chief of Staff Itagaki asked them to provide a list of liaisons with Chongqing. Minister Zhou sent Mei Siping, who used to work in Hong Kong, to accompany Chief of Staff Itagaki’s men to Hong Kong to handle this matter.”

"Sending you?" Hasegawa pondered Minister Zhou's intentions for a moment and then understood somewhat. "He wants to use you to get the Ministry of Foreign Affairs involved in this matter and to supervise the military?"

Hasegawa nodded slightly to himself, "This Minister Zhou is indeed very shrewd in handling matters."

"You're definitely overthinking it," Gu Yansheng nodded. "I guessed that was the case too."

Hasegawa said, "Then you should cooperate with their work and maintain a good relationship with Minister Zhou. This will be important for your future work."

“I understand. But what if their negotiations make progress?”

Hasegawa scoffed, "You're worrying too much. I don't think the negotiations will make any progress."

Based on my many years of observation of President Jiang in China, the biggest difference between him and Mr. Wang is that he prefers malicious compromise.

He always regarded the Communist Party as a major threat. At the beginning of the war between Japan and China, in order to win over the people, he was willing to cooperate with the Communist Party, which was a compromise.

Logically speaking, since the war is not over, as a leader, he should not turn the knife inward and deplete his own fighting strength.

But in reality, even when the war was losing ground, he still proposed a plan to restrict the activities of opposing parties at the Fifth National Congress of the Kuomintang at the beginning of the year. Although he did not explicitly name the Communist Party, everyone knew who he was restricting.

The plan subsequently introduced by the Chongqing leadership consisted of only eight characters: "Dissolve the Communists, Prevent the Communists, Limit the Communists, and Oppose the Communists."

He fought such a bad war, yet all he wanted to do was restrict the development of the Communist Party. What do you think was the purpose of that?
To ensure that one's position remains completely unshaken.

It has absolutely nothing to do with us.

It has nothing to do with war.

It wasn't that he came to deal with other domestic forces after the war ended; rather, he disregarded the depletion of his internal strength and focused on dealing with the already limited fighting force while the war was ongoing.

This is malice; the compromises of that time already contain the malice of today.

When the situation was critical, he could compromise and form alliances; now that the situation has calmed down a bit, he's starting to pick up his old goals again.

This shows that the state of affairs is not a major consideration for him, but the president's personal goals are very important to him.

Therefore, I never thought the military's surrender plan would make any progress, because at this stage, it still has the resources to deal with the Communists and is far from being at its wit's end. It didn't negotiate after the Shanghai Incident, so why would it choose to negotiate now?

Even if he were to negotiate, it would be with malicious intent.

This person is definitely an ingrate. When all else fails, if he really chooses to negotiate, he may appear to be making a temporary compromise, but in his heart, he will be waiting for an opportunity to strike.

There's a line in *Dream of the Red Chamber*: "His son is a wolf from Zhongshan; once he gains power, he becomes arrogant and unruly." That perfectly describes someone like him.

Gu Yansheng offered an admiring look and flattered him, "Mr. Changgu's words have enlightened me. I had heard from people in the 76th Division that Chongqing had given orders to Gu Zhutong of the Third War Zone to restrict the supply of weapons and ammunition to the New Fourth Army in northern Anhui."

At the time, I genuinely didn't understand the Chongqing government's intentions; it was completely detrimental to them. Now, after hearing Mr. Hasegawa's explanation, I truly understand. It turns out this was merely the private plan of President Chiang Kai-shek of Chongqing.

Hasegawa chuckled lightly, "This President Chiang just wants to use us to wipe out this New Fourth Army."

Anti-communism is the voice of the mainstream countries in the world. We oppose communism, and the Wang Jingwei government also opposes communism, but the Chongqing government alone cannot oppose communism. This is the biggest ally they can get in order to resist Japan, and they are on the same side as the Chongqing government.

Isn't the purpose of opposing communism obvious?
It can only be a personal demand.

Would you care about a small group of bandits? Would you bring up something you don't care about to the Fifth National Congress of the Kuomintang for discussion?

He cares about it, he cares about it so much that he can't sleep. That's why he's so eager to bring this up now and get everyone involved. The reason for this is pure malice.

"Once everyone has done it, they're all in the same boat. From now on, we all have to fight the Communist Party to prevent them from retaliating."

This Ministry of Foreign Affairs expert on China truly has a thorough understanding of Chongqing, far more so than those in the military who sit in their offices and engage in militarism.

"I've learned a lot. I'll cooperate with Minister Zhou."

"Just wait and see if your trip to Hong Kong will validate my idea," Hasegawa said confidently.

"We'll see." Gu Yansheng smiled and took his leave.

After leaving the consulate, Gu Yansheng drove to the municipal government.

The next step was to finalize the list of subordinates who would be going to Hong Kong.

When traveling, especially to Hong Kong which is so far away, you definitely need to bring enough bodyguards and errand runners.

The bodyguard issue is simple; he can just bring his own family's bodyguards.

Although Ding Mocun's people can be used, they are not one of our own, and it's inconvenient to travel with them.

They can be used as operatives, but not as bodyguards.

As for the person in charge, Gu Yansheng originally wanted to bring Ma Shiqi, but the smuggling business in western Shanghai still needed him for the time being. With him there, he could handle any unexpected events in an emergency.

The only remaining option is Wenyan, but Wenyan works in the customs inspection department, and leaving for an extended period of time would not be beneficial for him.

Wenyan can't take it either.

It's a bit troublesome to find someone to help, as both of our capable generals who are good at underhanded work are tied up.

Gu Yansheng needed to find a new person to work with. After thinking about the people around him, he thought of one person: Yan Dongqing, the Kuomintang agent who was particularly serious about his work and the action team leader. Although he suspected Yan Dongqing's identity, whether he was a Kuomintang agent or not was actually irrelevant to him.

Sometimes it's better to be a member of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS).

Upon arriving at the municipal government, Gu Yansheng went upstairs to the judicial office.

"Small building."

"Director, you've arrived." Liu Xiaolou stood up happily.

"Didn't I give you an office in the secretariat? You don't need to always stand outside my door. There's no one to chat with here."

The area outside Gu Yansheng's office was very quiet.

After walking into the office and sitting down, Liu Xiaolou made himself a cup of coffee.

"If you come here and can't find me, you'll have to go to my office to look for me, which is too much trouble. I'm used to being here and I won't get bored. Besides, there hasn't been any departmental reform yet, so we can't leave the old section chief without a place. It would be even more awkward to be in the same office."

"The Japanese have a different idea every day, so we'll have to wait a while longer for departmental reforms," ​​Gu Yansheng clicked his tongue.

"Mayor Fu has no objection, but since the Wang government hasn't been established yet, according to the usual procedures, personnel changes have to be submitted to the Japanese for review, which is too troublesome. Your positions will also have to wait until the Wang government is established before they can be moved. It's a bit of a hassle, so you'll have to suffer for a couple more days and sit on the sidelines for a couple more days."

Gu Yansheng is currently a minister and a section chief, neither of which can be considered concurrent positions, as they are both within the same system. However, he is currently a minister under the Kuomintang and a section chief under the Shanghai Special Municipal Government.

The problem is that only one salary was paid, so we lost money.

Liu Xiaolou chuckled, "I'm not planning to move into that office anyway. Once you've decided to go to Nanjing, I'll get a stool to sit on outside your office."

"Okay, I'll save it for you." Gu Yansheng was also in a good mood when he saw Liu Xiaolou. "How's the matter the secretariat asked you to handle going?"

"Then let me report." Liu Xiaolou handed over the coffee cup and then talked about the investigation into the secretariat for planting their own people.

Although the position has not yet been submitted to the Japanese for review, Gu Yansheng has made it clear to the head of the personnel department that no one in the judicial department dares to disobey Gu Yansheng, so Liu Xiaolou's work is going relatively smoothly.

Apart from the old secretary being a little uneasy and feeling somewhat awkward, everything else was fine.

"How is Yan Dongqing doing lately?" Gu Yansheng asked, sipping his coffee.

Liu Xiaolou realized that this was the second time the section chief had specifically asked Yan Dongqing about it.

"After you asked about him last time, I paid more attention to him. However, Deputy Section Chief Yan is a low-key and kind person. He gets along well with his colleagues in the Economic Department, and they all like him. It's just that he doesn't have a strong presence in the department and doesn't come here often."

"Are there women with you?"

Liu Xiaolou thought for a moment, hesitated, and shook his head. "Probably not. I heard the women over there gossiping that Deputy Section Chief Yan is single."

He doesn't love money, loves his work, is kind and chatty, and doesn't have a woman yet—this sounds like something a secret agent would do.

"Call him and ask him to come; I need to speak with him."

"Yes."

Liu Xiaolou picked up the phone and called the Economic Department. A moment later, he was told that the person had arrived.

I waited a while.

Yan Dongqing has arrived.

"Director."

"When I assigned you to the Economic Department, I didn't expect the situation to change so quickly. The Economic Department collapsed, and you were left idle. I haven't decided where to assign you yet. The Legal Affairs Section would be a waste of your talent."

Gu Yansheng came out, leaned against the table, and looked at him. "You must have heard about the government's reforms. What are your aspirations for your future position?"

Yan Dongqing smiled and said, "I don't have any demands. Although the Economic Department is not very useful now, I think that after Mr. Wang's new government is established, the Economic Department may be revitalized."

Gu Yansheng raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"

"The Economic Department was originally established to issue military scrip, but its role later became preparing for the establishment of a municipal bank. Now, because the new government has not yet been established, it seems to have a lot of free time."

However, I believe that once the new government is established, its central bank will also issue its own banknotes, which will require a large number of staff. Since these staff members of the Economic Department have experience in issuing military scrip and are familiar with Shanghai affairs, I think there is a high probability that these staff members will be incorporated into the new central bank.

As the new government's purse strings, the central bank's role can't be considered insignificant, can it? These are just some of my personal, superficial opinions.

“That makes a lot of sense.” Gu Yansheng nodded. “The fact that the action team leader of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics knows so much about economics shows that your time in the Economic Division was worthwhile.”

Yan Dongqing smiled and said, "I do have a lot of free time, so I learned a bit from some staff members in the Economic Department. Some of them are officials, and others are economics professors from universities. These are their views, and I only understand a little bit of them. It's mostly just parroting what they said."

"Since you have time, come with me on a business trip to Hong Kong to do your old job of keeping watch on people. Are you willing to go?"

"I'm willing." Yan Dongqing nodded decisively.

"Your skills haven't declined, have they?"

"No, don't worry."

"Okay, we'll set off in the next couple of days."

Gu Yansheng picked up the phone and called Ding Mocun. After explaining the situation, he hung up and continued to Yan Dongqing: "I've already told Director Ding that you should pick the people yourself. Hong Kong is not our territory, so we can't bring too many people, otherwise we'll be too conspicuous. Six to eight should be enough. You used to be in the 76th Division's inspection department, so you're familiar with the personnel. Pick a few capable ones."

"Yes, then I'll go now?"

"Well, let's go."

After finishing his coffee, Gu Yansheng returned to the Huxi Teahouse and called Lu Bowen over.

I mentioned that I was going to Hong Kong.

"We don't know how long it will take yet. While I'm gone, the cotton yarn business doesn't have to wait until I get back. Once you've accumulated enough futures chips, tell Ma Shiqi to contact Fu Xiao'an and start a market rally."

He Yun is in charge of the national treasury, so there's no need to worry about money. When Gu Yansheng returns, the accounts can be re-established.

"If any man-made accidents occur, have him contact Wu Sibao to handle it."

"Okay, I'll handle it. Remember to bring us some gifts back."

"You're still talking now." Gu Yansheng chuckled. "I'll see how it goes. Forget about you, you're definitely out of luck. I can at least find an excuse to buy it for a woman."

"That's terrible." Lu Bowen scoffed, it was just a joke, and he forgot about it as soon as he said it. "There's something more important. I think you could take some money to Hong Kong and deposit it in a Hong Kong bank. There are restrictions on large remittances from Shanghai to Hong Kong, and it's easy to leave a trace, in case the organization needs it, right?"

"Good reminder." Gu Yansheng nodded. Human flesh smuggling should not be wasted if there is an opportunity. "I should save some. I will do it."

"Nothing else, I'll be going now."

"it is good."

After Lu Bowen left, Gu Yansheng spoke with Fu Xiaoan and Ma Shiqi about the cotton yarn and made arrangements.

I received a call from Minister Zhou the following evening.

On the third day, the group assembled and flew to Hong Kong.

(End of this chapter)