Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 247 Strength
Gu Yansheng arrived at the meeting point, which was a residential house.

He knocked on the door, and when he saw who it was, Gu Yansheng was taken aback. He went in first, and then he was happy.

"Mr. Chen."

The person who came was actually Minister Chen, who had sent them to Shanghai. They hadn't seen each other for a long time and even missed him.

"Surprised, isn't it?" Minister Chen smiled.

"Unexpected! Why are you here?"

"Because some people are bad at horseback riding, and they can even break their arms while riding a horse."

"Huh? Is it serious?"

Minister Chen waved his hand and left, saying, "Let's talk in the back room."

Seeing Minister Chen's joking smile, Gu Yansheng could only follow him inside.

As soon as he entered the inner room, Minister Chen extended his hand and said, “Comrade Yansheng, you have worked hard. Among the few people in the organization who know about you, your performance in the enemy camp is highly praised. It is truly commendable that you were able to penetrate into the core level of the Wang Jingwei regime at the very beginning by starting with economic and judicial approaches. Courage and wisdom are both indispensable. On behalf of the organization, I express my respect to you.”

Gu Yansheng reached out and shook hands, solemnly saying, "Thank you for your concern, it's what I should do."

Minister Chen patted Gu Yansheng's hand and said, "When I sent your team out, I didn't expect you to achieve what you have today. You amazed me. You are truly outstanding. I have had to brag to them about my good judgment. Haha, they are so envious."

After Minister Chen finished speaking animatedly, he composed himself and warned, "But I still want to remind you to be careful and cautious. Always protect yourself. Safety is the most important thing. Remember that."

Gu Yansheng nodded, "Thank you for your concern, Minister. I will keep it in mind."

"sit."

Minister Chen poured tea for Gu Yansheng, saying, "Two months ago, he fell off his horse on his way to give a lecture to students at the Party School in Yan'an, and suffered a comminuted fracture of his arm."

You know that medical conditions in Yan'an were poor. His arm was treated there but it still couldn't be cured. More than half a month ago, he was flown to the Soviet Union for treatment.

"It's not easy for you to come all this way, it would be such a waste to give up the meeting. Other people aren't suitable to get to know you either, so when he found out, he contacted me and asked me to come over."

"I see," Gu Yansheng nodded. "How is the situation now? Can it be cured?"

"Of course he can. A comminuted fracture of the arm would cause infection for most people even with surgery, but he survived for a month in Yan'an under such conditions. The medical conditions in the Soviet Union are so much better, how could he not fare well? Don't worry."

Minister Chen smiled reassuringly, "It's just that I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you, Minister Gu, to stay in Hong Kong for so long. I was worried that I wouldn't make it in time, and that you would have gone back by the time I arrived. Wouldn't that have been a wasted trip?"

"Please stop teasing me. What kind of damn minister are you? You're a complete traitor."

Is the shortage of medical supplies in Yan'an severe? Is there anything I can do to help?
I have medicines on hand, and a wide variety of them. You could say I have enough Western medicines that are in short supply on the market to fill sacks.

I can transport the medicine to the New Fourth Army at any time, but there are too many things to consider regarding the route to Yan'an. The situation is complicated in both Japanese-occupied and Nationalist-controlled areas, so I'm being cautious and haven't moved yet. I can only distribute the medicine to the Japanese-occupied areas through merchants and the Green Gang, hoping that any spillover will reach our territory.

"Being cautious is a good thing. It's better to do nothing than to make a mistake." Minister Chen thought for a moment and said, "Yan'an is indeed short of medicines. There is a route from Hong Kong to Yan'an that receives international aid supplies. However, since they didn't let you use this route, it means that this route is risky for you. We'll figure out how to get medicines ourselves first. Your priority now is to protect yourself. Slow and steady wins the race."

“I understand.” Gu Yansheng nodded in agreement. “Everything will be done according to the organization’s requirements.”

"You have a few things to report, right? He was vague in the telegram because he was afraid of leaking secrets."

"Yes, then I will give a detailed report."

Gu Yansheng recounted the events of the past few months from the beginning, starting with the arrival of Wang Jingwei's faction in Shanghai to formally negotiate with the Japanese, and then moving on to the convening of the Party Congress.

This section mainly discusses the interpersonal relationships among Wang Jingwei's faction and their various reactions to the attitudes of the Japanese.

The character descriptions, including close-up interactions and interpersonal conflicts, can increase the organization's success rate in future operations.

After hearing Gu Yansheng recount Gao Zhongwu's experiences, Minister Chen asked, "So you think Gao Zhongwu is capable of being turned?"

“Yes.” Gu Yansheng nodded. “Gao Zhongwu’s biggest problem is that Wang Jingwei no longer likes him. He was given the position of vice minister only because he is a veteran and one of the first to follow him. Gao Zhongwu is well aware of his situation. Wang Jingwei has sided with Japan, and there is no future for him in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, let alone as a vice minister.”

If someone offered him a price to leave the Wang puppet regime at this time, then the label of traitor would not fall on him. After all, the Wang puppet government had not yet opened for business, and he, as a deputy minister, was not well-known.

My plan was that if the organization needed him, I could try to win him over; if not, I would wait for Dai Li in Chongqing to ask me for the contents of the final agreement signed between Wang Jingwei and the Japanese, and then hand Gao Zhongwu over to him to deal with.”

Minister Chen laughed and said, "Then let's give the credit to Dai Li. This boss Dai has been sending people to keep an eye on No. 50 Zengjiayan every day. He has too much time on his hands. Let's find him something to do."

Gu Yansheng smiled and said, "Okay, if he doesn't come to me, then I will. I will make sure he gets his hands on the contents of the agreement."

Minister Chen grunted and frowned, saying, "What do you think of Dai Li's assassination plot? As far as I know, the Japanese intelligence agencies have been quite active recently. Wang Tianmu sold off the Shanghai district and the Tianjin station, but now the Military Intelligence Bureau organizations in North China are being attacked. Isn't this going too far?"

Gu Yansheng thought for a moment and said, "I think there might be a misjudgment on Dai Li's part in this matter. I have no way of knowing what Wang Tianmu's plan was. Maybe it was just to sell the Shanghai district in exchange for trust, and that was it."

However, Li Shiqun was not someone to be trifled with. During the subsequent interrogation, Li Shiqun found the Tianjin Station, which Wang Tianmu had founded, through Wang Tianmu's past experiences. Wang Tianmu could say that time had passed and he did not know the current location of the Tianjin Station, but he, as a high-ranking member of the Military Intelligence Bureau, certainly knew who the people at the Tianjin Station were before the War of Resistance, who the station chief was, who the deputy station chief was, and what they looked like.

This raises a problem: as long as these high-ranking officials are still active in Tianjin, if Li Shiqun finds even one of them, it's only a matter of time before the entire Tianjin station is uncovered.

"If they unearthed Tianjin Station, then they might discover Beiping Station, which is so close to them, and that could very well lead to other similar stations being uncovered as well."

"This is a terrible move," Minister Chen thought for a moment, utterly bewildered. "Dai Li placed all his hopes on one person, which was very unwise. How could he choose to take this step? How is Wang Tianmu now?"

"He's still under observation, but there's a rumor that they'll give him a private room at number 76."

"Well, that means we've passed the trust hurdle. Go on."

“Okay.” Gu Yansheng then talked about the sudden change in the situation for the Japanese, which was related to his coming to Hong Kong.

This part has been dragging on without progress, so a simple description will suffice. As for the Japanese attitude, it's not very important in this matter; the decision ultimately rests with President Jiang in Chongqing.

It's too early to say that the message hasn't even been sent out yet.

However, the personnel changes at the Japanese headquarters and the formation of the China Expeditionary Army did answer Minister Chen's questions.

"No wonder the Japanese have been making such moves lately."

This information could only be obtained by someone like Gu Yansheng, a key figure in the central government.

"When will you return? If there is any progress, I can send you another message."

"We should be able to stay for another two days. If there's time, we'll send the message; if not, don't force it. Negotiations won't be resolved overnight; there are many changes along the way. Could you help us prepare a copy of their negotiation statements?"

"no problem."

"Okay, that's all, right?"

"There's nothing left in the political sphere for now, but there is still something left in the economic sphere."

"Good." Minister Chen took a sip of tea and smiled slightly. "I heard you made a fortune in Shanghai?"

Gu Yansheng smiled and said, "I did make a little money, just a little bit."

"How much is 'a little bit'?" Minister Chen was very interested.

Gu Yansheng thought for a moment, "I currently have over 90 US dollars and over 400 million silver dollars, that's about it."

"So much?" Minister Chen was so shocked that he straightened up. "No, where did you get so much money?"

"It's a long story, but it just accumulated over time." Gu Yansheng recalled, and it was indeed this number.

Minister Chen was momentarily stunned. "How could there be so many?"

Gu Yansheng readily agreed, "Take silver dollars for example, they all come from the tribute money given to me by various gangs."

Zhang Xiaolin used to make 300,000 yuan a month in profit. I used to take 20% of that. Now the Japanese are letting them go out and conquer new territories, so the profit has increased. He alone makes 600,000 yuan a month. Now I take 15% of that, which is 90,000 yuan a month.

The chief Chinese constable in the French Concession was a good man. He didn't go out to raid other territories. I would take 20% of his earnings, which would amount to 40,000 to 50,000 a month.

Sassoon can't do business in the Chinese-controlled areas now, but he has a lot of goods. I take a 10% cut from him, which is 30,000 to 40,000 a month. Other miscellaneous gangs give me tribute money every month, which adds up to 300,000 a month, or 3.6 million a year.

I haven't received it yet, it's only a little over two million.

Zhou wanted to take over the banks of the Wang Jingwei regime and issue bonds. I went to collect the money. In total, I sold more than 25 million bonds from traitorous merchants in Shanghai and Nanjing.

This was a one-time transaction, and it's documented in the ledger, so I can't just take it.

But the Military Intelligence Bureau killed people in Shanghai, and once the person is dead, the debt is cleared. At that time, Wang Jingwei was still in Hanoi, so I had no reason to hand it over. That amounted to more than two million.

After deducting the money spent on weapons for the New Fourth Army, I still have about two million left, making a total of four million.

That money, if you just hold it, will lose interest; I'm talking about money from bonds.

I suggested to Zhou Ni that we release the money to support the development of private enterprises, increase the tax revenue of the new government, and also collect some interest. The reason was reasonable, and Zhou Ni also wanted to make money, so the money was released.

Lu Bowen's factory was worth 150,000 yuan. We bought it with our own money. Now it's valued at 200,000, 300,000, or 400,000 yuan. Then we went to the bank to get a loan, and the cash came back.

I paid for this money at the time, so He Yun returned it to me. He hasn't even accounted for his own factory yet. He took out 1.5 to 1.6 million yuan from the bank just for his factory. This money is now in He Yun's hands, and it's considered as money they made from doing business together.

"See, this is how they make money."

"You first invest your own money to open a factory, then use the factory as collateral to get money from the Wang puppet regime, and then transfer all the risk to the Wang puppet regime with a little interest. If the Japanese turn against you, Lu Bowen can get away unscathed at any time. Is that your plan?"

"That's right. The Japanese are unreasonable and could turn on us at any time. In particular, Japanese companies want to treat Chinese people like dirt. Our factories can't withstand forced requisition. With this operation, the Wang Jingwei regime has effectively been tied to my warship, and we must protect our factories."

Minister Chen's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed with delight, "That's a brilliant move!"

Only Gu Yansheng can pull off this tactic. Simply transferring risk is useless if you can't get a bank loan, or can only get a small amount. Only full coverage can ensure you remain unscathed.

The most crucial element is the power struggle between the two forces. If it were only the Japanese, they could arrest people, shut down factories, and make you vomit up everything you've taken, bones and blood.

But with the Wang Jingwei regime involved, it became their own money. The Japanese didn't care because they couldn't make money from it, and the Wang Jingwei regime wouldn't care either, because it was still Gu Yansheng's property.

The pulling and tugging was very interesting.

Gu Yansheng smiled. As a lawyer, he had seen many economic criminals, and he had learned how to extract money on his own.

This is called believing in the wisdom of future generations.

After chatting for a while, he told him that he had $300,000 in the bank and that he could withdraw it if needed, and then Gu Yansheng left.

Gu Yansheng didn't go back to the hotel; instead, he went directly to find Yan Dongqing, who was keeping an eye on him.

"minister."

"Ah."

Gu Yansheng entered the house he was keeping watch over. It had been rented by Yan Dongqing, and across the street was Song Ziliang's company, Changlong Trading.

"How is it? What's Song Ziliang up to?"

“He hasn’t come out all day.” Yan Dongqing replied, “As a young master from a prominent family, he works quite hard. Most people with his family background would just play around all day, but these past few days, he’s been working at the company during the day and only goes to entertainment venues at night.”

Gu Yansheng thought it was normal. "He's probably forty years old, right? He was so wild when he was young. Now that he's middle-aged, he's more career-oriented. To put it nicely, it's like a prodigal son turning over a new leaf. What risks would I face if I met him?"

"The people going to and from get off work all seem to be normal office workers. Given the background of Southwest Transportation Company, most of them must be from Chongqing. But this is Hong Kong after all, so the security is relatively good. It's much safer than Shanghai. I noticed that they don't bring many bodyguards when they go out, or they bring very few, just two or three to serve them."

"Hmm." Gu Yansheng pondered for a moment and said, "Did you bring a gun?"

"Bring it."

"You're coming in with me? Aren't you afraid of dying here?" Gu Yansheng chuckled.

Yan Dongqing smiled faintly, "If you're not afraid, then I should be even less afraid."

"Let's go then."

Gu Yansheng wasn't exactly skilled or daring, but he knew that if it really came down to saving his life, throwing Boss Dai out would definitely be useful, so he wasn't worried.

Go straight to the company across the street, and there will be someone at the front desk to greet you.

"Who are you looking for?"

"Find your boss, Mr. Song, and tell him that guests from the Peninsula Hotel have arrived." Gu Yansheng smiled warmly.

Good appearance, good attitude, and from the Peninsula Hotel, the receptionist smiled sweetly and called Song Ziliang.

The wait was half an hour.

Gu Yansheng was very patient. He smiled when he saw Song Ziliang. "Mr. Song, it seems your business is doing well. If you're busy, I can wait a little longer."

Song Ziliang sneered, "You've got some nerve, haven't you? You really think this is Shanghai? Believe me, with your status, I can kill you right here."

"Believe me? There's no rush, is there?" Gu Yansheng said with a faint smile. "At least listen to what I have to say."

Song Ziliang chuckled and sneered, "What else can you possibly fart out of?"

Gu Yansheng said, "If you're doing business in the southwest, coincidentally, I'm doing business in the southwest too. If you take the Burma Road, I can take the entire southwest. If you insist on taking the Burma Road, I can even stop all the Japanese military planes bombing the Burma Road. Do you think this business is feasible?"

Song Ziliang's mocking smile faded slightly as he looked at Gu Yansheng coldly and said, "I'm also quite puzzled. Those people are either Japanese or traitors from Chongqing. Where did you come from, holding the position of minister? You're not Japanese, are you? You can just stop things like that. Why should the Japanese listen to you?"

Gu Yansheng didn't answer, but instead asked, "Can we talk?"

Song Ziliang stared at Gu Yansheng for a moment, then turned his head and said, "Come with me."

We went up to the third floor, to the chairman's office.

Gu Yansheng asked Yan Dongqing to wait at the door and went in by himself. His secretary served him tea.

Song Ziliang, his leg shaking, said, "Tell me, how do we stop the plane?"

Gu Yansheng sipped his tea unhurriedly. "Today you set a time, within three to five days. I'll reserve one day for you to ship the goods. I guarantee that not a single Japanese plane will pass by the entire Yunnan-Burma Road. If I can do that, you help me pass on the message. If I can't, I promise I won't come back."

"You're showing sincerity, but only for one day?"

“One day is good enough. We’re still at war, and there’s no peace talks. This one day is worth at least $100,000 for you to prepare. Don’t push your luck.” Gu Yansheng sneered. “I don’t necessarily need peace talks, Mr. Song. You need to understand that I’m not Japanese, and I have no need for them.”

"Then why are you so enthusiastic?"

“As I just said, I’m here to discuss business. What happened just now was a transaction, not business. What follows is business between you and Mr. Song.”

Gu Yansheng put down his cup, looked him straight in the eye, and said, "With the Song family's strength, it would be easy for them to make money in the Nationalist-controlled areas. I have plenty of resources at my disposal: medicine, firearms, energy, food—I can get my hands on anything that's available in the Japanese-occupied areas."

Hong Kong can certainly receive a lot of supplies, but both the Guangzhou and Myanmar routes are blocked. I have some connections, and I can open a route for you in Myanmar.

If the business at both ends is successful, it's like having a fortune. There's only one such business, no other branches.

Conversely, if Mr. Song is unwilling to do it, then the Japanese warplanes will bomb even more frequently, and will even bomb and destroy the last road for your Southwest Transportation Company, the Burma Road.

"Are you threatening me?" Song Ziliang's expression darkened.

"It depends on how you interpret it," Gu Yansheng said with a smile. "One side is a good thing, and the other side is a bad thing. Combining them would benefit both sides. I believe Mr. Song knows how to choose."

Song Ziliang frowned slightly as he stared at Gu Yansheng. After a while, the weather cleared up.

"Alright, since you say you're so powerful, then let's see if your strength is really that formidable. Three days from now, from midnight to midnight, I don't want to see a single plane."

"I'm leaving." Gu Yansheng got up and left.

(End of this chapter)