Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 256 Scolding
The Doihara Government Building is a large Japanese-style building.

I called ahead to discuss it, and Doihara was very obliging, personally coming out to greet me, with all the servants and others lining up to wait for me.

"General Doihara, we've known each other for a long time, haha."

"Please come in."

Judging from their positions, Wang Ni is the vice president, which means he has a higher status than Doihara. Doihara certainly observed proper etiquette.

They served tea, chatted, exchanged pleasantries, and introduced themselves to each other.

The main focus is on Gu Yansheng.

Needless to say, there were traitors like Wang and Zhou, and even when Ding Mocun defected to Shanghai, Doihara personally met him, but Gu Yansheng was someone he didn't recognize.

Before, Gu Yansheng was just a minor section chief. When Ding Mocun defected, he wasn't very famous and didn't catch Doihara's eye. But now that he's appeared as the Minister of Justice, the situation is different. He has to get to know him.

Doihara was an expert on China and had a very strong command of Chinese.

However, since there were important figures present, everyone only chatted briefly before getting to the main topic.

Minister Zhou said, "General Doihara, we came to Beiping this time for the issue of the unification of the North and the South. Wang Kemin is very resistant, or you could say he is barbaric. In front of our group, he even said that he is the god of North China."

We don't know whose power he relied on to gain this power. As things stand, Japan and we have basically reached an agreement. Given the situation, the establishment of a new government is imminent.

However, the existence of such people has seriously undermined our next step of cooperation.

We don't know anyone here in North China, so I had to come in person to ask for advice; this whole thing is going to fall apart.

"He said something like that?" Doihara was somewhat surprised.

“Absolutely true.” Minister Zhou nodded.

"This is simply outrageous."

Doihara frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "I actually understand your purpose. To be frank, whether it's the cabinet or the military, the general direction is definitely to achieve a unified government. The establishment of the Special Affairs Committee on China is specifically to be responsible for China affairs."

However, my position has changed, and I'm no longer responsible for the committee's specific affairs. So, I can help coordinate things, but it will take some time; I need to communicate with all parties involved.

"That's certainly the case."

Minister Zhou smiled, surprised that Doihara was so easy to talk to.

"Specifically, how long do you think it will take?"
The commander-in-chief of the dispatched army discussed and set a timeline for establishing the new government with us. Actually, the merger itself involves quite a few issues, and time is very tight.

"I'll handle it as soon as possible." Doihara thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you stay here for a few days, Mr. Wang and Minister Zhou? I believe it won't be too long."

Minister Zhou and Wang Ni exchanged a glance and smiled, "Alright, then we'll wait for your good news."

The important matters were settled much more smoothly than expected.

Once outside, Wang Ni remarked, "The Japanese are all more reasonable than Wang Kemin."

Minister Zhou commented, "Wang Kemin is clueless. No matter how closely he relies on the North China Army, the North China Army cannot ignore the will of the cabinet and the military. Doihara is well aware of this."

But his quick agreement still surprised me. I had originally thought he would use this as an excuse to shirk responsibility and avoid getting involved in the conflict between the North China Army and General Headquarters.

"Maybe he wants to make a name for himself. Didn't he make a mistake? He wants to use this to show off in front of headquarters and the cabinet?" Ding Mocun guessed.

"Possibly." Minister Zhou thought for a moment, then agreed wholeheartedly. "Yansheng, what do you think?"

"Me?" Gu Yansheng had no interest in guessing. As long as things could move forward, he could make some contributions to consolidate his position. Whatever Tufei Yuan's intentions were, it was just infighting among the Japanese anyway.

"I think we can consider having dinner now."

"Hahaha, right, someone's done the work, so all we have to do is eat."

Two days later, Doihara called to say that he had reached an agreement with Wang Kemin to participate in the merger, and that Doihara would come over on his own.

Finding the right person for something is really just a matter of a few words.

It's much more convenient than them having to find the North China Army themselves.

When Minister Zhou received the call, he summoned Gu Yansheng and Ding Mocun to come over and receive them together.

Two hours after hanging up the phone, Wang Kemin arrived at the hotel.

This time he was much more obedient and only brought three men.

"Mr. Wang, please have a seat." Minister Zhou gestured towards the sofa in the room and smiled politely.

To everyone's surprise, Wang Kemin didn't even look at him: "Mr. Wang, Vice President Wang, besides relying on the Japanese, what else can you rely on?"

Wang Ni was originally smiling, ready to turn hostility into friendship, but who knew that Wang Kemin would speak so sarcasticly, and now his face immediately fell.

"What do you mean?"

"You're useless! How long have you been a traitor? Do you even know what the Japanese are like?"

Wang Kemin said with a long face, "I'm not trying to criticize you, but when you encounter problems you always think of finding the Japanese to solve them. You're even more of a traitor than me. No wonder you have more seniority and a better background than Chiang Kai-shek, yet you're still suppressed by Chiang Kai-shek and have no real power. You're really useless."

Didn't you ever think of lowering your stance, coming to my house to plead with me, or even just begging me? Maybe I would have softened and agreed. You didn't even try, all you know is to beg the Japanese.

How many more years do I have left to live? How many more years can I compete with you for my position?
A simple visit to discuss terms would have sufficed, but instead you beat my son and hired Japanese people. Do you even know how to get things done?

Those who can't let go of their pride are more likely to cause trouble than achieve anything.

Those who achieve great things throughout history are able to bend and stretch. If I don't answer your call, you won't shamelessly come knocking on my door.
I just don't understand. Someone like you who can't let go of your pride, even if you don't have power in Chongqing, you must still be living a comfortable life, right?
There's still the legend of your assassination attempt on the Regent in Beiping. Even if you accomplish nothing and die in Chongqing, you'll still be remembered for eternity. Just bear with it, bear with it.

You turned around and sided with the Japanese. What are you after?
Why did you suddenly become so willing to put aside your pride?

I thought someone like you would come begging to me; I was even prepared to treat you to dinner.

"Then what are you after?" Wang Ni was furious. "You're a traitor who betrayed us and sided with the Japanese at the very beginning of the war. What right do you have to talk to me like that?"

Wang Kemin laughed, "Ha, am I the same as you? I'm almost 70, about to be buried. Who cares about traitors or not? I'll live a few more comfortable years. Who will remember me after I die?"
I won't be a traitor; plenty of others will.

But you're different. Who told you to be the vice president? Would you be a traitor? How many people would follow you in voting?

Look at them.

Wang Kemin raised his hand and pointed at the people in the room one by one, saying, "It's one thing for you to get involved yourself, but you also dragged the young people down with you, making them become traitors and get scolded. You're shameless!"

What a jerk! Gu Yansheng needed to reassess Wang Kemin. This old man was indeed sharp-tongued, had maxed-out magic resistance, and wasn't afraid of death. He was truly formidable.

Minister Zhou couldn't stand it anymore. "You want to be a traitor? We're not doing this for the sake of being traitors. We want to build a peaceful nation, protect our 400 million compatriots, and forge a new path for the Chinese nation in the face of war, giving it a chance to survive. That's what we seek!"

"Don't try to glorify yourself." Wang Kemin glanced at Minister Zhou with a look of utter disdain. "I've seen the agreement between you and the Japanese published in the newspapers. With those terms, calling it treason is not an exaggeration."

Even with these terms, which were published in the newspaper in May, you only came to me in October, and we still haven't signed the agreement. Why?
I bet the Japanese have come up with new, harsh conditions.

Wang Kemin paused here, glanced at the expressions of the others, and sneered, "They're all silent now, didn't they? Do you know why?"

I know the Japanese too well. Those guys don't keep their word. Their words are less reliable than their farts. They can have a different idea every day, even about the smallest things. A new government is such a big deal, spanning such a long period of time. Those people in the military must have beaten their brains out.

You don't know how to deal with them yet; you have to learn from me.

You'll have to beg me.

And you, Minister Zhou, I know you. You defected to the Communists and went to Chongqing, then Chongqing defected and you came to Japan. You're quite the character, aren't you? You're practically a traitor to three masters. Have you read Romance of the Three Kingdoms? Do you know what they said about Lü Bu?

"Wang Kemin! Have you lost your mind?!" Minister Zhou exploded in anger. "You come in and start cursing, and you even made Mr. Wang beg you? Do you even have the right to do that? If you can talk, then talk; if you can't, then get out!"

Even Minister Zhou, who is usually very cultured, couldn't stand it; the key issue was that his tail was stepped on.

"Hahaha, you can't even handle this?" Wang Kemin laughed mockingly. "If you become a traitor, there will be even more insults to come. It's not just me who will insult you, the whole country will insult you. They'll insult you in their mouths, in their books, in their newspapers, and in their Pingtan songs. You can't just cover your ears and not hear them. Get used to it sooner rather than later."

After saying that, Wang Kemin walked to the sofa without caring at all, sat down generously, crossed his legs and said, "Since the Japanese have spoken, then I, a traitor who relies on the Japanese, must come and talk. Come on, let's have a talk."

Damn, everyone in the room wanted to kill him, except for Gu Yansheng.

Wang Ni's chest heaved as he was being scolded, his face darkened, and he remained silent.

Minister Zhou also had a sullen face, but reason prevailed. The matter still had to be done, so he swallowed his anger and said, "I'll just assume you're upset because your son was beaten. Once you've calmed down, talk to me properly!"
Mr. Wang, please don't take it to heart. He doesn't even understand what peaceful nation-building means. Please have a seat.

Wang Ni thought for a moment and then sat down with a thud, but he didn't look at Wang Kemin at all, his gaze was very cold.

"You guys also sit down."

Minister Zhou gestured to Gu Yansheng and Ding Mochun, then walked over and sat down on the sofa.

Looking at Wang Kemin, he said, "Speak, what are your conditions?"

After asking the question, fearing that Wang Kemin would embarrass him further, he glared and added, "Stop talking nonsense. If we can talk, let's talk properly."

Wang Kemin smiled and said, "Of course we can talk. The conditions are very simple: I will still be in charge of North China. Any orders from the Nanjing government that involve North China must be discussed with me and can only be implemented if I agree."

"What's the difference between this and what you said last time?" Minister Zhou questioned with great dissatisfaction.

"Yes, there are." Wang Kemin patted his pants. "I'll give you face. As long as it's not excessive, I'll carry out your orders. Do you understand?"

This means that as long as it doesn't involve Wang Kemin's personal interests, it's fine.

This concession is sufficient; we can't just deny people money, can we?

At this moment, Wang Ni, who had been suppressing his anger for so long, could finally vent it. He sneered, "Why should I take orders from you? Don't you think you can teach me? With your abilities, I should be the one taking your orders."

Wang Kemin chuckled lightly, "You really think it's something good? The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. Since you've taken over this job, no one will be criticizing me anymore; they'll all be criticizing you. I'm getting old, so I'll just listen to less criticism, calm down, play with the kids, and enjoy my retirement."

"Then you might as well go home and retire!"

"I want to work until I die, I'm willing."

Gu Yansheng wanted to laugh, but Wang Ni was so angry that he refused to suffer any loss. He was extremely upset and kept a straight face.

In theory, at this time, it would be best to help Wang Ni by acting as his mouthpiece, providing timely assistance, which would be especially effective.

As for debating, Gu Yansheng is a lawyer by profession, but he won't help with that. It's better for everyone to have a contest and engage in internal friction.

“Let’s talk business, let’s talk business.” Minister Zhou patted the armrest and frowned. “Since you agree with the general direction, then publish a statement in the newspaper tomorrow that the North China Provisional Government fully supports Mr. Wang’s peaceful nation-building plan and supports Mr. Wang in establishing a new government.”

Wang Kemin's smile vanished, and he asked seriously, "What position will the new government give me? How many ministerial and committee member positions will I be given?"

"You still want the ministerial position?"

"Of course! My people won't participate in your meetings in Nanjing. Who will provide professional solutions for the North China issue? Do you still want to push this forward in North China? If you don't want to push it forward, I can refuse."

This request is theoretically a normal request, it's just that it sounds unpleasant, but we still have to talk about it.

Asking for an exorbitant price and then settling for a lower one is bound to lead to a breakdown in negotiations the first time.

"You should issue the statement tomorrow, and we'll discuss this matter further later."

"Fine, since you're not going to give me a position anyway, don't expect you to get involved in things in North China. I'm leaving." Wang Kemin got up and left.

In other places, once a preliminary agreement is reached, everyone would at least have a meal to celebrate. But now nobody even mentions it. What's the point of having a meal? We're all too angry to even think about it.

"To be old and not die is to be a thief, Mo Cun, you are absolutely right." Minister Zhou sighed with his hands behind his back. "I have seen many people who rely on their age to act superior, but I have never seen anyone like him before."

Wang Ni said, "We can't give him the key position. Fo Hai, you need to be careful. This guy is of very poor character."

“I know,” Minister Zhou replied. “Give it, give it what is due. Just as Yansheng said, let’s get the government up and running first, and then we’ll have plenty of ways to deal with him little by little.”

However, I hesitated to agree, not for the sake of the committee member position, but because I was afraid that if I offered too high a price, Liang Hongzhi would cause trouble again.

He and Liang Hongzhi are located in the south and the north respectively, so they must be in contact. They might even be working together against us. We need to control their numbers; we can give them voting rights, but not decision-making power.

"You've thought this through very well." Wang Ni nodded in understanding.

That really hit the nail on the head; it was almost an oversight.

Minister Zhou continued, "Anyway, once he publishes the news in the newspaper tomorrow, we'll have given the Japanese an explanation, and the initiative will be in our hands. We can then use Wang Kemin's submission to pressure Liang Hongzhi, and things will go much more smoothly for Liang Hongzhi."

Wang Ni nodded in agreement, and breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "Let's go back now that things are settled. Beiping is such a great place. With Wang Kemin here, I don't even want to come back."

“Then we can go back after it’s published in the newspaper tomorrow, what do you say?” Minister Zhou looked at Gu Yansheng and Ding Mocun.

"Of course I have no objection."

The next day, Wang Kemin did not resort to any tricks, and the newspaper was published smoothly.

I'd like to thank Doihara and treat him to a meal so that I can arrange a flight back to Shanghai.

(End of this chapter)