Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 279 Boss
Upon landing in Hong Kong, Gu Yansheng checked into his hotel.

The most important thing now is to prepare for a meeting with Mr. Dai.

So far, there has been no rendezvous point, and no telegrams have been sent from Chongqing until just before departure.

When Mr. Dai first requested a meeting in Hong Kong, he thought Mr. Dai was quite bold and didn't fear him playing any tricks, so he trusted him completely.

Looking back now, the overall perspective was still lacking.

Then we can only passively wait for news.

Now that Mr. Dai is in Hong Kong, it's easy to find out where he lives.

The Military Intelligence Bureau also had a station in Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong station always had a basic grasp of the whereabouts of these negotiators.

Normally it wouldn't be a problem, but not knowing at this time is a clear dereliction of duty if Boss Dai asks.

After making a brief appearance, Gu Yansheng stayed in the hotel, spending the afternoon having afternoon tea at the hotel's own tea restaurant downstairs, and the evening listening to a British concert in the lounge.

A quick glance revealed a familiar face two tables away: Chen Mo, who had also come to Hong Kong.

“Mr. Gu.” Chen Mo stepped forward with a wine glass in surprise. “I never expected to run into you in Hong Kong.”

"Mr. Chen, what brings you to Hong Kong?" Gu Yansheng looked him up and down.

Chen Mo smiled and gestured for a seat, and Gu Yansheng nodded for him to sit down.

"Isn't this to expand our business? Our premium tobacco leaves are top-grade in the UK, and I'm sending a batch to Hong Kong this time."

Gu Yansheng waved for the guards to move away. Even though they were guards of the household, they still had to perform their duties.

He approached and asked, "Did Boss Dai send you?"

Chen Mo laughed and said, "I'm here to report on my work, not just mine, but also Wang Tianmu's. His identity is sensitive and he can't leave, so I have to come. Also, I'm here to pick you up, Mr. Gu. Please do me a favor and come with me to visit a brothel later."

Boss Dai's arrangements were truly excellent. Having the Iron-Blooded Assassination Squad guide the way ensured that they were acquaintances who wouldn't reveal Gu Yansheng's identity, and also provided him with bodyguards and protection.

Aside from the fact that he didn't expect his ruthless assassination squad leader to also become a communist, everything else is fine.

"That's crude. From now on, we'll call it appreciating flowers and playing with the moon." Gu Yansheng rolled his eyes at him and asked, "How's Wang Tianmu doing now?"

"It's a long story." Chen Mo had never wanted to discuss Wang Tianmu's method of getting into No. 76, so he shook his head. "He got a department head position by relying on his merits, but his department is in charge of the Military Intelligence Bureau. He either gets merits by working for the Military Intelligence Bureau or he doesn't get any merits. What future can he have in this position?"
He even wanted to get rid of Li Shiqun and become the director himself. Li Shiqun is so shrewd, do you think he has a chance?

That's true. Even Ding Mocun, the official director, was a tough opponent for Li Shiqun. It would be too difficult for Wang Tianmu, Li Shiqun's subordinate, to overthrow him.

It can only be said that ideals are beautiful, but reality is harsh.

Wang Tianmu's usefulness is not yet apparent.

However, Wang Tianmu's role was not significant, which only made Gu Yansheng's position all the more precious.

After chatting for a while, Gu Yansheng followed Chen Mo to visit a brothel.

Chen Mo was very familiar with Hong Kong. He directed the driver to make turns here and there, and in the car, he enthusiastically introduced Gu Yansheng to the various women and tricks in Hong Kong's brothels. He spoke fluently about the special skills of foreign women from different countries.

It looks exactly like an old ladybug.

What he said was incredibly exciting, but of course, the main purpose was to convey suggestive information to outsiders, and the driver was probably quite distracted by what he heard.

Gu Yansheng glanced at the driver's expression and almost burst out laughing.

The car stopped in front of an apartment building, where the cigarette sign's LED strip was clearly visible.

Chen Mo generously suggested that the guards should also have a good time, since he himself had guards, and protecting Mr. Gu's safety was not a problem!
Once upstairs, walking along the corridor, I saw many brightly dressed women at the entrances, their perfumes filling the air as they moved.

Upon arriving at a doorway, Chen Mo's eyes lit up when he saw a woman, and he began to promote his product to Gu Yansheng.

Gu Yansheng understood perfectly well; he simply went in.

I must say, this woman is actually quite good-looking.

"Boss, please come in." The woman moved gracefully and smiled radiantly as she invited Gu Yansheng inside, then closed the door.

The room wasn't big; you could see right to the bottom. Gu Yansheng went into the bedroom, and the woman knocked on the wardrobe. The wardrobe door opened, revealing a hidden door that led directly to the next room.

She gestured for Gu Yansheng to enter, and Gu Yansheng went in. A middle-aged man was already standing in the center of the room.

"Who are you?" Gu Yansheng asked cautiously, waiting for the other party to identify himself first.

"Dai Li".

"Hello, Director Dai." Gu Yansheng immediately put on a smile.

"Haha." Boss Dai extended his hand to shake hands. "I've heard so much about you, Minister Gu of the Ministry of Justice and Administration, the youngest powerful minister in the Wang Jingwei regime. Today I finally get to meet you in person."

"I'm ashamed," Gu Yansheng said, still embarrassed. "I've been labeled a traitor and caused trouble for the Party and the country."

"Haha, what are you saying? Being behind enemy lines, you are a hero, a great hero. You've worked hard."

Boss Dai shook his arm vigorously, showing no airs of a superior.

Gu Yansheng was different from his subordinates. They had never been in a superior-subordinate relationship before, and they were supposed to follow the military training system, such as bowing and scraping to their superiors. Gu Yansheng simply didn't know how to do that.

What can a lawyer do?

"Serving the country is our duty, and it's not hard work."

“Okay.” Boss Dai patted Gu Yansheng’s hand warmly. “Come, sit down and talk. It’s very safe here. This woman is my woman. She came to Hong Kong with me. I will take her with me when I leave Hong Kong. No one else will know about our conversation today. You can rest assured.”

Boss Dai is a good person. He knows what the undercover agents are most worried about, so he speaks up to dispel their concerns.

Gu Yansheng nodded and smiled, "I can trust your arrangements. With your abilities, this place must be a fortress."

Boss Dai laughed and said, "You think so highly of my abilities? Do you know me?"

"This is not me praising him too much; it's the message conveyed by the Japanese and Wang Jingwei's faction."

Gu Yansheng flattered, "I heard from people in the 76th Division that what they fear most is retaliation from the Military Intelligence Bureau. The fear they show in their words reveals that the Military Intelligence Bureau is an iron army."

A leader capable of cultivating such an iron-willed army must be an exceptional talent.

In contrast, the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong) members showed far less fear of Xu Enzeng; the difference in their positions clearly demonstrated their superiority.

"Why?" Boss Dai asked with great interest.

"Because if we're talking about the chief culprits of the 76th Division, it has to be Li Shiqun and Ding Mocun. Both of them came from the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS). When they first defected, the CBIS issued a kill order, but so far, both Li and Ding are still alive and well. The chief culprits haven't died, so why would the people below be afraid?"

This speaks volumes.

In contrast, He Xingjian of the Loyal and Patriotic Army was decisive and swift in his orders, demonstrating remarkable intimidation and action.

Boss Dai loved to hear anything bad about the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS).

"This is all thanks to you guys. I didn't expect He Xingjian to betray us."

"The situation is unstable, people's hearts are divided, and it is inevitable that some people will betray you. This is not your fault."

I've heard from people in Wang Jingwei's faction that you're from the sixth class of the Whampoa Military Academy, and in terms of seniority, you're not as senior as the graduates from the previous classes.

But you were able to stand out among so many people, expand the Military Intelligence Bureau, make the enemy tremble, and gain Chiang Kai-shek's complete trust. This is something that many people cannot do.

Please don't blame yourself, otherwise the Japanese will be the ones who are happy.

"I heard that Japanese intelligence has put a bounty on your head, offering 500,000 silver dollars." "Is that so?" Boss Dai exclaimed in surprise, then burst into hearty laughter. "Let them come and see who cuts whose head off!"

"They probably aren't in the mood right now. The intelligence department is concerned about your safety, the headquarters is still concerned about the peace talks, Itagaki Seishiro wants to use this credit to return to the central government, and the Military Intelligence Bureau wants to use the ceasefire to find an opportunity to move south."

Gu Yansheng smoothly changed the subject, and Boss Dai's expression became serious upon hearing this, "What exactly did you hear about this opportunity to go south?"

"I heard it from someone in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: there had always been disagreements within the Japanese Army and Navy about whether to advance the war north or south, and it wasn't until the defeat at the Battle of Khalkhin Gol and the alliance between the Soviet Union and Germany that the Army finally gave up on that idea."

Gu Yansheng explained his analysis of the possibility of the Japanese army moving south.

Boss Dai may know, or he may not, but that's not important. Whether Boss Dai knows or not is Boss Dai's problem.

Judging from Boss Dai's expression, he clearly knew. He frowned and pondered. Some information is more accurate when it is corroborated by various channels, and the head of the intelligence department cannot rely on only one source.

However, whether the Japanese dared to move south was something no one could be sure of before they did.

The reason the Japanese would face a problem if they moved south was that those islands were British, American, and French territories, and Japan would be in direct conflict with Britain and the United States.

Even if the Japanese negotiated peace with Chongqing and were able to free up their resources, would they dare to fight against Britain and the United States?
Dare you?

Many people don't believe it.

If you asked the Japanese in Shanghai, even they probably wouldn't believe it.

"Is the real purpose of the Japanese talks really to prepare for moving south?" Boss Dai asked.

Gu Yansheng paused and said, "That's indeed what the Japanese we've been in contact with are saying. As for whether they've told us traitors the truth, I can't be sure."

Boss Dai chuckled softly when he heard Gu Yansheng's self-deprecating remark about being a traitor, and poured Gu Yansheng a cup of tea.

Gu Yansheng nodded in acknowledgment and added, "From what I understand now, the Japanese economy is in very bad shape. For example, rice; ordinary people in Japan have been banned from eating rice."

"why?"

"Because Japan is a country that is short of rice, the grain that was forcibly requisitioned from the Central China region was used to supplement the army, and it was not enough to supply their domestic needs."

Originally, importing a little from Japan would have been just enough.

This isn't because the war has dragged on for so long that industrial raw materials need to be imported in large quantities, and Japan's foreign exchange reserves are declining rapidly, leaving them with very limited funds to buy rice.

In preparation for war, their industrial machinery is operating at full capacity, requiring large quantities of coal. Their coal comes from North Korea, which North Koreans dig out by hand.

Before the War of Resistance against Japan, Korea was a Japanese colony. There was no war, so people ate wild vegetables and bran, and mined coal when necessary.

However, after the war started, this was not enough to sustain them; they lacked strength. If they were only given scraps, the Koreans' coal mining speed would be too slow to supply Japan, resulting in losses for the Japanese factories themselves.

So the Japanese stopped supplying rice to their own people and shipped large quantities to Korea to feed the Koreans.

It all sounds like a joke: the Japanese themselves have no rice to eat, while the Koreans are eating rice. Haha.

Mr. Dai asked curiously, "Where did you hear about this? From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?"

"No, that's not it at all." Gu Yansheng shook his head and smiled. "I'm still involved in some drug control matters, aren't I? It was those gang members who told me this when they were chatting."

It's about North Korean opium dealers who, instead of mining coal in their own country, came to Shanghai to sell opium. They brought the news out, and that's how they found out.

Boss Dai chuckled, took a sip of tea, and said, "The Japanese are doomed. If this war continues, they are doomed!"

“That’s for sure.” Gu Yansheng nodded firmly, then remembered something. “On my way here, when I was reporting to Zhou Ni, I heard that the Japanese are planning to use force to make peace. If they don’t negotiate, they plan to attack the Fifth War Zone.”

"Li Zongren's territory." Boss Dai nodded thoughtfully. "This matches some intelligence on the movement of Japanese troops. This matter is true."

Okay, I'll pass this on to headquarters. What are the Wang Jingwei faction doing right now?

This information is simple; Gu Yansheng could easily rattle off a lot of details. He could just mention a few important figures and gloss over the rest, those of lower status. If Boss Dai was interested, he could ask and answer further questions.

"Negotiations are negotiations, and although we have always hoped that the Japanese would kill Wang Jingwei themselves among our conditions, it is clear now that the Japanese are determined not to do so. In the future, we will need your help more from within the Wang Jingwei regime."

"I will."

"I need your help with something."

"You say."

Boss Dai paused for a moment and said, "I have actually been looking for a way to get rid of Wang Ni and thwart the Japanese's plans, but Wang Ni's bodyguards are indeed very well-organized, and I haven't found an opportunity to make a move."

A few days ago, I had someone contact Fu Xiao'an and ask him to organize a gathering to invite Wang Ni to dinner, or to arrange a situation where he doesn't need to show up, as long as Wang Ni is present, my people can take action.

He agreed.

But afterwards, he reported these people to Wang Ni, which led to the arrest of all my men.

"Huh?" Gu Yansheng asked in surprise. "I didn't know about this."

"By then you had already gone to Nanjing. I was planning to finish off the Wang Jingwei regime before they returned the capital to Nanjing."

"What exactly is Fu Xiao'an's identity?" Gu Yansheng asked.

“A businessman who can play both sides,” Boss Dai said with a stern face. “I can tolerate his ability to play both sides and he’s willing to do things for the Party and the country if I spend some money. But after taking the money, he betrayed my people. This is intolerable!”

That was indeed too much; Fu Xiao'an's actions were extremely unethical.

Gu Yansheng thought for a moment and felt like laughing. Fu Xiao'an was known for his shrewdness and resourcefulness, and had been a roly-poly toy his whole life. This time, he had encountered a choice between death and survival.

They either betrayed the Military Intelligence Bureau and helped Wang Jingwei, or they plotted to kill him. Under Japanese investigation, they abandoned all their businesses in Shanghai.

Once the roly-poly toy tilts to one side, it can't come back.

Gu Yansheng felt there was no suspense what Fu Xiao'an would do.

Thinking of this, Gu Yansheng wondered what kind of terrible ideas Boss Dai sometimes came up with. Wasn't this just throwing people away to gamble on the odds?
Who is Fu Xiao'an? How could he possibly give up his entire fortune to become his assassin?
"That's outrageous! How did they take the money?"

"I need a loan, fifteen million."

"It's really too much!"

They dared to take the Party-state's money; they knew how to die a righteous death.

Gu Yansheng asked seriously, "Is there anything I can do?"

Boss Dai, "The people who were arrested are still being held at No. 76. Chen Mo got the information from Wang Tianmu that they haven't betrayed us, but we can't get them out."

A major general cannot just die in vain.

He wasn't a major general in our Military Intelligence Bureau yet; he was borrowed from the war zone command.

I will definitely impose sanctions on Fu Xiao'an.

This is both a punishment for traitors and an explanation to the many soldiers in the war zone!

The current problem is that Fu Xiao'an's bodyguards are all Japanese military police, plus his own bodyguards, which makes the number too large.

The Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai station reported that they had not yet found an opportunity to take action.

To get close to Fu Xiao'an, you need to be at the highest level. I know you have some connection with him. See if you can find a way to make your move.

You don't need to do the actual work; you just need the opportunity to do it.

(End of this chapter)