Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 284 Pressure
The results were even better than expected.

Gu Yansheng was just testing the waters; he hadn't expected the Japanese to be even more petty than he'd anticipated.

Chen Mo brought news that the Japanese military police around Fu Xiao'an had withdrawn, and the No. 76 action team had taken over.

That's interesting. There's a saying that makes a lot of sense: you just need to start the game and initiate the team fight, and teammates will naturally join in.

Now that Li Shiqun has joined the team, Gu Yansheng is no longer in a hurry to take action. There's no need to risk doing things himself when others can do them.

Beep beep, a car horn sounds downstairs.

A moment later, a subordinate came up to report, "Minister, Mayor Fu is here."

Why are you contacting me at this time?
Gu Yansheng was a little confused, but he still asked someone to come up first.

"Mayor Fu, what brings you here? You look so haggard."

"Looking haggard?" Fu Xiao'an shook his head and sighed, glancing at Gu Yansheng's teahouse. He sighed again, "I'm not as lucky as you. Staying in your feng shui teahouse, you're so carefree. I'm in a real mess right now."

"What's wrong?" Gu Yansheng asked curiously, "It's not about the newspaper, is it?"

Fu Xiao'an stiffened his neck and said, "You see, what they mean by good news not traveling far, but bad news traveling a thousand miles? When you're down on your luck, even drinking cold water can cause you to choke."

"It's not that exaggerated." Gu Yansheng laughed easily, "What's the matter? Come on, let's go upstairs and talk."

Fu Xiao'an went upstairs and sat down, frowning as he asked, "You've read the newspaper, what are your thoughts?"

"What are your thoughts?" Gu Yansheng was completely baffled. "You're not referring to the fact that some newspapers are speculating about your identity, are you?"

Fu Xiao'an nodded.

"Hey, you're worried about this too?" Gu Yansheng sneered. "I read the newspaper. It's all speculation, ruining the mayor's image. If you ask me, these intellectuals should have their mouths sewn shut, so they don't just keep spouting nonsense all day long."

Fu Xiao'an raised an eyebrow. "You don't believe me?"

Gu Yansheng scoffed, "Do you think a lawyer like me can't see through this little trick?"

Fu Xiao'an slapped his thigh and sighed, "You're the only one who truly understands me, Brother Gu."

"what happened?"

"The Japanese withdrew my guards."

"That serious?" Gu Yansheng frowned, his expression turning serious. "Did the Japanese believe the newspapers? Why? Did they ask you? What did you say?"

Fu Xiao'an shook his head slightly, "I didn't ask."

"They left without asking?"

"Correct."

Gu Yansheng frowned, racking his brains, deep in thought, "What do the Japanese mean?"

Fu Xiao'an paused, his expression also troubled: "I don't know."

Gu Yansheng looked at Fu Xiao'an suspiciously, "You didn't explain either? Don't tell me you really have ties to the Military Intelligence Bureau?"

Fu Xiao'an sneered angrily, "How am I supposed to explain this? The Military Intelligence Bureau came to me, bringing up some grand national cause, asking me to help assassinate President Wang because of the old Kuomintang-Party relationship in Shanghai."

What could I say? That I wouldn't do it?
Those people have all shown their faces, do I still have a chance to survive?
I calmed them down and told them to get ready. Once I was out the door, I told President Wang where they were.

Explain the cause and effect in detail.

It's such a small matter, what else can I say?
Now people are attacking me, asking why the Military Intelligence Bureau targeted me instead of others? Mr. Wang spent most of his time in Nanjing, so why didn't the Military Intelligence Bureau use someone from Nanjing to assassinate him, as it would have been closer and easier?

How would I know why? Who the Military Intelligence Bureau contacts is not something I can control.

I already explained what needed to be explained to President Wang at the time. How else do you expect me to explain the rest?

Isn't this just making things worse by trying to explain?

"Alright, alright, don't be angry." Gu Yansheng looked up and soothed Fu Xiao'an, who was getting agitated. "Have a cup of coffee first, or better yet, tea. You're so hot-tempered, Ma Shiqi."

"Hey."

"Make tea for Mayor Fu, something to cool him down."

"Ok."

Gu Yansheng patted Fu Xiao'an's hand reassuringly and leaned back, "So what are you going to do now?"

“I have done my job properly and am not afraid of being stigmatized, but the damage has already been done and I don’t want my image to be so tarnished.”

Brother, you have to help me with this. Let's go together and explain the situation to Minister Zhou. You have a close relationship with Minister Zhou. Once you get through to him, I'll personally talk to Mr. Wang in Nanjing.

I believe that as long as these two are willing to protect me, all the rumors and gossip will not affect me in the slightest.

"They said they could help you put in a good word." Gu Yansheng, as a collaborator, didn't hesitate at all. "But is the situation really that serious? Has it really gotten to this point?"

You asked these two to vouch for you, do you think the Japanese will punish you?
Isn't it? "

Fu Xiao'an sneered, "Brother, I've been wandering the martial world for so long, and I have a saying for you: 'The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is bustling, all for gain.'"

Shanghai is like a stage play; whoever performs on it depends on whether their name can attract people to buy tickets.

The Japanese need Chinese to govern Chinese people. Before Mr. Wang came, I was the one who called the shots in Shanghai.

But when Mr. Wang came, my value to the Japanese decreased significantly.

Shanghai is not indispensable to me.

If nothing goes wrong, all will be well, but if something does happen, believe me, the first to turn on us will be the Japanese.

You don't need to guess. I'll tell you, from the moment the Japanese withdrew the military police around me, I can guarantee that my movements were being monitored.

"If you don't believe me, go look out the window. You might find someone watching me."

"Old people are shrewd," Gu Yansheng thought suspiciously. He walked to the window, opened it a crack, and looked around downstairs. There was indeed a car.

"Is there?" Fu Xiao'an asked with a sneer.

Gu Yansheng said, "My place is just a wall away from the concession, so it's normal for cars to be parked downstairs."

Fu Xiao'an shook his head and pointed at Gu Yansheng, "Brother, you still have too good feelings towards the Japanese. Forget it, I don't want to persuade you anymore. You'll understand in the future."

"Maybe one day something happens to me, and you'll have to remember what I said today."

"Okay, I'll remember." Gu Yansheng sat down and said, "But there's something I don't understand. How did the newspapers know about something so secretive that I didn't even know about it?"

“Either it’s retaliation from the Military Intelligence Bureau, or…” Fu Xiao’an paused and said, “or someone from the 76th Division is trying to frame me. There’s no other way.”

"number 76?"

"Some people want to use me as a political achievement to submit to the higher authorities. Do you think Li Shiqun is a good person?"

It seems that Gu Yansheng doesn't need to remind them anymore. It's good to let Fu Xiao'an cause some trouble for Li Shiqun.

"Come on, I'll go with you to Minister Zhou's place. Let's go now."

An hour later, at Zhou's residence, the three of them held a tea party.

Fu Xiao'an explained the matter to Minister Zhou, Gu Yansheng spoke on his behalf, and then saw Fu Xiao'an off, telling him to go to Nanjing to talk to Mr. Wang. The matter was over.

The important thing is what happens after the protagonist leaves.

Minister Zhou was also curious, "Do you think there's anything wrong with Fu Xiao'an's identity?"

Gu Yansheng thought for a moment and replied, "There should be some problem, but the extent of the problem is uncertain."

According to him, the Military Intelligence Bureau approached him without his knowledge, and he then reported them to Mr. Wang. He had no prior knowledge of the Military Intelligence Bureau's arrival.

But as far as I know, Li Shiqun once said that Fu Xiao'an was very likely connected to Chongqing, at least he had helped Chongqing rescue people.

Gu Yansheng then recounted how Fu Xiao'an had saved people.

“If one thing happens, another will happen. And for something as serious as assassinating Mr. Wang, would the Military Intelligence Bureau really just casually tell Fu Xiao’an? It doesn’t make sense to trust a stranger so easily.”

Gu Yansheng stopped there.

Minister Zhou nodded thoughtfully.

"Given Fu Xiao'an's shrewd nature, reporting him to Mr. Wang would directly lead to retaliation from the Military Intelligence Bureau, something he couldn't possibly have been unaware of."

"A major general in the Military Intelligence Bureau is carrying out a much more serious responsibility."

Gu Yansheng nodded in agreement, "The major general had already left at that time. If I were Fu Xiao'an, I wouldn't want to do this. In fact, it would have been better to just send someone to arrest them."

If this is true, then Fu Xiao'an was indeed a collaborator with Chongqing. His version of events to Chongqing might be that he carried out the operation, but the people involved were apprehended by the 76th Division, and it had nothing to do with him; he wanted to have his cake and eat it too.

Minister Zhou scoffed, "There's no such thing as a sugarcane that's sweet at both ends. Right now, it's not sweet at either end. Why are you speaking up for him today?"

Gu Yansheng smiled and said, "The Ministry of Justice is going to reorganize the judicial systems in Jiangsu and Anhui. Fu Xiao'an knows quite a few people, so he might be able to help out."

Moreover, Shanghai was short of food. Fu Xiao'an came to me and said that out-of-town merchants were colluding with officials and businessmen, so there was no rice on the market, but they had plenty of rice in their warehouses.

If this is discovered during the rectification process, I hope I can help by selling a batch to him at a low price to stabilize prices.

"So there are benefits," Minister Zhou smiled knowingly. He wouldn't care how much money Gu Yansheng made in the process, nor did he want to ask. People have to earn something; the emperor doesn't need starving soldiers. As long as he doesn't do anything reckless behind his back, it's fine.

"Minister, what do you think of this matter?"

"Mr. Wang's intervention is enough to protect him. As long as the Japanese don't have any concrete evidence against him, you can wait for him to come back and tell him to go and talk to those people in the concession, to do his part for our reserve bank, and to talk to more countries."

"Okay, got it."

Gu Yansheng got up to take his leave.

Back at the teahouse, Gu Yansheng made arrangements for things in Suzhou.

Let Fu Xiao'an's matter develop as it may; with Wang Ni as his guarantor, Li Shiqun won't be able to take down Fu Xiao'an so quickly.

Gu Yansheng doesn't want anything to happen to Fu Xiao'an yet. Making money in Suzhou will inevitably lead to many business disputes, so he wants Fu Xiao'an to share some of the burden.

Of course, there shouldn't be any obstacles, but Gu Yansheng has little patience for any irrelevant obstacles.

He knew the people of the Loyal and Patriotic Army of Dianyuan.

He also knew Ren Yuandao, the former commander of the Pacification Army and the current commander-in-chief of the Pacification Army of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces.

If anyone is disrespectful, civil officials from No. 76 will come knocking, and military officers will send troops to suppress them.

No matter who is involved, all interest groups in Suzhou will not get through this if they don't pay up.

While he was taking action, the Japanese also began theirs.

The Japanese 11th Army launched a fierce attack on Li Zongren's Fifth War Zone, and the battle broke out in the southern Henan and northern Hubei region.

The Japanese were truly enraged by Chongqing this time and were determined to give Chiang Kai-shek a good slap in the face.

According to media reports, this was the largest Japanese force assembled since the Battle of Wuhan.

While launching offensives on the main battlefield, the Nanjing Expeditionary Army Headquarters also issued orders to the Shanghai Gendarmerie Headquarters and the Wang Jingwei regime, requiring them to coordinate and pressure Britain and France to cut off aid to the Nationalist government in the Vietnam region.

"Strategically, we must besiege the anti-Japanese forces, cut off their food supplies, and completely crush their will to resist."

Minister Zhou came to see Gu Yansheng for tea and relayed Yingzuo Zhenzhao's message.

Kageyama Yoshiaki is now practically an emperor emeritus. With the establishment of the Wang Jingwei regime, Kageyama Yoshiaki has been promoted to major general and is currently serving as a military advisor to the Wang Jingwei government.

Minister Zhou took a sip of tea and said, "We don't need to handle matters on the main battlefield. The Japanese want us to deal with Britain, the United States, and France, mainly Britain and France. The supply channels from Chongqing to Myanmar and Vietnam are mainly in their hands."

The Japanese were indeed militarily capable; they saw the key to Chongqing at a glance.

Chiang Kai-shek loved receiving subsidies; if those subsidies stopped, he would truly have nothing left.

How do you think this can be done?

“Let Fu Xiao’an handle it.” Gu Yansheng didn’t think for a second. “This matter is actually similar in nature to the Reserve Bank issue. Both require Britain and France to give way. I have already discussed everything that can be negotiated verbally.”

Britain and France do not want to cut off their support for Chongqing in this regard.

They can't even exchange money, let alone close the border—something far worse. This is tantamount to a complete shift in attitude.

Since the Japanese are pressing us so hard, we have no choice but to play the villain.

Fu Xiao'an wanted to make a contribution and show his attitude, so let him do it.

At most, add a No. 76 and have them cooperate.

If Fu Xiao'an succeeds, they will have completed their mission; if Fu Xiao'an fails, they will still have room for maneuver and can play the good cop. Minister Zhou thought for a moment and nodded, "Good idea."

The order was given to Fu Xiao'an, who then began to take action.

First persuade the concession authorities, then threaten and take action against them.

No matter what, persuasion is definitely useless, and physical force is also ineffective.

The British and French consuls in the concession were just mouthpieces; no matter how much reasoning was given or how much they listened, it was all useless.

That's a border issue, not a concession issue. If the local authorities don't agree, they might get themselves into trouble if they say anything more.

Even if Fu Xiao'an killed their entire family, there was nothing they could do.

Fu Xiao'an's operation ultimately ended in failure.

The Japanese pressed Minister Zhou for updates, and Minister Zhou, having no other option, simply said he was still working on it and reported on the efforts made by Fu Xiao'an.

The Japanese were greatly disappointed with Fu Xiao'an.

If the agent fails, you have to do it yourself.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was mobilized to contact the British and French foreign ministries to exert direct and strong pressure.

Gu Yansheng was unclear about the process, but there were still some effects.

The French Consul General, Pierre Richard, personally paid a visit.

These days, the old Frenchman has also been driven to the brink of madness by the unethical and insane group of No. 76.

The chaos in the French Concession harmed the interests of the French government.

"Gu, there's news from back home, it's good news." Richard still preferred to communicate with Gu Yansheng, at least he was a civilized person.

"How do you say it back home?" Gu Yansheng asked him to sit down and have some coffee.

Richard said, “A compromise is that the Japanese aim to persuade the Chinese government to surrender and complete the peace talks. So rather than having disputes between us, we should act as your mediator and help you and Chongqing complete these peace talks.”

This was truly unexpected. Gu Yansheng asked curiously, "How can we help?"

"We will explain to President Jiang in Chongqing that you should continue the negotiations. As for the conditions, our embassy and consulate in Chongqing will put pressure on you."

Tell the people from the 76th Division to stop entering the French Concession.

(End of this chapter)