Spy game? Stop guessing, I really am an undercover agent!

Chapter 52 You, perhaps you should change careers.

"Commander Chen, please have a seat." Jin Dayou wisely offered the seat above him to Chen Yang.

The group picked up their glasses, clinked them together, and drank them down in one gulp.

After a few rounds of drinks, it was time to get down to business. Jin Dayou took out a red envelope from his pocket and said, "Commander Chen, this is just a small token of my appreciation. My men don't know the proper etiquette, so we deducted a little from your payment for following our rules."

"I've set up this meeting today to apologize to you on behalf of my subordinates, and also to make up for the remaining amount from the last transaction."

"Secondly, the old man and Fifth Master also want to get to know you, make friends, and if there are any ways to make money in the future, please don't forget to give them your help, Commander Chen."

"Mr. Jin, you're too kind." Chen Yang said politely, but his hands were busy at all. He took the red envelope and put it in his pocket.

Qiao Zhenhuai and Zhang Boqian exchanged glances; they had already formed a basic assessment of Chen Yang.
If this guy is willing to pay, then things will be much easier.

Those in their line of work aren't afraid of people asking for money; what they fear most is having money but not being able to get it in.

Things that can be solved with money are generally not a big deal; it's the things that can't be solved with money that are truly troublesome.

"Commander Chen, let's not beat around the bush." ​​Qiao Zhenhuai stood up, walked to Chen Yang, put down his wine glass, and said, "Besides wanting to make friends with you, Boss Jin also wants to discuss the issue of inland waterway transportation in Shanghai with you."

"I have to say, Commander Chen is indeed very capable. He accomplished in just over a month what others couldn't do in ten years."

"Now the French Concession, Japanese Concession, and Chinese Concession in Shanghai, as well as fourteen large and small wharves, are all under your control."

"We'll have to rely on your help to ship our goods from now on."

"According to the original rules, we'll use your dock and give you this amount every month. What do you think?"

Chen Yang looked up at Qiao Zhenhuai's gesture and chuckled, "Is this thirty thousand or three hundred thousand? Fifth Master Qiao is quite generous."

Thirty thousand? Three hundred thousand? This guy's had too much to drink, he's probably dizzy and out of his mind.

Qiao Zhenhuai's face twitched, and he explained with a smile, "Commander Chen is joking. We all earn our money through hard work, how could we have such high profits?"

"What I mean is three thousand silver dollars, delivered to your dock on time every month."

Chen Yang chuckled and looked at Jin Dayou and Zhang Boqian. The two seemed to have planned it beforehand. One was playing with the jade thumb ring on his ring finger, while the other was pretending to look at his pocket watch.

"Does Mr. Qiao mean that you're using the dock to ship out hundreds of tons of goods every day, conservatively estimated at tens of thousands of tons a month, just to do charity for the country?"

"If you can't even make this money," Chen Yang said seriously, taking a sip of the rice wine in his cup, "Boss Qiao, I think you should change careers as soon as possible."

Qiao Zhenhuai's face stiffened, and he chuckled awkwardly, saying, "Commander Chen is joking. We don't have that many supplies."

Chen Yang put down his wine glass and slowly said, "On March 21st, the cargo ship Fu Rong, carrying 368 tons of supplies, including canned goods, cotton clothing, and grain and oil, departed from the Jiangnan Wharf."

"March 22nd, Maigenlu Station Dispatch Center, approximately 455 tons of cargo."

"This morning, at the Sixteen Lines Wharf, the cargo ship Fuhai carried an estimated 500 tons of cargo."

"Mr. Qiao, do you need me to tell you the destination of your Fuhai cargo ship as well?"

Qiao Zhenhuai was shocked, staring at Chen Yang's face as if he had seen a ghost.

When I first saw Chen Yang come in, I thought he was just a young man with no real skills. But those few words almost cost his whole family their lives.

If the location where these goods were received were to be leaked, Qiao Zhenhuai wouldn't even need to lift a finger; his backers could bury his entire family alive.

Although Zhang Boqian and Jin Dayou didn't speak, they were listening intently. In the black market, the buyers were the most important. If they could poach a few big spenders, they could make a small fortune.

"Commander Chen, you see, I've just had too much to drink and my head's a bit muddled." Qiao Zhenhuai raised his glass and said with a smile, "Since you know our business so well, just say what you're thinking."

Chen Yang glanced at Jin Dayou and Zhang Boqian, who were still pretending to be busy: "Mr. Jin, Mr. Zhang, what do you two think?"

Jin Dayou and Zhang Boqian quickly raised their glasses and said, "Please enlighten us, Commander Chen."

Chen Yang nodded slowly and said, "You are all seniors in Shanghai, so it is not my place to make decisions for you."

"However, I think you still have to follow some rules to get by in Shanghai."

"I can use the Economic Department's name to transport all your supplies, guaranteeing there won't be any problems. I'll compensate you for any issues that arise, but I want 10% of the total value of the supplies as transportation costs."

"Not only that, we can cooperate in the future. I can help you find enough supplies, but I will take 30% of it."

"Ten percent for transportation, thirty percent for supplies?" Zhang Boqian's brows furrowed slightly, seemingly dissatisfied with the price.

"Mr. Zhang, do you think it's a bit too high?" Chen Yang slowly raised his glass and took a small sip.

Zhang Boqian cleared his throat and said, "Commander Chen, I have no objection to you taking 10% of the cost of transporting supplies."

"But if you want to take 30% of the goods you resell, that would indeed be putting us in a difficult position."

“Now the prices of goods in Shanghai are rising along with the war situation. If you want to take 30%, you have to let the people live.”

Don't be fooled by this old guy's constant talk of benevolence and morality, and his tendency to refer to ordinary people. In the black market, aren't all of them profiting from human suffering?

Even if Chen Yang were to give up the profits, it would only benefit them, not the ordinary people.

"Gentlemen, let me put it this way: if you want to cooperate, let's go all out; if you don't want to cooperate, then forget it. I have some things to attend to at home, so I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, Chen Yang stood up and buttoned up his suit jacket. Before leaving, he patted Jin Dayou on the shoulder and said, "Mr. Jin, thank you for your expense."

After watching Chen Yang leave, the group sat down again.

Jin Dayou asked Zhang Boqian, "Uncle, what do you think?"

Zhang Boqian pondered, "Using official channels to smuggle black market goods is indeed a good approach. We've thought about it before, but things were too chaotic back then, and it wasn't safe for goods to leave the country."

"What I'm worried about now is that this Commander Chen is quite young, and whether he's really reliable when he speaks."

Qiao Zhenhuai said with a wry smile, "We can't distrust him. He controls several major ports in Shanghai. If he really turns against us, our goods will be lost."

"Besides, he himself said that he would compensate for any problems with the goods. I don't think he would dare to make such a big promise if he didn't have some ability."

Zhang Boqian remained silent for a while, then nodded and said, "Let's give it a try. Let's send a small batch first and see if it's safe."

"If it really works, it will give us another option in the future."

Jin Dayou and Qiao Zhenhuai nodded in agreement, raised their glasses, and said, "Cheers, everyone."

Suddenly, a series of loud noises rang out outside the window. The group walked to the window and saw dazzling fireworks rising continuously over the Huangpu River. These were fireworks set off by the Shanghai Municipal Government to celebrate the early establishment of the Nanjing government.

Watching the fireworks, Zhang Boqian murmured, "Another government has been added. I wonder if it's good or bad for the people."

(End of this chapter)