Chapter 61: Secret Arrest
“To the Japanese Consulate.” Gu Yansheng got in the car and said to Wen Yan.
“Okay.”
Gu Yansheng sat in the back seat pondering. He didn’t know exactly how many people Li Shiqun had in hand, but there definitely wouldn’t be too many, absolutely not enough to arrest all of Shanghai’s agents at the same time.
Arresting people is a very dangerous thing. To arrest one person, at least three people need to be on the scene, otherwise it’s uncertain who will be killed.
And Li Shiqun should find it very difficult to estimate how many Military Statistics Bureau agents are gathered at the same location at the same time, unless he has obtained the detailed roster of the Military Statistics Bureau Shanghai Station and knows how many people are at each location.
Otherwise, even if there’s only one person at a location, Li Shiqun, to be safe without knowing, might have to arrange seven or eight people to go arrest them.
Even counting police and gendarmes assisting, and dispersing them, three people per location are always needed.
If he assumes Li Shiqun has 100 people, then having 30 groups conducting arrests at the same time would already be a lot.
Based on the time when people were arrested at the City Government, from the incident until now it’s been over an hour: time for ambushes, arrest time, escorting back on the road and then going out to arrest again, not even counting interrogation.
Hmm, just now I forgot to account for interrogation personnel. Li Shiqun definitely has people left behind at the base, so even 25 groups conducting arrests simultaneously would be a lot.
In over an hour, they’ve only arrested one group. Whether the second group has even set out is uncertain.
The Military Statistics Bureau should have quite a few people in Shanghai. Big shots are very likely living in the Concession. Blocking them outside the Concession buys them a little time for information to circulate, a little time to escape—possibly just a few minutes early or late means lives saved.
If the Concession’s big shots aren’t caught, the urban area’s small fry can survive.
This is all Gu Yansheng can do. The rest depends on their own fate.
At the consulate, Gu Yansheng saw Hase Jinagawa and immediately switched to dissatisfied mode.
He repeated to Hase Jinagawa everything he had told Ling Xianwen.
“Mr. Hase, you invited me to serve as Deputy Division Chief of the Judicial Department in the government. I’m not exaggerating when I say I racked my brains and came up with an idea that perfectly solves the problem of foreign merchants smuggling.
You know how difficult this matter is; otherwise, the previous City Government wouldn’t have failed to solve it for months.
Now I’ve put in the effort, but someone is undermining me. We need people in the Concession to believe we uphold the law; that’s what will make them accept trials in our courts.
Although it’s fake, it’s the setup I’m orchestrating, we at least need most of them to believe it first, right?
If Li Shiqun’s people charge into the Concession today to arrest people, how would you evaluate it? If you were a Concession resident, would you still believe it?”
Hase Jinagawa furrowed his brows: “I indeed didn’t consider that these two matters would conflict. Mr. Gu, I apologize to you. This is my problem.”
Japanese people like to apologize, but Gu Yansheng doesn’t accept this apology.
“No, Mr. Hase, this isn’t your problem. It’s the Gendarmerie Headquarters’ problem.
Mr. Hase, you want to solve Shanghai’s smuggling problem, and the Gendarmerie Headquarters wants to solve it too—even this matter was initiated by them.
And arresting agents was also initiated by them.
So they clearly know these two matters fundamentally conflict, so why not stagger the timings? At least communicate with me, the executor, and discuss it?”
Hase Jinagawa nodded, “You’re right. They should indeed consult and assess with you before executing. But it’s also possible they simply didn’t realize these two matters conflict.”
Gu Yansheng sighed: “They want to establish their own law enforcement power, yet they’re destroying others’ law enforcement power. If they don’t realize these two matters conflict, then I think they should consult me, a lawyer, even more.
“Our work does have vulnerabilities.” Hase Jinagawa said sincerely: “So, Mr. Gu, in your opinion, how should we handle the current situation?”
Gu Yansheng said straightforwardly: “My opinion is that agents definitely need to be arrested—that’s the Gendarmerie Headquarters’ work—but the Concession cannot be entered; that’s our work. If they insist on arresting there, it’s not impossible, but the bottom line is no firearms. Let them figure out secret arrests themselves. If they find secret arrests difficult, that’s their own ability problem and shouldn’t shift this incompetence onto us.
Mr. Hase, he gets the credit and we take the loss. If a gunfight erupts in the Concession, I can’t advance my work, and you’ll face a media bombardment. Why is it always the consulate that gets hurt? There’s no reason for that, right?”
Hase Jinagawa pondered and nodded, asking Gu Yansheng to wait a moment, then got up, picked up the phone—probably calling the Gendarmerie Headquarters.
Gu Yansheng couldn’t understand the rapid-fire Japanese, only that as he spoke, Hase’s voice clearly grew louder, mixed with anger. After spraying a torrent of words, he sat down again as if nothing had happened.
Hase Jinagawa exhaled a turbid breath: “The Gendarmerie Headquarters agreed. They will notify Li Shiqun: only secret arrests in the Concession, no firearms.”
At No. 67, Li Shiqun was urgently expanding the results.
The first batch sent out to arrest had returned, with results of course, but their own casualties weren’t light either.
This batch of agents coming to Shanghai were mostly here for assassination missions: decisive in action, agile, carrying firearms and explosives, resisting arrests fiercely.
Just as he was feeling sorry for his subordinates, he received a call from the Gendarmerie Headquarters.
“What? No firearms?”
“Those are Military Statistics Bureau agents?”
“Then what do we use to fight them?”
“Why this kind of order?”
The Gendarmerie Headquarters didn’t explain much to him: “Deputy Director Li, just execute the order. The rest isn’t your concern.”
Li Shiqun was so angry he wanted to smash the phone. After hanging up, he cursed, “Crazy!”
“Notify everyone: no firearms for all arrests in the Concession. Secret arrest if confident; if not, follow and wait for opportunities—don’t force it.”
Letting him expend his own team to help the Japanese claim credit? Better to arrest fewer agents and keep the enemy strong.
Consulate.
Hase Jinagawa asked: “So according to your estimate, how much time does this plan still need to implement now?”
Gu Yansheng replied: “As long as they don’t touch the Concession’s interests and don’t stir up big news, the plan can proceed normally. Although tomorrow’s news attention will definitely be overshadowed somewhat, it’s still within acceptable range. The key is the follow-up—can’t let the rhythm be disrupted.”
This answer was even slightly better than Hase’s current expectations. “That’s good then. Looking forward to Mr. Gu’s performance.”
He thought for a moment and said: “
Earlier Mr. Gu told me the Gendarmerie Headquarters should hire you as an advisor. I suddenly have an idea: Li Shiqun has now established Agent Headquarters there. It’s foreseeable that in the future, Agent Headquarters and the Chongqing elements infiltrating Shanghai will be in a protracted tug-of-war.
To prevent such incidents from recurring, I think we can establish a Special Agents Committee, gathering the persons in charge of relevant departments like criminal affairs, judiciary, economic inspections, etc., to provide you all a platform for exchange.
That way, whenever there’s a major initiative from any side, it can be discussed in this meeting to avoid unnecessary losses for everyone. What does Mr. Gu think?”
Gu Yansheng raised an eyebrow: “Of course it’s a good method, but who listens to whom?
Since it’s discussion, there will definitely be conflicts. Like this operation, Li Shiqun definitely thinks his action is most important—what if he insists on his way?”
“That’s a problem.” Hase Jinagawa thought and asked: “Voting system?”
Gu Yansheng smiled faintly: “That would be hard to prevent faction-forming.”
Hase Jinagawa frowned in thought and nodded.
Gu Yansheng said: “To solve this problem, there’s only one way: there must be one person with absolute right to speak. Discussions can be free normally, but when disputes arise, he has the final say—his power is greatest, and so is his responsibility for any problems.
Take this operation as an example: if Li Shiqun were the one with the greatest power, he could veto my plan, as long as he takes over the mess after the arrests.
“The Gendarmerie Headquarters won’t agree to us controlling Agent Headquarters.” Hase Jinagawa made clear this plan was unfeasible.
Gu Yansheng nodded—of course not. Expecting harmony among us Chinese to serve Japan? When we’re already two different factions? What a pipe dream?
“I’ll think more about this. Then I’ll await Mr. Gu’s good news.”
“Okay, farewell.”
The arrests at No. 67 continued all night.
Although quite a few were caught, it was far from Li Shiqun’s and the Japanese’s expectations.
Ding Mocun’s secret plot, prepared for so long, exhausted its value after this night.
Especially when Li Shiqun inquired afterward and found that some Military Statistics Bureau agents had conveniently left just before their operation, causing the arrest teams to come up empty.
This feeling was worse than eating shit.
The operation had leaked before it even started.
These were all his own team.
But regardless of whether the arrest results met Li Shiqun’s expectations, such a big operation was definitely big news in Shanghai.
Early the next morning, the Military Statistics Bureau agents arrests and Gu Yansheng’s arranged prisoner releases both made the newspapers.
“Extra, extra! Last night massive Japanese operation, Military Statistics Bureau agents arrested! Caused by Chongqing High Command’s Ding Mocun defection!”
“Extra, extra! Gu Yansheng appointed Deputy Division Chief of Judicial Department in New Government, new policy reforms, about to release large batch of prisoners from prison!”
