Chapter 41: Picking Sides
The next day, Mr. Hase eagerly brought people to the law firm, as if afraid he would go back on his word.
Upon receiving the notification from the front desk beauty Susan, Gu Yansheng went to the door to receive people.
Excluding the bodyguards following closely behind like shadows, there were two people: besides Mr. Hase, there was a man around thirty, more likely on the right side, whom he had not seen or met before; he appeared quite elegant on the outside, probably the actual inviter Mr. Hase had mentioned.
Gu Yansheng gave a direct smile.
“Mr. Hase, you could have given me a call before coming, so I could borrow some tea to prepare; now I only have coffee here, so don’t be picky.”
Mr. Hase smiled indifferently, “Coffee is fine, Mr. Gu, let me introduce you: Secretary-General Ling Xianwen of the government.”
“Oh? So it’s Secretary-General Ling.” Gu Yansheng showed respect.
At the age of thirty, he had reached the powerful position of Secretary-General of the City Government; this was either because he had backing, or exceptional ability plus backing.
“Mr. Gu, I’ve heard of you for a long time.” Ling Xianwen smiled mildly.
“Please come inside.”
Gu Yansheng led the two inside, “Wen Yan, help make some coffee.”
“Alright, coming.” Wen Yan bustled about.
“Please sit down, both of you.”
After Ling Xianwen sat down and saw there were still outsiders present, he directly started with casual chat, “I noticed earlier at the door that Mr. Gu seemed surprised by my arrival?”
Gu Yansheng nodded without hiding it, “I originally thought the one wanting me would be someone from the judicial department, or at least from a department related to law; I really didn’t expect it to be someone in the position of Secretary-General Ling.
Moreover, Secretary-General Ling is really too young; at first glance, I thought he was someone from Mr. Hase’s side; it was my misjudgment.”
Ling Xianwen and Mr. Hase exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.
“What you said is actually not wrong.
The government is a large organization, with complicated personnel inside and chaotic factions; as someone who wants to get things done, one always needs to lean against a bit of a backer for things to be more convenient; Mr. Gu, do you think what I said is right?”
With such a straightforward declaration of faction, it was clearly meant to get Gu Yansheng to state his position as well; bringing this up before the talk meant it was related to the upcoming conditions.
If willing to stand together, the conditions would surely be better.
Gu Yansheng gave an expression of understanding and nodded slightly: “Thousand-mile horses are common, but Bole are rare; if Mr. Hase and Mr. Ling are willing to bring me in, then naturally whichever door I enter, I belong to that family; even if I say otherwise, others have to believe it, right?”
“Hahahaha.”
With Gu Yansheng saying this, the two men’s smiles became even more pleasant.
Ling Xianwen said to Mr. Hase, “Mr. Hase, I told you, with Gu the great lawyer’s outstanding performance in court, he must be a smart man.”
Mr. Hase was indeed satisfied and nodded, saying directly, “The Shanghai Reform Government, temporarily established after the war, seems utterly incompetent now.
They not only failed to play the role they should in maintaining Shanghai’s peace and stability, but were also helpless against various countries smuggling prohibited supplies into the country.
This government has been entirely dismissed.
A new government is already being assembled; Ling Secretary-General will tell you the specifics later.”
Gu Yansheng nodded to indicate he understood.
Mr. Hase continued, “The City Government is reorganizing with thirty departments this time; since you have no political experience, to avoid criticism from some people, my arrangement for you is the position of Deputy Division Chief of the Judicial Department, in charge of judicial affairs.
Although the Judicial Department sounds like a division-level unit, in terms of functions, it is on par with the other 29 functional departments of the City Government.”
Oh, this treatment was not light; Gu Yansheng had thought a powerful Section Chief would be good, but Mr. Hase was surprisingly generous.
“Although not the chief official, don’t worry; once you have achievements, I will promote you.
The current Judicial Department Director being appointed has no special abilities himself, just seniority and familiarity with Shanghai’s legal affairs; he’s a helpless choice after failing to find anyone else.
Is Mr. Gu satisfied with this position?”
What more could be said; Gu Yansheng nodded sincerely: “I leave it all to Mr. Hase’s arrangement.”
Although there had been ups and downs since coming to Shanghai, it wasn’t without benefits; evidently, compared to starting from the bottom, he could save a lot of time.
“Deputy Division Chief Gu, congratulations; you’re now only half a rank below me, the Secretary-General who has idled for nearly ten years; your starting point is truly enviable.” Ling Xianwen was flattering Mr. Hase’s generosity.
Although it was indeed quite generous, Gu Yansheng smiled calmly and indifferently; as someone who had given up part of the revenue, he acted as if it was only right; one naturally has pride.
“Since Mr. Hase is willing to build me a high platform, I am naturally delighted; whether division chief or not, I actually don’t care; what I care about is whether this stage is big enough for me to perform.”
“I look forward to your performance,” Mr. Hase said.
Gu Yansheng nodded slightly in salute.
“Good, then the remaining matters will be discussed by Secretary-General Ling with you, including your treatment issues.” Mr. Hase stood up.
“Lately, with assembling this new government, I have too much on my plate and can’t stop; I specially made time to see you; I’m heading to the Gendarmerie Headquarters for a meeting right away; you two chat.”
“Then take care.”
“Oh, right.”
Mr. Hase paused and smiled, “I’ve already warned the person who extorted you and made him choose between penalty or compensation; that person is not in Shanghai now; in a couple more days, when he returns, dispose of him however you like.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hase.”
The two saw Mr. Hase off, then returned to the office; the atmosphere could now be more relaxed.
Ling Xianwen, as Secretary-General, was already adept at getting familiar; legs crossed, sipping coffee, he looked around the office and smiled.
“The City Government’s treatment is indeed inferior to those of you working in the concession; your office is much better than mine.
The previous Battle of Songhu destroyed the urban area of Shanghai, forcing us to office in Pudong; that environment, tsk tsk, can’t compare to even one ten-thousandth of the concession.
Fortunately, the new city hall building in Yangpu has now been repaired; no more exhausting back-and-forth; um, the new building has many empty rooms; when the time comes, I’ll let you pick your office first; whichever you like, hang your own sign there.
This secretariat doesn’t have much power, but big brother can help you get a feng shui good office.”
Gu Yansheng didn’t stand on ceremony for such insider favors, “Then thank you, Secretary-General.”
“No problem; regarding treatment, Mr. Hase told me to give you a special allowance of 100 Japanese Yen per month; the amount certainly can’t compare to your income, but Mr. Hase really tried; this is specially saved from the consulate’s funding.”
Japanese Yen aren’t as valuable as US Dollars yet and will be worth even less later, but now, the purchasing power of Japanese Yen is still decent; this 100 Japanese Yen is enough to support 8 to 10 Japanese soldiers.
Gu Yansheng said, “I’m not an ungrateful person; thank Mr. Hase for me; then when do I start work? Has the specific office time been set?”
“It’s already started; when can the government stop? It’s just that the official announcement of the reform will be in about a month; during this period, it’s all about reorganization, constant reorganization.”
Speaking of this, Ling Xianwen got to business:
“You saw Mr. Hase’s attitude earlier; the Japanese side is very dissatisfied with the previous government’s performance, so this time it’s a resolution from several major Japanese departments to reappoint all personnel: the able rise, the incapable fall.
The top-level candidates are actually already set; the new Mayor is called Fu Xiao’an; he was the President of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce before.
“A businessman?” Gu Yansheng raised an eyebrow, surprised.
Ling Xianwen sneered slightly, eyes playful: “Not entirely; in terms of background, he was a confidant of Sheng Xuanhuai, the former Qing Post and Communications Minister, and a director of the Commercial Bank.
After the Qing fell, he transformed into a senior advisor for the Northern Expeditionary Government.
Then the National Government was established, and he became the President of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce.
You’re still young, may not know how much the Chiang family loves money; it’s said that even during wartime broadcasts, this Chiang fellow was listening to Shanghai stock price fluctuations on the radio.
But when this Chiang came to power, Fu Xiao’an, so rich, wasn’t touched by anyone; strange, right?
But the strange part is yet to come.
Now with Japanese in charge, with his background and experience, he surprisingly jumped to become the head of the Shanghai City Government, our boss.
Can you simply call a person like this a businessman?”
“He’s practically indestructible.”
Gu Yansheng smiled subtly.
Ling Xianwen quite agreed with this statement.
“But his relationship with the Japanese is an open card; Mr. Hase said that his squeezing out the previous candidate arranged by the Shanghai Headquarters to become Mayor has only one reason: he is the designated choice of Commander Matsui, the Japanese Army General and Expeditionary Force Commander.”
