Chapter 35: Holding The Wharf To Command The Black Market
All the wharves in Shanghai? Lin Xueyi opened his mouth wide; he did not know where Chen Yang got the confidence.
“Second Brother, do you really think I bought this batch of weapons to make money?”
Chen Yang pointed at the weapons on the truck, enough to equip a regiment, and said: “These are the capital I will use to take over all the Shanghai wharves.”
“Don’t worry, someone will go talk to Boss Zhang. What you need to do is first make a name for yourself.”
“Didn’t you always want to make a name for yourself? I’ve already paved the road for you. What you need to do now is take it step by step.”
Lin Xueyi looked at Chen Yang as if he were a monster: “Chen Yang, are you really Chen Yang? When did you learn these crooked ways? What exactly happened to you while studying in Japan these past few years?”
“You weren’t like this before.”
Chen Yang did not respond but just smiled and patted his shoulder, telling him to take his men to Shengping Theater.
Lin Xueyi also knew he could not get any useful information from Chen Yang’s mouth, so he sighed, called half his men to take up weapons, while the other half stayed to clean up the warehouse and the bodies.
Chen Yang took out 60,000 Japanese yen that he had exchanged from his briefcase and handed it to Yamada Yasushi: “Yamada-kun, this is what you wanted.”
“Don’t worry, although today’s transaction had some minor hiccups, I can settle it quickly.”
“By the way, you might be very busy next, so let’s temporarily pause the materials matter.”
“After I arrange things, we’ll continue.”
Yamada Yasushi took the package, opened it and counted, and a satisfied smile immediately appeared on his face.
“Mr. Chen, I feel at ease cooperating with you. If there’s anything you need my help with, just say it. We’re friends, after all; I’ll definitely help you get it done if I can.”
Chen Yang smiled and waved his hand: “No need for that, Yamada-kun. Head back early. Leave this place to me.”
Hearing this, Yamada Yasushi no longer insisted. He slightly bowed to Chen Yang, called his men, and drove the truck away from the warehouse.
Chen Yang slowly walked to the front of the warehouse, looked up at the sky, where the pitch-black night sky sparkled with scattered stars.
A gust of wind blew up on the wharf, and thick clouds quickly enveloped the night sky.
Watching the stars gradually disappear one by one, Chen Yang murmured: “The era of Shanghai’s Three Tycoons should come to an end.”
Shanghai, outside Shengping Theater, 10 p.m. at night. Shengping Theater’s finale show had already ended, and Xie Yuankui was holding Sai Jinling as they walked out of the theater.
For some reason, Xie Yuankui always felt stuffy inside, as if the air was particularly oppressive.
At the theater entrance, it should normally be bustling with people coming and going.
But today it was unusually quiet, and the few underlings who had been waiting at the theater entrance were nowhere to be seen.
“Something’s wrong. Go back.” Xie Yuankui had a jolt and pulled Sai Jinling to run back.
Suddenly, the theater doors slammed shut, and several figures holding Nambu Type 2 submachine guns jumped out, unleashing a barrage at the two.
The next day, Shanghai Gendarmerie Headquarters, Minister’s Office in the Logistics Department.
Suzuhara Shingo wore reading glasses and read the latest issue of Declaration with great interest.
Declaration was the newspaper with the largest circulation in Shanghai and could also be called the most credible newspaper.
The front-page headline of the newspaper prominently stated that Shanghai Green Gang key member Xie Yuankui was shot by unknown persons yesterday at the entrance of Shengping Theater, hit by more than ten bullets, and died on the spot.
Below were the compiler’s speculations about the incident.
Xie Yuankui was a capable general of Zhang Xiaolin, Boss Zhang. These unknown persons targeting Xie Yuankui clearly aimed to incite conflict between Shanghai’s gangsters.
Knock knock knock. A knock sounded at the door. Suzuhara Shingo put down the newspaper and said: “Come in.”
Ino Yusuke clutched a letter in his hand, pushed open the office door, and slightly bowed to Suzuhara Shingo: “Minister.”
Suzuhara Shingo folded the newspaper and put it aside: “Did you read this morning’s newspaper?”
Ino Yusuke slightly furrowed his brow: “Minister, I feel that Assistant Chen’s actions in this matter seem a bit reckless.”
Suzuhara Shingo shook his head: “Yusuke, you’ve interacted with Assistant Chen a few times. Do you think he’s the reckless type?”
“Everything he does must have his purpose. Um, what’s that in your hand?”
Ino Yusuke then reacted, quickly handing the envelope to Suzuhara Shingo: “Minister, Assistant Chen just had someone send over a letter.”
“He said to pass it to you, and you’ll understand what he’s up to after reading it.”
Suzuhara Shingo took the envelope from Ino Yusuke, opened it, and inside was only a thin sheet of letter paper.
There were not many words on the letter paper; from beginning to end, there were only the names of four wharves.
Qiujiang Wharf, Wusong Commercial Port, Jiangnan Wharf, Shanghai Passenger Ship Operations Center.
Suzuhara Shingo looked at the four wharves written on the letter paper and was stunned for a moment. After a while, he seemed to understand something and rushed in one stride to the full-view map of Shanghai in the office.
This was a map drawn by the Japanese Army before invading Shanghai; not a single alley or well in all of Shanghai was misplaced.
Suzuhara Shingo picked up a pencil and kept drawing crosses along the rivers on it.
This was a Japanese tradition: they drew circles when undecided, and crosses when confirmed.
Following the Suzhou River and Huangpu River on the map, Suzuhara Shingo suddenly slapped his thigh: “Good, good, good. Indeed impressive.”
“Something I’ve been pondering for half a year, he figured out a solution in less than twenty days.”
Ino Yusuke stepped forward curiously and asked: “Minister, what did you figure out?”
“Yusuke, this Assistant Chen is indeed as he said: bold and resourceful.” Suzuhara Shingo pointed at the map: “Do you know how he plans to solve the sales network problem?”
Ino Yusuke shook his head, indicating he did not know.
Suzuhara Shingo pointed out the places marked with crosses for Ino Yusuke: “See, French Concession’s Xinkaihe Wharf, Sixteen Rows Wharf, French Concession International Wharf, plus the Huishan Wharf we control.”
“If we add Jiangnan Wharf, Qiujiang Wharf, Wusong Commercial Port, Shanghai Passenger Ship Operations Center, what do you see?”
Ino Yusuke followed Suzuhara Shingo’s gesture and looked, suddenly startled in his heart.
“Minister, do you mean Assistant Chen plans to control all the Shanghai wharves?”
“Exactly.” Suzuhara Shingo nodded: “In ancient China, there was the hero Cao Cao, who held the emperor to command the vassals.”
“Assistant Chen wants to emulate Cao Cao, using the wharves to control the black market.”
“Impressive, impressive. This Assistant Chen is indeed a remarkable person.”
Ino Yusuke hesitated for a moment: “But Shanghai has railways besides shipping. They don’t necessarily have to rely on shipping to move goods.”
Suzuhara Shingo smiled: “Yusuke, have you forgotten that Assistant Chen is about to serve as Director of the Economic Department.”
“The Tongji Office under the Economic Department handles railway transportation. If he controls the Economic Department, he naturally has ways to control railway transportation.”
“It seems this kid is dead set on becoming the Governor of Jiangnan Canal Transport.”
“I’d bet that once he controls Shanghai’s wharves, no merchant in all of Shanghai can move even a single grain of rice without his approval.”
Chen Jiaji is gradually starting to gain momentum. Everyone with tickets shouldn’t hold back; those without can liven things up with some comments…
