Chapter 109: Success
“Alright, I’ll go right away.” Liu San said he would go and left immediately.
He paused in his steps and came back, bulging his eyes and asking: “Who did you say came to Shanghai? Matsui? The Japanese Army Commander-in-Chief in Nanjing, Matsui? That general?”
Gu Yansheng could tell what he was thinking from his expression, “What, want to kill him?”
“An opportunity. He’s come to Shanghai, so can we try it?” Liu San was a bit excited thinking about it; the Iron Blood Assassination Group loved big shots like this.
Gu Yansheng threw cold water on it to calm him down, “He’s going to the city government for a meeting, brought over a hundred gendarmes, full defense from the entrance to the meeting room the whole way. Right now he’s either at the Gendarmerie Headquarters or already back in Nanjing; you can’t even know his whereabouts.”
“Damn it, shell thicker than a turtle’s. Alright, I’m off first; printing money is more urgent.”
Liu San left.
Gu Yansheng looked at Shen Shuyun, thinking about how to arrange for her.
Shen Shuyun was very obedient, standing quietly and also looking at Gu Yansheng, with a slight polite smile at the corners of her mouth.
“What can you do? Tell me about your resume first; let me get to know you.” Gu Yansheng pulled over a stool and sat down.
Shen Shuyun hummed and said: “I’m from Hangzhou; my family used to sell silk. But after the Japanese arrived, my father was killed by the Japanese, and the factory was robbed.
At that time I was studying secretarial studies at Hujiang University. During the Battle of Songhu, Director Dai went to the school to organize a group of students to form the Suzhou-Zhejiang Guerrilla Corps; I signed up too, but they didn’t take girls. I wasn’t selected but was recommended to attend the Qingpu training class for translation and telegraphy.”
“So you’re familiar with Shanghai.”
“Familiar.”
“Can you shoot?”
“I’ve received training in basic agent skills, with decent results.”
“Decent?” Gu Yansheng raised an eyebrow; usually “decent” had nothing to do with actually being decent.
But he didn’t ask more.
“Since you have education, you can work for the government. Stay at the hotel first for now; tomorrow I’ll have the Judicial Department post a hiring notice for a few clerical staff positions. When you see it, go for the interview. At that time I’ll hire you; you can perform a bit outstandingly in the process, so transferring you in will be natural.”
Shen Shuyun nodded repeatedly, “Understood.”
“Then you rest; I’ll go first. You can also stroll around the streets to relax. Got enough money?”
“Enough.”
“Good.”
Gu Yansheng went out and headed to Sassoon House.
“Call Zhang Xiaolin and ask him to come talk business.”
“Looks like good news?” Sha Shun smiled as he said it, then picked up the phone to notify Zhang Xiaolin.
After he finished the call, Gu Yansheng asked: “Has collecting military scrip started?”
“Already doing it.” Sha Shun poured red wine, “Currently there’s not much military scrip on the market. Citizens are holding legal tender and silver dollars, only exchanging a portion when needed; they’re still worried about the actual purchasing power of military scrip and unwilling to exchange more.
The overall effect will have to wait for enterprises to pay wages on a large scale; then they’ll have to take it whether they want to or not.
I’d say the fastest way for the Japanese is to go door-to-door searching every household for all currency except military scrip and forcibly exchange it into military scrip; that would work best.”
“Bad idea.” Gu Yansheng took the red wine Sha Shun handed over and sneered, “This method only benefits you conveniently; what’s in it for the Japanese? Spending massive manpower and resources searching door-to-door—how much money do ordinary people even have? Not worth it at all.
What the Japanese want is a steady stream, not drain the pond to catch all the fish. In the Japanese view, Shanghai is now their city, and these citizens are also assets that need protecting.”
Sha Shun had just said it offhand; how could he not know the Japanese ambitions?
“But lately there’s been spillover of military scrip; some citizens in the urban area only have military scrip. When they come to the concession for shopping and consumption, they can only pay with military scrip. Concession merchants either refuse their business or have to accept it.
The prospects for our business might be even bigger than originally expected; the usage scope of military scrip will slowly encompass the entire concession, and even places like Jiangsu will see military scrip circulation.”
Sha Shun raised his red wine glass, signaling Gu Yansheng to raise his for a toast.
Gu Yansheng smiled and took a sip with him.
When the time comes and the Military Statistics Bureau’s printing presses start, printing a billion at a go, flooding the market with military scrip, Gu Yansheng was really worried Sha Shun might go bankrupt over it.
Before coming up with this idea, Gu Yansheng hadn’t anticipated the Military Statistics Bureau; the change in strategy could only be chalked up to Sha Shun’s bad luck.
But Sha Shun was the richest, so he should be tougher than Fu Xiao’an.
There would be some haggling between Sha Shun and the Japanese then.
Not long after, Zhang Xiaolin arrived, looking in a particularly good mood.
“How about it, Director Gu? I heard Sheng Wenyi was taken to Nanjing by the Japanese?”
“News travels fast?” Gu Yansheng smiled in surprise.
“I’ve been around Shanghai this long; if I couldn’t even get this bit of information, wouldn’t I have mixed for nothing?”
Zhang Xiaolin sat down boldly and commanded Sha Shun: “Get me a glass too. Worth celebrating today; that scoundrel pissed me off for so many days, cost me how much money? Finally taken away by the Japanese—best if Nanjing’s military court sentences him to death and shoots him on the spot.
If he’s really shot, I’ll burn a truckload of opium at his grave. He loved showing off smoking opium so much; every anniversary of his death I’ll burn him a truckload so he can smoke his fill!
Still dared to fight me. Back when the Japanese army entered the city, they were all polite and negotiated with me. But him, comes in wanting to wipe us out, doesn’t even know how murky the waters of the Shanghai Bund are, just strutting around like that, little scoundrel, brain gone haywire.”
“Hahahaha.”
The three laughed.
After laughing, Gu Yansheng said: “Anyway, the drugs matter is settled as of today.
I need to report to the Japanese side, so you all put on a show, gradually restore the situation in Shanghai. Boss Zhang, first have your own people stand down; let the other gangs make trouble for a few more days if they want, then you warn them, and everyone stops together.
Then go back to doing business as usual.
I’ll issue a document then: goods still go through the Anti-Drug General Bureau, but the goods themselves are yours; you pick them up after import, just with a record and going through the motions. Hide the rest; I’ll turn a blind eye anyway. As long as the Japanese don’t think the shortfall is abnormal, we’re good on face.”
“See, this is how you do things.” Zhang Xiaolin pointed at Gu Yansheng toward Sha Shun and said: “Director Gu’s approach is righteous. With this resale, our smuggling issue is actually gone too; goods come straight in from Wusongkou, saves a lot of trouble, saves the Japanese from extorting us every day.”
After finishing the drugs matter, Sha Shun leaked some news.
Actually, Fu Xiao’an had approached him yesterday, asking him to step forward and agree to Japanese control to lead by example, even willing to give up some interests in other goods for it.
But how could Sha Shun agree?
The underground Economic Department was the biggest shared interest tying the three of them here.
Shanghai’s judiciary couldn’t bypass Gu Yansheng; Fu Xiao’an had no right to get a cut of this.
The next day, Gu Yansheng had the Judicial Department recruit; Shen Shuyun entered smoothly.
Gu Yansheng wasn’t in a hurry to use her; let her settle in for a while, get familiar, then create some opportunities for her to shine, so she could naturally enter the division chief’s sight that way.
Days passed one by one; Shanghai’s environment was indeed improving, at least the smashing and looting had visibly decreased.
At meetings, Fu Xiao’an’s mood had clearly improved.
But privately, he still urged Gu Yansheng to speed up; efficiency was still a bit slow.
Gu Yansheng agreed verbally, but kept his own pace.
Seven days later, the smashing and looting completely stopped; Japanese Gendarmes withdrew from the urban area.
Ten days later, Gu Yansheng took the freshly prepared document to find Mr. Hase.
“Mr. Hase, this is the document I drafted based on the negotiation results. The document itself isn’t the focus—standardized format. The attached proportions vary for each; that’s the private agreement.”
“Mr. Gu’s efficiency is fast; the urban area situation has recovered well too. Lately the annoying calls bothering me have decreased a lot.”
Mr. Hase flipped through the document while speaking, saw the privately agreed proportions—mostly thirty to forty percent—and asked: “Thirty percent is a bit low; can this proportion be raised further?”
Gu Yansheng nodded: “It can be raised, but not now. They’ve just gone through that conflict under Sheng Wenyi’s time; during negotiations with them, to smoothly reach agreement, I also had to consider their mood. Restoring Shanghai’s economy is my top priority.
As for raising this proportion, it’s actually already in my follow-up design.
My idea is to first get them to accept our jurisdiction, establishing de facto dominance for us, then as Shanghai’s economy improves, gradually take more back.
This way we get some benefits upfront while preserving the possibility of more later; step by step, safer for Shanghai’s economy now.”
Mr. Hase thought about it and nodded: “Alright, control the situation first; we’ll talk about the rest after Shanghai’s economy improves.”
Mr. Hase readily signed his name, signaling approval.
With Sheng Wenyi as a lesson from the past, handling things had to prioritize stability.
Gu Yansheng took the chance to ask curiously: “Mr. Hase, what happened to Sheng Wenyi?”
Mr. Hase said casually: “He shouldn’t have too big a problem. Nanjing wanted to deal with him, but somehow he contacted people in Manchuria; someone there vouched for him. Might be detained a while, or maybe taken away by Manchuria. He attended military academy in Japan, has classmates there.”
Tough enough; even Nanjing couldn’t finish him off. But none of Gu Yansheng’s business anyway—as long as the guy didn’t come back to Shanghai.
Though Gu Yansheng thought again: if he really came back to Shanghai later, that’d be fine too, because if Sheng Wenyi held a grudge, top of the list definitely wouldn’t be him; Fu Xiao’an would take that spot without question.
There’d be a good show.
“Mr. Gu, then I’ll leave execution to you; reach agreements with them ASAP to help restore Shanghai’s economy.”
“Good, then I’ll take my leave.”
The next day Gu Yansheng gathered the big and small gang leaders for a meeting.
Everyone cooperated fully; terms were long agreed, just sign and done.
After they left, Gu Yansheng watched his staff tidy the signed documents, thinking how to siphon a bit more from this pot, leaving as little as possible for the Japanese.
“Xiao Lou, notify the mayor’s office to set a time; I want to hold a meeting with all director-level personnel attending.”
“Got it.”
Gu Yansheng returned to the office.
Now just waiting for the counterfeit currency.
Whether the Japanese Military Note Plan could be successfully sabotaged depended on the Military Statistics Bureau’s capability.
With the Japanese having such high expectations for Shanghai’s economic recovery, not sabotaging it a bit would be letting down Boss Dai’s gift of the economic intelligence team major staff officer position.
But so many days, no contact from Liu San’s side.
Didn’t know the progress.
West Shanghai factory; this was the Military Statistics Bureau’s underground printing point in Shanghai.
Chen Mo brought the bank’s Manager Liu to accompany the printing workers testing.
Several people researched money-making day and night here, their clothes stained all colors by the dyes.
Manager Liu was from the bank, familiar with printing notes.
Chen Mo had a list of Japanese yen printing materials sent from Chongqing; everything except that pulp component—which they couldn’t figure out and buy—was no difficulty. As long as there was money, Greater Shanghai had everything.
The bought materials were mixed by the printing workers into color pulp; the rest was the paper issue.
They had no paper; papermaking was too much trouble, and robbery wouldn’t get it. Japanese yen printing wasn’t in Shanghai but on mainland Japan.
Fortunately, Chongqing had long been researching various papers; one telegram later, Boss Dai sent a ton of paper, which arrived in Shanghai yesterday.
After experiments, everyone carefully watched the newly printed money.
“Looks just like it, too much like it.” Looking at the Japanese yen before them, that mesmerizing sight swept away days of fatigue.
Touched it; good hand-feel.
“Success.”
“Really succeeded?”
“Succeeded!”
“Really succeeded! Really succeeded! Hahahaha, succeeded!”
