Chapter 129: Pauper
“Alright, you’re still treating us as part of your quarrel, right? If you’re going to be like this, I’m leaving, and I don’t want the person anymore! I really came for nothing.”
Worth coming, actually got to watch a good show. If it weren’t for the identities here, I’d have to fan the flames.
Reconciliation is impossible. Brother Gu raised his leg and patted Director Ding’s back, “Let’s go, let’s go, what are you quarreling about.”
Pulling Director Ding away, he turned back, pointed at Wu Sibao and glared, mouthing silently: “Don’t fan the flames, hurry and appease him, I’ll come over later.”
Taking Director Ding back to his office.
Director Ding tugged at his shirt, sat down boldly in his seat, huffing angrily, clearly quite upset.
Brother Gu dismissed his secretary, acted as waiter himself, poured him water and handed it over, “Alright, don’t be angry, what exactly happened?”
Director Ding slammed the table hard with his hand, “Gendarmerie Headquarters wants us to release the prisoner. Kageza heard we interrogated all night without a confession and is very unhappy. He asked what backup plans we had, and he actually pushed the responsibility onto me, saying it was my fault we didn’t catch the person, otherwise there would definitely be clues at the China Bank.
He said that, so Kageza came to question me. What could I say? It was all just getting scolded, and in the end, the whole matter became my problem.
Tell me, in that situation at the time”
Director Ding indignantly described the arrest scene, from interrogating ordinary employees to confirm high-level identity information, to the complex internal structure of the China Bank, to the time needed to go up and down floors, to rummaging through the office for documents, and finally escorting the person out.
He introduced the entire process in minute detail, mainly emphasizing that this mission took a long time, was intercepted by constables, and failure was very normal.
“Pretty normal.” Brother Gu nodded, especially this heroic upright constable—he even wanted to meet him.
“Right?” Director Ding, having received agreement, said painfully: “Mission failure is actually very normal. Kageza wants to release the prisoner, so release him. Everyone shoulders it together, and the matter is over.
What I can’t accept about Director Li is that this person especially loves shirking responsibility. All the benefits are his, all the responsibility is others’. Agent Headquarters is a whole, yet he has no awareness of treating Agent Headquarters as a whole. In his eyes, only his own group are his people. Too disgusting.
Stepping back, even if it’s my problem, he pushes me out—will Kageza not blame Agent Headquarters? Will Agent Headquarters have good days? The pressure still falls on us, right?”
Brother Gu nodded deeply in agreement, sighing, “Indeed a bit unethical.”
“And that’s not all.” Director Ding was truly holding in a bellyful of anger. Finally catching Brother Gu, a high-caliber venting target, with emotions just right today, he vented hard, and once the floodgates opened, it was like a torrent.
Brother Gu listened for a while, all about internal strife between Director Li and him at Agent Headquarters.
Financial power controlled by Director Li’s wife, department positions snatched by him.
In the end, no money, no staff. The Japanese side specifically responsible for Agent Headquarters affairs is Major General Haruki, Director Li’s backer, and he doesn’t stand on his side.
“Alright, alright, save the talk for next time drinking. Didn’t you say you had something to find me for? What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Brother Gu was shocked, “Then you went to Director Li’s room just to pick a fight?”
Director Ding nodded, “Exactly right.”
“…” This left even Brother Gu speechless.
Director Ding sneered, “Didn’t I hear you came and didn’t come find me? How’s that money-making thing you mentioned last time? You can’t hog all the benefits with Director Li and leave me out, right? I just heard you need people, and my subordinates aren’t short on staff.”
Your subordinates don’t have Liu San either. Brother Gu chuckled and sighed: “You guys, really leave me speechless.”
Director Ding smiled and said: “Don’t be speechless, tell me, what business? You know I have a pile of staff to feed.”
“As if the Japanese didn’t give you money.” Brother Gu scoffed. Want money? Wanting money is easy, as long as you dare take it.
After thinking, he said: “Speaking of business, it’s not none. Didn’t Mitsui have us procure medicine?”
“Yeah.”
“I told those medicine dealers to buy enough quinine for me every year, and for the remaining medicine coming in, I turn a blind eye. But the medicine volume is huge, bound to flow outside.”
Brother Gu stopped here, gave a look, and Director Ding understood, “You mean flow to the Nationalist controlled area?”
Brother Gu nodded.
Director Ding frowned, “This is no small matter. If the Japanese find out, we’re done for.”
“Then what can be done?” Brother Gu leaned back with a displeased expression, “Ten tons of quinine, those medicine dealers lose hundreds of thousands a year. If we don’t make it up from elsewhere, can you complete this?”
Director Ding frowned and sipped tea, thought for a bit, then looked at Brother Gu, “What do you mean?”
Brother Gu leaned in closer, “Didn’t you come from Chongqing? My meaning is, you contact old contacts in Chongqing, find a powerful medicine dealer, single-line contact with him, throw a portion to him—just one person, as covert as possible. How he sells it is none of your business.
We take this portion from the medicine dealers’ hands, mark it up and sell to him. Whatever the profit margin we negotiate, it’s ours.
Mitsui has rewards there, we skim a bit from the medicine dealers’ side, earn another sum from Chongqing—tens of thousands of US dollars a year is no problem.”
Director Ding thought seriously, then said: “This matter just has a bit too much risk.”
“No risk and tens of thousands of US dollars fall from the sky?” Brother Gu explained in detail: “I’ve thought about this. Either do it cleanly—push the matter outright, ignore Mitsui, and in a few months when a year is up, say we couldn’t complete it. Whether he’s happy or not, we can’t help it.
Half a ton or a ton of quinine, we can always procure. The rest of the medicine scattered in the Japanese occupied area will be about enough. No money earned, just hard labor.
If we want to make money, we don’t show our faces. Find someone in Shanghai to set up a company, you dock with Chongqing, and from then on just these two agents do business. If it really leaks, we know nothing.
Five tons or ten tons of quinine, Mitsui is satisfied, we make money, and with money solved, staffing is the simplest.”
“Let’s do it!” Director Ding wasn’t new to this, didn’t hesitate much, then asked: “What about goods transport? There are plenty of Japanese Army checkpoints to pass through? We can handle Shanghai, but what about Japanese Army elsewhere?”
Brother Gu smiled, “The Japanese had me transport drugs to all Japanese occupied areas—this is just along for the ride, right? How heavy is the medicine?”
“Hahahaha.” Director Ding got it all, “Brother Gu is clever. Now there’s zero problem.”
Even the hardest customs declaration is sorted—this is easy money, no staff needed.
“You have no problem, I do.” Brother Gu tapped the table, “I heard the Japanese say the new government is forming, and your Agent Headquarters is to be merged in?”
“Right, that’s what was said then, but wasn’t that envoy fake? Not sure if it counts.”
“I think it still counts. Basically like the Military Statistics Bureau in Chongqing—set up stations in various regions. I’m thinking your Agent Headquarters will expand then too, so I suggest, instead of spending energy in Shanghai, recruit more staff, think about expanding territory.
That way, when Japanese side clears customs, your Agent Headquarters people don’t stick their hands in. No need to make it known to all and everyone comes to take a share, right? Protect our business.”
Director Ding nodded repeatedly, “Your reminder makes sense. I’ll find a way, expand more staff, open up territory first, leave Director Li no room to expand.”
“Alright, then hurry and contact. I’m off first. Prepare some money—those herbal merchants are poor as ghosts, need us to advance payment.”
“Still need advance payment? How much?”
“Of course the more the better, tens of thousands of US dollars at least, right? Before the first batch of medicine sells, where do they get money to import from abroad.”
“How much?” Director Ding’s cheek twitched at tens of thousands of US dollars.
“Tens of thousands, is that a lot?” Brother Gu looked at him oddly, “No, I heard Director Ding was reported in Chongqing for corruption being discovered. You a major general, don’t have tens of thousands of US dollars?”
“Don’t.” Director Ding felt somewhat belittled—corrupted too little doesn’t match this major general status, “I was discovered in a rush then. Even if I had wealth, I couldn’t bring much out. Really don’t have that much now.”
“How much?”
“Over ten thousand US dollars.”
Brother Gu shook his head, “You’re really wasting the major general title.”
Damn, corrupted too little and really looked down on!
“Then communicate with your Chongqing people, can they advance payment? Otherwise efficiency slows a lot.” Brother Gu said.
Director Ding thought: “This I can communicate on, but needs time. Contact old friends there, I have to do some work.”
“Alright, wait for your message. I have some here, temporarily enough.”
Bidding farewell to Director Ding, Brother Gu circled the building once more then went to find Director Li.
Director Li was very curious, smiling ambiguously, “Did he curse me hard?”
“You know and still ask?” Brother Gu sneered: “Don’t ask more. I’m just doing some business, don’t want to be caught in between as a punching bag.”
“Good, won’t ask.” Director Li didn’t make it hard for Brother Gu, “Staff is prepared. Take directly from Wu Sibao’s side. Need money prepared?”
“Bring a bit. If good ones caught, price right, we’ll telegram contact, have them pay advance payment. So as not to back-and-forth communication fails, house snatched by others.”
Director Li nodded, called his wife on the telephone, had ten thousand US dollars brought over.
“Use first, not enough say.”
“Alright, off then.”
Brother Gu found Wu Sibao, took Liu San and others plus a radio set, total eighteen people.
“Today go home pack, bring decent clothes. Buying villas mansions, don’t dress too shabby. None? Go buy one now, then have Director Li reimburse you. Depart tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
“Liu San stay, others dismissed. Tomorrow 9 a.m., train station entrance meet.”
“Yes.”
Brother Gu took Liu San in the car.
“Didn’t ask Director Li earlier, person released?”
“Released, picked up by Green Gang disciples waiting at the door.” Liu San sighed, “Really a tough guy. If he’d open his mouth, I’d send him on his way. But Director Li used all his strength—tiger stool, electric chair, person beaten crippled, still didn’t speak. Really impressive.
Mr. Du found this butler, too capable. He hadn’t even had anti-interrogation training, purely held up by grit.”
Brother Gu nodded, “A real man.”
Such a butler, Brother Gu wanted one too, but hard to come by.
“Any new arrangements from Director Li?”
“Yes, person released, but Kageza side hasn’t given up. Director Li had Wu Sibao send subordinates to watch Wan Molin’s close associates, prepare to play a long line for big fish.”
That means temporarily fine. “Does Chen Mo know?”
“Not yet. Planning to notify him later, but his team is still active outside. Mr. Wan released will spread, he’ll know soon.”
Brother Gu nodded: “Still contact him, say you’re going to Nanjing for a while. If really something, have him find me.”
“Alright, got it.”
Finished instructions, had Liu San get off, Brother Gu went to see Shen Linshen.
“This time changing houses, need to find a few servants at home. Best arrange one in as our contact intermediary. Otherwise frequent contact between us isn’t too convenient. See if you have suitable candidates—driver, butler, nanny, cook, guard, any position works.”
“Good opportunity.”
Shen Linshen thought: “But my people just recruited, still need to examine temperament and ability. Posing as civilian in SH city vs. posing as butler by your side, people contacted are different.
Family doctor if you can use, I can recommend one—from French Concession hospital, female doctor, ours. Organization specially prepared for your identity to reasonably contact. Backup for my position. If I have accident, she takes over. Organization examined ability, no problem.”
“Doctor… contact also limited.” Brother Gu pondered: “Not daily contact after all. Can be backup, but I hope for resident staff.”
“I’ll scout other roles.” Shen Linshen knew doctor’s identity has limits too.
