Chapter 141: Making Amends
Luo Junqiang directly challenged him, tapping the table and saying: “I told you departments to confiscate cotton yarn, and I only found out when the Japanese called me that you even confiscated from Japanese-funded factories. After I said a few words, your attitude was extremely rude. Is it that this vice mayor’s words don’t carry weight, or do you simply not care about Mr. Wang and Mr. Zhou? Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me?”
The bureau directors who weren’t involved were startled by these words, wondering what amusing thing had happened—they seemed to have missed a big show.
“Ahem.” Fu Xiao’an coughed, frowning as he said: “Vice Mayor Luo, this is a meeting, we’re all colleagues, not your subordinates. You should still be polite when speaking. Get to the point, what’s wrong?”
Luo Junqiang shouted: “I told them to confiscate some cotton yarn, but they went and confiscated from Japanese people’s factories. Sealing them up would be one thing, but they also said they were tax evaders and forcibly robbed them? The Japanese called and nearly deafened my ears!”
The bureau directors watching the show widened their eyes—this was interesting, they silently sipped tea and watched.
Fu Xiao’an nodded after listening, saying calmly: “I know about the cotton yarn confiscation. Confiscating into Japanese-funded factories is indeed troublesome. Vice Mayor Luo, did you not make this clear?”
“I didn’t make it clear?” Luo Junqiang stared in astonishment. “Does this even need to be said? When did Japanese factories become subject to our forced requisition?”
“Then you really didn’t say it.” Fu Xiao’an nodded. “So this can’t be blamed on the people executing below. They followed orders—what’s the problem?”
Luo Junqiang realized that this nest of people all wanted to trap him.
He slammed the table in anger: “The people below don’t understand, but you bureau directors and division chiefs giving advice don’t either? Confiscating into Japanese factories—I think you’re deliberately trying to embarrass me!”
“Vice Mayor Luo, you’d better be polite.” Lu Ying said coldly: “We help you and get scolded—what’s that supposed to mean?”
Gu Yansheng sneered and shook his head: “The dog bites Lu Dongbin.”
Luo Junqiang’s eyes widened, and he shot to his feet, slamming the table: “Are you calling me a dog?”
Gu Yansheng looked down, not wanting to deal with him.
Luo Junqiang was attacked from both sides, his chest heaving with anger.
Pointing at the table, he said through gritted teeth: “These are supplies needed by the new government’s army. You gentlemen aren’t cooperating, and even deliberately sabotaging. I will definitely report this to Mr. Zhou, report to Mr. Wang, report to the Gendarmerie Headquarters. You don’t need to explain to me—explain to the Japanese.”
“No need for trouble, Lieutenant Colonel Kobayashi just called me, and I’ve already asked him to come over.” Gu Yansheng said.
Luo Junqiang wasn’t familiar with Kobayashi and suspected he was Gu Yansheng’s backer, which would be unfavorable to him once he arrived. He frowned: “A lieutenant colonel can’t handle this. Colonel Kageza must come to take charge.”
After speaking, he first called Minister Zhou, then called Kageza, inviting both backers at once.
They waited in silence, and Kobayashi Nobuo arrived first.
“Mr. Kobayashi.” Several people stood up and greeted Kobayashi.
Kobayashi glanced at everyone, face tense, and walked to the main seat that Fu Xiao’an had vacated.
He took the meeting minutes from the recording secretary beside him, looked at them, then slammed them on the table with a smack.
“Who allowed you to forcibly confiscate cotton yarn? Who allowed you to confiscate cotton yarn from Japanese-funded enterprises!”
Everyone turned to look at Luo Junqiang in unison.
Luo Junqiang immediately explained, “It wasn’t me who wanted to collect it, Mr. Kobayashi. I just told them to confiscate cotton yarn, didn’t say to confiscate from Japanese-funded enterprises.”
Kobayashi Nobuo’s gaze turned to Luo Junqiang.
“So it was you who ordered the cotton yarn confiscation?”
Kobayashi Nobuo had found the culprit, his gaze hostile. He slammed the table with a slap, glaring fiercely: “Do you know how much damage your forced requisition plan has caused to Shanghai’s economy?”
“I did confiscate, but I didn’t say to confiscate from Japanese-funded enterprises.” Luo Junqiang knew this man was Gu Yansheng’s backer, but facing the Japanese, he still had to explain. After speaking, he looked at the few from yesterday’s meeting without hesitation and threw them under the bus.
“Yesterday I met with Director Lu, Director Gu, and a section chief of industry and commerce from the Finance Bureau. Their suggestion was to do it this way. I had no idea they would also confiscate cotton yarn from Japanese-funded enterprises.”
Kobayashi Nobuo ignored this, pressing with his gaze: “I’m asking you, who allowed you to forcibly confiscate cotton yarn?”
“The Gendarmerie Headquarters approved it. This is for the pacification army uniforms after the new government is established.”
“Who from the Gendarmerie Headquarters?”
“Colonel Kageza.”
Kobayashi Nobuo took a deep breath, sat down, and looked at Fu Xiao’an: “Mayor Fu, Shanghai’s economy is now under my control. Why wasn’t such a major cotton yarn confiscation matter reported?”
Fu Xiao’an nodded slightly: “Mr. Kobayashi, at Director Gu’s banquet, Colonel Kageza said to cooperate with the people assigned by Mr. Zhou to complete the mission. I thought you knew about it—you were there at the time.”
“I was there, but I didn’t know they planned to forcibly confiscate!”
With a smack, the door opened, and Kagesa Sadaki walked in, Minister Zhou right behind him.
Kobayashi found the principal and said in Japanese: “Shanghai’s economy can’t withstand such large-scale forced requisition. Economic matters are my call—why are you interfering? Do you know how serious the consequences are?”
Kagesa Sadaki frowned slightly: “Kobayashi-kun, the military department’s task for you is to implement military scrip in Shanghai and restore the economy, but it never said city government affairs are under you. That’s always been the Sino-Japanese Special Affairs Committee’s task.”
“But your forced requisition decision will affect Shanghai’s economic recovery!”
“First, I didn’t say to forcibly confiscate. I negotiated with them, gave them the power to find military supplies, to be completed by the city government, but the method isn’t necessarily forced requisition—they just chose it.
Second, even if forced requisition is really needed, there’s no choice. The Wang regime government is imminent. They must find sources for the army’s military supplies. If not Shanghai people providing, then we do. Do you think the military department will provide for 500,000 people’s military supplies? Then what are they for?
So don’t say I’m sabotaging your task. Your goal of completing the task and boosting Shanghai’s economy is to cooperate with the military department’s needs. You don’t want forced requisition? Fine, you solve the military supplies for 500,000 people, and I’ll immediately have them abandon the confiscation.
Can you? If not, please step aside.”
Kobayashi glared angrily: “Kageza, you’re too shortsighted. The consequences of destroying the economy will cost far more than the value of cotton yarn for 500,000 people! This will affect my ultimate mission.”
Kageza didn’t want to say more. Kobayashi hadn’t yielded the main seat, so he didn’t mind standing beside and speaking.
Now in Chinese: “I’ve got the gist. Why confiscate from Japanese enterprises’ cotton yarn? Whose idea?”
Everyone in the room fell silent.
Luo Junqiang started tattling: “Mr. Kageza, Mr. Zhou, yesterday I called the Finance Bureau director, Police Station director, Director of the Judicial Department to discuss. The plan was theirs. They also sent the people to execute it. I really didn’t know it would infringe on Japanese enterprises.”
“Truly the dog bites Lu Dongbin.” Gu Yansheng sneered.
“You’re still cursing!” Luo Junqiang pointed at him. He really didn’t expect Gu Yansheng to still dare curse him now.
Smack!
Gu Yansheng stood up and slammed the materials notebook in front of him on Luo Junqiang’s table with a smack, frowning and glaring at him: “
Have some basic shame as a person!
The people from the Police Station, the seals from the Judicial Department—for whom? We helped you, and now we’re taking the blame. Saying you bite Lu Dongbin like a dog, did I curse wrong?
Do you know how much cotton yarn you want? 500,000 people, 20,000 bales!
No concept, right? Did you look at the materials? I did!
Shanghai’s pre-war annual output was 260,000 bales, but thirty percent was in the concessions! Only seventy percent in Chinese territory!
Now after the war, capacity is only seventy percent of before. Of that seventy percent, fifty percent is Japanese, twenty percent American, only thirty percent Chinese.
From that thirty percent, another forty percent must be forcibly sold to Japanese enterprises.
Know how much is left?
20,000 bales!”
Gu Yansheng tapped the table: “Your 20,000 bales—that’s not one month’s output from Shanghai factories, it’s the entire year’s output from all Chinese-owned enterprises in all of Shanghai! It’s the supply for all of Shanghai or even all of China. Go confiscate it, go collect it—can you?
All Shanghai factories buy raw materials at their own expense, plus labor to produce for you for a year, right?
Even if they were willing—which they won’t be—you’d have to wait until next year for them to produce enough!
Without taking from Japanese enterprises, can you get enough?
Why did I have my men take it first? Only when the goods reach the city government warehouse do you have any chance of keeping them.
Of course you can’t keep them, you’re not qualified to negotiate. But can Minister Zhou negotiate? Can Mr. Wang? For the new government’s establishment, which is imminent—isn’t there a chance to keep what you take?
Buy it, borrow it, even if reluctantly return it later—it’s just some fuel costs.
But if it’s still in Mitsui Mitsubishi’s warehouse, can you take it when you want it later?
You understand nothing and won’t learn. If you’d even glanced at the materials, you’d have known this operation definitely included Japanese enterprises!”
Gu Yansheng sat down after speaking, leaning back in his chair, very angry.
Luo Junqiang felt utterly humiliated by the scolding: “We still can’t take from Japanese enterprises! And even if you had a plan, you should have told me beforehand!”
“Tell you what, that this plan included Japanese enterprises?” Gu Yansheng stood up, expression furious, saying loudly: “This is your matter. I helped you do it, so many in the city government helped you— that’s plenty.
If you’d even looked, you should have known it included Japanese enterprises. No matter the consequences, you should bear them yourself. You took the goods, you take the scolding. Does such a default matter need someone to teach you?
Help you and get scolded—is there such logic in the world?
Fine, today I take the scolding. Mr. Kageza, I admit, I designed this plan myself, unrelated to others in the city government. I’ll find people to return the goods, all transport costs on me, not a penny from the city government. I’ll personally apologize to all Japanese enterprises including Mitsui Mitsubishi. I have nothing to say.
But for this matter, I request: don’t come to me again in the future. My ability is insufficient.”
Gu Yansheng leaned back, face pulled taut, saying nothing.
Luo Junqiang was completely speechless.
The room quieted down.
Kageza didn’t know what to say for a moment.
Minister Zhou wanted to say something but didn’t, his gaze always on Gu Yansheng.
But someone had to break the silence.
It had to be Kageza—who made him the highest officer, he had to conclude.
But Kageza found it hard to say the plan was good—offending Japanese enterprises—or bad, with Minister Zhou beside him, and the cotton yarn issue unsolved.
Even saying Gu Yansheng was wrong wouldn’t work. Was there wrong? Yes, but he was really trying to solve it, on a matter unrelated to his interests, even the Judicial Department took the blame.
After thinking, he said: “I heard the data Director Gu mentioned earlier. It seems far from our goal. Besides Director Gu’s method, do you have other ways to solve it?”
Not to mention there weren’t any originally—if there were, no one would undermine Gu Yansheng now.
Either silent or slightly shaking heads, expressions pained.
“I understand the situation. I’ll discuss this with Minister Zhou. You continue the meeting first. Minister Zhou, please.”
“Please.”
The group withdrew.
The atmosphere loosened a bit, but with Luo Junqiang still there, it felt awkward.
“Then let’s adjourn the meeting for now, wait for their resolution.”
After speaking, no one moved much. Luo Junqiang, face pulled, left by himself first.
Once he left, the atmosphere livened up.
“Director Gu, thanks.” Lu Ying was the first to thank.
Today, Gu Yansheng had essentially shouldered the whole thing for them.
Though it wasn’t necessary to do it as absolutely as Gu Yansheng did now, they all participated in tripping up Luo Junqiang.
Gu Yansheng sneered: “What’s to thank? I didn’t leave him no way out. If he had the ability to handle the Japanese, he could get this batch of cotton yarn. We’d all get some merit, give face to Minister Zhou and them—after all, we’ll still need to beg in Nanjing later.
If he can’t handle it, better roll out early—his own problem.
But I really didn’t expect such poor character. Help him and we take responsibility.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Director Gu’s hard work and merit. If really forcibly confiscating a year’s cotton yarn from all Shanghai, the textile industry would be utterly ruined.”
Fu Xiao’an still had to thank him.
He faced the most pressure—who made him the biggest cotton yarn businessman. So he had Finance Bureau people dig a pit for Luo Junqiang. Whether Luo understood the materials or not.
Anyway, the implemented plan would either offend Japanese enterprises with strong-arming or incite civil unrest, letting Lieutenant Colonel Kobayashi clean him up—no good outcome either way.
The only issue was whether Lu Ying and Gu Yansheng would help implement it.
Lu Ying was manageable, but Gu Yansheng didn’t get along with him.
But this time, Gu Yansheng had factually helped him, so thanks were due.
After a while, Minister Zhou returned alone.
Smiling: “Thanks for your hard work, everyone.”
“Should be.”
“Director Gu, trouble you to step out.”
Gu Yansheng was called out. Minister Zhou smiled: “On his behalf, I apologize to you. If there was anything improper, hope Director Gu can be magnanimous. Let’s have dinner tonight, as compensation.”
