Chapter 170: Normal
Bringing Fu Xiao’an along to play isn’t impossible.
Actually, Gu Yansheng was originally prepared to bring Fu Xiao’an along.
It was just that he originally planned to wait until the business started, then Fu Xiao’an would get envious after learning about it, and contact would be made then.
Now, though, it’s a bit early time-wise.
The Wang Puppet Government hasn’t even been established yet.
Originally, the cotton procurement season is in summer and autumn; after production, stockpile the goods, then sell large quantities of cotton yarn in winter when prices are high, and the timing matches up.
By then, the situation in various places will be settled, those who should rise to power will have done so; give some money to Minister Zhou, smooth out all the connections, and this matter will proceed very steadily—after all, it’s long-term business, stability first.
If Fu Xiao’an gets envious and wants to ride coattails by then, take some money to help him sell; if he doesn’t give money, no one can blame us if the passing cotton yarn is robbed by bandits.
Gu Yansheng pushing up prices also requires effort; we can’t let him freeload off the wool for nothing.
Who let Fu Xiao’an be in a bit of a bad situation right now.
Reasonably speaking, as long as everyone gets information at about the same level, on cotton mill matters, Fu Xiao’an should be the quickest to react, at least faster than Gu Yansheng.
But it’s too pitiful; for Wang Puppet core positions, Minister Zhou even invited Ding Mocun and He Xingjian, but not Fu Xiao’an.
This old guy doesn’t even know he’s entering the Wang Puppet core layer now; his thinking is probably still stuck on the situation where he fell out with Luo Junqiang under Minister Zhou.
Also, who let him be from the Nanjing Gendarmerie Headquarters; when receiving Wang Ni negotiation personnel, Fu Xiao’an happened to be hospitalized spitting blood from the stock market crash, and Ling Xianwen represented the government to host the reception.
And before that, Ling Xianwen said he had hosted negotiation personnel before, but at that time the Shanghai Reform Government was still under Su Xiwen’s rule; Gu Yansheng hadn’t entered, and neither had Fu Xiao’an.
What a coincidence, all missed each other.
Thinking of this, Gu Yansheng responded with sympathy: too pitiful, didn’t miss a single bad thing, didn’t get a turn for a single good thing.
“Mayor Fu, if you want to participate, I welcome it, and I can provide channels, but I have three conditions.
First, if there’s trouble from the Army side, you have to step in to communicate and resolve it; second, pricing rights for SH city’s cotton yarn belong to my people—whatever price they say can’t be lower than that; third, I take thirty percent profit—ten percent for me, ten percent to give to the Japanese, and ten percent to the Nanjing Government.”
“Fine.” Fu Xiao’an agreed after just a brief thought; he is a businessman, very straightforward if there’s profit to be made, and the price Gu Yansheng asked for wasn’t expensive.
“But I have to say this upfront: after deducting the thirty percent profit, the selling price can’t be lower than 70 bucks total, or I’d rather just sell in Shanghai.”
“Of course.”
Fu Xiao’an raised his wine glass and smiled, “Then I’ll have to rely on Director Gu from now on.”
Gu Yansheng raised his wine glass and smiled, “What rely? It’s mutual cooperation and win-win, invincible wherever we go.”
With Fu Xiao’an joining, plus the factories collected in Lu Bowen’s hands, cotton yarn pricing rights can be said to be absolutely controlled; there really are benefits.
Fu Xiao’an smiled and said: “Since we’ve reached cooperation, when exactly do we start raising prices? I still have some cotton yarn on hand.”
“How much?”
“Six thousand bales.”
“How so much?” Gu Yansheng said in surprise: “You’ve been selling for so long yourself, and I helped you sell twenty thousand bales; how do you still have so much?”
“Machinery can’t stop; the cotton collected last year isn’t even used up yet. Who could have thought last year’s cotton yarn market trend would be so bad, stuck in my hands—I couldn’t just dump it all at low prices, right?” Fu Xiao’an frowned, “Right now Shanghai people don’t lack clothes at all; where to sell?”
He collected a huge pile of goods, and his own factory produced another pile; originally he should have made a fortune, but who knew winter cotton yarn prices could still collapse.
Speaking of it, it’s Gu Yansheng’s doing, spreading false news of forced requisition; originally all of Shanghai’s cotton yarn was sold nationwide, with merchants using all sorts of tricks.
But then with the forced requisition news, all the cotton yarn stockpiled from summer to supply the nation in winter was dumped out all at once in Shanghai, directly smashing Shanghai prices to collapse.
He and Sha Shun even fell out over the stock crash, and now he doesn’t even have the concession smuggling channels anymore.
The happiest are Shanghai’s fabric merchants; with cheap cotton yarn, they stockpiled a batch then, and now they’re all stuffed.
To the point that cotton yarn can’t even sell out in Shanghai, yet the machinery is still running, producing new cotton yarn every day.
Gu Yansheng thought about this and said: “There’s no good way for this matter, and I advise you: at this stage, cotton yarn prices absolutely cannot rise; they must run steadily.
Let me tell you, the merchants on my side also have this much cotton mills; if prices could rise, they would have long ago, but why don’t I let them? Think it through—Japanese enterprises still have a cotton ruling committee.
If you dare raise finished product prices now, they’ll dare raise cotton prices; then our price rise would just be making wedding clothes for others for nothing.
This matter must wait until this year’s cotton is harvested and stored in the warehouse before we can raise prices.”
Fu Xiao’an lightly slapped the table, his eyes lighting up with sudden realization from the reminder, “Almost forgot about those people; you’re right, absolutely cannot rise now.”
Just based on those Japanese enterprises’ nature, if they knew cotton yarn prices rose, they wouldn’t miss biting a piece.
“Then this year’s cotton yarn comes in, we raise prices to sell; next year they’ll definitely know—what then?”
Gu Yansheng smiled, picked up a crab to eat, “Eat for a year if we can eat for a year; why think so much? Earning ten years’ money in one year isn’t enough for you?”
Fu Xiao’an nodded; thinking about it, it makes sense—just this one year’s cotton yarn has caused so many issues; thinking too far ahead is meaningless.
“Then all my goods really can only be sold cheap?”
“Sell them cheap then.” Gu Yansheng focused on eating his vegetables, saying while eating, “Shanghai people don’t lack clothes, but there are always poor people who can’t afford them.
Let me tell you, don’t sell cotton yarn anymore; open a few fabric factories, then open dozens of tailor shops, self-produce and self-sell, just sell cheap clothes to the poor.
You’re the mayor; this image gets established, the cotton yarn gets cleared, and taxation increases too—so many factories plus shops, sales won’t be small; killing multiple birds with one stone.”
“That’d only earn a little money.” Fu Xiao’an scoffed.
Plus opening so many shops is too troublesome; taxation increases, but he’s not here to work for free for the Japanese.
Opening shops requires paying taxes.
Then Gu Yansheng doesn’t care; it’s not his cotton yarn—if you want to let it sit until it molds, go ahead.
Jiangnan’s plum rain season, cotton yarn like this can mold if not stored properly; gambling on luck to last until winter isn’t a good bet.
“Don’t you have a better way?”
“No way; what way is there? Weather’s about to warm up; who’ll buy cotton yarn? Factories processing into fabric takes time, transport takes time, making into clothes takes time—by the time it’s shipped elsewhere, it’s out of season.”
“Then what about your side’s cotton yarn—how are you handling it?”
“Just like I said earlier: open factories, make clothes, sell cheap to the poor. My goal is to recycle funds; buying cotton this year still costs money, I want to go big—otherwise what? Not sell?” Gu Yansheng smiled, “I don’t have your financial strength, Mayor Fu; breaking even is fine for me.”
Fu Xiao’an frowned: Gu Yansheng would do that? Why doesn’t he believe it.
But since he won’t say, no choice; still need to think of other ways for this matter—cotton yarn definitely has to be cleared.
Eat first.
On the other side.
Li Shiqun and Ding Mocun arrived at Gendarmerie Headquarters.
In the commander’s office sat Miura Jiro and Li Shiqun’s backer, Lieutenant Colonel Haruki Keiichi.
The two greeted each other; Miura Jiro frowned and said: “I called you here to ask one thing: is there large-scale weapons trading on Shanghai’s black market?”
“Weapons?” Li Shiqun frowned, thought, and said: “Gun and bullet trading definitely exists; not much in the urban area, but concession merchants smuggling some in via their pass policies, sure—but large-scale, probably not.
Military Statistics Bureau personnel entering Shanghai usually bring their own guns; even if not, they might transport via various smuggling channels.
According to He Xingjian, the Loyal and Righteous National Salvation Army has helped Shanghai Military Statistics Bureau transport guns before; they probably don’t need much buying.
Your Excellency General, what happened?”
Miura Jiro stared at the two and said: “These days the New Fourth Army in Southern Anhui has been very active; investigation shows they have a large batch of new weapons. Frontline headquarters suspects these weapons came from Shanghai.”
“New Fourth Army?” Li Shiqun was extremely surprised, paused, and asked: “Your Excellency General, if you say Military Statistics Bureau buying guns, possible, but New Fourth Army—how could that be from Shanghai? Guns aren’t cheap; New Fourth Army has no such financial strength. How many guns?”
“At least two thousand.”
“Two thousand? Even more impossible—that’d cost how much.”
Miura Jiro’s eyes widened, “Then where do you say they got the guns from?”
Why ask him this? Li Shiqun thought and said: “Probably from the Third War Zone?”
“Have you seen the Third War Zone issue guns to the New Fourth Army—our Type 38 rifles?”
“Type 38 Arisaka rifle?” Li Shiqun was really stunned, but thinking it over, it made sense: “Japanese Army and Third War Zone lost them in battle, then Third War Zone collected and gave to New Fourth Army?
Actually, rifles collected from other war zones transported to Southern Anhui would also be normal.”
Haruki Keiichi spoke: “But according to our intelligence, Chongqing Government doesn’t like the New Fourth Army much; though New Fourth Army is in the National Revolutionary Army combat sequence, Chongqing Government has never given them military expenses and supplies on time, always deducting.
Now what appeared in New Fourth Army hands isn’t a few guns, but many guns, many bullets.
These people originally had machetes; now they all have guns.
And Type 38 rifles!
They put on our soldiers’ uniforms, carry Type 38 rifles, swagger to checkpoints, so outpost guards can’t even distinguish them.
This is very abnormal, not like Chongqing Government’s style; we suspect the guns aren’t from Chongqing Government, but smuggled from the black market.”
“Nothing abnormal about it?” Ding Mocun spoke: “Your Excellency General, Major General Haruki, things are different now than before; previously Chongqing Government might not have liked New Fourth Army.
But now it’s different; He Xingjian defected to us, their strength in Jiangnan region reduced by more than half. Don’t you think to keep stirring trouble in Jiangnan region, they have to issue guns to New Fourth Army?
Besides, Type 38 rifles are second-hand; giving them second-hand fits Chongqing’s style perfectly—have to give, but don’t want to give too good.
Plus, where would Shanghai black market get so many Type 38 rifles?”
After Ding Mocun finished, he thought of something and exchanged a glance with Li Shiqun who had the same realization.
Ding Mocun probed: “Could it be you’re suspecting internal personnel reselling Type 38 rifles? Or suspecting someone in the army bribed by the Red Party?”
“Investigate!” Miura Jiro glared and said: “Whether it’s our people reselling or not, this must be strictly investigated!
How the guns flowed out, who’s buying, and how they’re transported to New Fourth Army after buying—you two must investigate this clearly!”
How are they supposed to investigate this? Japanese own matters, how can they investigate? Inconvenient.
Haruki Keiichi added: “If it’s our people reselling guns, investigating openly might alert them; you investigate secretly, start from quartermasters, see if they have abnormal actions.”
