Chapter 175: Introduce
As soon as Wu Sibao left, Gu Yansheng went to find Ling Xianwen for tea.
The area Ling Xianwen now manages is Nanshi.
Nanshi, being surrounded by the concession and the Huangpu River, did not become the main battlefield during the Battle of Songhu. Apart from being bombed, its overall buildings are preserved much better than Zhabei.
“What made you think of finding me for tea today?” Ling Xianwen received Gu Yansheng at a tea house by the riverside.
Gu Yansheng took out an antique and smiled, “When I moved, someone gave me some small items. Recently, I took them out to play with, but I don’t understand them myself. So, I came to you to help me take a look and teach me something.”
“Beautiful. This is no small item; it’s Ru ware.” Ling Xianwen’s eyes lit up when he saw the bowl in the box. He immediately picked it up to appreciate it and said while looking, “Among the people in the city government, you’re the only one who still has the mood to look at such things. Everyone else is worried to death.”
After Ling Xianwen finished speaking, he raised his gaze, looked at Gu Yansheng with a smile, and said, “I can help you look at it. I heard you’ve recruited a few factories there. Do me a favor and recruit two for me here too?”
Gu Yansheng chuckled lightly, “Is it that exaggerated? Can’t you, the Secretary-General, recruit businessmen?”
Ling Xianwen put down the bowl, leaned back, sighed, and said, “It’s not that easy to recruit them. Even if we do recruit them, the Military Statistics Bureau is still causing trouble on the side. Adding water on one end and leaking on the other—how can the economy improve like this?”
This was indeed true. When it came to attracting investment, apart from finding Lu Bowen himself, Gu Yansheng hadn’t recruited a single one.
Of course, he hadn’t looked for any at all. Otherwise, by asking Zhang Xiaolin and others to give face, one or two would definitely not be a problem.
Gu Yansheng laughed, “That’s a case of a wrong move turning out right. At that time, everyone thought West Shanghai was the worst—casinos, brothels, opium dens, full of ruffians and rogues. But now I’ve discovered, no matter how bad it gets, how much worse can it be? The Military Statistics Bureau’s constant meddling there is just like this; it doesn’t feel like much at all.”
Ling Xianwen frowned, thought about it, and realized it was true. Other areas have more ordinary people who like stability, but West Shanghai is the opposite—it’s chaotic to begin with, and chaos is the norm.
He couldn’t help but sigh with a smile, “It’s all fate. You’re truly the one least affected. Sigh, help me find two? Can you do it?”
“Definitely. If the Secretary-General speaks, I’ll have them move their factories over to you right away.”
Ling Xianwen rolled his eyes and laughed scornfully, “It doesn’t have to go that far. If you have a way to think of something for me, fine; if not, forget it.”
“I do.” Gu Yansheng nodded, thought for a moment, and said seriously, “I still have a few cloth factories in negotiation. Wait until I finalize them, then I’ll pull them over for the Secretary-General.”
“Really?”
“Of course it’s real.”
“Real.” Ling Xianwen pointed at the bowl, “Absolutely real—top-quality Ru ware.”
“Hahahaha.” Gu Yansheng laughed heartily and asked curiously, “What about the other few? Are they also having difficulties?”
“Of course they’re having difficulties. Each has their own methods.”
Ling Xianwen also smiled broadly, “Do you know how the other few are collecting taxes now?”
“How are they collecting?”
“At Wusongkou, all passing ships are charged per vessel, based on ship size, from 100 silver dollars to 1000 silver dollars, regardless of nationality—everyone pays.”
Gu Yansheng asked in surprise, “Don’t foreigners have any objections?”
“They do, but if you don’t pay, you’re held up. What can you do?” Ling Xianwen tapped the table, “Now the Greater East Asia Ministry is in charge, with a Navy Vice Admiral as the chief official. Matters on the sea are decided by the Navy.”
“Even so, foreigners shouldn’t be that easy to talk to.” Gu Yansheng pondered.
Ling Xianwen smiled, “There’s indeed something fishy about it. From what I know, as long as you pay, ships are exempt from inspection.”
Gu Yansheng raised an eyebrow in realization; that made sense. But to dare do this, they were really bold.
Ling Xianwen continued, “At Wusongkou, there’s also a price increase for all warehouse storage fees, plus an inspection fee. This inspection fee varies by warehouse size. Pay the fee, no inspection; don’t pay, we inspect. Tell me, would you pay or not?”
“You have to pay that.” Gu Yansheng nodded. If one thought they could skip it just because their warehouse goods were fine, they’d be too naive.
Smart merchants might complain, but they must pay.
“And security fees.”
Wusongkou is the area for loading and unloading goods, basically just adding more tax categories and then collecting head taxes from the stevedores.
After Ling Xianwen finished talking about Wusongkou, he mentioned Zhabei, “Zhabei has a lot of people. Just the vegetable market alone can collect quite a bit. Goods coming from outside the city are taxed to enter the city, taxed again to enter the vegetable market. Vegetable farmers pass on the costs, vegetable prices rise. Shanghai people can go without clothes, but not without vegetables. All of Shanghai’s citizens bear this vegetable-buying tax together.
Another is the river channels.
There are many tributaries of the Suzhou River within the territory. Send two people to each tributary to collect crossing fees, charged per ship starting at one dollar. Tell me, how many ships pass on the Suzhou River in Shanghai every day? However many ships, that’s how much tax.
Then merchant taxes: raise the tax rates, collect more business taxes across all Zhabei, and strictly check private transactions.”
“Doing this will make Shanghai’s citizens dirt poor.” Gu Yansheng summed up.
“Yeah.” Ling Xianwen sneered, “Some people do lack ability. They take these crooked paths all day, drain the pond to catch all the fish—trouble is bound to come sooner or later.”
“What about Luo Junqiang’s Pudong?” Gu Yansheng was quite interested in Luo Junqiang’s performance in Pudong.
Ling Xianwen said playfully, “This guy’s smart. He doesn’t just not collect taxes—he cuts them.”
“Oh?” Gu Yansheng thought about the benefits of tax cuts and somewhat understood, “Attract others over.”
“Exactly! Tax cuts on gambling dens, ballrooms, brothels, opium dens, restaurants—all of them. Promote nightlife big time. Don’t think taxes are reduced, but people are attracted over, money flows in. I hear Pudong is very lively now, with several new brothels opened.”
“A proper Attendant Room secretary, and he’s good at this stuff.” Gu Yansheng shook his head with a smile, “It’s just a bit unethical.”
“It is unethical.” Ling Xianwen nodded. They had agreed back then—no internal strife, no poaching.
What Luo Junqiang was doing was essentially pulling business from others’ areas—blatantly poaching.
Pulling business from the concession like Gu Yansheng was the proper way.
So far, those doing this proper way were just him, Gu Yansheng, and Fu Xiao’an—three people.
The others’ methods were more or less not presentable.
“But he’s an outsider, not familiar with the others, so we can’t say much about him.”
“Whatever, let him be. No more about him.” Gu Yansheng picked up the Ru ware bowl, “Secretary-General, the reason I came to you today is still to ask for a favor. I want to find someone to comprehensively teach me about antiques knowledge. Do you have any recommendations? Preferably someone famous with real ability.”
“This hobby is great. Antiques encompass stories from various dynasties—it’s like a history book. Once you become an expert, you’ll have a very clear understanding of history. Let me think.”
Ling Xianwen pondered and said, “In Shanghai’s antique circle, the most famous person is Pang Yuanji. He runs an antique shop called Xuzhai; outsiders call him the Xuzhai Master. He has a rich collection—rumor has it thousands of paintings and calligraphies alone. But he’s advanced in age, probably 75 this year, doesn’t go out much; his disciples manage it.
I think if you want to learn, you can pay him a visit. Even if he’s too old to teach, among the people he knows, there must be someone suitable.”
Gu Yansheng nodded; the most famous person definitely had value.
Ling Xianwen continued, “There are quite a few other famous ones too, like Zhang Congyu. He’s very young, about your age, but has deep knowledge of antiques, raised by his family from childhood. His family is a Zhejiang financial magnate from Nanxun. Tell me, when Old Jiang was raising funds back then, did this family contribute behind the scenes?”
Gu Yansheng, from a prominent family, narrowed his eyes slightly, “They definitely contributed. Jiangsu and Zhejiang financial magnates—if they hadn’t, with the National Government in power for so many years, how could he live so comfortably? Is this person in Shanghai now?”
“Not sure about that. You can check it yourself later. Or no need to check—just ask around Pang Yuanji’s people and you’ll know.”
“Mm, okay.”
“There’s also Tan Jing, another rich kid, from Guangdong, just back from studying in the United States. A few days ago at an antique exchange in the concession, he was lavish, buying several treasures. Not clear on his exact background, but definitely rich.”
That was certain—what era was it? You couldn’t play antiques without money.
They talked a bit more, then Gu Yansheng returned to West Shanghai.
In the tea house, Gu Yansheng handed the names he’d inquired about to Ma Shiqi, asking him to find these people and then report back.
“How’s the medicine situation?”
“It’s all been transported to our warehouse. Here’s the catalog with prices and quantities, including the merchants’ procurement prices, black market prices, and the prices they sold to us.” Ma Shiqi handed over a document.
Gu Yansheng looked it over, quite satisfied with how thoroughly Ma the Grandmaster’s Disciple handled things. He hadn’t mentioned procurement prices, but Ma the Grandmaster’s Disciple had thought of it.
This document made everything crystal clear at a glance.
“Recopy a copy of the document quantities. Reserve twenty percent of all medicines. Change it now—adjust the medicines in the warehouse to the new quantities in the document, load them onto ships tonight to ship out. The specific receiving location, I’ll tell you later after I meet the person.”
“Okay.”
Ma the Grandmaster’s Disciple sat down and wrote furiously; a new document was ready immediately.
Gu Yansheng took the document to No. 76 to find Ding Mocun.
Ding Mocun was already waiting.
“You guys are really busy with people coming and going. How’s the Military Statistics Bureau’s arrests going?” Gu Yansheng handed over the document as soon as he entered.
Ding Mocun first closed the door, invited Gu Yansheng to sit on the sofa, looked at the document, and then said, “It’s all handled by Li Shiqun. I’m almost sidelined.
Arrests and interrogations—this operation’s personnel are all from Wu Sibao’s brigade. I really don’t care and don’t want to care. The Japanese task of investigating guns is enough to keep me busy.”
Ding Mocun carefully looked at the document and smiled as he did, “Good, 23,000 US dollars— a bit more than I imagined. When you told me the medicines were gone, my heart sank. I thought the first deal would only be a few thousand silver dollars. Didn’t expect this much. Good, good. What price do you think we should sell at?”
“Up to you to negotiate.” Gu Yansheng leaned back, legs crossed, and said, “Selling at black market price would be too greedy. For acquaintances, give a discount—double should be about right. Anyway, our goal is to cover the quinine losses, make a little profit, and the rest is just making friends.”
“Okay, double it. I got it.” Ding Mocun waved the document, “Then I’ll contact them later. Anything else to note?”
“Nothing else, I think.” Gu Yansheng pondered, “I’ll send ships out tonight. We can set the receiving location. If it’s in time, tell the captain directly tonight. If not, the ship has a radio, so we’ll handle it then.
Once they receive the goods, have someone from their side accompany back to Shanghai.
One, to bring the money back. Two, this person will be responsible for future docking with our people—meet my side’s contact, and they’ll handle things from then on.”
