Chapter 179: Get To Work
In the evening, Gu Yansheng got off work on time and went home to eat.
While he was eating, Fu Xiao’an and Ling Xianwen unexpectedly came together.
Gu Yansheng went out to welcome them, smiling: “You two came together. If you’re here to mooch a meal, you’re late—the dishes are already half eaten by me. I’ll have the cook make more. Let’s have a drink later.”
“No mood for it.” Fu Xiao’an waved his hand. “I brought Xianwen over to chat with you for a bit.”
“Alright, please come inside.”
Gu Yansheng invited them in. Fu Xiao’an sat down and asked, “You’ve heard about today’s incident, right?”
“The Japanese going to Agent Headquarters? I heard a little.” Gu Yansheng nodded.
His office was right next door to Agent Headquarters. With so many Japanese showing up, it was hard for him not to know.
What’s more, he was the one who started the smuggling weapons business. It was just unexpected that it escalated to the navy and army fighting each other, accidentally injuring the city government.
“But I don’t know the specifics of what happened inside Agent Headquarters.”
Fu Xiao’an explained the situation. The Director of Finance was his man. As soon as he got out, he came to him for help to save his life, so he knew the whole thing very clearly.
“That division chief’s body has already been picked up by his family members. The impact of this is too bad. Even the city government’s directors are terrified, let alone the people actually doing the work below. When he came to me about this, he was snotty and tearful. Tell me, how can anyone have the motivation to develop the economy like this?”
Fu Xiao’an looked at Ling Xianwen.
Ling Xianwen nodded and said gravely to Gu Yansheng: “The matter was indeed overdone. The city government’s high officials—they arrest at will, interrogate at will. The Finance Bureau’s division chief—they beat to death without even notifying us. Today it’s them; tomorrow could it be us?
Who can guarantee we won’t be arrested into Agent Headquarters? Who can guarantee Agent Headquarters won’t seize the chance for forced confession, get a confession saying we’re corrupt, and force us to pay money to save our lives?
Money is just an external thing, but once you’re in Agent Headquarters, even if you don’t have it, they’ll say you do—it’s just a beating away. To be honest, I couldn’t withstand it if I went in. If Mayor Fu went in, I dare say he couldn’t withstand it either.”
Fu Xiao’an nodded. “With my old bones, forget withstanding it—two hits and I’m dead.”
After he spoke, Ling Xianwen looked at Gu Yansheng and said: “Yansheng, if it were you, could you withstand it?”
Gu Yansheng nodded slightly, pondering as he said: “I understand what you two mean. Specifically, what do you want me to do?”
When it comes to corruption, everyone has a share. Arrest the small ones and they implicate the big ones. For the city government’s high officials to say they’re not afraid—that’s impossible.
Since Ling Xianwen came with Fu Xiao’an, the two had already reached an agreement. No matter what they did, Gu Yansheng had to stand with them on the same boat.
Fu Xiao’an said: “I’ve already received a call from the Greater East Asia Ministry telling me to gather you all for a city government meeting tomorrow morning. Tsuda Shizue will also be there.
I guess the meeting content is nothing more than the Wusongkou smuggling matter and the corruption matter—just those two things.
Old topics, I won’t discuss them here.
But arresting people—absolutely not!
What has it become now?
We already have the Japanese as our daddy above us. Now people from Hanoi come and we have to add another daddy. Oh, Agent Headquarters has to be our daddy too. Can we still live our lives?
I’m not afraid to say it: when it comes to corruption and profit, none of us can escape investigation!
You think helping the Japanese is because we fucking love Japan and love the Emperor?
I’ll stop the nonsense there. Director Gu, you hold the Judicial Department. All the city’s officials, even if corrupt and truly guilty, must be sentenced by the courts under your Judicial Department. This point must be made clear to the Japanese. Agent Headquarters can arrest their own agents, but they must not interfere with the city government’s judicial work!
All officials in the city, regardless of rank—Agent Headquarters wants to arrest them, they must get the city government’s approval! Even if they’re agents from Chongqing, they have to go through our hands first: we arrest, then hand them over!
Even the interrogations after handover must have city government specialists sent to listen in, to prevent forced confessions through torture from happening again!”
Gu Yansheng nodded slightly. “I understand the matter. For everyone’s welfare, I can be the one to stick my neck out, but the Japanese may not issue that order.
Agent Headquarters itself isn’t too important; it’s the Japanese opinion that’s hard to handle. Agent Headquarters is under Gendarmerie Headquarters. The Greater East Asia Ministry’s chief official is a navy vice admiral— even if he agrees, it may not work. We need to convince Gendarmerie Headquarters.”
“Then we won’t do it!” Fu Xiao’an glared. “If we can’t even guarantee our own safety, it’s not that we don’t want to work—it’s that our subordinates have no heart to work. Still wanting taxes to rise thirty percent? I think a drop of thirty percent wouldn’t be too much.
If you don’t want economic growth, then don’t. We’ll all starve together. If you’ve got the ability, fire us all and have Gendarmerie Headquarters try managing it themselves.”
Forcing the issue—Gu Yansheng gave Fu Xiao’an a sidelong glance. This time it really scared Fu Xiao’an. Subordinates biting subordinates—if it really went that way, Fu Xiao’an could be implicated too.
Ling Xianwen said: “Don’t worry, this won’t leave you as the only one sticking your neck out. If we do it, we all do it together—advance or retreat together!”
“Alright, I get it. I have no objections.” With things said to this point, Gu Yansheng had to stand together with everyone.
“Good, then we’ll head out first. I still have a few people to talk to one by one. Don’t be late for tomorrow’s meeting.”
“Good.”
The next day, in the morning, Gu Yansheng went to the city government for the meeting.
Entering the meeting room, he could sense the heavy atmosphere from everyone’s expressions.
Fu Xiao’an nodded to him, signaling that everything was settled—just proceed according to plan.
Gu Yansheng sat in his position and glanced at the Social Affairs Bureau director and the Director of Finance. Although they could be said to be in the clear now, they still seemed restless.
Not long after, the door opened, and navy vice admiral Tsuda Shizue arrived.
Everyone stood up.
Tsuda Shizue walked to the main seat, swept her gaze over everyone, and said, “Everyone’s here. Meeting starts now—sit.”
“Yes.” Everyone sat down.
Tsuda Shizue said sternly: “I called everyone here today because a corruption case actually appeared inside the city government. Taking advantage of jurisdiction over the port, they abused power to massively let passing ships go, regardless of what ships—as long as they paid money, no inspection needed!”
Bang bang bang—Tsuda Shizue slapped the table repeatedly. “Just in this period, large amounts of controlled supplies flowed to Chongqing and Yan’an right under our noses. Utterly stupid, unforgivable!
How do you two explain this?”
Tsuda Shizue turned her head to stare at the Finance Bureau director and Social Affairs Bureau director.
Their legs shook as they immediately stood up, heads lowered, admitting their mistakes.
The Director of Finance said solemnly: “Your Excellency, following your order to newly take charge of the entire Wusongkou area, work shifted from finance to overseeing every domain, so our own workload was very heavy. In supervision, there were indeed oversights. Please forgive us, Officer Tsuda—it was our failure in discipline.”
They had paid money to Agent Headquarters, and their subordinates’ confessions didn’t implicate them, so now they just admitted to lax supervision— that was about it.
But Tsuda Shizue had no intention of letting them off so easily.
Her eyes narrowed as Tsuda Shizue said gravely: “By your account, you were completely unaware of your subordinates privately letting ships go.”
“This subordinate truly was unaware.” The Director of Finance clenched his teeth and bowed his head. At this point, deny to the death. “I work in the urban area; port matters were handed to the division chief below. He reports once a month—the last report was half a month ago. The port’s taxation showed clear growth, so I always thought he was working hard and never suspected other problems.”
“You never asked how his tax growth came about?”
“I did. His explanation was that Shanghai’s economy was showing signs of improvement, so merchants’ transport scale expanded somewhat, hence economic growth.”
“Then you’re really muddleheaded.”
“This subordinate is muddleheaded.” The Director of Finance obediently bowed his head. Being scolded muddleheaded was better than losing his life.
Tsuda Shizue drew a gun from her waist, pointing the barrel at the table to intimidate: “Last chance. Admit it yourself—I can pretend it never happened and give you a chance at life. But if you don’t tell the truth, I won’t give you a second chance.”
The Director of Finance held firm: “Your Excellency, this subordinate truly was unaware!”
Tsuda Shizue’s eyes narrowed slightly. She had come today precisely to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys—she had to kill one to intimidate the city government.
At this moment, Fu Xiao’an suddenly said angrily: “General Tsuda, Your Excellency—this is the city government. Can you give the city government some face!
Before, Gendarmerie Headquarters people came with rifles pointing at us to work. Yesterday Agent Headquarters came to arrest and interrogate. Now you come pointing a gun to force answers.
Day after day forcing us—we’re human too, we have feelings. If you all force like this, who isn’t afraid? Who can still work? Who would still want to work?
The city government’s high officials—our status is cheaper than brothel whores. Anyone can come point guns at us?
If you don’t like us, if Gendarmerie Headquarters doesn’t like us, just fire us all.
No need to want us to work while pointing guns at us!
No immortal could do this job!”
Tsuda Shizue hadn’t expected Fu Xiao’an to jump out and throw a wrench in.
She wasn’t happy being retorted.
“Mayor Fu, you’re a smart man. You don’t think he was completely clueless about his subordinate’s issues, do you? Or did you take money too?”
