Chapter 280: Breakdown
Fu Xiao’an,
“This balancing act is not easy to maintain. One cannot always walk by the river without getting one’s shoes wet, especially when taking money without doing any work; one will eventually have to pay the price.”
Gu Yansheng quickly thought, deciding to agree for now.
“I know Fu Xiao’an has many bodyguards, but what kind of opportunities can I provide to the Action Team?”
Even if I agree, I need to discuss the difficulty.
“You haven’t received professional training, so it’s a bit difficult to ask you to think about these things,” Boss Dai said after some thought. “How about this: focus on opportunities in everyday life where he can be easily targeted. For example, any outdoor meetings where a shot could be fatal.”
“Or his meals. Does Fu Xiao’an have any special dietary preferences that could be exploited for poisoning?”
“Or women. Does Fu Xiao’an have any mistresses? When he’s alone, that’s often an opportunity to strike. Fu Xiao’an has many bodyguards, but his women might have fewer.
“Or when his wife and children gather, etc.”
“As long as it’s an environment outside of his personal solitary space, and the new location offers even a slight opportunity, we can make a move.”
It could be considered teaching him hands-on, although Gu Yansheng had already learned what he needed in Yan’an.
He nodded and said, “Alright, I will pay attention. I’ll look for an opportunity to interact more with Fu Xiao’an. If there’s an opportunity to act, should I notify you or Chen Mo?”
“Just tell me. I will have the Shanghai District take action.”
Gu Yansheng nodded, “Understood. Please wait for my news.”
Boss Dai was very satisfied. He looked like a distinguished person, did not shirk responsibility, and had strong execution. It was no wonder he was relied upon by the Wang Faction.
He smiled faintly and explained, “Originally, I shouldn’t have bothered you with this kind of matter. It’s just that this person is too detestable, and there’s considerable sentiment from the War Zone.
At that time, this Major General was deployed to exploit Wang Ni’s desire for military support. By feigning defection, he was tricked into believing he could bring his troops back. Wang Ni currently has many civilian officials but few military generals. According to the information I’ve received, the Japanese hope Wang Ni can persuade some general-level figures to defect.
Among those who have defected so far, most are civilian officials, with only a very small number of military generals.
Under such circumstances, the Major General who came to defect was treated with considerable hospitality, which gave us an opportunity to act.
The plan was a perfect Hongmen Banquet, but the fault lay with the person who arranged it, who was too detestable, leading to the failure of the entire endeavor.”
“So that’s how it is,” Gu Yansheng suddenly realized, and the explanation made sense.
The Japanese wanted peace talks and to use the Chongqing high command in Hong Kong as intermediaries, which was very difficult to arrange. Gu Yansheng and his group spent a long time searching for someone.
Conversely, it was also very difficult for Chongqing to find someone who could contact Wang Ni.
People who defected from Chongqing could not be used. Among those with extensive contact with the Shanghai local faction and the Wang Faction personnel, it was only him and Fu Xiao’an.
Therefore, Fu Xiao’an was the only choice the Military Statistics Bureau could make.
The Military Statistics Bureau definitely did not want Gu Yansheng to be compromised in one go.
“Director, please rest assured, I will do my best,” Gu Yansheng stated.
“Doing your best is enough. Also, pay close attention to your own safety. Here, have some tea.” Boss Dai also poured himself a cup and continued, “There’s one more thing. See if you can find a solution from your perspective.”
“Please tell me.”
“Recently, the Shanghai District has had many operations, and the counter-attacks from No. 76 have been very swift, resulting in considerable losses for the Shanghai District.
When I asked the Shanghai District for the reason, the Shanghai District Chief replied that the reason was that No. 76 had infiltrated the Concession using extremely malicious methods.
The resistance from the Concession military police was minimal, and there were signs of collusion and betrayal, leading to the breach of the safety zone.
This is the complete opposite of the protection previously provided.
In a recent operation, after the Shanghai District completed their action and safely retreated, a few days later, they were tracked to their safe point, their cover identities were inexplicably exposed, leading to the arrest of all seventeen people along the entire line.
Afterwards, I had Chen Mo contact Wang Tianmu to ask Li Shiqun how he was able to find these people.
Wang Tianmu replied that Li Shiqun had bribed an Inspector Chief from the Concession Police Station.
Using the Concession Police Station, under the guise of investigating a case, they checked the customer lists of all large remittances from Chinese-funded banks in the Concession, thereby finding our payroll funding account and identifying the person making the withdrawals, who was the head of finance, leading to this tragic outcome.”
As an ordinary person receiving large sums of money monthly, Gu Yansheng frowned, “Li Shiqun is truly relentless in his pursuit of these matters.”
“The lesson is extremely painful,” Boss Dai said with a grim expression, sighing deeply. “Such an error not only cost us personnel lives but also handed over all our precious operational funds to No. 76. This can even be considered aiding the enemy.
Other personnel, due to the arrest of the finance department staff, have not received their funds, leading to difficulties in their lives. This is one aspect; more seriously, these individuals might make mistakes or even defect due to financial issues!
And one person’s mistake can lead to a group of people, there are lessons from this.
I have already ordered the Shanghai District to sanction this Inspector Chief, but the issue of the flow of money has now become a problem. We cannot guarantee that even if this person is killed, another Inspector Chief won’t be bribed by No. 76.
The situation in the Concession has made the operational channels we used to rely on unsafe. The arrest and defection of a large number of agents have also revealed many of our commonly used methods.
Therefore, a stable method is urgently needed to arrange funding for all personnel.
After much thought, the biggest flaw in this matter is that the new people we sent to the Shanghai District have stayed for too short a time and do not have a company of decent scale to handle the accounts.
If there were legitimate trading companies, these accounts could be explained as trade payments.
So I would like to trouble you to think if there’s a way to establish a scaled enterprise in a short period. Do you have any relevant policies within your organization that would allow them to develop?
The number of people doesn’t need to be too large; workers can be recruited, but personnel in the Shanghai District itself should not be overly concentrated, as this needs to guard against risks.
And this money can be channeled legally to all action teams in small amounts.
Without going through banks, or ensuring the bank statements are untraceable.”
Supporting the Military Statistics Bureau’s enterprises, it sounds like Boss Dai wants to fleece him for money?
“We can take our time to think about it; there’s no rush today,” Boss Dai said comfortingly. “This matter is not easy. We’ve discussed it at the Bureau, and it’s difficult to come up with a perfect plan.”
“There are difficulties, but it’s not impossible,” Gu Yansheng analyzed. “This matter requires two things: first, how to get the money safely into Shanghai, and second, how to distribute it anonymously. Let’s look at these separately, excluding the establishment of enterprises for now. It’s these two points.”
“That’s correct,” Boss Dai nodded in affirmation.
Gu Yansheng asked, “How many people are there in the Shanghai District?”
“Currently less than 100.”
“How much funding is needed per month?”
“Thirty thousand legal tender.”
At the current exchange rate, that’s about ten thousand silver dollars.
Gu Yansheng raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. In fact, such a small amount could be covered by Du Yuesheng’s industries, directly solving the issue of money entering Shanghai.
Boss Dai not mentioning it suggests he genuinely wants to fleece him.
He wants him to support some of the Military Statistics Bureau’s enterprises.
In the past, the Military Statistics Bureau had enterprises in Shanghai, but they were all confiscated in successive crackdowns by No. 76.
Gu Yansheng was unwilling to support enterprises for the Military Statistics Bureau, not because he was unwilling, but primarily because he didn’t want any entanglement. These people were clumsy in their operations and could easily implicate him if something went wrong.
Gu Yansheng paused and said, “There are methods for anonymity and small amounts, and the person giving the money and the person receiving it do not need to meet.”
Boss Dai was surprised, “What method?”
Gu Yansheng smiled slightly, “Director, do you trade stocks?”
Boss Dai frowned, quite puzzled, “What does this have to do with trading stocks?”
Gu Yansheng laughed, “Let me give you an example. Suppose the Shanghai District has five action teams, and Chongqing sends a monthly fund to Shanghai. If one person takes this fund to Shanghai and, according to the demand, buys five stocks of different denominations at the stock exchange.
Then they place the stock receipts in five locations, and the captains of each action team can pick them up themselves.
The locations can be pre-arranged or notified by your temporary radio or other means; that’s not important.
What’s important is that they sell the stocks on the exchange the same day they are picked up, turning them into cash.
Stock receipts are bearer instruments, and the transactions can be done at the counter or through an agent, meaning you can show up yourself or have your subordinates sell them.
The advantage is that many people trade stocks every day. Even if this method is told to No. 76, they won’t be able to track it.
Thousands of silver dollars divided among five groups, with each group getting only a few hundred, makes it difficult to attract attention at the exchange.”
Boss Dai’s mind was agile, and he immediately understood the various benefits of this method.
He laughed, “As expected of a stock trading expert. I’ve heard you’re very skilled at stock trading.”
The reason Chen Mo approached Gu Yansheng back then was that Boss Dai needed someone with financial expertise. As it turned out, he found someone who could trade stocks, which could also be considered financial expertise.
Gu Yansheng chuckled humbly, “I just make a little money through some inside information; it’s not that exaggerated.”
“Haha,” Boss Dai nodded. “The method is definitely a good one, but there’s one uncertainty: stocks do fluctuate. If there’s a big drop during the handover, the funds will be reduced.”
“The stock market trend should be good for the next period. Personally, I don’t think the probability of problems is high. Even if there’s a loss, it will be minor. Compared to the safety of personnel, I think it’s worth it.”
“The trend is good, what makes you say that?”
Gu Yansheng analyzed the unstable situation in Europe and the resulting capital flight for hedging.
“Also, if the Japanese truly do not plan to launch a large-scale invasion of Chongqing, and the situation eases, the expectations for economic development will improve, which will also boost stock prices.
In fact, if you’re willing to invest, you could invest a sum of money and have someone manage it exclusively. Then, the monthly operational funds needed by the Military Statistics Bureau wouldn’t need to be sent separately or remitted from abroad.
Each month, Chongqing could send a telegram instructing this dedicated person to sell some stocks to get money and place it in a designated location, thus completing the handover, without anyone knowing.
Not to mention that No. 76 would be completely unable to investigate, and I’ll go a step further: even if the person collecting the money is caught during a routine operation and taken to an interrogation room, the people at No. 76 won’t know that the money came from the stock exchange.
Because there’s no connection at all.”
“Interesting, you have an idea.”
Boss Dai was stunned, nodding frequently.
Putting aside finance for a moment, the approach itself was very unconventional; he had never imagined such a method could be used before.
As for finance, although he didn’t understand it, the logic revealed in Gu Yansheng’s words was very reasonable, meaning it was feasible.
“I need to think about this.”
Boss Dai was interested in this matter and planned to consult more economic experts upon his return to understand it better.
If it were truly as Gu Yansheng said, this would be an opportunity to make a fortune.
After discussing other matters, the meeting for the day was nearing its end.
Boss Dai stood up, took a document from a box nearby, and unfolded it with both hands.
“An order!”
Gu Yansheng immediately stood up, bowed slightly, and stood at attention.
Boss Dai read aloud, “By order of the Military Affairs Commission, Gu Yansheng, Lieutenant Colonel Deputy Team Leader of the Military Statistics Bureau’s Shanghai Special Intelligence Group, is hereby appointed Team Leader with the rank of Major General, effective April 1, 1940. This order.”
Gu Yansheng solemnly accepted it with both hands and bowed, “Yes!”
After saying that, he asked with considerable surprise, “Appointed Major General?”
A Major General Team Leader in the Military Statistics Bureau could be valuable, or not, but this appointed Major General rank was genuinely valuable.
A Major General Division Commander might only hold the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Boss Dai smiled and said, “This was specially approved by the President. In Chongqing, only President Jiang and I know of your existence. When I spoke of you to the President, he repeatedly instructed me to take good care of your safety, to plan ahead, and to ensure that patriotic individuals have no worries whatsoever. You can raise any concerns or requests, and the Party and State will be your strong backing.
This time, when I came to Hong Kong and told the President I wanted to meet with you, he specifically requested special handling to resolve your rank issue.
When the war is victorious and you return with glory, the President will personally award you the insignia.”
He then added with a smile, “I will award you the medal.”
“Thank you for the President’s care and the Director’s cultivation,” Gu Yansheng said with a solemn face, offering his sincere loyalty and admiration.
The next day, peace talks officially began.
Imai Takeo came to find Gu Yansheng, and they enthusiastically went to the peace talk venue together.
Chongqing had taken the initiative to contact them, suggesting there might be good progress.
After only a few words into the discussion, Imai Takeo became furious due to the attitude of the Chongqing negotiators.
“China absolutely cannot accept any conditions that compromise its territorial integrity and sovereign independence. Are you truly prepared to fight to the end?”
“Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a penalty!”
“If this is your attitude, why did you call me here?”
“Don’t play coy here. If your President Jiang has no intention of peace talks, there would be no need for us to meet today!”
“Speak! What conditions do you want to discuss now!”
Imai Takeo’s outburst was also a negotiation tactic. He couldn’t believe that Chongqing would restart talks and only utter a few harsh words!
Surely Chongqing knew they wanted peace talks and were trying to raise the price!
Song Ziliang said with a faint smile, “You don’t need to be so angry. The President certainly yearns for peace, and these are the conditions.
You want to suppress the communists, and we also want to suppress the communists. We can put aside our arms, make peace, and join forces to suppress the communists. There’s no problem with that.
However, regarding peace talks and stationing troops in North China, that is something we absolutely cannot accept.
Furthermore, I’ll tell you in advance that President Jiang greatly dislikes the Wang Ni government. His existence creates a huge obstacle to our negotiations.
Think about it yourself: once peace talks occur and Jiang and Wang join forces, how can our President explain Wang Ni’s treasonous reputation to the entire world?
Kill Wang Ni, and then we can talk.”
Imai Takeo’s face turned ashen, but he still couldn’t believe that the people from Chongqing would call them over just to utter a few harsh words.
Were flights from Chongqing to Hong Kong free?
It must be psychological warfare!
“I’ve said it before, we will not kill Mr. Wang. Mr. Song, please stop testing us. I hope we can negotiate calmly and sincerely! Let’s not waste any more of everyone’s time!”
Imai Takeo was genuinely getting angry, his voice emphasizing each word.
“Who’s joking with you?” Song Ziliang sneered. “I’m speaking Chongqing’s wishes. Oh, right, given the establishment of the Wang Ni government, we’ve also considered your continuous argument that you cannot kill Wang Ni, and we’ve devised a method to resolve this sticking point.
Once this is resolved, I believe the issues in our peace talks will be gone.
Imai, you also need to consider President Jiang’s reputation. He truly cannot cooperate with Wang Ni.”
“What method?” Imai Takeo asked, frowning.
Song Ziliang smiled, “We’ve come up with a compromise. You don’t want to bear the reputation of killing someone who defected, right?
Then have Wang Ni voluntarily step down. As long as he abdicates, his influence on the people will naturally decrease. Then, support someone with a good reputation to take over, and we’ll have a basis for merging.
What do you think of this plan?”
Besides Mr. Wang, who else could rival Old Jiang in status?
Imai Takeo immediately understood the scheme.
“First, make him step down, and then kill him when the opportunity arises, so your President Jiang can gain the good reputation of eliminating a traitor for the country?”
“Once he has no more utility, does it matter to you whether he lives or dies?” Song Ziliang said with a faint smile. “However, we don’t necessarily have to kill him.
You should understand that as long as he is alive, people will not forget this matter.
If you truly don’t want to kill him, you can have him step down and go abroad. As long as he is not in the country, his affairs will fade away.”
Imai Takeo suppressed his temper. “If this matter is feasible, what concessions are you prepared to make?”
Song Ziliang looked as if he didn’t understand, “What concessions? I’ve already stated my conditions.”
“You mean to say, you called me here today just to tell me that you are unwilling to make any concessions, and you expect us to kill Mr. Wang?”
Imai Takeo looked incredulous. His mind was a bit muddled. Hearing all this, he seemed to have understood that these people had indeed called him over just to utter harsh words.
He was so dumbfounded that he felt as if the Japanese army couldn’t defeat the Chongqing soldiers on the battlefield, and Chongqing was the victor holding the upper hand.
Do you think I came here to beg for peace?
Song Ziliang nodded and smiled, “These conditions are reasonable and not a big deal. You can withdraw your troops, and we can suppress the communists. Isn’t that perfect?”
“I think you’ve lost your mind!” Imai Takeo’s anger could no longer be suppressed. He suddenly roared at Song Ziliang, then his sharp gaze swept over the negotiation team.
“Foolish!”
“Idiot!”
“Today, I am giving you an opportunity to negotiate!”
“It’s an opportunity for you to survive!”
“Low intelligence!”
“If that’s the case, then let’s not talk! You will definitely regret what you said today, I promise!”
“Let’s go!”
The peace talks broke down. Imai Takeo, with a livid face, led his team away, not wanting to stay for another moment, and took the earliest flight back to Nanjing.
