Chapter 45: Sounding Out
“Xiao Lou, help me pour a cup of coffee over.”
“Okay.”
Gu Yansheng didn’t rush to answer his subordinate’s question, but instead pondered the whole matter there.
To secure his position firmly, he definitely had to do some real work for the Japanese, meaning contraband goods definitely had to be inspected, but the channels couldn’t be blocked so tightly, otherwise the contraband goods would completely fail to come in, or only very little could come in, which would only lead to price increases, and in the end, those resisting Japan would still have to foot the bill.
Wanting both ways, the difficulty increased another layer.
His gaze swept over these subordinates; most of them were still decent, at least they could talk—literal meaning, they could open their mouths and speak. Compared to rummaging through files in the office and figuring things out by himself, it was far less convenient and thorough than what they directly told him.
This was also the purpose of Gu Yansheng convening this meeting: to get the lay of the land.
After thinking for a while, Gu Yansheng spoke up: “I’ll handle this matter at my discretion; set it aside for now. I just arrived, so you all report on the situation in each department. Section Chief Du, you first?”
“Okay.” Du Yue nodded: “The Judicial Section is mainly responsible for the implementation of the judiciary, that is, the trial of criminals and the supervision of sentence implementation. Neither is going very smoothly at present, and the main reason is that our position is quite awkward.
Everyone here is one of us, so I’ll speak frankly behind closed doors: we’re now under Japanese control, and whether a person is guilty or not isn’t up to us.
Setting aside the Japanese, setting aside the British, setting aside the Americans, setting aside all foreigners—just now, at this time, anyone daring to commit crimes, even if he’s Chinese, do you dare say no one is backing him?
It’s not long since the war ended; if it were an honest, law-abiding person, he wouldn’t commit crimes. Anyone committing crimes is either a desperado or has connections.
The police find it hard to catch them, and we find it hard to judge them. Sometimes the police can’t handle it and pass the buck, dumping people into court—what do we do? Knowing full well they committed crimes, if we shouldn’t judge, we still have to release them.
So, work is very difficult to do. Deputy Division Chief Gu, that’s roughly it; I’m speaking the plain truth.”
Gu Yansheng nodded without comment and looked to the next: “Section Chief Ma Sihai of the Prison Management Section?”
“Sigh.” Ma Sihai immediately nodded with a smile.
Unlike Du Yue’s bespectacled, sharp, and scholarly appearance, Ma Sihai was obviously a glutton; his belly from eating wasn’t small.
Ma Sihai smiled, then said seriously: “Our prison work is simpler: just keep an eye on the prisoners. Daily work is nothing much; we regularly send people to patrol the prison, check for escapes, check facilities, and such.
But there are difficulties in the work, mainly regarding prisoners’ food and medical issues.
Because the war just ended, the City Government isn’t wealthy, so prisoner food funding falls a bit short.
Some people already have illnesses, or get injured while working in prison; our medical conditions aren’t great. The prison has raised it with us several times, hoping we can assign them doctors.
But you know, doctors are precious, expensive as hell, with high call-out fees and medicine costs; we’re temporarily short on funding—probably these two issues.
Gu Yansheng hummed, thought for a moment, and asked, “How many prisons are there in Shanghai? I mean all of them, including the Concessions.”
“All of them… Ward Road Prison in Tilanqiao, that’s under the Public Works Bureau.
French Concession has the Massena Road Prison, under the Municipal Council.
Hongkou Gendarmerie has its own prison, basically for the gendarmes they catch.
Then there are police station detention centers: one in Zhabei, one in Nanshi.
The main ones under our jurisdiction are two: one in the urban area, in Caohui Jing, close to us—most prisoners are now held there; and one in the suburbs, in Longhua Town, Jiangsu Second Prison, also under us.”
“How many prisoners in custody total?”
“Four or five thousand? Right, Old Liao?” Ma Sihai asked the Head of General Affairs across from him.
“Yes, about four thousand three or four hundred.”
“So many?” Gu Yansheng was a bit surprised. “Shouldn’t the prisons have been emptied during the war? It’s only been this short time—where did so many prisoners come from?”
Ma Sihai pursed his lips and smiled: “Of course, people the Japanese ordered caught. Deputy Division Chief Gu, you don’t know—the Hongkou Gendarmerie prison can’t hold many, just a few hundred at most.
When the Japanese first occupied Shanghai, those Japanese soldiers took offense at everyone; someone looking at them twice would get grabbed. So they caught a lot of people, but didn’t want to release them, and killing too many would stir international public opinion, so they had the police lock them up on trumped-up charges.
I reckon they just meant to lock them up for a few days as punishment, but then they forgot about it.
Anyway, police detention centers couldn’t hold them, and they didn’t dare release them; just then prisons were empty, so all those people got sent to prison.”
“We’re funding their keep?” Gu Yansheng asked.
Ma Sihai smiled: “The bulk is City Government allocation, a small part police station subsidy; we of course bear a bit too—what can we do? Can’t kill them all, right? Could anyone stay in Shanghai then? They’d dig up all the ancestral graves.”
“How many such people?”
“About half.”
Over two thousand people just locked up like that—impressive.
Xiao Lou came back with the coffee.
Gu Yansheng took a sip and continued asking: “As far as I know, there’s a Li Shiqun on Da Xi Road—does he have a prison there?”
“No.” Ma Sihai shook his head: “This guy’s from Central Statistics Bureau who defected; now he works for Gendarmerie Headquarters. He’s grabbed people a few times; they’re held in the police station, and their interrogations are there too. Colleagues told me when I was at the police station on business.”
Gu Yansheng nodded slightly, paused, and said: “The funding issue you mentioned—that means if I resolve this abnormal detention of these two thousand people for you, your funding would be much more ample?”
“This…” Ma Sihai was a bit troubled, hesitated, then smiled awkwardly: “It’s not like that. In fact, if these two thousand or so were released, the funding problem might get even worse.”
“How so?”
“Shanghai was just rebuilding recently, right? For prisoners like them, I generally approve the prison finding them work—idle is idle anyway. With work comes income, with income comes food—not just for them, but also for the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled. If released, funding for those elderly, weak, sick, and disabled would be even less.”
“From what you’re saying, you plan to lock them up for life?”
“No, no, that’s not what I mean.” Ma Sihai hurriedly waved his hands.
“General Affairs Section, what’s the shortfall?” Gu Yansheng directly stopped talking to him.
“We haven’t calculated the exact figure…”
“Calculate it into a detailed document and report to me by noon tomorrow.”
The Head of General Affairs immediately nodded: “Okay.”
Gu Yansheng said: “Some money can’t be earned. I know you’re in difficulty; we’ll let it slide before, but going forward, if we want Shanghai’s judiciary to improve, we still need to establish our own rules.”
“Yes!” everyone replied in unison.
Ma Sihai looked him over and asked: “Deputy Division Chief Gu, you planning to release them all? I’m fine with it, but what if the Japanese pursue it?”
“I’ll handle this matter.” Gu Yansheng tilted his head. “Section Chief of the Legal Section?”
Legal Section Chief Qi Hanmin, forty-five years old, formerly a law teacher at a school, thin build, with the look of a pedantic scholar.
“Deputy Division Chief Gu, the Legal Section, as the name implies, makes laws, but you know the current situation in Shanghai: whose Shanghai is it really, and which law should be upheld—these are still unsettled.
We can’t have judges below blindly applying Republic of China law verbatim; if Chongqing changes the law, whether we change or not is a problem.
“So how are the courts judging cases now?” Gu Yansheng was curious.
Qi Hanmin smiled helplessly: “Still Republic of China law; it works for now, but our Legal Section’s work seems like there’s nothing to do.”
Gu Yansheng got it. “How many courts do we have now?”
“Two: one in Pudong, one in Zhabei.”
“Just two?” Gu Yansheng raised an eyebrow; that number was a bit low.
Qi Hanmin explained: “Because of Shanghai’s situation, cases involving foreigners basically go to International Settlement international courts for trial.
And the Japanese eased strict control in the Shanghai urban area just a few months ago; during that time, anyone they deemed guilty was locked up without trial.
So the two courts are a bit crowded, but sufficient for now; may need expansion later.
Actually, we should have another court in the International Settlement: that’s the National Government’s Jiangsu Higher Court Second Branch Court in Shanghai at the time.
This branch was actually very important; per the National Government and foreign agreements, this branch could also try foreigners.
So, if we take this branch, theoretically, all our difficulties are solved.
Division Chief, and your predecessor Deputy Division Chief—we’ve all been working on this matter these days. Even the Japanese think, since they occupied Shanghai, National Government property in Shanghai should be theirs.
They’ve negotiated too, but the Public Works Bureau insists it’s still National Government’s and won’t hand it over, hence the current conflict: we have no right to speak in the Concession.
I reckon the Public Works Bureau wants exactly this: if it falls to us, then if we don’t let those goods in, they can’t come in, right?”
“Understood, General Affairs Section.” Gu Yansheng turned.
Head of General Affairs Old Liao immediately said: “Our Judicial Department, being a support department, isn’t highly valued above, so funding is low.
Currently enough to maintain our few offices here, but to also cover prisons and courts below, it’s difficult.
As for prisoners, even more impossible; short on funding—that’s the main problem.
“Secretary Section?”
“Secretary Section has no issues.”
“Personnel?”
“Personnel Section has a minor issue: prisons and courts below want us to give them more staff, which again involves funding—just that, nothing else.
“Mm.”
After hearing everyone, Gu Yansheng looked around and smiled. “From what I heard, except the Secretary Section, you’re all coming with a ‘raise difficulties’ mindset, treating me like a wishing well, all hoping I’ll solve your problems, right?”
A few people smiled awkwardly there.
Embarrassed or not, they still had to reach out.
Testing the new leader’s mettle—just see how many pounds he can pull out of his pocket, right?
Gu Yansheng smiled and tapped the desk thoughtfully. “Alright, I’ll consider your issues. Nothing else? Meeting adjourned. Head of General Affairs, the report—get on it.”
“Yes.”
“Then Division Chief, you first…” Seeing Gu Yansheng not moving, they didn’t dare either.
Gu Yansheng waved: “I’ll stay a bit myself; Xiao Lou can stay with me. You all go busy.”
“Alright then, take your time thinking.”
“Mm, Xiao Lou, come, sit down.”
