Chapter 52: Ultimate Move
Gu Yansheng smilingly escorted Professor Tian out the entrance, with Liu Xiaolou accompanying.
During the first two conversations, in the office, Liu Xiaolou was not there.
But this time in the meeting room conversation she was there, and after hearing the whole process she had some doubts.
“Division Chief, is it necessary to do physical checks for the prisoners in the prison?”
It wasn’t like what Director Gu said about not being able to release prisoners without checks. In fact, all of Shanghai’s prisons were under his management, and releasing prisoners was just a word from Director Gu. Even if the Japanese wanted to hold accountable, that would be after the prisoners were released.
She couldn’t think of any connection with whether or not to do checks.
Gu Yansheng was in a good mood and explained it to her once.
“After releasing so many people, do you think the Japanese won’t ask about it?”
“They will, probably.” Liu Xiaolou nodded. “They were all arrested by the Japanese back then. Although they didn’t commit serious crimes, they were still imprisoned. It’s fine if they were arrested without reason, but releasing them without reason—if those released people talk nonsense outside, it won’t look good for the Japanese’s face.”
“Then how would you answer?” Gu Yansheng smiled.
Liu Xiaolou frowned and thought for a while, thought for a long time and still shook his head with a wry smile in defeat: “I can’t think of it. This seems really hard to answer. Simply saying it’s to save funding doesn’t seem sufficient reason. The Prison Management Section also said it would actually affect prison revenue.”
Could it be to rebuild the brightness of the judicial system? Correctness?
“Do you dare say the Japanese law enforcement isn’t bright? You’d be waiting to get shot.” Gu Yansheng smiled, turned around, and walked away.
Liu Xiaolou shrank his neck, tugged at the corner of his mouth, and immediately followed, just about to open his mouth to continue asking.
Gu Yansheng then said: “Don’t ask me, think about it yourself. Right, prepare a few more copies of the judicial reform plan. Tomorrow is the third day. Since Mayor Fu said three days, don’t send it today—send it to him tomorrow. Also send a copy to the Japanese Consulate, have Wen Yan go.
“Got it.” Liu Xiaolou nodded immediately.
Gu Yansheng thought about whether there was anything else, paused his steps, looked at his watch, and asked: “It’s almost three o’clock. I remember yesterday at the meeting, I told General Affairs to submit the report before noon, right?”
Liu Xiaolou quickly responded, “Yes, before noon. Should I go to General Affairs to urge them?”
Gu Yansheng thought for a second, “No need, go take a direct look.”
As for the General Affairs department, whenever they dragged their feet, there was always some mischief happening.
The two turned and headed to the General Affairs Section.
General Affairs Section was considered a large section in the department. Sections like law enforcement ones just needed a few people leading those below to do the work; specific trials and such were handled by the people below themselves.
But General Affairs managed the money and grain purses of all the prisons and courts below. Just doing the accounting required hiring quite a few accountants.
So there were quite a few people in the section.
“Deputy Division Chief Gu.”
“Deputy Division Chief Gu.”
Amid successive greetings, Head of General Affairs Liao Litang proactively came out quickly from the section chief’s office to welcome them.
“Deputy Division Chief Gu, why are you here?”
“I need to see what reason is causing the report I want to be so difficult to produce.”
Gu Yansheng walked into the office without stopping, sat on the sofa, and asked, “I gave you until before noon. What time is it now? Are you planning to make me report to the mayor empty-handed? Or not planning to let me report at all?”
“Absolutely not, absolutely not.”
Liao Litang slightly bent at the waist and explained: “Director Gu, in fact, right after yesterday’s meeting ended, I immediately had General Affairs people go check the accounts and audit them. Even the Second Prison in the suburbs—I was afraid it wouldn’t be in time, so I had them rush back and forth overnight, just to not delay your business.
But the Second Prison had an incident.
Last night, a small group of unidentified armed men attacked the Second Prison. Through the valiant efforts of the Second Prison’s fighters, the attackers were driven off, but the explosions and fire caused serious burning of the prison’s rooms and warehouses.
The Second Prison is now urgently salvaging supplies. I had my people stay on site, helping on one hand and urging them on the other to quickly complete the collection of account books and the inventory of the warehouses.
Now we’re just waiting for their news. I plan to report to you immediately once there’s any.”
Gu Yansheng, listening to the first half, still felt this person handled things quite appropriately, able to worry about what the leader worried about.
But hearing the second half, he realized that people who could handle General Affairs really weren’t pushovers.
They usually had one or two martial arts secret skills, like fire dragon burning warehouse, water dragon spitting pearls.
But he wasn’t here to audit accounts—what was the rush to burn something?
“How could such a thing happen? Is it serious?” Gu Yansheng asked.
“From their report, the rooms that burned are quite seriously damaged, but the two prisoners and one prison patrol guard who were colluding inside and out with them were already killed in the fighting. No prisoners escaped.
The prison side is also checking if there are any other accomplices inside the prison, because the situation was chaotic at the time—it’s still uncertain if it was just this one trying to break out.”
Gu Yansheng thought for a moment, nodded, “I got it. This time it’s fine, but in the future for such emergencies, report promptly—don’t wait for me to ask.”
“Yes, it was this subordinate’s negligence. I was on the phone communicating with them the whole time, dispatching more staff, and got too busy and forgot.”
“Hard work. Then put the Second Prison aside for now. How about Caohui Jing Prison?” Gu Yansheng asked.
“Caohui Jing’s is ready.”
Liao Litang nodded, picked up six thick account books already prepared on the table, and the summarized folder, “These are the account books, this is the report calculated by General Affairs Section.”
Liu Xiaolou very proactively went up to take them.
Of course Liao Litang couldn’t let her carry them and quickly said: “No need to trouble Secretary Liu. I’ll have someone send them to the division chief’s office.”
“No need, I’ll look here.” Gu Yansheng reached out his hand, and Liu Xiaolou first handed over the summary report.
Gu Yansheng not going back but looking here was a bit beyond Liao Litang’s expectation, causing him to be stunned for a moment.
Because he had just said it was particularly busy with nonstop calls, but now the person wasn’t leaving—what to do if the phone didn’t ring?
“Deputy Division Chief Gu, then I’ll go outside and instruct them not to disturb you.” Liao Litang smiled and gestured as if to go out.
“No need, you stay here. If I have questions while looking, I’ll ask you.” Gu Yansheng said.
“Yes.” Liao Litang could only stand still.
Gu Yansheng opened the summary report.
The first number that caught his eye was the total prison expenditure: 25,500 silver dollars per month.
A truly not small number.
Interesting—such a huge bill of 22,500 silver dollars was shown to him, so the Second Prison’s fire dragon burning warehouse—wouldn’t those account books be even more exciting?
Continue reading.
First, the total number of prison guards at Caohui Jing Prison is 247 people, divided into two shifts with rotations for rest and sick leave, etc. Currently, there are 2,578 prisoners in custody. Based on this number, the staffing of prison guards isn’t much.
Prison guard salaries: 12 silver dollars per month. Those managing more get a bit extra, totaling about 3,300 silver dollars per month.
Besides salaries, there are bonuses and subsidies. Converted to per month from annual expenditure, it’s about 3 silver dollars per person per month.
Calculated monthly expenditure is about 750 silver dollars.
Then food costs: 0.5 silver dollars per person per day, for 247 people, that’s 3,700 silver dollars a month.
3,700 silver dollars?
Gu Yansheng looked at the numbers above: monthly salary 3,300, food 3,700—indeed he hadn’t misread.
Food higher than salaries—how dare they report this?
He couldn’t help glancing at Liao Litang: “Section Chief Liao, your General Affairs’ family fortune doesn’t seem as thin as I imagined. The prison guards’ food costs are even higher than a city government section chief’s. The prison guards below must all have great figures, right?”
Liao Litang’s accounts were clearly prepared in advance. He said seriously, “Deputy Division Chief Gu, the prison guard profession has its special nature. Because they manage numerous prisoners around the clock without distinction between day and night, the food expenditure is indeed a bit more than for ordinary government employees.
And for the daily expenditure of 0.5 silver dollars, when the prisons below reported it, I also thought it was high at the time.
But according to the procurement list provided by the prison side, the daily consumption really is this amount.”
Liao Litang walked to his desk, rummaged a bit, took out a folder, and handed it to Gu Yansheng.
“See, this is the detailed list reported from the prison below. I specifically asked our canteen’s procurement for comparison—it’s indeed this price.
Look, the person is outside too. You can call him in to ask anytime.”
“The person is here too?”
“Yes, I was afraid some parts wouldn’t be explained clearly—after all, it’s from the prison below—so I called the accountant from the prison below.”
“Since he’s here, call him in.”
Since they were so fully prepared, it wouldn’t be good for Gu Yansheng not to give face.
This was clearly anticipating he would ask about the ingredients, with everything prepared. If there was a problem, the new guy would take the blame—Liao Litang was definitely deceived and absolutely unaware.
Soon, an accountant with a still quite standard build was called in—definitely no potbelly from overeating.
“Hello Deputy Division Chief Gu, I’m Lin Dechang, accountant at Caohui Jing Prison.”
“Say it, such a huge food expenditure—what’s the reason?” Gu Yansheng leaned back to listen.
Lin Dechang bowed and said: “The main reason is that the ingredients themselves are expensive.
Nowadays, rice prices in Shanghai fluctuate a lot, especially right after the war ended recently—prices changed several times a day, very chaotic.
Our average procurement price: rice about 12 silver dollars per shi, one shi 60 kilograms. Per person daily consumption 0.5 kilograms, that’s 0.1 silver dollars per person per day.
Vegetables about the same price, 0.1 silver dollars.
Meat is expensive, but we eat it infrequently, only one or two times a week, so averaged daily about 0.08 silver dollars.
Plus oil, salt, sugar 0.05.
Coal materials 0.03.
And due to wartime supply controls, the Japanese impose a 30% special circulation tax on all procurements, adding 0.108 in cost to our expenditure.
If everything goes smoothly, up to here it’s about 0.46 or 0.47 per person expenditure cost.
But in reality, because of supply shortages, not every good can be bought when wanted—like sugar, oil, salt often out of stock, and meat and vegetables aren’t available whenever wanted. At least 20% of goods we have to get from the black market.
That’s expensive, costs 50% more.
Plus needing to stock a bit extra—insect damage, rats, there are always some losses. All in all, it comes to about 0.5 cost, sometimes even exceeding a bit.
Deputy Division Chief Gu, that’s it—absolutely no overcharging.”
Gu Yansheng looked at Liu Xiaolou beside him. Liu Xiaolou was writing furiously and soon handed over the paper: “It really does add up to this much.”
Gu Yansheng glanced at the calculation result above: 0.486. Factoring in insect damage, rats, and losses—not to mention, 0.5 silver dollars might not even be enough.
Talent.
General Affairs plus accountant doing the books—this obvious overspending could still be made to look perfectly reasonable on the surface.
