Chapter 95: Black Market
Sassoon House.
Mr. Sassoon receives Gu Yansheng, this uninvited guest.
“I didn’t expect Director Gu to come to my place. Director Gu’s Judicial Department has caused me quite a loss.” Mr. Sassoon speaks very bluntly.
“The view here is really nice.” Gu Yansheng is now on the top floor of Sassoon House.
Sassoon House is also a landmark building on the Bund. It has another name, Peace Hotel, of course, this name is not the current one.
Gu Yansheng turns around with a smile to look at Mr. Sassoon, walks over two steps to sit down, takes a sip of coffee, “Loss is a matter of perspective. If it caused me a loss, I might not have come today, but since I caused Mr. Sassoon a loss, haven’t I personally come to visit today?”
Mr. Sassoon crosses his legs and teases, “Director Gu speaks so interestingly. Could you really compensate for my loss?”
“Why not?” Gu Yansheng speaks straightforwardly: “Mr. Sassoon should know about the Japanese plan to implement military scrip in the SH urban area.”
“I know, but I oppose it. It completely harms the interests of us British businessmen. If Director Gu is here to persuade me to accept it, there’s no need. I’m not interested in doing something that damages my own interests.”
“Our Sassoon Firm has gathered many businessmen, and they will all oppose it.”
Gu Yansheng does not answer and continues, “The Japanese also want to unify the drug market in the SH urban area and collect all the profits.”
Mr. Sassoon frowns and asks doubtfully, “Director Gu, are you threatening me? Trying to make me yield with this?”
Gu Yansheng sneers, “Everyone knows military scrip is unreliable. Everyone opposes it simply because they’re afraid it can’t be exchanged for real money. There will surely be a day when it can’t be exchanged.”
“The simplest reason: if it could be freely exchanged, why would the Japanese bother issuing this thing?”
“Even before it’s truly implemented today, the city government internally is very clear: the Foreign Chamber of Commerce can exchange it at any time, but for SH citizens, there’s no statement at all, because the Japanese side doesn’t even have a clear statement themselves.”
“But when something faces restrictions, it will inevitably give rise to something else.”
“That is, the black market.”
“And you are a foreigner, I am a law enforcer. As long as the Japanese want to maintain the credit of this military scrip, they must provide exchange for your existence, otherwise the credit will collapse in an instant.”
“At this point, does Mr. Sassoon understand?”
“How about this gift?”
Mr. Sassoon actually straightened his sitting posture and focused his expression the moment Gu Yansheng uttered the words black market.
“Director Gu means that you are willing to establish this fund exchange black market with me?”
“Black market sounds too harsh. I have a term: a real Economic Department, one that wholeheartedly resolves problems for SH citizens. Of course, Mr. Sassoon takes charge of the Economic Department, on the premise that your drugs accept the jurisdiction of the Judicial Department.”
Mr. Sassoon doesn’t need to oppose this time; instead, a smile appears at the corner of his mouth. This is a huge business.
What business has a broader scope and makes money faster than one needed by all of Shanghai?
And it’s profit without capital.
Mr. Sassoon is full of energy and asks seriously, “How to split the profits?”
“Half each.”
“Too much. You should know I have operating costs. I need to recruit staff to roll out the underground market, and my enterprises still need to communicate with Japan. If they don’t provide exchange, I even have to start a war of words with them. I still have to find big figures in the United Kingdom to apply pressure internationally. Thirty-seventy.”
“Forty-sixty.”
“Deal!”
Mr. Sassoon stands up as he speaks, laughing heartily as he comes forward to shake hands: “Director Gu, it’s a pity we didn’t meet earlier. I think we will definitely have a perfect cooperation.”
Gu Yansheng reaches out to shake his hand: “I want ten percent of the drug profits.”
“That’s impossible, Director Gu. Aren’t you too greedy? I thought this price was already included in your forty percent.” Mr. Sassoon changes face quickly.
Gu Yansheng smiles calmly: “I have no choice. To make the business run smoothly, don’t I also need to grease other departments, like Agent Headquarters? Do you think they won’t know about the existence of the black market?”
Mr. Sassoon frowns: “This should be handled within the forty percent you take.”
“Can’t you be more generous? What we’re talking about isn’t small business.”
“OK.” Mr. Sassoon ultimately accepts, smiling helplessly: “Who let me want to make friends with Director Gu so much.”
“Then it’s not too much to have a friend treat me to a meal, right? I’m hungry.”
“Of course. We have the best ingredients and red wine here.”
After working so hard for so long, this pit for the Japanese is finally dug. Gu Yansheng now has plenty of time to enjoy gourmet food; there’s no reason not to freeload a meal.
The rest is just to wait for the flowers to bloom, until the Japanese formally implement it.
“By the way, regarding enterprises using military scrip, I need some enterprises to cooperate here. You have so many enterprises under your name; you don’t mind helping, right?”
Gu Yansheng conveniently completes this mission. Actually, he could find anyone; among these people selling opium, who doesn’t have a few enterprises?
Mr. Sassoon has no objection; instead, responding early can actually build favor with the Japanese, making future money exchanges smoother.
The next day, Gu Yansheng arrives at the office.
Liu Xiaolou immediately reports: “Director, after you left yesterday, the Vice Mayor’s Office really called, demanding a meeting. I used the excuse that you were out on business to put them off.”
“Do you know what the meeting was about?” Gu Yansheng is not surprised. People who suffer a loss always seek revenge, especially a vice mayor.
Liu Xiaolou says, “A meeting convened by Vice Mayor Su in his capacity as Director of the Economic Department, raising the requirement from three director-level ones to ten.”
“Ten?” Gu Yansheng raises his voice in astonishment, then sneers. Fine, Su Xiwen is ruthless.
What kind of immortal figure can handle ten in one day? Ten a day, 300 a month. If they really could, just the director-level figures could wrap up all enterprises in SH City.
An impossible task, a naked declaration of power.
“What was their reaction?”
“The reaction was huge. This is simply impossible. The meeting room was in chaos yesterday, but in the end, people from Gendarmerie Headquarters came. Not only did they not reduce the number, they also raised the employment requirement for each enterprise to at least 30 people.”
“30 people? Why?”
“They said that at yesterday’s meeting, Vice Mayor Su required each department to report the list of the three enterprises completed the previous day. Each department did report, but the enterprises submitted were all small ones, with just a few people, even grocery stores were submitted as enterprises. The Japanese were furious, calling it fooling around, so they issued this requirement.”
Gu Yansheng laughs out loud. This is truly a case of countermeasures to policy from above.
When he assigned tasks to the department, he didn’t specify finding ones with just a few people; he told them to report whichever they could successfully persuade.
Thinking of this, Gu Yansheng’s smile slightly fades: “Did we report?”
“We did.” Liu Xiaolou nods: “The Japanese required each department to report, so I submitted what the various section chiefs reported. Honestly, our quality is about the same.”
“Alright then.”
Anyway, it’s not just the Judicial Department that’s embarrassed.
Liu Xiaolou says troubled, “Director, the section chiefs below reported a few more, but they are all small enterprises, the kind with just a few people. Vice Mayor Su now requires daily task submissions. We haven’t met today’s task at all, but it has to be submitted before the end of the day. What to do?”
Gu Yansheng thinks and says, “Don’t worry about it. If asked, say it’s my order. My order is not to submit any.”
With so many things on hand, Gu Yansheng really isn’t afraid of Su Xiwen causing him trouble. Mr. Sassoon is Shanghai’s former richest man with numerous enterprises under him; one from Sassoon is enough to offset all negatives.
Ring ring, ring ring.
Gu Yansheng walks to the desk to pick up the telephone.
“Hello.”
Mr. Hase’s voice comes through the telephone, deep and urgent: “Mr. Gu, have you seen today’s newspaper?”
“You mean the Concession’s gossip about our handling of the drug incident?”
Gu Yansheng certainly saw the newspaper. Liao Shan’s people wrote it well.
Public opinion has certainly risen, verbally condemning Japan.
But drug dealers and addicts won’t protest on the streets, so this matter is all thunder and little rain. Media attention, citizens treat it as entertainment; it’s not on the same level as the trouble the military scrip protest can cause the Japanese.
Mr. Hase says seriously, “Yes, Mr. Gu. The public opinion is very unfavorable now. Major Newspaper Companies have called me one after another to verify this. I could only say no, which temporarily resolved the public opinion. But Mr. Gu, this matter must be handled eventually. Once handled, the spearhead of public opinion will point at us again. Too passive. Do you have any good ideas?”
Gu Yansheng pauses, as if thinking: “Reversing public opinion isn’t hard. Establish an Anti-Drug General Bureau, vowing to crack down on the rampant drug trafficking in Shanghai. As long as my side takes action to clean up drug dealers selling opium in Shanghai, demonstrating our anti-drug resolve, the negative public opinion on this matter will collapse on its own.”
“But Mr. Hase, the ultimate resolution of the matter still relies on these major businessmen being willing to negotiate to advance quickly.”
“I’ve been contacting them these past two days. I can say none are cooperating. It involves their own interests; some rely on forces, some on Concession Protection. Progress is very difficult.”
“I still need a little time to sort out the relationships inside.”
“What does Gendarmerie Headquarters say?”
“They haven’t replied yet.”
“Alright, I’ll think about this and reply to you later.”
“Good, I’ll wait for good news from Mr. Gu.”
“Okay.”
Gu Yansheng hangs up the telephone, picks up the cup to brew coffee, not anxious at all in his heart.
Among Japanese official positions, the most uncomfortable one is truly the consulate position.
With Japan’s style, good things don’t come to it, bad things all fall on the consulate.
That Mr. Hase has survived until now without dying of depression can be considered his mentality is excellent.
Take it slow, drag it out for a few days first. Once the Japanese can’t stand it and Mr. Hase doesn’t want to get scolded, the matter will naturally resolve.
Need to find something to do; can’t stay in the government. Everyone here is full of resentment.
Gu Yansheng thinks and decides to find a big mansion to live in.
Even as a traitor, one can’t just work without enjoyment.
The French Concession consul still owes him a favor. Buying a house in the French Concession, wonder if he can get a discount.
