My spy diary

Chapter 358 Negotiation (asking for monthly ticket)

The three of them sat down on the tatami in the private room. Fujita clapped his hands, and soon a slim waitress wearing a plain kimono and white socks came in.

She held the tray, knelt on her knees, took a purple clay teapot from a small white clay coal stove, raised her hands high, and respectfully poured tea for the three people.

At first sight, Zhang Yi already felt that this woman was extraordinary. Although she was no longer in her prime, her features were full of charm and her manners were gentle.

What attracted his attention most was the woman's hands. There were obvious calluses on the joints, which were the marks left by long-term gun-holding practice.

A female agent of the Matsu Agency? Or Fujita's mistress?
But no matter who she is, she is definitely not an ordinary person appearing in such an occasion. Zhang Yi reminded himself to be extremely careful.

He and Xu Caicheng nodded in thanks, then picked up the tea bowls and began to taste the tea.

Zhang Yi was worried that the tea might be poisonous, so he just took a sip and put it down, praising:

"The authentic Shifeng Longjing tea is refreshing and refreshing. Mr. Fujita has a good taste."

Fujita smiled proudly: "Mr. Wu, you are too kind. It's rare that we have the same taste.

Haha, there are so many good things in China, especially tea, which makes people forget the world and the chaos of war for a while. "

Catching the greed in this guy's eyes, Zhang Yi sneered in his heart, but a hint of helplessness appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he sighed:
"It is indeed a good tea, but it is a pity that you can't drink such authentic tea in the mountain city."

"I have plenty of tea here. If Wu Sang likes it, I'll give you two cans when you leave as a greeting gift."

"Fujita-kun, you know that's not what I meant."

"You Chinese always like to beat around the bush." ​​Fujita shook his head and said, "Mr. Wu, please be patient. As the Chinese saying goes, we should make the best of it. You are tired from the journey, so why not rest here tonight?"

As he said this, he pointed at the waitress sitting beside him and smiled meaningfully:
"This is Ms. Yamaguchi Keiko. She will accompany you tonight."

Yamaguchi Keiko stood up gracefully and bowed:
"Yamaguchi Keiko, please give me your guidance."

Zhang Yi bowed in return and squinted at her.

What does it mean? Monitoring or testing?

Or is it negotiation skills?
If he shirked his responsibility at this moment, it would seem that he was too anxious. The other party was fearless and must have lost in momentum.

Seeing Fujita's eyes fixed on his face, he knew that the contest between him and Fujita had just begun.

But after a little thought, he shook his head and said:

"Mr. Fujita, I appreciate your kindness. I am on a mission this time, so I am afraid I will not be able to enjoy the delicious food."

"It's a beautiful day, but Mr. Wu is such a spoiler." Fujita put down the teacup heavily and said unhappily.

"That's different." Zhang Yi straightened his chest and looked at him directly, but then changed the subject, "Mr. Fujita, have you heard about Wang Tianhai breaking the vase?"

"Is that true?" Fujita became interested.

"Of course. It is said to be a precious artifact from the Chenghua period. It is magnificent and beautiful."

"Oh, why?"

"Of course it's because of you Japanese."

"Nonsense." Fujita snorted, "Our Great Japanese Empire and His Excellency Wang Tianhai have been working closely together, and Wu Sangmo is trying to sow discord."

Zhang Yi smiled contemptuously: "Mr. Fujita, don't be angry. You just said that we Chinese people speak in a vague way. This is a bad habit, but it is also a kind of wisdom. After all, some words and some things can only be understood but not expressed in words.

For example, regarding the Tang Jili incident, I heard that not only did your military chief of staff Kawabe Masamitsu personally meet with him, he also introduced him to the commander-in-chief Hata Shunroku. What was that about? Do you want me to continue?"

Fujita's momentum was instantly lost.

As the head of the Matsu Agency, he naturally knew the ins and outs of the matter. If the Japanese army wanted to move south, they would have to withdraw part of the millions of troops trapped in China.

Up to now, the number of troops deployed in China has reached more than 200 million, but they cannot destroy China in a short period of time.

However, the transportation line in the South Pacific cannot be cut off, so the only way to achieve the goal is to cooperate with the Shancheng government and stabilize the Kuomintang’s army.

Seeing him staring at the teacup with a gloomy face and not saying anything, Xu Caicheng, who had been silent all this time, spoke up at the right time:
“Mr. Fujita, the Yamashiro government was originally determined to resist the war, but now it is willing to do business with you, which shows that it is willing to ease the situation.

Therefore, you should make concessions to show your sincerity and allow Shancheng to purchase cotton yarn and cloth."

Fujita was silent for a while, then waved his hand to let Yamaguchi Keiko go out. He looked at Xu Caicheng, then at Zhang Yi:
"How much cotton yarn do you plan to purchase?"

"One hundred thousand pieces of cotton yarn and cloth." Zhang Yishi asked loudly.

Not only Fujita, but even Xu Caicheng was shocked by this number.

"Absolutely not." Fujita refused outright. No matter how eager they were to make peace with the Yamashiro government, they would never aid the enemy.

War is all about courage. The first drum beats weak, the second weaker, the third exhausted.

The reason why the top leaders agreed to let him negotiate was to shake the Shancheng government's will to resist the war through trade exchanges, give them some sweet benefits, and trap the other party, but this does not mean that the other party can do whatever they want.

"Eighty thousand pieces. No less."

"5000 pieces. This is the limit I can decide."

Fujita looked gloomy and gritted his teeth as he said, "Moreover, this batch of cotton yarn and cloth must be delivered in US dollars or gold. You cannot use your common French currency."

Xu Caicheng frowned and said, "According to the current market price in Shanghai, the price of 16-count cotton yarn is 170 yuan per piece, so 5000 pieces would be 85 yuan."

“No, no, no, it’s not 170 yuan, it’s 340 yuan per piece.

That means you need to pay me 170 million French francs, or an equivalent amount of US dollars in gold."

Fujita smiled awkwardly.
"Wu Sang, at this price, you can make a lot of money even if you ship it to Shancheng."

Zhang Yi sneered in his heart, looked at him and said calmly: “Mr. Fujita, in business, it is natural to buy low and sell high. There is a saying that if you ask for a high price, you should pay it back on the spot.

But everything has to be within a reasonable range. 170 yuan per piece is already expensive, not to mention 340 yuan."

“And as far as I know, since the eighth year of the Republic of China, the cost of each piece of 16-count yarn produced by Shanghai Cotton Mill was 149.55 taels of silver, and the selling price was 200 taels, with a profit of 50.45 taels.

After the September 20 Incident, Japanese goods were dumped, the gauze market declined rapidly, and the price of yarn plummeted. In the 237.6th year of the Republic of China, the price recovered to yuan...

In the 24th year of the Republic of China, it fell to 170 yuan. Now the price of cotton yarn in the French Concession is between 170 yuan and 200 yuan per piece. Don't take me for a fool, Fujita-kun."

Fujita didn't expect Zhang Yi to have done his homework. He shrugged and said with a smile:
"Mr. Wu really impressed me. Mr. Xu is right. This is our first business, so we should show some sincerity. Let's put it this way, based on the price of 170 yuan, you need to pay me 85 yen."

This guy said he was sincere, but he inadvertently dug a big hole.

Zhang Yi knocked on the table and said solemnly, "Mr. Fujita, there is a saying that things never happen more than three times. Why is it so? If you don't show your sincerity, we won't do this deal."

Fujita looked innocent: "What do you mean?"

Zhang Yi looked at him with disdain. "In 31, the Japanese yen announced that it would leave the gold standard. Its international status plummeted. Traders were unwilling to accept yen. You Japanese also use pounds and dollars to settle trade. Why do you require yen to settle with me? What's more, you are now issuing military bills. The settlement price with legal tender is 0.12 coins for 0.86 yuan. Later, it was adjusted to a one-to-one exchange rate. Now it has been adjusted to 1 for 0.86 legal tender. At the exchange rate of 85, how can there be yen?"

Fujita was not embarrassed at all when his plan was exposed. He smiled slyly and said:
"Maybe I was negligent. Wu Sang is too calculative. These are just petty gains."

Zhang Yi did not comment, and looked at him expressionlessly:
“As the saying goes, the first time is new, the second time is familiar. I am a superstitious person, so I want to pray for good luck.

8800 pieces of cotton yarn and cloth, each piece will be settled at the price of 160 yuan in French currency, or in US dollars of the same amount. If Mr. Fujita agrees, the matter can be settled. Otherwise, "

After saying this, he stood up and acted as if he was ready to leave at any time.

Fujita looked exhausted and heaved a long sigh, knowing that he had met a master. He looked up, met Zhang Yi's aggressive gaze, spread his hands and said:
"There are too many. It's a pity that I can't make the decision."

Zhang Yi looked at him deeply for a while, then said with a smile:
"It's really a pity, but it's Fujita-kun's pity."

Fujita was stunned and asked in confusion: "What do you mean?"

"Mr. Fujita missed an opportunity to establish merit. Shouldn't he feel regretful?" Zhang Yi asked back.

Fujita was silent.

Seeing that he was thinking about something with a gloomy face, Zhang Yi winked at Xu Caicheng.

The latter understood what Fujita meant and quickly leaned over to his ear and said:
"Fujita-kun, we are friends, so I am telling you the truth. Stop it and don't force him to find other ways."

Seeing Fujita's brows tighten, Zhang Yi didn't give him time to react. He bowed slightly and then looked at Xu Caicheng:
"Mr. Xu, please introduce me to someone from the Special High Section or the Mei Agency. If you have connections in the Navy, Army, or Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that would also be helpful."

The reason why Zhang Yi said this was that the Japanese Navy, Army, Ministry of Internal Affairs and External Affairs and other departments were consistent in their goals and major strategies of invading China, but their specific details and propositions were different. They often contacted the Guo Party through their own channels, attempting to implement a policy of inducing surrender on Chang's government.

And the secret agencies under them, such as the "Plum Agency", "Song Agency", "Bamboo Agency" and so on, not only have many factions, but also are jealous of each other. Each of them wants to break the tense situation of the war through their own means, so as to seek credit and reward from higher-ups.

He wanted to take advantage of the Japanese mentality and tightly lock up the "loose mechanism".

"Wait a minute."

Seeing that Zhang Yi had indeed started to look for other ways as Xu Caicheng had said, Fujita hurriedly stopped him.

Zhang Yi looked at him without saying anything.

Fujita sighed and said, "Wu Sang, you have convinced me. I agree to your terms."

Then he added unwillingly:

"As you say, first time is second time is third time. I can take a small loss this time to show my sincerity, but next time it will be my turn to make the conditions."

Zhang Yixin said there would be no next time, and nodded with a smile on his face, and stretched out his hand:
"Pleasant to work with."

Fujita politely and humbly bowed and shook hands: "It's a pleasure to work with you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Yi frowned again and asked suspiciously:

"Wu Sang, what's wrong?"

Zhang Yi shook his head, seeming to hesitate to speak.

Fujita was impatient: "The Chinese are too straightforward."

"I was thinking, such a large-scale transaction will definitely leave clues. What if it is discovered by the Mei Agency, the Special High Section, etc. and comes to claim the credit? I don't care." Zhang Yi looked at him and said earnestly.

Fujita's eyes lit up, he understood, frowned and asked:
"Then what do you think we should do?"

"We must do our utmost to find out what's missing and fill in the gaps so that on the surface, there will be no trace of this transaction and those who have doubts will be confused. By the time they find out, Mr. Fujita will have already made great contributions and become a guest of honor in the military and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." Zhang Yi smiled and patted his shoulder with a concerned look on his face.

"In this case, we need Fujita-kun to provide vehicles to deliver the goods out of Shanghai. We can exchange the money and the goods in Bozhou."

Fujita gritted his teeth and said, "Deal, but I will apply for military protection and escort. I hope Wu Sang and the people behind you will keep their word. If you dare to play any tricks, the army of the Empire of Japan will not be a pushover."

Zhang Yi laughed and said, "Chinese people always keep their words."

"I hope so."

Fujita looked at him, his eyes twinkling slightly, paused, and said:
"Mr. Wu, is your last name really Wu? I am very curious about your identity. If you were born in the Empire of Japan, you would definitely be valued and given a more honorable status."

"The name is just a code name." Zhang Yi said with a smile.

"Hey, if Wu Sang hadn't been a government official, he would have been an excellent agent."

He tutted his praises, glanced at his watch, and said:
"It's getting late, and it's past curfew. Wu Sang might as well stay here and experience the unique culture of our Great Japanese Empire.
If you need to report work, we can provide you with a transmitter, so you don’t have to worry about safety issues.”

Zhang Yi smiled and shook his head: "Goodbye."

He wondered in his heart why Fujita was so persistent in staying overnight. Was he trying to turn him against him?
Zhang Yi wanted to find out more about the Navy Club, but the timing was not right.

Fujita didn't say anything else, just clapped his hands, and Yamaguchi Keiko, who had left earlier, walked in again.

"Huizi, take Wu Sang out."

"Hayi." Yamaguchi Keiko responded gently, extended her hand to invite, and led the way slowly.

Zhang Yi lit a cigarette and followed silently behind, walking slowly while carefully observing the surrounding terrain:

"The club's architecture is very unique, I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

Yamaguchi Keiko explained in a low voice: "The Navy Club was built in imitation of the Japanese Consulate. The two buildings have the same style, and the roads inside the buildings are basically the same."

"I see."

Zhang Yi seemed to be thinking about something. As he was talking, he saw a drunk Japanese military officer walk in with a tall beauty, and behind him was a Chinese man who was bowing and nodding everywhere.

Glancing at the crab-shell face, Zhang Yi recognized the man as Ding Mocun.

After this guy was kicked out of No. 76 by Li Shijun, he was nominated by Wang Tianhai as a member of the Central Standing Committee and Minister of the Ministry of Social Affairs.

He is now also the chairman of the "Social Welfare Committee" of the so-called "East Asia Alliance China General Association" established by Wang Tianhai and Japan.

Although they are both directors, the status of the welfare store director is naturally not as high as that of the director of Agent No. 76 Headquarters.

However, this guy is also determined to go down the wrong path. He often promotes the "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere" in newspapers controlled by the Japanese puppet regime, seeking credit and rewards, and is servile and fawning.

Zhang Yi glanced at the Japanese man's appearance and took note of it silently.

After walking to the door and saying goodbye to Keiko Yamaguchi, he was about to stop a car when he suddenly realized that someone was secretly watching him.

His heart trembled, but he walked into the darkness calmly.

……

(End of this chapter)