A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 224 Assassination Incident
It was already July 7th when Chen Guangliang returned to Shanghai. He had to wake up from his comfortable life and deal with a lot of work.

First of all, Warren & Co. has delivered 6 ships, 4 in Shanghai and 2 in Guangzhou Bay; next, these ships will need to undergo maintenance and overhaul by Global Shipping and are expected to be put into operation after August.

In his office building in Shanghai, Chen Guangliang signed a payment slip for the remaining balance in US dollars to Prologis, the Far East representative of Warren & Co.

This money had already been prepared and had been kept in Citibank.

Pros said happily, "It's been a pleasure working with Mr. Chen. We've both gained a lot. Of course, I admire Mr. Chen even more for his well-informed information. He's truly a Chinese newspaper tycoon."

If a foreign company sold the same ship to Chinese investors in Shanghai, it would have cost at least US$12, or 48 yuan. The reason was simple: these ships were only ten years old and could still serve for another thirty years.

Now, Chen Guangliang, with his well-informed information, only spent US$6.5 per ship.

In fact, in the competition with Onassis, Warren & Co. first lobbied the Canadian Railway Administration - these ships would not take the North American route and there would be no competition; secondly, they bought all of them at an auction for US$4.6 per ship. Because Onassis only prepared US$4.5 per ship, he lost at the last step.

Warren & Co. not only earned a commission of US$1.9 per ship, totaling about US$11.5; but also took advantage of the opportunity to use these ships to make a long ocean voyage and earned more than US dollars.

That's why Prologis said that both sides benefited.

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "Sometimes it's just luck! Of course, shipping is a risky business, so I should remain cautious."

Pros said bluntly, "These ships are indeed difficult for you to manage, especially as a shipowner who has only been in the industry for less than a year. I wonder if Mr. Chen has considered renting the ships to our company. I can make an introduction for you. This way, you can basically make a profit, even if you only rent out half of them."

Chen Guangliang said directly: "That's not necessary. The Nanjing government has decided to develop national shipping. We Chinese should also develop towards the sea and cannot always lag behind. What do you think?"

Pros simply smiled, then said, "As long as you have confidence! By the way, regarding your two ships in Guangzhou Bay, you plan to fly our Norwegian flag and the Warren & Co. flag. The charges are very cheap."

Talking about money so soon!
Of course, Chen Guangliang also bargained like a businessman and finally asked for a very cheap price; after all, Warren & Co. did not suffer any loss, and it also employed so many Norwegian seafarers.

in the afternoon.

Chen Guangliang came to the South Wharf of China Wharf, where Liu Hongsheng was already waiting.

"Mr. Liu, my four ships will soon be opening routes from Shanghai to Qingdao and Tianjin, and from Shanghai to Xiamen, Shantou, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. These two routes will make north-south transportation more streamlined. Can your South Wharf at China Wharf guarantee the timely docking and unloading of our ships?"

Despite his busy schedule, Liu Hongsheng was invited by Chen Guangliang to discuss the dock business. Although he did it to save Chen Guangliang's face, he still felt a little uncomfortable - after all, he knew that Chen Guangliang only had one boat.

When we arrived at the dock, we found out that there were four large ships, and they were "super-large ships" (Chinese shipping companies generally use ships of 2000 to 3000 tons, including China Merchants Group).

"Are these four ships all shipping around the world?" Liu Hongsheng said with some disbelief.

Yu Qiaqing spent most of his life and finally managed to collect dozens of broken ships (Yu liked to buy very old ships the most), but Chen Guangliang managed to get five large ships in less than a year.

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "It's genuine. It's under repair. Do you want to go with me to take a look?"

"certainly"

Being able to inspect such a new and large ship is an experience in itself.

Afterwards, the two boarded Chen Guangliang's four large ships via a small boat. The four ships were named after the Greek letters Golden+ABCD.
“Is this ship very new?”

"Well, five years!"

Liu Hongsheng was stunned. Could a Chinese shipping company afford such a new ship?

Chen Guangliang said: "It was the Great Depression in European and American shipping. Ships were very cheap. I bought them directly from Europe and America to avoid being ripped off by foreigners in the Far East."

Liu Hongsheng said admiringly, "When it comes to business, I think I've done a good job, but I didn't expect Mr. Chen to be even better. Don't worry, we at Zhonghua Nanzhan will do our best to ensure that Global Shipping's ships remain operational at the dock."

In fact, Chen Guangliang also had to give priority to Zhonghua South Warehouse as a dock.

Among Shanghai's current terminals, Swire has the largest and best-equipped Blue Chimney Terminals in both Puxi and Pudong. However, Global Shipping will soon be in direct competition with Swire and Jardine Matheson, and they may not necessarily try to stumble upon it.
The docks of Mitsui and Mitsubishi were located between the South and North Zhonghua Warehouses, and were quite large, but Chen Guangliang simply passed them over. Before Japan surrendered, Chen Guangliang wanted to avoid doing business with them.
The American Shipping Company's Dali Wharf in Pudong has a deep draft, new equipment, and a large warehouse area, making it the wharf's biggest rival.

In addition to these foreign merchants, the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company also had a large number of warehouses at the Jinliyuan Wharf in Puxi and the Yangjiadu Wharf in Pudong. However, Chen Guangliang felt that the management of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company was chaotic, with numerous factions under its umbrella, and it was easy for something to go wrong.

Based on this, Chen Guangliang decided to cooperate with China Wharf first, provided that Liu Hongsheng paid enough attention.

"Okay, then we'll cooperate for a while. As long as Zhonghua Nanzhan can ensure smooth entry and exit for our global shipping ships and the safety and sufficiency of the terminal warehouses, we will continue to cooperate in the future."

Liu Hongsheng immediately said, "Don't worry, Mr. Chen. Our management and backbone personnel were also recruited from Taikoo Wharf. In addition, our warehouses are also very sufficient."

Chen Guangliang nodded, then said, "Mr. Liu, are you interested in becoming a director of Global Shipping and giving me some pointers?"

It's just a name!

Liu Hongsheng smiled and said, "Of course."

Oriental Press.

Chen Guangliang hadn't been to the Oriental Daily's office for a long time, but he was very low-key when he came today. He didn't say what meeting he was going to hold or what work he wanted his subordinates to report on.

After a while, the person he was looking for came to the office. It was none other than Wang Chunhua, the man he had promoted in the beginning. Now he was the person in charge of entertainment news. It was said that he had good relationships with many celebrities and could get first-hand entertainment news without being a paparazzi.

"Boss, are you looking for me?"

Chen Guangliang stood up and said, "Let's sit on the sofa. How's work going lately?"

Watching the boss personally making tea, Wang Chunhua was flattered and said, "Ever since the boss gave me guidance, my work has been increasingly recognized by my colleagues. I'm now in charge of entertainment news and live in the company's family dormitory."

“Why haven’t you bought a house yet?”

Wang Chunhua quickly said: "I'm still considering it."

It can't be said that his salary is only 200, so the pressure of buying a house is still a little too much.

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "For someone like you who's in charge of entertainment news, the salary is indeed a bit low. After all, Shanghai people like this kind of gossip these days. I'll ask them to give you a raise later. Your salary has to match your abilities. Otherwise, if you get poached one day, we'll suffer a huge loss."

Wang Chunhua said gratefully, "Don't worry, Mr. Chen. You trained me. I won't go anywhere except the Oriental Daily."

Chen Guangliang waved his hand and said, "It's all your own hard work. By the way, I have a very confidential matter that I want you to do."

Waiting for you!
Wang Chunhua had already been aroused by Chen Guangliang's emotions and said, "Boss, just give me your orders. I will absolutely keep my mouth shut and go through fire and water."

Chen Guangliang said solemnly, "It's a bit dangerous." Wang Chunhua said firmly, "I'm not afraid. Journalists shouldn't be afraid of danger. That's what you taught us."

Chen Guangliang then whispered something in Wang Chunhua's ear, adding, "I'm not sure of the exact date, but you're working at Zhabei Railway Station as a reporter. If you see anything, raise the alarm."

Wang Chunhua nodded and said, "I will monitor every move carefully, not missing any opportunities and not letting anyone discover them."

"Go ahead. Although I have no intention of getting involved in politics, I also hope that the country will be stable."

"Ok"

Two days later.

Zhabei Railway Station.

Wang Chunhua's capable apprentice, Abao, hurried to Wang Chunhua's side and said, "Boss, the station platform is closed. I guess some important person is coming."

Wang Chunhua quickly became serious and said, "As you prepare to continue surveillance, remember to protect yourself and give reminders when necessary!"

A Bao nodded and said, "Okay"

Wang Chunhua then arrived at the entrance to the main hall, the only way out for passengers. He was stopped by station staff at the information desk. After showing his journalist ID and undergoing a body search, he was able to get in.

After a while, six guards and two protectors came out.

"There are many disguised killers at the station"

When Song Zaiwen's guards heard this, they immediately took out their pistols. The secretary Tang Yulou in front was also frightened and instinctively wanted to retreat into the circle of guards.

Only then did he realize that the guards had already surrounded Song Zaiwen. He thought to himself, "If no one hadn't warned me, I would have been dead today!"

Fortunately, Tang Yulu was relatively calm. He came to Wang Chunhua and asked, "How did you know?"

Wang Chunhua said: "I am a reporter and discovered it by chance."

"Which reporter?"

Oriental Daily

On this side, Song Zaiwen's guard had already notified the station, and then seven or eight station police officers came. Song Zaiwen also quickly changed into the guard's clothes; Tang Yulou also hurriedly gave his hat and briefcase to the guard. He only wore the same white coat as the guard, and also mixed in the guard's protection circle.

Passing the information desk, in front of the waiting room, several thugs suddenly pulled out grenades, box guns, and pistols and fired at Song. Song's guards also drew their guns and fired back. Bullets flew everywhere, smoke filled the air, and the North Station lobby suddenly became a battlefield. Passengers were exiting the station at the time and fled in panic, causing chaos.

The first to fall was the guard carrying the briefcase and hat, and then Song Zaiwen and Tang Yulou, protected by other guards, jumped into the car in front of the square and left quickly.

Suddenly, someone among the passengers, who had just recovered from their shock, shouted, "That person on the train is T.V. Soong! The current emperor's uncle!"

The next day, the Oriental Daily published a news report: The person who was assassinated at the North Station the previous morning was Song Ziwen's security guard. He was hit by three bullets and died of his injuries at 1:1 that day.

Public opinion was in an uproar.

No one would have risked assassinating this guard; his death was clearly a scapegoat, a victim of the gun. So, for whom did he take the scapegoat? The most convenient answer is, of course, T.V. Soong.

At this time, Wang Chunhua was also called to the police station for questioning.

Wang Chunhua's answer was also very straightforward. They went to the station to look for news materials and accidentally discovered some people in disguise, so they issued a warning.

"Okay, Mr. Wang is our savior, just ask a few questions!"

"Yes, Secretary Tang."

Tang Yulu knew that if Wang Chunhua hadn't warned him, he would have been the dead guard, because he was dressed exactly like his boss, Song Zaiwen, and the killer was shooting at the person holding the briefcase.

Afterwards, Tang Yulu took Wang Chunhua away and said gratefully, "Reporter Wang, Minister Song couldn't come due to official business, so he sent me to pick you up. Let's have dinner together later. If it weren't for you this time, I'm afraid I would be dead. If you have any problems in the future, come to me and I will definitely help you. This is my business card!"

This is his personal gratitude!

Wang Chunhua handed over his business card and said, "It was just a chance encounter. Secretary Tang, please don't be polite!"

Tang Yulu nodded, then said, "Then do you know who killed us? After all, you're a reporter, so you might have some information like this."

Wang Chunhua smiled bitterly and said, "As Secretary Tang said, we reporters are not omnipotent. Also, Secretary Tang, please keep this a secret for me. I don't want to be targeted by assassins."

"It's natural"

The assassination attempt on T.V. Soong alerted the Commander-in-Chief, who was furious. He immediately ordered Shanghai Mayor Wu Tiecheng and Songhu Garrison Commander Yang Hu to solve the case within 10 days. He also secretly ordered Xu Enzeng, head of the Central Bureau of Investigation, and Dai Li, head of the Fuxing Society's special agent section, to send their own agents to Shanghai to investigate.

Wang Chunhua also said that he was a reporter and had recently noticed some unfamiliar faces at the train station. Coincidentally, he knew that an important figure was coming to Shanghai, so he gave a reminder.

So several waves of people who came to him for questioning naturally returned empty-handed. After all, Wang Chunhua was innocent and had made contributions.

On the train back to Nanjing, Song Ziwen suddenly asked Tang Yulu, "This Wang Chunhua is from the Oriental Daily News. Do you think he was assigned to warn us?"

Tang Yulu said, "This person is really all-powerful!"

Song Zaiwen said, "I always feel like there's some coincidence here. Of course, Wang Chunhua was a reporter and happened to be at the train station. He wasn't the only reporter there that day, so how could he have discovered it? This is clearly a premeditated murder. Who's behind the Oriental Daily News?"

"Chen Guangliang?"

Song Zaiwen nodded and said, "This is just my guess. There's no evidence, so let's just forget about it for now!"

Tang Yulu said, "It's indeed too far-fetched. Minister, there's no need to speculate!"

Song Zaiwen said nothing more. He felt a little guilty about Tang Yulu after the assassination attempt. He had recently felt that there was a risk. If someone hadn't warned him, Tang Yulu might have been the one to die.

As for what Tang Yulou thought, he couldn't point it out, so this matter had to let go!

After all, the death of a confidential secretary is better than the death of a Minister of Finance of the Republic of China, and it is also the least loss to the country.

Of course, let this matter pass!

(End of this chapter)