Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 114 Send

There were long queues in front of the exchange points set up by the Economic Department in various places.

Some citizens have already made preparations. If they cannot get the change today, they will queue up all night and wait.

The Japanese only gave two days, and everyone who had fake military notes had to exchange them within two days.

According to the estimates of the staff of the Economic Department, not many people will be able to complete the exchange, because they have to strictly distinguish the authenticity of each military note, which will waste a lot of time.

Even if they don't block ordinary people, even if they send everyone in, there will definitely not be enough time.

Therefore, this policy is essentially prepared for capable foreign-funded enterprises, and ordinary people cannot exchange much at all.

However, there are countermeasures to every policy, and wherever there is profit, there will always be someone to build bridges.

The black market merchants started working, and a large number of disciples from the Qing Gang came on stage. You are waiting in line, afraid that it will not be your turn, right?

Find us.

No matter whether you have a fake one-yuan military note or a fake one hundred thousand military note, no matter whether you can tell whether the money in your hand is real or fake, we will exchange it for you and help you calculate it.

We'll charge you a small handling fee, and you don't even have to queue up, you can go home and sleep today.

A large amount of money was collected by the Green Gang members and thrown in boxes in front of the staff of the Economic Department.

Bang, a box.

"They're all counted as fake military notes!"

"All of them are fake military notes? That's half the price. Aren't you afraid that if there are real military notes in there, you'll lose money?"

"Isn't this just to lighten your workload?" The Green Gang member smiled. "They're all fake military notes. We've already divided them up for you."

"You guys are really good at it."

The staff were shocked by this train of thought, but you know what, since the victim felt that it could all be calculated based on fake military notes, their work could indeed be made a lot easier.

Just count.

Box after box of fake military notes were moved into the warehouse, and box after box of foreign currency stocks prepared by the Japanese were exchanged out. On the first day, the foreign currency stocks were once again used up.

When the news was reported to Hasegawa Inkawa, his face immediately darkened.

"How could it be changed so quickly?"

The original two-day inventory was considered good. According to the work efficiency of those staff members, it would be impossible to replace it all. It was more than enough. In theory, there would be more as a reserve for the next period of time.

“Because there are many people who act as middlemen.”

The person reporting the situation talked about how black market merchants collaborated with foreign companies, with one responsible for buying and the other for exchanging.

"These bastards!" Hasegawa's chest heaved as he listened.

But since it was said that the exchange of military notes would take two days, we had to complete those two days, otherwise the credit of the military notes would be lost and all our efforts would be wasted.

As for recovering the money spent on real military notes, it will be returned sooner or later, because the circulation of materials in SH city requires military notes, and this will remain the case in the future.

"I'll call the Military Police Headquarters and have them transfer funds to you immediately. You continue to replace them!"

This wave of funds represents the Japanese people’s initial psychological expectations and is also an acceptable limit of loss.

Gu Yansheng gave the citizens enough time to let them take money out of the Japanese pockets first, so that once he took action, the Japanese would not deny it.

After the first wave of funds was exchanged, the second wave of funds broke through the Japanese's psychological defenses.

However, the Japanese really want to maintain the credit of military notes and the sunk cost effect. If they give up now, it will seem that the decision they made yesterday was stupid, and the money will be wasted.

The losses are still not big enough, otherwise the sunk cost effect will make people want to cut their losses.

The time was almost up, and Gu Yansheng told Liu San to start.

The clock tower on the Bund struck 12 noon.

The sound that happens every day doesn't attract much attention.

But children are different. They are a little curious about the clock tower that can make such a melodious sound.

In the square in front of the clock tower, a girl looked up and saw a magical scene. Her eyes lit up and she shouted, "Mom, it's snowing."

The woman beside him also looked up at the towering sky, and saw pieces of paper pouring down like a blizzard, flying up from the top of the clock tower and flying in the sky with the flow of air.

The pieces of paper slowly grew larger, and some of them fell down and landed in the little girl's hands.

A military note.

Tens of thousands of military notes fluttered in the air.

Other people in the square were also watching this magical scene in the sky. As more and more pieces of paper fell to the ground, they could see clearly.

"It's military notes!"

"Military notes!"

People in the square immediately began to pick up the money.

The military notes were quite light. Some of the tens of thousands of them fell to the ground, some were still flying in the air and blown away into the distance, and some had already fallen to the ground. If one stepped a little heavier, the military notes would be blown up again.

There weren't many people in the square originally, but as the news spread and people gathered, more and more people joined the team picking up money, and the team quickly spread out to the surrounding streets with the clock tower as the center.

The wind carried some military notes to the streets around.

Coincidentally, the bell tower was not the only place where this scene took place.

At the stroke of 12 o'clock, tens of thousands of military notes fell like snow from various landmarks in Shanghai, including the Great World Gate Tower, the rooftop of Wing On Department Store, and the chimney of the Sihang Warehouse.

"Money is falling from the sky!" An extremely excited shout rang out.

"Military notes!"

"Hurry, ask your mom to come pick it up!"

"Hurry up, there's still time to change over there on the Japanese side!"

All the idle people in the concession were mobilized.

Passersby had long forgotten what they were supposed to do and just piled up the papers on the ground.

How much can you earn working for a day? Just picking up something here can earn you a month's salary.

Tens of thousands of them!

Even if each one is worth one yuan, that would still be tens of thousands of yuan.

What's more, some people have already picked up large-denomination notes.

"Haha, a five-dollar bill!"

"Five dollars is nothing, I have ten dollars here!"

The rickshaw pullers stopped soliciting passengers, the Green Gang members stopped shouting, and the shop owners stopped operating. They all rushed over to pick up the money. Even the police officers in the concession became jealous and joined the crowd to pick up the money.

Although the scene was noisy, the atmosphere was quite harmonious. Everyone had bright smiles and was full of motivation.

There are tens of thousands of them, and you can never pick them all up. Even if two people argue over the ownership of a military note, they will soon stop arguing because instead of arguing, it is better to find the next one.

This is just the beginning. Only 200,000 tickets were used in the first wave of four locations, while the Military Control Commission has 2 million tickets!
The first wave was in the concessions, and the rest were in various districts of Shanghai.

Beep! Suddenly, a loudspeaker shout came from the direction of Sihang Warehouse.

"Fellow Shanghai people! This is the Military Control Commission's Action Team!
The Japanese invaders introduced military notes in Shanghai, intending to use this waste paper to fool the Chinese people, take the US dollars from you, and then buy food and weapons from us, and then attack the Chinese army. Their wolfish ambitions are obvious!

But I don't know which idiot in Japan came up with this stupid trick. I'm grateful to them for providing us with over 10 million yuan in funding for this operation. I thought we had taught the Japanese a lesson and they wouldn't dare force our compatriots to use military notes again, but I didn't expect them to still be so reckless and dare to promote military notes.

Since the Japanese army is so generous, our Military Control Commission Action Group has decided to celebrate together.

Citizens of Shanghai, please get military notes free of charge. We will provide as many as you want.

Everyone, hurry up and pick up and exchange them. After you have exchanged them, go to the Japanese Chamber of Commerce to buy more meat and vegetables to supplement your nutrition. They want our rice and flour, and you are responsible for giving them back.

For those of you who didn't find any money, don't worry. The big giveaway in downtown SH will start immediately and will be available all over the city. We will see you again soon."

The sound here has been played, and the same sound is played at various locations in SH city.

Along with the sound, boxes exploded in the high-rise buildings, and military bills flew out all over the sky.

The people burst into thunderous shouts.

"Grab the money! Money is falling from the sky!"

"Military notes!"

"Pick it up quickly!"

What happened in the concession was happening all over the city of SH.

Countless people poured into the streets, buttocks touching, bent over and squatted on the ground to pick up money.

This scene was soon discovered by the Japanese.

"Don't pick up!" The patrolling Japanese military police threatened the crowd with guns.

Several ordinary people who were nearby were hit on the back with gun butts by Japanese military police.

This really pissed off the people on the street.

Are you not allowed to pick up the money all over the floor?
"Beat him! Beat him and all the money will be ours!"

There is money everywhere, how can a few Japanese soldiers keep an eye on it?

The chaotic fight and money-grabbing scene were chaotic several times, and the news was reported immediately.

"Block all exchange points immediately!"

Gendarmerie Headquarters.

Iwasa Taro was so furious after receiving the news that he slapped the phone away.

Such a sincere exchange activity was actually exploited by the Military Control Commission.

However, this order caused the situation to completely get out of control.

The Economic Department called all exchange points and asked them to stop the exchange immediately.

The staff who received the message immediately executed it and told the people in the queue that there would be no change.

This pissed off the people in line.

After waiting in line for so long, they just said they didn’t want to exchange it? What would happen to the military notes they had?
"The Japanese are going to go back on their word!"

"Military notes are going to be abolished! The streets are full of military notes. If we don't exchange them today, they will be gone."

"Can we change it? If not, we can take it ourselves!"

The Qing Gang had so much money in hand, they would not tolerate such a loss, so they started robbing the staff stationed there.

The police and gendarmes on the side came to maintain order, but it was still a drop in the bucket against such a crazy crowd.

Some were robbing, some were fighting, some were running, and all the streets were in chaos!

"It's a mess, a complete mess. Money is being scattered all over Shanghai. The ground is covered with money. Everyone is picking up money. Even people from the city government are sneaking out to pick it up. What's going on?"

Ling Xianwen came to Gu Yansheng's office and lamented that he was happy when he learned the day before yesterday that the Japanese were willing to continue doing it, and the pressure on the Economic Department was gone.

When I learned yesterday that all the money had been exchanged, I felt worried again. But now that the Japanese are willing to support us again, I feel relieved again.

Today, the Military Control Commission released counterfeit banknotes, and the Japanese closed the exchange door ahead of schedule. Now they are completely discouraged.

There's no need to bother anymore. It's meaningless to fight for the position of director. The Economic Department is about to cease to exist.

"What are those people in Chongqing thinking? If they have so much money, they could just exchange it for some more. They could do it secretly, and they could just as easily exchange tens of millions. But they had to make such a big fuss, giving money to ordinary people. They didn't make any money themselves, and they caused trouble for us."

Ling Xianwen took the coffee cup from Gu Yansheng and complained. He took a sip and put it down in disgust: "I won't drink it anymore. Life is hard enough, and I still drink this bitter stuff. What a wretch."

Gu Yansheng chuckled: "If it's bitter, I'll add some sugar to it. Why blame me for this coffee? Chongqing, they probably want to destroy the military notes. They must have considered the relative importance of making money temporarily and making money for the Japanese all the time in Shanghai.

All the gold and US dollars earned would have to be used against Chongqing. After all, military notes are different from real money. They have no credit backing, and the Japanese can print them at will. Chongqing is afraid of this.”

"Of course I understand the logic. I'm just worried that Shanghai's economy might be in big trouble."

Ling Xianwen muttered to himself, "I have to say, Chongqing's move was quite ruthless. It's forced the Japanese to stop opening currency exchanges. What will happen to all these foreign companies? How will Shanghai's transactions proceed?"

"Secretary-General, let's not think about this right now. I think we should just hide away." Gu Yansheng put down his cup, his eyes sincere. "The Japanese must be furious right now. Su Xiwen's escaped, and you, the Deputy Director, are in charge. What will you do if the Japanese come and force us to come up with a plan at gunpoint like they did that day?"

"Makes sense."

Ling Xianwen stood up with a serious expression, "But what if the Japanese can't find me?"

Gu Yansheng picked up his clothes and pushed him, "It's so chaotic outside, just tell your secretary that you went to inspect the situation. If someone asks, just say so. I went with you.

Let's go to the concession to have a meal and come back in the evening. If there's anything else, let Fu Xiaoan handle it for us first."

"Okay, French food?"

"Okay, let's go."

"Every one of them has something to do! They're all hiding! When asked to contribute, they're as stupid as pigs. They're one step ahead of everyone else in hiding. They're actually quite clever when it comes to this kind of thing!"

In the mayor's office, Fu Xiaoan became furious after finishing the call.

Ling Xianwen went to inspect, and Gu Yansheng went to inspect.

Lu Ying from the police station said that he was directing police forces to maintain order and could not get away.

The Finance Bureau Director said that the money exchange point was robbed and the matter is being handled.

The director of the tax bureau said he was ready to come, but when he left, he was hit on the head by an angry foreign businessman and is now in the hospital for treatment.

The Japanese called and asked him to find a way to resolve the situation. He called for a meeting but no one showed up. Several key directors were busy, so he was the only one left getting scolded.

The directors of the Social Affairs Bureau and the Education Bureau are free, but they are of no use in this kind of thing.

Bang! Assistant Wu Maiding pushed the door open and came in. Fu Xiaoan glared at him and cursed, "Don't you know how to knock?"

Wu Maiding's face was grim. "Mayor, Wing On Department Store's stock price plummeted ten points! This caused all commodity futures to plummet across the board. We can't hold on any longer."

Fu Xiaoan's face changed instantly. "He's just a vendor, he's got merchandise in his hands. What does it have to do with him whether the military notes are invalid or not? How can Shanghai people not eat? Why would the stock price fall?"

Wu Maiding frowned and said, "The first place the fake military notes were distributed was at Wing On Department Store. The Japanese thought that the fact that people from Chongqing could get onto the rooftop of Wing On Department Store suggested collusion between insiders and outsiders, and that there might even be members of the Military Control Commission inside Wing On Department Store. So they called in the Secret Service Headquarters to investigate. They're already there, and they've sealed the entrance! Many people witnessed this."

"It's in the concession!"

"The Japanese have gone crazy now. No matter what! The people from the Secret Service Headquarters used the excuse that the concession allowed the Military Control Commission to release counterfeit banknotes to force their way in. Now the Municipal Council is negotiating with them, but they dare not forcibly expel them for fear of causing trouble."

"What a bunch of cowards!"

Fu Xiaoan slammed his fist on the table, his expression as grim as it could be. After a moment's thought, he said, "I'll go raise the money. You keep an eye on this place. If the Japanese call and ask about it, I'll go out and inspect it."

(End of this chapter)