Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 22 The Truth
Gu Yansheng paused, "What do you mean?"

Wen Yan whispered, "I asked the Qing Gang last night, and they said the car was taken away by a Qing Gang member named Wu Sibao.

As expected, our guess was correct. Wu Sibao has a high seniority in the Qing Gang and is capable and good at arm wrestling.

Isn’t Liao Shanbai’s master Mr. Huang Jinrong?

Wu Sibao's master is called Ji Yunqing. Although he is not as strong as Mr. Huang, he has a higher seniority and is also a big boss in the Qing Gang!

And I heard them say that Ji Yunqing has a good relationship with the Japanese. Look, now in Shanghai, he has the Japanese protecting him, so who is afraid of whom?
It was so easy to get this information. I guess it was because Liao Shan really put in a lot of effort when he was looking for it for us. Once I asked around, everyone knew about it. I just spent the money for a drink and found out everything.”

"Wu Sibao."

Every wrong has its perpetrator, and Gu Yansheng must remember this name.

"Any news on buying a car?"

"Not yet. We drank quite late yesterday. I guess they'll wake up and pass on the news. The earliest we'll get any news is in the afternoon, right? How about I go back and ask in the afternoon?"

"There's no need to be so anxious. Let's talk about it tonight."

I asked in the afternoon, if the other party made an appointment in the evening, Gu Yansheng would not have time.

The Bund, Shanghai Public Industry Association.

This was a stock and futures exchange established by the British in the concession in 1905. It issued foreign stocks and sold them to Chinese people to achieve capital expansion.

Gu Yansheng chose this place because it was just across the street from the French Concession, and the French Consulate was diagonally opposite the Public Proprietor's Office.

It made sense for him to be here.

To the left of the Zhongye Public Office is the Bund River, and the further to the right you go, the more residential areas you will find.

At this stage, those who can speculate in stocks are people with some assets. There are many shops nearby and it is very prosperous.

At 11:30, Gu Yansheng found the first cafe on the right.

After searching for a place nearby and climbing up to look into the distance, he found a teahouse on the second floor, where Gu Yansheng read the newspaper and drank tea.

There were also many people in the teahouse discussing stocks and practicing self-cultivation like leeks.

At two minutes to twelve, Lu Bowen appeared at the door of the coffee shop. He found a seat outside, sat there openly, and ordered a cup of coffee.

Gu Yansheng's gaze began to scan the crowd behind him.

"Come out, come out, come out. Oh, two."

There are a lot of people at this time, and people who stop and walk around don’t necessarily have problems.

But if there are two men standing on the street not far away in the middle of the day, neither moving nor doing anything important, and standing there for more than 20 minutes, they are more dazzling than a light bulb in the dark.

In fact, if you look carefully, it is not difficult to find out that you are being followed.

What's more, Gu Yansheng is still standing from the perspective of an outsider.

As Lu Bowen finished his coffee and went into the coffee shop to use the restroom, one of the men finally had something to do and rushed across the street into the coffee shop in a hurry.

After a while, Bowen came out in a hurry, probably because he confirmed that there was no one else in the bathroom and they were not meeting.

They continued to follow Lu Bowen around the street.

Verify your identity again.

According to the original plan, the old underground man would leave Shanghai after handing over the supplies, but the handover of the supplies has not been completed and the man has been exposed once. No one knows whether he has left now.

A newbie might be scared away after being caught once, but the old underground man, Gu Yansheng, was really afraid that he would stay in Shanghai and insisted on completing the mission.

The old underground didn't know what they were doing there. They probably thought the radio in the supplies was extremely important and they were determined to complete the mission at all costs.
This person is too dangerous now and may enter No. 67's sight again later. If Gu Yansheng wants to ensure his own safety, he must find a way to complete this handover and let the old underground leave Shanghai.

Moreover, they cannot let the other party see them.

Gu Yansheng sat for another half an hour, finished the tea in the cup, and then paid and left.

"Pay the bill."

In the evening, there was a cocktail party organized by Wolf.

French Consul Mr. Richard said, I am very happy with your efficiency, but I don’t like that you don’t let my people participate.

The whole thing ended too quickly, and it did seem like France was trying to get rid of it, but I swear to God, this was purely because Gu Yansheng set up this situation to save people, and the purpose was to rescue them quickly, so he didn't care whether he liked it or not.

This is Gu Yansheng's fault. When taking money to help someone get rid of disaster, he should indeed take into account the person's emotions.

"Mr. Richard, I'm a workaholic. In fact, the moment I left your place that day, I immediately rushed to Mr. Hase to pave the way for a satisfactory resolution of your matter.

It's not that I didn't want to bring your people along, but your people went to the law firm to sign the contract, and I kept the client's priority in mind and was rushing to save time, so there was a time difference between me and your assistant. Hasegawa nodded. "Indeed, Mr. Gu's professionalism is commendable."

"Thank you."

Gu Yansheng smiled and nodded, then continued speaking to Richard, who was about to decide whether to spend the money or not:
"But this is ultimately my problem, so I specifically asked you two to come here today to explain my next strategy and what will happen in person."

Richard's expression became much better now. "Suing is a big deal. The French Concession is already under a lot of criticism. If I sue, but I can't win 100%, I might as well not fight this case. I can't let the French Concession become a laughing stock again, don't you think?

So, Mr. Gu, please tell me your strategy in detail."

This was what he really thought. If he lost again, he would probably lose his position as consul. Gu Yansheng nodded sincerely.

"Okay, first of all, let's be clear about our goal. We want an apology from the newspaper. We're not talking about financial compensation, but compensation for our reputation. A formal apology in the newspaper, is that okay?"

"Sure." Richard didn't care about money at all.

"Okay, now comes the key point. The newspaper has raised two questions."

One was the arrest operation that took place in the restaurant. The plainclothes police were suspected to be Japanese, because the patrolmen in clear uniforms appeared later and were clearly different.

The second is the arrest operation that took place at the door of the police station. Although the people in the surrounding alleys were wearing plain clothes, they were also wearing shoes that looked like Japanese military boots, as evidenced by photos.

On this basis, the newspaper arbitrarily speculated and accused the French side of transferring the law enforcement authority of the Lend-Lease to the Japanese side.

The core of this case, then, is whether the newspaper's speculation is correct or not.

However, regarding the arrest operation that took place in the restaurant that day, no one except you two knows who was arrested and whether any Japanese soldiers were involved.

The newspaper was unaware of this.

Am I being clear enough?"

He looked at the two consuls, and both of them nodded.

Gu Yansheng smiled slightly, "Okay, I hope the two consuls will remember what I said and never forget it.

Next, as a lawyer, I need to ask my client, Mr. Richard, about this case.

I heard that before the incident, an important Japanese figure was going to visit the French Concession. Considering the recent frequent assassination attempts in the concession, you also formulated a security plan. Is this true?"

Richard thought about it for a moment, glanced at Hasegawa Incheon, and immediately said, "That's true. Mr. Hasegawa and I have discussed the defense plan over and over again. This restaurant is one of the locations, right, Mr. Hasegawa?"

Hasegawa said seriously, "Indeed, this is our duke's legitimate son and the future heir to the dukedom. He deserves respect."

Gu Yansheng nodded. "Then I can understand why a group of people rushed out nervously when a plate was dropped from the teahouse that day. They were in plain clothes and looked like Japanese. It turns out he is Japanese and is eager to protect his master."

"Doesn't this prove that what the newspaper said is right?"

Richard didn't understand. Everything connected, but the conclusion was wrong.

Gu Yansheng raised his hand and said, "Mr. Richard, you have fallen into a misunderstanding. Don't follow the newspaper's thinking. Why do we have to prove that the Japanese people the newspaper said are not Japanese? This is not the point at all.

The core of the whole thing is the groundless speculation caused by the newspapers. The French Concession transferred law enforcement power to the Japanese troops in Shanghai, and the appearance of the Japanese made it impossible to explain why they appeared and why they were able to arrest people in the French Concession!

This is the key point that makes you feel embarrassed.

Whether the Japanese appear or not is indeed important, but we need to distinguish the reasons for their appearance.

When important figures travel to the territory of another country, the other country provides protection, but the country's soldiers wear casual clothes to increase protection. Is this a basic operation in the interactions between the two countries?

Did this mean that the French Concession transferred law enforcement power to the Japanese troops in Shanghai?
of course not.

All countries do this!
Neither France nor Japan is obliged to disclose the private tour to the media, especially at a time when assassinations are rampant.

The major newspapers are just speculating what happened based on their own imagination and are smearing the reputation of France based on their speculation. Isn't that a big mistake?

I have finished speaking, do you have any comments?"

Gu Yansheng picked up the red wine glass and gestured.

Hasegawa reacted quickly, chuckling as he pondered. "It's unexpected, but it all makes sense. I think the people have received a satisfactory answer, and it has also satisfied their slight curiosity."

After saying that, he raised his glass.

Richard thought about it carefully and realized that all the facts were reconstructed, but none of the facts themselves were forcibly changed. He did not refute the Japanese who appeared, and everything was reasonable.

Whether it is responding to public opinion or domestic inquiries, he can always provide a flawless answer.

So what's there to worry about?
He raised his glass and said, "Mr. Gu, I'm leaving this matter to you. File a lawsuit immediately, the sooner the better. Cheers."

"cheers."

(End of this chapter)