Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 287 Integration
Teahouse.

Gu Shuping came to see Gu Yansheng.

"The organization has sent word that they hope we can provide a batch of supplies to the New Fourth Army. In addition, they hope we can obtain information on the garrison deployment of the Japanese and puppet troops in the Huangqiao area of ​​Taixing."

"Huangqiao?"

“Yes, it’s Huangqiao.” Gu Shuping nodded in confirmation.

Huangqiao, Gu Yansheng thought about this place. It was the core grain-producing area in northern Jiangsu. Judging from the strategic intentions, the organization was taking precautions and wanted to solve the grain problem on its own.

This location aligned with the organization's then-current strategy of expanding northward.

The Japanese are currently levying heavy grain requisitions. If we can secure a core grain-producing area before the autumn harvest season, we can not only ensure our own food supply but also negatively impact the Japanese grain harvest.

This is a win-win situation, where one gains at the expense of the other.

"Have you specified what supplies you need?"

"The fisherman told me that the organization was going to establish the New Fourth Army Northern Jiangsu Command. It was in the implementation stage at the moment. The troops were heading to Huangqiao and would definitely have to fight their way there. The consumption would be considerable. I estimated that medicine, food, guns and bullets, and radios would all be needed."

"Okay, I understand." Gu Yansheng looked at him and asked, "You have considerable influence in Suzhou, what can you solve?"

"Radio equipment can be bought on the black market. You can buy other things too, but you can't buy large quantities."

Gu Shuping frowned. "For medicines, you can only sneak a few doses on the black market. Even merchants can't get their hands on them in bulk. Now, the 76th Division is keeping a close eye on things, and the black market has already been raided several times."

I can transport the grain myself, but procuring it is very troublesome.

There's already a food shortage on the market, and such a large-scale purchase of grain would easily attract attention without a suitable reason.

"You don't need to worry about that. The grain merchants have plenty of grain in their warehouses. The Ministry of Justice's inspection team has already seized quite a lot."

Gu Yansheng told him to relax, explaining that the anti-corruption campaign in Suzhou was ongoing and that getting grain would be a piece of cake.

On the contrary, radio stations? "How many radio stations are there in the black market?" Gu Yansheng asked, somewhat surprised.

"Not many." Gu Shuping shook his head and chuckled. "It depends on luck. Generally, no one buys these things, but generally no one sells them either. But if you really want to buy them, you can definitely find them. Some radio stations even leaked them from within the Japanese."

In the past, when the 76th Division arrested Kuomintang agents, they would hand over the radios they had cracked. At first, these were valuable, as they carried codebooks and could earn them a great deal of credit. However, later, when several Kuomintang stations were raided and many radios were also destroyed, the credit for these radios became less significant.

Someone from Unit 76 got him out and sold him on the black market; he could get a few large yellow croakers for that.

This sounds interesting. "They're not setting a trap, are they?"

"No, this business has been around for a long time. Before the Battle of Shanghai, those merchants sold it to the Japanese. After the Battle of Shanghai, those merchants sold it to the Military Intelligence Bureau and the underground party. I heard that they also sold it to foreign spies. Anyway, it has a long history."

The black market dealer who can take this shipment is no ordinary person. Who would dare to accept a radio station from just anyone?

"So rampant?"

"The profits are huge. Let me tell you, the radios on the black market may have a small volume of sales, but for those who need them, they'll pay any price. It's not just the people from the 76th Division who are selling them; the Japanese themselves are selling them too. They're all stolen by the people who keep the warehouses."

Nowadays, Japanese soldiers only receive nine yen a month. A single gold bar is enough for their annual salary. Stealing a radio would be enough for at least ten years' salary.

The bold steal the radio, the timid steal the parts; the radio parts can break, even if they're all good parts.

"Heh." Gu Yansheng chuckled. "There's no shortage of people like that anywhere."

Gu Shuping smiled and continued, "So you can still find stock, but it's expensive. If you want brand new ones, Suzhou may not have them, but the black market in Shanghai definitely has them. They're imported from abroad, high-end goods."

Gu Yansheng nodded. “Since we’re setting up a command center, one or two units might not be enough. We’ll get as many as we can. Since you have connections in Suzhou, look for them. Once you’ve confirmed it, give the clues to the fisherman and have him find someone to buy them. If that’s not enough, we can buy them in Shanghai.”

"Okay, then what about the other supplies? There's a lot of them."

"I'll take care of it."

They've been training for a thousand days to use them for one. They're not just coasting along in Shanghai; they'll prove their worth when it matters most.

The entire country is now under lockdown, and even Hong Kong has been placed under a British embargo. The Shanghai concessions are currently the only place where goods can be imported from abroad through legal channels without the Japanese's consent.

Shanghai is their warehouse; they can get anything they want there.
Food, clothing, housing and transportation.

These correspond to cotton yarn, medicine and food, the security of the base, and firearms and ammunition.

Gu Yansheng has plenty of medicines here. What he doesn't have in his warehouse, his many pharmaceutical merchants who make a living must have in their warehouses. They have both Chinese and Western medicines. If you don't discriminate between meat and vegetables, you might even be able to find some Native American remedies in their warehouses.

Cotton yarn, there's a lot of cotton yarn in Lu Bowen's factory. Cotton yarn is hard to sell in the summer anyway. It's more than enough to make some bandages for the New Fourth Army. Sell it through proper channels, just moving it from one hand to the other, thus isolating all the risks from Lu Bowen's factory.

As for grain, Lu Bowen had already completed the grain routes he had established in Suzhou and Anhui, so finding a way to buy grain was not a difficult task.

However, there is now an opportunity. Gu Yansheng does not intend to use Lu Bowen, and Fu Xiao'an is buying grain. We can just rob his grain transport team.

It can also save some money.

Firearms and ammunition—Sassoon would surely not refuse the Communist Party, one of their few major clients.

Gu Yansheng's words could make Gu Shuping feel completely relaxed.

"Is it difficult? If you need my help, I can think of a way in Suzhou."

Actually, we can buy them if we want, but it's a matter of quantity. Supplying the army, which has several thousand people, would be too large and too conspicuous.

Gu Yansheng waved his hand, "Not for now. You arrange the radio station first. I'll contact you if I need anything else. Tell the fisherman to contact our old partner about the firearms and ammunition. He'll let me know how much it costs, and he'll handle it."

"Understood." Gu Shuping nodded. "What about the intelligence from Huangqiao?"

"Let's wait a couple of days. Gathering intelligence about the area around Huangqiao might not be as difficult as acquiring supplies."

In order to force the Chongqing government to surrender, the Japanese deployed most of their troops to the front lines, except for a small garrison force. The remaining troops were mostly empty shells with little manpower, mainly used to garrison towns.

Whenever the New Fourth Army marched, they took back roads, so there was no chance of contact with them.

On the contrary, the puppet troops had more troops left behind, making them the primary targets for prevention.

It will take some effort to obtain their intelligence.

But there's one thing I need to ask the servants.

“So easy?”

"How difficult could it be?"

I helped Minister Zhou with his daily tasks and flattered him every day. But it wasn't for nothing. Minister Zhou was not only a minister, but also the second-in-command of the Wang Jingwei regime's military and the vice chairman.

Military matters were reported to him by all troops belonging to the Wang Jingwei regime.

Gu Yansheng sacrificed himself to accompany him to the theater a couple more times and chatted with him, thus learning the general information he needed to know.

To be more accurate, cross-check.
Gu Yansheng looked at Gu Shuping and asked, "Do you know where Ren Yuandao has businesses? Does he have any in Suzhou? His family's businesses are fine too."

“Yes.” Gu Shuping nodded. “Ren Yuandao’s influence is very strong now. He is the commander-in-chief of the Pacification Army. Ordinary people can’t fight against him. He owns many shops and companies. It can be confirmed that he is the boss behind them. He has invested in two hotels in Suzhou alone.”

Gu Yansheng thought for a moment and said, "Smash it."

"It's smashed?!" Gu Shuping exclaimed in surprise.

“Choose a big one to smash, smash it until he's heartbroken, but you have to find a suitable reason. It can be sophistry, it can be extortion, but you have to have a credible reason.”

“It’s possible, but why?” Gu Shuping thought about it but couldn’t figure it out.

Gu Yansheng laughed and said, "Didn't you want information? If you don't smash it, what reason am I supposed to find to invite him for drinks and apologize to him?"

Gu Shuping laughed and said, "Okay, I'll look into which one is suitable. We'll use the excuse that we've taken a liking to their hotel and are deliberately causing trouble to try and buy it at a low price. How about that?"

"It's not great, but it's enough."

It's all just an excuse anyway, it doesn't really matter.

“Start by smashing them hard, don’t let them expose themselves. Once they’ve recovered and Ren Yuandao’s people come knocking, then have them contact you and tell me.”

"clear."

"Well, you go ahead."

We've gathered one set of intelligence from Minister Zhou and another set from Ren Yuandao; that should be enough. As soon as Gu Shuping left, Gu Yansheng called Lu Bowen and asked him to come over and prepare the supplies.

"I'll leave the cotton yarn arrangements to you. I'll send someone else to handle the transportation; we'll proceed with the procurement contract as usual."

“No problem.” Lu Bowen agreed quite readily.

"food."

"no problem."

"No problem, let me finish. I'm going to rob Fu Xiao'an's grain transport team. You're familiar with grain, do you know what route Fu Xiao'an's grain transport team is taking?"

"You don't need me to solve the food problem?" Lu Bowen was a little disappointed. After all, he was now a legitimate grain merchant with several grain factories.

"No need, the route."

"The route depends on where you are going. Northern Jiangsu is by the sea. If you are coming to Shanghai from northern Jiangsu, you will travel by water. You can load the ship directly at the dock in northern Jiangsu and disembark at Wusongkou in Shanghai."

If you're going to Suzhou, then transport by land to Nantong, Taizhou, or Yangzhou, then cross the river to Zhenjiang or Zhangjiagang. The former goes towards Nanjing, and the latter towards Suzhou.

"Is Fu Xiao'an's route the same?"

"That must be it. These are well-established routes with the lowest costs. My men have even encountered their grain convoy before."

“Okay.” Gu Yansheng nodded, then thought for a moment and said, “Suppose I have grain in Suzhou, and I want to sell it to Fu Xiao’an, but I don’t want Fu Xiao’an to sell the grain to Shanghai, but rather to go towards Zhenjiang, what can I do?”

"Moving in the opposite direction?" Lu Bowen was initially surprised, but then he realized, "Is the main force of the troops near Zhenjiang?"

"More or less." Gu Yansheng wasn't sure either, since the telegram didn't say so.

However, when expanding northward, the troops always moved from the direction of Anhui towards northern Jiangsu, which involved crossing the Yangtze River.

So far, Gu Yansheng has not heard any news about the New Fourth Army crossing the river.

That is, the area with the most troops is located between Anhui and Jiangsu, in the triangular region of Ma'anshan, Changzhou, and Zhenjiang.

It's most likely the border area.

The advantage of border areas is that neither A nor B wants to interfere.

Who would put in the effort and get the reward? Sending troops to deal with these troublesome Communists would be a waste of resources; they wouldn't get anything out of them, and they'd only lose themselves in the process. That's the thinking behind the Japanese and their puppet troops.

"Anyway, they will definitely come to the vicinity of Zhenjiang to cross the river, and they will receive our grain wherever it is transported."

"understood."

Lu Bowen thought for a moment and then said, "There's no reason to transport grain from Suzhou to the grain-producing areas, but there is a type of ship that is currently doing just that."

"What ship?"

“The grain transport ships under Japanese control loaded the grain they had collected onto the ships and transported it away. Their destination was not Zhenjiang, but rather to go down the Yangtze River, from Shanghai to Wuhan, and deliver it directly to the front lines. This route passed through Zhenjiang.”

"If that's the case, I'll lose interest in even robbing Fu Xiao'an."

Gu Yansheng stood up and looked at the map hanging on the wall. "In that case, let the New Fourth Army just rob the Japanese directly. We'll provide the timing."

Gu Yansheng remembered that the New Fourth Army had a water ghost team.

“We can’t let Fu Xiao’an get away with this.” Lu Bowen knew that when Gu Yansheng had ideas, he could always find a way to resolve them.

“I have another way. It’s not harvest season now, and everyone is short of grain. The grain from Suzhou can’t be transported to Zhenjiang in large quantities, but if it’s transported to Nanjing, it will pass through there.”

If we could coordinate with the troops to pull off that stunt halfway through the journey, wouldn't that solve everything?

Gu Yansheng glanced at the map and clicked his tongue, "That makes sense. We can transport the grain to Nanjing by land and have the troops rob the grain on their way to Zhenjiang."

It really works.

Suzhou's grain supply can be partially supplied to Nanjing without any problem.

Lu Bowen smiled and said, "Is that alright? We'll provide both plans to the organization and let them choose."

Gu Yansheng scoffed, "What's there to choose? Only children make choices. Figure out the patterns of the Japanese grain transport ships, calculate the marching distance from the point of attack to Zhenjiang, rob Fu Xiao'an first, and then rob the Japanese grain transport ships. Once you've robbed both batches of grain, by the time they cross the river, you'll have enough grain for the rest of the year before the harvest season."

"Well, you're ruthless. But we don't know how much grain Fu Xiao'an has. If there's too much, they won't be able to carry it all, which will slow down their march."

"We should distribute it to the local people rather than leave it for the Japanese. At least we can win the hearts of the people."

That's settled then. Gu Yansheng will report it, confirm the route, and let the organization take action.

There's not much of a problem in Jiangsu, but Gu Yansheng estimates that things aren't going well for the troops in North China.

There, he was powerless to intervene.

I've always wanted to change things, but I don't have a good way to do it.

Although the organization did not say it, it was aware of Wang Kemin's situation and would not force him to do so for his safety.

“The Japanese army in North China trusts Wang Kemin, and it’s difficult for me to arrange for people to do so. Do you have any ideas on how to provide supplies to our party’s army in North China?” Gu Yansheng looked at the top of the map.

The Japanese were waging a large-scale mopping-up operation there, so resources were not as plentiful as in Central China, making it particularly difficult.

“North China.” Lu Bowen frowned as he looked at the map. “Transportation in North China is mostly done by land. I’ve heard that the Japanese are now implementing the Three Alls Policy, a scorched-earth policy. Even if we can manage to transport grain to Tianjin by sea…”

However, getting to places like Taiyuan would require passing through too many Japanese checkpoints. The Japanese couldn't possibly ignore such a large amount of our grain supplies.

Even if Lu Bowen took Gu Yansheng's power into account, it would be impossible for him to get through this.

“Besides individual travelers, each person should bring a little, like those drug dealers. If they're not too conspicuous, that's fine, but the boss needs quite a few people too, otherwise the number won't be enough to satisfy the army,” Lu Bowen added.

So, how about it, can you extend your reach into North China?

"How about I go to North China to scout things out?" Lu Bowen volunteered.

Gu Yansheng shook his head, "There's no need for that. There's not enough time, and it's too late to solve the immediate problem."

By the time Lu Bowen has taken control of North China, it will take at least a few months, resulting in significant losses. Moreover, the area might be overrun by bandits, and Gu Yansheng's authority will be completely insufficient to address the situation.

Thinking of bandits, a thought suddenly occurred to Gu Yansheng: "How many bandits are there there?"

"There are definitely many. In this day and age, there are bandits everywhere. Even in Manchukuo, which was under Japanese control, there were still many bandits."

"If bandits can survive, then they must have space."

Gu Yansheng thought for a moment and said, "You go back first, I'll think about this matter some more."

"Okay, then I'll go prepare the cotton yarn first."

"Okay, no need to rush. We can transport them over after they cross the river."

Cotton yarn isn't that urgent.

"understood."

With Lu Bowen gone, Gu Yansheng had to go to Shen's Garment Shop.

"Why did you come here?" Shen Linshen asked in surprise. "Gu Shuping came by."

Gu Yansheng nodded. "There's something I can't let him know. I reckon the situation in North China is pretty difficult too. Have you heard?"

"I've heard it's even more difficult than here."

“I’ve been thinking about how to help North China, but I haven’t been able to get involved. Now I have a plan: to have the Green Gang send people to North China to act as a trade and transportation team.”

“Zhang Xiaolin will help you? Isn’t that too dangerous? What if he betrays you? Isn’t that too risky?” Shen Linshen felt the risk was too great.

Gu Yansheng calmly hummed in agreement, "Of course I know Zhang Xiaolin is unreliable, so he's not part of my plan."

"Zhang Xiaolin isn't there?"

"Assassinate Zhang Xiaolin, install Chen Mo in power, advance into North China, unite our party's insiders in North China, integrate the local underworld, build transportation lines, and reach the base area."

(End of this chapter)