Chapter 50: Special Investigation Section IV

Chapter 50: Special Service Section (4)

"At the beginning, everyone will need to work a bit harder to contact the smugglers in Shanghai. I know they play both sides—smuggling goods from Shanghai into the Nationalist-controlled areas on one hand, and smuggling goods from the Nationalist areas back into Shanghai on the other. We cannot let them enjoy these resources all by themselves; the Special Service Section must get its share of the meat."

"We will operate using two methods simultaneously. First, buy the goods entering Shanghai at low prices. If they refuse, they won't enter Shanghai. Remember, figure out their transportation routes. Second, find out what goods they need, purchase them on the market, and sell them to them!"

"Two principles: First, we must not cause them to make a loss. They must make some profit, as we are long-term business partners. Second, we must not touch the major smugglers who have close ties with the Japanese, like Zhang Xiaolin. Without achievements and merit, the Special Service Section does not have the leverage to arm-wrestle with people like that."

"In the current environment, even a fool could run such a business. You can operate alone or in small groups. Brothers, countless gold bars and US dollars are beckoning to us!"

"I haven't decorated my office yet precisely because I want it to look magnificent, equipped with imported office furniture, and we will buy new cars later on. Whether all this becomes a reality depends entirely on you!"

"Look at this. This is a transportation permit issued by the Japanese special service agency, which guarantees unobstructed passage within Shanghai! Now let's move on to the first step: clean our offices, use trucks to haul away the garbage, and at noon, I will treat everyone to a gathering," Xu Ruiyang said.

The effect of these words was obvious. The more than twenty new employees who had joined the Hongyuan Trading Company were full of drive, as could be seen from the results of the cleaning.

Only a superior who brings tangible benefits to his subordinates is a good superior. A superior full of empty clichés will command no prestige before his subordinates.

Whether it was the desks and chairs, the doors and windows, the glass, or the floors, everything was scrubbed extremely clean by these people—cleaner even than a dog could lick it. Not a single person complained of hardship or fatigue!

The remaining nine policemen were not idle either. They contacted the telephone bureau to get the lines connected, contacted the General Affairs Department of the Police Department to send electricians to inspect the wiring, and dispatched maintenance workers to check the water pipes.

Some drove cars into the streets to buy daily necessities, such as cigarettes, ashtrays, thermoses, teapots, teacups, tea leaves, kettles, coal ball stoves, paper, and pens—items indispensable for daily office work.

Others drove trucks to purchase brand-new sheet metal filing cabinets and dozens of locks, along with brand-new bedding for the duty room, as night shifts were set to begin tonight.

Xu Ruiyang didn't spend a single cent of his own money on these purchases; paying out of pocket was merely a slogan!

Before coming, he had obtained a sum of funds from Lu Ying, which wasn't considered large—three thousand legal tender notes—as a new organization naturally needed some moving expenses.

The Special Service Section Chief's office was naturally the first to be cleaned and was also the largest. This had been the office of the original trading company's boss. The decoration was quite decent, except that the room was completely empty.

A set of desks and chairs, a sofa, and a coffee table were already there; a set of sheet metal filing cabinets had just been bought, and there was no other furniture to speak of, though he didn't care about such things.

Standing by the window smoking a cigarette, Xu Ruiyang considered how to carry out his work.

The Underground Party went without saying; his own comrades were to be protected with his life. Meanwhile, although the Military Statistics Bureau posed a tremendous threat to the Underground Party, it was currently also resisting Japan. What should he do?

What Xu Ruiyang had never feared was failing to find targets. His experience at the Guannei Security Bureau had taught him that no matter how meticulous the design, there are always loopholes!

What he needed to do was gain the trust of the Japanese while failing to find targets. Therefore, this problem was extremely difficult to answer!

The crucial point was that neither the Underground Party organization nor the Military Statistics Bureau had sent anyone to contact him. He felt somewhat insecure inside, an empty and deeply uncomfortable sensation.

Yet he did not have much time, and the trust of the Japanese had its limits. If he failed to produce achievements for too long, he would inevitably be discarded! Of course, it wouldn't happen that fast; dragging it out for a few months or half a year wouldn't be a problem.

By half-way through the morning, the storefront and the various offices in the office building were basically cleaned. Then, Xu Ruiyang played host, treating everyone to a meal at a nearby restaurant.

Before they even returned, all twenty-four people from the Hongyuan Trading Company slipped away right at the restaurant's entrance.

There was no need to worry about goods being inspected—this was an open and aboveboard opportunity to make money. Tung oil, bristle, and rosin from the Nationalist-controlled areas, alongside yarn, cloth, medicine, tires, and hardware tools from Shanghai, were all in high demand. There were plenty of people wanting them!

"Sit down, let's drink tea, smoke, and hold a small meeting to discuss how to carry out our work. Including myself, all colleagues of the Special Service Section are currently in the probationary stage."

"The function of the Special Service Section is to deal with the agents of the Chongqing Government and the Underground Party. To preserve our organization, we must produce results. Having spent the past two years in Shanghai, you should at least know some clues by now?" After returning to the Special Service Section headquarters following the meal, Xu Ruiyang called the three minor leaders into his office and said.

Chang Weigang, Wan Xuexiang, and Hou Chengye sat respectfully on the sofa. Although they were lighting cigarettes, their demeanor remained somewhat cautious.

This new superior possessed astonishing clout, actually transforming the already-annexed Special Police Corps into the Special Service Section. The crucial part was that he had also secured such a large office location.

"Section Chief, after the establishment of the Reformed Government, the function of the Special Police Corps was the same as the Special Service Section, but the higher-ups were unwilling to invest resources. They just relied on the brothers running around on their own two legs. Meal allowances and bus fares weren't even reimbursed—who would be willing to cooperate with us?" Wan Xuexiang said with a bitter smile.

"Indeed, the agents of the Military Statistics Bureau are deeply embedded, and we don't have any reliable intelligence. Finding targets among a population of several millions is simply unimaginable. We could be looking them right in the face and know nothing, perhaps even having shared a meal with them before!" Hou Chengye said.

"Since that's the case, let me outline the future arrangements. Each of you will be issued three hundred yuan in operational funds starting tomorrow. Go to the International Settlement and the French Concession, and build connections with the police substations in each district. The beat constables know best about any movement within their jurisdictions; that's what they usually do."

"Tell the constables that providing valid intelligence is worth one hundred legal tender dollars, capturing an ordinary Military Statistics agent brings two hundred dollars, and capturing an officer at the section-chief level brings five hundred. If it's someone at the department-head level, one thousand or even two thousand dollars. For a district chief or secretary, give one thousand US dollars or gold bars. Our Special Service Section will not default on payments."

"The incomes of the constables aren't actually very high, especially those Chinese constables. Cooperating with the Special Service Section is mutually beneficial, and I believe they won't refuse. Note that you should look for experienced veteran constables; hotheads aren't necessary," Xu Ruiyang said.