The previous rumors that the exchange rate between the legal tender and the central reserve currency was fifty to one were spread by Cheng Guangting, sent by Li Zhiqun to secretly sabotage the situation and leave Zhou Fushan with a bitter pill to swallow.
Li Zhiqun's secret sabotage and interference this time was primarily for revenge against Zhou Fushan. The enmity between the two had been growing deeper and deeper. Initially, it was because Zhou Fushan supported Ding Mo and prevented Li Zhiqun from seizing power. Later, the two simply turned against each other and fought to the death. After arriving in Nanjing, Zhou Fushan further ostracized and made things difficult for Li Zhiqun, making it hard for him to gain a foothold. All of this fueled Li Zhiqun's deep resentment.
Therefore, he would try every means to oppose anything Zhou Fushan did, and he would never let the other party get what he wanted.
In Nanjing, Li Zhiqun had little influence and was weak and vulnerable, so he suffered a lot of persecution. But now that Zhou Fushan had come to Shanghai, he was essentially on his own turf. How could Li Zhiqun let him have his way? If it weren't for Yingzuo Yushu's special warning not to let Li Zhiqun do anything underhanded, he would have directly taken action against Zhou Fushan.
Of course, this time, spreading rumors was not only to retaliate against Zhou Fushan, but more importantly, he wanted to further demonstrate his role and status in front of the Japanese and the Nanjing government.
It turned out that with the rise of Wen Hao, the No. 21 director in Nanjing, especially after Wen Hao entered the government and became the Minister of the Control Yuan, Li Zhiqun felt more and more threatened by this person. Moreover, Wen Hao was different from Li Zhiqun. He was adept at social maneuvering and gentle in his dealings. He had many connections in Japan and the Nanjing government. Now he had climbed up to Fujiwara Tomohito's big tree. His career was going smoothly. If this trend continued, it would not be long before he replaced Li Zhiqun. Li Zhiqun was deeply worried about this.
The issuance of the Central Reserve Coin in Shanghai this time is a very good opportunity. Zhou Fushan wants to make this happen, and Li Zhiqun must sabotage it so that he can't succeed. In the end, the issuance of the Central Reserve Coin is blocked, and the Nanjing government has no choice but to choose Li Zhiqun. In Shanghai, no one is more suitable to handle this matter than him. At that time, he can show his skills and let the Japanese and the Nanjing government see his methods.
Upon hearing Ye Yaoxian's words, Li Zhiqun laughed and said, "Don't worry too much about Zhou Fushan. That old guy even complained about me to General Yingzuo, but the general rejected it. Now we have an important position in front of the general, so why should we be afraid of him making things difficult for me? However, Cheng Guangting has revealed his true colors and can no longer stay in Shanghai. Arrange for him to go to Hangzhou in the next couple of days. There is a shortage of manpower there, and they need people."
"Yes, I will arrange it as soon as possible."
Ye Yaoxian then asked, "Minister, Zhou Fushan has run into obstacles everywhere in Shanghai this time, and he knows that this matter is related to you. Will he go and say something to Mr. Wang? We have to be careful!"
Li Zhiqun, however, knew very well that the real power in the Nanjing government was not the puppet king Tianhai, but the retired emperor Yingzuo Yushu. As long as he clung tightly to Yingzuo Yushu's coattails, nothing else would be a problem.
He laughed and said dismissively, "My feud with Zhou Fushan has a long history, as everyone knows. Even if he were to accuse me, people would think he was taking revenge. Besides, the government wants to promote the Central Reserve Coin in East China and Shanghai. Without me, Li Zhiqun, could they do it? Don't worry, as long as we hold onto Shanghai, we will have a place in the Nanjing government."
Ye Yaoxian and Yu Xinhong both nodded in agreement. Li Zhiqun continued, "This deal has been quite profitable. I never expected that the smuggling business would be so lucrative. General Yingzuo is very satisfied with the batch of tung oil and pig bristles that were brought back. He told us to intensify our efforts to collect such strategic materials, so that we can also invest the revenue from western Shanghai during this period and expand the scale of trade as soon as possible."
Yu Xinhong hesitated for a moment and said, "Expanding the scale is no problem, I'll transfer the funds immediately. It's just that the commotion is too great. I'm afraid it will alert others. If word gets to Fujiwara Company, it will be troublesome!"
Li Zhiqun was immediately displeased and waved his hand, saying, "This is General Yingzuo's order, and we must carry it out. Even if the information is leaked, it doesn't matter. We are working for General Yingzuo, and the general will take care of it when the time comes."
To be honest, if Fujiwara weren't Wen Hao's backer and not one of us, offering him some tribute wouldn't be out of the question. But, alas, never mind..."
Li Zhiqun was naturally afraid of Fujiwara Tomohito, and even quite resentful. For some reason, despite his constant efforts to please him, Fujiwara Tomohito looked down on him, but he favored Wen Hao and even endorsed him, promoting him to the position of Minister of the Control Yuan, which made Li Zhiqun very uneasy.
Upon hearing this, Ye Yaoxian immediately nodded in agreement and said, "Okay, I'll go and make the arrangements right away."
Ten days later, a convoy of cars drove away from the Shanghai military dock, led by a sedan and followed by a series of trucks.
Ye Yaoxian sat in the back seat of the car. He handed a list to his assistant, Sun Chengdao, and instructed, "We've really invested heavily this time. So much Western medicine and electrical equipment will be more valuable than gold when we get there. You need to be extra careful and make sure there are no mistakes on the way."
Sun Chengdao took the list and nodded in agreement, saying, "Don't worry, I've already paved the way twice. This time I'll bring more people, so there won't be any problems."
"Also, the minister instructed you to keep your subordinates in check, to make them watch their mouths and go out less. This is Shanghai, a city of all sorts of people. I've heard that some people often stay out all night. You need to be careful, because if the news leaks out, it won't be a small matter."
"Yes, these people are actually quite good, and they are capable. I will keep them under strict control!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
