Fortunately, the director had given very clear instructions in the telegram, even specifying the exact candidates. So he quickly summoned his two trusted confidants. He then asked Si Guangyuan, "These past few months, things have been very dangerous in Shanghai. Are you aware of this?"
Since Wan Mulin was arrested in Shanghai, Yue Sheng stopped arranging for Wan Mulin to return to Shanghai to manage his businesses, just in case. Instead, he let Si Guangyuan handle it. In the past few months, Si Guangyuan has returned to Shanghai twice, so Yue Sheng wanted to find out how things were going.
Si Guangyuan nodded upon hearing this and said, "It is indeed very chaotic. It's all because of the establishment of the Central Reserve Bank. The Nanjing government was eager to promote the Central Reserve Bank currency, but the Chongqing side refused to give in. As a result, the 76th and the Chongqing agents fought fiercely, resulting in countless deaths and injuries. Now everyone in the financial world is in danger and doesn't even dare to leave their homes."
Then, he gave Yue Sheng a detailed account of what he had learned.
Yue Sheng sighed and said helplessly, "Alas, now the matter has fallen on my shoulders. Li Zhiqun has taken two hundred employees of the Central Bank hostage, forcing Chongqing to make concessions. The Military Intelligence Bureau is asking us to step in and facilitate a reconciliation between the two sides, but I don't even dare to go back to Shanghai, so how can I facilitate this?"
Yue Sheng knew his identity was special and dared not take any risks himself. He knew very well that as soon as he set foot on Shanghai soil, the Japanese would detain him and force him to work for them, and he would never be able to escape again.
"However, this time the Military Intelligence Bureau gave detailed instructions, ordering the two of you to go to Shanghai immediately to handle this matter."
At this point, he looked at Wan Mulin and said, "Mulin, I'm sorry to trouble you again this time."
Wan Mulin, however, showed no fear and showed no intention of backing down. He immediately nodded and accepted the order, saying, "Brother Yue Sheng, don't worry, I will definitely handle this matter well!"
"good!"
Yue Sheng thought for a moment, then instructed, "But don't worry, this time when you go back to Shanghai, you won't need to deal with the Japanese. Your task is to make contact with Chen Hongchi, the head of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai station, and be responsible for liaison matters with the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai station. There won't be any safety issues."
Yue Sheng then looked at Si Guangyuan and said, "The key point of this mission is to reach a reconciliation with Li Zhiqun and persuade him to agree to a ceasefire. This is also the most difficult part. Last time when you rescued Mu Lin, you managed to get through to that Japanese nobleman Fujiwara Tomohito. This time, try the same approach and have him persuade Li Zhiqun. Do you think it will work?"
Si Guangyuan pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "This is indeed a good idea. Fujiwara Tomohito holds a very important position in the Japanese social hierarchy. I personally witnessed him call Kagesa Hiroki, and with just a casual remark, Kagesa Hiroki obediently released Brother Mulin. His immense power is evident. If he can speak up, Li Zhiqun wouldn't dare disobey, but..."
"But what?" Yue Sheng asked quickly.
"This Fujiwara Tomohito has a huge appetite. Last time, in order to meet him, I spent a lot of money to ask Su Yue to be the introducer, and also gave him antiques, calligraphy and paintings, as well as two of the best properties in the French Concession. Only then did I get Fujiwara Tomohito to speak up. And that was just to rescue Brother Mulin. But this time, not only do we need to make Li Zhiqun stop, but we also need to rescue those two hundred bank employees. This amount of money is by no means small. I estimate that we will have to hand over all our properties in Shanghai. The loss will be too great!"
Si Guangyuan's words startled Yue Sheng. He realized he had been somewhat negligent. In his opinion, Wan Mulin's life was far more valuable than the lives of the two hundred bank employees. However, in the eyes of Japanese dignitaries like Fujiwara Tomohito, Wan Mulin and those bank employees were no different. Saving one person and saving two hundred people would definitely have different prices. Given Fujiwara Tomohito's appetite, how much money would this cost?
After leaving Shanghai, I naturally didn't have as much money as before, and I couldn't afford such a huge loss. I had to explain things clearly to the Military Intelligence Bureau.
After much deliberation, Yue Sheng gritted his teeth and said, "We'll cover the expenses first. This time, we'll give him all our assets in Shanghai and make this happen. We'll have to take action sooner or later anyway."
Yue Sheng had many properties left in Shanghai, but given the current situation, it was hard to say whether he would be able to return to Shanghai in the future. Moreover, the Japanese taking back the concessions was almost a done deal, and by then, it would be difficult to protect his properties. It would be better to take this opportunity to sell them off and then get money from the Military Intelligence Bureau.
The three of them discussed the matter carefully for a long time, and the next day, Wan Mulin and Si Guangyuan set off for Shanghai.
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