Liu Datong knew the merchants in Chongqing and knew who was behind Zhao Jianye. Now that Zhao Jianye had come to his door with an official document from the municipal government, Liu Datong had no choice but to deal with him.
To be honest, he didn't want to talk to Zhao Jianye. There were refugees everywhere in Chongqing, and housing conditions were extremely difficult. Many slums were just makeshift shacks built by the refugees themselves to make ends meet. Now, a large number of refugees were being housed in this school building. If he went out to the police and forcibly drove them away, wouldn't he just be a target of scorn? Besides, he wasn't some nobody as the police chief. Did they really think he was just a gofer?
However, Liu Datong had grown up in the streets and worked his way up from the bottom for decades. He was shrewd and always had a smile on his face. He said calmly, "Boss Zhao, now that the battle of Changsha has started, more and more refugees are fleeing from the front to Chongqing. The government is calling for all efforts to resettle and appease them. Under the current circumstances, it would be a bit unfair for you to ask me to do this kind of thing!"
Zhao Jianye cursed inwardly as he looked at Liu Datong. It seemed that Secretary-General Wang behind him was not enough to get Director Liu to do his bidding. Without real financial benefits, the other party would not act for free.
Without saying another word, he turned around, took two stacks of banknotes from his briefcase, stepped forward, and gently placed them on the desk in front of Liu Datong. He said again, "Director Liu, of course I won't let you work for nothing. Take these for the brothers to have some tea. After this is done, I'll give you a little something extra! What do you think?"
Liu Datong's eyes lit up, but he glanced forward and was immediately disappointed. The value of the legal tender was declining, and although two stacks of legal tender looked like a lot, they were only worth about two thousand US dollars. He was now firmly in the position of police chief and had a lot of illicit income. This amount of money was not enough for him to do those things against his conscience.
He looked up at Zhao Jianye, curled his lip, and said in a lazy tone, "Mr. Zhao is in big business, so don't waste your time here. My men aren't very capable either. Actually, I suggest you find some connections in the military and just get some soldiers to drive them away!"
Liu Datong's words infuriated Zhao Jianye. This guy was complaining that it wasn't enough! He hadn't planned to spend the money at all, thinking that Secretary Wang's influence would be enough. After all, dealing with a group of powerless refugees was just a piece of cake for the police station. But he didn't expect that Director Liu wouldn't give him any face at all.
As for asking the military for help, that's even more unreliable. Chongqing is currently the wartime capital, and the guards stationed there are naturally Chiang Kai-shek's most trusted cronies. How much would it cost to get such troops to work for me? Besides, this matter isn't under the military's jurisdiction. If I really had that kind of connection, I wouldn't have gone to the police station.
Zhao Jianye gritted his teeth and said in a harsh voice, "Director Liu, Secretary-General Wang is Mr. Chen's man. Aren't you being incredibly disrespectful by doing this?"
When Liu Datong saw Zhao Jianye directly threatening him, he knew that Zhao was unwilling to spend more money. He was also very unhappy. Since there was no sufficient benefit, he was not willing to waste any more time. As for Secretary-General Wang, although he had a powerful background, he was not subordinate to him in the same system. If he wanted to make things difficult for him, he was probably not up to the task. After all, he was based in the Military Intelligence Bureau. As long as it was not one of the big shots in the military, he did not need to worry too much.
Liu Datong's tone became anything but polite at this point. He said coldly, "Whether you give me face or not depends on whether you know what's good for you. Mr. Zhao, let me give you a piece of advice: think things through more in the future. Do you think you, a mere businessman, can boss around my Chongqing Police Headquarters? Are you trying to fob me off with this little bit of money? But out of respect for Secretary-General Wang, I'll let this go today. Show him out!"
“You…” Liu Datong’s sudden change of attitude caught Zhao Jianye off guard. He couldn’t understand how a police chief could have the audacity to ignore Secretary-General Wang and the people behind him. He pointed at Liu Datong for a long time without being able to speak. Finally, he stomped his foot, picked up the money on the table, and stuffed it back into his briefcase.
"Director Liu, then until we meet again!"
After saying that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Liu Datong watched his retreating figure, spat lightly, and muttered under his breath, "What a bastard! Does he really think I'm just a waiter?"
Liu Datong didn't take it seriously. He had encountered this kind of thing many times before. There were so many powerful and influential people in Chongqing. How could he possibly serve them all?
He knew in his heart who he couldn't offend and who he could. He didn't care about people like Zhao Jianye who ran errands for others. Since there was no money to be made, he would just send them away easily.
Just then, the office phone rang. He frowned, picked up the phone gently, and asked slowly, "Who is it?"
"I am Ning Zhiheng!"
The sudden voice from the other end of the phone made Liu Datong's hand tremble, almost dropping the phone. He immediately stood up and said respectfully, "Chief, this is Da Tou. What are your orders?"
It had been so long since the section chief last saw them, and this was the first time the section chief had taken the initiative to call and contact him.
Over the past year, he had tried to see the section chief several times, but Deputy Section Chief Wei had turned him away each time, saying that he was always handling secret missions and could not contact others. However, he knew that the section chief was in Chongqing and had appeared in different public places many times. He just didn't know why he never contacted him, which made him feel uneasy. He was afraid that the section chief was dissatisfied with him. But Deputy Section Chief Wei was always very kind and approachable, and had even helped him out of trouble several times. This attitude made Liu Datong very confused.
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