Ch 324: Vicious Economic Warfare
Zhao Jiu, carrying two hundred thousand counterfeit yen, quickly arrived outside the living room, and Lin Chen waved his hands, signaling him to wait.
This wait, however, was rather long. Five minutes later, a bodyguard hurried out of the living room and said to Lin Chen, “Mr. Lin, our young master has finished his telephone call. Please come in to discuss the details.”
“Mm.”
Lin Chen nodded and beckoned Zhao Jiu to enter the living room with the counterfeit yen.
Zhu Bohou, with a joyful expression, hurriedly stepped forward, “Mr. Lin, I have already sent bodyguard Ade back to the Zhu Family. The Zhu Family’s additional token of appreciation will arrive shortly. Please wait a moment.”
Hearing this, Lin Chen politely said, “No hurry, no hurry.”
In fact, he had sensed from Zhu Bohou’s attitude after the telephone call that not only had the transaction become smoother, but Zhu Bohou had also become more anxious.
It seemed that the Zhu Family urgently needed a pass from the Shanghai Garrison Military Police Headquarters; something must have happened.
As for what it was, Lin Chen couldn’t think of it for the moment.
He guessed it must be related to Little Japan’s policies; it was not surprising that a clan like the Zhu Family received advance notice.
Lin Chen turned his head and instructed Zhao Jiu, who was standing beside him, “Zhao Jiu, give the two hundred thousand yen to Young Master Zhu.”
Zhao Jiu quickly placed the small suitcase containing two hundred thousand yen on the coffee table, opened it, and then pushed it towards Zhu Bohou.
However, Zhu Bohou didn’t even look at the two hundred thousand yen in the small suitcase; he pushed it across the coffee table to Lin Chen.
Lin Chen was slightly surprised, then guessed Zhu Bohou’s meaning. He didn’t expose it on the spot, but asked with a meaningful smile, “Young Master Zhu, what does this mean?”
This two hundred thousand yen, of course, was not for him.
Zhu Bohou smiled, “This two hundred thousand yen is the Zhu Family’s first month’s dividend. Please trouble Mr. Lin to convey it to Mr. Lin’s Japanese friend and forward it to the Military Police Headquarters.”
“Within two days, the Zhu Family will personally deliver the equivalent of two hundred thousand yen in gold to the Lin Mansion.”
“At that time, I will still trouble Mr. Lin to conduct the agreed transaction for the pass issued by the Military Police Headquarters.”
Indeed!
Just as Lin Chen had previously estimated, the Zhu Family had conveniently used him to submit the two hundred thousand yen to the Military Police Headquarters.
“No problem.”
Lin Chen smilingly agreed.
With the transaction concluded, Lin Chen then began to chat casually with Zhu Bohou, mainly to find out why the Zhu Family was so anxious to obtain the pass.
But Zhu Bohou, perhaps instructed by the Zhu Family, would simply smile without speaking whenever Lin Chen’s conversation touched on this issue, maintaining an enigmatic air.
At this moment, Lin Chen sneered inwardly, thinking, “I am the Deputy Section Chief of the Tokkō. With a single telephone call, I can get any news regarding Little Japan.”
“Trying to act tough with me?”
“The Zhu Family has misjudged me!”
After Zhu Bohou’s bodyguard returned to the Zhu Family and brought back a ten thousand US dollar red envelope, Zhu Bohou finally took his leave from the Lin Mansion.
After seeing off Zhu Bohou, Lin Chen immediately telephoned the Tokkō in Hongkou.
Suzuki Yugo answered the telephone.
Lin Chen briefly recounted the matter of the Zhu Family on French Concession Zhu Bao San Road sending two hundred thousand yen, omitting the parts unfavorable to himself and giving a simplified account.
From the Zhu Family’s eagerness to obtain the pass, Lin Chen sensed a question about the Zhu Family.
Suzuki Yugo, who answered the telephone, immediately became serious, “Mr. Miura, you have been busy with infiltration in the concessions recently, and you haven’t been able to handle Tokkō matters. Since you have raised this question, let me tell you the reason.”
“This is how it is; let me tell you slowly.”
“Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saw that the Tokkō and the military police under the Ministry of Home Affairs in Shanghai were doing very well after they joined forces.”
“The people in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs got jealous and also wanted to establish an intelligence agency in Shanghai!”
“In April this year, Iwai Eiji, the deputy consul of the Shanghai Consulate, established an intelligence agency in Shanghai for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is publicly known as the Iwai Consulate.”
“According to the information we have gathered at the Tokkō, the Zhu Family on French Concession Zhu Bao San Road is a major businessman in the French Concession who was recruited by Iwai Eiji.”
“The Section Chief previously asked you to pay attention to Old Master Liu’s actions. In the end, Old Master Liu became the Maintenance Chairman. This was actually part of the Section Chief’s plan.”
“This is because Old Master Liu has an excellent relationship with the Yu Family in the International Settlement!”
“Mr. Miura, the largest businessman in the concessions is the Yu Family, not the Zhu Family. The Yu Family is the target that the Empire most needs to win over.”
“Iwai Eiji couldn’t win over the Yu Family, so he went to contact the Zhu Family—what a fool wasting the Empire’s resources!”
“Fortunately, Old Master Liu has already become the Maintenance Chairman designated by our Tokkō and is currently contacting the Yu Family.”
“You have also connected with the Yu Family, which is excellent!”
“Commander Miura has ordered the tightening of passes, making Iwai Eiji’s support for the Zhu Family difficult.”
“Mr. Miura, I heard this was your suggestion. You are too bad, haha!”
On the telephone, Suzuki Yugo laughed wildly, indicating his satisfaction.
Colleagues are rivals; nobody wants someone to compete with them for their work.
The Ministry of Home Affairs in Little Japan dislikes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Tokkō dislikes the Iwai Consulate—this phenomenon is quite normal.
The Iwai Consulate is cultivating the Zhu Family as its proxy, so it is naturally disliked by the Tokkō. The Tokkō then uses Old Master Liu to influence the Yu Family, a leading businessman in Shanghai.
“The Zhu Family is anxious for you to obtain the pass because the Empire’s high-level document regarding the Total War against the Nationalist-Controlled Area has been issued.”
Simply put, “Total War” refers to a war waged using all the nation’s resources, including economic, cultural, political, and military means.
“Economic warfare in Total War is a blockade of the Nationalist-Controlled Area, but it allows Empire businessmen to engage in smuggling into the Nationalist-Controlled Area!”
As soon as Suzuki Yugo finished speaking, Lin Chen’s face twitched involuntarily.
Little Japan, on the one hand, imposes a blockade, and on the other hand, allows its businessmen to engage in smuggling into the Nationalist-Controlled Area. This seems contradictory, but in reality, this is Little Japan’s insidious nature.
Two seemingly contradictory actions, upon closer examination, are actually complementary methods.
Little Japan mainly smuggles non-military goods. Through smuggling, Little Japan can obtain National Currency.
Then, they use this National Currency to acquire foreign exchange funds from the National Government’s National Currency, exchanging Japanese goods for tea, silk, hog bristles, vegetable oil, and cattle and sheep hides, strengthening their foreign exchange reserves.
They dump unsold goods from Little Japan’s homeland into the Nationalist-Controlled Area. The funds obtained through smuggling are then used to purchase goods lacking in Little Japan from the Nationalist-Controlled Area, such as tungsten sand, hog bristles, cotton, and grain.
In short, Little Japan’s current economic warfare within its Total War strategy is to cause the collapse of the National Currency.
In the information Lin Chen learned in later generations, Little Japan acquired foreign exchange funds totaling twenty-five million pounds during the Resistance War.
War is fought with money!
Although Lin Chen is powerless to change Little Japan’s poisonous scheme of economic warfare in its “Total War,” he must still do his best!
No wonder the Zhu Family was so eager to obtain the pass and readily provided protection fees to the Shanghai Garrison Military Police Headquarters.
The Zhu Family must have heard about Little Japan’s “economic warfare” from Iwai Eiji!
……
