Chapter 788: Which spy is so brain-dead?
Pan Laizhu woke up.
He found himself tied up in all sorts of ways, and he was suddenly both anxious and angry.
'Zhang Yong!'
'Zhang Yong!'
he yelled hysterically.
Zhang Yong was sitting in the lounge chair next to him, leisurely eating peanut brittle.
It was hard to get hold of. Someone had even had to go out and buy it. It had cost a pretty penny! He had forgotten to eat it before. Now he had time.
Mmm, delicious, delicious...
'Wang family son-in-law, what do you want?' Zhang Yong said in a polite tone. He was harmless.
'How dare you arrest me?' Pan Laibin struggled desperately.
Of course it was futile.
Can you break free from five-point binding? Are you kidding?
Even the Japanese spy, who was so clever, couldn't break free, let alone an ordinary person like him.
Not to mention the handcuffs.
Ever since Wu Yuanfu (Sakata Kazuo) managed to break free by accident, Zhang Yong has been mindful of this.
Unless you deliberately create an opportunity for the other person to escape, otherwise, even if the Buddha himself came, there is no way they could break free. He has already learned his lesson.
The system had previously sent him a special pair of handcuffs. But they were used up. And now they are gone.
'Why be afraid?' Zhang Yong's tone was calm.
While talking, he flipped through the account book.
It mainly contained the inventory of the warehouse at the dock. A complete record of the archives.
The map showed that there were many weapons symbols in those warehouses. This indicated that there were hidden weapons inside.
Could it be a large quantity of arms? I don't think so. My guess is that it's a small quantity of weapons and ammunition smuggled by private individuals. For example, the Thompson submachine gun I accidentally seized last time.
Why do they smuggle?
The main reason is that they don't want other people to know.
It's not that they can't be bought through official channels. There are plenty of foreign firms in Shanghai.
Most of the foreigners in the concession are engaged in comprador business. Weapons and ammunition are of course an important part of the trade.
However, the prices set by foreign firms are very high. It's difficult for ordinary people to accept.
Especially the French. Weapons are simply astronomical.
In 1936, the most expensive weapons on the international market were not German but French.
The authentic Miss France, the French Schneider M1897 75mm field gun, cost tens of thousands of dollars if bought from the French. It was almost as expensive as a German 105mm howitzer. In terms of silver dollars, it was at least 40,000 silver dollars. However, if you bought a copy from another country, the price would be only one-third. You could buy it for 3,000 US dollars. This shows the huge profits of French weapons. The Yuan capital would be no match.
'You just wait,' said Pan Laibin, grinding his teeth.
Zhang Yong nodded. He nudged the telephone.
He waved his hand. He told someone to untie Pan Laibin. Let him call for help.
It didn't matter.
He could call anyone.
If he was really capable, he could call the President.
Pan Laibin picked up the receiver and was about to find someone to take the rap.
However, while dialing, he seemed to realise the gravity of the situation.
Why would Zhang Yong let him make the call?
What was the other party going to do?
Could it be that the target is not himself?
A sudden thought struck him.
He is the son-in-law of the Wang family. Of course he is not stupid.
Before, he did not think too much about it. But now, his intelligence suddenly came online.
He stopped dialing. Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
Why is Zhang Yong so calm?
Is it because he has someone backing him up? Who is it? Is it Jiang?
This guy came to the docks in a menacing manner to seize territory. Who gave him the order? Who is at odds with the Wang family?
Is it Zhang Yong?
Of course not. He is just the one who has come forward.
The real mastermind is hiding behind the scenes. This mastermind is the most terrifying of all.
Perhaps it is Jiang. Jiang is the most sinister person around...
'What? No more fighting?'
'It's none of your business whether I fight or not...'
'Pang!'
Before the words had finished, he received a slap.
But it was Zhang Yong who slapped the other person in the face, leaving five clear finger marks.
It's true that it's none of my business. But I just want to hit you.
It's also none of your business if I hit you.
'You...'
'Slap!'
'You...'
'Slap!'
The cycle repeated itself.
Whenever Pan Laibin opened his mouth, Zhang Yong gave him a slap.
His right hand got tired, so he switched to his left.
He hit him with both hands, and was fully satisfied.
Finally...
Pan Laibin became quiet.
He understood that he had met a real villain.
Those punks on the street were nothing. This one in front of him was the real deal. He was ruthless.
He was unreasonable.
He just hit.
He knew he was from the Wang family, but he didn't care.
Frankly, Du Yuesheng wouldn't dare hit him like this. Nor would Huang Jinrong. But Zhang Yong did. He even seemed to enjoy it.
He was so angry. He wanted to tear Zhang Yong apart. However, for now, he had to accept the reality.
If he keeps up his defiance, he may as well die here.
'You can call someone to come and shake someone up,' Zhang Yong said with a sneer.
Pan Laibin was silent. He bowed his head. He didn't say a word.
He was unwilling to accept this. But he didn't dare to argue back.
Zhang Yong then stood up. He went about his business.
A guy who is all bark and no bite. A dog that relies on the strength of others. He can't even beat himself.
Haha.
The persimmon specially picks the soft ones to squeeze...
'Go!'
He waved his hand. He led the others to inspect the warehouses.
He wanted to check out all the warehouses marked with weapons.
Since they were marked with weapons, they might be hiding something else. If he could find some valuable things by accident...
Suddenly, the map showed two yellow dots appear. They were walking towards the dock.
There was no mark. And there was no way to mark it. So, Zhang Yong didn't know who they were. However, they were here...
He deliberately slowed down his pace and waited for the other party to appear.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, two yellow dots appeared in the field of view.
Oh, one of them was an acquaintance. It was Boss Miao from Huichun Hall. The other one was a stranger.
He narrowed his eyes.
He remembered the wounded man who was not a yellow dot.
Previously, he had reminded Shi Bingdao, but there had been no further news. He had not mentioned it again.
That was someone else's internal matter, and it was already taboo for him to mention it. If he continued to pursue the matter, he was afraid that others would resent him. He would never do something so thankless. The Red Party would ultimately win anyway. Even if there were occasional twists and turns along the way, it wouldn't matter.
And then...
Ignore it. Continue with your own business.
The warehouse he had to inspect now was Warehouse 4. The name on the register was obviously fake.
Who's goods are they behind all this? Zhang Yong doesn't know. And he doesn't want to ask. He just wants to get rich. Take out all the weapons in there.
Will that offend people? Of course. There are so many people he'll offend.
Behind these warehouses, there must be people with connections. At the very least, they're at the level of Chen Qingquan and Zhang Ping.
But...
He's offended so many people already, he doesn't care.
Besides, the core members of Chiang Kai-shek's side don't need to do things like this. They can get a lot of weapons in an aboveboard manner.
Therefore, the person behind the weapons smuggling must not be a core member.
Since he is not a top boss, he will be fine.
'Bang!'
The warehouse door was opened.
The situation in front of him felt a bit familiar.
Huh? Why are there so many cotton fabrics?
These bundles...
He remembered Liao Panxi...
Before, a lot of weapons were also placed inside the bundles of cotton fabrics of the Liao family.
It shouldn't be here...
'Lv Hai.'
'Present.'
'Go and get the person in charge.'
'Yes.'
Lu Hai quickly brought an overseer.
The overseer's job was to register various information about the goods.
According to his description, there was also registration data. The cotton cloth in Warehouse 4 was transported from Jinling.
A ship full. The total number was more than 8,800 bundles.
'Jinling?'
'Yes.'
Zhang Yong took over the register. It was indeed Jinling.
He frowned. He felt that there might be a mistake somewhere. Or that the accurate information had not been registered at all.
If the owner of the goods deliberately concealed it, you could not go to sea to investigate.
In fact, if the person receiving the goods was too important, the inspection team simply did not dare to ask.
The so-called inspection team actually served to protect smuggling.
Crack down on the smuggling of the poor. Protect the smuggling of the rich. Let the rich continue to make money.
'No...'
Zhang Yong believed in his own eyes.
These bales of cotton cloth are really similar to those of the Liao family.
They are most likely from the Liao family. Or they come from the same source as the Liao family. Therefore, they contain weapons and ammunition.
Therefore...
Search!
Search everything!
'Clatter...'
'Clatter...'
The target bales of cotton cloth were painstakingly pulled out.
Unwrapped on the ground. Spread out. Sure enough, there were many shotguns hidden inside. All wrapped in cotton wool.
They were opened. Sure enough, they were all in mint condition. Fifteen in total. But there were no bullets.
Only the guns. No bullets.
The bullets were probably hidden somewhere else. And then they weren't brought here.
What a pity. No silver dollars were found.
Before, in the Liao family's bales of cotton, there were silver dollars hidden inside.
Because of that shipment, Xuan Tiewu had a lot to eat. Zhang Yong is still depressed when he thinks about it now. A hundred million yuan was missed.
So, now, do you want to keep missing out? Of course not...
Since there's time, let's take our time and sort it out! Check each bale of cotton fabric carefully.
They don't need to do it themselves. There are plenty of coolies at the docks.
'Zhao Hai.'
'Yes.'
'Go organise fifty people to come and work.'
'Yes.'
Zhao Hai promised and went.
Half an hour later, he returned with fifty strong men.
They were all dock labourers. They didn't have much else. They had strength. They could carry a hundred-odd-pound bale of cotton fabric and just start walking.
Zhang Yong gave them a brief explanation of what they had to do. They had to carry the bales of cotton fabric outside to the open space. Then they had to unroll them. See what was inside.
It happened to be a beautiful sunny day. The end of May in the Gregorian calendar. Not particularly hot. But very dry.
Zhang Yong noticed that the two yellow dots were also watching the fun from nearby.
He didn't care. He started working.
A bale of cotton cloth is carried out. It is unrolled...
Two...
Three...
Nothing.
Nothing.
Zhang Yong is in a good mood.
It doesn't matter if there is nothing. He can still afford to pay the coolies...
'Clatter...'
'Clatter...'
Suddenly, a pleasant sound comes from the bale.
Zhang Yong doesn't need to look to know that he has struck it rich. This is the sound of wealth!
No one is more familiar with this sound than he is.
He turned his head. Sure enough, he saw that inside the latest bundle of cotton cloth that had been unpacked, there was a full ocean of banknotes pouring out.
Just by taking a quick glance, Zhang Yong was able to determine that. The number of banknotes should be around a thousand. About sixty catties.
This was the ideal hidden weight. Exactly the same as the Liao family's before.
Very good. Made a fortune. A good start. Continue.
Intentionally or unintentionally, he glanced at the two yellow dots. His gaze swept past.
Ignored.
Ordered that the banknotes be collected. Counted.
Meanwhile, he continued to tell the labourers to bring out more bales of cotton cloth, place them on the ground, and untie them.
It didn't matter whether there would be more to come. He had already earned 1,000 taels of silver. For someone with insatiable greed, 1,000 taels of silver was a bit too little. However, for other people, 1,000 taels of silver was already a very considerable sum.
'Clatter...'
'Clatter...'
Suddenly, there was another pleasant sound.
Zhang Yong: ???
Huh? What's going on?
So quickly, they found a second batch of silver dollars?
Wow. What good luck.
They only opened 30 or so bales of cotton cloth and found two batches of silver dollars?
He turns his head.
Sure enough, he sees a large amount of silver dollars pouring out.
These silver dollars were not sealed carefully inside the bales of cotton cloth. Nor were they tightly packed. It seems that they were a bit rushed?
That's right. It seems to have been stuffed in in a hurry. It's not even sealed with red paper. If it had been sealed in bundles of 50 or 100 with red paper, it definitely wouldn't have spilled out in such a messy way. And of course there would be no pleasant sound.
Good. Two thousand taels of silver.
The heavens really are one's own father. Hurrying to send money.
He was looking for weapons. He never expected to find so much money. There seems to be quite a lot of it. It is very likely that it is the money that got away.
The Japanese spy in Hangzhou may have made an early delivery before he went into hiding. The goods left the dock before he was able to block the Qiantang River. They arrived safely in Shanghai and entered the warehouse at the Wusongkou dock. Then they were waiting to be picked up. But the person who was going to pick them up may have been arrested by Zhang Yong. So they have been left there until now.
It should, probably, perhaps, or be the case...
Anyway, Zhang Yong couldn't think of any other reason.
Great!
Occupying the wharf really has its advantages.
Just one warehouse and already so much profit! There are dozens more behind it!
Haha. Just thinking about it makes me feel energised.
Waving his hand,
he tells someone to bring a deck chair.
He sits under the eaves. Closing his eyes, he recovers his energy. Cultivating his inner strength.
What was it again? Remain calm in the face of success and adversity. Yes. Remain calm in the face of success and adversity. Even if there are 100,000 taels of silver, I won't be surprised.
There are 8,800 bales of cotton in the warehouse, all of which need to be unrolled and inspected. This is a very large project.
Fortunately, there are many people, so the work can be done quickly. There is also time.
'Clatter, clatter...'
'Clatter, clatter...'
Suddenly, there is another pleasant sound.
Needless to say, more silver has been discovered. Haha. This is quite a high density.
How many bales of cotton have been opened? Less than a hundred. And already 3,000 taels have been found. That's almost a ratio of 1:30. At this rate, with more than 8,000 bales of cotton, there could be more than 200,000 taels?
Shame on me...
I've scared myself.
No way. No way. There can't be that much...
Any amount over 50,000 is a very scary number.
Yes, 50,000...
It mustn't exceed 50,000. It mustn't.
Why?
Because these large sums of money have been exposed and must be handed over.
Handed over to whom? Of course, it's the Ministry of Emptiness. That's where one's final resting place will be. The Special Branch of the Restoration Society is just a transition.
'Clatter...'
'Clatter...'
There's the sound of pleasant voices again.
Well, this is the fourth batch of large sums of money! It's hidden so densely!
Could it be that what was found at the Qiantang River wharf wasn't all of it? There's more here? Wow, if that's the case, then one has really struck it rich.
No. It's not him who will get rich. It's the Ministry of Finance. It's Madam...
No point in opening my eyes.
There are so many people watching anyway. No one will dare to do anything.
He just needs to wait for the final statistics.
The final statistics will be reported to the Ministry of Finance. Then everyone will prove that he, Zhang Yong, has not embezzled a single dollar...
Oh, I forgot. Make a phone call.
I need to call Yang Lichu. Confiscate the money in the name of the Air Force General Staff Department's Intelligence Division 3.
Get up. Go make the call.
He noticed that Pan Laizai was staring stupidly at the ocean of money outside.
How could there be so much money?
How could it be...
Why hadn't he noticed before?
Stupid...
Really...
Sitting on a mountain of gold, but not realising it.
As a result, Zhang Yong came along and dug up the mountain of gold.
He wanted to vomit blood...
Zhang Yong pulled him away. Really. Blocking the rotation of the earth. Get out of the way.
He picked up the phone and called Longhua Airport. Yang Lichu should still be there. However, Shen Ming answered the phone. The young girl's voice was really pleasant to hear.
'This is Zhang Yong...'
'Team Leader Zhang, I'm at your service...'
'Where did you learn to speak like that?'
'I had some training!'
'Okay. Where is Yang Lichu? I need to speak to her.'
'Sister Li just left. I don't know where she went. Do you need someone else to answer the phone? Director Zhang Ping is here...'
'Oh? Zhang Ping is here? Then put him on the phone.'
'Okay.'
Shen Ming put the phone down and went to find someone.
Zhang Yong nodded thoughtfully. Zhang Ping is actually here?
The Air Force is awesome with its planes. As long as you don't suffer from acrophobia and are willing to fly, you can be there in a flash.
It really is possible to shuttle between Jinling, Shanghai and Hangzhou. It's extremely fast.
In fact, if you fly directly from Jinling to Guangzhou, it's only about four hours.
If Chen Shanben were flying the plane, he could get there in three hours. That guy likes to speed, and he's famous for it in the Air Force.
He's often put in solitary confinement. But he accepts it with an open mind and never repents. He's got a lot of character.
Okay, since Zhang Ping has come to Shanghai, then please ask him to come directly to the dock to pick up the goods.
Soon, Zhang Ping answered the phone, 'Shaolong...'
'Director Zhang, you can send someone to the dock to pick up the goods. I've already taken care of things here.'
'Oh? You've taken care of things? How?'
'I've arrested Pan Laibin. I'm now the boss of the dock.'
'You...'
Zhang Ping was speechless.
This Zhang Yong is really a roughneck.
He went straight to the door and arrested the person. Tied him up. And he's taken over the dock?
Does he need to be so exaggerated...
'By the way, Director Zhang, I also accidentally seized a large amount of foreign coins, which I plan to hand over to the Ministry of Currency. Please arrange for someone to come and collect them!'
'Foreign coins? How many?'
'They haven't been fully excavated yet. There may be more than 10,000.'
'Good, good, good.'
Zhang Ping's heart was suddenly filled with joy.
Occupying the wharf is great! Very good!
More than 10,000 foreign coins...
The Ministry of Currency really needs them!
He hurriedly arranged for someone to come and collect them. Then he drove to the wharf. He soon found Zhang Yong.
Zhang Yong looked a little dazed. He was staring at the mountain of cash in front of him. He didn't even react when Zhang Ping called out to him.
Zhang Ping was also a little puzzled. There was so much cash. 10,000? Could that be right?
It looked like there were tens of thousands of yuan...
'Shaolong!'
'Shaolong!'
Zhang Ping came up to Zhang Yong and patted him on the shoulder.
Zhang Yong finally came to his senses. His eyes were filled with reluctance and despondency.
What a tragedy...
Another 100 million yuan missed...
According to statistics, less than a third of the bales of cotton have been unwrapped.
But!
More than 100,000 yuan in cash has been found!
100,000 yuan!
100,000 yuan!
I'll say it three times for emphasis.
Zhang Yong can already feel his liver aching. What a tragedy. All that hard work for nothing.
You said you wouldn't find more than 50,000 yuan. But now, with only a third of the bales unwrapped, you've already found 100,000 yuan. How am I supposed to live with this?
Aaaaah, this is unbridled wealth! And you're giving it away again...
I want to cry...
Really.
And I'm so angry.
Which idiot hid so many yuan inside the cotton bales!
And they weren't even sealed properly! Which idiot was it?
Could you please give a little warning next time...
It's a complete disaster...
It's a complete disaster...
At first, I thought it was very pleasant, but now it's completely cutting into my meat!
Shiitake mushrooms...
Blue sadness...
No matter how many yuan there are, they're still someone else's...
all belong to others...
all belong to others...