69novels Chapter 238 Representative Zhou's Dignity
Chapter 238 Representative Zhou's Dignity
At Shanghai South Railway Station, the night wind blew along the tracks, causing the row of kerosene lamps outside the freight yard to flicker.
Suddenly, the stove selling roasted chestnuts on the street corner made a sound. The iron shovel turned the chestnuts over with two crackling sounds, and the aroma was carried by the night wind to fill the street. A porter in a short jacket, carrying a shoulder pole, came out of the side door of the freight depot. His shoulder swayed, as if he had been blown off balance by the wind, and the roll of oil paper in his hand slid down to the wall.
Lu Shaoting didn't move.
The tall, thin man didn't move either.
The porter grumbled as he squatted down to pick up the items, muttering, "Those guys at the dispatch station really know how to make trouble," and deliberately left half of the oil paper roll sticking out. There were red pencil marks on the corner of the paper indicating the coal storage area, as well as a string of blurry train timestamps.
Lu Shaoting's eyes lit up immediately.
This isn't the complete map, but it looks like a torn corner from a full map. The most problematic part is that it shows an old warehouse line that winds its way from the South Station freight yard into the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou area, along with outdated coal yard numbers. Laymen won't understand it, but experts will immediately recognize it as something "accidentally leaked by an insider."
The less it resembles a trap, the more it resembles the real thing.
Lu Shaoting finally reached out, tucked the rolled-up oil paper into his sleeve, and turned to leave.
Across from the dispatch building, behind a shoe stall that had already closed, Su Guiying sat on a low stool, holding a half-bowl of cold tea in her hands. There was no steam on the tea, but she looked at it intently, as if she were examining a fish scale that had just been caught in a net.
An old man selling chestnuts bent down to add charcoal, a young shoe vendor polished a pair of worn-out shoes, and a newsboy ran past from the alley entrance, a half-stack of overnight newspapers tucked under his arm. None of them looked at each other, but every movement sent a message towards the teahouse.
The female staff member took a step closer and whispered, "Director, the map is in his hands."
Su Guiying put down her teacup. "His eyes lit up?"
"It's very bright. Like drawing three of a kind on a gambling table, thinking you're going to win big tonight."
Su Guiying smiled faintly. "That's good. When fishing for this kind of person, if the bait is too real, he might not dare to take it; if the bait is too fake, he'll feel like you're looking down on him. Half real and half fake is what suits his taste best."
She looked up towards the South Station and said, "Tell Lieutenant Hu not to move the perimeter. People can follow, but the roads cannot be blocked. Have him send the map out."
The female officer hesitated, then asked, "What if we send them to the International Settlement?"
"It would be better to send them in." Su Guiying tapped the rim of her teacup lightly with her fingertip. "There's still the International Settlement sign left in the concession. They always feel like hiding inside is like crawling into a foreigner's pocket, making it difficult for our Military Intelligence Bureau to reach them. So let them hide. The more secure they are in hiding, the more footprints they'll leave."
On the second floor of a teahouse outside the City God Temple in Shanghai, a small lamp is still lit.
When Su Guiying returned to the teahouse, three things were already laid out on the table: a bag of roasted chestnuts, a pair of freshly polished old leather shoes, and a copy of the *Minsheng Daily* folded into quarters. These three items were a code.
The chestnut's opening indicates that Lu Shaoting retrieved the map.
The fact that the heels of the leather shoes are pointing outwards indicates that someone is following them.
The fact that the newspaper was pressed down at the corners indicates that the other party was heading towards the International Settlement.
Su Guiying peeled a chestnut, took a slow bite, and felt the hot, sweet taste, which made her tongue twitch slightly. She didn't frown, but simply said to the officer beside her, "Let the newsboys go first, followed by the coachmen. The tea server line stays at the representative's residence; don't let Zhou Qiheng's side realize that our focus tonight isn't on him."
The clerk agreed, then asked, "If Representative Zhou really doesn't know about Lu Shaoting's connection, shouldn't we give him some face?"
"We don't give him face; it's up to him whether he wants it or not."
Su Guiying tossed the chestnut shells into the dish. "Zhou Qiheng has the dignity of a Northern Expeditionary and the stubbornness of a Southern representative. If he's willing to cut Lu Shaoting out, he can continue sitting at the negotiating table. If he's unwilling, then don't blame Hu Qiankuan for reading the articles of association like a verdict."
The night deepened in the back alley of the old silver shop in the International Settlement.
During the day, there are foreign firm clerks, bank accountants, and newspaper runners coming and going. But at night, only a few dim yellow light bulbs on the back door illuminate the brick walls, making them appear black. Lu Shaoting followed the tall, thin man through a small wooden door. Behind the door was not the main building of the bank, but a small room filled with old accounting boxes.
There were three people sitting in the room.
One wore a long gown with ink smudges on the cuffs; another had a short beard and a telegraph book beside him; and a younger man was copying several numbers into a codebook with a pencil. The codebook was old and worn, with curled pages, clearly an old thing that had been used for many years.
The man in the long robe took the oil paper roll, and his breathing became heavy after just one glance.
"This looks real."
Lu Shaoting's face was tense. "It's not just a resemblance; it's coming from the South Station dispatch building. Once the new regulations for Southeast are implemented, if we don't act now, even the back door of the representative's residence will have to be registered."
The short-bearded man opened the codebook, sneered, "The Chen family army has rules written down more meticulously than those of foreign consulates. They say they won't oppose the Northern Expedition, but they don't hold back at all, adding bolts one by one."
Lu Shaoting didn't respond to that, but lowered his voice and said, "Send a telegram first. Tell the higher-ups that the map is in hand and we can pick it up tonight. Send the person who can make the final decision. The railcars, grain prices, and special government bond accounts are all secondary; this map is the most important thing."
The young man immediately began to write.
Outside the wall on the other side, a vendor selling wontons at night slowly walked past the alley entrance with his load on a shoulder pole. The load swayed, and the soup ladle bumped against the edge of the copper pot with a clink. The sound was very soft, but it made two people in the shadows at the end of the alley simultaneously raise their eyes.
Hu Qiankuan stood under a brick wall, not wearing a military uniform, but only an old woolen coat, his eyes behind his glasses were very calm.
The plainclothes officer next to him whispered, "Lieutenant Hu, should we seal off the door now? The evidence is there, and the radio is also there."
Hu Qiankuan did not move.
"Director Su meant to copy the electricity, not to raid the entire operation."
The plainclothes officer frowned. "But they're in the International Settlement."
"So we can't be reckless." Hu Qiankuan looked at the small wooden door, his voice steady. "If we rush in now, the foreign police will be at our door tomorrow morning with a protest letter, saying that Chen's army is disrupting the order of the International Settlement. Let them send it first, get the telegram through their hands, get the evidence in their hands, and then we can talk about the boundaries of law enforcement."
He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Grabbing a few errand boys is worthless. Making them write down the names of those in charge themselves is what it means to know how to manage a household."
The plainclothes officer was taken aback, then couldn't help but chuckle softly, "The adjutant's words are starting to sound more and more like those of the young marshal."
Hu Qiankuan glanced at him. "Young Marshal, that's like chopping with a knife. I'm just sewing with a needle."
After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and made a gesture.
At the end of the alley, a clock repairman packed up his stall and slowly made his way to the back window of the telegraph office. There, an old telephone line draped over the wall, its insulation worn through in a small section, usually unnoticed. Tonight, Su Guiying's men had been waiting there for half the night.
Southeast Central Bank, secret room.
Mo Huixin didn't sleep. The account books under the lamp covered half the table, and she flattened them one by one: grain price lists, wagon tickets, loading and unloading schedules at the South Station, and the accounts receivable and payable to the three grain merchants.
The old accountant handed over a newly copied message, "President, Yifeng, Changcheng, and Detai have already started spreading rumors in the market."
Mo Huixin looked up. "What do you mean?"
"They said that Chen's army outwardly supported the Northern Expedition but in reality withheld grain from the southeast and prevented it from leaving the country. They also said that if the Northern Expeditionary Army ran out of food in Jiangxi, the responsibility would lie with the southeast."
The telegraph operator, listening nearby, turned pale. "This is utterly shameless! They're the ones fixing the price and checking the wagons themselves, and now they're accusing us of withholding grain?"
Mo Huixin gently moved the abacus beads, and with a crisp snap, they clicked.
"Shamelessness is not a skill; making a show of shamelessness is their real trick."
She picked up a red pen and drew a line next to each of the three grain merchants' names. "Don't spread rumors yet. Circle all the large banknotes, warehouse receipt pledges, and transactions with the old banks in the International Settlement that have occurred in the last half month for these three merchants. Then have the Chamber of Commerce's accountant prepare a detailed list, clearly stating the amount of grain available for sale in the Southeast, the cash payment rules, the wagon schedule, and the limits on medicines."
The old accountant asked, "Should we announce it now?"
"No rush. But we need to prepare first..."
Mo Huixin's voice was gentle, but not at all soft. "Wait until they have amplified the rumors to the maximum before making an announcement. By then, everyone will be able to see clearly who is buying grain, who is locking in prices, who is scrambling for wagons, and who is treating the Northern Expedition as a business."
She pushed a short telegram to the telegraph operator, "Send it to Fuzhou. Also copy Adjutant Hu. Keep things stable with Zhou Qiheng. If he still has any shame, he'll know which side he should stand on now."
It was still dark at the Southeast Military and Political Reception Office in Shanghai.
Zhou Qiheng hadn't slept well all night, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He didn't bring any extra attendants, only a secretary. After entering the room, he first took off his hat and placed it beside him.
Hu Qiankuan was already waiting for him.
On the table was the same new version of the passage regulations, with an additional attendant registration form beside it. Zhou Qiheng's brow twitched slightly when he saw the form, but he didn't react immediately as he had yesterday.
"Lieutenant Hu," his voice was a little hoarse, "I had someone check last night, and Lu Shaoting is indeed not at the post."
Hu Qiankuan looked at him. "Mr. Zhou investigated very quickly."
"I have to be quick." Zhou Qiheng gave a wry smile. "If I'm any slower, your side might finish the investigation for me."
Hu Qiankuan did not deny it.
Zhou Qiheng remained silent for a moment before saying, "It is true that the Northern Expeditionary Army is short of food and money. The brothers on the western front are risking their lives fighting Wu Peifu in Wuhan. Every step forward northward requires countless bloodshed and sacrifice. On the eastern front, only by starting from Nanjing and having Bin's army directly threaten Hubei from Anhui can we possibly defeat Wu Peifu and then unite them. Whether we advance westward into Shaanxi or engage in the Central Plains Campaign, the Fengtian clique cannot resist us. The Northern Expedition is a great cause, unifying the Republic of China. This is a major event. But if someone uses the name of the Northern Expedition to do things that are not for their own purposes in the southeast, then that is not the Northern Expedition, but a disgrace to the reputation of the Northern Expedition."
This statement was undeniably heavy, but everyone knew that even if he could represent the Nationalist government, he might not be able to represent the Eastern Route Army of the Northern Expedition.
The Republic of China was fragmented, and the Nationalist government never truly achieved unity and unification.
Hu Qiankuan's gaze flickered slightly behind his glasses, but his tone remained calm. "Mr. Zhou, could you include these words in today's meeting minutes?"
Zhou Qiheng's expression froze for a moment.
He understood. Hu Qiankuan wasn't praising him; he was forcing him to show his attitude. Verbal politeness wasn't enough; he had to put it in writing.
After a long pause, he nodded, "Okay."
Hu Qiankuan pushed the pen forward, "Then please have Mr. Zhou sign a temporary restraining order for the attendants. If Lu Shaoting leaves the residence without permission again, the delegation shall not obstruct the Southeast side from investigating him under the pretext of diplomacy, party affairs, or the Northern Expedition."
Zhou Qiheng stopped holding the pen.
The wind outside blew through the paper windows under the eaves with a rustling sound, like someone gently turning a page of an account book.
Zhou Qiheng finally put pen to paper.
Hu Qiankuan watched the ink seep into the paper before saying calmly, "If Mr. Zhou wants to act with integrity, he'd better control the people he brought with him first."
Fuzhou, temporary coastal defense command center.
Shen Li spread out the three Shanghai telegrams in front of Chen Zijun: the fake map of the South Station has been obtained, the telegrams from the back alley of the old silver shop in the International Settlement have been copied, and the Southeast Central Bank has found the source of the grain price rumors.
Chen Zijun, wearing a military overcoat, stood in front of the nautical chart, and smiled after looking at it.
"Sister Gui's net is woven very finely. Sister Huixin's curtain knife is also very sharp."
Shen Li said, "Young Marshal, the reply from the old silver shop has already included the words 'move immediately upon receiving the map,' but the preceding code words are still being deciphered."
Chen Zijun tapped the table. "No rush. Let them move. That abandoned warehouse line on the fake map is already empty, and the coal yard is outdated. If the Chang faction really judges the Southeast Railway's transport capacity based on this, their next step will be to focus their efforts on a dead well."
Shen Li's lips twitched. "This pit has been dug a bit too deep."
"A deeper is better," Chen Zijun said calmly. "If it's not deep, it won't bury their cleverness."
At that moment, the telegraph operator rushed in and handed Shen Li the latest deciphered manuscript. Shen Li glanced at it, and his face immediately turned cold.
"Young Marshal, the code has been deciphered."
Chen Zijun turned around.
Shen Li read aloud, word by word: "Their President Chang personally approved it, and the plan was to be implemented immediately. Grain prices were issued simultaneously, forcing them to open the way."
The room fell silent.
The sea breeze pattered against the window outside, and the distant buzzing of the radio room could be heard.
Chen Zijun took the telegram, read it for a long time, and the smile on his lips slowly faded.
"it is good."
"This is not a case of a junior attendant trying to take credit."
He pressed the telegram against the edge of the nautical chart, his voice so low it sounded like the back of a knife scraping against the table.
"Since Principal Chang personally approved it, then I'll give him a lesson in person too."