Chapter 58: Long Sleeves Dance Well

  The banquet venue was bustling and chaotic, with the leaders of the Nanjing puppet government led by Mayor Zhou Xuechang respectfully leading the puppet Finance Minister Zhou Fohai and the puppet Industry Minister Mei Siping to the podium to deliver a speech.

  Lin Xiaotang narrowed her eyes and listened for a while. It was undeniable that Zhou Fohai and Mei Shiping, although they were die-hard traitors under Wang Jingwei's command, still had a demeanor and tone worth praising, but the content of their conversation made Lin Xiaotang's heart tighten involuntarily.

  Of course, Zhou Fohai and Mei Siping's speeches were both dignified and solemn, but the people present were all seasoned politicians and businesspeople who had been through many battles, so they could still hear the unusual implications behind their words.

  Originally, after the Japanese side was bogged down in the current battle situation, they planned to adjust their political and economic policies in the occupied areas. They returned most of the Chinese factories that were originally under their control to the puppet government and handed over the material control rights within the occupied areas to the puppet government for management. This made the puppet government, which had been struggling until now, overjoyed. To show their loyalty, the puppet government would establish a department called the "National Commercial Control General Association" (Note 1) in Shanghai after Wang Jingwei took office. Under this association, there were five control committees: cotton, rice and grains, flour and wheat, oil and grains, and daily necessities. Branches were also set up in Nanjing, Wuhan, and other places to comprehensively implement a wartime economic system in the occupied areas, including material control measures such as purchasing, allocation, unified control of materials, material exchange, operation, and procurement of military supplies, all serving Japan's aggressive war efforts.

  Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaotang couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. What does this mean? It means that the Japanese will tie the puppet government and the vast masses of people in the occupied areas to their chariot of aggression, and such a policy is no different from an economic invasion. It can be imagined that once this "National Commercial Control General Association" starts operating, all kinds of materials in the occupied areas will flow into the Japanese army through this department, becoming a helping hand for their military actions. Moreover, with Lin Xiaotang's understanding of the puppet government, the Hanjian officials and speculators from top to bottom will spare no effort to increase their plundering of the people in the occupied areas, and at that time, these economic policies will become their best tool for making a fortune. The financial market, securities market, and circulation field will face an unprecedented disaster.

  Zhou Fohai and Mei Siping finished their speeches, except for the pseudo-government officials who were excited with flushed faces and shining eyes, applauding desperately. The business community responded sparsely, and every face showed deep worry.

  The old man who had just twisted his foot turned his head and looked at Lin Xiaotang: "What's wrong, got something on your mind?"

  Lin Xiaotang sighed: "The ones who suffered are still the national enterprises and the ordinary people!"

  The old man nodded in deep agreement and then made a silent gesture: "As long as you understand in your heart, don't pay too much attention to it."

  Lin Xiaotang suddenly thought that she had not asked the old man's name, which seemed a bit impolite. She apologized and said: "Sorry, I haven't asked how to address you yet?"

  Zong Fei took a step forward: "This is Mr. Zhuang Chongxian, the deputy director of Nanjing Military Intelligence Bureau and the director of Shanghai Military Intelligence Agency."

  Lin Xiaotang was taken aback, silently scolding herself for being muddled. In the past when she was with Ma Qixiang and Shen Pangzi, she had heard about Zong Fei's affairs and knew that he was the right-hand man of Zhuang Chongxian, the big shot of the Military Intelligence Agency. It was said that this Zhuang Chongxian was an old minister who followed Wang Jingwei everywhere, was a student in Japan, and had also participated in the Xinhai Revolution, always helping Wang handle some unsavory matters. However, later on because he had some reservations about Wang Jingwei's surrender to the Japanese, he gradually lost favor, and with the rapid rise of Li Shiqun, Ding Mucun, and others, Zhuang Chongxian was slowly marginalized, and the Military Intelligence Agency became a notorious cold palace in the Nanjing puppet government.

  Zong Fei followed Zhuang Chongxian purely out of gratitude. In his early years, Zhuang Chongxian had inadvertently saved Zong Fei's life in Guangzhou, and Zong Fei was deeply grateful, so he followed Zhuang Chongxian everywhere, becoming a beautiful story on the rivers and lakes of "a drop of water returns a gushing spring".

  Three people bowed to each other again and exchanged a few pleasantries. Suddenly, Zhuang Chongxian sincerely apologized to Lin Xiaotang with great solemnity, which surprised Lin Xiaotang greatly. However, Zhuang Chongxian remained calm and composed, saying with a hint of apology: "Mr. Lin, please don't be surprised. This is only natural. I've heard about what happened in Shanghai earlier. The conflict between you and the 76th was ultimately caused by my useless subordinate, Yuan Jianfeng. I've already severely reprimanded him. I hope you can let it go this time for my sake. After all, he's the son of an old acquaintance, so please don't hold it against me."

  Lin Xiaotang suddenly realized, hastily apologized a few times, and explained to Zhuang Chongsheng that Yuan Jianfeng was originally his classmate, but because of a momentary confusion, he did such a thing. The matter has been settled perfectly, and he didn't plan to settle accounts after the autumn either. However, he asked Zhuang Chongsheng to spare his face and take care of Yuan Jianfeng if there's an opportunity.

  Lin Xiaotang said this, not without purpose. He was very clear about Yuan Jianfeng's character and had no hope of changing him after what happened. However, he had heard about the struggle between the Military Intelligence Agency and No. 76, and since he was currently isolated in Nanjing, perhaps the Military Intelligence Agency behind Zhuang Chongxian could become a cooperative partner, as long as there was a common enemy like No. 76. As for Yuan Jianfeng, Lin Xiaotang didn't take him seriously at all. He only said those words to give Zhuang Chongxian some face.

  Zhuang Chongxian was very satisfied with Lin Xiaotang's attitude, and then he tactfully brought up the proposal to have an in-depth conversation with Lin Xiaotang. Lin Xiaotang understood immediately and readily agreed, saying that she would personally visit him, which made Zhuang Chongxian feel even more that Lin Xiaotang was a person who could be taught.

  A few people chatted for a while, and Zhuang Chong and Zong Fei went to entertain high-ranking government officials. Lin Xiaotang only then discovered that Ma Qixiang was nowhere to be seen, and after searching the venue for a good while, he found that this young master Xiang was hiding in a corner chatting with someone about something.

  Seeing Lin Xiaotang walking over with a wine glass, Ma Qixiang quickly pulled him over and scolded: "You're still wandering around here, be careful not to be seen by those local Nanjing businessmen and Commerce Bureau people, you can't even run away!"

  Lin Xiaotang smiled wryly: "Is there anything wrong with me making a high-profile fortune?"

  Ma Qixiang pointed at Lin Xiaotang: "Brother, this is my boss, Lin Xiaotang. You can call him Yu Zhong or Xiao Qi too."

  The man in front of him was only a few years older than Ma Qixiang, and the two men looked very similar. However, this person had less of Ma Qixiang's good looks but more stability. It had to be said that the Ma family indeed produced handsome men. This person exuded an air of elegance and the dignity that only those in high positions possessed.

  It wasn't until the introduction that Lin Xiaotang realized that this was actually Ma Qixiang's older cousin, Ma Qixin, who held a high position in the Ministry of Finance and was also recognized within the family as the next head of the household.

  Ma Qiwu gave Ma Qixiang a white eye, but Ma Qixiang didn't think much of it and quietly stuck out his tongue. It was clear that he still had some fear of this elder cousin of his.

  "You're already so big, but you still don't have any stability. Is this the attitude you show to your own boss? What will outsiders think when they see this? How can others dare to deal with you? And what about your marriage to Miss Qiao? The Qiaos are a prominent family in Southeast Asia, and our Ma family wants to form an alliance with them, but they look down on you. You need to know how to make an effort. Since you're following Old Master Lin to learn business, you should have the demeanor of a student and subordinate. Don't always be so sloppy, do you understand?"

  Ma Qiwu's scolding of Ma Qixiang made Lin Xiaotang laugh dumbly, and at the same time, she couldn't help but look up to Ma Qiwu a few points. A few sentences of seemingly casual conversation not only reprimanded Ma Qixiang but also elevated Lin Xiaotang. This person is indeed not simple!

  Lin Xiaotang looked at Ma Qixiang's awkward appearance and had to come out to help him save face. Ma Qiwu also took the opportunity to flatter Lin Xiaotang a few times, and before long, the two of them were addressing each other as brothers.

  Ma Qiweng pulled the two of them in a bit, looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, and then lowered his voice to say: "Yu Zhong younger brother, you also heard the speeches by Director Zhou and Director Mei just now, what do you think?"

  Lin Xiaotang blinked her eyes and decided to keep a low profile: "The situation is like this, the government also has no way!"

  Ma Qiweng sneered: "Yu Zhong, my younger brother, a wise man doesn't speak in riddles. You and Xiao Xiang are sworn brothers, I'm his older brother, so it's clear what our relationship is, even if we don't say it out loud, outsiders will still put us on the same boat. Your company claims to be participating in the construction of New Nanjing, but you and I both know the truth - with the current situation, there's no way we can talk about construction. Let me be frank, do you want a share of this pie?"

  Seeing Ma Qiwu's aggressive gaze, Lin Xiaotang's heart moved: "What does Brother Wen mean?"

  Ma Qiweng looked around and said, "It's very simple, take what you need!"

  Lin Xiaotang nodded resolutely, knowing that his attitude would have a great impact on what Ma Qiwu was about to say. This time, Ma Qiwu seemed to be fully prepared, and he had no personal stake in the matter. In this extraordinary moment, everyone was looking out for themselves. Lin Xiaotang and Ma Qixiang were brothers, and if Lin showed even a hint of hesitation now, it would be seen as a sign of distrust by Ma Qiwu. What Lin needed right now was an ally and partner like Ma Qiwu, who was still somewhat reliable. This was the same logic that applied to his cooperation with Zhuang Chongxian.

  As expected, Ma Qiwu was very appreciative of Lin Xiaotang's decisiveness and immediately laid out his own ideas. His plan was to take advantage of the puppet government's wartime economic policies: on one hand, Lin Xiaotang's Longsheng Company would acquire a batch of factories in the occupied areas, producing and collecting various military supplies needed by the Japanese army; on the other hand, Ma Qiwu would use his connections with the puppet government to officially purchase these supplies through legitimate channels, earning a profit from the price difference. As for the banking and securities industries, they would wait and observe the situation before making their next move.

  His plan made Lin Xiaotang silent, Ma Qiweng's purpose was very clear, he wanted to make a fortune through this material control plan, but this was something that Lin Xiaotang deeply resisted in his heart. Putting aside the money, providing these materials to the Japanese was helping them to continuously expand their war machine, which was contrary to Lin Xiaotang's bottom line of attacking the Japanese. However, Ma Qiweng's idea seemed to be exploitable, he just couldn't think of the key point for the time being.

  Lin Xiaotang has not responded yet. The lights in the venue suddenly dimmed, and then the voice of the conference host sounded: "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we are fortunate to have invited Miss Duan Yuran from Nanjing Red Song Star to come and assist with the dinner party. Please give a warm applause and welcome Miss Duan to show off her singing skills!"

  A strong beam of light shone on the simple stage in the venue, a young woman dressed in a dark green cheongsam stood elegantly at the center of the stage, with a snow-white ermine fur cape around her neck matching her delicate and exquisite face, causing the guests below to cheer and applaud.

  Lin Xiaotang took a closer look at the woman's appearance and was suddenly shocked in his heart: "How could it be her?"

  Note 1: National Commercial Control Association. In 1943, the Wang puppet government established a "National Commercial Control Association" in Shanghai specifically to serve the Japanese, with the aim of controlling military supplies in the occupied areas and strengthening their military power (although similar institutions had already appeared as early as 1940). After registering various materials, they were not allowed to be moved, resold, or used by themselves, but only supplied for Japanese use, requisitioned, or "designated donations". As a result, there was a severe shortage of various materials in the occupied areas, and prices soared. The high-ranking officials of the Wang puppet government also took advantage of the situation to manipulate banks, money shops, and securities trading institutions to engage in black market speculation, further exacerbating the chaos in the market. This book has adjusted the establishment time of this institution to 1939 for plot purposes, and this is a special note.