Lu Ming thought for a while and said: "Don't worry, I will definitely get this money. I said that our Shanghai branch will not be short of funds, and I keep my word."
"Thank you so much, Brother Lu. With your words, I feel at ease." Kang Ze said with great joy.
"What's there to be grateful for? I'm also a member of the club." Lu Ming said with a faint smile.
Lu Ming didn't come in the morning. Kang Ze and the ministerial-level cadres continued to study and discuss the plan to go underground. When the topic came up about money, everyone fell silent and sighed.
Going underground is not simply a matter of changing your identity, it involves many issues in all aspects.
People who go underground not only need a cover identity, but also a legitimate occupation and cannot be unemployed.
Everyone's legitimate occupation must withstand scrutiny. Even if you open a small grocery store, there must be costs. Anyway, everything boils down to a question of money. As long as you have money, everything else is not a problem.
The money issue was not resolved, and the meeting was in vain. We had to wait for Lu Ming to come back and then study how to move to underground work. The morning meeting had to be stopped in the middle.
As soon as Lu Ming arrived, the meeting immediately resumed.
Kang Ze briefly talked about the plan that he had initially researched in the morning, which was nothing more than establishing companies and business houses in various neighborhoods of Shanghai, as well as surrounding cities and counties, and how the power of the Blue Clothes Club would be distributed according to priorities.
Personnel placement adopts two methods: voluntary and organizational arrangements. Everyone's wishes are first solicited, and then overall arrangements are made.
Another is to establish a number of safe strongholds. The personnel in the strongholds must also make a living and do various small businesses. Those with higher education levels can be arranged to work as teachers in universities, middle schools and primary schools.
In this way, a network covering all neighborhoods in Shanghai and even various concessions was formed, and it also radiated to the urban areas of surrounding cities and counties, forming a complete intelligence network with Shanghai as the center.
This plan is very large and more complicated than Kang Ze's original proposal to establish observation points throughout Shanghai.
However, this creates two problems. The first is that a large amount of funds is required, which is too large and difficult to raise. The second problem is how to resolve conflicts with local interests.
Everyone stared at Lu Ming with big eyes and small eyes, hoping that he could create a miracle and solve these problems like magic with a wave of his hand.
Lu Ming thought for a long time and said: "Actually, both of these problems can be solved, but we can't show up but can only be invisible, so we need to find an agent."
"Agent?" Kang Ze didn't understand what Lu Ming meant.
"Yes, we will entrust Sheng's Industry to help us establish companies and stores, and then set up various small businesses everywhere, and use Sheng's people to negotiate with all parties. Our various cover agencies are hidden in Sheng's Industry
, This way we can avoid conflicts with local interests." Lu Ming said briefly.
Kang Ze suddenly stood up, obviously very excited: "Wow, this is really a good idea, but can Sheng Industry agree to this plan? Will it bring them trouble?"
Kang Ze's implication is that Lanyi Club has already let Sheng's bloodletting, and now they are asking others to help us withstand the accusation. If the news leaks out, it will not be a matter of money for Sheng's industry.
"Well, I will coordinate in this regard. It shouldn't be a big problem." Lu Ming said calmly.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. If people from Sheng's Industry came forward to do these things, Shanghai's party, government, military, and gangs would give them some face, and local forces would not get entangled.
Director of the Fourth Intelligence Service suddenly sighed: "I have another concern. Now our brothers who are soldiers don't have enough to eat and can't wear shoes, but we are spending millions of dollars to do this here, right?
Too out of place?"
"That is, things have to be prioritized. With these millions, it is better to support the brothers who are preparing to fight." The director of the fifth division also said.
Kang Ze sneered: "You mean we are not in a hurry to go underground. After the Japanese invade, do you think we should retreat or surrender?"
The director of the fifth division hurriedly waved his hand and said: "President, that's not what I meant. What I meant was that the situation is now easing. It seems that the war cannot be fought."
Kang Ze squinted his eyes and said: "You are not Japanese, how do you know that the war can't start? The issue of military pay is settled by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of National Defense. It is not something we should worry about. What we have to manage is the Shanghai Intelligence System.
thing."
Lu Ming hurriedly explained: "You don't have to worry too much. The issue of military pay has been eased in the past few days. At least the brothers will not be unable to eat or wear shoes. In addition, everyone's intentions are not wrong.
, the plan to move everyone underground is indeed not something that can be completed in three or two days, it requires a process."
"How long will it take, so we can be mentally prepared?" the Director of the Sixth Division asked in a hoarse voice.
"My idea is this. If the Japanese really come in and occupy Shanghai, then they will all go underground and hide, and then gradually establish shops and companies, as well as various strongholds, and everyone will enter these places in batches to carry out work.
." Lu Ming said to the Director of the Sixth Division.
"Well, this is a good way to avoid mistakes while busy." Kang Ze agreed.
No matter who you are, you will understand after reading the plan that this cannot be completed in a few months. It may take one to two years to fully implement it, and many details need further elaboration and polishing.
"In addition, the funds that everyone is talking about actually involve a very important issue, that is, once someone checks the source of the funds, it will be unclear. So what I mean is that these properties and facilities are all provided by Sheng's Industry, and the property rights belong to them.
Everything. We are just leasing offices, so from the book we are only paying rental fees, so there will be no problem of millions of dollars." Lu Ming continued.
"It's too difficult for you, Mr. Sheng. Will they agree?" Kang Ze said with an apologetic smile.
Although the Blue Clothes Club's expenses are all provided by Sheng's Industries, every payment is a debt owed by the government, and the principal and interest will have to be repaid in the future.
Sheng Youde is a businessman, so of course he won't do business at a loss, and the government certainly won't lose his money.
But according to Lu Ming's plan, Sheng Investment bought so many properties and facilities for leasing, which was completely beyond their investment scope.
Sheng's Industry is not in the real estate business, and if they are now allowed to invest large sums of money in real estate that cannot bring high profits, they are basically doing a loss-making business.
What's more, everyone knows one thing well. No matter whether there will be a big war in Shanghai this time or whether the Japanese will occupy Shanghai, an all-out war between China and Japan is inevitable, and Shanghai may not be able to hold it by then.
It is really possible that it could fall, in which case the Sheng family members would probably seek refuge abroad.
What was most valuable during the war years was, of course, gold and jewelry, the so-called antiques of golden times in troubled times.
What is least valuable, that is, what has depreciated the most, is of course the property that cannot be taken away.
Thinking back to those White Russian nobles who lived in the Wanguo Apartment, none of them had expensive real estate and land in Russia. However, when they fled to Shanghai, they only took gold and jewelry with them. All the real estate and land left in Russia were confiscated.
This is a common truth in the world. In times of war, rich people will not engage in real estate business. They will sell their excess real estate and exchange it for pounds, US dollars, gold and jewelry, which can be taken abroad at any time.
A few million silver dollars is indeed a huge amount of money, but it is not a big sum of money for Sheng's industry.
Lu Ming had other calculations in his mind. He believed that Sheng Youde would agree to his plan and that the money would not be wasted and would definitely be worth it.
Because what Sheng Youde needs most now is not money, but information.
Sheng will not invest the money all at once, but will pay it in installments. During this process, people from Sheng's industry will slowly infiltrate into the Blue Clothes Club, and all they will get is first-hand information.
In Sheng Youde's business experience, the most important thing in the world is of course money, and the only thing more important than money is intelligence, because intelligence can bring more money.
"You don't have to worry about this issue. I will convince Chairman Sheng to invest. If people from Sheng's Industry are needed to handle various things, there will be no problem." Lu Ming said.