If Lu Ming's words were not enough to convince shareholders of all sizes present, their doubts were all dispelled as soon as Yan Hongdao's words came out.
In fact, they are not particularly afraid that Paramount will be closed down. Although Paramount is a cash cow, this loss will not hurt them.
The wealthy businessmen in Shanghai have deep connections with Nanjing's top management. Even if such a big thing happened to Paramount, the most they could do was to close it down for a while as a show, and it would be impossible to shut down the business completely.
However, if they really seal it for ten days and a half and close it down, it has to do with their own face, and they can't afford to lose this person.
At Yan Hongdao's initiative, the shareholders unanimously agreed to write a letter to lodge a solemn protest with Manchuria Railway, demanding that they release him immediately.
Although some businessmen in Shanghai do business with the Japanese, they are not necessarily pro-Japanese at heart. To say that they are pro-Japanese, they are pro-Japanese.
The Japanese did a lot of bad things in Shanghai and oppressed the Chinese. In fact, this cannot be wiped out by money, and they are also very angry in their hearts.
They didn't care who the Japanese wanted to kidnap, but this time the Japanese actually infiltrated into Paramount and pretended to be staff members and kidnapped Ning Xiner, they couldn't bear it anymore.
All the shareholders of Paramount were united at the moment. They felt greatly offended. The Japanese did not take Paramount and them seriously at all.
At noon, Lu Ming accompanied the shareholders to have a sumptuous lunch at Paramount. During the meal, Yan Hongdao whispered to everyone in private, hoping that they would use their connections to put pressure on Manchuria and demand his release as soon as possible.
Finally, Yan Hongdao reassured Lu Ming that they would spare no effort to get the person back, but also asked Lu Ming to keep his word. As long as the Japanese released the person, the matter would be over. Lu Ming also agreed.
Of course Lu Ming was not willing to give in, but there was no better way. He was in other people's hands, and his priority was to save them now. We would talk about other things later.
In the afternoon, Yan Hongdao and several representatives went to Mantetsu's branch in Shanghai, which is Mantetsu Building.
They had a lot of business dealings with Manchurian Railway and were very familiar with the senior management of Manchurian Railway, so they met directly with the president of Manchurian Railway's Shanghai branch.
They told the story of the kidnapping, and then lodged a solemn protest, demanding that the president of Manchuria Railway immediately order their release.
Of course President Mantetsu knew about this. The action team had been very restless recently. They first kidnapped Ning Xiner, the little princess of the Cao Gang, and then ambushed Lu Ming of the Fuxing Society on the national highway from Nanjing to Shanghai.
This series of actions disrupted the military's plans, especially the ambush of Lu Ming, which angered the General Staff Headquarters.
Yoshijiro Umezu, the General Affairs Minister of the General Staff Headquarters, asked the senior management of Manchuria Railway to strictly manage their subordinates, and the cadres sent by the General Staff Headquarters must also strictly abide by the orders of the military headquarters and must not act without authorization.
However, the Shanghai Manchurian Railway Action Group did not completely take orders from Manchurian Railway. They were semi-independent and had one foot in the intelligence system, so the Manchurian Railway branch president could only warn them not to make the matter a big deal.
Now the matter has really gotten serious. Even Yan Hongdao has come forward and led a group of well-known Shanghai businessmen to protest. This has given the president of the Manchuria Railway Branch a very headache.
Yan Hongdao is not only a big boss in Shanghai, but also Japan's main comprador in Shanghai. It can be said that half of Japan's import and export business in Shanghai is undertaken by the Yan family.
Offending Yan Hongdao is tantamount to enmity with a group of Japanese plutocrats. This is a very unwise choice.
The president of Mantetsu did not dare to neglect, so he directly summoned Ozawa and Yu Ying'er and ordered them to be released in person to show his attitude.
Ozawa Seigoro sat there with his neck hunched, his lips pressed tightly and his brows furrowed, saying nothing, resolutely refusing to accept the order.
Yan Hongdao severely reprimanded Seigoro Ozawa, saying that kidnapping hostages at Paramount was a very stupid act that damaged Sino-Japanese commercial relations. Now that the truth has been revealed, why are they still unwilling to hand over the hostages?
Ozawa Seigoro insisted that Ning Xiner was not only a suspect in the arms case, but also related to whether the Japanese Communist Party hiding inside could be found, so she must not be released.
The president of Mantetsu slammed the table, cursed the members of the action team, and said that he would ask the headquarters for instructions to drive them all back to Japan.
But it was no use no matter how loud the president's voice was. Ozawa didn't even look at him, and stubbornly poked him there like a wooden stake.
Although Yu Ying'er was from within the Manchurian Railway, Ozawa was not. He was directly dispatched to the Manchurian Railway by the General Staff Headquarters, which was equivalent to the military attaché being sent directly to the consulate.
Yan Hongdao is also popular. After all, he is also a big boss in Shanghai. Even the president of Manchuria Railway is polite and respectful when he sees him. Now a young major dares to act arrogantly in front of him.
He immediately stated that if he could not be released today, starting tomorrow, the Japan-China Friendship Promotion Chamber of Commerce would temporarily suspend business dealings with Japan.
Yan Hongdao emphasized that the business of the Chamber of Commerce will only be restarted after he is released.
The president of Manchuria Railway repeatedly said good things, saying that he would ask the top management of the Manchurian Railway headquarters in China to talk to the military and ask the military to order his release. Japanese business in Shanghai must not be interrupted.
Yan Hongdao was not willing to make a desperate move, and when he left, he saved face for the president of Mantetsu: if he could not see Ning Xiner within three days, the Japan-China Friendship Promotion Chamber of Commerce would automatically terminate all business dealings with Japan.
The Japan-China Friendship Promotion Chamber of Commerce was organized by Yan Hongdao. Sino-Japanese trade in Shanghai is basically operated through this platform. Yan Hongdao serves as the chairman of the chamber of commerce.
After Lu Ming heard the news, his heart skipped a beat. He didn't expect that even Yan Hongdao couldn't save anyone.
If we want to rescue Ning Xiner now, we can only rely on An Gonggen to open a breakthrough, obtain the confessions of Changgui Yingzi and Kawaki Rin, and then go through legal channels.
Lu Ming immediately informed Ning Zetao of the progress of the matter and asked him to cooperate.
Ning Zetao was worried that he had nowhere to vent his anger. After receiving the notice from Lu Ming, he immediately convened a meeting with the heads of the various halls of the Cao Gang and decided that from now on, all business related to the Japanese would be stopped.
Ning Zetao's Cao Gang controls the labor unions at the docks and stations. With an order, starting from that night, there will be no workers loading and unloading Japanese cargo ships at all docks. No matter how much money the Japanese offer, no one will pay attention.
The same is true at the station. All Japanese luggage and goods are unloaded and transported by no one, and can only be temporarily piled on the platform.
The next morning, dock workers and station workers held a demonstration to protest against the Japanese's arbitrary kidnapping of Chinese citizens. They held large demonstrations at the Japanese consulate and the Japanese concession.
After receiving the call from Ning Zetao, Du Yuesheng and other Qinghong Gang leaders also began to organize workers in the city to strike, go on strike, and boycott Japanese goods. At the same time, all commercial institutions under their names suspended services to Japanese people.
The upsurge of the Songhu Anti-Japanese War on January 28 seemed to have not completely subsided, and the anger of Shanghai citizens was once again ignited.
Citizens began to boycott the Japanese and Japanese goods in various forms. All restaurants, hotels, and shops refused to accept Japanese people or sell any goods to Japanese people.
Expatriates in Japan suddenly fell into darkness. Their lives were inseparable from the supporting facilities in Shanghai. Although they had their own communities, they did not store enough goods. Their lives were semi-paralyzed in one day.
state.
The power of gangs in Shanghai soon became apparent. Apart from the businesses controlled by the Sheng family, half of the business in Shanghai was in the hands of gangs. As for Shanghai's labor unions, most of them were controlled or infiltrated by gangs.
The reason why the Republic of China government both hated and relied on gangs was because the order of Shanghai was not in the hands of the government, but in the hands of the gangs.
The city's workers went on strike and merchants went on strike, which not only had an impact on Japanese business, but also brought chaos to Shanghai's order. The Shanghai Municipal Government held an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures.
The government was also very knowledgeable about such matters and knew that the person who tied the bell needed to be untied. It immediately followed public opinion and protested to the Consul General of the Japanese Consulate and the Manchurian Railway, demanding that they unconditionally release the kidnapped Chinese citizens.
This is the first official statement on the kidnapping incident, and it was made by the Shanghai Municipal Government. Even Japan has to treat it with caution.
The head of the Manchurian Railway Shanghai Branch and the Consul General of the Japanese Consulate thought they could not resolve the conflict, so they had no choice but to send telegrams to the top domestic leaders, asking them to coordinate with the military and ensure that the military ordered his release.
However, when things get to Japan, the pace will slow down and a lot of procedures need to be completed. They don’t know which planet’s time it is.
Dai Li stood in front of the office window, looking at the crowds marching outside the building, and sighed to himself. Lu Ming was really good at it. He had expected gang trouble, but the Shanghai Municipal Government's statement was somewhat beyond his expectation.
It seems that the "Washington Post" will soon publish an article about the rampant Japanese presence in China. This is what Lu Ming said himself, but if we want to talk about the practical effect, it is better to expose this matter in the Shanghai media first.