In order to deal with the rising Soviet Union, the British and American strategy towards Japan was a policy of appeasement. They hoped that by not intervening in Japan's war of aggression, they would direct this disaster to the Soviet Union, which was making the West unable to eat and sleep at night.
Regarding the various atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders in China, especially the massacre in Jinling, they expressed indifference and even sold strategic materials to Japan, such as steel, oil, machinery, automobiles, etc. This is actually typical.
indulgent behavior.
Although Japan has joined the Axis Powers, it is not at war with Britain and the United States. The Americans, especially, are still hesitant to have unrealistic fantasies at this time and are unwilling to break up with the Japanese because of China's affairs.
The Yamashiro government is counting on Britain and the United States to help put pressure on the Japanese government and rescue the kidnapped bank employees. This is almost like a dream. It can be supported morally, but there is no need to think about substantive measures.
"Your Excellency Smythe must also know that although I hold the position of Director of the Inspection Office at the Secret Service Headquarters, it is only a temporary position. My main work is still on the inspection team and Huatong Trading Company, and I have basically nothing to do with other matters."
"I can understand the current difficult situation of the Ministry of Industry and the Police Department. Shanghai is a Japanese-occupied area. It is indeed not a wise choice to have conflicts with the occupying forces here."
"The incident a few days ago, when a family member of the Secret Service Headquarters was arrested by the police station, but the police officer involved had no choice but to return home, the Police Department of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Bureau did not look good on their face."
"As long as you don't come into contact with foreigners in the concession and encounter other problems, I think it's better to avoid them as much as possible. After all, the international situation has a great impact on the British and American sides." Chen Mingxiang said.
No matter what Smyth meant by these words, Chen Mingxiang did not intend to take up the subject and made his attitude clear. It was meaningless to talk to me about matters involving the secret service headquarters.
At the same time, it also points out the fact that the concession is slowly losing its status. In fact, you yourself can't support it. In the past, how could the Japanese dare to treat the British and American concessions like this?
The Commissioner of Police of the Concession Industry Bureau is a position with real power. Although the Japanese are becoming more and more powerful now, as long as we don't go to war, the Commissioner of Police has the final say on matters related to public security in the British and American concessions.
Chen Mingxiang was very wary of Akagi's words. He was worried that a large number of policemen in the patrol house in the concession would be bribed, which would bring disaster to the Juntong District of Shanghai.
There is no threat of exposure yet, and the Special High School and the Secret Service Headquarters do not suspect him. This is due to several reasons.
On the one hand, it is because the bureau headquarters has adopted the highest level of encryption measures for his files. Except for Boss Dai and Pan Qiwu, no one else can see it, and the authority is insufficient.
The second aspect is that there are very few people who know this code name, and nothing has happened to them at the moment. But Chen Gongshu from Shanghai District 1 knows it, the telegraph operator knows it, and maybe the Secretary General also knows that once he is caught by the secret service headquarters, his code name will be
It can't be saved.
Thirdly, the image he has painstakingly cultivated is that he does not touch intelligence or participate in operations. As an uninformed person, no one can doubt him for the previous intelligence leaks.
It is conceivable that if the enemy knew that there was a military unification agent hidden deep in his heart, the special high school and the special agent headquarters would attach great importance to it, and they would have to dig deep to dig out the person.
The reason why I came to visit Smyth was to use business cooperation to deepen personal relationships. If necessary, I could spy on intelligence, or use the help of the police to disrupt Akagi's activities.
"I know that Mr. Chen's Huatong Trading Company has been secretly doing business with the Kuomintang-controlled area. The monthly transaction volume reaches millions of French currency, and it has provided a large amount of strategic materials to the Japanese army, such as bristles, tung oil, rosin, etc.
.”
"Right now, my motherland, the United Kingdom, is fighting a war with Germany and needs a large amount of strategic materials to support it. In view of the special location and status of the concession, the government requires us to acquire these military resources for the country. I hope to cooperate with Mr. Chen's company.
” Smythe decided to change the subject.
In the past, Chen Mingxiang's remarks were an insult to the British Empire. When had the Empire ever been afraid of Japan, a newly rising military power?
But the problem is, there is no point in talking harshly now. The facts are here. Ordinary people may not know the inside situation very well, but Chen Mingxiang knows it well. What they said is right, there are indeed some dilemmas in the concession.
Without the support of the country's powerful force, it is impossible for this kind of land leased in a foreign country to maintain its special status.
"Since Mr. Smythe knows that I am purchasing supplies for the Japanese army, he must also understand that without the support and acquiescence of the Japanese army, this trade and transportation line would not exist." Chen Mingxiang said.
"Mr. Chen has a great business vision. He saw that the demand for materials increased sharply during the war, and the profits would be several times or even more than ten times. To be honest, the purchase price of the Japanese army was already much higher than that of the mountain city government."
"Take tung oil and bristle as an example. The price of tung oil from the mountain city government at the junction of Henan and Anhui is 70 yuan, and the price offered by the Japanese company is 400 yuan. The purchase price of bristle from the mountain city government is currently 3,500 yuan, and the Japanese army has reached 3,500 yuan per day.
Carrying six to seven thousand yuan."
"Our British and American company will definitely give you the maximum profit. For tung oil, we can give you fifty US dollars per load and legal currency of one thousand yuan. For bristles, we can give you five hundred US dollars per load and legal currency of ten thousand yuan. All will be paid in US dollars."
"China Reserve Bonds and fiat currencies are making a fuss. As you know, these two currencies are unreliable. China Reserve Bonds don't even have reserves. If you hold such money, you don't know when it will become useless paper."
"The French currency was originally ten to three to the U.S. dollar, one hundred French currency to thirty U.S. dollars. Now, it is almost one U.S. dollar to twenty French currency, and the value of the currency is still decreasing. Having foreign exchange in hand during the war is also a kind of benefit to myself.
Guaranteed." Smythe said with a smile.
This foreign devil is very good at seizing opportunities. Such a person should be the procurement director of the army, not the police chief.
In fact, this type of conversation does not require any advanced skills, or it does not require skills. If you have deep pockets and throw dollars at it, I don’t believe you are not tempted!
Chen Mingxiang decided to agree to this cooperation without much thought. On the one hand, it was the instructions from Boss Dai of the Military Command Bureau that it was better to give it to the British and American countries than to the Japanese invaders who invaded China.
On the other hand, for the sake of the US dollar, British and American companies have high profits and make a lot of money. In order to cope with the future situation, it is absolutely impossible not to have money.
"Since you are so candid, let me tell you the truth. It is not impossible to consider mutual benefits for everyone. The money can be delivered in the Shanghai Stock Exchange, but the goods trading location cannot be in the Shanghai Stock Exchange. We have just finished the transaction, and the Japanese military police are behind.
They are going to arrest people at my home, this is the first condition." Chen Mingxiang said.
"There is no problem with this. The Japanese government does not dare to conflict with the British and American governments. The Japanese military police will not inspect the goods of British and American companies at will. My main consideration is whether the quantity can be guaranteed," Smyth said.
