The Citroën sedan was parked not far away and seemed not to be worried about being discovered at all. This also made Asano Hidejoo even more convinced that the other party must be someone sent by the patrol room to protect Xu Siqi.
Xu Siqi got out of the car with his wallet. He knew very well that only by accepting the money would Asano Hidejo feel at ease.
Besides, one thousand silver dollars is not a small amount, so don’t give up this kind of money.
The 5,000 yuan rewarded by the Secret Service cannot be used for the time being. This 1,000 yuan comes at the right time and can solve many practical problems, such as funding Axiu's tuition and various daily expenses.
Watching Asano Hidejo's car drive away, the door of the Citroen sedan opened, and a man wearing a navy blue tunic got out of the car and walked towards Xu Siqi with a smile on his face.
"Hello, Detective Xu."
"Hello."
"Let me introduce myself, I am Liu Jianming, the chief of the Anti-Smuggling Section of the Shanghai Police Department." Liu Jianming took out his ID and handed it over.
Xu Siqi read the certificate, handed it back to Liu Jianming with both hands, and said politely: "Chief Liu is looking for me, what can I do?"
Liu Jianming said: "There is a major smuggling case that requires the assistance of the Hongkou Patrol Office in the investigation. I just learned that all official affairs between the Chinese community and the concession will be taken over by Inspector Xu in the future. I wanted to pay a visit today. By chance, you and your friends
Something happened, so I followed him all the way."
Xu Siqi smiled: "That person is not my friend, he can only be regarded as an old acquaintance."
"Oh, that was my misunderstanding."
"Chief Liu, who was in charge of cases like this before?"
"Inspector Russell."
"The street is not the place to talk. Come to my office to discuss it in detail."
"OK."
"Chief Liu, please."
"please."
The two walked side by side and walked toward the Hongkou patrol room.
In Shanghai today, the most profitable thing is the smuggling business, which covers everything from soaps, toothpaste, flashlights, to electrical appliances, cars, and ships.
Someone once joked that as long as the price could be afforded, even aircraft and cannons could be sold.
Shanghai belongs to the "one area, three governance", that is, an area is governed by three governments, the Chinese boundary, the French concession, and the public concession, each operating in its own way without interfering with each other.
The Chinese Realm and the Concession are adjacent to each other, so it is difficult to achieve true non-interference with each other. For example, there are more than 20 bridges across the Suzhou River to enter the Concession.
As an anti-smuggling department, when investigating and collecting evidence or seizing stolen goods, we will inevitably encounter cross-border problems.
For example, even if a crime is committed in the Chinese community, as long as you hide in the concession before the incident, you will be able to escape the legal sanctions of the government.
Forget about ordinary cases. After all, such things happen in endlessly. If a big case is encountered, the Shanghai City Hall will come forward to negotiate with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Bureau to resolve it.
Both parties found it troublesome, so they simply delegated the power to the police station and patrol room to handle it directly.
It was the same today. Liu Jianming discovered a major case. The suspect lived in the Hongkou area. The police had no right to cross the border to enforce the law, so they could only ask the Hongkou patrol room to assist in the investigation.
…
Hongkou Patrol Room.
Inspector Xu's Office.
A patrolman brought in two cups of hot coffee and then bowed out.
"Chief Liu, are you still used to drinking coffee?"
"I'm used to drinking, thank you."
"One advantage of working in the police station is that not only is the coffee provided free of charge, but it also tastes good."
Liu Jianming smiled and said: "I have been to the Hongkou Patrol Room many times, and I never knew there was free coffee."
Xu Siqi also smiled and said: "That's because Russell's character is too old-fashioned and he doesn't know how to treat guests."
Appropriate jokes can effectively bring each other closer.
This young Inspector Hua made a very good first impression on Liu Jianming. At least he was very easy-going in attitude and no longer had to face Russell's business-like poker face.
"Some time ago, the marine police seized a batch of smuggled cultural relics in Wusongkou. The consignor was Liang Dequan of Fuxin Trading Company. Just when we were about to arrest Liang Dequan, he heard the news in advance and hid in the concession overnight." Liu Jianming
Briefly describe the case.
Xu Siqi asked: "What does Fuxin Trading House do?"
"Mainly engaged in the export of bristles and tea, as well as some other agricultural products."
"How many cultural relics are there?"
"There are more than 40 pieces in total, including six bronzes from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Oh, Liang Dequan was very cunning. He hid the cultural relics among the tea leaves. If the water police hadn't been very experienced, they would have almost fooled them."
"Where is Yang Dequan now?"
"No. 215 Duolun Road."
Xu Siqi thought for a while: "I remember, that is Liang Hongzhi's residence."
Liu Jianming explained: "Liang Dequan is Liang Hongzhi's distant cousin. At that time, the "Seyi Tribute Picture" was sold to Liang Hongzhi by Liang Dequan. Liang Hongzhi then sold it to the Japanese Iwasaki for a high price of 300,000, plus he had previously
With the 500,000 military pay he embezzled, he has lived a life of a rich man with no worries about food and clothing. Otherwise, how could he have the money to buy such a nice house."
Xu Siqi also heard a little bit about Liang Hongzhi's family history, but he didn't know it in such detail.
He felt somewhat strange. As the head of the anti-smuggling section, it seemed unlikely that he would be exposed to things like embezzling military pay.
Xu Siqi pretended to be incomprehensible, looked at Liu Jianming with a half-smile, and said: "Chief Liu, you don't just believe some hearsay just to catch Liang Dequan, do you?"
Liu Jianming knew very well that the most important thing for the two parties to cooperate for the first time was trust, so he said: "Detective Xu, I swear on my integrity that this is not just hearsay! To be honest, I worked in the intelligence department before, so I had the opportunity to know
These things."
Xu Siqi nodded: "Oh, no wonder..."
Liu Jianming sighed: "It's a pity that the artistic treasures left by our ancestors have just fallen into the hands of outsiders!"
Xu Siqi thought for a while and said: "Chief Liu, if you want to extradite Liang Dequan through normal procedures, it is basically impossible."
"Why?"
"It's very simple. Liang Dequan did not violate the laws of the concession."
"However, according to the agreement between the two parties, the concession authorities are obliged to assist the National Government in arresting the prisoners..."
"That refers to prisoners who have committed criminal cases, such as robbery, murder and arson, prostitutes, etc. Liang Dequan smuggled cultural relics and had no problems in the concession."
Liu Jianming was stunned for a long time and sat back on his chair slumped.
Xu Siqi looked at him for a while and said with a smile: "Since normal procedures won't work, why don't you try abnormal means?"
Liu Jianming's eyes lit up: "What does Detective Xu mean?"
"If Liang Dequan went to the Chinese realm, would you have any problem arresting him?"
"Of course there is no problem. It's just that now that he has become a frightened bird, how could he dare to return to the Chinese world?"
"As the saying goes, people die for money and birds die for food. Even frightened birds are no exception!"