Chapter 347: Great Wealth, Old Xie Accepts

"I know a little."

"They were previously in the Security Section, working as guards in the basement vault."

"After Section Chief Liu died, the Security Section was reshuffled, and it seems the two of them were fired."

Yucheng replied.

"Go, get their files... never mind, don't go to the archives. You privately find someone to inquire about their whereabouts, whether they returned to their hometown or stayed in Jinhai."

"Be quick. Within three days at most, I want results."

Li Ya instructed.

"Yes." Yucheng received the order and left.

Li Ya continued flipping through the materials.

It must be said that as a founding member of the station, Lu Qiaoan had seen things very clearly back when Ma Kui and Yu Zecheng were infighting, acting as both an observer and the Intelligence Section Chief.

Lu Qiaoan had a diary, which recorded the relationships between Yu Zecheng, Hong Zhiyou, and Wu Jingzhong.

Including their "history of rising to power."

There was evidence.

And there were also speculations without evidence.

It must be said that as the senior brother of the Nanchang Investigation Section, Lu Qiaoan was still very professional in his work.

Where the evidence was placed, the sources, and the handlers were all marked clearly.

After finishing the diary.

Li Ya roughly understood the Jinhai Station.

In order to get rich, Wu Jingzhong colluded with Hong and Yu to frame Ma Kui and his mentor Liu Xiong.

Not only that.

Because Lu Qiaoan participated in the entire Ma Kui "Mount Emei" incident, he had absolute authority to speak on it, which meant the authenticity of these materials was guaranteed.

Lu clearly stated in his diary: Yu Zecheng is the real Mount Emei.

Even Wu Jingzhong might be Mount Emei.

The codename Mount Emei was not a single person at all, but a group.

Among them, some top-secret intelligence had very few handlers; excluding Ma Kui, the only ones who could have leaked it were Wu Jingzhong and Yu Zecheng.

For example, the case of the leaked list from the Shangquan Society.

Dai Li's secret mission during his trip to Jinhai.

Below these cases, Lu Qiaoan also noted his own speculations and some suspicious lists.

Such as Mu Liancheng, Deng Ming, Zuo Lan, and so on.

Regarding the Jinhai Station, Lu Qiaoan's overall evaluation was: a den of thieves, all of them red tickets, except... Hong Zhiyou.

This was slightly similar to what Li Ya had observed.

However, toward Hong Zhiyou, Lu Qiaoan's attitude was clearly contradictory.

At times, he was filled with gratitude toward Hong Zhiyou in his diary.

At other times, he cursed him to die a horrible death, to be hit by a car when going out, or to be shot by a stray bullet.

"Scoundrel!"

Li Ya expressed his contempt for Lu Qiaoan and continued flipping through.

Further on, there was Lu Qiaoan's evaluation of himself: clumsy, stupid, but loyal to the Party and State, absolutely impossible to be a red ticket.

"I thank you, old Lu."

A cold sneer appeared on the corner of Li Ya's mouth as he closed the diary.

Combined with the sweet words Wu Jingzhong had promised Lu Qiaoan regarding the deputy station chief position, Li Ya understood completely.

From beginning to end, Wu Jingzhong had never considered him a student, but a pawn to keep Lu Qiaoan in check.

This also explained it.

Why he was repeatedly thwarted at critical moments when competing for the deputy station chief position.

Why, despite being cautious and shrewd everywhere, he still ended up on the same path as Ma Kui—it wasn't that he was stupid or clumsy, but that Wu Jingzhong was manipulating everything behind the scenes.

As soon as Li Ya thought about how he had bared his heart to Wu Jingzhong, and how much intelligence and analysis had turned around and reached the ears of Yu Zecheng and Hong Zhiyou, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger and pain from being humiliated and betrayed.

"No wonder Lu Qiaoan and I lost, and nearly both went to the underworld.

"Old Wu, what a tactic!"

Li Ya gritted his teeth, his eyes gradually turning sinister.

He knew Lu Qiaoan's intention in letting him go and leaving behind top-secret intelligence.

To let him continue the fight on his behalf.

Whether he was killed by Wu and Yu, or he killed Wu and Yu.

Lu Qiaoan would win either way.

"Old Lu, this deal is very fair.

"The rest is up to me."

Li Ya rubbed the bridge of his nose and paced around the room, muttering to himself.

Wu Jingzhong had too much seniority and a strong background, with Jianfeng, Zheng Jiemin, and a group of National Defense Force officials as his backers.

Especially the American military behind Hong Zhiyou, which was the trump card for the father-in-law and son-in-law.

Even Lu Qiaoan, who carried the imperial sword, had died with regret.

A head-on collision would only lead to death.

To break the deadlock, the only way was... to start with Yu Zecheng.

This was also Lu Qiaoan's point of view.

As long as he could confirm that Yu Zecheng was a red ticket.

With just this one move, under the current high-pressure situation of "rather kill three thousand than let one slip through," it would be very difficult for Wu Jingzhong to keep his position.

Without power.

Without utility.

In the eyes of Jianfeng and Zheng Jiemin, the disgraced old Wu would probably be worth less than a dog, and by then, taking his life to avenge his mentor would be simple.

However, with Wu Jingzhong blocking him, investigating Yu Zecheng would be very troublesome.

Without Jianfeng, he could no longer stand on firm ground.

He had to find a backer.

Changing factions was very common in the Party and State.

Back then, those who followed Kang Ze, Zheng Jiemin, and Yu Lexing switching to Dai Li's camp was a very common occurrence.

Since the Three People's Principles Youth League was banned, and Jianfeng had cut off his right to direct communication.

It was only logical for him to switch factions now.

Who to switch to?

Zheng Jiemin?

No, this person was too deeply involved with Wu Jingzhong.

Mao Renfeng?

Seems feasible.

The enemy of an enemy is a friend.

Mao Renfeng and Wu Jingzhong had been fighting for many years, and Mao Wanli was even forced to go far away; the two sides, if not deeply hateful, were definitely at odds.

Moreover, Mao Renfeng had recently latched onto the Lady's beautiful legs, personally went to Beiping to arrest Ma Hansan and Qiao Jiacai, and severely beat Li Zongren on behalf of the Generalissimo, earning great favor from the Generalissimo.

Conversely, Hou Teng of the Second Department was just a figurehead, no longer able to interfere with the personnel appointments of the Secret Service Bureau.

Mao Renfeng's prestige was now at its zenith, and even Jianfeng had to avoid his edge.

At the same time, with the Lady as a backer, he also had the capital to talk to the Americans.

He himself was originally a staff member of the Secret Service Bureau, under the direct jurisdiction of Mao Renfeng, so defecting to him seemed like a logical step.

"Yes, it will be him." Li Ya slapped his thigh and made up his mind.

He quickly picked up the phone and dialed the number:

"Hello, Brother Wanli, it's me, Li Ya.

"Do you have time to meet?

"I have something important I want to discuss with you in person.

"Good, I'm flying to Hangcheng now.

"Goodbye."

After hanging up, he asked an acquaintance to find a flight to Hangcheng.

Li Ya knew very well that Mao Renfeng would not see him.

Fortunately.

Mao Wanli had returned from his studies in North America last year and had now been promoted to Major General, succeeding Mao Sen as the station chief of Hangcheng.

At least they had cooperated once in Jinhai.

Although it wasn't very pleasant, they could at least talk.

Whether he could defect to Mao Renfeng and topple Wu Jingzhong all depended on this move.

Evening.

Deep in the alley, Liu Mazi's Copper Pot Shabu-Shabu.

"Boss, another three plates of finely sliced mutton," Xie Ruolin called out to the pockmarked boss.

"I've eaten at so many mutton restaurants, and this one is, is the most authentic."

As he spoke to Yu Zecheng and Hong Zhiyou, he picked up another chopstick-full to swish in the pot.

"Old Xie, you've clearly been making money," Yu Zecheng said with a smile, rolling up his shirt sleeves.

"That, that's a must."

"How could I not get rich following Secretary Hong?"

"This trip south was to help Sun Chuanzhi's wife pick a location."

"After looking around, Mrs. Sun still took a fancy to that island of Hong Zhiyou's."

"She wants to buy a plot, doesn't need to be too big, just wants to bask in your glory, have people patrolling and guarding the house to ensure safety."

"The lady said she can pay some security fees when the time comes."

"I just don't know if it's convenient for you."

Xie Ruolin looked at Hong Zhiyou, asking for his opinion.

"I can't live on that much land by myself; if Director Sun is willing to be my neighbor, I couldn't ask for more."

"However, I don't sell land."

"I only sell commercial residential properties."

Hong Zhiyou said.

"Commercial residential properties, what does that mean?" Xie Ruolin asked.

"It means I am responsible for building the houses—one type is European-style villas, the other is Chinese-style garden residences; you can pick whichever you like."

"The supporting facilities inside include tennis courts, swimming pools, and so on."

"Once they are built, the land and the house are sold as a package; of course, the price might be a little more expensive."

Hong Zhiyou smiled.

He had bought that island, and his family couldn't possibly live in all of it.

If he could sell to these high-ranking officials of the Nationalist Government, first, his network of resources would expand, and second, he could establish a high-end commercial community.

Milking the wealthy through real estate never goes out of style.

"How expensive?" Xie Ruolin asked.

Hong Zhiyou made a gesture of six.

"Starting at one hundred thousand US dollars!" Hong Zhiyou said.

"One... one hundred thousand!"

"That's too high, who can afford that?" Yu Zecheng stuttered just hearing it.

One hundred thousand US dollars.

That was an astronomical figure.

"You underestimate the rich in the Nationalist Government."

"Many of them use gold to hedge against US dollars, and they have relatives and friends in North America; pulling out this sum of money isn't a difficult task for them."

"Not to mention anything else, Sun Chuanzhi's family fortune can handle it."

"Of course, I will guarantee their safety, as well as the integration of commerce on the island—for instance, banks, shopping malls, hospitals, etc.; these supporting facilities will all be perfected."

Hong Zhiyou said.

"You should have seen some of this when you went this time, right?" He looked at Xie Ruolin.

"I saw it, the four-story hospital is basically almost finished."

"The road around the island is also being built."

Xie Ruolin said.

"Old Xie, from today on, stop dabbling in intelligence and opium; it's easy to get caught, just help me sell houses."

"You can promote them to those ladies, high-ranking officials of the Ministry of National Defense, wealthy merchants, and speculators."

"For every one sold, I'll give you ten thousand US dollars."

"Sell fifty, and I'll add a bonus of fifty thousand."

"Sell one hundred, and I'll add a bonus of one hundred thousand."

Hong Zhiyou pulled a beautifully illustrated brochure from his pocket and handed it to Xie Ruolin, while simultaneously painting a grand picture of the future.

"Old Xie, that's one million one hundred thousand US dollars."

"Looking across the whole country, you'd be a top-tier tycoon."

Yu Zecheng exclaimed with a click of his tongue.

"But, can this actually sell? The rich people nowadays aren't stupid; it's very hard to get into their pockets." He looked at Hong Zhiyou again, feeling it was a bit unreliable.

"Is it hard?"

"There are people buying immigration cards for five million US dollars; this is nothing."

"The sky-high price you imagine, the savings you've worked your whole life for, might just be pocket money for some people."

"Those people aren't afraid of having no money; they're afraid of having no goods."

"The biggest guarantee of my island is safety; besides our North American allies, I have already settled relations with Alexander Grantham and the Chinese detectives under him, and with the fully armed elite security team led by Sun Cheng and Zhou Yan, entering the island is equivalent to having a talisman for survival."

"Buying a life for one hundred thousand, buying a lifetime of freedom from want—to those wealthy merchants, it's simply too cheap."

Hong Zhiyou said with full confidence.

He understood the mindset of these capital-flight degenerates all too well.

Milking these scumbags for money didn't even require him to blink.

"One hundred houses, a total value of ten million US dollars."

"Even the Generalissimo might not dare to pull off a deal this big."

"Interesting."

"I'll take... take this job."

"At least, I'm guaranteed to earn that first ten thousand US dollars."

Xie Ruolin finished scanning it quickly, tilted his head, and shook the brochure in his hand.

"Deal."

"It's not just selling houses; with so many people on the island, they have to eat and spend, right? When the time comes, open supermarkets, barbershops, all kinds of businesses will branch out, and then introduce all the brands they admire from North America to the island community."

"These are all money."

"Where there are people, there is trade; where there is money, money can beget more money."

"This is the eternal code for getting rich."

Hong Zhiyou raised his glass, intending to instill some business thinking from a hundred years later into Xie Ruolin.

He couldn't put all his eggs in the Rong family or the shipyard.

The distillery now had stable revenue.

But that was far from enough; he had to ruthlessly grasp more connections and money.

In this way, even if the Rong family were gone one day, or the Station Chief resigned, he would still possess abundant human, material, and financial resources, without having to be controlled by others.

Reorganizing the Cao Gang into a company was the same.

No more gang culture.

Those people were just simple workers.

So there would be no "dragon head" or thoughts of fighting to be the boss.

If they don't work, don't follow orders, and can't generate revenue, they can all go drink the northwest wind for all I care.

To build a business empire, besides money, the most important thing is talent.

One person's energy is not enough.

Even Old Ma had the help of the Eighteen Arhats when he started.

Old Xie was about the same age as him and was a natural at marketing and business.

Once his vision and thinking opened up a bit more, he would definitely be a great hand at managing a company.

And he had no Red background, no such constraints.

Plus, having gone through "life and death" together multiple times, Old Xie's character and business ability had already been verified; such a business partner was a godsend.

Hong Zhiyou had even planned it out.

If Old Xie could market and sell more than thirty units.

He would add Old Xie to the new company he was secretly establishing, give him a stake, and promote him to a founding partner.

It was too early to announce it now.

In case Old Xie couldn't "acclimate," he couldn't waste his time on a useless person.

Business, after all, is always profit-first.

Xie Ruolin's eyes were shining with brilliance, as if he saw a dazzling golden mountain.

He clinked his glass hard against Hong Zhiyou's and offered up some fragrant flattery:

"Brother, your brain is sharper than those who studied abroad, and you see much further."

"If it weren't for the fact that your sister makes my legs... legs go weak when I get too much of her..."

"I really think you're the reincarnation of Fan Li, a soul-returned traveler from hundreds of years in the future."

"Eat meat, eat meat, Shopkeeper, add three more plates." Hong Zhiyou knew this ghost had a very sharp eye, so he quickly changed the subject.

"I finally understand who has been earning all this damn money; it makes me want to join in and do some business too," Yu Zecheng said.

"Pretentious!" Hong Zhiyou and Xie Ruo said simultaneously.

Old Yu had faith, and that was something money could not measure.

Yu Zecheng smiled, and seeing the meat was cooked, he deftly scooped it up and filled another small bowl.

"Old Yu, this... this isn't even enough to eat, and you're hogging a portion? That's... that's going too far."

Xie Ruo reached out with his chopsticks and caught nothing but air, unable to help but grow anxious.

"Old Xie, I won't hide it from you; although we haven't run out of food at home, we only get to eat meat once every half month or so.

"It's rare to sponge off you two, so I have to bring some back for Cuiping."

Yu Zecheng said.

It was fine before when he wasn't a leader, but now that he was.

Whenever the organization's funds got tight, he and Cuiping would always find ways to scrape together contributions from home.

Plus, rice, flour, grain, and oil were all in short supply, and prices were skyrocketing.

Just take this hot pot meal; it was several times more expensive than before, and it really wasn't something he and Cuiping could consume casually.

"By the way, Old Xie, are you still doing intelligence work?" Yu Zecheng put down his chopsticks and asked.

"I'm not doing it anymore.

"Ever since Li Ya and Lu Qiaoshan broke the rules, the whole trade has been in chaos.

"If you sell too low, you lose money; if you sell too high, people come straight to raid your house, shoot you in the back, or rob you in broad daylight.

"Every time I meet a contact, it's a gamble with my life.

"It's truly impossible to keep doing it."

"I'm helping Brother Hong run some business now, escorting supplies and ordnance, and occasionally flipping whatever leaks through their fingers; it's enough to live well, no need to do this dangerous work."

Xie Ruo picked up the meat and pushed more than half into the pot in front of Old Yu.

"That's a real pity," Yu Zecheng said with a frown.

"Why, do you want to get into intelligence?" Xie Ruo asked.

"Yes.

"The Third Department's Operations Division has a regular meeting in a few days, and I want to know the military deployment of Fan Wenjie and Zheng Dongguo on the Jinzhou front, as well as intelligence regarding whether the U. . military will intervene in the Northeast."

Yu Zecheng said.

"If there's a meeting, there's intelligence.

"However, there are fewer people doing intelligence work now, and with rising prices, plus the fact that it's important military intelligence, the price has at least tripled compared to before.

"If you want to get this done, it'll cost at least five, and they have to be the big ones."

He held up five fingers and told him the truth.

The market price was around four.

But he had to grease the wheels to fly to Jingling; he could get a free ride once, but if he did it too often, the favors would run out, and all of that required money.

Friends are friends, and he could earn a little less, but losing money was absolutely impossible.

"Done," Yu Zecheng said readily.

"Still have money... money," Xie Ruo pointed at him and started laughing.

"Cuiping helped a friend recover a hundred gold bars as a fee, and I asked for a bit as a commission; it's just enough for you," Yu Zecheng looked at Hong Zhiyou and said.

Hong Zhiyou had given Yan Dong one hundred gold bars.

Since Yan Dong had no direct contact with Zhang Shaojie, his utility value was no longer high.

Those three killers, whose hands were stained with countless blood, hadn't even had the chance to sneak back to Southeast Asia before Cuiping cornered them in Yantai and finished them off.

"As long as there's money, it's fine.

"I'll find a plane to Jingling tonight, and after the meeting tomorrow morning, I'll give you the first-hand intelligence," Xie Ruo glanced at his watch, quickly shoveled a few pieces of meat into his mouth, pulled back his chair, and stood up.

"Finish eating before you go," Hong Zhiyou said.

"Better early than late; I don't even know if I can catch the Northeast Nationalist Army representative's plane," Xie Ruo greeted them, without a hint of hesitation, and turned to leave.

All planes from the Northeast would stop in Jinhai to refuel, undergo checks, and pick up Jinhai dignitaries and "extras."

It wasn't like the years before; the civil war was intense.

There were strict restrictions on plane takeoffs.

If you missed it, you might not catch another one for over half a month.

"Zhiyou, I have something to discuss with you," with no outsiders left, Yu Zecheng said.

"As long as it's not borrowing money, everything is negotiable," Hong Zhiyou nodded.

"I want to play matchmaker for Liao Sanmin and Xiaohui," Yu Zecheng put down his chopsticks, turned to look at him, and said solemnly.

"Must you?"

Both were smart men; one look at his expression and Hong Zhiyou roughly understood his intent.

"Must I.

"Mainly because I feel Sanmin and Xiaohui are truly a good match.

"One is passionate and has faith.

"The other is steady and has a sense of the big picture.

"Revolutionary love is exceptionally romantic; that was the encouragement General Deng Ming gave me and Zuo Lan when I accompanied him to visit the former site of the Awakening Society.

"Sanmin and Xiaohui deserve to have that romance.

"And another thing.

"Can you be certain there won't be a second Lu Qiaoshan?

"With her making such a scene on the streets every day, there are many people who target you and are jealous of you; who knows when someone might just shoot her.

"Take Lu Qiaoshan, for example; you saved him repeatedly, and if Anderson hadn't arrived in time, Xiaohui might have become a soul under his gun.

"Having Xiaohui go underground is a decision that Cuiping, Comrade Sanmin, and I reached after careful consideration, and we received an affirmative reply after reporting it to the organization.

"The leadership of Line One is very clear: they want to protect you as much as possible.

"Also, your Senior Sister and I treat you like family.

"Dawn is approaching, and we hope Xiaohui can grow into a true fighter, and even more, we hope everyone can welcome the liberation of Jinhai in one piece.

"Sanmin, you know him.

"His character, appearance, and work ability are all very strong; Xiaohui being with him, we can all rest easy, right?"

Yu Zecheng knew Hong Zhiyou was very wealthy now and was about to go to Xiangdao; once they parted ways, he might not necessarily think highly of Liao Sanmin.

"No," as expected, Hong Zhiyou refused without a second thought.

"No?"

Yu Zecheng hadn't expected him to refuse so bluntly, and for a moment, he was a bit stunned.

(End of chapter)