Cheng Qianfan instantly understood why the Japanese paid so much attention to Li Li and tried every means to recruit him.
The Zhabei District where the Commercial Printing House is located belongs to the Chinese border. However, there is an enclave in the south of Zhabei District that belongs to the British and American Public Settlement.
If the Japanese side had hidden its elite troops in this enclave embedded in the Chinese border in the public concession in advance, when the battle in Shanghai began, the Japanese elite troops could directly cut in from the south of Zhabei, almost as if they were entering uninhabited territory, and start from the Chinese army.
They suddenly broke in from behind and quickly occupied the commercial printing studio.
This is equivalent to driving a nail into the heart of the Chinese military defense area, which can affect the Zhabei war situation at a critical moment.
The public concession enclave in the southern part of Zhabei District is the current jurisdiction of Lili.
Only by buying out Li Fei, or more precisely, by agreeing to be loyal to the Japanese, could the Japanese army have the opportunity and peace of mind to complete the deployment of hidden forces in southern Zhabei.
…
The original inspector of the public concession in southern Zhabei was Leng Haoran, who had always had a tough attitude towards the Japanese.
A few months ago, Leng Haoran was suddenly transferred from his post and promoted to inspector of Huangpu Road.
Lili, on the other hand, suffered a "sudden misfortune" and was suddenly transferred to the Zhabei Concession.
For this reason, Li Li was unhappy, and while drinking with Cheng Qianfan, he was still complaining, saying that he didn't know who he had offended, and was suddenly transferred away from the lucrative Huangpu Road and sent to a rural place in Zhabei.
Cheng Qianfan didn't think much about it at the time, but now he had every reason to suspect that it was most likely the Japanese who were behind the scenes.
The Japanese always make decisions before taking action when doing things.
The purpose of painstaking efforts to bring Lili, who has an ambiguous attitude towards Japan, to the Zhabei enclave is for today's plot.
I'm afraid that even in his wildest dreams, he would never have imagined that the person behind his back was actually a Japanese person with whom he had shown good intentions.
…
"Eguchi-kun, even though the Commercial Printing House is so important, what does this have to do with effort?" Cheng Qianfan frowned and asked in confusion.
"You don't need to know too much about the reason, Mr. Cheng. This matter is related to the important military affairs of the empire. It is not suitable for Mr. Cheng to know too much." Eguchi Ying also glanced at Cheng Qianfan and reminded him.
"I understand, I understand." Cheng Qianfan laughed, "Thank you, Mr. Eguchi, for reminding me."
"For the empire, the top priority right now is to convince everyone quickly." Eguchi Hide also stood up and bowed again, "Mr. Cheng, I leave this matter to you."
"It takes effort to persuade. It's hard to say, easy to say." Cheng Qianfan quickly stood up and bowed in return. Then, he paced back and forth, glanced at Eguchi Hideya, and hesitated slightly.
Eguchi Ying also looked at Cheng Qianfan.
Cheng Qianfan coughed lightly, "As long as the Imperial Army's sincerity is sufficient, and with Cheng's sharp tongue, Cheng is confident that he can convince Li Li to serve for the Empire of Japan."
Eguchi Hide also frowned slightly.
Cheng Qianfan chuckled and rubbed his fingers.
Eguchi Ying's face also changed slightly, he understood what Cheng Qianfan meant.
…
"Mr. Cheng, I understand, I understand. There is an old saying in China, money can make the world go round." Eguchi Hide also nodded, "How much do you need?"
"Fifty large yellow croakers." Cheng Qianfan blurted out.
"Mr. Cheng, I am a soldier and I don't like people joking with me." Eguchi Hideya said in a deep voice.
"No, no, no, Mr. Eguchi, I am not good at words, and I have no sense of humor." Cheng Qianfan smiled and shook his head, "Especially when it comes to money, I have always been very serious."
Eguchi Hide's expression also darkened, "Mr. Cheng, you are talking like a lion."
Although Hyōtaro Imamura warned Cheng Qianho that this person was greedy for money, Eguchi Hide did not expect that this person would dare to open his mouth even though he knew that it was an important military operation related to the empire.
Is this guy really not afraid of spending his money and his life?
"Eguchi-kun, you are mistaken. It's not that I am a lion who speaks loudly, but that I work hard." Cheng Qianfan smiled.
Eguchi Hide was also a little angry. This man was not only extremely greedy, but he also told lies.
At this moment, Cheng Qianfan winked at him.
What's the meaning?
Eguchi Hide was also slightly stunned.
At this time, he remembered what Hyōtaro Imamura had specially told him.
'Cheng Qianfan is extremely greedy for money. No matter how excessive his request is, you can agree to it at your own discretion and put military priorities first.'
Eguchi Hide couldn't help but sigh that Imamura Hyoutarou's intelligence was accurate and he had a thorough understanding of Cheng Qianfan's greedy nature.
However, he still didn't understand what Cheng Qianfan's wink meant.
"Don't be anxious, Mr. Eguchi. Please listen to me and explain slowly." Cheng Qianfan faced Eguchi Hideya's gloomy expression without any fear and said with a smile.
"It's not that I'm greedy, it's that I understand the effort. If you lobby for the effort slowly, maybe twenty large yellow croakers can convince him. However, if you want to get the effort quickly, you have to use money, spend big money, so that you can get it done quickly.
This person." His expression was extremely sincere.
"Mr. Cheng, I admit that what you said makes sense, but with all due respect, the amount you offered is not friendly and I cannot agree to it." Eguchi Hide also shook his head.
"Eguchi-san, the amount is not offered by me, but by Inspector Lili." Cheng Qianfan said, and smiled meaningfully at Eguchi Hideya,
Eguchi Hide was also livid. He thought that Cheng Qianfan, a Chinese, was deliberately mocking him. It was clearly you who proposed the price, but you kept saying it was hard work, so you were trying to hide it...
However, Cheng Qianfan's smile seemed to be hinting at something to him.
This is the second time.
Suddenly, Eguchi Hide's heart moved.
He remembered what Hyōtaro Imamura said and thought about it in his mind.
‘Put military priorities first’?
no!
‘No matter how excessive his request is, you can agree to it’!
That's it.
Eguchi Hide also felt that he had vaguely captured some key information.
…
"Okay, let me take a step back on behalf of Inspector Li Li." Cheng Qianfan said, "Forty-five large yellow croakers."
As he spoke, he leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Five of them are Eguchi-kun's hard work."
After saying that, Cheng Qianfan took his body back, picked up the cigarette case, popped out a cigarette, lit it slowly, took a puff, leaned back on the chair, and sighed comfortably.
Eguchi Hideya's expression changed continuously as he stared at Cheng Qianfan.
Cheng Qianfan responded with a smile. He picked up the cigarette case, took out a cigarette and handed it to Eguchi Hideya.
Eguchi Hide also looked at him again.
Cheng Qianfan smiled again.
Eguchi Hide also looked at Cheng Qianfan who was looking at him with a sincere smile——
He got it.
Everything is figured out.
…
Eguchi Hide also silently took the cigarette and played with it in his hand without smoking.
It took a while.
"Cheng Jun, you are too greedy." Eguchi Ying also looked at Cheng Qianfan, snorted coldly, and said.
"No, Inspector Li Li was too greedy." Cheng Qianfan shook his head.
Eguchi Hide also sneered at him.
Cheng Qianfan responded with a smile.
"Not enough!" Eguchi Hideya suddenly said.
The smile on Cheng Qianfan's face faded and he looked at Eguchi Hideya.
Almost at the same time, Eguchi Hide also pinched the cigarette with his fingers and used force to crush the cigarette directly.
Cheng Qianfan frowned and said, "Six! No more, Mr. Eguchi."
"Fifty large yellow croakers, I want ten!" Eguchi Hideya almost gritted his teeth and growled from between his teeth.
They both spoke at the same time.
Then they all raised their heads suddenly, looking at each other with big eyes and small eyes.