1-2

The weather in Shanghai was as restless as it was then, with overcast skies and a chill rolling in the December morning breeze. The whistle sounded on the Huangpu River, and the British and American freighters still went in and out as usual, but the Japanese warships were cruising slowly, and the passenger and cargo ships of Chinese merchants were quietly moored in the harbor, which was no longer the Shanghai beach a few months ago.

Liang Chengjie lit a cigarette and left the window, distraught.

A few days ago, the Japanese army organized a group of speculators in Pudong and established the "Dadao City Government".

"The world is for the public", the Japanese are well versed in Chinese culture, and it is really funny that they actually flaunt the puppet regime as so benevolent, righteous and elegant. As soon as this government was established, it quickly set up countless departments to solicit influential people from all walks of life who remained in Shanghai in an attempt to stabilize order and restore the economy.

Liang Chengjie is one of the few financial tycoons who chose to stay in Shanghai, before the Songhu War, the Liang family already owned dozens of affiliated enterprises in Shanghai, as the chairman of the Upper East Bank and the Upper East Trust Company, Liang Chengjie was naturally under the close attention of the Japanese army, since the end of last month, far and near, there have been more than a dozen tentative phone calls, asking him whether he would like to be the mayor of the Dadao City Government.

Walking to the table and slowly sitting down, Liang Chengjie sneered in his heart, the Japanese army supported a few clowns who jumped beams, and they wanted to take charge of the entire Shanghai beach, which inevitably thought that the Chinese were too simple. In the Songhu War of Resistance for more than three months, on the frontal battlefield, the national army fought bloodily with flesh and blood, and taught the Japanese army a lesson, and Japan's attempt to quickly destroy China was obviously unrealizable.

There was a knock on the door.

The housekeeper Liang Heng walked in, "Master, do you want to prepare, Mr. Xu and the Japanese are coming soon." ”

"There's nothing to prepare, and when they arrive, you'll bring them over."

Liang Heng hesitated, "Do you want to go down to greet you?" ”

"No, you don't."

Liang Chengjie also realized that his tone was too blunt, Liang Heng had followed him for more than 20 years, and he had not seen strong winds and waves, but today was not as good as in the past, and he was also worried about the Liang family.

He changed his tone to a more moderate tone, and said, "If the Japanese want to control Shanghai, they can't do anything to us people, this is a public concession, the Japanese don't dare to come hard, don't worry too much, go ahead." ”

"Okay, then I'll go downstairs to greet you."

Liang Chengjie nodded slowly.

Liang Heng left, Liang Chengjie's heart was full of haze, the government took the initiative to evacuate, Huang Jinrong closed the door, Du Yuesheng left, more than half of the old friends in Shanghai's financial circles went to Hong Kong, what will happen to Shanghai in the future?

Apart from the local fighting, Shanghai was largely unaffected by the sword, and although the Public and French Concessions were still crowded with refugees, the losses were much smaller than expected. What worries him is the war outside Shanghai.

Since the fall of Shanghai, in less than ten days, the government announced the relocation of the capital to Chongqing, followed by the fall of Wuxi, the fall of Changzhou, and a few days ago, even the most important Jiangyin fortress guarding Nanjing was lost, which means that the city of Nanjing has been in danger.

The capital is about to fall!

Liang Chengjie's heart was heavy, like a big stone had fallen.

The door was slowly pushed open. Liang Heng led the guests in.

"Good morning!" Liang Chengjie got up and looked at the few uninvited guests in front of him.

"Brother Liang is early, Brother Liang is early! Let me introduce you to your visit today! Xu Xiangnan had a thick smile on his chubby face, bowed slightly, and invited the Japanese in a navy blue tweed suit behind him to his side.

"This is Mr. Yukio Takeuchi from the Japanese Army and his assistant Mr. Yutaka Uchino, and this is ......"

"Upper East Trust Liang Chengjie,"

Liang Chengjie didn't wait for him to finish his introduction, and had already stretched out his hand first.

"Mr. Liang, look up for a long time! When you studied in Japan, I was studying in Shanghai, and I happened to be back in China when you were making great achievements in Shanghai's financial industry, so I really missed it. ”

Yukio Takeuchi stretched out his hand, shook it with Liang Chengjie, and actually spoke fluent Chinese.

"Do a little people's livelihood business, you have a good reputation, please take a seat."

"We won't bother for too long." Yukio Takeuchi is polite.

After preparing the tea, Liang Heng withdrew at the right time.

Liang Chengjie had a trace of surprise in his heart, seeing the Japanese soldiers, he was not happy in his heart, a few words were in Chinese, did not expect that the Japanese had done enough homework, and even his past of studying in Japan more than 20 years ago was clear, it seems that the other party is not good at this time, and he must have gained something.

"We know that Mr. Liang has his own information channels, and he must have his own views on the current events in China, and he should also have a certain understanding of my identity." Yukio Takeuchi bowed slightly.

"Mr. Takeuchi, if you need anything, please tell me."

Liang Chengjie furrowed his eyebrows and made an interested look.

I don't know how many secrets the Japanese know about themselves, do they know that they promised Du Yuesheng to secretly preside over and carry out a financial war of resistance in Shanghai?

"China and Japan are friendly neighbors, and for the majority of the Japanese people, they hope to build a Greater East Asia of peace, common prosperity and mutual benefit, and the Chinese are our good friends."

Takeuchi said, looking at Xu Xiangnan.

"That's right, that's right" Xu Xiangnan put down the tea that had just been brought to his mouth in time and laughed in agreement.

"I came to Shanghai when I was a child, studied at the East Asia Tongwen Academy, and after graduating, I also did trekking and terroir surveys in five southwestern provinces, and I have a deep affection for Shanghai and China. Of course, politicians in Japan are not amiable friends, but after all, we are neighbors in East Asia, and there are more similarities in culture and history, and in any case, the Japanese know the Chinese better. ”

"Do you know how to occupy China quickly?"

As soon as Liang Chengjie's words came out, Xu Xiangnan took a sip of tea stuck in his throat, almost squirted out, and kept coughing, giving Liang Chengjie a look. Yutaka Uchino's face changed color.

Yukio Takeuchi didn't think about it and laughed.

"You see, Mr. Liang, knowing that you have national integrity, you will say such things, also based on my understanding of the Chinese. Most of my Chinese friends are full of a sense of mission to the country, and if it didn't matter about China's fate, Mr. Liang would not have gone through a lot of hardships in the late Qing Dynasty to cross the surging sea and go to Waseda University to study. ”

"However, what I want to communicate with Mr. Liang today is precisely the fate of China."

Takeuchi placed the teacup in his hand firmly on the table.

"Frankly speaking, the course of the battleship of the Great Japanese Empire is not something that a small person like me can control, and the fate of China is not entirely in the hands of a patriot like Mr. Liang. We should see the general trend of history. ”

"Japan has absolutely no ambition or intention to occupy China, but in today's world, there is a lot of wolf smoke, and it is definitely not only the Japanese Empire that has intentions against China, and Soviet Russia has fostered puppet forces with the intention of subverting the government; Britain and Germany continued to carry out economic infiltration and control the bloodline of China; Japan's military circles also think that China is a piece of fat at their fingertips. And what about China? The warlords were divided, the Kuomintang and the Communist Party were fighting, and the upper echelons of the national government were corrupt and the lower echelons were chaotic. Presumably, Mr. Liang also knows that in just three months since the China Incident, we have won successive battles, and even the capital of your country is about to be captured. How can such a weak country make great progress and development in the face of strong powers and internal troubles if it does not have a partner who is deeply powerful and can understand each other? ”

"Nanjing, what's the situation?"

Liang Chengjie was bored for a long time, and finally said a sentence, since yesterday, all sources of news in Nanjing have been interrupted, and the current Nanjing is dead silent, as if it has disappeared from the earth, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a dead city.

"Anyway, we still have more than 100,000 troops in Nanjing, and they are persisting in fighting."

Takeuchi lowered his head slightly, with a little sad expression.

"Mr. Liang, it must be difficult for a patriot like you to accept the fact that from the news from our Central China Front, on the 7th, Mr. Chiang Kai-shek had already evacuated Nanjing, and the European and American embassies had also evacuated. The day before yesterday, the armistice was armistic, and Commander Tang Shengzhi refused to surrender, and Nanjing had lost its last chance. At present, your army of more than 100,000 people has fallen into an extremely dangerous predicament, and our Gu Shoufu division has advanced to the city of Nanjing, and this evening, at the latest, the city of Nanjing will definitely be breached. ”

Yukio Takeuchi observed Liang Chengjie's reaction and gave Xu Xiangnan a look.

Xu Xiangnan cleared his throat and said, "Brother Li, Mr. Takeuchi has always been sincere, and there is indeed no alarmism, I know a little about this, and before the telegram was interrupted, the situation reported by my Nanjing firm was indeed similar." What the government said about recovering Songhu is really on paper. ”

Liang Chengjie's face was pale, and he didn't say a word, the Shanghai War was lost, and the Central Military Commission issued the "Letter to Shanghai Compatriots" less than a month ago, and the situation had already eroded to this point.

"Only by seeing the general trend of history can we grasp the destiny of the country. The Japanese Empire had no intention of destroying China, and we needed patient friends, not impulsive enemies. ”

Takeuchi stared at Liang Chengjie, and this sentence was said very slowly.

"Brother Li, I didn't say you, the director of the General Chamber of Commerce ran more than half of it, and now the market is in chaos like this, no matter what the war is, the food always has to be eaten, and someone has to do things."

Xu Xiangnan also put down the teacup.

"Who doesn't know in Shanghai, I'm a director, it's a fiction, you're the real thing, the Dadao City Government that has been established now, I don't want to be the mayor, but at a critical moment for the nation, someone has to come to break it, and we really can't reach out to the soldiers."

He saw that Liang Chengjie was silent, and felt that he could be persuaded further, and said, "Brother Lizhi, the chairman of this Dadao City Government, I recommended you to the Japanese Military Department, if you are willing to go out of the mountain, I will let Xian immediately!" It's not that I'm afraid that you'll be stubborn, so I specially brought Mr. Takeuchi to visit. ”

Takeuchi nodded, and continued, "In the history of China, the Mongols and Manchurians have all been in charge of the Central Plains, and Chinese culture is also endless. ”

"Mr. Takeuchi's suggestion, please Mr. Liang give it serious consideration."

Yutaka Uchino also opened his mouth, and compared to Takeuchi, his tone was much stiffer.

Liang Chengjie moved his stiff body.

Yuki Takeuchi has slightly white temples, thin and full of energy, and although Yutaka Uchino is dressed as a literati, he is burly, bright-eyed, and full of confidence. The enterprising attitude of these two Japanese men is just like the Japanese army rushing on the land of China, coveting this splendid mountain and river that does not belong to them, and is full of desire to grab it.

And what about Xu Xiangnan? This well-known figure in the financial circles of Shanghai Tang is half the size of the country, with a bloated figure, a sluggish expression, and he will gasp when he walks a few steps quickly, plus he is more than half a year old and unable to do his best, the confrontation between the two sides, as Takeuchi said, and the contest between the two sides in the Chinese battlefield behind the endorsement, in this contest of will, momentum and physical strength, he Liang Chengjie has fallen behind.

Takeuchi frowned slightly, "We know the relationship between Mr. Liang and the national government, you joined Mr. Sun Yat-sen's alliance in Japan in your early years, and you are a revolutionary predecessor, so you should have concerns, we can understand it." There are also many such patriots in Japan, who stand by their convictions and do not compromise. In Chinese terms, it means cherishing feathers. Therefore, I have another plan here that Mr. Liang can consider. ”

"At present, China and Japan are still at war, although the Dadao City Government was established, but it takes a process to get the recognition of the Chinese people, and even some people who do not know the truth will carry out insults and attacks, which will damage the reputation of Mr. Xu, therefore, the Army is considering the establishment of a wartime Shanghai Economic Work Committee, chaired by Mr. Liang, in the name of a third party, to ensure the normal operation of Shanghai's economy, that is, to better play the role of Mayor Xu to offset the wartime losses of the two countries. I wonder what Mr. Liang thinks? ”

After Takeuchi finished speaking, Uchino took out a document from his briefcase, put it on the table, and pushed it to Liang Chengjie's side.

"We know that Mr. Liang must still think about it, so we won't bother much today."

Takeuchi and Uchino stood up together.

"By the way, Mr. Liang, Nanjing City is in danger now, we know that your son-in-law is still in the city, if there is anything you need our help with, you can contact us at any time."

Xu Xiangnan also wanted to stand up, but Takeuchi pressed him down slightly with his hand, and said, "You old friends, you should reminisce about the old days." Xu Xiangnan had to sit back again.

Takeuchi nodded, turned around and left with Uchino.

"Lao Liang, I said that you are a person, but you don't know how to be flexible, you know what the Japanese mean when they say this, right......?"

Xu Xiangnan's voice seemed to come from a very distant place, becoming more and more blurred, Liang Chengjie's eyes were dark, Takeuchi's homework was done enough, a little too sufficient, and the sudden attack when he was about to leave pierced a layer of window paper that he had been avoiding.

His unsuccessful son, Liang Liqun, who is working in the Postal Inspection Department of the Investigation and Statistics Bureau of the Military Commission, was just denounced last month and arrested on charges of reselling military supplies.

In private, he was also worried that in such a chaotic situation, would this rebel have been engaged in military law?

Today, Takeuchi suddenly mentioned Liang Liqun, he should have gotten some exact news, when Liang Liqun was sent to the Bureau of Statistics, nominally for promotion and reuse, but it may not be that the government intended to set up a long-term line to control him Liang Chengjie, but Liang Liqun himself was very interested, and he couldn't stop it, but now, why did he somehow become a hostage of the Japanese again?

"I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well today, I'm sorry," Liang Chengjie didn't care what Xu Xiangnan was still saying, he directly ordered the eviction, he walked quickly to the room, picked up the phone, he wanted to call Wan Molin, Du Yuesheng's housekeeper who stayed in Shanghai, and asked him to try to tell Boss Dai that he was patriotic, but he also loved his son's life.

Otherwise, Mr. Liang, who has always been tough, will not be able to stand it.