1928: The rise of giant merchants

Chapter 249 The situation is fermenting again

November 23, the seventeenth year of the Republic of China (1928).

Yesterday afternoon, the Shanghai Bund City Hall held a special meeting on the Jiangan Lun incident. Afterwards, Zhang Dingyao called the senior officials of the Jinling National Government, hoping to follow the facts and re-publish the contents of the telegram that had been extracted by information investigators.

This telegram from the Songhu Police Department requires that the cigarette trafficking incident be thoroughly investigated and that rape must not be tolerated.

Afterwards, Zhang Dingyao not only sent the telegram to Zhang Zhijiang, chairman of the Anti-Smoking Committee, but also to Feng Yuxiang, head of the National Government and Minister of Military and Political Affairs.

Early in the morning on the 23rd, Shenbao published this telegram as the headline, and also specially attached a photo of the Shenhua building being unreasonably smashed by the patrol room, urging the Ministry of Industry and the Nationalist Government to give it justice.

As soon as this news came out, the whole city was shocked. The citizens were shocked by the armed cigarette transportation. Many celebrities issued a message asking the city hall to find the real culprit as soon as possible. We will never allow people to openly sell and transport cigarettes and flout the national law when the whole people are banned from smoking!

After no one covered up the Jiang'an Lun incident, it fermented faster than Ye Luo imagined.

In just one morning, he could be heard everywhere, and almost no one paid attention to this matter.

And at noon when the situation was at its peak, well-known newspapers such as Xinxin News suddenly published a press release issued by the Garrison Command——

"Investigation Team Obtained Large Volume of Tobacco": "The Investigation Team of the Security Command received a tip on the 13th that China Merchants Jiangan Lun was smuggling a large amount of cigarettes from overseas and arrived in Shanghai on the evening of the 21st. Detectives were immediately sent to investigate and a total of more than 1,000 boxes of cigarettes were seized. , that is, it will be moved by small boat to Dada Pier, and then transported back to the team headquarters by moving vehicles. This situation has been reported to the alarm headquarters, and then the ministry will telegraph to the central government for verification."

I have to say that the response of the garrison headquarters was extremely fast.

After realizing that Zhang Dingyao was going to investigate him, Xiong Shihui contacted the main messenger at the speed of light. In just one morning, he successfully persuaded many well-known newspapers except Shenbao and the News to immediately post the press release they wrote. They went up and made a big announcement that the security headquarters had a secret report and that they were lurking to capture the criminals on board the Jiangan that night.

Ye Luo glanced at the contents of the draft. There were experts behind the garrison headquarters to give guidance.

Let's not mention the fact that they detained the police officers of the Anti-Smuggling Department. Later, they can use excuses such as arresting the wrong person, and then focus on the fact that they have already received the secret report. This time, it was crouching in Jiang'anlun, not the Songhu Police Department. Armed transport of cigarettes!

Anyway, there are no recording and camera equipment in this era, so Ma Yongzhen’s words are unfounded. The final interpretation of what happened that night rests with the security headquarters.

Now the ball was kicked back to Zhang Dingyao and the senior officials of the National Government.

It depends on how the top management views this matter.

But no matter what the truth is or how the situation develops, the relationship between the Songhu Police Department and the Garrison Headquarters has been forged. There is a high probability that it will be a life-and-death battle, and there must be a distinction between high and low.

After closing the newspaper, before Ye Luo could get up, Xiaoli came rushing over: "Second Young Master, Second Young Master, President Zhang Zhijiang is calling to see you!"

Ye Luo raised his eyebrows, Lao Zhang was quite fast.

He walked over and picked up the phone: "President Zhang, it's me."

"Aluo, have you seen the news this morning?" Zhang Zhijiang got straight to the point.

Ye Luo smiled and said: "I just saw it. The response of the security headquarters is quite fast."

"Do you think they are evil?" Zhang Zhijiang lowered his voice and said, "The day you called me, I felt that the security headquarters was most likely colluding with the cigarette dealers. Now that this has been revealed, it has basically convinced them. Participated in the transportation of large cigarettes, otherwise why didn’t we send the news earlier and later, but only after the telegram from the Songhu Police Department was sent?”

"Yes, it's just that they have expert guidance behind them, so they can't move easily." Ye Luo deliberately pronounced the word "expert" very seriously.

Zhang Zhijiang knew it well and continued: "They also sent a telegram to me and the principal this morning. The content was: 'I have just received a report from our investigation team that the Jiang'an ship was seized at Shiliupu Pier the night before yesterday (the evening of the 21st). More than 1,000 boxes of entrained smoke and soil have been ordered to be sealed and destroyed regularly. In addition to ordering investigators to seize them closely in order to eliminate the source, a special telegram was sent to inform them. "Listen to this tone, we will destroy the smoke ourselves without intervention from the Smoking Ban Committee." .Tsk tsk tsk, there is no one behind you, how dare Xiong Shihui speak like that?"

"Didn't the Songhu Police Department respond?" Ye Luo asked.

Zhang Zhijiang smiled: "Of course there is. As soon as the noon newspaper came out, they sent me another telegram, and also copied it to the principal and Feng Yuxiang, 'Armed to carry cigarettes, rob policemen, and invite the police.' After this item of smoke was transported to Baiyun Temple, it was immediately carried to the concession in arms. On this day when smoking is strictly prohibited, such behavior is deeply shocking. It should be investigated and severely punished immediately to enforce the law.' Listen to this tone, Wang Hu is not a good person, he wants to take this opportunity to use my hand to beat Xiong Shihui to death! He has no good intentions."

Ye Luoying smiled in agreement, which was in line with his stereotype of Wang Hu and Xiong Shihui, dog bites dog and has a hairy mouth.

"What's the reaction from the principal?" Ye Luo asked.

Zhang Zhijiang hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice: "I don't know if Song Ziwen and the others are involved at the moment, but according to the principal's words, a task force should be sent to investigate the matter thoroughly in the near future. After all, the national anti-smoking conference has just been held, and Shanghai Beach It’s hard for him to ignore such a big commotion."

Ye Luo immediately told the story that the Nissin still had 2,000 boxes of cigarettes.

As soon as these words came out, Zhang Zhijiang couldn't hold himself any longer.

"There are still 2,000 boxes?! Is Yongxing Company crazy?" Zhang Zhijiang hates smoke more than most people, because this poison has destroyed many Chinese martial arts masters he respects. It can be said that the decline of Chinese martial arts in the 10s was not due to smoke. without"!

After calming down, he immediately understood what Ye Luo meant.

Song Ziwen is not the backer of this group of people.

"No matter what, these 3,000 boxes of cigarettes must not flow into the market and poison the people!" Zhang Zhijiang gritted his teeth and said, "Aluo, if there is any new news, you can inform me as soon as possible. Don't worry, although Song Ziwen is powerful, he still has It’s not like he can dominate the Nationalist government. He wants to use these 2,000 boxes of cigarettes to control you, but there is no way.”

"Then let me thank Uncle Zhang first."

During this period of time, Zhang Zhijiang had the most power, and even Song Ziwen had to think twice before wrestling with him on matters related to smoking.

With Zhang Zhijiang as his backing, Ye Luo no longer has to worry about what to do if he and Song Ziwen completely break up.

After hanging up the phone, Ye Luo called Cao Fan and Shi Jianqiao, preparing to go to the French Consulate General. They were probably very worried and confused right now.

But the more chaotic the situation, the better it is for him.

His ultimate goal is to make both sides lose in the game, and he will benefit from it. Through that loan, he can completely win over Yongxing Company, and at the same time remove the bad label from him!