Lost and Spy

Chapter 362 You are a lunatic
Liuhe Road, Yuchen Yarn Factory.

Yu Chen's word "Chen" has long been hard to see because of the wind and rain.

When your factory has had a good time and purchased the most advanced machines from Hong Kong, the boss and shareholders rolled up their sleeves and prepared to do a big job.

But it didn't take long, under the impact of better quality and cheaper foreign goods, Yuchen finally couldn't stand it anymore, retreated steadily, and finally closed down.

No way, this is the tragedy of China's national industry.

There are such a group of ambitious Chinese businessmen who want to save the country through their own efforts. They open new factories, purchase a large number of machines and recruit workers, with great ambitions.

Unfortunately, in the end they were defeated one after another.

It's not that they don't work hard enough, but that the living environment is too difficult.

Foreigners set up factories and companies in Shanghai, and they are protected and treated in every way. These are the treatment that Chinese businessmen cannot enjoy.

Even those local gangsters dared to go to the factories of Chinese businessmen to make troubles and extort money.

Not to mention police arrests, leaders of the Youth Gang, and so on.

And the heavy taxation also weighed them down.

There is a flour mill that, through its own efforts, is thriving.

But at this time, foreign flour from the United States arrived.

One is produced locally, with cheap labor and no transportation costs.

One family was transported from the distant United States and traveled across the ocean, which cost a lot of money.

It was clear at a glance who won and who lost.

But the reality is not like this.

A bag of flour, this Chinese factory, from production to delivery to sale, should pay 53 kinds of taxes.

That's right, just a little bit more.

This is also the result of the national government's vigorous rectification of various exorbitant taxes in 1934.

Before 1934, the common people had to pay taxes to the government for using scales, rulers, and buckets; they had to pay taxes if they didn’t drive the boats, and they had to pay taxes on the springboards used to get on and off the boats; they had to pay taxes on straw mats and cloth bags; Pigs have to pay taxes, the ropes that bind pigs have to pay taxes, and even the killing of chickens has to pay taxes.

After rectification, the situation has improved somewhat, but not much better.

Taxes are divided into regular taxes and miscellaneous taxes.

Taxes are collected by the government.Miscellaneous taxes are formulated by local governments themselves.

In terms of miscellaneous taxes, there are deed tax registration fees, deed surcharges, deed tuition fees, deed additional construction fees, deed donations, deed foundations, public welfare donations for witnesses, cooking class surcharges, cooking class surplus, and handover donations ...

Those who can recite "report the name of the dish" and talk about cross talk may not be able to recite all these tax items.

Killing a pig and slaughtering a cow is the same as selling a bag of flour, and there are 53 kinds of taxes.

Among them are "pork donation, fat pig pot mouth donation, cooked meat donation".

This means that if I kill a pig, I have to pay the tax on the pork first, then I have to pay the tax on the pot that burns the pork, and I still have to pay the tax after the meat is cooked.

So under such circumstances, the cost of a bag of flour for the local Chinese flour factory far exceeded that of foreign flour.

Under the impact of the roaring and cheap foreign flour, the flour mill was defeated and declared bankruptcy in less than half a year after resisting.

The same is true for Yuchen Gauze Factory.

Meng Shaoyuan could even imagine how tragic and helpless the owner and shareholders of this gauze factory felt when they declared bankruptcy.

"Hey, this is a factory, private, please leave!"

A foreigner appeared behind the iron gate of the gauze factory, shouting loudly in blunt Chinese.

Meng Shaoyuan smiled.

In Shanghai, all the janitors used in various factories are Chinese. When have you ever seen foreigners come to the gate?
"Go away, go away." The foreigner kept waving his hands.

"To shut up!"

Meng Shaoyuan's voice was not loud, but the foreigner actually shut up.

Of course he wasn't afraid of Meng Shaoyuan, what he was afraid of was the gun in Meng Shaoyuan's hand!
"Go and tell Hawes that his friend Charles Meng is here!"

"Okay, okay."

The foreigner ran in quickly, scrambling and crawling.

This is fucking cheap.

Meng Shaoyuan cursed and put away the gun.

After waiting there for a short time, I saw Hawes Beckett coming out of the factory in a hurry: "Hey, Meng, why are you so angry that you need a gun?"

Meng Shaoyuan smiled: "Because your people won't let me in."

"That was a little misunderstanding." Hawes asked someone to open the iron door, and said with a smile, "It's great that you're here. Let's go have coffee and find the best coffee shop."

"No need." Meng Shaoyuan pointed behind him: "It's right here."

"Here?" Hawes hesitated. "I took over this factory not long ago. It's very messy and dirty inside. Let's find a clean place, my dear friend."

"I've been to places that are dirtier and messier." Meng Shaoyuan seemed particularly stubborn: "It's right here, Yuchen Factory, in your office."

Hawes shrugged: "Well, since you must be so persistent."

The moment he turned around, Meng Shaoyuan clearly saw him winking at the gatekeeper...

……

Hawes's office was not as dire as he had imagined. Instead, it was quite tidy. Even the sofa looked brand new, and there were bottles of wine on one side where the bookcase used to be.

"This was originally the general manager's office, but I modified it after I took over." Hawes explained: "What would you like to drink?"

"Anything is fine." Meng Shaoyuan smiled: "I'm in a good mood today, and I just want to drink something."

"Ah, it looks like you succeeded." Hawes took out a bottle of wine, poured two glasses, and handed a glass to Meng Shaoyuan: "I think, Qin Fuyu must have been successfully rescued by you?"

"Yes, that cost you a fortune, Mr. Beckett."

Hawes shrugged: "That's nothing. Qin is my friend. For a friend, no matter how much money you spend, thank God, he won't have to suffer from those Japanese anymore. Congratulations on your success, Meng."

Meng Shaoyuan raised his cup and took a sip: "Don't you ask where Qin Fuyu is now?"

"In short, he was rescued by you, so he is safe." Hawes said confidently: "He must have suffered huge physical and mental trauma, and he should make a good adjustment, and then he will come to me. "

"He won't come to you anymore."

"why?"

"Did you forget that I am an agent? He was detained by me."

"What do you mean?"

Hawes was visibly taken aback.

Meng Shaoyuan said calmly: "In this matter, I took a great risk and worked very hard. I thought, Mr. Beckett, don't you plan to express it?"

Ah, this Chinese is here to ask himself for money.

If that's the case, it's easy to handle.

Hawes was relieved: "Of course, without you, Qin is still suffering now, Meng, don't worry, we are friends, or allies, and I will give you a sum of money."

"How much?" Meng Shaoyuan asked.

"How much do you want?"

"I have a big appetite."

"Don't worry, I will try my best to satisfy you within my ability."

"Really?"

"real!"

Meng Shaoyuan thought for a while: "One hundred million!"

"What?" Hawes, who was sitting there calmly, stood up suddenly: "Is there something wrong with my ears? How much do you want?"

"One hundred million, US dollars!"

"You're crazy, Meng, you're really crazy." Hawes was not angry, but laughed instead: "Meng, do you understand the value of money? Can you do the most basic math? One hundred million? U.S. dollars? Last year , Your national government’s national budget is 12 billion French currency. Japan, which is at war with the national government, last year’s national budget was 22 billion yen, or 5000 million U.S. dollars? When converted, it is more than [-] million yen. You Who do you think is worth the money?"

Meng Shaoyuan was still smiling there: "Qin Fuyu!"

"Qin Fuyu? Is he worth [-] million U.S. dollars?" Hawes was sure that Meng Shaoyuan was crazy: "Even the President of the United States is not worth [-] million U.S. dollars!"

"Well, it makes sense." Meng Shaoyuan nodded seriously: "Maybe you really can't afford [-] million US dollars, but you can give me the equivalent in legal currency or Japanese yen."

"Meng, you are hopeless." Hawes didn't know what to say.

"Oh, the French currency is depreciating, should I accept it?" Meng Shaoyuan seemed to be lost in thought: "No way, Mr. Beckett, when will you give me the money?"

Not only is Meng Shaoyuan crazy, Hawes is about to be driven crazy by him: "Let me tell you for the last time, I don't have any! I don't have [-] million US dollars, and I don't have the equivalent in legal currency or Japanese yen!"

"You have it, Mr. Beckett." Meng Shaoyuan said slowly, "You have it as soon as you turn on the machine!"

Hawes froze there, unable to say a word.

"Some people's machines are running to make flour, and some people's machines are calico." Meng Shaoyuan shook the wine glass in his hand: "Mr. Beckett, your machine is different from others. What you print is banknotes!"

Hawes' complexion became ugly: "I don't understand what you are talking about, Meng."

"I regard you as a friend, Mr. Beckett. We are still members of the Shanghai Public Mutual Aid Association. We are allies. Have you forgotten so quickly? Treating an ally like this makes me feel chilling." Meng Shaoyuan sighed:
"Do I have to make it clear? Well, then, I can tell you clearly that you, Mr. Hawes Beckett, are printing counterfeit banknotes in the Yuchen yarn factory in the public concession!"

"It's nonsense, it's nonsense!" Hawes calmed down, put down his glass, and sat down again: "You really know how to joke, Meng, I'm a decent person, it's impossible for me to do such a thing."

Suddenly, he opened the drawer abruptly, took out a pistol from it, and pointed the gun at Meng Shaoyuan: "Tell me, Mr. Meng, how did you know? I regret to inform you that you may not be able to leave alive today." Here it is."

"Hospital Knights, President of Leonard Charity Relief Organization, that's amazing." Meng Shaoyuan didn't look panicked at all: "Mr. Beckett, how dare you point a gun at me? How dare you point a gun at me Meng Shaoyuan ?”

(End of this chapter)