Zheng Jiemin learned that Chen Hanwen had been assassinated by the Japanese, but it was already the next day. He heard that the Japanese had attacked the Yuhua Hotel and that Chen Hanwen had been shot at by the Japanese snipers while Dai Li was going to pick him up, which immediately sent a chill down his spine.
Yesterday, Chen Hanwen had dined with him, and regardless of whether Chen Hanwen was safe or not, the assassination was inextricably linked to him.
Damn those Japanese!
Zheng Jiemin did not seek revenge immediately; instead, he first went to Chiang Kai-shek's residence to inform him that he had nothing to do with Chen Hanwen's assassination. Zheng Jiemin was a student of the second class of Whampoa Military Academy and a favored disciple of Chiang Kai-shek, so he was qualified to directly seek justice from him.
The outcome was predictable; Chiang Kai-shek scolded Zheng Jiemin mercilessly.
“Damn it, I just put Chen Hanwen under house arrest, and you go find him for drinks, treating my orders like they don't exist, huh?”
Zheng Jiemin felt wronged, thinking he was taking the blame for Dai Li. Clearly, it was Dai Li who had nothing to do with Chen Hanwen; could he not have a drink with him?
Having been scolded early in the morning, Zheng Jiemin felt extremely aggrieved. When he returned to the Military Intelligence Bureau headquarters, he wanted to find Chen Hanwen to chat, but upon reaching the door of the confinement room, he saw two soldiers from the Military Police standing guard. Upon inquiry, he learned they were guards from Chiang Kai-shek's residence.
After scolding Chen Hanwen last night, he had directly sent someone to confine Chen Hanwen without using the Military Intelligence Bureau's men, but instead sent his own people from the residence to lock him up.
“No one will be released until five days have passed.”
Zheng Jiemin couldn't help but sigh; Chen Hanwen was truly favored by Chiang Kai-shek. This was not merely confinement; it was clearly an act of protection.
In other words, Chiang Kai-shek was worried that Chen Hanwen might do something reckless, which was why he had locked him in.
Chen Hanwen had been attacked by the Japanese yesterday, and with his temperament, he would undoubtedly seek revenge. Chen Hanwen had just blown up No. 76; if he went to Shanghai to retaliate against the Japanese, wouldn't that provoke them even more?
At that time, the Japanese could easily seize all ships heading west from Shanghai, and those ships were mostly owned by the four families.
Jiang, Song, Kong, and Chen.
They would join forces to pressure Chiang Kai-shek, and he would have no choice but to shed tears and sacrifice Ma Su.
Zheng Jiemin felt a mix of envy, jealousy, and hatred towards Chen Hanwen's treatment, but he couldn't say anything. When he tried to enter the confinement room, he was stopped by the Military Police: “The Chairman has ordered that no one can enter the confinement room until Chen Hanwen's confinement is over.”
With no other choice, Zheng Jiemin could only stand at the door and shout, “Mingcheng, are you alright? Your brother is here to see you.”
“Big brother, I'm fine, you can go back.”
Chen Hanwen did not open the door and shouted through it to Zheng Jiemin:
“Once I get out, let's have a drink together; I'll treat you then.”
“……”
Zheng Jiemin thought: There must be someone else in Chen Hanwen's confinement room; otherwise, he wouldn't even open the door.
As expected, it should be Dai Li.
Damn it, if Dai Li can go in, why can't I, Zheng Jiemin?
Zheng Jiemin glanced at the Military Police at the door, cursing inwardly: “You dog who relies on power.”
After chatting with Chen Hanwen for a bit longer at the door, Zheng Jiemin finally left.
But just as he returned to his office and was about to open the window for some fresh air, he saw Dai Li just getting out of a car and walking towards the entrance.
Wasn't it Dai Li who was in the confinement room with Chen Hanwen?
Zheng Jiemin was puzzled: If it wasn't Dai Li, then who was it?
……
Inside the confinement room, the person with Chen Hanwen was none other than the Minister of Finance of the Republic of China: Song Ziwen.
The “dead shemale” Chen Hanwen referred to.
Song Ziwen was not bad-looking, but he did not fit the current aesthetic standards. Due to his long-term involvement in internal affairs, he appeared somewhat frail. Ever since Chen Hanwen had called him by that nickname, it had spread among the senior ranks of the Guomindang, which made Song Ziwen quite annoyed.
This time, he came to see Chen Hanwen not for any other reason but to target Chen Hanwen's wallet.
The Rockefeller family had set their sights on the several Mexican oil fields that Chen Hanwen held.
General Chen Na-de, commander of the Nationalist Air Force, was not only in charge of the war but also served as a bridge for communication between the United States and the Guomindang.
Chiang Kai-shek had already predicted that the Japanese wouldn't last long and that a civil war between the two parties in the country was inevitable in the future. Therefore, he actively sought contact with the U.S. government, hoping to gain their support.
Chen Na-de relayed Chiang Kai-shek's request for assistance back to the United States, which immediately piqued the interest of several tycoons. They wanted little; Chiang Kai-shek could have the funds he needed, but he had to use the oil fields and the penicillin patent held by Chen Hanwen as collateral... As long as those two things were put on the table, Chiang Kai-shek could have as much as he wanted.
During the five years Chen Hanwen spent transitioning from military to business, he coincidentally capitalized on the time of the Great Depression in the United States, directly seizing tens of billions of dollars in assets from the American stock market.
He also acquired bankrupt American companies and invested heavily in the mining industry in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and other places. Chen Hanwen had never failed in his ventures, possessing oil fields, coal, iron, and non-ferrous metals, all worth at least ten billion dollars.
Currently, the U.S. had ten major tycoons, and on Wall Street, Chen Hanwen was referred to as the eleventh tycoon, the “Eastern Tycoon.”
Now, the finances of the Guomindang had already collapsed, and to operate effectively, they needed to fill the gaps. The only one who could provide assistance to the Guomindang was the United States, and the conditions were simple: Chen Hanwen had to relinquish his wealth.
Chen Hanwen only replied with two words: “Dream on!”
And so, Song Ziwen came to find Chen Hanwen, hoping he would generously open his purse to save the Guomindang's finances. Song Ziwen knew the importance of penicillin but dared not mention it, instead focusing on the foreign mineral resources controlled by Chen Hanwen.
But Chen Hanwen refused to budge, and Song Ziwen was helpless: “Mingcheng, the party and country need you now; how can you disregard the interests of the party and country?”
“Dead shemale, think before you speak.”
Chen Hanwen showed no mercy to Song Ziwen, saying, “I disregard the interests of the party and country? When the financial crisis hit the U.S., I dismantled factories in the U.S. and Germany and sent them back home. In places like Shancheng, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou, which factories aren't mine? How many factories did I sponsor for the party and country? Without me, the Nationalist army wouldn't have enough weapons and ammunition to support a single battle!”
“The factories I sponsored belong to the National Government; now? Which ones haven't ended up in your pockets? And now you come asking me for money? Why don't you just cough up the money yourselves?”
“……”
After cursing, Chen Hanwen left Song Ziwen speechless, who could only awkwardly retort, “It was Kong Xiangxi who took those factories; it has nothing to do with me. If you want to blame someone, blame Kong Xiangxi, don't take it out on me.”
Chen Hanwen responded with a sneer: “You're not a good person either.”
Song Ziwen lowered his head, left without a word.
The factories that Chen Hanwen had donated had already been divided up by the four families, and the Song family had a share as well.