Stepping into Dai Li's office, Chen Han Wen saw him happily dancing, a glass of wine in one hand, drawing circles on the ground with his steps. Upon noticing Chen Han Wen's arrival, he enthusiastically invited him to join in.
Dai Li danced and said to Chen Han Wen, "Han Wen, did you hear? America, Britain, France, and the Soviet Union have broken into Germany's capital on the European battlefield. Hitler is a trapped bird, Germany is finished, and the Japanese won't be able to hold on for much longer. After defeating Germany, the Soviets will send troops to the Northeast. At that time, we, the Soviets, and America will launch a full-scale attack on them from land, sea, and air. Japan, with its small territory, can't possibly withstand the combined attack of our three nations!"
Yeah, yeah, you're right.
Chen Han Wen remembered these events of World War II clearly: when Germany fell, how Japan met its demise...
Chen Han Wen said to Dai Li, "The Japanese are going to fall. Should we grab a couple of boats and go to mainland Japan to grab some benefits?"
"Where would I get boats?" Dai Li expressed his helplessness, lamenting, "The old man is holding onto all the boats now. I can't get any. If you, Han Wen, supported me as Navy Commander, all the boats would be at your disposal. Unfortunately...you're not helping, little brother."
"I have boats, and plenty of them. I can use any of Zhuang Yun Qing's ocean-going freighters in Shanghai."
Chen Han Wen revealed his strength, then looked at Dai Li, "As for you, old Dai, let's be frank. The Military Commission has 300,000 secret agents, 200,000 of them are in the country, the remaining 100,000... well, I don't need to say more. Do you think getting a few boats is difficult?"
Hearing Chen Han Wen directly exposing his cards, Dai Li awkwardly chuckled, "I knew I couldn't hide anything from you, little brother. Alright... I'll get the boats back and let you use them. Does that work? You get the meat, I'll get the soup."
After Dai Li agreed, Chen Han Wen didn't bring it up again.
Chen Han Wen's business acumen was widely recognized within the KMT.
Many saw Chen Han Wen as a money tree. Dai Li didn't think about taking money from Chen Han Wen, instead, he entrusted his money to Chen Han Wen to manage. A 40% annual profit was enough to make Dai Li happy!
You see, others only made a 20% profit.
Chen Han Wen's dividend for Dai Li was double the usual amount. How could Dai Li not be happy?
Therefore, Chen Han Wen enjoyed high popularity among the KMT's upper echelon. When they had money, they invested it with Chen Han Wen to make money, and they didn't even ask for their principal. The annual dividends they received were enough for them to become rich.
However, what they didn't know was that Chen Han Wen's business generated an annual optimized profit of 100% to 120%. They gave their money to Chen Han Wen, essentially just helping him make even more money.
As for talent... Chen Han Wen didn't lack it at all.
Dai Li came to see Chen Han Wen mainly because of his desire to become the Navy Commander.
But Chen Han Wen was unyielding, and Dai Li didn't dare to press him too hard, fearing that he might anger him. He could only keep testing his attitude.
Drinking, chatting, reminiscing about the past, Dai Li casually informed Chen Han Wen about the successful assassination of Li Hai Feng, saying that he just needed to know about it, and he didn't have to worry about the rest.
Dai Li told Chen Han Wen, "You wouldn't believe it, little brother, I sent out elite soldiers to avenge you. There was a young man named Yu Ze Cheng, a student from our Qingpu class, an old timer... He's still missing now, such a pity..."
Hearing Dai Li's words, Chen Han Wen chuckled, then feigned surprise, "Really? If I have the chance in the future, I'll definitely meet him."
Chen Han Wen knew that Yu Ze Cheng wouldn't die. This was the time when Yu Ze Cheng's mindset would change, leading him to embrace the Communist Party's path, becoming an outstanding undercover agent.
After chatting with Dai Li for a while, Chen Han Wen was about to leave with the Black Label whiskey Dai Li had given him, but Dai Li stopped him, "Ming Cheng, don't make a big deal out of your relationship with Zeng Mo Yi. Everyone in our department is gossiping. You should take action, what's with the dragging? You, Chen Han Wen, can scare the Japanese generals back to Shanghai, yet you can't handle a little girl?"
Chen Han Wen retorted, "What do you know? This is called true love, true love, understand? It's not just about the stuff between a man and a woman's legs. I'm pursuing a beautiful love, and it will inevitably be... what's the point of telling you this? You're a straight man who doesn't understand romance. It's pointless to explain, I'm going now!"
"Heh, you act like you're so pure..."
As Chen Han Wen left, the smile on Dai Li's face vanished.
He wasn't angry because of Chen Han Wen's attitude, but because of... Chiang Kai-shek's warning, which made Dai Li feel uneasy.
Chiang Kai-shek bluntly hinted to Dai Li, saying that the Military Commission's power was too great and he needed to relinquish some of it.
But Dai Li didn't think there was anything wrong with the Military Commission having a lot of power.
What is the Military Commission?
The Military Commission not only needs to spy on the enemy's intelligence but also carry out sabotage behind enemy lines, requiring a large number of people. Besides, the Republic of China's enemies are not only domestic but also foreign. The more people the Military Commission has, the more stable Chiang Kai-shek's position would be, right?
He was Chiang Kai-shek's student, and the stronger the Military Commission, the stronger Chiang Kai-shek's power would be. But now he even needed to be wary of his own people?
Dai Li felt tired and also understood that the current Military Commission was like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment. Once it erupted, everyone would suffer.
The solution Dai Li came up with was to get out of the Military Commission as soon as possible. Find a puppet in the Military Commission to continue working for him, while he goes to the Navy and becomes the Commander... a perfect plan, but Chen Han Wen refused to help.
Without Chen Han Wen's help, Dai Li could only find another way. In 1942, he held a training class called the Sino-American Cooperative Organization. The American representative at the time was Melis, who was considered a good friend of Dai Li. Later, Melis returned to the United States and transitioned from Military Observer to Navy Commodore, giving Dai Li hope of becoming Navy Commander.
He would negotiate with the Americans through Melis, asking them to provide warships while recommending himself as Navy Commander to Chiang Kai-shek. The National Government was currently relying on the United States, so Chiang Kai-shek wouldn't refuse their requests.
What a great opportunity.
With the help of the Americans, Dai Li felt that becoming Navy Commander was a sure thing. But the thought of Chen Han Wen not helping him made him feel a little bit resentful. He planned to show off to Chen Han Wen after he became Navy Commander.
But what Dai Li didn't know was that Chen Han Wen knew the future. No matter how hard Dai Li struggled, he couldn't escape his fate of death.