Chapter 318: I Don’t Want to Get More Involved

Hu Jintao.

He was the head of the Communist Youth League and the next Chairman of China.

When Deng Xiaoping appointed Jiang Zemin as Chairman, he firmly established Hu Jintao as his successor.

Jiang Zemin, needing Deng Xiaoping’s support, had no choice but to accept this demand.

However, Hu Jintao’s power base was weak. So he began to grow his influence by recruiting members from the Communist Youth League as his faction.

Thanks to his efforts, this became the largest faction within the Communist Party of China by numbers.

Yet, despite the numbers, real power was tightly held by the Shanghai faction.

— Mr. Kim Mu-hyeok? This is Hu Jintao.

I couldn’t help but be surprised by the voice on the other end of the phone claiming to be Hu Jintao.

“Is this really Vice Chairman Hu Jintao?”

— Haha, indeed.

“I never expected to have Vice Chairman Hu Jintao’s phone number.”

Even admitting I didn’t know about Hao Xun didn’t faze Hu Jintao, who laughed heartily.

— That’s understandable. Sometimes ignorance can be bliss. By the way, I heard Hao owes you a debt. I regret that.

“It’s fine. It’s alright. I’m looking to build a good relationship now.”

— Is that so? He’s someone I care for.

“Really? That’s unexpected.”

Hu Jintao himself was claiming he cared for Hao Xun.

It was clear he was more than just a simple thug.

Well, considering that, it makes sense he could use an intelligence agency’s black ops like pawns.

I glanced at Hao Xun with surprise and focused back on Hu Jintao’s words.

— I wanted to meet with you several times, but you turned me down every time.

“I don’t want to get entangled with Chinese politicians. Didn’t Vice Chairman Hu’s running mate, Wang Jiabao, just fall from grae? A consequence of Jiang Zemin’s machinations. How can I meet with Chinese politicians again after my close associate, Vice Premier Wang, fell?”

— Hmmm…

The Shanghai faction, led by Jiang Zemin, was consolidating wealth and power using the stronghold of Shanghai, the top city in China, while the princelings leveraged their inherited wealth and influence from their father’s era.

However, the Communist Youth League lacked such a foundation. They had no power base, and limited funding before truly seizing control.

Even after Hu Jintao took office as the General Secretary months later, he would have no taste of real power for a long ten years.

“That’s why I haven’t met with anyone.”

— Wang Jiabao… That guy truly gotthe short end of the stick. I never expected Jiang Zemin to act so suddenly. He detained him before I could even respond and kicked him out of all positions.

“You should have protected him. You should have. Even if he didn’t belong to any faction, he would have been someone that could help you govern the country. Who can restrain the Shanghai faction now? Ultimately, Vice Chairman, you’ll waste away in Jiang Zemin’s shadow for years to come while you struggle to escape it.”

Silence rang through the phone as Hu Jintao could only listen.

“Wang Jiabao was still able to bild up his forces in Shanghai. Jiang Zemin’s power base is built there. Naturally, he wouldn’t want Wang as a thorn in his side, right? You should have mobilized every ounce of power from the Communist Youth League to protect him.”

— I did my best. But Jiang Zemin’s will was just too strong. What else could I do?

I sighed inwardly at his excuse.

This was the path Hu Jintao had walked. His self-preservation came first above all.

He maintained his demeanor, bowing to Jiang Zemin and avoiding showing any desire for power during his reign.

There was no point in talking to someone like this.

“Since Wang Jiabao, I no longer want t maintain close ties with politicians from China. Thus, I’ve rejected all contacts from both you and even Jiang Zemin’s side.”

The culture of Guanxi could be a blessing, but at times it was a poison.

I had chosen to use Guanxi and supported Wang Jiabao. Yet, before I coul even act, Jiang Zemin had struck back.

It was hard not to be disillusioned with the country of China.

“…Still, I intend to maintain a good relationship with Hao Xun here.”

Hao Xun, who had been silently nodding, raised his head, his eyes filled with emotion.

— Haha, looks like Hao has caught Mr. Kim’s fancy. That kid is quite sharp.

I didn’t bother correcting Hu Jintao’s misunderstanding.

Though it was true I did like Hao Xun, it was because he could serve as a card against the Japanese Yakuza.

以夷制夷 (Yi Yi Zhi Yi). Deal with barbarians using other barbarians.

If I could keep my hands clean of blood, having a Chinese asset isn’t a bad idea.

“However, if Vice Chairman intends to use my relationship with him, then everything is over. Please keep that in mind.”

— Hehe.

Hu Jintao laughed, but under his good-natured demeanor, I sensed unease.

— Mr. Kim, how about we meet up first?

“I have no plans to go to China right now. And if I do, I don’t wish to get involved in Chinese politics. Sorry.”

— Hmm… I need to go to Korea early next year. Let’s meet then and talk. We need to rescue Wang Jiabao, don’t we?

Rescue Wang Jiabao? I couldn’t help bu raise my voice a bit in shock.

“Can you really rescue Vice Premier Wang? His political life is practically over. How would you do that?”

— It’s not without precedent. So let’s discuss it in person. This isn’t a matter for a phone call.

“…Understood for now.”

— Haha, then we’ll see in Seoul. And please take care of our Hao.

Hu Jintao hung up the phone after leaving his greeting for Hao.

I lowered my phone momentarily, then passed it to Hao Xun saying.

“It seems you’re quite close to Vice Chairman Hu Jintao. He seems to cherish you a lot.”

Hao Xun received the phone in both hands and replied.

“He’s looked out for me since my days in the Communist Youth League. But I’m not very interested in politics, so I ended up joining the Black Dragon Society by accident, and with his help, I rose to the position of Vice Chief.”

If Hu Jintao had been backing him, it would explain how he managed to rise to Vice Chief of the powerful Black Dragon Society at such a young age.

“But please don’t get too close to politicians. The relationship between gangsters and politicians never ends well.”

“My relationship with him isn’t like that. We’re practically brothers.”

“Is that so? Well, if you say so, what more is there for me to say? Now let’s get to our own business.”

I nodded lightly at Manager Ma. He picked up the bag lying on the floor and placed it on the table.

Hao Xun stared at the bag with a puzzled expression.

“Open it up.”

As soon as the command was given, Hao Xun opened the bag.

Inside the bag, there were tightly packed bundles of hundred-dollar bills.

“This is…”

“That’s two million dollars. Take it.”

“Excuse me?”

Hao Xun pulled his gaze from the bag, staring at me in shock.

“If you withdraw from Korea immediately, there will be financial issues, right? For now, use that to manage your members.”

“…”

“It’s not like you can jump straight into the Japanese market, and even if you do, you’ll have to deal with the Yakuza. At that point, it’s best to ensure your underlings, who fight directly, are equipped rather than rely on someone like Hu Jintao behind you. So take it without feeling burdened.”

“…Then I gratefully accept it.”

Hao Xun closed the bag and set it next to his chair.

Seeing that made me smile with satisfaction. Whether that money went to his organization or he pocketed it, it didn’t matter to me.

It was just bait to instill a sense of obligation and ensure he followed my orders.

“Do you have a foothold in Japan?”

“Yes, we supply drugs to Japan through Korea. However, we can’t sell directly there.”

“So you can distribute drugs in Korea but not in Japan? Is it because Korea is easier or Japan is tougher?”

As I raised my eyebrow and asked, Hao Xun waved his hands in refusal.

“No, no. Thanks to some overseas Chinese in places like Incheon, we’ve been able to establish ourselves relatively easily. It’s definitely not that Korea is an easy target.”

“In fact, if the Heavenly Group hadn’t unified the underworld, we wouldn’t have gotten involved with either the Chinese or Japanese gangs. It would have been fortunate if they hadn’t crossed paths. You don’t need to worry about that.”

There’s a saying that even stray dogs manage to get a bite in their home turf.

Even though the Black Dragon Society was a significant force, they couldn’t be disregarded in Korea.

So, even when they were with the Geuksung Group, they proposed collaboration by offering money.

But at my insistence that drugs were off the table, the Geuksung Group abandoned its ambition in the drug trade. This led to the Black Dragon Society rising in Korea, but still.

“Do you have any close Yakuza ties in Japan?”

“There are Yakuza who do drug deals with us. However, if we attempt to break into the drug sales route, they will likely become our enemies.”

“It sounds like a long war ahead.”

Hao Xun nodded stiffly as he organized his thoughts.

“That’s what it seems. But if we establish ourselves… Honestly, the Japanese market is going to be much larger than Korea’s. It will be tough, but that much is true.”

“Just handle the finer details. It’ll require quite a bit of cash, I presume.”

“We’ve been gaining large profits just from the businesses in Tianjin and parts of Beijing.”

If they’ve seized control over the entire underworld in Tianjin and parts of Beijing, they wouldn’t run into financial difficulties.

“The Heavenly Group will be a big help in transporting drugs from Korea to Japan. You can discuss details with Chairman Yoo. But, it’s imperative to block any other Chinese organizations from selling drugs in Korea by any means necessary. This is an order. If you can’t fulfill it or suspect you can’t, let me know ahead of time.”

“I will do whatever it takes to stop them, whether through dialogue or with my fists.”

“I’ll trust you this once. And if you ever lack funds for a war, you can ask Chairman Yoo.”

The detailed plans could be handled by Yoo Sung-jin and Hao Xun when they met.

I simply needed to redirect the battlefield from Korea to Japan and watch from the sidelines.

If China and Japan started fighting each other, the Korean underworld would settle down a bit for the meantime.

‘What if the Russian Mafia gets involved too?’

A drug war between China, Japan, and Russia unfolding in Japan.

That sounds exciting. As I rubbed my chin, I gestured to Hao Xun.

“For now, head back. If I have more to say, I will contact Manager Ma.”

“Yes, understood.”

Hao Xun stood, bowing politely. The arrogance I had encountered the first time we met was nowhere to be seen.

“I’ll pay you another visit next time.”

After exchanging farewells, Hao Xun picked up the bag on the floor and left the Myeong-dong office.

As soon as Hao Xun left, I turned to Manager Ma.

“What’s Chairman Yoo up to?”

“I’ve heard that Kang Jun-woo has subdued everyone involved in this incident. There was some resistance, but they mostly handled it without major conflict and brought them to Incheon.”

I nodded slightly. I didn’t understand why they had acted so soft until now when they were capable of doing so.

Since I had finished cleaning up the mess, I tried to stand but sat back down.

“Oh, by the way. Manager, are the Russian Mafia operating in Japan?”

“Yes. The Solntsevskaya Brotherhood is establishing a base. Their main income comes from arms smuggling.”

“Hmm… I wonder if they’re not interested in drugs? The Russian Mafia lord, Semion Mogilevich, right? Contact him. See if we can meet up.”

“Understood.”

Manager Ma bowed his head and left the office.