Spy Wars: Return of the Red Luan

Chapter 138 Formal Meeting with the Leader (Part 2)
Chen Jiehua hadn't expected to get through this hurdle so easily.

"Alright, let me continue. Because of that incident at the cabinet meeting, I became a celebrity in Japan. At the same time, I was fortunate enough to get involved with the fleet faction and, by sheer coincidence, stumbled into their secret meeting. At the meeting, I followed the ideas of several core members of the fleet faction, gave them advice, gained Prince Hirokō's approval, and entered the core team of the naval fleet faction."

"The Japanese Navy fleet sent its core members? They got in so easily? Is it really that easy?" Section Chief Wang Yong thought Chen Jiehua was talking nonsense.

"Yes, it was that easy. I didn't plan it; it was pure luck. Of course, my identity definitely gave me an advantage. You all know my identity in Japan: Aoki Seigen is from the Kagoshima Domain. My grandfather, Aoki Nobuzumi, was a childhood friend of Kato Kanji. My father-in-law is a noble duke. And what you don't know is that Aoki Seigen's mother is from the Shimazu family and has some connection with Empress Kojun of the Imperial Family."

"You're too..." The section chief was speechless.

"Actually, I think there is another reason, which is that the drug formulas I brought back from America and Germany have a strong response in Japan. My actions may be more helpful for my identity there."

"My advice to the fleet faction is to change course, not to confront the Emperor head-on, but to agree to the signing of the London Naval Treaty first, but to control the process themselves in exchange for political benefits. Once they have the benefits, they can slowly and gradually tear up the treaty."

"That's a truly wicked plan of yours, it's got a touch of the cunning and political maneuvering of a seasoned strategist."

"Hehe, Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu said the same thing."

"The Fleet faction ultimately followed my advice, proceeding step by step, and achieved all its political goals. Now, the Minister of the Navy and the Minister and Deputy Minister of the Naval General Staff are all from the Fleet faction."

"These are just the prelude to my grand plan. Expanding the Japanese Navy cannot be accomplished with a few words or by achieving one or two job targets, so I pushed forward with the second step of the plan."

"I dispatched Comrade Zhao Shiyu to Northeast China as the Japanese Navy's special economic commissioner to oversee the construction and development of the Manchurian branch of Aoki Pharmacy Co., Ltd., and to help the Japanese Navy make money."

"This step has four objectives. First, to spread the Pharmacy's spy network throughout Northeast China in advance under the name of the Navy, so as to rival the Kwantung Army's intelligence agencies and the South Manchuria Railway Company, instigate internal friction among the three, and increase the accumulation of resentment and conflict of interests."

"Second, with our eyes in our own hands, we can have a relatively safe space to live after the Kwantung Army makes its move."

"Third, divert as much of the floating economy in Manchuria and Rehe as possible to the navy, thereby reducing the income of the Kwantung Army."

"Fourth, raise funds for the Japanese Navy to build super-large battleships."

"Hongluan, of your four objectives, the first two are easy to understand, but what is the deeper meaning of the third one—removing the floating economy and reducing the income of the Kwantung Army?" the section chief asked in a low voice.

"The first objective of the Japanese Kwantung Army was to occupy Northeast China. After occupying it, they would seize all the funds in the Northeast. Once they had sufficient strength, what do you think their next, second objective would be?"

"I'll give you three options: go north and fight the Soviet Union, go south and invade North China, or go back to Japan and farm."

"Hehe, you're basically giving me two options. Farming is out of the question. But fighting the Soviet Union or invading North China are both possibilities."

"The section chief is right. Going back to farming is definitely out of the question. With sufficient funds, we have ample weapons, resources, and manpower, allowing us to move either south or north. But now, it's like the navy has taken a large slice of what was practically ours, delaying their army's advance. Won't the army have something to say about this? Won't their resentment towards the navy deepen?" "At this point, I could arrange for the Marines to engage them in skirmishes in the Northeast, letting them thoroughly weaken each other there. Wouldn't that be very effective?"

"Alright, that's quite a clever strategic move. What about building large battleships for the navy?"

"This brings us to the core of my plan. Let's call it the Naval Expansion Plan. Let their warships expand, and their ambitions expand along with them, until they can no longer satisfy their naval needs against China. I want to get back at the humiliation I suffered in America. I want to clash with the American Navy and see who is the true hegemon of the Pacific."

"When my naval strength is 10 and your opponent's strength is 10, I'll think, they're about the same, the chances of winning are fifty-fifty, I might have to weigh the pros and cons; when my strength is 20 and your opponent's is 15, then there's nothing to say, we'll just start fighting; when the Japanese navy's strength is 20 and the Chinese navy's strength is 1 or 0, I have absolutely no desire to fight!"

"20 against 1, there's no sense of accomplishment. Winning is expected, it's not a test of skill. As a Japanese naval commander, would you choose to fight China, or would you choose to challenge the United States? If you defeat the United States, you'll be the hegemon of the Pacific. What's the harm in risking your nation's fate? Think about it! The entire Pacific!"

"This is devilish thinking, it's like they've figured people out to the bone!" Section Chief Wang Yong thought to himself, too shocked to answer.

"Section Chief?"

"The expansion plan is understandable, and given your identity, as long as you don't expose yourself, the probability of successfully guiding it will be very high. Just follow your plan."

"I have one last question: why build super-large battleships?"

Section Chief, your teamwork with me is absolutely flawless!

"The battleship I designed for the Japanese Navy is called the Yamato-class. It is twice the tonnage of the largest battleship at present. The main guns and the deck are heavier, larger and thicker, which means that the cost will be multiplied. Being heavy means that it is difficult to move around, and it will be a sitting duck in the face of flexible firepower. Don't the generals of the fleet faction know this? They do know, but they just like big. The ship must be big, the gun must be big, and the firepower must be big."

"You're a devil, scheming in everything you do, a real devil agent."

"Hehe, Hongluan becoming the section chief is a compliment to me. My team will be called the Devil Team! What's wrong with being a devil for the sake of the country and the nation?"

Inside the room on the second floor of the small building, neither Number Five nor the section chief spoke. Chen Jiehua took advantage of the quiet time to carefully listen to the sounds outside and confirm that it was safe.

"Boss, Section Chief, I have a little something to report in advance. The nine maids I brought back from Prince Hiroyasu's mansion in Fushimi have completed their special training at the East Asia Academy and have now been released to undergo desensitization tests. Once they pass the tests, I will arrange for two of them to infiltrate the organization."

"Huh?" The section chief didn't react for a moment, thinking, "What kind of operation is this? Sending two Japanese people to infiltrate our organization?" Then he thought, "Oh, brilliant!"

"You've really taken espionage to a whole new level!" You actually came up with this idea!

(End of this chapter)