Spy Wars: Return of the Red Luan

Chapter 188 The conman digs another pit

The five of them returned to the second-floor operations research room, where Chen Jiehua and Okamura Yasuji gave each other "personal instructions".

"Uncle, let me make this clear first: I'm not here to pry into your negotiation plans. I have no interest in knowing, and you shouldn't tell me either, lest you leak it and blame me again."

“Aoki has lived in Shanghai for a long time and is quite familiar with the situation in Shanghai and the surrounding areas. I think Aoki is more suitable to be the chief negotiator for this negotiation.”

“Obata-kun is right, and Qingxuan, you can represent both the Navy and the Army at the same time. I will suggest to the Chief of the General Staff that Qingxuan be the chief of staff for this negotiation.”

"Uncles, you'd better not go! I'm not interested. I just want to rest when I get back."

"I originally wanted to tell Uncle Okamura that we should not forget two points in the negotiation conditions. The first point is that my Aoki chain pharmacy was requisitioned by the army because of the war. But the negotiation conditions should include restoring all my pharmacies and compensating me for the loss of medicines. This is the navy's military expenditure."

“Qingxuan, why is this not what the Army reported to the General Staff? The Ninth Division reported that someone impersonated an Army soldier and robbed the pharmacy! The Ninth Division did not obtain many medicines.”

"The Ninth Division has been defeated, disgracing the Empire. Of course, we dare not report the truth! Have the three uncles seen the news from Shanghai?"

"News from the Republic of China era may have been somewhat biased, reporting it as looting. But I think our Asahi Shimbun's report was quite fair; it was about requisition, emergency requisition during wartime."

"But after the war ends, these pharmacies must be returned, right? Otherwise, how can we explain it to the navy? These pharmacies originally belonged to the army and were operated by army personnel. So why did the Kwantung Army propose exchanging pharmacies in East China with those in Manchuria just before the war?"

"Looking at it from the perspective of the exchange, the army was clearly at a disadvantage. But now, it's clear that the Kwantung Army must have anticipated this long ago, right? Kenji Doihara and Ishihara were the brains of the Kwantung Army!"

"The Kwantung Army, or rather the Army, is plotting against the Navy. My three uncles, do you think the Army can explain this once Prince Fushimi remembers or General Kato realizes what's going on?"

"Baka! Aoki! Don't talk nonsense!"

“Uncle Nagata, these were the reminders given to me by those naval ronin. Even an ordinary person could figure this out. How can you say that Aoki is talking nonsense?”

"Besides, Aoki still sides with the Army. I came to my three uncles immediately to discuss the matter and offer them advice, hoping to resolve the issue through this negotiation. Otherwise, I would have gone directly to the Navy next door."

"How do we resolve this?" Okamura Neiji had taken the bait and tacitly accepted the army's responsibility.

"Let the Shanghai government of the Republic of China resolve this! Just say that they damaged it, and make them compensate for the medicines and repair all the pharmacies."

"Okay, I'll consider it and add it to the contingency plan."

"See, that solves the problem. The second condition is that they hand over that artillery god!"

"Why would someone as valiant as them cut off their own arm and hand it over to us?"

"I can ignore the army's losses for now, but someone has to take the blame for the navy's losses, right? Dozens of fighter jets, was it because the enemy shot too accurately, or was it because the navy's own tactics were flawed? We need to figure that out!"

"We must make them hand it over! We need to see them alive or dead!"

"Aoki's suggestion is excellent, I agree. The annihilation of the 9th Division's forty tanks, their defeat in Shanghai during the Republic of China era, is simply unforgivable! We really need to figure out whether it was a problem with their tactics or the so-called 'artillery god'!"

"I tend to think that Zhiqian (the division commander) is shirking responsibility and exaggerating."

"Alright, I only have these two small suggestions. Uncle Okamura, you should set off as soon as possible. Once you get there, you can stay at the Navy Club or the Hongkou Residents Club. Feel free to use my membership card."

"Yoshi! Aoki is so thoughtful."

"Uncle Obata, look at this green and yellow one. How about we take a day off and I'll take him out for a walk?"
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Dividing line —
At Senso-ji Temple, Chen Jiehua took his adopted younger brother for a stroll. When they got tired, they found a private room at an izakaya (Japanese pub) for a meal and drinks. "Qinghuang, how's Uncle Obata treating you at the General Staff Headquarters?"

"The general takes good care of Qinghuang."

"Take care of me, my foot! How come someone with 'take care of me' is still just a lieutenant? Shouldn't you be a lieutenant as soon as you graduate from school?"

"It's because he didn't have any military achievements."

"So, do you want to go out and accumulate military merits, or do you want to go to the Imperial Army University?"

"I don't want to go to school anymore."

"can."

"So, do you want to join the army or the navy?"

"I'm in the army, so of course I can only join the army."

"That's not necessarily true. Your brother here was in the army, and now he's in the navy. In our family, nothing is impossible! Wherever you want to go, we can arrange it."

"My second brother went to the navy, I think I'll stay in the army. Third brother, do you have any recommendations?"

"You want my advice? Let me think. First of all, I don't recommend you go to Shanghai. The war is almost over. Going there will not only be useless, but it will also be dangerous for your life."

"The Kwantung Army is the same, very dangerous. That Kenji Doihara has a grudge against our family. He is a traitor brought up by my grandfather."

"Why don't you go to North China? You can apply to join the North China Garrison Army. Senior Sister Banxi Keiko is there. Or you can go find your aunt and go with your uncle. Uncle Isogai (Rensuke) is in North China."

After arranging Aoki Aoki's whereabouts, Chen Jiehua subtly inquired about Obata Toshishiro's remarks and thoughts. After dinner, he stuffed a bundle of yen into Aoki Aoki's hand and sent him home in a taxi.
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Dividing line —
We chose to eat at Senso-ji Temple because we needed to send a telegram to Shanghai after seeing off our fourth brother.

Okamura Yasuji has already won over the party. The next step is for Shanghai to cooperate. Liu Junze only needs to do two things: First, remind the Shanghai negotiating representatives through the 19th Route Army headquarters not to agree to the Japanese pharmacy's conditions.

Article 2: Cease hostilities and immediately withdraw, retreating to the villa on Pétain Road.

Do your best and leave the rest to fate. If your Republic of China negotiators are really cowardly and eventually agree to this, it won't affect the overall situation, and there's nothing I can do about it. This money is also the hard-earned money of the people. Anyway, I have another step.

As for asking Liu Junze to leave, it's purely out of distrust of the Kuomintang; there's no point in gambling on that.

After contacting Lao Liu, I sent a telegram to Zhao Shiyu, the old cat in Jinling, with a short secret: During the Battle of Shanghai, the Japanese army looted a Japanese navy pharmacy and then falsely accused Shanghai citizens, demanding compensation from the Shanghai government. How utterly shameless! Pictures and evidence are included.

Part Two: Kenji Doihara's schemes in the Japanese Kwantung Army not only tricked the Japanese Navy but also continued to frame the citizens of Shanghai.

……

Once news comes out and the negotiating representatives put forward their conditions, it will be published in major newspapers in Nanjing and Shanghai.

The next step was to continue sending telegrams to direct Zhu Huiwu and Yang Dengying in North China to carry out their work while waiting for Ozaki.

When Hotsumi Ozaki arrived at the villa in Senso-ji Temple, it was already evening.

(End of this chapter)