Spy Wars: Return of the Red Luan

Chapter 191 The Mystery of Mio's Identity

The internal meeting of the Naval General Staff is ongoing.

Chen Jiehua has now successfully fooled most people, including Prince Bogong, into believing that maintaining the "giant ships and cannons" direction is the most effective approach.

However, we still need to appease Yamamoto Isoroku now, lest the old guy become depressed and lose his motivation later on, which would be troublesome.

"However, we are not saying that we will completely abandon the construction of aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft."

Yamamoto Isoroku, who had been keeping his head down and not speaking, suddenly looked up. Huh, there's still hope?
"Aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft provide effective protection for the fleet and play a significant role in fleet mobility and long-range pursuit. For example, what if the enemy fleet has been almost entirely sunk or destroyed, but one fast ship has escaped and cannot be caught?"

"There's only one left. If it runs away, so be it. It won't have much of an impact unless it involves the transmission of urgent battlefield intelligence."

"Yes. That's exactly what I meant. This is how carrier-based aircraft can be put to use."

"Furthermore, it is unknown whether future naval battles or joint naval and air operations will require aircraft carriers. We must also allow Yamamoto-kun's forward-thinking ideas."

"Most importantly, strengthening air power to compensate for the limitations of that shit treaty is also a good option."

"Therefore, I believe that the first priority is that the giant battleship Yamato cannot be stopped. As for the funding gap, we can ask the army for help. This account must be settled with them, and we should argue with them all the way to the cabinet."

"This must have been Kenji Doihara's idea for the Kwantung Army, which really screwed over the Navy. Maybe he thought the pharmacy was my property."

"That's impossible. The large pharmacies in Northeast China are naval properties. That's no secret at headquarters."

Yamamoto Isoroku knew what Aoki Qiao wanted to say. "Since you've extended an olive branch, I'll return the favor." Chen Jiehua was surprised; Yamamoto Isoroku was quick-witted enough, and that was exactly what he wanted to hear.

"It's even more infuriating that it's not a secret. Kenji Doihara and the Kwantung Army, or rather the entire Army, completely disregard the Navy!"

"The shortfall in funding for the construction of the Yamato must be covered by the Army."

"Okay, that's settled then. The second point is that the aircraft carrier and carrier-based aircraft must also be built secretly, but the progress cannot be too fast, otherwise it will definitely be detected by American spies."

"Given the United States' comprehensive national strength, it can build aircraft at a speed twenty times faster than we can, and its aircraft carriers at a speed at least ten times faster than we can. Therefore, we have no chance of winning an arms race with the United States."

"So Aoki-kun knows so much about America's basic strength! This is exactly the same as Yamamoto's understanding!" Yamamoto Isoroku was no longer depressed and started talking about his area of ​​expertise.

For Chen Jiehua, it's a matter of giving a stick and then a sweet treat. Since you were so timely in your comedic timing, it wouldn't be unreasonable to throw you a corncob.

Chen Jiehua once again successfully misled the navy, solidifying their confidence in the "big ship and big gun strategy," maintaining Yamamoto Isoroku's passion and desire for aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft, deepening the navy's resentment towards the army, and guiding the confrontation in parliament, thereby snatching military budget from the army.
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Dividing line —
In March 1932, Fujiwara Mio finally declined the invitation from the "Greater Japan National Defense Women's Association" and did not take up that ridiculous position of president.

However, Mio unexpectedly received an invitation from a Chinese female friend to attend a group gathering of all upper-class Chinese women, known as the "May Gathering".

This female friend was named Yasuko Shiokura. She came from a noble family and was the great-granddaughter of Tomomi Shiokura, a meritorious official of the Meiji Restoration.

With Fujiwara Mio's vigilance, she quickly deduced from Shiokura Yasuko's probing and the words of the others that this was an underground organization of the Japanese Communist Party.

Back home, Mio discussed the matter with Chen Jiehua. The Japanese Communist Party? Chen Jiehua was surprised. Why would the Japanese Communist Party approach Fujiwara Mio? Did she seem so easily fooled? Chen Jiehua had no memory of the Japanese Communist Party's history; it wasn't even mentioned in Ozaki Hotsumi's daily intelligence reports.

“This situation is a bit complicated. I need to talk to Ozaki. For now, you should continue to play dumb, don’t agree to their requests, and don’t attend the May Party gatherings anymore. If they invite you again, just make up some other excuses. I’ll give you a suitable solution as soon as possible.”

However, when it came time for dinner that evening, Fujiwara Mio was unexpectedly lectured by her father.

Mio only attended the "May Meeting" once before her spies from the Sōchi-ryō reported her to President Kido Kōichi, who then quickly reported her to Duke Fujiwara.

It seems that the Japanese Communist Party had been keeping an eye on them for a long time.

It's best to stay away from the Japanese Communist Party's underground organizations. Furthermore, we should remind Hotsumi Ozaki to be careful; if any members join this organization, we must quickly cut off their access and send them out of Tokyo to avoid being implicated.
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Dividing line —
However, things did not unfold as Chen Jiehua had planned. Fujiwara Mio did not go to the "May Society," but a few days later, Shiokura Yasuko found another opportunity to talk to Mio alone.

Yasuko Shiokura told Mio, "You are not the Duke's biological daughter. The Imperial Household Department has detailed records of this. I only saw it by chance last time."

Fujiwara Mio's mind went blank for a second, and she couldn't hear anything else after that.

Fujiwara Mio knew that there was no smoke without fire, and Shiokura Yasuko wouldn't make things up. Since she mentioned the Sōchi-ryō (a secret society), there must be something there.

"If President Kido doesn't arrange for a change of positions, then the dossier recording the Fujiwara Kita family is in the thirteenth column of the second row."

"How did you get access to the Fujiwara Kita family's files?"

“Mio, you are a Chinese woman who is not in Tokyo for a long time. Every year, you help the Zongzhi Bureau organize the archives, mainly for fire prevention and insect prevention. The book that records you was damaged by insects and needed to be replaced with a new box. When it was opened, the contents were scattered, and that's how I accidentally saw it.”

When will the Zongzhi Bureau be organizing its archives this year?

“I came to you to remind you that it starts in early April every year.”

Fujiwara Mio returned home in a daze. Why Shiokura Yasuko told her all this—whether it was to win her over or for some other reason—was no longer important.

Most importantly, Mio finally understood why her father paid so little attention to her; it wasn't the reason she had imagined. He was simply too busy after taking over the position of Chairman of the House of Peers from the Konoe family.

When Chen Jiehua returned from outside, he immediately noticed Meixu's "abnormal" behavior.

"What? You're not your father-in-law's biological daughter? You're adopted?"

"I don't know anything else. I can only wait until April to organize the files and check them at the Zongzhi Bureau."

"What a coincidence. It seems I don't need to wait until April. Ozaki's younger brother works at the Sochiryo dormitory. I just mentioned it to Ozaki today. I'm here to see if I can sneak a picture of it."

“Okay, Yasuko said it’s the thirteenth column in the second row, the Fujiwara Kita family volume.”

Chen Jiehua was also curious about Fujiwara Mio's identity. What mysterious identity did the god of fate have in the wife he had arranged for him?

Metaphysics, bonds?
(End of this chapter)