Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 255 Talks in the North
Minister Zhou remained silent, only raising his hand to look at his watch, then tapping the watch face with his fingers and giving Wang Kemin a meaningful look.

Wang Kemin couldn't understand at all, his brows furrowed. "What, you want me to see you off in your final days?"

"Hahahaha." Minister Zhou couldn't help but laugh, and shook his head, saying, "I'm telling you to hurry up, this is the embassy district, someone will be here soon."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the sound of car horns came from outside the open room.

Not long after, military police escorted Saburo Kudo up the stairs. During this time, Wang Kemin shouted loudly, but he didn't dare to fire a shot at all.

"Put away your guns, Mr. Wang. What are you trying to do by sending troops to surround the hotel and pointing guns at Mr. Wang?" Kudo Saburo immediately took sides.

But Wang Kemin didn't understand. "Consul Kudo, you've come at the right time! These people actually instructed the Special Agent Headquarters to smash my shop and even injured my son! Are the Japanese going to do anything about this? If you don't, I'll arrest them and investigate them according to the law!"

"You beat up your son? Is that true?" Kudo Saburo frowned and glanced at the Wang faction members.

Gu Yansheng scoffed, "How could that be?"

Kudo Saburo nodded, then turned to look at Wang Kemin. "They said no, Mr. Wang. I don't believe Mr. Wang would send someone to beat your son. Don't seek revenge."

"I'm taking revenge for personal reasons?!" Wang Kemin's eyes widened. "Damn it, they beat my son, burned down my shop, and Consul Kudo, you're accusing me right away?"

Wang Kemin couldn't understand why Kudo Saburo would help an outsider when he had been in Beiping for so long and had dealt with him many times.
This butt is all bruised and swollen, where did it go?
"Mr. Wang!" Kudo Saburo's expression changed and he shouted, "Establishing the Wang government is a grand strategy of the empire. When Mr. Wang came to Beiping, you did not welcome him or negotiate, which I could accept as you having official business. But you dared to send troops directly into the place where Mr. Wang was staying without consulting him and even pointed guns at him. Don't you think you are disregarding the empire's strategy?"

As aggrieved as Wang Kemin was, so too was his anger. Pointing a finger, he said, "If they hadn't beaten my son, would I have bothered sending troops here? They beat my son, so does that mean they got away with it? Can't I even retaliate?"

"Yes!" Kudo Saburo replied without hesitation, "It's pointless to fight!"

Wang Kemin's eyes bulged in shock. Could such words really come out of a person's mouth?

I was in a daze.

Kudo Saburo remained calm and said with a straight face, "Mr. Wang, don't think what I'm saying is harsh, but it's the truth. You probably don't have any evidence. You can't prove that Mr. Wang hit the person. Let me put it another way, even if Mr. Wang did hit the person, that's a private matter between you. But establishing the Wang government and merging North and Central China is the empire's strategy. This is official business!"
Can't you tell which is more important, business or personal matters?
If you had contacted me from the beginning and gone to pick me up at the airport with me, would this whole thing have happened?

If you have any complaints, you can file a complaint with the military, or with the North China Military Region, and request a third-party investigation into the matter and compensation for your son. There are no problems with that.

But before that, you need to come to a conclusion about whether you want to sit down and discuss the merger. If you don't want to talk, I'll report to the cabinet that you don't want to talk, and then you can leave now.

After saying that, Kudo Saburo turned to the side.

"Talk? Of course we have to talk! How can we not discuss the empire's strategy?"

Wang Kemin was furious and raised his voice slightly, "If you want to talk, then talk. Talk right here. If you want a merger, fine. I'll give up my title. North China will respectfully call you Chairman Wang."

But you are not allowed to interfere in any affairs in North China. We in North China will not recognize any decrees issued by your new government. I've laid out my conditions; accept them if you can, otherwise go home as soon as possible!

After saying that, he turned to look at Saburo Kudo.

“Mr. Kudo, you don’t need to use the cabinet to pressure me. The fact that I can hold this position proves that the North China Army recognizes my abilities.”

The war in North China is now at a critical juncture. We must carry out continuous mopping-up operations against the anti-Japanese armed forces in the region, especially the Eighth Route Army, so that they have no time to catch their breath!
The newly arrived Lieutenant General Tada Shun held a meeting yesterday and gave clear instructions to launch a larger-scale winter sweep against the Eighth Route Army base areas in the Jin-Cha-Ji region!
Do you know how heavy the tasks are for the North China government?

I had the responsibility of procuring supplies on my shoulders and dared not relax for a moment. That was because I was familiar with North China and the person in charge of each region in North China. I could procure supplies. If it were them, could they do it?
Can they coordinate well with the North China Army's operations?
If the operation fails, who will be held responsible?
"You're still trying to talk to me? Go talk to the North China Army first!"

Wang Kemin glanced at everyone's faces, waved his hand, and strode away, "Let's go!"

After his men had all left, Kudo Saburo smiled and said, "Mr. Wang, Mr. Gu, this is all the help I can offer. The situation in North China is indeed quite complicated, and the combat missions are heavy, so the North China Army tends to prioritize stability."

"Thank you very much, Consul Kudo. You've gone to so much trouble," Gu Yansheng said.

"Well, think of other ways, such as making contact with the North China Army. Farewell." Kudo Saburo bowed.

"Goodbye," Gu Yansheng said, seeing the guest off.

When they returned to the room, Wang Ni and Minister Zhou were both sitting on the sofa with somewhat worried expressions, clearly trying to come up with a solution.

The meeting with Wang Kemin was successfully arranged.

However, Wang Kemin's proposal was also very realistic. The North China Army was faced with someone who was familiar with North China and could cooperate in combat. So why should these newcomers, the Japanese army in North China, support them?

This situation is very difficult to resolve.

Minister Zhou pondered for a moment before speaking, "I don't think it makes much difference whether or not we meet with Tada Shun. What do you all think?"

Wang Ni let out a deep breath and slapped the armrest. "There's no need to meet. What would we say if we met? We'd just have a meal and chat. We don't know the people there, and we have nothing of value to offer the Japanese."

"Is there any other way to resolve this matter?" Minister Zhou stood up and paced back and forth. "Do either of you have any brilliant ideas?"

Ding Mocun's eyes flashed: "There are still ways. An old man who doesn't die is a thief. This old thief has such a violent temper, what if he suddenly falls ill and can't get out of bed? Or even die?"

Minister Zhou frowned. "Killing someone is a low-class act. If things escalate, it will be difficult to explain to the Japanese."

Hitting someone is hitting someone, and killing someone is killing someone; the nature of the two is vastly different.

"Yansheng, do you have any ideas? Tell me about them," Minister Zhou asked, looking over.

"Hmm," Gu Yansheng pondered for a moment, rubbing his forehead, "If we start with the North China Army, we really don't have much of a chance. I think there are two paths."

First, we should simply follow Wang Kemin's suggestion and agree to his conditions: nominally under Mr. Wang's control, but in reality under his control, to get the new government up and running.

Then, step by step, he took back the power from his hands.

Once you're famous, I think the rest is just a matter of time.

Minister Zhou and Wang Ni exchanged a glance. "This solution means Mr. Wang will have to suffer some injustice."

Even if Wang Kemin agrees, rumors will definitely circulate in private that he is on equal footing with Nanjing.

However, Wang Ni hadn't thought that far ahead, assuming Minister Zhou was referring to the timeframe for determining the extent of power. "Enduring a moment's anger is nothing, but what about a second time?"

“Yes.” Gu Yansheng nodded. “The second method is to find someone who can control the North China Army to take action and facilitate this matter.”

"Itagaki?" Minister Zhou interjected, "Judging from the current situation, the Japanese General Headquarters actually knows about the problems of the North China Army, which is why they want us to merge and form a unified government. They don't want to deal with this contradiction, and Itagaki has this kind of idea."

Moreover, Itagaki was the Minister of the Army at the time, but now he's just a Chief of Staff; he might not be willing to help.

“I know, but if people like Wang Kemin really do a good job, why would the Japanese need Mr. Wang to set up this new government? Since they want to merge, it proves that there must be a group of people in the Japanese military and political circles who support this idea, not just Itagaki. We can use their strength against them.”

“You’re right, there is such a group of people, but the one who brought this up back then was Fumimaro Konoe. Now that he’s stepped down, it’s hard to say how much influence he still has over the military. As for the other cabinet ministers…”

Minister Zhou shook his head: "Their influence on the military is even worse. Some have stepped down, and others are no longer relevant. Only Takeo Imai and Yoshiaki Kagesa are left."

"You know Takeo Imai is a fence-sitter; he's willing to negotiate with Chongqing, and he's willing to negotiate with us. As for Yoshiaki Kagesa, he's just a colonel, a far cry from the rank of lieutenant general commander of the North China Army. I don't think he has much influence."

The fact that a vice president was doing so poorly put Gu Yansheng in a difficult position.

The idea has been proposed, but there's no way to connect with anyone. Even a skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients. We can't expect him to use his connections in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, because Hasegawa probably doesn't have that much influence.

Wang Kemin enjoys dealing with the Eighth Route Army. Since Gu Yansheng has already come, he has to make things difficult for him.

Gu Yansheng thought about it carefully, and suddenly, something came to mind. He perked up and said, "There's someone I think we could give it a try."

"Who?" Minister Zhou's eyes gleamed.

Gu Yansheng smiled, “Kenji Doihara.”

"Doihara, oh dear, how could I forget about him!" Minister Zhou's face showed a hint of annoyance, but he quickly laughed and looked at Wang Ni, "You know what, you really do know, Doihara is actually very likely to help us, and it's quite possible."

“He could be.” Wang Ni also perked up.

"You two know each other?" Gu Yansheng asked in surprise.

"Of course I know him. When he was trying to win us over, it was Doihara who made the connection. Kagesa's Special Committee on China was also established by Doihara. In other words, he was the first person in charge of establishing our new government."

This spy chief was quite capable. Many of the Japanese spies uncovered in Chongqing were sent by him. Without his people, how could they have contacted us in Chongqing at the time?
Later, I don't know what happened, he was transferred. For a while, I heard he became a commander in the army?

"Yes, he's gone to be the commander. I think we should really look for him. The position is suitable, and Doihara is a lieutenant general! He can speak on our behalf." Minister Zhou had made up his mind.

Ding Mocun added, "I do know a little about Doihara being transferred; we investigated it at the time."

"What's the reason?" Minister Zhou and Wang Ni were genuinely curious.

Ding Mocun smiled and said, "Have you two heard about Stalin's assassination?"

"It happened last year." Minister Zhou glanced at Wang Ni, then suddenly realized, "The timing seems to coincide with the time when Doihara was transferred to North China!"

"No wonder, they suddenly put Kagesa in charge." Wang Ni also exclaimed in realization, "So it was Toihara who was put in charge of the assassination of Stalin. Toihara's idea was really bold."

Of course, it still failed in the end.

It was just a minor incident.

Minister Zhou looked at Gu Yansheng and said, "Yansheng, you're quite something. You actually remembered him. He's probably in North China or Manchuria."

“I didn’t know about that.” Gu Yansheng shook his head and smiled. “I just remembered that Kudo told me that the Japanese didn’t prefer Wang Kemin at the time, but Wu Peifu. It was only because Wu Peifu was unwilling that Wang Kemin was chosen.”

The important thing is that Wu Peifu was recommended by Kenji Doihara. I was thinking that Kenji Doihara must be quite concerned about the situation in North China and have a certain amount of influence.

“He definitely cares about it.” Minister Zhou smiled. “In the end, North China is an overflow of Northeast China. Doihara made his fortune in the Kwantung Army, which is the core faction in the military. This area of ​​North China is directly related to the economic operation of Northeast China. Given the strength of the Kwantung Army, it is impossible for him to ignore it.”

"Mocun, do you know where Doihara is now?"

"This... I'm afraid it's a bit difficult. I'll go ask." Ding Mocun thought, how could he possibly know Doihara's whereabouts?

Relying on the members of the 76th Division in Beiping won't work either. They're the king of Japanese spies, and if they knew the whereabouts of a lieutenant general, Doihara would have been killed by the Military Intelligence Bureau long ago.

"Never mind," Minister Zhou interrupted. "Yansheng, why don't you ask the consulate?"

"Okay, I'll ask. It should be fine." Gu Yansheng walked over, picked up the phone on the table, and called the consulate.

Minister Zhou gave him a few words of advice: "Mocun, we need to tighten up our intelligence system in Beiping and send more people. Other areas are fine because they are under our control, and we have more than one pair of eyes from the 76th Division. But in this kind of area, we only have one pair of eyes, and we absolutely cannot let them go blind."

"Yes, I will make the arrangements as soon as possible," Ding Mocun replied.

Gu Yansheng put down the phone and walked over.

"I've heard that the Kwantung Army suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol in Mongolia, and all the Kwantung Army generals who planned and provoked the war have been punished."

As for the head of the intelligence system who failed to obtain prior information about the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Kenji Doiyama's mistake compounded his error. He had led troops into battle and suffered a defeat without receiving the intelligence, resulting in his removal from his post as commander of the First Army. Now he holds a sinecure as a military advisor, living a leisurely life in Beiping (Beijing), and his address has been obtained.

"That's great!" Minister Zhou didn't look down on him just because Kenji Doiyuu had been dismissed. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go and pay him a visit."

Wang Ni asked, puzzled, "Why the rush? He's someone who made a mistake and was punished by the military. Can he really persuade Tada Shun?"

"Give it a try." Minister Zhou smiled. "I think that people who work in intelligence shouldn't be judged solely on temporary successes or failures. People like Kenji Doiyuu, who have been in charge of the intelligence system for many years, will either die or definitely make a comeback."

Moreover, he must have a lot of resources at his disposal; it's impossible for him not to rise to power without being a member of the military.

That makes sense. Doihara was used to sending spies, and there might even be his various disciples within the Japanese army itself.

"Then let's go, let's go and meet Lieutenant General Doihara."

(End of this chapter)