Around noon, Ning Zhiheng, who had a simple lunch in his room, was admiring the sea view from the balcony when Kimura Maki knocked on the door and entered, reporting to Ning Zhiheng: "Chairman, the Special Higher Police Liaison Officer Takeshita requests an audience."

Ning Zhiheng perked up and nodded, saying, "Please let him in!"

Soon, He Siming, dressed in a sharp suit, entered the room. Kimura Maki went out and closed the door. Ning Zhiheng also came to the living room from the balcony and gestured for He Siming to sit down.

Ning Zhiheng was the first to ask, "Why are you dressed like that?"

He Siming also looked down at his suit. He used to really like wearing suits, especially hating military uniforms. First, he didn't like Japanese military uniforms, and second, he was afraid of being ambushed by Chinese agents when he went out. However, after he became a liaison officer for the Special Higher Police, he rarely wore such suits.

He chuckled and said, "I served as the puppet government's interpreter throughout this meeting. Sagawa Taro said that my identity was temporarily defined as a Chinese member of the puppet government, and that wearing a military uniform would be too conspicuous. Damn it, he doesn't know that I am Chinese!"

"That's just burying your head in the sand!" Ning Zhiheng chuckled upon hearing this, saying with a hint of disdain, "Alright, tell me the specific schedule for the meeting, and also, what security measures have they arranged?"

"Yes!" He Siming sat on the sofa, rubbed his hands together, organized his thoughts, and began to introduce: "At present, the representatives of the three parties, apart from the puppet government and the reformed government, have all arrived in Qingdao. Only Wang Shulu of the North China Provisional Government has not yet arrived."

"What? Wang Shulu hasn't arrived yet?" Ning Zhiheng asked curiously. Qingdao is North China's territory, so Wang Shulu and his party should have arrived much earlier.

He Siming shrugged slightly and said dismissively, "It's nothing more than taking advantage of their local status to put on airs. Wang Tianhai has been giving me a hard time because of this, but he'll arrive this afternoon and won't miss tomorrow's meeting!"

"So, that means there will be formal talks tomorrow?"

"Yes, it's settled. Tomorrow morning at 9:30, in the conference hall on the west side of the first floor of the Huiying Hotel. The venue has been set up. The meeting will be chaired by the representatives of the three parties, Keiji Tsuchihara from North China and Hiroki Kagesa from Central China. I and two other interpreters from the other two parties will also be attending."

Ning Zhiheng nodded and said, "That's great! This is a rare opportunity, and everything depends on you!"

He Siming continued, "As for the security of the venue, it will be mainly handled by the North China Special Higher Police. For safety reasons, the delegation of the Nanjing Reformed Government will stay at the Taiping Road Hotel nearby, while the delegation of the North China Provisional Government will stay at the Japan Oriental Hotel. Tomorrow morning, they will be escorted to the reception hotel by the army garrison. All the streets along the way will be under martial law and heavily guarded."

The police force in Qingdao was under the command of the Japanese Military Police Headquarters, which coordinated and protected the city with strict vigilance and surveillance of all areas, keeping them on standby at all times.

All vehicles for attendees, especially the cars of the three leaders, were provided by the Asia Development Institute (ADI), and all personnel entering and exiting the premises were required to wear armbands issued by ADI bearing the character "兴" (Xing).

At this point, He Siming suddenly remembered something and continued, "By the way, after this meeting, some Japanese journalists will be allowed to conduct interviews!"

"There are reporters too?" Ning Zhiheng asked in surprise.

"Yes, it's mainly for publicity and building momentum after the meeting. These are all newspapers controlled by the Japanese North China intelligence agency. In fact, most of these reporters are also Japanese intelligence personnel. However, the vetting process is quite strict. After each department applies, the Special Higher Police headquarters will review it. They need to carry a business card with a specific press officer's personal seal and a permit issued by the Asia Development Institute."

Ning Zhiheng thought for a moment and asked, "If I want someone to attend this press conference, what procedures do I need to go through?"

At this moment, Ning Zhiheng thought of Matsudaira Hidemi. He knew that Matsudaira Hidemi had come to Qingdao for the tripartite talks, and was probably carrying out a task assigned by Iwai Kenichi. Ning Zhiheng had always intended to win over this young man, so giving him an opportunity to get close to and interview the delegates would surely be appreciated.

Upon hearing this, He Siming immediately said, "Given your status, this is naturally no problem. It's just attending a press conference, not a meeting. As long as you mention it to Tsuchihara Keiji and Kagesa Hiroki, who are presiding over the meeting, they won't refuse to give you face."

At this point, he suddenly lowered his voice and asked Ning Zhiheng, "Is it going to be a special operation?"

Looking at He Siming's eyes, Ning Zhiheng knew he had misunderstood, and couldn't help but laugh, "It's not what you think. Headquarters did indeed arrange an operation to disrupt the meeting, but we are not responsible for its execution. I'm just making a preliminary move, doing some preparatory work, which may come in handy someday!"

Ning Zhiheng spoke vaguely, but He Siming understood what he meant. He knew that Ning Zhiheng was best at playing the game of chess, and he planned everything meticulously. Sometimes, he would spend years arranging a single move, and it would only be used at the last moment to play a decisive role.

After reporting what he had learned, He Siming asked, "Understood. What else do I need to do?"

"Your next task is to use your brain to memorize the specific content of the meeting, especially the secret agreement between the three parties. I estimate that the talks will take at least a few days. Don't worry, just report to me at an appropriate time!"

"Understood!" He Siming nodded in acceptance.

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