Ning Zhiheng stood behind Kuroki Yueyi. Kuroki Yueyi was originally unwilling to come and join in the fun. He was indifferent by nature and disliked flattery and pandering. It was Ning Zhiheng who deliberately invited him. After repeatedly declining, he finally came to greet him with Ning Zhiheng.

Ning Zhiheng knew that Kuroki Gakuichi and Uehara Junpei had a deep friendship, and he also needed to use Kuroki Gakuichi's influence to have more contact with Uehara Junpei, in order to show that his friendship with Uehara Junpei was different from others despite their age difference. To put it bluntly, it was nothing more than a fox borrowing the tiger's power.

Just as everyone was anxiously waiting, a passenger train finally slowly pulled into Shanghai Station. The rumbling of the train gradually subsided, and the train slowly came to a stop.

The door of the middle carriage opened, and a group of military police got off first to set up a perimeter. After confirming that it was safe, Uehara Junpei slowly walked off.

Upon seeing Uehara Junpei appear, everyone's spirits lifted. First, Lieutenant General Tada Naoya, the highest-ranking garrison commander, strode forward and saluted Uehara Junpei. Uehara Junpei returned the salute, and the two shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

Although both were lieutenant generals, their positions were vastly different. A lieutenant general in the intelligence department was already a high-ranking officer in the Japanese army, controlling the intelligence forces of the entire army group, while Lieutenant General Naoya Tada was merely the commander of the 114th Division of the Shanghai Garrison, with only 20,000 men under his command.

Therefore, it was Tada Naoya, being of lower rank, who first bowed to Uehara Junpei and then respectfully walked behind him.

The military officers, according to their rank, stepped forward to greet him and respectfully saluted Uehara Junpei, who nodded slightly in response.

Suddenly, Uehara Junpei's gaze swept over the crowd not far away, and his eyes lit up. He actually discovered that his good friend Kuroki Gakuichi and Ning Zhiheng were also among those welcoming them.

He turned around and strode towards Ning Zhiheng and the others. Everyone was stunned and looked in the direction Uehara Junpei was walking.

It really is President Fujiwara! Uehara Junpei quickly walked up to Kuroki Gakuichi and Ning Zhiheng, grabbed Kuroki Gakuichi's hand, and said happily, "Kuroki-kun, ah, and Fujiwara-kun, haha, I really didn't expect it to be you who came to greet me, haha, it's been so long, I hope you've been well!"

Uehara Junpei's enthusiastic behavior shocked everyone. Although they all knew that Fujiwara Tomohito, the president of the Fujiwara Company, was a close friend of Lieutenant General Uehara Junpei despite their age difference, the fact that Uehara Junpei was so happy upon meeting him showed that their friendship was indeed extraordinary.

Kuroki Gakuichi was somewhat dull-witted, but Ning Zhiheng was quick-witted. He grasped Uehara Junpei's hand, bowed, and said, "General, it's been two years since we last met, but you haven't changed at all. It's as if everything happened yesterday. It's truly moving!"

"Haven't you changed? Haha, Fujiwara-kun, you really know how to talk! I've been fighting on the battlefield for the past two years, and my temples have turned gray. When I look in the mirror, I look like I've aged ten years. How could I not have changed! Look, Kuroki-kun doesn't know how to talk like you. He never says flattering things, haha!"

Uehara Junpei's interest was immediately piqued. Kuroki Takeichi was his friend of many years, and Fujiwara Tomohito was a promising junior. Both of them were highly talented individuals. They had not seen each other since they parted ways two years ago before the Battle of Shanghai. Naturally, he was very happy to see the two of them standing in front of him safe and sound.

As the three were happily reminiscing about their past, everyone around them consciously stepped back to give them some space. Clearly, at this moment, everyone else seemed insignificant in Lieutenant General Uehara Junpei's mind.

Uehara Junpei, whose status was far above the others, didn't need to consider their feelings. He chatted with Kuroki Gakuichi and Ning Zhiheng for a while, seemingly oblivious to their presence, before smiling and saying, "Today is truly a good day. We've been apart for so long, we should celebrate with a drink, but..."

At this point, he glanced at the officers beside him, clearly feeling that it was inappropriate to leave his other subordinates aside.

Ning Zhiheng laughed and said, "General, you are absolutely right. I have booked the entire Wujiang Hotel and prepared a welcome banquet. Please come and join us!"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. Everyone knew that Chairman Fujiwara was wealthy and generous, and it was rare for them to get together. Now that they had another opportunity to get up close and personal with Junior Master Uehara Junpei, they were naturally overjoyed.

Naoya Tada had also prepared a welcome banquet, but it was just a small gathering. Seeing that everyone was in high spirits, he simply nodded and agreed, "Then I'll have to trouble President Fujiwara. Let's all go and celebrate to welcome the General!"