It seems this is one of Kitaoka Ryoko's trump cards, but Ning Zhiheng doesn't take it seriously.

Although Hirayama Tokumoto's death caused dissatisfaction among some people in the military, no one was willing to stand up against the Fujiwara family's direct descendants and the powerful group behind them for the sake of a mere lieutenant colonel in the garrison. The Fujiwara Company's advantage in this regard was simply too great.

“Miss Ryoko, this is just hearsay from your subordinates. Lieutenant Colonel Hirayama Tokumoto was assassinated in the street by anti-Japanese elements. This has been confirmed by the Suzhou Military Police and the Special Higher Police. It has nothing to do with our Fujiwara Company. As for Hirayama Jiro's assassination of Shirakawa Hidee and even his attempt to assassinate me in Shanghai, it is very likely that he believed some rumors and was misled and deceived by some people with ulterior motives. I think these people with ulterior motives are the ones you should be investigating the most.”

The "certain people" mentioned in the words were directly directed at Kitaoka Ryoko across from her. Kitaoka Ryoko was taken aback, but quickly smiled. Of course, she knew that Fujiwara Tomohito was powerful and wealthy, and would not easily give in. She continued, "Mr. Fujiwara has a deep background and is naturally not afraid of investigation. However, the murder of an active-duty officer of a main force division is a matter that can be big or small. If no one pursues it, it will be fine. But if someone is willing to step forward and gather military personnel who are dissatisfied with the Fujiwara Company's domineering practices, and make a big fuss about it, even if Mr. Fujiwara has great power, I'm afraid it will be difficult to handle!"

This is a blatant threat. In fact, if Kitaoka Ryoko can really do this, it will indeed cause a lot of trouble for the Fujiwara Company, since the Fujiwara Company cannot possibly bribe everyone.

However, this was just Kitaoka Ryoko's wishful thinking. To actually achieve this would be extremely difficult. Even if her teacher, Tsuchihara Keiji, were to do it, the chances of success would be slim.

Ultimately, it's a matter of cost-effectiveness. It depends on whether both sides are willing to go all out, how much they are willing to pay, and how much they are willing to invest. Keiji Tsuchihara isn't crazy enough to do something so thankless and end up making a mortal enemy of Tomohito Fujiwara.

Moreover, Ning Zhiheng has the advantage of playing on home ground. He is backed by the intelligence chief of the Central China Area Army and has a huge interest group in the Shanghai area, while Tsuchihara Keiji is one of the representatives of the North China Area Army, so his role here is limited.

Ning Zhiheng waved his hand calmly and said, "Miss Liangzi, you're looking at the problem too simply. I have no obligation to answer these questions for you. I can only say that without solid evidence, you can't do these things based solely on the confession of a deserter. It's about interests and a game of strategy. It's easy to end up in trouble but hard to get out of it. Nobody wants to be a sacrificial lamb. Alright, if that's all you're going to do, it'll be hard for you to gain my support!"

Kitaoka Ryoko nodded. This was just one of her trump cards, and it certainly wasn't enough. However, she believed that once all the unfavorable evidence was put together, it would be enough to attract Fujiwara Tomohito's attention.

So she took out another document and several photos, placed them in front of Ning Zhiheng, and said, "I have another document and photos here, please take a look!"

Ning Zhiheng naturally knew that Kitaoka Ryoko had more cards up her sleeve than these, but he didn't take it to heart. He reached out and took the materials to examine them carefully. Before long, even with his composure, a strange look appeared on his face.

This is an investigation report on the smuggling channels of the Fujiwara Company. The report records the smuggled goods from the Fujiwara Company to the Queen's Wharf in the French Concession of Hong Kong, and then they were transferred to shell trading companies under the company. They were then shipped out of the warehouse and transported westward to Changsha, a major city in the southwest, and finally to Changde, a key city in western Changsha. The report records in detail the checkpoints passed through along the way, the locations of supply camps, personnel changes, and photos of the supply camps.

Ning Zhiheng was furious. His smuggling channels had been thoroughly investigated by Kitaoka Ryoko's people. He wondered how they had managed to do that.

No wonder Iwai no Naosuke reported that Kitaoka Ryoko had been frequently meeting with the undercover team in the French Concession recently; it seems that this undercover team must have been ordered to track the transport convoy.

Liu Ruichang, that idiot! His smuggling network was completely exposed, yet he didn't even realize it. He truly deserves to die!