Li Zhiqun was taken aback upon hearing this and quickly asked, "Is this true?"
Li Zhiqun was in charge of intelligence work. Although he had great power, he did not hold a high position in the puppet government and had little access to high-level decision-making. He was completely unaware of the tripartite talks.
Ren Manshan then told Li Zhiqun everything he knew in detail, and finally said again: "This meeting is very important. The new government has held many discussions, and Mr. Wang has devoted a lot of effort to it. The previous trip to North China was to lay the groundwork for this. Now all three parties have their own plans and want to get a bigger share, especially the North China side, which is very assertive and unwilling to make any concessions. As far as I know, the final meeting is very likely to take place in North China, not in Nanjing or Shanghai!"
"Wouldn't that be overshadowing the main event?" Li Zhiqun asked in surprise.
"That's why Mr. Wang is having a huge headache over this. When we talked last time, he was still indignant. I think he doesn't care about a small place like Wanmulin at all now. As long as we get through this period, things will take a turn for the better."
At this point, Ren Manshan lowered her voice and held up one finger: "Si Guangyuan promised to give at least another amount!"
The meaning is clear: at least $100,000. This shows that Yue Sheng was indeed willing to pay any price to rescue Wan Bailin!
Li Zhiqun thought about it and figured out the pros and cons. Finally, he said, "Let's leave it at that. We'll see what happens next. To be honest, Brother Manshan, I don't expect to make money off him. The new government is easy to deal with; I can still make excuses for them."
But the Japanese are always meticulous in their work, especially since Wan Mulin has connections with the Shanghai Intelligence Bureau. The Japanese have always regarded the Shanghai Intelligence Bureau as a monstrous threat, a mortal enemy, and they will never easily let go of this lead. Tell that Si Guangyuan that if you really want to rescue him, you need to make arrangements as soon as possible. In short, without the approval of the Shadow Agency, I will absolutely not release him; anything else is meaningless!”
Li Zhiqun clearly understood that in the end, he wouldn't have the final say. Only by getting through to the Shadow Agency could Wan Mulin escape.
After the two reached an agreement, Ren Manshan took his leave. After seeing Ren Manshan off, Li Zhiqun returned to the room, looked at the bank draft on the table, couldn't help but smile bitterly, and casually put it aside.
Then he picked up the photo again, looked at it for a long time, and then took out the matchbox, struck a match, lit the photo on the flame, watched it slowly burn, and finally threw it into the ashtray until it burned to ashes.
After that, Li Zhiqun ordered Wan Mulin to be moved to a dormitory in the backyard of the Special Agent Headquarters and sent a military doctor to recuperate him. He was no longer interrogated, and the case was thus shelved.
However, these behaviors left Cui Yuanfeng, who was in charge of monitoring, somewhat puzzled. Unable to determine the true situation, he immediately reported to Luo Xingchao.
Luo Xingchao was also at a loss, so he could only report the specific situation to his superiors. Ning Zhiheng was also somewhat uncertain when he received the report. He couldn't figure out whether Wan Mulin received preferential treatment from Li Zhiqun because he spoke up or because someone had intervened.
However, none of that matters anymore. Chai Liang, the only one connected to Wan Mulin, has already been removed from his post. Even if Wan Mulin speaks up, he poses no threat to the Shanghai Intelligence Section. Ning Zhiheng puts this matter aside for the time being.
Time passed little by little, and it was now mid-January 1940. The time for the tripartite talks between the puppet government and the government was drawing ever closer. The Kagesa Agency and the puppet government were busy with preparations. Everyone seemed to have put the previous events behind them, as if they were just small ripples in a flowing river that would soon return to calm.
Ning Zhiheng was also calculating the time and making preparations in advance. During this time, Yingzuo Yushu took a few breaks from his busy schedule to visit Mulan Company several times to talk with Ning Zhiheng and told him that they planned to go to Qingdao together on the 21st, so that he could make work arrangements in advance.
Meanwhile, in the office of Nanwu Bookstore, He Siming reported to Ning Zhiheng on some recent work.
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