Suddenly, Ning Zhiheng seemed to remember something and asked Yi Hua'an again, "I remember when I went to the southern city yesterday, there was a match factory there, do you remember it?"
Since the start of the tripartite meeting, Ning Zhiheng has not stayed at the Huiying Hotel these past two days. After all, he came to Qingdao under the guise of sightseeing, and it would be inappropriate for him to stay at the hotel all the time.
So for the past two days, Ning Zhiheng has been playing by the sea or in Qingdao city, looking very interested. Qingdao is an economically developed city, and match factories belong to the chemical industry. During the Republic of China era, they were considered high-profit enterprises, so there were many of them in Qingdao, most of which were owned by Japanese businessmen.
Hearing Ning Zhiheng ask this question suddenly, Yi Huaan tried to recall for a moment, and then nodded and replied, "It seems there is more than one. I remember there are two nearby, not far north of the Japanese expatriate area."
Ning Zhiheng nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that he had no choice but to give it a try. This opportunity was rare, and he couldn't let it slip away like this.
The two of them quickly returned to the Huiying Hotel. Kimura Maki and the others, who had been anxiously waiting, breathed a sigh of relief. Although the security in Qingdao was generally good, Kimura Maki was still a little worried that the chairman was only taking one attendant out for a trip. However, Ning Zhiheng had a great deal of authority, and once he spoke, no one else dared to disobey him in the slightest.
Back in his room, Ning Zhiheng signaled for the others to leave. He then sat alone, carefully considering and designing his next course of action, mentally rehearsing each step. However, no matter how he planned, the lack of manpower, insufficient preparation, and tight schedule meant he ultimately wasn't very confident.
Just as he was having a terrible headache, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!"
Matsudaira Hidemi pushed open the door and entered. Seeing that his face was slightly flushed and his breath smelled slightly of alcohol, Ning Zhiheng knew that he had just come back from drinking with someone.
For the past two days, Matsudaira Hidemi has been staying at the entrance of the conference hall, frequently interacting with the reporters from North China. They've become quite familiar with each other, often drinking and chatting together, and their relationship is very good.
Ning Zhiheng waved his hand, and the two sat facing each other on the sofa. He smiled and asked, "How's it going? Any gains these past two days?"
Matsudaira Hidemi chuckled, stepped forward, and said mysteriously, "I've really gained something. These people are amazing; they're all well-informed. I've benefited a lot from them!"
Matsudaira Hidemi was referring to those journalists, who were actually intelligence officers with ties to the Japanese intelligence agencies.
Ning Zhiheng also became interested and asked, "What news is there? Tell me about it!"
"The talks have lasted for three days and have now entered the substantive stage. It is said that several secret agreements have been reached. An insider revealed that the North China Provisional Government has been reorganized into the North China Political Affairs Committee, with Wang Shulu as chairman and Liang Hongzhi appointed as the president of the Control Yuan, one of the five branches. The meeting is progressing very smoothly."
Ning Zhiheng didn't take it seriously. These were all public information that would be officially announced at the end of the conference, so they weren't exactly secrets. However, the people who were able to find out about this were quite resourceful, and it seemed that these intelligence agents did have some influence!
Matsudaira Hidemi saw Ning Zhiheng's indifferent reaction and knew that news of this caliber wouldn't interest someone of Ning Zhiheng's stature.
He coughed lightly and lowered his voice to say again, "There's another piece of news, and this is absolutely bombshell news!"
Ning Zhiheng glanced at Matsudaira Hidemi but didn't say anything, signaling him to continue.
"Zou Chengbin, a close confidant of Wang Shulu, has been arrested by the Special Higher Police!"
"What?" Ning Zhiheng straightened up abruptly, making no attempt to hide the shock on his face. Zou Chengbin was an important official of the North China Provisional Government, holding a very high position. He was also a trusted confidant of Wang Shulu, whom he had personally promoted. How could such a person be suddenly arrested by the Japanese Special Higher Police? What exactly happened in between?
Ning Zhiheng was filled with doubt and unease. Could this person really be one of his comrades? If so, this would be an absolutely shocking event.
Seeing Ning Zhiheng's surprised expression, Matsudaira Hidemi couldn't help but feel a little smug. He knew that once this news came out, it would be difficult for anyone to remain calm. He continued, "Zou Chengbin's identity is special. He was originally one of the key personnel involved in the talks, but he hasn't shown up even once in the past three days. He can't even be seen at the Toyo Hotel where he's staying. This situation is very unusual. My colleagues are all intelligence officers who are familiar with the situation in North China, and they quickly discovered the problem. When we were having dinner together today, a colleague with a background in the Special Higher Police revealed the truth: this person has been secretly arrested. It is said that he is very likely a member of the Military Intelligence Bureau."
Ning Zhiheng was completely shocked. He had actually gotten involved with the Military Intelligence Bureau. Suddenly remembering something, he asked again, "Didn't Zou Chengbin show up at the opening ceremony of the tripartite meeting?"
"No!" Matsudaira Hidemi shook his head and said with certainty, "It's precisely because he didn't show his face from beginning to end that people noticed this. Many people were asking about this news, and it was only today that the news leaked out. Tsk tsk, if this news is true, good heavens, such a high-ranking mole, the Military Intelligence Bureau must have suffered heavy losses!"
Ning Zhiheng suddenly realized that Zou Chengbin's sudden absence during the screening operation at the opening ceremony had aroused suspicion from the Japanese, making the subsequent investigation and arrest unsurprising.
Given the Japanese style and methods, even if Zou Chengbin held a high position in the North China Provisional Government and was even a close confidant of Wang Shulu, he would have no chance of escaping this calamity!
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