Soon, Kamo Yoshitomo ran in and reported to Ning Zhiheng, "Chairman, I have called the Military Police Headquarters. They will send people here to protect you soon. However, according to them, there is a riot in the entire eastern part of the city. Many garrison soldiers are smashing shops and driving away crowds. Many people have been injured. They told us to hold on for a while!"
Upon hearing this, Ning Zhiheng was secretly surprised. Sure enough, it was Japanese soldiers killing and looting, and the scope of the unrest was so large. The eastern urban area was the most prosperous area in Nanjing, and the Japanese soldiers probably chose this place for that reason.
But why is that? Today is the day the Nanjing government returns to the capital. Logically, the Japanese high command should ensure the smooth conduct of the return ceremony. How could they condone the soldiers looting and killing civilians?
Given the scale of the riot, the limited forces of the Military Police Headquarters would likely struggle to control the situation and provide timely assistance. To be on the safe side, Ning Zhiheng picked up the phone and called the dispatched army headquarters. The call was quickly connected.
Ning Zhiheng revealed his identity, and the person on the other end of the phone immediately became tense.
"Mr. Fujiwara, we have just learned of the unrest and are mobilizing troops to quell it. I will send troops to meet you immediately. Please hold on for a moment, the troops will arrive as soon as possible."
After hanging up the phone, Ning Zhiheng finally felt a little more at ease. He quickly went down the stairs to the office on the first floor. At this time, the door was already closed, and all the guards and company employees were standing guard here, each holding a weapon and ready for battle. When they saw Ning Zhiheng come down, everyone focused their attention on him.
Ning Zhiheng looked through the glass at the citizens running around in all directions, hearing the sounds of breaking glass doors and windows, and the continuous gunshots. He asked in a deep voice, "What's the situation outside?"
Kimura Maki quickly came to his side and said, "Chairman, many people have already died outside. These soldiers are now looting everywhere without any officers to restrain them. The riots are very close to us and will soon spread here."
Ning Zhiheng appeared calm, but he was also worried. Under normal circumstances, these Japanese soldiers would not dare to plunder the Fujiwara Company, much less harm him. However, the situation was clearly out of control. In this chaotic situation, anything could happen once they were caught up in the riots. These lower-ranking soldiers were blinded by rage and lost their reason. They were capable of anything.
He turned to the crowd around him and said, "Don't panic, everyone. The military police headquarters and the army have sent troops to meet us. Just hold on a little longer, and the riot will be over soon!"
"Hi!"
"Hi!"
Everyone naturally knew that the chairman was of high status, and that the Japanese high command would definitely come to the rescue at all costs upon hearing the news. They were determined to hold out until the rescue team arrived, even if it cost them their lives. Otherwise, if the chairman's safety was compromised, the fate of everyone here would be uncertain.
Just then, several figures emerged from the crowd running down the street. They rushed to the glass door, pounding on it. A young man, leading the group, waved his camera and shouted urgently in Japanese, "Please let us in! We are reporters, reporters from the Ryokan News Agency! Please! Please let us in quickly..."
The others were also shouting for help in Japanese and banging on the door. Clearly, the riots on the street were getting closer, forcing them to find a place to hide.
Everyone turned to look at Ning Zhiheng. If it were an ordinary citizen, they would naturally ignore him, but these people were clearly Japanese journalists. The United News Agency was an official newspaper controlled by the Japanese military and the puppet government, and most of its journalists were Japanese.
Ning Zhiheng immediately nodded. When Kimura Maki saw that Ning Zhiheng agreed, he quickly led his men forward to open the door, and the group staggered in.
At this moment, other citizens saw the scene and rushed over, thinking of going into the Fujiwara Company to hide. However, Kimura Maki and others fired several shots into the air with short guns, which frightened them and made them retreat. Seeing that there was no hope here, they had no choice but to flee again.
Soon, Japanese soldiers could be seen on the street. They smashed the doors and windows of shops on both sides of the street and rushed in to loot property. The unrest had spread to the scene.
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