Two days later, at the Wusongkou Customs Wharf in Shanghai, Wusongkou is located at the confluence of the Huangpu River and the Yangtze River, more than 30 kilometers east of the Yangtze River estuary. It faces Chongming Island to the north and Changxing Island to the east across the water, controlling the main channel of the Yangtze River and serving as Shanghai's gateway to the sea. All cargo ships entering Shanghai from overseas must pass through here before entering the Huangpu River and unloading their cargo at various wharves.
Because of its extremely important geographical location, the Japanese set up customs checkpoints here to supervise and inspect all ships entering the port.
At 3 p.m., Kitaoka Ryoko, along with her intelligence team, action team, and other subordinates, were already waiting here. They were going to take over the batch of legal tender and the printing press and escort them back to the Special Higher Police.
Shanghai is a bustling metropolis with a thriving maritime trade. Every day, many cargo ships enter the Huangpu River and undergo inspection at the Wusongkou.
Just as Kitaoka Ryoko was waiting, her intelligence captain, Yoshimoto Ichiro, ran over to report: "Team leader, the situation has changed. Yoshino Maru has arrived, but for some reason, the customs officials have ordered Yoshino Maru to postpone his entry into port!"
"What?" Kitaoka Ryoko was startled when she heard this.
To avoid suspicion, this escort mission was carried out in secret. Therefore, instead of using naval warships, they used the ordinary cargo ship Yoshino Maru. Ordinary cargo ships need to go through customs inspection before they can enter the port, but they brought their own exemption documents, so everything could be completed without anyone knowing.
But now this unexpected situation has arisen. Could it be that something unexpected has happened?
This mission was of utmost importance and could not be compromised in any way. Kitaoka Ryoko dared not delay and immediately led her people to the command center of the Japanese Customs.
Because they were on a secret mission, Kitaoka Ryoko and her men were not wearing military uniforms, but were all dressed in suits. When they broke into the customs command room, they were immediately stopped by customs guards.
Kitaoka Ryoko was anxious and didn't care about anything else. Her team members pushed aside several guards and quickly arrived at the door of the command room.
At that very moment, several officers in the command room were having a pleasant conversation with a Japanese businessman in a suit and tie.
Customs officer Major Yoshida Akimasa said with a smile, "Hirao-kun, you don't actually need to stay here. You can just make a phone call. Please rest assured that as long as it is a cargo ship you designate, it can enter the port with priority anytime and anywhere. It will not delay your company's business."
"Yes, we have been fortunate to receive Chairman Fujiwara's care for so long. We will do our best to provide convenience for your company. Please convey our respect to Chairman Fujiwara on our behalf!" Another officer, Yasuhiro Hashimoto, chimed in, trying to curry favor.
The others echoed his sentiments, and the Japanese businessman sitting in the middle was none other than Hirao Daichi, the sales manager of Fujiwara Company.
Since the Fujiwara Company opened its smuggling channels to the Nationalist-controlled areas, the amount of goods it needed has increased several times over. No matter how many goods are transported, they are all sold out immediately, and there is a complete shortage of supply. As a result, Ning Zhiheng ordered that the amount of smuggled goods be increased again. Now, almost every ten days, a cargo ship fully loaded with smuggled goods arrives at the port. As the person in charge, Hirao Daichi has to meet the ship at the Wusongkou Customs every time.
As for the Japanese officers at the customs, they had been bribed by Takeshi Ishikawa with money since the beginning of the smuggling operation. Every time a cargo ship entered the port, they would receive a large kickback. Therefore, every time a ship carrying goods from the Fujiwara Company entered the port, it was given priority and exempted from inspection.
As for Hirao Daichi, he had long been on very good terms with these officers. Everyone knew that behind him stood the Fujiwara family member, who was extremely influential among the upper echelons of Shanghai. Even their superior, Katsuta Takashi, the commander of the Military Police Headquarters, considered him a close friend. Therefore, they were all extremely polite to Hirao Daichi. Besides, everyone knew that the Fujiwara Company was wealthy and powerful, and everyone wanted to make friends with them!
Look at Major Ishikawa, who is Fujiwara's spokesperson. He has endless money to spend and spends it wherever he goes! Everyone around him is eager to curry favor with him. Even those lieutenant colonels and colonels with higher ranks than him greet him with polite smiles. He is now enjoying unparalleled prestige in Shanghai!
In the mouths of Ishikawa Takeshi and other officers, the chairman of the Fujiwara Company was already a big shot whom they, as low-ranking officers, could hardly reach. Therefore, Hirao Daichi, the manager of the Fujiwara Company, naturally rose in status as well, and everyone deliberately flattered him.
Hirao Daichi's lips curled into a smug smile. As the manager of the Fujiwara Company, he was used to seeing these obsequious smiles. These imperial officers, who were usually high and mighty, now had to smile at him, a businessman, under the influence of power and money, for fear of displeasing him. This made Hirao Daichi feel a strange sense of pleasure.
"Gentlemen, I will certainly convey your support for the Fujiwara Company to the chairman. Please rest assured, the Fujiwara Company will never let our friends down, we..."
Just as Hirao Daichi was speaking eloquently and in high spirits, the door was kicked open and Kitaoka Ryoko rushed in with her entourage.
When Yoshida Akimasa saw so many people barging into the command room, he was furious. He pointed at Kitaoka Ryoko and shouted, "Baka! Who are you? How dare you barge in like this?"
Officer Hashimoto Yasuhiro, who was standing nearby, also spoke up: "This is a customs area, and unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter. Who exactly are you people?"
Kitaoka Ryoko looked at everyone in the room, showed her identification, and said coldly, "I am Kitaoka Ryoko, the head of the Special Higher Police's intelligence group. I want to ask why Yoshino Maru's entry into port was delayed, and what exactly happened."
Special Higher Police? Several customs officers frowned. The Special Higher Police was an intelligence agency with certain privileges, so it seemed they were up to no good.
However, these officers were not particularly wary of the Special Higher Police (THD), because many years ago the THD was just an intelligence department under the Ministry of Home Affairs, and it was only in recent years that it was gradually transferred to a military function department.
The Special Higher Police's functions were more focused on civilians, including monitoring Chinese civilians, suppressing anti-Japanese speech, collecting intelligence, destroying anti-Japanese underground organizations, arresting and interrogating agents, and carrying out activities such as defection and inducement to surrender.
Although they have extensive authority, their ability to restrain the military is limited.
The Wusongkou Customs was under the jurisdiction of the military and directly under the command of the Military Police Headquarters. Although they had some concerns about the Special Higher Police, they were far from being afraid of it.
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