This Kitaoka Ryoko is too audacious. Since arriving in Shanghai, she has interfered in almost everything without any restraint. Even he, the head of the Special Higher Police, wouldn't dare to act like this in Shanghai. If she continues like this, won't she make enemies everywhere? In the end, won't he be the one to clean up the mess?
Sagawa Taro's eyes were sharp as he stared intently at Kitaoka Ryoko. After a long while, he forced himself to calm down, took a deep breath, and said slowly, "Team Leader Kitaoka, who gave you permission to investigate the Fujiwara Company? Do you know the consequences of doing so?"
As for your claim about smuggled goods, there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever; it's all utter nonsense.
"Since you've investigated so thoroughly, you should know even more about Chairman Fujiwara's background. He's not only a member of the Fujiwara family in Kyoto, but also a close friend of Lieutenant General Uehara Junpei, the current head of the intelligence department of the Central China Area Army, and a close friend of Colonel Katsuta Takashi, the commander of the military police. Moreover, he has extensive connections among the high-ranking officials in Shanghai, and has sufficient resources to support him in various sectors, including the military police headquarters, the customs, and even the garrison."
As he finished speaking, Taro Sagawa's tone grew increasingly stern: "Do you want to set yourself on fire?"
Sagawa Taro's harsh reprimand was completely unexpected by Kitaoka Ryoko. This was the first time Sagawa Taro had reprimanded her so mercilessly, which clearly crossed his bottom line.
She was, of course, unaware that Sagawa Taro was so angry not only because of the Fujiwara Company's powerful background, but also because the Fujiwara Company had woven a vast, intricate network, extending its smuggling network to every corner of Shanghai. As the saying goes, pulling one thread affects the whole body; the Shanghai Special Higher Police alone was insufficient to disrupt this network. Otherwise, he would face the wrath of the Military Police Headquarters, the Shanghai garrison, and especially General Uehara Junpei, the intelligence chief of the Central China Area Army. She had personally witnessed General Uehara Junpei's courteous attitude towards Chairman Fujiwara; it was possible that the Fujiwara Company was actually General Uehara's front man, which would be a huge problem!
Of course, there was an even more important point: immediately after meeting him, Chairman Fujiwara sent someone to present him with an extremely generous gift. The amount was so large that even with Sagawa Taro's vision and status, he was tempted. In addition, given Chairman Fujiwara's status, if he refused, it would be tantamount to making an enemy of him. After much consideration, Sagawa Taro finally accepted the gift.
Chairman Fujiwara also promised that as Fujiwara Company grows, there will be even more of these gifts in the future.
For these reasons, Taro Sagawa would certainly not allow Ryoko Kitaoka to interfere arbitrarily in the business operations of Fujiwara Corporation.
"Please forgive me, I will immediately end my investigation into the Fujiwara Company." Kitaoka Ryoko quickly adjusted her attitude. It seemed that she was no match for the Fujiwara Company on her own, so she immediately took a step back and said no more.
Sagawa Taro's expression turned grim as he said again, "Team Leader Kitaoka, I'll emphasize this once more: your current task is to focus all your efforts on completing the Eclipse Project. Don't get distracted by anything else, understand?"
"Yes, I understand!" Kitaoka Ryoko said, bowing. But she was filled with shame and anger. For someone as proud and arrogant as her, this was the first time she had ever been treated like this by her boss.
She secretly made up her mind that she would never let go of the Fujiwara Company. However, she was not a reckless person. She was shrewd and resourceful. She would assess the situation and wait for the right moment to act. Sooner or later, she would get her revenge!
In the office of the president of the Fujiwara Company in the French Concession, Ning Zhiheng was looking at the report in his hand, his face very grim. He looked at Hirao Daichi in front of him and said in a deep voice, "This month's report shows that our transportation volume has not met my requirements. What exactly is going on?"
Seeing the chairman's displeased expression, Hirao Daichi's legs went weak with fear. The longer he spent with the chairman, the more he felt the invisible pressure from him. Hirao Daichi quickly explained, "The Hong Kong branch has explained that the shipping company they usually use has reached its capacity. They are actively negotiating with another shipping company and will resolve this issue soon."
Ning Zhiheng was not satisfied with his explanation. He lightly slammed his hand on the table and asked again, "There is a huge shortage of steel in the Kuomintang-controlled areas of China, and the price is even higher. Didn't I instruct you to purchase enough steel and transport it to the Chinese mainland? If we don't have enough goods, aren't there enough smuggling companies in Shanghai? Didn't Yasuda and Imagawa Trading Company negotiate with them? Didn't they agree?"
In a metropolis like Shanghai, smuggling is an unstoppable business practice. Merchants have no end to their pursuit of profit. When profits reach 10%, they become restless; when profits reach 50%, they dare to take risks; when profits reach 100%, they dare to trample on all human laws; and when profits reach 300%, they dare to risk being hanged to do anything.
During wartime, the profits from smuggling controlled goods were definitely more than 300 percent. So, as long as they had connections and resources, merchants did everything they could to use their connections and influence to transport various military-controlled goods into Shanghai, and of course, they also made a considerable profit.
So apart from a few foreign companies backed by various powers, almost all the other smuggling companies were Japanese trading companies. Because they were the occupiers of the city, they had a lot of resources and could use various connections to open up channels. Some directly bribed the navy, some bribed customs, or they simply smuggled goods, gambling on luck. In short, everyone used their own methods.
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