"Fujiwara-kun, you're a bit late. I was hoping to chat with you a little longer, but you'll have to drink three cups of wine as punishment!" Katsuta Takashi said with a smile.
He and Ning Zhiheng were close friends with shared interests, so their relationship was naturally different from others. Their conversations were intimate and casual, without any barriers between them.
Ning Zhiheng also said with a smile, "Katsuta-kun, you know me. I rarely attend such large banquets. It was Mayor Su who invited me here repeatedly."
Katsuta Takashi knew that Ning Zhiheng preferred peace and quiet and was usually reluctant to socialize, so it was truly remarkable that he agreed to attend the banquet this time.
He laughed and said to Su Yue beside him, "Brother Su, you have a lot of influence. Fujiwara-kun rarely comes to such occasions. You should appreciate this favor!"
Su Yue, all smiles and eloquent words, bowed slightly and said with a smile, "Actually, it's all because of Katsuta-kun's influence. I invited Fujiwara-kun in your name, and he immediately agreed. In fact, Katsuta-kun should be the one to appreciate this favor!"
Upon hearing this, the three exchanged glances and burst into laughter. Su Yue, as expected of a seasoned politician, spoke wittily and humorously, making everyone feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Ning Zhiheng sat down in the living room. At this moment, the presidents of several Japanese chambers of commerce quickly came to greet him. These were some of the largest Japanese chambers of commerce in Shanghai and were among those invited.
As a dominant trading company that leads the business world, the presidents of Fujiwara Company naturally had to pay their respects in person. Moreover, they usually dealt with Hirao Daichi, the manager of Fujiwara Company, and never met the president himself. Today was a good opportunity to meet the president in order to leave a good impression on him.
However, Ning Zhiheng was too lazy to deal with these people. After all, they were not on the same level. So he just gave a few indifferent replies and then winked at Hirao Daichi, who was standing to the side.
Hirao Daichi naturally understood the chairman's meaning. He stepped forward and extended his hand, inviting the chairman and others to talk to each other. The others tactfully withdrew.
Su Yue, who had been accompanying them, observed this and nodded in approval. As expected of a member of Japan's top aristocracy, he had dismissed these people with ease. These usually arrogant Japanese businessmen were now submissive and dared not utter a word in front of Chairman Fujiwara.
Su Yue wanted to say a few more words to Ning Zhiheng, since opportunities to meet with Chairman Fujiwara in person were rare.
But then more guests arrived, and as the host, Su Yue couldn't neglect them, so he apologized to Ning Zhiheng and got up to greet and entertain them. Katsuta Takashi then chatted with Ning Zhiheng.
There's still some time before the banquet starts, which is the perfect time for guests to mingle and chat. The guests are talking amongst themselves according to their status and profession.
Both Katsuta Takashi and Ning Zhiheng are high-ranking officials with strong military backgrounds. The other guests, seeing the two, all wanted to go up and chat with them, but because of their lower status, they ultimately dared not make a move.
Soon, however, two high-ranking Japanese officers came forward and sat down with them, and they began to talk.
Among them was Major General Masakazu Yoshioka, commander of the 18th Brigade and a fellow townsman and friend of Takashi Katsuta.
Also standing to the side was Colonel Akira Ogasawara, the commander of the 4th Regiment of the Shanghai Garrison. Although his rank was lower than the others present, he was also from Kyoto and a fellow townsman of Takashi Katsuta and Masakazu Yoshioka. Fujiwara Tomohito, the chairman of the Fujiwara Company, was also from Kyoto and had military backgrounds, so they were also in this small circle.
Takashi Katsuta said to Masakazu Yoshioka, "Yoshioka-kun, your 18th Brigade has achieved great success in southern Jiangsu this time, dealing a heavy blow to the Chinese guerrilla forces. The military headquarters has issued a special commendation order, which is truly commendable!"
Upon hearing Katsuta Takashi's words, Yoshioka Masakazu waved his hand and said with a smile, "Katsuta-kun, you flatter me. To be honest, we spent several months clearing out the guerrilla forces in southern Jiangsu, but the results were not ideal. Southern Jiangsu has many lakes and complex terrain. In addition, these Chinese troops are very cunning, making it difficult for us to capture them. In four months of clearing out, we only had half a month of actual combat. The rest of the time was spent constantly searching for the enemy's whereabouts. Fortunately, our efforts have not been in vain. We have now successfully forced them to retreat to the southern mountains. However, further clearing them out will be very difficult. Our troops are also suffering greatly and have had to withdraw to Shanghai for temporary rest."
Ning Zhiheng's heart stirred upon hearing this. Since the Japanese army occupied Guangzhou and Wuhan last October, the Central China Area Army had suffered a severe shortage of troops due to the excessively long offensive lines. Both manpower and material resources had been consumed at great cost, leading to financial and economic difficulties in all aspects.
This situation even affected Japan's domestic economic development, leading to a growing anti-war sentiment and aversion to war within the country.
Consequently, the Japanese government and military adjusted their war policy toward China, shifting from a strategy of quick victory to a policy of protracted warfare.
The specific strategy was to primarily use political inducement to induce the Nationalist government to surrender, supplemented by military strikes.
Militarily, the strategic offensive against the main battlefield was halted, and the focus was shifted to consolidating the existing occupied areas and dealing with the anti-Japanese guerrilla forces in the rear.
At this time, two Chinese combat units were active in southern Jiangsu, which was located in the heart of the Japanese-occupied territory.
That was the Red Party's New Fourth Army and the Kuomintang's National Salvation Army.
These two units had identical combat styles. Faced with the powerful offensive of the Japanese army, they mainly relied on guerrilla warfare, avoiding the enemy's strength and attacking them by surprise, constantly striking at the weak points of the Japanese invaders. In particular, the New Fourth Army of the Red Army was powerful and skilled in guerrilla warfare, causing great trouble and damage to the Japanese military.
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