At this time, Uehara Junpei had been waiting in the living room for Ning Zhiheng to come out. Seeing that Ning Zhiheng had stayed in the study for so long, he knew that everything was going well and that his nephew had performed exceptionally well and had successfully gained Fujiwara Hirofumi's favor. He was very happy.
The two bid farewell and left Fujiwara Hirofumi's residence, sitting side by side in the back seat of the car. Uehara Junpei asked, "What was Fujiwara-san's impression of you after today's meeting?"
Ning Zhiheng nodded and smiled, "Uncle, don't worry. The master is very satisfied with the gift I prepared. He talked with me for a long time and even asked me to accompany him to tour the metropolis of Shanghai during this period. I will do my best during this time and try to gain his approval!"
Uehara Junpei felt much relieved. He had put in a lot of effort and thought today, just waiting for this result. He said happily, "Tomohito, you did a great job. If you can get Mr. Fujiwara's support this time, you can do things freely in the future without worrying about anyone hindering you!"
Uehara Junpei's words made it clear that he was the top intelligence chief in Central China, so how could he not know what kind of business Ning Zhiheng was currently engaged in?
Moreover, Fujiwara Tomohito's identity as the mastermind behind the smuggling market is now an open secret in Shanghai. Uehara Junpei had already heard about it back in Nanjing, so saying this now is almost an admission of Ning Zhiheng's actions.
In fact, the Japanese military high command was not very concerned about people smuggling controlled goods. Even within the military, some people were engaged in such activities. While the occupied areas in Central China were relatively covert, in the Tianjin area of North China, the Japanese North China Area Army directly used smuggling to obtain foreign exchange. They used their own military scrip and the legal tender in the hands of smugglers to do business. They forcibly purchased civilian goods and legal tender through a combination of robbery and sale, and then used the legal tender to exchange for foreign exchange at major banks, plundering civilian wealth on a large scale. They used war to sustain war, and their smuggling business was carried out openly.
Most of the smuggled controlled goods flowed into the Nationalist-controlled areas in Central China, which greatly displeased the Japanese Central China Area Army. They fought many lawsuits with the North China Area Army, but in the end, because they were not part of the same system, neither could do anything to the other, and the matter was dropped.
Therefore, Uehara Junpei did not take Ning Zhiheng's smuggling business seriously. Moreover, he believed that Ning Zhiheng's smuggling activities were limited to the Shanghai area and did not pose any threat to the interests of the Japanese Empire. He considered it merely a monopoly in the market.
With Uehara Junpei's tacit approval, Ning Zhiheng felt much more at ease. He knew what he had to do; at the very least, Uehara Junpei's interests had to be protected. As his most trusted backer, Ning Zhiheng was willing to pay a hefty price.
"Uncle, in the Central China region, Zhi Ren still needs your protection to avoid trouble. As for Lord Fujiwara, it would be good to gain his approval, but it doesn't matter if he doesn't!"
Ning Zhiheng clearly knew who he should truly rely on. Fujiwara Hirofumi was merely icing on the cake, while Uehara Junpei was the one who was right at hand.
"Shortsighted!" Uehara Junpei's face darkened. He stared intently at Ning Zhiheng, his tone becoming serious. "Zhiren, I understand that you have a deep desire for money, having suffered hardship since childhood. However, your current position is different, and you need to have a more profound perspective. For people like us, money is merely a tool to achieve our goals. We must not become obsessed with it. Only power is our true pursuit. Do you intend to be a businessman for the rest of your life?"
"What does Uncle mean?"
"The Fujiwara family is a thousand-year-old noble family, and you are the younger brother of the Fujiwara clan. Even if you are from a collateral branch, you have advantages that others do not have. If you can gain some political resources, you may have a chance to stand out. In the end, no matter how big a businessman becomes, he is still just a businessman and there is no future for him!"
Uehara Junpei, a powerful figure with considerable influence, looks down on businessmen to the core because he knows that without the protection of power, everything is meaningless. He has higher expectations for Ning Zhiheng.
"Yes, Zhiren! I understand. I will do my best!" Ning Zhiheng nodded and agreed.
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