Ning Zhiheng's attitude was very gentle, and he showed no sign of intending to harm the two of them. He deliberately spoke Chinese less fluently, but ordinary communication was not a problem.
Ding Mo and Li Zhiqun finally felt relieved. The attitude of Chairman Fujiwara was completely different from that of Lieutenant Colonel Ishikawa Takeshi. Fujiwara was warm, approachable, gentle, and polite, and they figured he wouldn't make things difficult for them.
Ding Mo quickly leaned forward, sitting on half of the sofa, and said respectfully, "Mr. Fujiwara, you are too kind. We have long admired your name and have wanted to pay you a visit for a long time, but we have no one to introduce us, which would have been too presumptuous. We are honored to have the opportunity to meet you today!"
Ning Zhiheng said with a smile, "Both of you are talents favored by General Tu Yuan and are rising stars in the new government. I am also very eager to get to know you, which is why I specially invited you here to have a chat."
Ning Zhiheng knew that these two men would later hold very important positions in the Wang Jingwei regime, especially Li Zhiqun. After joining Wang Tianhai, he quickly gained high regard and not only became a high-ranking official in Jiangsu Province, but also took full control of the Wang Jingwei regime's intelligence work. He intervened everywhere and quickly developed the intelligence headquarters into an extremely large intelligence system that rivaled the Military Intelligence Bureau and often gained the upper hand. In the end, he not only opened branches in various Japanese-occupied areas, but also set up a branch in Wuhan. With his strong power, he became a hot figure in the Wang Jingwei regime.
That's a story for later. Even now, these two can't be dealt with easily. They are Tsuchihara Keiji's trusted henchmen. Ning Zhiheng has always been quite wary of Tsuchihara Keiji and is unwilling to confront him directly. He is also unwilling to take the risk, as it would be a losing proposition!
Ning Zhiheng's main goal was not to eliminate traitors, but to maintain smuggling channels. As for how to deal with the No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters, that was the Director's business.
Li Zhiqun nodded repeatedly and said, "Mr. Fujiwara summoned us, so naturally he has something to instruct us on. As long as it is within our ability, we will do our best without hesitation!"
Ning Zhiheng patted the armrest of his chair, coughed lightly, and said calmly, "Alright, then I'll get straight to the point. As you all know, our Fujiwara Company has some influence and a decent reputation in Shanghai's business circles, so many businessmen do business with our company. However, your sudden arrest of them has caused difficulties for our Fujiwara Company's operations. For this, I need an explanation!"
Ding Mo and his companion had prepared their explanations on the way. When Ning Zhiheng inquired, Ding Mo quickly explained, "This was indeed our dereliction of duty. We were not thorough enough, and our subordinates were blind and offended Mr. Fujiwara. I will definitely instruct them when I get back that they will never do anything detrimental to the Fujiwara Company in the future. Please forgive us, Mr. Fujiwara!"
Li Zhiqun hurriedly replied, "Mr. Fujiwara, we are new to Shanghai, and the Special Operations Department has just been established. We are unfamiliar with many things, which is why this misunderstanding occurred. This will never happen again. Please give us another chance."
Seeing their respectful attitude, Ning Zhiheng decided not to press them any further. He waved his hand and said with a smile, "You flatter us. It's inevitable that you'll make some mistakes while serving the empire."
However, both of you, I understand that the Special Operations Department was originally established to deal with the increasingly rampant Chinese agents. I myself have been assassinated by Chinese agents many times and I deeply abhor this. However, most Chinese people are still obedient to us, and we cannot arbitrarily arrest them.
Shanghai is the largest metropolis in the Far East and the main base of Central China. The empire needs a stable and prosperous rear area, and some things cannot be done too much.
"Take those people you arrested this time, for example. You yourselves know whether they are anti-Japanese elements or not; they just want some money. But everything has its limits. I heard that one of your businessmen demanded a ransom of five thousand US dollars. Your appetite is too big. Even I wouldn't dare to do that!"
Ding Mo and Li Zhiqun exchanged a glance, and Ding Mo spoke first, saying, "Mr. Fujiwara, there are many things we are unaware of. We did not expect our subordinates to act so recklessly. We will definitely punish them severely when we return."
In fact, all of these things were instigated by Ding and Li. Both of them are greedy and insatiable. How could they let go of the opportunity to make a fortune?
Although it was supposed to be for raising funds for activities, most of the money ended up in their own pockets.
Ning Zhiheng was aware of these things, but he simply chose not to point them out. He was too lazy to lecture him and said directly, "Alright, I'm not your superior, so I don't concern myself with your affairs. But the premise is that it can't affect the interests of the Fujiwara Company. What do you say?"
These words were very straightforward and their meaning was clear. Ding Mo quickly explained, "Don't worry, from now on, we will never disturb your business partners, nor will we affect any of the interests of the Fujiwara Company."
“Okay, then it’s a deal!” Ning Zhiheng nodded with a smile.
“However, Mr. Fujiwara, Qin Lechi, whom we arrested today, is a little different!” Ding Mo looked troubled, hesitated for a moment, and then continued, “He was specifically ordered to be arrested by Chief Tsuchihara, for…”
“I know the whole story!” Ning Zhiheng waved his hand, interrupting him.
Hearing them mention Tsuchihara Keiji, Ning Zhiheng's tone was slightly displeased, and his gaze towards the two suddenly became sharp and intimidating, instantly sending a chill down Ding and Li's spines.
“I will personally explain to Director Tsuchihara. Mayor Su and I are friends, and Director Tsuchihara and I will coordinate the matter and will not make things difficult for you.”
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