These three forces were also scheming against each other within the headquarters. The Central China Expeditionary Army had always regarded Shanghai as its own territory. This time, due to the formation of the new National Government, the headquarters ordered the integration of resources from various departments to form the Tsuchihara Agency. Because Tsuchihara Keiji was a veteran China expert with outstanding work performance in China, he seized the position of the main person in charge. However, Tsuchihara Keiji was a member of the North China Area Army, which made the high-ranking officers of the Central China Expeditionary Army very dissatisfied, and they had always wanted to replace him. This time, the headquarters suddenly sent Kagesa Hiroki to replace Tsuchihara Keiji's work, which was not a good omen.
Keiji Tsuchihara was also quite troubled. He knew that the winds seemed to be shifting at headquarters, but orders from headquarters could not be disobeyed, and he could only carry them out.
"While I'm away from Shanghai, you must be careful. Kagesa Hiroki is a cunning and shrewd man. Don't easily clash with him. We'll discuss anything when I return," Tsuchihara Keiji solemnly instructed.
This change always gave him a sense of foreboding. A veteran agent's intuition told him that things wouldn't be so simple. Kagesa Hiroki was very likely to target him, which was why he had to warn his subordinates to be careful.
All three nodded in agreement. With the matter settled, Keiji Tsuchihara got up and left the Special Higher Police with Ryoko Kitaoka. Sitting in the back seat of the car, Keiji Tsuchihara whispered to Ryoko Kitaoka, "You must be even more careful while you stay at the Tsuchihara Agency and keep a close eye on Hiroki Kagesa's actions."
"Yes, please rest assured, teacher. I will keep an eye on Kagesa Hiroki's every move. Teacher, you should also return to Shanghai as soon as possible to take charge of the overall situation."
Keiji Tsuchihara sighed. The internal strife within the Japanese military was immense, with constant struggles between departments and factions, and even high-ranking officers like himself were not exempt.
"I heard you've been gathering information on Fujiwara Tomohito. Is things not going well?" Tsuchihara Keiji asked.
Kitaoka Ryoko replied helplessly, "There's been absolutely no progress. Fujiwara Tomohito is not as simple as he seems on the surface. He has been extremely wary of me from the beginning and has been completely indifferent to me. In the end, he simply told us not to bother with him, which was very rude of him!"
Keiji Tsuchihara frowned. His influence was limited to Northeast and North China, but he lacked strong supporters in Shanghai, Central China. He had originally planned to bring Tomohito Fujiwara on board, but now it seemed hopeless.
“Ryoko, we still can’t give up on this task. You need to put in more effort. But I’m reminding you to be careful in everything you do. Don’t provoke Fujiwara Tomohito. He has a lot of influence in Shanghai. If he can be used by me, it will be a great help. If not, don’t make enemies with him, or we’ll be in big trouble!”
When Kitaoka Ryoko heard Tsuchihara Keiji's words, she hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. However, she also had other plans in mind, which she could not tell outsiders.
At the Special Higher Police Headquarters, Taro Sagawa, who had just seen off Keiji Tsuchihara, sat in his chair, lost in thought.
To be honest, he wasn't a close associate of Tsuchihara Keiji, so he wasn't worried about whether Tsuchihara Keiji might leave Shanghai. If Tsuchihara Keiji left Shanghai, he would be free to do whatever he wanted, wouldn't that make him feel more relaxed and carefree?
Last time, when 1 billion French dollars were burned, Keiji Tsuchihara actually tried to make him a scapegoat. If he hadn't been prepared, he would have almost been in serious trouble. He was well aware of this.
"That old fox!"
Taro Sagawa couldn't help but curse under his breath.
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