Two days later, in a private room of a Japanese restaurant in Suzhou, Miyata Yasutoshi was having a low-key conversation with two Japanese businessmen.
This time, having fallen out with the Fujiwara Company, Hirayama Tokumoto and Miyata Yasuhisa were filled with anxiety. They visited influential people everywhere. Hirayama Tokumoto contacted his military colleagues, while Miyata Yasuhisa sought to connect with some Japanese businessmen with connections, trying to unite them and force Shirakawa Hidee to make concessions.
Just as they were whispering to each other, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in!"
The door was pushed open, and his subordinates quickly stepped forward, approached Miyata Yasuhisa, and whispered a few words in his ear. Miyata Yasuhisa was immediately terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.
A look of panic flashed in his eyes. He quickly got up, said goodbye to the two Japanese businessmen beside him, and then walked out of the restaurant with his subordinates.
Once in the car, he asked urgently, "Tell me the details of what happened."
The subordinates were also anxious and quickly recounted what had happened. It turned out that just half an hour earlier, Lieutenant Colonel Hirayama Tokumoto had stopped at a tea stall where he usually rested while inspecting the city's defenses, and was suddenly attacked.
Several gunmen appeared out of nowhere and fired a burst of gunfire, killing Hirayama Tokumoto and his two guards who were caught off guard. The gunmen quickly disappeared without a trace, scattering many anti-Japanese leaflets as they left. Now the Japanese military police are arresting suspected anti-Japanese elements all over the city.
After hearing the story, Miyata Yasuhisa's hands trembled with nervousness. Hirayama Toku was his good friend and fellow townsman, as well as the real boss of the Miyata Trading Company. Now that he had been assassinated, he felt like he had lost his backbone and had no idea how to deal with it.
He knew very well that this assassination attempt was not carried out by any anti-Japanese elements. Hirayama Tokumoto was just a garrison commander in charge of the city's defense. Although these garrison troops also oppressed the Chinese people on a daily basis, they spent most of their time in the barracks, so their harm was relatively minor.
In contrast, the military police were stationed in Suzhou, where they routinely arrested people and committed various crimes. They were more hated by the people, and if the Chinese wanted to retaliate, they would first target the military police. These people were easy to recognize; they had the character "宪" (Xian) embroidered on their shoulders, so there was no way to mistake them.
But now it seems that it was a deliberate ambush and assassination, specifically targeting Hirayama Tokumoto.
As for the claim that it was an assassination attempt by anti-Japanese elements, Miyata Yasuhisa was even less convinced. Suzhou was the capital of Jiangsu Province, a large inland metropolis where the Japanese had a very strong presence and controlled the city very strictly. Since the occupation, not only were there garrison troops, but also a large number of puppet troops. The military police and various intelligence agencies, such as the Special Higher Police, were also present. Therefore, there had not been any cases of assassination attempts against Japanese officers in Suzhou for a long time.
Adding to the escalating conflict with the Fujiwara Company during this period, and with Shirakawa Hidee's threats still ringing in his ears, Miyata Yasuhisa was almost certain that Hirayama Tokumoto's murder must have been caused by the Fujiwara Company's drastic measures.
Miyata Yasuhisa never expected the Fujiwara Company to act so brazenly. He had thought the Fujiwara Company might target him, so he was very careful when he went out and about, and had several bodyguards with him. But he never expected that the Fujiwara Company would directly target Lieutenant Colonel Hirayama Tokumoto.
Assassinating the local garrison commander was utterly lawless, but it also chilled Miyata Yasuhisa to the bone. It showed that Shirakawa Eiei was a complete madman, with no scruples or bottom lines. Anyone who stood in his way would be forcefully eliminated, and now it seemed that he himself might be in danger.
Thinking of this, Miyata Yasuhisa quickly ordered, "Quickly, return to the merchant guild!"
He rushed back to the Chamber of Commerce as quickly as possible, immediately opened the safe, and began packing his valuables, banknotes, gold bars, and bank deposit certificates—anything he could take with him immediately—into two suitcases.
As for the Miyata Trading Company, Miyata Yasuhisa no longer hoped to preserve it. In fact, no matter who killed Lieutenant Colonel Hirayama Tokumoto, Miyata Yasuhisa did not intend to stay in Suzhou City.
Without Hirayama Tokumoto's protection, the Miyata Trading Company was already a piece of fat meat in Fujiwara's mouth, ready to be devoured at any time. He had offended Shirakawa Hideyoshi in the past, and if he stayed, he would only be a sacrificial offering. Who could predict what that madman Shirakawa Hideyoshi would do?
After quickly tidying up, Miyata Yasuhisa changed his clothes and, taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, sneaked out through the back door and blended into the crowd.
Miyata Yasuhisa reacted quickly, fleeing Suzhou City without hesitation upon hearing the news. Half an hour after he left, Miura Yoshiaki arrived at the Miyata Trading Company with his men, but they couldn't find Miyata Yasuhisa anywhere. Seeing the wide-open safe and the messy office, they realized that Miyata Yasuhisa had already escaped.
In a short time, the company collapsed and its members scattered. Miura Yoshiaki easily took over the Miyata Trading Company, and all of the company's real estate and warehouse goods were transferred to the Fujiwara Company.
As for Miyata Yasuhisa's whereabouts, Miura Yoshihisa didn't care. What was a powerless commoner to him?
However, Miyata Yasuhisa did not go far. He went directly to Changshu County, a nearby town, where a Japanese army company was stationed.
Miyata Yasuhisa quickly arrived at the Japanese military camp and found Lieutenant Hirayama Jiro stationed there.
Hirayama Jiro is Hirayama Tokumoto's younger brother. Both brothers serve in the Central China Expeditionary Army. Hirayama Jiro was startled to see Miyata Yasuhisa suddenly appear here.
Miyata Yasutoshi pulled Hirayama Jiro to a secluded spot and told him everything in detail, then handed him a leather suitcase.
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