He used this as leverage to bargain with Wang Tianhai, insisting on not relinquishing military power and attempting to maintain an important position in the puppet government's military to continue controlling the armed forces.
However, how could Wang Tianhai allow an outsider to hold military power in his own government? He would never compromise on this point. Multiple negotiations between the two sides failed to resolve the issue, which is why the puppet government remained in Shanghai for so long, unable to merge with the reformist government and return the capital to Nanjing.
It should be noted that Liang Anhong had powerful backers within the Japanese Central China Expeditionary Army; otherwise, he wouldn't have been chosen as the puppet. Therefore, Wang Tianhai was unable to take him down for the time being, and the two sides remained deadlocked.
Finally, the Japanese General Staff lost patience and ordered that the problem must be resolved in the short term, so Hiroki Kagesa returned to Japan to discuss specific solutions.
Ning Zhiheng was aware of these circumstances, but what did Yingzuo Yushu mean by the three-way talks? And which party was the "other party"?
Ning Zhiheng thought for a moment and quickly realized that Wang Tianhai had just returned from North China. Everyone knew that his purpose in going to North China was to visit the North China Provisional Government and try to use his influence to persuade Wang Shulu, the notorious traitor in North China, to merge the North China Provisional Government into the puppet government system.
Based on this judgment, the third party should be Wang Shulu of the North China Provisional Government. However, the North China Provisional Government is a traitorous government supported by the Japanese North China Area Army. The North China Area Army and the Central China Expeditionary Army have always been at odds. Therefore, all parties were not optimistic about Wang Tianhai's trip to North China. But now, judging from the information revealed in Yingzuo Yushu's words, this work may have made a major breakthrough. What exactly happened?
He looked at Kageyama Yuki with a puzzled expression, and simply asked, "So, Mr. Wang's trip to North China was very fruitful?"
Kagesa Hiroki nodded slightly. He had no intention of hiding anything, and given Fujiwara Tomohito's level of power, such things couldn't be kept secret for long; it was just a matter of time.
He nodded and replied, "The headquarters' attitude this time was very firm, forcing the North China side to make concessions and agree to incorporate the North China Provisional Government into the new National Government system. This is mainly because Mr. Wang's influence is indeed great, and he has won the support of many members of parliament. This work will begin soon."
It seems that the Japanese government is indeed very determined this time, and is willing to force the North China and Central China Army Groups to put aside their differences and complete this merger.
Ning Zhiheng analyzed the situation in his mind and had a general understanding of it. However, he couldn't show too much enthusiasm, so he didn't ask any more questions and said with a smile, "This is indeed good news. I will explain it to my friends. Hopefully, this time we won't have to wait too long."
Kagesa Hiroki laughed heartily and said repeatedly, "Definitely, definitely, I will expedite the progress of this meeting as soon as possible, it won't be long!"
Once the deal was settled, both men relaxed. Kageyama Yuki even played a game of Go with Ni Zhiheng with great interest. The two chatted as they played and got along very well.
In the end, Hiroki Kagesa was no match for Ning Zhiheng's skill and resigned, agreeing to a rematch before taking his leave.
The very next day, Ning Zhiheng spoke with the two leaders of the Military Police Headquarters and the Garrison Headquarters, and with the coordination of all parties, the sensational Shanghai turmoil finally had an official explanation.
That is, the Chongqing government once again provoked war, sent agents to assassinate officials of various puppet governments, and incited riots and attacked government departments, causing the collapse of public order in Shanghai. The new government officials and civilians suffered heavy casualties, causing great harm. As a result, all newspapers in Shanghai controlled by the Japanese and puppet governments published articles on their front pages condemning the terrorist attacks by Chongqing elements.
This upheaval dealt a severe blow to the puppet government, once again exposing its incompetence. As a result, Wang Tianhai's opinion of Li Zhiqun plummeted, and he simply dismissed him from his position as deputy minister of the police department, prohibiting him from interfering in the police department.
In this way, Li Zhiqun lost his newly appointed position as deputy minister of the police department, which he had not yet taken office, and cut off his chance to gain influence over the police force. You can imagine the resentment in his heart. He hated Zhou Fushan and Ding Mo to the bone, and the two sides formed an irreconcilable blood feud!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
