While Li Zhiqun and others were conducting a severe interrogation of Fu Shengyuan, Ning Zhiheng and Matsudaira Hidemi were locked in a fierce and evenly matched game of Go in a room on the top floor of the Huiying Hotel.
The two players were evenly matched in skill and had similar playing styles. Every match was quite enjoyable, so whenever Ning Zhiheng had free time, he would invite Matsudaira Hidemi to play a game.
At this moment, Ning Zhiheng placed another piece, his eyes fixed on the chessboard, without even looking up, and said, "Matsudaira-kun, the three-party talks will be held tomorrow morning. You came with me this time, so I suppose Iwai-kun has something to tell you, right?"
Matsudaira Hidemi knew what Ning Zhiheng was referring to, so he didn't need to pretend anymore. He simply nodded and said directly, "Yes, Consul, you asked me to learn as much as possible about the contents of the trilateral talks. However, I am just a nobody and can't do much. I'll just accompany you on a tour for a few more days and then report back to you as I'll do my job!"
Ning Zhiheng didn't take Matsudaira Hidemi's frank words to heart. As the intelligence department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was perfectly normal for the Iwai Mansion to have such thoughts. He smiled and said, "Would you be interested in contacting the participants? Perhaps you can gain something and report back to Mr. Iwai."
Matsudaira Hidemi's eyes lit up immediately. He had been thinking about this for a long time, but he didn't know how to get in. He originally just planned to get some information from Chairman Fujiwara. Now that Fujiwara Tomohito had said this, it meant that he had a way to get him into the venue. This was a great opportunity.
Thinking of this, Matsudaira Hidemi lost all interest in playing Go. Holding the piece he was about to place, he couldn't help but excitedly ask, "Fujiwara-kun, what do you mean...?"
Ning Zhiheng looked at Matsudaira Hidemi and smiled, "That's right. According to the arrangement, there will be a press conference after the meeting. Both sides will allow some newspaper reporters to attend. However, these reporters are all like you, all of them are newspaper reporters with a background in North China. There aren't many of them. I have already asked General Kagesa for a spot for you. After all, you are also a member of the Iwai Mansion, so your identity is not a problem. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Matsudaira Hidemi was overjoyed. He quickly said to Ning Zhiheng gratefully, "This is wonderful! I'm more than happy to have such a great opportunity. Thank you for your consideration!"
After saying this, Matsudaira Hidemi bowed again.
Ning Zhiheng waved his hand and said, "Matsudaira-kun, you don't need to be so polite. I know you must have another mission, so I just lent you a hand. It was nothing, don't take it to heart."
Ning Zhiheng showed kindness to Matsudaira Hidemi in order to gradually win him over and lay a solid foundation for future work.
Matsudaira Hidemi was indeed very grateful to Ning Zhiheng. This Chairman Fujiwara had always been considerate of him, making his work progress very smoothly, requiring almost no effort on his part, with everything arranged perfectly.
His eyes darted around, then he asked softly, "Fujiwara-kun, do you think this meeting will be fruitful? All three parties have their own plans and strong supporters. Will they so easily submit to that Mr. Wang?"
Ning Zhiheng knew that Matsudaira Hidemi thought he knew some inside information and wanted to learn something from him. He didn't mind this and said, "This meeting will definitely be a success! Matsudaira-kun, you should look at this matter from a higher perspective."
Although the three parties were riddled with contradictions, their opinions were unimportant, and even the opinions of their supporters were unimportant. What mattered was that the decision of the central government could not be disobeyed. Regardless, the final outcome was unchanged: the new government would inevitably emerge victorious; the only difference was the price it would pay!
Matsudaira Hidemi's eyebrows twitched. Hearing Ning Zhiheng's certainty, he knew that the outcome of this meeting would be largely the same. The puppet government would soon form a powerful political force, which would have a profound impact on the future development of the situation.
He couldn't help but take a deep breath and asked again, "So, a new Nanjing government is about to be established. The Reformed Government is fine; the two can be integrated in Central China. But will the Provisional Government of North China be willing to accept that?"
Ning Zhiheng looked up at him, smiled slightly, and said, "As I said, it depends on how much Mr. Wang pays. These under-the-table deals are not for outsiders to know."
Matsudaira Hidemi nodded. He understood Ning Zhiheng's meaning. These were the real key points of this meeting, and the negotiations would be completed through secret agreements. But how could he possibly obtain such high-level secrets?
Matsudaira Hidemi lost focus and made a rash move, allowing Ning Zhiheng to counter him in several moves, quickly putting him at a disadvantage.
Ning Zhiheng showed no mercy, relentlessly pursuing Matsudaira Hidemi until he ran out of steam. Just as he was about to force Matsudaira Hidemi to resign,
Suddenly, Ning Zhiheng felt a sudden tightness in his chest, a chill ran down his spine, and his muscles clenched, making him realize something was wrong.
This feels like an early warning is coming!
The last time Ning Zhiheng felt a warning was when Hirayama Jiro sniped at him, but that time the feeling was particularly urgent. The urgency was like having his heart grabbed hard, and he felt a chill as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
This time, however, there was no urgency as before. But Ning Zhiheng knew that some kind of danger was approaching him. It felt like he was sitting on the edge of a volcano, not knowing when the fiery magma would erupt and devour and melt him.
At this moment, the chess piece in his hand stopped in mid-air, which made Matsudaira Hidemi immediately sense something was wrong.
"Fujiwara-kun, what's wrong?" Matsudaira Hidemi hurriedly asked, his eyes looking at Ning Zhiheng with concern.
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