Chapter 67: Stoking the Flames I

After leaving Chongguang Hall, Xu Ruiyang drove straight to the headquarters of the Shanghai Japanese Gendarmerie. He was more than willing to fan the flames at a moment like this, hoping to provoke the Gendarmerie Headquarters' resentment toward the soon-to-be-established Special Service Headquarters.

After all, the other side had directly trampled upon the interests of the Gendarmerie Headquarters. Both the Special Service Section and the Police Affairs Section, including Saburo Miura himself, needed achievements and cases to maintain their prestige and save face.

After making a quick phone call, the sentry at the gate immediately let him through.

When Xu Ruiyang stepped into the commander's office, he found Sazo Okamura, Kiyoshi Tsukamoto, and Yoko Nanzo all sitting inside, their expressions grim and deeply displeased.

A merit that was practically in their grasp had been snatched away by Teiji Imoto and Kazuin Haruki under the guise of imperial strategy, reallocated to Ding Mocun’s faction. The Special Service Section and the Police Affairs Section could do nothing but watch helplessly. Naturally, the three of them were furious. How hateful it was that these traitors showed complete disregard for the dignity of the Gendarmerie Headquarters!

"Those hundred-odd secret agents from the Detective Unit, funded by the Empire, haven't achieved a single thing, yet they have the audacity to muscle in on the Special Service Section's resources. Ding Mocun and Li Shiqun are truly despicable and shameless!" Okamura Sazo said bitterly.

"Exactly, General. You simply cannot let this so-called Special Service Headquarters ride roughshod over our gendarmerie system. If it happens once, it's bound to happen again!" Kiyoshi Tsukamoto added.

As the head of the Police Affairs Section, the work of the Police Department’s Special Service Section was directly linked to him. He had originally expected to use Xu Ruiyang to secure commendations from the Empire, but who would have thought that a sure-fire achievement would be completely ruined by Ding Mocun and Li Shiqun?

"What Imoto-kun said is not entirely unreasonable. The Empire is determined to spare no effort in supporting Mr. Wang's new government. This is a strategic decision tied to the Empire's overall layout in China. As long as Mr. Wang steps forward and makes his appeal, given his influence, many people in the Chongqing government will be swayed, and the Empire hopes to break the stalemate and end the war as soon as possible."

"There are also important reasons why the Imperial General Headquarters is backing the Special Service Headquarters, primarily to have them deal with the Chongqing government agents and underground party members hiding in the foreign concessions. As long as the concessions exist, the Military Statistics Bureau of the Chongqing government will never stop opposing us."

"Shanghai holds special strategic significance for the Empire—I don't need to elaborate on that. While the Special Service Section has achieved remarkable results, its scale is simply too small to hold much temptation for those willing to defect to the new government in the future. No matter how large it grows, it remains a subordinate department of the Police Department."

"The Special Service Headquarters is different. They will be in charge of all espionage and intelligence operations within the new government's jurisdiction, holding special authority and status. What's more, a Ministry of Police Affairs is going to be established to handle the administrative affairs of the entire police system. That is a ministerial-level institution." Saburo Miura, by contrast, had not lost his temper.

His meaning was crystal clear: once Mr. Wang Jingwei's new government was established, there would inevitably be a flood of defectors, and they had to be given suitable positions. But the Special Service Section's temple was too small to accommodate so many grand Buddhas, so the Special Service Headquarters had little choice but to pick up the slack.

As a high-ranking general of the Japanese Imperial Army, as long as something benefited the Empire, he had an instinctive reflex to obey the greater picture and offer his support.

"Clearly, through this incident, our Gendarmerie Headquarters could have received heavy rewards from the Tokyo headquarters. We can't just let them off so easily and suffer this loss in silence, can we?" Okamura Sazo said, still harboring deep resentment.

"You must be joking. When has the gendarmerie system ever taken a loss? Okamura-kun, don't dwell on these immediate gains and losses. There's plenty of time ahead, and we will have ample opportunity to settle accounts with them. The Special Service Headquarters will be supervised by the Special Service Section from now on. They had better not fall into my hands, or else I'll take their lives!" Saburo Miura said with a cold sneer.

The Japanese Army Gendarmerie operated as an independent system, and backed by their special status and authority, they had always taken advantages without ever suffering losses. For Ding Mocun and Li Shiqun to dare snatch meat right out of the gendarmerie's jaws meant they were simply asking for a beating!

"Xu-kun, we all know you've been wronged in this matter, but rest assured, this score will be settled sooner or later," Okamura Sazo said, turning to comfort Xu Ruiyang instead.

The man had already handed over the subsequent case files to the Special Service Section, clearly intending to pass along the credit. Yet, because the Gendarmerie Headquarters couldn't withstand the pressure from the intelligence agencies, it had caved in. Frankly speaking, it was disgraceful enough.

"Commander Okamura, the slight injustice suffered by me and the Special Service Section is nothing. After all, it serves the strategic needs of the Empire. I am only concerned that the Special Service Headquarters will push their luck and demand an inch after getting a foot, continually reaching into the Special Service Section's domain by flashing their special status. That would put me in a very awkward position," Xu Ruiyang said.

"Don't worry. Once the Special Service Headquarters is officially established, Warrant Officer Shibuya from the Special Service Section will lead a squad to be permanently stationed there to oversee their work. Just wait and see—once we catch their handles, I'll show you how we torture them!" Kiyoshi Tsukamoto said through gritted teeth.

Xu Ruiyang was extremely satisfied with the atmosphere and the results. Upon returning to the Special Service Section, he promptly invited the four Military Statistics Bureau defectors into his office.

Presumably by tomorrow at the latest, the Special Service Headquarters would send people over to handle the handover procedures. Today was a good opportunity to lay the groundwork and plant the seeds for dealing with the Special Service Headquarters in the future.

"Originally, I had already agreed with General Miura to keep the four of you here in the Special Service Section. Alas, the temple here is too small, and there are better places waiting for you."

"As for Mr. Wang's plans to form a new government, I assume you are all aware of it. To combat underground anti-Japanese organizations, and with the help of the Japanese side, the Special Service Headquarters—abbreviated as the Special Service Headquarters—has been established on the basis of the Shanghai-West Gendarmerie Detective Unit."

"The Director of the Special Service Headquarters, Ding Mocun, and the Deputy Director, Li Shiqun, are both visionary men of the Central Statistics Bureau who have defected to the Japanese. They value your backgrounds and intend to transfer you to the Special Service Headquarters. In terms of status and power, the Special Service Section simply cannot compare to the Special Service Headquarters."

"You have helped me out, and I cannot let your efforts go unrewarded. Here is a red envelope with one thousand US dollars for each of you—a token of appreciation from both the Special Service Section and myself. General Miura of the Gendarmerie Headquarters has also rewarded each of you with two thousand fiat currency notes. As for the four new Ford cars and four garden villas that were originally scheduled to be allocated to you, those unfortunately cannot be honored now."

"All of you will remain distinguished guests of the Special Service Section in the future. If you run into any difficulties, you are always welcome to come to me. The Special Service Section has the Shanghai Gendarmerie Headquarters backing it up. Keeping close ties with us will only bring you benefits and no harm," Xu Ruiyang said with a smile.

Even with the establishment of the Special Service Headquarters, certain things had to be done step by step. It was impossible for them to buy cars and solve housing problems right off the bat, let alone hand out such generous cash bonuses. Xu Ruiyang's purpose was to stimulate these four individuals by creating a stark contrast using pure material benefits.

Secondly, he also wanted to expand his own intelligence channels within the Special Service Headquarters. Relying solely on Nina Liu was not enough; these four men could surely provide at least some useful information.

Chen Mingchu, Zhang Jinlu, Lin Zhijiang, and Wan Liliang were instantly stunned at the sight of such a massive sum of money spread out before them.