Chapter 36: Farewell, Xinjing!

Chapter 36: Farewell, Xinjing!

"Would you like me to keep you company tonight?" Natalia leaned in and whispered into his ear.

"I am a police officer with principles; I have no desire to have such a relationship with my informant!" Xu Ruiyang said with a stern face, then stood up and walked away.

Natalia covered her mouth, suppressing a giggle. She had certainly caught the flicker of heat in his eyes; he wanted to resist her charms—humph!

His conversation with the German merchant, Fane, was more subtle. Neither side explicitly stated whether they could trade in intelligence, but neither ruled out the possibility.

At noon on March 25th, at the Yamato Hotel in Xinjing, they sat in a private room. Three small wooden tables were arranged in a triangle on the tatami mats. Nishi Yoshiaki sat in the center, Xu Ruiyang to his right, and Inoue Haruka to his left. Each table was set with identical food and drink.

"I recommended you to Colonel Sadaaki Kagesa, who is in charge of affairs in Central China for the Empire. He is very satisfied with the abilities you have demonstrated. This is the letter of appointment signed by Mayor Fu Xiao'an of Shanghai before I came. However, do not be in a hurry to start your work once you arrive in Shanghai."

"The environment in Central China is chaotic and disorderly. The first thing you must do is sort out the relationships between various parties and gain absolute control over the Special Service Section. The Gendarmerie Headquarters is particularly important to you; unlike in Manchukuo, it is not the special service agencies that control the police system in Central China, but the Gendarmerie Headquarters and the local gendarmerie units."

"Major General Yoshiue Shiro has already recommended you to Major General Saburo Miura of the Shanghai Gendarmerie Headquarters during a meeting at the Tokyo headquarters. Miura is a veteran gendarmerie general, and even Colonel Sadaaki Kagesa finds him a headache. How you handle your dealings with him will depend on your own wisdom."

"The day after tomorrow at eight in the morning, we will take a Kwantung Army plane directly to Shanghai. As for where to stay, don't worry; Shanghai is full of Western-style villas. The special service agency has already allocated one for you, and the police bureau will provide you with a car. Colonel Sadaaki Kagesa has specifically approved ten thousand legal tender as your special funds," Nishi Yoshiaki said.

Yesterday had been the handover ceremony for the president of the South Manchuria Railway. In the afternoon, the high-ranking officials saw Yosuke Matsuoka off to the airport to fly back to Japan, and in the evening, the new president, Takuichi Omura, held a reception. It wasn't until this noon that he finally had the time to sit down and chat with Xu Ruiyang.

"I am grateful for your cultivation, sir. I will keep it in my heart and will surely redouble my efforts to achieve even more for the Empire! As I am going to Shanghai to serve as the chief of the Special Service Section of the Police Bureau, do you have any other instructions?" Xu Ruiyang took the appointment letter respectfully and asked.

"The South Manchuria Railway Investigation Department is an intelligence agency serving the Empire. As long as you work hard, that is the best reward for me, after all, it was I who recommended you. The development and construction of mineral resources in Central China are not within the scope of the South Manchuria Railway's business; they are the responsibility of the Central China Development Company," Nishi Yoshiaki said with a smile.

Truth be told, the South Manchuria Railway's involvement in Central China was truly due to the duties of an intelligence agency; it had such a mission itself and was not looking to gain much benefit from it.

The plunder of mineral resources in Central China, including textiles, salt, water, electricity, communications, and transportation, was managed in its entirety by the Central China Liaison Department of the Japanese Asia Development Board, with the Central China Development Company—which had the same nature as the South Manchuria Railway—responsible for implementation. The South Manchuria Railway simply could not reach that far.

Nishi Yoshiaki had played an important role in the period before Wang Jingwei surrendered to Japan. It was he and the then-president of the South Manchuria Railway, Yosuke Matsuoka, who introduced Gao Zongwu to Sadaaki Kagesa. For this reason, Sadaaki Kagesa was tasked with the formation of Wang Jingwei's new government and gained the attention of the Imperial General Headquarters, which was why Sadaaki Kagesa trusted him so much.

"Miss Inoue, you are welcome to visit Shanghai when you have time to enjoy the prosperity of the concessions. I will be your driver and guide when you do," Xu Ruiyang said to Inoue Haruka.

"I will consider your invitation. I have long yearned for Shanghai, the largest international city in the Far East. Once the new president's work is straightened out, I will go to see it," Inoue Haruka said with a smile.

That evening, Xu Ruiyang invited his college classmate, Xiao Chenglin, for a meal. Having relied on his help for more than a year in Xinjing, he naturally wanted to have a few drinks before leaving.

In fact, this fellow was not ill-intentioned, and certainly not capable of doing evil deeds. He had joined the Special Service Section of the Police Department for family reasons. His post was administrative, responsible for organizing case files and archiving, and by relying on the prestige of the Special Service Section, he was able to get by in Xinjing.

"You're too lucky, aren't you? You saved a Japanese girl, got transferred to the Security Bureau for a promotion and raise, solved two cases and got two medals, and now you're being transferred to Shanghai to be the captain of the Special Police Force of the Police Bureau, enjoying the great Shanghai. How did you manage to land all the good things under the sun?" Xiao Chenglin was incredibly envious when he heard he was going to Shanghai.

When they were in college, he and Xu Ruiyang and a few other classmates had visited Shanghai more than once. Naturally, he knew that the current Xinjing could not be compared to Shanghai at all; it was far behind.

"If you think it's good, tell your father and go to Shanghai to develop your career. I'll arrange a position for you at the Police Bureau when the time comes," Xu Ruiyang said.

"Forget it, I'm just talking. The old man would definitely not agree. I'm the only child in our family, and he wouldn't be at ease if I'm not in front of him. When you go back to Shanghai this time, you should rekindle your romance with Wu Yaqing. Don't let someone else snatch her away," Xiao Chenglin said with a smile.

"Snatch my woman? Buddy is carrying a gun now. Who would risk their life to have such a thought? Just wait and see. When I get married, you'd better come to Shanghai for the wedding!" Xu Ruiyang said.

"If you dare not notify me when you get married, I'll definitely go to Shanghai and smash your windows. Who has a bond as ironclad as ours?" Xiao Chenglin said.

The next morning, Xu Ruiyang packed his things at home. In fact, there wasn't much to pack. Feng Qidong would continue to lie low here anyway. He only brought a few clothes, an album, and a few boxes of beautifully packaged old mountain ginseng.

As for most of the ginseng, velvet antlers, and mink skins, Feng Qidong would find someone to ship them to Shanghai. He was going to Shanghai on a Kwantung Army transport plane and did not want to leave a bad impression on Nishi Yoshiaki.

In the afternoon, he drove the car to the Security Bureau, handed in his service weapon, credentials, and police uniform to the General Affairs Section, chatted briefly with Shunsuke Ishikawa and Masaru Kimura in the large office of the Foreign Affairs and Anti-Espionage Section, and then returned home.

Feng Qidong stewed a large pot of cabbage, tofu, and meat, and prepared a bottle of wine. The two didn't dare to drink too much that night; they mainly spent the time talking.

In fact, he didn't know much about the situation of the Military Statistics Bureau's Shanghai station, but he was very familiar with senior agents like Wang Tianmou. This was all valuable information for Xu Ruiyang.

Most importantly, Feng Qidong taught him a set of secret codes for contacting the bureau headquarters. This was the only way to verify his superior in the future, and not a single character could be wrong.

Early in the morning, Xiao Chenglin drove the Special Service Section's car to his home and took Xu Ruiyang to the airport. Nishi Yoshiaki arrived more than half an hour later.

Just before boarding the plane, Xu Ruiyang turned to look at Xinjing. He didn't know when he would be able to return.