The carriage stopped at the door of the Japanese Yowa Firm, and Keita Suzuki, with a gloomy face, got out of the carriage and walked straight into the firm, walked through two courtyards in a row, climbed a small two-story building, and entered a room on the second floor.

This small room is about 30 square meters, and is decorated in a Japanese style, with a young man of about 34 or 5 years old sitting upright in front of a ukiyo-e painting about the story of Emperor Jimmu's crusade to the East. This person's name is Miyamoto Naoto, and he is a new member of the Japanese intelligence service. Although he had not been in the Japanese intelligence profession for a long time, because of his outstanding ability, he was deeply appreciated by Major General Fukushima Yasumasa, director of the Second Division of the General Staff Headquarters in charge of Japanese intelligence affairs and chief of staff of the Western Metropolitan Governor's Department, and he was exceptionally promoted to lieutenant. And Miyamoto Naoto also took the initiative to ask for help, asking to be responsible for investigating intelligence work related to overseas Chinese.

At this time, the Japanese government also felt the threat to Japan after the emergence of overseas Chinese, so the Japanese General Staff Headquarters sent Miyamoto to Shandong to take full charge of intelligence work related to overseas Chinese, and had complete autonomy.

The Japanese Yowa Trading House was the first Japanese trading house opened in Jinan after the First Sino-Japanese War, and together with another Omori trading house opened a year later, it became Japan's intelligence base in Jinan and an important node in Japan's intelligence network in Shandong. However, since Japan's focus in China was not in Shandong after the First Sino-Japanese War, Shandong's intelligence agencies were not taken seriously by the country, and there were not many personnel or funds. Since it is in Jinan, there are less than 10 people engaged in intelligence work, and in many cases, it is necessary to rely on the business income of the commercial bank itself to subsidize the expenses.

However, due to the strong rise of overseas Chinese and the choice of Shandong as their base, the status of Japan's intelligence agencies in Shandong has also risen sharply, and this time Miyamoto Naoto came to Jinan, not only bringing a large amount of funds, but also 12 new intelligence officers to strengthen Jinan's intelligence work force, and at the same time gaining the power to rectify or reintegrate Shandong's intelligence agencies.

On the right side of Naoto Miyamoto, there are two people seated, Naoya Kondo, the head of Omori Firm, and his assistant Mitsuru Nagata, while on the left side sat only one person, Shinichiro Nishikawa, Keita Suzuki's assistant. He is also the main intelligence officer of Japan in Jinan. Japanese trading houses are generally tasked with gathering intelligence, so the heads of the trading houses are often professional intelligence officers.

Keita Suzuki saluted everyone and said, "I've kept you waiting. Then sit down in your place.

At this time, Miyamoto Naoto said: "Suzuki-kun, how is Yuan Shikai's attitude?"

Keita Suzuki shook his head and said, "Although his attitude was very polite, he did not react to our proposal, although he did not explicitly refuse, but he changed the conversation twice, and it seems that he does not intend to cooperate with us." ”

Yongtian said: "Is it so difficult that Yuan Shikai plans to give up Shandong?"

Kondo Naoya said: "Now Yuan Shikai has been appointed as the governor of Zhili by the Qing State, this is one of the top two high-ranking officials in the Qing State, and he is much bigger than the governor of Shandong, so it is normal for Yuan Shikai to refuse to cooperate with us and give up Shandong, and I will make the same choice if I change it, so I should not go to Yuan Shikai to discuss cooperation." ”

Nishikawa Shinichiro said: "So we can't count on Yuan Shikai to stop the overseas Chinese from occupying Shandong, we can only rely on ourselves, but according to the information we have obtained, the overseas Chinese army will be stationed in Jinan City at the latest, so we must take action, otherwise it will be too late." As he spoke, he turned to Naoto Miyamoto and said, "Your Excellency, I hope that Your Excellency can instruct us on how we should act." ”

Miyamoto Naoto didn't speak, and Kondo Naoya said: "What else can be done, I suggest that the second plan should be used immediately to prevent the overseas Chinese army from entering Jinan City." ”

Miyamoto Naoto glanced at him and said quietly: "Is it too late to implement the second set of plans now? We only have two days at most, and Yuan Shikai will obviously not cooperate with our actions, without Yuan Shikai's support, in these two days, we can recruit enough manpower to prevent the overseas Chinese army from entering Jinan City?"

Kondo Naoya said: "We can pull the squires of Longshan Mountain, they have a strong call for the people, and the land reform of the overseas Chinese has offended all the Shandong squires, so as long as we can show our support for them, then the squires of Shandong will definitely cooperate with our actions, and with their call power, they will definitely be able to recruit enough personnel, and form a strong public opinion force to prevent the overseas Chinese army from entering the city, whether there is Yuan Shikai's support or not, it doesn't matter much." ”

Miyamoto Naoto sneered and said, " Kondo-kun, first of all, you overestimated the courage of these Shandong squires, and it is okay to make some stumbling behind their backs, but let them go directly to the overseas Chinese, I don't think many people have such courage; and you also overestimate our influence in Shandong, if Yuan Shikai came forward to support them, maybe there is still a possibility of success, but we are just a firm, and we are foreigners, why do you think the squires in Shandong believe our support, the land reform of overseas Chinese has indeed offended the squires of Shandong, but overseas Chinese are not good men and women, and they will never be soft on those who disobeyDidn't they kill 16 landlords in a row in Gaomi County? So choose between land and life, which do you think these gentry would choose? ”

Kondo Naoya listened to it, and was speechless, at this time Nagata Mitsuru said: "Then use the third plan, assassinate the important members of the overseas Chinese, as long as the Jinan prefect sent by the overseas Chinese this time is killed, it will naturally prevent the overseas Chinese from occupying Shandong." ”

Keita Suzuki frowned and said: "We only have more than 20 people in Jinan now, and the weapons are not complete, and the army of overseas Chinese has more than 3,000 people, how can we assassinate important overseas Chinese with such a small number of people?"

Nagata said: "So what, even if there are only 10 of us, we have to do it for the sake of Japan's interests, and as long as we have the determination to die, there is nothing that cannot be done, if you are too timid to do it, I am willing to personally lead the team to be responsible for the assassination mission." ”

"Smack!"

Miyamoto slapped the small table in front of him and said sharply: "Enough, is this the plan you came up with? Do you think that just by relying on these crappy and clumsy plans, you can prevent overseas Chinese from stationing in Jinan? Stupid, really stupid." ”

Although Miyamoto Naoto had just arrived, everyone was a little unconvinced by him, but after all, he was the highest person in charge of Shandong, so Miyamoto Naoto started a fire, and everyone was still a little frightened, and they all lowered their heads.

After a while, Miyamoto Naoto said: "I announce that all action plans against overseas Chinese have been cancelled, and all intelligence gathering activities in Shandong have been temporarily suspended. ”

Kondo Naoya listened to it, and couldn't help but say, "Why?"

Miyamoto Naoto said coldly: "Because I want to carry out a comprehensive rectification of Shandong's intelligence agencies, with the current situation, it is impossible to do a good job of intelligence work, this set may be effective against the Qing State, but the overseas Chinese are not incompetent Qing Guo, they are a group of highly intelligent, high-ability and highly organized groups, and it is ineffective to deal with the Qing State and use it on overseas Chinese." Just like the plan you have made, not only will it not prevent overseas Chinese from entering Jinan Mansion, but it will also expose these two commercial houses and be wiped out by overseas Chinese. ”

Kondo Naoya was still a little unconvinced, and said: "Your Excellency, are you overestimating the overseas Chinese, if we adopt our plan, we will not come forward in person, but the Qing people will come forward, just like the Wang brothers, so the overseas Chinese will not suspect the head of the business house at all." ”

Miyamoto Naoto snorted and said, "Are you too naïve to think that you can deceive overseas Chinese by letting the Chinese come forward?" The existence of these two commercial firms is where our biggest loophole lies, so I can be sure that now overseas Chinese must have doubted our commercial firms, and if there is any further action, it will be equivalent to sending the handle to the hands of overseas Chinese. ”

Nagata Chong couldn't help but say: "This is impossible, our trading houses all have official documents and have been officially recognized by the Qing Dynasty, and other countries have also opened commercial houses in Jinan, how can overseas Chinese suspect our trading houses?"

Miyamoto Naoto said: "I repeat, don't use the standards of the Qing State to measure the overseas Chinese, the firm has been officially recognized by the Qing State, but this is useless to the overseas Chinese, the overseas Chinese will not recognize the agreement accepted by the Qing State, unless we defeat the overseas Chinese like the Qing State defeated the Qing State in the First Sino-Japanese War." If we don't want our intelligence organization in Shandong to be uprooted by overseas Chinese, it is better to restrain ourselves a little during this period and wait until I have completed the rectification of the intelligence agency before starting work again. ”

Although Naoya Kondo and Mitsuru Nagata did not make a sound, they showed an unconvinced expression on their faces.

Miyamoto Naoto naturally saw the change in everyone's expressions, so he said, "Are you still not convinced? Okay, I'll just take a little tongue, but I'll explain it to you." Before going to Qingdao, Yuan Shikai was still more interested in cooperating with us, but after he returned from Qingdao, his attitude took a big turn, although he was promoted, but even if Yuan Shikai became the governor of Zhili, there was no need to completely give up Shandong, if he could control both Zhili and Shandong, wouldn't it be more beneficial for Yuan Shikai? Therefore, something must have happened in Qingdao that made Yuan Shikai change his mind. After a pause, Miyamoto Naoto said again: "Just two days ago, Ichiro Yamaki and Takeo Honda were promoted from instructors to senior advisors by Yuan Shikai, have you found the connotation?" ”