Chapter 174: Time Is Money
With so much heavy firepower deployed, all of it Japanese weaponry, Cao Weida, who had brokered two arms deals for Ono Shiota and his associates, was naturally the prime suspect.
The two Type 99 sniper rifles given by Cao Weida were intended to clear himself of suspicion.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to bring these weapons out for Wu Jingzhong and the others to use.
He lacked the ideological awareness to sacrifice himself for others; he was more selfish at heart.
He would help within his capabilities, but he would absolutely not do anything that might endanger him.
And it was evident that Ono Shiota’s attention was indeed diverted elsewhere.
He sat down, his voice filled with surprise, “Ono-kun, you mean to say that this assassination was the work of those naval forces?!”
Ono Shiota almost choked. You’re quite the leaps in logic. To cause such a major incident in Beiping City, would those naval forces still want to live if they were discovered?
“What I mean is that the explosion at Bei Xin Cang previously was caused by a time bomb planted from within.”
“The enemy infiltrated the warehouse and very likely smuggled out a batch of weapons and equipment, or perhaps those naval forces were secretly selling arms on the side.”
“Never mind, it’s not our business. Let the intelligence agencies handle it.”
“Cao Sang, you’re here today for a reason?”
“I do have something to ask of you.” Cao Weida admitted directly without any embarrassment. “It was originally just one matter, but when I went to check in at the police station before coming, something else happened.”
“Oh? What happened at the police station?”
Ono Shiota was a consultant for the Outer Fifth District Police Station; if anything went wrong there, he would also be responsible.
“It’s nothing major, just that someone named Dong Xiaozhen deliberately slandered me.”
After explaining the whole situation, Cao Weida added, “The Great Japanese Empire has always strived to maintain Sino-Japanese friendship. Today’s Beiping is in utter chaos.”
“Dong Xiaozhen’s baseless resentment towards me is a minor issue, but in this turbulent situation in Beiping, he still acts recklessly and indiscriminately. The people of Beiping are living in constant fear.”
“If this continues, and is slightly instigated by those anti-Japanese elements, how much turmoil could it cause for the rule of Beiping?”
“Therefore, after careful consideration, I broke his limbs and confined him. I’ve come to ask you, Ono-kun, how to deal with him.”
Cao Weida’s elaborate speech was so convincing that even he started to believe it.
Ono Shiota had to admit that Cao Weida made a lot of sense.
Beiping was currently in turmoil. Although it was still under Japanese military rule, the resistance forces around Beiping had never ceased.
Anti-Japanese organizations in places like Pingxi, Pingbei, Huaishun, and Jizhong were frequently active. While they couldn’t pose a major threat to the Japanese forces around Beiping, if unrest broke out within Beiping City, wouldn’t it create excellent conditions for the anti-Japanese elements to coordinate from the inside and outside?
Seeing that Ono Shiota was already showing a look of approval, Cao Weida delivered the killing blow:
“Moreover, Ono-kun, if he continues like this, our businesses will be greatly affected.”
“You should know that in business, the most important people are the merchants. One or two might not matter, but if the number increases, it becomes a big problem.”
“If, due to Dong Xiaozhen’s reckless actions, all the merchants in Beiping unite to boycott Japanese goods, will we still make money?”
Affecting business?
How could that be allowed!
Cao Weida had struck a chord with his weakness. After a moment of contemplation, Ono Shiota nodded with satisfaction, “Cao Sang, you’ve done very well. Dong Xiaozhen and his ilk have indeed gone too far lately, severely undermining our Great Japanese Empire’s goal of ‘Sino-Japanese friendship’.”
“Dong Xiaozhen was already ineffective in carrying out his duties, and now he has committed such an act that harms public order in Beiping. He must be severely punished!”
“Since you took action on this matter, then you shall handle him.”
“Ono-kun is indeed far-sighted. I will definitely handle this matter well.” Cao Weida smiled confidently in his heart, everything was within his expectations.
Of course, even if Ono Shiota hadn’t agreed in the end, it wouldn’t have mattered, as he wouldn’t have lost anything.
Since they had already come this far, Cao Weida brought up the old matter again, “What about those who were arrested, Ono-kun?”
Ono Shiota decisively shook his head, “Cao Sang, from now on, I will discuss with Fujita-kun and the others to make those people behave themselves, but those who have been arrested cannot be released.”
“Otherwise, we will have no way to account for it to our superiors. If they blame us, we must at least save face.”
“Ono-kun, we can think about it from a different perspective.” Cao Weida didn’t give up. Seeing his compatriots being innocently killed, he always felt uneasy about it.
“You need people, so why don’t we provide you with them?”
“Oh? Cao Sang has another idea? Please, tell me.” Ono Shiota became interested. He knew Cao Weida was sharp-witted.
Since he said that, he must have an idea.
“It’s very simple. Just like before, let’s use the ‘substitute a peach for a plum’ strategy.” Cao Weida smiled slyly. He had no psychological burden when it came to tricking scum.
“If we want to maintain the goal of ‘Sino-Japanese friendship’, we must first let the people of Beiping see our friendly gestures, right?”
“There are so many local ruffians and bullies in Beiping, and frankly, the public order…”
Although not explicitly stated, how could Ono Shiota not know?
After all, the current poor state of public order in Beiping was partly a result of their indulgence.
He didn’t feel embarrassed about it; it was common knowledge. “Continue.”
“Yes, the public order in Beiping was not very good to begin with, and with so many incidents happening recently, I am from a patrolman background and am close to the people, so I know that Beiping is currently experiencing considerable public discontent.”
“To prevent further deterioration, why don’t we apprehend those who have committed many evils and do not have strong backgrounds?”
“This way, one, you can report to your superiors. Two, it can stabilize public discontent. The people of Beiping are docile, public order is stable, and you can achieve a display of ‘Sino-Japanese friendship’ and gain some achievements. It’s killing two birds with one stone.”
“Hmm? That makes sense when you put it that way.” Ono Shiota couldn’t help but ponder. The Japanese had indeed made many efforts regarding ‘Sino-Japanese friendship’, but it was mostly superficial effort, coercing some people to take so-called ‘friendly’ photographs for the newspaper.
At first, perhaps some fools believed it, but over time, even the fools woke up and realized these were just the Japanese’s little tricks, and they dismissed them with disdain.
If something substantial could be achieved in this area, it seemed indeed feasible.
As for the fate of those local thugs, did he care?
What he wanted now was for Beiping not to descend into chaos!
After all, he was a police consultant, and the police station’s job was to maintain public order!
Seeing that he was tempted, Cao Weida smiled slightly, “Moreover, we can take this opportunity to make another profit. Those who want to resolve the ‘misunderstanding’ will have to pay a thank-you fee, right?”
“Also, those local ruffians and hoodlums must have saved some money and grain at home. One or two might not be much, but if you add them up… hiahiahia~~”
Ono Shiota’s lips gradually curved into a smile. As long as it was a profitable deal, he became full of spirit. He patted Cao Weida’s shoulder and laughed heartily, “Yōshi, Cao Sang, you are truly devious, profiting from both sides! But, I like it!”
“Then this matter will be entrusted to you. I believe you know the boundaries.”
Cao Weida chuckled sinisterly, “Ono-kun, please rest assured, I know what I’m doing and will not cause you any trouble.”
“Then I’ll move on to another matter. Meize Heiba approached me yesterday; he agreed to the cooperation.”
After hearing the other party’s terms, Ono Shiota snorted coldly, “Damn naval forces! Relying on their control of maritime transport, they want more?! Pfft!”
“Do they really think our Army doesn’t have a Navy?! They’re simply greedy!”
“In my opinion, giving them forty percent would be very generous!”
Cao Weida shrugged inwardly. Yes, they had a navy, but their navy wasn’t at Tianjin Port.
Without the navy’s permission, not a single transport ship could dock at Tianjin Port!
Even if they docked, they couldn’t escape the navy’s search.
“Ono-kun, please don’t be angry. Business, after all, is negotiated slowly.”
“Think about it, if they didn’t know, it would be one thing, but since they do know, it’s impossible to exclude them now.”
“They might not be able to help us succeed, but they can easily ruin our plans.”
“They dare!! These damned naval forces!!” While cursing verbally, Ono Shiota also knew that what Cao Weida said was not wrong.
“Please calm down, anger harms the body.” Cao Weida scoffed inwardly. If you have the guts, refuse them directly. What’s the use of impotent rage?
Of course, he certainly didn’t want the talks to break down. If they really broke down, he, the intermediary, would be in trouble.
Being caught in the middle like that was not something an ordinary person could endure.
“Ono-kun, the worst thing in business is to harm goodwill. With our cooperation, we can expand our business two to three times. This is a win-win situation, so we mustn’t act on impulse.”
“How about this: You discuss it with your superiors and send a representative. I will have the Navy send one too, and then we can set a time to discuss it?”
Ono Shiota stubbornly refused, “Our Great Japanese Empire’s Army will not sit at the same table to negotiate with those naval forces!”
“…” Damn it, look at your arrogance.
“You misunderstand. Not at the same table, nor even in the same room.”
“I will book two rooms and shuttle back and forth. Otherwise, going back and forth like this takes too much time.”
He rubbed his thumb and index finger together, “You must know, time is money!”
