Spy Wars: I can get rewards by being a bully!

Chapter 1040 I will definitely listen carefully to the chapter!

Lin Ze led Okamura Tadashi on a two-day trip to Beiping before returning to Tianjin.

At the Astor Hotel, Miyamoto and his entourage met with Gu Baoheng through Wang Mengqun's introduction.

This time, only staff members were there to greet him at the door. Wang Mengqun did not come downstairs himself, but Gu Baoheng did not feel neglected.

As he acquired more and more information, his understanding of the situation also changed.

Wang Mengqun's influence may be limited, and the declining North China Governing Committee may ultimately be unable to compete with the Nanjing Reform Government, which has strong backing. However, Wang Mengqun, Miyamoto, and those behind them, such as Lin Ze and Okamura Tadamasa, do not need to give face to anyone in Tianjin.

No matter how the situation changes in the future, even if Nanjing can swallow up the North China Governing Committee, they will still have to be polite and obedient when they come to Tianjin.

Gu Baoheng straightened his clothes and hurried upstairs. At the entrance to the reception room, Wang Mengqun stood there with a beaming smile.

"Brother Gu, I was just about to go down to greet you."

Gu Baoheng greeted Wang Mengqun, "President, you flatter me. May I ask you to come downstairs to greet me? Mr. Miyamoto, he..."

"President Miyamoto has arrived. Brother Gu, please."

The two entered the reception room. Miyamoto Ichiro sat on the main sofa, wearing a black suit and bow tie, his wool shirt bulging out as if his fat was about to burst out.

His waist was so large and his belly so round that when he sat there, it looked like a ball supporting his head.

This perfectly matches Gu Baoheng's imagination of Japanese zaibatsu (financial conglomerates). If there were two petite maids beside him, it would be even more fitting.

"President Miyamoto, I've long admired your name!"

Miyamoto propped himself up on the sofa, stood up, and stretched out his chubby little hand. "Director Gu, I heard that North China will also be subject to material control in the future. Please support our business."

Gu Baoheng was overjoyed to hear this and quickly shook hands with him, saying, "I will definitely support you, I will definitely support you."

After everyone took their seats and exchanged pleasantries, Gu Baoheng finally couldn't help but ask, "Our grain purchase this time might be quite large. I wonder about the trading company's arrangements...?"

Miyamoto smiled coldly, "How big is 'some'? Director Gu may not know, but Miyamoto Trading Company has a wide range of operations. We have branches in Tokyo, Qingdao, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and even Thailand and Penang. Even the bulk grain purchases at our headquarters often go through us."

He wasn't exaggerating. He was naturally gifted in business, not to mention Lin Ze was strategizing behind the scenes. In wartime, the economy relied on money to pave the way and cultivate relationships. With the Tokyo Ryotei as a powerful weapon, Miyamoto Trading Company's network of connections gradually expanded, and it ventured into more and more fields. Everyone from top to bottom shared in the profits, so naturally, it had a smooth path forward.

With the Japanese now fighting on several fronts, the amount of supplies they need is astronomical. Miyamoto Trading Company has seized the opportunity to take over many businesses. In comparison, the old-established financial groups that have risen since the Meiji era are somewhat slow to react.

In more technical terms, Miyamoto Trading Company today is a strange fusion of administrative capital, industrial capital, and financial capital, resembling an evil octopus that stretches out its tentacles and sucks the blood from the Japanese economy.

In Lin Ze's view, this is just the beginning. When he has more time, he can use mergers and acquisitions to form a monopoly, use high-level public relations to create a unique political advantage, use offshore control to transfer profits, and use secret donations to control personnel. He will let the Japanese enjoy their good fortune for several more decades.

Gu Baoheng's respect was even greater.

This guy, who's in charge of resource control, doesn't really envy high-ranking officials; instead, he envies big capital and big businessmen.

Perhaps it was because back then, big businessmen all had high-ranking officials behind them. Miyamoto was able to build his business to such an extent that one could truly say he had connections and influence.

"Mr. Miyamoto, we'd like to buy 60,000 koku, but we'd like to know about the price..."

Miyamoto lit a cigar, held it between his fingers, which were as thick as the cigar itself, and swirled it around a couple of times before taking another puff.

"Director Gu, buying grain won't cost you or me money, so the price isn't important. As for the profit sharing from the price, I'll keep it according to the rules. But the pretext is very important. To be honest, the grain I have is all bought under the guise of purchasing military rations for the headquarters and the North China Army. If these military rations want to flow out, they can't do it without a legitimate pretext."

"Understood, understood. Please rest assured, Mr. Miyamoto, the Governance Committee needs to prepare a batch of grain for disaster relief to prevent the influx of disaster victims from North China from affecting public order. Coincidentally, our Nanjing side is about to jointly establish a special committee for the control of supplies with the North China side, so we will purchase a batch of grain. We will ask Chairman Wang to..."

Gu Baoheng looked at Wang Mengqun.

Wang Mengqun smiled gently as always, "Director Gu, rest assured, as long as this deal goes through, the issue of the Special Committee will not be a problem."

Having finished their discussion, Gu Baoheng said nervously, "I met with Commander Lin a while ago, and he said that General Okamura's son..."

Miyamoto nodded. "I will be hosting a banquet tonight, and Mr. Tadamasa Okamura will also be attending. I would also appreciate it if Director Gu could attend as well."

"This is nature, this is nature!"

Before dinner that evening, Wang Mengqun felt a little uneasy.

Niu San'er happened to be there too, and Wang Mengqun pulled Niu San'er aside.

"Director Niu, Director Niu, come over here for a smoke."

Niu San'er maintained a polite smile, "President Wang, please make yourself at home. I don't need cigarettes."

Wang Mengqun put away the cigarette box and said in a low voice, "Director Niu, the grain matter is basically settled now, but there is still one thing I don't understand."

"Please speak, Chairman."

"Director Niu, what if we steal the grain and use it for disaster relief? Nanjing will suffer a loss, but we agreed to the establishment of the Special Committee for the Control of Supplies. If they use this as an excuse, wouldn't we gain benefits but lose the initiative?"

"Chairman Wang, the establishment of the Materials Control Committee is a good thing!"

Wang Mengqun almost couldn't catch his breath.

No, you and Master Lin are just like each other!

"Director Niu, please enlighten me."

"Does the establishment of this special committee mean that it will impose comprehensive control over mineral resources, grain, cotton, leather, and other materials in North China?"

"Yes."

"Would total control be beneficial for our resource integration?"

"Yes, it is, but the Minister of East Asia is pushing this matter. With his backing, Nanjing will definitely control this special committee, and then we will be in a passive position!"

"Chairman Wang, whether or not we have control is not something that can be decided simply by sending two officials over."

Wang Mengqun was startled. "What if they rely on their powerful backers and don't obey?"

"Then they might get into a car accident, a fire, or choke to death while eating."

“What if we change to a different group? They still won’t listen. After all, they were sent by Nanjing and are following Wang Jingwei’s orders.”

Niu San'er looked towards the banquet hall, where everyone was clinking glasses and chatting. Okamura Tadashi was playing the role of a spoiled rich kid, scolding Gu Baoheng like a grandson.

"President Wang, if someone is disobedient, it's either because they haven't felt enough fear or haven't received enough benefits. I may not be very knowledgeable, but I know a little about how to achieve both."

A layer of sweat broke out on Wang Mengqun's back.

I'll definitely listen to you!