Chapter 028: Bribing the Newly Appointed Chief of Staff

By August, the pressure of public opinion proved too much for the Japanese General Staff Headquarters, and amid domestic political turmoil, they recalled Major General Saito Tsune, assigning him to the reserves. The new Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army was Major General Miyake Mitsuharu, transferred from the Fifth Brigade. Miyake had previously worked with Muraoka Chotaro, serving as his Chief of Staff in the Fourth Division (the Osaka Division). His appointment was the result of persistent efforts by the younger faction in the General Staff, intended to further drive the war of aggression in China.

Saito Tsune’s departure was marked by a farewell banquet arranged by Chen Jiehua. Though this Chief of Staff was no saint, he hadn’t committed any grave evils and had treated Chen quite well. Thus, Chen decided against killing him—there was little point in earning a few extra points and possibly raising the suspicions of the Kwantung Army headquarters. Sometimes, it was better to play the role of a decent person and see him off with dignity.

As for the new Chief of Staff, Miyake Mitsuharu, Chen Jiehua neither knew him nor had any ties. Given that he had been acting a bit too freely lately, nearly ruining his own persona of aloofness, Chen settled for a simple introductory meeting, avoiding any deeper exchanges. His attitude was clear: as long as Miyake didn’t provoke him, he wouldn’t make the first move.

Chen Jiehua now had more important matters at hand: expanding the surveillance network across the four provinces, leveraging his position in the headquarters to advance both overt and covert operations throughout Northeast China, aiming to secretly control the military police system.

Ever since Aoki Qiao’s pharmacy business had spread across the four provinces, twenty percent of the monthly profits flowed steadily to the headquarters. From General Muraoka Chotaro down to each department head, everyone turned a blind eye to Aoki’s movements. All checkpoints, city gates, and military police gave him the green light, everywhere he went.

Though Chen would have preferred not to part with that twenty percent, it was essential for future plans, and had to be paid promptly. Whether the money went into official accounts or was divided among the officers was not his concern.

To ensure the military police’s cooperation, Aoki Qiao instructed each city’s main pharmacy to provide a fixed monthly benefit to active-duty military police, with the lists supplied by the headquarters and the policemen collecting their benefits directly at the pharmacy. An additional ten percent of the profits was offered as a tribute to the military police headquarters.

To Chen Jiehua, the profits from pharmaceutical sales in Northeast China were irrelevant; even a loss would be acceptable. The key was to gain control over the military police system in the four provinces. What mattered most was having access to their updated personnel lists every month.

Following Chen’s vision, pharmacies would serve as neural nodes, with runners acting as tentacles. Once the network of pharmacies and runners was fully established, the next step would be to infiltrate the South Manchuria Railway Company.

But moving too fast risked disaster.

The pharmacy network began attracting the attention of local bandits. At first, a few strong and swift bandits joined the ranks of runners through recruitment. Gradually, bandit gangs started seizing territories, declaring, “This area is ours—no outsiders allowed!” Any infringement led to violent clashes.

Soon, bandit strategists set their sights on the chain pharmacies themselves.

After receiving reports from the managers of central pharmacies in each city, Chen Jiehua was troubled. He couldn’t tackle the bandit problem alone; relying on the Kwantung Army would only be trading one predator for another.

One day in mid-September, the newly appointed Chief of Staff, Miyake Mitsuharu, sent word through the military police, summoning Aoki Qiao to the office to report on his work.

“What work is there to report?” said Zhou Yongsu at home, after relaying the military police’s message to Aoki Qiao. “Headquarters hasn’t assigned you any tasks. He’s just after your pharmacy business.”

“Yongsu, I think you’re probably right. I can’t see what else he would want from me. Apart from the pharmacy, I don’t have anything else worth his attention. When Saito left last month, I withheld the half-percent profit, but how would Miyake know about that? Could Saito be undermining me behind the scenes?”

“You can’t refuse a summons from the Chief of Staff. Go tomorrow and hear what he has to say.”

“No, I need to go today! If the old man doesn’t know my background and accuses me of disrespecting a superior, it would be trouble if he starts making things difficult for me on a daily basis.”

After discussing matters with Zhou Yongsu, Aoki Qiao straightened his uniform and set out for headquarters.

Upon arrival, Aoki first visited the third-floor First Operations Section. The petite Japanese secretary pulled him aside and whispered, “Aoki, the Chief of Staff came by this morning and asked the acting section chief about your work arrangements. The section chief told him you were managing pharmacies.”

“Thank you, Haruko!” Aoki discretely took the secretary’s hand and slipped her a bottle of Bright Beauty Water.

Haruko’s eyes sparkled—this was something unobtainable in the Northeast, and even in Japan it was highly sought after.

Having learned what he needed, Aoki Qiao proceeded to the Chief of Staff’s office on the fourth floor.

“Oh, excellent! Our headquarters’ God of Wealth has arrived! Please, have a seat,” greeted Miyake Mitsuharu.

“Chief of Staff, I’ve been out scouting for locations and have neglected you. I beg your pardon for my discourtesy,” replied Aoki.

“Here is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it,” he said, presenting a booklet with both hands—a deed for five percent equity in Aoki’s chain pharmacy.

“My, Aoki, you are too generous!” Miyake’s words were full of courtesy, but his hands readily accepted the deed. Though he found five percent a bit meager, he decided to let the matter develop slowly, as he still had to share with the General Staff and even, rumor had it, with the Emperor.

Seeing Aoki’s tact, Miyake didn’t press further. He poured tea and made polite conversation, asking if there were any difficulties, and assuring Aoki he could always come to headquarters for help.

After exchanging pleasantries, Aoki produced a bundle of yen, placing it on the tea table. “Chief of Staff, this is the August dividend. I calculated it at noon and brought it right away. In the future, I’ll deliver the dividends to your residence personally.”

“Chief of Staff, you’re busy with affairs of state, so I won’t take up more of your time,” said Aoki, rising as he spoke, turning at the door to bow, then quietly exiting, softly closing the door behind him.

Miyake watched Aoki leave, picked up the bundle of yen, glanced at it, and pocketed it. “Excellent! Five percent is already twenty thousand yen. This pharmacy business really is profitable.”

After leaving the Chief of Staff’s office, Aoki Qiao didn’t hurry away. Since he was already on the fourth floor, it would be suicidal not to pay a visit to the Commander. He stopped by the Commander’s office and, after a brief greeting, left another bundle of yen. After all, the Commander needed to eat, and no one blamed a man for being generous. Besides, if you handed over twenty thousand yen in the Chief of Staff’s office, did you think the Commander wouldn’t find out? Chances were, before you even stepped out the door, the Commander would have already heard about it.