Spy game? Stop guessing, I really am an undercover agent!

Chapter 4 He's suited to be an eagle
Abe Mitsuhiro sighed and said, "He was right just now. War is not the goal, but merely a means of conquest."

"I warned Lord Matsui long ago that we should not waste most of our troops on Chinese soil."

"The purpose of war is to gain enormous benefits, not to demonstrate one's strength."

"However, many people within the empire have become obsessed with the issue of China."

"They only thought about how to conquer this great Eastern power, instead of how to gain enough benefits."

Hiroichi Iwai chuckled lightly, "Abe-kun, not every soldier in the Imperial Army can be as calm as you."

“Starting from the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, the empire has been able to gain sufficient benefits from every war it has launched.”

"Especially regarding the issue of China, from the Treaty of Shimonoseki and the Twenty-One Demands to the Tanggu Truce,"

"The empire has always been able to gain enormous benefits from China. Every victory has fueled their ambitions. Now, they are no longer satisfied with just simple profits."

After a pause, Hirokazu Iwai said, word by word, "What they want is the entire thirteen million square kilometers of land in China."

Abe Mitsuhiro said slowly, "You're absolutely right, whether it's facing the Beiyang Fleet during the Qing Dynasty or that giant Russian bear."

"The empire always managed to defeat them with ease, which made them arrogant."

"But the war is not progressing smoothly. According to the war command's calculations, we need to deploy at least two million troops to completely occupy China."

"But we only have a total of thirty-odd divisions and a little over a million troops. Some of them are from the Kwantung Army, which must be stationed in the Northeast to prevent the Soviets from launching a surprise attack when we launch a large-scale battle."

"The main force on the battlefield now is only the Central China Expeditionary Army."

Hiroichi Iwai frowned and said, "Isn't there also His Excellency Terauchi's North China Area Army?"

"The telegram sent by Inukai earlier stated that Itagaki, commander of the 5th Division of the North China Area Army, and Isogai, commander of the 10th Division, had been ordered to move south."

"They plan to join forces with Commander Tian Junliu in the north and south, advance together, and crush the main force of the Nationalist government in one fell swoop, thus completely stabilizing the war in the south."

Abe Mitsuhiro said with a wry smile, "I'm afraid it won't be that easy."

"Iwai-kun, the War Command Section has conducted simulations of the war's progress."

"We believe that unless Chinese soldiers engage in a head-on confrontation like in the Battle of Shanghai, with the entire nation's strength mobilized for a decisive battle, the situation will be hopeless."

"Otherwise, we would not be able to successfully eliminate the enemy's main force at all."

"China is too big, and its population is several times that of the empire. Do you know what that means? If they want to retreat, there are still many places they can retreat to."

"They can get a lot of supplies in a short time as long as they want to replenish their troops."

"But we can't do that. We're not fighting on our own soil. If the war turns from fierce confrontation into a protracted war, it will be very disadvantageous for us."

"I can tell you with absolute certainty that we can't afford to waste time."

"The empire is too small. Every expansion requires a huge amount of resources to keep the war machine running at high speed. If the resource supply is not timely at this time, we will not be able to withstand it ourselves, even without others."

"Take this time as an example. When the mainland was preparing for the decisive battle with China, it prepared 600 tons of gold, a total of 12 million taels. However, less than half a year after the outbreak of the war, half of this batch of gold had been consumed."

"If the problem of China cannot be resolved quickly, the empire's internal affairs could collapse at any time once the backlash begins."

Hiroichi Iwai shook his head and said, "Abe-kun, you are still too pessimistic. We must firmly believe that the Empire will definitely win."

Abe Mitsuhiro simply smiled and remained silent.

Hiroichi Iwai opened the drawer, took out a piece of paper covered with names, and placed it on the table.

The paper contained the positions and names of the officials to be appointed by the Nanjing Reformed Government.

After thinking for a moment, Iwai Hiroichi picked up his pen and wrote Chen Yang's name in the position of Economic Department of the Ministry of Finance.

Abe Mitsuhiro was taken aback: "Iwai-kun, you're appointing Chen Yang as the Director of the Economic Department of the Ministry of Finance in the Jinling Reformed Government?" "That's a powerful official in charge of logistics and allocation; he's just a recent graduate..."

Iwai Hirokazu raised his hand to interrupt Abe Mitsuhiro: "Abe-kun, do you think this is inappropriate?"

Of course that's inappropriate. As we all know, there have always been two departments in feudal dynasties that were the most lucrative.

The first one was the Ministry of Personnel's performance evaluation system, which was responsible for reviewing the performance of officials. With a stroke of the pen, they could promote you or demote you at will.

The second was the Arsenal Department of the Ministry of War, which was in charge of arms manufacturing, grain collection and transportation, and nomination for military examinations.

The Economic Department of the Ministry of Finance of the Nanjing Reformed Government was formerly the Arsenal Department, which provided supplies to the troops under Nanjing at all levels. It was a very lucrative position, and it was given to a young man.

Hiroichi Iwai said calmly, "Abe-kun also knows that this department is of utmost importance. Those old bureaucrats are adept at extorting and demanding bribes."

"If we hand it over to them, it probably won't be long before they can fatten up a large number of people."

“This Chen Yang has no connections and is my teacher’s most valued student. How much can he earn by himself? It can’t compare to a group of people.”

"The most crucial point is, Abe-kun, do you think Chen Yang is easier to control or those cunning old foxes in officialdom?"

“That’s right, the empire needs obedient hounds, but I think Chen Yang is more suited to be an eagle than a dog that only wags its tail.”

Mitsuhiro Abe pondered, "But it's too casual to just carry him up like that."

Hiroichi Iwai said seriously, "Abe-kun, this position is not one that just anyone can hold onto. He still has many hurdles to overcome."

"The new government has just been established, and the personnel disputes and power struggles within it can all be deadly."

Abe Mitsuhiro instantly realized: "Iwai-kun, I get it, you're training the hawk..."

Hirokazu Iwai sighed, "To train a fledgling eagle into a master hunter, you need a lot of prey, just like a knife needs a lot of whetstones to be sharp enough."

As he spoke, Hiroshi Iwai handed the letter that Chen Yang had brought to Mitsuhiro Abe: "The teacher's intention is that as long as he can solve the Osaka Chamber of Commerce's supply problem, this position will be given to him."

Abe Mitsuhiro glanced at the letter, nodded, and was about to speak when he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Report, Mr. Iwai, Mr. Liang has arrived."

"Oh, Mr. Liang, please wait for me in the conference room. I'll be right there."

After saying that, Hiroki Iwai stood up and said to Mitsuhiro Abe, "Abe-kun, it seems I can't talk to you any longer. I have to go see someone."

Abe Mitsuhiro hesitated and asked, "This Mr. Liang? Who is he?"

Hiroichi Iwai straightened his clothes and smiled, "He's a dog, a very obedient dog."

Shanghai, French Concession, Ferguson Road.

This road may be unknown to many, but in the future it will have a very famous name: Wukang Road in Shanghai.

This road is one of the main roads in the French Concession, and many famous people lived along it.

For example, the famous writer Ba Jin, Huang Xing who commanded the Guangzhou Uprising, and the Song family, one of the four major families of the Republic of China.

Those who can live on this road are either rich or noble.

The Buick sedan drove straight ahead and arrived at the Lin Mansion at 1311 Ferguson Road.

The driver, Uncle Qi, honked the horn twice, and the gatekeeper rushed out to open the gate.

The car pulled into the garage and stopped. Chen Yang had just walked into the lobby with his luggage when a voice suddenly rang out.

"Chen Yang, kneel down before me."

(End of this chapter)