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

Iwasaki Taichi thought to himself, no wonder this fat man was able to build such a big business in such a short time, he really has a good eye!

His judgment was exactly the same as that of the family patriarch!

"President Miyamoto, you have such great vision. You started your business in North China long ago. Now your factories are all over North China. I heard that you also participated in the development and construction of the new port in Tianjin. I will have to ask for your guidance in the future."

Unexpectedly, Miyamoto Ichiro waved his hand somewhat dejectedly, "I am different from you. Your family has a deep foundation, but what foundation do I have? To be honest, I'm worried about it!"

Taichi Iwasaki's heart was pounding!

He deliberately lowered his head casually, then asked, "Miyamoto-kun, your business has been doing so well these past few years, what could possibly be troubling you?"

Miyamoto shook his head. "Iwasaki-kun, you don't know this, but I initially secured military supply contracts thanks to General Okamura, and only then did I manage to build connections in Tokyo. But now, the General is going to Nanjing, and my base is in North China. If a different commander takes over the North China Area Army, will my business still be as successful? There's an old Chinese saying, 'A local official is more powerful than a distant one!' And..."

"And what?"

"Even General Okamura isn't all-powerful; Lord Tojo is quite assertive..."

Thump thump thump thump! Iwasaki Taichi felt his heart was about to jump out of his chest!

Nomura and his ilk spent ages analyzing how incredibly powerful Miyamoto and his group were, never imagining that they were actually looking for another powerful backer!

Iwasaki Taichi took a sip of his drink and said insincerely, "President Miyamoto, since General Okamura is getting a promotion, why don't you just transfer the business to Nanjing?"

"It's not that simple!"

Miyamoto seemed somewhat agitated, perhaps due to his low alcohol tolerance; his face was flushed. "Iwasaki-kun, think about it. What kind of place is Nanjing? The Central China Area Army, the Nanjing Reform Government, and the foreign firms and conglomerates in Shanghai—they don't even have enough to eat for themselves. How could they possibly allow me a share? Besides..."

At this point, Miyamoto gritted his teeth, "Besides, although I've made some money over the years, I've invested even more! Not to mention anything else, just take Tianjin New Port as an example, I've invested over a million yen in it! This is all infrastructure investment, do you think you can just move it away like that?"

Iwasaki Taichi suddenly changed the subject, "President Miyamoto, I think you've had a bit too much to drink. How about we get something to eat and rest for a bit?"

"Alright, alright."

Iwasaki pondered to himself, "It seems Miyamoto intends to sell some of his port shares in exchange for a protective umbrella. Mitsubishi, with its deep pockets, could easily acquire a portion of Miyamoto's shares, but what about Nomura...?"

I used to worry about not being able to get my hands on this meat, but now that I have the chance, I have to share it with others. It makes me a little resentful...

......................

After all that commotion, the representatives of Mitsui, Mitsubishi, and Yasuda were all harboring their own agendas, while Shinichi Ito was still determined to investigate North China Transportation Corporation.

Shinichi Ito and his team moved into the North China Transportation Corporation building.

Yoshimura Yuta is very cooperative and humble.

Shinichi Ito, with an air of arrogance, flipped through various documents in his makeshift office.

"President Yoshimura, Huabei Transportation Co., Ltd. has been doing increasingly better business in recent years!"

Yoshimura Yuta smiled and said, "Minister Ito is too kind. The North China Transportation Company is a military enterprise. I am managing the finances for the country and dare not slack off."

Shinichi Ito snorted coldly and tapped a document on the table. "Dare not slack off? I'm afraid they're just manipulating things! Previously, North China Transportation Corporation owned a large number of berths and warehouses at Zizhulin Wharf. What happened to those assets? How were they liquidated!"

Yoshimura Yuta calmly said, "Minister Ito has misunderstood. It's not about liquidation, but about focusing on core businesses. By divesting non-core businesses and incorporating them into an asset management platform, we can then restructure and mix shares. Not only will the interests of the Empire not be harmed, but the assets will also increase in value."

"Restructuring and mixed ownership? What will the final outcome be?"

Yoshimura Yuta shrugged. “We used the assets and cash flow of Zizhulin Wharf as collateral to exchange for a portion of the equity in Tianjin New Port, about one percent. I don’t know if Minister Ito is aware of the value of the new port. The Americans alone invested hundreds of thousands of dollars back then, and they have been increasing their investment in construction over the past few years. If you include the port and the surrounding industrial zone, it’s probably worth more than ten million yen. The value of the assets themselves is one thing, but now that the port is about to start operating, the benefits it can generate will be astronomical. We can participate in it, isn’t that asset appreciation?”

Shinichi Ito leaned back, giving off the look of an elderly person looking at their phone on the subway.

Then he picked up another document and asked, "Then let me ask you! You used to have a lot of mineral exploration and development rights in the Zaozhuang and Xuzhou areas. Among them, the Yizhou Coal Mine was a high-quality coal mine with high output and good coal quality. Why did you sell such a coal mine to Miyamoto Trading Company?"

Yoshimura Yuta was even more innocent, "I've already said that we should focus on our main business. We're in charge of building transportation networks, so why would we mine coal? These mines were transferred to us by the army group. We had neither the ability to develop nor operate them. By handing them over to Miyamoto Trading Company, we could not only get real money, but also be tied to them. The coal they mined was transported through our railways and wagons, and we could earn a lot of transportation fees every year."

Then Yoshimura Yuta muttered to himself, "This is nitpicking, isn't it?"

Shinichi Ito was furious! He thought to himself, "I, the Grand Minister Ito, have been investigating accounts everywhere for years, and I've never failed. Not a single penny of dirty money has escaped my notice. Wherever I go, everyone pays me tribute!"

But now, Tianjin is like a hedgehog, making it impossible for me to find a way to attack!

How can it be repaired?

Shinichi Ito stood up and slammed his fist on the table. "What a sharp-tongued President Yoshimura! You sold off valuable assets to others, leaving a bunch of unrealizable railways and docks on the books of North China Transportation Corporation, and then overvalued these properties to create a false sense of prosperity! Do you think these tricks can fool me?!"

Yoshimura Yuta also lost his temper, "Baka! You call it false prosperity? The military highly approves of my business! Our North China Transportation Company transports troops, supplies, and grain. In which major battle haven't we been there? Since you're slandering us like this, fine, you want to audit the accounts? We'll let you audit. From now on, the company will completely suspend operations, and all trains will be suspended. We'll reopen whenever you've finished your audit! When that happens, with north-south transportation cut off and grain trucks unable to reach the front lines, whatever trouble arises, you, Ito Shinichi, will be held responsible!"

Shinichi Ito almost coughed up blood!

Who taught you all this?!