cicada

Chapter 990 Dinner
Tokyo.

The mansion of Suzuki Kantaro, not far from Miyagi, was brightly illuminated, and limousines stopped at the door from time to time, and well-dressed officials, military officers and nobles stepped out of the cars.

Hayashi Fuichiro and a young woman in kimono stood side by side by the door, smiling and bowing to the guests, and kept saying thank you for coming.

When the visitors saw this scene, they all stopped and greeted the two of them kindly, and some even patted Lord Viscount on the shoulder kindly, as if encouraging him, and the atmosphere was unusually harmonious.

As batches of guests entered, the number of cars gradually decreased. The young woman took out a handkerchief from her belt and reached out to help Lin Fuyilang wipe the sweat from his forehead with tenderness in his eyes.

"Ichiro, thank you for your hard work."

While wiping his sweat, the woman whispered in an intimate tone, obviously her relationship with Lin Fuichiro was very close, otherwise she would not have made such an action.

Lin Fuichiro looked at the other party with love in his eyes, and he shook his head gently: "Mariko, Your Excellency Suzuki, this is to let me get in touch with more contacts, which is a good thing.

Recently, the Ministry of Finance and even the cabinet may have had some personnel changes. My father and your grandfather decided to help me go one step further. To achieve this goal, I need the help of many people. "

The young woman whom he called Mariko blushed, and whispered in a weak mosquito voice: "I see, Ichiro, and, you shouldn't be called Grandpa Suzuki-dono..."

As soon as this remark came out, Fu Ichiro Lin patted himself on the head immediately to express his apology: "Oh, Mariko, you are right. I made a slip of the tongue. It was not Suzuki-dono, but grandfather."

As they spoke, the two looked at each other and smiled, feeling a bit like a husband and wife, and a concubine's love. With the warm night wind blowing, the air was filled with the sour smell of love.

The guards and servants of the Suzuki family looked at the unattractive Viscount, and sighed in their hearts, what a lucky guy to be able to marry the most beautiful daughter of the Suzuki family.

Yes, the reason why the Suzuki family is so lively today is that they are holding an engagement banquet for the granddaughter of Suzuki Kantaro, Suzuki Mariko, and the heir of the Linfu family, Ichiro Hayashi.

One is the closest courtier of the locust, the favorite of the admiral, and the other is the earl of the empire, the son of the former chairman of the Manchurian Railway. The news of the marriage between the two parties is naturally a big deal.

The military, the cabinet, the business community, the nobles, and even the Locust House all sent people to congratulate the two families on their engagement. If it weren't for the tense situation in the Far East, the scene would have been even more grand.

Hayashi Fuichiro whispered a few love words to Suzuki Sonoko, then stared at the street lamp in the distance and became dazed. It was really a trick of the world, and he actually married the most beautiful flower among the high gates in Tokyo.

When he was captured by the intelligence agency of the Republic of China in Ningbo, how could he have thought that he would have the glory he has today, the head of the Ministry of Finance, the son-in-law of the Suzuki family, and the future political star of the empire.

All this is thanks to the left deputy director. During the ominous incident, if the other party hadn't asked him to protect Suzuki Kantaro, and thus formed a kindred spirit, it would have been impossible for him to marry Suzuki Mariko.

The most important thing about a person is that he has self-knowledge, and he has been honed in the intriguing officialdom┴ for a long time, and Lin Fuyilang still knows how much he has.

Although Suzuki Kantaro did not enter the cabinet, he has a lot of contacts in the army and the cabinet, and has a close relationship with the locust family, and the Lin Fu family is just one of the many nobles. This marriage is really high-profile.

So why do you want to be loyal to the locust, just like his father, who has been managing Manchuria for the empire for so many years, and has nothing but the title of an empty earl.

On the contrary, he only gave some information to the military command, and he got such a big benefit. It is because everyone knows how to choose, not because he is not loyal, but because the people of the Republic of China gave too much.

Thinking of the latest task assigned by Zuo Jun a few days ago, Lin Fu Ichiro licked his lips excitedly. If he can complete it smoothly, he will definitely gain a lot...

"Ichiro, we have a guest."

Just when Fu Ichiro Lin was recalling bitterness and sweetness, Mariko Suzuki next to him reminded him in a low voice. Hearing this, he looked up and saw two Toyo cars slowly parked in front of them.

Immediately afterwards, a European and a short man handed the driver a few banknotes, got out of the car, and strode towards Hayashi Fuichiro and Suzuki Sonoko with smiles on their faces.

Lin Fuichiro's eyes lit up when he saw the person coming, and he bowed slightly: "Welcome, Mr. Sorge, Ozaki-kun, Mariko and I are very happy that the arrival of the two reporters came."

"Haha, Mr. Lin Fu, I wish you and Miss Yuanzi┴ forever united."

Ozaki said auspicious words with a smile, and moved out of the way to let Sorge, and Sorge handed a bouquet of flowers to Hayashi Fuichiro in accordance with the custom of participating in a German engagement.

To be honest, they didn't expect to be invited to the banquet. You must know that journalists represent trouble in the eyes of the upper class, and few people are willing to invite reporters to similar parties.

But since we are here, we should seize the opportunity to blend in with the guests, maybe there will be unexpected gains, just like this, one party is interested, the other party is enthusiastic, and it is a happy chat.

Several people stood at the door and exchanged greetings for a while. Seeing that there were guests again, Ozaki and Sorge walked into Suzuki's mansion under the leadership of the servants.

After more than ten minutes, five or six groups of guests were greeted. Hayashi Fuichiro looked at his watch and found that the time was almost up, so he returned to the banquet hall with Suzuki Sonoko.

Since the Meiji period began to fully westernize, the clothing, diet, and living habits of the middle and upper classes in Japan have been consistent with those of the nobles of the Western powers, and the banquet mode is also among them.

For example, compared to the old-fashioned and strict Japanese-style banquets, cold meals with free communication and a relaxed atmosphere will be more popular with the new generation of Japanese nobles, and this engagement is no exception.

In the spacious banquet hall of the Suzuki family, guests wearing suits or kimonos held fine wines from Europe in their hands, and stood together in groups of three or four, talking loudly.

Amid the sound of melodious music, more than a dozen waiters walked cautiously around the edge of the crowd with one hand behind their backs, stopping from time to time to refill drinks for the passing guests.

In the middle of the hall, a row of long dining tables was filled with food. There were all kinds of delicacies, but the dishes were different from the Meiji era when they learned from the West.

After the adjustment period of the ideological agitation of the Taisho era and the merger of China and the West, the self-confidence of the Japanese nation in the Showa era increased, and the buffet also had some elements of its own.

In today's banquet, in addition to traditional salads, cold meals, desserts, main meals, soups, juices, there are also several sashimi dishes from Hokkaido fishing grounds.

Sorge picked up a few slices with a clip and put them on the plate. Just at this time, Hayashi Fuichiro and Suzuki Sonoko walked into the door, and he and Ozaki asked in a low voice amidst the warm applause of the guests.

"How is it, is there a chance?"

Regarding this endless question, Ozaki glanced at a small door at the corner of the banquet hall and the two strong guards beside the small door, raised his glass and touched his lips, and replied calmly.

"No, the guards are very vigilant, wait a little longer."

After speaking, he walked towards several mid-level officers who were talking, and quietly listened to their conversation. The content of the other party's conversation happened to be related to Nuo Menkan.

"Hei Teng-kun, in the past two days, the General Staff Headquarters has requested the statistics of soldiers and weapons in the mainland and occupied areas. Is there a new change in the front line? You just came back from North China, do you know the specific situation?"

At this time, a lieutenant officer with an army badge asked a question to a major gendarme. The two should be old acquaintances, and their expressions and tone were very casual when they spoke.

The major named Hei Teng first looked at Ozaki, then adjusted his glasses: "Senior, I didn't hear anything happened in the Republic of China. It is very safe there, and many good people are willing to work for the empire."

kindness?
Ozaki was stunned. Being proficient in the idioms of the Republic of China, he never knew that being a tiger can be used in this kind of place, but the two medals hanging on the other party's chest are very interesting.

A 1931 War Medal and a 1937 Incident┴ Medal, which shows that the other party participated in two war operations against the government, and considering the other party's military police status, the answer is ready to come out. This person is a military intelligence officer.

Moreover, it is an intelligence officer who has just performed a mission. Only in this way, a small major on the other side is eligible to participate in the banquet. This is the "reward" from the General Staff Headquarters for those who have made meritorious service.

At the same time, a limping and short fat man joined the conversation, calling himself Nojiri. He proudly showed off how many people and soldiers of the Republic of China he had killed in the Battle of Shacheng, and patted his chest to ensure that the Republic of China would never have the strength to launch an attack on Japan.

The conversation between these few people became more and more unnutritive, and the one named Kuroto even had a quarrel with Nojiri. Ozaki raised his glass and nodded, then turned and left this place of right and wrong.

It didn't take long for the group of people's voices to get louder and louder. Finally, there were a few shattering sounds of glasses from nowhere, and the originally orderly banquet hall became a mess.

As the half master, Hayashi Fuichiro waved to the surrounding guards with a dark face, and several Suzuki family guards with big arms appeared and drove Kuroto and the others out.

On such a happy day, not to mention a few small rank-and-file officers, even if the general dares to make trouble here, the Suzuki and Lin Fu families will teach each other how to behave.

Seeing that the guards drove away the troublemakers, Hayashi Fuichiro returned to his smile and politely signaled the banquet to continue. Then he whispered to a minister of the Military Affairs Bureau of the Army Province who was in charge of personnel transfers in the army, and the other party nodded repeatedly.

Those present knew that the future careers of the officers just now were over. They would either retire from active service or be sent to the local garrison division. There was no third possibility.

It's just that no one noticed that there was one person missing in the banquet hall at this time, but it wasn't Ozaki. He walked around in the crowd, and finally found a seat by the small door in the corner and sat down.

On the other side of the hall, Lin Fu Ichiro, who came to talk with the messenger of the locust room, turned his head slightly, looked over the many guests and glanced at each other, and then continued to pat the horse of the locust with emotion.

(End of this chapter)