wind in the dark night

Chapter 282: A Tiger Can Return on Its Own After a Thousand Miles

A man in his fifties, wearing a suit and holding a walking stick, walked in. Led by the waiter, he passed by Qi Yue and sat at a table not far away.

Qi Yue frowned: "Looks familiar..."

Dujuan said, "Ishihara Kanji."

Qi Yue suddenly realized: "I was wondering why he looked so familiar, it turns out he is Ishihara. Four years ago, when I was in Peking, a newspaper published an interview with him, and the accompanying photo was similar to the one now... Du Juan, how do you know him?"

Du Juan took a sip of champagne and said, "I met him once at the New Year reception of the Japanese Consulate. At that time, he was a powerful figure. Now, like Junichiro Shibuya, he holds a nominal position of lieutenant general..."

Ishihara Kanji, former Lieutenant General of the 16th Division of the Kwantung Army, was originally a combat staff officer and single-handedly planned the September 3th Incident. It can be said that he was the initiator of the establishment of Manchukuo. Because of his political disagreement with Tojo Hideki, he was put into the reserve in March this year, which actually meant he was abandoned.

As soon as the restaurant door opened, a middle-aged man with a round head and a round face hurried in. He walked straight up to Ishihara and nodded respectfully, "General, I'm very sorry. My car broke down on the way and I'm late."

"It's okay, Yamada-kun, take a seat."

Ishihara had no expression on his face.

Yamada sat down and said, "If you are not used to Western food, there is also a Japanese restaurant in Madiel. The chefs are all hired from Japan..."

Ishihara said, "No need for that. Back then, I was in charge of intelligence gathering in the Central China Expeditionary Force, and I lived and ate with the dock workers every day. I could even eat the local hot dry noodles that were hard to swallow, not to mention Western food..."

The tables in high-end restaurants are reasonably spaced apart to ensure the privacy of the guests, and the phonograph plays music on a loop, so as long as guests do not shout too loudly, they cannot hear each other's conversation.

The two young men who had followed Ishihara in sat at a nearby table. They seemed to be doing nothing, but they were actually observing what was going on around them.

"Those two people should be Ishihara's guards."

Dujuan cut a piece of steak and put it into his mouth.

Qi Yue said: "The short guy in the grey suit is the most difficult to deal with."

Du Juan asked: "How do you know?"

"He is so thin and small. If he didn't have any skills, how could he be chosen as Ishihara's guard... Dujuan, come, let's have a drink to celebrate my move to a new house!"

Qi Yue and Du Juan clinked their glasses.

A man and a woman passed by the table. They were both young, probably in their early twenties at most, and their expressions were a little solemn.

The waiter came forward and asked: "Excuse me, do you two have a reservation?"

The young man said, “No.”

"This way, you two, please."

The waiter led the way and took the two to table 17. Further inside was the bathroom. It was dinner time, and if they hadn't made a reservation in advance, the empty tables would be in relatively bad locations.

"Ishihara seldom goes out. If we had known in advance that he was coming, we should have organized an assassination operation. It's a pity that such a good opportunity was wasted..."

Dujuan sighed.

Qi Yue said: "Central Avenue is a model area of ​​public security. The street is full of police. Even if there is a chance to kill Ishihara, it is basically impossible to evacuate safely afterwards."

Du Juan said: "For him, it's worth taking a little risk..."

Ishihara got up and went to the bathroom.

The two guards followed immediately.

Qi Yue took a quick glance and noticed a detail: when Ishihara Kanji passed by table 17, the young man's hand slowly reached for his waist, but the young woman stopped him with a subtle look. What did they want to do?
Assassinate Ishihara?

Qi Yue was secretly surprised.

If my guess is correct, what kind of people are they?
At this time, Yamada came over with a smile on his face: "Hello, Officer Qi."

Qi Yue looked at him: "Who are you?"

Yamada said, "I am Yukizo Yamada. I have seen in the newspapers the heroic figure of Sergeant Qi executing a rebel."

Qi Yue was surprised and asked, "Are you Captain Yamada of the Yamada?"

Yamada Yukizo said, "I own three cargo ships and one cruise ship, and the Yamada is just one of them. Well, I like making friends, and I'd like to invite Officer Qi to dinner someday. Please don't refuse. I have something else to do, so I won't bother you anymore. Excuse me."

As he spoke, he returned to his table.

Du Juan didn't understand Japanese, so she asked Qi Yue in a low voice, "Who is this person?"

"The captain of the Yamada, Yukizo Yamada, said he would treat me to a meal some other day."

"Do you know?"

"I don't know him. Some time ago, the Yamada was suspected of trafficking in contraband, and the Special Agents Department investigated him for a long time. I guess he probably knew about it. He invited me to dinner, it must be because of this matter."

"Oh……"

Dujuan didn't ask any more questions.

At this time, Ishihara came out of the bathroom.

The short man in the gray suit, one of Ishihara's guards, paused briefly in front of Table 17, glanced casually at the young couple, and then strode over.

Seeing this scene, Qi Yue sighed in his heart, because he knew that he had discovered the intentions of the young man and woman. The short guard also noticed something unusual, mainly because the two were obviously inexperienced and nervous.

However, the guests who come to Madiel are either rich or noble. Without evidence, the guards cannot act rashly. They find everyone suspicious and cannot search everyone one by one.

Ishihara just sat down.

The short guard came closer and whispered in his ear, "General Ishihara, this place is not safe. Please leave immediately."

Ishihara nodded and said to Yamada Yukizo, "I have something urgent to deal with. I need to go back and take care of it. Let's talk about your matter another day."

Having said this, he stood up and left.

Yamada Yukizo hurriedly followed him and whispered, "General, I have a batch of goods waiting for transshipment at Incheon Port. It was detained by the 17th Army in Korea, saying that it violated the temporary embargo regulations. No one can release it unless there is a warrant from Commander Itagaki. I know that you have a very good relationship with Commander Itagaki. Since I have followed you for many years, can you..."

Ishihara said: "It's a good thing that the goods were detained."

Yamada Yukizo smiled bitterly: "Don't joke with me, this batch of goods is all my wealth, otherwise I wouldn't dare to bother you to come out."

Ishihara said calmly, "Mr. Yamada, do you remember that we have a folk proverb in Japan, which goes: A tiger can return home after traveling a thousand miles. Believe me, your goods being detained is a good thing. After ten days, you will know that I am right. You don't need to look for me again about this matter. This is the end of it."

As they were talking, the group left the restaurant.

Yamada Yukizo stood there, stunned for a while, and muttered, "A tiger can return home after traveling a thousand miles? What does that mean?"

(End of this chapter)