dognovel Chapter 1176 My Decision: Who Agrees? Who Disagrees?
Chapter 1176 My Decision: Who Agrees? Who Disagrees?
The British government also wanted the gold, but it was allied with the United States, so it had no choice but to swallow its pride and do everything it could to help the US.
That's how it is for the Governor of Hong Kong now. He convened a high-level government meeting and could only reach a resolution to quickly send the Americans to take away all this gold. The longer this stuff stays, the more trouble it will cause.
The meeting was being held by the Governor of Hong Kong in the basement of the Fujiwara family's villa. Two rows of people knelt behind a long table, their hands resting on their knees. These people were all quite old, and without exception, they were all wearing kimonos, though all of them were dark-colored.
Fujiwara Shizuka, holding a sword in one hand and wearing wooden clogs, walked in with small, quick steps. Behind her were Tachibana Natsuko and Ryu Shikai. As soon as she entered, the people kneeling on the ground called out in unison.
"Hello, miss."
Fujiwara Shizuka sat upright at the head of the long table, her eyes sweeping over the kneeling people. Their expressions varied, but generally speaking, they were not very respectful to Fujiwara Norika.
The elderly members of the Fujiwara family guarding the base in Hong Kong were all retainers, and specifically, retainers of the family patriarch, holding very high positions within the family.
They came to Hong Kong to expand their territory, so each of them wielded considerable power. Their respect for Fujiwara Shizuka stemmed only from family considerations, since she was not the first in line to the throne.
To put it bluntly, what Fujiwara Shizuka needs to do next is to save her life and maintain her current status and power. Doing so will inevitably go against the orders of the head of the family. If she disobeys the orders of the head of the family, the first to object will be the people present, and they may even take her life.
Therefore, if we want to proceed with the next step, we must win over these people.
Fujiwara Shizuka placed the knife on the table and said slowly.
"Lord Shin'emon, Lord Komatsubara Hyōe, you two are the head of the retainers here. I believe you have both read the lord's telegram. I was ordered by the lord to go to Taiwan alone with three men and obtain the combination to a safe containing five tons of gold."
But now the Americans have interfered and are saying I'm at fault in this matter. The head of the family has ordered me to obtain the Americans' forgiveness and hand over the combination to the safe containing the gold.
I cannot agree with this. Our Fujiwara family has a long history and noble bloodline. How can we be compared with those inferior people who have just come down from horseback?
Therefore, I have decided to do something in Hong Kong to make Britain and the United States bow down to us. I, Fujiwara Shizuka, hereby swear that I would rather die a glorious death than live a shameful life. So, who agrees with my decision? Who opposes it?
Sitting in the middle were Shin'emon and Komatsubara Hei, two middle-aged men in their forties. They looked at each other and frowned in unison.
Shin'emon spoke slowly.
"Miss Shizuka, what exactly are you referring to as 'doing certain things'? Could you tell us about them?"
Fujiwara Shizuka smiled slightly and placed her hands on the table.
“This time, my men came from the mainland and brought some things that Colonel Kamo of the water supply unit developed back then. I only need to pour a little bit into the water source in Hong Kong, and I won’t have to worry about the British and Americans not bowing down to me.”
Shin'emon and Komatsubara Hyōe thought for a moment, then their expressions suddenly changed. Komatsubara Hyōe slammed his hand on the table and roared.
"Baka yarou, Miss Shizuka, Colonel Kamo is researching the plague. If this virus is released into the water supply, countless people in Hong Kong will die. If this becomes known, your family and your family will be taken to the International Criminal Court. If that happens, the Fujiwara family will be utterly disgraced."
Shin'emon continued.
"The Xiangjiang River was struck by a plague in 1894, which was not completely suppressed until 1926. Countless people died and were injured in those thirty years. Miss Fujiwara, the family sent us to expand our territory, which refers to the economic aspect, not invasion and occupation. If you do this, you will completely destroy the Fujiwara family. We are completely opposed to this and we must not let this go on."
Norika Fujiwara curled her lip and said disdainfully.
"A bunch of cowardly rats, abandoned by their families and still unaware, yet they dare to oppose my decision. In that case, they can just die!"
Fujiwara Shizuka leaped onto the long table, drew her long sword, and strode to the center. Before Shin'emon and Komatsubara could react, she swung her sword twice.
Fujiwara Shizuka was too fast; the two slashes were as if they were a single strike. Two heads flew into the air, and blood splattered all over Fujiwara Shizuka. Fujiwara Norika turned back to her seat and sheathed her sword.
The two decapitating blows completely extinguished the remaining people's will to resist, and they all said in unison.
"I will obey your orders, Miss!"
Fujiwara Shizuka and Tachibana Hayako burst into laughter...
……
The British love to hold banquets, especially the British in Hong Kong. As long as they have a name, the organizer will send invitations to the homes of various dignitaries. Today's invitation is from the Governor's Office to welcome Mr. James Eisen, the First Advisor to the US Secretary of State. A welcome dinner will be held tonight in the Peninsula Hotel's ballroom.
An invitation from the Governor's House is the highest level of recognition in Hong Kong; whoever receives an invitation is a symbol of status.
Guo Yingnan also received an invitation, which was normal. His secret identity was the head of the Dongxing Society, and his public identity was the general manager of a shipping company. Especially now, he had acquired more than a dozen cargo ships. In terms of scale, he was truly the shipping king of Hong Kong, so the invitation was sent directly to his residence.
Da Bao and Zuo Mingyue's family all lived in Guo Yingnan's villa. With Uncle Qing's help, the children had a lot of fun.
Da Bao, Guo Yingnan, and Xiao Erduo were sitting in the living room drinking tea when Guo Yingnan took out a piece of paper and handed it to Da Bao.
"These are the things you asked me to withdraw from HSBC last time. The list is all here. I'll give them to you when you leave."
Da Bao opened the list, which contained Zhong Qingfa's assets. Looking at the numbers, he realized that this guy had made a lot of money. However, for Da Bao, this was nothing but a drop in the ocean, and all of it needed to be handed over to the state.
He placed the list on the table: all the gold and silver jewelry. Taking it back would be useless; the country didn't need it. But those deposit slips could be put to use.
Da Bao said to Guo Yingnan.
“These certificates of deposit total $1.8 million. I’ll ask my superiors for their approval. If they agree, Lao Guo, I hope you can help me use this money to buy grain and ship it back to China.”
Guo Yingnan nodded solemnly. These foreign powers are now imposing an economic blockade on the country and suppressing patriotic businessmen like him, making his life very difficult. However, he would not refuse Da Bao's request.