The five-story glass-enclosed shopping mall in the city center shines brightly under the scorching sun at noon. It is called "Ueto Department Store" and is bustling with customers. It is a microcosm of the abnormal prosperity of Otsuka.
Ueto Department Store, as the name suggests, was acquired by the Ueto Group after it entered Okuetsu.
As the exclusive consortium of the Kansai Group, the Ueto Group not only provides financial support to the Kansai Group, but also helps Yamamoto Yu secretly purchase fighter jets. In fact, many strategic resources are purchased by the Ueto Group from overseas, including oil, iron ore, scrap iron, rubber, tin and other important metals. After all, Japan is still a resource-poor country, so its ambition to invade the northern region of the empire has never dissipated.
The sales clerks at Ueto Department Store all wore kimonos, which was consistent with the idea of "respecting the king and the saints" and returning to the society of the ancient sages proposed by Yamamoto Yu and the Kansai Group. In the Kansai region, retro style was also part of the patriotic propaganda of Greater Japanism. Radical young people even burned foreign clothing to vent their patriotic sentiments.
Lu Ming is happy to see this happen. Using extreme nationalism to maintain the upper echelons' rule will certainly make the regime stable and gain firm support in the short term, but it will also greatly weaken its development potential.
However, it is worth being cautious about making the regime more aggressive.
Lu Ming and Ken Nakagawa walked around the Ueto Department Store. All the goods there were made in Japan. Even if they were imported products with brand names, they were indeed made in Japan.
Coming out of the mall, Lu Ming looked at the buildings around him, thoughtful.
…
Lu Ming had been to Ao Yue Police Station several times and was already familiar with the place.
The person who received Lu Ming was a young police officer named Kawamoto Jiro, with the rank of inspector general, similar to the senior inspector in the police system of the Principality of Montenegro.
The police ranks in Japan are patrolman, chief patrolman, patrol chief, deputy inspector, inspector, superintendent, senior superintendent, superintendent inspector, etc.
A police inspector is generally equivalent to the chief of an ordinary small police station.
Basically, for ordinary police officers without academic qualifications, their career limit is only to become police lieutenant.
But graduates from the Police University take another route. Basically, they are promoted to police inspector, that is, deputy police inspector, right after graduation. After one year of internship, they can be directly promoted to police inspector.
However, this was a new police policy implemented during the era of Prime Minister Ashikaga. After Yamamoto Takeshi came to power, the police bureaucracy moved back and seniority gradually became more important.
People like Kawamoto Jiro are the tail end of the new policy and it is unlikely that they will appear again in the future. If they can become police inspector, they must be at least 30 or 40 years old.
Nowadays, Kawaimoto Jiro has been sidelined in the police station, so he is used to deal with Lu Ming, the so-called representative of the Xianquan Special District Police.
It is impossible for the Aoyue Police Station to truly cooperate with the Xianquan Police to crack down on any terrorist organization.
However, Kawamoto Jiro was obviously willing to interact with police officers from the Montenegro system, so he would show up quickly every time Lu Ming came.
He also asked about his cousin, Shigeyoshi Kawamoto, the former commander of the Okukoshi Division.
"Inspector Kawamoto, the reason I came here this time is to visit your father, Kawamoto Namie, through you." Lu Ming's words were translated by Ken Nakagawa, which startled Kawamoto Jiro.
Although Dr. Nakagawa speaks good Japanese, in formal occasions, the two sides still communicate through Ken Nakagawa.
Kawamoto Jijiro's father, Kawamoto Nobuyasu, was the cousin of the original lord Kawamoto Dainobu, and they were very close, true cousins.
The Kawamoto Nobuyasu family belongs to the main branch of the Kawamoto family. It is one of the largest landlords in Okuetsu Province. Such super landlords are called famous landlords.
But now, Kawamoto Nobuyasu's family is already on the verge of collapse, so how can they come into contact with the Montenegrins
Kawamoto Jiro couldn't help showing an awkward look on his face.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Jiro, don't worry. I believe Master Kawamoto will not regret this meeting."
Kawaijiro looked at Lu Ming's meaningful smile and gritted his teeth, "Okay, I'll arrange it. Zhang Jun, how about tonight? I'm worried that next time, I won't have the courage."
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Jiro, you are very decisive and brave. It seems that the Kawamoto family has a successor!"
Kawamotomoto forced a smile.
…
When Lu Ming went to Kawamoto's house, he did not bring Ken Nakagawa with him. Instead, as agreed, Kawamoto Benjiro left early, drove to pick up Lu Ming in front of a cafe near the police station, and then went home.
Needless to say, Kawamoto Manor is a Japanese manor with ancient trees, vast area and deep courtyards.
In a teahouse full of Zen atmosphere, Lu Ming met Kawamoto Nobuyasu, an old man in his early fifties who looked very gloomy.
The wealth of these Japanese lords is naturally dripping with the blood of the working people from every pore, and there is not a single good person among them.
Lu Ming had never thought of becoming friends with them, so he went straight to the point, "Mr. Kawamoto, I am going to buy all the land in Qianmen Town owned by your family! This is my offer!" As he said that, he handed over a piece of paper with a number written on it.
Kawamoto Nobuyasu was slightly startled, then he looked at the note and shook his head, "Officer Zhang, are you kidding me?"
The number on the note was less than one percent of the value of the land in Qianmen Town.
Qianmen Town is a large piece of land in the center of Okuetsu City, all owned by the Kawamoto Nobuyasu family.
Including the Ueto Shopping Center, the land actually belongs to the Kawamoto Nobuyasu family.
However, Shanghu Shopping Mall is now filing a lawsuit in court, requesting that the land on which the mall is located be ruled to belong to the mall.
Kawamoto Nobuyasu looked at Lu Ming, "Yes, you understand our situation, but if you want to take advantage of the situation, I will not give in, and don't try to persuade me. I understand those reasons, that no one else will pay this price, and in the end it is very likely that these lands will be confiscated, but this is not a condition you can threaten me with. Therefore, I will not give these lands to you for nothing!"
It has been rumored that the lands of all the daimyo in Oyue will be nationalized.
And Nobuyasu Kawamoto knew that this was not a rumor.
Nowadays, there would definitely be no one else who would offer to buy the land he owns. After all, it would be an obvious waste of money.
Lu Ming looked at him and smiled: "I won't raise the price, but I can tell you a piece of news. We have already facilitated the return of the Aoyue Division."
Nobuyasu Kawamoto was shocked.
Lu Ming continued, "Some soldiers have decided to settle down in the Black Mountain Principality, but more than 10,000 are willing to return home." He paused, "So, I am not taking advantage of your misfortune, nor am I your enemy. I am here to help you solve your current predicament." He looked at his watch and said, "In five minutes, General Kawamoto Shigeyoshi will call you. He is in Xianquan now."
Kawamoto Nobuyasu looked at Lu Ming with doubt in his eyes, "Okay, I'll wait for his call."
Lu Ming smiled, picked up the teacup and sipped the tea.
Yamamoto Yu will be able to receive 200 fighter jets in three or two months.
Their own strategy has also changed accordingly. They were originally wary of reactions from all parties, but now they are betting that Yamamoto Okuyasu is definitely unwilling to stir up trouble during this period. Therefore, the return of the Okuyue Division is put on the agenda. At the same time, the 2nd Guards Division and the Black Sparrow Unit will also land in Xianquan. The military airport in Xianquan is also being expanded in order to complete the military layout in Xianquan and Okuyue as soon as possible.
On the other side, Kawamoto Nobuyasu slowly put down the phone and looked at Lu Ming, "I hope to see a formal agreement!"
Lu Ming smiled slightly and nodded.