Film and Television Beacon Fire: I Have an Equipment Column

Chapter 339 Secret Talks between the United States and Japan (Part )

A few days later in the evening, in front of the International Hotel.

A car with a Japanese flag on it slowly stopped. As the door opened, Inoue Narumi, dressed in a suit and leather shoes and wearing a top hat, strolled into the lobby on the first floor with two men who looked like his subordinates.

As soon as he walked in the door, Inoue Narumi took out a cigar, and the men around him very wisely stepped forward to light it for him.

However, Inoue Narumi's attention was not on the cigar in front of him. He glanced around the hall and saw a person making a concealed gesture to him.

This was an informant arranged by the Shanghai intelligence agency, which meant that no abnormality was found.

Inoue Narumi didn't react at all. After lighting the cigar, she took the elevator with her men and went straight to the restaurant.

Not long after, Inoue Narumi came to the International Hall.

When you push the door and walk in, the lights in the restaurant are not very bright. The overall style is based on warm colors, with the height of the waistline as the boundary. The lower part is the tan floor and wall panels, and the upper part is the milky white wall.

Under the warm yellow light, it looks like a delicious baked cake.

Otherwise, it would be fine if anti-war factions like him were not kept in cold storage. How could it be possible for him to continue to be responsible for such an important matter?
Inoue Narumi looked at her watch. There were only six or seven minutes left before the agreed five-thirty. Hall should be arriving soon.

"Go and ask what those two people do."

It is precisely because of this that he was assigned the task of negotiating with the Americans.

Inoue Narumi glanced around, asked about the empty boxes, and randomly selected one.

This time, it was almost time to make a final decision. The closer to success, the less Inoue Narumi dared to be careless.

While waiting, Narumi Inoue also observed the other people in the restaurant again.

They were two Asian faces, a man and a woman, who looked like a young couple. Asians are always very rare in international hotels.

So much so that he was liquidated afterwards and was exiled to Shanghai to become the commander of the task force.

Soon, Inoue Narumi saw two special characters in the restaurant.

"Two French meals, and the wine will be Bordeaux red wine."

All he can do is to find ways to reduce risks as much as possible so that everything will not become so irreversible.

If these two people choose to sit in a box near him to dine, then the topic between Inoue Narumi and Hall will just be some gossip between old friends.

So Inoue Narumi was very sure that these two people came after he entered the restaurant, which made Inoue Narumi pay a little more attention to them.

This is why he is willing to take on the thankless task of negotiating with the United States.

Since taking over this task, Inoue Narumi will complete it with the most serious attitude. Under Inoue Narumi's arrangement, there were no mistakes in several conversations.

As a former member of the Japanese government's delegation to the United States, Inoue has good interpersonal relationships in the United States. She is relatively familiar with Edward Hall and is relatively clear about some of his living habits.

But this does not mean that he will not seriously implement the instructions given by his superiors.

Although Inoue Narumi does not agree with many of the measures taken by the current Japanese military government, she even cooperated with others to suppress the turbulent elements during the "226 Mutiny".

But soon, the two people left the restaurant.

On the small stage in the center of the restaurant, the band was playing light and refreshing music. A singer who looked like a Belarusian woman sang a few lines to the music from time to time, with a melodious and melodious voice.

Inoue Narumi knows very well that Japan is currently moving in an extremely dangerous direction, but he is unable to reverse the situation.

Inoue Narumi ordered to her men.

One of the men nodded and walked towards the waiter who had just received the couple.

Soon he was back.

"The two men said they would bring dinner to the room."

Listening to the answers from his men, Inoue Narumi felt relieved.

At this time, Edward Hall walked in from the door, and soon saw Inoue Narumi sitting in the booth.

"Hall, my friend, you are still so punctual."

Inoue Narumi stood up with a hint of teasing in her tone.

"Mr. Inoue, you know that keeping time is a gentleman's code."

Hall's face was nonchalant.

"Let's go to the private room and chat while eating." At the same time, in a room of the International Hotel.

Lu Feng was changing his outfit. He took off all the expensive clothes on his body and put on a night suit that was convenient for movement.

Unlike the fixed ward where Ryuichi Ikeda is monitored, the box where Inoue Narumi talks to Hall is random every time, which makes it impossible for Lu Feng to make corresponding arrangements.

It can only depend on his personal adaptability.

He went to the restaurant just now just to determine where Inoue Narumi's private room was. The specific monitoring still had to be carried out by him personally.

But in this case, he would not be able to record, and even if he heard something, he would only be able to convey it orally.

After arranging for Yu Manli to provide support in the room, Lu Feng climbed out of the window.

It was getting dark at this time, and Lu Feng was wearing clothes of the same color as the outer wall, sticking to the wall. Unless someone with very good eyesight distinguishes it carefully, they generally would not think that there is a person on it.

Relying on the route he had mapped out in advance, Lu Feng followed the pillars to the window of Inoue Narumi's box, carefully took out a stethoscope and attached it to the frame of the window.

Vaguely, the sound of conversations in the box reached Lu Feng's ears.

Still speaking English.

"Mr. Inoue, I have already said that you must at least increase the import quota of steel by more than three times before we can consider your proposal."

"Mr. Hall, three times the amount is too high, not to mention oil, rubber, etc. We really can't afford such a large amount of expenses all at once."

"No, no, no, Mr. Inoue, you can do it. Our financial department has calculated that this is completely within your affordability."

Outside the window, Lu Feng listened to the conversation between the two people in the box, the wrinkles between his eyebrows getting tighter and tighter.

The negotiation between Inoue Narumi and Hall actually didn't have much content, just a few simple items.

First of all, the Japanese government hopes that in the next "military conflict", the American government can refuse the mediation of the national government.

Secondly, the Japanese government hopes that after the war begins, the U.S. government can completely cut off trade with the national government, at least cut off the trade of military supplies, weapons and other war materials.

To this end, the Japanese government will initiate a huge order from the United States involving steel, oil, rubber, and even medical supplies.

Inoue Narumi and Hall were bargaining over the specific content of this order.

In other words, the United States and Japan have reached a preliminary intention. After Japan launches a war, the United States will sit back and "abide by neutrality."

Other people might be shocked by this matter, but for Lu Feng, it is not such surprising news.

Lu Feng knew very well that during World War II, the United States "abide by its neutrality and did not help each other" on the surface.

But actually?
However, in the name of a "neutral country", it was making money from both the Allies and the Axis Powers.

Not to mention Europe, in Asia, in the few years after the outbreak of the all-out war of resistance against Japan, Japan relied on the United States to provide 90% of its steel and 100% of its oil.

If Japan's war machine is driven by militarists, then the steel on it and the oil consumed for its operation are almost all provided by the United States.

It can be said that if China and Japan in 1937 were separated, the Japanese war machine would not have been able to last even eight years.

Why did the Japanese put forward the slogan "Destroy China in three months"?

This is the arrogant statement of Japanese militarists, and is also the understanding of some sober people in Japanese politics. They know very well that Japan's war machine cannot operate for a long time, and a quick victory is necessary.

Modern warfare is about logistics. Without the fuel provided by the Americans, the Japanese fleet can only lie in the port as a display. Without the steel provided by the Americans, how could Japan, an island country, manufacture equipment to arm a million-strong army?

Didn’t you see that after the Pearl Harbor incident, when the United States cut off Japan’s logistical supplies, Japan’s domestic situation took a turn for the worse and it could no longer handle it?

The conversation between Inoue Narumi and Hall lasted about half an hour.

Lu Feng could tell that the conditions between the two parties had almost been negotiated, the intention to cooperate had been established, and most of the conditions had been negotiated.

At present, they are still in a stalemate on two conditions.

One is about Inoue Narumi's request that the U.S. government immediately cut off aircraft purchase channels with the national government, but Hall insisted on waiting until after the war.

The other was proposed by Hall, asking the Japanese government to purchase another batch of sulfonamides from the American government.

Hall naturally knew what happened at the dock a few days ago, so he temporarily put forward such a condition.

The value of one ton of polysulfonamide is not a small amount, which made Inoue Narumi unable to give an accurate answer for a while.

Because there were still disputes about the matter, both parties knew that each other was not the one who could make the decision, so the two ended the conversation after agreeing on a code for the next meeting.

(End of this chapter)