The next day, Li Jie received an invitation from Muto Shio and came to the Japanese Consulate. The dense flow of people in the consulate came into view. Most of the officers in military uniforms looked arrogant. They had made great achievements on the Chinese battlefield. The successive victories made them immersed in joy. Muto Shio's secretary Asakawa Kanan walked up to Li Jie and said.
"Mr. Xiao, Consul Muto is waiting in the office, please come with me!"
Arriving at the office on the second floor, Shio Muto heard a knock on the door, put the information he was reading in the cabinet, locked it, and then put The Rise of Great Powers on the desk.
"Please come in!"
Li Jie saw the books on the table as soon as he entered the room, but he didn't care. People like Shio Muto had deep thoughts, and it was difficult to tell his true thoughts from the surface.
"Xiao Jun, welcome to the Japanese Consulate. I have wanted to communicate with you for a long time."
He picked up the book on the table and said, "Xiao Jun's analysis of the Japanese chapter in this book about the empire is really to the point, especially the subsequent development mentioned in the article. The empire is located on an island with poor resources. If you want to go further, you must implement overseas strategies. East Asia and Southeast Asia both have important resources that are indispensable to the empire, and I deeply agree with this."
Li Jie smiled slightly: "Consul Muto's far-sightedness is far beyond the reach of Xiao. I am just picking up people's wisdom. The senior officials of the empire are the real proposers of strategies."
Muto Shio did not agree with Li Jie's statement, shook his head and said: "Xiao Jun, being appreciated by the Ashikaga clan master is not as simple as picking up people's wisdom. The main reason for inviting me today is to hear your views on the current war and the establishment of Greater East Asia." The new order has always been the emperor's goal. We help China realize the development of agriculture and commerce, and pay more attention to cultural exchanges between Japan and China. The empire plans to hold a cultural exchange meeting like this one every year."
"The two countries are separated by a strip of water and should be living in harmony. However, now the two countries are deeply involved in war. Mr. Xiao, what do you think of the current situation?"
Li Jie pondered for a moment, thinking about the purpose of Shio Muto talking to him today, asking him about his views on the war for no reason.
"Consul Muto, my opinion is the same as Chairman Wang's. I believe that disputes should be resolved through peaceful negotiation and diplomacy. War will only bring disaster to the people."
Muto Shio laughed loudly: "Xiao Jun's views are indeed unique, and heroes have similar views. I believe that diplomacy is the best way to resolve the war between Japan and China. Getting stuck in the quagmire of war also goes against the interests of the empire. Unfortunately, There are too few understanding people like Mr. Wang and Mr. Xiao.”
Li Jie was shocked. He didn't expect Shio Muto's vision to be so far-reaching. In addition to the United States' participation in the war, Japan's final defeat was also one of the important reasons for its defeat.
At first, Li Jie thought that what the other party said was just a fig leaf to cover up the aggression. Unexpectedly, this was what he really thought. This kind of person is really terrible. If it weren't for the mission of infiltrating the top Japanese officials, Li Jie would Jie couldn't help but want to deal with him secretly. Once a Japanese like him takes power and adjusts his strategy towards China, it would be terrible. Fortunately, corruption is prevalent in Japan, and Muto's comments are The domestic audience in Japan is not large.
"The consul is right. War will only bring misfortune to the people of the two countries. Fighting violence with violence is not the best policy."
Shixio Muto raised his lips and said, "Xiao Jun, are you interested in working for the mansion?"
Li Jie pretended to be confused and said: "The consul is joking, what can I, a scholar, do for the mansion?"
Shixio Muto said: "Xiao Jun, you really underestimate yourself. As a well-known scholar, Xiao Jun still has a great influence in the world. I still very much hope to get your help."
In fact, what Muto Shio really valued was Ashikaga Seiki behind Li Jie. Li Jie alone would not let him do this. Li Jie knew Muto's thoughts very well. If he agreed to him too eagerly, it would inevitably make him doubtful, so why not I wanted to shirk something first, so I hesitated for a moment: "Consul Muto, can you let me think about it for a few days?"
When Shio Muto saw this, he didn't push himself. He smiled and said, "It's okay. Mr. Xiao can come back to me after you think about it."
After Li Jie left the mansion, Shio Muto's secretary Kanan Asakawa asked in confusion: "Consul, why do you need to go through all the trouble to hand over this person? Besides, it's not a compliment for him to think about it."
Muto Shio still explained to his confidants: "China has a vast territory, a large population, and complex culture, customs, and habits. It cannot be changed overnight. If you want to govern the country, you must use its people. Most of the people currently recruited by the imperial army are unfit for their efforts." Yes, those who can betray the country for their own selfish desires will betray the imperial army for their own selfish desires in the future."
Kanan Asakawa nodded thoughtfully: "What the consul means is that Xiao Tu did not surrender to the imperial army for his own selfish desires? Instead, he did it for the common people?"
Muto Shio nodded slightly: "Looking at words is like looking at people. The lines of this person's articles are full of idealism. This kind of person is much easier to control than most people."
After leaving Wu Teng Mansion, Li Jie went straight back to the hotel, waiting for the banquet arranged by Gu Zeshi in the evening.
As night fell, Ashikaga Shisai and Li Jie set out for the banquet venue together. The scale of this exchange meeting was not large, so Gu Zeshi arranged it in his own club.
Li Jie and Ashikaga stepped into the banquet hall one after another. At this moment, everyone in the hall was attracted.
There was a good-looking young woman next to Gu Zeshi. Her eyes lit up when she saw Li Jie. She didn't expect to see Li Jie here.
Li Jie and the two walked towards Gu Zeshi, who was surrounded by people. Seeing this, Gu Zeshi signaled to the people around him to leave for a while, and quickly came over.
"Ashikaga-kun, Xiao Tu, I hope you won't be offended if you miss me from afar."
Ashikaga Shisai, as a top-notch nobleman, still has a certain amount of magnanimity: "President Gu, you did a great job hosting this banquet. I'm looking forward to the next Japan-China exchange meeting."
Gu Zeshi smiled modestly: "Thank you Ashikaga-kun for the compliment. It is a great honor for me to serve for the Imperial Army. The Japan-China Exchange Meeting will definitely be a complete success."
The three of them exchanged pleasantries for a few more words. When Gu Junru saw his father finished speaking to the two of them, he couldn't wait to step forward and said, "Senior! Do you still remember me?"
Li Jie smiled and nodded: "Xiao Gu, why don't you remember? Why are you here?"
Gu Junru smiled and said: "This is my family's club. My dad came to show me the world today. When I first saw the banquet list, I thought it was someone with the same name. I didn't expect it was actually Senior Xiao. I was so happy. !”
Gu Zeshi asked in confusion: "Mr. Xiao knows my daughter?"
