Chapter 39: The Fox's Tail

  "Mr. Matsuda, I think your proposal for both sides to strengthen cooperation is very good," said Minister Gao Donglei with a smile, looking at Matsuda.

  "There is indeed a gap in agricultural technology between us and Japan. China has more land resources than Japan, if we cooperate with each other, it will be a win-win situation."

  Matsumoto stood up and bowed to Gao Donglei, saying: "Yes! Director Gao, I also think so. So I ventured to propose to you, hoping to get your and the relevant departments' permission to conduct project investigation in China..."

  Koudou Rei's gaze swept over Matsuda unintentionally, but this unintentional glance made Matsuda's scalp tighten involuntarily! In an instant, the Japanese man felt as if he was being stared down by a fierce tiger, and he didn't dare move.

  Kodama immediately averted his gaze, and Matsuda was like a rabbit that had finally escaped from danger, only thinking of fleeing. But he endured...

  "Hmm... it's fine if you want to investigate, let me report to my superiors first. You go back and draft a proposal for me." Gaodong Lei said with a smile, looking at Song Tian.

  When Gao Donglei laughed, Song Tian finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was only then that he felt the coolness on his back, and he knew it was the cold sweat he had broken out in due to fear.

  "So, everything is up to you now! I will come up with a plan as soon as I get back and hope to hear back from you as soon as possible..."

  Matsumoto stood up shakily while speaking, and backed away towards the door with a slight stumble. As he retreated, he continued to bow to Kōtōrai.

  Matsumoto once thought that Tanaka Kakuei's account of meeting the great Chinese leader in his memoirs, where he claimed to have had trembling legs and felt extremely tense, was an excuse or a way to show how hard his work was.

  But when he himself encountered such a character, even just as a minister, his legs were already trembling. It was then that Matsuda realized that Tanaka Kakuei's words were not an excuse, but truly existed.

  Matsumoto did not know that the current Minister of Agriculture was not always from an agricultural background. During the war years, this Minister of Agriculture had also been a person who galloped on horseback and stabbed enemy arrays with a knife.

  In that era forged in iron and blood, this minister who now looks serene had gone through life and death countless times, and charged into the enemy's ranks countless times.

  He is just a small-time Matsuda, who doesn't even have the qualifications to be ranked among his enemies. Although this former general has grown old and moved on to desk work.

  But the murderous aura on his body was far beyond what a small employee like Matsuda could match.

  "Hmm! This little devil doesn't have good intentions......" After Song Tian almost crawled out of Gao Donglei's office with his face, Gao Donglei said to the incoming secretary.

  "Haha... the minister's gaze is piercing, it's said that he has already run through several departments. That's exactly what this thing is about." After saying this, the secretary filled Gao Donglei's teacup with tea and then left.

  An intelligent secretary knows when to speak and when not to, and also knows that some things only need to be reported to the leader, who will handle them without needing you to meddle.

  Gao Donglei's secretary was this kind of person. He very briefly told Gao Donglei what he knew, then carefully filled Gao Donglei's cup with tea.

  He then chose to leave directly, without a hint of hesitation. Nor was there any other nonsense.

  After listening to the secretary's words, Gao Donglei leaned on the chair for a while before picking up the phone and shaking it: "Help me connect to the Minister of Agriculture's office, I am Gao Donglei."

  The person on the other end of the phone responded with a "yes", then fell silent for a moment. Someone said, "Your call has been connected, please proceed."

  "Old Chen? I'm Gao Donglei... Haha... " Gao Donglei laughed into the phone and said, "What's wrong with me not being able to find you? We're old comrades-in-arms from the same village after all!"

  "Haha... you old guy still owes me a good bottle of wine, and now you want to deny it?! But then I saw Gao Donglei laughing and chatting with the person on the phone, exchanging pleasantries for a while before saying..."

  "By the way, I have a small matter to tell you. Just now, a Japanese devil came here, named Matsuda." Gao Donglei held the phone with a smile: "He said he wanted to investigate our country's agricultural situation and see if we could cooperate..."

  "Huh?! You've also gone there?! I didn't think this little devil would still be jumping around, it's quite interesting..."

  Gao Donglei said a few playful words with a smile, and then said that there's nothing much, just give you a call to find a time to go to your home to drink the old wine that you owed me last time.

  After a while, Gao Donglei smiled and hung up the phone. But after hanging up the phone, Minister of Agriculture Chen Senlin's face sank.

  "Hmm... it seems this little devil's ambitions aren't small at all..."

  After a while, Chen Senlin picked up the phone again and dialed another department head...

  Matsumoto was unaware that his first probe had already encountered a problem. Those high-ranking officials, although not necessarily knowledgeable, had an almost instinctual intuition having experienced war.

  They can sense danger, they can sense your ill intentions. Matsuda, that's how he was sensed. Although it is not known what Matsuda wants to do, one thing is certain, this is absolutely not a good thing.

  "Let them go and see what Songtian is going to do." The big shot of a certain department in the Imperial Capital immediately received a report. The report wrote about Songtian's recent activities, and some leaders' reactions.

  "Just exchange pleasantries with others, since he wants to take a look around, then let him take a look around...” The big shot sneered and said: “The fox's tail will always be exposed, I'd like to see what they really want to do..."

  Matsumoto was kneeling in front of Otsu Yū, who looked a bit pale, and didn't say a word. Otsu Yū's face also didn't look good, holding his tea and drinking silently.

  "Matsumoto, are you sure you haven't let anything slip?!" Otsu asked. Matsumoto hastily bowed down and said: "Your Excellency Otsu, I guarantee it with my life!"

  "It's just... the minister's gaze made me feel uneasy..." Matsuda hesitated for a moment before saying, "That kind of gaze is like a lion scanning its prey..."

  "It's good that you didn't reveal your true intentions, and your feelings are normal." Otsu Yurushi's expression improved slightly as he spoke to Matsuda: "These few ministers, or rather the high-ranking officials of this country, don't have many who hold favorable views towards us..."

  "That war years ago, they still haven't forgotten." Otsu Yunosuke stood up and said with emotion: "At that time, Minister Tanaka spoke at the meeting saying 'I'm sorry to trouble you'. But the Chinese side wasn't satisfied at all. In the end, we saw in the joint statement the words 'Deeply reflects on the responsibility for the serious damage inflicted on the Chinese people by Japan's past war'."

  "This is what made the Chinese side feel satisfied..." Otsu Yunosuke said with a wry smile: "At that time, Prime Minister Tanaka almost caused a huge diplomatic dispute because of this sentence. On the spot, several high-ranking Chinese officials at the time slammed their cups and left because of the phrase 'I'm sorry to have troubled you'..."

  Matsuda was hearing this rumor for the first time and couldn't help but stare at Otsu Yū in astonishment.

  "Do you think establishing diplomatic relations is that easy?!" Otsu Yunosuke smiled wryly and said: "This matter, from the very beginning, was not simple. If there hadn't been tacit approval from the US side, we wouldn't have dared to do it this way. If there hadn't been Prime Minister Tanaka's wisdom and concessions, we also wouldn't have dared to do it this way..."

  "So, we should remember one thing, we can indeed earn some money here. But after all, we are just guests." Otsu Yunosuke smiled and raised his glass to Matsuda: "Guests should have the appearance of guests. When in Rome, do as the Romans do..."

  "Hai! Matsumoto is being lectured!"

  At this time, Liang Sanping didn't have the heart to think about these things. The harvest season was approaching, and now adding fertilizer and water had become the most important thing.

  For this, a pumping station was specially built on the river bank nearby. Specially for the vegetable fields of these 50 mu of land, according to Xing Cheng'an's words, this matter has already become a "political task".