Chapter 243: Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants
“Then what kind of cooperation do you want?” Yamamoto Sakura really wanted to go home.
Falling into the hands of that group of rude soldiers, even taking a bath was inconvenient.
Even, she had been swung at with a fist by a rude Eighth Route regiment commander.
Even though she had now been transferred to what the Eighth Route called the rear, Yamamoto Sakura still didn’t want to stay a moment longer and desperately wanted to go home immediately.
“Answer one question for me first.” Li Muzhi said gently, “You are clearly from the Navy, why are you helping the Army build ships?”
There was also a trigger buried in what Li Muzhi said.
On the surface, he was asking why Yamamoto Sakura was helping the Army.
In reality, he wanted Yamamoto Sakura to admit herself that she was from the Navy.
Secondly, to confirm whether Yamamoto Sakura knew how to build ships.
Yamamoto Sakura had not undergone relevant training and didn’t see the trick in it, so she answered: “Our Navy didn’t want that group of idiot Army to successfully build ships, so we set up a scheme, deliberately splitting me off from the Navy shipbuilding engineer and blacklisting me. Then we created a chance encounter to let the Army pull me over. On the surface, I was working for the Army, helping them build ships, but in reality, I was secretly making those Army idiots take detours in the shipbuilding process, delaying their progress as much as possible.”
That group of idiot Army was stupid, but not completely dumb.
They had other shipbuilding engineers watching, so Yamamoto Sakura couldn’t sabotage directly.
So, she could only use subtle methods, undetectable means, to delay the Army’s shipbuilding as much as possible.
“Very good, Yamamoto Sakura, thank you for your cooperation.” Li Muzhi was very satisfied, “As long as you keep cooperating like today, I guarantee that within five years, I will let you go back.”
Now, Li Muzhi was already very certain.
Yamamoto Sakura was a senior ship expert of the Japanese Navy, and Minister Zhang’s task was completed.
It was now 1941, the Japanese surrender was in 1945, there were still four years.
By then, letting her go wouldn’t be breaking his word.
“Factory Director Li, you’re not deceiving me, right? Within five years, you will really let me go back?” Yamamoto Sakura knew what it meant to be a high-level captive like her, let alone five years.
Ten years without release, or even being killed, were all possible.
Li Muzhi said if she cooperated well, she would be let go back within five years, which for Yamamoto Sakura was practically her only chance to go home.
As for the Imperial Army coming to rescue her, Yamamoto Sakura saw no hope.
When the Eighth Route was short of guns and ammunition, the Imperial Army still couldn’t eliminate them.
Not to mention now that the Eighth Route Arsenal had such a capable factory director continuously producing weapons and ammunition for the Eighth Route.
The Imperial Army wanting to eliminate the Eighth Route and rescue her probably wasn’t realistic.
“The premise is that you cooperate well.” Li Muzhi reiterated this.
“Good, I will definitely cooperate well. Do you need me to do anything now?” Yamamoto Sakura hurriedly asked.
“Eat.” Li Muzhi was concise.
“Good.” Yamamoto Sakura nodded and immediately started eating.
She had fasted for several meals and was really starving now.
Seeing Yamamoto Sakura start eating, everyone in the interrogation room admired Li Muzhi greatly.
Some were guards, some recorders, all had personally seen other interrogators fail against Yamamoto Sakura, including Brigade Commander Chen of the 386th Brigade.
Factory Director Li was still the best.
He hadn’t said much from beginning to end, and the hunger-striking Yamamoto Sakura had already started eating.
She even had to cooperate well with us.
Suddenly, someone couldn’t help looking at Li Muzhi, not speaking, but their expression seemed to say: Factory Director Li, who knew, you can interrogate too!
“Yamamoto Sakura, rest well these few days. As long as I’m here, no one dares to touch you.” Li Muzhi struck while the iron was hot and said to Yamamoto Sakura, “That Eighth Route regiment commander who hit you, when he returns, I will make him apologize to you in person.”
Li Muzhi had already learned from the brigade commander that Li Yunlong had punched Yamamoto Sakura.
“Factory Director Li, forget it, I don’t care anymore.” Yamamoto Sakura shuddered inside thinking of that fierce and shameless Eighth Route regiment commander.
Now that she was in the hands of the Eighth Route, having that Eighth Route regiment commander apologize to her wasn’t continuing to offend him deeply?
If she offended him deeply, would she have good fruit to eat?
Although Yamamoto Sakura had just set foot on this land not long ago, she also had some understanding of the Eighth Route’s discipline.
This troops’ discipline was very strict, not allowing beatings.
But this Eighth Route regiment commander seemed not to care about discipline, so offending him deeply was absolutely not wise.
“You don’t care, but I do.” Li Muzhi said, “Rest well these few days. If you need anything, tell the person watching you.”
To make Yamamoto Sakura fully cooperate with us, mainly we still needed to make her recognize the injustice of this war.
This war was absolutely not like what the Japanese high-level proclaimed; invasion was invasion, whitewashing it with some bullshit Co-Prosperity Sphere, that was pure despicable deception!
Only when Yamamoto Sakura recognized this would it be true cooperation in the full sense.
“I don’t need to do anything these few days?” Yamamoto Sakura looked at Li Muzhi suspiciously, “Aren’t we supposed to cooperate well?”
“You resting well is cooperating well.” Li Muzhi was not in a hurry to have Yamamoto Sakura pour out the naval knowledge in her head now.
She hadn’t recognized the injustice of the war yet; it was just her desire to go home driving her to cooperate.
It couldn’t be ruled out that when she revealed things, there might be some small tricks.
In military industry, Li Muzhi didn’t know everything; he really hadn’t delved much into shipbuilding.
At that time, he might not be able to identify them in time.
So, better to let the political officers hurry and give her some ideological work.
Good food doesn’t fear being late!
Moreover, even building ships wasn’t something done overnight.
We didn’t even have the most basic shipbuilding facilities now.
“Factory Director Li, if possible, I have a few questions; can you help resolve my doubts?” When Yamamoto Sakura was at the Taiyuan Arsenal, the important questions hadn’t been solved.
If this young man in front of her could solve them, then Yamamoto Sakura wouldn’t doubt his identity as the Border Region Arsenal factory director.
As long as she could confirm his identity, the flame of hope for going home in Yamamoto Sakura’s heart would burn quietly.
“Sure, ask away.” Li Muzhi nodded.
“It’s like this…” Yamamoto Sakura explained her several doubts, including improving steel ductility, improving steel hardness, and so on.
Li Muzhi provided answers to all of them.
“Factory Director Li, if there’s a chance, can I personally do a test?” Yamamoto Sakura was still shocked after hearing Li Muzhi’s verbal answers.
These problems were actually very difficult; even the Navy’s military industry experts hadn’t solved them.
She hadn’t expected that from this Eighth Route Factory Director Li’s mouth, she could find answers.
This made Yamamoto Sakura unable to resist wanting to personally test to verify.
“Rest well first. Later, if you cooperate well, I will definitely give you a chance to test.” Li Muzhi nodded and said to the few people in front of him: “Take good care of her.”
“Yes, Factory Director Li.” These people all nodded respectfully.
Just now, when Li Muzhi explained Yamamoto Sakura’s problems, these military industry terms sounded like heavenly scriptures to them.
Their minds only had five words: Factory Director Li is awesome!
“Yamamoto Sakura, if you have any daily life requirements, you can tell him. I’ll head out first.” Li Muzhi said to Yamamoto Sakura.
“Okay, Factory Director Li.” Yamamoto Sakura nodded and continued eating with her head down.
Li Muzhi strode out.
Outside the interrogation room, Zhang Wanhe and the brigade commander saw Li Muzhi come out so quickly. Zhang Wanhe immediately comforted: “Xiao Li, this Yamamoto Sakura isn’t cooperating. You can’t hit or scold her, let alone use torture. It’s hard to handle her with just words; don’t feel psychological pressure.”
Clearly, Old Zhang thought Li Muzhi had failed the test.
The brigade commander also said: “Xiao Li, it was just to give it a try; don’t overthink it. Even I hit a wall.”
“Heh.” Li Muzhi chuckled and said to the two: “Minister Zhang, Brigade Commander Chen, do I look like I have psychological pressure?”
“Haha.” Zhang Wanhe laughed and said: “I knew your mental resilience was good, Xiao Li. Then I’m relieved…”
Before Zhang Wanhe finished speaking, the recorder ran out and said to Li Muzhi: “Factory Director Li, please wait a moment.”
“What’s up?” Li Muzhi stopped.
“The answers to those questions you told Yamamoto Sakura earlier, I forgot to have you verify them. See if I recorded them right.” The recorder handed the notebook to Li Muzhi.
“Mm, let me see.” Li Muzhi took the notebook and immediately looked down.
Zhang Wanhe and the brigade commander saw the recorder’s excited expression and couldn’t help asking suspiciously: “Why are you so happy?”
“Minister Zhang, Brigade Commander Chen, Factory Director Li has taken down Yamamoto Sakura; isn’t that worth being happy about?” The recorder looked at the two seriously and strangely.
Li Muzhi has taken down Yamamoto Sakura?
Zhang Wanhe and the brigade commander were instantly dumbfounded upon hearing this.
Li Muzhi came out so quickly; we thought he must have hit a wall.
Now you’re telling us two that Li Muzhi took down Yamamoto Sakura!
Don’t joke.
You’re a recorder; do you know how to use words!
The word “taken down” isn’t to be used lightly!
We just asked Xiao Li to test it, and he took her down.
Taken down means Yamamoto Sakura is willing to cooperate with us.
Li Muzhi came out in such a short time; he probably didn’t even say many words.
The recorder saw the brigade commander and Zhang Wanhe’s expressions and asked suspiciously: “Minister Zhang, Brigade Commander Chen, did Factory Director Li not tell you two?”
Zhang Wanhe and the brigade commander quickly looked at Li Muzhi: “Xiao Li, you really took down Yamamoto Sakura?”
“I wouldn’t dare claim taken down; it’s just using her desire to go home to drive her to cooperate temporarily.” Li Muzhi answered, “To truly take her down in the full sense, it still depends on our political officers’ work ability.”
Zhang Wanhe and the brigade commander looked at each other, still finding it hard to believe.
Li Muzhi was just a military industry personnel; we only asked him to test, and he directly opened the opening for the political officers.
As long as the opening was made, taking down Yamamoto Sakura was just a matter of time.
“Then why didn’t you say so when you came out?” Zhang Wanhe immediately asked excitedly.
“When I came out, you told me not to have psychological pressure, then the recorder ran out; that delayed it.” Li Muzhi pointed out.
“Hahaha.” Zhang Wanhe burst out laughing, “Seems like it.”
“Let me see.” The brigade commander quickly leaned in to look at the notebook.
After seeing the content, the brigade commander was surprised: “Xiao Li, who knew you had this skill.”
Although Li Muzhi didn’t say much, the content was extremely valuable.
His grasp of human hearts was masterful.
If Li Muzhi weren’t the arsenal factory director now, the brigade commander would probably pull him to be an intelligence officer.
“Mainly, Yamamoto Sakura hasn’t had any training. I just tried casually and unexpectedly hit the mark.” Li Muzhi said humbly.
Li Muzhi didn’t know interrogation; these questioning methods were from casually flipping through some files in later times when he had nothing to do.
Perhaps, this was standing on the shoulders of giants.
“Hahaha.” Zhang Wanhe laughed heartily, “Xiao Li, so is this Yamamoto Sakura a shipbuilding engineer from the Japanese Navy?”
“Yes, she admitted it herself.” Li Muzhi nodded.
“Then why was she working for the Japanese Army?” Zhang Wanhe asked.
The brigade commander looked at the recorder’s notebook and said: “Yamamoto Sakura is a chess piece from the Japanese Navy. They set up a scheme to have her work on the surface for the Japanese Army while actually delaying their Army’s shipbuilding.”
“Oh, like that.” Zhang Wanhe hesitated upon hearing and said: “Then according to this, letting Yamamoto Sakura go back would hinder the Japanese Army. Keeping her with us, wouldn’t that delay hindering the Japanese Army’s shipbuilding?”
Li Muzhi said: “Minister Zhang, you can’t have it both ways. You want the ship knowledge in Yamamoto Sakura’s head and also want her to sabotage the Japanese Army’s shipbuilding; don’t be too greedy.”
The brigade commander also said: “Old Zhang, the Japanese Army building ships sounds like amateurs at work. Maybe they don’t need Yamamoto Sakura sabotaging; they’ll mess it up themselves. Our Navy is a blank slate now; pouring out what’s in Yamamoto Sakura’s head is more meaningful to us.”
“Mm, makes sense.” Zhang Wanhe nodded.
Li Muzhi planned to return to the arsenal and said: “Brigade Commander Chen, Minister Zhang, I still need to debug machines at my arsenal, so I’ll head back first.”
“Right, Xiao Li, aren’t you making fake tungsten ore over there? About when will it be ready?” The brigade commander remembered this and quickly pulled Li Muzhi to ask.
“If no accidents, about a week.” Li Muzhi answered.
The production cost of this fake tungsten ore was low, and efficiency was pretty fast.
“Good, got it.” The brigade commander nodded.
Since the fake tungsten ore would be ready in a week, then a week later, bite Sato Jino’s bait.
Anyway, the initiative to bite the bait was on our side; as long as we didn’t bite, he Sato Jino would have to wait obediently.
“You two, I’ll head back first.” Li Muzhi said again.
“Good, good.” Zhang Wanhe and Brigade Commander Chen both nodded.
Li Muzhi strode back.
The brigade commander said a few more words to Zhang Wanhe, then returned to brigade headquarters.
Zhang Wanhe didn’t leave but first went to check on Yamamoto Sakura, confirming she was no longer uncooperative like before and was eating heartily. Only then did Zhang Wanhe happily head to headquarters to report the good news and also hurry to have the best political officers do ideological work on Yamamoto Sakura.
To transfer the best political officers over also required headquarters leader’s approval.
