Chapter 134: The Sunken Ship Plan
Chen Yang lowered his head and said, “Your Excellency Sato, I don’t believe you can’t see it.”
“Our original transportation mission was materials and medicine, but now it’s suddenly become special steel.”
“Does the Navy Department think we’ll target their medicine?”
Sato Buntai’s corner of the mouth twitched involuntarily: “Section Chief Chen, don’t say things that are not conducive to unity.”
“The Navy Department may have its own considerations, but I want to know if you can complete the transportation mission on time.”
Chen Yang looked up and said, “Although it’s somewhat difficult, I believe we can solve it.”
Sato Buntai nodded slightly and said, “That’s good, focus on doing your own work seriously, and don’t worry about the rest.”
“Hai.” Chen Yang bowed slightly, turned around, and left the office.
As the office door closed, Sato Buntai’s face gradually darkened, and he slammed his fist on the desk.
The Navy Department suddenly changed the transportation plan, switching medicine to special steel, and Sato Buntai felt there must be something wrong.
And the matter of him wanting to transport medicine seemed to have been mentioned only to Oshima Kenjiro.
Damn it, is there a ghost at home?
After pondering for a moment, Sato Buntai picked up the telephone on the table: “Abe-kun, this is Sato Buntai.”
“Your Excellency Sato, what commands do you have?”
“Have Special Services Section Colonel Konan investigate a person, Southern Transportation Department Minister Oshima Kenjiro.”
“Check all his resume and background information thoroughly, I suspect this person may have private dealings with the Navy Department.”
Shanghai, French Concession luxury apartment.
Night fell, Song Yilin had finished applying makeup and was preparing to head out to work at the White Rose coffee shop when suddenly there was a knock at the door.
“Miss Song, Miss Song.” An somewhat impure Chinese language came from outside the door.
Song Yilin walked to the door and looked out through the peephole, her heart stirring slightly; the visitor was the waiter from the White Russian bread shop downstairs.
“Mr. Ottolev, do you have something?” Song Yilin opened the door and asked the visitor.
“Miss Song, I thought you had gone to work. Someone just called the bread shop and ordered a jam bread for you.”
Ottolev handed the bag in his hand to Song Yilin with a smiling tease: “Miss Song, this must be the work of one of your suitors.”
Song Yilin did not argue, just took the bread with a smile: “Thank you,”
“No need, enjoy your meal.”
Song Yilin closed the door, opened the bag, and inside was a strawberry jam baked bread.
Song Yilin frowned slightly, quickly washed off the makeup on her face, stuck on a small mustache in front of the mirror, then darkened her eyebrows, applied special liquid to her face, changed into black work clothes, and put on a beret.
At this moment, the image in the mirror was that of a middle-aged repairman.
Song Yilin pursed her lips, pulled out a repairman’s tool bag from under the bed, slung it on her back, opened the door, and walked out.
Chongqing, Luojiawan No. 19, Military Statistics Bureau Confidential Office.
Zheng Yaoquan knocked on the door of the third floor office, “Director, intelligence from Sakura in Shanghai.”
“The Japanese Navy will transport a batch of sulfanilamide powder and materials to the Wuhan front line.”
“Fuji Mountain got their shipping route map, but no specific escort personnel list.”
“Two tons?” Boss Dai looked at the sulfanilamide powder number on the intelligence and couldn’t help but be somewhat surprised.
It was unclear whether he was surprised by the number or by Fuji Mountain being able to easily obtain the opponent’s shipping route map.
Boss Dai read the intelligence up and down twice, then said in a deep voice: “Have Lin Zhao make a trip to the Wuhan front line, find a way to blow up this ship.”
Year 27 of the Republic, July, Wuhan.
This is the political, economic, and trade center of China, known as the hub of nine provinces.
During the day, the scorching sun baked the bluestone slab roads until they sizzled with smoke, and scalding heat rose from wall cracks and tile gaps, wrapping around people’s mouths and noses.
At night, the heat had not diminished at all; instead, mixed with the thick water vapor rising from the Yangtze River, it was suffocating.
Hankou French Concession edge, basement of an unassuming Western-style small building.
There were no windows here, only an electric lamp with a thick green cloth shade hanging overhead, the light forcibly suppressed into a dim mass, barely illuminating the central oak long table covered with a military map of Wuhan Three Towns and surrounding areas.
On the map, thick red arrows representing the Japanese Army’s attack directions, like several ferocious blood pythons, were tightly coiling toward the blue core area representing Wuhan from the north, east, and south directions.
Small flags representing National Army defense lines and reserve teams were densely packed, but many had already been pierced and surrounded by the blood-red arrows.
The air was filled with the thick smell of tobacco, the musty smell of old paper, and a hint of sour sweat.
Four men sat around the table, their faces blurred and stern in the dim green light.
The leader was the Military Statistics Bureau Wuhan District Chief “Shan Que,” a man in his forties with a lean face and eyes sharp as a hawk.
The Military Statistics Bureau began operations in March, and after several months of structural adjustments, the entire China Military Statistics Bureau intelligence agency was divided into district, station, and group three tiers with six levels.
The first tier is district, divided into large districts and small districts; large districts like North China District, South China District, and so on.
Small districts are like Wuhan District, Taiyuan District, etc., intelligence agencies centered on provincial capital-level cities.
The second tier is stations, such as Shanghai Station and Nanjing Station which are large stations, Anqing Station, Jiujiang Station, etc., which are small stations.
The third tier is groups, such as Northeast Fengtian Group and groups in some small cities in South China.
Now that the Military Statistics Bureau has just been established, general district-level intelligence groups are led by colonel-level agents, stations by lieutenant colonel-level agents, and these small groups by major or captain-level agents.
Shan Que held a half-smoked Hard Gate cigarette between his fingertips, with a long section of ash accumulated, ready to fall at any moment.
He heavily poked the cigarette butt on a small point called “Gedian” by the Yangtze River on the map; amid the swirling blue smoke, his voice was low and hoarse,
“The Japanese are determined to strangle Wuhan this time!”
“North of the river, the 6th Division is pushing west along the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains like mad dogs, the 13th Division pressing down from Hefei straight to Huangchuan and Xinyang, aiming to cut off the Pinghan Railway!”
“South of the river is worse; Hata Detachment, those water ghosts, like a bone-cutting dagger along the south bank of the Yangtze River, stabbing at Officer Xue’s bones!”
“Anqing, Madang, Hukou… one fortress after another lost!”
“Now, the tip of this dagger is about to reach Tianjia Town and Fuchi Kou; if these two fortresses also…”
Shan Que ruthlessly pressed the cigarette butt onto the three small characters “Tianjia Town,” instantly burning a scorched hole in the map, a pungent burnt smell spreading.
Sitting to Shan Que’s right was the Demolition Group Leader “Iron Anvil.”
This was a short, sturdy man with knotted arm muscles and thick, callused finger joints.
He braced his hands on the table edge, leaning forward as if to press his face to the map.
He spoke in a gruff voice, echoing buzzingly in the sealed basement, carrying a raw destructive urge: “District Chief, can the brothers on the front line fill it with their lives?”
“Haven’t you seen the little devils’ ships?” His fan-like big hand slapped “pa” on the winding waterway of the Yangtze River on the map, “Their troops, artillery shells, ammunition, food and fodder, most of it relies on these iron hulls transported upstream from downstream.”
“We’re fighting tooth and nail on shore, while they’re safely sending blood and flesh on the water; this won’t do.”
“Iron Anvil” suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes flashing with ferocity, “Give me men, give me explosives; I’ll lead the team myself, pick that ‘Wildcat Shoal’ twenty li downstream from Tianjia Town.”
“I know that place; the waterway is narrow, current swift, riverbed full of reefs like dog teeth; sink a few troop ships and ammunition ships for them, block the channel.”
“In no more than five days, the little devils’ artillery shells on the front line will run out; at least drag them ten days or half a month, give Officer Xue’s side a breather!”
Shan Que’s face was grave, silent for a long while, then let out a long sigh.
How could he not know that this was Iron Anvil preparing to trade his life for a little time for the troops to catch their breath.
With the country fallen to this state, the only thing they could do was to go to their deaths generously.
“Sink a ship? Brother Iron Anvil, courage admirable, but this plan is a bit, a bit, too, too crude.” Action Team Leader You Sun shook his head mockingly: “Do you think the Japanese Navy on the river is decoration? Their gunboats and patrol teams are blind?”
“Wildcat Shoal, hmph; you scout it, and traitors’ secret reports will reach the Special Higher Police Affairs desk before you leave.”
“Your men won’t even reach the riverbank before falling into the devils’ ambush.”
“In the end, lives lost, not a single hair on the ships damaged, instead delivering a big gift to the devils: a few live Military Statistics Bureau demolition experts to pry open their mouths.”
“Iron Anvil’s” face instantly turned pig liver color, fists clenched creaking, forehead veins bulging: “You damn…”
“Enough!” Shan Que said sharply, his voice not loud but carrying unquestionable authority, like ice dropped into boiling water, instantly suppressing the two men’s anger.
“You’re all brothers; who are you quarreling for? Iron Anvil, I know you’re a real man, and you don’t fear death.”
“Not just you two; everyone here doesn’t fear death. If the Party and Country really needs us to rush at the enemy with satchel charges for mutual destruction, I, Shan Que, will definitely be the first to charge with a satchel charge.”
“But if the sacrifice is meaningless, then we must consider it carefully.”
“Someone’s coming.” Before Shan Que finished speaking, a low voice came from the shadows to his left; it was Intelligence Group Leader Bat’s voice.
Everyone’s faces changed slightly; Shan Que immediately drew his weapon, made a scatter gesture, and himself quietly hid by the wall; Action Team Leader You Sun hid on the other side.
Demolition Group Leader Iron Anvil and Intelligence Group Leader Bat hid behind the table.
Thud thud thud, the sound grew closer; a man’s figure appeared at the cellar door, his frame somewhat thin, wearing an old long gown washed faded white.
“Don’t move.” Shan Que and You Sun simultaneously pointed guns at the man’s head.
“Pa pa.” The visitor stepped back half a pace, made some unknown move with his hand, and in an instant, Shan Que’s gun was disarmed, the muzzle directly pressed against You Sun’s head nearby.
In just an instant, offense and defense swapped.
Shan Que’s face changed drastically; before he could react, the visitor chuckled lightly: “Shan Que, over a year without seeing you, your close combat skills haven’t improved much.”
