Chapter 181: Special Identity
The air seemed to freeze solid.
Light from outside slanted in, carving an invisible chasm between the two.
“You’re talking to me about the overall situation?” Kagesa was first stunned, then instantly burst into laughter.
“Interesting, interesting.” Kagesa stared at Xiong Ye Liangping and said: “This is the first time I’ve been lectured by a lieutenant colonel to consider the overall situation.”
“Xiong Ye-kun, are you teaching me how to do things?”
Facing Kagesa’s words that were nearly mocking, the lines of Xiong Ye Liangping’s jaw instantly tautened, his expression becoming unusually serious.
Meeting Kagesa’s gaze full of oppressive force, he straightened his body even more, his eyes flashing with a resolute arrogance.
“Your Excellency Kagesa,” Xiong Ye’s voice was resolute and firm, carrying an unquestionable hardness, “This matter involves the Maple Plan, with a confidentiality level of the highest ‘Top Secret’.”
“This level was personally confirmed by General Dohihara, and he signed the highest execution order!”
“Forgive me, but I cannot disclose specific contents. Your Excellency General has personally coordinated all resources needed for the plan! I only need to execute according to the general’s orders and return to Chongqing at the fastest speed!”
“Baka…” A suppressed roar to the extreme exploded like thunder in the office, as Kagesa Shinzhao slammed his palm fiercely onto the hard rosewood tabletop.
A loud “Bang!” shook the ashtray on the desk jumping up…
Kagesa abruptly stood up, his body trembling slightly from extreme anger, his face ashen, veins bulging at his temple.
“Xiong Ye Liangping!” Kagesa’s voice was hoarse and distorted from rage, “This is Shanghai! The heart of the Empire’s intelligence operations in China!”
“‘Maple Plan’? I’ve never seen this damned name in any briefing or any intelligence report!”
“I remind you, the North China Information Section belongs to the commander of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ China Affairs Section. I am the commander of the China Affairs Section. Any action in Chongqing must! Must! Undergo my assessment! My approval!”
“You’re taking a plan that who knows where it came from, sneaking around me like a thief to go directly to the general, and now you dare to use ‘secret’ as a fig leaf to fob me off?”
“This is not only contempt for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ authority! It’s naked contempt for my authority!”
“Your Excellency Kagesa, please mind your wording!” Xiong Ye’s voice carried a sense of desperation, “I am only responsible to Your Excellency General’s orders and the plan itself! Now, I need you to sign my Shanghai departure pass!”
“If because of your delay the mission cannot proceed on time, or because of you Mr. Wang is put in danger, leading to the failure of the Empire’s mission in China.”
“Your Excellency Kagesa, even if you are the Military Affairs Section Chief, you may not be able to bear this responsibility.”
“Are you really prepared to use your own future as a gamble just to vent your anger?”
“Forgive my bluntness, this is hardly worth it. You just need to pretend not to know about this plan, then everything will have nothing to do with you…”
Kagesa Shinzhao’s face turned from ashen to a terrible pallor.
Everyone knew the Army loved playing at subordinating superiors, but when it truly came to his own head, Kagesa felt an indescribable anger.
“You dare threaten me?”
Xiong Ye Liangping showed no intention of backing down, “Your Excellency Kagesa, if you interpret it that way, there’s no method I can use.”
“However, I am sincerely considering your future. People can’t throw away their futures just to vent anger, right?”
“Click.”
The oak door handle was roughly pulled open.
Kagesa Shinzhao’s figure appeared at the door.
Strongly suppressing his anger, he said to a timid adjutant guard not far outside the door: “Kimura-kun, take her to the Southern Transportation Department, find Section Chief Chen of the Army Transportation Section.”
Pausing, Kagesa took a breath: “Find Your Excellency Iwai to issue a consulate special pass.”
“Now, immediately.”
“Hai,” Kimura Yuji slightly bowed and hurried to the third floor to find Iwai Koichi.
Shanghai, Southern Transportation Department.
The reorganized Southern Transportation Department is divided into the Army Transportation Section and Navy Transportation Section.
Of course, there is also a General Affairs Section responsible for repairing ships, trains, railway tracks, and the like.
The General Affairs Section Chief is still Kobayashi Shuzo from the original North China Railway Construction Headquarters.
Army Transportation Section Chief’s office.
Chen Yang’s brows slightly furrowed looking at the documents handed over by Kimura Yuji.
“Kimura-kun, why did Your Excellency Kagesa suddenly issue such an order?”
Kimura Yuji shrugged. He knew Chen Yang, after all, every time Chen Yang went to see Kagesa, he had to announce him.
“I’m not clear. Your Excellency Kagesa just instructed to complete it as soon as possible.”
“Alright, I’ve delivered the message. Xiong Ye-kun is outside. Please discuss any needs directly with Section Chief Chen.”
Finished speaking, Kimura Yuji slightly bowed and exited the office.
Soon, a figure with a briefcase under his arm appeared at the office door.
“Hello, Section Chief Chen. I am Xiong Ye Liangping.” Xiong Ye Liangping was fairly polite; after all, having been in China for many years, he had dealt with Chinese people a lot and naturally knew not to hit a smiling face.
“Xiong Ye-kun, please sit.” Chen Yang stood up and made an inviting gesture.
“Xiong Ye-kun.” Chen Yang picked up the order signed by Kagesa Shinzhao on the desk and said slowly: “The Army Transportation Department will do its utmost to cooperate with Your Excellency Kagesa’s instructions.”
“I wonder if Xiong Ye-kun has any other requests, for example, whether escorts are needed?”
Xiong Ye Liangping said solemnly: “No need. My only request is please arrange a vehicle as soon as possible, Section Chief Chen.”
Chen Yang’s gaze naturally fell under Xiong Ye Liangping’s arm, on that briefcase with a brass lock.
As if sensing Chen Yang’s gaze, a vigilant look instantly appeared in Xiong Ye Liangping’s eyes.
“Section Chief Chen, your job is to assist me in returning to Chongqing as soon as possible.”
“You’d better not ask about other things, nor inquire. It’s good for you and for me.”
A flash of displeasure crossed Chen Yang’s face, but he said nothing more, merely adopting a strictly businesslike demeanor.
“Xiong Ye-kun, according to regulations, I need to know if the items you’re carrying will affect the safe operation of the train.”
“You know, the Army Transportation Section is responsible for train transportation safety issues.”
“Section Chief Chen, you’re overthinking it,” Xiong Ye Liangping said pretending to be relaxed: “I’m only carrying this one briefcase.”
“No extra items, and if there’s really any issue, the Special Higher Police Affairs will handle it.”
“Section Chief Chen just needs to arrange the transportation.”
Chen Yang was silent for a moment: “Then that’s it. There’s a train from Shanghai to Nanjing at dawn.”
“First take the train to Nanjing, then transfer through Central China, and from Central China enter the Southwest.”
“The process is a bit complicated, but it’s sufficiently safe.”
Xiong Ye Liangping pondered for a moment, nodded, stood up and said: “Please arrange it as soon as possible, Section Chief Chen. Everything is entrusted to you.”
“Of course, it’s my duty,” Chen Yang slightly bowed and said: “Then please go to the Mai Gen Road material warehouse first to wait, Xiong Ye-kun.”
“I’ll make a telephone call to the person in charge there, have him arrange an absolutely safe room for you to rest.”
“If Xiong Ye-kun is still worried about safety, I’ll escort you there.”
“Alright then, trouble for Section Chief Chen. I’ll wait for you downstairs.” Xiong Ye Liangping did not refuse, slightly bowed in return, and added a word of thanks.
Watching Xiong Ye Liangping’s departing back, Chen Yang’s gaze instantly became profound.
There’s a problem, and not an ordinary one.
All in all, Chen Yang had been mixing in the Japanese agency for a year, not to say he knew every department like the back of his hand,
But Chen Yang was clear about the conflicts between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Matsuoka Yosuke didn’t even give face to Prime Minister Konoe; how could the China Affairs Section cooperate hand-in-hand with the Special Higher Police Affairs.
And obey the Special Higher Police Affairs’ instructions to specially send documents to Chongqing.
What exactly this mission is, ordinary tasks obviously just need radio contact.
Yet the Special Higher Police Affairs abandoned radio for manual transportation.
This means the action is of great importance; to prevent radio monitoring, using the most primitive manual transportation is the safest method.
But what mission has such a high confidentiality level that even Kagesa has to compromise with them.
Combining memories from his previous life, Chen Yang instantly thought of the only possibility, related to Mr. Wang.
After the Wuhan Battle, though the Kuomintang was defeated, it was an honorable defeat, but this failure also made Mr. Wang lose his last hope in the Kuomintang.
The Special Higher Police Affairs’ action is very likely to get Mr. Wang out.
A cold smile appeared at the corner of Chen Yang’s mouth; he took out special draft paper from the drawer and wrote the encrypted characters on it.
Every password character was like a red-hot branding iron, searing onto the thin paper and also searing into Chen Yang’s heart.
Soon, an encrypted intelligence was folded into a square smaller than a fingernail and stuffed into a small metal box.
Chen Yang put away the metal box, stood up and walked out of the office: “Secretary Li, arrange a car. I have something to do at the Mai Gen Road Material Warehouse.”
“Right, tell the chauffeur, stop by Hezi Department Store on the way. I’ll bring some homeland specialties for Xiong Ye-kun to eat on the road.”
Li Ningyu didn’t think much and immediately went to arrange it.
Dusk was falling, lights coming on.
Neon tubes smeared bizarre colors on the wet streets; tram bells and rickshaw drivers’ shouts wove into the noisy background of this city that never sleeps.
Hezi Department Store in Shanghai’s Japanese residential area, ground floor restroom.
Song Yilin had disguised herself as a middle-aged person, wearing a blue cleaning uniform, holding a mop and water bucket.
Before entering the restroom, she took a triangular cone from the water bucket; all three sides of the triangular cone were written in Japanese with “Cleaning in Progress”.
Confirming no one inside, Song Yilin placed the triangular cone at the door and quickly closed the restroom door.
According to the information represented by the jam bread sent from the Belarusian bread shop downstairs as instructed by Chen Yang, Song Yilin quickly locked onto the target: the water tank in the third stall of the restroom.
Lifting the water tank lid, sure enough, at the bottom of the water tank was a metal box wrapped in a plastic sealed bag.
Song Yilin put away the item, walked out of the restroom, skillfully placed the triangular cone into the water bucket, and strolled away from Hezi Department Store as if nothing had happened.
