Chapter 269: You Two Are Pretty Close, Huh
“Colonel Wachi Eiji?” Nakamura Masao’s hand visibly trembled, “Section Chief Nantian, how did you think of using him to break the deadlock.”
“Very simple, Shanghai is already a solid iron plate, to pry open this iron plate, probably only someone like Colonel Wachi or Shibayama Kenshiro of the Take Agency!”
As she spoke, Nantian Yangzi took out the prepared information, drew out a purple-gray brown paper package from below, and pulled out a file with edges shining with aged oil stains from it. The cover was stamped with a striking chrysanthemum crest in dark blue ink…
【Ran Agency Key Personnel Record-Top Secret】
She respectfully handed the information to Nakamura Masao with both hands!
Nakamura took the file, looked down, the photo on it had been specially processed, the image was blurred and unclear, only a proper, even handsome side profile contour could be discerned.
Below it was engraved like a brand with two cold Chinese characters: 【Top—Secret】
【File Level: Top Secret】
【File Number: LAN/Hezhi/001】
【Name: Wachi Eiji】
【Code Name: Winter Hayabusa】
【Authority: Highest】
【Current Position: Head of Agency of the Special Mission Organization “Ran Agency”】
【Affiliated Department: China Section of the Imperial Military General Staff Office under the Lord Chamberlain’s Office】
【Honors: Third Class Order of the Golden Kite/Meritorious Service to the Second Class Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers/Emperor Hirohito’s Imperial Grant of Sixteen-Petal Chrysanthemum Crest（Emblem）】
Growth History: Wachi Eiji, male, born in the late Meiji era, into an old samurai family in Kagoshima, Kyushu, family lineage traceable to hereditary retainers of the Shimazu clan.
Received strict Bushido and Confucian education from childhood, showed extraordinary memory and near-ruthless logical analysis ability in his youth.
Taisho Tenth Year（1921）, entered Army Cadet School（36th Class）, with outstanding performance, especially excelling in espionage theory and counterintelligence tactics research.
Regarding his handling of a leak case involving instructors and external forces during military academy, the report only glosses over it as “handling methods extremely efficient, no subsequent issues,” but insiders remain tight-lipped.
Early Showa era（1926）, graduated from Army University School with excellent grades, immediately selected for in-depth intelligence training in Europe.
This experience forms the core foundation of his thinking and methods.
Regarding his European experience: Participated in hands-on “apprenticeship”（at Gestapo interrogation center（i.e., Columbia Prison）, observation/operation interrogation count: 37 times）.
Report summary records his annotation: “Fear lies not in the threshold of physical pain, but in the continuity of destroying self-perception.”
“Effective interrogation is making the subject actively abandon the coherence of their soul to escape pain.”
An unverified Berlin secret report states that in a blizzard night interrogation of a Soviet undercover agent, he used extreme cold treatment close to psychological destruction, ultimately leading to the target’s mental collapse and suicide!
Ultimately recorded by German intelligence: “In low-temperature environments, the critical point of human will has a precise Celsius value.”
In 1928, Wachi Eiji went to France under the name of exchange study!
This time, the focus was on assessing management vulnerabilities in the complex information transmission networks and underground transportation lines established by the French in global colonies.
His report astutely pointed out the “blind spot under the lamp” phenomenon at French Indochina intelligence stations due to local language and cultural barriers, later verified!
Showa Sixth Year（1931）, on the eve of the Mukden Incident, Wachi Eiji secretly returned to the country.
At that time, radical military factions were surging with undercurrents domestically.
Army General Staff Office radical generals highly appreciated his ability and ruthless style, especially his proposed “asymmetric intelligence warfare theory,” emphasizing utilizing inherent contradictions within enemy societies to create fissures.
Achieving the effect of “four ounces deflecting a thousand catties” to subvert the opponent’s system, advocating actions unbound by conventional law and moral restrictions for infiltration, division, subversion, even elimination, prioritizing efficiency over procedure and ethics.
His ideas deeply won the favor of young officer groups advocating “inferior overcoming superior” for military expansion.
In winter 1932, Wachi Eiji submitted a report titled “Proposal for Establishing North China Information Command of the Special Mission Organization” to the General Staff Office based on his ideas and European experience!
This proposal sparked intense controversy among Army high command, but his promise of “high-efficiency resolution of complex problems and elimination of internal hidden dangers” swayed key figures.
Ultimately, in extreme secrecy, the “North China Information Department” was established in late spring of Showa Ninth Year（1933）, and Wachi Eiji was ordered to become the first Information Department commander, code name Winter Hayabusa…
The agency’s main duties: Execute infiltration plans against various reactionary forces in China, induce and implement surrender plans for key personnel in Chongqing and Communist Party units, assist North China Area Army in carrying out security purification work plans.
Since the establishment of Ran Agency, they have executed multiple infiltration and surrender plans.
Among them is Chongqing’s second-in-command, Wang Jixin…
And Wachi Eiji became famous due to the 1938 Hankou Wuhan Iron Curtain Incident!
This is the landmark case where the “Winter Hayabusa” name resounded through the military intelligence circle.
Wuhan Security Command had long been infiltrated, like a sieve.
After Wachi Eiji parachuted in, instead of large-scale manhunts like the Special Higher Police Affairs that would alert the enemy, he precisely locked onto several core nodes.
Through reverse tracking of communication anomalies, suspicious transaction cash flows, and detailed life trajectory signals, in just forty-eight hours, he completely dismantled a massive spy network centered on a Nationalist Army lieutenant general staff director, extending to Military and Political Department, Secrecy Bureau, even involving a deeply embedded Japanese Army logistics officer.
His methods were extremely efficient and left no loose ends; all witnesses were swiftly secretly executed after preliminary interrogation confirmed cores, uniformly announced externally as “killed in action” or “accidents.”
He even ordered the recovery of the stolen original Hanyang Arsenal latest mortar design drawings, framed them, and “returned to owner,” turning them into a lampshade!
Then hid the executed lieutenant general’s head inside the acting mayor’s study lampshade, scaring the acting mayor to incontinence on the spot when discovered…
This bloody operation was termed “efficient purge” internally by the Military Department, privately called “Wuhan Iron Curtain” by insiders.
Nakamura slowly closed the file, the cold touch of the brown paper making his fingertips tremble slightly.
“Section Chief Nantian, when Colonel Wachi served as North China Information Section commander, he was responsible for Taiyuan intelligence work.”
“He is someone who never returns empty-handed, what reason do you have to make him come from Taiyuan to Shanghai? Risking offending the Transportation Department and South Manchuria Railway to investigate material destinations!”
Nantian said slowly: “Your Excellency Nakamura, men are actually very simple, nothing more than money, power, women.”
“Women, Colonel Wachi may not be interested, money, he doesn’t lack.”
“What he wants is power, and now there’s a very good opportunity!”
“Your Excellency Nanjiro is negotiating with Mr. Wang, hoping he appears in Shanghai before August!”
“At that time, Your Excellency Kagesa will accompany Mr. Wang to Nanjing as Chief Military Advisor, assisting him in establishing the new regime!”
“The position of Ume Agency Head of Agency…”
“Haha, Section Chief Nantian, you’re really innocently cute.” Nakamura said without restraint: “You think Wachi Eiji helping you uncover the entire material supply line, offending Transportation Department and South Manchuria Railway, can still gain a foothold in Shanghai!”
“He’s not an idiot, the Wuhan Iron Curtain Incident was because his opponents were Chongqing Kuomintang, no matter how outrageous, it represented the Empire’s will.”
“But now you want him to deal with his own people, that’s walking a steel wire, and moreover, people on the logistics line!”
Nantian Yangzi smiled, “With me alone, of course I can’t persuade a figure like Colonel Wachi.”
“But now don’t we still have you!”
“The Communist Party in North China obtaining so much equipment is a huge obstacle to the security purification plan.”
“If it fails, Commander Shozuka probably can’t escape headquarters reprimand!”
“Your Excellency Nakamura, frankly speaking, our goals are the same, you hope to cut off the Communist Party transportation line.”
“And I, the same…”
Nakamura Masao fell silent, after a while, suddenly said: “But, if Colonel Wachi really is willing to come to Shanghai, and successfully crack the material smuggling case, this is not good for Section Chief Nantian.”
“No, no, no.” Nantian smiled: “He can come, I can leave, if the plan succeeds, I hope to receive Colonel Wachi’s recommendation to join Ran Agency!”
“I’ve stayed in Chongqing for a long time, have experience in infiltration and surrender work, I think I can at least serve as Deputy Head of Agency!”
“Deputy Head of Agency, Section Chief Nantian’s ambition is not small!” Nakamura Masao stared at Nantian meaningfully: “I appreciate you, ambitious, capable, and greedy enough, a greedy person always knows trade-offs!”
Nantian’s face lit up: “Your Excellency Nakamura, you agree?”
Nakamura Masao nodded slightly, suddenly looking at Nantian: “Your Excellency Nanjiro once said Section Chief Nantian is the Empire’s most outstanding agent he’s seen, I somewhat disbelieve!”
Nantian’s expression stiffened, when a man says this, Nantian knew what she had to do next.
It seems this is a woman’s sorrow.
Raising her hand to remove the hairpin from her head, letting her jet-black hair fall, Nantian skillfully began tossing her hair…
Shanghai, Southern Transportation Department.
From early July to now, five Japan-Soviet clashes, all ended in Japanese Army defeat!
Accompanied by the Far East Japanese Army retreating step by step under the Soviet steel torrent.
The Far East battlefield finally ushered in a brief calm.
But this time it’s not ceasing arms to stop the war, but to launch a larger-scale battle, the Japanese Army refuses to admit failure, like gamblers red-eyed from losses, still wanting to press chips to turn it around!
Kwantung Army Headquarters realized the opponent’s strength, decided to launch a decisive general offensive.
For this, they conducted Japan’s largest troop concentration since the “September 18 Incident.”
Main assault troops: 7th Division, one of the Japanese Army’s then-acknowledged ace divisions, known as “national troops.”
This division was stationed long-term in Hokkaido, renowned for cold region combat adaptation and strong combat power.
Transferring it to Nomonhan showed Kwantung Army’s determination to win at all costs.
7th Division’s Infantry 26th and 28th Regiments were reinforced to 23rd Division as absolute main force for ground assault.
To ensure sustained attack power, Kwantung Army Headquarters drew Infantry 16th Regiment, 29th Regiment etc. from 2nd Division.
Drew Infantry 61st Regiment from 4th Division.
These troops were also Japanese Army standing divisions, with long history and strong combat power.
To counter Soviet artillery superiority, Kwantung Army nearly emptied its reserves, forming an artillery headquarters commanded by Major General Uchimiyama Eitaro.
Mobilized the largest field howitzers then in Japanese Army.
Type 96 150mm howitzer, and limited Type 92 100mm field guns.
Even so, they were uneasy, urgently shipping from homeland the then top secret Type 89 150mm field guns to suppress Soviet-Mongol allied artillery.
This time totaling over 100 large-caliber guns assembled, unprecedented artillery density for Japanese Army on Asian battlefield.
Facing Soviet massive tank groups, Japanese Army urgently transported and issued large numbers of Type 94 37mm rapid-fire anti-tank guns, and organized “human bomb” attack teams, i.e., infantry groups hugging satchel charges or grenade bundles to perish with tanks.
At this point, Japanese Army frontline assembled 326 aircraft, 236 tanks, over 120 guns.
But they didn’t expect that Japanese Army’s repeated attacks had ignited the Father’s wrath.
Marshal Voroshilov received Father’s directive, specially approved 18,000 tons artillery shells, 8,000 tons bombs, 7,000 tons fuel, 4,000 tons food, plus 4,000 tons materials, 3,000 heavy trucks to frontline assembly!
Continuous supply materials from Soviet homeland along Trans-Siberian Railway to frontline.
The originally evenly matched scene instantly reversed, now Soviet side equipped with 498 aircraft, 625 guns, 519 armored vehicles and 389 tanks, plus a mechanized force over 30,000 strong.
Both sides’ strengths not on the same level!
And the funniest thing isn’t this, on July 10, Japanese Army secretly drew a small team from Unit 731 to release tularemia virus in the river…
Who knew, their secrecy was too good, just after releasing upstream, the downstream 23rd Regiment soldiers got hit first!
Over 1,000 officers and men of 23rd Division supply troops dehydrated from dysentery, urgently sent inland for treatment, infuriating 23rd Division Commander Komatsubara Eitaro to demand a samurai duel with Ishii Shiro…
Frontline combat stalemated, Transportation Department work also paused.
Everyone waiting for General Staff Office final decision: fight or negotiate.
This battle so far, besides over 1,000 mis-hit by Unit 731, troops to Nomonhan already lost over 10,000 soldiers, yet no battle achievements.
This embarrassed Army Department greatly, but also made Army Department face reality: current Soviet Union not former Tsarist Russia.
And worth celebrating: fortunately, this bacterial war didn’t impact Soviet much, otherwise they’d soon witness Asia’s poison king’s prowess.
Transportation Department Vice Minister’s Office, after Headquarters Chen Yang hard-confronted Nakamura Masao incident, South Manchuria Railway’s attitude toward Chen Yang greatly improved.
South Manchuria Railway team willingly accepted Chen Yang’s leadership, in these technicians’ eyes no petty schemes, willing to submit purely because Chen Yang too strong.
Under such full-load operation, he still seemed not fully exerting.
Transportation team advisor Miura Ryo presented recent transportation plan to Chen Yang, waited for signature, bowed respectfully, then slowly withdrew!
Chen Yang just caught breath, suddenly knock sounded, Chen Yang said evenly: “Come in!”
Door pushed open, German ambassador Fellman appeared at office doorway…
