Two men in black pushed open the door of Houde Middle School, and a dozen cars filed out. The first ones were two cars, followed by trucks. The tarpaulin on the truck bed was printed with the Chinese and English name of a certain machine factory.

Bilingual sign.

When the last car drove out, the man in black who opened the door closed the door smoothly, and a runner nimbly jumped on the pedal, looking around with a vigilant expression. The cold wind lifted the hems of their clothes, and the shiny black pistol appeared and disappeared.

Such a big movement immediately attracted the attention of nearby residents. Everyone was stunned and wondered why there were so many people in the school.

Without waiting for anyone to call the police, the convoy began to speed up a little towards the west, and soon disappeared on the streets, leaving only endless reveries for curious people.

A few minutes later.

A head quietly appeared on the back wall of Houde Middle School, which was supposed to be deserted. After looking around to make sure no one was there, the person held the wall with his right hand and climbed outside, sneaking into the alley.

In the distance, a beggar in rags with a broken bowl in his hand leaned on the corner and watched the scene silently. His originally stooped body bent a little more, and then he raised his feet and followed him calmly.

Ryosuke Hase, who was admiring the scenery outside the window, did not know everything that happened here. Due to his occupation, he rarely left Hongkou unless necessary, so he naturally had no chance to appreciate the scenery of Shanghai.

Although it is winter now, as the motorcade gradually approaches the suburbs, the dead vines and old trees from a distance have a unique beauty of decay, which is especially in line with the Japanese aesthetic point of view.

While he was leisurely watching, Shitaka Kusumoto next to him suddenly said: "Hase-kun, I have been working in North China and have no contact with anyone in Central China.

I heard that the imperial army has completely taken control of the area around Jinling and has begun to clear out the saboteurs in the city. Can you please tell me the specific situation."

What Shitaka Kusumoto said was very vague. The so-called suppression of saboteurs meant large-scale massacres. This kind of thing was very common among the Japanese army.

Hase Ryosuke was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and subconsciously glanced at the driver in the front seat. After thinking about it, he approached the driver's ear and lowered his voice before replying.

"According to the intelligence I have, it is indeed the case. When attacking Jinling, the combat troops advancing crazily left the baggage troops behind.

Since the imperial army did not have the logistical preparations to fight inland, the troops faced a serious problem of food supply interruption, and the morale of the army was immediately unstable.

Commander Matsui of the Central China Front, who commanded the Shanghai Expeditionary Force and the 10th Army, issued an order to collect grain and grass on the spot. My friends at the headquarters told me that out of ten villages in southern Jiangsu were empty."

"idiot!"

After hearing this, Shitaka Kusumoto cursed, saying that he was not against the massacre, but that before the National Government was completely eliminated, he should use gentle methods to confuse and win over the unsteady Chinese.

Openly targeting civilians like this, once known to the outside world, will trigger a huge wave of public opinion. It will have no effect other than stimulating the enemy's patriotic enthusiasm and determination to resist.

General Doihara once said that to deal with the Chinese, one should boil the frog in warm water and slowly annex the country with minimal losses.

It's a pity that those high-level officials only think about military achievements and wealth, and are completely unaware of the gap in population and resources between China and Japan.

If we continue to fight like this, before we can defeat the Chinese, the empire will be unable to hold on, for example, its military resources will be exhausted, or its economy will collapse.

Hase Ryosuke seemed to know what he was thinking. He sighed deeply and commented unkindly on what the Central China Front had done.

"Colonel Kusumoto, is this how your army behaves? My people have contacted many officials of the Republic of China who are willing to cooperate, and they are willing to cooperate with the empire to impeach someone.

As a result, as soon as this incident came out, they all cut off contact due to pressure. It was such a pity that all the preliminary work was wasted.

Commander Matsui also asked the Shanghai Expeditionary Army and the 10th Army to clear out the defeated soldiers in their respective security areas, collect concealed weapons, and allow free fire.

The city of Jinling was filled with imperial soldiers who committed murder and arson, and military discipline was completely lost. Two officers from the Zhongdao unit of the 16th Division even met for a killing contest with the encouragement of their superiors.

At this moment, countless Chinese people are being shot, buried alive, and massacred. It will probably be very difficult for us to find collaborators in the future, which is really annoying."

As he spoke, a burst of anger surged in Hase Ryousuke's chest, which shocked him. He was afraid of attracting Kusumoto Sanitaka's attention, so he quickly ended the conversation.

At the same time, he fell into deep self-doubt. He and the Chinese only had a cooperative relationship of mutual use. Why would he be angry after learning about the massacre?

After thinking about it, Hase Ryosuke felt that maybe the two parties had been together for a long time, and he had unknowingly put himself in the Chinese position when thinking about the problem.

This is a good thing,

Or is it a bad thing?

He didn't know, but the education he had received and what he had seen and heard over the years told him that people cannot, or at least should not, do that kind of thing.

Maybe I can provide some information to the Chinese. This has nothing to do with money transactions, but is just out of one's basic conscience and morality.

After thinking about this, Hase Ryosuke suddenly felt much more relaxed and no longer restrained his momentum. He stared at Kusumoto Shitaka with bright eyes, wanting to hear the other party's explanation.

"cough……"

Sanitaka Kusumoto didn't know how to answer. He coughed twice in embarrassment and turned his head to the other side, scolding Matsui in his heart.

While the two were silent, the convoy arrived at the checkpoint in the public concession. The driver rolled down the window and greeted the British officer leading the convoy familiarly, and the other party ordered his men to let them go.

"Xingxi, Mr. Changgu is indeed very powerful."

Yamamoto in the second car nodded repeatedly and sighed. Originally, he was worried about what would happen if the British inspected it, because the finished counterfeit banknotes that had been printed were in the truck.

Although goods were placed on top to cover it up, they could still be found after a careful search. Unexpectedly, the other party didn't even ask, which shows the depth of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' connections in Shanghai.

After relaxing, he smiled and asked the tall, ugly foreign ministry agent: "A convoy of this size can be exempted from inspection. Are you familiar with the British?"

Yamamoto squinted his eyes, looking very curious, but there was something else behind his words, and he didn't know what his intentions were.

"Yes, Lord Yamamoto."

The special agent from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs scratched his head and replied in a low voice: "The main job of the intelligence department of the consulate is to collect all kinds of intelligence. The British have great influence in the Republic of China, and the empire must maintain good relations with them."

"That's it. Thank you for the explanation. Your accent sounds like you are from Nara, so we can be considered half of the same country."

Yamamoto nodded slightly, changed the subject and spoke enthusiastically in Osaka dialect.

A smile appeared on the ugly face of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs agent, and he nodded respectfully and politely.

"Hai, I am from Nara. I have been working in the Republic of China for three years. You are from Osaka Prefecture. It is really an honor."

Nara Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the west, Wakayama to the south, and Kyoto to the north. It is appropriate to say that the two are half the same hometown.

"Haha, in our line of work, it's rare to meet a new fellow countryman. I should keep in touch with you if I have the opportunity in the future."

Yamamoto pointed at himself, then at the other party, and then seemed to recall: "I have been to Nara many times, it is a beautiful city.

Every year in December of the Western calendar, the local Kasuga Taisha Shrine holds the Kasuga Wakamiya Festival to pray for a good harvest, with wonderful kagura and dance performances.

In March and April, the cherry blossoms in the shrine are the first to bloom, and the scenery is so spectacular that it is unforgettable. When we defeat the Chinese in the future, how about we go to watch the cherry blossoms together?"

Faced with his generous gesture, the foreign ministry agent had a strange expression and hesitated for a while before speaking bravely to the other party.

"Yamamoto-dono, you have mistakenly remembered that the large weeping cherry blossoms outside the main hall of Himuro Shrine are the earliest cherry blossoms to bloom in the city, so they are known as Nara Ichibanzakura.

If there is a chance, I will definitely accompany you to enjoy the cherry blossoms. There are many water lilies in the pool there, and it is very unique to escape the heat in the summer."

"Oh."

Yamamoto slapped his head and apologized without sincerity: "I'm so rude. It's been many years since I last went to Nara..."

At this time, the car happened to be driving to a section of dirt road out of the city. There were no people, pedestrians, or vehicles in the front, back, and left, making it look particularly desolate.

The originally respectful special agent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not wait for Yamamoto to finish his words. He kicked his feet hard and rushed to the side. He covered Yamamoto's mouth with one hand and stabbed the shining dagger into his abdomen with the other hand.

At the same time, the co-pilot in the front row also turned around and grabbed Yamamoto's hands firmly. The two cooperated tacitly, and it took less than two seconds to control the intelligence elite of the Japanese Navy Command.

Once, twice, three times...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs agent had an expressionless face and repeated the stabbing action over and over again. His eyes were full of murderous intent, which combined with that terrifying face gave him an indescribable ferocity.

The sharp blade instantly poked several large holes in Yamamoto's internal organs, and smelly blood spurted out from the wounds. The roof, seats, glass, and floor were all red.

Yamamoto, who was already feeling angry, couldn't understand how people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dared to attack him. If he killed himself, what benefits would the other party get?

In a daze, he heard the fellow countryman say something in Chinese, and a bold guess flashed through his mind.

Ryosuke Hase, the deputy director of the Intelligence Department of the Imperial Consulate in Shanghai and the future head of the agency, turned out to be a Chinese mole.

He thought about the day Ji Yunqing's mansion was burned down and the question he was thinking, could the empire really occupy this country?

He finally knew the answer today, and the price was his life. Yamamoto muttered something to himself and glanced at Daisino, then his vision went dark and he completely lost his breath.

Not only the second car, but also the Ministry of Foreign Affairs personnel in the truck behind, who had been smiling and laughing just a second ago, began to kill the "comatriots" beside them. For a time, Japanese army and navy agents suffered heavy casualties.

Some drivers never saw who moved their hands until they died. They only felt a sharp pain in their head and went to the west. The truck that lost control stopped crookedly on the road.

In the first car, Shitaka Kusumoto saw the commotion in the convoy through the rearview mirror, quickly turned around to see what happened, and at the same time reached for the gun on his waist.

But as soon as he touched the gun, the knife slashed hard on his wrist. The severed hand fell to the floor with a thud, blood gushing out, and the severe pain almost made him faint.

But after all, he was an old spy for many years. He gritted his teeth and stretched his other hand to the door handle, hoping to jump out of the car to escape and spread the news of Ryosuke Hase's treason.

In fact, when he saw the accident in the convoy, Kusumoto Shitaka knew that the other party could not be trusted. Both he and Yamamoto's subordinates had been strictly vetted and could not be traitors.

The only people who may have problems are those from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As the Deputy Minister of Intelligence, Hase Ryosuke must also be involved.

idiot!

Damn non-nationals!

If such a high-level intelligence officer betrays the empire, the losses will be unimaginable. He must not die here, he must escape.

But as soon as Sanitaka Kusumoto's butt left the seat, the car suddenly braked and knocked him into the front seat, interrupting his opening the door.

Upon seeing this, Hase Ryosuke immediately snatched the pistol and threw it to the co-pilot, then pulled out a steel rope and put it around his neck and tightened it hard.

"Ho~ho~"

Shitaka Kusumoto held on to the steel rope in vain, kicked the floor and the seat with both feet, rolled his eyes upwards, and shouted with all his strength.

"No... don't be proud, someone will..."

"What nonsense? Do you think I don't know that you have people in Houde Middle School?"
To be continued...