cicada

Chapter 1362 Making a Mistake

1942, October.

Temasek Military Intelligence Bureau safe house.

Zuo Jun was lying on the bed with his head wrapped in gauze, his face pale. The scorching sunlight shone into the room, and the air was filled with a faint smell of medicine.

He had been recuperating here since the night he was attacked by the natives. Fortunately, his wounds were treated in time and there were no sequelae. But staying in the house every day still made him feel a little at a loss.

Creak~~The door was pushed open from the outside. Zuo Jun heard the sound and looked over, and two familiar figures appeared in front of him.

"Big brother!"

"Sister Yijun!"

Zuo Jun shouted in surprise, and tried to get up with his arms, but was pushed back by Zuo Zhong again.

"Just lie down and be quiet. We are all family. Don't be polite."

Zuo Chong patted his arm, his eyes swept across the gauze on the other's forehead, his expression became gloomy, and he turned to look at the little spy beside him.

"Have you found out who those natives belong to?"

The young spy bowed his head and replied, "Reporting to the deputy commander, all clues have been cut off, but it should be the Cai family's doing."

"reason?"

"On the night when the natives were causing trouble, a servant of the Cai family died. It was said that he died of a sudden illness."

After listening to the little spy's report, Zuo Chong showed a playful smile. As expected of Cai Harry, he acted decisively.

But this little trick can only fool ordinary people. Zuo Chong does not need any evidence if he wants to kill someone. After thinking about it, Zuo Chong gave an order.

"Monitor the Chinese representatives and their families who will attend the meeting that day, and prepare to arrest them. Don't let any of them go."

"Don't worry, we've got them all covered."

The young spy bowed and accepted the order. Before, the Military Control Commission did not retaliate because there was no order. Now with the order from the deputy commander, they can take action at any time.

Zuo Jun was startled and quickly tried to dissuade him: "Brother, the safety of the arrested Chinese is a big deal. My personal affairs are insignificant. You must not let me affect the rescue of people."

Zuo Chong was very satisfied with his brother's sense of justice, but he was not satisfied with his brother's pedantry or naivety. He looked serious and asked in a deep voice.

"Do you know what mistake you made this time?"

Zuo Jun lowered his head and said honestly: "I shouldn't have met him without any preparation."

"At least you're not that stupid. Preparation is the key to success. Without preparation, failure will lead to failure. Have you read all the books your grandfather asked you to read? But this is just one of the reasons!"

Seeing that Zuo Jun hadn't realized his mistake, Zuo Chong looked at him disappointedly, but he was his own brother after all, so he spoke again.

"Your biggest mistake was asking the wrong person for help."

"Who are the Cai family and other families? They are lackeys of the colonizers, and their business is to exploit the Chinese. Do they care about the lives of their compatriots?"

"Believe it or not, even the two Chinese representatives who agreed to help were just pretending. They might be spies of the British or Japanese."

"Don't think of Cai Harry and others as patriotic overseas Chinese like Mr. Chen. Their choice to stay proves that they are not afraid of being punished by the Japanese later."

Zuo Chong gave Zuo Jun a good lesson, and then asked another question: What is class?

Zuo Jun was also a progressive youth. Upon hearing this, he blurted out: "Class is a social group formed based on different reasons such as economy, power, and status."

"What class does the Cai family belong to? Will they betray us?" Zuo Zhong asked again.

Zuo Jun stopped talking. He now realized how naive his previous actions were. He thought that he could convince these people to change their ways with just a document and a few photos.

The Cai family was a privileged class dependent on the colonizers. Their only purpose of existence was to please the colonizers. This was the case when the British were in power and when the Japanese were in power.

He asked the other party to rescue the arrested Chinese, which first destroyed the living soil of the Chinese families. Without ordinary Chinese, the colonists would naturally shift the target of exploitation to the Cai family and other families.

Secondly, the Japanese needed to use the lives of the Chinese to intimidate the local indigenous people. The Chinese were outsiders and had a lot of wealth, which was a kind of "original sin".

After Zuo Jun thought it through, he honestly admitted his mistake to Zuo Chong.

After this incident, his perspective on things changed a little, and he no longer acted on impulse. This was a good start.

But Zuo Jun also had a question. If he couldn't rely on his Chinese family, who should he ask for help to save people?

In response, Zuo Chong smiled slightly, raised his hand and patted, and another person walked in from outside the door.

"Mr. Qingshui, Meisang, hello."

Ozawa walked into the house, bowed deeply to Zuo Chong and Zuo Jun, and greeted them in Chinese.

Zuo Jun was stunned. Why was a Japanese naval colonel so respectful to his brother? He didn't think anyone would dare to pretend to be a Japanese soldier in Temasek where there were military police everywhere.

"Ozawa-kun, it's been a long time. Have you arranged everything I asked you to do?"

Zuo Chong ignored his brother's look as if he had seen a ghost, and asked Xiao Zechuan with a chuckle. Xiao Zechuan immediately nodded in answer.

"Hayi, in addition to the necessary personnel to ensure the operation of the warship, I have already allocated a 100-man marine corps. Those army dungs ​​are definitely not our opponents."

After Ozawa became the captain of Xuefeng, he quickly "corrupted" the officers and soldiers on board with money, and some key positions were replaced by his old subordinates from the Anqing Inland Fleet. It can be said that the entire ship was made up of his own people. After all, who would not like a superior who is generous and does not let his subordinates die?

Furthermore, for example, the lower-level soldiers in the army and the Japanese navy are more educated and smarter.

This also means that they are more afraid of death, understand the preciousness of life, and will not commit suicide for an illusory reason.

The first thing Zuo Chong did when he came to Temasek this time was to ask the other party to find a way to lead his subordinates to join him, which was not difficult for Ozawakawa.

As the number one contributor to the "Z" plan, Ozawakawa still has some connections in the upper echelons. Plus, he's willing to spend money, so naturally he has no shortage of powerful friends.

Zuo Jun’s question just now is also easy to answer. The Cai family and other Chinese families are backed by the Japanese Army. If one wants to deal with them and rescue the captured Chinese, the Japanese Navy is undoubtedly the best tool.

After confirming that the Xuefeng was in place, Zuo Zhong turned to Zuo Jun and said, "Remember, I am your business partner in Japan, my name is Qingshui Jianren, and Yijun is Qingshui Yizi, and here are our information."

As he spoke, he signaled He Yijun to hand the disguised identity file to Zuo Jun.

Zuo Jun picked up the file and memorized it quickly. After memorizing it, he tore the document into pieces and put them into a cup of water to burn them clean.

All preparations were ready. Zuo Zhong looked at his watch and set off to meet his second helper. Before leaving, he gave Zuo Jun some instructions.

"Take good care of yourself and think about how to be a better person. I will teach you one last lesson later."

After speaking, Zuo Zhong took He Yijun and Xiao Zechuan out of the safe house, leaving Zuo Jun alone to think silently.

It’s not that Zuo Chong is making things difficult for Zuo Jun. In the Zuo family’s plan, the other party will have to shoulder a heavy responsibility in the future, just like his name suggests.

What does the word "jun" mean? One means weight, the other means balance.

By then, the lives of millions of people will be on his shoulders, and he will be needed to balance the forces of all parties.

For these things, others can help him temporarily, but not forever. In the end, he has to make the decision himself.

After one hour.

Zuo Chong and the other two walked into the Temasek branch of the Sakurai Chamber of Commerce. President Takigawa Bunta had been waiting at the door for a long time. When he saw Zuo Chong, Takigawa quickly saluted.

“Mr. Shimizu, welcome to Temasek.”

Following his action, many members of the Sakurai Corporation bowed together, attracting the attention of passers-by.

Takigawa Bunta, former vice president of the Ningbo Japanese Chamber of Commerce, was turned against the government at the same time as Hayashi Fuichiro. His codename was "Golf", and he was considered one of the few non-military moles under Zuo Zhong (Section 177).

In the past few years, with the help of Hayashi Fuichiro, Takigawa Bunta's business has been going smoothly. The Sakurai Chamber of Commerce he founded has expanded rapidly in mainland Japan and the Japanese-occupied areas. This time he came to Temasek only after receiving an order.

Logically speaking, Zuo Chong shouldn't have brought Xiao Zechuan to meet another mole.

But Takigawa Bunta seems to be a little wavering recently, so Zuo Zhong doesn't care about that and prepares to use Ozawagawa to hit his opponent.

Inside the Sakurai Chamber of Commerce garden, after He Yijun checked for any eavesdropping devices, Zuo Zhong sat down on a stone bench, stared at the sweaty Takigawa Bunta, and slowly opened his mouth.

"Takigawa-kun, let me introduce you to our partner next to me, Captain Ozawa of the Navy."

Takigawa Bunta was shocked and immediately bowed to Ozawagawa. Ozawagawa stood aside with his hands on his sword, with a cold expression on his face. He just tapped his chin as a response, acting like an "elite" of the Locust Army.

While Takigawa Bunta was daydreaming, Zuo Chong suddenly attacked him and asked in a low voice.

"I heard that when you were meeting your friends, you sang the song of the locust army when you were drunk. Is that true? Are you trying to betray me?"

"No! No!"

After he said this, Takigawa Bunta finally realized what he had said. He was so scared that he kept denying it, and finally he knelt down.

"Sir, I absolutely don't dare to have such thoughts. If I really betray you, the military will not let me go, and the cabinet will not let me go either. I have no other choice."

This was half true and half false. The outbreak of the Honolulu incident and the overwhelming force of the Japanese army in Southeast Asia did indeed shake Takigawa Bunta.

But the subsequent battles of Coral Island and Midway brought him back to his senses.

Businessmen are the most well-informed group of people and are good at seeking profit and avoiding harm.

Based on Takigawa Bunta's understanding of the United States, Japan's defeat was only a matter of time, and he certainly did not want to die with the doomed Japan.

After making sure that this guy had really figured it out, Zuo Zhong still warned him with a stern face before telling him his plan for this trip.

Takigawa Bunta nodded his head quickly, bent down continuously, and dared not have any other thoughts.

After explaining the plan, Zuo Zhong assigned him a task: "Takigawa-kun, you are in charge of Shonan City officials, is that ok?"

"Please rest assured, sir. Mayor Shonan and I have business dealings, and no one can go against money." Takigawa Bunta was full of confidence.

"Mr. Shimizu, my marines are also on standby."

Ozawa raised his neck and glanced at Takigawa with disdain, as if he was feeling superior for being a traitor.

Zuo Zhong knew very well the principle of giving someone a sweet gift after giving them a stick. He skillfully painted a rosy picture for the two of them, focusing on the idea of ​​using other people's money to do his own business, commonly known as being generous to others.

"I only want people, land, and shops. All other wealth will be left to you. How much money you can make depends on the abilities of you two and the new partners who join us this time."

Upon hearing the good news, Ozawagawa and Takigawa Bunta became excited. For the sake of their wallets, the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere can wait.