cicada

Chapter 1364 Blocking the Road

The warm breeze from the Indian Ocean blew slowly, and Cai Harry knelt on the cold deck, his heart beating fast.

He didn't know whether the Mei family wanted to make an example of someone to scare the monkeys or to kill them all. If it was the former, the worst that could happen was that he would just bow his head first, but he was afraid it would be the latter.

Cai Harry wanted to slap himself. If the Mei family wanted to save people, they should let them do it. Why should he force himself to step out?

The other families also looked at Cai Harry with hatred at this moment. They felt that they were wronged. It was the Cai family who caused the natives to cause trouble, and they were completely undeserved.

And Mr. Mei, why didn’t you tell us earlier that you had such a powerful backer? If you had told us earlier, we would have agreed to it a long time ago.

When everyone was either frightened or angry, a sound of footsteps came closer and closer.

Cai Harry looked up and saw Master Mei and a man and a woman walking towards them. Behind the three of them were a group of Japanese naval officers and military police captains.

What concerned him most was the man among the two men and women. The other person's eyes were as sharp as knives, and seemed to be able to see through people's hearts.

Cai Harry quickly lowered his head and prayed silently that the person would not pay attention to him. What was terrible was what happened. A voice sounded in his ear.

"Mr. Harry, I am from Shimizu. It's our first meeting. Please take care of me."

The visitor introduced himself in stiff Chinese, and then asked Master Mei: "Mei Sang, are these your enemies?"

Zuo Jun listened to his brother's strange tone, suppressed his smile and nodded, but when he thought of the wound on his head, his expression turned fierce.

Cai Harry's heart skipped a beat, and he explained hastily without caring about being afraid: "It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."

"Baka! Lord Shimizu is talking, don't say too much." Ozawakawa shouted, walked up and slapped Cai Harry several times.

Cai Hari covered his cheek and dared not say a word. Seeing that he looked aggrieved, Zuo Zhong shook his head and chuckled. Then his smile slowly turned cold and he turned to look at Zuo Jun.

"As a superior, the most taboo thing is to be soft-hearted. Meisang, let me teach you the last lesson of life."

After saying that, Zuo Zhong took out his pistol and walked behind the Chinese traitor’s family member who was kneeling beside the boat.

Bang bang bang.

Amid the sound of gunfire, several terrified men and women were shot in the back of the head and fell into the sea like sandbags, making a splash sound as they fell into the water.

Blood spread across the inky black sea surface. Several blackfin sharks followed the smell of blood and feasted on the corpse. The crackling sound of bones breaking was creepy.

Cai Harry had lost his usual composure and quick wit. Sweat was pouring out of his forehead. He wanted to beg for mercy, but he couldn't open his mouth.

After executing several people, Zuo Zhong returned to the crowd with a smile, reloaded his pistol and handed it to Zuo Jun.

"Meisang, your country's Shangjunshu said that the so-called unified punishment has no hierarchy. From ministers, generals to officials and common people, anyone who disobeys the king's orders, violates the country's prohibitions, or disrupts the king's orders shall be punished with death without pardon!"

Zuo Zhong spoke very slowly, and he spoke word by word at the end, but his tone was grim. Ozawa and other Japanese soldiers swallowed their saliva when they heard it.

Although the Japanese present were all professional soldiers and had killed many enemies, this was the first time they had encountered such a thing as teaching principles through killing, and not to mention killing so many people in one breath.

The family members of the Chinese traitors involved were terrified. Some of them kowtowed desperately, some cried loudly, and some tried to jump into the sea.

Seeing that his brother did not move, Zuo Zhong shouted: "Pick up the gun! If you want to accomplish great things, you can't be soft-hearted. Don't you understand this truth?"

Zuo Jun's hands trembled slightly. After hesitating for a few seconds, he finally took a step forward and took the pistol. His expression gradually changed from hesitation to determination.

Before taking this step, he was just an ordinary person. After taking this step, his life and the entire East Asia will undergo earth-shaking changes.

Gunshots were heard again in the Indian Ocean. Those captured by Ozawa fell into the sea one after another, and nearby sharks had a feast.

Witnessing such a tragic scene, several recruits on the Xuefeng lay on the fence and vomited continuously.

It is conceivable that in the next few days, both fish and pork will become the most unpopular food on the ship.

Cai Harry's emotions changed from fear to anger, from anger to pain, and finally from pain to numbness.

His relatives died one after another in front of him, and even though he was so cold-blooded, his mental defenses were completely broken.

Considering that Cai Hari was the culprit, Zuo Jun left him for last execution.

Before the execution, Zuo Zhong leaned close to his ear and moved his lips slightly. Cai Hari's pupils trembled violently. Just as he was about to speak, he was hit in the forehead by a cold bullet.

Plop~ The body slowly sank to the bottom of the sea, and Cai Harry's remaining consciousness was extremely calm.

Just before his vision went completely black, a dark shadow swam over quickly, opened its mouth wide, bit him and dragged him into the deep sea.

A future generation of heroes died in this way.

His death actually had little to do with Zuo Jun's attack, as the Cai family would have died regardless of whether this incident happened or not, simply because Cai Harry stood in the way of the Zuo family.

The cake is so small, if one more person shares it, there will be less benefit. Zuo Zhong's eyes were cold and his expression was calm.

Looking up from the bottom of the sea, the propeller of the Xuefeng started to turn again, and the engine made a cheerful roar. After adjusting its direction, the warship gradually accelerated and headed towards the dock not far away.

On the deck, the recruits were cleaning the bloodstains with buckets of water, while the veterans were supervising with spirit-infusing sticks in their hands.

Zuo Chong called Zuo Jun to a deserted place at the bow, and the two brothers took advantage of the cover of the waves to talk in a low voice that only they could hear.

"Work hard and fight for a place for the Chinese in Southeast Asia."

Facing the vast ocean, Zuo Zhong's voice came faintly with the sea breeze.

“This process may take many years and may be difficult. When you are confused and wavering, think more about today.”

"Brother, I understand."

Zuo Jun's eyes were bloodshot and his voice was hoarse. The previous events had given him a great shock, and he has not yet fully recovered, but he is in good spirits.

Zuo Chong was satisfied with his brother's performance, and then talked about the arrested Chinese.

"For those Chinese who were captured, I will ask the Japanese to help you later. Remember, great kindness can turn into hatred."

Human nature is multifaceted. Some people feel ashamed and angry because they cannot repay a great favor. Over time, this pressure may turn into resentment towards the benefactor. Zuo Jun understood. He had read the Supplementary Records of the History of the Tang Dynasty and naturally knew the story of Li Mian during the reign of Emperor Suzong of Tang. He directly told him his plan.

It is nothing more than rescuing people and placing them separately, placing spies to monitor them, etc. This is a necessary measure for those in power.

Zuo Zhong was even more satisfied. He waved and called over Ozawa Chuan and the captain of Temasek's military police. The two men hurried forward with a very respectful attitude.

"Mr. Ozawa, Mr. Captain, Meisang's overseas factory needs some obedient workers. Can you help him solve this problem?"

In response to Zuo Zhong's request, before Ozawa Chuan could say anything, the military police captain spoke first and offered to help.

"Please rest assured, Lord Qingshui, there are many Chinese prisoners in the labor camp of the Locust Army. These Chinese are easy to manage. I will issue an order to transfer them to Meisang tomorrow."

The reason why the captain of the military police was so attentive was that after listening to Ozawagawa's introduction, he knew that "Mr. Shimizu" was a man of great powers and generous.

Regardless of whether Mr. Mei wanted to save people or really needed workers, they were just prisoners anyway, and he couldn't get any benefits, so he might as well do them a favor.

Zuo Chong likes this kind of smart people, but that is not enough. He must make the other party completely involved and become his own.

He called over one of Ozawa's old subordinates and asked him in front of the military police captain, "How is your farm in Hiroshima?"

The Japanese soldier who was being questioned showed a grateful look on his face, bowed and replied: "Thanks to Commander Ozawa and Lord Shimizu, the fields of Jumachibu had a good harvest last year, and my parents at home are very happy."

The gendarmerie captain's eyes widened. One chobu is equivalent to one hectare, and ten chobu is more than one hundred acres of land.

So how much land did the average Japanese farmer have per capita at that time? The answer is approximately zero.

All the land in Japan was concentrated in the hands of landlords and nobles, and ordinary farmers could only rent it for farming. Therefore, after Japan occupied the Northeast, hundreds of thousands of pioneer groups flocked to Manchukuo.

Zuo Zhong was well aware of the shortcomings of Japanese society, and he also knew that this gendarmerie captain came from the countryside, so it would be more practical for him to persuade the other side to use their farmland.

As expected, the captain of the gendarmerie's eyes turned red, and he looked like he would clear out the entire labor camp as long as "Shimizu-kun" gave the order.

It may sound a bit ridiculous that a major surrendered like this, but it was determined by the nature of the war.

When Japan launched an aggressive war, the upper class benefited the most, while the middle and lower classes did not actually benefit, or at least did not benefit much.

The person from the Northwest said that to divide the enemy we must unite the majority, isolate the minority, and concentrate our strengths to defeat them one by one.

After working in intelligence for so many years, Zuo Chong increasingly feels that his theories can be used as a guide for action in any industry.

If he wasn't afraid that someone would have a disagreement with the cheap teacher, he really wanted to give each person in the Military Control Commission a copy of the other person's work.

In short, on one side is the intangible and invisible Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Belt, and on the other side is tangible money. Everyone knows what to choose, and human hearts cannot stand the test.

"Haha, don't get excited, Mr. Captain."

Zuo Zhong patted the other person's shoulder and continued to persuade him: "As long as you join our cause, the fields will be just a small matter. By the way, you have been a major for many years, right?"

The military police captain was very ashamed and said that he had been in the position of major for five years, but had not been promoted because he had no front-line combat experience.

In response, Zuo Zhong waved his hand and said, "Ozawa-kun, through our friends in the Army Ministry, is it difficult for you to help the captain become a lieutenant colonel within three months?"

Ozawa smiled faintly and said nonchalantly: "No problem, this is easy to do."

The smuggling business requires management from all levels, not only the navy and Shanghai, but also the army and the Japanese mainland.

As time goes by, the relationship will be established. The promotion of a major is really not a big deal.

The captain of the military police was so excited that he could not speak. He gritted his teeth and said, "Please rest assured, Mr. Qingshui, I will also hand over the prisoners who are ordered to be transferred to Malaya in a few days."

Zuo Chong was stunned. Transferring prisoners? What did the Japanese in Malaya want the prisoners for?

If we want to build roads and fortifications, local natives will be enough. Why bother recruiting people from labor camps far away?

Suddenly, Zuo Chong seemed to have thought of something, and he pretended to ask the gendarmerie captain a question casually.

"Oh? Does the Empire want to transport laborers from Malaya to the mainland or the Mite Continent?"

The gendarmerie captain shook his head and admitted that the prisoners' destination was somewhere in Johor, which was on the other side of Temasek, but the exact location was unknown.

When he mentioned this, he complained angrily: "Those guys in the Southern Army Staff are really troublesome. In addition to constantly recruiting laborers, they also have strict requirements on the age and gender of the laborers."

"Oh? Can you tell me about it?" Zuo Chong pretended to be curious.

"Of course, there weren't many Chinese workers recruited, but two people were needed for each age group and gender, and verifying their information was very cumbersome."

The military police captain seemed to want to vent his dissatisfaction and told the whole situation.

For example, the secret number of the unit that recruited laborers was the "Wei" 9400 unit.

For example, the "Wei" 9400 unit not only recruited a small number of Chinese laborers, but also a large number of British and American prisoners of war.

Zuo Zhong's eyes turned slightly cold, and Melos's face appeared in his mind. If the facts were as he guessed, the Americans would probably suffer a heavy loss this time.

In addition, the real culprit behind the incident was dealt with, and the perpetrators could not be let off either. Zuo Chong decided the fate of the natives with just one sentence.

"All anti-Japanese elements who dare to harm Meisang must be killed, especially those influential natives. The Empire needs bayonets and blood, not gentleness, to rule this land."

"As you wish, sir." The gendarmerie captain bent his body at ninety degrees.

① It is said that when there was no war in the world, there were many assassins in the market. There was a man named Li Mian who had been a lieutenant in Kaifeng County. During an interrogation, one of the prisoners had a good appearance and asked Li Mian to give him a way out. Li Mian released him. A few years later, Li Mian was dismissed from office and came to Hebei for leisure. He accidentally met the prisoner he had released before. The prisoner was very happy and took Li Mian home to treat him well. The prisoner told his wife, "This is the benefactor who saved my life. How can we repay him?" The wife said, "Is it enough to give him a thousand pieces of good silk?" The prisoner said, "Not enough." The wife said, "Is it enough to give him two thousand pieces?" He still said, "Not enough." The wife said, "If this is not enough to repay, it is better to kill him." The prisoner was persuaded.

The servant of the prisoner's family felt sorry for Li Mian, so he secretly told him that the prisoner and his wife wanted to kill him. Li Mian hurriedly dressed and got on his horse and fled. In the middle of the night, he walked more than a hundred miles and arrived at an inn. The innkeeper said, "This place is full of wild animals at night. How dare you walk alone at night?" Li Mian told the innkeeper the whole story. Before he finished speaking, he saw a man jumping down from the beam and said, "I almost killed a person of noble character by mistake." After that, he left.

Before dawn the next day, the gentleman on the beam came to see Li Mian with the heads of the prisoner couple. It turned out that this man was the assassin hired by the prisoner couple.