cicada

Chapter 1367 The big fish takes the bait

Music full of Southeast Asian style slowly flowed out from the gramophone. A group of gamblers who had lost all their money sat at the table, holding on to the last glimmer of hope and waiting for the dealer to open the cards.

As the dealer flipped the dominoes, the sounds of frustration and cheers almost blew off the roof of this windowless building.

Yamamoto and Mikawa, who had just entered the gambling house, watched coldly and soon noticed a young man.

Although the other party lost all the chips in front of him, he looked relaxed, still holding the red wine glass elegantly, and whispering and laughing with the woman beside him from time to time.

Yamamoto showed admiration on his face. He admired this kind of "rational" gambler. It didn't matter how much you lost. A real man was one who could both lose and win.

Seeing this, the manager of the casino came up and started talking to Sanchuan, a man with half bald hair and speaking with an authentic Kanto accent.

"Sir, do you want me to introduce other guests to you?"

After hearing this, Sanchuan pointed at the young man to the guard, who immediately walked to the gambling table and said something to him.

After a moment, the man looked up at Yamamoto. The two looked at each other, then smiled and nodded to each other.

"Mr. Yamamoto, it's a rare opportunity to meet an interesting young man. Why don't we invite him and that beautiful lady to play a few rounds of bridge with us?" Mikawa asked for Yamamoto's opinion.

Yamamoto also wanted to get to know this fellow traveler, so he naturally did not object. He walked into the VIP room and waited for the man and woman to arrive.

During the waiting period, the accompanying guards had already found out the details of the two people.

The man was a businessman and the woman was his wife. The couple had been in Temasek for more than ten days since they came from Japan.

According to those gamblers, the other party often came to the casino for entertainment, did not get angry even if he lost money, and was very generous.

Yamamoto listened to the report and felt more satisfied. It was not safe for him to gamble with the Republic of China or foreigners, but if they were citizens of the Empire, then there would be no problem.

As they were talking, the gambling game outside ended and the man and the woman walked into the VIP room. The guard wanted to search them but was pushed away by the man.

"Go away and be polite to guests." Yamamoto waved his hand.

Upon hearing this, the guard respectfully stepped aside. The man's expression relaxed, and he took off his coat and handed it to the waiter. The woman also opened her purse.

The weather in Temasek was hot, and the man was only wearing a thin white shirt. After taking off his jacket, his waist was exposed, and he was not carrying any weapons.

The woman was wearing a loose Nanyang skirt, and she was also unable to hide any weapons on her body. Her purse only contained a handkerchief and other items.

Seeing how cooperative they were, the guard felt relieved and bowed to invite the two men to the north and south seats of the gambling table.

In the game of bridge, players sit in the east, south, west, and north positions.

The two people sitting in the south and north are one side; the two people sitting in the east and west are the other side.

The man sat down with a smile, and glanced at Yamamoto on his left. His expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and introduced himself.

"Hello, gentlemen. I am Qing Shui Jianren and this is my wife Yizi."

The man and woman were naturally Zuo Zhong and He Yijun. Looking at Yamamoto who was so close, Zuo Zhong had the urge to take out a grenade from the space and die together with the other party.

He spent money like water in Temasek just for today. Mr. Yamamoto really gambled wherever he went, just as the intelligence said.

The big fish is hooked!

In order to catch this fish, Wu Jingzhong deployed personnel in all the casinos in Temasek and even personally served as the casino manager.

Zuo Chong glanced at Wu Jingzhong who was standing at the door, and felt satisfied: Old Wu, Old Wu, you did a great job this time, the position of the stationmaster of Tianjin Station is yours.

Hearing his self-introduction, Sanchuan smiled faintly, made up two pseudonyms, and gestured for everyone to fill out the "Agreement Card", which is a card that ensures the consistency of operations of all players.

After filling out the cards, Zuo Zhong, who was sitting on the north side, became the dealer according to the rules. He shuffled the bridge cards, Sanchuan cut the cards, and the game officially began.

Zuo Zhong dealt cards to Yamamoto, He Yijun and Sanchuan from left to right, and the four of them chatted while playing.

"Mr. Shimizu, I heard that you are a businessman. I wonder what kind of business you are in?" Sanchuan asked after covering his cards.

Zuo Zhong dealt 13 cards to each person, and as the dealer began the first round of bidding, while answering the other party's questions.

"Trade, mainly importing some goods from Europe and America and selling them in the empire and occupied areas."

“Double.”

Yamamoto called out, and then asked, "Can you tell me what the goods are? Europe and America have already severed their commercial ties with the Empire, but Mr. Shimizu is still able to engage in trade. He seems to be quite powerful."

"You are too kind. Thanks to the help of my friends, I was able to import some grain, coffee and tobacco from America."

Zuo Zhong's expression revealed pride, yet a bit of reserve, and finally he did not forget to promote his own products.

"If you need anything, you can contact me. I promise to give you the best price."

"Haha, Mr. Shimizu is really a qualified businessman."

Yamamoto smiled happily because he and Mikawa won the game and got double the points because of doubling.

The guard wrote and drew on the scorebook for a while, then handed it to everyone to check and confirm. After reading it, Zuo Chong shrugged to indicate that he had no objection, appearing very generous.

The second round of the game begins.

This time, Yamamoto became the dealer, Zuo Chong cut the cards, and the two sides communicated constantly between dealing and calling.

Inevitably, the current war situation came up during the discussion, and Mikawa asked Shimizu with interest what he thought the Americans would do next.

Yamamoto also looked at Zuo Zhong. He was able to get the scarce materials from the warring countries. Obviously, he had some connections in the United States. Maybe he had heard some news. Perhaps it was bad luck. Zuo Zhong and He Yijun lost several rounds at this time. However, they remained calm and did not take the loss of several hundred yen seriously at all.

Hearing Sanchuan's question, Zuo Zhong first handed a cigar to Sanchuan and Yamamoto, and then slowly replied.

"I passed through Honolulu as a Republic of China citizen some time ago and found that Pearl Harbor was still under repair. The only strategic fulcrums left for the Americans in the Pacific were Australia and New Zealand."

"If I were Commander Nimitz of the Pacific Fleet, my first priority would be to ensure the security of these two places and, by the way, control the passages in and out of the Indian Ocean."

"So I think the Americans will take some actions in the Western Pacific in the near future, or more precisely, in the Solomon Islands."

Mikawa and Yamamoto did not light the cigars. After all, they were strangers' belongings and could not be guaranteed to be safe.

As for Zuo Zhong's opinion, the two of them shook their heads. After all, they were businessmen and could not see the changes in the current situation at all.

Mikawa couldn't help but say, "Don't you know Mr. Shimizu's strategy of Europe first and Asia later? The Americans will not easily launch a large-scale attack in the Western Pacific."

"Washington will focus its main military resources on the European battlefield in order to defeat Germany as soon as possible. Therefore, the other side will be relatively cautious in its actions in the Pacific battlefield."

Yamamoto nodded slightly. This was the unanimous opinion of the headquarters and the General Staff.

The strength of a country is limited, and it is impossible to wage a large-scale war in two directions at the same time, not even the United States can do that.

He had traveled in the United States for a whole year and served as a military attaché in the United States. He was well aware of the industrial strength of the United States, but military mobilization took time and rebuilding military power was not a trivial matter.

Moreover, the United States is a commercial country. It does not have the will to fight a protracted war, nor does it have the determination to engage in a decisive battle with the empire in the Pacific.

Zuo Chong frowned, looking very unconvinced, and said something like America is powerful and the empire is dangerous.

Mikawa and Yamamoto smiled knowingly, knowing that the other party was just making excuses to save face, so they stopped arguing with him.

After playing a few more rounds, Sanchuan suddenly turned his attention to He Yijun and asked with a smile.

"Ms. Yizi, are you a little afraid of us two old guys, so you don't speak?"

He Yijun glanced at the other person secretly and shook his head slightly, seeming to be very nervous.

"Okay, Sanchuan-kun, Miss Yizi should have recognized us."

Yamamoto did not use a pseudonym anymore, turned to look at Zuo Zhong and said meaningfully: "Mr. Shimizu, you should be the same, right?

Zuo Zhong pretended to be embarrassed, stood up and bowed deeply to the two men: "Greetings, Your Excellency the Admiral."

The old man sitting next to him was Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet and planner of Plan Z.

In the Japanese Navy, admiral is a respectful title for senior generals. After Pearl Harbor, Japanese people often called each other "admiral" to show respect.

Yamamoto didn't ask Zuo Zhong and the other man why they knew him. After the Combined Fleet successfully raided Honolulu, his photos were everywhere in the imperial newspapers.

Although there are some differences between the real person and the photo, he was not disguised today, so it is normal for the other party to recognize him.

"Please sit down, Mr. Shimizu. There are only card players here, not the Imperial Marshal."

Yamamoto looked friendly. He was very happy that "Shimizu" did not deliberately lose to him in the previous game of cards.

It is not easy to find a satisfactory poker partner. It would be a real disappointment if the difference in status between the two parties affects the fun of gambling.

Zuo Zhong's shoulder relaxed and he sat back down in his seat, and the card game continued.

After playing for a while, the atmosphere gradually became relaxed. Zuo Zhong seemed unwilling to give up and once again reminded Yamamoto to pay attention to the Solomon Islands.

Yamamoto had no doubt about this. Men were always interested in war, he pointed at Mikawa and said happily.

"Mikawa-kun, you have heard Mr. Shimizu's information, right? You must pay attention."

"Hai, Your Excellency the Marshal."

Sanchuan responded in a fake manner, which made Yamamoto very happy.

In response to the two people's teasing, Zuo Zhong directly called the casino waiter, took out a thick stack of banknotes and gently placed it on the table.

"Here is 10,000 yen. I have a bet with these two gentlemen. The winner can take it."

After saying that, Zuo Zhong winked at Sanchuan and Yamamoto, asking them whether to gamble or not.

Sanben's smile faded, his eyes sparkled, and he stretched out his right hand: "武士に二言はない (A samurai has no second words)."

Zuo Zhong high-fived him and they agreed that the competition would last for half a year, and the winner would win 10,000 yen. Yamamoto readily agreed.

Two hours later, the game was over. Sanchuan and Yamamoto, who had won several games in a row, returned home happily. Zuo Zhong and He Yijun also got in the car and returned to their residence.

On the way, He Yijun asked: "Why do you want to remind the other party to pay attention to the Solomon Islands? Will this affect the Americans' plans?"

Zuo Zhong signaled Wu Jingzhong, who was driving, to slow down, lit a cigarette and looked outside the car, saying this.

"As a gambler who believes in either big wins or big losses, arrogance is ingrained in him. Today's bet will only make him more confident in his own judgment.

Contact the Americans and tell them that the Eighth Fleet is responsible for the Solomon Sea security mission and its commander is Gunichi Mikawa.