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Chapter 1401 1943
As time entered the first half of 1943, the world's anti-French situation had undergone tremendous changes, and there were also major developments on the battlefields in Asia and Europe.

From January 1 to 14, the President of the United States and the British Prime Minister Mr. Q held a meeting in Casablanca, and they unanimously decided to continue the war against Germany, Italy and Japan until the unconditional surrender of these three countries.

On February 2, Red Russia won a decisive victory in the Battle of Volgograd. German Field Marshal Paulus led his troops to surrender, and about 2 German troops were captured. Red Russia thus entered a full-scale counterattack stage.

On February 2, the US military completely occupied Guadalcanal Island, marking the Japanese army's transition to strategic defense in the Pacific battlefield.

The Japanese army suffered heavy losses in this battle, with about 3 soldiers dying due to lack of supplies. The US military further seized the initiative in the South Pacific and greatly weakened the Japanese army's strength.

In late February, the wife set off for the United States and delivered a speech in the U.S. Congress, calling on the U.S. to support the Republic of China's war of resistance, which caused a sensation across the country.

At the same time, Japan signed an agreement with Vichy France to take over Yangcheng Bay in full. The last free trading port in the Republic of China was blocked. However, Shancheng increased the friction with the underground party at this time.

As the Kuomintang's top intelligence agency, the Military Intelligence Bureau was ordered to participate in intelligence activities in the Northwest. As a result, in less than half a month, dozens of agents sent to the Northwest by Dai Chunfeng were arrested.

The Northwest Representative Office published the names and positions of the arrested persons in the "New Plow News", which effectively exposed the reactionary behavior of the Guo Party. This incident made Lao Dai very embarrassed, and he ordered the Nth internal screening.

On this day, the US representative to the Military Control Commission, Melrose, suddenly called and made an appointment with Zuo Chong. Deputy Director Zuo, who was tracking down an underground party mole, gladly accepted the appointment. Anyway, the identification would not produce any results, and he couldn't just hand himself over.

The two met in a cafe. As soon as Zuo Zhong sat down, Melos handed him a document with a bright red top-secret stamp on the cover.

After reading the contents of the document, Zuo Zhong asked in confusion: "Lao Mei, are you planning to assassinate Yamamoto?"

In his previous life, he didn't understand why the Americans did this. For a war, the life and death of a commander was not important and could not affect the entire situation.

Yamamoto was indeed the leading tactical master in the Japanese Navy, but the Etajima Naval Academy had been open for decades, and the Japanese actually had no shortage of talented naval generals.

For example, Yamamoto's close friend and classmate Hori Teikichi, who advocated a balance between military and politics and opposed excessive expansion of the navy.

This man foresaw the risk of failure in the Battle of Midway. If he had commanded the Combined Fleet, the Japanese Navy's strategy might have been more pragmatic and dangerous.

Therefore, killing Yamamoto would not only fail to solve the problem, but would instead stimulate the Japanese Navy and drag the war into the abyss of unlimited combat.

Hearing Zuo Zhong's question, Melrose shrugged and said, "Washington doesn't want to see Yamamoto alive. You know, he was the main planner and executor of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the people hate him very much."

Zuo Zhong nodded slightly when he heard this. The Pearl Harbor incident caused thousands of casualties among American soldiers, which made American society deeply angry and ashamed, and regarded Yamamoto as the "number one enemy" who must be liquidated.

Thinking of this, he gasped. Damn! If the Americans knew the role played by the Military Control Commission in this matter, would he, Zuo, also be targeted?

Realizing the danger, Zuo Zhong coughed lightly twice, then looked at Melos with an even brighter smile and continued to listen to the other party's introduction of the plan to assassinate Yamamoto.

"In addition, the Joint Chiefs of Staff analyzed that Yamamoto was the soul of the Combined Fleet, and his military talent and leadership were unmatched in the Japanese Navy. His death would lead to a collapse in Japanese morale and seriously weaken the Japanese command system."

Melrose whispered the conclusion of the US senior officials, but his face showed an indifferent expression. It was obvious that his thoughts were consistent with Zuo Zhong's, and he did not agree with the analysis of those West Point elites.

After saying this, Melos stopped and took a few sips of coffee, leaving Zuo Chong enough time to think, and then spoke again.

"Yamamoto was not only a military leader, the Japanese government also portrayed him as an 'unbeatable god of war'. Killing Yamamoto would not only undermine the confidence of the Japanese people, but also show the world America's determination to fight back."

"Considering our past cooperation, Washington believes that you, Mr. Zuo, are the best candidate to be the commander of this operation. We are willing to provide all possible assistance."

Zuo Zhong suddenly realized that it was for propaganda purposes. To use the words of later generations: Yamamoto is not important, and whether or not the Combined Fleet can be defeated is not important, but not having Yamamoto is very important to the Americans.

He raised his cup and clinked it with Melos's, smiling, "It's a pleasure to work with you."

"It's a pleasure working with you." Melos also had a smile on his face. If he could kill Yamamoto, he would become a real general instead of a brigadier general in name only.

Another intelligence cooperation between the Kuomintang government and the United States began. The first thing Zuo Zhong had to do was to find Yamamoto. Through Ozawa, Hase Ryosuke and Hayashi Fuichiro, the Military Control Commission successfully obtained Yamamoto's whereabouts - Rabaul.

Rabaul, located on the island of New Britain in the western Pacific, was a German colony from 1910 to 1919, and was later governed by the Australian government. Due to its key location, Rabaul was the frontline combat center of the Japanese army in the southwest Pacific, where many important agencies such as the Southeast Fleet Command, the th Air Wing, and the Eighth Army Command were stationed, responsible for the defense and offensive missions in the Solomon Islands, New Guinea and other places.

The process by which the Military Intelligence Bureau determined Yamamoto's location was not complicated. After receiving Zuo Zhong's order, Lin Fuichiro analyzed an important clue from the Ministry of Finance's funding data for Rabaul.

The Combined Fleet built an underground bunker in Rabaul that far exceeded ordinary needs. Not only was the bunker huge in scale, but it also purchased a large number of military radio stations.

Ozawa also used the ship's radio to report that Yamamoto rarely appeared in Truk, the base of the Combined Fleet, and that every time there was a military meeting, there would always be several planes landing at Truk Airport.

Although Ryosuke Hase, who is located in Shanghai, is far away from the battlefield and the Japanese center, the intelligence he provides is the most important. One of his business partners works with Yamamoto, and the telegrams he recently sent all came from Rabaul.

All these information proved one thing: Yamamoto was most likely commanding the Combined Fleet in a secret bunker in Rabaul, and Zuo Zhong's arrangements within the Japanese army over the years played a huge role at this moment.

Looking at the intelligence on the Japanese army in Rabaul collected by the Military Intelligence Bureau, Zuo Chong found a familiar name on it, the commander of the Japanese Eighth Area Army, Imamura Hitoshi.

[Imamura Hitoshi, born on June 1886.6.28, , Lieutenant General of the Army, Note: Expected to be promoted to General in the near future, Affiliation: Commander of the Eighth Army of Japan]

Holding the file of Imamura Hitoshi in his hand, Zuo Zhong's eyes were full of coldness. Some people in later generations regarded Imamura Hitoshi as a "moderate" because he led the Japanese army to cultivate the land in Rabaul, seemed to be peaceful, and then led his troops to surrender to the Australian army.

But these people have forgotten that when this old devil was the commander of the Fifth Division, he launched a large-scale "mopping-up" operation in northern Shandong, killing countless people in Shandong province, even sparing newborn children.

Later, he ordered the use of poison gas when attacking Lianshui in Jiangsu Province. His hands are stained with the blood of the people of the Republic of China. If there is a chance this time, we must dig a big hole for him.

Zuo Zhong put down the file, closed his eyes and thought for a long time. He decided that the fake identity of Shimizu Mamito should be reactivated, as Yamamoto still owed him 1373 yen (Section ).

After a while, he suddenly opened his eyes. He had already made a general plan for this operation. If he wanted to get rid of Yamamoto, the key might fall on Imamura Hitoshi.

After the Eighth Army and the Southeast Fleet occupied Rabaul, this originally quiet town became an important war base. Within just a few months, the Japanese engineering corps launched a large-scale port expansion project to accommodate more warships and transport ships.

In order to achieve the goal of long-term independent combat, Imamura Jungang established several factories in Rabaul as soon as he took over as commander of the Eighth Army, and many Japanese businessmen invested here.

Therefore, using investment as an excuse to go to Rabaul will not only not arouse the suspicion of the Japanese, but will also give the Australians an unforgettable memory in the future. Zuo Zhong's fingers tapped the table slowly, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes.
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In early March 1943, at the headquarters of the Japanese Eighth Area Army, Imamura Hitoshi, who had just been promoted to general, was listening to reports from his subordinates on the industrial construction on the island.

"Commander, the arsenal and tunnels have been completed, and the machinery repair shop, steel mill, and rubber processing plant invested by the Empire merchants will also be put into use."

"With the help of the island's specialties and scrap weapons, the imperial warriors can hold out for a year or even longer without support from their homeland."

After the Japanese officer finished his report and closed the document, his face full of admiration. Ever since Imamura Jun determined the strategy of self-sufficiency, the material supplies of the Eighth Front Army have gradually become abundant.

At least some common ammunition no longer needed to be transported from the distant Mite Island or the mainland. The empire could focus its precious transportation capacity on transporting food, and the morale of the soldiers was greatly boosted.

But Imamura Hitoshi was not satisfied with the current results. He frowned and asked his subordinates: "What about the grain processing plant? Isn't there anyone willing to invest?"

The most important thing in logistics supply is food. No weapons can be made by oneself, but without food, even the most elite soldiers cannot fight on an empty stomach.

The subordinate lowered his head quickly and called out to Smimasai, "I'm sorry, Commander, opening a grain processing plant requires transporting grain from outside the island, and the merchants think it's not profitable, so..."

Seeing the other party hesitate to speak, Imura Jun cursed: "Baga, these damn non-nationals!"

Before he had even finished cursing, another Japanese officer knocked on the door and entered the office, reporting good news to him.

"Commander, an imperial merchant named Shimizu Mato has brought a large amount of grain. He wants to open a processing plant on the island. I would like to ask for your approval."

"Nani?"

Imamura Jun was both surprised and delighted. It seemed that there were still loyal people among the businessmen. He immediately asked someone to invite Kiyomizu Mato over and prepared to have a good chat with him.