cicada

Chapter 1412 Instigation
Zhou Fushui sized up the young man in front of him, asking about his background: "This gentleman looks unfamiliar. May I ask which of my fellow townsmen you are a descendant of?"

With such a generous gift in hand, he spoke very politely. Of course, if someone came empty-handed, they wouldn't even get to see him, the vice premier of the puppet government's executive branch.

The young man smiled slightly and glanced at the butler beside him. Zhou Fushui understood that there was something confidential to discuss, so he waved for the butler to leave, but the guards remained standing in place.

"and many more."

Suddenly, the young man spoke up to stop the butler's actions. Under Zhou Fushui's surprised and suspicious gaze, he asked a question.

"Don't worry, butler. You went to the Delin Incense and Candle Shop in the city on the fifth day of last month, right?"

The butler immediately broke out in a cold sweat and took two steps back in terror. The young man smiled faintly and then said a few more things about the butler.

"Also last month, your parents back home received a remittance of 1,000 yen. The month before that, someone sent jewelry to your wife. Vice President Zhou, were you aware of these things?"

Zhou Fushui's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He wasn't stupid; how could he not know that his steward had been bribed and turned into someone else's spy?

The young man continued his story, and Zhou Fushui's expression grew increasingly grim, because the real owner of the Delin Incense and Candle Shop was Li Shiqun, and there were even Japanese influences behind it.

Zhou Fushui slammed his fist on the table, and the guards immediately dragged the limp steward out. Death was the only thing waiting for him; there was no other possibility.

As faint sounds of pleas for mercy and screams drifted from outside the door, Zhou Fushui composed himself, coldly invited the visitor to sit down, and probed his intentions.

"Are you from Chongqing or the Northwest? No need for further words. I, Zhou, am loyal to Mr. Ji and would never betray him."

The young man sat down with an air of authority and directly stated his identity: "I am Wu Chunyang, the director of the First Intelligence Division of the Military Intelligence Bureau. You should have heard of me, Vice President Zhou."

Zhou Fushui jumped up from the sofa. How could he not know Wu Chunyang? It was said that Wu Chunyang was Zuo Zhong's confidant and held the rank of colonel.

Recalling the great things Zuo Chong had done, Zhou Fushui felt a prickling sensation on his back. He subconsciously looked around, fearing that Zuo Chong might jump out from behind the curtains or somewhere else at any moment.

It wasn't that he was paranoid; rather, for traitors, the name Zuo Zhong was synonymous with death. The number of traitors killed by the Kuomintang could circle Nanjing more than once.

However, Zhou Fushui immediately realized that if Shancheng really wanted to do something to him, Wu Chunyang would not need to reveal his identity. So he sat back down on the sofa, but his expression became much more respectful.

Seeing that he had regained his composure, Wu Chunyang handed him a letter: "Vice Dean Zhou, this is a letter from your friend in Shancheng, which is enough to prove my identity. I am here today to ask you for a favor."

Zhou Fushui took the letter, opened it, and saw that it was indeed his old friend's handwriting. He immediately returned the letter with both hands.

Seemingly satisfied with his performance, Wu Chunyang nodded slightly and explained his purpose, stating that the Military Intelligence Bureau planned to eliminate Li Shiqun.

"Li's actions are becoming increasingly arrogant. The leader and Director Dai hate him to the extreme and demand that this villain be eliminated as soon as possible. Can Vice President Zhou give me some advice?"

Upon hearing that the Military Intelligence Bureau was going to punish Li Shiqun, Zhou Fushui's emotions were somewhat complicated. He felt a mix of frustration, a sense of shared loss, and excitement.

After careful consideration, he offered three strategies: superior, medium, and inferior.

The worst option is to send an assassin to carry out the murder.

The middle strategy was to exploit the conflict between Li Shiqun and other high-ranking officials of the puppet government to kill someone else.

The best strategy is similar to the middle strategy, except that the target of the manipulation is the Japanese.

Zhou Fushui then analyzed the difficulty of the three plans one by one. He believed that Li Shiqun was a cautious person with very tight security around him, making the assassination risk extremely high.

As for the middle and best strategies, the key lies in whether a suitable "knife" can be found. At this point, Zhou Fushui mentioned two Japanese people.

“Mr. Wu, Li’s relationship with Shibayama Kenshiro, the Japanese military advisor to the puppet government, and Okamura, the captain of the Nanjing Military Police, is not good. Although Li is pro-Japanese, he has a strong desire for power and is unwilling to become a puppet of Japan.”

"But Shibayama often interfered with the operations of No. 76, which led to an increasingly tense relationship between the two. I heard that Li also killed many Japanese informants."

Zhou Fushui spoke eloquently, naturally placing himself on the side of Shancheng. When talking about "Li the Traitor" and "the Puppet Government," he was very clear and unambiguous, vividly demonstrating what it means to be a fence-sitter who turns with the wind.

Upon hearing this, Wu Chunyang became interested and asked the other party to tell him the specific details. Zhou Fushui readily complied and recounted the conflict between Li Shiqun and the Japanese side in detail.

It turned out that Shibayama Kenshiro suspected that high-ranking officials of the puppet government were colluding with Yamashiro, so he ordered Okamura, the captain of the Nanjing Military Police, to send people to monitor these people. The monitoring list also included the head of the No. 76 secret service.

Upon hearing the news, Li Shiqun launched an investigation within the 76th Division, arresting many Japanese informants. When Okamura learned that his spy had been arrested, he repeatedly asked Li for his release, but was refused each time.

That wasn't the end of it. Fearing that the Japanese would forcibly take the people, Li Shiqun simply poisoned all the suspects, causing a huge uproar.

As Zhou Fushui spoke, he observed Wu Chunyang's reaction. Seeing that the other party was listening attentively, he took the opportunity to state his position.

"Director Wu, could you please pass on a message to Director Dai and Deputy Director Zuo? I, Zhou, am willing to atone for my crimes through meritorious service. If Director Dai wants Li's head, I am willing to serve him with utmost loyalty." Not long ago, the German army in North Africa suffered a crushing defeat, and its complete surrender was only a matter of time. Rommel was also recalled to Germany.

In the Pacific Ocean, Yamamoto, the key figure of the Japanese Navy, died on Bougainville Island, and many islands that had been occupied were lost one by one, making the situation extremely dire.

A clever man like Zhou Fushui had long seen that the Japanese were already on their last legs. Now that the Military Intelligence Bureau had come knocking, it was a great opportunity for him to switch sides and at least have more contact with them.

Wu Chunyang understood his thoughts and had a long, friendly conversation with him. When the conversation ended, the two bid each other a reluctant farewell in front of the Zhou residence.

Releasing Zhou Fushui's hand, Wu Chunyang strode into the crowds on the streets of Jinling, then took different modes of transportation to begin counter-surveillance, observing whether there were any tailers behind him.

As night fell, Wu Chunyang, now in disguise, arrived in the Xiaguan area. Having endured the ravages of war and the exploitation by the puppet government, the area was now teeming with beggars and impoverished people.

He trudged through the muddy ground, slipped under low eaves, skillfully navigated the complex streets and alleys, and finally knocked on a door to enter a wooden house.

"How is it?" In the center of the wooden house, a person holding a book asked without looking up.

"Chief, Zhou Fushui has agreed to cooperate. He suggested that we take advantage of the conflict between Li Zicheng and the Japanese to carry out the plan."

The man reading looked up, and the oil lamp on the table illuminated his face, revealing him to be Wu Chunyang. The young man who had met Zhou Fushui earlier was clearly a fake.

Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Wu Chunyang closed the book and asked again, "Have you given Zhou Fushui the email address and contact information for future communication?"

The imposter posing as Wu Chunyang nodded: "I did say that, but Chief, is Zhou Fushui just trying to brush us off?"

Putting down his book, Wu Chunyang walked to the door, glanced at the vigilant agents around him, turned back with a faint smile, and uttered something startling.

"Zhou Fushui was obviously just giving us the runaround."

The junior agent looked surprised, but then heard Wu Chunyang add, "But it's true that he wants to deal with Li Shiqun, and that's enough."

This statement is a bit convoluted, but it's easy to understand. Regardless of whether Zhou Fushui wants to join the Nationalist government, both sides share the same interest in eliminating Li Shiqun.

Li Shiqun was originally a confidant of Zhou Fushui, and the two had even become sworn brothers. They had a close relationship in the early days of the puppet government.

At the end of 1939, Ji and Zhou Fushui decided that Ding Mocun would be the Minister of Police and Li Shiqun would be the Vice Minister. Li Shiqun was very dissatisfied with this and asked to be appointed as the Minister, but this did not happen.

In 1940, Li Shiqun suggested the establishment of an armed tax police regiment. Zhou Fushui initially agreed and even planned to have Li Shiqun in charge, but he reneged on his promise at the last minute.

After the aforementioned events, the two went from being good brothers to becoming sworn enemies who would never speak to each other again, seizing any opportunity to stab each other in the back.

Wu Chunyang glanced at the calendar on the wall. Xu Jili should make his move soon. If everything goes smoothly, Li Shiqun's life is about to enter its final countdown.

Compared to the chaos of the Xiaguan slums, the area around Confucius Temple was bustling with activity, showing no trace of the war or the massacre. Well-dressed gentlemen and ladies were going in and out of various upscale restaurants.

Inside one of the restaurants, Xu Jili and Gangcun, the captain of the Nanjing Military Police, were drinking heavily, their faces flushed. There were also performers accompanying them, making for a lively scene.

"Xu Sang, a loyal subject of your empire."

Gangcun gave a thumbs up, slurring his words in his drunken stupor. Then he slammed his fist on the table, cursing that some people disobeyed the Locust Army's orders and should all be killed.

Xu Jili quickly filled his glass with wine, pretending to be curious and asking who had disobeyed military orders, but secretly he was delighted.

If nothing unexpected happens, Okamura is referring to Li Shiqun. Now, without any prompting, Okamura has already set his sights on that traitorous scoundrel.

Sure enough, Gangcun glared with bloodshot eyes and roared, "Li Shiqun, this ungrateful dog, I will kill him! I swear!"

The performers trembled with fear. Xu Jili told them to leave first, and then leaned against Gangcun, muttering to himself.

"Mr. Gangcun, I heard that a few years ago, the Military Intelligence Bureau sent someone to try to win over Li Shiqun. At that time, the Locust Army was preparing to arrest the Military Intelligence Bureau agent in charge of the defection, but the agent mysteriously disappeared. Is that true?"

"Didn't you ever think about why this person disappeared? There aren't many people in Shanghai who are capable of helping Kuomintang agents escape."

Okamura paused, his hand holding the wine glass still, countless thoughts swirling in his mind, and the murderous intent in his eyes grew stronger.

Upon seeing this, Xu Jili's lips curled slightly. Once the seed of doubt was planted, it would soon sprout. His work was over.

Li Shiqun, who had just stepped off the Blue Steel Express, shivered. He looked around suspiciously, and seeing nothing amiss, quickened his pace toward the exit.

Steam rose from beneath the train, and swirling white mist gradually enveloped the platform, with figures moving back and forth like a silent play.