cicada

Chapter 1458 [400]

"Mosimoxi?"

Kenjiro Shibayama answered the phone and said "hello".

The person on the other end of the phone seemed to be saying something, and Shibayama listened while exclaiming things like "Nani!", looking very surprised.

"Okay, I'll send someone to take over immediately. You must ensure their safety, and this matter must be kept strictly confidential."

After saying that, Chai Shan hung up the phone and went out for a while. When he came back, he looked at Ban Jun with a half-smile and raised his hand to signal him to continue the previous topic.

"Bansan, please tell me, I'm very curious about your bargaining chip."

Ban Jun placed his teacup on the table and, mustering his courage, revealed a secret: "I have a subordinate in the upper echelons of the Ministry of the Interior, and he hasn't left yet."

Kenjiro Shibayama paused for a moment, his expression somewhat strange, but he still smiled and nodded.

“This is a very good start, but Bansan, let’s talk about this later. I’d like to invite you to meet a friend first.”

He kept everyone in suspense, closing his eyes and remaining silent, but the slight upturn of his lips proved that he was in a good mood.

The grandfather clock on the cabinet ticked away, and the room fell silent. Ban Jun drank cup after cup of tea, his expression growing increasingly uneasy.

Kenshiro Shibayama secretly opened his eyes a crack, and seeing this scene, he became even more smug, and even had the leisure to hum a little tune.

About forty minutes later, footsteps came from outside the door, and Ban Jun and Chai Shan looked up almost simultaneously.

"Wow~~"

The shoji door to the Japanese-style room was pulled open from the outside, and several Japanese agents stood in the corridor with one person between them. Ban Jun's face turned ashen.

Shibayama Kenshiro clapped his hands and instructed his subordinates, "Alright, please ask Mr. Du to leave."

Upon hearing the order, the agents pulled Du Ziteng around and left. Before leaving, he exchanged a glance with Ban Jun and lowered his head.

Seeing the dumbfounded Ban Jun, Shibayama Kenshiro laughed heartily and said to him with a hint of smugness.

"Bansan, your chips are in my hands now, it seems you've lost."

Ban Jun looked dejected and didn't answer. Seeing this, Chai Shan became even happier. After a while, he stopped laughing, poured himself a cup of tea, and said something to comfort him.

"Although your subordinate has been arrested, Bansang, I have seen your sincerity. I will ask Jisang to arrange a position for you as soon as possible."

As someone well-versed in the history of the Republic of China, Shibayama Kenshiro clearly understood the significance of spending a fortune to acquire a horse's bones.

Even though Du Ziteng was already in his hands, he still agreed to Ban Jun's request in order to lure more rebels to join him.

Upon hearing this, Ban Jun showed his gratitude and quickly stood up to bow in thanks, thus putting on a show of harmony between him and Chai Shan.

The atmosphere at the scene immediately relaxed considerably. Ban Jun sat down again and cautiously inquired about how Du Ziteng had been arrested.

"Arrested? No, Dusan has turned to the light." Chai Shan said.
-
earlier.

Inside the Ministry of the Interior of the puppet government, Minister Zong Yao felt his head buzzing and his vision go black when he heard what Du Ziteng said.

"I am a member of the underground Communist Party."

These five words were like a bomb, blasting Zong Yao into a panic and leaving him completely disoriented.

He never dreamed that Du Ziteng, who was the first to defect with Mr. Ji, would be an underground party member.

As Zong Yao felt a chill run down his spine, he also wondered how much top-secret intelligence had flowed from Du Ziteng's hands to the Northwest over the years. If this matter were exposed, countless people would be implicated.

The next moment, this veteran KMT official realized his precarious situation and retreated in fear, lest the other party harm him.

Du Ziteng smiled wryly and raised his hand to stop Zong Yao: "Minister, you don't need to be afraid. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't be stupid enough to reveal my identity."

Zong Yao thought about it and agreed, so he slowly walked back to Du Ziteng's side and asked him a question with trepidation.

"Old Du, are you trying to turn me to the enemy? I cannot agree to that. My whole family is in Nanjing, and I cannot serve the country alongside you."

"But don't worry, I'll pretend I didn't hear what you said. We'll still be colleagues, and we'll keep to ourselves."

The situation has become increasingly chaotic recently, and Zong Yao also wants to leave himself a way out. As for Ji's cultivation and trust, he can only apologize.

Du Ziteng glanced at Zong Yao strangely and coughed lightly: "Minister, I want to pledge allegiance to the Japanese."

"What? You want to be a Han too?"

Halfway through his sentence, perhaps realizing there was something wrong with what he said, Zong Yao quickly changed his words.

"It's the right thing to join the Locust Army! There's no good ending with those redheads. I was just testing you, Lao Du, to see if you were truly surrendering."

Having heard both good and bad things from this guy, Du Ziteng had to admire his quick wit. Thinking of this, he quietly made a request.

“Minister, of course I surrender sincerely. To be honest, my superior has been arrested. Although I am safe for the time being, it is only a matter of time before I am arrested.”

"Could you please introduce me to Commander Shibayama? I'm afraid the Japanese might torture me if I surrender directly."

Zong Yao did not immediately agree, but carefully considered the pros and cons of doing so. Helping with the introduction was no small matter. If Du Ziteng had truly surrendered, the introduction would indeed give him face in front of the Japanese. However, he feared that Du Ziteng might have ulterior motives.

No one who could rise to the rank of minister in a puppet government was a fool. After much deliberation, Zong Yao finally made his decision.

Determining whether Du Ziteng was lying was the Japanese's job, but regardless, his role in the introduction was undeniable.

Realizing there was something to gain, Zong Yao's expression changed. He straightened up, adopted a serious posture, and reached for the phone.

"Connect me to the advisory department and find Chief Shibayama."

Once the call was connected, Zongyao reported the situation to Chaishan in detail. After hanging up, he called a guard to stand outside the office.

Then, the two of them each lit a cigarette, and neither of them spoke again.

Less than twenty minutes later, a group of Japanese agents arrived at the Ministry of the Interior and took Du Ziteng away. Zong Yao sighed as he watched their retreating figures.

With Du Ziteng surrendering himself, the new government is likely to be in chaos for a while. The fact that the Deputy Minister of the Interior is an underground party member will surely shock many people.

Suddenly, Zong Yao realized that he hadn't reported to Ji yet, so he quickly made a phone call to Madam Ji.

As he expected, the fact that Du Ziteng was a dissident caused a huge uproar in Nanjing, with many members of the puppet government cursing him.

Regardless of how the traitors broke through his defenses, Du Ziteng underwent detailed questioning on the day he surrendered.

For example, code names, experiences, tasks previously performed, etc.

The Japanese corroborated these contents with Ban Jun's confession, and the results were basically consistent, which greatly satisfied Shibayama Kenshiro.

It's normal for them to be basically the same; it's only problematic if they're exactly the same, since human memory is limited.

Soon, Du Ziteng regained his freedom, and his position remained unchanged; he continued to serve as the Vice Minister of the Interior.

That evening, Shibayama Kenshiro invited Ban Jun and Du Ziteng to a banquet. The three of them sat on the second floor of a restaurant on the banks of the Qinhuai River.

The lights projected onto the river like twinkling stars. Chai Shan pointed out the window, his tone filled with deep emotion.

"Gentlemen, what a beautiful view! I think it's just as beautiful as it was before the war. This proves the correctness of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere."

"If the Empire had not intervened in time, the despicable white people would have destroyed all of this, and the future of Asia can only be decided by Asians."

Ban Jun and Du Ziteng felt nauseous listening to this utter nonsense, but on the surface, they both nodded in agreement.

Unaware of anything amiss, Shibayama Kenshiro continued to boast and even pulled Ban Jun and Du Ziteng's hands together.

"I hope that the two of you can work together sincerely in the future. Let bygones be bygones. As long as Bansang and Dusang are truly dedicated to serving the Empire, the Empire will never treat you unfairly."

Ban Jun responded loudly with a "Hai!", but Du Ziteng seemed hesitant, sitting there helplessly without saying a word.

Chai Shan's expression was displeased, and he coldly snorted, "Du Sang, do you disagree with what I said?"

"No, Commander Shibayama, it is I...it is I."

Du Ziteng hesitated for a while, then Ban Jun nudged him and gestured for him to answer quickly.

Finally, Du Ziteng spoke up: "Commander Chai Shan, someone sent me a threatening letter, using my identity to blackmail me into becoming a double agent."

Kenjiro Shibayama narrowed his eyes, a hint of mockery flashing in them, and waved his hand to reassure Du Ziteng.

"Dusan, as a partner of the Great Japanese Empire, the Locust Army will certainly guarantee your safety."

"If they send another threatening letter, please hand it over to me for handling. Perhaps we can teach them a lesson they won't forget."

Du Ziteng breathed a sigh of relief and quickly thanked Chai Shan, but in his heart he was recalling his conversation with Xing Hanliang that night.

"Uncle, the vice-commander hopes you can surrender to the Japanese to avoid being threatened."

"Considering there may be spies in the Northwest, the news of your and Ban Jun's feigned surrender cannot be leaked yet. I will be in charge of contacting you for the time being."

"After you surrender, you can mention the threatening letter and observe Shibayama Kenshiro's reaction to see if he is aware of it."

"When the time is right, the Vice-Chancellor will contact the highest levels in the Northwest directly to inform you of your situation."

The memory abruptly ended, and Du Ziteng confirmed that Zuo Zhong's speculation was correct. It seemed that Shibayama Kenshiro really knew who the threatening letter was, otherwise his reaction would not have been so calm.

Ban Jun's attention also fell on Chai Shan. Xing Hanliang also conveyed a message to him through Yuqin, mainly about three things.

The first rule is that Du Ziteng will feign surrender. He needs to reveal Du Ziteng's identity to the Japanese within a specified time to gain greater trust.

Secondly, he, Du Ziteng, Xing Hanliang, and Yuqin will form an intelligence team, codenamed [400].

The group's mission is to infiltrate the high-ranking officials of the Japanese puppet regime. The intelligence they obtain will be shared by both parties in the future, but for now they are only under the command of Zuo Chong.

Furthermore, Lin Miaoyin's identity is uncertain, and the possibility that she is a spy for the Kuomintang or the Japanese puppet regime cannot be ruled out.

Ban Jun raised his wine glass and clinked it with Shibayama Kenshiro's, his mind racing as he considered the purpose of Zuo Zhong's arrangement.

He had a feeling that his old classmate's arrangements were not so simple, but he didn't know who the other party's target was.