cicada

Chapter 1473 Shadow
In the bustling city of Jiangcheng, He Yijun walked calmly among the crowd, seemingly oblivious to the Japanese and puppet troops and police just a few meters away.

A spy caught a glimpse of her wearing a kimono and immediately saluted respectfully, bending his waist to a ninety-degree angle.

Not long ago, several puppet soldiers spoke rudely to a Japanese woman, and as a result, they were dragged to Jiangbian and executed that same day, and their bodies were even thrown into the water to feed the fish.

But there are always blind people out there. As soon as He Yijun stepped into a small alley, three thugs followed her in furtively.

"Miss…"

Just as one of the thugs was about to make a taunting remark, He Yijun, who was walking in front, suddenly turned around and threw a punch at the man's Adam's apple. However, a second before hitting the target, she realized that such a strike was too professional and would be easily exposed, so she quickly changed her move.

The knuckles slammed into the thug's forehead, and a violent dizziness caused him to fall unconscious instantly. The other two thugs were stunned, not expecting the Japanese woman to be so ruthless.

He Yijun naturally wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass by. He seized the moment and quickly approached the two of them, clenching his fist and swinging it forcefully.

A few seconds later, she looked at the three unconscious people lying on the ground and reached out to pull the hairpin out of her hair bun.

After a while, several passersby screamed as they walked by. The three thugs had long since stopped breathing, their chests riddled with bloody holes, their deaths a gruesome sight.

News of the murder in the alley quickly attracted the attention of the Japanese and puppet police. An experienced detective examined the body and concluded that the murderer was a man, and a strong man at that; he was willing to bet his life on it.

Unaware that she had become a "strong man," He Yijun entered a private residence. The owner invited her inside and began to give a report.

"Director, after the Henan-Hunan-Guangxi Campaign, the Japanese army used the three towns of Jiangcheng as a springboard for combat and transportation, and stockpiled a large amount of combat materials, warplanes and troops."

"According to our reconnaissance, the airports at Wangjiadun, Nanhu, and Dongxihu were occupied by the Japanese Navy's 12th Air Group and the Army Air Force's 3rd Flying Regiment."

"These two air forces were equipped with Type 96 carrier-based fighters, Type 97 heavy bombers, and a small number of Zero fighters."

"There are anti-aircraft artillery positions in the urban area and around the airport, with Type 88 75mm anti-aircraft guns, Type 98 20mm machine guns, searchlights, and listening posts deployed."

The head of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Jiangcheng station recounted the Japanese military deployment in Jiangcheng in detail, reciting relevant intelligence fluently, demonstrating the considerable effort he had put in.

"The Japanese Navy also stationed the Nagajang Fleet permanently in Hankou Jiangmian, with ships including gunboats, destroyers, and transport ships."

"The headquarters of the Japanese 11th Army was located in the city center, and its subordinate 6th and 13th Divisions set up firing positions in Jiangtan to prevent low-altitude surprise attacks."

The stationmaster of Jiangcheng Station quickly reported the news, but then hesitated before telling He Yijun some bad news in a very serious tone.

"The Japanese are very cunning. They set up their supply warehouses and camps near residential areas, attempting to use the entire city's population as hostages. This must be made known to headquarters."

He Yijun remained expressionless. After arriving in Jiangcheng, she took a walk around the city and found that the facts were indeed as the other party had said: the Japanese were using civilians as shields.

However, some things are beyond the control of Zuo Zhong and even Dai Chunfeng, which is why she volunteered to come to Jiangcheng.

Before the Battle of Henan-Hunan-Guangxi was over, the U.S. military proposed a plan to launch a large-scale air raid on the Japanese forces around Jiangcheng, aiming to destroy the Japanese military facilities and logistical capabilities.

According to intelligence gathered by the Military Intelligence Bureau, in addition to this purpose, the US military also wanted to test the power of the new incendiary bomb through this air raid and accumulate experience for future bombing of the Japanese mainland.

Military advisors opposed the US military's proposal, arguing that the three towns had large shantytowns and the consequences of a fire would be unimaginable.

The top brass of the Nationalist government, including a certain individual, held a different attitude: neither approving nor opposing it.

The Americans understood the message and, ignoring the opposition, began preparations for the air strikes. Hundreds of B-29 and B-24 bombers were ready to take off at any time.

Zuo Zhong could not and could not accept this, so he sent people to Jiangcheng to try to reduce the damage to the people caused by the air raids. Even if the effect was negligible, it was better than doing nothing.

After listening to the report, He Yijun inquired again in detail about the distribution of Japanese listening posts and anti-aircraft artillery, as well as the locations of warehouses and camps, and marked them on the map of Jiangcheng in his mind.

Gradually, her brows furrowed. The Japanese defenses were extremely tight, and the bombing could not bypass the residential areas at all.

To avoid civilian casualties, the only option would be low-altitude precision bombing, but that would mean facing strong air defenses, and the Americans wouldn't suffer such heavy losses for the sake of the Republic of China's people.

He Yijun didn't say much to the stationmaster of Jiangcheng Station; he turned and left after the meeting.

Back in the intricate streets of Jiangcheng, she kept changing her clothes and clearing away any potential traces of her pursuers until night gradually fell over the three towns.

In a certain place in Hankou, a puddle reflected the neon sign of an upscale hotel. A well-dressed waiter pushed open the spring door, and He Yijun casually handed over a few banknotes and quickly walked into the hotel.

"Thank you, miss."

The waiter was overjoyed and led He Yijun to the stairs. Seeing that no one was around, he whispered that everything was normal.

He Yijun did not respond. She went up the stairs to a guest room on the third floor, opened the wardrobe, and gently knocked on the partition.

With a few rhythmic knocks, the partition was opened from the inside, and He Yijun stepped in. Another woman brushed past her, and the two women wore the same clothes and had the same hairstyle.

After He Yijun closed the partition, the woman silently lowered her head and cleaned the bottom of the wardrobe and the floor, wiping away the footprints and watermarks.

In the dark room behind the partition, several junior agents who had accompanied him stood up and greeted him: "Director He."

He Yijun waved his hand, walked to the table, sat down, explained the current situation, and asked everyone for suggestions.

The junior agents looked grave. Their original plan was to find a safe passage for the American bombing, avoiding the shantytowns filled with flammable materials, but now that seemed unrealistic. After a long silence, one of them suggested, "We can occupy the Japanese air raid listening posts before the bombing, and then choose a suitable time to sound the air raid sirens to warn the people."

Others objected: "The people are used to war and will not easily evacuate even if they hear the alarm."

Just like the story of the boy who cried wolf, the Kuomintang army and the US military launched air raids on the three towns of Jiangcheng from time to time for nearly half a year. However, most of them were high-altitude bombings with very poor accuracy, resulting in very little damage.

This led to locals completely ignoring air raid sirens; they continued to live and work as usual during air raids, and some even stood still to watch the spectacle.

He Yijun took out a map of Jiangcheng and looked at the dense residential areas on the map. After a few seconds of silence, she gave an order and had someone report the plan to Shancheng through a secret radio station.

The junior agents were taken aback when they heard the order, but they immediately stood at attention and replied "Yes, sir!" before dispersing to prepare.

The next morning, two junior agents arrived in a truck outside an oil shop in Hankou, where the shop assistant hurriedly went to greet them.

"Gentlemen, would you like to buy something?"

"Ket oil, six barrels. We are the purchasing agents for Xinghua Machinery Factory. The factory needs kerosene to clean parts."

The junior agent glanced at the nearby Japanese patrol and replied in the same Jiangcheng dialect. The agent accompanying him slowly walked to the side of the carriage and lowered the partition.

A big business deal had come knocking, and the shop assistant should have been happy, but as he accompanied the little spy into the store, he looked troubled.

"Sir, as instructed by the Locust Army, proof of intended use is required when purchasing kerosene, especially since you're buying so much. Weren't you aware of that?"

Before the man could finish speaking, the spy took out a good citizen certificate and a certificate of purpose from his pocket and handed them to the man. The certificate had a round stamp of the Japanese Navy on it, and the purpose section matched what he had said.

The Japanese navy on Changjiang had been cooperating with the Military Intelligence Bureau for several years. As long as they were paid enough, these navy naval dung would sell anything, including weapons and ammunition.

The passing Japanese patrol happened to witness this scene. The leader of the patrol paused and continued on his way, abandoning his plan to conduct a search.

The man held up the good citizen certificate and proof for a long time, and after confirming that there were no problems, he smiled again, warmly served the little spy a cup of good tea, and went to call someone to prepare the goods.

The six large barrels of kerosene were quite heavy, and several workers worked together to carry them into the carriage. The little spy readily paid, got on the train, and left.

The truck, billowing black smoke, drove towards Jiangbian. Thanks to the pass issued by the navy, the Japanese checkpoints along the way did not stop it in any way, and the vehicle arrived at the dock smoothly.

"Hurry up and get on the boat, there's not much time left."

There were people waiting to meet them at the dock. As soon as the truck came to a stop, a group of junior agents unloaded two barrels of kerosene and carried them onto a speedboat to Wuchang on the other side of the river.

Of the remaining four barrels of kerosene, two were unloaded in Hankou and the other two were sent to Hanyang, with their final destination being the shantytowns.

He Yijun glanced at her watch, turned around and walked into the crowd of pedestrians. Hundreds of meters away on the shore, the barrel of a Type 88 75mm anti-aircraft gun was pointed straight at the sky.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military airfield in Chengdu was bustling with activity, with countless technicians in white overalls working tirelessly around the massive B-29 bomber.

"Curtis, having come from Europe to Asia, are you adjusting to the weather here?"

Beside the flat, spacious runway, Allied Chief of Staff of the Republic of China Theater, Wedemeyer, was talking to a stern-faced middle-aged man.

The man was tall, and his rank indicated that he was a U.S. Army Major General. When faced with Wedemeyer's concern, the middle-aged man shrugged and looked indifferent.

"Chief of Staff, as you know, I don't have high material requirements, but I need more fuel and new types of incendiary bombs."

Wedemeyer stopped and said to him helplessly, "Curtis, this is the third time you've told me this. No wonder the army calls you 'Annoying Lee May'."

"But the new incendiary bomb is a recent invention of Harvard University. Its production, storage and transportation will take time. In the short term, you can only obtain 500 tons."

"As for fuel, it must be transported via the Hump. I will order India to send another 200 tons of aviation fuel to Chengdu by tomorrow."

Major General Curtis LeMay, the youngest major general in the U.S. Army Air Corps, smiled slyly. 500 tons of incendiary bombs were enough to bomb Jiangcheng; his target had always been fuel.

Looking up at the cloudless sky, Li Mei had a feeling that this attack would be a great success.

According to Flying Tigers captain Chennault's assessment, incendiary bombs were significantly more effective at damaging Asian houses than high-explosive bombs, and he shared the same view.

Of course, bombing will inevitably cause casualties to civilians in Jiangcheng, but this is war, and death is a normal thing.

Li Mei's gaze was indifferent, showing no concern for the hundreds of thousands of people from the Republic of China mentioned in the intelligence report. After all, no one in the mountain city objected, so he had no reason to feel sorry.

"Come on, guys, let's kick those Japanese asses in the butts!"

Li Mei clapped her hands and loudly reminded the pilots and technicians. Everyone responded with a roar, and the maintenance and inspection work sped up considerably.

Outside the airport, a Kuomintang agent put down his binoculars and picked up the phone: "Reporting to the Vice-Sir, the Americans' actions are accelerating."

Zuo Zhong's voice came through the microphone: "Keep a close watch on the plane. Report to me immediately once it takes off. If anything goes wrong, I'll hold you responsible."

"Yes, sir!" the little spy puffed out his chest.

As for Zuo Zhong, after hanging up the phone, he stared at the coded telegram on the table for a long time without saying a word. He Yijun's move was very risky, but the reward was also great, making it worth the risk for the Military Intelligence Bureau.