cicada

Chapter 1474 Fire starts
Hankou has the largest shantytown in Jiangcheng, where residents include victims of the 31-year flood as well as ordinary people who lost their homes due to war a few years ago.

These people lived in very simple conditions, mostly in duck sheds or huts, where you could reach the top and have to bend over to get in.

Due to the large population and lack of sewage pipes, the sanitation conditions here are extremely poor. In winter, murky water flows freely, and in summer, mosquitoes and flies swarm, and various diseases are prevalent.

In this shantytown that can be described as hell on earth, He Yijun, dressed in a nun's habit, stepped over a mud pit with her head down.

A few meters away, a corpse emitted a pungent stench in the cold wind. The children playing nearby, however, showed no discomfort at the sight and instead surrounded He Yijun, asking for candy.

Before the outbreak of war, Jiangcheng was known as the Chicago of the East, attracting merchants from all over the world and having a very active church.

After the Japanese army occupied Jiangcheng, they did not make things too difficult for these priests and nuns, because the church had a huge influence in the Western world and was difficult to deal with.

He Yijun took out candy and distributed it to the children. She then strode into the heart of the shantytown, with several petty spies carrying oil cans following her at a distance.

The group quietly walked to the outside of a shed. He Yijun stood by the roadside, looked around, and made a gesture. A junior agent immediately entered the shed, while the others dispersed around to keep watch.

After waiting a few minutes, the little spy poked his head out and nodded slightly. He Yijun then turned around and left with his men.

Next, she and the little spy traveled all over the shantytowns of Hankou, leaving one person behind in each shantytown until night fell.

Once all the spies behind him had disappeared, He Yijun went into a shack and sat down. Time passed by, and the shantytown gradually became quiet.

Late at night, she opened a hidden compartment in the corner of the room, inside which was a radio wrapped in oil paper.

Meanwhile, U.S. air force units stationed in Chengdu were making final preparations for the bombing.

One by one, M69 incendiary bombs were carried out of the ammunition depot, and ground crew used trolleys to transport them to the tarmac, where pilots then loaded them into the bomb bay of the B-29 bomber.

Li Mei stood in the darkness, reached out to feel the wind speed, and turned to instruct the staff officer beside him.

"Tell the lads to use aerial cameras to photograph the fire after the bombing and record how quickly the incendiary bombs spread through the residential areas."

"Furthermore, tell the intelligence agencies of the Republic of China that the Allies need detailed records of the lethal radius of incendiary bombs. This is for the great cause of the anti-French war, understand?"

The staff officer was somewhat shocked, never expecting the general in front of him to say such cold-blooded words. But seeing the general's stern expression, he swallowed his objection and raised his hand in salute.

Some of the American pilots who received LeMay's orders were indifferent, some frowned slightly, and some cursed under their breath.

But whatever their thoughts were, an order was an order, and they had to carry it out.

The brightly lit airport was still bustling with activity, and the agents at the Kuomintang surveillance point outside the barbed wire fence were also busy, with the person in charge connecting the telephone line to the headquarters in the mountain city.

Zuo Zhong was in his office at the moment, with the ashtray on his desk piled high with cigarette butts. The moment the phone rang, he immediately picked up the receiver and put it to his ear.

"Co-pilot, according to our intelligence, the US military plans to take off at dawn."

"Okay, continue monitoring."

After giving the order, Zuo Zhong leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes to rest, and the fingers that kept tapping his knees proved that he was not calm.

The clock ticked away, and the mountain city outside the window was still in its darkest hour before dawn, but Chengdu had already welcomed the first rays of sunlight.

Theoretically, Chongqing is east of Chengdu and should see the sun earlier. However, due to the difference in terrain, the sunrise time in Chengdu is actually earlier.

At 6:15 a.m., the Chengdu spy called headquarters again to report the movements of the US military aircraft to Zuo Zhong.

两人通话的时候，美军第20轰炸机司令部的94架B-29轰炸机，飞虎队的80架B-24轰炸机、P-51战斗机先后从蓉城机场起飞，扑向1000公里外的茳城。

The deafening roar of engines drew Chengdu residents out of their homes, and a massive swarm of aircraft, blotting out the sun, gathered and flew eastward, creating a spectacular scene.

Taking the B-29, the fastest flying aircraft, as an example, it would take two hours for a bomber group to fly from Chengdu to Jiangcheng.

However, if factors such as takeoff and climb, formation assembly, flying around terrain, avoiding enemy aircraft and anti-aircraft guns are taken into account, the actual time required is two and a half hours.

His left eye glanced at the clock; at the earliest 8:15, and at the latest 8:45, Jiangcheng would be engulfed in flames.

He Yijun and the others had to evacuate before then, otherwise it would be difficult to leave safely once the fire started, since incendiary bombs don't have eyes and can't distinguish between Japanese soldiers, civilians and Kuomintang agents.

Thinking of this, Zuo Zhong reached for the phone, but stopped abruptly the next second, a hesitant expression on his face.

Finally, he sat back down in his seat, closed his eyes again, and his breathing became increasingly heavy.

At 6 a.m., the sky over Jiangcheng was bright. He Yijun turned on the radio and put on his headphones. The residents of the shantytown also began their new day's work.

Several laborers working at the dock squatted by the roadside, holding bowls of thin porridge made from old rice, broken rice, and dried sweet potatoes, discussing the latest gossip.

"Have you heard? The Kuomintang army and the Americans are coming to attack." "Don't talk nonsense. The mountain city is about to be occupied by the Japanese. The Kuomintang army is doomed."

The two argued heatedly, almost coming to blows, before their companion quickly separated them and mentioned something else.

"Garlic bird, garlic bird, whether the Guo army wins or not has nothing to do with us. The real issue is the Americans bombing Jiangcheng."

Upon hearing this, the laborer and the others who had just been arguing all looked at the speaker with curiosity and seriousness, signaling him to continue.

The speaker calmly took a sip of porridge and sighed, "Last night I heard someone at the tavern say that the Americans are going to bomb us today. Do you know what an incendiary bomb is?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison. The speaker cautiously looked to both sides, and only spoke after confirming that there were no Japanese or puppet troops or police nearby.

"An incendiary bomb is a bomb that explodes and catches fire. Just imagine, what if a shantytown caught fire?"

He was speaking when the others' expressions suddenly changed. The shacks were all made of thatch and planks, and once a fire started, it would quickly spread to other houses, making it impossible to put out in time.

There was a fire in the shantytown before, which killed many people. If it hadn't rained at the time, the shantytown would probably have been burned down long ago.

The laborers all looked worried. The speaker picked up his bowl, took another sip, and then told his companions about his plans.

"I'm not going to the dock today. If the news is true, I'll have to take my wife and daughters out of town."

Someone asked, "Why not go to Dongxihu? There's water there, and the incendiary bombs can't reach it."

The speaker rolled his eyes at the other person and asked in a low voice, "The Japanese airport is in Dongxihu. Do you think the Americans would bomb Mozi?"

The person who asked the question fell silent. Everyone quickly finished their porridge and headed towards their own shacks. Regardless of whether the news was true or false, it was always good to be prepared in advance.

Even a ruined home is worth a fortune. They couldn't let their hard-earned possessions be burned to the ground. Upon hearing the news, the ladies of each household began packing their belongings.

The laborer who had been asked why he didn't go to Dongxihu had also returned to his residence, but there was no wife in his home, only a middle-aged man.

Upon seeing him enter the house, the middle-aged man immediately asked, "How is the situation outside?"

"It's very chaotic. Someone is secretly spreading the news that the US military is going to bomb Jiangcheng today. The identity and purpose of the other party have not yet been determined," the questioner replied seriously.

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment, then looked up and made his decision. He glanced at the door and gave the order in a low voice.

"Notify your comrades to be prepared. If the American forces do come to bomb, immediately organize the evacuation of civilians. The evacuation sites should be far away from Japanese warehouses and military camps."

"clear."

The laborer didn't linger after returning home. He went outside and walked around the shantytown a few times before relaying the middle-aged man's orders to the relevant personnel.

The underground party members were well-informed, and the Japanese were equally quick to react. A traitor sneaked into the military police headquarters of the Japanese 11th Army and reported the air raid to the military police captain.

"Sir, it is said that Yamashiro and the Americans will bomb Jiangcheng today."

The military police captain scoffed at this, pointing proudly out the window and saying, "No need to be nervous. The Locust Army will use anti-aircraft guns to tell the Americans that Jiangcheng is not Southeast Asia."

That's what he said, but after making that boast, he still called the air force and air defense forces to remind them to be careful about air defense.

The traitor took the reward and left. Jiangcheng was like the sea before a storm, seemingly calm but actually turbulent.

High above, densely packed American bombers pierced through the clouds. The radio operator of the lead plane got up, walked to the cockpit, patted the captain on the shoulder, and loudly reported the news.

"Sir, the latest intelligence from the Republic of China is that they want us to keep a close watch on the ground."

"What? Observe the ground?"

The captain turned around and repeated it, his mind filled with doubt. What exactly did those people from the Republic of China era want to do?
At 7:50 a.m., when the bombing formation was 25 to 55 minutes away from Jiangcheng, Zuo Zhong picked up the phone: "Hello, is this the communications room? Begin the operation and notify personnel to evacuate."

After hanging up the phone, Zuo Zhong looked at the US military secret telegram on the table and sneered. For the great cause of anti-French resistance? Ha!

Li Mei has a good reputation in later generations, and many people praise him highly because he bombed Tokyo.

But what these people don't know is that the beacon of democracy burned not only the Japanese, but also tens of thousands of people in the Republic of China era.

What's even more infuriating is that, although the top brass of the Nationalist government did not openly support the US military operation, they handed over all the weather and geographical data of Jiangcheng to the Americans. What's the difference between this and aiding and abetting evil?

Sacrificing one's own people for the sake of so-called "allies"—this kind of "political correctness" comes at a price far too high.

At 7:55, Morse code sounded in He Yijun's earpiece. She quickly took out a small bottle, splashed the liquid inside onto the shed wall, and lit a lighter.

With a loud bang, flames instantly ignited. He Yijun strode out of the room and left. At the same time, multiple fires broke out in other parts of the three towns of Jiangcheng.