cicada

Chapter 1497 Japanese Meeting
A dozen days later, the Japanese General Headquarters held an accountability meeting regarding the attack on the transport fleet, and Hayashi Fuichiro was among the attendees.

At the beginning of the meeting, the head of the naval diving operation team gave a report to Tianhuang.

"Your Majesty, according to the survey conducted by the work ship Akashi, the sinking locations of the three cargo ships have been determined, and salvage operations can begin at any time."

"However, due to the depth of the water, the salvage operation is quite difficult and will take at least six months to a year to complete."

After the report, the head of the diving team lay prostrate on the ground, awaiting instructions from Tianhuang.

"Say ' ...

Tianhuang nodded slightly, then asked, "Can you confirm that the goods are in the warehouse? Is there any possibility that the valuables have been replaced?"

Upon hearing this, both the Army and Navy were alarmed, and Chief of the General Staff Yoshijiro Umezu immediately stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, before the goods from Shanghai, Tianjin and Manzhou were shipped, Ryosuke Hasegawa of the intelligence department took inventory, and he can prove that the goods match the list."

"When the goods from Manzhou were being loaded onto the ship, the South Manchuria Railway Company even sent people to record the entire process with a camera. I have already submitted the film to the Cabinet for inspection."

"The rescued Kwantung Army soldiers who were on board can also testify that no suspicious persons approached the ship after it departed, and the cargo was never replaced."

After Yoshijiro Umezu finished speaking, Naval General Staff Chief of Staff Koshiro Oikawa continued his report.

"Hai, according to the crew members who were responsible for the transport mission, their journey back to the mainland from the Kwantung region was very peaceful and everything was normal."

"I specifically asked Captain Ozawa and the crew of the Xuefeng, and they also said that no abnormal situation occurred during the journey."

"Moreover, the valuables were locked in the cargo hold, and the movement could only be done manually. It would take at least a day or even longer to replace them, leaving the fleet members with no time to commit the crime."

Tianhuang and the Japanese cabinet members present were very satisfied. Multiple testimonies corroborated each other, and it seemed that the treasure was indeed at the bottom of the sea.

The head of the diving team glanced up at the meeting room and took the opportunity to say, "The divers risked entering the shipwreck and found that the lead seals on the cargo hold doors were intact."

This further confirmed the safety of the valuables. Tianhuang turned to look at Oikawa Koshiro and asked him to tell him about the situation of the US submarine.

Japan is an island nation with a vast sea area. How could the American submarine have encountered the transport ship at that particular time?

If it's a coincidence, that's fine; if it's not a coincidence, then it proves that the Golden Lily Project has been leaked.

Koshiro Oikawa, of course, understood the seriousness of the matter and quickly gave a reply.

"According to the confession of the submarine prisoners, the U.S. Pacific Fleet Command received an intelligence report before the start of Operation Golden Lily, which stated that an Imperial secret weapons transport ship was passing through the area where the incident occurred."

"In order to destroy the transport ships, the Americans sent several submarines to operate in the vicinity, and one of the submarines happened to encounter the transport convoy at the time of the incident."

Tianhuang frowned. Was it really just a coincidence? There seemed to be no other explanation.

After all, the Americans received the news before Operation Golden Lily began; they couldn't possibly have known in advance when the fleet would arrive.

Lin Fuyilang, who was secretly observing, remained calm. Through the conversation just now, he confirmed one thing.

—The Military Intelligence Bureau must have other informants within the Navy, and these informants must be of a high rank or have access to core information about the transfer plan.

Who could the other party be?

Hayashi Fuichiro scanned the numerous naval officers. Was it Oikawa Koshiro? Or Mito Hisashi (Minister of the Navy)?
The meeting room fell silent for a moment. Tianhuang turned his gaze to Oikawa Koshiro again: "How do the Ministry of the Navy and the Naval General Staff plan to deal with the Snow Peak's dereliction of duty?"

The transport fleet sank under the protection of the Snow Peak, and from any perspective, Ozawa and the navy are largely to blame.

The army generals were not about to let such a good opportunity pass them by, and they all spoke out against their arch-enemy.

Suggestions such as executing Ozawa and cutting naval funding were put forward, showing that the Japanese were not much better than the Nationalist government when it came to internal strife.

The Navy would not sit idly by. Suzuki Kantarō, as a Navy Admiral and former Commander of the Combined Fleet, bowed slightly to Tenko.

"Your Majesty, after numerous naval battles, the navy has only a handful of ships available, and experienced officers are becoming increasingly scarce."

"The general air attack operation against Ryukyu is about to begin. Rather than dealing with Ozawa, it would be better to let the Xuefeng join the escort fleet of the Yamato to redeem itself."

"Yes, Your Majesty, Ozawa-kun has always been loyal to his duties; this was just an accident."

Other generals who had received bribes from Ozawa quickly echoed this sentiment, as taking money without doing anything was a major taboo, and they were all men of their word.

After pondering for a moment, Tianhuang nodded and agreed to the suggestion of Suzuki Kantarō and the others.

As the other side said, the Japanese navy was almost wiped out. In such a situation, even a piece of toilet paper would be useful, let alone an experienced officer.

Furthermore, the royal family must consider their situation after defeat, and at this time they cannot afford to provoke the military's resentment.

After a pause, Tianhuang spoke again: "Gentlemen, the Treasury has a proposal. Please listen to it."

As he spoke, he picked up his teacup and held it to his nose to sniff it. Finance Minister Tsushima Juichi immediately stood up from his seat and began to speak with a smile.

"Gentlemen, Vice Minister Lin and I believe that it is not advisable to salvage the property at this time."

Upon hearing this, the nobles and ministers who wanted to profit from it were displeased and voiced their opposition.

"Baka! I disagree! The Empire needs these riches."

"Tsushima Juichi, you damned bastard!" Despite being opposed by so many people, Tsushima Juichi remained unfazed and repeated Hayashi Fuichiro's statement.

"It's safer to keep valuables at the bottom of the sea; at least they won't fall into the hands of the Americans."

The attendees fell into deep thought upon hearing this. If they were defeated, the Americans would inevitably occupy the empire's homeland, and then the other side would certainly plunder its wealth.

Thinking of what the Japanese army had done in the occupied areas, the Japanese soldiers all shuddered and swallowed their objections.

Tsushima Juichi sneered inwardly, but then a brilliant idea popped into his head.

"For safety's sake, you gentlemen should transport your assets to Southeast Asia and bury them along with the Golden Lily Project's assets."

Hey? You know what, you really think that's a great idea.

The eyes of the Japanese high-ranking officials attending the meeting lit up, and even Tianhuang seemed thoughtful and intrigued.

After a long silence, Tenko finally made a decision. He coughed twice and whispered to Oikawa Koshiro, "Oikawa, next time the navy delivers supplies to Southeast Asia, stay in Tokyo Port for two more days."

"Hay."

Oikawa Koshiro loudly replied, without asking why, nor did he need to.

The other high-ranking officers exchanged glances, their eyes turning more eager as they looked at the naval commanders, as did the army commanders.

The maritime dispute is a public matter, while preventing one's property from being plundered by the Americans is a private matter. Public and private matters must be clearly distinguished.

The meeting concluded in a peaceful atmosphere, with the location of the cargo ship sinking classified as top secret, prohibiting any discussion or disclosure.

According to Tenko's plan, these assets will be the capital for Japan's resurgence.

The Japanese are still dreaming of turning their lives around, but the situation is quite different in New Zealand, which is nearly 10,000 kilometers away from Tokyo.

On the ocean east of New Zealand, a fleet of ships is undergoing inspection, and several customs officials struggle to climb onto the lead cargo ship.

"Gentlemen, what is your destination? What cargo is on board?"

Customs officials began questioning the crew members as soon as they boarded the ship, their attitude unusually arrogant, because the crew member was of Asian descent.

But the crew didn't tolerate him and replied in an even more arrogant tone: "Sir, we are employees of the Left Company."

The customs officers' expressions changed instantly; their previously cold demeanor thawed quickly, and they waved and shouted for the patrol boat to proceed without hesitation for even a second.

Left's operations in Australia and New Zealand are more than just business ventures; he has countless thugs, gunmen, and even politicians working for him.

Offending Leftycote means their families won't live to see the sun rise tomorrow—a fact proven by countless lives lost.

Upon seeing this, the crew member relaxed and took a thick envelope from his subordinate, handing it to the customs officer.

Faced with a bribe equivalent to several months' salary, the customs officials gladly accepted it, then jumped back onto their patrol boat and waved goodbye to the fleet.

Goodbye, gentlemen, have a safe journey.

The fleet started up again and sped toward the coastline. The crew member who had been there earlier removed his fake beard, revealing himself to be Wu Chunyang, who had not been seen for a long time.

The sea breeze howled, the flags on the ship's roof fluttered, and Gu Qi emerged from nowhere. Gazing at the faintly visible land, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Chunyang, we're finally almost there."

"Yes, we've finally arrived."

Wu Chunyang repeated it in a low voice: the feeling of being adrift at sea was truly unpleasant, especially during storms, when no one even had the strength to vomit.

The two stood quietly on the ship's railing, recalling the perils they had encountered along the way, until the fleet stopped at a port.

This place is a private port owned by the Left Company. All the guards and porters are Chinese. Without the permission of the Zuo family, not even a fly can get in.

At the dock, Zuo Zhong's grandfather, Zuo Xuechen, had been waiting for a long time. As soon as the ship came to a stop, he walked up the gangway onto the cargo ship.

Wu Chunyang and his companion greeted the other party with great respect, and then led Zuo Xuechen into the cargo ship. Along the way, the small agents stood at attention and saluted.

The three of them wandered through the complicated corridors and finally arrived at a steel door. The door was unlocked, and Gu Qi pushed it open and went inside.

Zuo Xuechen followed behind, leaning on his cane. The moment he stepped over the threshold, he saw that the cabin was filled with wooden boxes of different sizes, each one tightly wrapped.

Wu Chunyang picked up a crowbar and pried open one of the wooden boxes. Inside the box was a Tang Dynasty Buddha statue with a full face and beautiful shape.

Gu Qi stepped forward and pointed to the Buddha statue, saying, "Old man, we have lived up to the vice-captain's expectations. All the wealth looted by the Japanese is here."

Zuo Xuechen bent down and touched the Buddha statue, feeling a delicate touch on his hand. He slowly straightened up and said solemnly to Wu Chunyang and the other person.

“Okay, I’ll send a telegram to Shenzhong right away. You all get some rest. Don’t worry, once you’re in New Zealand, you’ll be home. There are company representatives at the police station and the local garrison.”

That afternoon, a secret telegram was delivered to the deputy director's office through He Yijun.

After reading the telegram, Zuo Chong gently placed it on the table and glanced at the photo next to him. The photo showed six cargo ships that looked exactly like the Yamato Maru.

Clearly, the Shimizu Trading Company imported not three, but six new freighters from Britain.