Anti-Japanese War: Starting from Yaobai

When Long Qianyan arrived at the square, he saw Watanabe, Suzuki and other Japanese agents standing on a platform made of several wooden crates, giving impassioned speeches with spittle flying everywhere.

Watanabe's face was full of excitement as he shouted, "The Anti-Japanese Brigade are truly heroic figures! They fight the Japanese devils without hesitation. If we follow them, we can stand tall and never have to suffer the humiliation of the Japanese devils again!"

Suzuki chimed in, adding fuel to the fire, shouting, "That's right, that's right! The Anti-Japanese Brigade is our savior! With them leading us, we'll definitely beat the Japanese devils to a pulp! Our good days are just around the corner!"

At this moment, the exaggerated expressions and actions of the two Japanese soldiers would have made Long Qianyan think they were real anti-Japanese patriots if he hadn't already known their identities.

Just then, Liu Jinbiao led several hundred miners and rushed over in a flurry.

With a broad smile, Liu Jinbiao warmly grasped Long Qianyan's hand and said loudly, "This must be the hero of the Anti-Japanese Brigade, right? We are all miners who were oppressed by the Japanese in this mine. Thank you for coming to save us! We've all decided that we want to join the Anti-Japanese Brigade and fight the Japanese alongside you, driving those little devils out of China!"

Upon hearing the commotion, Japanese spies Watanabe, Suzuki, and others, who were busy recruiting people, rushed over with a group of men.

Watanabe, all smiles and bowing obsequiously, said, "Yes, yes, sir, we want to join the anti-Japanese brigade too. We don't want to suffer under the wrath of the Japanese devils anymore. From now on, we'll follow your anti-Japanese brigade, ready to go through fire and water for you!"

Suzuki quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, sir! We've had enough of the Japanese oppression. We're just hoping to join the anti-Japanese brigade and teach those little devils a lesson!"

The other two Japanese soldiers also joined in the commotion, creating a lively scene that made them seem like truly patriotic men wholeheartedly dedicated to resisting the Japanese.

Long Qianyan nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over Watanabe, Suzuki, Kurai, Kato and other Japanese spies, memorizing their appearances.

However, he didn't expose the other party's intention at the moment, and waited for the captain to arrive before deciding how to deal with it.

So he forced a smile and said a few perfunctory words: "Good, it's good that everyone has this heart for resisting Japan. Our anti-Japanese brigade welcomes every brother who is truly committed to resisting Japan."

Then, Long Qianyan began his recruitment propaganda. Standing on the high platform, he said in a loud voice, "Brothers, our Anti-Japanese Brigade is a team dedicated to fighting the Japanese devils! As long as you join us, you will not only have weapons, food and drink, but also a monthly military salary of two silver dollars. If you are willing to join, our Anti-Japanese Brigade welcomes you. If you are not willing, you can leave on your own, and our Anti-Japanese Brigade will not interfere!"

"I'll join!"

"me!"

"I'll join in too!"

········
Under the call of Liu Jinbiao, Watanabe and others, the miners' morale soared, and they raised their arms, eager to join the anti-Japanese brigade.

At this moment, even Watanabe and the others were breaking out in a cold sweat.

"It was all for the purpose of infiltrating the anti-Japanese brigade. Please don't be offended, section chief!"

The four Japanese soldiers silently chanted in their hearts, as if their section chief could really hear them.

But the station chief of the Special Higher Police's Chuncheng Station—Chief Kitahara—did actually hear it.

It turned out that the communications soldier at the mine was a member of the Special Higher Police. After hearing the gunshots, the Japanese agents immediately hid and sent a telegram to Section Chief Kitahara.

Upon receiving the telegram, Section Chief Kitahara's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot, because it was completely contrary to their plans.

He had initially guessed that after the anti-Japanese brigade attacked the mine, the Imperial Army at the mine would retreat after massacring most of the miners.

The reality was that the Imperial Army and its collaborators at the mine were completely wiped out, while only a little over three hundred miners were massacred, which was nothing compared to what they had expected.

What enraged him even more was that Watanabe and his idiots had actually instigated the miners to join the anti-Japanese brigade.

Didn't they know what this meant? It meant that the Imperial Japanese Army suddenly had six or seven thousand more enemies.

Once these miners who joined the anti-Japanese forces took up arms to fight against the Imperial Army, they would cause the Imperial Army immense trouble and losses.

Moreover, if headquarters finds out about this behavior, it's not a big deal if Watanabe and others end up in a military court, but it might also implicate him, the section chief!
The more Kitahara thought about it, the angrier he became. In his mind, he cursed Watanabe and the others: "A bunch of idiots, good for nothing but causing trouble! You're dragging the entire Special Higher Police Spring City Station down with you!"

After cursing Watanabe and the others under his breath, Section Chief Kitahara suppressed his anger and immediately picked up the phone to dial the number of the Japanese Army Headquarters in Chuncheng.

A voice came quickly from the other end of the phone. Section Chief Kitahara suppressed his anger and tried to make his voice sound calm: "Hello, this is Kitahara. I have very important intelligence to report. I will be there in ten minutes. Please have Commander Ito wait for me in the conference room."

After hanging up the phone, Section Chief Kitahara hurriedly straightened his uniform, then strode out of the office, got into his car, and sped towards the Japanese headquarters.

Along the way, images of the Da'an Mine, the anti-Japanese brigade's frenzied recruitment drive, and the news of the defeat in the surprise attack on the anti-Japanese brigade's base in Kujo-no-kyo kept flashing through his mind.

Yes, news of Kujo Miyamoto's defeat has also arrived. Furthermore, the fate of General Maruyama remains unknown.

But what troubled him most was that the entire Japanese Second Division was almost completely wiped out this time.

Although he wasn't in command of the battle, he was the one who provided the intelligence.

Therefore, at this moment, he was somewhat worried that Kujo Miyamoto would use this as an excuse to shift the blame onto him.

These two pieces of news weighed heavily on his mind like two mountains, making it hard for him to breathe.

Shortly after, the car arrived at the Japanese military headquarters. Section Chief Kitahara jumped out of the car, hurried into the building, and headed straight for the conference room.

When he pushed open the conference room door, Commander Ito was already sitting in the main seat, with a hint of displeasure on his face.

Section Chief Kitahara stated directly, "Ito-kun, I don't have any good news this time. Something happened at the Daian mine; the Imperial Army and its collaborators were completely wiped out, and only about three hundred miners were killed. Furthermore, according to intelligence, approximately six or seven thousand miners wanted to join the anti-Japanese brigade. There's also more bad news: Kujo Miyamoto's plan to launch a surprise attack on the anti-Japanese brigade's base has also failed, and the losses are heavy!" (End of Chapter)