wind in the dark night

Chapter 330: Visit to Ishihara
About thirty meters away from the school, there is a two-story building with gray and white walls. A bronze plaque is nailed to the gate: No. 306 Gogol Street.

At this time, in the reception room, Ishihara held a brush in his hand and wrote the word "victory" on the rice paper, and then wrote the word "defeat". He looked at it for a long time and sighed softly.

The attendant came in and reported: "General, the guests have arrived."

Ishihara threw the brush on the paper and said, "Please let them in."

"Yes."

The attendant withdrew.

After a while, Yamada Yukizo and Qi Yue walked in one after another.

The two men bowed.

Ishihara looked Qi Yue up and down.

Yamada Yukizo said, "General, this is Sergeant Qi from the Special Agents Division."

Qi Yue nodded in greeting.

Ishihara asked, "How old are you this year?"

Qi Yue said: "Actually, I am 25."

Ishihara said with emotion: "When I was 25 years old, I had just been admitted to the Army University, and you were already a police sergeant. You really are the young to be feared."

Qi Yue said respectfully: "I dare not compare myself with the general."

Yamada Yukizo said, "Officer Qi, there is a saying in the Kwantung Army that General Ishihara's brainpower and General Itagaki's military strength, when combined, are invincible!"

Qi Yue said: "I heard that the Manchurian Incident was initiated by the two generals. It is no exaggeration to say that without their great achievements, there would be no Manchukuo today."

Ishihara was quite pleased with Qi Yue's flattery. In his opinion, this was a statement of fact. It was his and Itagaki Seishirō's decisive decision that created a new country.

Yamada Yukizo continued, "If he were not a foreigner, General Ishihara's achievements would have made him a founding father of Manchukuo. Of course, this would also include General Itagaki. General Ishihara, I heard that General Itagaki was transferred to be the commander in chief of the Korean garrison. Is this an official appointment?"

Ishihara nodded and said, "General Itagaki is good at fighting, but he is a waste of talent to be the commander in Korea. This shows how incompetent the Prime Minister is in employing people... Please take a seat, both of you."

The three of them were seated separately.

The servant brought tea.

Qi Yue noticed the rice paper with the words "victory or defeat" written on it and the brush that was obviously thrown away.

Generally speaking, people who write will exhibit similar out-of-control behaviors when they are extremely upset or encounter something unhappy.

Ishihara looked at Qi Yue and said, "Please forgive my frankness. I am a soldier and you are a policeman. We have nothing in common. Is there anything special that you are visiting me for today?"

Qi Yue said: "The Binjiang detachment, which is fighting against bandits, frequently harasses military and police bases, and the people in the villages and towns have also suffered greatly. In the previous autumn campaign, our army surrounded the bandits on three sides and only eliminated a small group of bandits. The general is famous for his strategy, so I came here specially to ask for your advice, and I hope you can give me more guidance."

Known as the brains of the Kwantung Army, Ishihara was unemployed at home for many years. He often complained that "heroes have no place to use their talents". Suddenly, someone came to ask for advice humbly, and he was very happy.

He thought carefully for a while: "The anti-bandit troops have no baggage to encumber them, their mobility is particularly outstanding, and they hide in the mountains all year round..."

Qi Yue and Yamada Yukizo were waiting for what to come.

Ishihara suddenly sighed: "Just maintain the status quo. The victory or defeat does not depend on these rebels hiding here and there."

He stood up, walked to the knife rack, stretched out his hand to pick up the saber, and with a clang, the saber was unsheathed: "I once said that the First World War was just a war among European nations, not a real world war. Only the next world war will be the final war of mankind, and it will be centered on Japan and the United States. If you are going to fight against the berries, you must first fight against China. If you want to fight against China, you must first occupy Manchuria and Mongolia. Only in this way can Japan's prosperity be restored and the unemployed people can be saved!" "However, the final war has a prerequisite. Japan's economy must be prosperous, its national strength must be enhanced, and it must reach the same level as the berries before the war can begin!"

Without any warning, Ishihara suddenly chopped off the knife holder with a knife and shouted frantically: "Those idiots in the base camp did not accept my suggestions, but laughed at me and denied me! Bastards! Bastards!"

Yamada Yukizo stood up in shock, looked at Ishihara who looked furious, and asked cautiously: "General, what's wrong with you?"

Ishihara loosened his grip, the saber fell to the ground, and he sat down dejectedly, his eyes blank, staring at nothingness: "Please tell me honestly, who will win if Japan and Berry go to war?"

Qi Yue said: “As you said, Japan and Berry have reached the same level…”

Ishihara said: "I'm talking about now!"

Yamada Yukizo was surprised: "Now?"

Ishihara sat up straight and said, "Yamada-kun, do you remember what I told you? A tiger can return home after traveling a thousand miles."

"of course I remember."

Yukizo Yamada perked up.

The reason why he was willing to accompany Qi Yuelai was also because he had a selfish motive. He wanted to find an opportunity to find out what this sentence meant.

Ishihara said slowly, "This morning, the navy launched a surprise attack on Berry Pearl Bay. The code name for the operation is Tiger, Tiger, Tiger. The code name comes from a Japanese proverb: A tiger can return home after traveling a thousand miles. The meaning is, return safely."

Yamada Yukizo was stunned.

Qi Yue was also surprised: "Today?"

Ishihara said: "In the past half month, the navy has been secretly training in Kagoshima Bay. Merchant ships are not allowed to pass through. Therefore, it is a good thing that the Yamada is detained in Incheon Port. When the combat training is over, the Yamada can return safely. Oh, the reason why we chose to train in Kagoshima Bay is that Kagoshima Bay and Pearl Bay are very similar and suitable for simulated combat training. It must be said that the military talent of Commander Yamamoto of the Combined Fleet is indeed admirable."

Qi Yue then understood that Ishihara's words "A tiger can return home after traveling a thousand miles" had two meanings. It not only implied that the Yamada had returned safely, but also served as a metaphor for the Pearl Bay attack.

Yamada Yukizo couldn't help but say, "We launched the attack early in the morning, and now it's afternoon, how come there's no news at all?"

Ishihara calmed down, picked up the teacup and took a sip: "In this operation, the Navy deployed six aircraft carriers and more than 400 fighter jets. Post-war evaluation will also take time... The military leaders should have received feedback. Go back and listen to the radio. The news will be broadcast soon - the news of the war between Japan and the United States."

Qi Yue was shocked and annoyed. He was one step too late after all. Although he had obtained the intelligence, the attack had already occurred. This information was equivalent to a piece of waste paper.

Ishihara took the rice paper with "win or lose" written on it, looked at it for a while, and asked the two people: "Back to the topic just now, please tell me honestly, if Japan and Berry go to war, who will win?"

Yamada Yukizo thought for a moment and said confidently, "Six aircraft carriers, more than 400 fighter jets, all the navy's assets have been brought out... I think Japan will win this battle!"

Ishihara did not comment and looked at Qi Yue.

Qi Yue said: "I agree with Mr. Yamada. A surprise attack has a greater chance of success."

Yamada Yukizo was very proud: "In a surprise attack, we will definitely win. The only difference is whether it is a small win, a medium win, or a big win. To be honest, I don't like those guys in the navy, but the preparations for this surprise attack on Pearl Bay are still sufficient."

Ishihara shook his head slightly: "We won this time, but what about next time? You know, we are facing not only the Berrys, but also their ally Britain. The United States and Britain have always been one. If this war costs 10,000 yuan, the United States and Britain actually have 1 million yuan, and what about Japan? Only 1,000 yuan. This difference can only be made up by strategy, not by slogans like 'making the impossible possible'."

Yamada Yukizo was not convinced: "The berries are stronger than Japan, but our army has been fighting for many years and has rich combat experience. General Ishihara, what you said just now is too pessimistic, isn't it?"

Ishihara was listless: "I also hope that I am too pessimistic. Officer Qi, I'm sorry, I'm in a very confused mood and can't help you."

Qi Yue stood up and said, "It's okay. Since the general is in a bad mood, I won't bother you. I'll come to visit you again when I have the chance."

(End of this chapter)