My spy diary

Chapter 533 Murderous Intent

"At four o'clock in the afternoon, Zhang Yi from the Military Intelligence Bureau headquarters will arrive at Luoyang Station by train."

In the dead of night in Luoyang, Sato Kenjiro was too excited to sleep. He was the head of the Japanese military's Luoyang intelligence agency, a branch of the Kaifeng intelligence agency. He had been infiltrating Luoyang for years, using the sale of spiced tofu strips as a cover to secretly develop intelligence agents and gather all sorts of intelligence about Luoyang. However, every time he reported his intelligence, he was reprimanded by his superiors for "only asking about trivial matters, utterly useless!"

Just now, he received a mysterious phone call.

"Zhang Yi? Is it Zhang Yi, the director of the Judicial Department of the Military Intelligence Bureau? Is he really coming to Luoyang?" As soon as Sato Kenjiro asked the question, an affirmative answer came from the other end of the phone.

"That's great, Morikawa-kun. In this time of crisis, only you are capable of taking on this important task. Don't worry, after it's done, I will definitely ask Colonel Ōsawa Kan for credit on your behalf."

Kanjiro Osawa was the head of the Kaifeng government.

Unable to contain his excitement, Sato Kenjiro continued, "Do you know? Zhang Yi is treacherous and ruthless. He has wiped out countless elites of the empire and is a major threat to the empire. This time he dares to come to Yuzhou, we must do everything we can to keep him here."

In terms of intelligence, Morikawa Insuke and Sato Kenjiro still praised themselves the most. Morikawa Insuke had been lying low in the elementary school. Although he had obtained some intelligence, it was all trivial matters. It was still Sato Kenjiro who helped him pull strings and find connections. In the end, he spent a lot of money to get him into the General Affairs Section of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Yuzhou Station through the wife of Yue Zhuyuan, the former head of the Yuzhou Station.

I never expected him to obtain such crucial intelligence so quickly. Haha, as the Chinese saying goes, "A fine horse is easy to find, but a discerning eye is rare," and it seems I am that discerning eye. If Morikawa Ginsuke can achieve something at the Yuzhou station, or help me annihilate Zhang Yi in one fell swoop, then I can be promoted from captain to major.

Sato Kenjiro smiled and nodded, lighting a celebratory cigarette for himself.

As the match was lit, his silhouette was illuminated in the flame. He wore a dusty, melon-shaped hat, his hunched back wrapped in a faded blue cotton robe, and his hands were as thin as chicken claws.

His originally cloudy, grayish triangular eyes now gleamed with a sharp light. He pursed his thin, chapped lips, revealing a few yellowed, crooked teeth.

After exhaling a cloud of smoke, he got up and walked out of the hut. He listened for a while, then pushed aside the stone mill in the middle of the courtyard where he ground tofu, revealing a one-meter square opening. He went down into the opening and came to his secret room. He took out paper, a codebook, and a radio and began to code and send messages.

"Kaifeng Headquarters: Rabbit Telegram, Zhang Yi of the Military Intelligence Bureau will arrive at Luoyang Railway Station at 4 PM today. Please give instructions! Field Mouse."

The radio waves passed silently through the darkness and quickly reached the location of the Yuzhou Special Service Agency in Kaifeng.

On the other end of the radio wave, Colonel Nagasawa Kanjiro received the telegram from the telegraph operator. After glancing at it, his expression hardened, and he solemnly tucked the telegram into his pocket, instructing his attendant:

"Go to the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Gansu Guild Hall immediately."

The Shanxi-Shaanxi-Gansu Guild Hall is located on Xufu North Street in Longting, Kaifeng. It was built in the 41st year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign in the Qing Dynasty. It was built by wealthy merchants from Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu living in Kaifeng on the site of the mansion built by the grandson of Xu Da, the founding hero of the Ming Dynasty. It served as a gathering place for merchants from Shanxi, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces to conduct business, trade and connect with fellow townsmen during the Qing Dynasty.

The guild hall is laid out in a courtyard style, covering an area of ​​more than 3,000 to nearly 4,000 square meters. The main building is located on the central axis, with the screen wall, opera stage and main hall arranged from south to north. The auxiliary buildings are located on the east and west sides, including the left and right side gates, hanging flower gate, bell tower, side rooms, east and west courtyards, etc.

However, this place has now been completely transformed into a Japanese intelligence agency, where Yoshikawa Teisuke, the head of the intelligence agency for the five provinces of North China, lived.

A window on the second floor of the "Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness" was half-open, with a string of wind chimes swaying gently. Everyone in the organization knew that this meant that Chief Yoshikawa Teisuke was in his office.

Yoshikawa Teisuke was indeed in his office at that moment, holding a cup of barley tea and standing in front of the window, looking down at the cherry blossoms blooming in the courtyard.

To alleviate his homesickness, he ordered cherry blossoms to be planted all over the open space in the courtyard. Every spring, the white petals would blanket the path like snowflakes.

Every time Yoshikawa Teisuke sees cherry blossoms, he is reminded of his time studying at the Japanese Military Academy, but that sense of déjà vu is fleeting. He looks down at the petals clinging to his standard-issue military boots and smiles smugly. Each time he walks over those petals, it feels like he's stepping on the corpses of Chinese people, which gives him an unusual sense of satisfaction and enjoyment.

Thinking of this, Yoshikawa sat back down at his desk and reached out to open a delicate box of sweets in front of him. It contained sakura mochi that his mother had asked someone to bring to him from Tokyo.

Yoshikawa picked one up and put it in his mouth. The scent of cherry blossoms mixed with the sweetness of red beans slowly bloomed on his lips and teeth. In that instant, his nerves slowly relaxed, as if he had returned to his hometown.

A soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He immediately got up and sat on the tatami mat, trying to appear taller and hiding himself in the shadows of the lamplight.

Yoshikawa Teisaku was shorter than the average Japanese person, which was his biggest source of inferiority and his deepest, unspeakable pain.

After he grew up, he secretly went to see a doctor, concealing his identity. Upon learning that he was the son of his mother and his uncle, the doctor solemnly told him that close relatives should not marry, otherwise their children would either be mentally disabled or physically challenged.
Upon hearing this answer, he killed the doctor and then entered the Japanese Military Academy. (The Japanese Imperial Family promotes consanguineous marriage, one explanation being the influence of the so-called creation myth. Amaterasu Omikami created the Japanese archipelago and all living things, and the Emperor is her descendant sent to the human world. The first and second generations of goddesses had experiences of consanguineous marriage, providing a theocratic ideological basis for the consanguineous marriage of later emperors.)

One explanation is to maintain the purity of the bloodline. Another is to preserve family power. The most extreme example is that Emperor Tenji, in order to win over his younger brother, appointed him crown prince and married four of his daughters to him as wives and concubines. Of course, before the war, Japan promoted so-called imperial mythology education, and the public generally believed that the emperor was a descendant of gods, whose bloodline was sacred and inviolable. Limited by this ideological control, no one dared to discuss it; most tacitly accepted it out of loyalty. After World War II, in the United States, during the democratization reforms led by President MacArthur, the emperor's "divinity" was denied, and the imperial family was dethroned.
Yoshikawa Teisuke is 25 years old this year. He is quite handsome, but his cold expression and eyes that are always filled with dark and cold light make him look particularly sinister.

"General, Osawa Kanjiro has arrived and is waiting outside to see you. This is a secret telegram he brought from Luoyang." Fujiwara Masao bowed respectfully, then walked to Yoshikawa's side and whispered in his ear.

He was Yoshikawa's special assistant. Yoshikawa himself rarely showed himself in front of outsiders, so even within the intelligence agencies of the five provinces of North China, many people did not recognize him.

Yoshikawa took the letter, glanced at it, and then his spirits lifted: "Let him in."

Colonel Kanjiro Osawa, in his thirties, walked into the office without looking to the side and stood still to bow to Yoshikawa.

"Chief of the agency."

"Is the news confirmed?"

"Rabbit is our undercover agent infiltrated into the Military Intelligence Bureau, and his intelligence is always accurate."

“Very good.” A cruel smile appeared on Yoshikawa Teisaku’s lips. “Osawa Kan-kun, what do you plan to do?” “Assassination.”

"Alright, the assassination of Zhang Yi is to be launched immediately. Go back and send a message ordering Rabbit to monitor the Military Intelligence Station's every move. Have Field Mouse mobilize all our manpower in Luoyang to eliminate him at all costs. I mean at all costs, understand?"

"Yes, I'll make the arrangements right away."

Yoshikawa Teisuke stared intently at him for a few moments, then glanced at his watch: "Remember, we only have fourteen hours left."

"I guarantee that his death will be in fourteen hours."

"Very well, I'll wait for your good news." Yoshikawa Teisuke smiled coldly.

Meanwhile, at Yuzhou Station, Deputy Station Chief Li Mulin and Action Team Leader Niu Zidao were having tea together.

Of course, the so-called tea drinking was just an excuse; in reality, they were discussing how to take advantage of Zhang Yilai's opportunity and what methods they could use to eliminate station chief Cui Fangping.

Recently, Li Mulin and Niu Zidao have been getting very close.

It's clear that Li Mulin is a cautious person who doesn't usually like to chat idly with others.

This is, of course, mainly due to the nature of the profession.

Niu Zidao was the same; being in officialdom, especially in the field of espionage, he always kept in mind the lesson that too much talk leads to mistakes.

However, due to some political needs or intentions, the two people who were originally cautious in their words and friendships quickly became good friends and brothers, with a level of understanding like that of partners who had worked together on many fronts.

Of course, for Li Mulin, getting to know and win over Niu Zidao, a master of action, was mainly for his own benefit in battle.

Honestly, he never truly took this man seriously. In his eyes, this man was all brawn and no brains; to put it nicely, he was fiercely opposed to evil; to put it bluntly, he advocated solving everything with force and championed "stopping killing with killing." Sometimes he himself couldn't understand if this man was really a Communist. If force could truly solve everything, then the world would be much simpler. History is full of such examples: Lü Bu, Zhang Fei, Sun Jian, Sun Ce. Putting aside their character, these people all had one thing in common: fierceness. But what was their fate?
For Niu Zidao's side, wasn't he also using this man as a decoy? Of course, besides utilizing him, he also felt that Li Mulin was indeed a rare talent, and he could learn a lot through frequent contact. A person with absolutely no background had managed to rise so skillfully from an intelligence officer to deputy station chief, surviving three station chiefs. Was he simply shrewd and calculating? Moreover, this man was a master of the art of lying in wait, never revealing his emotions, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, patiently waiting for the opportune moment to strike—a truly chilling sight. Wasn't it because the former station chief, Yue Zhuyuan, underestimated this man that he was brought down?
The teapot on the coffee table was bubbling with steam. For a moment, the two men were immersed in their own thoughts and calculations. When the tea overflowed, their thoughts returned to the office.

"You must have seen it in the meeting just now. Those few have gone quite far. I'm afraid we need to find a way to help them out, or it might be too late," Li Mulin said casually, sounding like a joke at first, but with a deeper meaning.

"I think the key is to keep an eye on the leader, but unfortunately the risk is too great," Niu Zidao chuckled.

“The greater the risk, the higher the reward. You’re the action team leader, so no matter how complicated or difficult the matter is, it’s just a matter of a bullet for you, my brother.” Li Mulin handed him a cup of tea and said with a smile, “Just like this tea, it’s bitter at first but sweet at second, with an endless aftertaste. Try it.”

"You flatter me, stationmaster!"

The two enjoyed tea.

“Every time I come to the stationmaster’s place, I can get the best tea.”

"This is the best Longjing tea. I can't get my hands on any. Director Mao gave me two jars. If you like, you can take one with you later."

"How could I possibly accept this?" Niu Zidao suddenly realized that the man surnamed Li had gotten close to Director Mao, which was probably why he dared to target Yue Zhuyuan. Li Mulin spoke casually, but wasn't he also showing off his background?

"Why be so polite among family?"

"Well, then I'll accept your offer without hesitation. Thank you, stationmaster."

"Deputy Station Chief, be careful what you say and do; walls have ears." Seeing that he had accepted the tea, Li Mulin's smile deepened, and he repeated his earlier question, "Such an opportunity is hard to come by; if we delay, it might be too late!"

“The station chief is right. But, but this matter is really not easy. You see, even if he weren’t the station chief, he’s still Commander Chen’s confidant, so taking action isn’t out of the question. But, if things go wrong, he will retaliate strongly. Also, if Commander Chen pursues the matter to the end after it happens, it will be difficult to resolve peacefully. Therefore, I think we should either not do anything, or if we do, we must be absolutely certain of success.”

“Agreed, so timing is crucial. What do you think about making a scene on the way to pick up Director Zhang? What if the Japanese retaliate because we failed to provide adequate protection?”

"Using someone else to do the dirty work? The plan is good, but the question is whether the Japanese will fall for it? If they don't come out in full force, but only send a few small fry, they probably won't be able to hurt him."

“That’s easy. If your name alone can’t get all the Japanese spies lurking in Luoyang to come out, we still have Director Zhang to fan the flames for us. The Japanese hate him more than we do.”

"Wouldn't this put Director Zhang in danger?"

"Bullets don't have eyes, and there's nothing we can do about it. If Director Zhang were really assassinated, wouldn't that just prove Cui's incompetence?"

Furthermore, the man surnamed Cui is one of Chen Tumu's men. Everyone knows that Chen and Boss Dai don't get along, so naturally Director Zhang can't get along with Cui.

Oh, right, didn't he say today that Director Zhang had another mission? He even said he didn't know either, so why isn't it that he's suffering in silence? Think about what it is that he finds hard to talk about? Maybe Director Zhang is targeting him, surnamed Cui?
Hmph, how can we allow others to snore on our own turf! It's one thing for the Civil Engineering Department to organize its own intelligence agency, but now their influence has already infiltrated our station. Do you think Boss Dai can just stand by and do nothing?

If that's the case, then it's perfectly reasonable that the man surnamed Cui, fearing investigation and wanting to curry favor with Chen Tumu, secretly leaked the news of Director Zhang's arrival to the Japanese—a classic case of using someone else to do the dirty work.

"But what if the guy surnamed Cui doesn't come to pick me up at the station?"

(End of this chapter)