My spy diary

Chapter 618 The Decapitation Plan (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

As dawn broke, the fog in Hangzhou was thick in the early morning. The Hangzhou intelligence agency looked rather gloomy today, with the entire office building shrouded in a thick fog.

Watanabe Ichiro's temples were slightly gray, and his expression betrayed his exhaustion, but his voice remained sharp and resolute. As the head of the Hangzhou intelligence agency, he was under immense pressure.

In mid-last month, the Japanese China Expeditionary Army, with the 5th Division in Shanghai as its main force, attacked the coastal area of ​​eastern Zhejiang. At the same time, the Japanese 22nd Division launched a fierce attack on Zhuji in order to contain the Chinese 10th Army in eastern Zhejiang and support the actions of the 5th Division.

At the beginning, the battle situation was clear. The Japanese army landed in Zhenhai, Haimen, Ruian and other places and engaged in fierce battles with the 10th Army Group of the 3rd War Zone of China. They quickly captured Ningbo, Cixi, Yuyao, Fenghua and Zhuji. However, the Chinese army quickly launched a desperate counterattack and recovered some of the lost territory.

The battle reached a stalemate, with the intelligence war between the two sides intensifying.

"Therefore, the reason why wise rulers and virtuous generals can move and defeat others, and achieve success among the masses, is that they have prior knowledge. Prior knowledge cannot be obtained from ghosts and gods, cannot be imitated from events, and cannot be verified by measurement. It must be obtained from people, who know the enemy's situation."

This was a verbal instruction conveyed to him by Matsui Takuro, Chief of the General Staff of the Expeditionary Army and Commander of the 5th Division.

"An army marches on its stomach. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle. Watanabe-kun, it's up to you now." Division Commander Matsui patted Watanabe Ichiro heavily on the shoulder, and Watanabe felt unprecedented pressure. The intense work of the past few days had made his voice sound a little hoarse, but his resolute tone revealed that he was not at all relaxed.

Besides Watanabe Ichiro, there were six or seven other department heads in the intelligence agency's conference room, each sitting upright. The battle was going badly, and telegrams from superiors urging action were arriving one after another; the department heads all looked grim.

Watanabe Ichiro's sinister eyes swept over the group without blinking, his gaze revealing an unfathomable meaning.

Under his piercing gaze, the people opposite him didn't dare to even breathe.

Watanabe Ichiro cleared his throat and said in an almost complaining tone, "There are rumors that anti-Japanese elements have gradually infiltrated our intelligence agencies, and many internal classified documents have been quietly flowing to Shancheng and Baotashan. The military is extremely dissatisfied with our recent work."

The heads of several departments were puzzled and looked at each other, bewildered.

The action team leader asked cautiously, "Chief, wasn't the Military Intelligence Bureau agent 'Shoehead,' who was lurking outside the Military Police Headquarters, already arrested?"

“I’m not talking about him. According to reliable intelligence, there is a Kuomintang spy lurking within our communications department.” Watanabe Ichiro pulled out a few telegrams from a folder and slammed them on the table. “The Shanghai Special Higher Police and the Mei Agency’s infiltrators in the Kuomintang’s Shanghai district reported that Jiang Shaomo, the head of the Shanghai Second District, frequently receives intelligence from unknown sources. They suspect that the mole is hiding within our ranks.”

Upon hearing this, the head of the telecommunications department felt extremely uneasy and quickly stood up, saying:

"Chief, I am willing to cooperate with the investigation."

"Now is not the time to assign blame, but to trace the source of the intelligence and do everything possible to dig out the mole." Watanabe Ichiro snorted coldly, then changed the subject:
"How is the crackdown and raid on anti-Japanese radio stations going?"

The head of the telecommunications section breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said, "The telecommunications section, together with the action team and the military police, has used all sorts of means, such as cutting off power in different areas and secretly intercepting signals, to detect the radio stations of the anti-Japanese elements. As of today, we have seized three radio stations and arrested thirteen suspicious individuals, who are currently being severely tortured."

"Far from enough!" Watanabe Ichiro waved his hand and said sternly, "The Chinese say it's better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free. I agree. In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures should be taken. Anyone suspected should be arrested directly, including their family and friends, and then all of them should be shot."

We aim to instill fear in the anti-Japanese elements, making them unable to eat or sleep, and deterring them from ever again opposing the Great Japanese Empire.

He paused, then continued, "Furthermore, regarding the issue of internal spies, the organization must take immediate action to conduct a detailed investigation into each individual's history, including their place of origin, resume, social connections, phone calls made, etc., with a focus on those from Taiwan and North Korea."

Before he could finish speaking, a series of muffled knocks sounded urgently at the door. Watanabe Ichiro had a bad feeling about this arrival at this hour, and said in a low voice:

"Come in."

The visitor was Sato Hideki, Watanabe Ichiro's assistant. As soon as he entered, Watanabe Ichiro noticed that he looked strange.

"Chief of the agency."

"What, the toe of the shoe is open?"

Hideki Sato shook his head, his expression somewhat grim: "A telegram from the headquarters of Special Agent 76."

Who sent it?

"Dingmo Village".

"Ding-san?" Watanabe Ichiro frowned, opened the telegram he was handed, carefully took out the message, and stared intently at it. The message read: "Su Wenjing has been killed, Su Jingyi has been arrested, and the Military Intelligence Bureau has proposed an exchange."

This is a telegram forwarded by Ding Mocun from Zhou Dahai, the puppet Minister of Finance, Vice Premier of the Executive Yuan, President of the Central Reserve Bank, and Director of the Special Affairs Committee.

Upon seeing this, Watanabe Ichiro's head buzzed, and he was frozen in place.

Su Wenjing, also known as Shibahara Heizaburo, has made outstanding contributions since taking charge of intelligence work. Codenamed Flying Fox, he prefers to infiltrate enemy lines and operate alone. This time, he was ordered to assassinate Dai Chunfeng. Watanabe Ichiro originally had high hopes for him, but…
"The Flying Fox has lost its wings." Watanabe Ichiro gritted his teeth and slammed his fist heavily on the table. The attendees all stood up in shock and fear, trembling with fear.

The action team leader was pondering and about to speak when Watanabe Ichiro interrupted him:

"Kuroda-kun, stay here. Everyone else, get out."

"Hai!" The agents stood up, bowed, and withdrew.

After the group left, Watanabe Ichiro gestured for the action leader, Kuroda Nobunaga, to sit down, handed him the telegram, and said angrily:

"What a pity for Shibahara Hei-kun. I had high hopes for this operation. We were just one step away from taking down Dai Yunong, the 'King of Chinese Spies,' leaving the Military Intelligence Bureau leaderless and paralyzed."

As a well-trained and experienced veteran intelligence operative, he was well aware of the complex and ever-changing nature of the intelligence front. Any operation he was confident of success was prone to unexpected setbacks before it could succeed; the death of Shibahara Heizaburo was the best proof of that. Therefore, after his initial frustration, his jaw twitched a few times, and he immediately became excited and eager to try again:
"This is really a good show, much more exciting than I imagined."

After reading the telegram with a solemn expression, Kuroda Nobunaga said, "Chief, are we really going to agree to the Military Intelligence Bureau's request for a secret exchange?"

Instead of answering, Watanabe Ichiro asked, "What do you think?"

Kuroda Nobunaga thought for a moment and said, "To be honest, I don't think it's worth it."

Watanabe Ichiro looked at him: "Tell me." "An exposed agent is nothing. Since Ryoko was captured, she should commit suicide to atone for her sins, instead of becoming a burden to the Empire. If Shibahara Heiji were still alive, we could still feign compliance with the Military Intelligence Bureau. Now that he is dead, we must not be soft-hearted and try to exchange him for a shoe. At the very least, we must squeeze every last drop of value out of him."

Watanabe Ichiro sighed and said, "You're right, but the problem is that this shoe-head is a die-hard. Even if you threaten him with the lives of his wife and children, he will still remain silent."

Kuroda Nobunaga sneered: "Times have changed. In my opinion, winning hearts and minds is the best approach."

Watanabe Ichiro asked with interest, "You mean?"

"Winning hearts and minds is the best strategy. I believe that everyone has feelings and weaknesses. Since we can't force his wife and children to submit, we might as well tell him that because Ryoko was arrested, we offered a secret exchange to the Military Intelligence Bureau, but it was resolutely rejected by the Military Intelligence Bureau and Dai Chunfeng. In other words, he has been abandoned by his own organization. In this way, as long as we use coercion and enticement, we can definitely destroy his spirit and shatter his beliefs."

"That's a good idea."

Watanabe Ichiro looked approving, picked up the telegram from the table again, waved it, and changed the subject, saying:

"Even if he confesses and we wipe out all the anti-Japanese elements behind him, they are just a bunch of weaklings and won't have much impact on the war. Our ultimate goal is still Dai Chunfeng and those high-ranking officers who command large armies."

Kuroda Nobunaga's heart skipped a beat. He understood Watanabe Ichiro's meaning and thought to himself, "You specifically kept me here, you don't mean to make me organize another assassination attempt on Dai Chunfeng, do you? Shibahara Heizaburo is as cunning as a fox, yet he is no match for this man. Wouldn't it be suicide for me to go?"

Despite his dissatisfaction, his reply was extremely tactful: "Does the chief of staff intend to assassinate him again?"

“Of course!” Watanabe Ichiro’s eyes shone with determination as he stood up, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed a number:
"come here."

Kuroda Nobunaga, unaware of who he was summoning, waited silently, pondering the question.

Soon, the clattering sound of military boots on the ground echoed in the corridor outside the conference room, growing louder as it approached. Then, a man wearing a leather jacket with his collar turned up, obscuring half of his face, walked into the conference room.

Without looking to the side, he walked directly up to Watanabe Ichiro and gave him a straight military salute: "Chief."

"Sit down." Watanabe Ichiro nodded.

After the man sat down, Watanabe Ichiro sat up straight and said, "Before announcing the mission, I have some news to tell you. Perhaps it is most appropriate for me to tell you this news."

He focused his gaze on the man's face, paused for a moment, and then said, "Your brother was on his way to Jiangshan County to carry out a mission—"

The man gazed at Watanabe Ichiro without saying a word, but his eyes held a hint of expectation and hope.

Watanabe Ichiro continued, "Shibahara Heiji's jade has shattered."

When he said this, Watanabe Ichiro's tone was rather unusual. He immediately stood up and bowed deeply: "Shiro, please accept my condolences!"

Shibahara Heishiro immediately understood. A hint of sadness flashed in his eyes, but it disappeared in an instant. He quickly said:

"Chief, give the order!"

Seeing this, Watanabe Ichiro said nothing more and went over to introduce the two.

"Heishiro Shibahara once served as a member of the SS Security Service of the Gestapo in Germany. Later, he joined the Brandenburg Army to learn some special operations. After returning to Japan, he formed the Masuko Commando Unit and achieved many military exploits."

"Kuroda Nobunaga graduated from Nakano School in Tokyo and worked in the Special Higher Police for a long time."

The two looked at each other, crossed their arms, and gave each other a standard bow.

Kuroda Nobunaga silently observed the man. Although this fellow named Shibahara Heishiro had his collar turned up, Kuroda could immediately tell that the color of his face was noticeably whiter than the skin on his neck, which was clearly illogical and inconsistent with the characteristics of a soldier. From the side, the lines of his jaw were stiff and out of proportion with the rest of his face, and Kuroda Nobunaga instantly suspected that the man had undergone plastic surgery.

Considering this person's resume—the Gestapo SS Security Service and the Japanese Special Higher Police were of the same nature; as for the Brandenburg Unit, as far as he knew, it was the earliest regular special forces unit of the German army, whose members were mostly proficient in multiple foreign languages, familiar with the culture of countries behind enemy lines, and skilled in disguise and infiltration. They often disguised themselves as enemy soldiers or civilians to go deep behind enemy lines to carry out raids, defections, intelligence theft, or decapitation operations, and performed outstandingly in the German campaigns against Poland and France.

As for the so-called Masuko Advance Corps, Kuroda Nobunaga, recalling the rumors circulating in the military, had questions that were already on his mind.

He had long suspected that the military headquarters had carefully selected a special unit from the infantry regiments to carry out infiltration, reconnaissance, sabotage, and surprise attack missions. Last year, during the "heart-digging war" (which the Chinese called the Hundred Regiments Offensive) launched by the North China Front Army, this unit participated, disguising itself as the Eighth Route Army, attempting to raid the Eighth Route Army headquarters and assassinate senior Red Army generals, but most of them were ultimately annihilated.

Could this person be a survivor from this unit?
Just as Kuroda Nobunaga was lost in thought, Watanabe Ichiro brought over a detailed map, spread it on the table, gestured for the two to come closer, and then went straight to the mission: "This mission is time-sensitive. You need to head to the airport immediately, be airdropped into Quzhou by plane, and then infiltrate Jiangshan County in disguise."

Kuroda Nobunaga and Shibahara Heishiro listened attentively with solemn expressions.

Watanabe Ichiro nodded, drew a circle on the map, and explained to the two men: "According to the current intelligence analysis, the target is still in Jiangshan County. Next, he will definitely return to his hometown, Bao'an Village in Xiakou Town. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow. In any case, no matter what means we use, whether it's an ambush or a surprise attack, we must take down the target. Remember, we must be extremely cautious!"

Kuroda Nobunaga listened intently, his heart heavy with worry that Watanabe Ichiro would actually send him to assassinate Dai Chunfeng.
"Chief, do we have any people in the area?"

"It used to exist, but I don't know now." Watanabe Ichiro looked confused, then asked:

"Gentlemen, are you confident?"

Shibahara Heishiro remained expressionless, seemingly indifferent: "At worst, I'll die a martyr's death on the battlefield, serving the Emperor."

Watanabe Ichiro nodded in satisfaction: "Now I command!" A tense atmosphere filled the quiet conference room. "Shibahara Heiji and Kuroda, I beg you both, for the great cause of the Empire, do your utmost to complete Shibahara Heiji's unfinished work! The Emperor will surely prevail!"

Kuroda Nobunaga and Shibahara Heishiro said in unison:
"The Emperor will surely win."

Watanabe Ichiro waved his hand excitedly: "For the early victory of our Great Japanese Empire's holy war, give full play to your special talents. One of you is a highly trained senior agent, and the other is a mastered special operations expert. You are the world's best soldiers. You complement each other perfectly and will surely achieve great success!"

"Hayi, we will certainly live up to your mission!"

(End of this chapter)