Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 465 The Dejected Saburo Shibuya

Tanaka's blood gushed out along the sharp blade.

He gripped the knife handle tightly with both hands, and the muscles on his face, contorted with pain, now stretched into an extremely fanatical smile.

A pungent, nauseating smell of blood filled the conference room.

Everyone present was stunned into silence by this extremely horrific scene.

Even Hong Zhiyou was stunned. The Japanese devils were so real, so brutal!
Tanaka, using his last ounce of strength, let out a weak shout:

"May the Empire be blessed!"

"Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Emperor!"

The shouting stopped abruptly.

Tanaka fell heavily forward, leaving a long trail of blood on the clean floor.

Everything returned to deathly silence.

Shibuya Saburo's gaze fell on Tanaka's gradually cooling corpse, and the slight sense of desolation in his heart lasted only a second.

He was a thorough pragmatist.

That idiot Tanaka has squandered a winning hand and now he's made things even more unmanageable.

This kind of brainless idiot is no longer qualified to be his pawn.

It's a good thing that he died.

At least, the dead won't say the wrong thing.

Yano Otosaburo stared expressionlessly at the corpse on the ground: "Chief Shibuya, it seems the matter is quite clear now."

"Tanaka is suspected of using torture to extract confessions and deliberately framing Section Chief Hong."

"This farce should come to an end."

Saburo Shibuya took a slight breath, his expression showing a hint of sorrow and self-reproach:

"Yes.

"It's all my fault for not disciplining them properly. Such an absurd thing happened right under my nose."

"Tanaka, it is not a pity to die!

As he spoke, he slowly turned around and walked up to Hong Zhiyou.

Amidst everyone's astonished gazes, the de facto ruler of Binjiang Province bowed deeply to Hong Zhiyou:
“Hong Sang, you are innocent.”

"On behalf of Tanaka and the National Police Agency, I extend my sincerest apologies to you."

Hong Zhiyou sneered inwardly.

This guy is flexible and adaptable; he's quite a character.

Unfortunately, even the smartest person doesn't live long.

"Chief Shibuya, I'm sorry to disappoint you. I'm not a red ticket and I didn't get shot."

"Hmm, it's past eight o'clock, the morning paper should be out soon."

Hong Zhi glanced at his watch and sneered.

These words, though seemingly casual, were like a cold needle that instantly pierced Shibuya Saburo's nerves.

A chill ran down his spine, and he abruptly looked up: "What do you mean?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the meeting room door was gently pushed open.

Ren Changchun strode in, carrying a stack of newspapers that still smelled of ink.

He first bowed respectfully to the officers present, and then began to distribute the newspapers one by one.

Shibuya Saburo took the newspaper, and when his eyes fell on the shocking black lettering on the front page, the hairs on his body stood on end:
The Soviet Embassy lodged a strong protest: Police Chief Saburo Shibuya is suspected of plotting to assassinate Stalin!

Shibuya Saburo's hand trembled, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, his whole body chilled to the bone.

He knew that the Kwantung Army General Staff Headquarters had made such a large-scale operation, and it couldn't possibly be just to interrogate Hong Zhiyou!
From the moment Vasilyev's assassination attempt failed, he sensed danger.

He knew that if the Soviets caught any fugitive, they could eventually trace it back to him.

He was betting that Isogai Rensuke, that coward, would not dare to make a big deal out of protecting the reputation of the Kwantung Army and even the entire empire, and might even cooperate with him to deny the matter outright.

Who would have thought that Isogai Rensuke would act so decisively, contrary to his usual behavior, and take the initiative to join forces with the Soviets to set up a trap to deal with him!

They've all gone mad!

Yano Otosaburo put down the newspaper, his hawk-like eyes filled with icy rage:

“Shibuya Saburo!
"You secretly trained Russian assassins to attempt to assassinate Stalin at a sanatorium in Sochi. This is a matter of paramount importance that could shake relations between the two countries. Why did you make this decision on your own and not report it to the General Staff?!"

"His Excellency the Chief of Staff is furious about this matter!"
"The entire city of Tokyo is now in an uproar!"

"The Soviet Union has urgently increased its troops in the Far East, and Stalin is roaring in the international community, 'It was you! You single-handedly destroyed our peace treaty with the Soviet Union!'"

"You are the one who has caused His Majesty the Emperor to bear the infamy of being untrustworthy!"

"You have plunged the entire empire into an unprecedentedly passive and disadvantageous situation!"

Every word Yano Otosaburo said struck Shibuya Saburo's heart like a heavy hammer.

He pulled a document out of the folder and slammed it heavily on the table.

"This is a formal note sent by the Soviet Embassy early this morning!"
"There are also numerous accusations against you for secretly arresting and killing their embassy field staff!"

"What else do you have to say?"

Shibuya Saburo's body trembled slightly, not from fear, but from extreme anger.

He could no longer maintain that false composure.

"You're crazy!"

He let out a chilling roar, like a wounded beast making its last struggle.

"You actually teamed up with a Chinese person to target me."

"You have disregarded the reputation and safety of the empire for the sake of factional struggles!"

This soul-searching question echoed in the empty conference room.

"You're the one who's crazy!"

Yano Otosaburo suddenly stood up and retaliated without showing any weakness.

"You devised such a foolish plan for your own laughable achievements and honors!"
"You have tied the safety of the empire and the reputation of the Emperor to a few foolish remnants of Tsarist Russia!"
"You are the traitor to the empire!"

Kato, who had been silent all along, said coldly.

"Shibuya-kun, things have come to this point, there's no point in being angry or arguing." He pointed to the newspaper and the Soviet note on the table.

"Now think carefully about how to explain this to His Majesty the Emperor and how to explain it to the angry Soviets."

"Or perhaps you were being used by someone else, and you didn't know about Vasilyev's plan."

"You don't even know what happened."

You'd better think it through before you answer.

Kato's gaze softened, as if he were hinting at something.

Once it is publicly acknowledged that the assassination attempt on Stalin did indeed occur.

Then the empire would have no room for maneuver and could only passively accept the Soviet Union's wrath, which could even trigger a war that no one could have predicted.

Stalin, the tyrant who embodied steel, also needed a way out.

With the matter escalating to such an extent, he would be unable to explain himself to the Soviet Union if Japan made no response.

Therefore, everything is still at the level of "public accusation".

As long as all accusations are denied.

The Soviets then obtained the "attitude" they wanted, and Isogai Rensuke was able to use this fabricated charge to legitimately remove Shibuya Saburo, a thorn in Ishihara's side.

Then, we'll secretly get rid of him and, incidentally, internally eliminate the Ishihara faction.

Then everything will be fine.

……

Kato's words were both a way out and a trap.

Yano Otosaburo and Kato worked in tandem, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop. This strategy of attacking and then helping Shibuya Saburo completely put him on the defensive.

He had no choice.

Admitting the crime outright would confirm the assassination attempt on Stalin, dragging the Emperor and the entire empire into the mess and thoroughly enraging the polar bear.

At that time, not only will Shibuya Saburo suffer, but the entire Kwantung Army will be in deep trouble.

He knew he was doomed.

Not admitting it, but taking the excuse Kato offered, is the only way out.

But behind this "good intention" lies a deeper conspiracy by Rensuke Isogai.

This self-proclaimed master of the philosophy of mind, who boasted of his exceptional intelligence and ability to see through people's hearts, suddenly realized that he was utterly powerless against this young man, Hong Zhiyou.

He ultimately underestimated this hunter who wove a net with money and desire.

Hong Zhiyou gently patted the newspaper in his hand, making a soft "tap, tap" sound, and looked at Shibuya Saburo with a mocking gaze.

Saburo Shibuya understood the full meaning in that look: You lost.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the humiliation and anger surging in his heart, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

He turned his head, bowed slightly to Yano Otosaburo and Commander Kato, and began his speech:
"The two generals have misunderstood."

"I did not participate in any plan to assassinate Stalin, nor did I ever show any disrespect to Mr. Stalin."

"As for Mr. Vasilyev, he is an extremely talented artist whom I greatly admire. I have met with him several times, but those were merely academic exchanges on art and philosophy."

He distanced himself from everything.

Kato nodded, his expression softening considerably.
"Since it's a misunderstanding, that's good."

"However, international public opinion is currently very strong, and the protest from the Soviet embassy is also a stark reminder of this."

"For the sake of the Empire's reputation, I request that Director Shibuya personally write a statement of defense and publish a clarification in the newspaper to set the record straight and quell this unnecessary storm."

"Hi!" Shibuya Saburo bowed again, then quickly walked out of the conference room.

Kato and Yano Otosaburo glanced at Hong Zhiyou from a distance, bowed slightly to express their gratitude, and then left under the protection of the military police.

With the Japanese gone, Miao Futian was the first to approach, beaming and bowing to Hong Zhiyou.
"Section Chief Hong, congratulations! Congratulations! Your injustice has been redressed. I knew you were a lucky person!"

Police Chief Baek also stepped forward and patted Hong Ji-yoo on the shoulder affectionately.

"Zhiyou, you've really been wronged this time! Go back and get some rest. We'll have a banquet at the Madier Hotel tonight to calm your nerves!"

A crowd gathered around, offering their congratulations incessantly.

In the corner, Zhang Feng looked at Hong Zhiyou, who was surrounded by a crowd, and gritted his teeth in anger: "Damn it, what is all this nonsense! Shibuya Saburo is a good-for-nothing too!"

Zhang Chunyuan stood beside him, his face ashen, and let out a long sigh:
"He is not a waste."

He simply underestimated the power of human nature and money.

"It turns out that with enough money, there's nothing that can't be done."

"What bullshit imperial honor, Bushido spirit, it's all rubbish!"
"Hey, this is Mr. Shibuya, a legendary figure in Harbin, who was completely defeated by Hong Zhiyou."

"If we had known that money could buy anything, we would have been bolder and taken action against that General Guan. Now, no one else would be so powerful!"
"What a pity, what a pity!"

"What a golden opportunity we've missed!"

Zhang Feng lowered his voice and asked, "Father, so now... do we have no chance?"

“Opportunity?” Zhang Chunyuan smiled bitterly. “Hong Zhiyou is no pushover. He can bring down Shibuya Saburo today, and he can trample us, father and son, into the mud tomorrow.”

He glanced at his son, a resolute glint in his eyes:
"Don't stay in Harbin for now. Go hide in the interior for a while and come back when things have calmed down."

Zhang Feng wanted to say something more, but was stopped by a stern look from Zhang Chunyuan.

He could only glare angrily at Hong Zhiyou before turning and quickly leaving.

Zhang Chunyuan straightened his collar, forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, and hurriedly walked towards Hong Zhiyou:
"Chief Hong, Chief Hong!"

"Today's incident is all my fault!"
"I was only following Tanaka's orders and had no other choice. I hope Section Chief Hong will be magnanimous and not blame me!"

Hong Zhiyou looked at his fawning face and smiled:

"Chief Zhang, you are too polite."

He turned his head, as if suddenly remembering something, and chuckled at Miao Futian, the director of the Security Bureau, who was standing to the side.

"Director Miao, a couple of days ago when I was having tea with Chief of Staff Rensuke Isogai at the General Staff Headquarters, he suspected that there were red flags lurking within your Security Bureau."

"You really have to be careful, you have to keep your eyes open!"

Miao Futian's heart skipped a beat. He knew Hong Zhiyou was referring to him, and he quickly replied with a serious expression:

"Please convey to the Chief of Staff that I will conduct a thorough investigation upon my return!"

Gao Bin took a puff of his pipe, a signature smile spreading across his sinister face, and said loudly, "Oh? There are red tickets inside the Security Bureau too?"

"It seems that these red tickets are truly ubiquitous."

He glanced around at everyone present and said slowly, "Who knows, maybe one day someone will find a radio in any of your homes."

"Unlike that illiterate hunter, we're all here. Even with a hundred mouths, we might not be able to explain ourselves."

Director Bai immediately smiled and agreed: "What's so hard to explain?"
"Just use torture to extract a confession!"

"You have to confess, whether you want to or not!"

"Hahahaha!"

The crowd burst into laughter, their laughter filled with glee and schadenfreude.

Miao Futian chuckled twice, then solemnly assured everyone, "Don't worry, everyone! If there really is such a person, no matter who he is, I, Miao Futian, will personally send him to the guillotine!"

Zhang Chunyuan stood aside, his whole body covered in cold sweat.

The person who was hit by the electric shock device is most likely him. Hong Zhiyou is probably seeking revenge.

After the play ended, everyone dispersed.

Upon reaching the door, Zhang Chunyuan saw Gao Bin about to get into the car and quickly took a few steps to catch up with him:

"Section Chief Gao, Lao Gao! My old classmate, could you... perhaps say a few words to Zhi You?"

"I...I was really forced by Tanaka, I..."

Gao Bin stopped, turned around, and looked at him with a smile:
"Section Chief Zhang, why are you in such a panic?"
"Could it be... that you're the red ticket hidden in the Security Bureau?"

Zhang Chunyuan trembled, his lips quivering, "You...you!"

Gao Bin ignored him, opened the car door, and got in.

……

Inside the car.

Zhou Yi sat in the driver's seat, driving calmly.

He glanced at Hong Zhiyou through the rearview mirror and reminded him, "It seems that the General Staff has no intention of executing Shibuya Saburo."

"This person is extreme and cunning. We must be especially careful of his counterattack, especially in situations like this."

Gao Bin nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

"Yes."

He analyzed slowly and methodically: "I have studied Stalin. He was a thoroughgoing nationalist. He talked about the Comintern, but he only cared about the interests of the Slavs."

"This can be seen from the fact that he used to remotely control the red tickets as a superior leader on the one hand, and flirted with the Chiang Kai-shek government on the other."

"His actions, including watching Germany and Japan expand and focusing on signing non-aggression pacts with them, were all for self-preservation, and he had no sense of responsibility as the big brother at all."

"Therefore, Stalin's so-called troop increase in the Far East is probably just a pretext, done for the international community to see."

"He won't really start a war over this, and the pressure he puts on the Japanese is limited."

"The final result will most likely be that Shibuya Saburo will be gently laid down."

At this point, Gao Bin sighed:

"As long as this person lives, it's like a huge boulder hanging over all of our heads, making us restless and unable to eat or sleep."

Hong Zhi leaned back in the back seat and said calmly, "He won't leave Harbin alive."

"Isoya Rensuke has finally seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to legitimately purge the Ishihara faction's influence in Manchuria. They will not allow Shibuya Saburo to return to Tokyo."

“Of course, I won’t either.” Hong Zhiyou’s eyes turned cold as he added.

Silence fell over the carriage.

Gao Bin stared at the rapidly receding street scene outside the window, remaining silent for a long time.

He suddenly realized that he was really old.

While he was still worried about this matter and couldn't sleep all night, Zhiyou had already planned everything.

This child's energy far exceeded my expectations.

He has grown strong enough that he no longer needs me to shelter him from the wind and rain.

Hey!
……

Shibuya Official Residence.

"what!"

Shibuya Saburo, shirtless, frantically brandished his bamboo sword.

Each strike was delivered with all his might, as if he wanted to vent all the anger and resentment in his heart into the cold air.

He felt that the empire was sliding into an abyss, and he was powerless to stop it.

He had just made several phone calls to his superior, Kanji Ishihara, in Tokyo, and without exception, his family members answered each one.

They made all sorts of excuses, saying their superior was not there or was meeting with guests. Superintendent Ishihara had actually abandoned them at a time like this.

"Snapped!"

Shibuya Saburo let out a frustrated roar and smashed the celadon vase on the table to pieces with a single stroke of his sword.

Just then, the phone rang urgently.

Shibuya Saburo, panting heavily, walked over and answered the phone.

The call was from the General Staff Headquarters of the Kwantung Army.

A cold, emotionless official voice read out the order on the other end of the phone.

"By decision of the General Staff meeting, Saburo Shibuya is hereby relieved of his post as Chief of Police of the National Police Agency, as well as all concurrent posts."

"Repatriated to Tokyo, awaiting further assignment."

After hanging up the phone, Saburo Shibuya tilted his head back and closed his eyes.

He possessed immense talent and ambition, held the supreme authority of the Emperor and the Empire in his heart, and had grand plans for the entire Manchukuo and the interior of China that he had yet to implement.

Now it's all a joke.

He could only leave in disgrace, as a loser.

Back in Tokyo, haha.

Even big shots like Commander Ishihara and Hideki Tojo became insignificant pawns in the power struggle.

I'm afraid I'll never have a chance to get ahead in this lifetime...

Thinking of this, Shibuya Saburo burst into tears of anguish.

He never imagined that he would suffer such a crushing defeat, losing to a mere section chief in the police department.

Unwilling!
……

The next morning.

Saburo Shibuya got out of the car, carrying a simple suitcase, and prepared to leave by boat.

Just as he was about to step onto the gangway, he saw a familiar face.

Not far away, Hong Zhiyou was leaning against the railing, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, looking at him with a half-smile.

"Mr. Shibuya!"

……

(End of this chapter)