Spy game? Stop guessing, I really am an undercover agent!

Chapter 255 Using Honor to Cover Up the Truth

June 13th, Showa 14th Year (1939)!

The warm wind from the border region blew through the streets of Xinjing, but brought no warmth whatsoever.

The detailed battle report of the defeat at Nomonhan was like a needle piercing the hearts of the Kwantung Army Headquarters' Mei Agency and all the high-ranking Japanese and puppet officials.

The tank squadron suffered heavy losses, and the 23rd Division suffered severe equipment damage. The myth of the "invincible Imperial Army" was exposed as fragile in the face of the Soviet-Mongolian Allied Forces' steel torrent.

Shame! An unprecedented shame!

This sense of shame quickly transformed into hysterical madness!

The Japanese war machine throughout Manchuria and even North China was running at unprecedented speed to its limit.

The railway line became the busiest artery, with military trains acting like blood transfusion needles, desperately trying to stop the bleeding wounds on the northern grasslands.

Shanghai, Southern Transportation Department, third floor, deputy minister's office.

As Chen Yang was promoted from head of the land transport section to second-in-command of the transport department, his power increased, and so did his workload.

On the second floor of the Transportation Department, in the Land Transport Section, the sounds of telephones ringing, telegraph machines clicking, subordinates' urgent reports, and shouts from various places urging for supplies mingled together, making the air feel scorching as if it were about to burn.

On the map, the red and blue arrows representing the movement of military trains are so densely packed that they are dazzling.

Another vice minister of the Ministry of Transport, Colonel Yoshida, sat in the center of this chaos, his face pale and his eyes sunken, as if he hadn't slept well for days.

However, despite being extremely tired, he remained calm as he processed each document and issued each instruction.

To outsiders, this appears to be an example of being so dedicated that one forgets to eat and sleep.

Chen Yang, who is also a vice minister of the Ministry of Transport, is enjoying a different kind of leisurely time.

It was as if the hurried and arduous transportation tasks outside had nothing to do with him.

He was the one coordinating all the supplies coming in and out, while Yoshida's team was only managing transportation matters. Even if the two weren't equally busy, they shouldn't be this far apart.

But that's the reality. Starting from the 13th, transportation pressure at all levels has increased significantly, with all sorts of material allocation orders piling up like small mountains.

Chen Yang's reason was to prioritize the supply of materials to the north, as he had already held back the transportation of materials from the south for half a month.

Even now, the South needs material subsidies, so Yoshida has to find a way to transport the supplies to their destination. Of course, the most important thing is the supplies he prepared for all the various factions.

Of course, the most crucial part is the various supplies he smuggled in private!
Chen Yang's smuggling methods were not particularly sophisticated, but rather like a precise surgical operation, accurately performing a minimally invasive "substitution" within a vast system.

Using the vice minister's authority to declare "planned losses"...

The Japanese military's logistics system had inherent flaws, especially under such high-intensity operation.

Chen Yang astutely took advantage of this, and when approving the list of "ammunition supplies" to the "23rd Division", he added an extra three to five percent "planned battle loss reserves" to the approved quantity based on the "fierce battle losses" reported by the unit.

This tiny percentage, when combined with tens of thousands of ammunition, amounts to an astonishing absolute number.

These "extra" ammunition (mainly Type 38 rifles, Type 11 light machine guns, and Type 97 hand grenades) would be repackaged in boxes bearing the words "Special Approval for Logistics of the Kwantung Army" and "Nomonhan Emergency Supplies" and mixed in with the genuine products before being loaded onto the truck.

The same method is naturally applied to medicines, clothing, and even canned food.

His reasons for signing were perfectly valid: "The fighting on the front lines is fierce, and the supply lines are long. We must reserve sufficient redundancy to deal with unforeseen circumstances."

Of course, in addition to these military supplies, Chen Yang adopted a more sophisticated "mixed loading" strategy for some more sensitive and critical materials, such as radio equipment, precision instruments, special steel, and even disassembled mortar parts and explosives.

He would instruct trusted comrades, who were stationed at key loading and unloading positions, to seal these items in specially made wooden or metal boxes, with external markings disguised as "spare tank track plates," "artillery spades" (replacement parts), "engineering surveying equipment," etc.

These boxes would be cleverly placed in the corners of flatbed wagons transporting heavy equipment on military trains, or mixed in with boxcars carrying "non-urgent engineering supplies".

Taking advantage of the lack of communication between different departments of the Japanese army, these items were secretly transferred to buyers from the Communist Party or the Kuomintang.

Of course, once the supplies are loaded onto the truck, the most important thing is how to deliver them to the customers.

This is also the riskiest part of the entire plan.

Using his coordinating authority, Chen Yang would deliberately plan some seemingly reasonable "auxiliary routes" or "temporary supply points" when "optimizing" the routes of the northward military trains.

For example, a military train that departed from Shenyang and was fully loaded with soldiers and ammunition was originally supposed to go directly to Arxan via Baicheng.

Chen Yang noted in the dispatch order: "In order to reduce the pressure on the main line and improve efficiency, some carriages of this train will be separated at Zhangwu Station, detour via Tongliao Line, and temporarily replenished and repaired at Taonan Station."

Locations like Taonan were often situated on the edge of active anti-Japanese guerrilla zones.

When the train stopped at these stations as "ordered," the accomplices, who had already disguised themselves as local laborers, railway maintenance workers, or even Manchukuo railway police, would take advantage of this brief and "legal" stop time to quickly unload the marked "special supplies" under the cover of darkness or chaos, transferring them to waiting horse-drawn carts, donkey carts, or even having them carried away by manpower...

The timing of the entire process, the communication signals, and the transfer routes were all meticulously calculated and rehearsed.

Once completed, the train will continue its journey, and everything will appear normal on the dispatch logs, as if it were just a routine wartime transport adjustment.

As Chen Yang's operations succeeded time and again, an invisible and efficient supply line quietly took shape.

Batch after batch of precious supplies traversed the Japanese-controlled railway network, flowing like lifeblood into the anti-Japanese base areas throughout North China, especially the Red Army headquarters in the Taihang Mountains.

Deep in the Taihang Mountains, some troops had their ammunition reserves replenished, and wounded soldiers were saved thanks to the administration of drugs such as sulfonamides.
The disassembled mortars were reassembled and became powerful weapons for attacking Japanese pillboxes. Some precious lubricants and special steels were even used for the maintenance and manufacture of the weapons.

Although these supplies could not fundamentally change the balance of power, they undoubtedly played a vital role in providing much-needed relief during the Japanese army's brutal "mopping-up" operations and economic blockade, greatly boosting the morale of the anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians.

However, nothing stays hidden forever. Although Chen Yang's actions were clandestine, they were not entirely without trace.

The first to notice the anomaly were the agents of the Mei Agency.

During their routine analysis of the "security situation" in the occupied territories, they vaguely noticed something amiss!

The activity and combat effectiveness of the "local Eighth Route Army" in some areas did not seem to decline significantly as expected with the progress of the Nomonhan Incident and the northward transfer of Japanese troops; in fact, they even increased in some local areas.

Although they couldn't directly link this to the transportation of supplies from the rear, their keen senses had already aroused their suspicions.

Secondly, within the South Manchuria Railway and the Japanese military logistics system, some sporadic reports about "minor discrepancies in the supply lists" or "slightly circuitous dispatch routes" began to quietly appear on the desks of some departments. However, these reports were either drowned out or attributed to "inevitable chaos in wartime" amidst the overwhelming clamor of "Northern Priority" and the daily hustle and bustle.

Shanghai Stock Exchange, Meiji Government Office!

Mei Agency's intelligence network is like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, extremely sensitive to any unusual whiff of danger.

Several reports from different sources, pointing to subtle anomalies in the flow of supplies, were carefully compiled and placed on the desk of Deputy Chief of Staff, Qingqi Qingyin.

This matter involves the "Wartime Special Transportation Coordination Headquarters," which is endorsed by the Cabinet, the military, and the South Manchuria Railway Company, and is directly related to the newly appointed Vice Minister Chen Yang.

Qingqi Qingyin dared not delay and immediately went to the Southern Transportation Department after obtaining the intelligence.

As evening fell, he arrived outside Chen Yang's office, straightened his collar to ensure his posture was impeccable, and then gently knocked on the door.

"Come in," came Chen Yang's calm voice from inside.

Qingqi Qingyin pushed open the door and entered, seeing Chen Yang sitting behind a large desk reviewing documents.

He immediately stepped forward, stopped at a suitable distance from the desk, leaned forward slightly, and bowed respectfully.

"Minister Chen, I'm sorry to disturb your work."

Chen Yang looked up from the document and saw that it was Qingqi Qingyin. A smile appeared on his face: "It's Qingqi-kun. No need for formalities. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Haruki Yoshitane maintained a respectful posture and spoke humbly, "Hi. I apologize for coming here, but it's because while the organization was sorting through recent intelligence, we discovered some very trivial, well, but I personally feel it's necessary for you to know about these things."

"Considering your current heavy responsibility of overseeing transportation coordination, we believe it is necessary to report to you in a timely manner so that you can make the final decision."

"Oh?" Chen Yang seemed to have taken a liking to it, put down his pen, and leaned back. "What situation warrants that Lord Qingqi would go to such lengths to make this trip in person?"

"It's some minor report about the flow of supplies," Haruki Yoshitane said with extreme caution. "Our men have accidentally discovered empty supply crates bearing the Kwantung Army's markings in certain areas of North China."

"In addition, during routine transportation audits, discrepancies were also recorded between the loads of individual wagons and the manifest, which were within a very small range of wear and tear."

"Also...it seems that a small number of high-quality military-grade items have occasionally appeared on the black market."

“These cases are very scattered and could be just statistical errors, normal losses during transportation, or counterfeit products by unscrupulous merchants.”

"With Minister Chen's wisdom, he can see through it at a glance."

"However... it is our duty as an organization, and General Kagesa often admonishes us to pay attention to details. I am foolish and feel that although this kind of information may not be important, since it involves the transportation process, it is still the most prudent thing to do to report it to you. Perhaps... perhaps it can be of some reference for your overall planning."

He positioned himself as an "information collector and reporter," leaving all the judgment to Chen Yang.

Chen Yang listened quietly, his expression remaining unchanged.

After Qingqi finished speaking, he paused for a moment before slowly opening his mouth, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority:
"Qingqi-jun, you did the right thing. Information is important, and timely communication is a good thing."

"However, as you might expect, given the current state of overloaded transportation, the likelihood of the situations you mentioned occurring is quite high."

"With tens of thousands of wagons, personnel, and processes involved, achieving absolute precision is an impossible task."

"Our energy should be focused on ensuring the absolute patency of the main arteries, rather than being distracted by the minute leaks in these capillary terminals."

"Of course, the Mei Agency is responsible for pacification in the rear, so vigilance is necessary. How about this,"

"Regarding these scattered signs you mentioned, your Mei Agency should conduct an internal verification within your authority."

"Remember, it's a low-key internal verification. I don't want unfounded speculations to cause unnecessary panic and disrupt the efficiency of supply delivery to the front lines. That's the bottom line, understand?"

"Yes, I understand!" Qingqi Qingyin immediately bowed and replied, "Minister Chen's instructions are very clear! I will definitely keep things in check and only conduct the smallest possible verification internally, so as not to affect the overall transportation situation. All results will be reported to you first!"

“Hmm,” Chen Yang nodded in satisfaction, picked up his pen again, and said, “Go ahead and get busy. Let me know if there’s any substantial progress.”

"Oh, by the way, I mentioned you in a meeting with Onodera-kun the other day,"

"The decision to promote you to colonel has been made, and the appointment document should be delivered to Shanghai in late June."

"Congratulations! General Kagesa is very busy. As the deputy chief of staff, you must be willing to take responsibility and play your best role in the Imperial Holy War!"

"Hi! Thank you for your guidance, Minister Chen. I won't disturb your work any longer." Qingqi Qingyin bowed respectfully again and then left the office.

After the door closed, Chen Yang's calm expression vanished instantly, and his eyes became sharp as knives.

We've found a clue so quickly; it seems we need to speed things up.

Chen Yang silently sat back down behind his desk and dialed a number: "Moshi moshi, Miyajima-kun, this is Chen Yang."

From across the street came the humble voice of Miyajima, the warehouse manager of Maigen Road: "Minister Chen, what are your orders?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to confirm the loading situation for tomorrow and the day after."

"Oh, I'll organize the information and send it to you right away." Miyajima quickly instructed his subordinate to do so.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Miyajima-kun," Chen Yang said without saying anything more and hung up the phone.

About two hours later, there was a knock on the office door, and Yusuke Ino, the deputy head of the land transport section, pushed the door open and came in: "Deputy Minister Chen, the material allocation order has just been delivered from the Maigen Road warehouse."

"Please take a look."

Chen Yang was still engrossed in reviewing documents: "Put it on the table!"

After putting down the documents, Ino didn't rush to leave. Instead, she looked at Chen Yang and suddenly said, "Vice Minister, aren't we pushing Yoshida too hard? He hasn't been home for days."

"Judging from his appearance, it seems he's reached his limit!"

Chen Yang paused slightly with his pen, looked up at Ino Yusuke, and suddenly smiled. "Ino-kun, let me ask you a question: Do you think the truth is more important, or honor?"

(End of this chapter)