Bright Sword: From Border Region Manufacturing to Major National Heavy Industry

Chapter 58 Good News

Japanese Army Field Hospital

After the anesthesia wore off, Hirata Ichiro slowly woke up.

A deputy captain of the military police approached him: "Captain, you're awake. The surgery was a success. Your right eyeball has been removed..."

"Baka!" Hirata Ichiro cursed angrily, "You've lost your eyeball, and you call that a successful surgery?!"

"Vice Captain, your hemorrhoid removal was also very successful," the vice captain added.

"What hemorrhoids?" Hirata Ichiro was taken aback. "When did I get hemorrhoids? I didn't know that."

"There's a nail embedded in your butt," the vice-captain explained. "When the doctor was operating on you, they found you had hemorrhoids, and they removed them while cutting your intestines."

"Cut out the intestines?" Hirata Ichiro was completely dumbfounded. His back door was only pierced by a nail, so why did he have to cut out his intestines?

Isn't this a complete quack doctor?

If you treat me like this, and this nail gets stuck in my scalp, are you going to cut my head off as well?

“The nail had a lot of kinetic energy. When it entered your body, it rolled around, and your intestines rotted. The doctor said it was difficult to repair, so it was best to remove it…” The deputy captain didn’t finish his sentence.

"Baka, baka, baka!" Hirata Ichiro shouted incoherently like a madman.

Once Hirata Ichiro had calmed down a bit, the vice-captain comforted him, "Captain, there is still good news."

"What good news?" Hirata Ichiro asked immediately upon hearing that there was good news. "Could it be that the Eighth Route Army attacking the city has been blocked and completely annihilated, and their heavy artillery has also been captured by us?"

Although Hirata Ichiro didn't think this was very likely, after all, he had personally witnessed the destructive power of the Eighth Route Army's heavy artillery.

The reinforcements surrounding the county town were simply unable to hold out.

Only reinforcements from the Ninth and Fourth Brigades could hold them off.

However, reinforcements from the Ninth and Fourth Brigades did not arrive so quickly.

But Hirata Ichiro still harbored a glimmer of hope.

What if.

What if this group of Eighth Route Army soldiers really gets wiped out?

Then your sacrifice will still be worthwhile!
"No, the Eighth Route Army escaped after all. They rescued dozens of anti-Japanese elements being held by the military police, took several safes, and looted our Dayue warehouse. Three thousand catties of white sugar are gone..."

"Baka! Is this good news?!" Hirata Ichiro exclaimed as if he had been struck by a huge blow!

Dozens of anti-Japanese elements were rescued, and that was all.

They also moved several safes, which contained important documents.

There are also three thousand catties of white sugar, which is an important strategic resource for the empire!

I have truly failed the Emperor, the Empire, and the Yamato people!
Ahhhhh!
Hirata Ichiro went berserk again.

"Captain, there really is good news." The vice-captain said. "You're talking nonsense..." An annoyed Hirata Ichiro didn't believe it at all, but still couldn't stop fantasizing, and asked, "What good news?"

"The good news is that you've been relieved of your post as captain of the military police, so you can focus on recovering in the hospital..."

"Baka!" Hirata Ichiro completely lost his temper and went berserk. He grabbed the vice-captain's hair and tore at it violently. "You idiot, you stupid pig, you stupid donkey, you're even stupider than a Chinese person!"

I've lost my position, so I'll have no chance to avenge myself. How can I focus on recovering from my injuries?

Tell me, how can I have peace of mind?!
The vice-captain, whose hair was shorter, broke free and explained to Hirata Ichiro, "Captain, the newly appointed military police captain, Fujita Ichiji, is your sworn enemy. He definitely can't handle the Eighth Route Army. He'll go after the mess you left behind with great fanfare, but he'll definitely be kicked out in a sorry state. By then, once you've recovered from your injuries, you'll still have a chance to be reinstated. The battle lines are stretched thin now, and we desperately need officers like you to maintain order in the rear. You'll still have a chance to get revenge then."

"Baka! How can Fujita Ichiji replace me? Shouldn't someone be chosen from among you vice-captains?" Hirata Ichiro's emotions had calmed down a bit.

He had no doubt about what the vice-captain said.

Those Eighth Route Army soldiers were really not easy to deal with; I experienced firsthand how formidable they were.

Fujita Ichiji is an arrogant bastard. He thinks he can take my job, but he'll only make a bigger fool of himself than I will!
This is indeed good news.

Faced with Hirata Ichiro's question, the vice-captain explained again, "Captain, we vice-captains aren't stupid. The Eighth Route Army is so difficult to deal with, and you still suffered losses. We are even more aware of our own limitations."

The vice-captain's meaning was clear: all of us vice-captains had specifically declined, unwilling to take on this hot potato.

It just so happens that Fujita Ichiji somehow managed to parachute in, so we might as well go with the flow.

"No matter what, my personal grudge with Fujita cannot affect the overall situation of the Kawamoto region, you understand!" Hirata Ichiro still instructed the vice-captain.

"Captain, don't worry. We will definitely carry out Captain Fujita's orders without hesitation and will never obstruct them in secret!" The vice-captain nodded.

The vice-captain understood Hirata Ichiro's intentions; he was still hoping Fujita Ichiji would embarrass himself.

However, if we outwardly obey Fujita Ichiji's orders but inwardly disobey them, and Fujita Ichiji suffers a setback, the military will investigate and we deputy captains will still be in deep trouble.

Anyway, Fujita Ichiji is no match for the Eighth Route Army, so we should just cooperate as is.

Jingle Bell!
The phone rang nearby, and Hirata Ichiro picked it up: "This is Hirata Ichiro."

Although Hirata Ichiro was injured, he was, after all, the military police captain of the Japanese military police force in Heyuan County. He was injured in an emergency, and there were many things that needed to be handed over to the next military police captain. Therefore, he installed a telephone here to facilitate contact with the next military police captain.

Fujita Ichiji's voice came through the phone: "Hirata-kun, you're finally awake! Congratulations!"

Although Fujita Ichiji's words were meant to congratulate him, they were filled with schadenfreude.

"Fujita-kun, thank you for your concern." Hirata Ichiro gritted his teeth and asked, "Is there anything you want to ask me?"

“No.” Fujita Ichiji was very proud and confident. “Although you left behind a mess, you should also know my work ability.”

“Fujita-kun, I’ll wait and see how you deal with the Eighth Route Army and take over their heavy artillery,” Hirata Ichiro said, feigning humility. “When the time comes, I’ll have to learn a lot from you.”

"Hahaha." Fujita Ichiji laughed loudly, very disdainfully, "They're just a bunch of Eighth Route Army guerrillas. Watch how I deal with them. I'm not saying this to criticize you, Hirata-kun, but you can't even handle this simple matter. I really don't know how you became the military police captain."

"Hmph, I'd like to see how you manage as the military police captain! If you get beaten up by the Eighth Route Army, let's see if you'll still have the nerve to mock me!" Hirata Ichiro snorted at Fujita Ichiji's sarcasm and hung up the phone.

(End of this chapter)