You are ordered to support the War of Resistance against Japan; China enters Level 1 combat readines

"Yoshi!!"

"It's done! The mission is complete!"

While flames soared into the sky south of the city, several Japanese observation posts, lying in ambush on a hill three miles outside the city, were holding binoculars and could see everything clearly.

Guan Xue did not come up in person. She led the main force to a more distant rendezvous point, leaving behind several elite agents from the Xue Agency as observation posts.

Through the telescope, the twelve granaries looked like twelve furnaces burning, and the entire southern part of Jiaodong City was engulfed in thick smoke. The firelight reflected on the clouds, turning the low-lying cloud base into a rolling orange-red.

The Japanese agent who had been holding the binoculars lowered them and muttered in a dreamlike tone, "It really burned! All twelve granaries... burned!"

A companion next to him suddenly slapped him on the back, then let out a low but barely suppressed cry of excitement: "By Amaterasu Omikami! That's tens of thousands of tons of grain! Tens of thousands of tons! And it was just burned!"

Another agent crouched on a rock and snatched the binoculars from his companion to look at them himself.

He watched for a long time without speaking. After returning the binoculars to his companion, he exclaimed with genuine awe, "Chief, no, Lady Guan Xue, how did she manage to do that?"

No one can answer this question.

They all participated in the operation, but each person was only responsible for their own part: some were in charge of obtaining passes, some disguised themselves as grain merchants, some infiltrated the ranks of migrant workers, and some stuffed explosives and incendiary agents into the old grain.

Like gears, each component rotates individually, and only when they are put together can they form this sophisticated destructive machine.

Guan Xue, who designed the machine, sat in a house outside the city for seven days without ever stepping into Jiaodong City, turning the impossible into the possible right under their noses.

"Commander Okamura said this was a test for her."

The agent who first raised the binoculars looked back at the others, his voice trembling slightly.

"If this is a test, then all the achievements I've made in my life combined wouldn't even qualify me for a passing grade!"

It’s incredible!

"The Chief of Staff is amazing!"

A soldier, his face full of admiration, exclaimed, "I thought it would take at least a month, but they got it done in seven days! That's a hundred times better than those old guys in the Special Higher Police!"

"That's Lady Guan Xue! She's beautiful, and even more so, incredibly intelligent!"

The sergeant curled his lip, his tone full of smug pride: "Those Chinese thought they could rest easy just by guarding the granary? Dream on! Our chief used a little trick, and they obediently moved the bombs into the granary. They're as stupid as pigs!"

"That's right! The Chinese are a bunch of useless fools! They can't hold onto even a lot of food!"

Another soldier scoffed, his tone extremely arrogant: "Without food, let's see how they survive the winter! They'll starve to death without the Imperial Army even lifting a finger! Build a shipyard? Let's see what they'll use to build one!"

"When we get back, we must recommend him to the head of the department for commendation!"

The sergeant put away his binoculars, looking at the towering flames within the city, his face full of smug satisfaction.

"The Snow Agency has already achieved such a great feat so soon after its establishment. From now on, the entire intelligence front in North China will have to defer to the Snow Agency!"

"Some people have said in private that she's just a pretty woman who got the commander's favor because of her looks... I really want to see if the person who said that is standing here now and if their face hurts."

Several people burst into laughter, the sound quickly carried away by the mountain breeze.

"But to be honest, Chief of Staff is truly beautiful."

A younger agent put away his binoculars, licked his wind-chapped lips, and a strange glint flashed in his eyes.

"But to be honest, my legs go weak just looking at her now, and I get chills just looking at her."

"That's because you're a coward."

The person next to him gave him a push, but the person who spoke also subconsciously lowered their voice, as if Guan Xue was standing right behind them.

"Alright, let's call it a day."

The lead agent put the binoculars back into their case and took one last look at the sea of ​​fire.

The firelight cast distinct shadows on his face, and a meaningful smile played on his lips.

"Go back and report to the chief of staff—no, go back and report to Lady Guan Xue!"

……

Outside Jiaodong city, there is an inconspicuous farmhouse.

The night was as dark as ink, and the distant firelight shone through the sparse branches of the locust tree onto the paper window, flickering on and off.

There were no lights on in the room. Guan Xue sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), slowly turning a rough porcelain teacup in her hand.

The tea in the cup had gone cold, but she didn't drink a drop.

The sound of hurried but restrained footsteps came from outside the door.

Three light taps, two short and one long.

Guan Xue's lips curled up slightly. Without getting up, she simply said two words: "Come in."

The door was pushed open, and a Japanese captain strode in, his boots making a dull thud on the muddy ground. He stood at attention and bowed his head: "Chief, the observation post in Jiaodong City reports that all twelve granaries are on fire, and the fire has spread to the entire warehouse area. It is estimated that there is no possibility of saving them."

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Then Guan Xue smiled.

This smile gives birth to all things!

Her peach blossom eyes curved slightly, and the natural curve at the corners of her eyes was magnified to the extreme in this smile.

The agents standing behind him were all stunned.

Then fear caught up with them faster than reason, and they all quickly lowered their heads.

Just a couple of days ago, a puppet army officer who was assisting the chief of staff had his eyes gouged out because he glanced at him a couple of times.

Even though everyone involved was a spy, they found the scene somewhat unbearable.

Guan Xue placed the teacup back on the kang table, making a crisp, light sound.

She didn't look at her subordinates who had their heads down; her gaze went over their heads and landed on the horizon outside the window, which was faintly reddened by the firelight.

She accomplished what others might not be able to do even with several divisions, using only a few people, seven days, a batch of old grain, and a few packets of explosives.

This is an unparalleled achievement!

Especially the North China Army, which is currently in dire straits!

Her prestige was now firmly established!

Prestige is a very mysterious thing.

You can only make people fear you by slapping them, and you can only make people remember you by your looks, but you can silence those who hate you, convince those who doubt you, and make those who use you rely on you.

From this day forward, she is no longer "the beautiful woman recommended by so-and-so," she is Lady Guan Xue, the true master of the Xue Agency.

As her thoughts shifted, she remembered the elusive "Mr. Shen" from the case file.

Over the past few days, she has thoroughly investigated all relevant information, and the more she reads, the more alarmed she becomes.

Standard weapons appearing out of nowhere, a continuous supply of grain, and counter-espionage capabilities so precise they're almost uncanny...

Others assumed he was a deeply hidden figure behind the scenes, but Guan Xue keenly sensed that he harbored a shocking secret.

If we can dig deep into this line, we can get this person under our control...

Let alone the intelligence system of the North China Area Army, she could easily secure a place even back at the Tokyo headquarters.

"Fall back."

Guan Xue deftly holstered her pistol back at her waist and stood up. Her military boots clattered crisply on the cold stone slabs.

"Return to Beiping and report back to Lord Gangcun!"