11-4

"Gaozhu Village is gone."

"I'll find it right away!"

"Don't go, Takeuchi just called and asked us to cooperate with their work, Takatakemura should have arrived at the gendarmerie headquarters by now."

"He was cultivated by us, why should the army intervene!"

Tani Hengtaro sat on the sofa and looked at the angry young man in front of him.

Seven years ago, he was sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Consulate General in Nanjing, where he met Kenichi Ishikawa, a graduate of the Dong-A Tongbun Academy and a student at Fudan University, who had gone to Nanjing to investigate, and Ishikawa was only a young man in his twenties. His mother is Chinese, grew up in China, born at the bottom, hard-working, humble and studious, sincere and sincere, familiar with Chinese history and Chinese culture.

Gu Hengtaro likes this young man very much, and even, he can't be described as liking and appreciating, he saw his own shadow in Ishikawa Kenichi.

At that time, although Matsuoka Yoyo had already issued a speech on "Turbulent Manchuria" at the Imperial Diet, and public opinion about the domestic occupation of Manchuria was rising one after another, most of the powerful generals were still young, and the balance between Japan and the Nationalist Government was still fragile, although an unprecedented internal war was going on within the Nationalist Government.

No one can predict the future, and at this time, like many Japanese civil servants who have lived in China for many years, he still has confidence in Sino-Japanese peace.

Believing in the stability of Manchuria and the fact that war would not break out between China and Japan, young Ishikawa, like himself, believed that although China was weak, it should not be insulted, and that friendly relations between China and Japan remained the foundation for peace in East Asia.

In the summer of the twelfth year of the Showa era, he and the young Ishikawa walked the shores of Lake Xuanwu for several days, enjoying the scenery of the lake and mountains, reminiscing about the past glory of this huge friendly country. Somehow, at the moment when they were about to part, Tani Hengtaro changed his usual cautious style and issued an invitation to this lovely young man. He invited Kenichi Ishikawa to join the intelligence agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to collect and analyze all valuable information about this ancient and chaotic country in order to inform the future policy direction of the Great Japanese Empire.

"This is a great work that is very valuable and can even affect peace in East Asia and the world."

He was in high spirits.

Young Ishikawa looked incredulous and happily agreed.

Who would have thought of the story after that? The outbreak of the Wanbaoshan Incident, the detonation of the 918 Incident, the autonomy of North China, the China Incident, the bloody battle of Songhu, the massacre of Nanjing, and Ishikawa, who came out of the flames of war, is no longer the simple-minded, joyful and loving young man he used to be.

"Mr. Gu Heng?"

Kenichi Ishikawa's slightly embarrassed question interrupted Tani Tsunetaro's memories.

"Ishikawa-kun, after so many years, we have known each other very well, and there are some things I don't want to say, but where the responsibility lies, I must say it."

He made a long pause, carefully considering the words.

"A violent conflict has broken out between Japan and the Soviet Union, the defeat of the Imperial Army at Nomenkan, the signing of a treaty of mutual non-aggression between the Soviet Union and Germany, we have lost an important partner in the international balance against the Soviet Union, and the war in China has dragged on for a long time. Shanghai is now the international center of the Far East, an important window for the empire to seek international support, especially in need of stability. ”

"Tokyo, I'm not satisfied with our work. Neither could it limit the blind expansion of the army in Shanghai, nor could it provide core confidential information in time to prevent the imperial army from blindly falling into the quagmire of war. After three years of war, domestic resources are gradually depleted, and internationally, the Army's strong posture has also put our work into an unprecedented passive situation. Specific to the Gu Heng Mansion, the intelligence work on Chongqing and Yan'an has come to a standstill. At present, the dominance of Shanghai's spy work has been completely taken away by the army and the No. 76 intelligence agency they have fostered. ”

"The exposure of the rebel Gao Zhucun, the assassination of the secret supporter Tang Kaicheng by the military commander, and the mutual restraint between us and the Mei agency have led to serious friction between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Army...... Tokyo is so disappointed by the continued failures of Shanghai's intelligence system that they are now looking for someone to take responsibility. ”

Tani Hengtaro sighed and said, "I took the initiative to take responsibility and was vetoed." Due to the loss of control over the Liang Chengjie family, we have lost the initiative in Shanghai's economic work, and you have been pushed to the forefront. I think you should understand what I mean. ”

"I, understood. I didn't do my job well, and I was prepared for that. ”

"This time, a special review procedure has been initiated against you, and I'm afraid there is nothing I can do."

"Yes."

"Ishikawa-kun, feelings towards China are dangerous, and I'm not just reminding you, I'm reminding myself. We are all subjects of the Great Japanese Empire, and we must first and foremost be loyal to His Majesty the Emperor and our country. ”

Takeuchi just explained on the phone that the purpose of the military police headquarters to rob Gaozhu Village was to set up a bureau and identify the Communist Party leaders hidden in Wang Zhaoming's regime through Gaozhu Village. I still want you to deal with this matter. It's your last chance, and it's within my purview to give you the last help, and I hope you can take advantage of it. If Yutaka Uchino can successfully defeat the ** latent gang this time, you may still have a chance to live. ”

"When you come back, I'll go back to Japan and be investigated. I'm sorry, but I hope you understand that. ”

"I understand."

After being silent for a long time, Kenichi Ishikawa bowed deeply to Tsunetaro Tani.

"Thank you for your continued care."