"Comfort women?" Hirai Jiichi blurted out: "I know, in a neighborhood in the alley of my house, his eldest daughter joined the battlefield condolence service a few years ago, and it is said that she went to Shanghai, China. ”

Masao Kojima was a little surprised: "Oh? Mr. Captain's hometown is——? ”

"Matsue, my hometown of Matsue, is a small fish port in the northwest of Honshu."

The head of the secret service nodded, looked at the two generals again, and did not speak again.

Hirai Temple suddenly remembered something, and continued: "The daughter of that neighbor wrote letters and sent money home at first, but then somehow she was not heard from. His father knew that I was serving in the army, and he asked my insiders to help him find out about his daughter. But my ability is really limited. Until October last year, when I left for the battlefield in North China, I didn't hear anything. ”

Realizing that he had gone too far, Hirai paused, vaguely feeling that the two generals seemed to look at each other meaningfully as he spoke.

"Hirai-kun," there was silence for a moment, and Hagiwara opened his mouth first: "Then how much do you know about the battlefield condolence service team?" ”

"I really don't know much about this ......, but I heard from that neighbor at that time that it was to carry out some logistics services with the army, such as laundry, cooking, bandaging the wounded, etc., which were all things that women should do, so the recruits were all women; I remember that back then, the community mobilized people from the local water police station, and they did the same thing. ”

Lieutenant General Sena and Major General Hagiwara Akira looked at each other again, and this time, Hirai Teriichi was sure; He suddenly felt a little uneasy, but he couldn't figure out why. Why did they ask him about the comfort women? What does this have to do with the military discipline rectification that we just talked about?

"What year did Mr. Captain say this?" Masao Kojima coldly began to ask questions again.

"I really can't remember the exact date, but it was a few years ago, but I only remember that when the eldest daughter of the neighborhood applied for the draft, she was not yet twenty years old and had just graduated from the high school in the county. After she signed up, she was quickly sent away. ”

"It was after the sixth year of Showa (author's note: i.e., 1932)," Lieutenant Admiral Sena interjected lightly: "After the Shanghai Incident, the navy used to recruit comfort women in China and Korea. I guess the daughter of Hirai-kun's neighborhood was in the army at that time. ”

The Shanghai incident mentioned by the division commander was naturally known to everyone present, and this suddenly evoked the memory node of Hirai Teraichi.

"Yes, Your Excellency, General!" Hirai said with some excitement: "I remember, it was the sixth year of Showa, when the Shanghai Incident broke out in the spring, and the eldest daughter of the neighborhood family was drafted away in the summer of that year. ”

"So, according to what you just said, this girl later lost contact with her family?" The commander of the Hagiwara Brigade asked.

"Indeed, it was the loss of contact. When the insider talked to me, I was still very strange, although I went to the battlefield condolence service team, but the war caused by the Shanghai incident quickly subsided, and there should be no danger to accompany the army. Hirai Temple said as he remembered the childish face of the eldest daughter of the neighborhood.

Suddenly, the heart of the gendarmerie captain skipped a beat, and he thought of something instantly, and was immediately stunned by this thought of his own.

At this time, he found that the three people at the low table had stopped eating and drinking, and they were all looking at him meaningfully, the generals were smiling imperceptibly, and the head of the secret service had a grim expression.

The room was so quiet that you could hear the sound of charcoal burning in the brazier.

The first to break the silence was the head of the Kojima Secret Service, whose voice became a little softer for the first time tonight:

"Mr. Captain, I think it is necessary to let you know that the comfort women of the Field Condolence Service are not just washing clothes and cooking for the soldiers of the Imperial Army. They also had to provide services and assistance to the soldiers' exuberant sexual needs when necessary. ”

Hiraiji listened motionlessly one by one. He finally understood the true meaning of the so-called comfort women, and then understood that such a high-level banquet for him, an ordinary military police captain, tonight must have something to do with the comfort women.

"Of course, the Navy Ministry does not tell women about this when they mobilize them to join the field condolence service, and I think Hirai-kun will understand this." This is the voice of the commander of the Hagiwara Brigade.

Hagiwara Akira and the navy that Sena has been emphasizing naturally have their reasons.

The so-called "Shanghai Incident" (here refers to the first "Shanghai Incident", that is, the "January 28 Shanghai War of Resistance"), was provoked by the Japanese Navy stationed in Shanghai at that time, in addition to ships, the Navy's special marines were also dispatched for ground combat; Later, although the Japanese Army formed a dispatch force to rush to support, there was a serious dispute between the two sides over the supreme command, which led to the delay of the fighters.

Japan's navy and army have always been incompatible. Army generals such as Akira Hagiwara and Sena have always had a lot of criticism about the navy.

"I understand," Hirai Teraichi swallowed hard, trying to dispel the childish image of the neighbor's daughter from his mind, "So, is it related to the fact that the army is also recruiting comfort women?" ”

The two generals smiled approvingly and gratifyingly, but neither spoke.

"Mr. Captain," Masao Kojima's voice sounded again, "The General Staff Headquarters has officially issued an order to form a team of comfort women to accompany the army on the battlefield of China, and at present, both the mainland and North Korea have begun mobilization. ”

Hirai Teraichi, who was born as a logistics quartermaster, couldn't help but move in his heart, and his eyes lit up: "Are you going to transfer me back to China to participate in the mobilization work?" ”

The two generals burst out laughing this time.

"Hirai-kun, I want you to participate in the mobilization work," Major General Hagiwara looked a little overjoyed: "But it's not that you want to return to China, but right here, in Shanxi." ”

The captain of the gendarmerie was confused: "General, please forgive me for not understanding. ”

"You're here to mobilize," Major General Hagiwara paused and put away the smile on his face: "Mobilize the women of Shina and join the comfort women team." ”

"The woman of China!?"

Hirai Temple almost exclaimed, he realized that he had lost his temper, and hurriedly straightened his sitting posture, but the shock in his heart still reached the extreme.

"What, Mr. Captain, is incredible?" Masao Kojima asked coldly on the side.

"This, this mobilization order...... And how to order it? Hirai Teruichi, whose brain was in a mess, stammered and asked.

"There is no mobilization order, and there is no need for it," Masao Kojima still said with a cold face, facing the captain of the gendarmerie: "Mr. Captain, you will lead your men to visit the homes of those women and gather them together." ”

"The division will set up a camp for you in advance to settle these comfort women," Major General Hagiwara took over the topic: "Remember, this action of yours is top secret, and there must be no leakage of even details!" ”

"General, with all due respect," Hirai Tereichi deliberately did not turn his face at Kojima, and the condescending and arrogant posture of the head of the secret service tonight made him disgusted and resisted. Hirai knew that the head of the secret service should be subordinate to the local garrison, but he didn't know Kojima's military rank, and he was afraid that it would not be much higher than himself:

"Why are we recruiting local Chinese women to be comfort women? Isn't mobilization already underway on the natives? ”

"Good question," said Lieutenant General Seminga, who had not spoken for a long time, "Captain, I appreciate your thinking and judgment skills. You must know that domestic mobilization takes a certain amount of time, and it also takes time for the conscripted comfort women to cross the ocean to reach China; What's even more tricky is that they landed on the southern coast of China, but at present, the two battlefields in the south and the north have not yet been opened, so even if the comfort women from the mainland reach China, they will not be able to reach us. ”

"I understand, Your Excellency!" Hiraiji Temple has always given Lieutenant General Sena a jaw salute.

"However, the task of forming a comfort women team is urgent, and I believe that Hirai-kun is also deeply touched and experienced by this." Major General Hagiwara laughed again as he spoke. Hirai understood that the brigade commander was referring to the endless troubles and embarrassments caused to him, the captain of the gendarmerie, by the "weathering case" that the soldiers stationed in the garrison had repeatedly prohibited.

"There is no need to type your reports one by one," the brigade commander said with a mocking smile: "Put down the pen and paper, take your people, and act immediately!" I will give you another reinforced squad of infantry, under your unified command. ”

Hirai Temple was about to say something, but was stopped by Hagiwara Akira, who was talking eloquently: "Captain, I have another good news for you, in view of the importance and top secrecy of this task, the North China Front Command has relieved you and your gendarmerie from all their original tasks, officially placed under the direct jurisdiction of our division, and at the same time promoted you to the rank of junior commander!" ”

Hirai Teraichi almost couldn't believe his ears: being promoted to adjutant, this is the goal that he, an ordinary lieutenant from a logistics quartermaster's background, is looking forward to but difficult to achieve!

"Your written appointment will be delivered soon by the Front Command, congratulations, Shaozuo." As a lieutenant general, the commander of the Sena Division understands the feelings of this person who is still a lieutenant in middle age but is still a military police captain.

Hirai Terarichi stood up and saluted the two generals forcefully.

"So, what do you plan for the new task you face?"

As soon as Hiraiji sat down, the other three people at the table invariably resumed eating and drinking, and the theme was carried out, and the captain of the gendarmerie also showed cooperation and confidence, and they all had a sense of relief at the moment, and Major General Hagiwara grabbed a fried tempura while asking the newly promoted Shaosa.

"Uh," Hirai Teraichi had a plan flashing in his mind just now, and he muttered slightly, and replied, "I think, starting with the woman involved in the weathering case I handled. ”

As soon as these words came out, the three people who had just resumed eating and drinking couldn't help but stop their movements again, and they all understood the meaning of what Hirai said.

They began to look at this gendarmerie captain with admiration.