The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 649 Help (Bonus chapter for "I'm a Big Watermelon, I Just Love Eating Watermelon")

Time: Around 10 PM on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Location: Changchun City, inside the headquarters of the Japanese Kwantung Army.

Reeking of alcohol, the Japanese Kwantung Army Commander-in-Chief, Umezu Mijiro, strode into his office. After sitting down behind his luxurious desk, he massaged his temples with his fingers, looking quite distressed.

What's giving this old Japanese soldier such a headache is that he drank quite a lot of alcohol today.

After all, this year is the most important traditional Chinese festival, the Spring Festival. Even for the more than 30 million Chinese people in Northeast China, the Japanese had long regarded them as slaves and cattle.

But in order to make the cattle and horses more obedient and to create greater value for them.

As the highest-ranking Japanese official in Northeast China, Umezu Mijiro still needed to make some populist moves at this time.

For example, he visited some elderly traitors and chatted with them in a pretentious manner.

A New Year's banquet was held, which was open to only Japanese soldiers, traitorous officials, and their families.

At the New Year's banquet, Umezu Mijiro was naturally the big shot whom all the traitors present were eager to fawn over, and they all stepped forward to offer him a toast.

In order to create the impression of perfect harmony between the Kwantung Army and the important figures of the puppet Manchukuo regime, this old Japanese soldier really drank quite a bit.

On the other hand, he was troubled by why Hu Biao and his companions had encountered problems in Northeast China.

He certainly didn't know, and wouldn't believe, that Hu Biao and the others had been forcibly teleported here; if they had a choice, they would absolutely not want to come.

So, for Mijiro Umezu, a crucial question arises:
Why did the infamous Tiger of Shanghai, Hu Biao, leave his poor comrades behind and abandon so many troops to come to the Northeast with only his companions?
Without much hesitation, after a moment's thought, Umezu Mijiro thought of the Russian family next door.

Could it be that the Russians and the Chinese are planning to join forces to launch an attack on Northeast China in exchange for military support from the United States, thereby relieving the pressure on the Chinese army in Southeast Asia?

As the old saying goes, "When man thinks, Jesus laughs."

Under the current circumstances, due to the information gap, it seems that Mujiro Umezu has already seen Hu Biao recruiting people and training teams, with the Russians providing weapons.

Through cooperation, the two sides eventually assembled a large army, which then launched a coordinated attack on Northeast China with the Russians.

The more he thought about it, the more his head throbbed.

Despite the fact that the Kwantung Army is known for its strong and well-equipped troops, at the end of last year, it transferred the 1st and 23rd Divisions to join the Empire's southern operations.

Furthermore, according to inside information he heard, the above-mentioned transfers were only the beginning.

The headquarters plans to withdraw a total of 19 infantry divisions, 1 armored division, and 1 mixed brigade over the next two years.

In addition to a large number of technical branches such as air force, artillery, and engineers, the total strength will reach 35.

Such a level of troop withdrawal was not just a minor blow to the Kwantung Army, but rather it nearly crippled them.

He wasn't really confident that the Kwantung Army, with its limited strength, could withstand the combined attack from the Russians and Hu Biao.

That's why, soon after, Umezu Mijiro made up his mind: to take advantage of the fact that Hu Biao and the others had just arrived and were not yet settled in their positions to kill them.

As for how to achieve this, after thinking it over carefully, Umezu Mijiro came up with an idea.

After calling out "Someone come here," a middle-aged colonel pushed open the door and stood straight, waiting for orders.

After opening his mouth, Mujiro Umezu issued a series of commands:
"Announce it to the public as soon as possible through newspapers, radio stations, and other channels."

Our valiant Kwantung Army soldiers have recently achieved a series of brilliant victories, not only killing General Zhao, the major bandit leader, but also several important members of Hu Biao's gang.

Furthermore, a celebration ceremony will be held in Changchun during the Lantern Festival in China.

General Zhao's head and Hu Biao's comrade's corpse will be displayed to the public to demonstrate the strength and bravery of the Kwantung Army soldiers; the display will last for one week, after which the heads and corpses will be destroyed.

Attention! Go tell the military police commander, Iwasa Rokuro, that the above are just bait.

Based on an analysis of Hu Biao's personality, he would certainly not allow his partner's corpse to be treated in such a way, so he will definitely come to Changchun City.

We must seize this rare opportunity, or kill this man and his companions.

Therefore, I can grant him the temporary authority to command all intelligence agencies, including the South Manchuria Railway Company, and to mobilize all relevant troops of the Kwantung Army and the puppet state of Manchukuo.

After hearing the above, the middle-aged Japanese colonel was visibly stunned. Mainly, he thought of Teizo Kuwata, the former major general and brigade commander of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade, who seemed to have also obtained the authority to mobilize all relevant troops.

He is currently being held in the basement of the headquarters, awaiting punishment from the commander.

Therefore, after accepting the order with a "Yes, sir," he asked, "Commander Umezu, how do you intend to handle this, Sadazo Kuwata?"
If you have already made a decision, we can make arrangements as soon as possible.

Faced with this problem, especially after thinking about those rumors about the water being too cold.

If Umezu Mijiro hadn't been exhausted from drinking, he would have had a strong urge to rush up to Kuwata Teizo, that good-for-nothing, and beat him to death.

All I can say is that Teizo Kuwata is a bit too short-sighted.

Or perhaps they underestimated Hu Biao and his associates, and the destructive power and importance of these people.

For Umezu Mijiro, the casualties that occurred that night, and the fact that Jiamusi was almost burned to the ground, meant that as long as he could capture Hu Biao, his biggest threat, then everything else was not a big deal.

Punishment? Not at all, there should be a huge reward.

The biggest problem and crime of Kuwata Teizo was failing to capture Hu Biao, and it was an unforgivable crime punishable by death.

After hesitating for only a few seconds, Mujiro Umezu made his decision and said, "Give him a katana and let him atone for his sins in the manner of a samurai."

No! This is a spineless coward. Let's chop off his head and announce that he committed seppuku...

******
Thus, without mentioning that the water was too cold, Kuwata Teizo only lived a few more days before being tragically killed by his own people.

Starting the next morning, the news that the Japanese would hold a "victory celebration" on the Lantern Festival became the hottest topic in Northeast China.

Unlike most of the people from Northeast China, who had been kept in the dark by the Japanese for a long time, they were not as well off as the rest of the country.

They had never heard of Hu Biao's name or achievements, so they were all grieving over the fact that the famous General Zhao had also unfortunately fallen victim to the Japanese.

However, some underground personnel of the Nationalist Army and our Party who had infiltrated the Northeast region grasped the key points.

Almost immediately, they reported back via radio that Hu Biao had appeared in Northeast China, had committed a major crime in Jiamusi, and that the Japanese were currently making every effort to apprehend him.

Then the Nationalist army and our party also showed different performances.

Shuangqing, in an official residence.

The bald-headed principal angrily threw down the report in his hand, cursing, "Hu Yitong is something else. What's the point of going to the Northeast at such an important moment? He has absolutely no sense of the big picture."

After thinking for a moment, he then made arrangements to Boss Dai, who was standing solemnly in front of him:

"Yu Nong, send your men to find Hu Biao with all their might. Once they find him, have him go to the Russians' house immediately, and then have the Russians send them directly to the soldiers."

Given this explanation and arrangement, it seems that Uncle Sam's family promised the bald principal quite a few benefits in order to get Hu Biao to act as a troubleshooter.

Otherwise, he would never have cared so much...

In a cave dwelling in the Baota area.

Looking at the thick layer of snow in the yard, the man muttered, "It seems particularly cold this year. Even the pagoda is covered in snow. It must be even colder in the Northeast. Hu Biao and the others must be suffering."

From beginning to end, he never thought of bringing Hu Biao back to work for the soldiers for a short time, hoping to take the opportunity to gain some benefits for our party.

Instead, they were simply worried about the safety of Hu Biao and the others, and were thinking about how to provide them with some assistance.

Based on the above thoughts, after some deliberation, he returned to his table and wrote down an order:
"Given the Japanese long-term blockade of the Northeast, Hu Biao had no popular support there and was simply unable to raise an army in a short time."

In addition to trying to contact the surviving comrades in KL and providing full support to Hu Biao.

Our Party comrades who are infiltrated must use as many means as possible to publicize Hu Biao's achievements on the anti-Japanese battlefield over the years.

Because of this order, that very night, one mimeographed or handwritten note after another was slipped under the door of a fellow villager in Northeast China.

The notes contained information about who Hu Biao was and what he had done over the years.

At first glance, the note seemed useless, but it provided Hu Biao and his men with astonishing help...

(End of this chapter)