It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 133 | Wishful thinking

The first thing Mr. Shang did after being appointed to the post in a time of crisis was to catch the spies.

A clean house is essential for hosting guests!
With the cooperation of the defending troops, the Second Bureau of the General Staff conducted a counter-espionage investigation of the area where the suspicious signal was located, but after two days and three nights, they still found nothing.

Upon learning that the long-range artillery bombardment of the regimental headquarters was likely related to enemy agents remaining in the city, Sabo-Monica felt immense guilt.

She looked dejected, lowered her head slightly, and said with distress, "I'm sure there are only a few mice left, but they are too cunning. I'm sorry, we failed in our duty."

Upon hearing this, Shank waved his hand to signal her to stop talking nonsense and said directly, "Now is not the time to pursue responsibility. Major Sabo, please tell me again about the results of the previous arrest."

“In the previous two operations, we discovered a total of three secret sites, killed four people, and captured three,” Monica replied.

What did the captured spies confess?

"One of them managed to commit suicide. We didn't get much information from either of them, and what's really annoying is that they were almost always in one-way communication. Nobody knows if there are any unknown agents lurking in Budapest."

Shank indicated he knew, and then asked, "When was the last time radio communication was detected? Was it in the middle of the night the day before yesterday?"

Monica nodded in affirmation, "That's right."

After understanding the current situation, Shang Ke paced back and forth for a long time.

After a moment, he wagged his index finger and suggested, "A large-scale search would definitely alert the other side. It's unlikely we'll find the remaining spies; the target is too small. This is equivalent to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Monica added, "Like finding a needle in a haystack."

Shang Ke smiled slightly and continued, "Then immediately stopping the investigation is... no, that's too fake. We should stop it gradually in batches, and then look for more..."

After listening to his explanation, the personnel from the Second Bureau of the General Staff present all felt that it was very feasible.

"Want to catch someone? Make them relax first? I remember an ancient Eastern saying that fits perfectly." Monica's eyes were sharp, as if she was already sharpening her knife.

"Playing hard to get, Zhong Guo's understanding of idioms isn't quite there yet, Major Sabo," Shank laughed.

"Is that so? Why don't you come and teach me again in a few evenings, Mr. Consultant?" Monica chuckled.

what?
What does 'again' mean?
You're making this up out of nothing!

Slightly embarrassed, Shank retorted without backing down, "Major Sabo, you're so smart, if I taught you, you would have learned it in one go."

The others present, who had thought there was some juicy gossip to come, were greatly disappointed upon hearing this.

Sabo-Monica rolled her eyes inwardly, then waved her hand dismissively, ordering, "Develop an action plan and get to work!"

Shifting stars.

Early morning of November 10, Budapest, District VI.

In an old residential building...

A delicate white hand parted a corner of the curtain, and the owner of the hand carefully observed the situation on the street outside through the window before fully opening the curtain.

Finding nothing amiss outside, Sofia Grishna breathed a sigh of relief.

The Huns' large-scale search has stopped, the crisis is over, and it seems they have escaped again.

To the nameless soldiers fighting behind enemy lines, may our motherland bless your souls and thank you for your sacrifice.

During this time, her few remaining comrades were all gone, and the only remaining secret stations were all destroyed. Perhaps she was the only one left in Budapest.
she thought.

Grishna didn't know what to do next. She hesitated whether she should remain hidden and refrain from any dangerous actions, and simply wait quietly in the shadows for General Tukhachevsky's army group to capture Budapest.

She still couldn't figure it out even after she finished putting on makeup.

Then, in a daze, she arrived at her workplace—a bar in the next block. Grishena has changed her identity three times this year; she was previously a bar dancer named Minna, and now she is a bar waitress named Linda.

The dimly lit bar was filled with an unpleasant stench of alcohol, cigarette smoke, and body odor.

Besides a few middle-aged men drowning their sorrows in alcohol, there were also six or seven soldiers in the bar, who were shouting for the drinks to be brought over quickly.

"Why so slow?"

"hurry up!"

"Is this how you treat people?"

There's only one young woman on duty at the bar right now; after all, who would have thought so many people would come so early in the morning?

Grishna went to greet her, apologizing repeatedly as she took over the work from the little girl.

She knew these people weren't particular about alcohol, so she simply made a few glasses of gin.

"That's too little. Such a small cup can be finished in just a few sips," someone complained.

"Gentlemen, drinking too much gin in the morning will make you feel dizzy all day," Grishenna warned, feigning concern. "You might get punished by the officers."

A private first class said impatiently, "What's it to you?"

Grisna didn't say anything, but dutifully brought over several glasses of strong gin.

The soldiers raised their glasses and drank heartily, chatting idly.

At first they were somewhat reserved, but as they got more and more drunk, their conversation became increasingly unrestrained.

"The Ivanros and Romanians have made no progress in their attacks over the past few days; they cannot possibly capture Budapest."

"Have you heard? The Bohemians are sending troops to support us."

From the conversation, Grishenna learned some information that seemed quite valuable.

These soldiers are from the logistics unit of the 4th Infantry Division; the defenders are relocating the bunkers of some important command posts; the defenders have set up a supply depot at a warehouse next to the Williams Cinema in District VII; the Republic of Bohemia appears to be sending troops south to reinforce them.

Grishna did not rush to act, but instead kept it in mind for the time being.

Throughout the day, she gradually learned more information from the gossip of the customers.

In particular, the possibility of Bohemian troops coming to their aid and the fact that the defending forces are redeploying and adjusting their deployments can be corroborated by each other.

This indicates that the information is relatively accurate.

Even as night fell and she walked back to her lodgings, she still couldn't decide whether to take the risk.

Once the telegram is sent, the Huns are very likely to notice it and then begin the search again.

But the large-scale investigation ended yesterday, so perhaps the Huns are now quite relaxed?
That night, Grishena tossed and turned in bed, not knowing what to do.

She thought of her grandmother back home, and then of the other people who had been arrested this month.

The agonizing choice weighed heavily on her mind, keeping her awake for most of the night.

Ultimately, wishful thinking prevailed.

Having made up her mind, Grisana organized a brief code and coded phrase in her mind, and then quietly waited for the right moment.

She had sent the messages at midnight or in the early hours of the morning before, but this time she chose to do it at dawn to catch the enemy off guard.

(End of this chapter)