Spy Wars: Return of the Red Luan

Chapter 125 Yamato-class Design Deception

"How about we use torture? Let's see how it goes?" said Gu Di Na Hua Xiong.

"No way! He must have considered all the conventional methods! Torture must also be part of his calculations! I'm going to do things differently!"

"Go, release the little maid! Watch where she goes, send a team to keep a close eye on her, record when she goes where, and who she meets! If she stays in any place for more than three seconds, have someone thoroughly check that place! Record even when she goes to the toilet, where she goes, and how long she stays there!"

In October 1930 (the 19th year of the Republic of China, the 5th year of Showa), in recognition of Hotsumi Ozaki's contributions, the Asahi Shimbun transferred him back to its Tokyo headquarters. On the day Mr. Hotsumi Ozaki departed, Colonel Takashi Aoki personally drove to the dock to see him off. Their friendship was recorded by another journalist friend and published in other newspapers, becoming a widely celebrated story.

The day before Hotsumi Ozaki set off, Chen Jiehua handed him the keys to his house in the Senso-ji area of ​​Tokyo, told him where the mechanisms were, how to determine if a secret room had been broken into, and provided him with the communication channel and codebook.

On the return ferry, Hotsumi Ozaki met Isao Nakanishi, a student from the Toa Dobun Academy who was also returning to Tokyo from Shanghai. The two hit it off and became good friends.

Meanwhile, after more than four months of surveillance, the Imperial Marine Corps Third Group finally made a breakthrough, discovering two strangers who were making their first contact with Obata Kazuki.

After receiving the report, Chen Jiehua secretly observed and confirmed that one of the two men was someone he knew—Tanaka Ryukichi, the former head of the Shanghai branch of the General Staff Headquarters, whose position he had taken from him!
This guy seems to have had trouble adapting to the climate and environment of Manchuria and has come to Shanghai again? Or perhaps, because the Army General Staff was dissatisfied with the few months of operation that I arranged for Lao Mao Zhao Shiyu to be in Manchuria, they specially sent Tanaka Ryukichi to monitor me?

But in any case, it's not a good thing.

The other one, although always dressed as a man, couldn't hide her feminine charm, and Tanaka called her "Mr. Kim," so she was undoubtedly the famous Yoshiko Kawashima! Of course, at this time, she wasn't very famous yet.

What was Yoshiko Kawashima doing in Shanghai at this time? I have no recollection. It seems I can only try to find out by looking at Kazuki Obata.

Recently, the Army General Staff and the Kwantung Army have been secretly planning the independence of Manchuria, and have been going on several "staff trips" recently.

In reality, they wanted to completely control the entire Northeast. Neither Itagaki Seishiro nor Doiman's organization had time to pay attention to Zhao Shiyu.

Another reason is that Zhao Shiyu returned to Northeast China under the name of "Aoki Chain Pharmacy Co., Ltd." and was working with Marine Corps Commander Shibayama Masao, a genuine Kagoshima Domain native. Moreover, Shibayama was personally involved and was not someone to be trifled with.

Therefore, Zhao Shiyu and Chai Shanchangsheng made great progress. In three months, the chain pharmacies had completely occupied the cities and towns of Northeast Manchuria and Rehe. Profits were continuously transported back to the General Staff Headquarters by naval warships. The bigwigs of the naval fleet were also overjoyed. It was going too smoothly!
With the naval budget secured from the cabinet for the year, coupled with the huge profits from pharmaceutical sales throughout Manchuria, the initial funding for the navy to build giant battleships was secured!
In early November, the Naval General Staff sent a secret telegram to Takashi Aoki, instructing him to depart immediately aboard the armored cruiser "Izumo," stationed in Shanghai, to return to Japan to participate in a design discussion meeting for a giant battleship.

Damn it, the Japanese Navy really can't hold onto anything. They get cocky as soon as they have a little money. It's obvious that with that little money, they can't possibly build a Yamato-class battleship. They're dreaming!
But not going back is not an option. He had promised to "accept the call at any time," and the bigwigs at headquarters are in high spirits. They are calling him back to share their joy with him. If he insists on disobeying orders in the field, it would be tantamount to courting death.

There's still time, so let's reluctantly go back. After all, the Izumo-class destroyer will be there to welcome us.

In less than a day, the Izumo, traveling at an extremely high speed, secretly arrived at the Takada Naval Shipyard in Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu.

The Takata Naval Shipyard, owned by the Matsukata family, was secretly acquired by the Navy Fleet due to its advantageous geographical location and deep-draft harbor, which was suitable for launching giant ships as well as for submarine training and covert patrols. It became the place where the Navy designed and built giant battleships.

Shibayama Masao, who had been recalled from Manchuria, stood alone at the port with a beaming smile, welcoming Aoki Takashi. "Welcome back, Aoki-kun!"

"Lord Chai, how is business in Manchuria? Are you satisfied with my chief steward, Lord Zhao?"

"Very satisfied! Mr. Aoki's talent for selecting personnel is just as outstanding as your mind! Mr. Zhao is truly a business genius!"

"Hahaha~, Mr. Shibayama, you flatter me. I'm glad you're satisfied. It's all for the service of the Imperial Navy!"

"With Zhao Jun here, I can leave Manchuria with peace of mind. After all, the profits from these medicines are just too lucrative. Without him, I really wouldn't feel at ease!"

"Aoki-kun, this way. His Highness the Prince and the generals have been waiting for a long time."

"This is extremely rude! Lord Chai Shan, why didn't you say so earlier! How could you keep His Highness the Prince and the generals waiting!"

While Chen Jiehua was arguing with Chai Shanchangsheng, he sped up his pace. Even though he already had enough status, he still had to keep up the pretense.

When the two entered the room, Prince Bogong and several bigwigs from the fleet faction were there, but the marshal was not in good health and did not come. The bigwigs had already started drinking.

Having learned from his previous "lesson," Prince Bo Gong reduced his number of maids by nine each time he drank wine. If he did this several times, he wouldn't have enough maids at home, so he stopped bringing maids to serve him. Now, the guards are the ones responsible for pouring the wine.

Aoki Qiao's arrival was praised by all the bigwigs. No wonder, look how capable he was! He returned to Shanghai and got to work immediately, sending his most capable steward to Manchuria to personally oversee things. In three months, he completely dominated the market. He made so much money that he had to rely on warships to transport it back every month!

Such a capable team member, and also the team's strategist, deserves nothing but praise! The time for conferring titles and promotions hasn't arrived yet.

Although everyone was drinking, they didn't forget their business. When they arrived at the design studio, Aoki Qiao shook his head when he saw the newly designed so-called battleship!

The current Kongo-class battleships have a displacement of over 30,000 tons. If you design a battleship with a displacement of over 40,000 tons, what kind of "big" would that be?

"What is the displacement of the Empire's largest battleship? How thick is its deck? What is the caliber of its main guns?"

"The largest battleship currently in service with the Imperial Navy is the Yamashiro, a Fusō-class battleship with a displacement of 36,000 tons and equipped with six 356mm main guns."

"Your Highness, esteemed generals, do you still remember what I said in the palace that day about the unsinkable battleship?"

(End of this chapter)