Spy Wars: Return of the Red Luan

Chapter 159 The Power of Plaintext Telegrams

On the morning of June 10, 1931, at the Shanghai British Concession Police Station.

English Chief Inspector Henry, holding the translated plaintext telegram, stared intently at the last sentence. He finally understood: the Gesfield Road murders were committed by the Japanese! (Aoki Joe!)

His knife is very sharp! He's really convincing at it!

The murder happened right at his doorstep. It must have been when they returned home at night and were harassed by some drunkards, which led to a conflict.

No evidence? Some things don't need evidence! Or perhaps, his sharp knife is the evidence! Detective Henry immediately began writing a report, fabricating a reasoning, and reporting to the Municipal Council: "I request that a protest be submitted to the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai, demanding an explanation and severe punishment for the murderer!"
Dividing line —
June 10th, morning, Nanjing, Republic of China, Nationalist Government official residence.

As soon as Baldy arrived at work, his attendant delivered a telegram in plain text. Baldy's focus was different; without even reading the contents, he immediately noticed that the telegram had been sent from Guangzhou!

"Call everyone to a meeting immediately, and notify Li Fu and Xu Enzeng to come to the official residence for a meeting! Get there as quickly as possible!"

"Why is Aoki in Guangzhou? Can anyone give me an answer? Are your intelligence networks just sitting around doing nothing?"

The bald man was on the verge of exploding, and no one in the meeting dared to speak. Chen Lifu had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward, since he was the one presiding over the intelligence agency.

"Reporting to the Chairman, Aoki returned to Shanghai after leaving the Shimonoseki Wharf last time, but then set off for Shandong the next day. On the 5th, he appeared in Beiping, North China, shopping with his newly captured second wife. This was reported in the newspapers of Beiping and Shanghai."

"I asked him why he was in Guangzhou!"

"Is it possible that what happened on the 6th affected him?"

"Explain yourself clearly, what happened on the 6th that will affect him!"

The bald man had just uttered a harsh remark when he suddenly realized, "You mean the telegram from Chen Mingshu and the others on the 6th?"

"Yes, that's what I'm thinking. Could it be that they got anxious in Guangzhou and secretly contacted the Japanese, and the Japanese General Staff arranged for them to go to Guangzhou for negotiations? Or perhaps they arranged for their fleet to go to Guangzhou to pick up their people and take them to Tokyo for negotiations?"

"Secret dealings! Damn it!"

"I wonder if it's possible that this is a warning to you?" Xu Enzeng suddenly made a comment.

But this sentence opened up a new way of thinking for both the bald man and Chen Lifu.

"Ok?"

"Chairman, it's quite possible! You two had a very pleasant conversation that night, and Zhao Yiyue even acknowledges you as his senior."

“Chairman, cousin, I think Aoki must have received prior notice. Why didn’t he send the telegram from Beiping? Why didn’t he send it from Shanghai? Why did he deliberately send it from Guangzhou? And the key is that it’s a clear telegram with the sending location marked! This is very strange in itself. I believe he must be warning the Chairman!”

"Kejun, your idea is excellent! Contact Aoki as soon as possible and confirm the details with him."

"They can turn to the Japanese, and we can turn to the Americans for support."
-
Dividing line —
On the morning of June 10th, at 70 Grossi Road, Shanghai, at Lüban Apartment.

"My dear, my confidant and best friend, what's the purpose of all these strange actions you've been taking lately?"

"He never does things the conventional way and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. But behind any seemingly unbelievable action, there must be his own goals and ideas. Moreover, he is good at long-term planning and has everything in a logical order."

"It seems this telegram in plain text is finally revealing its true intentions. Let's wait and see what astonishing thing this Chinese friend will do." "It could be a surprise, or it could be a shock, but it's more likely to be astonishment."
-
Dividing line —
On the morning of June 10th, in a secret building in Zhabei District, Shanghai.

Following the impact of the Gu Shunzhang incident, the Shanghai Special Branch was forced to relocate or go into hiding, and its original transportation lines, offices, and networks were almost paralyzed.

However, starting June 10th, the Fifth Special Branch reorganized, and the Shanghai Special Branch was entirely managed by new members. That morning, as the Fifth was assigning tasks, the radio received a plaintext telegram from Guangzhou. Kang Sheng found this strange; what were the Japanese up to?
Number Five shook his head and smiled.
-
Dividing line —
On the morning of June 10th, in Beiping, North China, at the Shuncheng Prince's Mansion.

"Young Marshal, here is the latest intelligence on Aoki. There is a telegram in plain text. Please take a look."

"Old Tan, is there anything special about him?"

“It was indeed a bit unusual. That night, after they returned to the hotel, Aoki picked up a dancer at the Six Nations Hotel's ballroom and followed her into a room for almost two hours before leaving.”

"Oh? So powerful?"

"Young Marshal, you jest. The next day, the dancer boasted in her group of dancers that she had hooked up with Aoki, a member of the Japanese Navy, and praised him for taking two hours to satisfy her before leaving."

"Huh? Is that so? No, you wouldn't normally tell me this kind of gossip."

"Yes, according to our intelligence analysis, this dancer is named Keiko Sakanishi. She is the adopted daughter of Japanese General Toshihachiro Sakanishi and is currently the behind-the-scenes controller of the Sakanishi Mansion."

"Rikazaki Sakanishi? That means she's a high-ranking agent? Rihachiro Sakanishi is Aoki Nobuzumi's top disciple, so Keiko Sakanishi should be considered Aoki Seigen's senior or junior sister? Aoki couldn't possibly not know that, could he?"

"Yes, that's the weird part. It's obvious that the two communicated in the room and exchanged important information."

"Go on, what happened next?"

"The next morning, Aoki got into a naval vehicle, returned to Qingdao, and then took a warship back to Shanghai."

"The day before yesterday afternoon, Ms. Zhu Huiwu found Ms. Zhao Si and gave her this little note."

"A little note? Information? Why didn't you show it to me the day before yesterday?"

"The fourth young lady went back to change her clothes and forgot about it. She only remembered it this morning when she was tidying up her clothes, and just now she quietly brought it to me."

"This telegram in plain text was sent by Aoki from Guangzhou using the ship's radio. Young Marshal, please take a look."

"Hey, deliberately using a warship's shipborne radio to mark Guangzhou and openly insult Kenji Doihara? How satisfying!"

"Old Tan, there's no need to call a meeting of the staff. Let's just discuss the purpose behind this telegram! This is the second time, isn't it? It's too strange. My gut feeling is that he's digging another trap!"

"But he's already used this trick once. Will it work the second time? Are there any other tricks?"

"After Aoki left the hotel, on the afternoon of the 7th, Ms. Zhu Huiwu went out and found Zhao Yiyue, who came from Nanjing. Then Zhao Yiyue went to Tianjin Port and bought a ship ticket to Tokyo under an alias. By then, he should have already arrived in Tokyo."

"It's really wildly imaginative and boundless, I can't figure it out, I can't figure it out."

(End of this chapter)