Spy Wars: Return of the Red Luan

On the surface, Japan appears to be united as a nation, but internally it is a complete mess.

First, the Cabinet, the Ministry of Finance, and the military argued fiercely over the budget;

Secondly, the army and navy have a long history of not getting along, and in order to fund military spending, both sides have resorted to a showdown between princes.
When it came to the navy, the fleet faction had completely seized all the power in the navy, but then the old man Saito Minoru from the treaty faction came to power. After the initial month of adjustment, the old Saito began to take sides.

On the army side, the Imperial Way faction, led by Army Minister Sadao Araki and Vice Chief of Staff, and the Control faction, led by Prince Kan'in Kotohito and Tetsuzan Nagata, continued their infighting.
If you break it down further, there are even more minor disagreements and factions. Duke Fujiwara can't handle it anymore; you need to come back to the capital quickly.

Chen Jiehua deliberately adjusted the time, and the fleet arrived at the Songhu Wharf in Shanghai at night. Zhao Yiyue quietly disembarked and went home first. Chen Jiehua took Meixu and Watanabe Watari to the East Asia Tongwen Academy to see Konoe off.

Konoe Fumimaro didn't have many friends. In Shanghai, he could only chat endlessly with Wang Xuewen, and otherwise he was alone. However, he secretly knew everything about the personnel at the Japanese consulate in Shanghai.

Watanabe was the assistant his brother had his eye on, but Chen Jiehua unintentionally snatched him away.

But this didn't make Konoe Fumimaro unhappy; on the contrary, he was even happier. "Yoshi! Aoki Seigen and I share the same vision!"

We've all taken a liking to Watanabe-kun, which means he's definitely my type.

Aoki Seigen and Ms. Mio came to see him off as soon as they arrived in Shanghai. Konoe Fumimaro was moved to tears. Then he saw Watanabe-kun behind him, so he pulled Aoki Seigen aside and said, "Watanabe-kun, I've taken a liking to you. I want to take you back to Tokyo as my assistant. Would you be willing to part with me?"

Without hesitation, Chen Jiehua said, "It's Watanabe's good fortune that you've chosen him." He immediately summoned Watanabe and said, "Watanabe-kun, I have a new task for you. Please escort the Duke of the Imperial Guard back to Tokyo and be his assistant. Thank you."

Happiness came so suddenly! Nobody cared about me before, and now, after just a swim in the Yangtze with Aoki, I'm going back home with Duke Konoe?! Aoki-kun actually recommended me to Duke Konoe?! This is such a great favor…

All three were overjoyed.
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Dividing line —
On the morning of July 1, 1932 (the 21st year of the Republic of China), after Ji Yinfengwen's transport fleet stopped in Shanghai for resupply, it split into two groups, with acting commander Ji Yinfengwen leading the group to Yilan Port in Taiwan Province.

Meanwhile, the supply fleet, consisting of five gunboats, returned to Chongjin Port with supplies.

Fleet Commander Aoki Takashi was unwell and was resting at his home in Shanghai with his wife, Fujiwara Mio.
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Dividing line —
Chen Jiehua once again slipped away undetected, disguising himself as an ordinary naval soldier and boarding the ship to secretly follow the convoy returning to Chongjin Port for supplies, and then back to North Korea.

That evening, in the shops outside the Qingjin Port pier, Chen Jiehua found the "Jinji Grocery Store" that he had confirmed and arranged with Ji Yinfengwen, and gently knocked on the door.

The door creaked open a crack, and a hoarse voice came from behind it, "?" (What do you want to buy?)

"..." (Buy a pack of Lao Dao brand cigarettes, with tin foil included.)
The code was matched. The breathing behind the door paused slightly, then the door opened quickly, and a hunched old man swiftly let him in, before quickly closing and locking the door again.

"You've come just in time. Commander Guan and the others should still be waiting for you at the border," the old man said in fluent Northeastern Mandarin.

"I'm short on time. Is it possible to go there tonight?"

“The Japanese army has recently sealed off the border, and there are twice as many patrols as before.” Old Jin coughed twice and pulled out a hand-drawn map from under the bed. “There is a small path that goes over Motianling and then ten miles north to reach Commander Guan’s camp.”

"I have a map here, can you give me a rough idea?" Chen Jiehua was a little embarrassed. He couldn't understand Lao Jin's hand-drawn map, so he could only take out the Northeast map he had prepared.

Old Jin marked a winding line, marking both the temporary supply points and the mountain pass; he was really thoughtful.

"We'll set off tonight, and my youngest daughter, Jeong-hee, will take you there."

"Your daughter?"

"What? You're disgusted? This girl is more effective than ten men." "Old Jin, you've misunderstood. I didn't mean to be disgusted, I'm just curious."

"Don't be curious. My son is in Commander Guan's regiment. Zhenji used to run over there often when she was 16, and she could even go into the mountains at night without any problems."

"Okay, you rest. Find me a place to take a nap."

Chen Jiehua wanted to set off immediately, but he was unfamiliar with the area and it would be nighttime to climb the mountain, so he decided to listen to them; he wasn't a god.

"The bedroom is behind the shop. You can rest here. Zhenji will come and try to pick the lock at night, so please don't hurt her."

Huh? You just pick the lock on your own house? Is that some kind of crazy method?
"Okay, it's okay."

After Lao Jin left through the back door, Chen Jiehua closed the door, turned off the kerosene lamp, and leaned against the corner of the wall to rest with his eyes closed. Although it was Northeast China, this summer was really hot and humid. Damn it, God, please don't let it rain tonight.

After an unknown amount of time, very light footsteps came from outside the door, but Chen Jiehua was still alert and suddenly opened his eyes. There was no moonlight outside the door, so he could not see any shadows.

Then, a faint metallic scraping sound came from outside. Someone was indeed picking the lock. Chen Jiehua showed no signs of danger, so it seemed that it was Lao Jin's daughter outside.

With a "click," the door lock was opened, and a slender figure slipped in, closing the door behind her with a movement as light as a cat.

Chen Jiehua remained seated, but the little girl seemed to see him and walked straight toward him, stopping five steps away.

"Commander Guan sent me to pick you up."

"When to set off."

"Now."

"it is good."

Like a nimble cat, Kim Jung-hee led Chen Jiehua through the maze-like alleys, avoiding patrols along the way, and the two soon entered the outer forest.

"Not bad, you didn't lose them."

"It's alright, nothing special."

Actually, since it was the first day of the sixth lunar month, there was no moonlight, and Chen Jiehua was also having a hard time keeping up. But wasn't it a bit shameful to show weakness in front of a little girl?

"Then let's continue. We need to cross Motianling before dawn. There's no moonlight tonight, and the mountain path is difficult to traverse. Follow my lead, listen carefully to my instructions, and don't go the wrong way."

"clear."

Once inside the forest, Jin Zhenji transformed from a nimble cat into a leopard, darting about with incredible speed. In the pitch-black night, Chen Jiehua had only just adjusted and possessed a sliver of night vision; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to keep up, let alone see her shadow.

It's true that you don't suffer when you don't have to; you just invite suffering upon yourself.

Jin Zhenji, who had already darted ahead, sensed that Chen Jiehua hadn't followed, so she turned back, grabbed Chen Jiehua's hand, and pulled him upwards. (End of Chapter)