Spy Wars: Return of the Red Luan

In March 1933, Zhao Zihe in Northeast China was also busy, getting back up wherever he fell.

In order to continue the fight against the Japanese, Zhao Zihe traveled alone from Harbin to Bin County in the east to join another volunteer army led by Sun Chaoyang.

At that time, Zhao Zihe was penniless and had lost his gun. Sun Chaoyang saw that he was short and thin and didn't want to take him in. No gun, no money, and so small—nobody has any spare food.

Zhao Zihe enthusiastically promoted himself, "Don't underestimate me just because I'm short. I can do anything. I can be a soldier, fight in battles, carry water, cook, anything."

After Zhao Zihe's persistent pleading, Sun Chaoyang's volunteer army reluctantly agreed to take him in as a groom.

From division commander to stable boy.

Later, in one battle, the troops were surrounded by the Kwantung Army in Dongshan, Bin County, and were in a very dangerous situation.

In this critical moment, when no one had any good ideas, Zhao Zihe interjected, suggesting, "Isn't retreating step by step like this just waiting to die? Right now, we must take the offensive as our defense. The best option would be a surprise attack on Bin County. If we win, we can escape, obtain spoils of war, and replenish our weapons and ammunition. Even if we lose, at worst, we can still distract the Japanese army, break through the encirclement, and then move out of the encirclement when the opportunity arises."

Sun Chaoyang nodded in agreement with Zhao Zihe's words, though he himself didn't have any other good ideas. So, Sun Chaoyang ordered Zhao Zihe to lead the attack on the city.

Should a groom lead the attack on the city?
Zhao Zihe not only did it, but he also succeeded! He led his troops in a fierce attack and captured the county town.

Taking advantage of the Japanese army's return to the county town, the main force of the volunteer army escaped and left Bin County with supplies, breaking through the encirclement and turning danger into safety.

After this battle, Sun Chaoyang was very pleased and appointed Zhao Zihe as his chief of staff.

At the same time, Okamura Neiji, having searched for a month without finding the mysterious force that was most likely the one that annihilated the "Kamo Unit," could only lead his team back to Shenyang in frustration.

Because he received a new assignment, he had to return. Okamura had experience negotiating with the Republic of China government in Shanghai, and both the Tokyo Army General Staff and the Commander-in-Chief of the Kwantung Army requested that Okamura go to Hebei to negotiate with the Republic of China government again.

Having gained a respite, Zhao Zihe took the opportunity to continue searching eastward, hoping to find the Independent Regiment.

In the past two months, Zhao Zihe has figured things out. He can be a stable boy, so even if he is ridiculed by Lao Guan when he goes back, it's not a big deal.

However, like Okamura Yasuji, Zhao Zihe had a limited mindset and believed that Guan Wuhen's mysterious team could not have gone far in the vast snow-covered area at that time.

However, they went very far.

At this time, Lao Guan's Independent Regiment was building a new base in the mountains of Shuangyashan.
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In early April 1933, Zhou Yongsu, codenamed "Tian Shu," used the alias "Kenichi Yamamoto" and successfully entered Kagoshima as an engineer applying for a position at Takata Heavy Industries.

Only Lao Zhou in the team has an engineering background and can complete a series of tasks such as surveying and positioning. Moreover, Lao Zhou is thin and small, which is typical of most Japanese people. Most importantly, Shibayama Masao has never met Lao Zhou.

Old Zhou used the night to enter the dock and secretly survey the dock's structural layout and the layout of the "Yamato's" engine room, and successfully infiltrated the shipyard workers' social circle.

Meanwhile, Takeji Iwahashi (a core member of Ozaki's team), codenamed "Blue Bird," discovered through Kobe Port's cargo records that the Japanese Navy had recently imported a batch of special bearings from the United States, model SKF 7205. Nominally intended for submarines, they were actually likely intended for the main engines of the "Yamato," since submarines do not require such large bearings.

As planned, Russell Buckley, a World War I naval veteran codenamed "Water Ghost," entered the U.S. naval base in Subic Bay, Philippines, in search of the M2 flamethrower.

This is one of the new weapons recently commissioned by the U.S. Army, but intelligence indicates that the Army transferred a portion to the Navy, which in turn gave it directly to overseas fleets, including the Pacific Fleet.

On April 8, Aoki Seigen, who had returned from Taiwan, was invited to visit and inspect the Yamato in Kagoshima.

"Your Highness, Qingxuan just returned. I'd like to rest. The Yamato isn't finished yet; we can go for the inspection after it's completed."

"The Duke and Miss Mio are both in Yilan now. What else could you be doing back here but drinking?"

"Don't make yourself as infamous as Takahashi-kun!"

“Miyoshi-neechan has a good reputation,” Aoki Seigen muttered softly. “Stop talking nonsense, come with us!”

"Okay, okay, don't stop me. I'll go, I'll go, alright? Wait a minute, I want to take someone with me, I'll go find them."

Who are you bringing?

"I want to bring Otoha-kun along."

"Ha, so you actually know about the Asaka family. But isn't it a bit inappropriate to bring him along so openly?"

"Hehe, if you want to leave, I'll go find him. If they investigate, I'll just say it was me who brought him. It's so boring, it's good to have something to do."

"Hahaha, yoshi, a bunch of interesting lads. Go ahead."

When Chen Jiehua was in Taiwan, he asked the old Fujiwara about the family affairs of Prince Asaka, and found that Otowa Masahiko was quite interesting.

Although this kid can't inherit the throne of the Asaka family, even if he's demoted, he'll still be a marquis. He's a novice and loves to play, so we'll cast a wide net and train him a bit. Maybe he'll come in very handy someday.

I didn't want to go to Kagoshima, but you dragged me there.

If Otoha-kun runs off out of curiosity, I'll go find him. Is that alright?

Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu's personal warship, the cruiser "Mogami," was incredibly fast and arrived at the Takada Heavy Industries shipyard in Kagoshima that very evening.

Chen Jiehua estimated that the speed had reached 35 knots. He still needed to be careful, in case the Red Phoenix Fleet encountered this guy when it was retreating after completing its mission. It would be troublesome if they couldn't outrun it. They needed to find a way to block it in the dock.

Arriving in Kagoshima that evening, it was impossible to visit and "inspect" the place overnight. Instead, everyone followed Prince Hirokō directly into the banquet.

Chen Jiehua pulled Otoha Masahiko, whose excitement hadn't faded, and sat him down next to Shibayama Masaki.

"Aha, yoshi! Mr. Shibayama, we meet again!"

"Aoki-kun, how could you... how could you..."

“Don’t worry, Mr. Chaishan, I know what you want to say. Zheng Yan will be Qing Xuan’s disciple from now on, and Qing Xuan will take him out to gain experience.”

"Lord Chai, how is the pharmaceutical business in Manchuria?"

"It's much worse than before. The Kwantung Army also has many pharmacies, and the army basically goes there to buy their medicines. The people of Manchuria are now few in number and poor, and their purchasing power has greatly decreased."

Damn it, isn't it all because of you Japanese? Chen Jiehua cursed silently in his heart.

"Forget about that, our business in Shanghai is also very bad. Today's theme is drinking. The prince dragged me here, and I thought, what's the point of drinking with a bunch of old guys? Then I remembered that Shibayama-kun is in Kagoshima, so Qingxuan came."

Chen Jiehua was quietly talking about the firewood on the mountain.

Chai Shan got so happy that he drank too much.

Even little Otoha Masahiko got drunk.

Aoki Seigen was also quite drunk. (End of Chapter)