Spy Wars: Return of the Red Luan

In early May, Yang Dengying sent a telegram stating that, after extensive investigation, Bai Shiwei's mission in Tianjin had finally been clarified.

Beginning in 1932, Zhang Jingyao, the former military governor of Hunan, colluded with Itagaki Seishiro, secretly contacting him multiple times in preparation for taking over the position of commander-in-chief of the puppet Second Army Group of Beijing and Tianjin, which was given to him by the Japanese.

After receiving the secret report, Chiang Kai-shek sent Bai Shiwei north to Tianjin to first investigate the evidence that Zhang Jingyao was plotting treason, and confirmed that he had indeed become a traitor.

After internal discussions within the Kuomintang, it was concluded that allowing Zhang Jingyao to continue like this would inevitably lead to major problems sooner or later. Chiang Kai-shek then issued another order, demanding that Dai Chunfeng immediately arrange for the elimination of the traitor, gathering all forces from the North China region, the Beiping station, and the Tianjin station to carry out the assassination plan.

"We don't do assassinations, but we can provide assistance. We can handle a range of support tasks, such as weapons transport and personnel evacuation, but we can't use Japanese people."

“I have Japanese people all to my name right now. If you add that last sentence, everything before it is useless. Sending telegrams is free, isn’t it?”

Although Comrade Lao Yang complained a bit, he still carried out Chen Jiehua's task.

Regardless of which side it is, as long as it's an anti-traitor mission, we can lend a hand and build some goodwill.

The mission to eliminate the traitors went exceptionally smoothly. With Lao Yang's help, Bai Shiwei was able to retreat in time and return to Jinling.
-
On May 5, 5, the special investigation team for the "429 Kagoshima bombing incident" reported its investigation results at a regular naval meeting.

The incident unfolded as follows: On March 12, prior to the incident, Nakamura Heisaburo discovered the secret base in Kagoshima and informed the United States Pacific Fleet located in the South Pacific Islands via radio.

As for the informant, Heisaburo Nakamura, whether he was an agent of the Far East Bureau of the U.S. Naval Intelligence Agency or a Japanese agent, the investigation is ongoing and there is no conclusion yet, but there is no doubt that Heisaburo Nakamura is Japanese.

Whether he was recruited by the Fengtian Special Service Agency or bribed by the American Far East Bureau after being discharged from the Kwantung Army is the direction of the investigation.

In the days leading up to the explosion, many unfamiliar Western faces arrived at Kobe Port.

The day before the explosion, Nakamura Heisaburo, using the alias Sakuragi Taro, knocked out a merchant who had been transporting supplies to the Kagoshima base and, in cooperation with the Westerners, transported the supplies needed for the explosion to Kagoshima first.

In addition, under the guise of offering condolences on Tencho Festival, Nakamura Heizaburo transported a truckload of Nara sake to Kagoshima. The sake underwent multiple tests and was found to be untainted; its purpose was not to poison the island's workers, engineers, and naval personnel, but simply to get them drunk so they couldn't respond to the fires in time.

From this, we can preliminarily infer that Nakamura Heisaburo was instigated by a certain organization in his country, with the aim of sabotaging the construction of the Yamato, rather than killing people.

No one on the island died in the explosion; only a few people went missing. The missing persons are likely accomplices who fled after the deed was done.

The third direction of the follow-up investigation is to investigate the whereabouts of the missing persons.

As for the physical evidence found at the explosion site, it can be divided into two categories. The first category is bearings bearing the Bethlehem Company mark, which is an internal naval secret and has nothing to do with the incident itself.

The second category includes flamethrowers, C-type timers, nautical charts, and other tools, which were the main tools used by Americans.

"The final conclusion is that this was a premeditated sabotage operation carried out by a certain organization or individual within the country in collusion with the U.S. Navy, with the main purpose of disrupting the construction of the Yamato-class battleship and damaging the reputation of a certain individual."

"Mr. Maeda, please don't use 'someone' to replace Qingxuan's name. You can use Qingxuan's name directly; Qingxuan doesn't mind. As for the 'someone' mentioned earlier, is it that bug, Doi-Yuan? Please give me an answer as soon as possible."

"Before the explosion, Otoha-kun quietly told Seigen that his father, Prince Asaka, told him to stay away from me. I think all of you generals understand what he meant."

"Therefore, Qingxuan believes that this is an act of treason by Doiyu and his organization, the Fengtian Special Service Agency!"

"They are ruthless and will stop at nothing to attack me, even forming an alliance with the U.S. Navy."

"Aoki-kun, it's too early to draw such a conclusion." "Yes, Your Highness, Qingxuan."

"Maeda-kun, please continue."

"In this incident, the Kagoshima garrison and Marine Corps Commander Masao Shibayama bear undeniable responsibility. First, lax security allowed enemy agents to infiltrate without our knowledge; second, inadequate deployment resulted in no one being able to put out the fire in time on the day of the explosion; and third, failure to detect the anomalies at Kobe Port in a timely manner led to the port being burned down. Mr. Shibayama, do you know your crimes?"

"Shibayama Masao pleads guilty."

"I disagree! I don't agree!" Shibayama Masao suddenly raised his head. Aoki-kun, we used to have a good relationship, right? You wouldn't kick me when I'm down like this, would you?

"Aoki-kun, do you have any objections now?"

"The first charge, that he was infiltrated by enemy agents, is incorrect. Those who infiltrated Kagoshima were definitely agents of our own country. Americans could not have landed on the island, which means that Mr. Shibayama has fulfilled his duty of guarding. Agents of our own country, traitors, Mr. Maeda, can you find them all on the island? Therefore, Mr. Shibayama should be considered to have fulfilled his duty and be exempt from responsibility."

"Secondly, regarding the blame, on the day of the explosion, the workers, soldiers, and engineers on the island were already enjoying a long holiday thanks to the Empire. How can it be Shibayama's fault? If we're talking about fault, it's the Emperor's fault."

"Aoki-kun! Watch your words!"

Okay, I've said all I need to say.

"The third charge is utterly absurd. If we really have to talk about charges, it should be the Special Higher Police's responsibility. They intercepted the telegram on March 12 and failed to decipher it for over forty days. Is it reasonable to pin the blame on Chai Shan-kun?"

Shibayama Masaki was already in tears. Aoki-kun is really great. He really dared to step up at the crucial moment!
Aoki-kun, Shibayama will never dislike you again.

"Yes, what Aoki-kun said makes a lot of sense. It's not appropriate to pin the blame on Shibayama-kun for this incident. What do you all think?"

“I agree with Aoki-kun’s opinion.”

"I agree with Aoki-kun's opinion."

……

"Alright, Maeda-kun, there are still important aspects of this case that have not been fully investigated. I need the truth, not to rush to conclusions and convictions."

"Hi, Your Highness."

A few words pulled Shibayama Masashi back from the abyss.

In reality, even if Chen Jiehua didn't take action, someone else would. Shibayama Masao is the son of Shibayama Yahachi, the father of Japanese submarines, and the nephew of Marshal Togo Heihachiro. He is one of the core members of the younger generation of the Navy Fleet faction. The bigwigs couldn't just stand by and watch Shibayama be convicted and commit seppuku.

Instead of doing good deeds for others, it's better to take the initiative and do it yourself.

Firstly, it would allow one to gain the friendship of the Togo clique and Masao Shibayama himself.

Secondly, this aligns with Aoki Seigen's consistent style; the fleet faction is very united, and the fleet faction's leaders will only value themselves more. (End of Chapter)