Spy game? Stop guessing, I really am an undercover agent!

Chapter 117 Successful opening

June 10, 1938.

The Central China Expeditionary Army Headquarters officially approved the "Hankou Operation Plan".
Under the personal command of Tian Junliu, the supreme commander of the Central China Expeditionary Army, the Ministry of the Army mobilized five divisions of the Second Army to launch an attack from the north bank of the Yangtze River.

Nineteen divisions of the 11th Army launched an attack along the south bank of the Yangtze River.

A total of 350,000 Japanese troops surrounded the three towns of Wuhan from five directions.

The KMT government anticipated the Japanese army's attack intentions. In order to thwart the Japanese army's momentum, the KMT military commission assembled an army of 1.1 million, with Chen Cixiu as the commander-in-chief, to resist the Japanese army's offensive.

On the morning of June 11, the Japanese army received the order to attack Anqing from the Central China Expeditionary Army, and the Battle of Wuhan officially began.

Shanghai, Southern Transportation Department.

In order to crush the morale of the Chinese army in one fell swoop, the expeditionary force intended to achieve a swift victory and complete the occupation of Wuhan within a month.

Therefore, the Southern Transportation Department's First Division was granted the greatest transportation authority.

The second division under the Ministry of Transport, namely the medium-distance transport division of the eight southern provinces, and the third division, namely the transport divisions of Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangxi, must temporarily suspend all transport plans to make way for the first division.

Chen Yang was more than happy to receive such an arrangement from his superiors.

However, there is a difference between the human brain and a computer when it comes to transportation.

Even with every step prioritizing the first lesson, the transportation of supplies still did not achieve the desired results.

Transport Minister Kenjiro Oshima was very dissatisfied with this.

All transport lines made way for the First Lesson, but the efficiency of material transport only increased by less than 30%, which was far from the double efficiency he had expected.

Jun Matsuzaki, the head of the First Division, was also helpless about this.

The transportation of supplies cannot be accomplished simply by clearing a few lines; it requires coordination between higher and lower levels.

This is equivalent to a weightlifting champion who has reached his limit; adding even a few kilograms would be a challenge to that limit.

Delaying the transportation tasks for the second and third lessons can only make their arrangements smoother, but the actual effect is very limited.

Of course, this also depends on the person in charge. If Chen Yang were in charge, the efficiency would be increased by at least three times.

The reason why the two sides have such a big gap is because their foundations are different.

They were both weightlifters, but Jun Matsuzaki was just a little over a meter tall, and lifting 100 kilograms was already his limit.

Chen Yang, on the other hand, is a two-meter-tall, strong man who can easily weigh four or five hundred kilograms. That's the difference between the two.

In the office of the section chief of the third section, Chen Yang was half-reclined in his office chair, flipping through the latest newspapers from Shanghai.

After the Battle of Wuhan began, many newspapers in Shanghai published related articles.

However, a large portion of them were coerced by the Japanese into defining the war as a "holy war" by the Japanese.

His words were full of flattery, making Chen Yang almost want to vomit.

How can a person be so shameless?

Of course, some newspapers also pointed out in a righteous manner that this was an open act of aggression by the Japanese; however, most of these newspapers had foreign backgrounds.

Don't mistake their actions for advocating for China; they are simply afraid of having their interests encroached upon by the Japanese.

There's a saying that's very true: "Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts."

Knock, knock, knock. Li Ningyu stood at the door and said, "Section Chief, the sentry post called. A man named Lin Yongren wants to see you. Would you like to see him?" "Ah Ren?" Chen Yang put down his newspaper and said, "Secretary Li, go and bring Mr. Lin up."

Li Ningyu nodded, turned and left the office. A few minutes later, Li Ningyu appeared at the office door with Lin Yongren.

Chen Yang quickly let Lin Yongren in and instructed Li Ningyu to make him a cup of tea.

After Li Ningyu left, Lin Yongren said impatiently, "Young Master, I've been looking for you several times already."

"You leave early and come home late, it's not easy for me to find you."

Lin Yongren is right. During this time, Chen Yang has been discussing the establishment of the Huafu Fund and the new company with Princess William and Elsa of the Netherlands.

I don't get home until after 10 p.m., and I leave early in the morning.

If he wanted to see Chen Yang, he really had no choice but to come here.

"Ah Ren, what's up? Is there some trouble with the renovations?"

Chen Yang instinctively assumed that Lin Yongren must have run into some trouble when he contacted him.

Lin Yongren smiled and said, "Young Master, it's been three or four months already, and the shop's renovation is finally finished."

"I've come to you so you can choose a time to open your business."

Chen Yang was stunned for a moment before he remembered that the shop's renovation had been going on for three or four months since March. Calculating the time, it was indeed close to the agreed completion date.

“Young Master, this is the opening date that I asked Mr. Jing’an to choose.” Lin Yongren took out a piece of red paper with ink writing on it and handed it to Chen Yang: “June 16th. If that day doesn’t work, then it will have to be the 22nd.”

Chen Yang took the note, glanced at it, and after thinking for a while, said, "Let's choose number twenty-two."

"I'll make some arrangements during this period; the opening of the business should be a grand affair."

“That’s true, five days is a bit rushed,” Lin Yongren nodded and said, “Then let’s open on the 22nd, Young Master. I’ll go and arrange the opening. Do you have any special requests?”

"Write some things down, but never mind, I'll write them down for you." Chen Yang picked up a pen, grabbed a piece of paper, wrote down some requirements for the opening, and handed it to Lin Yongren: "Ren, arrange things according to what I said."

"Money isn't important; what's important is that it's done well."

Lin Yongren took the note: "Don't worry, young master, I'll take care of it. I'll be going now."

"Well, be careful on the road."

********
June 22, 1938 (Republic of China Year 27): Sunny, auspicious, suitable for breaking ground, bathing, and opening a business.
French Concession
In early summer, Shanghai was filled with humidity and sweltering heat, and the concessions still maintained an abnormal prosperity.

The brand-new gold signboard of Hualong Trading Company is covered with red silk.

The streets in front of the gate were lined with flower baskets from all walks of life, a riot of colors and a rich fragrance. Yet, even this magnificent scene could not mask the growing sense of tension in the distance...

On the streets, newsboys hawked news of the Blue Army's crushing defeat in the battle of Wuhan, rickshaw pullers hurried along, and occasionally foreign police officers in different uniforms could be seen walking by.

At 9:00 a.m. sharp, a deafening firecracker exploded, red paper scraps flew like rain, and the smell of gunpowder instantly overwhelmed the fragrance of flowers.

The drum team energetically played festive rhythms, and the lion dance troupe leaped nimbly among the crowd, drawing cheers from the onlookers.

Reporters' flashbulbs flashed frequently as they documented this rare and grand opening of a large commercial firm.

Chen Yang and Lin Yongren stood at the shop entrance, using a red pen and cinnabar to dot the lion's forehead.

Amidst enthusiastic applause, the red silk cloth covering Hualong Trading Company slowly slid down, revealing the golden lettering on the signboard gleaming in the sunlight…

(End of this chapter)