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

Chapter 137 I'm sorry, I really can't do it.
The broken hull, under immense inertia, emitted a sickening metallic groan as it slowly sank and disintegrated.

Burning heavy oil gushed out of the ruptured oil tanks, quickly spreading across the river and forming raging infernos!
The water was reflected in a deep red, like a pool of blood from hell!
Within seconds, another earth-shattering explosion rang out...

The ammunition on the Etsu Maru could not withstand the high temperature and detonated...

Instantly, there were piercing screams, desperate wails, crackling sounds of burning, the groans of twisting and breaking steel, and the loud "plop" of a heavy object falling into the water...

Countless terrifying sounds intertwined, merging into a death symphony from the deepest depths of hell.

Tiezhen wiped the mud, oil, and bloodstains from his face, and looked out at the hellish scene through the dissipating smoke and rising steam.

"Withdraw!" he hissed, his voice barely audible amidst the deafening noise.

"Rivets," "wedges," and "wrenches" quickly rose from their respective hiding places and nimbly moved towards him.

"Hammer" was responsible for retrieving the detonator. At that time, the Military Intelligence Bureau did not have such a large scale; each district station only had one detonator.

This is the lifeblood of the demolition team; we can't afford to lose it easily.
Hammer moved quickly, putting away the explosive device in a few swift movements and packing it into a pre-prepared bag. Just as he was about to leave, his gaze was suddenly drawn to the edge of the burning oil slick near the north bank, as if drawn by a magnet.

There's a figure there!
The man had clearly survived the violent explosion and was thrown into the water near the shore by the blast wave.

His white naval officer uniform was almost torn to shreds, soaked in oil and blood, and one arm was twisted in a strange position.

The flames burning on the river surface leaped and clearly illuminated that painfully contorted yet strangely familiar face—Matsumoto Koji!
Damn it, he's still alive.
The murky river water kept choking him, and his eyes were filled with a frenzy driven by the instinct for survival as he stared intently at the reed-lined shore that represented the hope of life.

"Team leader! It's that Japanese captain!" Hammer's voice was filled with surprise and a hint of barely perceptible tension as he subconsciously reached for the Mauser pistol at his waist.

At such close range, with Iron Anvil's marksmanship, in such a distance and under such conditions, ending the life of a person struggling in the water, helpless and powerless, would be easier than breaking a wine bottle.

Koji Matsumoto stared blankly at the Kuomintang agent in front of him, neither pleading nor cursing.

There was only a hollow, crushed despair, and a trace of numbness toward the end.

The finger on the anvil rests on the cold trigger.

"As a soldier, I should not torture and kill prisoners, but as a Chinese, I have no reason to let you go."

"Captain, I'm sorry, I'm Chinese."

"Bang." A short gunshot rang out, and it was all over.

As the gunshots subsided, Iron Anvil whirled around, his voice low and hoarse, as if sanded: "Go."

The group plunged into the dense and secluded reed bed. The rustling sound of the reeds rubbing against their bodies was monotonous and rapid, accompanied by their heavy, suppressed breathing and footsteps.

The flames and explosions behind them gradually faded into the distance, swallowed by the boundless reeds. The turbid river flowed beneath their feet, silently carrying burning fragments and the remains of the dead downstream.

Shanghai, Southern Transportation Department.

News of the encounter between the cargo ships Jiangjin Maru and Jinhe and Kuomintang agents at Niugutan quickly reached Shanghai.

Kenichi Yamaki, the logistics chief of the Marine Corps Command, was severely reprimanded by his superiors.

This mishap in transporting supplies put the Japanese troops in a dilemma.

The military's original plan was to deliver ammunition to the front lines as quickly as possible, so that Matsuura Junroku could break through the Lushan defenses before Commander Xue could fully construct them, capture Lushan, and directly attack the three towns of Wuhan.

However, due to the destruction of a large amount of ammunition, the 106th Division lacks heavy firepower support. The terrain of Mount Lu is steep and easy to defend but difficult to attack. The original offensive plan has had to be turned into a short-term stalemate between the two sides.

Moreover, the Hata Detachment of the 106th Division paid a heavy price in its attacks on Tianjia Town and Fuchikou.

The Hata Detachment has a large number of mountain soldiers recruited from Fusamo, and they have shown signs of fear of war, which is a very bad trend for the Empire.

Junroku Matsuura has submitted a request to the Central China Expeditionary Army Headquarters to allow the Itai Regiment to replace the Hata Detachment in attacking the south side of Mount Lu.

Inside the office, Chen Yang was reviewing documents sent from the materials warehouse.

The destruction of the transport ships Ejin Maru and Tsuwa made the naval transport fleet a target of public criticism.

The Army, the Homeland Operations Staff, and the Military Affairs Department all launched an attack on the Navy, demanding that it take responsibility for the incident.

Knowing it was in the wrong, the Navy Department dared not act as aggressively as before.

The Army Ministry took the opportunity to demand unified planning of transportation matters to ensure that no further problems would arise in the transportation process.

That's when things get interesting.

Previously, joint sea-land transport was just empty talk. Now, due to the bombing of transport ships, the navy has had to bow down and become the army's transport vehicle.

Of course, the incident of the naval transport ship being blown up did not involve Chen Yang.

The Naval Investigation Department had investigated several times from top to bottom without finding any channel for the leaked information. It wasn't until the Special Higher Police in Jiujiang investigated the transport ship's route that they discovered that Lieutenant Commander Koji Matsumoto, who was in charge of the transport, had secretly slipped ashore to drink while the transport ship was docked in Jiujiang.

Following this lead, the Special Higher Police raided the izakaya, only to discover that the owner had long been controlled by the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Therefore, everything makes sense.

It was Koji Matsumoto who inadvertently leaked information, allowing the Kuomintang agents to obtain the transport ship's schedule, which led to the incident.

The Naval Investigations Office initially had reservations about the findings.

Because it only takes four hours to get from Jiujiang to Niugutan.

Planning a perfect attack in four hours seems a bit rushed.

The fact that the other side could use such a deadly weapon as a moored mine clearly shows that they were prepared to blow up the ship.

However, this minor point of doubt cannot be used as a reason for the Navy Department to shirk its responsibility.

The Special Higher Police replied that the Military Intelligence Bureau had likely already made preparations to attack the naval transport ship.

Perhaps it wasn't just about this particular shipment, but rather that they happened to obtain information about the transport ship from Matsumoto.

This answer seems quite reasonable. The Naval Investigation Department couldn't find any other evidence, and since Matsumoto had already died for his country, the Naval Investigation Department could only accept the other party's investigation results.

"Tap tap tap." A series of footsteps came, and Secretary Li Ningyu gently knocked on the half-open office door and said to Chen Yang, "Sir, Minister Oshima has something to discuss with you."

"Lieutenant Commander Saito, the special liaison officer from the Naval Transport Department, has come over. He's probably here to discuss joint sea-land transport with Minister Oshima."

Chen Yang frowned slightly, put down the pen in his hand, and said, "I understand."

On the third floor of the Southern Transportation Department, Kenjiro Oshima sat behind his desk, his face ashen as he stared at Koichi Saito across from him.

"Lieutenant Commander Saito, I want to know what exactly your Navy Ministry is up to?"

Kenjiro Oshima's angry voice rang out urgently: "The backlog at Jiujiang Wharf must be completely resolved this week."

"The vanguard of the 106th Division has arrived near Lushan. Their heavy equipment, artillery, tractors, and supplies are all stuck in Jiujiang Port!"

"The Central China Expeditionary Army Command is urging the Navy three times a day. You may not care, but the pressure is directly transmitted to me!"

He took a deep breath and tried to suppress his anger: "I understand that your department is short-handed and that clearing the waterway is also difficult, but the war is urgent."

"The success or failure of the Wuhan campaign hinges on the logistics supply line, and now this lifeline has been strangled in Jiujiang!"

"Just because the transport ship was bombed once, have you become complacent?"

Saito Koichi straightened his chest and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Minister Oshima, I understand your feelings very well."

"The traffic congestion in Jiujiang is by no means an intentional delay by our department."

As he spoke, Saito Koichi walked to the map and pointed to the Yangtze River route map, saying, "As you can see, since July, Hunan has experienced continuous heavy rains, and the silt washed down from the upper reaches has accumulated, especially in the main channel near Pengze, where the water depth is insufficient."

“The 3,000-ton transport ships have limited draft and can only pass slowly in a queue.”

"We mobilized all available dredgers and worked day and night, but with limited manpower and resources, the progress was indeed not as expected."

Kenjiro Oshima took a breath and said in a deep voice, "Manpower and resources? Lieutenant Colonel Saito, I don't think that's a valid reason!"

"Maintaining the normal operation of the waterway is your navy's responsibility."

"Moreover, in order to ensure that there are no problems with transportation, we have deployed troops to provide escort and necessary fire support on the river, ensuring the relative safety of the waterway."

"You should know that these were originally the Navy Department's business, but we have already done it. Your Navy Transportation Department is responsible for ensuring that these valuable transport capacities operate efficiently!"

"Right now, the army's tanks are stuck in the mud, and the shells are piled up on the dock, exposed to the sun and rain. Neither of us can bear this responsibility!"

"I demand that emergency measures be taken immediately: First, existing berths must be cleared out, and vessels that have finished unloading must leave port within 24 hours!"

"Second, all non-military civilian vessels will be requisitioned or forced to cease operations to make way for military transport!"

"Third, activate all backup small docks and barge points, even if it's inefficient, to unload the supplies first!"

Saito Koichi frowned almost imperceptibly for a moment, then quickly regained his composure: "Chief Oshima, you are making things difficult for me."

"We can work out the first and second points, but the third point, unfortunately, I think it will be very difficult for us to achieve."

(End of this chapter)