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

Chapter 254 Who agrees? Who objects?
"Our empire?" Onodera Ken's interest was instantly piqued. He quickly stood up, and the two of them left the private room. Led by Lin Su, they walked with steady steps toward the most mysterious private room on the third floor.

Several beautiful maids stood by the door of the private room.

Upon seeing Lin Su leading Chen Yang and Onodera Ken over, the two maids immediately stepped forward and opened the sliding doors on the left and right.

Ken Onodera looked up and was immediately startled.

The room was packed with people, all of whom were familiar faces from the logistics department.

Colonel Nobuyasu Takeda, Logistics Director of the Hangzhou Garrison Command.

Horikita Yutaku, Headquarters of the Hangzhou Military Police...

Yoshizawa Kimura, head of the Jinling material transfer warehouse,

Colonel Takagi of the 26th Mixed Brigade

Major General Yasuharu Kujo, Chief of Staff of the 23rd Division, and others quickly stood up when they saw Chen Yang and Ken Onodera enter.

Chen Yang walked straight to the head seat and sat down, also inviting everyone else to sit down as well.

Everyone took their seats...

"Minister Chen!" Takeda Nobuyasu's voice boomed like thunder.

At this moment, he didn't even use honorifics like "Your Excellency," but said, "What do you mean by this? You promised two shipments of supplies per month, but the supplies we have are already almost a week late!"

"What do you mean now? Are we still going to do business together?"

Chen Yang gestured for the other party to calm down: "Colonel Takeda, please calm down."

Onodera Ken said indifferently from the side, "Takeda-kun, the Nomonhan Incident is critical. The Kwantung Army Headquarters and the Imperial General Headquarters have issued a strict order that all resources must be prioritized for the north. This is the highest order. I am also in a hurry, but everything still has to be arranged by Chen-san. He is the one who will carry it out."

"You're in a hurry? I think you're just using this as an excuse to make things difficult!" Takeda slammed his fist on the table. "Don't think I don't know! Your Expeditionary Army has always had a problem with our South China Army! Your supplies can flow freely, but we have to wait!"

"Colonel Takeda!" Chen Yang's face also darkened, and his tone became firm. "Watch your words! Resource allocation is determined by battlefield priorities, not by personal likes or dislikes!"

"If you have any objections to the order, you may appeal to the Kwantung Army Logistics Department or directly to the General Headquarters! But until a new order is issued, the priority of northward transportation cannot be shaken!"

Uh, Takeda Nobuyasu was speechless, his face turning red. He couldn't very well ask a bunch of people who were stealing and selling supplies to send a telegram to the mainland demanding that supplies sent north be stopped and that they be given priority to sell their own supplies.

If such words were to reach the ears of Minister of the Inspection Department, Eiji Kujo, damn it, none of us would survive.

Major General Kobayashi Asaburo, the logistics chief of the Central China Area Army, slowly rose to his feet. Unlike Takeda's irritability, he had a deep, calm gaze behind a pair of round glasses.

Without a loud roar, Major General Kobayashi simply stood opposite Chen Yang, staring at him with icy eyes, and slowly said, "Mr. Chen, the Central China Army is responsible for maintaining order in the vast areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui. It is a heavy responsibility."

"Now that we have to make way for the North, our troops have been cut off from supplies. If this leads to a deterioration of security in the occupied areas, or even a large-scale resistance, can you bear the responsibility?"

"Or is it that you have someone backing you, instructing you to use this to weaken the strength of my Central China Army?"

The threat in those words was more chilling than Takeda's roar.

Chen Yang felt a chill run down his spine, but remained calm and said, "General Lin is too kind. If the war in the north goes badly, the foundation of the empire will be shaken, and how can we talk about maintaining peace in Central China? This is a matter of mutual dependence."

"Please be patient for a few more days, General. Once the situation in the north stabilizes, supplies will resume."

"During this period, if there is a particularly urgent need, you can submit an application separately, and I will do my best to coordinate a 'special channel', but the number cannot be large."

Kobayashi Asaburo snorted coldly, clearly dissatisfied with the answer, but knowing that arguing would be pointless, he slowly nodded: "Then please, Mr. Chen, coordinate this properly."

Immediately afterwards, the Marine Corps stationed in Shanghai, and even some supply depot leaders from different divisions, spoke out, questioning, complaining, or threatening.

Chen Yang could only repeatedly reiterate the unshakeable principle of "Northern Priority." At the same time, he showed empathy for some of the complaints, promising to "do his best" and "record them." As for obvious threats, he stood his ground without backing down, emphasizing that he was carrying out military orders.

“Mr. Chen,” Colonel Horikita of the Hangzhou Military Police Command said with concern, “I know that making a fuss about transportation is indeed very difficult for you.”

"But I have to tell you the truth."

“We can trust you, but those soldiers won’t be so naive,”

"They only believe in money that they can see and touch."

"Just give me a deadline, when things will return to normal, so I can go back and give them an explanation!"

"Confess?" Chen Yang's gaze sharpened slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Colonel Horikita, are you implying you can't handle your subordinates?"

Isn't that obvious?
If I could handle this, I wouldn't be here joining in the fun.

When they're broke, they come to my office with samurai swords and try to reason with me. If I could handle that, would I need to be so subservient to you?

Instead of getting angry, Horikita stammered and explained, "That's not what I meant. It's just, Mr. Chen, you know, it's only right to get paid for work."

"Everyone is risking their lives to work, and if they don't have money, they'll always feel uneasy,"

"The Empire is already stricter in investigating corruption cases than in other cases."

"If something goes wrong, there could be a bloodbath."

“Chen Sang, we risk our lives just to seek wealth and honor.”

“If we don’t have money, I’m scared, I’m scared of them…”

"Yes, as the saying goes, 'A thousand-mile journey to become an official is all for wealth.'" Chen Yang shook his head and said, "I understand everyone's difficulties."

"However, this issue concerning the Southern Transportation Department is not as simple as doing something for someone, or trying to put someone in a bad light, or trying to get some benefits."

Chen Yang slowly clapped his hands.

The door was slowly pushed open, and several maids carried in a pre-prepared transport map.

After setting down the panoramic map, the group politely bowed and withdrew.

Chen Yang stood in front of the map, looked around at everyone, and slowly said, "Everything we do revolves around the transportation route map."

"This map shows a total of fourteen transport routes of varying lengths, including the Qinghai-Gansu line, the Pinghan line, the Pingjin line, the Nanxun line, the Shanghai-Guangdong line, and so on."

"This is the territory we have built over a year."

Everyone gathered around the map and studied it for a while. Someone curiously pointed to the north side of the map and asked, "Mr. Chen, what about these areas?"

"Oh, let's not worry about those places for now. They're Manchuria Iron Army territory, and we haven't taken them yet," Chen Yang shrugged.

"And now, this is our opportunity."

"To be frank, now is a very good opportunity to make money, and even more so, a very suitable opportunity to expand."

"Therefore, I devised a plan to coordinate the procedures for the entry and exit of supplies by logistics departments at all levels, starting from June 13th."

"The original three-month material transaction was compressed into one month."

"Please rest assured, everyone. I have made arrangements for all sellers and customers." "The supply will be handled by the five major chambers of commerce: Shanxi, Anhui, Fujian, Zhejiang, and Shanghai."

"As for weapons, medicines and other supplies, there will be dedicated personnel to follow up and ensure that nothing goes wrong."

"I have studied the supplies available to everyone and made full preparations."

As he spoke, Chen Yang clapped his hands again, and the door opened once more, with a group of maids carrying trays slowly walking in.

Each person carried a tray with a plan for the movement of supplies. Chen Yang nodded slightly, and the maids placed the documents in their hands one by one according to their positions.

Curious, everyone picked up the document on the table, which detailed the supplies they were to transport every two to three days starting from June 13th.

The frequency of transactions has increased from two to four times a month to ten times, and even up to thirteen times for cities with large-scale logistics and storage centers, such as Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Shanghai.

They're really planning to scrape the land off the ground and sell it.

The rustling sound continued, and everyone was shocked by Chen Yang's bold actions.

Finally, Colonel Horikita was the first to stand up and ask, "Mr. Chen, is it really necessary to push so hard?"

"If you restrict the flow of supplies so much, it's easy to exceed the transportation capacity, which could lead to a major disaster."

"Something big has happened?" Chen Yang said slowly, "With me here, nothing big will happen. Besides, the South Manchuria Railway Company has made a pledge that they will be responsible for compensation if any problems arise."

"If you want to catch crabs, why are you afraid of getting your hand pinched?"

"Please rest assured, what is the limit of transportation capacity for others may not be so terrifying for me."

"If they can't do it, I definitely can!"

“Mr. Chen,” Colonel Takagi from Nanjing said in a deep voice, “how much benefit can we gain if we agree to cooperate?”

"You transportation department benefits from controlling the transportation of supplies. You make us take such a big risk, and you get all the benefits."

"This doesn't seem fair to us!"

Chen Yang nodded slightly without changing his expression and said, "Colonel Takagi is indeed right on the point."

“That’s right, I do want control over transportation, and even want the Southern Transportation Department to control China’s transportation network and weave a giant net for us,”

"It does seem that our transportation sector benefits more from this."

"However, I'm inviting you aboard the ship so we can eat together; I can't just talk the talk."

"Tonight, I've prepared a big meal; there will be something for everyone."

"Clap clap," Chen Yang clapped his hands lightly.

The side door of the private room suddenly opened, and a dazzling golden light assaulted everyone's eyes.

At this moment, everyone held their breath. On the side of the private room, a round platform appeared before them, and on the platform was a mountain of gold.

You read that right, it's a small mountain made of gold.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is tonight's main course, Gold Mountain."

Chen Yang walked to the front, turned around, and faced the crowd, saying, "There are three tons of gold here, worth three and a half million US dollars, which is nearly ten million Japanese yen."

"This is a gift I specially prepared for everyone."

"If you are willing to join, then Boss Lin Sulin will deliver the amount of gold you have earned to you."

"If you're unwilling, I won't force you, but I must remind you, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Alright, I've finished speaking. Who agrees? Who disagrees?"

"I agree," Colonel Takagi was the first to stand up and express his opinion...

Now that someone is stepping forward, things will be much easier.

Immediately, a large number of logistics officers came forward to agree, and even Major General Kobayashi quickly joined in.

June of Showa 6, which is June 1939.

A large-scale conflict broke out between the Japanese and the Soviets near the Khalkhin Gol River, which stemmed from the ambiguity of the border issue!

At that time, the border between "Manchukuo" and "Mongolian People's Republic" was vaguely defined, and the two sides disputed the ownership of the Khalkh River region.

Mongolia considers the border line to be on the east bank of the river, while Japan and Manchukuo consider the Khalkha River to be the natural dividing line, and the entire east bank of the river to belong to "Manchukuo".

Of course, this was only a superficial issue; at a deeper level, it was a test by the Japanese of the strength of the Soviet Red Army after the Great Purge.

However, this battle was unfriendly to the Japanese army from the very beginning.

May 28th,

The Kwantung Army ordered the 23rd Division, led by Division Commander Michitaro Komatsubara, to launch a probing attack against the enemy.

In addition to the 23rd Division, the Kwantung Army also specially assigned a tank unit commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Higashi Yabozo.

The Japanese army planned to divide its forces into two routes: Higashi Yabozo's unit would attack from the front, while the main infantry force would flank from the side.

However, before this operational plan even reached the 23rd Division headquarters, it had already appeared at the Soviet-Mongolian Joint Command Headquarters.

Soviet General Zhukov (who, though not yet officially in command, was already involved in the operation) urgently mobilized well-equipped reinforcements, including machine gun battalions, armored vehicle brigades, and artillery units.

The following day, although Higashiyazo's tank units broke through the Mongolian army's forward positions, they were quickly caught in the Soviet army's pre-set fire network.

The Soviet army counterattacked with heavy artillery fire and anti-tank guns, and the Higashi-Yabozo unit was completely surrounded. After fierce fighting, by May 29, the Higashi-Yabozo detachment was almost completely annihilated, and Higashi-Yabozo himself was killed in action.

The Japanese army's first probing attack ended in a disastrous defeat.

When the news reached the Kwantung Army headquarters, General Yoshijiro Umezu, then Commander-in-Chief of the Kwantung Army, felt extremely ashamed.

In their first encounter, the Japanese suffered a crushing defeat. In an effort to regain face as quickly as possible, the Japanese government ordered the Central China Expeditionary Army, the North China Area Army, and even the Fourth Army stationed in Jiamusi to send troops northward.

All supplies for the northward-bound troops must be prioritized, and it is imperative to reclaim the dignity that belongs to the Imperial Japanese Army.

The message was quickly delivered to Shanghai, and Chen Yang was somewhat taken aback when he received it.

Although the Japanese have indeed suffered crushing defeats in history, this time it seems to be even more severe, as they wiped out a tank company right from the start.

Of course, this result, while unexpected, was also reasonable.

After all, Hotsumi Ozaki's abilities and destructive power are far beyond what ordinary agents can match...

(End of this chapter)