Holding the original shares, they fought all the way to the Korean War!

"Click."

The camera shutter clicked.

Kiyoshi Kazuki's career as the commander of the First Army.

With that click of the shutter, it all came to a complete end.

The handover ceremony was very simple, lasting less than ten minutes.

When Kiyoshi Kazuki walked out of the office.

The way those officers looked at him had changed.

It's no longer about reverence, no longer about fear.

Rather, it is something complex and indescribable.

Some people greeted him.

"Your Excellency Xiangyue, please take care."

"Have a safe journey, Your Excellency Xiangyue."

He simply nodded without saying anything.

He walked through the corridor, out of the headquarters gate, and stood on the steps.

The sunlight was bright, shining on his face, almost blindingly so.

He squinted, looking at the distant sky.

"Your Excellency, the carriage is ready."

The adjutant walked up to him and said in a low voice.

Kiyoshi Kazuki nodded and walked down the steps.

The car door was already open, and he bent down and got in.

The adjutant closed the car door and sat in the passenger seat.

"To Guangshe Airport."

"Hi."

The car slowly drove out of the headquarters gate.

Kiyoshi Kazuki leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

He knew that from this day forward, Taiyuan City, the First Army, and the Chinese battlefield would no longer be his concern.

He's going back to base camp, back to that place he both loves and hates.

Military advisor sounds prestigious, but it's actually a sinecure with no future prospects.

He will stay at headquarters for a year or two, and if no new appointment is made, he will have to retire.

What happens after retirement?

Perhaps I'll go back to my hometown, farm, grow flowers, and live out the rest of my life there.

Thinking of this, a nameless sense of resentment welled up in Kiyoshi Kazuki's heart.

He's only fifty-two years old this year, which is the prime age for a soldier.

He still has plenty of time, plenty of energy, and plenty of ambition.

But now, it's all over.

It was ruined by that old geezer Terauchi Hisaichi with just one sentence.

Kiyoshi Kazuki opened his eyes and looked at the street scene outside the window.

When the locals saw his motorcade, they all hid by the roadside, heads down, too ashamed to look.

Kiyoshi looked at the common people, a contemptuous smile playing on his lips.

A Chinese person is simply a Chinese person.

It will always be like this.

Humble, cowardly, and afraid to raise their heads.

He looked away and closed his eyes again.

The car continued driving forward.

Heading north, towards Guangshe Airport.

……

the other side.

In the woods north of Guangshe Village.

Zhou Tianyang had been lying in wait behind the bushes on the earthen slope since six o'clock in the morning.

His eyes were pressed against the scope, the crosshairs aligned with the open space in front of the airport terminal.

He is waiting.

Wait for Xiang Yue Qingji to appear.

From six in the morning to ten in the morning, for a full four hours, he lay there motionless.

His body remained completely still, his eyes were glued to the scope, and his finger rested on the trigger.

During those four hours, he witnessed the changing of the guard by Japanese soldiers at the airport.

I saw several trucks driving in from outside the airport, loading and unloading goods.

I saw several Japanese officers come out of the terminal building and smoke and chat in the open space.

Zhou Tianyang wasn't in a hurry.

He knew that Kiyoshi Kazuki would definitely come here today.

According to the Japanese's normal handover procedures.

After the handover ceremony, Kiyoshi Kazuki will not stay in Taiyuan City; he will go directly to the airport.

This was the fastest way for him to leave Taiyuan.

10:30 a.m.

Zhou Tianyang frowned slightly.

At this point, the handover ceremony should have already concluded.

Under normal circumstances, the route was from the First Army Headquarters in Taiyuan to Guangshe Airport.

It takes about forty minutes to an hour to drive there.

If Kiyoshi Kazuki departed immediately after the handover ceremony, he should already be on his way.

He will arrive at the airport in at most an hour.

Zhou Tianyang's crosshairs were aligned with the direction of the airport entrance.

11:05 AM.

Zhou Tianyang's pupils suddenly contracted.

Through the scope, a convoy appeared in the direction of the airport entrance.

Leading the way were several three-wheeled motorcycles.

A machine gun was mounted on the sidecar, and the Japanese soldiers on the vehicle held their guns, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

Several trucks followed behind.

The truck was packed with heavily armed Japanese soldiers, crammed together in dense crowds.

Behind them were three black sedans with the Japanese flag hanging on their hoods.

Behind the car were two trucks, the cargo compartments of which were also filled with fully armed Japanese soldiers.

The entire convoy was impressive, consisting of at least a dozen vehicles.

This size and formation definitely belong to a motorcade of a high-ranking Japanese official.

Ordinary officers don't need so many vehicles or so many soldiers.

Xiangyue Qingji is here.

Zhou Tianyang's crosshairs were aimed directly at those black sedans.

But it's too far away, and we can't see what's going on inside the car yet.

The convoy continued driving and soon entered the airport.

Zhou Tianyang's center of gravity moved with the convoy.

The convoy passed through the airport gates and drove along the road beside the runway toward the terminal.

Finally, the convoy stopped next to a military aircraft.

It was a Type 97 heavy bomber manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, with the Rising Sun flag painted on its fuselage.

A dozen or so Japanese soldiers and several ground crew members were standing next to the plane.

The trucks in the convoy stopped first.

The Japanese soldiers on the truck jumped off and quickly dispersed, forming a cordon around the plane.

They held their guns, muzzles pointing outwards, their eyes scanning their surroundings warily.

Then the three-wheeled motorcycles also stopped.

The motorcyclist jumped off the motorcycle, and the machine gunner in the sidecar pointed his gun in different directions.

Finally, there were the three black cars.

The first car stopped.

Two guards dressed in Japanese military uniforms got out of the car.

They walked to the second car and opened the door.

Zhou Tianyang's crosshairs were aligned with the open car door.

He held his breath.

A Japanese officer dressed as a lieutenant general stepped out of the car.

Xiangyue Qingji.

Zhou Tianyang mentally compared the face in the newspaper with the person in front of him.

Yes, it's him.

He had a square face, thick eyebrows, a tuft of mustache above his lips, and was of medium build.

Exactly the same as in the newspaper.

Zhou Tianyang's cross-shaped weapon landed firmly on Xiangyue Qingji's head.

But he didn't rush to fire.

Kiyoshi Kazuki had just gotten off the bus and hadn't even settled down yet.

Moreover, he was surrounded by several guards and soldiers on alert.

The angle isn't optimal for firing now.

hold on.

When Kiyoshi Kazuki walked to the side of the plane, he walked to the perimeter of the guards.

That will be the best time.

After getting off the car, Kiyoshi Kazuki straightened his military cap and glanced around.

His adjutant stepped out of the third car and strode over to him.

He was an officer wearing a colonel's uniform.

He was in his thirties, not very tall, but very strong.

He stood next to Kiyoshi Kazuki and whispered a few words.

Kiyoshi Kazuki nodded and walked towards the plane.

His adjutant followed behind him, the two walking at a moderate pace.

Zhou Tianyang's cross center moved along with Xiangyue Qingji.

He adjusted the focus, bringing the scope's field of view to its clearest setting.

680 meters.

The wind speed, coming from the northwest, is about three meters per second.

The ballistic drop will require correction at this distance.