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

Dai Li saluted.

He turned and strode out.

The office door closed gently behind me.

Dai Li walked down the corridor, his pace quickening slightly compared to when he arrived.

Tomorrow, it will be the headline on the front page of all major newspapers.

This news will cause a nationwide uproar.

A Japanese army lieutenant general was assassinated.

This is the first time since the start of the War of Resistance against Japan.

Dai Li returned to his office, pushed open the door, and went inside.

He sat at his desk, picked up the phone, and cranked the dial.

"Get me to the publicity department."

"Yes."

A moment later, a voice came from the other end of the phone.

"This is the publicity department. Who is this?"

"I am Dai Li."

"There is something important that requires your cooperation."

The voice on the other end of the phone immediately became respectful.

"Director Dai, please go ahead."

Dai Li spoke calmly, but each word was spoken slowly and deliberately.

"Tomorrow, all the major newspapers will carry this news on their front pages."

"Katsuki Kiyoshi, former commander of the First Army of the Japanese North China Area Army, was killed by anti-Japanese fighters at Guangshe Airport in Taiyuan on the morning of May 31."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Director Dai, is this news true?"

"true."

Dai Li spoke with certainty.

"We've just confirmed it."

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."

Dai Li put down the phone, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long sigh of relief.

He stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the view of Luojia Mountain is breathtaking.

The sunlight was lovely, shining on the trees, making them lush and vibrant with life.

Dai Li looked at the green expanse, a slight smile playing on his lips.

……

at the same time.

Shanxi.

The Eighth Route Army's forward command post.

This is a small village nestled deep in the Taihang Mountains, surrounded by mountains and crisscrossed by ravines.

Several sentries stood at the village entrance, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

At the very back of the village, there is a row of slightly more spacious adobe houses.

That was the location of the Eighth Route Army's forward command post.

At this moment, the command post was filled with smoke.

A wooden table was placed in the middle of the room, with several battle maps on it.

The enemy and friendly positions are marked on the map with red and blue pencils.

The deputy commander sat at the table, his brows slightly furrowed.

He was tall and strong, with a square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a calm demeanor that suggested he had been through many battles.

His gaze fell on the intelligence report that had just been delivered to him on the table, and he remained silent.

The deputy chief of staff sat opposite him, holding a teacup.

He wore glasses and looked like a schoolteacher, but his eyes shone with a sharp light.

His gaze kept sweeping over the intelligence report, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Division Commander Liu sat next to the deputy commander-in-chief.

Holding a pencil in his hand, he tapped it lightly on the table.

He was of medium build, with a thin face, slightly prominent cheekbones, and bright eyes.

His gaze fell on the intelligence report, his brows furrowing slightly.

The political commissar sat next to Division Commander Liu, holding a document in his hand and flipping through it.

He was in his thirties, slender, with a square face, and looked very refined.

But his gaze was calm and composed, without any haste or impatience.

There were several other people inside, all of whom were senior staff officers from the command headquarters.

Some were sitting, some were standing, but their eyes were all fixed on the intelligence report on the table.

No one speaks.

After a long while, the deputy commander-in-chief finally spoke.

He squinted at the intelligence report.

"Katsuki Kiyoshi, former commander of the First Army of the Japanese North China Area Army, was shot dead."

After he finished speaking, he raised his head and glanced at the people in the room.

"Comrades, let's all speak up, what's your opinion on this matter?"

The deputy chief of staff put down his teacup and leaned back in his chair.

He adjusted his glasses and spoke slowly.

"Let me say a few words first."

"We are familiar with Kiyoshi Kazuki."

"During his year or so in Shanxi, he commanded the Japanese army in several large-scale mopping-up operations, burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of atrocities."

"We've played against him a few times, and we've gotten a feel for his tactical style."

He paused, then tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

"However, the intelligence did not say who did it."

"They only said he was shot and killed; the killer's identity is unknown."

"The most critical issue now."

"Is this person one of ours, one of the Nationalists, or one of the Japanese?"

Commander Liu put down his pencil, picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and then put it down again.

His tone was calm, but every word was spoken clearly.

"Boss, I don't think this was done by anyone inside the Japanese army."

"Although the Japanese are divided into many factions, they have never done anything like assassinating a former commander."

"Besides, even if they wanted to do it, they wouldn't choose a place like an airport."

"The commotion is too great; it will be difficult to handle."

The deputy commander nodded without saying a word.

Commander Liu continued.

"If it was done by members of the Nationalist Army, that's possible."

"The Military Intelligence Bureau had a station in Taiyuan. They carried out assassinations and sabotage behind enemy lines more than once or twice."

"Moreover, the Military Intelligence Bureau has more experience than us in assassinating high-ranking generals."

The political commissar put down the documents in his hand, looked up, and said.

"Old Liu is right."

"But I have a question."

"If it was done by the Military Intelligence Bureau, why don't they publicize it?"

"Given their style, if they'd accomplished something this big, they would have been making a big fuss about it all over the world by now."

"But so far, we haven't received a single word from them."

"This means that either they didn't do it, or they were hesitating."

The deputy commander leaned back in his chair.

"The political commissar is right."

"Those guys from the Military Intelligence Bureau want the whole world to know what they've done."

"But this time, they didn't make a sound at all."

"This is very abnormal."

The deputy chief of staff picked up his teacup, took another sip of water, and then put it down.

"Then there's only one possibility left."

His gaze swept over the people in the room, and his tone became serious.

"It was our people who did it."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Commander Liu frowned.

The political commissar's expression didn't change much, but a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.

The senior staff officers looked at each other, but no one spoke.

The deputy commander looked at the deputy chief of staff and spoke slowly.

"Which group of us do you think did it?"

The deputy chief of staff shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"have no idea."

"I've reviewed all the military units around us, and none of them have this capability."

"The main force is all at the front line, and the closest one to Taiyuan is still several hundred miles away."

"As for guerrillas and local armed forces, that's even more impossible."

"They don't have the equipment, the training, or the guts."

He paused for a moment, then added.

"Assassinating a Japanese lieutenant general in Taiyuan? Isn't that a pipe dream?"

Commander Liu's brows furrowed even more as he listened.

"Among our troops around Taiyuan, the best-equipped are the regiments of our 386th Brigade."

"But even they don't have the ability to carry out an assassination in Taiyuan."

After listening to their discussion, the deputy commander finally spoke.

"Comrades, let's not rush to conclusions."

"Regardless of who did it, this is a great thing in itself."

"A Japanese army lieutenant general was killed at the airport. This is the first time since the start of our war of resistance."

"Whoever did it, they're all commendable."