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

"Headquarters has received formal notes from the ambassadors to China of the United Kingdom, France, the United States, and Switzerland."

"The content concerns arrests that occurred today in the outer areas of the International Settlement, the French Concession, and the Japanese Concession."

"The four countries expressed strong concern over the detention of their nationals and demanded that the Imperial Army explain the legal basis for the relevant actions."

"After emergency consultations between the General Headquarters, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, all parties agreed that..."

"Under the current international situation."

"It is not advisable for a security crackdown to trigger a multi-national diplomatic confrontation."

"Therefore, the General Headquarters recommended that the East China Expeditionary Army complete the review of the aforementioned personnel as soon as possible."

"Unless there is conclusive evidence that he is involved in the relevant case, he should be released."

Hata Shunroku's gaze lingered on those few words for a moment longer.

The word "recommendation" is not typically found in military communications, particularly in sections concerning core decisions.

The suggestion implies that headquarters hopes he will cooperate voluntarily, rather than directly ordering him to obey.

But after the word "suggestion".

The telegram was supplemented with an even more straightforward statement.

"Given that the relevant countries have already issued formal diplomatic notes on this matter, if the East China Expeditionary Army fails to address this issue in a timely manner, the General Headquarters will have no choice but to consider intervening through diplomatic channels."

"At that time, all detainees will be transferred to the consular authorities of the relevant countries in accordance with international law, and their subsequent review will be led by the diplomatic system rather than the military."

Hata Shunroku remained silent for a long time.

He read the telegram again from beginning to end, then placed it on the table.

There's no need to watch it a third time; he already understood it.

The main base can't hold on any longer.

Britain, France, the United States, and Switzerland simultaneously pressured the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to release their detained nationals.

Unable to withstand this level of diplomatic pressure, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had no choice but to pass the pressure on to its headquarters.

The headquarters could not withstand the pressure from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

I had no choice but to pass the pressure on to him.

The telegram appeared polite and considerate, but it was actually full of loopholes.

It is recommended to act as soon as possible, if there is no conclusive evidence.

Every word he used was a way to save face for him.

Let him reclaim the results of this morning's search in a dignified manner.

He can refuse to release people, and can continue to detain those holding foreign passports, and continue to investigate and interrogate them.

But the cost of doing so is...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be forced into a multinational diplomatic dispute.

In this dispute, the Imperial Army will be the target of blame.

He had no other choice.

Hata Shunroku folded the telegram again and put it back in the drawer.

What he said this morning in front of those Western diplomats.

It looked particularly glaring at that moment.

If there is no precedent, then create one. This saying still rings in our ears.

Now he's going to take back what he said himself.

He walked to the window and stood with his back to the desk.

Suddenly, I remembered something.

These were the last words the British counselor spoke in his office this morning.

I will report your statement to the London authorities as factual.

He didn't pay attention at the time.

Now he realizes that the sentence itself was a warning.

Only a few hours had passed between the counselor leaving the office and him receiving this telegram.

How could London's response reach headquarters through diplomatic channels within hours?

Then the message was relayed to him through headquarters.

Behind this rapid response is the full-scale operation of an entire national diplomatic apparatus.

The General Headquarters is right. A multinational diplomatic confrontation is not something the Imperial Army can withstand alone.

Hata Shunroku turned around and walked back to his desk to sit down.

He picked up the phone on the table and cranked the handle.

The operator's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Get me to the temporary command post of the Special Higher Police."

A moment later.

Kenzo Sato's voice came through the receiver.

"Commander, I am Kenzo Sato."

Hata Shunroku's silence lasted for two or three seconds.

Then he spoke, his voice not loud.

"Sato-kun, release all the foreigners arrested this morning in the International Settlement and the French Concession."

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

Kenzo Sato didn't seem to immediately grasp the meaning of those words; his voice carried a hint of hesitation.

"Commander, some of those men found a radio station in the trading company."

"Although there is no direct evidence, but..."

Release them.

Hata Shunroku interrupted him directly.

"Hi."

Kenzo Sato responded, then asked cautiously.

"Commander, what about the subsequent handling of them?"

Hata Shunroku remained silent for a moment.

Then he spoke, his voice lower than before, carrying a hint of coldness.

"After releasing them, have someone keep an eye on them, but don't let them notice."

"Record everything about them: the houses they live in, the places they frequent, and the people they come into contact with."

"Since they can mobilize the diplomatic resources of so many countries to support them."

"There must be something behind them that's worth investigating."

"Hi."

Hata Shunroku put down the phone and leaned back in his chair.

Then there was a long silence.

The telegram from headquarters ordered him to release the foreigners, which he did.

But his doubts did not disappear as a result.

Are those holding foreign passports innocent people unrelated to the case, or part of some force disguised as diplomatic identities?

The Special Higher Police did not find direct evidence during the search, but that does not prove their innocence.

A killer capable of carrying out a long-range, precise sniper kill right outside the headquarters of the East China Expeditionary Army could not have done so without any backup support.

He needs intelligence sources and someone to provide evacuation routes.

Someone needs to clean up the traces after he leaves.

Western businesses, news bureaus, and private residences were scattered throughout the International Settlement and the French Concession.

Their basements and warehouses could become temporary hideouts for weapons and personnel.

Hata Shunroku's gaze slowly turned cold.

If that incident wasn't orchestrated by the Military Intelligence Bureau.

It wasn't done by the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (Zhongtong) or the Eighth Route Army.

Is it possible that Westerners were behind this operation?

He knew there was no evidence to support this speculation.

But he also knew that in Shanghai, a city where various forces intersect.

Nothing is absolutely impossible.

The protests from those Western diplomats came too quickly.

It's abnormally fast.

If they weren't feeling guilty, if they weren't connected to that incident, why would they be in such a hurry?

Hata Shunroku picked up the telegram from headquarters again and read it once more, then locked it back in the drawer.

He will no longer test those people's bottom line through large-scale arrests; the headquarters has made it clear that this path is not viable.

But he could continue his investigation in another way, a quieter, more discreet, and more persistent one.

Those who were released would not know that they were being watched.

They thought they had won, that they had escaped unscathed thanks to diplomatic asylum.

They will lower their guard, continue doing what they're supposed to do, and unknowingly reveal their weaknesses.

Meanwhile, the Special Higher Police would follow them closely, watching their every move.

He was waiting for the killer to make a mistake.

They are also waiting for those who have been released to reveal their weaknesses.