"Fat Tiger, why are you here?"

Hase Ryosuke glanced around the area and asked nervously in a lowered voice. The current situation is too sensitive and you must be careful.

Although Fat Tiger put on a disguise, if someone from Tokyo recognized him as Okamoto Shigenobu from No. 226, he would be doomed.

Regarding Okamoto, the chief culprit who instigated the Tokyo riots, Tian Locust ordered that he be seen alive and dead, and that this person must be killed.

The head of the Residents' Committee was implicated and died in the interrogation room of the Super High School. He didn't make enough money and didn't want to die.

"What are you afraid of? Stay calm."

"What a smuggling tycoon."

Zuo Zhong rolled his eyes at him, lit a cigarette and said calmly: "Your business is so big that you even dare to smuggle cigarettes.

They even use warships to transport them to the Japanese mainland one by one. Do you think it’s too heavy to put your head on your neck?

Do you know that I heard the name of your boss Chang Gu even in Jinling? He is known as Song Gongming in Shanghai, with hands and eyes that can reach the sky, right?

I'll give you a chance to explain why you made this stall so big and whether you need our help to evacuate it."

After all, after cooperating for so long, Chang Gu has no blood debt and has also produced a lot of high-value information. Zuo Zhong will not leave Zuo Zhong alone.

At worst, we can find a boat to send him to the rainforest of South America. As long as he doesn't seek death and return to Japan for the rest of his life, he should be able to have a good death.

"Arigadoquossimas!"

Hase Ryosuke knew what Zuo Shige meant, and immediately bowed to express his gratitude, then raised his head and explained helplessly.

"This was not my intention. It was the poor and crazy bastards from the Third Fleet who came to me and asked for cooperation, and threatened to kill me.

They had already transported some contraband in bits and pieces to Xiaoliuqiu and the mainland, but the scale was small and the profits they made were not much.

So they approached me, and I provided capital and intelligence, and they provided transportation and military support, with a 50-50 split between the two parties.

Moreover, not only the senior leaders of the Third Fleet are involved, but there are also people from the Tokyo Naval Command, so I can’t refuse.”

what is this,

Navy smuggling ring?

Zuozhong frowned slightly. Is the Japanese Navy really corrupted to this extent? Ryosuke Hase's statement needs to be investigated and should not be taken lightly.

After thinking quickly for a while, he glanced at the nightclub behind him and asked, "Has there been anything unusual in the Third Fleet these past two days?

The war has begun in North China, and Shanghai will not be quiet for a few days. Once the war begins, the Japanese navy stationed in Shanghai will definitely take action.

I need all relevant information, such as combat plans, ship status, personnel transfer orders, etc. You must hurry up and collect it."

"No need to collect, I know."

Hase Ryosuke shook his head and told everything he knew: "The staff officer of the Third Fleet is one of ours, he revealed it to me.

On July 7, the Military Command asked them to wait for orders to blockade China's waters and choose the opportunity to attack or destroy the Chinese fleet.

Currently, the aircraft carriers Fengxiang, Ryujo, and Kaga are rushing to Shanghai, and the first and second naval aviation groups are deployed on the ships.

Their mission was to conduct air raids on Jianqiao Airport and the aviation school in Hangzhou, destroying the aviation power of the Republic of China in one fell swoop and completely occupying the air superiority.

The First United Air Force, composed of Kisarazu Air Force and Kanoya Air Force, was responsible for air strikes in Sioux City, Shanghai, Jinling and other places.

At the same time, the Military Command requires naval personnel to enter a state of readiness for war, and expats in cities on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River to return home immediately until August 9."

He sold out the Japanese Navy in one breath, and gave a critical time point - August 9th, when war was imminent.

"By the way, there's one more thing."

After reporting the information, Chang Gu suddenly frowned as if he had thought of something: "I received a piece of news yesterday, I don't know if it is true or false.

There are rumors that the North China Fleet stationed in Tianjin will be integrated with the Third Fleet to form a new Third Fleet to increase combat power in East China.

The upper management intends to let Kiyoshi Hasegawa serve as the commander of the fleet, and transfer the Izumo ship from the mainland to Shanghai to serve as the flagship of the Third Fleet.

If this is true, the Third Fleet will have more than fifty combat ships. I will give you the specific ship names and organization as soon as possible."

Three aircraft carriers!

More than fifty warships!

Zuo Zhong was shocked when he heard this. With the military strength of the Republic of China, he might not be able to fight back against such a combined attack from multiple arms.

This is not to destroy one's own prestige and boost the ambition of others. At this time, we must be calmer and face the objectively existing gap.

Everyone knows what it means to complete the evacuation before August 9th. It is a sign that a large-scale war is about to break out.

He said in a deep voice: "Verify the information as quickly as possible and report it immediately after confirmation. I promise that I will give you every penny of your reward.

In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will ask whether the consulate and your special agent section have assigned tasks. It is best to have original documents, which require evidence."

"There is not much movement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

Hase Ryosuke did not ask how much it cost, but answered Zuo Shige's question seriously: "It's just that a special commissioner came to investigate smuggling.

Don't worry, that guy has been fed by me just now. He is a close confidant of the Foreign Minister. We will have an additional intelligence channel in the future.

I can learn more about the situation in Tokyo from him later. If I don't get anything from him, I will contact my seniors who are working in high-level positions.

After February 26th, there were great changes in personnel, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was no exception. The Department of Library and Library where I worked benefited greatly.

Otherwise, the people sent by Tokyo this time are not special commissioners, but secret police. With their help, it will not be difficult to find out the information."

It turns out that there are people above supporting me.

No wonder he is so arrogant.

After listening to this, Zuo Zhong suddenly understood. He looked at his watch and stared at Chang Gu: "Be careful about your own safety and be sure to find the original document.

If anyone asks about our meeting today, there is no need to hide it. My current identity is Kato, a tobacco merchant, from Osaka.

I came to China from Japan last year and landed in Tianjin. I usually travel in the southwest. We met in a nightclub three months ago.

You don’t have to remember the exact time you met. It doesn’t match your daily performance. Try to be as vague as possible when describing it.

Someone will contact you tomorrow and send you some tobacco by the way. The quantity is not large, two tons. This is purchased with the funds of the Secret Service.

Remember to sell it for a good price, and don’t screw it up. If something goes wrong, the hundreds of thousands you deposited in a Swiss bank will be gone.

The division will be done according to the rules, and it will be the amount that should be divided. There is no need for special treatment, so as not to arouse others' suspicion. Okay, let's go."

After saying that, he turned around, raised his hand and waved it left and right, and quickly walked into the darkness, leaving a stunned Hase Ryosuke behind.

The Secret Service will also join in the smuggling,

Two tons for the first time!

It seems that the price of tobacco in Tokyo will be reduced this month. Hase Ryosuke thought about it for a while and walked back to the nightclub with a sad face.

The music continued to sound, the lavish dance was held as usual, and several luxury cruise ships passed slowly on the Huangpu River in the distance.

Thousands of miles away, the area around Lugou Bridge was in dire straits. After nightfall, the Japanese army suddenly launched an artillery bombardment at Wanping.

The shells streaked through the air and landed on the ground like meteors, exploding on the buildings, sending shrapnel flying, and the firelight reflected the night sky red.

Japanese artillery fire raged,

The defensive side is not a vegetarian either.

At this time, stationed in Wanping was the 3rd Battalion of the 219th Regiment of the 37th Division of the 29th Army. This was a fully reinforced battalion.

There are four companies of infantry, one company each of light and heavy mortars, and one company of heavy machine guns, totaling more than 1,400 people, all of whom have received rigorous training.

Long before the Japanese took action, the entire Third Battalion realized that if the Japanese army attacked again, they would first destroy the city wall with powerful artillery fire.

Armored fighting vehicles will then be used to cover the infantry to seize the outer positions. At the same time, the enemy artillery will fire extended shots to the rear of the position.

Therefore, in order to reduce casualties, they dispersed their personnel as soon as they entered Wanping, occupied various commanding heights, and established concealed firepower points.

The light mortar battery was deployed inside the east gate. With the cover of the city wall, it used direct fire to support neighboring troops and prevent Japanese counter-artillery attacks.

The heavy machine gun companies were placed at the southeast and northeast corners of the city. All the sorghum fields and trees within the shooting range were leveled, leaving an unobstructed view of the outside of the city.

The sudden attack of artillery shells,

This proves that such preparation is necessary.

At the moment of the Japanese shelling, a few people from each company were left to monitor, while the rest were hidden, and the personnel did not suffer much losses.

After the opponent had finished showing off its prowess and several beetle chariots covered the infantry to seize the position, the hidden teams of each company quickly moved out to meet the enemy.

The light and heavy mortars and heavy machine gun companies lost no time in attacking the most threatening targets and successfully repelled the attack.

But a small partial victory could not cover up the failure of the overall situation, let alone solve the difficult problems faced by the Republic of China.

Morning of July 11th.

At dawn, He Yijun, who was responsible for liaising with various operational personnel, knocked on the door on the left side of the room, came in and handed over a telegram.

"In order to deal with the complex situation of the Lugou Bridge firefight incident, the Deputy Director, the National Government and the Military Commission held several meetings to discuss strategies.

In the end, it was decided to make military preparations first and transfer some of the German weapons troops to fight in North China to prevent the Japanese army from continuing to attack southward.

The troops participating in the war immediately inspected ammunition and food reserves, distributed cutting-edge weapons, and prioritized replenishing troops in Shandong Province to stabilize the situation in the north.

He also ordered all camps and the Appeasement Office to carry out secret mobilization, and required all localities and troops across the country to make effective preparations just in case.
To be continued...