Chapter 163: A Worthy Death

After everyone had left the office, the adjutant Imamura Hyotaro approached Iwai Eiichi and quietly asked, “May I ask, sir, what exactly is going on?”

Iwai Eiichi had suddenly sent invitations to numerous Imperial intelligence agencies in Shanghai to attend a meeting. Yet Imamura Hyotaro, as Iwai Eiichi’s adjutant and trusted assistant, had known nothing about it. This inevitably left him somewhat disappointed and uneasy.

Iwai Eiichi’s face was as dark as water.

“Imamura-kun, do you know that Zhou Huaigu received four separate visits in a single day? He became terrified and telephoned me, asking how many intelligence agencies the Empire actually has and what he should do.”

“Such a thing happened?” Imamura Hyotaro asked in astonishment.

Iwai Eiichi shook his head.

He actually felt somewhat ashamed to speak of it.

This Sino-Japanese Friendship Symposium had been organized from beginning to end by the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai, or more precisely, by Deputy Consul General Iwai Eiichi himself.

Iwai Eiichi longed to distinguish himself further in advancing Japan’s invasion of China and thereby earn greater merit and promotion.

He was the master.

Zhou Huaigu was a good dog.

Now this good dog had, in a single day, been successively questioned and threatened by the Imperial Army General Staff’s Shanghai Intelligence Agency, the Imperial Navy Shanghai Naval Attaché Intelligence Department, the Imperial Navy Marine Corps Intelligence Department, and even the South Manchuria Railway Investigation Section.

All of them demanded that Zhou Huaigu obey them and cooperate with them.

Zhou Huaigu was utterly terrified.

He dared not offend any of them.

Left with no other choice, he sent a telegram asking:

How many masters do I have?

Which master’s orders should I follow?

This made Iwai Eiichi feel humiliated and gave him a terrible headache.

Imamura Hyotaro understood.

This meeting had essentially been Iwai Eiichi’s way of inviting representatives from the various intelligence agencies and formally informing them:

This matter is being handled by the Special Higher Police Section of the Foreign Ministry’s Consulate General in Shanghai.

Please show some courtesy and stop interfering.

It was a very formal way of giving notice while preserving everyone’s dignity.

Why had such elaborate arrangements been necessary?

“Sir, isn’t this a bit too formal?”

Iwai Eiichi shook his head.

He knew these people far too well.

If he merely telephoned them and issued a warning, they would simply ignore him.

The Empire had too many intelligence agencies.

None of them belonged to the same chain of command.

They competed for resources, fought over credit, and even sabotaged one another in secret.

An incident had once occurred in the Kwantung Leased Territory.

The Special Higher Police Section had been pursuing an anti-Manchukuo, anti-Japanese activist. Just as the man was about to be captured with no possibility of escape, the South Manchuria Railway Investigation Section suddenly intervened.

A burst of gunfire erupted.

One Special Higher Police Section officer was killed and three were wounded.

The Communist operative escaped amid the chaos.

Afterward, the South Manchuria Railway Investigation Section claimed that poor visibility at night had caused an accidental friendly-fire incident.

However, the information available to Iwai Eiichi was much closer to the truth.

The South Manchuria Railway Investigation Section had been tracking the Communist operative for a long time.

The sudden intervention of the Special Higher Police Section was viewed as an unacceptable attempt to steal credit.

They would rather let the Communist operative escape than watch the Special Higher Police Section seize him and claim the achievement.

“Imamura-kun, we must move faster and establish our own intelligence organization,” Iwai Eiichi said gravely.

“Yingzuo-kun...” Imamura Hyotaro asked softly.

“Yingzuo is a self-righteous fellow. He is not one of us.” Iwai Eiichi shook his head.

Although Yingzuo Teiaki’s Special Higher Police Section also belonged to the Foreign Ministry, Iwai Eiichi’s control over it was quite limited.

More importantly, Yingzuo Teiaki was actually part of the Army General Staff system rather than the Foreign Ministry.

The two sides merely appeared united while remaining divided at heart.

“Imamura-kun, what I mean is an intelligence organization that belongs to me, Iwai Eiichi.” Iwai Eiichi stared into Imamura Hyotaro’s eyes. “Imamura-kun, can I trust you?”

“Imamura Hyotaro is willing to die in your service, sir.”

Imamura Hyotaro bent at the waist and bowed deeply.

Looking at the respectful Imamura Hyotaro, Iwai Eiichi nodded in satisfaction.

Imamura Hyotaro was his junior schoolmate from the East Asia Common Culture Academy and had long been a trusted subordinate whom he personally cultivated.

Furthermore, Imamura Hyotaro was the nephew of General Imamura Hitoshi, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army and concurrently the Imperial military attaché in Manchukuo.

Iwai Eiichi valued that connection highly.

At the same time, Imamura Hyotaro was cautious, steady, and not particularly ambitious.

He was regarded as an exceptionally capable assistant.

That, too, reassured Iwai Eiichi.

“In the eyes of the Japanese, China is nothing more than a huge and succulent piece of meat. Every faction is eager to take a bite and use it as a stepping stone for advancement,” Song Fuguo said gravely as he handed a telegram to Cheng Qianfan.

Cheng Qianfan read:

The Japanese invaders have carried out a large-scale reinforcement of troops in North China. As of the time this telegram was sent, more than twenty thousand additional troops had already been deployed outside Tianjin alone. All parties should remain on high alert and guard against the possibility of a sudden major incident in North China.

“Section Chief, do you suspect that Zhou Huaigu’s trip to Shanghai is connected to the Japanese military activities around Tianjin?” Cheng Qianfan asked.

“That is exactly what worries me.” Song Fuguo nodded.

Zhou Huaigu still possessed some influence in North China, especially in Tianjin.

If he were to wave the flag and cheerlead in Shanghai on behalf of the Japanese occupation of Tianjin, it would be extremely troublesome.

The impact would be severe.

Most importantly, it would be utterly disgusting.

After becoming chief of the Intelligence Section of the Special Service Office’s Shanghai District, Song Fuguo had carefully studied the organization’s opponents in Shanghai.

Iwai Eiichi and Yingzuo Teiaki had attracted his attention.

Previously, the Special Service Office’s primary focus had been Yingzuo Teiaki, the head of the Special Higher Police Section of the Shanghai Consulate General.

However, Song Fuguo had keenly sensed and judged that Iwai Eiichi, the Deputy Consul General of Japan in Shanghai, was definitely not a man content to remain in the background.

According to intelligence gathered by the Intelligence Section, Iwai Eiichi’s shadow could be seen behind this Sino-Japanese Friendship Symposium.

Yet one matter continued to puzzle Song Fuguo.

“There is one thing I’ve never quite understood,” Song Fuguo said to Cheng Qianfan. “There seem to be traces of multiple Japanese intelligence agencies around Zhou Huaigu. There are Army intelligence agencies, the South Manchuria Railway Investigation Section, and even signs of Japanese Navy intelligence involvement.”

Cheng Qianfan was equally surprised.

“Could it be that we’ve underestimated Zhou Huaigu all along? Could this old fellow really have the ability to maintain connections with so many Japanese intelligence organizations?”

Song Fuguo frowned.

“This old bastard doesn’t look like someone capable of that.”

Then even he became uncertain.

“Could it be that he’s been pretending to be weak while concealing his true strength?”

If that were truly the case...

Then Zhou Huaigu would be even more dangerous than previously imagined.

Song Fuguo and Cheng Qianfan exchanged glances.

Both nodded.

Although it meant Zhou Huaigu would be even harder to deal with, it also meant that this crafty old bastard had to be eliminated even more urgently.

No matter the cost, this old dog had to die!

As they prepared to part ways, Cheng Qianfan presented three jin, approximately 1.5 kg (~3.3 lb), of bar-shaped pastries he had purchased from Shen Dacheng Pastry Shop.

“I’ve never cared much for sweets,” Song Fuguo said with a smile. “Next time, Qianfan, bring a bottle of liquor instead.”

“Brother Tao died heroically, and Heaven and Earth mourn with him. When I learned of Brother Tao’s death in Hangzhou, I was grief-stricken and filled with admiration.” Cheng Qianfan raised the pastries high above his head. “Brother Tao’s daughter is my niece. My niece likes these pastries, so I bought them... In these troubled times, I only hope Sister-in-law and my niece remain safe. If there is ever anything you need of me in the future, Cheng Qianfan will not refuse.”

Song Fuguo immediately rose to his feet.

His eyes filled with tears as he accepted the pastries with both hands.

“Good! Good! Good! For Xiao Tao to have a comrade as loyal and righteous as Qianfan, he will surely find comfort in the underworld.”

As he spoke, Song Fuguo turned toward the inner room behind him and declared emotionally,

“Wanyi, Shaoyun, it is not convenient for either of you to appear. Tonight you will be leaving Shanghai. Let this serve as your husband’s and father’s thanks and farewell. Your husband and father sacrificed himself for the nation without hesitation. His death was a worthy one.”

Inside the room, a young woman dressed in white mourning clothes and weeping silently stood beside a little girl wearing mourning garments, still too young to fully understand what had happened.

Together they bowed in return.

Outside the room, Cheng Qianfan solemnly returned the bow.

“Uncle, did Daddy ask you to buy these pastries for Yun’er?” the little girl in the inner room suddenly could not help asking. “I don’t want the pastries anymore. Can you make Daddy come home sooner?”