Chapter 404: What is Ryuzo Kuroshima doing here?

In October, Tianjin no longer feels hot.

Zhang Yong feels quite comfortable standing by the seaside in his Zhongshan suit. The sea breeze doesn't smell bad either.

He raises his binoculars and observes the distant pier.

Over there, Zhang Benzheng's transport fleet is anchored. It belongs to Zhengji Shipping Company.

Japanese soldiers are stationed nearby.

They are heavily armed Japanese soldiers. Military uniforms. Type 38 rifles.

The Japanese Kwohoku Shuzun Army Command attaches great importance to the port and has directly sent troops to occupy it. It seems that the 29th Army did not raise any objections either.

Of course, it would be useless to object.

In the Pingjin area, war can be said to be imminent.

In fact, it is not necessary to wait two years. Even now, if someone throws a firecracker, war will break out.

All signs indicate that the Japanese military can't wait to annex the Pingjin area. They want to have it all to themselves. But the Japanese economy doesn't seem to be able to support it for the time being. So they're dragging their feet.

War is not just about politics. It's also closely linked to the economic situation.

After occupying the three provinces of Northeast China, the Japanese gained access to a large amount of resources. But overall, their income is still greater than their expenditure.

Or rather, the three provinces of Northeast China are not yet able to support the Japanese home country.

The Japanese military still has a heavy burden of expenditure.

Under these circumstances, annexing Pingjin may be impossible to digest.

In fact, as subsequent events proved, the Japanese occupation of all of China was indeed a complete drain on resources.

There was almost no output.

Therefore, the larger the occupied area, the heavier the burden. It became unbearable.

In the end, it was the Japanese themselves who brought about their own downfall.

Of course, these things can only be known by time travellers from the future.

The Japanese at this moment could never have imagined this. The Japanese military only hoped to occupy more and more territory.

'I don't see Zhang Benzheng,' Chen Gongshu frowned.

'He might not be in Tianjin?' Zhang Yong muttered.

He thought of something.

Could it be that he had alerted the snake last night?

Last night, he casually lied and said that Zhang Benzheng had been captured by him. The ridiculous lie earned 10,000 taels of silver.

After Wachi Takiji woke up, could he panic and then hide Zhang Benzheng?

It was possible.

But he must never admit it. Otherwise, Chen Gongshu will have to beat him up.

Why are you warning the Japanese when you're perfectly fine?

Suddenly, he seems to sense something.

He sees a black car rushing over.

There are three Japanese in the car.

Huh?

Could it be Wachi Otori?

But Zhang Yong doesn't know the other man. He doesn't have a photo of him either.

The target rushes onto the ship.

And then

there is no then.

After that guy got on the ship, he never came back down.

Shortly afterwards, the merchant ship sailed away from the harbour.

No more business for them.

The others had set sail.

There was no way they could chase them out to sea.

At this moment, the Bohai Sea was completely dominated by the Japanese.

'Report!'

Suddenly, someone hurriedly came running.

It was Chen Gongshu's subordinate.

'What is it?'

'Station Chief, Yuan Wenhui has appeared.'

'Where?'

'At the outer harbour pier.'

'Go and check it out!'

Chen Gongshu immediately changed his mind.

Since there was no chance of killing Zhang Benzheng, then he would kill Yuan Wenhui.

After all, these big traitors were all on the sanctions list.

'He's brought a lot of people with him.'

'Let's go!'

Chen Gongshu waved his hand.

The group quickly took a detour and hurried to the wharf outside the port.

From a distance, they could see that there were a lot of people gathered here.

From their attire, they were all thugs and the like. This Yuan Wenhui was originally the leader of the Jinmen gang. He controlled a lot of riffraff.

After the Japanese invaded Tianjin, it was this Yuan Wenhui who organised various plainclothes and detective teams to go around hunting down anti-Japanese elements. His arrogance was very overbearing. His lair was in the Japanese concession, and Chen Gongshu didn't have the chance to take action.

The Japanese concession in Tianjin was completely different from the public concession on the Bund in Shanghai. It was very difficult for outsiders to enter.

The Japanese guarded their territory jealously.

Without a Japanese-issued document, it was impossible for outsiders to get in.

The traitors Chen Gongshu wanted to punish were almost all in the Japanese concession.

The three Zhang Yong captured were not even qualified to enter the Japanese concession. This was the biggest difference between the three traitors.

'Can you see them?'

'No.'

Zhang Yong shook his head. The search continued.

He couldn't find Yuan Wenhui anywhere. He didn't even know which one was him.

Apart from Yuan Wenhui, there were also many other gang leaders. All of them had crowded to the wharf outside the port, completely blocking it off.

All unrelated people were expelled. This included the workers who were doing manual labour.

What a big show...

Who are they welcoming?

A cargo ship flying the Japanese invaders' flag slowly docked.

Zhang Yong raised his binoculars, but unfortunately, he couldn't see very clearly.

Looks like an important Japanese person has arrived?

Not surprising.

The Japanese are desperately trying to win over the powerful people in the Pingjin area these days, and often send many high-ranking people here to lobby.

I wonder which minister is coming this time?

However, when he saw someone through the telescope, he couldn't help but frown.

It was Kawashima Yoshiko!

Yes.

It was this woman.

This woman traitor, even if she were turned to ash, he would recognise her.

He had hit her with a brick earlier, but she had recovered so quickly. He had been careless. He should have hit her harder...

That's strange.

Why is she here?

Then he saw Takeo Kishida...

Huh? Why is Takeo Kishida here too?

What's going on?

Aren't they on the Bund?

Why have they come here?

Could it be that they came here on a freighter from the Bund?

Yuan Wenhui and the others are waiting here. Could it be that they are waiting for them? Haha. This Kawashima Yoshiko is very grand!

Then he realised that this was not the case.

After Kawashima Yoshiko and Kishida Takeo disembarked, they also stood solemnly and continued to wait.

'Who is coming?' Zhang Yong asked Chen Gongshu.

'I don't know,' Chen Gongshu shook his head. Indicating that he had not received any intelligence either.

Zhang Yong could only remain silent.

He continued to hold his binoculars up and observe from afar.

Finally, half an hour later, a Japanese man came down from the ship. He was wearing a loose-fitting black robe.

This Japanese man was surrounded by a large crowd. Most of them were Japanese ronin. It seemed that he was indeed an important person. There were so many attendants. All of them were Japanese.

'It might be Kuroshima Ryujo...'

'What?'

'It might be Kuroshima Ryujo?'

'Really?'

Zhang Yong's heart skipped a beat.

Kuroshima Ryujo? This guy came to Tianjinwei?

What a coincidence.

He came here, and he followed. They arrived at the same time.

Is he here for me?

Then he shook his head.

This is impossible. I don't have that much face.

Kuroshima Ryujo coming here. There must be something important. Maybe something important is happening in Tianjin?

Observe carefully.

Kuroshima Ryujo gets into the car. The others get into the car. They go away in an orderly manner.

What a pity...

The distance is too far. It's more than a thousand meters.

Otherwise, they would definitely have opened fire with their rifles on the convoy. They might even have killed a few.

Now they could only watch as the Japanese convoy drove into the Japanese concession.

'They should be going to the Maokawa residence.'

'Maokawa residence? What's it for?'

'It's also a Japanese spy agency. The head of the agency is called Maokawa Hide. He's a lieutenant colonel.'

'Oh!'

Zhang Yong said he remembered.

The Japanese secret service had a myriad of names.

And now there's this Shigeru Mogawa residence. What a pain in the ass. Is he showing off his knowledge of Chinese culture?

Military police, garrison troops, garrison troops, marines...

The Japanese garrison in Tianjin was also a messy bunch. It didn't seem to be under any unified management.

In particular, there was a serious lack of coordination between the army idiots and the navy idiots.

From a combat perspective, this was seriously fatal.

Unfortunately, he is just a small-time agent. He is not yet combat-ready. Even if he knew, it would be useless.

'What are Kuroshima Ryuzo and the others doing in Tianjin?'

'Probably setting up the Anqing Society.'

'What Anqing Society?'

'It's actually a breakaway from the Green Gang, dedicated to serving the Japanese. It takes orders from the Japanese. Yuan Wenhui is supposed to be the first president of the Anqing Society.'

'Oh...'

Zhang Yong nodded again.

There are so many different gangs. I can't remember them all.

It was a chaotic time in the Republic of China, with fighting going on everywhere. All the major cities were a mixed bag of people from all walks of life.

The Green Gang in Shanghai had long since infiltrated the city of Tianjin.

People like Yuan Wenhui were part of the Green Gang.

However, the Green Gang leaders Du Yuesheng and Huang Jinrong did not give the Japanese much face. This made the Japanese very unhappy.

In Shanghai, the Japanese invaders cultivated Zhang Xiaolin in the hope of replacing Du Yuesheng and Huang Jinrong.

In Tianjin, the Japanese supported Yuan Wenhui, trying to get him to break away from the Qing gang. A so-called Anqing Association was set up. It was completely under the control of the Japanese.

Kawashima Yoshiko and Kishida Takeo were probably there for the inaugural meeting.

Kuroshima Ryuzo was probably the guest of honour.

This guy is said to be a member of the Japanese imperial family and the object of adulation by all the traitors.

in cahoots.

in league with.

'Can you find out the whereabouts of Kawashima Yoshiko and Kawada Takeo?'

'It's hard.'

'Then I'll do it myself!'

'Be careful. Commander Chu has specifically instructed that you are not allowed to act alone.'

'But I'm bringing Instructor Yu with me, aren't I?'

'That's good!'

Chen Gongshu agreed.

Zhang Yong wasn't wrong. He really wouldn't act recklessly alone.

He would always be accompanied by Yu Lexing or the cadets when going in and out. He would always be surrounded by at least ten people. Coupled with his special abilities, it would not be easy for the Japanese spies to assassinate him.

However...

'Don't ever be alone.'

'Understood.'

Zhang Yong acknowledged.

In fact, there was no need to repeat the reminder. He was afraid of death himself.

He knew that his individual combat effectiveness was rubbish. Therefore, how could he easily put himself in danger.

So, arrangements were made to follow him.

He followed from a distance. The distance was more than 200 metres.

After the surveillance range of the map was increased, the biggest advantage was that tracking became more covert.

Even if Kawashima Yoshiko was extremely capable, she would not be able to realise that there was a car following her from a distance of 200-300 metres. She could not expect there to be no car behind her.

In fact, what Zhang Yong really wanted to deal with was Kuroshima Ryuzo.

On Shanghai Beach, Kuroshima Ryuzo was very careful and hid in the Japanese concession, afraid to show himself.

Now, in Tianjin, he might get carried away and come out of the Japanese concession. Give himself a chance.

Of course, this is unlikely.

To be on the safe side, it's better to target Kawashima Yoshiko.

This female traitor is very active. She can't stay in the Japanese concession for long. She will definitely come out and move around.

And so will Kishida Takeo. He will definitely come out and hook up with the other traitors.

He didn't have the chance in Shanghai, but maybe he will here...

Suddenly, the map prompts a small red dot appearing in the left front.

Huh? Japanese invaders? Is it an ambush?

Zhang Yong immediately tells Yu Le Xing. Yu Le Xing turns without making a sound.

Soon, the convoy approaches the target from the other direction.

Stop the car quietly. Get off the car. A few secret agents quietly approach the red dot. They discover a hidden Japanese.

He was standing at the intersection. He was watching something, but it was hard to tell.

Zhang Yong followed his gaze, but saw nothing unusual. So he didn't pay any attention to it.

A few people pounced on him silently and took the Japanese spy away.

'Umm...'

The Japanese spy's voice suddenly stopped.

But it was because someone had blocked his throat. Then he was dragged away.

This kind of thing, Tan Haitao and the others did with great skill. The Japanese invaders didn't stand a chance of resisting.

The Japanese spy was quickly taken to a separate room.

The rag in his mouth was removed.

Zhang Yong was not afraid that the Japanese spy would commit suicide. If he wanted to bite his tongue, let him.

There were so many Japanese spies in Tianjin, he could just grab one at random. There were far more Japanese here than on the Bund.

If there were experience points for catching Japanese spies, he could level up to 100!

"You are...'

'Tell Yuan Wenhui to come out!'

'What?'

'Damn it! Didn't you hear me? Tell Yuan Wenhui to come out!'

'Pah!'

Zhang Yong slapped him.

The Japanese spy was momentarily stunned. Then he felt very aggrieved.

It turned out that he was here for Yuan Wenhui!

But I'm Japanese! I have nothing to do with Yuan Wenhui!

You've got the wrong person...

Zhang Yong shook his hand.

It was sloppy.

He didn't whip out his weapon. The slap hurt.

He had used too much force, and his palm actually hurt quite a bit.

'Where is Yuan Wenhui?'

'I, I don't know...'

'Baka! You don't know?'

'Eh?'

The Japanese spy was very surprised.

What's going on?

Did the other party just curse baka?

Could it be that he is Japanese? Is he one of us?

No way!

Why would the Japanese find Yuan Wenhui troublesome?

'Baka!'

However, Zhang Yong let fly with another expletive.

He didn't know if he had lost his mind or if his thinking had suddenly gone into overdrive, but he just cursed out loud.

Maybe it was because he had heard the Japanese spy curse so much that it had become a reflex?

Oh no...

Take a deep breath.

'I'm asking about Yuan Wenhui.'

'I don't know. Really. I'm not on his side. I'm with Wang Zhulin.'

'Oh, where is Wang Zhulin?'

'In Zhuyuan.'

'Zhuyuan?'

Zhang Yong thought to himself, where is Zhuyuan again?

Alas, he is seriously unfamiliar with Tianjin. It sounds like Zhuyuan is quite famous?

'What does he do in Zhuyuan?'

'Listen to opera.'

'Whose opera?'

'Xiaoniangchun's.'

'Who?'

'It's Xiaoniangchun!'

'Oh...'

Zhang Yong kept his composure.

Damn. Another unfamiliar name.

This is really strange. It seems like there are a lot of opera houses in Tianjin. Everyone likes to go to the opera?

I really envy them...

I haven't heard a single opera in my entire life. I get up early every morning and work hard until late at night.

I get up earlier than a rooster and go to bed later than a dog. I eat worse than a pig and work harder than an ox. And I don't even get overtime pay. I even have to raise my own daily expenses...

What a tragedy!

God is unfair...

'What are you doing here?'

'I, I...'

Rizhao stammered.

Zhang Yong raised his hand and was about to slap the other person again.

Think about it. Stop. My hand hurts. He took a broom from the side and hit the other person directly in the face.

Say it!

Say it!

If you don't say it, I'll beat you to death!