HCB Chapter 330 Li Yunlong has already fallen into our trap and will lose his composure in three months
Chapter 330 Li Yunlong has already fallen into our trap and will lose his composure in three months
The booming Zhangjiazhuang market made Taro Mitsui and Ichiro Nakamura a fortune. In order to gain more profits, they directly resold military rations. After a rotation of guards, the troops stationed in Ping'an County were now under the charge of the Hei Teng Battalion. This was done intentionally by the two men in an attempt to delay the outbreak of the war.
In the VIP box of Tianxiang Restaurant, there are five protagonists, namely Mitsui Taro, Nakamura Ichiro, Yamamoto Kazuki, Kurofuji Koji, and Hirata Kojiro. They are discussing an important event, and the topic of the conversation revolves around the Independent Regiment.
Kojiro Hirata put down the sake in his glass and said in a worried tone: "According to the information from the intelligence personnel we sent out, the independent regiment already has 60 fighter planes, including three types of aircraft: fighters, bombers and transport planes. We have been suppressing this matter and have not reported it to the Taiyuan Command. I don't think there is any need to conceal it any longer. If the independent regiment continues to develop, it will bring greater harm to the empire!"
"I think it's time to give up our interests in the Zhangjiazhuang market. We have made a lot of money these days, and we need to fill this loophole as soon as possible. I hope everyone here can support my decision. Everything is for the empire's holy war and for the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity!"
The atmosphere in the box suddenly became a little tense. Nakamura Ichiro saw that the others were silent. He didn't intend to be the first to speak out, but he just wanted to go with the flow. However, the huge profits in the market made him unable to give up. He sneered with a gloomy face and said, "Hirata-kun, we have indeed made a lot of money in the Zhangjiazhuang market these days. You have also got the share you wanted. The special forces team has also been reorganized and the number of people has directly expanded to 300. You can be considered to be in high spirits!"
"I know what you are up to. You are planning to expose the Zhangjiazhuang market incident. If you do this, you will destroy everyone's jobs. I am the first one to disagree. Don't think that I, Nakamura Ichiro, am being unreasonable. It's really that you, Hirata Kojiro, are too greedy. We all came to China for the huge benefits."
"I don't have big demands. I just want to make some extra money. If you, Hirata Kojiro, want to make achievements, I won't stop you. After all, there is an old saying in China: everyone has their own aspirations!"
"But you proposed to expose the Zhangjiazhuang market in front of everyone. The first person to be implicated is Colonel Kurofuji. He is the garrison officer of Ping'an County. If he knows about it but does not report it, it will be enough for Colonel Kurofuji to be brought to the military court. You, Hirata Kojiro, can't just finish your meal and then smash the pot with a stone. You also have to send the people who ate from the same pot out as scapegoats. Even if General Tada is your uncle, I, Nakamura Ichiro, will fight you. I really don't believe that I can't beat you!"
Kurofuji Koji's face turned very ugly. The Zhangjiazhuang market incident had long been known by Chief of Staff Mitsui, and Commander Yoshio Shinozuka might have known it too. Now Hirata Kojiro wanted to expose the matter openly. This was not to make things difficult for him. All the responsibilities would be his. He had only been in Ping'an County for more than a month, but he had to bear the biggest blame. He was absolutely unwilling to do so.
"Hirata-kun, we can launch an attack on the independent regiment, but we can't do it in the name of Zhangjiazhuang Market. You don't need to explain this matter. There are many people involved in Zhangjiazhuang Market. If you really use this matter as an excuse, don't blame me for exposing your reselling of military rations. Be kind and give them a side so that we can meet again in the future. Ping'an County is under my jurisdiction. It's better not to go too far in some things. I want to leave a way out for others, otherwise everyone will lose face!"
There was a serious warning tone in Kurofuji Koji's words, and Hirata Kojiro also realized that he had not thought it through. If he really used the Zhangjiazhuang market as a breakthrough point, he would offend everyone present except Yamamoto Ikki, and would cause a lot of unnecessary trouble for his next actions. His words just now were indeed a little ill-considered.
Mitsui Taro knew that he couldn't remain silent at this time. The two people who followed him on the same rope had already spoken, so he had to express his support. He coughed lightly, attracted the attention of the four people, and said in a faint tone: "Hirata-kun, Nakamura-kun's words are very reasonable. Some things really can't be rushed. There are too many people involved in the Zhangjiazhuang market. Don't think that many people are selfish. Some things are very different from what you think. I have to take this opportunity to clear the names of others, so that they don't do good things and still be wronged by you!"
Kojiro Hirata wanted to speak, but was held tightly by Yamamoto Ikki beside him, who gently shook his head at him. This forced Kojiro Hirata to suppress his inner dissatisfaction and pricked up his ears to listen to how Mitsui Taro argued.
"I know Hirata-kun thinks what I'm going to say next is nonsense, but I still want to say it to your face. The Empire has a huge demand for medicines, but the medicines we produce locally cannot meet the needs of the battlefield. We have to import a large number of medicines from abroad to make up for our current shortage."
"The Zhangjiazhuang market has enabled our 12th Army to obtain a large amount of medicines. The field hospital no longer needs to worry about medicines. My Mitsui family has sent a large amount of sulfa drugs to other areas through the Empire's military supply department, saving a large number of Empire warriors so that they can continue to fight and will not lose their lives due to infection caused by lack of medicines. We are doing a great thing and should not be blamed."
"Our Mitsui family opened up foreign channels and sold the two life-saving drugs at a high price, which brought back a large amount of urgently needed materials for the empire. We are also working hard for the empire's holy war. As for the fact that we have gained some benefits in the process, it is not unacceptable. After all, it is absolutely unrealistic to want the horse to run and not let it eat grass."
"Otherwise, why has no one mentioned launching an attack on the Independent Regiment after two months? Moreover, their air force has been ignored. For the Empire, the Independent Regiment's air force is not enough to make a big wave. The North China Front Command only needs to send a Zero Fighter Squadron to deal with it."
"I believe Hirata-kun should have heard about this these days. The Empire's channels for purchasing oil from outside have been cut off. There is a problem with our fuel. A large amount of fuel must be supplied to the navy first. I learned this from my family. You must not spread it. This matter is also top secret."
Taro Mitsui did not say much about this. Except for some important figures in the headquarters, other people really didn't know that the headquarters had already decided to implement the southward advance plan. Coupled with the large-scale mopping-up operation launched four months ago, it was really confusing. Many people thought that the headquarters was planning a major operation against Chongqing, which could be seen from the intensified bombing of Chongqing in recent days.
Mitsui Taro's words won the applause of Nakamura Ichiro and Kurofuji Koji. They felt that Mitsui Taro was good at talking, no wonder his family's business was so big. In fact, even Hirata Kojiro and Yamamoto Ikki felt that Mitsui Taro's sophistry was indeed impeccable. They knew that they had met an opponent this time, so they were very alert to deal with it.
Yamamoto Ikki would not let Hirata Kojiro fight alone, so he stood up and said in support: "Mitsui-kun, Hirata-kun's words just now may be a little inappropriate, but one thing is undeniable, that is, the independent regiment used the Zhangjiazhuang market to rapidly expand its strength and expanded its troops to more than 12 people in a short period of time. Although its combat effectiveness is not strong, it has become a major concern for the th Army. We must not let it develop any further, otherwise we will have to drink the bitter wine we brewed ourselves. It's time to weaken its strength."
Kojiro Hirata also followed suit and said, "The strength of the Independent Regiment is expanding too fast. We must strengthen its blockade and keep the Zhangjiazhuang market in ruins. Then we will send a large army to suppress it and severely damage it while it is still underdeveloped. We will seize its arsenal and we will get a hen that lays eggs. Everyone present will gain huge benefits. I hope everyone can cooperate sincerely and completely lock the Independent Regiment in its base."
Ichiro Nakamura was not fooled by the two men. He sneered with disdain, "Yamamoto-kun and Hirata-kun are treating the three of us as fools. The Independent Regiment has received a large number of disaster victims from the Central Plains, which is why they purchased a large amount of food. According to the information I have obtained, the number of disaster victims received by the Independent Regiment has reached more than 40, and it will reach 50 by the end of this month. This will make it impossible for the Independent Regiment to expand in a short period of time. The expanded troops are all rookies with no combat effectiveness at all. They may be scared to pee their pants when they go to the battlefield!"
"Not to mention that 50 disaster victims mean 50 mouths to feed. There is still half a year before next year's grain harvest. The huge food gap in between is enough to give Li Yunlong a headache. We don't need to send troops to attack. We just need to tighten the blockade and the independent regiment will be thrown into disarray!"
"The reason why I didn't make a fuss about this matter before was to make Li Yunlong deeply involved. I even arranged for people to drive 20 disaster victims here. The independent regiment will eventually receive 70 disaster victims. The food they purchased before will not last for half a year. By then, we only need to pick up the bargains on the side. There is no need to mobilize a large number of troops to encircle and suppress them. That will only waste the empire's efforts in vain!"
Taro Mitsui and Koji Kurofuji strongly agreed with Ichiro Nakamura's proposal. The three of them had already discussed the matter and had also received the support of Mitsui's Chief of Staff, which really gave them confidence.
Kojiro Hirata and Ikki Yamamoto also understood the sinister intentions of the three men. This move was indeed very clever. Once the independent regiment was short of food, chaos would break out internally, and it was really possible that the three men would take advantage of it. What's more, this matter must have been approved by the higher-ups, otherwise it would not have gone so smoothly. The two men could only compromise helplessly.
"Nakamura-kun, we agree with your approach and will fully cooperate with your next move!"