novelAbuy Chapter 1972 Attack and Kill
Chapter 1972 Attack and Kill
Chapter 1972 Attack and Kill
“The police station holds a meeting every Thursday as a matter of routine,” Yokoyama Akima said. “Unless there are special circumstances, Kin Ke-mu usually chooses to attend the meeting.”
Sagami Umezumi nodded.
He was now somewhat annoyed. Although the military police had previously arranged for people to monitor Jin Keming, it was only routine surveillance, not the kind of 24-hour surveillance, which gave Jin Keming a potential opportunity to escape.
“Sagami-kun,” Yokoyama Akima said, “if it is ultimately confirmed that Jin Kemu has absconded, could this be interpreted as a leak of intelligence regarding the Empire’s takeover of the French Concession?”
“It’s certain that the intelligence was leaked, but that doesn’t prove much,” said Sagami Umezumi, shaking his head. “The Empire needs to secretly consult with the French Concession authorities before taking over the French Concession. Jin Keming is a senior police officer in the French Concession Police Department, so he might have heard some rumors.”
As he spoke, he snorted coldly, "However, Jin Keming is indeed very cunning and decisive, actually willing to give up his power and property in Shanghai."
“It seems Cheng Qianfan is unaware of Jin Keming’s escape,” Yokoyama Akima said.
……
Sagami Umezumi didn't speak; he was frowning in thought.
Although he tends to believe that even if Jin Keming has fled, it does not necessarily mean that there has been a major leak in the intelligence system.
However, considering how decisively Jin Kemu fled, Sasami Umezumi still felt something was amiss.
Because negotiations between the French Concession authorities and the Empire were still ongoing, the French Concession authorities were making a final effort to maintain the police powers of the police force, or at least a certain degree of police powers. For example, the French Concession authorities demanded that a number of senior police officers be retained, as these officers represented the interests of the French Concession authorities.
If Jin Keming was indeed secretly observing and had access to information about the negotiations between the French Concession authorities and the Empire, he should logically have harbored some illusions about the future.
For example, if the French were to achieve some success in the negotiations, given that King Kelvin, as the chief inspector of the Central District Police Station, which is the head of the six major police stations, has always maintained a tough stance against the Empire, the French might choose to demand that King Kelvin remain in office in order to protect their interests.
Therefore, from this perspective, it seems that Jin Keming did not need to evacuate. At least, he should not have evacuated so hastily and hastily before there was any hope for the situation.
Was it this person with a keen sense of smell who realized that the empire would not let him go?
Or did Jin Keming know something?
Many questions welled up in Sagami Umezumi's mind.
……
Jin Keming, the chief inspector of the Central Police Station in the French Concession, has disappeared.
Not only did Jin Keming disappear, but the Jin family and the family of Jin Keming's eldest sister also vanished.
Once this news spread, it immediately became the most explosive news within the French Concession, especially within the police system.
"Any news about President Jin?" Cheng Qianfan asked Lu Jiufan with a serious expression.
“No.” Lu Jiufan shook his head and said, “However, according to Mr. Zheng, a neighbor of Mr. Jin’s family, last night, the light in Mr. Jin’s study could be seen to be on all night through the curtains.”
"Where could he have gone?" Cheng Qianfan frowned and murmured.
"Brother Fan, do you think President Jin might have already left Shanghai?" Lu Jiufan asked.
Cheng Qianfan looked at Lu Jiufan, "Why do you say that?"
“He’s scared,” Lu Jiufan said. “President Jin has always been at odds with the Japanese. Now the Japanese will take over the French Concession sooner or later. President Jin is afraid that the Japanese will hold him accountable, so he simply decided to run away as the best of the thirty-six stratagems.”
"Alright, stop spreading these kinds of rumors," Cheng Qianfan said in a deep voice. "Perhaps President Jin is just out on business and will be back soon."
"I don't think it's very likely," Hou Pingliang said, shaking his head. "Back then, General Manager Qin also disappeared suddenly. Later we found out that General Manager Qin was actually the deputy district head of the Party Affairs Investigation Department..."
He looked at Cheng Qianfan and asked, "Brother Fan, do you think President Jin might also be..."
“Little monkey, don’t make wild guesses,” Lu Jiufan quickly said. “You can’t just say things like that; it could get you killed.”
"Did you hear that!" Cheng Qianfan glared at Hou Pingliang. "Are you out of your mind?"
……
The news of the disappearance of Jin Keming, the chief inspector of the Central Police Station, and his entire family spread like wildfire for four or five days, and then, apart from a few interested people, no one paid any more attention to it.
On the last day of June, the French Concession authorities issued a notice announcing the formal transfer of police power and administrative power of the French Concession to the Japanese.
To be precise, it meant transferring police and administrative powers to Wang Tianhai's Nanjing regime, but temporarily having the Japanese take over administration in place of the Nanjing authorities.
The Shanghai Special Municipality of the Wang Jingwei regime also issued a statement welcoming and thanking the French government for transferring the police and administrative powers of the French Concession in Shanghai to the Nanjing government. The statement declared that the Vichy regime was indeed a trustworthy government of the Chinese people, and that the transfer of police and administrative powers to the French Concession authorities was a significant breakthrough for the Nanjing government's efforts to fully reclaim the French Concession…
"Not bad, you look quite energetic." Cheng Qianfan and Lu Dazhang were having drinks at Chunfeng Deyilou when Cheng Qianfan glanced at Lu Dazhang and said with a smile.
"I'm not used to it yet," Lu Dazhang said.
The first step the Japanese took over the French Concession police station was to change the uniforms of the officers.
The police uniforms in the French Concession retained the French-style flat-topped hats, but the shoulder boards were replaced with the Kuomintang's Blue Sky with a White Sun emblem, and the armbands were also printed with the words "Supervised by the Imperial Japanese Army".
"You'll get used to it eventually," Cheng Qianfan said with a smile.
……
After the waiter finished serving the dishes and left, Cheng Qianfan went behind the door and heard the footsteps outside fading away.
A few minutes later, Lu Dazhang pretended to go out to urinate. He went out, walked around, and came back, nodding to Cheng Qianfan to make sure no one was eavesdropping.
“Changing uniforms is just the first step,” Cheng Qianfan said to Lu Dazhang. “Next, the Japanese will conduct loyalty checks on all Chinese constables, and at the same time, they will begin to make personnel adjustments.”
To avoid causing unrest, the Japanese did not make any personnel changes for the time being. Under this high-pressure situation, they suddenly announced personnel adjustments after all Chinese police officers were reviewed by the military police.
“These past few days, the Japanese and the No. 76 have been on a killing spree,” Lu Dazhang said. “Especially the No. 76; they’ve already identified a lot of targets, breaking into homes in the middle of the night and arresting quite a few people.”
"Jesfield's next plan is to plant a large number of agents in the police station and plant many spies within the police force," Cheng Qianfan said. "This is something we need to pay special attention to and be vigilant about."
He told Lu Dazhang, "In addition, the enemy deliberately recruits new police officers from society. At that time, it will be impossible to tell whether they are human or ghost. We must be extra careful with our words and actions."
“I’ll keep an eye on it,” Lu Dazhang said, looking at Cheng Qianfan. “This is the third time I’ve hosted ‘Young Master Cheng’ for this matter. Is there any progress on it?”
“There’s no such thing as ‘Young Master Cheng’ anymore.” Cheng Qianfan shook his head and said, raising his wrist to check the time on his watch, then smiled at Lu Dazhang, “It’s about time.”
Lu Dazhang and Lu Dazhang exchanged a smile.
……
Telasto Road.
Police station and hospital.
Shangguan Wu touched his nose with a handkerchief, looking disgusted.
Two Japanese men went missing two weeks ago, and their bodies have now been found. They were half-skeletonized and emitting a foul stench.
"Director, shall we go to the Mitsui Clubhouse now?" Zhao Lin got into the car, sat in the passenger seat, and turned to ask Shangguan Wu, "They keep asking us over there."
“Go to the Mitsui Club,” Shangguan Wu said. “We’ve found the body, so we should let the Mitsui Club know.”
The dead Japanese ronin was named Takeda Jushiro. He was a member of the Mitsui Kaikan, or more precisely, a minor leader of the Mitsui Kaikan.
Although Takeda Shijuro was just a minor leader, he was, after all, a Japanese ronin. With the Japanese taking over the French Concession, he was now vying for the position of chief of the Third Police Division of Shanghai. At this time, he needed to do his best to show a friendly attitude towards the Japanese.
Let alone the death of a minor leader of the Mitsui Guild Hall, even if a Japanese dog is bitten by a Chinese dog, he would dig three feet into the ground to find the Chinese dog that bit the person.
“Mitsui Hall,” Zhao Lin said to the driver.
……
A few minutes later, the driver suddenly slowed down, looked ahead, and said, "Director, the road ahead is blocked."
"What's going on?" Shangguan Wu frowned.
"Director, it looks like there's a roadblock ahead." Zhao Lin looked around and said, "Director, I'll go down and take a look."
"Go ahead." Shangguan Wu nodded.
They watched as Zhao Lin got out of the car and walked over to the police officers at the checkpoint, where he was negotiating.
It seemed that an argument had taken place, and Zhao Lin pointed towards the car.
Shangguan Wu was not angry. He was in a good mood because he was about to take up the post of director of the Third Police Division of Shanghai.
It wasn't for nothing that he secretly sided with the Japanese for the past two years and did so many things for them; now, it's finally time to reap the rewards.
It was at this moment that Shangguan Wu's gaze fell upon the police officer's uniform.
His eyes narrowed; something was wrong.
The police officers have changed their uniforms. Although their hats also have the Kuomintang insignia, the new uniforms have the words "Supervised by the Imperial Japanese Army" printed on the arm patch, which these officers do not.
……
"Drive!" Shangguan Wu shouted.
Just then, a car came speeding downhill and crashed directly into the front of the car.
Several people rushed out from both sides of the road, some carrying Mauser pistols, and one even holding a Czech light machine gun with both hands, and opened fire on the car.
Da da da da da!
Shangguan Wu quickly lay down, but the vehicle was not bulletproof, and he was soon shot and screamed in pain.
The car door was pulled open, and the gunman, without the slightest hesitation, opened fire on his body.
In the distance, Zhao Lin, who was negotiating with the police officers at the checkpoint, was stunned by what he saw. Then he let out a strange cry and ran away.
The gunman, disguised as a police officer, drew his gun and fired, but missed. He then saw Zhao Lin scramble and crawl behind a stone tablet.
"Withdraw!" the gunman cursed, giving the order.
By the time the actual police arrived and inspected the vehicle, Shangguan Wu and the driver were already dead.
Only then did Zhao Lin dare to show himself. He knelt beside the car, looking disheveled and seeing Shangguan Wu riddled with bullets, and burst into tears, crying, "Director..."
……
Shangguan Wu, deputy director of the External Liaison Office of the former French Concession Political Department, was ambushed on Rue de la Terre and died after being shot more than a dozen times.
This incident shocked the entire city of Shanghai.
Moreover, given that it occurred at a time when the Japanese had taken over the French Concession, Shangguan Wu's death immediately caused a huge uproar.
There was even a rumor that Director Shangguan was killed as a warning to others because he was reluctant to resign and refused to leave his post.
Then someone immediately countered, saying that this Director Shangguan had actually been close to the Japanese, so why would the Japanese kill him?
Immediately, someone said that the Japanese were like a cunning rabbit being killed and its hunting dog being cooked. The French Concession belonged to the Japanese, so Shangguan Wu was naturally useless. But this old bastard still made outrageous demands for official positions and money. The Japanese were so stingy, so they simply killed him.
Immediately, all sorts of speculations and discussions arose.
……
“Something’s not right,” Cheng Qianfan said to Araki Harima.
“Of course something’s not right.” Araki Harima nodded and said, “Shangguan Wu is still useful. The Empire needs this person to help govern the French Concession. We will not touch him.”
He said to Kentaro Miyazaki, "The person who killed him must be an anti-Japanese element."
“I know that Shangguan Wu is close to the Empire, and those who want to kill him are either Chongqing elements or Red Party members,” Cheng Qianfan said. “That’s not what I’m talking about.”
"What do you mean?" Araki Harima asked.
“Something’s not right in the public opinion,” Cheng Qianfan said. “The rumors circulating in the market are as if they’re convinced that Shangguan Wu was killed by the Empire.”
He told Araki Harima, "Whether it's the so-called 'clinging to power' being used as a warning by the Empire, or the so-called 'killing the hunting dog after the rabbit dies,' these are all rumors and slanders against the Empire."
Cheng Qianfan's expression grew increasingly serious as he said, "This is someone deliberately spreading rumors to smear the Empire and create chaos and obstacles for the Empire's complete takeover of the French Concession."
Just then, the door to the private room was opened, and Atsuto Kawada and Ryono Sakamoto arrived together.
"What are you talking about?" Atsuto Kawada said with a smile. "I could hear your lively discussion from the doorway."
Cheng Qianfan and Araki Harima quickly stood up to greet young master Atsuto. Then, he gave Kawada Atsuto a brief 'report' on the situation.
……
"We've run out of ideas." After saying that, Cheng Qianfan added, "Chongqing or the Red Party are both anxious and afraid about the Empire taking over the French Concession, but they don't have many options."
"That's why they thought of attacking and killing Shangguan Wu," Cheng Qianfan said. "And they deliberately spread rumors to smear the Empire and make it difficult for the Empire to take over the French Concession."
As he spoke, Cheng Qianfan snorted coldly, "However, these are all petty tricks and cannot cause any significant damage to the empire."
Upon hearing this, Atsuto Kawada nodded thoughtfully. Just as Kentaro Miyazaki had said, the enemy's methods were too crude and would not have much impact on the empire.
It was just Shangguan Wu; he's dead, so be it.
Moreover, with Shangguan Wu dead, the position that the empire had originally promised to him became vacant, and he would naturally be of great use.
In a way, even after his death, Shangguan Sang was still helping the empire.
"Why Shangguan Wu?" Araki Harima, who had been frowning in thought, suddenly asked.
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(End of this chapter)