A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1014 Hong Kong Government's Defense Measures

Lin Peishan looked in the direction she pointed and saw several Japanese people walking on the street. The men were wearing dark kimonos and their wooden clogs made a "clattering" sound on the ground. The women had their hair in a bun and their kimonos were printed with cherry blossom patterns. They were also holding the hands of children dressed in school uniforms.

“There are more and more of them lately.” Lin Peishan frowned.

“Last time, when Chung-yu said he had discovered Japanese spies, I went home and tentatively asked my father about it. He said that the Hong Kong government wasn’t completely without taking any measures.”

"As early as after the Washington Treaty expired, the British government provided special defense funding for Hong Kong; the commander of the British forces stationed in Hong Kong formulated the 'Hong Kong Defense Plan 1936'; and at the same time, combat training was carried out for Chinese laborers in Hong Kong. After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident broke out in 1937, Hong Kong began to recruit local artillerymen to supplement its forces; the Joint Planning Committee submitted an assessment report on the situation in the Far East, further clarifying defense needs."

"By 1938, the British Army adjusted its defensive objectives, focusing on holding Hong Kong Island and preventing the Japanese from using the port; the Hong Kong government revised the 1922 Emergency Control Ordinance to adapt to wartime control needs; after the fall of Guangzhou, the British Army abandoned some fortified facilities on the Kowloon Highlands and reduced its defensive focus."

"Why do I feel like they're retreating step by step?" Gui'er felt that all this information was just theoretical and that these measures wouldn't be very effective.

“Because the British themselves have a lot of problems, but it seems the current Governor of Hong Kong has applied to the British government for additional troops.” Lin Peishan paused. “I told my father that there are a lot of Japanese people on the streets now, and they might be spies. My father told me not to meddle in other people’s business.”

“He said that Japan’s intelligence agencies, such as the ‘Ume Agency’ and the ‘Take Agency’, had long established liaison points in Hong Kong, and that many of the Japanese Army’s intelligence agencies also had branches in Hong Kong. They not only infiltrated themselves, but also colluded with some triads and other secret societies in Hong Kong, and even recruited foreign personnel to pass on intelligence. My father even knew that some Japanese people had acquired and controlled some newspapers and news agencies, probably to create public opinion.”

Gui'er's hair stood on end when she heard this. This was much more serious than the situation in Jiangcheng. She grabbed Lin Peishan's hand and said, "Such important information must be shared with Brother Chen immediately."

Lin Peishan smiled, a hint of helplessness in her smile: "After learning about this situation, I told him immediately. He was very excited at first and asked me and my father to find out more information. He also said he would talk to Mr. Mok, the Justice of the Peace, about it."

"But as we investigated further, we discovered that many Japanese spies actually had public identities. For example, Lieutenant Colonel Suzuki Takuya of the Japanese Army operated under the public identity of a military attaché stationed in Hong Kong, and his military attaché office was actually the intelligence department. Some impersonated businessmen to conduct business dealings, some pretended to be scholars or teachers to conduct exchanges, and some even had local or overseas identities. For example, there were Taiwanese who accepted the 'Japanization Movement' and changed their names to Japanese to carry out intelligence work in Hong Kong. If you touch these people, the Japanese government will put pressure on the Hong Kong government, and we will be the ones who suffer. We really have no way to deal with them."

Gui'er felt extremely heavy-hearted upon hearing this: "What should we do?"

Lin Peishan comforted him, saying, "It's alright. My father has connections in Macau. Macau is now under Portuguese control, and Portugal is a neutral country. The Japanese shouldn't dare to invade. If anything happens, we can retreat to Macau."

"What problem can be solved by simply giving in?" Gui'er said sadly.

Neither of them knew what to say after that, so they went back in silence.

Gui'er felt very helpless. Acheng saw her looking depressed in the rearview mirror and asked, "Miss, what's wrong? Did something unpleasant happen with Miss Lin just now?"

Gui'er smiled bitterly and said, "No, it's just that Lin Peishan's father knows some high-ranking people in Hong Kong and Macau. He feels that they have no effective measures against the Japanese invasion, and he is somewhat disappointed. Brother Cheng, I'm afraid that Hong Kong will fall soon too."

Acheng was silent for a while. Then he said, "Miss, don't worry, I'll risk my life to protect you and Dingxiang."

Gui'er was touched by his words, but she felt she couldn't just stand by and do nothing. That would cause her great pain.

"When we came to Hong Kong, it happened to be right when Guangzhou was bombed and soon fell to the Japanese. I wonder how the people there are doing now?"

“I heard from people from the mainland that the Japanese treated Guangzhou like a bombing zone and bombed it many times. Luckily, we left early and barely escaped the first wave of attacks. If we had left any later, we probably would have been buried there.”

Acheng noticed that Gui'er was particularly down today, so he said, "By the way, Miss, would you like to go to the pawnshop? They've received some valuable jewelry these past few days. Apparently, it's a rare find, and it's quite interesting. It's a little bird made of diamonds."

Gui'er was initially quite disheartened, as she didn't have a particular fondness for jewelry. However, she could tell that A-Cheng genuinely cared about her, so she didn't want to disappoint him and nodded, saying, "Okay, let's go take a look."

Upon arriving at the pawnshop, it was bustling with activity. Several customers in long gowns were gathered around the counter, some redeeming items, others pawning them. The clerks were efficiently packing and registering items, the abacus beads clicking loudly. In the corner, piles of old items awaiting appraisal were stacked neatly, including bronze stoves, porcelain vases, and leather suitcases.

"Miss, let's go to a private room," Acheng said. "I'll take that thing out and show it to you."

A moment later, he came out with a brocade box. Inside was the diamond bird brooch, palm-sized, its body outlined in platinum, its wings inlaid with tiny white diamonds, like a layer of frost; its eyes were made of pigeon blood rubies, sparkling as if it were about to take flight at any moment. Its beak held a sapphire, like a dewdrop, and as sunlight shone through, the room filled with shimmering light.

“This was pawned by a lady a few days ago. She said it was passed down from her ancestors, and she only took it out because her family couldn’t make ends meet. She doesn’t have the ability to redeem it.” After finishing his work, Zhao Ding came over and carefully picked it up with tweezers. “Look at the craftsmanship. The wings can move slightly. It’s the workmanship of a French craftsman.”

Gui'er reached out and touched the diamond; it was cool to the touch, and the craftsmanship was indeed exquisite. The sounds of customers haggling drifted from outside the counter, the clerk's shouts, and the clatter of abacuses mingling together, adding a touch of everyday life to the room filled with glittering pearls. She suddenly felt that in this chaotic world, even the treasures in the pawnshop carried a sense of wandering, much like herself at that moment.

“It’s really unique.” Gui’er smiled. “Let’s keep it for now and see if anyone is destined to have it.”