frightfiction Chapter 1004: Okamura wants to use troops?
Chapter 1004: Okamura wants to use troops?
Lin Ze had just returned home from the Six Nations Hotel when Gao Shengping called him.
"Brother Shengmin, I need you to inform the Auxiliary Management Bureau and have them send some people to join us in setting up checkpoints. I don't know what's going on with Huagu. They said they're going to check every intersection in the inner and outer cities. They were busy all night yesterday, and I don't know if they caught anyone. It looks like they'll continue to do so today."
"No problem, I'll let Niu San'er make the arrangements. Director, just let the lower-level people handle the arrests. Don't lead the team into the streets yourself."
Gao Shengping laughed heartily. "Don't worry, Shengmin. Even if I wanted to go, my body isn't strong enough. I used to be able to run a few steps, but now I can barely sit down and gasp, let alone catch anyone."
Lin Ze has witnessed how Gao Shengping has become a big eater in recent years. Old Gao has no other hobbies now except eating and drinking, so the size of his stomach is naturally growing.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Ze called Niu Saner and said, "Call the Beiping Coordination Bureau and make arrangements. Have them conduct a thorough investigation. If they catch anyone, send them back to the Coordination Bureau first. If the Military Police Headquarters wants the person, don't give them to them. Send them directly to Kitahara Ransuke."
Niu Saner naturally understood the twists and turns. This Hua Guzheng always liked to eat alone and never informed in advance when he made a big move. He had to be punished.
Then Lin Ze picked up the phone and called Beiyuan again, "Hey, Beiyuan-kun, are you busy? Are you in charge of the operations outside?"
Lin Ze asked this deliberately, and sure enough, Kitahara's voice rose eight octaves when he heard it. "That damn Tokyo guy, Hanatani Masa! He's so cold and indifferent! He caused chaos in the city, and I knew nothing about it. If it weren't for the people below reporting that he set up checkpoints everywhere, I would still be in the dark!"
"Even you don't know? What on earth is he up to?... Yesterday a Japanese businessman died in front of the Six Nations Hotel. Did you know about this?"
On the other end of the line, Kitahara Ransuke jumped to his feet. "What?! There's actually such a thing! This Hanaya is truly lawless. They don't even report this kind of thing? Lin Jun, where are you? I'll be right there so we can talk face to face."
"I'm at home. You can come in through the west garden door. The east courtyard office area is full of gift-giving people."
As long as Lin Ze is in Peking, there will always be people sending him gifts.
"Understood. I'll be right there. Please wait for me for a moment, Mr. Lin."
In less than half an hour, Kitahara Ransuke arrived.
"Mr. Lin, I was passing by the East Road Courtyard and was shocked. If you didn't know, you would think someone was causing trouble at your door. Why are there so many people giving gifts?"
Lin Ze smiled and didn't continue the conversation.
There was nothing that could be done about it. Lin Ze had too many things to take care of. The Auxiliary Management Bureau alone had the power of life and death over matters in many areas. There were those who wanted to rescue people, those who wanted to harm people, those who wanted to open shops and wanted to mark out land, and those who wanted to file a complaint because their land had been occupied by others.
To put it in a more vivid way, the scale of this auxiliary management bureau is roughly equal to the urban management processor plus the fire department plus...
All in all, it's not that good.
This is just one auxiliary management bureau. Lin Zeke also manages the joint defense team, major enterprises of the North China Development Corporation, the Northern Federal Reserve, and so on.
At the same time, he has extraordinary influence in the Administrative Committee, the Beijing Police Department and other major government offices.
Not to mention traitors, there are always high-ranking Japanese officers queuing outside the door.
What's wrong with the Japs? They still have to give gifts to Master Lin!
Moreover, since he went to Tianjin, he could only stay in Beijing for a few days a year. As long as everyone knew that he was back, his house would be packed with people.
"Kitahara-kun, let's not talk about this for now. What the hell is Hanatani Masaru up to? He even had Gao Shengping call me and even sent people from the Assistance Bureau to the streets. I think Hanatani-kun has no sense of courtesy. Can't he just call me himself?"
Lin Ze is adding fuel to the fire, but Kitahara Ransuke thinks Lin Ze is speaking up for justice.
Beiyuan had always disliked Hua Guzheng, so naturally he had a preconceived notion that Hua Guzheng was too unrefined.
"Tokyo people are so damn cold!" Kitahara spoke in standard Beijing dialect. "Mr. Lin, you said someone died at the Six Nations Hotel yesterday. What happened?"
"I drank too much at the Six Nations Hotel yesterday. I was staying there. In the middle of the night, there was a sudden gunshot. I asked Niu Saner to go downstairs to check. He said a Japanese businessman had died. Hua Gu Zheng was also at the scene. I didn't ask about what happened next."
Beiyuan slammed the table. "Someone reported last night that gunshots were heard in the inner city. I asked the military police headquarters, and they said it was a normal arrest operation. Why didn't they report the death of a businessman from China?"
At this point, Kitahara Ransuke suddenly whispered mysteriously, "Lin-kun, the General has been calling his staff to meetings frequently these past few days, and those staff haven't been able to contact the outside world. Do you think the General is planning something big, and Hanaya is involved, so he's keeping us in the dark?"
Lin Ze shook his head. "You're being overly cautious. If the General really needed someone from the secret service to do something, he would definitely ask you, not Hanatani Masaru. This mess was probably caused by Hanatani Masaru on his own initiative."
Kitahara Ransuke regained his confidence, "I still don't believe that I can't deal with Hanatani Masaru. What's the flower of spies? I'm going to the military police headquarters to check their work and see what he's up to!"
After successfully sending Kitahara to the front, Lin Ze called Niu Saner over and said, "Let's have our people at the front headquarters contact Doi Yucheng and let him know what Okamura is planning."
In fact, Lin Ze already had a guess in his mind. The last time they drank, Okamura was most excited about the fact that the combat plans of the North China Front Army with less than 50,000 people would no longer need to be reported to Nanjing and the headquarters.
In reality, this gave the North China Front Army autonomy. The 50,000-man limit was merely a symbolic one. Who knows how many troops they actually employed? Furthermore, did the 50,000 count only combat forces, or did they also include support forces? Did the puppet troops count?
This cannot be controlled, so Okamura can now do whatever he wants, a true local tyrant.
Given his personality, he would definitely not waste this rare opportunity. He would definitely call a meeting of staff to use military force.
Where should we deploy our troops?
Lin Ze had two guesses, the first was to march towards Luocheng.
Although the Japanese did not gain any advantage in the Battle of Zhongtiao Mountain, the defense line north of the Yellow River was lost after all. The North China Front Army now occupies almost the entire Henan Province. The remaining Luocheng area is naturally a thorn in Okamura's side.
Another guess is Jin-Cha-Ji.
Jin-Cha-Ji is now developing very rapidly. Although the Japanese still sent troops to occupy the county town, it is useless. They dare not step out of the city. If they go out, they will be beaten. If they cannot leave the city, they cannot collect food, and the logistical pressure is quite great.
On the other hand, the border areas relied on the vast rural areas and obtained a steady supply and manpower. Not only could they gain a foothold in Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei, but they could even counterattack the west. In just a few years, they had established farmers' associations, post offices, factories, banks and everything else. If they were allowed to continue developing, it would be disastrous!