sovbooks Chapter 2021 Fanning the flames
Chapter 2021 Fanning the flames
Chapter 2021 Fanning the flames
"What else can we do?" Liu Xia rolled her eyes at Cheng Qianfan and said, "I'm trying to avoid those people as much as possible. If I get entangled with them, I'll just get myself into trouble."
“That’s true,” Cheng Qianfan said, frowning. “But I feel sorry for Sister Xia. Who is Sister Xia? How dare those filthy cats and dogs provoke her?”
"I wouldn't dare say that. There are so many big shots in Nanjing. Who am I, Liu Xia?" Liu Xia said irritably. "Besides, I'm innocent. If I were to cause any more trouble, wouldn't that just be asking for trouble for myself?"
"Sister Xia is still more thoughtful," Cheng Qianfan said with an embarrassed smile.
Liu Xia smiled and glanced at Cheng Qianfan, but inwardly she was wary. Cheng Qianfan was clearly trying to instigate her to go against No. 21 Yihe Road. What were her brother Cheng's intentions?
……
Chu Mingyu rubbed his temples and sighed wearily.
He glanced at Cheng Qianfan. "Qianfan, is something wrong?"
“Uncle Chu, there is indeed a secret matter,” Cheng Qianfan said with a serious expression. “It is of great importance, but there is no evidence to support it. After thinking it over, I still feel that I should report it to you, Uncle Chu.”
"Speak, what is it?" Chu Mingyu nodded slightly and said.
Although Cheng Qianfan said there was no evidence, it might just be a rumor. Rumors don't matter; what matters most is Cheng Qianfan's loyalty.
……
"I overheard this from Counselor Imamura, and it's mostly just my speculation," Cheng Qianfan said. "Because it involves Mr. Wang's safety, I still feel it's necessary to report it to Uncle Chu."
"speak!"
“It’s like this…” Cheng Qianfan said to Chu Mingyu in a serious and earnest manner.
……
"Wolf-like ambitions!" Chu Mingyu's face was filled with anger as he slammed his fist on the table.
Cheng Qianfan stood with a serious expression and utmost respect, remaining silent.
“Uncle Chu,” Cheng Qianfan said after Chu Mingyu had calmed down a bit, “According to what Counselor Imamura inadvertently revealed, this person who hinted to the Japanese that he intended to harm Mr. Wang is truly malicious. If the Japanese hadn’t always respected and cared for Mr. Wang and resolutely refused, otherwise…”
As he spoke, he shook his head with a serious expression, "It is truly despicable."
"You think this was something Imamura Heitaro inadvertently let slip?" Chu Mingyu glanced at Cheng Qianfan and said.
"Isn't that right?" Cheng Qianfan asked subconsciously.
“Imamura is a man of great wisdom and cunning; how could he possibly let slip such an important matter unintentionally?” Chu Mingyu shook his head and said, “He intends to use your ears and mouth to secretly inform us of this matter in a private way.”
"I see." Cheng Qianfan looked enlightened. "If Uncle Chu hadn't pointed it out, I would still be completely clueless."
"Not only that," Chu Mingyu said solemnly, "it is possible that some Japanese people were tempted by such heinous acts, but there were still some who were reasonable and forcibly stopped such despicable behavior."
……
“Nephew, after careful consideration, Uncle Chu, your judgment is absolutely correct.” Cheng Qianfan pondered and said, his expression extremely serious. “Fortunately, fate was on Mr. Wang’s side, and Heaven has shown mercy to China, allowing Mr. Wang to turn danger into safety.”
"Who on earth is so vicious? Mr. Wang is the hope for the revival of China, yet someone dares to defy the world and intend to harm him!" Cheng Qianfan became more and more agitated as he spoke, his expression filled with indignation. "These people are simply traitors to the nation and villains!"
"Who else could it be?" Chu Mingyu sneered.
"Uncle Chu means..." Cheng Qianfan's eyes were filled with shock, "No, how could this be? This is impossible!"
"Why is it impossible?" Chu Mingyu glared at Cheng Qianfan.
"Everyone with a conscience knows how important Mr. Wang is," Cheng Qianfan said, somewhat incoherently. "Even the lowest of the low know that Mr. Wang carries the hopes of the nation, and they burn incense and pray for his good health. How could that... that person..."
"Of course he knew! It was precisely because he knew how important Mr. Wang was that he thought of doing such an outrageous thing!" Chu Mingyu said through gritted teeth.
……
"I can't believe it, I can't believe it," Cheng Qianfan murmured, his eyes filled with fear and unease.
“Qianfan,” Chu Mingyu said.
“Oh, Uncle Chu,” Cheng Qianfan said quickly.
"You must remember, the struggle for Zheng Zhi is incredibly brutal," Chu Mingyu said in a deep voice.
“Nephew understands.” Cheng Qianfan nodded.
"Some people are only interested in power and profit, and they don't even know their own limitations. They don't know if they can shoulder the heavy responsibility of the nation in this time of crisis!" Chu Mingyu said with a cold snort.
“Uncle Chu, these are just our speculations after all. Counselor Imamura hasn’t said anything explicitly either…” Cheng Qianfan said cautiously.
"Of course the Japanese won't say it outright." Chu Mingyu shook his head. "That shameless person who fawns over the Japanese is quite favored among them. Therefore, Imamura Heitaro naturally can't say it outright."
"After all, even the Japanese value internal unity in such matters, and they also care about their reputation," Chu Mingyu said thoughtfully.
……
“Nephew understands.” Cheng Qianfan nodded. “Uncle Chu, you are wise and insightful.”
"Alright, I'm aware of this matter. I will report it to Mr. Wang." Chu Mingyu nodded slightly and said to Cheng Qianfan, "Qianfan, this matter is of great importance. You must keep it a secret."
“Nephew knows what’s important,” Cheng Qianfan said immediately. “When I learned of this situation, I immediately came to report to Uncle Chu. I didn’t mention it to anyone, not even Sister Xia. I only told her that I had some work arranged by Uncle Chu and needed to report on the progress.”
"You've always been cautious in your work, so I trust you." Chu Mingyu nodded with satisfaction.
He got up and went to Cheng Qianfan's side, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Qianfan, you are very good. I understand your loyalty to Mr. Wang and to me."
“Nephew swears to follow Uncle Chu and Mr. Wang to the death.” Cheng Qianfan said solemnly, “Mr. Wang’s path of peaceful national salvation is the only hope for China and the hope of the nation. Nephew will not allow anything that is detrimental to Mr. Wang to happen.”
"Very good, very good, very good." Chu Mingyu was very pleased and patted Cheng Qianfan's shoulder repeatedly.
……
For more than a month afterward.
Within the Wang Jingwei regime, the power struggle between the Wang Jingwei faction and Zhou Liang intensified.
Mrs. Wang even published a signed article in the China Times:
Please, certain individuals, do not become criminals who jeopardize the hopes of our nation!
For a time, there was much discussion within the Executive Yuan, and people became more cautious in their actions. It was hard to say what the outcome of this battle between the gods would be, but countless underlings would suffer as a result.
Yihe Road, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"The Japanese will pay the price for their shortsightedness sooner or later!" Chu Mingyu slammed his briefcase on the desk and said angrily.
"Uncle Chu, what happened?" Cheng Qianfan hurriedly poured Chu Mingyu a cup of tea and asked with concern.
"The proposal put forward by the Military Commission today regarding the reshuffling of the chairman of the Rural Pacification Committee was suppressed by the Japanese," Chu Mingyu said with a cold snort.
"How could that be?" Cheng Qianfan frowned and said, "As far as I know, that person's performance in the first phase of the mopping-up operation was not satisfactory. Gu Ying's troops from the New Fourth Army, the Red Army bandits, just inflicted heavy losses on our army. Under such circumstances, why would the Japanese still try to protect that person?"
……
The first phase of the "mopping-up" operation in 1943, a joint effort between the Wang Jingwei regime and the Japanese army, had been going on for several months.
The Rural Cleanup Committee and the Rural Cleanup Command were headed by two people: Zhou Liang as the chief officer and Li Cuiqun, the governor of Jiangsu Province, as the deputy chief officer.
The main force consisted of two regiments of the Japanese army, plus the First Area Army of the Pacification Army, totaling more than 50,000 men. They used a sweeping and bamboo fence blockade method to gradually compress the activity space of the New Fourth Army of the Red Army, seize supplies, and starve the New Fourth Army soldiers and civilians.
In addition, Li Cuiqun's secret service headquarters was also rampant, attempting to sever the connection between the anti-Japanese masses and the New Fourth Army by using the system of collective responsibility, where one household was implicated and ten households were implicated.
In addition, the Material Control Committee of the Rural Pacification Committee was also frantically seizing civilian supplies, implementing a monopoly on rice, cotton, and salt, and prohibiting the transport of daily necessities into the New Fourth Army base areas, with the intention of "starving the resistance forces in the base areas".
Moreover, in accordance with the demands of the Japanese side, the Rural Sweeping Committee established the so-called Rural Sweeping Culture and Propaganda Bureau, forced primary and secondary schools to learn Japanese, and deleted all content in textbooks that was suspected of being "anti-Japanese," in an attempt to enslave the youth in the occupied areas.
In Nanjing, many teachers who secretly resisted the Japanese army's indoctrination were arrested and subsequently murdered.
The Japanese and puppet troops' "mopping-up" military operations implemented a brutal "Three Alls" policy comparable to that of the Japanese army in North China.
Japanese and puppet troops burned down 72 villages on the border of Liyang and Yixing, creating a so-called "no man's land".
In addition, the Japanese army even poisoned Changdang Lake, causing more than 30,000 fishermen to be poisoned. Fortunately, the New Fourth Army medics used allicin to detoxify the fishermen; otherwise, the situation would have been extremely tragic.
It was under these extremely fierce circumstances that the New Fourth Army forces in the Maoshan base area, under the command of General Gu Ying, launched a night attack on the Japanese and puppet troops, initiating the "bamboo fence fire attack" campaign, burning down 120 li of the Japanese and puppet troops' blockade wall overnight.
It was precisely because of the defeat in this battle that Wang Tianhai's side took the opportunity to launch an impeachment case against Zhou Liang, intending to remove Zhou Liang from his positions as chairman of the Rural Pacification Committee and commander of the Rural Pacification Command. However, they did not expect that the Japanese army would stop them again.
……
“Secretary-General,” Cheng Qianfan said with concern, “the Rural Pacification Committee has nearly 100,000 troops. That’s a force capable of turning the world upside down.”
"Of course I know," Chu Mingyu said irritably. "It was precisely because they saw this danger that they took action. If the Japanese hadn't been so short-sighted, that heartless bastard would have been ousted from power long ago."
He said angrily, "With the support of the Japanese, the second phase of the cleanup operation this year will still be led by Zhou Liang and Li Cuiqun."
"The second phase of the mopping-up operation?" Cheng Qianfan asked in surprise. "The first phase just ended, and the officers and soldiers are exhausted. Is the second phase already underway without stopping?"
"The second phase of the mopping-up operation, objectively speaking, is supported by both Mr. Wang and myself," Chu Mingyu said. "Our troops are exhausted, and the Red Party's New Fourth Army is in an even worse situation. We should press our advantage and wipe out the Red Party's New Fourth Army in Jiangnan in one fell swoop."
“Uncle Chu is absolutely right.” Cheng Qianfan nodded. “However, the Red Army’s New Fourth Army is extremely cunning and not so easy to deal with.”
"Don't worry about that." Chu Mingyu shook his head and said, "Having learned from the experience of the first round of mopping-up operations, our army will be more effective this time, focusing on the weak points of the New Fourth Army."
"Oh?" Cheng Qianfan looked interested and said, "The Red Bandits are the most unstable elements that endanger the country and the people. If there is an effective plan to wipe out the Red Bandits and the New Fourth Army in one fell swoop, that would be great."
“It’s a bit difficult to wipe them all out in one fell swoop.” Chu Mingyu shook his head. “The Red Party is indeed quite resilient, but it’s not a problem to severely damage their so-called base areas.”
……
Cheng Qianfan was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately inquired about the plan to suppress the bandits.
"I'm not very familiar with military matters." Unexpectedly, Chu Mingyu waved his hand and said, "You are an outstanding graduate of the Jiangwan Officer Training Corps. If you are interested, you can take a look yourself."
“I’m interested in any operation that deals with the Red Bandits and the New Fourth Army,” Cheng Qianfan said with a smile, taking the file bag that Chu Mingyu tossed to him.
“Not bad.” Chu Mingyu said with a smile, “What Mr. Wang is most satisfied with about you, besides your loyalty, is your resolute attitude towards eradicating the Red Party.”
"The Red Party is bewitching people, and its fallacies and heresies are causing chaos in the world. It should have been wiped out long ago," Cheng Qianfan said with a cold snort and a serious expression.
……
office.
The phonograph was playing decadent music.
Cheng Qianfan was sitting with his legs crossed, playing with a snuff bottle.
His mind was racing.
From the document Chu Mingyu gave him, Cheng Qianfan was shocked to discover that the enemy's second phase of the "mopping-up" operation this year had undergone a significant tactical "upgrade" compared to the first phase.
It can be said to be even more sinister and more inhumane.
The key point is that the Japanese and puppet troops will adopt the so-called "combing tactic":
A bunker was set up every kilometer, led by the Japanese army, and puppet troops were arranged to conduct a thorough search of the mountains, leaving no village, hilltop, or river unchecked.
Furthermore, the Japanese and puppet troops will adopt a more comprehensive "Three Alls Policy" (kill all, burn all, loot all), with the aim of creating a wider no-man's land to maximize the killing of anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians.
……
Guilin.
Eighth Office.
“Comrade Farmer.” Lu Wenhua handed a newly received coded telegram to Comrade Farmer. “Urgent telegram from Comrade Flame.”
Comrade 'Farmer' took the telegram and read it carefully; his expression grew increasingly solemn.
"Immediately send a telegram to Maoshan." Comrade 'Farmer' said in a deep voice, "The anti-Japanese situation in Jiangnan is critical, and the situation of our army's struggle has seriously deteriorated. Please take good care of yourselves, comrades in Jiangnan."
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(End of this chapter)