Chapter 198 I Went Mad During the Republic of China (14)
July 7th.
Lugou Bridge in Beiping (Beijing).
The weather was sunny and the breeze was gentle.
On the bridge, soldiers of the 29th Army stood at attention, rifles in hand, their posture ramrod straight.
Their expressions were strange, a mixture of their usual wariness and a hint of bewilderment.
What happened to the Japanese provoking trouble? We've been waiting for days, and there's been no military clashes, not even a glimpse of a Japanese soldier.
Several soldiers huddled together and whispered among themselves.
"Hey, do you think the Japanese are scared?"
"What are you afraid of? I heard a few days ago that they transferred troops from Tianjin and Zhangjiakou, why haven't they arrived yet?"
"Who knows? I heard from the rumors in the city that those soldiers all met a ghost on the way and disappeared!"
"You're talking nonsense. There are thousands of people here. How could they just disappear into thin air?"
Just then, a figure appeared at the bridgehead.
Zhou Jue, dressed in a simple blue cloth long gown, looked like an ordinary female student as she slowly walked onto the stone bridge.
She looked at the spirited soldiers on the bridge, at the Yongding River flowing slowly below the bridge, and at the majestic Wanping City standing in the distance.
History took a turn at this moment.
There were no gunshots, no war, and no humiliating beginning.
Zhou Jue smiled and was about to turn and leave.
【Host. 】
Suddenly, the system's voice rang in my mind.
[A top-level encrypted telegram from the Japanese General Staff was intercepted; the "Imperial Conference" has just approved a new strategy.]
They have temporarily abandoned their plans for North China.
Zhou Jue paused in his steps.
Because of the numerous "mass disappearances" that had occurred in the Beiping area, they believed that a direct assault was too risky.
Therefore, they decided to launch "Operation Polaris," integrating the full strength of the Kwantung Army and the Korean garrison, using Manchukuo as a springboard.
Their next target is the entire Northeast.
The Northeast was the Japanese devils' stronghold, their industrial base, their arsenal, and a poisonous thorn stuck in China's flesh.
Compared to that place, the garrison in Beiping is nothing.
"History is indeed not static; the only constant is the Japanese devils' ambition," Zhou Jue muttered to himself.
She resolved the historical Marco Polo Bridge Incident, but the Japanese changed direction and headed towards a place they were more confident in.
That victory is still a long way off.
Zhou Jue turned around, no longer looking at the scenery on the bridge. She strode towards the city, her steps quick and hurried.
[Host, where are we going?]
“Go back to the courtyard and talk to Old K.” Zhou Jue’s voice was devoid of emotion.
"Then, I'll go to Northeast China."
...
In the courtyard, Old K was humming a little tune as he sat in front of the radio, writing furiously a report for Yan'an.
The wrinkles on his face beamed with joy.
"...Comrade Xinghuo descended like a divine soldier, silently thwarting several enemy reinforcements and ensuring the safety of Beiping. This is a tremendous victory..."
He was engrossed in writing when a figure appeared behind him without warning.
Don't get too excited yet.
Old K was so startled that he dropped his pen on the table with a "thud," leaving a long trail of ink.
He turned around abruptly and saw that it was Zhou Jue. He then patted his chest and said, "My dear Xinghuo, could you please use a door next time? You've scared my old bones to pieces sooner or later."
"There's no time to go through the door." Zhou Jue pulled up a stool and sat down, getting straight to the point: "The Japanese have escaped."
"They ran away?" Old K was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "Yes, yes, they ran away! You drove them away! I'm reporting this to my superiors right now! You haven't seen the people in the city, they're all saying that they don't know what happened, but there isn't a single Japanese soldier left in the city!"
He became more and more excited as he spoke, gesturing wildly.
"The Japanese have changed battlefields." Zhou Jue's words extinguished all of Old K's excitement.
"Change...change the battlefield?" Old K's smile froze on his face.
"They abandoned their plans in North China." Zhou Jue succinctly recounted the intelligence intercepted by the system.
"They launched a new project called 'Polaris,' with the goal of targeting the entire Northeast."
The color drained from Old K's face at a visible speed. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out for a long time. Finally, as if someone had pulled out his bones, he slumped into a chair.
"The Northeast?!" he muttered to himself. As a veteran underground worker, he knew all too well what the Northeast meant to the Japanese and how dire the situation there was.
"They're going to combine the Kwantung Army and the troops stationed in Korea... This is... This is going to launch a full-scale attack!" Old K's voice changed.
He suddenly stood up and paced around the room: "No! I have to send a telegram to Yan'an immediately! I must notify the comrades in the Northeast right away! Tell them to prepare immediately! What... what should we do!"
He was sweating profusely with anxiety: "The Japanese have been operating in Northeast China for so many years, with their spies and troops everywhere. Our comrades there are too weak. What's the difference between this and sending them to their deaths!"
“So, I have to go.” Zhou Jue looked at him calmly.
Old K abruptly stopped, turning to look at Zhou Jue. On one hand, he thought, "The Northeast is the stronghold of hundreds of thousands of Kwantung Army troops! How much could she possibly change if she went there?" On the other hand, he couldn't help but think, "Spark could wipe out the Japanese in Beiping and prevent their reinforcements from entering the city. What if she could turn the Northeast into a second Beiping?"
“They think their plan is flawless, and everyone is kept in the dark. This is our opportunity.” Zhou Jue stood up, took out a map, and pointed to the location of “Fengtian”.
"I want to get there before their main force completes its assembly and stir up trouble."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable power.
"They want to play 'Polaris', right? I'll go and pluck their star first."
Old K looked at the tiny dot on the map, then at Zhou Jue, his throat going dry.
"What do you need me to do?" Old K took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
“Old K, I need you to immediately send the ‘Polaris’ plan to Yan’an using the highest-level coded telegram.”
Zhou Jue continued, "Tell them that I will go ahead to the Northeast to buy them time. Tell them to adjust their strategy immediately and make all the necessary preparations in the Northeast. After I arrive, I may need the cooperation of the local comrades."
Old K nodded emphatically: "Okay! I'll get on it right away!"
Old K suddenly remembered something and handed a slip of paper to Zhou Jue: "This is the telegram codebook from Yan'an. Yan'an asked me to give it to you. Comrade Xinghuo, you can report some intelligence directly to them. As for the telegraph machine, I've prepared it as well."
Zhou Jue paused for a moment, then took the note. Actually, she did have a codebook, but she had never used it. She was afraid that if she suddenly sent a telegram to Yan'an, Yan'an would think that the telegram code had been leaked.
Unexpectedly, Yan'an would give out the headquarters' password to someone he had never met before.
“I’ll take this. I have a telegraph machine. You can leave this for the other comrades.”
"Old K, I'm leaving. Goodbye."
Goodbye, Comrade Xinghuo, take care!
After saying that, Zhou Jue turned and left, leaving Old K alone in the room again.
He looked at the empty room, feeling lost and dejected. Then he turned around, went to the radio, put on his headphones, and began to tap rapidly on the transmitter.
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