beheading
Volume 3, Chapter 11
The intelligence brought back from Zhangdiyingzi was like a crack torn in the gloomy sky. Shen Lanjun led her intelligence team, working through the night to develop, organize, and translate the captured documents and photographs. As the contents of the "Awakening of Insects Operation Preparation Order" gradually became clear, the air in the command post seemed to freeze.
Operation "Awakening of Insects" was a more insidious and vicious offensive planned by the Japanese army after its "Iron Wall Encirclement" failed. Its core was no longer a simple military encirclement, but a close combination of military strikes and "appeasement" infiltration. The plan was to deploy elite troops to form several "task forces," guided by the "Black Dragon Society" cultural vanguard (i.e., Takeshita Hiroki's team), to conduct "targeted elimination" and "focused appeasement" of villages and towns on the periphery of the Anti-Japanese United Army's activity areas that were "wavering" in their attitudes or had already been initially "indoctrinated." On the one hand, they aimed to use absolute force to eliminate resistance fighters and sympathizers, making an example of them; on the other hand, Takeshita's team would take the opportunity to vigorously promote the "benevolence and power of the Imperial Army," consolidating their "appeasement" achievements, attempting to fundamentally undermine the Anti-Japanese United Army's mass base and turn the base areas into isolated "islands."
"What a vicious scheme!" Political Commissar Yang's face turned ashen. "They're trying to uproot us completely!"
All eyes were on Gu Tieshan. He stared coldly at the locations marked on the map as the first batch of pilot villages and towns for the "Awakening of Insects" project. These villages and towns were the key areas targeted by the "Reverse Scale Plan" to counter Zhu Xia's infiltration.
"Strike the snake at its vital spot." Gu Tieshan's voice was not loud, but it had a metallic quality. "'Awakening of Insects' is the core of Takeshita Hiroki's new strategy of combining 'appeasement' with force. As long as we get rid of Takeshita and cut off the head of this venomous snake, the Japanese 'Awakening of Insects' will lose its most crucial guidance and deception, and its power will be greatly reduced."
Decapitation! The target is Takeshita Hiroki!
This proposal caused an uproar within the command headquarters. As a key figure in the "Black Dragon Society" and a major collaborator of Onizuka Ichiro, Takeshita's security was undoubtedly extremely tight. Moreover, his movements were elusive, mostly operating within Japanese-occupied areas like Heihe Town; venturing deep into enemy territory to carry out a decapitation strike had a negligible success rate, practically tantamount to suicide.
"Chief of Staff, this is too risky!" someone advised again.
"Yes, Takeshita lives a very secluded life, and we have a hard time even determining exactly where he lives."
“No, we have a chance.” Shen Lanjun suddenly spoke up, picking up a daily affairs record that she had just translated and seized from Zhangdiyingzi. “According to this record, five days later, Takeshita Hiroki will personally go to ‘Kaoshantun’ to attend the unveiling ceremony of the ‘Model Primary School’ there and inspect the achievements of ‘Huairou’. This is a ‘model play’ specially arranged by Onizuka to cooperate with Operation ‘Jingzhe’.”
Kaoshantun is one of the first target villages and towns in the "Awakening of Insects" plan, and it is also a place that the Zhuxia team had previously focused on "managing".
“This is the only chance, and the best chance.” Gu Tieshan’s eyes were sharp. “In Kaoshantun, in order to show his ‘approachability,’ the security will not be as tight as it was in Heihe Town. Moreover, we are familiar with the terrain there!”
Political Commissar Yang remained silent, his finger tapping heavily on the location of Kaoshantun on the map. This was a high-stakes gamble; if they won, it could severely cripple the Japanese army's strategic deployment; if they lost, they would lose their best commander and an elite squad.
"How many people do you need?" After a long silence, Political Commissar Yang raised his head, his gaze resolute.
“Still eight.” Gu Tieshan said calmly. “More people would make us easier to expose. Xiao Chen, two snipers, and four assault soldiers.”
"Alright!" Political Commissar Yang no longer hesitated. "I approve this operation! But Tieshan, you must promise me that if things become impossible, you will retreat immediately! Your life is worth far more than that old Japanese devil Takeshita!"
Gu Tieshan stood at attention and saluted: "Yes, sir!"
Over the next few days, preparations for the "decapitation" operation proceeded intensively. Xiao Chen, accompanied by a scout, infiltrated the vicinity of Kaoshantun in advance, thoroughly investigating the terrain, Japanese troop deployment, and the exact location of the "Model Primary School" and the unveiling ceremony procedures. Shen Lanjun, meanwhile, mobilized all her contacts to verify the precise arrival time and escort configuration of Takeshita.
On the eve of the operation, Gu Tieshan gathered the seven people involved in the operation together for a final mission briefing.
"...The convoy under Zhuxia is expected to arrive at Kaoshantun around 9:00 AM tomorrow. The ceremony will be held in the threshing ground in the center of the village, and the primary school is right next to the threshing ground. Our snipers have taken up the high points on the east and west sides of the village in advance—this is the abandoned woodshed of Uncle Zhong's house, and this is the bell tower of the land temple at the entrance of the village. The view is wide, which is convenient for blocking the threshing ground and the evacuation route."
Gu Tieshan pointed out on the simple sand table.
"I led the assault team, blending in with the civilians attending the ceremony. When the sniper pistol fired, we took advantage of the chaos to approach the target and carry out the elimination. After the success, we retreated to the mountains to the northwest according to the predetermined route. The sniper was responsible for covering the rear and providing cover."
His gaze swept over every young and resolute face.
"Remember, our target is Takeshita Hiroki. A single, decisive blow is all we need; we will not linger! Do you all understand?"
"Understood!" the seven replied in low voices, their eyes burning with a death-defying fervor.
The next day, as dawn broke, Kaoshantun was spotless, and the Manchukuo flag fluttered listlessly. Some forced-to-be villagers, their faces numb and fearful, gathered around the threshing ground. Several puppet soldiers and plainclothes agents patrolled the crowd.
Gu Tieshan and four assault soldiers changed into tattered cotton-padded coats like ordinary farmers, their faces smeared with soot, heads bowed, and mingled at the edge of the crowd. Xiao Chen and another soldier carried bundles of firewood to provide support.
Just after nine o'clock in the morning, a convoy consisting of three black sedans and a truck full of Japanese soldiers slowly drove into Kaoshantun. The vehicles stopped beside the threshing ground, and surrounded by a group of Japanese and puppet officers and local gentry, Takeshita Hiroki, wearing a gray long gown and gold-rimmed glasses, stepped out with a "warm" smile. He was accompanied by two bodyguards who vigilantly scanned the crowd.
The ceremony began, and the fake mayor stepped forward to speak, his obsequious words nauseating. Takeshita Hiroki stood to the side, nodding slightly, seemingly enjoying the atmosphere.
Gu Tieshan, like a lurking cheetah, stood amidst the crowd, his gaze fixed intently on Zhu Xia. He calculated the distance, assessed the guards' positions, and waited for the perfect moment to strike.
Just as Takeshita Hiroki was about to step forward to unveil the plaque for the "Model Elementary School" and deliver a "goodwill" speech—
"Bang!"
A sharp gunshot, like a thunderclap, shattered the false peace!
The bullet came from the woodshed on the east side! It precisely pierced the head of one of Takeshita Hiroki's bodyguards! Blood splattered!
Chaos erupted instantly! Screams and cries filled the air!
"Bang!"
Almost simultaneously, a second bullet fired from the bell tower of the western earth temple killed another guard!
"Attack!" Gu Tieshan roared, like a tiger released from its cage. He suddenly pulled out his pistol and fired at Takeshita Hiroki, who was in shock and trying to find cover. The four assault soldiers beside him also opened fire at the same time, and bullets rained down on Takeshita and the Japanese and puppet officers around him!
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
Takeshita Hiroki's body trembled violently a few times, his gold-rimmed glasses shattered, and several bursts of blood erupted from his chest. He looked down in disbelief at the red rapidly spreading on his long robe, his hypocritical smile completely frozen, replaced by extreme terror and bewilderment, before he fell backward.
"Baka! Enemy attack!"
"Protect Mr. Takeshita!"
The Japanese soldiers and spies on the scene then realized what was happening and opened fire in a frenzy, but the crowd was in disarray and they couldn't find their targets for a while.
"Retreat!" Gu Tieshan didn't even glance at the corpse under the bamboo, showing no intention of lingering in battle. Following the pre-arranged route, he led the assault team swiftly to the northwest corner of the village. Xiao Chen and another soldier used the bundles of firewood and the houses for cover, throwing grenades to create greater chaos and slow down the pursuers.
The snipers on the east and west sides continued to calmly pick off Japanese officers and machine gunners who were trying to organize a pursuit, one by one.
The entire operation, from the first gunshot to Gu Tieshan and his men disappearing into the mountains outside the village, took only two or three minutes. When the reinforcements sent by Onizuka Ichiro arrived at Kaoshan Village, all they saw was Takeshita Hiroki's cold corpse, a chaotic threshing ground, and a group of panicked villagers whose eyes seemed to be hiding something.
Decapitation strike successful!
The news spread like wildfire. Takeshita Hiroki's death not only dealt a heavy blow to the Black Dragon Society's cultural infiltration plan, but also severely damaged the morale of the Japanese puppet regime, and awakened the people who had been misled by the "appeasement" policy. Onizuka Ichiro was furious, but there was nothing he could do.
Gu Tieshan, carrying his invisible, sharp blade, once again disappeared into the vast forest, awaiting his next prey. He knew the war was far from over, but with each venomous snake's head severed, the scales of victory would tip in his favor.
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