Reverse Scale Project
Volume 3, Chapter 6
Takeshita Hiroki's "appeasement" offensive was like a slowly flowing venom, silently eroding the wounded land. Shen Lanjun's "Reverse Scale Plan," on the other hand, was like a series of poisoned needles, precisely piercing the vital spot of this serpent of cultural invasion.
The plan unfolded in utmost secrecy. Xiao Chen and several clever soldiers disguised themselves as merchants selling mountain goods or peddlers traveling through the streets and infiltrated villages and towns controlled by the Japanese army. They no longer carried weapons, but instead carried leaflets written by Shen Lanjun in the simplest language, as well as several boxes of inexpensive mints that could temporarily soothe crying children—these were the "Anti-Japanese Alliance Candies" against the "Japanese Candies."
Night became their best cover. In the dead of night, between the barking of dogs, these shadowy figures moved like ghosts. Leaflets printed with slogans such as "Having eaten Japanese candy, have you forgotten your ancestors' hatred?" and "The Japanese school is the King of Hell's palace, there is no return!" were stuffed into door cracks, pasted on well edges, and even cleverly mixed into the lining of the "good citizen certificates" distributed by Takeshita's team.
During the day, it was the "insiders" lurking among the masses who took charge. Aunt Wang, an old woman whose son had been conscripted by the Japanese army and whose fate remained unknown, sat under the big locust tree at the village entrance after receiving the old clothes from the "Imperial Army." While sewing shoe soles, she sighed to the old women who gathered around her: "Ah, the material of these clothes is quite good, but wearing them reminds me of my poor son. I don't know if he's dead or alive..." Her words stirred up similar sorrowful memories in those around her, making the small favors seem insignificant.
Li Ergou, a waiter at the town's restaurant, had sharp ears and a tight tongue. He overheard a puppet army officer drinking and boasting that the scribe next to Takeshita had gotten into a fight with a prostitute the night before, even slapping a Chinese pimp several times and cursing him as a "pig." Li Ergou remained unfazed, then turned around and embellished the story, spreading it as, "That Japanese gentleman is two-faced and looks down on us Chinese."
These seemingly fragmented and insignificant actions, when combined, formed a powerful undercurrent. Takeshita Hiroki keenly sensed the change. The eyes of those who came to listen to his "preaching" were no longer merely numb or fearful; they held something he couldn't understand—a mixture of mockery and suppressed anger. The damage rate of the posters he distributed had noticeably increased. On one occasion, while "inspecting" a village that had just "submitted," a boy suddenly threw a clod of dirt at him from the crowd. Although it missed, it left a stain on his crisp long robe. The boy was immediately covered by an adult and dragged away, but the undisguised hatred in his bright black eyes sent a chill down Takeshita's spine.
"Baka!" Back at his temporary lodgings, Takeshita Hiroki could no longer maintain his outward composure. He abruptly swept the teacup off the table, his face turning ashen. "These ignorant bastards! Stubborn fools! Someone must be pulling the strings behind the scenes! They're remnants of the Anti-Japanese United Army!"
He immediately strengthened his ties with Ichiro Onizuka, demanding the deployment of more plainclothes agents to implement tighter surveillance of villages and towns, especially to thoroughly investigate the source of those "inflammatory remarks." At the same time, he adjusted his strategy, no longer relying solely on general "appeasement," and began to use targeted inducements and threats.
He sent people to find families with members of the Anti-Japanese United Army or those who were clearly dissatisfied with the Japanese puppet regime, and to give them "special attention." Sometimes it was a late-night "visit" with puppet police officers to "beat" them; other times he offered them great rewards, promising that as long as they "reported and exposed" Anti-Japanese United Army members or stopped "spreading rumors," they would receive food, work, and even have their families' safety guaranteed.
Pressure is like a noose that is constantly tightening.
Wang Degui's next message was filled with fear: "...The investigation is very strict, many people have been summoned for questioning, and I'm afraid I might not be able to protect myself... The 'gentlemen' are using even more ruthless methods, employing both soft and hard tactics..."
Shen Lanjun stared at the note, her brow furrowed. "Operation Reverse Scale" had shown initial success, but it had also touched a nerve with the enemy, provoking a fiercer counterattack. The Wang Degui line was now extremely risky, and could be exposed at any moment.
"Tell him to remain silent for now and avoid contact unless absolutely necessary. Protect yourself," Shen Lanjun instructed Xiao Chen, her tone grave. She couldn't lose this eye in the heart of the enemy.
At the same time, she realized that relying solely on spreading rumors and sporadic resistance was no longer sufficient to counter the enemy's escalating offensive. Takeshita Hiroki and Onizuka Ichiro joined forces, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, systematically undermining the masses' will to resist.
"We must crush their arrogance!" Shen Lanjun said to Gu Tieshan, who had just led his team out of another Japanese blockade to join them. "This poisonous snake, Takeshita, must be eliminated! Otherwise, we will lose not only land, but also the hearts of the people!"
Gu Tieshan was travel-worn, his face showing the weariness of days of battle, but his eyes remained sharp as knives. He glanced at the intelligence report Shen Lanjun had compiled regarding the activity patterns and guard situation under the bamboo grove, nodded, and spoke with unwavering certainty:
"Then cut off this snake's head!"
The "Reverse Scale" plan, initially a public opinion counterattack, began to shift towards a more resolute and dangerous decapitation operation. At this moment, the cultural front and military action became inextricably intertwined.
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