Fengshan General Offensive (Part 4)
The midday sun seemed to have gone mad, scorching the bluestone slabs on the ground until they were steaming. Although the people inside were not directly baked by the blazing sun, they were not much better off. It was as if they were in a steamer, feeling suffocated and unable to breathe.
The team members were all crammed together in the office on the second floor, not minding the heat, but more importantly, this way of searching was completely inefficient.
Wang Renyong could only stand at the door, holding up a few keywords he had just written down, and directing everyone to search for files containing those keywords. Even illiterate team members could follow his instructions.
Under his command, the team members also successfully discovered a secret room.
The secret room was filled with rows of neat green metal cabinets, clearly an archive room. Wang Renyong casually opened a drawer, which contained several translated Japanese telegrams. Knowing that everyone has their own expertise, he quickly invited He Qingcheng from downstairs to come up and search the room.
After careful comparison, it was discovered that the header signatures of these documents were encrypted communications between Deputy Mine Manager Takahashi, Kobayashi Shiro, and Kobayashi Ichiro. It is unclear whether they were encrypted using military codes.
However, Kobayashi Ichiro had close ties with Japanese admirals and was very likely a Japanese naval agent planted in China to gather intelligence.
These are all translated telegrams, and most of the tasks have been carried out according to the dates; they look like just a pile of waste paper.
However, Kiyosumi stated that as long as the amount of translated documents is sufficient, it will greatly help them decipher the Japanese codes, and the specific decryption work can be handled by the comrades of the Fourth Division.
Besides scattered useless documents on the floor of the secret room, they also found two smashed radios, but unfortunately they were so badly damaged that they could not be repaired.
Next to the smashed radio station were several iron basins filled with documents and materials burned to ashes; the remaining fragments were of no use whatsoever.
Wang Renyong and Qingcheng exchanged a disappointed glance. They hadn't expected the Japanese to have such good mental fortitude; even after being ambushed, they still remembered to destroy the radio and burn important documents, leaving them no intelligence whatsoever.
Adding to the frustration was the fact that the basement, which was originally supposed to be a laboratory, was completely destroyed by Wang Renyong's bombing... This left them with an unprecedented sense of defeat. Apart from the weapons depot, their intelligence department had gained almost nothing.
To lighten the somber mood, Wang Renyong said that their original mission was only to clear the armory, which they had already completed successfully, and the rest was just icing on the cake.
No, that's not it. Qingcheng suddenly remembered the work notes she had found on the white coat. They were all personal items and couldn't be faked. Most of them had been sent back to the village.
However, she couldn't put all her eggs in one basket, and out of instinct as an intelligence agent, she kept another copy in her pocket.
When Qingcheng took out a work notebook wrapped in kraft paper and showed it to Wang Renyong, Wang Renyong was overjoyed and wanted to do a somersault on the spot. Unfortunately, his arm was shot and he could only think about those difficult moves for the time being.
"Hey, why is it so quiet outside? Has Gao Junxiao stopped fighting? Should we speed things up?" Qingcheng asked worriedly.
"Don't worry, I've already had someone put out a lookout and declared martial law. Gao Junxiao should be in the negotiation and verbal communication phase, so there's a temporary ceasefire." Following Wang Renyong's gaze, Qingcheng indeed saw that several sentry posts were manned by team members.
"What's the point of negotiating with bandits? It's only right for officials to arrest bandits," Qingcheng asked, puzzled.
"You don't understand this, do you? The fact that they're negotiating means that the two sides' combat strength is not that different. Gao Junxiao's side doesn't have an absolute advantage and needs to suffer heavy casualties to achieve victory. So, negotiating serves two purposes: first, to show one's own position and overwhelm the enemy in terms of morale; and second, to lull the enemy into a false sense of security so that they can make strategic adjustments and reduce casualties," Wang Renyong explained while flipping through his notes.
Bandits wouldn't surrender so easily, so Qingcheng asked out of the blue, "What if they have an absolute advantage?"
"Of course! If it were up to me, I'd raze Fengshan to the ground like autumn leaves in the wind." Wang Renyong waved his hand boldly, holding his notebook.
Qingcheng saw the little notebook fly out of Lao Wang's hand in a perfect arc and land in the crack next to the cabinet.
Under Qingcheng's disdainful gaze, Wang Renyong awkwardly chuckled and scurried into a corner to pick up the notebook. However, with only one hand, it was really inconvenient for him. Qingcheng sighed and pulled Old Wang aside, picking up the notebook from the gap and dusting it off.
The outer kraft paper wrapping was slapped open, and a three-inch photo fell out. It showed a woman in a kimono holding a baby, probably a family member of the person in the white coat. Qingcheng had a sudden thought and put the photo back in. Old Wang didn't pay any attention to the photo and put it back in his notebook, intending to study it later.
At this moment, Qingcheng spotted something else in the dark crevice, at a rather tricky angle. She asked Lao Wang to catch it from above, and then reached her hand deep into the crevice.
After struggling to pull out the paper and hand it to Old Wang, Qingcheng was covered in sweat. With her eyes closed, the loud ringing in her ears reminded her that she was also injured.
Once the tinnitus subsided slightly, Kiyosumi slowly stood up and asked, "Did it work? Let me see."
Wang Renyong, standing before him, seemed not to have heard the question; his entire body was tense and frozen in place, his eyes red-rimmed, with what appeared to be glistening tears.
Qingcheng could tell that Wang Renyong had done his best to control his emotions. She was very curious about what could make an old man like Wang, who had been through so many battles, so repressed.
Qingcheng leaned closer to look and gasped. Wang Renyong was holding a six-inch photograph. In the photograph, a six or seven-year-old girl was placed on an autopsy table with her abdomen cut open. Her body had been emptied out, and several people in white coats wearing gas goggles and masks were cutting off the girl's head.
Behind them, there was a row of human specimens, including brains, hearts, and eyeballs...
Through the photos, Qingcheng could almost smell the pungent disinfectant and hear the clanging of metal instruments. They now knew where the children they had bought had gone, and that the organ specimens were definitely not the size of adults.
Compared to the family photo in the white coat, it was an immense irony. Qingcheng silently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Out of the corner of her eye, she could only see Wang Renyong pressing his temples with his back to her. His trembling back looked like a boiler about to explode.
After a while, Wang Renyong came to his senses, took a deep breath, and said to Qingcheng in a trembling voice, "I thought I shouldn't assume the worst about others, but I was wrong. I still can't think of a single word to describe the crimes these bastards have committed. Executing them would be too lenient. They have children of their own!"
Faced with such horrific crimes, words fail to express their depravity. After the discovery of the child's body in Xuzhou, the Japanese had once again pushed her boundaries, leaving her heart numb with pain.
Their children are children, while our children are just fish to be slaughtered. When the country is weak and its people are cheap, they don't even have the right to judge criminals.
Clang—
Qingcheng jumped in fright at the loud noise. Wang Renyong exploded with emotion, kicking the metal cabinet and shouting wildly, a fury directed at the prisoner and resentment at his own powerlessness.
The volatile Wang Renyong startled "Little Thing" Li Chui, causing him to take two steps back. Li Chui's makeup was so thick it resembled Zhong Kui's, and it also startled Old Wang. Old Wang calmed down a little and asked him to report.
Li Chui rubbed his hands and mumbled, "Captain Meng, why did Takahashi send someone to assassinate the editor of Shenbao? They felt that the editor's disclosure of the photos and the resulting uproar in international newspapers damaged Japan's international image."
"If that's all, why don't they just go and edit at another company?" Kiyosumi asked, puzzled.
"They're acting guilty because they think the editors of the application are knowledgeable. They were the first people to come into contact with the children and they even had a foreign forensic doctor perform the autopsy. They must know that they're experimenting on children at the base. They're afraid the editors will find evidence to expose their experiments internationally. Those Japanese devils are doing all sorts of dirty work behind the scenes! Bah!" Li Chui spat after finishing his sentence.
So that's what happened. They didn't allow anyone to talk about the disgusting things they did, but she went international and recounted their shameful deeds, so they wanted to kill her.
This is outrageous! Wang Renyong, who was standing next to him, was practically fuming with anger, and kept asking where Takahashi was.
Upon learning that Takahashi was downstairs in the southeast corner, Wang Renyong rushed out. Qingcheng, fearing he might do something rash, quickly sent the little one with him.
Although she was furious, they couldn't let their anger interfere with their business.
Time was of the essence, and the bandits could arrive to reinforce the base at any moment, so she stayed behind to continue directing her team to move any potentially useful documents.
After Qingcheng and everyone else finished moving the documents, they carefully searched the corners again to make sure there were no missing items like those in the photos before going to find Lao Wang.
When she arrived at the southeast corner, Takahashi, who had been beaten black and blue, was lying on the ground convulsing. A gun was stuck in his neck, and bright red liquid slowly flowed out of the blood groove, gradually forming a bloody stream around Takahashi.
Even if you drained all the blood from Takahashi's body, you still couldn't erase the sins he carried.
Under the blazing sun, a flash of silver light appeared, and Uncle Hao suddenly pulled out the dagger, wiped it on his body, and the sharp blade, once sheathed, transformed into a gleaming black pipe.
Wang Renyong calmly waited for Takahashi to bleed out his last drop of blood. Kiyosumi was relieved to see that Wang could control himself, but she was still a little disappointed that she hadn't gotten any information about Ishikawa Sansan, who had done beastly things with Takahashi that night.
Well, even if Takahashi were alive, he probably wouldn't expose Ishikawa Sanzo.
Seeing the team members carrying weapons in an orderly manner along the way, she immediately rushed over to help.
However, none of the team members wanted to let Qingcheng do the work. Not to mention that she was injured, she was also a cultured scholar, so she couldn't do rough work. Otherwise, it would be like throwing their dignity into the Yellow River and feeding the turtles.
Who says intellectuals can't move things? Qingcheng felt somewhat helpless; it seemed some deeply ingrained old ideas required constant education from the organization.
At this moment, the sounds of fierce fighting came from afar again. It must be that Gao Junxiao and the bandits had broken down in negotiations and started fighting again.
"Oh, worried about your sweetheart? Why don't you go and see him on the way? You can ride to Fengshan at full speed and make a round trip in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn." Wang Renyong resumed his usual sly smile and swayed to her side, though a faint trace of sadness lingered in his eyes.
"Crazy." Qingcheng was too lazy to pay attention to him. She was just asking for trouble by walking right into Gao Junxiao's trap. Thinking about it made her head hurt even more.
Wang Renyong regained his composure: "Stop joking. Uncle Hao and I will go back to the village first. There are a lot of technical terms in that bastard's work notes that I don't understand. I need to find someone to translate them. I suspect that their experiment may be related to the No. 7 bomb."
"Yes, they're using children for experiments, and it's very targeted. Professionals wouldn't confuse experiments on adults and minors," Kiyosumi reminded him anxiously. "Also, look into Ishikawa Sanzo; his experiments might be related to the missing shells."
"Alright, you're in charge of covering the rear. Once you've moved everything, get out of here as quickly as possible. If you encounter any bandits, don't linger. Meet up in the village and we'll have a meeting tonight." Wang Renyong gave the instructions in a rapid-fire manner and then left in a hurry.
A little while later, Hu Yukun and Caitou also carried out documents from another office building. Qingcheng told them to go first, while she went to Building 2 to check on the progress of the weapons' transport.
"Comrade, how much stuff is left inside?" Qingcheng stopped a team member carrying a gun and asked.
"Not many left, maybe seven or eight boxes of grenades," the team member honestly replied.
"Okay, I got it. By the way, have the six big guys inside been dismantled?" Kiyosumi nodded, then suddenly remembered the six brand-new cannons.
"Captain Qin is joking. We're not going to take that apart. Even if we did, we couldn't put it back together. It would just turn into scrap metal," the team member said awkwardly.
"Let's move the stuff into the woods first and come back to pick it up later," Kiyosumi kindly suggested.
"We just happened to run into the bandit suppression team launching a major attack on the mountain today. The nearby hilltops all went to support them. There are usually too many bandits on this road. Even if we leave them in the woods, it would be difficult to bring them back to the regiment," the team member patiently explained.
"Don't you want it anymore?" Kiyosumi asked, puzzled.
"There's nothing we can do. Our orders are to take what we can and evacuate as quickly as possible. We're just following orders," the team member said helplessly.
The local militia primarily relied on mountain warfare and protecting the villagers, so this kind of large vehicle wasn't very useful to them and would only attract attention. But if they didn't move it, wouldn't it just benefit the bandits? And it would be even worse if it benefited the Japanese.
No, she couldn't get past this hurdle. She had to provide "insurance" for everyone—to ensure they were safe from danger. As she thought about it, a smile appeared on Qingcheng's lips, and her eyes regained their sparkle. A bold idea formed in her mind.
The weather remained sweltering under the blazing sun, and even the cicadas had stopped chirping. Everyone walked briskly under the shade of the trees, except for Qingcheng, who dragged his feet at the back and refused to ride in the mule cart, claiming that he was "covering the rear."
The mule cart was covered with a red cloth again, just as it had been when it arrived.
The downhill path was inherently more difficult than the uphill path, and Qingcheng used a headache as an excuse to rest for a while, successfully widening the distance between herself and the main group.
As soon as she shook off her teammates, Qingcheng immediately sped up and walked back, her steps light and quick, unlike that of an injured person, or rather, she had temporarily forgotten that she was an injured person.
Back at the base, the embers that hadn't been completely extinguished started burning again. The three dilapidated white buildings stood like three ghosts before us, with several newly formed graves nearby.
She hadn't felt it when there were many people around, but now, with her alone in the vast space, it inevitably felt eerie and desolate. Even though Kiyosumi prided herself on being a staunch materialist, her heart couldn't help but pound wildly.
After huffing and puffing to bolster her courage, Qingcheng braced herself and plunged into Building No. 2. Before she could even find a flashlight, she heard the sound of a car engine outside. Qingcheng thought to herself, "Oh no, the bandits or the Japanese devils are back."
Quietly creeping to the windowsill, Qingcheng looked up and quickly glanced around. She could hardly believe her eyes. Three military supply trucks were driving into the base one after another outside the gate, with the Kuomintang flag emblazoned brightly on their sides.
As the supply wagon came to a stop, Qingcheng was filled with deep confusion. How did the people from the National Government know about this place? They even brought a large wagon; they were clearly well-prepared. Were they bandits in disguise? But their manner of speaking immediately dispelled that thought.
"Attention! At ease!"
"Now, we're assigning tasks. Everyone, go down to the second basement level. Team one is responsible for dismantling, and team two is responsible for transporting. Not a single screw can be missing. Execute the order immediately."
"yes."
"Attention, all! Forward!"
What kind of bandits are so disciplined? This is the Nationalist government's regular army. Qingcheng closed her eyes, greedily breathing in the surrounding air, trying to calm herself down. She then crouched down and approached the office door, the only way down to the basement.
With the sound of orderly footsteps, Qingcheng saw soldiers in yellow-green uniforms walk past the door, and soon the building returned to silence. In the shadows, she leaned against the wall, carefully processing what had just happened.
Alright, now that she doesn't need "insurance," she can return to the village to report in peace. Strangely, despite it being something to be happy about, for a fleeting moment, Qingcheng felt like crying. What is this? Is this cooperation between the government and the state? Or is there a traitor among them?
The new yellow-green military uniforms were only worn by the Central Army, and the closest Central Army unit to this location was Gao Junxiao's bandit suppression team.
Does Gao Junxiao know? Bah, do I even need to say it? It was that heartless man who gave the order.
Qingcheng didn't recognize the others, but she had seen that captain at the garrison command; he was Gao Junxiao's own "protégé." It seemed that no one but Gao Junxiao dared to touch him.
Old Wang just said that a round trip to Fengshan only takes the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, so they must have known about the large weapons there at least twenty minutes in advance to be able to prepare so thoroughly. And twenty minutes ago they were still in the base.
The timing was so precise; they had barely descended the mountain from the main gate when the bandit suppression team arrived to pick up the loot.
If they had left later, would they have had to fight the bandit suppression team again? A jumble of chaotic thoughts clouded over Qingcheng's fragile nerves.
Who are the enemies? Who are the allies? Amidst the desolate smoke of battle, Qingcheng walked out of Building No. 2. She didn't know how she got back to the village. The accumulated exhaustion exploded the moment she returned, and Qingcheng collapsed onto the grass, too weak to stand up again...
When Qingcheng woke up again, the lights of thousands of homes were already shining outside the window, and the night sky was dotted with stars, their blurry brightness stretching to the horizon.
Outside, there was a noisy laugh, as lively as if it were the New Year. However, far away, behind the smoke of battle, lay a battlefield piled with countless corpses.
She seemed to see the boys' innocent smiles at the edge of the horizon, but they would never see the night sky again.
"Stop being sad, come out to the meeting." Old Wang was standing outside the window at some point, and Qingcheng, looking dejected, closed the window in protest.
However, Old Wang wasn't going to let her off the hook. There was another knock on the door: "Come out for the meeting, or we'll all squeeze into your room to hold it."
Seeing that Qingcheng didn't react, Old Wang kept his word and directly pulled a group of men to make a ruckus at the door. They started discussing things right in front of her room. Qingcheng had no choice but to open the door. The men, carrying small stools, filed in one after another, led by Wang Renyong.
Wang Renyong went even further, holding a plate of roasted melon seeds and asking her if she wanted some. Qingcheng clenched her fists, restraining herself from hitting him. She felt heartbroken for the fallen soldiers; how could he act as if nothing had happened?
"Today's main topics are how to distribute the captured weapons, and we also need to discuss the merits and mistakes of this raid. Who wants to speak first?" Old Wang ignored her and began to chair the meeting on his own.
Suddenly, someone pressed down on her shoulder. When Qingcheng turned around, she saw a kind-looking middle-aged woman. The woman smiled and handed her a bowl of noodles. The woman seemed unable to speak and gestured for a while, probably telling her to eat it while it was hot.
It was just a plain bowl of noodles, without any toppings. If she were in Shanghai, she wouldn't even give this bowl of noodles a second glance.
After a whole day of encountering the stench of human nature, such pure kindness brought tears to Kiyosumi's eyes, which streamed down her face and fell into the mud.
The middle-aged woman put down her bowl, at a loss, and gently wiped away the tears on her face with her hand like a loving mother. The woman's hand was not soft and had thick calluses, which brushed against her cheeks with a slight rustling sound.
Qingcheng hugged the aunt tightly and burst into tears. The emotions that had been pent up all day finally broke down. She had always thought that dignity was something everyone should have, but now she realized that dignity was the most luxurious thing in this world.
She can give clothes and money to poor children, but can she change their future and their destiny?
If we only rely on charity without doing anything for them, they will remain the same today and tomorrow. Their children and their children's children will also be the same.
She almost forgot that the source of revolutionary power is the people, and that China has vast rural areas where countless children, like blades of grass, are adrift in the chaos of war.
But how easy is it to get the most progressive ideas to take root in the poorest rural areas? That's the hardest part of revolution.
"Let's all give Comrade Qin, who's been crying his eyes out, some encouragement. It's the young scholar's first time participating in a battle, and he did a great job." Old Wang suddenly steered the conversation back to Qingcheng and led the applause.
Hearing the enthusiastic applause, Qingcheng didn't know if Lao Wang was deliberately mocking her or genuinely encouraging her. She was so angry that she wiped her face, moved a stool over, squeezed next to Lao Wang, pushed aside the plate of melon seeds in front of him, put down her bowl, and asked while eating, "You guys continue, where were we in the discussion?"
Knowing that Qingcheng had emerged from the shadows, Wang Renyong smiled with relief: "Continue, continue, Xiao Li, you just said you chopped down a guard as soon as you crawled out of the carriage..."
What's past cannot be undone, but the future can still be shaped. Enough, enough!
After the meeting ended, Qingcheng pulled Lao Wang aside and whispered, "Boss, do you know who gave the order to abandon everyone?"
"I don't know, did you not have time to take it with you? What a pity." Wang Renyong looked regretful, not like someone who knew the truth.
"You really don't know?" Kiyosumi asked again.
“What are you saying? Even if you can’t take it with you, you can’t leave it to the bandits. Did you take it upon yourself to cause trouble? That’s why you’re back so late.” Wang Renyong looked at Qingcheng knowingly.
"What if I said yes?" Qingcheng looked up and stared at Wang Renyong.
"That's good, you know how to adapt to changing circumstances. I have to praise you. We can't leave what we can't get to the enemy, remember that." Wang Renyong looked smug, it seemed he really didn't know about this.
"Is Gao Junxiao an enemy?" Qingcheng asked seriously.
"Hehe, you should ask yourself that question," Old Wang said after a moment's thought. "How united are you?"
"No progress." Kiyosumi plucked the weeds at her feet and threw them heavily into the distance.
"Haha, then try whispering sweet nothings in my ear, men are most susceptible to that." Old Wang started being inappropriate again.
"Whispers won't work on him. It's better to do something practical, like finding someone to negotiate with him and get him to admit to the base attack. No one would complain about killing thousands of enemies. We can also leak the news about everyone to him as hush money," Qingcheng suggested casually.
"Damn it, you're setting a trap for him. In the long run, those damn Japanese won't let him off the hook." Wang Renyong stared at Kiyosumi in disbelief.
“Didn’t you say that you can’t carry out a revolution while wearing white gloves? Our attack this time was illegitimate, while he is the legitimate ‘mastermind’. In the long run, he can protect our own armed forces.” Kiyosumi calmly stated his reasoning.
"Ah...doing revolution...doesn't mean you have to be heartless and ruthless." Wang Renyong stammered, not knowing what to say.
"What kind of kinship is he with me?" Qingcheng's harsh words left Wang Renyong speechless.
"Miss He, may I ask quietly, what did Inspector Gao do to offend you?" Wang Renyong's expression was rich, with a look of being both amused and exasperated, probably wondering why Qingcheng had suddenly changed so much.
“No. Since it’s inconvenient for you to come and talk, I suggest you let Uncle Hao do it.” Qingcheng forced a smile and pushed Lao Wang to Uncle Hao’s door. Before Lao Wang could object, she knocked on the door.
Wang Renyong had no choice but to be forced into a corner by her, so he had to bite the bullet and go inside to chat with Uncle Hao. Qingcheng followed him in, wanting to see if Uncle Hao was some kind of monster.
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