With Takeshi Ishikawa intervening, Seiichiro Yokoyama dared not delay and quickly arranged for his officers to release the people. As for the personnel and vehicles needed to expand the military camp, that was easy; they could just guard the checkpoints and arrest as many as they wanted!
Moreover, he was now single-mindedly trying to befriend these two prominent fellow townsmen. With their help, he, a commoner officer with no background, would have another way to get around in Shanghai.
On the construction site in the military camp, a 30-year-old young man dressed in coarse cloth worker's clothes was digging soil in a deep pit with a shovel. He would occasionally look up and secretly observe that several Japanese soldiers with guns were patrolling back and forth, supervising the work of these laborers.
This man is Zhang Yong, the head of the telecommunications section of the intelligence station and an agent of the military intelligence investigation department sent to Shanghai by headquarters. He is Wang Hanmin's old subordinate. This time, he followed Wang Hanmin to Shanghai to set up an intelligence station, but he was unlucky and was forcibly conscripted by the Japanese to work as a laborer before even entering Shanghai.
But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that he was also carrying the latest codebook for the military intelligence station's radio. If the Japanese discovered it, his own life wouldn't matter; he could just fight to the death. But if the codebook fell into enemy hands, the consequences would be unimaginable. At that moment, he couldn't help but look at the truck that was unloading soil not far away.
The cargo on the truck has been abandoned in the middle of the square, and the truck is now empty, intended for transporting soil and building materials.
Finally, it was time to rest. All the conscripted laborers put down their work and huddled in twos and threes in a corner to catch their breath.
The two men huddled together beside Zhang Yong, and the three of them rested under the shade of a tree.
Liu Zhengqing handed a bowl of water to Zhang Yong and said in a low voice, "Old Zhang, I just observed that the Japanese are still too vigilant. I can only check the situation again tonight."
Zhang Yong took the bowl of water and drank it all in one gulp without saying a word.
Fei Xingbang said from the side, "It's better not to take any risks. The Japanese haven't discovered our identities yet. At most, we'll have to do hard labor for a few days. But if we make a mistake, it will be troublesome. The Japanese will immediately confirm our identities and conduct a thorough search of us. That would be a real problem!"
"What do you know? There's a lot more to it than we can stay here, especially for Lao Zhang. He absolutely cannot stay here. We two have to risk our lives to get him out of here, or we'll suffer a huge loss!" Liu Zhengqing glared at him and said sternly.
"Alright! Stop arguing!" Zhang Yong said in a low voice, putting the empty bowl on the ground and looking at the Japanese soldiers in the distance. "We can only wait. I'm worried that even if we escape, if the Japanese are thorough and really investigate, they will find clues through the Chamber of Commerce, and the station chief and the others will be in danger!"
“But…” Liu Zhengqing was still worried about leaving Zhang Ningyong in this dangerous place.
“Don’t worry, I’ve hidden the item very well. As long as I don’t say anything, the Japanese will have a hard time finding it. We’ll just wait here. If the Japanese do discover my identity, I’m willing to die for my country. You shouldn’t make any rash moves either; we can’t afford to take any risks right now!” Zhang Yong said calmly.
Seeing that Zhang Yong had made up his mind, Liu Zhengqing stopped insisting and nodded in agreement, saying, "Yes! I'm just worried that the station chief doesn't know the situation. He must be trying his best to rescue us right now. I hope nothing unexpected happens!"
These words caused great anxiety among the three of them. Now that they were locked up here, cut off from communication, and unaware of each other's situation, they could only wait.
Just as they were feeling uneasy and making their own plans, a Japanese officer walked towards them with two soldiers carrying rifles.
Liu Zhengqing was the first to notice the situation and quickly signaled to his two companions. The other two immediately stood up and looked at the approaching Japanese officer.
The Japanese officer looked at the three people, nodded, and said in broken Chinese, "Fengmao Trading Company?"
"Yes, sir!" Zhang Ning's heart skipped a beat. The other party had approached him with a specific goal in mind, but he didn't know why they had come to him.
"Follow me, everyone!"
After speaking, the officer turned and left. Two armed sergeants pointed their guns at the three men, signaling them to follow. Liu Zhengqing was a little slow, and one of the sergeants struck him on the shoulder with the butt of his gun. The heavy blow caught him off guard, causing him to stumble and almost fall to the ground.
Zhang Yong quickly supported him and followed the Japanese officer. When they were first captured to be forced into labor, the Japanese even killed a young man on the spot in order to establish their authority. In the past two days, these Japanese soldiers had been beating and kicking them regularly.
The other workers on the construction site, watching their backs, were also filled with unease, wondering what would become of those who had been taken away by the Japanese.
Before long, the Japanese officer led them to the square in the military camp. Zhang Yong found that the other members of the Fengmao Chamber of Commerce had also gathered there. These people were all hired ordinary people who did not know the identities of the intelligence station agents. The three of them were also herded into the ranks and waited quietly, wondering how the Japanese would treat them.
At that moment, the six impounded trucks also arrived. The officer pointed to the goods that had been abandoned in the square and said, "Load your goods onto the trucks, and you can leave!"
The Japanese officer's words stunned everyone, followed by a mix of surprise and delight. It was a complete turn of events. They had been captured by the Japanese and their lives were in danger, but they never expected the Japanese to let them go so easily.
"What do the Japanese mean? Could this be a trap?" Liu Zhengqing asked in a low voice.
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