In the following days, the Shanghai station acted quickly. Wang Hanmin sent a telegram to the Fifth Detachment of the Loyal and Patriotic Army, which was operating in the southern Jiangsu region, and selected one hundred capable operatives. Through his own channels, the number of operatives entered the French Concession of Shanghai in varying numbers each day.
At the same time, they used all the limited funds they had to purchase a large amount of firearms, guns, and ammunition from the black market, actively preparing for the operation.
However, he did not expect that both of his safe houses had been taken over by the Japanese. With so many people involved, it would be difficult to hide the surveillance from those who were interested.
Chen Jiaping received another report from his subordinates.
“Young Master, many unfamiliar faces have appeared on Yannan Street these past few days, especially at Yonghe Trading Company, where at least forty unfamiliar young men have arrived. In apartment number 27 of Beimen Mansion, ten more young men moved in on the third day after those five people left. We haven’t been able to find the whereabouts of many others, but we are certain that this group is quite large, and they rarely show their faces, mostly hiding in their rooms!”
Ah Sheng reported his observations in detail to Chen Jiaping.
Chen Jiaping was startled. The sudden appearance of so many people in the French Concession indicated that the other side was clearly powerful and not some outsider. They were most likely Chinese agents.
Fortunately, I held my temper; otherwise, if we had actually exchanged fire, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Chen Jiaping instructed Asheng, "Don't get involved in their affairs. Just keep an eye on them from a distance and don't get close. I think these people are going to do some big business soon. As long as their target isn't us, we're fine. Let the rest go."
"Yes!" Ah Sheng nodded and left to carry out the order.
As Chen Jiaping watched Ah Sheng's retreating figure, a cold sweat broke out on his back. He had almost provoked those guys, but thankfully he hadn't attacked them.
Of course, these actions at Shanghai Station did not escape the notice of the Japanese undercover team that had been secretly monitoring them.
The information was quickly relayed back to Kitaoka Ryoko, who immediately reported it to her section chief, Sagawa Taro.
"Chief, this is the situation. I originally arranged several action teams to be ready to enter the French Concession at any time to wipe out this special agent force. However, the situation has suddenly changed. In the past few days, the other side has suddenly increased its personnel. We are at a disadvantage in terms of strength. If we send too many people, it will be difficult to control the situation, and we will definitely fall out with the French. So please give me your instructions, Chief!"
Kitaoka Ryoko had many considerations, because that area was, after all, under French control. If she made any big moves and caused a firefight involving hundreds of people, it would be a slap in the face to the French.
Moreover, that area is a Chinese community, and the Green Gang's attitude has always been ambiguous. If things get out of hand, and the Green Gang and the concession police get involved, I might not be able to complete the mission successfully in the end.
After listening to Kitaoka Ryoko's report, Sagawa Taro pondered for a moment and asked in a deep voice, "What is the purpose of these Chinese agents suddenly deploying so many personnel? Are they there to infiltrate the French Concession for a long time? Or are they planning a major operation soon?"
Kitaoka Ryoko had already considered this in her mind. She replied, "Their actions are large-scale and somewhat hasty. Dozens of agents have been crammed into a small trading company. This at least shows that they didn't have enough time to prepare. It doesn't seem like a planned operation. My opinion is that they should have a major operation soon, which requires a large number of people. That's why they've brought in so many people."
"So what do you think their goal is?" Sagawa Taro asked, staring intently at Kitaoka Ryoko.
Kitaoka Ryoko hesitated for a moment before giving an answer.
Taro Sagawa pressed on again: "We have Shanghai firmly under our control now. Chinese agents should know this. If we were to launch a major operation, the success rate would be very low, and it would involve a great deal of risk. But since they want to do this, they must have their reasons. Think about it, what could possibly be worth the risk they would take to launch such a major operation?"
Kitaoka Ryoko looked at Section Chief Sagawa Taro with suspicion, pondering the meaning behind his words, and finally asked uncertainly, "You mean, their target is Project Eclipse?"
But she quickly dismissed the answer, saying, "The Eclipse Project is top secret. The Chinese know they lost one billion yuan in legal tender, but how could they know that this tender would be transported to Shanghai?"
Taro Sagawa also said thoughtfully, "The legal tender was transported from Guangzhou to Shanghai. Many people in the naval intelligence department knew about this. As far as I know, many important pieces of information from the naval intelligence department have been leaked repeatedly in the past two years, so it is possible that the Chinese knew about this news."
Kitaoka Ryoko felt that Sagawa Taro was being a bit presumptuous. Was it really possible to link the unusual behavior of the Chinese agents to the Eclipse Project based on just a guess? Wasn't that being a bit paranoid?
"Section Chief, I think your statement is a bit of an overreaction. Even if Chinese agents know that these legal tenders have been transported to Shanghai, how can they find out their true whereabouts? They probably don't even know their target, so how can they launch an operation?"
Taro Sagawa picked up a document from the table and said to Ryoko Kitaoka, "Just a few days ago, several disappearances occurred in Shanghai, including two involving overseas Chinese."
Kenta Hashimoto, 37 years old, is a clerk at Arai Trading Company in Japan.
Kuwahara Taisei, 25 years old, is a waiter at a pastry shop.
During our investigation, we discovered that they disappeared on the same day, February 2nd. Further investigation into their backgrounds revealed another commonality: they knew each other. Before the Battle of Shanghai, they had both worked at the library building—one as a librarian, and the other as a cleaner.
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