Upon meeting the diners today, Ning Zhiheng immediately sensed something was amiss. These young men, though dressed plainly, spoke in a manner quite different from ordinary Chinese citizens. They appeared more confident and composed, and their extensive knowledge of Japanese eating habits and culture quickly made Ning Zhiheng realize that these people must have been exposed to Japanese food culture for a long time.
It's understandable if one person does this, but how can it be explained if several people do it? And how could people who have this kind of opportunity all be ordinary Chinese citizens?
In particular, at the end, Yamada Nobuyuki told Ning Zhiheng with great certainty that these people would not cause any problems. This could be interpreted as him knowing their identities very well and that they would not pose a threat to Ning Zhiheng's safety. He knew these people!
Nobuyuki Yamada is the head of the Special Higher Police (TPT) of Japan. Among the Japanese intelligence agencies, the TPT is the most skilled at infiltration operations. They even began preparing decades ago to cultivate spies to infiltrate various levels of Chinese society. The high-ranking Japanese spies Puppet and Snow Wolf, whom Ning Zhiheng previously arrested, were both TPT spies.
This intelligence department trained a large number of intelligence agents who were fluent in Chinese, so much so that when the Japanese army invaded China, it needed to transfer these Chinese-speaking intelligence agents from the Special Higher Police to cooperate with the military's operations.
Therefore, Ning Zhiheng believed that these people were Special Higher Police agents under Yamada Nobuyuki, or at least Yamada Nobuyuki knew which department they belonged to.
Moreover, these people all spoke fluent Chinese, with different accents from all over the country. Three of them had northern accents, namely the Northeast accent and the Beijing accent. Most surprisingly, the other two even spoke with the Sichuan accent from Chongqing, which greatly surprised Ning Zhiheng.
It's important to understand that training a Japanese agent to learn Chinese and use it fluently is extremely difficult. It requires a long period of study and training. Moreover, most Japanese agents learned Chinese from the northern regions of China, which were among the first to fall to the Japanese. It can be said that the vast majority of Japanese agents speak Chinese with a northern accent. It wasn't until after the Battle of Shanghai that they began to come into contact with and learn southern Chinese languages. There are not many Japanese agents who can use southern languages fluently.
In the far southwestern border region of Sichuan and Chongqing, the Sichuan dialect is even rarer. It was only after Ning Zhiheng stayed in Sichuan for two months that he became relatively familiar with it. Yet these Japanese agents were able to use this Sichuan dialect fluently, which is definitely abnormal.
There is only one explanation: the Japanese are consciously training their agents to learn the language, accent, and customs of Sichuan and Chongqing.
As for what it will be used for, it's obvious: it will definitely be sent to the Chongqing area to carry out special missions. Otherwise, there would be no need to go to such great lengths to learn the extremely obscure Chongqing accent.
Putting everything together, Ning Zhiheng was not about to let this opportunity slip by. He wanted to find the hideout of these Japanese agents so that he could obtain some information about them. This way, when these agents infiltrated Chongqing in the future, he would have a trail to follow and it would be easier to capture them.
The next morning, Yamada Nobuyuki was waiting in the living room of the villa early, ready to accompany Ning Zhiheng on his outing. After Ning Zhiheng washed up, he came to the living room to meet him.
"Sir, are you planning to go to the antique market again today? I inquired about it yesterday, and there's another antique market on Hankou East Street. However, that market is more reputable, and I heard it has quite a few fine pieces. How about we go take a look?"
Knowing that Ning Zhiheng liked antiques and calligraphy, Yamada Nobuyuki did his homework well in advance, inquiring about everything, and prepared to go to the antique market with Ning Zhiheng again in order to cater to his interests.
Ning Zhiheng said with a smile, "Yamada-kun, you really understand my thoughts. But let's go to Hankou River Beach first. I've always heard that the scenery there is beautiful. Then we can go to East Street. It's not far anyway."
Ning Zhiheng was located in the center of Hankou Town, near the Japanese garrison camp, not far from the riverbank.
"Alright, let's go take a look at the riverbank first!"
The two went out together and headed to the riverbank to enjoy the scenery. They arrived at Hankou Riverbank, which is also the most prosperous area in Wuhan. It faces the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuchang across the river. Hundreds of sails are racing on the Yangtze River. The riverside area is the former concession area, with high-rise buildings and various Western-style buildings scattered in an orderly manner.
Ning Zhiheng nodded in approval, saying, "The bustling scenery here is quite similar to the Huangpu River Beach in Shanghai, which is truly rare."
Nobuyuki Yamada agreed, replying with a smile, "You're right, sir. I had the same thought when I first came here."
After touring the area for half a day, Ning Zhiheng, still in high spirits, walked towards the eastern part of the river mouth. Soon, he came to a street, looked around, and said, "I'm a little tired. Let's take a break."
There were still a few shops and roadside stalls selling herbal tea along the road. Ning Zhiheng found a seat and sat down. Yamada Nobuyuki also sat down next to him. The group had been walking behind Ning Zhiheng all morning and were a little tired, so they all ordered a bowl of herbal tea and sat down to rest.
After everyone rested for a while, Ning Zhiheng pointed to a large mansion with gray and white walls not far away and asked, "What is this place? The courtyard looks quite large!"
Nobuyuki Yamada glanced at it and replied with a smile, "This place was originally called Dongyuan. It is said to have a history of over a hundred years and is one of the best mansions in Wuhan. Before we arrived, it was the residence of a high-ranking official of the Wuhan government. Later, it was requisitioned by us and is currently used as the training department and dormitory for our Special Higher Police. You are welcome to go in and take a look."
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