69novels Chapter 137 Invincible!
Chapter 137 Invincible!
The headquarters immediately reported the matter directly to the Japanese China Expeditionary Army Headquarters via the highest-level secret telegram.
Beiping, the headquarters of the Japanese China Expeditionary Army.
During the War of Resistance against Japan, the main force of the invading Japanese army was strictly divided into four major systems: the Kwantung Army, the North China Area Army, the Central China Area Army, and the naval fleet.
These four forces were independent of each other, each acting independently, and had long harbored resentment and constant friction. Although they were all invading forces, they restrained each other and engaged in open and covert struggles. Except for the navy, whose fleet was limited in strength and had weaker influence, the other three major groups firmly occupied their so-called "spheres of influence" and supported puppet regimes that obeyed them within their jurisdictions.
The Kwantung Army occupied the puppet state of Manchukuo and was the behind-the-scenes force that actually controlled the puppet regime.
The North China Area Army was originally a garrison army in the late Qing Dynasty. It has the longest history and the most seniority. Although it is nominally under the control of the Expeditionary Army Headquarters, it is at odds with the Kwantung Army.
The Central China Area Army was expanded from the Shanghai Expeditionary Army, which was formed after the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan. It occupied the widest area, committed the most atrocities, and created a large number of massacres. It had three armies: the 11th, 21st and 13th. At its peak, it had 17 divisions, among which the 6th and 5th Divisions were elite Class A units. The Wang Jingwei regime was established by it.
The naval fleet is mainly responsible for supporting the coastal areas and the Yangtze River basin, and is not the main force for ground combat.
The sudden major upheaval in Shanghai naturally led to directives directed at the highest command of the Central China Front Army—the General Headquarters of the China Expeditionary Army.
And the commander-in-chief was none other than the infamous Okamura Yasuji.
Inside the commander's office.
Okamura Yasuji was reviewing the battle reports from various units, his brow furrowed and his expression grave.
"Report!"
"Come in."
A moment later, a communications adjutant rushed in, stood at attention, and saluted: "Reporting to the Commander! We have just received an urgent telegram from the Shanghai Garrison Command: General Yoshinori Shirakawa, commander of the Shanghai Expeditionary Force, was assassinated seven days ago."
"What?! Shirakawa-kun died for his country?" Okamura Neiji jumped to his feet, his eyes wide, his voice rising abruptly: "He was killed seven days ago? Why was it only reported now!"
The adjutant replied, "The telegram stated that General Shirakawa's body was found in the confidential archives room of the Military Police Headquarters. This area is a top-secret restricted zone, and no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter. Therefore, it was not until a routine inspection seven days later that his death was confirmed."
"Baka!" Okamura Yasuji slammed his fist on the table, furious. "What are the Shanghai Military Police doing? A general of the army died in his own headquarters, and no one noticed for seven days—they're all incompetent!"
Military orders are paramount; intelligence must come first.
Okamura Yasuji knew that frontline operations could not be separated from the support of intelligence systems such as the Special Higher Police and special service agencies.
He had long heard that the situation in Shanghai was deteriorating—three Special Higher Police chiefs had died in quick succession within just a few months. But he never expected that even a high-ranking officer like Yoshinori Shirakawa would meet such a tragic end.
This is absolutely appalling.
The forces resisting Japan have become so arrogant.
"The anti-Japanese elements in Shanghai are too rampant! They dared to assassinate our general in broad daylight, completely disregarding the Imperial Army!"
Zhou Xiao's assassination of Shirakawa Yoshinori was not just a slap in the face to the military police—it was a real killing right under their noses, and he escaped unscathed.
They even carried out the attack in the heavily guarded core area of their headquarters, and no one noticed for seven whole days. It was like slapping someone in public, leaving their cheeks sore.
At the same time, this blow also severely shattered the Japanese army's so-called "invincibility":
Even a high-ranking army general could be killed without hesitation.
What can you do to me?
How arrogant! How contemptuous!
Okamura Neiji was so angry that he trembled all over.
After all, it wasn't an ordinary soldier who fell, but an army general who commanded thousands of troops.
But as a battle-hardened commander, he quickly suppressed his anger and ordered in a deep voice: "Report this matter to His Majesty the Emperor immediately; also, prepare the car, I am going to the headquarters of the Special Service Agency in person."
Yoshinori Shirakawa had always been highly regarded by the Emperor; he was personally appointed by the Emperor to serve as the commander of the Shanghai garrison. Now that he had died in battle, Yasuji Okamura had to inform him immediately.
"Hai!" the adjutant responded loudly.
Immediately afterwards, an urgent coded telegram flew across the East China Sea, directly to Tokyo, and landed in the hands of the Emperor.
Upon learning of Shirakawa Yoshinori's assassination, the Emperor was both furious and deeply saddened. He posthumously conferred upon him the title of Baron and personally wrote a eulogy: "His great achievements cannot be forgotten; may he be remembered forever."
Many Japanese generals were posthumously honored, but only Yoshinori Shirakawa received a poem personally written by the Emperor—a testament to his immense influence and the deep reliance placed upon him.
With this strike, Zhou Xiao has once again beheaded one of the Emperor's most trusted and beloved generals.
Of course, these subsequent reactions are far from being fully realized.
At this moment, Okamura Neiji had only one thing to do:
He went to Kenji Doihara's intelligence headquarters to confront him directly.
How did Shanghai become such a mess?
Since General Yoshinori Shirakawa was assassinated without anyone noticing inside the military police headquarters, the perpetrator must have been an agent of the anti-Japanese forces—which was exactly Doihara's job.
The headquarters of the expeditionary force and the headquarters of the intelligence agency were both located in Beiping.
Okamura Neiji naturally had to rush over immediately to find out why the situation in Shanghai had suddenly deteriorated to this extent.
This was far more than a covert power struggle between intelligence systems; it directly dragged a regular field army general into the vortex, and even led to his tragic death.
How can this be tolerated?
Headquarters of the intelligence agency.
With Yamamitsu Ichiji and Doihara having just finalized the appointments for the head of the Special Higher Police Section and the commander of the Military Police in Shanghai, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief—these two hot potatoes had finally been removed.
As for when Yoko Minamida and Yoshimasa Fujita would depart, Doihara was also unsure.
The entire trip was kept strictly confidential in order to avoid repeating the mistake of Hirofumi Asano: he was found dead in the street as soon as he stepped into Shanghai, which was too embarrassing and undignified.
Doihara was equally unsure whether the two of them could suppress the increasingly arrogant anti-Japanese forces in Shanghai.
At this moment, the two are sitting around discussing the next intelligence operation plan.
If the intelligence agencies fail to produce any concrete results, it's only a matter of time before they face a military court.
Just then, the adjutant rushed in, stood at attention, and reported to Doihara, "Chief, General Okamura has arrived and specifically requests to see you!"
General Okamura Yasuji?
What is he doing here?
Although the intelligence system and combat units have always been closely linked, and Doihara and Okamura Yasuji were close friends for many years, in terms of rank, Doihara was half a rank lower than Okamura Yasuji.
Okamura Yasuji studied at the Army War College and the Army University in his early years and participated in the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. After graduating from the Army University in 1913, he joined the General Staff Headquarters. From 1917, he was stationed in China as a military attaché. After returning to Japan in 1919, he served in the General Staff Headquarters for a long time, specializing in intelligence research on China. He is now in charge of the General Headquarters of the Expeditionary Army.
The two had known each other since they worked together in the General Staff Headquarters, and later became Army Generals, so they were not only colleagues but also close friends.
Doihara immediately said, "Quickly, invite him in!"