Early the next morning,
Zuo Zhong walked out of the drugstore and found that both sides of the street were lined with stalls selling kamen mochi and kadomatsu. He suddenly realized that the Japanese New Year was coming.
After leaving Asia and joining Europe, Japan abolished the Lunar New Year passed down from China and began to celebrate only the Gregorian New Year, calling New Year's Day the Great Hark Day.
Different from the custom of posting couplets and blessing characters during the Chinese New Year in the Republic of China, Japanese people at this time would place kamochi and kadomatsu in their homes during the Chinese New Year.
The so-called mirror cake is a kind of round rice cake with two stacked round rice cakes, with orange decoration on the top. In addition to the meaning of perfection, the stacked round rice cakes also represent the stacking up of good things.
Because oranges have the same pronunciation as "generation" in Japanese, they are regarded as auspicious items to pray for family prosperity from generation to generation, and are used by both ordinary people and wealthy families.
Mirror cakes are usually decorated at home and can be left at room temperature for a long time without deteriorating. They cannot be eaten until the date of opening of the mirror, which is January 11th.
Kadomatsu is a decoration composed of pine, bamboo, and ligustrum. It is placed on both sides of the gate during the New Year. The pine symbolizes longevity, the bamboo represents a family full of descendants, and the ligustrum symbolizes a good rice harvest.
Zuo Zhong took a look around, then turned back to the drugstore to ask He Yijun to go out and buy some items for the New Year, so that the neighbors could not see any flaws.
After making these arrangements, he got on a rickshaw and rushed to the newspaper office. First, he went to Ono Satoshi to report and prepared to go to the address on the interview invitation.
However, Ono Satoshi stopped him. The guy made a very arrogant call to the military contact and asked the military to send a car to greet him.
Zuo Zhong knew that this was an internal strife among the Japanese, so he stood aside with a smile and said nothing. If someone came to pick him up, he could save some office expenses.
Ono Satoshi called, and the two chatted for a long time. Suddenly, several crisp horns sounded in the newspaper compound.
"Didi didi~"
Zuo Zhong saw a sidecar motorcycle parked downstairs through the window. A Japanese officer was sitting in the driver's seat, looking up at the office building.
Damn it, the Japanese are really stingy. They don't even send a car in this cold weather, but send a three-wheeler. This is to give themselves a show of strength.
He frowned and thought for a while, borrowed a coat from Satoshi Ono, walked into the yard with his camera and satchel, came to the sidecar motorcycle and looked up.
The Japanese officer who picked him up had a red zodiac on his shoulder, a captain's rank with three gold stars, and two Roman numerals 1 on the military badge on his collar.
This means that the opponent is from the first brigade of the first infantry division. Combined with the military rank, this person should be a low-level officer at the level of squadron leader.
Zuo Zhong knew that if he wanted to have a good relationship with these Japanese, he had to lower his posture a little, so he bowed respectfully and said.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting."
The originally impatient captain looked a little better when he heard this, but he still replied lukewarmly: "Get in the car."
"Hai." Zuo Zhong nodded and hunched down, raised his feet and sat in the sidecar. He held the handrails in front of the car with both hands, and for some reason wanted to shout to clear the way.
Fortunately, the captain didn't give him a chance. He adjusted the gear with his feet, turned the accelerator hard with his right hand, and rushed out with a beep of friction and black smoke.
After driving out of the Tokyo Daily News, the car sped towards the suburbs. The First Division was stationed outside the city, and so was the First Brigade.
The biting cold wind rushed towards the face, making it difficult to open one's eyes. Zuo Zhong quickly turned up the collar of his coat, shrinking his head tightly and not daring to raise his head.
The captain glanced at him and raised the corners of his mouth slightly to appear very happy. He raised his hand to put the goggles on his eyes and increased the speed of the car a few points.
Japanese men of letters despise soldiers the most, especially the army. The grudges between the two can be traced back hundreds of years.
Seeing the other party's embarrassment, the captain felt relieved all over. He drove flexibly through Tokyo and soon drove out of the city.
First Division,
Its predecessor was the Tokyo Zhentai established in Tokyo in 1871. It was one of the first six Zhentai established by the Japanese army and was responsible for guarding the Kanto region.
Later, according to the military reform suggestions proposed by the Prussian military adviser to the Japanese government, Tokyo Town was reorganized into the First Division, codenamed Jade.
As the oldest division in the Japanese Army, the First Division has experienced the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 and the Japanese War of 1894-1895, and is Japan's ace force.
However, this ace unit has not been having a good time recently. There are rumors that they will soon be stationed in the Mite Kingdom to fight against the Red Russians who are armed to the teeth.
So when Zuo Zhong passed the inspection and entered the station of the First Division, he could see dejected officers and ashen-faced soldiers everywhere.
"Stop!"
Just as he was looking around, the motorcycle was stopped by a patrol. The leader was also a captain. He wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses and had a resolute face.
The other party saluted them, frowned and said, "Xiangtian-kun, why are you galloping through the camp? Have you forgotten the Army's military regulations?"
"Ah, it's Ando-kun. This is the guest invited by the brigade commander to interview..." The captain who was driving got out of the car and pulled the man aside.
Zuo Zhong pretended not to be interested in their whispers, and went overboard to observe the camp carefully, keeping everything he saw in his mind.
Not to mention the government's spies, not many Japanese people have been here, so they must seize the opportunity to collect intelligence.
Judging from the standard of the barracks in the camp, the extent of use of training equipment, and the density of passing soldiers, the First Division is indeed an elite force.
Zuo Zhong went to the bases of the 88th and 87th Divisions of the Chinese Army. They were much worse than here, even though the morale of these Japanese soldiers was a bit low.
Not long after, the two captains came back together. He quickly climbed out of the carriage and bowed slightly, waiting for the other party to make arrangements for him.
"Mr. Reporter, your ID."
The officer called Ando by the driving captain said coldly, his small eyes looked at Zuo Zhong warily, not knowing what bad idea he was planning.
"Your Excellency, Captain, here." Upon hearing this, Zuo Zhong hurriedly took out his ID from his pocket, handed it out with both hands, and stood aside quietly.
From the moment they met, he felt the deep malice of these soldiers. The situation in the Japanese army may be even more serious than what Ono Satoshi introduced.
He knew that the Japanese army was roughly divided into the Imperial Faction, which wanted to advance north, and the Control Faction, which wanted to go south. There was a huge conflict between the two sides and they were almost at the same level.
Going deeper, this is the historical grudge between the Choshu clan, which represents the army, and the Satsuma clan, which represents the navy. It is normal for the two to fight each other.
Greeting each other is a basic operation.
Even weapon parts cannot be used universally.
The problem is that in rural Japan in the 1930s, many farmers not only cultivated the land intensively in the summer, but also had to go to the city to work in the winter.
However, the wages earned were difficult to support their families. With the development of capitalism and Japan's aggression, ordinary people's lives became increasingly poor.
In short, Japan at this time had serious social problems such as the polarization of the poor getting poorer, the rich getting richer, and capital monopoly under capitalism.
This caused the middle and low-level officers who came from the bottom to hate the chaebols very much. They believed that the aristocratic elites deceived the Locusts and caused all this.
The head determines the butt,
Location dictates ideas.
Out of interest, these people consciously surrounded Tian Locust and joined the Imperial Way faction, mainly members of the Japanese Army Non-commissioned Officer School.
The ruling faction is just the opposite. In need of political and economic support other than the military, the ruling faction has sought help from bureaucrats, business circles and even scholars.
And gradually established close contact with the upper echelons of the political and financial circles. In this way, the ruling faction actually became the spokesperson of the elites.
The two sides gradually transformed from conflicts over military policies into class conflicts in a narrow sense. This conflict must end with the fall of one party.
"Mr. Reporter."
At this time, the captain named Ando handed back his certificate and said with a serious expression: "You are welcome to interview, but please do not take photos or inquire about military secrets without permission.
In addition, the brigade commander has a military meeting and it is not convenient to see you. Captain Xiangtian will take you to a place where you can move around freely. "
After saying that, regardless of whether Zuo Zhong heard clearly or not, he led the patrol away in stride, the sharp bayonet looking a bit dazzling in the sun.
"Mr. Okamoto, please."
Captain Xiangtian on the side chuckled and asked someone to drive the motorcycle away, leading the way. The two walked through the camp and arrived outside a room.
Someone was saying something in the room. Zuo Zhong pricked up his ears and listened carefully. He was surprised to find that the speaker was someone he had just met.
"Soldiers, now the officials are arrogant and only care about their own future and are indifferent to the hardships of the people and turn a deaf ear.
Even if everyone works hard or works hard, they still cannot escape the exploitation of capitalists and big landowners, and the people are in dire straits. "
Ozaki stood in the center of the room, waving his arms excitedly to the officers and soldiers of the First Division surrounding him, and everyone who listened nodded in agreement.
Seeing that his speech was recognized, he looked around and continued: “At the same time, most of the country’s resources are spent on the military.
There is very little investment in infrastructure for people's livelihood. Many of you will be happy for the red beans and rice when you join the military medical examination, right? "
Faced with this problem, the Japanese soldiers present remained silent. To be precise, most of them had full stomachs for the first time in the army.
Not only in rural areas, but also in cities, when people get married, they bow to the foot of the table and have a glass of wine, which is considered a wedding, without even a meal.
What is even more tragic is that those students who claim to be carrying the hope of the rise of the Yamato nation enjoy nothing more than a meal of rice balls.
"This is not normal!"
While the officers and soldiers were thinking, Ozaki came to a firm conclusion: "And what you risked your lives in exchange for is betrayal.
A soldier was killed in Mite Island and his ashes were sent back to China. The first thing the relatives at the camp gate did was not receive the ashes but grab the pension.
There are also mothers who write letters to their sons who are serving in the military, saying that their families are poor and it is better for them to die in the war and use their pensions to fulfill their filial piety. This is so desperate. "
Hearing this, the officers and soldiers couldn't help but shed tears. Some soldiers who had just joined the army knelt on the ground and cried softly, calling softly for their mother.
Too old to die,
The Japanese are going to join the Communist Party.
Zuo Shige was horrified outside the house. Ozaki had not been reported for saying such things in the First Division. It seemed that something was really wrong with the Japanese army.
This issue has nothing to do with the military or politics. It is only related to the economy. If the people don’t have enough to eat, they will definitely scold their mothers and cause trouble.
The scary thing is that when ordinary people are bullied, they can only curse a few words, but if professional soldiers are bullied, it is not as simple as a few words of criticism.
They have received the harshest military training and are accustomed to using force to solve problems. A mutiny seems inevitable and imminent.
Zuo Zhong suddenly felt that Japan and the Republic of China were messing up. The top leaders of both countries were not good people. The outcome of the war would depend on who messed up first.
"Mr. Reporter, please."
Captain Xiang Tian squinted his eyes and pushed open the door. He placed his right hand on the holster of Nanbu's pistol, as if he was going to kill someone if they disagreed with him.
Perhaps the brigade commander Ando mentioned was looking for an excuse to go to a military meeting in order to trick Zuo Zhong into coming to this place for screening.
"吆西."
Zuo Zhong was always a good person. Seeing the other party's actions, he immediately replied with a dry smile and walked into the room without hesitation.
In fact, there is no hesitation. A reporter encountered a robber and died during an interview. It is such a normal thing that the police will not suspect it.
No wonder the old reporter handed over the invitation letter as soon as Ono Satoshi said that. I'm afraid everyone knows that this job is dangerous.
As soon as he entered, Zuo Zhong put his legs together and lowered his head, then raised his head and looked at the dark Japanese soldiers, honestly revealing his identity.
"Everyone, the rich and powerful are arrogant, the plutocrats are extremely extravagant, and the people of the country are miserable. Your family must be having a hard time.
I am Shigenobu Okamoto, a reporter from the Tokyo Nichichi Shimbun. I am here to inquire about your words, deeds and plans under the instruction of Satoshi Ono, the bastard of the chaebol.
Please believe me, I stand with you. After all, I also come from a poor family, and I am willing to help everyone as an internal response. "
There was an uproar.
The officers and soldiers of the First Division were shocked and angry. They were shocked that the national traitors noticed them, and angry that the other party actually sent spies to monitor them.
The situation was very serious, and it had reached the moment when the arrow was ready and had to be fired. For a moment, the angry soldiers wanted to start an uprising immediately.
Anyway, being sent to Mite Continent means death, and being liquidated by the chaebol is also death. So it would be better to go all out with great force and completely kill the traitors who are affecting the country.
It was precisely because the other party's exploitation led to widespread poverty among the people, the Locusts were deceived, and their power was usurped by these people, leading to Japan's decline.
This country urgently needs a Showa Restoration to eliminate the evil ministers around Tianlu, just like the Meiji Restoration 70 years ago.
I believe Your Majesty can understand their difficulties. Once the plutocrats who persecute the people are eliminated, the Japanese Empire will once again be great... no, prosperous.
"Gather soldiers and distribute weapons!"
"Yes, the traitor will be punished by Heaven!"
A second lieutenant stared with blood-red eyes, raised his fist and announced loudly to everyone, which immediately received responses from other officers and soldiers.
It's not that these Japs were really ready to start an army, it was mainly because they were frightened by a reporter who offered to surrender and made an impulsive decision.
Fortunately, Xiangtian, who had the highest military rank, stopped everyone. He started a rash attack without a careful plan. There would be no results and he could only lose his life in vain.
He comforted his excited colleagues, turned around and warned Zuo Zhong coldly: "Mr. Reporter, is what you just said true? Please answer truthfully.
Don't tell exaggerated words or lies in order to evade responsibility. We can tell. In that case, you will be in danger. "
"Your Excellency Captain, I did not lie."
Zuo Zhongyi solemnly assured: "I am from Tokyo, my family members died in the Kanto earthquake, and my wife and I stayed in the Republic of China for a long time.
Therefore, I have no contact with the national thieves. I can provide household registration information as evidence for this. I have no reason to deceive you warriors.
In addition, I have been working at Tokyo Daily News for less than a month, and my monthly salary is only 25 yuan. I am also being exploited by capitalists.
Why don't I help my own people instead of helping the thieves who stole my salary? Mr. Ozaki, please come out and say something fair. "
At the end of the story, he called out to Ozaki, who had met him at Yosano's house and could prove that his identity as a reporter was not temporarily fabricated.
"Yes, he is a reporter."
Ozaki nodded to Koda: "The Tokyo Daily News did recruit a new person some time ago and published a report about the postman.
If you want to know if this guy is lying, you can have him retell it here, I still have some impressions of what that article was about. "
As expected of a spy of nkvd, he suddenly thought of a good way to prevent the indiscriminate killing of innocent people and prevent enemies from sneaking in.
Zuo Zhong's expression did not change at all. He talked about his report calmly and deliberately made some wrong words to avoid self-defeating.
After hearing this, Ozaki winked with Koda, indicating that the content was basically the same. As for how to deal with it, it was up to the other party, and he was not qualified to make the decision.
"The whole team returns to camp."
Xiangtian thought briefly and decisively issued an order, asking other officers to take the soldiers away. Some things were not suitable for discussion in public.
What they do needs supporters, especially the help of public opinion, provided that Okamoto really agrees with their ideals and causes.
After everyone in the room had left, he sat on a stool and politely asked Zuo Zhong and Ozaki to sit down. After a moment of silence, he started chatting with Zuo Zhong.
"Okamoto-kun, I am the adjutant of the First Brigade, Koda Kiyoshi. I'm really sorry. This is not directed at you. You must understand everyone's anger towards the Zaibatsu.
I will verify your identity. If it is true, I urge you to support us and please believe that we are not doing this for ourselves. "
It's both an apology and a threat.
It's also a bit of a rip-off.
Xiangtian Qingzhen went straight to the point and briefly introduced himself, emphasizing the four words of brigade adjutant in his speech to increase his worth.
Because everyone who can hold the position of adjutant is a close confidant of the military chief. After he said this, the mutiny seemed to have an official background.
Zuo Zhong didn't understand the situation. Hearing this, he would definitely think that the mutiny was a secret arrangement by the top military officials and the Locusts. Unfortunately, it was not the case.
No ruler wants to see grassroots troops participating in politics. Swords cannot be thoughtful, as it can easily injure the wielder.
The other party tried to use words to recruit and instigate a person to participate in the head-removal plan, which shows that he himself knew how unreliable this matter was.
Moreover, there are no great figures who have achieved great things by deception. The pattern determines the fate. Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the so-called soldiers cannot be transformed.
"well."
Ozaki sighed secretly. His superiors said that these people had no clear purpose and were destined to fail. Now it turns out that this is indeed the case.
He had to keep a distance from the other party to avoid being targeted by intelligence agencies and the police. Their "Ramza" team could not have any problems.
Xiangtian Qingzhen didn't know that the two men had seen through the truth, but he still pretended to be serving the country and the people, and continued to talk endlessly.
The conversation was all about the latest news, both military and political. It was clear from the conversation that this man had a deep rift in his heart.
While Zuo Zhong judged the other party's intentions, he carefully agreed. The three of them slowly talked about the incident where an officer from the Imperial Sect slashed the Chief of Military Affairs Nagata Tetsuyama with a knife.
This incident happened just a few months ago, when Lieutenant Colonel Aizawa Saburo, who was stationed in Fukuyama Prefecture, came to the Army Ministry and demanded Nagata Tetsuyama's resignation.
A junior officer asked the general to resign.
It sounds a bit nonsensical,
Mr. Military Affairs Director was not a fool and of course he refused to agree. He wanted to transfer the other party to Xiaoliuqiu. The enraged Aizawa decided to assassinate him.
Twenty days later, he returned to Tokyo again and broke into the target's office wearing a saber. The target saw that the situation was not going well and escaped the first blow.
However, Aizawa, who had served as a kendo instructor and was proficient in swordsmanship, did not give him a chance to escape. He rushed forward and slashed Nagata on the back.
When Nagata struggled to open the door, he stabbed him with the knife, penetrated his chest and nailed it to the door panel, killing Nagata.
Perhaps because he thought Nagata's death was a bit ugly, Aizawa took off his military cap and put it on the man's face. He was later arrested by the military police who came after hearing the news.
"Aizawa-kun is truly a warrior."
Zuo Zhong gave a thumbs up and praised, "This is true. You are so brave. You kill people when you say you want to. This is in the heavily guarded Army Ministry."
Nagata Tetsuzan, an old boy, had planned to invade the Republic of China many times. It was so satisfying to end up like this. He wished he could give Aizawa a medal.
Xiangtian Qingzhen nodded when he heard this, with a look of regret on his face. The arrest of such a colleague who dared to think and do was a loss for the entire Imperial Sect.
Ozaki kept a slight smile, neither agreeing nor disapproving. In fact, he looked down on Aizawa's behavior. It was a simple man's bravery but it was not beneficial to the country.
"Commander Aizawa is our role model."
As the three of them were talking, another person's voice came from outside the room. The other person walked into the room with his head held high. It was Captain Ando who had led the patrol before.
Seeing him, Xiang Tian Qingzhen stood up and introduced with a smile: "You two, this is Ando Teruzo, captain of the sixth squadron of the third regiment of the first brigade, one of our own."
Teruzo Ando nodded slightly as a greeting. He was a traditional Japanese officer, old-fashioned, tough, arrogant, and difficult to deal with.
But after he sat down, he unexpectedly joined the conversation. As the four of them chatted, Zuo Zhong simply took out a pen and paper and started taking notes without covering up anything.
They chatted from morning to noon, and from noon to sunset. Finally, Ando Teruzo and Koda Kiyoshi personally sent Zuo Shige and the others out of the camp.
at the same time.
In a luxurious nightclub in Ginza, Fuichiro Hayashi and a senior police officer from the Metropolitan Police Department were drunk and hugging each other happily.
I don’t know how long it took, but the two stood up and walked to the toilet arm in arm. One asked and the other answered, discussing the public security issues in Tokyo.
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