Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 71 Isn’t this bullying an honest person?
"The officer you're referring to, is it Major Sousuke Fujita?"

"No, no, no, it wasn't Commander Fujita, it was Lieutenant Itakura who ordered us to arrest... oh no, please." The translator explained cautiously, secretly trembling with fear. Good heavens, a major-level officer just like that, who on earth did we offend?!
"Okay, I understand." Cao Weida nodded lightly, glancing sideways at him. "I'm giving you a task now: go and run a phone line for me. You'll pay for it."

If you finish this, I won't pursue the matter further today; but if you don't finish it...

Cao Weida narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint in them. "You should know what the consequences will be."

The translator shuddered. "Done! Definitely done! Grandpa, don't worry, I'll take care of it myself!"

"Who's your grandpa? If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll slap you to death!" This guy is really shameless; he can say anything without thinking.

If Cao Wei Da really had a grandson like him, even if he were dead, he would still lift the lid of his coffin and take him away!

Too lazy to waste words with him, Cao Weida said directly to the Japanese sergeant, "I won't go back with you. I'll go to the military police headquarters later to report to Commander Fujita in person."

The Japanese sergeant bowed respectfully at a 90-degree angle: "Hello, Mr. Cao, this is all a misunderstanding. Please don't take it to heart."

"Don't worry, I won't say anything more to Fujita-kun." Cao Weida's tone shifted, becoming reproachful:
"However, your behavior is far too barbaric!"

"The Great Japanese Empire has always emphasized the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. How much effort and sacrifice has the Great Japanese Empire expended for this goal, and what have you done?!"

"Your actions are severely damaging the Empire's image! To put it bluntly, if the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere is ultimately not achieved, every one of you who has acted in this way will be a sinner against the Empire!!"

"Yes, sir! Mr. Cao is right, I will certainly keep that in mind!"

"So, do you know what to do next?"

"Hello! Your subordinate will certainly extend a gentle and friendly invitation."

"Well done, you're a quick learner." Cao Weida smiled with satisfaction. He couldn't openly stop the Japanese from arresting people, so this was the only way to minimize the suffering of the Chinese.
"Alright, you go ahead. I'll pack up and then go report to Fujita-kun."

"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Cao. Goodbye."

The Japanese sergeant retreated respectfully, and just as he reached the corner, he slapped the interpreter across the face, grabbed his collar, and said viciously:

"You idiot! You almost killed me! You stupid pig!!"

The translator was almost in tears. Hadn't Cao Wei already forgiven him? Why was he still being beaten after coming out?

His family used to be quite well-off, otherwise he wouldn't have learned Japanese. But later his family fell on hard times, and because he had offended too many people in the past, after he became destitute, all the people he had bullied before came to bully him.

Later, when the Imperial Army arrived, he became a translator because he knew Japanese. After being bullied so badly, he immediately started to tremble again.

But before he could tremble for long, he was assigned a sergeant position as a translator by his subordinates, and his colleagues took it upon themselves to bully him.

So what if he spoke a little harshly, handled things a little poorly, and was a little shameless for not paying back the money he borrowed? Is it really necessary to bully an honest person like me?!
Before the Imperial Army came, everyone could bully me. Now that the Imperial Army has come, everyone can still bully me. Didn't the Imperial Army come for nothing?!

No, not exactly, there's also the fact that your Imperial Army bullied me.
Waaah, why is my life so miserable?
I may want to cry, but I still have to back down. "Hey, sir, it's all my fault, I'm a pig!"

"Please don't be angry, anger is bad for your health. I will definitely take good care of Mr. Cao."

"That would be best!" the Japanese sergeant sneered. "Immediately reconnect Mr. Cao's telephone line, and also, clean up his yard!"

"Otherwise, you can really go and lick that thing you can't hold in clean!!"

"Hayi!"

Japanese Military Police Headquarters.

"Fujita-kun, excuse me."

"Cao Sang, I'm so sorry, I've heard about what happened to you. They don't know you very well, so there might have been some misunderstandings. Please don't mind, I've already given them a good scolding."

"Fujita-kun is too kind. They were just doing their job. I understand."

Cao Weida feigned confusion and asked, "Fujita-kun, what exactly happened? I heard that Yoshida-tai-kun has disappeared."

"He was fine yesterday, how could he suddenly disappear? Could it be that he went out on business?"

"No, he is indeed missing." Fujita Sousuke's expression was grave.
"Cao Sang, you should know about the citywide search these past two days, right?"

"Of course, I also participated in the search. The instructions were to search for the body and suspicious persons, with a focus on the body, but they didn't specify anything. What, Fujita-kun, is Yoshida-tai's disappearance related to this?"

Cao Weida was well aware that the Japanese had guessed the two events were related.

Or rather, he already knew the reason when he was ordered to search the entire city for the body.

The disappearance of so many Japanese soldiers is an incredibly shameful thing. If the outside world finds out, it will surely cause a huge uproar, or even cause a stir. This would be like a shot in the arm for those resistance fighters, making them even more active.

Therefore, the Japanese kept this matter tightly under wraps, limiting those who knew about it to a very small circle.

Fujita Sosuke rubbed his temples, looking worried, and said, "The two things are indeed related. You are a friend of the Great Japanese Empire, and even more so, a friend of mine, Fujita Sosuke. So I won't hide it from you, but I have indeed been overwhelmed by this matter these past two days."

"During this period, a bandit appeared out of nowhere and specifically targeted the Japanese citizens stationed in Beiping. The bodies of five families, totaling thirteen people, have been confirmed and found, but the rest are still nowhere to be found."

"What?! How could this happen?! How could such a cruel thing be done to innocent civilians! This is utterly lawless and unforgivable!!" Cao Weida looked shocked, seemingly stunned by the news. It took him a while to recover before he hurriedly asked:
"Fujita-kun, has the murderer been found? Such a ruthless criminal must be caught! Even being torn to pieces wouldn't be enough to atone for his crime!!"

A person who isn't ruthless can't stand firm. When Cao Wei Da got ruthless, he even cursed himself!

"Not yet, not even a single usable piece of information." Fujita Sōsuke sighed, but he was quite satisfied with Cao Weida's attitude.
"The bodies found all have very consistent characteristics; their necks were violently broken, and their features are very similar to those of the brave soldier who was stripped naked and left on the road earlier."

"From this we can infer..."

Fujita Sousuke suddenly stopped, clearly realizing that he had said too much.

Cao Weida had originally wanted to hear what analysis the other party had to offer. He, the murderer, was now standing shoulder to shoulder with someone who was racking their brains to find the killer, and the other party even considered him one of their own. To be honest, it felt quite fulfilling.

He seemed to understand why many murderers like to visit the scene of their crime after committing murder.

However, seeing that the other party seemed unwilling to continue, Cao Weida didn't care. He just felt a sense of accomplishment, not that he was really a pervert.

He immediately stated his position:

"I, Cao, have zero tolerance for such bad elements who undermine the common prosperity of Central Asia! Please rest assured, I will immediately go back and order Sang Liuji to temporarily halt the procurement of supplies, prioritize finding the murderer, and bring justice to the deceased!!"

"Cough, cough," Fujita Sousuke coughed violently upon hearing this, waving his arms like a windmill.
"No need, absolutely no need!"

"The main responsibility for this matter lies with Colonel Tianyuan. He is a capable officer, and I believe he will definitely find a way to investigate the murderer."

At this point, Fujita Sōsuke patted Cao Weida on the shoulder with a meaningful expression.

"I am very satisfied with your loyalty to the Great Japanese Empire, but we cannot put the cart before the horse. Your talent lies in logistics. While capturing the murderer is important, the procurement of supplies is even more important!"

Just kidding. If the murderer isn't caught, at most he'll get a few scoldings from Miyamoto Ichiro. Anyway, the main responsibility doesn't lie with him.

Besides, it wasn't his relative who died, so he couldn't care less whether they lived or died.

But if the procurement of supplies stops, it will be his money that suffers losses!
Cao Weida chuckled inwardly; he knew Fujita Sosuke would say that.

Do you really think the Japanese are all selfless? As a human being, who can be without selfishness?
"Alright, procuring supplies for the officers is also a contribution to the prosperity of Central Asia. I understand."

"Good thing Cao-san figured it out." Fujita Sousuke smiled with satisfaction, his pockets bulging with cash, which was far more important than catching some damn murderer.

"Since you're already here, let's make a statement first, so I can have something to report to my superiors."

"Of course, so shall we record it or not?"

"Let's just hire a scribe." Fujita Sousuke thought for a moment, then decided against recording the conversation, so he wouldn't have to worry too much about it later.

After all, it wouldn't be good if he accidentally let slip that it was about business.

"Someone is coming."

"Haaah~"

"Call the stenographer over."

"Hayi!"

A short while later, a bespectacled man, about 1.55 meters tall, with a distinctive lip crease, walked in.

Fujita Sousuke spoke in Japanese, and the punctuator bowed before taking out paper and pen and sitting down.

"Cao Sang, we can begin. He speaks Chinese, so just answer whatever he asks you."

Cao Wei's actions were of no significance.

"Cao-san, let's begin." The punctuator's attitude was not serious, even relaxed, clearly indicating that Fujita Sousuke had given prior notice and was just going through the motions.

"Mr. Cao, may I ask how you met with Lieutenant Yoshida yesterday, what you talked about during the meal, and whether he revealed any information, such as whether he had offended anyone or had any plans to go anywhere?"

(End of this chapter)