Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 97: Champagne at Halftime?

"Sang Liuji is gossiping?" Cao Weida raised an eyebrow. "What, does he often talk behind people's backs?"

"Hey, you haven't been to the police station much these past few days. You have no idea, Sang Liuji has been incredibly smug these past few days. He says he's gained the favor of Ono Oda and is about to rise to prominence."

Wow, opening champagne at halftime!

Cao Weida chuckled inwardly; usually, those who open champagne at the halfway point don't end up well.

He's supposed to be so successful, but he'll be buried in the earth as fertilizer soon.

After washing up, the two went to the police station to report for duty.

As expected, just as Domon had predicted, the police station received a message from the Japanese side that the entire police force was mobilized to assist the military police in imposing martial law throughout the city.

After completing his roll call, Cao Wei Da hurriedly arrived at Ono Oda's office.

He was stunned for a moment as soon as he went in.

Ono Oda showed no sign of worry; on the contrary, he was all smiles. Cao Weida thought to himself, "Could this little devil have lost his mind from all the stimulation?"
"Ono-kun?" Cao Weida called out cautiously.

"Haha, Cao-san, come on, come on, sit down." Ono Oda gestured excitedly for Cao Weida to sit down. Cao Weida sat down with a bewildered expression, his mind somewhat fuzzy. He wondered if Ono-tai-kun had truly suffered some great shock; this reaction seemed off.
"Ono-kun, I heard an explosion near Beixincang last night, and today I received a notice of martial law. What happened?"

"Hehehe, Beixincang was bombed last night," Ono Oda said with a smile.

So, is this the answer I wanted? What I want to know is, why are you so happy?
"Cough... What?! Beixincang was bombed?!" Cao Weida's expression was somewhat exaggerated as he exclaimed indignantly, "It must be the work of anti-Japanese elements again. These guys are like persistent ghosts!"

"Ono-kun, this matter won't affect you, right?"

"Yoshi, thanks to Cao-san's connections, this matter has nothing to do with me. On the contrary, it's good that the Xinbeicang warehouse exploded, it's good that it exploded! This matter has helped me a lot!" Ono Oda cackled, looking excited.

Cao Wei Da was puzzled, and Ono Oda seemed to have noticed as well, explaining:
"The munitions in the Xinbeicang warehouse belong to the naval forces of the Asia Development Institute!"

"Now that such a big thing has happened, those naval bastards at the Asia Development Institute are going to be in big trouble, hehehe."

Upon hearing this, Cao Wei Da suddenly realized, "Oh, so that's how it is! No wonder."

He really didn't know before that the warehouse in Beixincang was actually on Haijun Road!

But something's not right," Cao Wei Da said in confusion. "Ono-kun, I remember that Xinbeicang was always the armory of our great army. How did it suddenly become the armory of the navy?"

Ono Oda was clearly pleased with Cao Wei's description of the navy as a road, and also pleased with the title "great army," casting an approving glance at it while huffing and puffing:

“Three months ago, a batch of military equipment from our army was transported to the front lines, leaving the warehouse empty. Since it was to be transported by sea, those damned road workers actually said that since the warehouse was empty anyway, they could borrow it temporarily!”

"The situation was urgent at the time, and the higher-ups were pressing us hard, so we had no choice but to agree."

"They originally said they'd only need it for a month, but damn it, they're all untrustworthy scoundrels! Three months have passed, and when the military police headquarters went to ask for it back, they said there was still ammunition in the warehouse and they couldn't return it to us!"

"What's even worse is that those damned navy naval personnel actually embezzled two-thirds of the weapons and ammunition we were transporting to the front lines, and then shipped them back to Beixincang intact!!"

"When our headquarters went to demand it, not only did they refuse, but we were also insulted. Major General Miyamoto Ichiro was so angry that he was bedridden for three days."

"Now look what happened! They deserved to be bombed since they wouldn't pay back! Hahaha!" Ono Oda couldn't help but laugh gleefully, he couldn't be happier.

Cao Wei Da's lips twitched, and he almost burst out laughing.

In the history of World War II, if the Osaka Division was known for its love of business, then the Japanese military's naval battles were even more entertaining.

Can you believe that a country's army and navy would point their guns at each other?

The conflict between Japan's navy and army has a long history and many reasons, which will not be elaborated here. So, how far can the conflict between the two militaries escalate?
To put it simply, if the army's screws are turned to the right, then the navy's screws must be turned to the left.

The army builds aircraft carriers, and the navy follows suit by building tanks; even the caliber of their rifle bullets is different.

If given a chance, they would kill the other party without hesitation!

Because local resources are extremely scarce, the two sides are vying for them fiercely, neither willing to yield to the other, and neither respecting the other's existence.

On the battlefield, it's even more a matter of you fighting your own battles and me fighting my own. It's not that we're completely unrelated, but rather that we're looking for an opportunity to outmaneuver and kill the other side.

The only time they ever reached a tacit understanding was when they both opposed the formation of an air force.
Now that the naval warehouse has been bombed, it's no wonder that Ono Oda not only isn't worried, but is instead gloating like this.

"I see!" Cao Wei Da exclaimed, feigning sudden realization and sharing the same indignation.

"Those navy bastards are really despicable. Not only did they usurp our place, but they also went too far. They deserve this retribution!"

"Yosh, that's it!" Ono Oda grinned from ear to ear. "The one who raided the Navy's road armory is a true hero! If I knew who did it, I'd definitely have to thank him properly!"

Haha, there's no need for that.
Cao Weida felt strange. He had only laughed at the short videos before, but now that he was actually there and seeing the other party's gloating expression, he wanted to laugh even more.

"By the way, Cao Sang, didn't you say before that you had business dealings with the Red Party and the Kuomintang? Could you contact their troops?"

Faced with Ono-kun's sudden question, Cao Weida was taken aback for a moment, then cautiously replied, "Ono-kun, I really don't know. Although I know that there must be people from those two sides among those clients, I really don't know who they are, and I dare not investigate." "If we alarm them, it could very well affect our business."

“That’s true, but didn’t some of your ‘friends’ clear up the misunderstanding with us before?” Ono Oda rubbed her fingers together as she looked at him.

Cao Weida felt a pang of anxiety, but he didn't panic. He smiled wryly and said, "There is indeed such a thing, but how could I possibly contact those people? They're the ones who are training me."

He doesn't deny it; after all, nobody's a fool.

If he tries to cover it up, he will only be questioned by Ono Oda.

As expected, Cao Wei Da's decisive reply did not displease Ono Oda. Instead, Ono Oda sighed, "That's a real shame."

No, what are you regretting?

Cao Weida tentatively asked, "Ono-kun, is that what you want?"

"This group of naval personnel was transporting a batch of supplies to Zhengzhou, but because Beixincang was bombed, they had to source supplies from elsewhere."

As luck would have it, I stumbled upon some intelligence and a supply transport route map, which I originally intended to sell for a good price, but it seems I'll have to give up on that idea now.

"."

Well, you're planning to rip those Navy guys off to pieces!

"Ono-kun, you can sell it to information brokers; they'll definitely be willing to offer a very good price."

During World War II, there were a great many intelligence brokers who were active on various battlefields and in the rear areas of the belligerent countries.

There's a saying that goes, "As long as demand is created, those who supply that demand will inevitably emerge."

Information brokers are such a thing.

During war, the demand for intelligence surges on all sides. Whether it's military deployments, troop movements, economic resources, or diplomatic trends, these become commodities for these intelligence brokers to trade.

They could be businessmen, journalists, diplomats, ordinary citizens, or even double agents.

If Ono Oda's information could be sold to an information broker, the broker would be more than willing to pay a hefty reward.

“No, those damned information brokers have no credibility whatsoever, I don’t trust them.” Ono Oda shook his head decisively without any hesitation.

Most intelligence brokers have no bottom line; they'll sell any kind of intelligence as long as they're paid, including information about who sold them the intelligence.

Unless you can offer greater benefits.

Wouldn't that be handing over your weaknesses to the other side?

And they'll only get deeper and deeper into trouble!
Although the navy and army basically wish the other side were completely wiped out, nowadays they've gone so far as to directly point fingers at each other and hurl insults at each other face to face.

On the battlefield, if you see the enemy soldiers fighting a bloody battle, the other side will surely be sitting there leisurely smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee, and watching the show.

However, if one actively sells information to others, that's a different story. Although Ono and Oda have good connections and backgrounds, they can't withstand the wrath of the entire navy.

"How about I try to contact those buyers?" Cao Weida asked tentatively, adding, "But I can't guarantee I'll be able to get in touch. After all, as you know, I'm not too keen on openly investigating the other party."

"Once the convoy leaves the city, we usually stop asking about anything else."

“Alright, then Cao-san, why don’t you give it a try?” Ono Oda paused, then said meaningfully, “There are several Red Party and Kuomintang agents being held in the Military Police Headquarters. If you don’t have any other options, you can try working on them.”

"As long as the money is there, everything is negotiable."

"You only have two days. If you miss them, it will be too late. You have to hurry!"

Oh ho, you really went to great lengths to sabotage the Navy Road; you're even more proactive than the anti-Japanese guerrillas!
Cao Wei Da chuckled inwardly and immediately nodded, saying, "Yes, Ono-kun, I understand."

"By the way, what about the martial law this time?"

"Go and inform Xu Hancheng, just to make a show of it, don't be so stubborn. The security of the five outer districts of Beiping rests on his shoulders, we can't put the cart before the horse."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Cao Weida left Ono Oda's office. As soon as he came out, San'er grabbed him.

"Brother Cao, the bureau chief told me to wait for you here."

"I also need to speak with the bureau chief about something. Lead the way."

dong dong dong~~
"Director, did I disturb you?"

"Cao'er! Come in quickly! Oh, you've finally come out! San'er, what are you standing there for? Pour some tea for Cao'er!" Upon seeing Cao Weida, Xu Hancheng was even more affectionate than if he had seen his own father.

(End of this chapter)