Spy Wars: I have space, but I choose to work alone

The next day, early in the morning, newspaper boys on the street began to run around the street, shouting:

"Extra number, extra number!"

"Locust Army Lieutenant Colonel Takahashi Shiro, it took only 20 hours to uncover the mastermind behind the assassination of Tencho Setsu."

"The Locust Army warriors Mukai Toshiaki and Noda Takeshi were unfortunately shot and killed during their fight with the assassins of Tencho Setsu!"

········

This is a newspaper report from the Japanese-occupied area.

The headlines of the newspapers in the concessions were:

"The spokesman of the Japanese Military Police Command claimed that the reports in European and American newspapers were false"

"The Tianchangjie assassination gang claimed by the Japanese Military Police Headquarters were actually innocent civilians in Shanghai"

The Japanese army declared that "for every Japanese soldier killed, ten Chinese would be buried with him"

After a simple investigation, the journalists in the concession discovered that the so-called 20 saboteurs provided by the Japanese army were all honest and decent Shanghai residents.

Especially when there were a large number of fake police officers involved in the arrest, Takahashi Shiro said arrogantly:

The saying "For every Japanese soldier who dies, ten Chinese will be buried with him" was also spread.

They were all old Shanghainese with roots and connections, especially Li Zhengming, a 28-year-old teacher at Minghua Primary School who was identified as the mastermind. He had taught at Minghua Primary School for five or six years.

He is the star teacher of Minghua Primary School. Many children and parents know him. As for the other people disclosed by the newspaper, they are all well-known middle-class families.

After all, the price of living in an apartment near Hongkou Park, even if it is rented, is not affordable for ordinary people.

The daily life was so chaotic and the innocent were killed indiscriminately that it caused public outrage in Shanghai.

In the concession, a group of female students from St. John's Middle School had their faces turned red and their bodies were shaking with anger after reading a newspaper that so distorted the truth.

"boom!"

Xiao Xue, the female student who stole the show during the newspaper delivery activity yesterday, clenched her fist and banged it hard on the desk, causing the girls nearby to turn around.

Xiao Xue took the opportunity to climb onto the desk, put one hand on her waist, pointed at the Japanese-occupied area with the other, and shouted in grief:

"Students, we cannot allow Xiaozi to kill innocent people indiscriminately and confuse right and wrong. We should take to the streets to protest and force Xiaozi to release the people. Otherwise, what happened to these innocent people today will happen to us tomorrow."

"Classmates, do you dare?"

Since the patriotic sentiments of yesterday had not faded, they were praised by countless compatriots. In addition, they were at a passionate age. With Xiao Xue taking the lead, they were followed by a large number of people.

"Lin Huahua, take a few classmates to Yuying Middle School and Gezhi Middle School to invite them to participate. The rest of the classmates will work with me to make slogans and banners. We will set off at 10 o'clock."

Xiao Xue skillfully arranged the preparations for the parade, and the female students also skillfully bought colored paper, bamboo poles, white cloth and other materials to make slogans and banners.

The reason why they are so skilled is that during the Republic of China period, whenever people were dissatisfied or some major incident happened, students would take to the streets to protest, and they naturally became skilled after doing it many times.

Soon, the student demonstration organized by the girls of St. John's School received a response from various middle schools, and thousands of students began to gather in front of the gate of St. John's School.

"Protest the Japanese army's indiscriminate killing of innocent people!"

"Release the 20 innocent people who were wrongly accused!"

"We want fairness, we want laws, we want equality!"

"The lives of the people of the Celestial Empire are also lives!"

··········

With loud slogans, thousands of enthusiastic middle school students formed a square formation, circled around the concession, and then began to march towards the entrance of the Japanese military police headquarters in Shanghai.

"Rickshaw, go to Nanshi!" A man in a suit got on a rickshaw driver passing by and asked for a ride to Nanshi.

The rickshaw driver Liu San quickly stopped and was about to ask the passengers to get on his rickshaw when he heard the loud slogans of students from the corner of the street.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, listening carefully to the slogans.

Finally, the huge parade came over. Liu San also heard what the students were shouting. He immediately picked up the handlebars and said to the guests:

"I'm sorry, the students are all out on the street. I won't do business today! I want to go to the parade too!"

Liu San quickly followed the parade, yelling at the top of his lungs:

"The lives of the people of the Celestial Empire are also lives!"

The parade passed by a restaurant. Fatty Tian, who was cooking, heard the slogans outside, picked up the spatula and rushed to the restaurant entrance.

After hearing the students' slogans, she took off her apron without saying a word. The restaurant owner came over and pointed at Fatty Tian and yelled:

"Why don't you just cook some side dishes instead of running out to do it?"

Fatty Tian put the apron into the boss's arms:

"Go support the students!"

···········

The Japanese army's distortion of right and wrong and their disregard for human life completely angered the people of Shanghai, and everyone was furious.

The parade passed by the teahouse, and the teahouse was empty; it passed by the factory, and the workers left············

As more people joined along the way, the parade became larger and larger, and the slogans could be heard throughout half of Shanghai.

After reading the newspaper and listening to the slogans outside, Ma Liang was also furious.

Although he had an impression of the shamelessness and cruelty of the Japanese army through the propaganda of anti-Japanese war film and television dramas in later generations, he was not a person of that era after all, and lacked a correct understanding of the real Japanese army.

No one expected that the Japanese army would make the absurd decision to use the lives of 20 innocent people in the building where they fired the gun to pay for the lives of the two demons.

The marching team soon ran into a defense line set up by Japanese military police and puppet police on a street not far from the Japanese military police headquarters.

However, the protesters believed that they had more people and were in a stronger position, and that the Japanese army would never dare to risk the public's condemnation and open fire on them.

Just like in the past when dealing with warlord forces and the Kuomintang army, people from all walks of life and students walked towards them hand in hand, shouting slogans and taking firm steps.

Shiro Takahashi, the commander in charge of the operation, did not take the parade seriously at all.

It was as if the tens of thousands of Shanghai citizens marching before him were nothing but air. He lowered his head and touched the newly-issued medal by the military with satisfaction, then waved indifferently to the machine gunner who had been prepared for a long time.

Without any hesitation, the two Japanese machine gunners pulled the trigger.

“Da da da…”

Ma Liang, who was at home thinking about how to rescue the 20 compatriots who were captured because of him, was startled by the sudden gunshot.

In just a moment, he realized that the Japanese army was shooting at the marching people.

Ma Liang went out without hesitation.

Xiao Xue, covered in blood, supported a classmate who was scratched by a stray bullet, and avoided the pursuit of the Japanese military police. In a panic, she actually hid in a dead end alley.

"Yoshi, flower girl's job!"

"This is great for female students!"

A combat team and three Japanese military police blocked the entrance to the alley.

At first glance, they were two pretty and fair-skinned city female students, approaching Xiao Xue and the others with grins on their faces. One of the quick-handed Japanese soldiers had already started to unbuckle his belt.

"Help! Is there anyone, help!"

"Go away, go away!"

When the time came to see the truth, Xiao Xue, an 18-year-old female high school student who was powerless, could only wail helplessly.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Just as the Japanese military police's hand was about to touch Xiao Xue, three dull noises were heard.

For some reason, this reminded Xiao Xue of the sound of the champagne cork opening at home.

"Is anyone opening champagne at this time?"

Before Xiao Xue could continue to wonder, a hoarse male voice without any emotion sounded in her ears:

"Go home! The Japanese army is not a warlord government, they are inhumane beasts and demons. Parades and demonstrations will not work on them. Only iron and blood can make them remember!"

After hearing the familiar Chinese voice, Xiao Xue opened her eyes cautiously. In the midday sun, she only saw a strange figure leaving.