Espionage: Mastering the Ten Cruelest Tortures of the Military Intelligence Bureau from the Start

Because Shigeru Kurokawa had informed Naoki Hase beforehand, the originally planned grand celebration was simplified.

At this critical juncture, if the army finds a weakness to use against them, it will be another troublesome matter. Currently, the army and navy cabinets are engaged in a power struggle.

Taking advantage of the Army's defeat in the Battle of Star City, the Navy put pressure on the Army in an attempt to regain control of the narrative. As the beneficiary of the existing power structure, the Army was naturally unwilling to give up the power it had gained, and the two sides engaged in a fierce struggle.

Therefore, at this sensitive juncture, it's best to keep a low profile.

In recognition of Su Mingzhe's outstanding contributions in the Battle of Star City, the Navy exceptionally awarded Yubu Tahira the Order of the Rising Sun, Fourth Class, and changed his pre-war temporary lieutenant colonel rank to a substantive one.

In the Japanese military system, which emphasized seniority, Su Mingzhe's promotion speed was terrifying.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Commander Sawatari, who was traveling with him, was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Fifth Class, through the behind-the-scenes manipulation of General Hasegawa and General Nagumo. He was promoted to lieutenant commander along with Su Mingzhe and appointed as the captain of the top-class heavy cruiser.

"Tianping-kun, keep up the good work. The empire will not forget your contributions."

With that, General Hasegawa smiled and patted Su Mingzhe on the shoulder, personally changing Su Mingzhe's rank to lieutenant colonel.

Then, she leaned close to Su Mingzhe's ear and whispered something:

"Tian Pingjun, come to my house at six o'clock tonight. I haven't seen you in so long, and I'm really itching to play a game.

Section Chief Kurokawa will also be coming; he's in charge of notating the music.

After saying that, he gave Su Mingzhe a meaningful look, which made Su Mingzhe's heart sink.

There's no need to be so secretive about playing a game of Go, and he doesn't have the prestige to have a Major General from the Special Higher Police record the game for him.

Judging from the looks of it, the two of them probably wanted to say something to him, most likely bad news, otherwise Naoki Hase wouldn't be acting like that.

So far, at least, Naoki Hasegawa has not questioned Su Mingzhe's identity, and the Navy has always regarded Su Mingzhe as one of the leading figures of the younger generation, and intends to entrust him with important responsibilities.

An investigation into Su Mingzhe was conducted, but no problems were found; all the information in the documents matched.

The Navy even sent people to visit Yufu Tahira's old home in Kyoto. The neighbors all said that there was indeed a Tahira family, but they had moved away many years ago. They told the story in great detail.

Given his respectable family background and his abilities, it's not surprising that the Navy Ministry is grooming him as a promising talent.

Heaven knows how much effort Kurokawa Shigeru put into this, sending people to coerce and bribe them into giving the same testimony, finally bringing the Tahei family from the virtual world into reality.

Of course, he did not tell anyone about all of this, including Watanabe Kazuya, keeping his achievements and fame hidden.

He went to great lengths to arrange all of this not out of a good deed, but simply to leave himself a way out, for his own sake and for Watanabe Kazuya's.

However, Watanabe Kazuya had already stopped being Japanese three years ago.

If the war ended and the Empire was defeated, those rank-and-file soldiers might be spared death and sent back home. But he, a Special Higher Police agent and a major general, was among the second batch of war criminals to be hanged after the trial.

Therefore, he kept evidence of all the treacherous things he did, and even helped Watanabe Kazuya keep a copy.

Perhaps due to a faulty connection, the overhead light flickered a few times. It was at this moment that General Hasegawa arrived beside Major Sawatari—oh, no, he should now be called Lieutenant Colonel Sawatari.

General Hasegawa's attitude was much colder; he merely changed his rank and offered a few polite words of encouragement.

Then, several junior officers emerged from behind General Hasegawa, each holding a small stack of rank insignia.

Those junior officers were not qualified for General Hasegawa to personally promote them; sending a few junior officers would have been sufficient.

Seeing that all the "meritorious officials" had been awarded medals or promoted in rank, General Hase raised the oak cup containing sake in his hand.

He tilted his head back, and the entire cup of sake slid down his throat.

"Gentlemen, I hope you will continue your efforts and achieve even greater success. I'll drink first."

No one dislikes promotion and wealth, and everyone's faces were filled with a joyful atmosphere. Perhaps only Su Mingzhe was forcing a smile in the entire small meeting room.

......

As night fell and darkness gradually descended, Su Mingzhe arrived alone at the door of Hasegawa Naoki's house, without even bringing Xu Feng with him.

It must have been General Hasegawa who gave the instructions beforehand, as the guards at the gate only glanced at Su Mingzhe before letting him pass.

In the courtyard, Naoki Hase's hands moved in a gesture similar to hand seals, communicating with his deaf wife.

Upon seeing Su Mingzhe arrive, Naoki Hasegawa glanced down at his watch and muttered to himself:

"3, 2, 1."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the iron gate was opened again, and Shigeru Kurokawa walked in.

"Kurokawa-kun, you are as punctual as ever."

On the dial, the hour hand pointed exactly to the number 6, while the minute and second hands both pointed to the 12 position, not a second more or less.

Hearing this, Kurokawa Shigeru smiled:

"In our line of work, we might die unexpectedly one day. Those who like to be late and those who like to be early have already been reincarnated. Maintaining a strong sense of time can help me live a few more days."

Fortunately, I've survived to this day and even earned the rank of Major General, so I don't have to go through those bloody battles anymore. However, I still maintain my good habit of being punctual.

After saying that, he turned his head to look at Su Mingzhe, but he didn't say anything. He then went into the study with Hasegawa Naoki and Su Mingzhe.

In the study, there was a Go set.

The chessboard pattern is simple and elegant yet grand, and each chess piece is crystal clear, making it a true work of art.

However, Su Mingzhe seemed to have seen this chessboard somewhere before; it looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

Looking at the chessboard, General Hasegawa was also lost in some painful memories and sighed deeply.

“Taihei-kun, this is the set of Eiseki Go that you gave to Higashinai Morishin.”

I thought about it, and decided that rather than leaving it unused, we should use it for a game of chess. If Lord Dongnei is watching from heaven, he would surely want to see this.

Suddenly remembering something, Naoki Hase said:

"Hearing you were coming, my wife specially made a lot of sushi, all kinds of it, you can try some."

Although Su Mingzhe was reluctant in his heart, he still said it aloud:

"General Hasegawa, you've gone to a lot of trouble."