1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll

But, why?

Since the war has already started, why use such covert means to provoke the Chinese? The Japanese are really strange.

Although the agent had many doubts in his mind, he did not stop.

After scanning the cloud map again and confirming that there were no dangerous high-energy signals, the agent put down his bag and sneaked towards the location of Yoshiko Kawashima through the alley at the back.

On the other side, Mark thought he had delayed enough time, so he stopped his speech, jumped off the platform, mixed in with the bustling crowd, and continued towards Robert's Way.

Amidst the cries of "Death to the Country," he became increasingly impressed by his ability to control the muscles in his face.

It just hurts so much when my thigh is pinched.

Damn it.

At this moment, a face came up to him and asked, "...Comrade Wu Jiu, are you really a second lieutenant in the Japanese army?"

Mark turned his head and saw Zhao Ziqi rushing over. He turned away again with a bored look and whispered, "Does it matter whether she's Japanese or not?"

"...Are you lying?"

"I didn't say that."

"...What's your purpose? Why did you suddenly go up there to give a speech?"

Zhao Ziqi had a feeling that Wu Jiu's sudden departure from the factory and subsequent gathering of a group of students to block the intersection for a speech was definitely not a momentary impulse on the part of a young man. He didn't look like that kind of person.

"Sir, you really talk a lot..." Ah...ah?

What does this mean?

Zhao Ziqi became increasingly certain that this man was definitely not Japanese, nor Taiwanese, and certainly not a Japanese second lieutenant. But if you say he's Chinese, it feels like he's very different from the people around him, at least in terms of temperament. Zhao Ziqi was curious about the source of this conflicting feeling.

But Wu Jiu clearly had no interest in answering, and now was not the time to press the issue. Zhao Ziqi simply put it aside for the moment, but he kept staring at him. He anticipated that something might be about to happen.

Otherwise, if they want to march, they can march. Holding a tin trumpet is understandable, but why hold a heavy Japanese "Nisho" hand-cranked clockwork phonograph? This is not a cheap item.

When the team reached the intersection of Robertson Road and was about to rush in, something unexpected happened!

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard from a shop on the second floor facing the street. Immediately afterwards, explosions were heard one after another on the road and in the corners of the street! "Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!"

The marching crowd suddenly became a little panicked, but because they were still far away and no one was injured, overall there was no major chaos.

As if he had anticipated all this, Wu Jiu picked up the phonograph's joystick and quickly cranked it more than ten times. As the disc turned, a melodious music came out. Everyone was stunned.

Taking advantage of these few seconds of inactivity, "Wu Jiu" stuffed the phonograph into the arms of the bewildered Zhao Ziqi, picked up the loud speaker and shouted:

“Don’t panic!! Don’t get confused!! The explosion is still far away from us!!!”

After hearing the speaker say this, the crowd around gradually calmed down.

"All team leaders! All worker representatives! Pass the message on! The explosion is far away from us! Restrain the team! Don't panic!! Pay attention to your surroundings! Don't run around!!" Zhao Ziqi also reacted, handed the phonograph to others, picked up the loudspeaker in his hand that he used to maintain order, and issued similar orders.

"Watch your surroundings! Don't run around!"

“Look around you…”

Under the organization and management of Zhao Ziqi and other workers, the team of tens of thousands of people quickly stopped and looked around nervously, but no one was panicking anymore, which was normal.

As long as the person in front doesn't run around or yell, the people behind them won't actually know what's going on and will generally just follow the actions of those around them. "Comrade Wu Jiu, what's going on?!"

Zhao Ziqi and the other members of the "Strike Committee" stared at Wu Jiu with scrutiny. They weren't stupid.

It's all such a coincidence.

Whether it was the speech, the phonograph, or the explosion in front of him, everything seemed suspicious.

"Haha, it's just a Japanese trick." "Japanese?"

"Yes, Japanese."

Wu Jiu ignored them and took the lead, stepping out of Caojia Ferry and into Robert's Road. Although the others were apprehensive, they had to march today anyway, so they gritted their teeth and quickly followed. With Wu Jiu leading the way, what could possibly go wrong?

Soon, a scene that was not too tragic appeared before the eyes of the team.

The explosion damaged some storefronts, but at a glance, most shops were fine, and no shops or houses in the alleys were even on fire.

The only building that could truly be called "damaged" was the Japanese "Kawamura Memorial Tower" and its chime clock at the intersection of Robertson Road and Xiaoshadu Road. However, since the damage was done to something built by Japanese capitalists to keep workers on their way to and from get off work, it didn't matter.

Many workers who lived here came out from the corners in panic, shouting nervously, but judging from their intact appearance, it seemed that they were only injured by the explosion.

I was just scared by the explosion.

This is...

Before anyone could figure out what was going on, Wu Jiu suddenly pointed and yelled, "Look over there! It's the Japanese!!"

As he looked, everyone was shocked to find that a man dressed in typical Japanese ronin clothes was carrying another person and running away!

Reporters accompanying the parade instinctively grabbed their cameras, and the flashes of their cameras flashed, capturing the iconic image of the Japanese fleeing in panic after their failed attempt to disrupt the strike. Watching the agent's figure recede into the distance, Mark, possessed by his acting chops, pounced on the body of one of Kawashima Yoshiko's men on the roadside. After a pretentious examination, he picked up his megaphone and angrily declared, "Comrades! The Japanese killed our workers! They're planning to attack us! It's a good thing we arrived a little late! Otherwise, we would have been bombed!"

In just a few simple and easy-to-understand sentences, it almost completely explained everything that had just happened.

Everyone immediately believed his words without hesitation and was furious.

Soon, the news was spread, bringing the emotions of the entire parade to an absolute climax.

Every student, every worker, every doctor and nurse... shouted various slogans at the top of their lungs, expressing their overwhelming anger. They did not bother to verify the truth of the incident, nor did they know they had been deceived. They just raised their hands and roared:

"Kill all the Japanese invaders!"

"Revenge with blood!" "Strike all over Shanghai!" "Damn the Japanese!"

"Support the 19th Route Army in the fight against Japan!"

Finally, it became a very unified voice: "The country is dead!"

"Dead country!"

"Dead country!"

Mark watched this scene and accidentally stepped on the finger of a dead "worker." The corners of his mouth curled up slightly. You see, the dead are more useful than the living.

Isn't it natural for the 050 to be sent to the navy?

Japanese people deserve to be fucked by donkeys!

Luckily, I was delayed at the intersection for a while because I was listening to a speech. Otherwise, the casualties would have been even greater!!

Whether it's the past, present, or the distant future, whether it's in newspapers or on the internet, as long as it's a mass incident, this kind of situation is likely to occur. As long as you set up a target, stir up hatred and create a rhythm, and with the help of the group's blind obedience, it couldn't be easier to do something.

Once the tide turns, most people are swept up in this collective sentiment. Even the few who remain clear-headed are either excluded or forced to follow the crowd. Of course, Mark didn't intend to leverage this force to do anything; he simply wanted to test the waters of how to lead the trend in this era.

Just think of it as practicing in advance for future things.

However, some people don’t believe it.

Furious, Zhao Ziqi finally found an opening and wanted to grab Wu Jiu to ask what was going on, but he found that he had disappeared into the crowd. At this time, another comrade came forward, pulled Zhao Ziqi to the side of the road, and whispered:

"...I checked, and among the dead, there are several people I believe are Japanese." "...Japanese? How can you be sure?"

"The face shape isn't quite the same, and the teeth are uneven and protruding, the toes are wide apart, the stature is shorter, and he wears those big white shorts you see in Japan... Most importantly..." At this point, the man lowered his voice:

"There are calluses on their knuckles. I asked a worker, and he said he'd never seen anything like that... I think it's probably from... using a gun!"

Zhao Ziqi's eyes widened slightly, and after thinking for a while, he ordered:

"Find a few workers who live nearby to identify him and see if they recognize him." "Okay... then, a parade?"

"Go on! But tell the comrades to be vigilant! Arrange someone to watch outside to prevent the Japanese from launching a second attack!" "Understood!"

Who is that young man called "Wu Jiu"? What is his purpose?

Wu...from Hubei...could it be???

No matter how skeptical Zhao Ziqi and some party members and workers' representatives were, the "West Shanghai Strike" finally went on smoothly.

At the same time, news that a strike parade had been attacked by Japanese bombers, resulting in dozens of casualties, quickly spread throughout Shanghai. The Chinese were naturally furious, and countries like Britain and the United States, wary of Japan's rise, also expressed concern and condemnation. As for Japan?

Sorry, no response.

They don't care what the weak think. The weak deserve to die.

what?

Attack?

nonexistent.

The kind-hearted Empire of Japan has never done such a thing, and will never do such a thing! In fact, the first half of the sentence, in this moment, is really not wrong at all; because most of the Japanese in Shanghai are also confused and have no idea what is going on.

Even Murai Kuramatsu, who sent Kawashima Yoshiko to cause trouble, fell into confusion and puzzlement because he did not receive any specific intelligence feedback for a long time.

Putting aside the fact that her identity was exposed, didn't the Chinese report that it caused dozens of casualties? That means Kawashima Yoshiko's operation was successful!

Now that it succeeded, what about the person?

Where the fuck is Yoshiko Kawashima?

Even if she is rounded up by the Chinese, can that woman return safely?

Consul Murai didn't believe at all that Yoshiko Kawashima would sacrifice herself for the sake of the Empire. That woman was just a fame-seeker.

You can enjoy fame and fortune while you are alive, what else is there after you die?

It's strange. I was planning to wait for her to come back and kill her to silence her. Could it be that she noticed it? No, no, no, it shouldn't be, it shouldn't be.

The Japanese Army was confused, and the Japanese Navy was even more confused.

They were absolutely certain that they (the navy itself) had absolutely no intention of sending assassins to attack the Chinese parade. It wasn't out of mercy or incompetence, but simply because it wasn't worth it.

What purpose would inflicting heavy casualties on the parade serve other than to irritate the Chinese, boost Chinese morale, and make the Marines' attack more difficult?

Therefore, even if it is just based on the "profit rate", the Navy will never do this. So who has the greatest motivation to do this?

It must be said that, true to their centuries-old feud, the Navy's top brass immediately cast their suspicions on the Army. The Army's naval idiots' desire to steal the credit for "defeating the Chinese army and successfully capturing Shanghai" was well-known to everyone in the Navy.

In particular, the commander-in-chief of the Shanghai area, the commander of the Japanese Navy's First Overseas Fleet, Yuki Shiozawa, who was under great pressure at the time, publicly shouted the slogan "We must capture Shanghai even if the navy sacrifices until the last man"; because Major General Shiozawa had been told that if the navy still failed to achieve results in the next round of offensive after the arrival of new reinforcements, he would be dismissed and investigated.

The punishment from His Majesty the Emperor and the Japanese government was relatively light; the ridicule from the army and the scorn from the navy were what really made his scalp tingle.

Because his failure meant that the army had sufficient reason to intervene and even completely take over the big fat piece of meat, Shanghai.

This kind of loss is absolutely unacceptable to the Navy.

Therefore, if he fails, not only Shiozawa Yukichi himself, but also his children will never be able to join the navy again! So, who is the one who most wants him to fail, who is the most motivated, and who is the most capable of making him fail?

It wasn't a rivalry within the Navy, it had to be those Army idiots who needed a good lesson from the Navy's spiritual infusion stick! Shiozawa Yukichi was even certain that the mastermind behind this was that Tokyo bastard, Murai Kuramatsu, who was raised by a prostitute. Damn those Army idiots! It's bad enough they did this, but they even got photographed by the Chinese!

With the war imminent and no clear evidence of the army's disturbance, Shiozawa Yukichi had no choice but to put away his anger and mobilize his troops more intensively, planning to launch a general offensive in a few days.

—Victory in one fell swoop.

Many Japanese ships, including the "Tatsuta", "Kaga", "Hosho", and "Naka", arrived in Shanghai carrying a large number of marines.

The war clouds gathered again.

However, unknown to everyone, a force not affiliated with either China or Japan had quietly set its sights on Japan, intent on making a big splash. In the early morning hours of February 1st, the Japanese cruise ship Terukuni Maru successfully arrived in Shanghai, docking outside Huishan Wharf on the west bank of the lower Huangpu River.

This old, coal-powered ship carried about 530 officers and soldiers from the Yokosuka Naval Base's First Special Marine Division.

Despite their small size, this Marine Corps was an elite unit that the Japanese Navy was extremely proud of, highly regarded, and even boasted about to the Army. All members were capable of parachuting, equipped with parachutes, folding bicycles, and submachine guns, rare in the Japanese military, and other weapons suitable for assault operations. Even basic supplies like food and water bags were specially designed, and they even carried pocket kerosene stoves for cooking after landing. For the time being, they were undoubtedly "armed to the teeth."

If the Battle of Shanghai hadn't been going on like a wreck, the Navy wouldn't have been willing to send such a valuable special unit into this kind of meat grinder. "Lieutenant Commander Nakagawa, are the troops landing immediately?"

"No, it's too dark. Let the soldiers wait on the boat and land after daybreak." "Hi!"

Anyway, the order to attack is for the day after tomorrow, so it would be safer to land after daybreak. Shanghai has been so strange lately.

Everything has been going wrong since the beginning, as if someone is deliberately causing trouble. It must be those damned army idiots who are not cooperating!

snort!

Once our elite force lands, we will be able to use our formidable strength to crush the Chinese resistance and the Japanese Army's conspiracy!

Captain Nakagawa was unaware that beneath the murky surface, a war machine far beyond its time lay submerged, observing the Terukuni Maru with a calm gaze. "...Cloud scan... Complete..."

"...3D structural diagram construction...complete..." "...singularity analysis...complete..." "...destruction energy analysis...complete..." "Propulsion system...deployment...ascent..."

In just ten seconds, the agent completed an overall scan and weakness analysis of the entire cruise ship, determined the location of the explosives, and then floated to the bottom of the ship with the help of the ropes and propulsion system nailed to the bottom of the ship; using seemingly delicate fingers to tear open the thin bottom and waterline steel plates, he installed the blasting tubes and high-energy explosives in the predetermined positions.

Okay, time to detonate.

Don't ask where the explosives and blasting tubes came from. Just ask what the Japanese Army contributed. No need to thank me for helping your army get rid of the navy's idiots!

At 4 a.m., when people were at their most sleepy, one of the Japanese ships anchored outside Shanghai's Huishan Wharf suddenly experienced a series of not-too-violent explosions all over its hull: "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Before some of the awakened soldiers and officers on duty could figure out what was happening, a series of teeth-grinding "squeaking leaves" sounded.