Canteen System Assistance Notes

The latter, who was weighing candy with a couple who were taking care of their baby, turned and said, "What? Cheese? We have Parmesan, but mozzarella won't keep. We don't sell it here. If you want it, you have to pre-order it, and we'll help you get it. Come pick it up next Tuesday!"

"WeLL...Okay."

Fortunately, you can place an order. The all-purpose supply and marketing supermarket has become a legend in the border area. Almost all food and daily necessities you can think of, although you may need to pre-order them, they can find them in the end. Stilton filled out a form and went home satisfied.

After ordering groceries at a grocery store, haggling with farmers in broken Chinese, a failed attempt to steal fresh basil from his British roommate, and being told the history of Thanksgiving was actually a history of Indian persecution, the veteran American welder finally gathered all the ingredients on Thanksgiving Eve. He woke up in the middle of the night to knead the dough and let it rise in the shade. By Thanksgiving dinner time, he lit the stove and baked a Neapolitan-style pizza in his earthenware oven.

The slightly browned crust, the slightly curled basil leaves, the thick and sweet tomato sauce, and the melted and soft mozzarella cheese dotted on the top of the pizza - yes, this is how it should be.

"When I took the pizza out, it made a banging noise on the plate."

A few days later, Stilton was drinking in frustration, complaining about his experience, "Then I discovered that my pizza crust had become as hard as a brick!

"Brother Tianxiang! You know what? Bricks! Bricks! Bricks that crackle when you tap them with your fingers, and even a knife can't cut them!" He howled tearfully, as if he had swallowed a large tube of mustard. "My son even asked me if I wanted to get a saw!"

"Is the bottom burnt?" someone asked. "Charcoal grills are prone to that."

"Yeah. Luckily, we scooped out the filling and ate it first, then soaked the good dough in soup - at least we didn't waste any food." "It seems not only the bottom was burnt, but you also used a rolling pin to press the dough, right?"

"How do you know?" Stilton pulled his head up from the table. "I saw my Chinese friends use rolling pins to make pies, too."

"Pie is pie, pizza is pizza. Using a rolling pin will ruin the dough! It's a common mistake for beginners." Luigi, the "chief of the military police" of the International Brigade and captain of the picket, crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "But Comrade Stilton, you've done a good job. At least you didn't put fruit on the pizza."

"Put fruit?"

Forget about it! "Papa Luigi looked around at the other customers in the bar, as if he had made up his mind. He said loudly, "Comrade Stilton! It's late, and you've had too much to drink - you should go home first!"

What's early? What time is it now?

Although the drunk Stilton was extremely reluctant, he was finally reluctantly sent home by his fellow workers.

The days that followed were uneventful. My children were well-behaved, and despite their mischief, they'd eaten that pizza that looked like artificial tiles a few days before, and they were still diligently working on their math homework assigned by Teacher Maozi. He went to get off work and came home according to his normal schedule. The factory was currently working on a trial production of a "large-capacity pressure vessel," and the veteran welder was completely busy. Over time, he'd forgotten about this matter.

Then, about ten days later, a coworker at the pressure vessel factory suddenly told him mysteriously that there was an event at the "Future Workers Club" that evening and that he must bring his children along. "What event?"

"Oh, you'll know when you go there!"

Stilton, with a suspicious look on his face, brought his little Tommy to the club for no apparent reason.

As soon as he pushed open the door, he sensed the unusual atmosphere in the club today: the tables that usually lined the walls had been moved out to form a long table in the center of the cave. Father Luigi from the patrol, his fellow workers and colleagues from the pressure vessel factory, a few salespeople from the supply and marketing cooperative, and a little girl named Jill, who was trying to restrain the workers' children with a stern face—familiar and unfamiliar friends alike were all present.

There were even a few gruff Russian aunties wearing aprons, directing a group of people around.

"You guys." Seeing the pizza dough being kneaded, the tomato sauce being made, and the whole pot of fresh basil leaves on the long table - and the British worker next to him - Stilton suddenly felt speechless. His nose felt sore and his vision suddenly became blurred.

He wiped his face vigorously:

"Fuck! Fuck! What are you doing? Thanksgiving was last month!"

"It's still early in the New Year! What's the big deal? Today isn't just for you, Comrade Stilton!"

A Chinese colleague handed me a bag of garlic and said, "Workers all over the world are one family! Comrade welder, let's get started now so that everyone can have hot naan tonight!" "Comrade, it's pizza!"

Perhaps this was the most interesting "Thanksgiving" ever spent by American Stilton and his children.

Although the origins of this holiday are not very glorious, and although it is already the evening of December 7th, more than ten days have passed since Thanksgiving in 1941, when the cheerful ding of the electric oven sounded and the rich aroma wafted from the kitchen, everyone still cheered.

"Pizza is here! Everyone come get some!"

The fruits of a night's labor finally emerged as pizzas of varying shapes and styles, each imbued with unique character and creativity. Stilton and his eagerly awaited son received their pizzas at the club's front desk. The pizzas, topped with tomato sauce, basil, cilantro (?), and cheese, were bursting with flavor, making you salivate and want to grab a bite to devour them.

However, at this moment, a noisy sound came from the radio in the bar, and then a deep, serious music appeared.

Um?

Over the radio, amidst the white noise that is so indispensable to radio broadcasts these days, came the iconic voice of the news anchor at Fushi Radio:

"Dear listeners, now for a breaking international news story. According to the latest information, just a few hours ago, the Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawaii!"

Chapter 529: The Wise Are Invincible (I) Dr. Zhongxi

Isao Nakanishi returned to Tokyo around September 1949.

Of course, he returned home with a mission. Recently, a Lieutenant General had arrived from the "ZN Anti-Japanese War Force Investigation Committee" and was conducting a deduction and investigation into the aftermath of the Sino-Japanese Incident, and urgently needed his cooperation.

Lieutenant General Iimura said that he still had a lot of information and data stored in the General Warfare Association in China, but his reputation in the General Warfare Association was now in trouble and he could not get assistance smoothly. Therefore, Mr. Nakanishi Isao, who had made great achievements in his work in China and Japan and was the actual head of the South Manchuria Railway Intelligence Agency, became the reasonable contact person for the agency and returned to China on official business.

However, not long after he got home and put down his luggage, a Japanese broadcast came from the radio.

"...The audio story 'Baseball Brothers' has come to an end here. Next, please enjoy the kalimba music 'Nausicaa Requiem'."

Oh...

The recently popular audio drama "Baseball Brothers" was broadcast on the "Voice of the East" radio station broadcast by the Communist Party of China.

As a radio station broadcasting mainly for Japan, unlike "Voice of Skin," which focuses on official statements and news reports, this station broadcasts a small amount of news in a relatively neutral manner, interspersed with music and stories to attract listeners.

Take, for example, the current series "Baseball Brothers," which follows a pair of brothers, Kunimi Hiro and Tachibana Hideo, who have loved baseball since childhood and aspire to play at Koshien. Its story, which champions youthful endeavor and masculinity, even garnered praise and comment from some local Japanese newspapers, allowing it to avoid government bans and frequency hedging.

While this makes sense, how can we conduct anti-war propaganda in this way?

kindness.....

The plot should be almost at the point where the two protagonists are competing in the regional finals, right?

I wonder how the Chinese comrades will write the next plot, Zhong Xigong thought... He waved away this strange idea and turned his attention to the "Requiem" that was playing: Today, a version with children's voices was played for the first time in a long time, so the corresponding one is interpretation plan No. 2.

From his suitcase, Zhong Xigong pulled a copy of the Shanghai-published "Yadong Times"—it was perfectly reasonable for a Japanese returning home from Shanghai to bring a Japanese newspaper—and, using his memory of reading and writing, he searched for word combinations on the paper. Soon, he deciphered a message from a Chinese comrade in this purely Japanese-owned newspaper.

"The Special High Police has begun searching according to the 'list'. Be careful of those who 'cross the point'. If necessary, issue Directive No. 9." Zhong Xigong frowned.

Directive No. 9 is an order for "all evacuations. If issued, it will directly trigger the evacuation of all intelligence team members in Japan. Except for some pre-placed personnel to maintain the most basic "please keep in" personnel, all members of the Nakanishi Group must evacuate Japan; in addition, even the "Ozaki Group" must choose to hide - it can be said that this is a very serious and very urgent order.

And the reason......

After Chinese comrades established intelligence communication channels with Soviet comrades and made progress in deciphering Japanese diplomatic telegrams, Gong Zhongxi received a warning.

Earlier this year, Japan's diplomatic network in the United States sent a list of collaborators to the US, alerting the nation to these "non-citizens." Of course, given the consistent practices of Japan's intelligence services, this report, while not entirely flawed, was certainly a fabrication: from top to bottom, it was filled with groundless speculation and conjecture.

This was originally a matter that had nothing to do with the intelligence agencies in Japan and the Communist Party members, but because the report, which was full of errors, covered so much ground, it actually included many Japanese-American Communist Party members in Japan. If the Special Higher Police, who were obsessed with details, had investigated this, they might have actually found clues to the intelligence system in Japan.

"The intelligence system established by the Japanese comrades under GRU command has excessive horizontal connections in pursuit of efficient intelligence exchange. This creates a large number of cross-point personnel—in other words, intelligence personnel who not only maintain relationships with their superiors but also possess information about their peers. If these personnel are breached, it could very well threaten the entire intelligence network."

Due to their intelligence cooperation, Nakanishi and his commanding officer, the Tongwen Academy, took over a portion of your intelligence system transferred from the GRU. During a secret meeting, Chinese comrade Xiao Pan sternly warned Nakanishi, pointing out that the Osaki Group's procedures for meeting, communicating, and transferring intelligence in Japan were too "violent."

"Indeed, Ozaki and his companions relied on their status to communicate directly through phone calls, banquets, and even regular breakfast meetings. After all, their social status was truly exceptional: university professors, scions of political families, the Prime Minister's personal secretaries... Without irrefutable evidence, no one would dare investigate them."

Zhong Xigong felt a little helpless. He reflected deeply, realizing he shared a similar problem. Besides being a renowned journalist, he was also the director of investigation for the Manchurian Railway Research Bureau, one of Japan's most important intelligence agencies in China, and the head of intelligence for the Japanese Anti-Japanese War Forces Research Committee. He often relied on this status to obtain intelligence.

My vigilance is incomparable to that of my Chinese comrades, who have always worked under the white terror of high-pressure rule and brutal raids. In the future, I should be even more cautious and try to avoid doing things that are unbecoming of my position. Besides these positions, I seem to still...

Ding-ling-ling - at this moment, Zhong Xigong's phone rang.

At this point... Nakanishi Gong looked around, confirmed the phone was safe, and then answered it. Soon, the operator's voice faded, and a man's voice emerged. "Ah, hello, Mr. Nakanishi."

"Moxi Moxi?"

"I'm sorry to call you so early..." "Who are you?"

"Can't you recognize my voice?" said the man on the other end of the phone.

"Ah, what? Can't you recognize my voice?" Zhong Xigong replied, mimicking the other person's voice perfectly. After he finished speaking, both parties laughed.

Well, the caller was Ozaki Hidemi, a renowned journalist, a member of the Asahi-kai, a key figure in the "Ozaki Group," and his own close friend. Or rather, he was the personal secretary of Japanese Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro, a Communist Party member. And his other identity was Prime Minister Konoe's special advisor and close friend.

I'm not a dangerous "crossing point," am I? Zhong Xigong thought.

"Mr. Nakanishi, I heard you've just returned from the Magic City. This is a rare opportunity, and as we're forming a cabinet, Mr. Konoe hopes to have a chat with you," Ozaki Hidemi said directly on the other end of the line. "I'll be at Ogigaiso in Suginami-ku. Your Excellency will have some wine prepared. Please be sure to come."

Well, it seems this "excessive" use of one's identity is inevitable for the time being. "With great pleasure, Ozaki-san, please convey my gratitude to Lord Konoe."

Nakanishi Gong nodded and bowed, as if the person opposite could see him.

Chapter 530: The Wise Are Invincible (Part 2) Pm. Guard

Tokyo's Suginami Ward is a newly rebuilt district after the Great Earthquake. Because almost all of it was razed to the ground in the disaster, the planning here could start almost from a blank sheet of paper, making it appear quite modern.

Such excellent conditions naturally attracted many celebrities and nobles in Tokyo. Ever since the poet and writer Yosano Akiko and her family first built a villa here, many people who were able to buy land and build buildings flocked here and built many large "houses" and "villas", forming a very prosperous villa area during the Showa period.

Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro naturally also owned a manor here—Ogigai-sho—a name inscribed by the political elder Saionji Kimmochi after he purchased the villa from its original owner. In the original history, this would have been his final residence, where he committed suicide to avoid trial.

Of course, now, the place is brightly lit, music is melodious, and the atmosphere is filled with joy and happiness. In the outer rooms, familiar young masters and young ladies are drinking, socializing, and chatting, enjoying dance music and light music played by a Western band - all of this is observed by a man named Zhong Xigong.

He calmly tucked the briefcase under his arm and followed the waiter's lead into the quiet inner room. Here was the "main event" of today's meeting.

"Nakanishi-san, today I want to reveal something important to you."

Konoe Fumima, holding his wine glass, lowered his voice, but could not hide the joy in his tone: "Just today, His Majesty the Emperor approved the resignations of the three chiefs of the army!

He emphasized: "Leaving aside the other two, Tojo Hideki! That belligerent private! He has finally disappeared completely, making it difficult for him to perform his ridiculous, self-serving tricks!"

Due to the army's devastating defeat in North China, Chief of Staff Seishirō Itagaki, Army Minister Hideki Tojo, and Director of Education Otozo Yamada were forced to resign. However, according to Japanese political procedures, these three resignations had to be approved by the Emperor before they could take effect.

However, for over a month now, the Imperial Household Ministry has been holding back these resignations, sparking all sorts of rumors and rumors in Japanese politics, such as claims that His Majesty is merciful and wants them to atone for their sins, or that the navy and army are engaging in some kind of exchange of interests.

But what does this have to do with Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro, who is in the process of forming his second cabinet? Nakanishi Isao knew the answer, but he was a good listener and knew that he should not interrupt Prime Minister Konoe's venting at this time, so he just nodded, drank, and continued listening.

"Mr. Zhongxi, you also know our long-standing goal regarding the future of the Empire, right?"

Launching foreign wars of aggression, seeking to plunder raw materials, dumping goods, in order to gain more profits and divert domestic conflicts... Although he thought so in his heart, Zhong Xi's expression did not change, and he said:

"Of course I know. We must seek the path to self-reliance and self-strengthening for the Imperial Nation and establish a Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere for the Yellow Race. Lord Konoe, with this statement, after Army Minister Tojo's resignation, most of your constraints will be eliminated."

"As expected of you, Mr. Nakanishi! Sharp and wise, I'm afraid you're the only one who can understand me so quickly." Konoe Fumima was very happy with the cleverness of his friend and behind-the-scenes consultant, Isao Nakanishi. He clinked glasses with Isao Nakanishi again, drank the wine in his glass, and said happily,

"Yes! Next, it's time for us to show our skills!"

If we were to conduct a "political spectrum test" on Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro at the time, we would probably see a rather interesting phenomenon: the prime minister who once strongly pushed the young "military personnel" to take decisive action in (pseudo) Manchuria and believed that this was "the destiny path that the Imperial Country must take", now actually began to raise the banner of anti-war and peace.

His predecessor, Army Minister Hideki Tojo, was a Showa pioneer who championed war with the United States and the Empire's inevitable victory. While both were still in office, their positions ultimately became irreconcilable. Tojo frequently interfered with Konoe Fumimaro's decisions and obstructed his policies, much to Konoe's annoyance and disgust.

Now that Tojo is gone, he is naturally very happy.

"My previous thought was that no matter what, we should first resolve the Sino-Japanese incident."

Konoe calmed down a bit and began to talk about something else. He didn't know at this point that Suzuki Sadaichi, who also advocated a peaceful southward movement, was conspiring with Itagaki Seishirō to form an imperial cabinet and expel him. Instead, he continued, "But not going south is impossible: the Empire is becoming increasingly impoverished!"

"Indeed. Given the current situation of Manchuria and Mongolia's lifeline, the survival of the Imperial State remains unresolved."

Zhong Xigong nodded. On the one hand, they were fighting wars to plunder resources, on the other hand, they were losing money and the people's living standards were getting worse and worse. I am afraid that only Japan in the world could do this. Going to war would definitely not solve the problem. If absolute and earth-shaking changes were not made, Japan would continue to sprint towards destruction. Then

Although it cannot solve the problem, it is still a dangerous move that risks the fate of the country by starting a war.

Taking action to try to change something is also an inevitable choice.

Zhong Xigong kept his expression unchanged and filled Konoe's glass with wine.

But now, the war is stalled. Not only do we have to pay special war expenses, which waste the national treasury, but it is also difficult to move forward with the reunion of Wang and Jiang and the peaceful resolution of the incident. It seems that it is difficult to withdraw troops to support the southward campaign - but what do you think that damned Private First Class Tojo said?

"how?"

Konoe Fumima puffed out his cheeks and feigned extreme anger, as if he had suddenly transformed into a Showa youth general, bravely confronting his superiors to defend the truth: "He said at the time - increasing domestic production can prevent material poverty and solve the problem of insufficient military supplies, so we should invest more than a billion to increase domestic production!"

"Production requires resources, and resources require war! Does it mean that going to war with the United States and Britain for resources, which requires huge sacrifices, is stupid?" "More than one billion in funds, resources for production, going to war with Britain and the United States, ha, now all our Empire's assets in the United States have been frozen, it's a pity that Tojo could say that."

"Konoe Fumima sneered, "Going to war with the United States will certainly result in huge casualties, so,

We must complete negotiations with the United States and move south peacefully."

"But the current Southeast Asia is a colony of the United States, Britain and the Netherlands, and is their traditional sphere of influence."

Zhong Xigong began to carry out his advisory duties step by step. "If the Empire moves south, it will inevitably lead to conflict with the United States and Britain, and even war is inevitable... Even if these factors are ignored, the southward strategy relies heavily on warships and ships, which will inevitably benefit the navy. How will you handle the conflict between land and sea?"

The joyful sounds of the banquet outside came through the partition wall. Konoe Fumimaro was silent for a few seconds and said:

"I've also considered the issue you raised. I already have some ideas regarding land and sea affairs. For example, after I form a cabinet, I can support the Army's operations in China and oppose those calling for a withdrawal. This will ensure that the Army's special war funds remain uninterrupted, and I'm sure I'll be able to gain the Army's support."

Didn't you just say that you wanted to end the Sino-Japanese Incident? Zhong Xigong complained in his heart, but didn't say anything. "As for the British and American issues,"

Konoe Fumima lowered his voice again. Although Ogigai-sho was extremely safe, he still whispered, "This time, I plan to meet with the US commander-in-chief to personally discuss the Empire's southward expansion!"

"Sir Konoe! Are you going to step forward?"

Hearing this news, Zhong Xigong was still a little shocked, but he calmed down immediately: "If we can have a face-to-face meeting, at least we can clarify the current situation.

, exchange the views of both sides. But Konoe-san, your self-sacrifice is not enough to make the negotiation successful.

But; if the negotiations fail…"

I invited Mr. Nakanishi to discuss this in detail today, and that's also why I asked him to come here today. Mr. Nakanishi has seen a lot, and he's a man with a long-term vision, having traveled between Japan and China. Konoe Fumimaro didn't directly answer Nakanishi's question, but instead asked, "In your opinion, what are the views of the British and Americans on the Sino-Japanese Incident? What's the latest news?"

"I work in Manchuria and Shanghai, doing business consulting. The world today is very different from before."

"The war between the Duguo and the Luo Kingdom is raging. Britain has clearly taken the opposite side of the Duguo and declared its support for the Luo Kingdom. Furthermore, because the Imperial Kingdom is an ally of the Duguo, Britain and the Luo Kingdom have also taken concrete actions to support China's war against the Imperial Kingdom. This has already happened."