cicada

Chapter 1299 Ministry of Finance

When Shelikov learned the purpose of Okamoto Kiyohsu's visit, he repeated the intelligence he had mentioned when he defected, covering everything from the resume of military commanders to the number of troops, and mixed with a lot of top-secret information.

“After the outbreak of the war between Germany and Russia, Moscow not only did not weaken the military strength of the Far East, but instead repeatedly dispatched troops and technical equipment from the Western Front to the Far East to strengthen the combat effectiveness of local troops.

The military chief of the Red Russian Far East was General Joseph Apanashenko, a senior officer who had served in multiple command positions and had worked with Budyonny and Timoshenko.

目前，红俄远东军区、外贝加尔军区共有75万至80万兵力，3000至4000辆战车，2500至3000架飞机，5000至6000门各类火炮。

Red Russia also built a large number of fortifications in Vladivostok, Blagoveshchensk, Khabarovsk, Sakhalin Island, Primorsky Krai and Trans-Baikal region, forming a multi-line defense system in depth.

Shelikov told the story of the Red Russian military deployment in the Far East. Okamoto Kiyohsu listened and took notes, preparing to compare the data with Shelikov's previous confession to verify the authenticity of the intelligence.

At the same time, although he had long known the power of Red Russia, after listening to Shelikov's narration, Kiyohuke Okamoto still felt a sense of powerlessness.

With the strength of the Japanese army, it could not pose any threat to Red Russia or even the Far East. "Going north" was not feasible. If Japan wanted to gain more living space, it had no choice but to go south.

Half an hour later, Kiyohisa Okamoto stopped recording and looked up at Shelikov: "Mr. Shelikov, I will send someone to verify the information you said. If I find out that you are lying, you should know the consequences."

Shelikov shrugged and said nonchalantly: "Of course, Mr. Okamoto, I chose to flee from Red Russia for money and a good life, not to die."

Looking at this Red Russian traitor, Kiyohsu Okamoto nodded slightly and made a promise that as long as there was no problem with the information provided by Shelikov, the General Staff would do everything possible to meet the other party's requirements.

He then asked Shelikov to analyze from the perspective of a professional intelligence officer whether the Kwantung Army was capable of attacking Red Russia.

Shelikov laughed and looked at Okamoto Kiyohsu with a playful look. It was obvious that he did not think highly of the Japanese. After a pause, Shelikov talked about something.

"NK┴VD has conducted strategic deductions with the military. If your country launches a surprise attack when the war on the Western Front goes against your will, the Far Eastern Military District and the Trans-Baikal Military District will voluntarily abandon the border and use the vast Siberian plains to dilute your troops and technical equipment.

The defense of the Far East did not rely solely on a single fortress, but rather on a vast system of in-depth defense, including bunkers, pillboxes, trenches, minefields, and railway defense lines. Many fortresses were equipped with heavy artillery, anti-tank guns, and anti-aircraft guns.

These fortifications can effectively resist threats from land, sea and air. How many troops can your country consume? I think Mr. Okamoto should have the answer to your question just now. "

Kiyohsu Okamoto looked grim. The territory of Red Russia was too vast, so vast that it made people despair. Hundreds of thousands of troops were deployed to the Far East, and the logistics alone would be enough to drag down the fragile Japanese economy.

It seems that it is necessary to suggest to the cabinet to adjust its strategic direction. Going north is a dead end. Okamoto put away his pen and paper and made a decision in his mind.

After walking out of Shelikov's hiding place, Kiyohsu Okamoto met Tetsuji Sudo who was waiting outside the door. He casually asked about the results of the surveillance on Hayashi Fuichiro, and Tetsuji Sudo immediately began to report.

"Mr. Minister, we have not found that the target has had any secret contact with suspect No. 1, but I think..."

Before Sudo Tetsuji could finish, Okamoto Kiyohuke interrupted with a frown, "You must be cautious in your actions. Monitoring an imperial noble is very sensitive. You must not let your prejudices affect the mission. Do you understand?"

After leaving a warning, Okamoto got in his special car and drove away. He knew very well the mentality of poor people like Sudo. The imperial society was indeed unfair, but this was the real world.

Tetsuji Sudo looked at the car driving away with a gloomy face. He waited until the exhaust fumes dissipated before he took his men to the Ministry of Finance to continue monitoring Hayashi Fuichiro.

In front of the Ministry of Finance.

Zuo Chong handed his ID to the guard. The guard looked at the photo on the ID, then looked at the smiling head of the Osaka City Hall, bent down and said something private, then returned the ID and made way.

Mixed in with the hurried clerks, Zuo Zhong looked at Japan's highest financial institution with curiosity, like a country bumpkin who had just moved to the city, no different from other local civil servants who came here to do business.

It was the afternoon working hours, and a large number of staff members walked into the building chatting and laughing. Zuo Chong struck up a conversation with one of them and calmly passed by several men in black who were guarding the door of the building.

"Sayounana."

"Sayounana."

In the busy hall, Zuo Chong said goodbye to a fellow Osaka man he had just met. He glanced at the man in black who was looking around, then turned and walked up the stairs.

Like the National Government, the heads of the Ministry of Finance also like to have their offices on the second floor or above, as if this makes them superior to others.

Zuo Chong went up the stairs on the left side. Japan's traffic regulations were modeled after those of Britain. Both people and vehicles must keep to the left. This was where the Military Intelligence Bureau's intelligence personnel were most likely to make mistakes in Japan.

Although the New Life Movement required people and cars to drive on the left, the previous dynasty had promoted right-hand driving for decades, and most people in the Republic of China were still accustomed to walking on the right.

After climbing two floors, Zuo Zhong found that there were people squatting at the corners of each staircase. Judging from the dense cigarette butts on the ground, these people had obviously stayed there for a long time. Ignoring the prying eyes, Zuo Zhong walked to an office with a sign that read Elderly Welfare Department and knocked on the door.

This is a subordinate department of the Budget Bureau of the Ministry of Finance, a typical clean government office that is seldom visited.

Currently, Japanese society is only focused on one thing, and that is war. The elderly who cannot create wealth are seen as a burden, and the so-called welfare class is just an excuse to create jobs.

The bored office staff saw someone coming and didn't even bother to verify his identity. They excitedly started chatting with Zuo Chong. Their attitude was very polite, without any of the arrogance and conceit that was common in central government agencies.

While Zuo Zhong was talking about "official business" with the other party, he was paying attention to the movements in the corridor. After a while, a figure walked past the door. Zuo Zhong immediately stood up and said goodbye loudly, and his voice was heard through the open office door.

In the corridor, Lin Fuichiro strode towards his office, feeling extremely angry. The counterintelligence agency actually sent people into the Ministry of Finance. It was so brazen.

Those sneaky guys outside the building and on the stairs should just hold up a "見守る" sign. Even a fool can tell that they are monitoring you.

This was both a provocation from the counterintelligence agency and a test to see if he had noticed that he was being monitored.

When Lin Fuyilang was feeling worried, he suddenly heard a familiar voice in his ear. His heart was startled and he reached out to stop a subordinate who was passing by and found a random excuse to start a conversation with him.

During the conversation, someone walked past them and disappeared into the toilet at the end of the corridor. The General Staff agent who was monitoring them did not suspect anything.

"Yo, go back to work. I'll keep an eye on this matter."

Lin Fuyilang sent his subordinates away and walked towards the toilet. The spy followed him to the door and stood outside, quietly observing the situation inside.

In the toilet, Zuo Chong left the cubicle and went to the sink to turn on the faucet. Amid the sound of rushing water, Lin Fuyilang walked into the cubicle he had just been to.

The two had no verbal communication or physical contact throughout the process, but completed the information transfer covertly.

Lin Fuyilang took out a piece of paper from the back of the water pipe, and after reading the contents clearly, he immediately lit the paper and pulled the water tank to flush away the ashes.

Recalling the instructions from "Fat Tiger" on the note, especially the words "guide... Suzuki Kantaro... Sorge", the Viscount picked up his trousers.

When Lin Fuichiro came out of the toilet "relaxed", Zuo Zhong had already boarded the tram back to the safe house. After the tram drove a few blocks, Sudo Tetsuji drove past the window.

Due to Okamoto Kiyohsu's warning, Sudo Tetsuji was in a low mood. He parked his car outside a house not far from the Ministry of Finance, got out and walked in.

Several agents sitting in front of the monitoring equipment saw him, nodded slightly and greeted him. Sudo Tetsuji walked to one of them and prepared to pick up the monitoring headphones.

At this moment, an agent suddenly raised his right hand, and the device in front of him began to flash green light, which meant that the target had telephone communication.

Tetsuji Sudo immediately put on the headphones and soon heard the voices of Hayashi Fuichiro and his wife Sonoko. The wire recorder slowly turned and recorded their conversation.

"Yuanzi, is Grandfather at home? I have something to report to him."

"Grandfather is going to the Imperial Palace today to accompany His Majesty Tian Huang to attend the cabinet meeting. Mr. Lin, why don't I wait with you at the Imperial Palace after get off work? Yuanzi hasn't seen Grandfather for a long time."

"Okay then, see you later."

"See you soon."

The call ended here. Although there was nothing suspicious in the content, considering that this might be a smokescreen released by the target, Tetsuji Sudo put down his headphones and called his men to arrange tracking.

When a spy heard that they were going to conduct surveillance at the Imperial Palace and that it would involve General Suzuki, he raised an objection, but Sudo convinced him with a few slaps.

That evening, Hayashi Fuichiro and his wife Sonoko waited for Suzuki Kantaro outside the Imperial Palace. The other party smiled and called them into his private car, and then drove towards Suzuki's residence.

The car drove for some distance, and the driver and bodyguard in the front seat kept looking back. Suzuki was puzzled and asked what had happened.

The driver hesitated for a moment and whispered back, "Sir, someone is following us."

Suzuki Kantaro's face darkened. He turned around and looked behind the car. As expected, he found a half-old Buick sedan. This made the general who was hit by several bullets at 226 very angry.

After the ominous incident, he attached great importance to his own safety. No matter where he went, he always went at a short notice in order to prevent assassination. Now someone actually dared to follow him outside the Imperial Palace. How could this be tolerated!

Suzuki Kantaro decided to teach his stalker an unforgettable lesson, but thinking that he had too few guards around him, he said coldly to the driver, "Go to Kasumigaseki 1-chome-1."