Chapter 299: First kill, then report; imperial prerogative

"Director!'

'Shaolong, you've done it again.'

'Thank you, Director, for the praise. It's what I should do.'

'Shaolong, don't be so modest. I was just talking about you with the Commissioner.'

'Huh?'

Zhang Yong was taken aback.

You mentioned me to the Commissioner? Oh dear!

What did you tell the Commissioner about me? I'm not really that close with the Commissioner.

In fact, I don't want to be.

It's too much trouble.

'Yes. I was just reporting on some other matters to the Commissioner, and he asked if we had caught any of the Japanese spies who tried to assassinate your wife.'

'Er...'

'I said that Shao Long was on it. We've already arrested a few.'

'Commissioner...'

'Shaolong, this is a great opportunity. You must seize it.'

'Yes!'

'Remember to give this matter priority. You must get the Japanese spies to talk. Don't be afraid of death. If they die, they die.'

'Yes.'

'That's all.'

The department head hung up.

Zhang Yong held the receiver. He hesitated for a long time before putting it down.

He was in a difficult situation.

He had just promised Li Boqi that he would be quiet for 15 days. But then the department head called immediately.

It was fine that he called. He also arranged a task.

to capture the Japanese spies who tried to assassinate Madam. He can't do that! The only way to capture them is the old way.

That is, to grab them all. Then play Whac-A-Mole. With a bit of luck, you might catch the relevant Japanese spies.

If you're unlucky,

the last two sentences from the director were also very serious.

Don't be afraid of death.

If they die, they die.

This shows that the director is very serious about this matter.

As long as they are Japanese spies involved in the assassination of the Empress Dowager, there is no need to keep them alive.

Catch one, kill one.

In a sense, he was actually given the power to take action first and report later.

That's right. It's take action first and report later. A special imperial power granted.

No matter who it is, as long as they are involved in the assassination attempt on the Empress Dowager, kill them without mercy!

Even the Commissioner and the Chief Constable did not mention evidence.

What do you mean? Just kill first.

It doesn't matter if there is any evidence. As long as there is a suspicion, you can kill.

Of course, this refers to ordinary people.

Those big shots definitely aren't included. Circle a range, below colonel. That is the level of regiment commander.

If the regiment commander is suspected, it may need to be reported. But battalion commander and company commander level, there is no need to mention it.

Everyone else takes the blame.

The rank is similar to that of regiment commander. You can still struggle a bit. If you are not at the level of regiment commander, you will be killed directly.

Put down the phone.

Slowly sit down. Rarely ponder.

Why did the committee and department heads give themselves such great privileges? They must have been worried that the wife really was assassinated.

They wanted to quickly nip all the implications in the bud.

Seriously, this delegation of power is terrifying.

If he Zhang Yong uses this privilege as a warrant, he can completely stir up a bloody mess on the beach.

What if you can't catch the Japanese spy?

You can also catch some unrelated people to make up the numbers.

To put it bluntly, anyone he dislikes can be framed and killed.

For a moment, I don't know whether to be surprised or nervous.

With such power in my hands, I really want to kill everyone I dislike.

The first person I want to kill is Zhang Xiaolin.

I'll just give him a charge and get rid of him...

But wait. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hits me.

I take a deep breath. I think for a moment. I pick up the phone. I call the headquarters on Ji'e Lane directly.

'This is Zhang Yong. I'm looking for Director Chu.'

'Please hold a moment.'

'DING DING...'

'DING DING...'

'Hello.'

'Director Chu, it's me, Zhang Yong.'

'Speak.'

'Director Chu, is Madam going abroad?'

'You guessed it?'

'Yes.'

'That's right. Madam will probably be involved in more social activities recently. The Japanese spies may be getting restless.'

'I understand. I know what to do.'

'Good!'

The director hangs up the phone.

Zhang Yong feels the pressure building up.

He doesn't have to worry about protecting Madam after she leaves the country.

That's the job of the personal aide's office.

And the military police headquarters.

The point is, Madam may engage in public activities before she leaves the country and after she returns.

That's more troublesome.

If the Japanese really want to make a move, there's no way to prevent it.

Rationally speaking, the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Affairs should not take any assassination actions.

This would not do the Japanese any good.

But the military was so fanatical! The military were all hotheads.

It was almost a tradition for the military to overrule the government.

Even if the military leaders disapproved, the men below them would not necessarily listen.

Especially the heads of the secret services were fanatical and would do anything.

What could be done?

Arrest them.

Arrest all the Japanese spies you can find.

If you find one, arrest one!

Once all the Japanese spies have been arrested, the threat will naturally be lifted.

If there is one or two insiders, then we've made a profit.

Alas, we have to start sweeping again...

'Report!'

Suddenly, a woman's voice came from somewhere.

He looked up. It was Li Jingzhi. She looked serious. She had come to report official business.

'What is it?'

'Report. The telecommunications team has discovered multiple new radio signals. A preliminary judgment is that they may be the new radios of Japanese spies.'

'Oh? I'll go take a look!'

Zhang Yong was a little curious. He followed Li Jingzhi to the telecommunications team.

Because there were quite a few captured radios, the telecommunications team at the Songhu Office had a total of eight radios.

Two were transmitting and two were receiving. The other four were for backup. Or practice. Or mobility.

'Captain Zhang.'

'Team Leader Chen!'

Zhang Yong greeted Chen Mei.

Chen Mei still looked very capable. She was dedicated to researching telecommunications technology.

The telecommunications level of the Fuxing Society was definitely considered high within the National Army. In the later period, there were even many foreign students recruited from abroad to be responsible for deciphering the Japanese invaders' codes.

I really miss geniuses like Jiang Yiying. In fact, there was more than one. Some people's abilities were not inferior to hers.

However, deciphering codes also depends a lot on luck. Without luck, hard work is useless.

'Five groups of new Japanese invader radios?'

'That's the preliminary judgment. But we can't determine the distance or direction.'

'Are they transmitting from Hongkou?'

'No.'

'Are you sure?'

'We can't be completely sure. But we believe that these new radio stations are being used by the veteran radio operators of several Japanese spies.'

'I don't understand. Please explain.'

'Jingzhi, you explain.'

'Yes!'

Li Jingzhi began to explain.

'Each radio operator has a unique transmission method. It's like a person's handwriting. Everyone is different.'

'We have been monitoring the Japanese spies' radio station. After a long period of observation and analysis, we found that the main Japanese spies' operators are always the same people, except for those who have been arrested. There are currently five of them. We are familiar with their transmission methods. Now there is a new radio signal, but the transmission method is still the same. Therefore, we judge that these Japanese spies should have switched to a new radio station.'

Zhang Yong nodded thoughtfully.

He understood. This is called specialising in one's field. Professionals do professional things.

For people who have been involved in telecommunications for many years, the enemy's radio operators are all very familiar. Similarly, the Japanese invaders must also be very familiar with their transmission methods.

This is a battle beyond visual range. A silent contest. It is a very important part of espionage.

'What about the Japanese spies' old radio?'

'They are still in use. But the operators have changed. The method is unfamiliar. It has never been seen before. Judging from the speed of transmission, they must also be veterans who have trained for many years.'

'In other words, the Japanese spies have increased the number of operators. Are there new operators?'

'Yes.'

'I see.'

Zhang Yong sat down and pondered in silence.

From this information, it can be judged that the Japanese spies are reinforcing their troops in Songhu!

The Japanese invaders are not willing to admit defeat. They are still deploying more manpower to Songhu. Radio operators are just a part of it. A very small part.

For example, the Fuxing Society has more than 1,000 people, but the number of radio operators is at most 50.

The ratio of radio operators to others is at least 1:10 or even 1:20. That means for every radio operator, there must be 10 or even 20 others.

According to this ratio, the number of Japanese spies entering Songhu was definitely more than 50. It might even be more than 100.

After all, with the Japanese-occupied Hongkou District as a cancer, it was very convenient for the Japanese to deploy personnel from there.

Damn it, if that's the case, then go out and sweep!

'Can you determine the general location?'

'Unfortunately, we can't.'

'I understand. You've already done a good job.'

Zhang Yong encouraged the telecommunications team.

The telecommunications team in the office is of course not comparable to the headquarters. But they have done a very good job.

'Captain Zhang...' Chen Mei hesitated.

'Team Leader Chen, if you have something to say, you can speak freely,' Zhang Yong said slowly.

'I found that there was a new transmitter who appeared four years ago. At the time, we gave him a code name, called Lark.'

'Is he very good?'

'At the time, his method of sending messages was very flexible and varied. We failed to catch him several times. Section Chief Ling even specifically recorded her in the case file. But then he never appeared again...'

'Ring ring ring...'

Suddenly, the telephone in the telecommunications team rang.

Chen Mei went to answer the phone. Soon, she put down the receiver. She walked back.

'Yes. It's him. Larkbird. The headquarters radio station also intercepted it. Section Chief Ling confirmed that it was him, Larkbird.'

'Why do you remember it so clearly?'

'Because at the time, this Lark sent a very long telegram. The transmission lasted a full 17 minutes. There were 1,399 characters in total.'

'And then?'

'After that, this Lark never appeared again.'

'What was the content of the telegram? Any clues?'

'No. After that, the lark never showed up again. But the fact that he was able to send 1,399 characters in 17 minutes shows that his transmission speed was at the pinnacle of its time. There aren't many people like him, even in Japan. For the time being, there aren't any people on our side who can reach such speeds.'

'Good. When I catch him, I'll let you have a good exchange with him.'

'Then we'll wait for your good news.'

'I'll go then.'

'Goodbye!'

'Goodbye!'

Zhang Yong left the telecommunications team.

He notified everyone that they would take the day off. Then they would move.