German Red Prince

Page 111

"Of course, it's a pleasure to cooperate!" Zhang Shouguo lit a cigarette for Ueharaji. Bribing these Japanese officers had become a basic policy of the Fengtian government, as they could obtain a lot of the latest intelligence from the Japanese.

Zhang Shouguo specializes in this line of work. Recently, he received instructions from above to secretly purchase Japanese weapons. The specific purpose was not specified, but this was not Zhang Shouguo's concern. He only needed to do what he was supposed to do.

This act of embezzlement is a serious matter. There are too many eyes watching during the day, so it can only be done at night. Colonel Noda is hosting a banquet today, which is a perfect opportunity to come and "import" something.

Reselling arms was far more lucrative than his meager military pay, so Noda was unwilling to be transferred back to Japan and repeatedly petitioned to remain in this "bitter and cold land."

Go back? Are you kidding me? A Japanese general's monthly salary is only 550 yen, while he can earn over a thousand yen a month. With such a lucrative position, he must be out of his mind to go back.

Chapter 192 How to manage an army while living with insects

After finishing his cigarette, Ueharaji had to leave quickly. He couldn't stay there any longer; it wouldn't look good if someone saw him.

"After you're done installing it, hurry up and leave. Don't let too many of his people notice," Ueharaji reminded them.

"Of course, I hope we can cooperate more often," Zhang Shouguo replied with a smile.

“We’d like to, but we can’t do this kind of business every day.” Ueharaji looked regretful. If they could do this business every day, it would be incredibly lucrative.

"The higher-ups are quite strict about the weapons and ammunition, and the reporting of various losses is very complicated. But apart from that, everything else is easy to deal with. Reporting the loss of medicines is much easier. Anyway, there have been a lot of casualties in the camp recently, so we just said that they were used on these people."

Zhang Shouguo felt a bit contempt for Ueharaji for saying these words so calmly. These Japanese were truly shameless. Although he didn't get along with the Japanese, he also felt some sympathy for those Japanese soldiers. Where had all the medicine gone? It was all sitting in the warehouse waiting for him to take it away.

But thinking about it from another perspective, it's actually quite satisfying. They all deserve it; who told them to come here? They brought this trouble upon themselves.

"Yes, it is indeed a pity." Zhang Shouguo also sighed. Of course, he would not say that he was in charge of the arms sales of five camps, taking turns to do them, and making deals every month.

"Then we're off." Zhang Shouguo jumped onto the truck and said goodbye to Ueharaji. He drove away from the camp from the back. After the truck left, Ueharaji returned to the banquet with a thick wad of banknotes and reported the situation to Noda Hiroji.

After the two had been gone for a while, Fujimiya Takemi arrived at the warehouse. "Has anyone been here just now?" Fujimiya asked the soldier guarding the warehouse.

“Reporting to the officer, no,” the guard replied.

"Has Major Ueharaji been here? Did you see him come with anyone?"

"Sir, no one has been here." The soldier repeated what he had just said.

"Baka Yarou! Swear to me in the name of a soldier of the Great Japanese Empire! Did anyone come over just now?!"

Fujimiya was furious. The tire tracks and footprints on the snow were very clear, indicating that a car and people must have just passed by. These guys were actually lying through their teeth.

"Sir, I swear on the name of a soldier of the Great Japanese Empire, no one came over just now," the soldier replied, still expressionless.

"Let me in to check! Check!" Fujimiya lost his patience; he wanted to go in and see for himself.

"Sorry, sir, no one is allowed to enter the warehouse without Colonel Noda's identification." Several soldiers stood in front of Fujimiya, guns at the ready.

"You bunch of bastards, how dare you point guns at your superiors!" Fujimiya didn't care about anything else and wanted to rush in to check.

"I'm very sorry, sir."

Several soldiers behind them had bayonets fixed to their rifles and stood in front of the warehouse gate, preventing Fujimiya from advancing further.

"ばか野郎!"

Seeing that he couldn't get through, Fujimiya angrily slapped one of the soldiers blocking his way, knocking him to the ground in the snow.

The attack on the warehouse guards escalated the situation significantly. The guards present had already begun cocking their guns, and anyone who rashly stormed into the warehouse could be shot dead on the spot.

Forcing his way in was impossible. Fujimiya could only stand in front of the warehouse in a state of helpless rage. Someone must have come by just now, and there must be something fishy going on inside the warehouse. The truth was only one step away from him, but these people actually dared to lie using the honor of their Imperial Army soldiers!

On the way back, Fujimiya Takemi gripped the military knife hanging at his waist tightly; to be honest, he had almost drawn his sword and rushed in.

He couldn't understand what was going on. When did the honor of soldiers become so cheap? The spirit that Japan had inherited for thousands of years could now be sold off so cheaply. They could actually sell their own samurai spirit!

As Fujimiya Takemi passed the small building where the banquet was being held, he could still hear the licentious laughter coming from inside. His soldiers were enduring the cold and pain in the cold infirmary, while these people were acting as if nothing was wrong and were having an impromptu party!

The soldiers are risking their lives outside, shedding blood for the empire, yet these incompetent officers are so negligent! Fujimiya can already imagine what the country will become if these people flood into the upper echelons of the military.

The suffering of the Japanese underclass must be caused by these people! The sisters of the soldiers on the Manchurian front have to sell themselves to get food, the old farmers who have worked hard all year cannot eat the rice they grew, the people have no jobs, and the nation is suffering unspeakably. It must be these bastards who have deceived the Emperor!

His Majesty the Emperor must not know about this tragic situation, otherwise he would never have stood idly by. The treacherous ministers around His Majesty the Emperor have concealed the true state of affairs from him!

After graduating from the Army University, Fujimiya swore to dedicate all his loyalty to the Empire. While in Tokyo, he couldn't stand his superior's corrupt behavior. In his hot-blooded state, he led soldiers into his superior's office, announced his various crimes, and then executed him in a samurai style.

This incident had a huge impact at the time. Some people strongly supported Fujimiya's righteous act, while others opposed it. Logically speaking, Fujimiya should have been tried by a military court for doing such a thing.

However, his family connections were strong enough, and Fujimiya was a very upright person. Many people in the army and among the people pleaded for him, and letters written in blood were sent to the court. Under the enormous public pressure, Fujimiya was only imprisoned for three months before being released and exiled to Manchuria.

The thought of that heroic spirit from back then plunged Fujimiya into endless heartache. During his time in Manchuria, he had witnessed many things, including quite a few people like his former superior, and even more extreme ones.

He drew his sword and angrily hacked at the snow, just like the superior who had executed him before; he wanted to vent his anger.

"Damn it! How can you manage an army with these bastards around!" he shouted angrily, pointing his knife at the attic.

However, his shouts seemed to have no effect; the singing continued unabated in the attic, showing no sign of stopping despite Fujimiya Takekai's anger.

After venting his anger, Fujimiya listlessly sheathed his sword and went upstairs dejectedly. He had left in such a hurry that he had left some things behind in the room.

He wasn't in the mood for such activities; he'd rather spend that time caring about the situation of his soldiers.

As soon as he opened the door, Fujimiya saw Natsumi Hayashi lying on the ground, her clothes stained with blood. He rushed over and saw that Natsumi was holding a shard of a wine glass in her hand, and her wrist had been cut open.

Fujimiya quickly removed a piece of cloth and tied it around her hand. The wound didn't seem deep, otherwise even if he had come, it probably wouldn't have saved her. Without thinking too much, Fujimiya carried Hayashi Natsumi downstairs, put her in the car, and drove to the hospital.

Fortunately, the wound was not deep, and Lin Natsumi only lost consciousness. She was fine and only needed to rest for a while. Looking at Lin Natsumi lying on the hospital bed, Fujimiya Takemi was exhausted. At this moment, he thought of the wounded soldiers under his command.

Although there were no medicines in the military camp, I had already arrived at the hospital. I couldn't just let my soldiers lie there and wait to die, could I?

Fujimiya used his own money to buy the necessary medicines for the wounded. After finishing these tasks, Fujimiya was also a little sleepy. In addition, the effects of the alcohol were kicking in, and his eyelids began to tremble.

Fujimiya casually found a chair, sat down, and leaned against the wall, drifting off to sleep.

Chapter 193 The Bold Gets the Best

"Live for the moment" is Kobayashi Kazuo's motto. He has no ties and hasn't felt emotionally affected by anything for a long time, but this time the impact was too great, and Kobayashi Kazuo couldn't handle it.

Sachiko's eyes flickered for a moment, but quickly dimmed again.

“Sir, I don’t know any Mr. Suzuki.”

"Suzuki-kun is going back to Japan tomorrow. I worked with Suzuki-kun for a while, and he is a very good person."

Kobayashi didn't continue what Sachiko Nishikawa was saying, but instead started telling her own story: "Suzuki often talks to us about his fiancée, saying that once he recovers and goes home, he and Ms. Sachiko will run a shop together and do some business."

“Suzuki-kun is going back after tonight. He was just drinking with me. I don’t want him to go back and find that nothing is left. Suzuki-kun is my friend, and I’m afraid he might do something outrageous because of the shock.”

"Sir, please stop talking."

Sachiko Nishikawa clutched her head in anguish. Kobayashi's words tormented her conscience, and she dared not listen any further.

"Why is Ms. Sachiko here?" Even though he knew what she was going to say, Kobayashi still asked out of habit.

"Because our families simply cannot afford to support us, prices in the empire have skyrocketed, and we can no longer afford even the lowest quality rice. Almost every month, someone starves to death."

"Has it really come to this?" Kobayashi frowned. He had been in Northeast China for quite some time and didn't pay much attention to domestic affairs. He hadn't expected Japan to have reached such a state.

“I have no more family ties, but I still have a lot of debt. It’s hard for a woman to find a way out in Japan. Going to Southeast Asia is an honorable thing, so I came with them.”

"I really didn't want to betray Suzuki-kun, this was just a last resort."

Listening to Sachiko Nishikawa's tearful account, Kobayashi felt a pang of sadness. Japan has always been fond of gambling on its national destiny. In the Russo-Japanese War and the First Sino-Japanese War, they won their bets, and the huge war profits led to rapid national development. However, when they intervened in the war, they misjudged the situation and chose to join the Allied Powers.

Interests led Japan to join the front led by Britain and France, but things changed after France collapsed in the war. First, Russia withdrew from the war, then France was defeated and surrendered, and after resisting for a period of time, Britain also fell into the revolutionary wave and was forced to withdraw from the war.

Germany thus miraculously won the European theater of war, and after dealing with the European affairs, Germany turned its attention to the East.

After integrating the French Navy and the British Royal Navy fleet, the German High Seas Fleet undoubtedly became the most powerful fleet in the world.

When the high seas fleet sailed eastward in a grand procession to take over the British and French colonies, the Japanese also received Germany's final notification.

The Japanese were forced to withdraw from Qingdao, their naval size was restricted, and they were required to pay "occupation fees" as punishment for their "illegal occupation" of Qingdao.

Although some of the reparations were eventually reduced in later negotiations, it still placed a heavy economic burden on Japan, and Japan's national fortunes almost came to an end as a result.

In order to earn more foreign exchange, the Japanese government began to encourage women to go overseas. As early as the Russo-Japanese War, Japan had a tradition of going to Southeast Asia to fight for the future of the empire. Although it was promoted as a very glorious thing, everyone knew how dirty and sordid it was.

These women from faraway overseas may never return, and even if they do, it's not as glorious as the propaganda portrays. They are often the most despised group, used and discarded.

Sachiko Nishikawa's experience is by no means uncommon in Japan. These Japanese women who have fallen on hard times abroad are mostly products of the migration to Southeast Asia. He hadn't felt anything before, but this experience shocked Kobayashi, and he truly felt sorry for his nation.

What's so great about a government that relies on women selling their bodies to support the country and become "powerful" in this way? What's so praiseworthy about a government that only knows how to leech off its people?

Even so, many people at the bottom of society still hope that their "god," their emperor, will save them. Kobayashi doesn't believe that the emperor is unaware of these things. He suspects that the mastermind behind all the suffering in Japan's distorted society is the very "god" the people speak of.

"Has Kobayashi-kun not returned yet?"

Suzuki Nakayuki lay on the tatami mat, rubbing his eyes. Of course, he knew what a Japanese-style restaurant was and what special "services" it offered.

"not yet."

Masao Takahashi was somewhat embarrassed, unsure of what to say. Some time had passed already; Kobayashi-kun was truly impressive...

"As expected of Kobayashi-kun." Suzuki hiccuped from drinking, turned over, and fell asleep again.

This left Masao Takahashi somewhat at a loss. One person was lying down, and there was probably another person lying down over there as well. Should he also find a place to lie down?

Should we go and remind Kobayashi-kun?

This idea was quickly rejected; what if they were having a great time when he opened the door? It wouldn't be appropriate for him to go over there. So he could only sit there, waiting for Kobayashi to return.

"I've been in Manchuria for so long and have accumulated quite a bit of wealth," Xiao Lin said slowly. "I don't know how much longer I'll stay here. I've also learned quite a few ways to make money over the years."

Before Sachiko Nishikawa could understand what was going on, Kobayashi called in the madam, saying he wanted to help Sachiko Nishikawa redeem herself.

"We've known each other for a long time, so I won't beat around the bush. How much is it, including redemption and debts?"

"Mr. Kobayashi is a regular customer, it's rare to see a girl you really like." The madam smiled professionally.

“Since you like it, everything is negotiable. The price for redeeming her will not be cheap. However, her debts are not something I can decide.” The madam’s tone was somewhat troubled. “It will cost two hundred and fifty yen in total.”

Two hundred and fifty yen was a huge sum of money for ordinary people at the time, but it was still acceptable to Kobayashi.

Although Manchuria is not as free as China, it is very free, and Japanese law has almost no binding force here.

The bold get rich, the timid starve. Although Manchuria is not as wealthy as China, it is full of opportunities, and it is entirely possible to become rich overnight.

Arms smuggling isn't just something officers do; even daring soldiers can do it, especially frontline sentries like him. It's common for them to lose equipment when engaging in firefights with guerrillas.

A soldier killed by a sniper could have all his equipment "naturally" "taken away" by the guerrillas. Smuggling weapons was as normal for those in power as eating and drinking, so they naturally didn't care about those below.

If someone comes to inspect, you can just slip them some money and that's it. As long as it's not too outrageous, they'll turn a blind eye.

Two hundred and fifty yen is only the price of three Type 38 rifles. Kobayashi has earned far more than that over the years.

Chapter 194 A Country That Eats People

Sentinels in Northeast China are frontline troops, and the dangers they face every day are several times greater than those of other branches of the military. A slight mistake could lead to their death on the front lines.

However, with a bit of shrewdness, this position can become the highest-paying branch of the military.

"Here's two hundred and fifty yen. You can keep the remaining thirty as well. Consider it your expense for tonight. There's one more thing. I don't want anyone to mention that Ms. Sachiko ever worked here."

"Of course, no one will ever mention it again." The madam, who had taken the money, seemed very happy. "Then you can continue, I won't disturb you any longer."

"Now you're free." Kobayashi clapped his hands. "This money means nothing to me. I just hope you and Suzuki can live a good life together."

“I wasn’t originally stationed here. One night, I don’t know which wealthy merchant was attacked by bandits. By the time I got there, almost everything had been looted. I didn’t choose to go back and report immediately. My monthly military pay wasn’t much, so I thought I’d try my luck.”

"Although most of the things were stolen, I still managed to find some things."

Xiaolin took out two gold coins from his pocket. "Maybe I was lucky. The rich man's car wasn't thoroughly searched. I found two pure gold bracelets. Afraid of being discovered, I melted them down later."

“I don’t need this much money in Manchuria, so I’ll give you these two gold coins. Live well with Suzuki-kun.”

"Then, what about Kobayashi-kun?" Sachiko Nishikawa shook her head and refused the gold coins Kobayashi Kazuo offered.

"You don't need to worry about that. When Suzuki leaves tomorrow, just stay nearby. I'll arrange for him to meet you. When he meets you, just tell him about your family."

"Don't go back. Take this money to Japan and start a new life somewhere else."

"As for me, don't worry. Making money in the army is the easiest thing, especially in Manchuria, where there's not much risk. Take the money, find a place to rest for the night, and go back to Japan with Suzuki-kun tomorrow."

After giving his instructions, Kobayashi got up and saw Sachiko downstairs. Sachiko bowed to Kobayashi at the door and then disappeared into the night.

Watching Sachiko leave, Kobayashi sighed. Why did he help her? Because Suzuki was his friend. But what about the others? Kobayashi thought about the other women in the Japanese-style brothel. Whose sisters were they? Whose wives were they?

Kobayashi's current financial resources might be enough to rescue four or five more, but what about the rest? There are nearly a million Japanese women overseas working for their "homeland." Can Kobayashi redeem them all?

Furthermore, even if they were redeemed, in a society like Japan that preys on the poor, who can guarantee that they won't be forced back to the place they long to escape day and night?

Xiaolin was also filled with grief and indignation, and he also denounced it, but what was the use of that?