PFC Chapter 1161 We must have a good time!
Chapter 1161 We must have a good time!
In January of Showa 13 (1944), the north wind, carrying sand and dust from the North China Plain, howled sharply and continuously as it swept across the rails of the Jinpu Railway, much like the dying wails of a creature on the wasteland.
Zhou Zhengqing sat in a specially designed armored train compartment, his fingertips lightly tapping the rosewood table in front of him. The sound of his knuckles striking the wood was particularly clear in the quiet compartment.
My gaze swept through the double-layered bulletproof glass, across the desolate fields outside the window, where the exposed permafrost was frozen as hard as iron in the cold wind.
On the table, a formal invitation from the Japanese North China Area Army Headquarters lay quietly, the gold-embossed words "Respectfully inviting Commander Takasaki Takuto to Beiping to attend the founding ceremony of the Provisional Government of the Republic of China" gleaming warmly yet dazzlingly under the warm yellow light.
As the commander of the Japanese military police headquarters, and more importantly, as a direct descendant of the top Japanese noble family, the Takasaki family, his status within the Japanese military system during the invasion of China was always at a special level.
This special status did not stem solely from the power of the Military Police Headquarters. Although the Military Police, as the "military police" of the Japanese army, held the power to supervise military discipline, maintain order in the rear, and even exert high-pressure control over the people in the occupied areas.
Furthermore, it stems from the deeply entrenched influence of the Takasaki family in the Japanese political, military, and financial spheres. Simply mentioning the name "Takasaki" signifies absolute awe.
"General, we will arrive at Yongdingmen Station in Beiping in half an hour." The personal adjutant, Shan Guzhengshu, stood respectfully at the door of the private room, his back straight, his head slightly lowered, his gaze fixed on the toes of Zhou Zhengqing's boots, not daring to look away even slightly.
Zhou Zhengqing nodded slightly, without turning around, his gaze remaining fixed on the view outside the window.
In the fields, one can occasionally see ordinary Chinese people wearing tattered cotton-padded coats, huddled in roadside shacks, casting numb and fearful glances at the armored trains speeding by.
Their eyes were no different from those he had seen in Tianjin; they were filled with despair, ravaged by war and plunder, like a candle flame extinguished by a storm, leaving only a few embers.
His fingertips brushed over another document on the table, a report submitted by the Special Service Department of the North China Front Army regarding the preparations for the puppet regime.
The report detailed the core members of the soon-to-be-established puppet "Provisional Government of the Republic of China," including Wang Kemin, Tang Erhe, and Dong Kang. Behind these names lay a group of traitors who, under the threat of Japanese military force, chose to betray their country.
A barely perceptible sneer curled at the corner of Zhou Zhengqing's lips.
Japan supported these puppet regimes and allowed them to rule in the name of the "Republic of China." This not only numbed the people but also allowed the Chinese to do the dirty work of plundering resources and suppressing resistance, while Japan reaped the benefits. This was undoubtedly the most blatant form of colonial rule.
The report also mentioned that the puppet regime would use the five-colored flag as its "national flag," tout the "separation of powers," and establish three committees: executive, deliberative, and judicial.
Zhou Zhengqing scoffed at this.
The so-called "separation of powers" is nothing more than a fig leaf carefully constructed by Japan. All major decisions of these puppet regimes ultimately have to be obeyed by Japanese intelligence agencies and their dispatched advisors.
As highlighted in the report, Major General Kita Seiichi, the first head of the Special Service Department of the North China Area Army, was the true "director" of this puppet regime.
“Kita Seiichi…” Zhou Zhengqing murmured the name, his tone unreadable. He had never met Kita Seiichi, but he had heard of him before—this man was ruthless, skilled in espionage, and highly respected within the North China intelligence system.
However, even so, Kita Seiichi should still maintain sufficient respect in front of me, as can be seen from the request letter that Kita Seiichi sent earlier.
The armored train slowly entered Yongdingmen Station, and its speed gradually decreased.
The view outside the window changed from desolate fields to low bungalows, and then to bullet-riddled city walls, each place bearing the scars of war.
The station was already packed with people.
Rows of Japanese soldiers in neat uniforms stood in tight square formations, their guns pointed to the sky and their bayonets gleaming coldly in the wind. The atmosphere was solemn and almost oppressive.
In front of the soldiers' formation stood a group of people dressed in high-ranking officer uniforms and suits. They were the generals of the North China Army and the core members of the puppet regime who had come to welcome Zhou Zhengqing.
Near the platform, hundreds of military police stood at attention, led by Matsui Ryosuke, the captain of the Beiping Military Police, who had been transferred from China and held the rank of second lieutenant.
This young master from the Matsui family of Nara, like Ichiro Nakajima, the captain of the Tianjin Military Police at the time, belonged to the second batch of noble families sent to assist Zhou Zhengqing.
After taking over from Taniguchi Mayu in Beiping, he managed the security situation in Beiping quite well.
After the train came to a complete stop, the guards got off first and stood at the door, forming a tight human wall to clear the way for Zhou Zhengqing.
Zhou Zhengqing straightened his military police commander's major general uniform, smoothed out the wrinkles at the hem, and slowly walked down the steps.
The moment his foot stepped onto the platform, a unified shout of "General!" suddenly rang out, making everyone's eardrums vibrate.
Matsui Ryosuke and hundreds of military police bowed simultaneously, their waists almost parallel to the ground.
Zhou Zhengqing bowed slightly in return, then turned his gaze to the Japanese officer who had greeted him.
When Zhou Zhengqing looked over, all the Japanese officers and soldiers of the North China Area Army bowed in unison, their movements precise and respectful.
The members of the puppet regime bowed deeply, even lower than the Japanese officers, their faces plastered with fawning smiles, like a pack of lapdogs wagging their tails.
Among the crowd, Commander-in-Chief of the North China Area Army, Hisaichi Terauchi, stepped forward first, a warm smile on his face, his tone familiar and affectionate: "Takuto, you must be tired from your journey. On behalf of all the officers and soldiers of the North China Area Army, I warmly welcome you."
Zhou Zhengqing responded with a smile: "General Terauchi is too kind. I was invited here to see this former capital of China, which is a rare chance to relax after work."
As they spoke, a group of people behind Terauchi Hisaichi came forward to greet Zhou Zhengqing.
Among them were major generals such as Major General Naosaburo Okabe, Chief of Staff of the Japanese North China Area Army; Lieutenant General Naoki Oe, Commander of the 1st Army; and Lieutenant General Toshizo Nishio, Commander of the 2nd Army; as well as Wang Kemin, Chairman of the Preparatory Committee of the Puppet Regime, and Tang Erhe, Vice Chairman, and others.
Daiki stepped forward, a warm smile already plastered on his face.
He deliberately raised his voice to be loud, his tone warm as if it were mixed with honey, familiar yet with a touch of deliberate respect: "Haha, young master Tuoren! I told you a few times before that you must come to Beiping when you have time, but you always said you were too busy to come."
Now that we're here, we should definitely have a great time!