Chapter 10

The Black Dragon Society's Beijing branch, which had intricate ties with the Japanese military and domestic right-wing forces, was bloodily attacked, leaving twenty-six people dead without a single survivor. This incident, defined by the Japanese North China Garrison Army Headquarters as the "Beijing April 26 Massacre," quickly spread to Japan, immediately causing "indignation" among the Japanese government and public. In major cities like Tokyo, several large-scale protests erupted, with demonstrators, accompanied by the families of the victims, loudly demanding that the authorities advance on Beijing as soon as possible to capture and severely punish the "damned Chinese murderers."

The right-wing leaders and military in Japan smiled, feeling that the deaths of these twenty-six people were more than worth it. Some even thought: Why didn't the two "Blue Shirt Society" heroes kill more people and make the incident even bigger? This way, international public opinion would certainly favor the Japanese side, and the Japanese occupation of the three northeastern provinces and the establishment of the puppet state of Manchukuo would be more justified—protecting overseas citizens from Chinese persecution! Under the indication of Tojo Hideki, the North China Garrison Army Commander, General Mazaki, immediately lodged the strongest protest with the Chinese side, stating: "Given the strong anti-Japanese sentiment among the Chinese people in North China, guided by the government, and the organized criminal acts against Japanese citizens, the Japanese army will take military action to protect its citizens' lives and property in the region, depending on the attitude of the Chinese government."

Some laughed, while others cried. The Chairman of the Nationalist Party, Chiang Kai-shek, didn't cry, but he was so angry that he slammed the table and smashed his teacup, cursing. The Chairman had been busy lately—finally, the Red Army was cornered in Guizhou, and he was busy deploying troops to block the two most likely directions of the Red Army's breakout, Guiyang and Yunnan, hoping to annihilate them in one fell swoop. Just as he thought he had set the trap, the front line suddenly reported that the Red Army had turned towards the Jinsha River.

The Chairman, a veteran of warlord conflicts, still had good military acumen. He immediately deduced that the Red Army intended to force a crossing of the Jinsha River and concluded that if they succeeded, the almost cooked duck would fly away. On April 28, he urgently ordered the control of the river crossings and the destruction of boats to seal the river.

However, before he could catch his breath, his aide, Chen Bulei, brought him the Japanese protest. Initially thinking it was just another Japanese trick, he was surprised to find out that the Blue Shirt Society had wiped out a Black Dragon Society branch. He was furious: "This is a blatant threat!" He said this with great force, and Chen Bulei felt a surge of hope, thinking the old man was preparing to resist Japan. But as he continued, the tone changed: "Ouyang Yun, Chu Tiange? Bulei, call He Zhonghan later and ask about these two. If they have no background, they should be sacrificed." With these few words, he had betrayed two anti-Japanese heroes.

Chen Bulei nodded.

The old man glanced at him and said, "The domestic situation is complex; we must stabilize the internal situation first—"

Since 1931, when he took office as Chairman and implemented the "pacify the internal before expelling the external" policy, four years had passed, and the "internal" had still not been stabilized. Meanwhile, the "external" had grown stronger and more aggressive. As the highest authority of the Republic of China, no one dared to criticize him openly, and the occasional critical articles in newspapers were carefully hidden by his aides. However, he was aware that half of the 400 million Chinese people probably cursed him as a traitor in private. Every morning, while "cultivating his qi" on the balcony, he would think: How could ordinary people understand the true thoughts of a "revolutionary"? Why is China so weak? Isn't it because of the warlord conflicts? Therefore, I must first unify the country and establish the absolute authority of a leader to enforce orders and mobilize the nation's strength to defeat the Japanese! Now, just as the "internal" was about to be stabilized and he could vindicate himself, this incident happened—damned He Yingqin, who couldn't even manage a small city like Beijing, causing such a huge blunder! Fine, let him clean up his own mess; I won't get involved.

The highest authority gradually calmed down, regaining some of his "courage" from his days in Shanghai: "Send a telegram to He Yingqin, letting him take full responsibility for this matter and capture the murderers as soon as possible. Also, send a telegram to the Japanese cabinet in the name of the Nationalist Government, expressing deep regret over the incident and hoping it will not affect Sino-Japanese friendship."

"Chairman, Colonel Jiang's telegram says that a large amount of our army's top-secret documents were found on the killed Japanese, and the people in Beijing and across the country are applauding..."

The highest authority frowned, then laughed: "Damn, did Xian and the others get involved too? So, those Japanese were spies?"

Chen Bulei, who had a good relationship with Jiang Xiaoxian, cautiously said, "I don't think so; Xian and the Blue Shirt Society have always been at odds."

"I know that—prioritize the big picture. The most important thing now is to appease the Japanese. Let He Yingqin handle it. When you call He Zhonghan, tell him that his two subordinates were reckless and should be dismissed."

With these words, the two heroes were abandoned, but no one dared to call him a traitor. Prioritizing the big picture, there was no one he wouldn't sacrifice...

At the same time, in the North China Military Division's headquarters on Xianmen Street in Beijing, the acting chairman, He Yingqin, the political training director of the North China Military Division, Zeng Kuoqing, the commander of the Beijing Garrison, Shao Wenkai, and the deputy commander, Jiang Xiaoxian, were "brainstorming" to deal with the situation.

He Yingqin: "The murderers must be handed over; otherwise, the Japanese will not let it go!"

Shao Wenkai sneered: "Murderers? Those Japanese were all spies! I think they are heroes."

Zeng Kuoqing nodded in agreement: "The two young men are indeed good."

He Yingqin, furious: "Heroes! Short-sighted fools. The North China situation was finally stabilizing, and now this. The Japanese will definitely use this as an excuse to start a war."

"Let them start. They have limited military strength in North China. We have the 29th Army in Chahar, the 51st Army and 25th Division in Hebei, and Colonel Jiang's elite Third Regiment in Beijing. I want to see how the Japanese can fight us!"

"Commander Shao is right."

"You! The Chairman has given me full authority to handle this."

Jiang Xiaoxian, seeing the argument escalate, interjected: "Chairman He, there's something you might not know—the murderers are from the Blue Shirt Society."

He Yingqin frowned: "I know. The Blue Shirt Society serves the party and the state. Now that the party and the state need them, they should be willing to sacrifice." As a close ally of the highest authority, he spoke in the same tone.

Shao Wenkai, furious, sat down and said, "Sacrifice? They have sacrificed enough. Special Agent Huang, what do you think?"

Huang Dajiang, the special agent sent by the Blue Shirt Society headquarters to Beijing, a refined man in his thirties, had not spoken until now. He thought for a moment and said, "Gentlemen, you know the purpose of the Blue Shirt Society. When we encounter Japanese spies, it's a matter of life and death—"

He paused, looking at He Yingqin's face, which was not pleased, and continued, "Of course, our actions are always guided by the interests of the party and the state. If a sacrifice is necessary, our comrades will not hesitate."

His words were smooth, and He Yingqin's expression relaxed. He said softly, "Special Agent Huang is indeed wise. Yes, this matter is settled. Xiaoxian, I heard the murderers have been caught?"

Jiang Xiaoxian, inwardly disdainful of He Yingqin and Huang Dajiang, remained calm and said, "We found them, but we didn't catch them."

"Escaped?!" Shao Wenkai's expression changed. If the two escaped, it would be difficult to explain to the Japanese. This would likely lead to a direct confrontation or acceptance of the Japanese demands.

"No, no, but they are hard to catch."

"Hard to catch?" He Yingqin was confused, and Shao Wenkai couldn't understand: Were there people in Beijing that Jiang Xiaoxian couldn't catch? He had arrested many students during protests without any hesitation.

Jiang Xiaoxian's face turned red, and he said helplessly, "The social elites in Beijing are protecting them like hens protecting their chicks. My men can't get through."

"Ha!" Shao Wenkai laughed, thinking Ouyang Yun was no ordinary person.

He Yingqin frowned and said decisively, "I don't care about the elites; the murderers must be caught. Xiaoxian, you know the Chairman gave me full authority to handle this to prevent the Japanese from finding an excuse to cause trouble. So, you deal with it."

Jiang Xiaoxian, a member of the Jiang family, knew that mentioning the Chairman was a way to control him. Thus, the garrison command sent several cars, followed by a platoon of armed military police, to the Peking Union Medical College again.

Ouyang Yun initially didn't take the matter seriously, but the developments were far beyond his expectations. As the Chinese and Japanese governments issued one statement after another, he realized he had touched the tiger's tail.

Tigers' tails are not easy to touch, but he had a backup plan. After handing over several top-secret documents to the newspaper, Ouyang Yun and Chu Tiange became patriotic heroes and received special treatment. Under the protection of many social elites, they avoided the first arrest by the military police.

Understanding Chinese history and the nature of the highest authority and He Yingqin, Ouyang Yun knew what awaited them. After entrusting Bai Liusu to Chen Jiayao, he and Chu Tiange went into hiding.

When Jiang Xiaoxian led his men to the Peking Union Medical College for the second time, they returned empty-handed again.

With the murderers "at large," He Yingqin was anxious, the Japanese were openly indignant but secretly delighted, and the Chinese and Japanese governments began a war of words. The sensitive region of Chahar was on high alert, with minor skirmishes and incidents between the two armies. The 29th Army commander and Chahar governor, Song Zheyuan, was caught in the middle, unable to please either side. Despite this, he became the first scapegoat.

Tracing the matter back, it all started with Ouyang Yun, the little butterfly.

He changed the license plate of the Ford car he had seized from the Black Dragon Society and drove with Chu Tienge to Tianjin. Chu Tiange's uncle, Chu Kuoji, was a staff officer under the 51st Army commander, Yu Xuezhong. They originally planned to seek refuge with him, but fate had other plans. They arrived in Tianjin on the morning of April 29 and had to "kill" the next morning before hiding in the 25th Division's student training camp with Chu Kuoji's help.

Although Tianjin was still under the control of the Nationalist Army, the presence of the Japanese North China Garrison Army Headquarters and the Japanese concession made the Japanese very arrogant, and their lackeys and traitors were equally overbearing.

Ouyang Yun, unaware of this, was puzzled by the sight of Japanese ronin roaming the streets, "Are we in Japan?"

Chu Tiange: "Tianjin is like this. The Japanese have even moved the North China Garrison Army Headquarters here. What else can they do?"

"Damn, they're so arrogant!"

Chu Tiange touched the samurai sword under his seat and said, "Brother, should we take them on?"

Ouyang Yun looked at him, rolled his eyes, and thought, "What does this kid think? Can you just kill Japanese people whenever you want? Heaven, I hope I haven't created a killer!"

Chu Tiange, a college student, was not stupid and quickly realized the inappropriateness. He smiled foolishly, "It doesn't seem right, in broad daylight."

"You little brat, you finally realize it!" Ouyang Yun affectionately flicked his forehead and said, "There are so many Japanese; you can't kill them all. We have more important things to do, much more important than killing a few Japanese."

Chu Tiange, who had been influenced by him, rubbed his head and said, "That's true. To be the best, we need the strength to do so. Science and technology to strengthen the military, a strong military to strengthen the country. I understand."

"Go buy a newspaper and see what's happening!" Seeing an old man in a teahouse tear his newspaper in half in anger, Ouyang Yun became curious.

Chu Tiange bought a few newspapers, glanced at them, and suddenly shouted, "Damn!" startling a few passersby.

"Near the virtuous, one becomes virtuous; near the wicked, one becomes wicked. This 'damn' is definitely learned from me."

"What is it?" Taking the newspaper from him, Ouyang Yun read it and laughed in anger, repeating the original "damn."

The newspaper was called the "National Rights Daily," and the front-page headline read, "All Asian People Unite to Condemn the Murderous Demon 'Ouyang Yun, Chu Tiange' for Brutally Slaughtering Peace Envoys." The author was Hu Enpu.

"National Rights Daily?" Whose national rights? Japan's? This is clearly Tianjin!

"There's more." Chu Tiange handed him another newspaper, the "Zhen Daily," with a similar front-page headline: "Deeply Mourn the Victims of the 'Beijing April 26 Massacre' and Strongly Demand the Nationalist Government to Punish the Murderers and Restore Justice in North China." The author was Bai Yuheng.

Ouyang Yun laughed, "The 'Beijing April 26 Massacre,' what a good name. Finally, we've given the Japanese a massacre."

Then, his tone changed, and he asked Chu Tiange, "Hu Enpu, Bai Yuheng, are these two Japanese?"

"Traitors! Big traitors!"

"Traitors, no wonder!"

Chu Tiange flipped through the two articles, cursing, "Shameless!"

Ouyang Yun added, "They should be killed!"

The two looked at each other and simultaneously made a throat-slitting gesture.