Chapter 61

The next morning, with a very good mood, Gao Yang got up, finished washing up, went out to have breakfast, and then returned to the apartment.

Sitting on the sofa, Gao Yang thought about how Zheng Xiujing wouldn't be off work until after 2 PM. What should he do during this time? After watching TV for a while, the bored Gao Yang activated the time travel and arrived in Nanjing in 1925.

As soon as he opened the door, a biochemical warrior stationed outside the door came forward to report, "Yang Dong has been waiting for the Inspector since last night." "Huh?" Gao Yang was slightly startled, sensing that something was wrong.

He quickly walked to the living room, where smoke filled the air, and the ashtray was full of cigarette butts. Yang Dong, who had not slept all night, was pacing back and forth with red eyes. Seeing Gao Yang enter, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly came forward and called, "Inspector."

Gao Yang sat down in a chair and looked at the anxious Yang Dong, asking in a deep voice, "What happened? Tell me." Yang Dong walked to Gao Yang's side and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Inspector, the insider I bought in the Zhe Army sent me intelligence. The Zhe Army has been secretly gathering, with the assembly points being Yixing, Wuxi, and Jiangyin. Additionally, he reported that the Zhe Army has recently received a large number of Japanese weapons. He personally saw several Type 7 150mm heavy howitzers being unloaded from a ship! Finally, he said that while drinking with their brigade commander, the brigade commander mentioned that Lu Xiaojia is a scoundrel, who took a lot of money from the Japanese but only gave him 200,000 yuan!"

Yang Dong finished speaking in one breath, paused, and continued, "Inspector, after receiving the intelligence, I quickly dispatched intelligence personnel to investigate. They reported that the main force of the Zhe Army is indeed gathering at the border with our army! I believe the Zhe Army has received support from the Japanese and is preparing to attack us!"

Gao Yang listened quietly, then rubbed his temples and smiled lightly at Yang Dong, saying, "You've worked hard. Go back and rest. I will handle this matter." Yang Dong nodded, bowed slightly, and left.

Gao Yang sat quietly in the chair, his face calm, but he was extremely angry inside. "Lu Xiaojia, you bastard, and the Japanese, you've really made me furious!" Gao Yang gritted his teeth and said.

"This matter is not so simple," said the voice of Origin. "Yes, I know! Now let's go to the metropolis. I need to know the Japanese plan," Gao Yang said, regaining his composure and standing up.

At the Japanese Consulate in the metropolis, Gao Tengyoujia and Tōyama Kenji were having lunch. Gao Tengyoujia, with a serious face, put down his chopsticks, picked up his wine glass, and drank it in one gulp. "Ha—" He smacked his lips and said to Tōyama Kenji, "Tōyama, I entrust the task of dealing with Gao Yang to you."

Tōyama Kenji picked up his wine glass and took a sip, smiling lightly and said, "Gao Teng, the plan is still in the works. It's not time to celebrate yet." "Hehe, Tōyama, your plan is perfect. This time we will surely defeat that damn Gao Yang!" Gao Tengyoujia was filled with anger towards Gao Yang. The death of Ōishi Shinzō had earned him a severe reprimand from the higher-ups. If it weren't for his connections in the country, he would have been sent back to a remote corner long ago.

This operation was entirely led by Tōyama Kenji, who was praised by General Sakai Rihachirō as the future star of Japanese intelligence, with talents on par with Ōishi Shinzō. Gao Tengyoujia was just an assistant.

Tōyama Kenji narrowed his eyes and said, "It's not that simple! Wu Peifu in Luoyang has explicitly rejected our sincerity. As for the Fengtian clique in the north, they are as cunning as foxes. They say all is well on the surface, but if Lu Xiaojia's attack fails, that old fox definitely won't move. However, some of his subordinates are eager to act and can be used." He drank the wine in his glass, put it down, and said with a slightly drunk expression, "Now, only Sun Chuanfang is actively responding, but the only ones who can serve as the main force are the Zhe Army. However, not everyone in the Zhe Army is willing to fight."

Gao Tengyoujia, with both hands on the dining table, looked at Tōyama Kenji with a serious face and said in a deep voice, "Tōyama, the war against Gao Yang has not yet begun, but the empire has already spent over 3 million yen, not including weapons! If we cannot seize Gao Yang's wealth this time, the empire's huge investment will..."

Tōyama Kenji raised his hand to stop Gao Tengyoujia, with a cold face, and said, "Gao Teng, I am a soldier! My only task is to complete the mission given by the Emperor and the military! As for how much money has been spent, that is not my concern!" He paused, softened his tone, and continued, "Gao Teng, no investment, no return! The more we invest, the greater the return will be when the task is accomplished! The empire needs Gao Yang's wealth, and we must complete this task for the empire. Gao Teng, let's raise our glasses and toast to the successful completion of the plan."

At this moment, in the SC Trading Company building on Xiasui Road in the French Concession, Gao Yang slammed the wine glass on the coffee table with a loud "bang" and said angrily, "Bastards, daring to target me!" After several deep breaths, he finally calmed down.

After a while, Gao Yang lit a cigarette and said softly, "Origin, without you, I would have been out of the game this time." Origin did not say anything, and Gao Yang sat quietly. After a while, he extinguished the cigarette, stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the scenery with a cold face, saying softly, "Since they want to fight, let's fight!" His low voice revealed deep determination.

At the Nanjing Inspector's Residence, after lunch, Gao Yang's senior officers received a notice to gather here for a meeting.

The guards at the door watched as one after another, high-ranking officers' cars drove into the residence, and their serious expressions could not help but show a hint of excitement. Something big was about to happen! The last time this happened was when the Fengtian Army moved south, and the atmosphere was tense.

In the meeting room, the officers sat straight, hands on their knees, faces serious and quiet. Gao Yang's troops were almost entirely modeled after the German Army, with most officers being former German Army soldiers, inheriting the strict discipline of the German Army. The chaotic scenes in the meeting room, like those in the Zhe Army, were almost impossible!

Soon, Gao Yang, with a cold face, entered the meeting room accompanied by Weix. Everyone stood up, saluted, and sat down.

Gao Yang sat in the main seat, his face cold, scanning the faces of his subordinates without a word. Weix stood up, picked up the documents, and read out loudly, "Order! The 1st and 2nd Regiments of the 19th Division will be stationed in Lianyungang. The 3rd to 9th Regiments will be stationed in Xuzhou. The 10th Regiment will be stationed in Bozhou, the 11th Regiment in Bengbu, the 12th Regiment in Anqing, and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Regiments in southern Anhui."

Weix paused, scanned the officers, and continued, "The 8th, 9th, and 11th Regiments of the 6th Division will be stationed from Yangzhou to Nantong in northern Jiangsu. The 7th and 12th Regiments will be stationed in Yixing. The remaining regiments will gather urgently around Nanjing. Immediately requisition all the carriages on the Ninghu Line to transport the artillery units and various combat supplies to the front line in Jiangyin. The military police will immediately set out to control the road from Nanjing to Jiangyin to ensure the smooth passage of the military convoy. The air force will move to the front-line airfield in Changzhou. The Yangtze River Fleet will immediately gather all ships in Nanjing. That's all!"

Gao Yang, with his hands clasped together, lightly tapped his fingertips on the table. After Weix sat down, he said calmly, "We have clear intelligence that the Zhe Army, along with Sun Chuanfang and others, intends to attack us. I have decided to strike first! Since the uprising in Feng County, this is the greatest challenge I have faced! Now, it is time for you to step up."

All the officers stood up and shouted, "Willing to die for the Inspector!" Gao Yang leaned back in his chair, a faint smile on his face, scanning his subordinates, and said lightly, "Go."

After everyone left, Gao Yang lit a cigarette and looked at Weix, who remained, and said softly, "Your battle plan..." Weix replied, "I will submit the battle plan to the commander by tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Okay," Gao Yang said lightly. Seeing that Weix did not leave, he asked in surprise, "Is there something else?" Weix said seriously, "Commander, I hope to requisition Colonel Brandt from the Army Officer Academy. He is an excellent staff officer."

Gao Yang stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and said, "Alright." After Weix left, Gao Yang smoked quietly and said softly, "Officer Academy."

Zhang Xinghai had been at the Army Officer Academy for several months. Because he had studied at the Baoding Military Academy before, he had a solid foundation and consistently ranked at the top of his class, earning the admiration of Colonel Brandt. Combined with his age and rich social experience, Zhang Xinghai quickly became the leading figure among the students of his class.

Due to the closed management of the academy, the students were largely unaware of external affairs. After dinner, after playing basketball, Zhang Xinghai and a group of classmates went to take a shower. While showering, a slightly thin student with a slight Hakka accent asked Zhang Xinghai, "Brother Xinghai, there's something I've been confused about and want to ask you."

Zhang Xinghai smiled and said, "What is it? Go ahead and ask." The student asked, "Brother Xinghai, this afternoon, our instructor talked to me and said they were sending me to the 19th Regiment of the 6th Division for an internship. I'm puzzled—how can the 6th Division have a 19th Regiment? Brother Xinghai, you worked in the 6th Division, what's going on?"

Zhang Xinghai smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, "Xiao Huang, you're doing well. I know about the internship. Only the top 50 students can go to the regiment for an internship, so you must have good grades."

He paused and continued, "Let me explain from when the Inspector started the uprising. The benefits of working under the Inspector are well known, so I won't repeat them. Since the uprising, the Inspector has been constantly recruiting soldiers, and many people have signed up. Even after careful selection, there were still at least tens of thousands of new recruits. However, the capital only gave the Inspector two divisions. What to do with so many soldiers? At that time, Chief of Staff Weix proposed a plan: to form supplementary regiments! Internally, they are numbered sequentially, but externally, they are all called supplementary regiments. When I came to the academy, the 6th Division was already up to the 21st Regiment, and the 19th Division was similar, just fewer. Their new recruits were the leftovers from the 6th Division. Going to the 6th Division for an internship is a bright future for you."

"Ah, Chief of Staff Weix's plan is brilliant, it's like building a road openly while secretly crossing the river," Huang Xin said, looking enlightened.

Zhang Xinghai laughed and said, "No wonder you have such good grades. Your mind is sharp, and you understood it right away."

---

Zhang Xinghai had been at the Army Officer Academy for several months. Because he had studied at the Baoding Military Academy before, he had a solid foundation and consistently ranked at the top of his class, earning the admiration of Colonel Brandt. Combined with his age and rich social experience, Zhang Xinghai quickly became the leading figure among the students of his class.

Due to the closed management of the academy, the students were largely unaware of external affairs. After dinner, after playing basketball, Zhang Xinghai and a group of classmates went to take a shower. While showering, a slightly thin student with a slight Hakka accent asked Zhang Xinghai, "Brother Xinghai, there's something I've been confused about and want to ask you."

Zhang Xinghai smiled and said, "What is it? Go ahead and ask." The student asked, "Brother Xinghai, this afternoon, our instructor talked to me and said they were sending me to the 19th Regiment of the 6th Division for an internship. I'm puzzled—how can the 6th Division have a 19th Regiment? Brother Xinghai, you worked in the 6th Division, what's going on?"

Zhang Xinghai smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, "Xiao Huang, you're doing well. I know about the internship. Only the top 50 students can go to the regiment for an internship, so you must have good grades."

He paused and continued, "Let me explain from when the Inspector started the uprising. The benefits of working under the Inspector are well known, so I won't repeat them. Since the uprising, the Inspector has been constantly recruiting soldiers, and many people have signed up. Even after careful selection, there were still at least tens of thousands of new recruits. However, the capital only gave the Inspector two divisions. What to do with so many soldiers? At that time, Chief of Staff Weix proposed a plan: to form supplementary regiments! Internally, they are numbered sequentially, but externally, they are all called supplementary regiments. When I came to the academy, the 6th Division was already up to the 21st Regiment, and the 19th Division was similar, just fewer. Their new recruits were the leftovers from the 6th Division. Going to the 6th Division for an internship is a bright future for you."

"Ah, Chief of Staff Weix's plan is brilliant, it's like building a road openly while secretly crossing the river," Huang Xin said, looking enlightened.

Zhang Xinghai laughed and said, "No wonder you have such good grades. Your mind is sharp, and you understood it right away."