Chapter 663: Blocking a Thousand People

Moonlight spilled over the earth, and the faint light made the street look hazy. Wang Yan, wearing a fedora, a trench coat, and leather shoes, walked with a rhythmic *tap-tap-tap*, as if every step was perfectly controlled.

This was Pétain Road, and the place he was going to was the Yonghe Hotel. The Shanghai underground party organization had relocated again, which was as it should be, because not the slightest risk could be taken.

Arriving at the back door, he knocked with the usual two short, two long, two short knocks. Not long after, the door was opened, naturally by Liu Qiulan, who asked in a low voice, "Have you been to Fuxu Road?"

Wang Yan nodded. "It seems to have been watched!"

"No choice, fortunately we moved early and disguised well. Come in quickly, we've been waiting for you for half the day."

This was a three-story building. Entering from the back door, there was the kitchen and the owner's private living area. The place was very large, and two floors were built inside the building, which was quite unique.

In the study on the first floor facing the back street, Wang Yan saw Lu Boda sitting behind the desk. On the table was still that dim, yellow desk lamp. He sat there smoking, and the ashtray in front of him seemed to be always full of cigarette butts.

Seeing Wang Yan enter, he pointed to the single sofa hidden behind the lamp light opposite the desk. "Knew you were used to sitting there, so I specially brought it for you when we moved."

Wang Yan smiled, walked over, sat down, and said, "Went to Fuxu Road earlier, how come that side was watched?"

"For more than a month, the Japanese have been making a big deal out of Comrade Xiwen, and we couldn't not go. With many actions, omissions were inevitable. But they didn't know that Fuxu Road was the location of the municipal committee; they just had suspicions. However, a few days before that, we moved over, and that place was sold through normal procedures. Now the two of us are the owners of this hotel."

"The Japanese didn't suspect?"

"Didn't use real names, and I live a secluded life and know how to disguise myself, so they can't find us. Alright, less idle talk, let's talk about business."

Lu Boda waved his hand, cleared his throat, and said solemnly, "You are clear about Comrade Xiwen's matter. Although there were some losses, the situation is still under our control. We have already learned Comrade Xiwen's situation; he is still recuperating in that sanatorium next to the Army Hospital. After more than a month, although he hasn't fully recovered, he has long been in a condition to be transferred. So we plan to implement a rescue operation and need the help of you, this action expert."

"I obey orders and listen to commands."

"I have already contacted Comrade Enlai," Lu Boda said. "He approved your participation in the action. Recently, parades have been everywhere, and the Japanese agents have been exhausted. But they haven't given up on destroying us and still want to make a big deal out of Comrade Xiwen. According to reliable information, this time they really intend to transfer Comrade Xiwen. Because in the past time, they have exhausted their patience. Even if Comrade Xiwen talks, he has no value to them, so they just want to set up a 'Dragon Gate Array,' forcing us to use greater strength to rescue him, which is impossible.

So after research, we decided to implement the rescue plan tomorrow night. The guerrillas on the periphery will cooperate to attack Baoshan and Putuo, attracting their military forces. We, the comrades of the Shanghai underground party, will take the opportunity to raid the sanatorium, and at the same time, comrades will be responsible for cutting off the electricity in that area. In this way, the chance of success will be much greater. Your task is to block the Japanese soldiers in the barracks near the sanatorium for twenty minutes; once the time is up, retreat on your own.

You once blocked five hundred reinforcements alone with one gun for half an hour, which was amazing. But this time, the barracks near the sanatorium has a battalion, a force of more than a thousand people, stationed in the rear, so they are all combat personnel. Preliminary scouting shows they have four infantry companies, one machine gun company, one artillery platoon, twelve heavy machine guns, two 70mm Type 92 infantry guns, and several other light machine guns and mortars. The firepower is very strong.

So there are fifty action personnel under your command. Their position combat experience may not be as rich as the guerrillas, but they are trained soldiers with good quality. Weapons and ammunition are all prepared, with six light machine guns, one mortar, and several grenades. Just need to drag the enemy down; no need to pursue results.

For the Tokko to mobilize this battalion, they also have to go through procedures, and the guerrillas' action is first. It's impossible for the guns to fire here and for them to mobilize there. From the occurrence of the situation, to judging the purpose, to deciding to issue an order, and finally the order reaching that battalion, and the emergency assembly and reorganization, it will take at least seven or eight minutes. So strictly speaking, you only need to lead them to hold on for ten minutes. By then, Hongkou will have a large-scale power outage, and whether it's blocking or retreating, it will be very convenient."

The Shanghai underground party is truly ruthless, but there is really no other way. Just as Wang Manchun said, such an important figure, who would rather bite his tongue and commit suicide than betray the organization—if they don't rescue him, what will others think? How will the team be led in the future? Moreover, it's not that they really don't know Song Xiwen's location; they have to rescue him no matter what.

The force mobilized is indeed very large, and the number of people participating in every link from rescue to transportation after rescue is definitely large. They sent fifty people to Wang Yan to block the enemy, and the number of people rescuing at the sanatorium is also not small, because that is close-quarters combat, and a small number of people is not enough.

They even mobilized the guerrillas, but the guerrillas themselves are to execute the task of harassing the enemy's rear, and it's no problem to operate in this area to carry out a surprise attack. And to a certain extent, it can also be the vanguard for the main force, because there is also the strategy of the anti-Japanese base area. The main force will be active in the southern Anhui and eastern Anhui areas, but they haven't come over yet.

Wang Yan crossed his legs, one hand on his leg and the other on the armrest, closing his eyes and tapping lightly. He was recalling the architectural situation outside the Japanese barracks.

This arrangement is indeed reasonable, not yet to the point of anti-Japanese "divine dramas." Fifty prepared people blocking a thousand unprepared people, with good equipment, even if they are suppressed and beaten, dispersing and firing cold shots in an orderly manner, dragging it out for ten minutes is not a big problem, and it's not sending him to die.

What he is considering is the safety of those fifty people. After all, he can come and go freely, but they can't.

After a while, he asked, "How will those fifty comrades retreat? How long will it take?"

"They have already met each other and cannot continue to work in Shanghai. This time they will participate in the team escorting Comrade Xiwen to retreat, and then return to the Soviet Area to be reassigned work. So the time for retreat is hard to say; definitely the more time, the better. What do you mean? Want to cover them?"

Lu Boda frowned. He still doesn't know Wang Yan's identity, but he can make money with big hands and get supplies in large quantities. There are only so many people in Shanghai, and he has guessed it when he is idle. Such a person definitely cannot take such risks; if something happens, the impact is immeasurable.

There is no Wang Yan in history. Once there is, it's different, and his power cannot be ignored. This is certain. So he is far more important than imagined.

"Two or three minutes, I have no problem alone." Wang Yan nodded and continued to ask, "Action time?"

"Ten o'clock tomorrow night, the guerrillas will act on time. At 10:15, we will start the action here. At 10:35, whether successful or not, everyone will retreat."

"Good. I won't see those comrades. Tell them not to fire without authorization. After hearing my gunshots, the first time they see the enemy, they will consume all their ammunition. The mortar will fire continuously at the barracks after hearing the gunshots, without adjusting the angle, just shifting the muzzle slightly horizontally. No matter when the exchange of fire starts, at 10:30, retreat on time, and leave the rest to me. After retreating safely, I will come over to confirm the action situation."

Lu Boda was silent for a moment and nodded heavily. "Good, take care. Must pay attention to safety; we can't afford any more losses."

"Leaving first, I still have to do some preparations."

Wang Yan stood up and shook hands with Lu Boda, feeling the weight of Lu Boda's handshake. He shook his head and patted Lu Boda's arm. "Smoke less. When the good tea before the Qingming Festival comes in two months, I'll bring you some. Leaving."

He turned and left the Yonghe Hotel decisively, leaving only Lu Boda standing there in a daze...

Is Song Xiwen worth investing such a large force to rescue? Not worth it! But even more worth it! Comrades who are unswerving are worth comrades going to rescue them unswervingly. It is this spirit that has brought them to where they are today; they are all comrades.

Leaving the Yonghe Hotel, Wang Yan walked all the way, took the car, and then drove out of the French Concession, coming to the vicinity of the West Station. He secretly climbed into a warehouse, avoided the night patrol, scared the patrol dogs, sneaked in, and found a basement. He looked at the various weapons piled up inside for a while, finally picked up a Czech light machine gun and its components and several magazines, wrapped them in rags and carried them on his back, and picked up a box of nearly 1,500 rounds of 7.92 ammunition, left the warehouse, put everything in the car, and headed straight for Hongkou...

The next day, Wang Yan still got up early to exercise. Wang Manchun was still the same, sitting in the car that had been waiting outside after waking up and leaving.

When Wang Yan had breakfast with Qi Si, the street was already lively. The parade team that had been making trouble all day yesterday began to gather again. They buzzed and quarreled, holding various banners, waiting for people to gather slowly.

This time, Wang Yan wanted to be fast at normal speed, but it was not as easy as yesterday. Because now it was all kinds of people, in all kinds of places, walking out of their homes and gathering toward those few streets, and everywhere was blocked.

So when Wang Yan arrived at the Central Police Station on Xue Lihua Road, the journey that usually took only ten minutes actually took forty minutes.

People outside had all gone to the street to gather, and it was natural that the patrolmen in the police station had all gone out. At this time, the situation was different, and basically, no Chinese could be seen in the police station; they were all working, and there was no one left to guard the police station. After all, such a spectacular parade activity, if the scene got out of control, it would be very fatal. Even if an "Ocean Adult" was accidentally injured, it would be even more troublesome, and everything had to be paid attention to.

Arriving at the police station, Wang Yan didn't stop, nodding all the way to the foreigners who greeted him. As Inspector General, his subordinates were no longer limited to Chinese; many foreigners were mixed under him. The only one who didn't listen was that foreign detective. But he didn't want to pay attention, because that was dealing with foreign affairs, which had some relationship with him, but not much.

Arriving at the Chief's office on the fourth floor, he knocked on the door lightly. Only after receiving a response from inside did he open the door and walk in.

As soon as he opened the door, he was met with the warm sunshine that was rare in the Shanghai Bund in winter. A bald, round-faced, thick-browed, big-eyed, stubbled, and round-bodied foreigner was sitting on a lounge chair by the window, shaking a glass of red wine while sunbathing. His name was Von Judit, and he was Wang Yan's current superior, the Chief of the Central Police Station.

Foreigners all gained weight when they got old. This von Judit was already in his forties, and he was in Shanghai, where the sky was high and the emperor was far away, so he naturally gained a lot. Basically the same as Aige, but he had wisdom and background, and was an aristocrat.

Aige was a few years older than Wang Yan and had already started to gain weight. It wasn't just foreigners; Chinese were also like this. It was the helplessness of middle age; once they slacked off and lacked exercise, their figures went out of shape. Unless they were engaged in physical labor, working from dawn to dusk, except for individual gifted ones, they couldn't get fat even if they wanted to. Most city people, without any exercise hobbies and without investing a certain amount of energy, were quite fat when they reached that age.

"Chief."

"Wang, you're here. Don't be polite, pour the wine yourself."

After Wang Yan went to pour the wine and even added some for him, Judit asked casually, "Wang, how long will this parade last?"

"Three days at most." Wang Yan drank a sip of wine and said with a wry smile, "There's no other way; the impact of Wang Zhaoming's matter is too great. Now all kinds of newspapers and radio stations are talking about these things every day. All over China, parades are being held because of this, and meetings to denounce the traitor Wang are being held everywhere, and it can't be controlled at all. And there are people from the Kuomintang and the Red Party pushing behind this. But fortunately, the parade situation is under control now. They are just shouting slogans on the street, and there is no smashing or looting."

"Okay, that's very good. You work hard recently, don't have any accidents." Judit shook his head and laughed. "Wang, I have to say, the situation in your China is truly confusing. At that time, I heard that Wang fled Chongqing, and I didn't react. It's truly amazing. Oh, right, I heard you went to Hongkou yesterday?"

"Yes, the Deputy Consul General of the Japanese Consulate, Mr. Iwai Eiichi, returned from Hong Kong. You also know that I have always had cooperation with the Japanese, and he wanted to see if I was still so honest and cooperative after being promoted to Inspector General."

"This is the means of the superior to control the subordinates. Wang, you must be careful, don't really defect to the Japanese." Listening to Wang Yan's repeated guarantees, he shook his head and laughed. "How is it, any gains from that Japanese monkey?"

"He told me that he had a hand in Wang Zhaoming's escape this time, and Wang Zhaoming will stay in Hanoi for a period of time. After preliminary discussion, he will fly to Japan to meet the Japanese Emperor and Cabinet Ministers, and then land from Shanghai, and establish a National Government supported by the Japanese in Nanjing."

Judit hummed and drank a sip of wine. "We also analyzed it this way before, just like Puyi of Manchukuo. Men, sure enough, are all slaves to power."

"Some people control power, and some people are played by power. The specifics still depend on the person. For example, you, controlling the Central Police Station, light and easy, no one will deceive you. Here, you can do whatever you want; this is the performance of controlling power."

"Wang, I like your honesty, hahaha..."

In the pig-like laughter of this fat foreigner, Wang Yan started a day's work, going out to find a place to drink tea, and contacting other foreign Inspector Generals to build relationships.

He had already mixed into the Inspector General, how could he still do work? At this position, he was more leisurely, but also more brain-consuming.

After all, his status and status were higher, and he had different positioning in different forces. He still had to be smooth and round, so he naturally had to spend more energy. It was impossible to keep a low profile, and it was impossible to rely on three parties. This sense of proportion in the middle was very difficult to grasp; one wrong step, and it was eternal damnation.

Of course, eternal damnation was an adjective; for him, the problem was not big. If it really reached that point, as long as his identity was not exposed, he would just defect to the Japanese. After all, his current situation was forced out by the Japanese. Now Wang Zhaoming had defected, and the Wang puppet regime was about to be established, so he could mix well over there.

The lively day ended, and the parade crowd dispersed consciously at dinner time to rest well and fight again tomorrow. Wang Yan returned to the Wang Tianyue Gongguan early after eating an extravagant dinner. Tonight was another night alone; it was time for health preservation.

Winter was very damp and cold, and the boiler of the Wang Tianyue Gongguan was burning very hot, which made people want to lie in the quilt early. Uncle Wu and Aunt Liang, the old couple, went to sleep early, and Qi Si also practiced boxing, rested after tidying up. Practicing martial arts was practicing, and also nourishing; he was young, so he still had to rest more.

By nine o'clock, everyone was asleep. Wang Yan disguised himself in the room, changed his equipment, put on a trench coat, climbed out of the Wang Tianyue Gongguan, went to the place where he parked the car yesterday, drove, and headed straight for Hongkou.

Entering and exiting the Japanese-occupied area, he still relied on the credentials of the eight Tokko action personnel he killed when he sanctioned Xia Changguo. It was still the same situation; although their files had long been canceled, the credentials were real. The guards were Japanese military police, different systems. Unless he was caught on the spot, these credentials could be used for a long time.

Seventy or eighty meters away from the barracks near the sanatorium was a piece of four, five, or six-story apartment buildings, facing the barracks. Wang Yan parked the car, quietly climbed to the roof of the apartment building, lifted the broken cloth pressing on the roof, which was the Czech light machine gun and its ammunition he had gotten yesterday, as well as some grenades and such.

He fiddled with the machine gun and set it up, waved his hand, and collected a lot of ammunition and several magazines into the space, preparing for intelligent reloading. Then he took out the sniper-style Mosin-Nagant with a scope from the space and lay on the roof looking for a comfortable shooting posture.

At this moment, a roar of explosion came from the west, followed by dense gunfire and artillery fire; the time had reached ten o'clock.

Wang Yan looked at the barracks through the scope... ===== CHAPTER 664 =====