146: The true face of the security team

Tianjin, Headquarters of the Foot Basin Army's North China Garrison Force.

Lieutenant General Kagezuki Kiyoshi's face was ashen. To be honest, Zhang Zhongguo's desperate counterattack had dealt him a severe blow.

On the desk before him were piled various reports of defeats.

The most humiliating among them was the report about the complete destruction of Tianjin Airport.

A Security Team had broken into Tianjin Airport with one tank and two armored vehicles.

While blowing up the control tower and fuel depot, they also inflicted heavy damage on the Kamikaze Special Agents.

This urgent battle report was like a red-hot branding iron, making him restless and uneasy.

His command sword was slammed onto the desk with a loud clang, causing the teacup to jump.

"Bakayaro~~ It's this Security Team again!"

Kagezuki Kiyoshi's roar echoed in the room, and the staff officers stood in terrified silence, heads bowed respectfully.

"A mere small Security Team dares to run rampant behind our army's lines.

Destroying the airport, annihilating the Empire's warriors, even the Kamikaze Special Agents..."

He was so angry he could hardly speak, his chest heaving violently, veins bulging on his forehead.

The loss of Tianjin Airport not only meant a significant reduction in the ability to provide air support to Beijing in the short term.

It was also a heavy blow to the prestige of the Imperial Army!

Especially at this moment of 'victory,' having just captured Southern Camp, with Zhao Dengyu and Tong Linge beheaded,

This slap stung his face fiercely.

Humiliation~~ Utter humiliation!"

He suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the Chief of Staff standing nearby with bowed head: "Which unit is currently closest to Tianjin?"

The Chief of Staff snapped to attention, quickly running through the troop deployment map in his mind, and immediately replied: "Your Excellency, Commander!

Currently, the main force closest to Tianjin is a part of the Sixteenth Division led by Lieutenant General Tani Hisao.

They have just completed the occupation of Langfang and are resting in the vicinity of Langfang."

"The Sixteenth Division? Tani Hisao?"

A flash of ruthlessness appeared in Kagezuki Kiyoshi's eyes. "Good! Send a telegram to Division Commander Tani immediately.

Order him to pursue south of Tianjin at all costs and with the utmost speed, and ensure their complete annihilation.

Tell him this is a death order. If the Security Team escapes, he'll have to answer for it."

He wanted to see the true face of this Security Team.

"Hai!" The Chief of Staff immediately accepted the order and turned to send the telegram.

"Wait!" Kagezuki Kiyoshi stopped him, his face so dark it seemed to drip water. "The news of the Kamikaze Special Agents being crippled... must be reported immediately to the Kwantung Army Headquarters, especially to inform His Excellency Gangcun Ningci."

When mentioning this name, Kagezuki Kiyoshi's tone carried a hint of barely noticeable complexity.

The Kamikaze Special Agents were a secret weapon personally created and cherished by Gangcun Ningci.

Now, with heavy losses in North China, Gangcun Ningci's reaction... would undoubtedly be a thunderous rage.

Harbin City, Kwantung Army Headquarters

When the staff officer presented the decoded telegram to Major General Gangcun Ningci, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army.

This man, known for his calmness and strategic acumen as a 'China expert,' lost his composure unusually.

"Nani?! The Kamikaze Special Agents... crippled?"

Gangcun Ningci abruptly stood up from his seat, snatched the telegram, and stared intently at every word on it.

When he saw phrases like "Security Team," "Tianjin Airport," "heavy losses," and "Takeshita Kinsaburo critically injured and near death,"

He felt a surge of blood rushing to his head.

"baka! Kagezuki Kiyoshi, that fool! That incompetent!" Gangcun Ningci could no longer suppress his anger.

He slammed the telegram onto the desk, overturning the teacup and splashing tea everywhere.

"An elite special agent team that the Empire has spent countless effort to build.

Actually... actually crippled by an unknown Chinese Security Team!

This is a disgrace to the Imperial Japanese Army!

And it has turned the situation in North China into a complete mess.

That bastard Kagezuki, is he a pig-brained idiot? How did he arrange things?"

He paced restlessly in his office.

The loss of the Kamikaze Special Agents made his heart ache as if twisted. This was not just a loss of combat capability.

It was also a heavy blow to the entire Japan infantry group's ability and prestige.

Just thinking about the navy guys using this as ammunition made him want to die.

The name "Security Team" was like a poisonous thorn piercing his heart.

"Security Team..." Gangcun Ningci stopped pacing, his eyes becoming extremely sharp and dangerous.

He suddenly remembered the bizarre, still-unexplained chaos that occurred in Harbin not long ago.

The airport was attacked, the Yokohama Specie Bank Insurance Company was bombed, his nephew Gangcun Inuno was killed, the 731 base was destroyed... The scene also left traces pointing to unidentified but highly efficient, specially equipped attackers.

The Kwantung Army intelligence department still had no leads, under immense pressure, and he, as Deputy Chief of Staff, bore the brunt of it.

"Could it be... that the chaos in Harbin was also done by this Security Team?"

A terrifying association formed in his mind.

If it really was the same force, causing such major destruction in both Kwantung and North China consecutively.

Then the danger level of this "Security Team" far exceeded imagination.

They possessed extraordinary equipment and combat power, moved unpredictably, and specifically targeted vital points.

Thinking, thinking, the two incidents overlapped in his mind.

He was almost certain that the ones causing trouble in Harbin were this mysterious Security Team.

Humiliation and a strong sense of crisis intertwined.

He immediately made a decision. Whether to wash away the humiliation

or to eliminate this serious threat, he had to take action personally.

Gangcun Ningci took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the surging anger.

Walking to the desk, he issued an order to the staff officer in a cold and resolute tone: "Immediately send a telegram in my name to the Army Headquarters.

Given the complex situation in North China, an extremely dangerous and well-equipped hostile armed force has emerged.

This armed force may also be related to the series of major attack incidents in Harbin City previously.

To thoroughly eradicate this serious threat to the Empire and ensure the strategic security of Manchuria and North China.

I, Gangcun Ningci, request to immediately lead a capable staff team and an elite unit south.

Request Headquarters approval!"

Langfang, temporary command post of the Japan Sixteenth Division.

Lieutenant General Tani Hisao adjusted his glasses, carefully reading the urgent telegram just received from Commander Kagezuki Kiyoshi.

When he saw phrases like "Security Team," "destroyed Tianjin Airport," "annihilated two battalions," "Kamikaze Special Agents heavily damaged,"

and "pursue and annihilate at all costs,"

A flash of sinister and bloodthirsty excitement crossed his seemingly scholarly face.

"As expected, it was this Security Team that attacked our division's vanguard unit."

Tani Hisao's voice was not loud, but carried a cold cruelty. "Even the Kamikaze Special Agents stumbled? Interesting..."

He put down the telegram, walked to the military map, and examined it carefully.

Suddenly, his finger pointed at Tianjin's location, then slid westward as he spoke in a deep voice: "Order~~~"