6: Chapter 6 A loud bang in the sky, Shen Wang makes a dazzling appearance.
"Has the information been verified?" The Deputy Commander-in-Chief stopped, his voice low.
"It has been verified." The Leader in charge of intelligence nodded. "The Japanese Soldiers spread the news intentionally; they never meant to hide it. In three days, they will perform death by a thousand cuts..."
"Bang!" A hot-tempered Leader slammed his fist onto the table, making the teacups jump:
"Those animals, this is simply too much! It's clearly a trap set for us to walk into!"
"Calm down!" The Chief of Staff took a deep breath and pointed at Beijing on the map:
"The North China Area Army Headquarters is right there. This public execution is definitely an ambush with heavy troops. This matter... is difficult to handle!"
"Are we just going to watch as three comrades... suffer such torture?" Another Leader's eyes turned red.
The Deputy Commander-in-Chief's gaze sharpened. He suddenly asked: "By the way, was the assassination at the execution ground yesterday carried out by our people?"
The Leader in charge of the Northern Bureau immediately shook his head, his face filled with confusion: "No, we did organize an action team at the time, preparing to rescue them when the opportunity arose."
"But before we could even act, someone opened fire first, and their shooting style... was very strange!"
"How so?" The Chief of Staff asked quickly.
The Northern Bureau Leader looked puzzled: "That person first shot the Japanese Soldier Sergeant in the head, but the second shot missed. Then they vanished immediately. The whole process was clean and efficient."
"We've been investigating for a long time, but we still don't know which hero it was."
Upon hearing this, the Deputy Commander's eyes flashed with appreciation: "Whoever it is, landing a hit like that right in the heart of the Japanese Soldiers, they're a hero! A satisfying shot!"
The other Leaders nodded in agreement.
That was the North China Army Headquarters!
Although only one Japanese Soldier was killed, it was a resounding slap in the face!
After the praise, the conversation returned to the cruel reality.
"So now, do we rescue them, or not?" The Deputy Commander swept his gaze across every Leader present.
To rescue would definitely come at a heavy cost; it is very likely the rescue team would be wiped out.
If we don't rescue them, the three comrades will die tragically, and the blow to morale would be immeasurable.
For a moment, the command room fell into silence.
This was not an easy decision to make.
"Beijing is a thousand miles away from Shanxi Province. Organizing an elite team to go for a rescue won't be fast enough."
The Chief of Staff looked at the map of all of North China with a grave expression.
"If we want to rescue them, we can only use the personnel already lurking in Beijing."
"And the enemy has clearly set a trap this time. If something goes wrong, the entire underground intelligence network in Beijing will be finished."
The Leader in charge of intelligence nodded: "The Chief of Staff is right. The intelligence network in Beijing was built at a tremendous cost. If it were uprooted, the loss would be too great."
In war, intelligence is often the top priority.
And the intelligence network located at the North China Army Headquarters is the most important one of all.
The Leaders spoke one after another, constantly analyzing the pros and cons.
Emotionally, everyone naturally wanted to go for the rescue; the Leaders even wished they could carry their guns and charge in themselves.
But rationally...
Finally, the Deputy Commander spoke slowly: "Let the comrades in Beijing prepare. Rescue if possible; if it cannot be done, at the critical moment, let our comrades... go quickly."
Upon hearing this, the other Leaders instantly understood the Deputy Commander's meaning.
Even if they couldn't be saved, they must never be allowed to suffer such torture.
"Sigh!" The Chief of Staff sighed.
"That is all we can do!"
...
Three days later.
Beijing City, Qianmen Gate.
The sky was overcast, with dark clouds hanging low.
The open space under Qianmen Gate had been cleared into an execution ground.
Ding Zhijian, Meng Guanglin, and Sha Zhenjiang had their arms tied behind their backs and were escorted to the wooden stakes in the center of the field.
The three were dressed in rags and covered in wounds, but their spines remained straight, without a trace of fear.
Around the execution ground, on the surface, there was a small detachment (about 60) of Japanese Soldier military police.
But in places invisible to the naked eye—behind surrounding buildings, alley entrances, and makeshift bunkers—an entire military police battalion (about 1100) of Japanese Soldiers was already lying in ambush.
The Beijing military police unit had a total strength of only three battalions, equivalent to the establishment of a regiment.
And this time, Abe Sho (Commander of the military police) directly deployed one-third of the entire military police force.
However, precisely because of this, Abe Sho did not notify the garrison troops to assist.
In Abe Sho's view, one military police battalion was enough to handle everything and ensure nothing went wrong.
"Yamaguchi-kun, do you think... those rats hiding their heads and showing their tails will dare to come today?" In a two-story building near the street, Abe Sho held binoculars, a smile playing on his lips.
Adjutant Yamaguchi Ken bowed slightly: "Commander, in my opinion, it is highly probable they will not dare to come. We have set up such a formation; unless they want to walk right into a trap and be completely wiped out."
"The Chinese are sometimes stupid, but sometimes, they are surprisingly 'sensible'."
"Hmph," Abe Sho lowered his binoculars, "If they don't come, I will, in front of all these 'good citizens' of the city, skin these three Communist Bandits alive, one cut at a time! I'll slice them for three days and three nights, to see if they can hold out!"
What is an open plot?
This is an open plot!
To rescue is to face the danger of being wiped out.
Not to rescue is to cause a serious blow to morale.
No solution!
...
On the other side, several key members of the Beijing underground intelligence team, mixed in with the onlookers, felt their hearts sink to the bottom.
The team Leader, "Old Chen," lowered the brim of his hat and scanned the surroundings without leaving a trace.
Although he couldn't know the exact number and location of the ambush, the intuition he had developed from years of underground work still made him notice some details—
For example, the reflections flashing past certain windows, or the overly standard standing posture of some "idle passersby"...
These were all telling him that this place was already a dragon's den and a tiger's lair, filled with murderous intent!!
"Old Chen, something is wrong with the surroundings!" a young team member beside him whispered.
Old Chen nodded.
"Notify all teams, abandon the original rescue plan! When the execution begins, find an opportunity to give them a quick end..."
This was the final instruction from headquarters, and also the most cruel, most helpless choice.
...
Time passed second by second.
The hour of noon was approaching, and the sky grew gloomier.
Abe Sho looked at his pocket watch, then glanced at the quiet surroundings of the execution ground, the contempt on his face deepening.
He adjusted his gloves and sneered at Yamaguchi Ken: "It seems I overestimated them!"
"Ultimately, they are just a bunch of spineless cowards who only dare to fire cold shots from the dark. When it comes to real combat, they are too scared to come out of their holes. It is truly... disappointing!"
Abe Sho turned to his adjutant and ordered: "Since the fish refuses to take the bait, we will change the bait!"
"Pass the order, prepare for the execution! Remember, take it slow, slice them one cut at a time. Fishing is all about patience."
"Hai!"
Yamaguchi Ken bowed to accept the order and immediately gestured to the executioner in the center of the execution ground to prepare.
A Japanese Soldier executioner, dressed strangely and holding a special blade, walked toward Ding Zhijian, who was tied to the wooden stake, with a cruel, hideous grin on his face.
He picked up a small knife as thin as a willow leaf and gestured at Ding Zhijian's chest, as if looking for the position to make the first cut.
Ding Zhijian glared, his eyes wide, and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva: "Little Japanese Soldier! Give your grandpa a quick death! In twenty years, your grandpa will still be killing you animals!"
From the onlookers, there were gasps of horror and suppressed sobs.
Old Chen and the other underground team members' fingers were already quietly on the triggers hidden inside their clothes, their eyes fixed on the executioner's movements, ready to carry out that final order.
The executioner raised the gleaming small knife, about to strike—
At this critical moment!
Rumble—!!!
The earth suddenly began to shake!
Immediately after, a roar they had never heard before came from afar, getting closer and closer, approaching frantically!
"What is that sound?"
"Is it an earthquake?"
"No! It's over there!"
The Japanese Soldiers at the execution ground were in a commotion, and the onlookers quickly scattered.
Abe Sho stood up abruptly and rushed to the window.
Under Abe Sho's bewildered gaze, he saw a steel chariot, entirely dark green and with a design never seen before, with a momentum that was destructive and unstoppable—
Racing toward the execution ground...
Shen Wang, has arrived!