Chapter 55 Crisis
The next day, Zhou Lin saw Xiaonian going to that wall again.
He guessed Xiaonian was contacting that person again.
Zhou Lin took the opportunity to pass by and saw some ants drawn on the wall.
Unable to discern any meaning, Zhou Lin stopped pondering.
It was obvious someone was there; all he had to do was follow. No need to rack his brains.
That evening, in a dormitory at the military camp, several people gathered.
These individuals were all lieutenants and captains, not leaders of their units. They were staff officers from three regiments.
Staff officers had no authority and were insignificant. No power, no perks.
Over time, the staff officers commiserated with each other and formed a close-knit group.
Lacking power, they abandoned it. No perks, they sought them out.
The people in the staff office were aware in advance of some officer transfers and promotions. That information was enough for some favors.
Over time, they got to know a lieutenant from the logistics department.
This lieutenant was the deputy director of the main canteen.
The main canteen was a regimental unit with a director and a deputy director. The director held the rank of lieutenant, while the deputy director was a lieutenant.
Despite their low rank, they held considerable influence. So, these three individuals were sought after by many.
Currently, in this room, Deputy Director Tang Qinqi was busy.
Yesterday, he invited several staff officers and today they gathered in this room for a meal.
This deputy director was the contact person for Xiaonian.
According to his and Xiaonian's plan, he prepared enough alcohol for the people coming today.
The attendees included Staff Officer Wang from the First Regiment, Staff Officer Zhao from the Second Regiment, Staff Officer Li from the Third Regiment, and Staff Officer Sun from the Guard Regiment.
Each regiment sent only one staff officer. That was the norm.
Birds of a feather flock together. In the same unit, there was competition, and no two staff officers were friends.
So, only one staff officer from each regiment attended the gathering.
Deputy Director Tang prepared some good dishes today.
It was a table of Sichuan cuisine.
Sichuan cuisine hailed from Sichuan Province, but many enjoyed it.
Especially after Sichuan troops arrived in Shanghai for battle, Sichuan cuisine gained popularity in Shanghai.
Many people in Shanghai loved Sichuan cuisine. Not to mention soldiers; the spicy flavor of Sichuan cuisine was like a straightforward and bold man's character. Moreover, it resembled an independent and assertive woman, a girl who dared to challenge and strive in her career. Girls who loved spicy food were often generous and passionate, but also intimidating when angry.
So, people liked Sichuan women.
Deputy Director Tang specially prepared eight Sichuan dishes.
Twice-cooked pork, husband and wife lung slices, spicy diced chicken, boiled beef slices, ants climbing a tree, Kung Pao chicken, Meishan Dongpo pork, and fish-flavored shredded pork.
These eight dishes were all specialties. They were substantial both in quantity and size. The plates were three times larger than those in Shanghai restaurants.
These eight dishes could feed more than ten people.
As soon as the dishes were served, everyone dug in.
Drinking created an atmosphere. With more people, the atmosphere became lively.
No one wanted to lose, and everyone competed.
From small cups to large ones, and finally, directly from bowls.
A bowl was filled to the brim, almost half a liter.
So what if it was half a liter? I can gulp it down in one go.
Deputy Director Tang was not one to lag behind; he joined in the drinking competition. When he saw someone falling behind or no one to compete with, he stepped in.
The hangover medicine worked wonders. Deputy Director Tang, after drinking quite a bit, swallowed a pill of hangover medicine, and immediately became sober. He turned around and looked for someone else to drink with.
The scene was quite intense.
Five people drank six bottles of white wine. In the end, even Deputy Director Tang collapsed.
Two pills of hangover medicine only prevented him from getting completely drunk. After downing one and a half bottles, the medicine no longer worked.
However, while half-drunk, Deputy Director Tang opened the window.
When all five people inside the room were lying on the ground, someone crawled in through the window.
That person was Xiaonian.
Xiaonian was feeling miserable.
While others were enjoying sumptuous meals and drinks, he was outside the window, feeling the cold breeze.
What was the feeling of being surrounded by the scent of food and alcohol?
Finally, when all five people were down, Xiaonian crawled in.
After coming in, he grabbed a piece of Dongpo pork and stuffed it into his mouth.
Delicious, it melted in his mouth.
Those people just now were too focused on drinking and barely touched the food, giving Xiaonian an opportunity.
He could eat food but not drink alcohol. Drinking would leave a smell, and he would be exposed when returning to the dormitory.
Within five minutes, Xiaonian had eaten his fill.
Feeling satisfied, he started his operation.
Xiaonian approached the staff officer from the First Regiment and slipped a pill into his mouth.
Ten seconds later, Xiaonian began questioning.
"Name?"
"Wang Zhongchang."
"Age?"
"Twenty-six."
Twenty-six and only a lieutenant, quite shameful.
"Position?"
"Operational staff officer of the First Regiment."
Starting with a bunch of nonsense, he finally got to the point.
"Who made the military deployment map for your regiment?"
"It was our chief of staff."
"Do you know the contents?"
"No idea! The chief of staff keeps it hidden; we're not authorized to know."
Useless, wasting my time.
Next, Xiaonian questioned the staff officers from the Second Regiment, the Third Regiment, and finally, the Guard Regiment.
They were all clueless about the contents of the military deployment map, just like the staff officer from the First Regiment.
Finally, he asked the staff officer from the Guard Regiment.
Initially, Xiaonian didn't expect much. If the staff officers from the artillery regiment didn't know, how much could the Guard Regiment know?
However, it was this staff officer from the Guard Regiment who revealed the information Xiaonian sought.
It turned out the Guard Regiment's mission was to protect three artillery regiments. So, they knew the locations and coordinates of the three artillery regiments. They also knew about the artillery's firepower and personnel deployment.
Why did the Japanese let Xiaonian in? It was to obtain coordinates and positions. With those, they could concentrate heavy artillery fire on the Chinese artillery regiments.
Keep in mind, the guns on Japanese warships were 200 to 300 millimeters, several times more powerful than the 150-millimeter guns.
One salvo, and there's no way you'd survive?
Moreover, the Japanese could launch aircraft from warships to bomb the Chinese artillery regiments.
Once they found the target, the Chinese artillery regiments would have no chance of survival.
Under the influence of truth serum, the staff officer from the Guard Regiment divulged what he knew.
Xiaonian was overjoyed; this was enough for him.
He immediately woke up Deputy Director Tang.
"Did you get the information?" Deputy Director Tang asked.
"I got it! I need to leave now. I may
not be able to come back."
"What about me? Shouldn't I come with you?"
"You can't leave! If you leave, the people from the artillery division will suspect you got the information from them because you treated them to drinks."
"It's dangerous for me to stay."
"In that case, I'll leave first. I'll send the information out. Once the Imperial Army receives it, they'll arrange to bombard the Chinese artillery division within a day. By then, chaos will ensue in the artillery division. That's when you can escape amidst the chaos."
Upon hearing this, Deputy Director Tang had no other choice.
(End of this chapter)