novelhk Chapter 138 The Shame of Shanghai
Chapter 138 The Shame of Shanghai
Back at the consulate, Terauchi Hisaichi, a high-ranking Japanese officer stationed in Shanghai, berated Morimoto.
He roared, "Useless! You can't even handle this little thing! Now all the countries are giving us trouble, and Tokyo has sent an inquiry. What are you going to do?"
Morimoto lowered his head and dared not utter a sound as his superior beat and scolded him.
The pressure quickly spread to all Japanese intelligence agencies in China.
Mei Agency, Kagesa Agency, and the headquarters of Special Agent No. 76 all received a telegram from Tokyo demanding accountability, and internally they began a frantic purge and blame-shifting, creating chaos.
In office number 76, Li Qun kicked over the desks and chairs.
He pointed at Ding Mo's nose and cursed, "It's all your fault for meddling! You couldn't even keep an eye on the base, and now the photos have leaked, and you're making us the target!"
Ding Mo retorted with a cold laugh, "That's what I should be saying! You're in charge of managing overseas Chinese, and the leak of the photos is your dereliction of duty. Why are you trying to shift the blame?"
The lower-level department heads were even more prone to passing the buck.
The section chief slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "This has nothing to do with me! It's the Second Section that's responsible for the base's security. Their lax oversight is their fault!"
The head of the second division immediately retorted, "It's clearly your department's responsibility; it has absolutely nothing to do with us!"
The junior agents also argued fiercely in private, even coming to blows, blaming each other for their incompetence.
Two officers in charge of managing overseas Chinese were brought before Terauchi Hisaichi.
Temple Nei raised his hand and slapped the two people across the face.
He roared, "Incompetent in your work, you have utterly disgraced the empire! Demote yourself immediately and send you to the front lines!"
The two covered their faces and knelt down to beg for mercy, but to no avail.
The price of the photos on the black market has increased several times over.
As more and more replicas are produced, new photos are appearing one after another, and the rumors are becoming more and more detailed.
The locations of even the Japanese army's secret strongholds were meticulously documented.
Consulates from various countries simply formed temporary investigation teams.
German Consul Alois Brenner issued an ultimatum to Morimoto Tomoya.
He said, "Hand over those involved within three days and conduct a thorough public investigation; otherwise, we will join other countries in filing a complaint with the League of Nations to hold the Japanese authorities accountable!"
Morimoto had no choice but to agree, and immediately ordered his men to find a scapegoat.
Japanese agents were arresting unrelated expatriates everywhere, but were strongly stopped by consulates of various countries.
British and American consuls bluntly stated: "Is Japan trying to completely sever ties by arresting people without any evidence?"
The Japanese army was humiliated and had no choice but to withdraw its troops in frustration.
At this time, an informant using the pseudonym "Qingzhuan" relayed information through an intermediary.
Reports indicate that the women are being held in an abandoned warehouse of a Japanese textile factory in Yangshupu, under the supervision of Zhang Lin, a junior officer from the No. 76 brothel.
The Public Works Department Police Force immediately established a special investigation team, headed by British Detective Inspector Alan Davies, with members including one police officer each from France, the United States, and China.
In the early hours of November 7, the joint investigation team raided the warehouse, only to find empty cells and traces of life remaining. The guards had already been notified to evacuate. The only item found was a St. John's University badge, stuck in a gap in the cell; it belonged to Shen Qingyuan.
On November 10, The Times of London published a lengthy feature article entitled “The Shame of Shanghai”.
The article sharply points out: "Under the so-called 'Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere' vision, the Japanese authorities have condoned and even participated in barbaric crimes against women, including their own citizens."
In the following week, major international media outlets such as The Washington Post, Pravda, and Le Soir followed up with their reports.
The Tokyo Foreign Ministry receives dozens of inquiry notes from various governments every day.
Under pressure, the Japanese General Headquarters secretly dispatched a special envoy to Shanghai on November 20 to "handle the aftermath".
In the office of the Begonia Tavern, Liu Yan was giving a report.
She said, "The Japanese army wanted to find three low-level overseas Chinese to take the blame, but the consulates of various countries rejected the idea. Now the situation at No. 76 is even more chaotic. Li Qun and Ding Mo are undermining each other, and many junior agents are secretly running away."
Yan Shuo leaned back in his chair, looking at the photos on the table.
He said in a cold tone, "This is just the beginning. Let them panic for a while longer."
Although the women have escaped danger in the secret hideout, they are still overshadowed by the photograph.
Meng Wanying handed water to the frightened Fatuma.
She gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid, we're safe now, they will protect us."
Anna Petrova holds Ella Carter's hand.
She said in broken English, "My colleagues at the consulate will continue to exert pressure, and the Japanese army will pay the price for what they have done sooner or later."
Fang Nianci took out a small notebook and wrote down everyone's experiences word by word.
She looked up at everyone and said, "After we get out, I'm going to put all of this in the newspaper so that everyone knows the true face of the Japanese army."
Gu Shuyao nodded, clenching her fist.
She said, "Yes, we can't let them bully us for nothing; we must get justice."
They encouraged each other, and a fighting spirit gradually ignited in their eyes.
On November 25, the Japanese consulate suddenly issued a notice stating that it had "cracked down on a criminal gang impersonating Japanese nationals" and announced the execution of five "criminals".
The list prominently included Lieutenant Kobayashi, the military attaché's assistant, and two mid- to low-ranking officers.
They were the foreign affairs officers who had been reprimanded and demoted by Terauchi Hisaichi.
Now they've been completely made scapegoats.
On the same day, Zhang Lin, from the No. 76 Special Agent Headquarters, was arrested on charges of "embezzlement".
A week later, news broke that he had "suddenly died of an illness" in prison.
Clearly, he was silenced.
In early December, four of the six women who were initially missing were "miraculously released".
They were Natalia from the Soviet Union, Edith from Britain, Hannah from Germany, and Yukio Matsuura from Japan.
Several people were found in different locations within the concession, disoriented and with "complete amnesia" about their experiences over the past two months.
It's obvious to anyone with eyes that their memories have been controlled by drugs.
But Ella from the United States and Shen Qingyuan from China have disappeared forever.
The official statement is that they "may have been killed," but rumors on the black market say that because of their special identities and knowledge of too many details, they have been moved to a more secluded location and are not suitable to appear in public at the moment.
On the eve of Christmas, the final version of the investigation report from the Shanghai Municipal Council Police Department was classified as "top secret" and sealed.
The public statement characterized the case as "the work of an international criminal gang, which has been completely destroyed."
But the people inside the concession knew perfectly well that the truth was never made public.
Consulates around the world have quietly strengthened security measures for women in their countries.
Japanese people are beginning to face noticeable cold treatment in social situations.
Within the 76th Division, there was a warning circulating: "Don't mess with women outside the unit, or you'll face endless trouble."
While the controversy has seemingly subsided, it has severely damaged Japan's image in the world.
Some factions within the intelligence agencies were suppressed.
The delicate balance of power within the concession was thus subtly shifted.
The night fog in Shanghai remains thick.
The truth is like the mist on the Huangpu River; it seems to dissipate, but in reality, it blends into the deeper darkness.
Those vanished women have left no trace except for a few cold lines of records in the archives.