Japanese soldiers could be seen wandering around the streets, chatting and laughing loudly in groups of twos and threes, going in and out of various taverns and brothels. Incidents of drunkenness, failure to pay, and wanton vandalism occurred from time to time.
In the dark alley, a Japanese sergeant came out of a house crookedly, humming a tune, and heard the cry of a woman behind him.
Jiang Xinyu put on makeup and changed his appearance. He had been walking around for more than an hour, just waiting for this opportunity to be alone, so he followed quietly.
"Bang!"
A wooden stick as thick as a bowl hit the sergeant on the back of the head. The guy didn't say a word and fell to the ground with a thud. Jiang Xinyu immediately dragged him into a nearby house that was destroyed by artillery shells.
Ten minutes later, after being hit by a few bricks, the sergeant's body was hidden under the rubble, and Jiang Xinyu walked out of it wearing his clothes.
Returning to the door of the house where the sergeant had entered, Jiang Xinyu knocked on the wooden door, and the door creaked open.
A woman with disheveled hair stood inside the door, holding a kitchen knife tightly in her trembling hands, and her eyes were filled with hatred.
Jiang Xinyu put the money he found from the sergeant on the ground, then turned around and left silently. The woman looked at this strange Japanese soldier in surprise, stood blankly for a while, and hurriedly closed the door.
Zhenhua Textile Factory is located on Shuncheng Street. It is a relatively large factory in Zhengzhou. Before the Japanese army attacked the city, it had already retreated westward with its people and machines.
The Japanese army occupied Zhengzhou and used the textile factory as a barracks. A squadron of troops was stationed here, mainly responsible for guarding the area around the station.
The well mentioned by Ma Laosan is located behind the yard of the textile factory. Because there are often vehicles pulling water, the area near the wellhead is muddy and full of ruts.
Jiang Xinyu came to the gate of the textile factory. The Japanese army's military hierarchy was very strict. The two sentries were both privates. When he saw a sergeant approaching, he quickly stood at attention and saluted.
"Be energetic! (Japanese)" Jiang Xinyu said.
"yes!"
Because it is an important water source, there are soldiers patrolling the backyard. Two soldiers carrying rifles chatted and patrolled around.
Jiang Xinyu observed in the dark for a while, and then walked over.
"Who is it?" Two soldiers heard the footsteps, immediately raised their rifles and asked loudly.
Jiang Xinyu shook his body and said vaguely: "...I'm thirsty...I want to drink water! (Japanese)"
Two soldiers quickly came over to help them and said: "Sir, there is water in the barracks. How do you drink water here..."
"I want to drink... fresh water!" Jiang Xinyu pushed them away and came to the well.
Seeing that the officer was obviously drunk, the two soldiers did not follow him.
Jiang Xinyu came to the well and looked down under the light. It was a seepage well that could be filled up in about ten hours. He took the water ladle beside the well and scooped out half a ladle.
Using the cover of his body, he unscrewed the cap of the bottle of poisonous mushroom juice and poured it into the water ladle, then put the empty bottle into his arms.
Pretending to take a sip of water, he poured the water and poisonous mushroom juice back into the well.
…………
In the Japanese military camp, the hired Chinese like Ma Laosan did not have access to freshly prepared meals and could only eat rice balls left over from the previous two days.
Jiang Xinyu decided to do this on the spur of the moment. Since the well covers such a wide area, this extremely poisonous bottle of Seven Steps may bring some trouble to the Japanese army.
The well water will definitely dilute the poison, and Jiang Xinyu doesn't know exactly how much damage it will cause to the human body.
After sleeping in a hotel for a night, I felt like I had recovered from all the fatigue from the past few days.
Jiang Xinyu opened the curtains and saw nothing unusual on the street. If the Japanese soldiers were poisoned on a large scale, martial law would be enforced today and people would be arrested everywhere.
If the water in that seepage well were pulled away this morning and filled with water, any kind of poison would be completely diluted.
It seemed that all the hard work was in vain! Jiang Xinyu sighed inwardly.
At 12 noon, Ma Laosan did not show up. Jiang Xinyu packed his luggage and crossed the road to the train station to buy a ticket to Yanjin.
Half an hour later, the train bound for Yanjin slowly left Zhengzhou...
A week later, the Japanese troops stationed in Zhengzhou suddenly developed a large number of malaria-like symptoms, including chills, fever and excessive sweating. The time from onset to death was very short.
The cause of the disease could not be ascertained. A few soldiers were rescued, but many more died two weeks later.
In the end, the military medical officer could only think that the epidemic was caused by acclimatization and unhygienic diet.
In the next two months, the non-combat attrition of the Japanese North China Front due to illness doubled. According to the last figures released by the Japanese army, the battle losses caused by the plague were in the thousands!
Jiang Xinyu didn't know anything about what happened in Zhengzhou. He only heard about it a few months later. Whether the death was caused by the plague or whether his bottle of poisonous mushroom juice played a role, no one could tell clearly.
When the train arrived at Yanjin, Jiang Xinyu walked out of the platform with his suitcase and walked towards the tram station.
A man wearing a polite dress and a long gown came towards him. Jiang Xinyu felt that this man seemed familiar. When the two passed by, the other man whispered: "I am Qin Li, follow me."
Jiang Xinyu looked around and followed calmly from a distance.
Qin Li turned around three times, turned into a nearby alley, crossed the alley, and stopped in front of a Sun Kee grocery store. He looked back at Jiang Xinyu and walked in.
Business in the grocery store was very light, with only three or two neighbors picking out goods, and a young man who looked like a clerk sitting at the counter.
"Boss, are you back?" the clerk greeted.
Qin Li nodded, turned around and said to Jiang Xinyu: "The goods you want are inside, please."
There is a bedroom in the back room, with all the bedding, as if someone lives here.
Jiang Xinyu put down his suitcase, looked outside, and said, "What is this place?"
Qin Li poured a bowl of hot water and handed it over and said: "The contact point of Yanjin Station, Juntong."
"Hattori Hikoo already knows the name Li Jinshan, didn't Ayako tell you about this?"
"told."
"Then why haven't you left Yanjin yet?"
"Don't worry, I resigned from the customs and now have a new identity. Hattori Hikoo has no doubts about 'Li Jinshan', he is just...jealous!" Qin Li said with a smile.
"Then you should leave Yanjin as soon as possible. Too many people have seen you. It's too dangerous to stay here!"
"It doesn't matter. I basically don't go out during the day. Besides, you didn't recognize me when you saw me just now."
Jiang Xinyu shook his head and said: "I feel that something is wrong. Hattori Hikoo knows the name Li Jinshan, so there must be something wrong..."