allonlinenovel Chapter 1000 Living Gift
Chapter 1000 Living Gift
The scene of the father and daughter recognizing each other was primal and intense, but the situation was all too clear: an unwanted piece had intruded onto his meticulously planned chessboard.
Just then, the sound of rapid and powerful footsteps came from the street.
A figure strode over upon hearing the sound; it was none other than Taniguchi Mayu, who had just arrived with his troops.
He was clearly alerted by the commotion at the door, the cries, and the brief pause of the military police.
When he saw the scene at the door, a very obvious look of surprise flashed across his face, which quickly turned into displeasure at being offended and disturbed. Even at the bottom of his deep eyes, a trace of barely perceptible annoyance flickered.
Such chaos during the entry ceremony was something he absolutely could not tolerate.
"Ichijo-kun, what's going on?" Taniguchi Mayu's voice wasn't loud, but you could tell he was very displeased. Today was the ceremony for the military police to enter the city, an important moment to demonstrate the military police's authority.
His gaze first sharply fell on Yusuke Ichijo, with a stern questioning tone, automatically regarding the slumped Li Shouren as an obstacle that needed to be removed.
Yusuke straightened up slightly and answered in Japanese, which he tried to control but spoke a little too quickly, revealing his inner turmoil: "Taniguchi-kun! This commoner suddenly rushed out, claiming to be... this girl's father." He pointed to the father and daughter who were tightly embracing each other, sobbing uncontrollably, completely unaware of the danger around them, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible irritation.
Taniguchi Mayu's gaze then fell on Li Shouren and Xiao Juan.
When his gaze swept over Xiao Juan's tear-streaked face, her little hands tightly clutching Li Shouren's neck as if grasping at a lifeline, a hint of doubt flashed deep in his eyes.
He looked at Yusuke again, his eyes asking what was going on.
At this moment, Yusuke's face showed surprise and displeasure at his plans being disrupted, contempt and disgust for this "low-level" emotional outburst, anger at the ownership dispute over the "item" he had chosen, and even a hint of...
The gloom that arises when private property is touched or plans are thwarted.
His painstakingly planned and seemingly successful "investment" was completely ruined at the last moment before the harvest was about to be reaped, by this dirty and humble Chinese father who suddenly crawled out from the corner of hell.
Regarding Xiao Juan, we need to go back a few days, shortly after Ichijo Yusuke led the advance team of military police into Nanjing.
It was a severely damaged residential area in the west of the city, near the Shuixi Gate.
Amidst the ruins, several bloodthirsty Japanese soldiers, long since deserted their posts and whose discipline had completely collapsed, were later identified as deserters from the 6th Division. Like hunting beasts, they discovered a little girl hiding deep within a half-collapsed stove, trembling with fear and too terrified to even cry out.
It was Xiao Juan who was separated from her father, Li Shouren, in the chaos and survived the war by instinct and a little bit of luck.
These defeated soldiers used violence as an outlet for their frustrations.
They laughed and joked, like cats playing with mice, as they dragged the frail Xiao Juan out of her hiding place, using her as a live target for practicing bayonet techniques.
He brandished his Type 30 bayonet around her, threatening her, watching her scream in terror, run, fall, and burst into cruel laughter.
Xiao Juan's forehead and arms were cut by sharp rubble during her escape, and her face was covered in blood and tears.
At the critical moment, a military police patrol happened to pass through the area.
In order to quickly establish the "absolute authority" and "new order" of the military police in the occupied areas, and to strictly implement the orders of Commander Takasaki Takuto of Tianjin to "eliminate indiscriminate killing, maintain superficial stability, and lay the foundation for long-term rule."
The military police patrol arrested the lawless soldiers with swift and decisive action, and publicly subjected them to severe flogging on the grounds of "serious violation of military discipline, damage to the image of the Imperial Army, and disruption of the overall situation of the holy war."
The leather whips, dipped in cold water, lashed the backs of the soldiers, tearing their skin and causing them to howl in agony that echoed through the ruins.
This scene, a warning to others, effectively deterred many stragglers who were still taking advantage of the chaos to loot and commit violence, and initially established the military police's jurisdiction.
Xiao Juan, still shaken and covered in injuries, was naturally taken back to the military police headquarters by the military police.
The military doctor cleaned and bandaged her wound.
Initially, Yusuke Ichijo did not pay much attention to the Chinese girl he had rescued by chance. He regarded her as a usable prop to promote the "benevolence of the Imperial Army" and "civilized law enforcement," and thought that he might be able to take some photos and publish them in the newspaper.
However, as Xiao Juan's injuries were treated, she ate some food, her face regained some color, and after washing away the dirt, her originally delicate and tender features were revealed. Especially her big eyes, which were filled with fear and confusion most of the time, but were still clear and bright when they occasionally blinked. Suddenly, a very secret thought came to Yusuke's mind.
He thought of his superior, Commander Takasaki Takuto's, younger sister, Ms. Takasaki Keiko, who was far away in Tianjin.
Miss Huizi, you lost your left arm in the accident in Harbin. Since then, your subordinates, including the general, have paid special attention to you.
Although the general arranged for Yingzi and Zhang Xiaolan to take care of her, she still lacked a truly caring, obedient, and reliable personal maid who could accompany her from childhood, know her inside and out, and be completely dependent on her master.
Yusuke Ichijo has been struggling to find a suitable opportunity to show his goodwill to this lady of special status, so as to further solidify his position in Takumi Takasaki's heart.
The little girl in front of me is very young, highly malleable, and easy to tame.
She has a pretty and charming appearance, and it's not unseemly to have her by your side.
More importantly, she lost all her family members in the war, which was Yusuke's assessment at the time. She was helpless and alone, like a rootless duckweed.
If you show her a little kindness, such as saving her life, providing her with food and clothing, and then supplement it with strict discipline, systematic brainwashing, and complete isolation, given time, you can easily cultivate her into a perfect little maid who is absolutely loyal to the Takasaki family, obeys orders without question, and has no independent thoughts.
This was practically a "living gift" tailor-made for him, a way to climb the social ladder.
Therefore, Yusuke Ichijo quickly changed his mind.
Instead of sending Xiao Juan to the crowded and chaotic refugee area as was customary, he left her at the military police headquarters, placing her in a small room right under his nose and assigning people to keep a close watch on her.
He planned to wait until the situation in Nanjing stabilized somewhat and the transfer of power was completed before finding a reliable person to secretly send her to Tianjin and present her to Miss Huizi.
He had even begun to imagine in his mind the happy smile that Miss Huizi might show when she received this carefully prepared "gift," and the expression of Commander Takasaki Takuto's tacit approval or even approval.