Chapter 65

  As early as January 23, when the commander of the Shanghai Garrison Chen Mingshu and the 19th Route Army led by Chiang Kuang-nai and Cai Tingkai proposed to respond to Japanese provocations and expressed their willingness to fight back if Japan dared to come, He Yingqin, who feared that the 19th Route Army would "cause trouble", ordered the 19th Route Army to be replaced in Shanghai within five days!

  This time, the Japanese Consulate directly proposed to the Chinese government: "In addition to apologizing for the beating of a Japanese national to death by worker pickets on January 18th on Mayu Mountain Road, punishing the perpetrators and compensating them, as well as cracking down on anti-Japanese movements across the country, they must also severely punish the Northeastern bandit leader Li Bin!"

  He Yingqin, who had been frightened out of his wits, personally rushed from Nanjing to Shanghai for a secret meeting with Japanese Ambassador Shigemitsu Mamoru.

  He Yingqin surprisingly agreed to all the first four conditions put forward by the Japanese, and for the last one, he felt really embarrassed. After all, it was not appropriate to punish Li Bin in the name of the National Government, and at most, he could only be removed from his post. Because He Yingqin also knew that Li Bin was a national hero at this time, if he killed him, the National Government would be accused by the people as a traitorous government, and he would bear the brunt of it.

  After listening to what He Yingqin said, Shigemitsu Mamoru said sternly: "Since your government is not good at handling the Northeastern bandit Li Bin, this man must be handed over to us for Japan to deal with!"

  He Yingqin's face turned pale, and he hastily said: "But we're afraid it won't be very convenient for us to hand this person over to you. After all, this person is already quite famous nationwide. If we were to hand him over to your country, I'm afraid..."

  His words were not yet finished, when Akira Chiba immediately said: "Good! Since that's the case, then our Great Japanese Empire fleet will not only attack Shanghai, but also sail up the Yangtze River and bombard Nanjing!"

  "What should we do to satisfy your country? Must we hand over this person?" asked He Yingqin, who was sweating profusely. "But we are really in a difficult situation!"

  Akira Shikou smiled slyly and said, "I do have a way. We can set up a trap for him and put him in jail! You just need to figure out how to sentence him to several years of hard labor, and the rest will be taken care of!"

  The Japanese meant that as long as they could put Li Bin in prison, they would naturally have a way to get rid of him inside the prison.

  "This......this......" He Yingqin didn't know how to respond, "If we do this, it's probably not very good..."

  "Isn't it easy to pin a crime on someone?" Chong Guangkui sneered, "You can send people to follow Li Bin, kill someone next to him, and then frame him!"

  Just then, a Japanese agent walked in and whispered to Shigemitsu Mamoru's ear: "Ambassador, according to our intelligence, that guy Li Bin is now under the protection of Zhang Xueliang! It would be very difficult for us to plot against him!"

  "Is that so?" Akane Shikō said, "What about our agent? Can't we take him out in Beiping? Speak louder! Hei Sang is a friend of the Great Japanese Empire, what's there to fear!"

  "That damned Zhang Xueliang not only didn't fall for our trick, but also wants to provide them with guns and ammunition! Now he's sent his own trusted bodyguards Bai Zhijun, Zhao Xinbo and a bunch of martial arts experts to protect this guy! It looks like we won't be able to make a move." The Japanese agent said angrily, "I didn't expect Zhang Xueliang to dare to go against us this time!"

  "This man I know, he may be timid as a mouse, but he is still a loyal and patriotic person. General Zhang Zuolin expressed willingness to return the lost property of Zhang Xueliang in the Northeast Mansion, but was rejected by him! Such a person, can we expect him to get rid of Li Bin? It seems that there is no possibility at all! This is Ishihara's mistake! Now it seems that only we can take action!" said Chō Kōki. "The question is, how to lure this man out of Zhang Xueliang's mansion?"

  Suddenly, Chong Guangkui's small eyes rolled around and he looked at He Yingqin saying: "He San! I think this matter is indeed not easy to take action on! However, as long as you agree to my two conditions, we can cancel our last request!"

  "What's the order?" He Yingqin hastily asked.

  "First, you find a way to take advantage of the opportunity for Li Bin to meet with high-ranking officials of the National Government and lure him out of Zhang Xueliang's residence. We can then take action to eliminate this major threat! Second, you must think of a way to remove Zhang Xueliang from his position as Director of the North China Pacification Office! You, He San, will replace him! Zhang Xueliang is also a nuisance to us Japanese!" Shigemitsu Mamoru said with a sly smile.

  "The second condition, I can agree to. But the first condition, aren't your country's agents all over our China? Can't you yourselves pay attention to when this person leaves Xiao Shuai's residence? Why do we have to lure him out?" He Yingqin asked.

  "Zhang Xueliang is a cautious man, and since he has made up his mind to protect Li Bin, Li Bin will be under strict protection whenever he enters or exits, even disguising himself when going out. It's indeed difficult for us to get rid of him! However, when your government officials meet with him, even if he disguises himself on the way, can he still disguise himself after entering the meeting venue? This is why we need your help, He San!" explained Chong Guanggui.

  "I understand what you mean! In that case, I am willing to help your country in exchange for the withdrawal of your troops from Shanghai." He Yingqin nodded and said.

  "Good!" Shigemitsu Kōga patted He Yingqin on the shoulder, "This is a good friend of our Great Japanese Empire! It's settled then! As for the specifics, you prepare to meet this person at what time and place, just notify us and our excellent special agents will take care of the rest!"

  After He Yingqin returned to Nanjing, he immediately ordered his trusted general Liu Zhen to cross the Yangtze River overnight from Pukou and take a train to Beiping. The plan was for Li Bin to be awarded the rank of Major General at 9:00 am on January 27th at Beiping University, and for "Patriotic General Li Bin" to give a patriotic speech to university students at Beiping University.

  Liu Zhen, who looks like a pig head and brain, is almost the same as a pig, just because he is He Yingqin's confidant and favorite general, so he was sent to execute this task. However, He Yingqin has arranged everything properly, only needs this high-ranking general who once served as an instructor at Huangpu to show his face, and there will be no mistakes.

  In fact, Liu Zhen himself did not know that He Yingqin had already colluded with the Japanese to betray Li Bin.

  The special train sped north to Beiping, covering a distance that normally took thirty hours in just twenty-four hours. Liu Zhen and his group arrived in Beiping.

  After arriving in Beiping, Liu Zhen first visited Zhang Xueliang and Li Bin.

  "Ah, Brother Jing, what wind has blown you here?" Zhang Xueliang exclaimed as he came out to greet him.

  "Han Ying brothers, I was ordered by Director He to come and award Li Bin the rank of Major General!" Liu Zhen replied, "The time is set for tomorrow at 9:00 am in Beiping University. At that time, General Li Bin will also need to give a patriotic speech to the students! Ah, the Japanese are not only making trouble in the north, but also in the south! Now we need someone like General Li Bin to boost morale!"

  Liu Zhen entered the living room and sat down on the sofa. Li Bin just gave him a lukewarm glance, and from the bottom of his heart, he looked down on this person who later became known as "Long-distance General" and "Pig General".

  However, Li Bin could not shirk from the ceremony of conferring titles by the National Government and his speech at Beiping University.

  The next morning, Li Bin, dressed in a high-grade woolen military uniform, got into a black sedan under the protection of two masters Bai Zhijun and Zhao Xinbo and a group of guards. Zhang Xueliang and Liu Zhi drove another two cars, the motorcade left Zhang Xueliang's mansion, speeding northward.

  On a two-story small building by the roadside, someone was holding binoculars and sneakingly following the movement of the convoy.

  Behind the motorcade, a white sedan followed at a distance. When the motorcade turned into Beiping University, the white sedan stopped at the university gate, and two men wearing fedoras and windbreakers got out of the car.

  "What are you doing!" The two men were about to enter through the North Gate when they were stopped by a Northeastern Army guard at the gate.

  "We have come to hear the patriotic General Li Bin's speech!" one of them replied.

  "Then please cooperate with our inspection!" The guard waved his hand, and two other soldiers came up to search the bodies and waists of these two men, but found nothing.

  Just as the two men were about to enter, the leading guard shouted: "Wait! Take off your shoes for inspection!"

  The two men's faces changed greatly, they exchanged a glance, and were just about to pull out the Browning M1906 pistols from their shoe soles when more than ten Northeastern soldiers who had been lying in wait surrounded them immediately, subduing the two Japanese spies on the spot. The soldiers confiscated two Browning M1906 pistols from their shoe soles.

  Japanese spies were dragged away, meanwhile, Li Bin had already entered the auditorium of Peking University with Zhang Xueliang and Liu Zhen, while Bai Zhijun and Zhao Xinbo stood guard below the stage with flower-shaped pistols in their hands and Mauser handguns tucked into their waistbands. The entire perimeter of the auditorium was surrounded by soldiers at attention, who were strictly executing Zhang Xueliang's orders to ensure Li Bin's safety.

  Fat-headed and big-eared Liu Zongren first gave a "passionate" speech, then announced that patriotic general Li Bin was awarded the rank of lieutenant general of the National Revolutionary Army.

  Liu Zhen personally pinned the military rank on Li Bin, and Li Bin saluted him. Then he also saluted the people on and off the stage. Suddenly, a thunderous applause erupted throughout the venue.

  Then, Li Bin stepped onto the stage and delivered an anti-Japanese speech to save the nation. He loudly said: "Now our Chinese nation has reached a critical moment of life and death! The whole country is launching a loud and enthusiastic movement to support the Northeast Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army! I, Li Bin, am now entrusted with this mission, and in the near future, I will go to the front line, together with General Huang Xiansheng and General Ma Zhanshan, to join this anti-Japanese movement..."

  However, at this moment, among the students under the stage, on both sides of the auditorium, there were two guys dressed like reporters with a hint of murderous intent that was easy to overlook.

  After about ten minutes or so, Li Bin's first speech temporarily came to an end, and the audience erupted in thunderous applause. At this time, the news reporters who had been eager to try out their skills rushed forward, flashbulbs flashing, and various cameras snapped photos of Li Bin.

  The two men dressed as reporters also stood up and, taking advantage of the chaos, followed other reporters in pushing their way forward. In fact, the cameras in their hands were actually handguns disguised as cameras!

  Two men approached the podium, picked up "cameras" and aimed at Li Bin.