Chapter Thirty-Five: Preparing for Battle

  Zhan Jinbiao looked very disappointed and said, "Only one night's time, can it be done?" After a pause, he raised his face again, his eyes filled with anger, "Even if I'm doomed to lose, I'll still fight."

  Ye Tu Fei smiled and said: "At your rate of progress, it will only take two hours for you to defeat him."

  Zhan Jinbiao looked at Ye Tufei, shaking his head unconfidently and said: "Don't comfort me, my mind is made up. Tomorrow I'll make a desperate attempt, if I don't win, I'll perish."

  Ye Tu Fei flicked his lips and said: "You listen carefully, after I finish speaking, you make your own decision."

  "Takefuji was stepping onto the arena with a mindset of certain victory, believing that Yamashita's arrangements had taken care of all the top-notch martial artists in Xuzhou, and that the remaining local experts were no match for him. As such, Takefuji's mental state must have been very calm and at ease, which would have benefited his performance on the arena. However, did he not know that Chinese martial arts are profound and intricate? That China has hidden dragons and crouching tigers among its people? I think he should have known. Therefore, deep down in his heart, there must have been another emotion - worry and anxiety. Why did the Japanese only dare to set up a six-day arena? It was because they were worried that if this dragged on, news of it would spread beyond Xuzhou's borders, and something unexpected would happen, with martial artists from other places coming to challenge them. Brother Biao, this worry and anxiety may seem like a small matter, but if magnified, it could trigger changes in Takefuji's mental state. Once he becomes irritable and anxious, what do you think will happen? I don't need to say it, you already know."

  "He is in the light, you are in the dark. You have been observing him for several days, but does he know you? On the stage, if he can't solve you within five minutes, it's possible to produce impatience. If after ten minutes, he still can't grasp your route and details, he will definitely produce anxiety. Once Takeo Muto's mentality changes, then your opportunity has arrived."

  "Let's consider another question, would Takefuji really fight to the death with you? Japanese people love to talk about Bushido, and in my understanding, Bushido is not about being fearless of death, but rather fearful of losing face. Only when they sense that they are about to lose face will they truly be unafraid of death. Therefore, I am certain that as long as Takefuji still has the upper hand in terms of appearance, he absolutely will not fight to the death with you."

  "If you can manage to not be defeated by Mutou in the first ten minutes of the match, but instead are in a desperate situation, and then seize the opportunity to suddenly unleash all your power and engage in a fierce battle with him, I think that at that moment, Mutou Koji will definitely become flustered. As long as you can put aside thoughts of winning or losing, life or death, and launch an all-out attack, the one who will end up losing is definitely Mutou Koji."

  "That's all I have to say! You decide for yourself!"

  Listening to Ye Tufei's words, a scene of intense fighting unfolded in Zhang Jinbiao's mind. He felt the blood in his body boiling and couldn't help but shout: "I believe you, I believe you, Sixth Master, I believe you!"

  Ye Tu Fei smiled with relief and said, "Alright then, next let's prepare for how to deal with Takefuji in the next ten minutes."

  For the next two hours, Ye Tufei flew to Zhan Jinbiao to teach him the footwork and some basic moves of Western boxing. Ye Tufei explained: "Playing a few rounds of Western boxing with Wu Tong can disrupt his judgment of you."

  Ye Tufei also taught Zhan Jinbiao some defensive and evasive moves that seemed shameless but were actually very effective, such as the "crotch roll". Ye Tufei explained: "These shameless moves can ensure your safety while achieving our goals."

  Akane Kinniku's foundation is very good, in order to defeat Takeshi Godhand, he has already put down his dignity, so he learns extremely seriously and grasps it extremely quickly.

  Two hours later, Ye Tufei stopped teaching and said: "That's enough, go to sleep well, nourish your spirit, and you will surely defeat Little Japan tomorrow."

  Tomorrow! Will it be windy and sunny or stormy?

  Just as Ye Tu Fei and Zhan Jin Biao were preparing for their match tomorrow, Yamashita Keigo started to get nervous.

  Ye Tu Fei had been hiding in his room for a whole day, and the more Takeko thought about it, the stranger she felt. At dinner time, she decided that no matter what, she would enter Ye Tu Fei's room and take a look at him.

  Under the firm attitude of Zhū Xià Hǎo Zǐ, Yè Tú Fēi's plan to deceive everyone was exposed. In the bandit camp, Zhū Xià Hǎo Zǐ did not have the right to interrogate Yuān Xī Wén, but she could report back.

  When the telegram from Takezawa Yuko arrived in Yamashita Keigo's hands, his first reaction was trouble, and Ye Tufei must have come to the city to make a scene. As for Ye Tufei's skills, Yamashita Keigo wasn't quite clear, but judging from the fact that Ye Tufei could unify the Jianghu of Erlang Mountain, Yamashita Keigo firmly believed that Ye Tufei was definitely a top-notch expert. He couldn't afford to be even slightly negligent; he had to come up with a perfect plan within a short period of time. Under duress, he thought of Takahashi Shin once again.

  "Are you saying that Ye Tufei left the Jia family early in the morning?" Gao Qiao Xin listened to Yamashita Keigo's statement, looking very calm, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he grasped the key point of the whole incident. "Then he should have arrived at Xuzhou City by noon, why didn't he go on stage to fight? He should have had an afternoon!"

  Yamashita Kengo is indeed a man of his word, and with the personality of Yatou Fei, once he decides on something, he will definitely do it. Moreover, compared to the empty city plan sung by Jia Huan Wang, he hopes not to be recognized, logically speaking, he should end the battle quickly!

  "You're saying Ye Tufei left Jia Wugong's place not to come into town to play drums?"

  Takahashi nodded thoughtfully a few times and then shook his head, saying: "It's hard to say, but I can be sure that Ye Tufei won't get on the stage tomorrow."

  Yamashita Keigo didn't understand and asked: "What makes you think so?"

  Takahashi Shingen narrowed his eyes, seemingly talking to himself, saying: "He's from the Kajima family, if his goal isn't for the ring, then he definitely won't fight tomorrow. If his goal is indeed for the ring and he didn't appear this afternoon, then he must have encountered some trouble or a chance... meeting." When he said the word "chance", Takahashi Shingen's speech slowed down extremely, drawing out the words, and before he even finished speaking, he suddenly opened his eyes wide and exclaimed loudly: "Right, it must be like that! He was planning to go all out on stage to fight, but just as he was about to go on stage, he thought of a way to have his cake and eat it too - not having to appear in person while still being able to defeat Tatsumi Fujinami."

  "Yamashita Kengo's eyes widened in shock. 'What did you just say? How can he possibly do that? No way, absolutely no way!'"

  Takahashi returned to his normal tone, analyzing: "He thought of a person who could counter Watanabe's skills with their own abilities. Hayato found this person and thought that if they made some adjustments, they could replace him and win the match. Who is this person?"

  Yamashita Kengo immediately called the Special High Division and brought all the information about the martial arts schools and famous martial artists in Xuzhou. An hour later, Takahashi Shin and Yamashita Kengo's eyes focused on the "Jia" school.

  "Zhan Jinbiao!" The two of them almost simultaneously spoke out this name.

  "That's right, it's him! It was our negligence, Yamashita-kun. This Kanjinbo is the eldest disciple of the 'Kan' school, and three years ago, he supposedly had a draw with Yū Tōfei in a match. Hmm, Yū Tōfei must have met Kanjinbo, Yamashita-kun... I think you should do something about it!" Takashi Gao narrowed his eyes once again.

  "Please instruct me, Mr. Takahashi."

  "When you decided on this project, I said it was a thankless job. If you do well, it won't have much significance for your future prospects, and if you don't do well, you'll pay an unexpected price." Takashi Goto didn't directly respond to Keigo Yamashita's request.

  "But this matter is very beneficial to the interests of the Empire!"

  "The empire is yours, it has nothing to do with me. What I want is for you, Shita Kōji, to rise to greatness and restore the honor of the Shita family. Let's not argue about this anymore. Now, tell me, between the interests of the empire and your own future, which one will you choose?"

  As an imperial soldier, he should have put the interests of the empire above all else, a conviction that should have been firmly established since his first day in the military and one that he constantly instilled in his subordinates. Yet, at this moment, he hesitated, filled with conflicting thoughts. If his own future was gone, if he were to become an ordinary soldier, how important would the interests of the empire be? Yamashita Keigo fell silent. He thought of his idol, Tōjō Hideki. Seven years ago, Tōjō had achieved a monumental feat in Manchuria, and five years ago, he had masterminded the "Manchukuo" incident, which greatly benefited the empire's interests. All young military officers looked up to him as a role model, idolized him, and made him their goal. But did these young officers truly understand Tōjō Hideki?

  Yamashita Yoshitsugu couldn't help but smile wryly. Indeed, Tōyama Mitsuru's actions were for the benefit of the Empire, but at the same time, he put more energy into pursuing his own interests. As a direct subordinate of Tōyama Mitsuru, Yamashita Yoshitsugu was deeply influenced by him.

  "Isn't there any other choice? For instance, one that would benefit both the Empire's interests and my own future?" Shimo Kengo asked hesitantly.

  Taka shook his head and said, "If you only consider the interests of the empire, then there is only one thing you can do now, which is to stop Ye Tufei's plan from being implemented. However, I can say with certainty that your hopes are slim, and you won't be able to stop Ye Tufei unless you disregard your personal future and mobilize all your forces tonight to turn Xuzhou City upside down. That way, you might have a chance to capture Ye Tufei and Zhan Jinbiao, but the reaction of the people will be difficult for you to grasp. If things go wrong, the interests of the empire won't be guaranteed, and your reputation will plummet to an all-time low."

  Yamashita Kengo gritted his teeth in agony and said, "So what should I do according to Takahashi-kun's intention?"

  Takahashi Shin replied, "Let Yeto fly away. If tomorrow's match between Kanemoto and Koji Kitao ends with Kanemoto losing, then everything will be fine, as if nothing had happened. But if Kanemoto wins against Kitao, then we'll frame someone else."

  Yamashita Kengo saw a glimmer of light in front of him and asked urgently, "How can we frame someone else? Who can we frame?"

  Takahashi Shin said: "You haven't made a choice yet, I can't say."

  After a long while, Yamashita Kengo made a difficult decision: "I'll prioritize my own future!"

  Lao Yan also wants a bright future! Friends, give me some sunshine...