Chapter 11: The Bait

The following day, the citizens of the island nation were thrown into panic once more! Zheng Yaoxian led his men in bombing Tokyo University, executing the plan flawlessly—destroying the university’s main gate and a teaching building.

The twelve operatives at the Shanghai station had been carrying out missions in the city for years with exceptional vigilance, leaving no trace behind; not a single one had been apprehended. Wang Tianfeng and Xu Baichuan, both seasoned agents, distributed leaflets without incident.

With Tokyo University bombed and leaflets appearing, boldly proclaiming that every Chinese was a devil of the island nation, the public could not help but be uneasy. The upper echelons of the island nation were furious; they had just announced the capture of the perpetrator, and yet new attacks were erupting—how could they maintain their dignity?

They knew well that the ones captured belonged to the Revival Society’s island station and had nothing to do with the bombing of the Imperial Palace. Yet, with fear gripping the nation, they had to claim that the Revival Society members were responsible for the palace bombing to calm the populace.

But as soon as they made the announcement, another bombing occurred, accompanied by the leaflets—an outright humiliation. In parliament, Fumimaro Konoe swept his gaze across the assembly and spoke gravely, “If the people are unsettled, so too is the military.

Just days ago, Chiang Kai-shek proclaimed in China that the bombing of the Imperial Palace was carried out by elite members of the Nationalist Party. Nishio Toshizo sent a telegram reporting that this incident has demoralized the troops.

Therefore, for the sake of the Greater East Asia Holy War, we must apprehend the perpetrator as soon as possible.”

Everyone frowned. The gendarmerie and police had been pursuing the culprit with all their might for half a month, but not only had they failed to catch him, they hadn’t even glimpsed his shadow. How could they succeed?

Finance Minister Kataoka Kyoichi’s eyes flashed as he spoke, “Prime Minister, using conventional methods, we may not be able to capture this person anytime soon. However, I have a plan that can either lead to his capture or at least boost morale.”

All eyes immediately turned to Kataoka Kyoichi.

“Kataoka, what is your plan?” Konoe asked promptly.

“If this person is targeting the Emperor, then let the Emperor appear in public. As long as we arrange a tight security perimeter, we are certain to capture him. Even if we fail, the Emperor’s willingness to risk personal safety for the people will strengthen the military’s resolve.”

Everyone furrowed their brows, but no one rebuked Kataoka. The Emperor was merely a symbol, and none of them truly felt loyalty toward him.

Konoe pondered for a moment and then nodded slightly, “The plan is viable, but it will require some adjustments.”

At noon, a voice came over the island nation’s radio: “I am Emperor Showa. Tomorrow morning at nine, I will visit Tokyo University to comfort the afflicted students.”

The people heard the news with mixed feelings. The Emperor had always refrained from public appearances, and although they never voiced it, they harbored resentment. Now, the Emperor was disregarding his own safety to visit the students, even specifying the time over the radio, as if inviting the devil to come.

The Emperor was using himself as bait, filling the people's hearts with guilt. Li Wensheng, upon hearing the radio announcement, was incredulous. He had never expected that mere bombings would force the Emperor out; his intention had been only to demoralize the island nation. He had even anticipated a protracted campaign, given that the Emperor never appeared even to send off troops. Yet, the Emperor had stepped forward.

“Could this be a trap?” Li Wensheng muttered to himself. He had good reason to suspect so. He knew that though Emperor Showa lacked the power of Emperor Meiji, the army, to wage war, had elevated him as a spiritual symbol. This meant that while he held little sway in politics, he wielded considerable influence within the military, and many officers were fiercely loyal.

Given Emperor Showa’s authority, he could easily ensure his own safety by staying out of sight—why would he choose to appear now? Li Wensheng pondered long but couldn't make sense of it. He decided to leave it be; tomorrow, he would see for himself.

Early the next morning, as Li Wensheng stepped out, the newsboys in the French Concession of Shanghai were shouting again.

“Extra! Extra! Every Chinese is an island devil!”

“Extra! Extra! Emperor Showa leaves the Imperial Palace!”

As crowds gathered around the newsboys to buy papers, many spies headed for the outskirts of the palace. They wanted to see if the mysterious figure would appear. Each had their own sources confirming that the authorities had announced the capture of the perpetrator of the Imperial Palace bombing.

A little after seven, Li Wensheng arrived in the woods three kilometers from the palace, raised his binoculars, and watched the palace, which was surrounded by a multitude of gendarmes.

As he observed, on a slope five kilometers away, Wang Tianfeng and his group were also watching the palace through binoculars.

“The Emperor is really using himself as bait?” Zheng Yaoxian, peering through his binoculars, frowned.

He wanted to believe the Emperor would risk himself and leave the palace.

“If the security outside is tight enough, the Emperor might feel safe, thinking no one could kill him. He might truly appear,” Xu Baichuan whispered.

Zheng Yaoxian found it hard to believe, but said nothing more, for he saw movement among the soldiers outside the palace.

All the hidden spies focused their attention, watching as a man in military uniform, in his thirties, escorted by a crowd of gendarmes, boarded a car. Surrounded by thousands of gendarmes, the convoy slowly drove toward the town.

As the group moved farther away, the hidden spies all frowned, wondering why the mysterious figure hadn’t acted—was he afraid?

As Emperor Showa and his entourage were about to disappear from sight, Chen Zhipeng, tense, asked Wang Tianfeng, “He hasn’t appeared—what do we do?”

Wang Tianfeng frowned as well. He considered the man reckless and fearless; with the Emperor appearing, why hadn't he acted?

Unable to make sense of it, Wang Tianfeng said, “Follow them. He might strike along the way.”

As Wang Tianfeng and his team covertly followed, the other spies did the same, thinking he might act en route.

After they left, a masked Li Wensheng emerged from the woods. He quickly made his way, using various cover, to the grove outside the palace where he had previously fired artillery.

He raised his binoculars once more. When the Emperor’s group passed earlier, he had truly wanted to draw his sniper rifle.

But he thought again: the Emperor couldn’t possibly disregard his own safety for the people—this must be a trap.

Suddenly, inspiration struck. He recalled scenes from TV dramas he'd watched before—could this also be a decoy?

The heavily guarded convoy was the bait, drawing him in. There must be another group in the shadows, taking a different route to Tokyo University.

That way, even if he didn’t fall for the trap and they failed to catch him, Emperor Showa could still appear at Tokyo University, comfort the students, and boost morale.

He might be wrong, but Li Wensheng decided to take a gamble. After all, time was on his side.