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Yamada had just broken out of his light sleep when the phone rang.

He picked up the receiver in the dark, and the voice on the other end was very low.

He listened to three sentences, and his fingers stopped on his knees, motionless.The sound of the receiver being put back seemed dull in the night.

He didn't turn on the light, so he found a cigarette in the dark and lit it.

The firelight illuminated his face.

Halfway through his cigarette, he put it out and started to get dressed.

Shirts, military pants, and belts were all put on.

The adjutant stood at the door, his coat draped in his arms.

"The car is ready."

Yamada didn't answer.

Leather shoes were on the floor of the corridor. The lights in the corridor were not turned on, only the wall lamp at the end was on.

The car in front of the mansion was still on, and the white smoke from the exhaust pipe dissipated slowly in the cold air.

Yamada got in the car, closed the door, leaned on the seat and closed his eyes.

The street lights outside the window receded one by one.

The car drove out of the gate of the mansion, turned onto Xiafei Road, and drove north.

There were no pedestrians on the road, only the sentry from the patrol house shrank his neck and stamped his feet at the intersection.

He closed his eyes and tapped his fingers on his knees.

The lights in the conference room were all on, and the fluorescent lamps were buzzing.

Yamada walked in without taking off his coat, and walked straight to the end of the long table.

There are several telegrams spread out on the table, the ink is still wet.

"Where's the boat?"

The adjutant's voice was extremely low: "The Fuji Maru sank and the Kasuga Maru ran aground. Most of the supplies were lost."

"Elaborate."

“The Fuji Maru struck a mine at a bend in the waterway, the bottom of the ship exploded, tilted forty degrees within ten minutes, and sank twenty minutes later.

Kasuga Maru tried to turn around, was hit by explosives on the stern, and ran aground on the shoal. It is still undergoing repairs."

Yamada didn't answer.

He looked at the map of the Yangtze River waterway on the wall. On the map, the route was marked with red pen, and the reefs and water depth were marked with blue pen.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, three times, and three times.

"Where's the escort?"

People from the Navy stood up: "Seventh Squadron, eleven people were killed and twenty-three were injured."

"Where's the list?"

"Tidying up."

"Machine gun?"

"Both of them sank."

"Mortar?"

The man's voice was almost inaudible: "It's also sinking."

Yamada glanced at him.

He didn't attack immediately. He picked up the tea cup and took a sip slowly.

The tea is slightly cool, astringent and bitter.

When he swallowed and put down the cup, the bottom of the cup hit the table with a crisp sound.

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