Forgot Where This Is?

Dai Xiansheng, startled by that sudden shout, hurried over in three quick steps and snapped to attention.

"Brigade Commander! Your orders!"

His heart was pounding—what was this all about? He'd just been bragging to the Artillery Battalion brothers about how accurate their new cannons were, and now the brigade commander had sold him out on the spot?

Zhang Xueming gave him no time to react, pointing at Yamada Ichiro's nose while cursing Dai Xiansheng instead.

"I told you to fire! Aim at their crappy sports field! How the hell did you sight it, huh? The shell landed fifty meters off—were you trying to gift them a grand opening as a congratulatory present?"

"Did you sleep through artillery school? Get back! Ten thousand words of self-criticism! If you can't write it clearly, go scrub the horse stables! I don't raise wastes here!"

This move stunned the entire venue into silence.

The expressions on Yamada Ichiro and Matsui Shigeki's faces shifted like a painter's palette. They'd prepared a bellyful of accusations, pressure, even threats, but the other side wasn't playing by the script at all.

No explanation, no apology—instead, he was complaining he hadn't aimed well enough?

What kind of brain was that?

Dai Xiansheng was even more bewildered, standing there frozen, his face flushed red, unsure whether to agree or deny. He finally caught on—the brigade commander was using him as a scapegoat, putting on a show! But the act was too real; he was genuinely afraid the commander would kick him out.

"No... Brigade Commander, I..."

"You what you! Get lost! Just seeing you pisses me off!" Zhang Xueming waved his hand impatiently, shooing him aside.

Throughout the whole process, he hadn't even glanced at Yamada Ichiro.

Only now did he slowly turn his head, sizing up this Japanese man in a Western suit from head to toe, his eyes carrying three parts amusement and seven parts disdain.

"Yamada... Advisor, is it? Something on your mind?"

Yamada Ichiro took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the rage in his heart, struggling to maintain his diplomatic composure. He adjusted his glasses, trying to steer the conversation back to his own rhythm.

"Colonel Zhang, let's speak frankly. I want to know why your army has suddenly shown such obvious hostility toward the Great Japanese Empire."

He paused, then tossed out what he thought was an olive branch.

"I understand you might still be brooding over the Hunchun Nanzhen incident. But as far as I know, that impulsive Imperial officer has already been severely punished. We came here in good faith."

Zhang Xueming listened, then let out a scoff.

"Hunchun Nanzhen? Oh..."

He picked at his ear with a crude motion.

"That's ancient history. I forgot about it ages ago."

His tone shifted sharply, his eyes suddenly turning piercing.

"Right now, I want to ask you something, Advisor Yamada."

"Half a month ago, at Laohei Mountain, were five of our Feng Army's forest protection squad members shot dead by your Kwantung Army men?"

Yamada Ichiro's pupils contracted slightly.

He hadn't expected Zhang Xueming to bring this up so directly.

He steadied himself and defended, "Colonel Zhang, there's a misunderstanding here. According to our investigation, those five weren't ordinary forest guards—they were bandits who kidnapped Imperial overseas Chinese! We were merely punishing the criminals!"

"Punishing criminals?" Zhang Xueming laughed, his shoulders shaking.

"Advisor Yamada, have you been in Harbin City so long you've forgotten where this is?"

"This is Chinese soil!"

"On this land, only our Chinese police can make arrests, only our Chinese courts can try people, and only our Chinese laws can execute them!"

"What right do your men have, on our territory, without a trial, to privately execute our people? That's not punishment—that's murder! Do you understand?"

Zhang Xueming's voice rose with each sentence, louder and sharper.

"Don't feed me that bullshit about kidnapping overseas Chinese! Even if it were true, it's our job to handle it! Who the hell do you think you are, doling out vigilante justice here?"

Sweat beaded on Yamada Ichiro's forehead.

He realized he'd completely lost the upper hand. Zhang Xueming's logic was clear, every word standing on the high ground of law and sovereignty, leaving him no room to refute.

The surrounding guests, especially the Feng Army officers in uniform, had changed the way they looked at him.

Yamada Ichiro knew that pressing further would only bring more humiliation. He had no choice but to compromise.

"...This matter, indeed, our handling was somewhat improper. On behalf of the garrison, I express regret."

Just then, Matsui Shigeki, who had been standing behind Yamada Ichiro with a grim face, finally exploded.

He couldn't stand Yamada bowing his head to a Chinese man!

"Yamada! Why are you conceding to them! These despicable..."

His eyes bloodshot, he roared in Japanese, spitting out that insulting term.

"Shinajin!"

Those two words were like a fuse igniting a powder keg.

The air in the banquet hall froze instantly.

Wu Junsheng's heart sank, muttering to himself, "Oh, shit!"

And Zhang Xueming's reaction was faster and more explosive than anyone could have imagined!

One second, he still wore a hint of mocking amusement.

The next, every trace of expression vanished from his face, replaced by a chilling brutality.