Upper three rivers are done, please help friends vote for Sanjiang Pavilion, I'm deeply grateful.

  The guard returned, first curiously looking at Mu Yang, then handed over the military ID to Mu Yang and said: "Lieutenant General Jiang, please wait here for a moment, someone from the logistics department will come to take you in." After finishing speaking, he looked at Mu Yang a few more times before returning to his post.

  The guard's reaction also made Mu Yang a little puzzled. Why did this guy look at himself like that? However, it didn't take long for Mu Yang to dispel his doubts.

  A group of three people walked out of the General Staff Headquarters building and approached Muyang. Among them, a middle-aged man wearing a major general's uniform said to Muyang: "Lieutenant Commander Jiang Tingdao, I am Tsukamoto Ken, head of the General Affairs Department."

  Moyou nodded slightly and bowed, "Tsubamoto Taisa, nice to meet you. I'm Katō Tō."

  Tsukamoto Tsutomu looked up and down at Kōtōjima, then said: "You're on duty, why aren't you wearing your uniform? Don't you know that's extremely derelict of duty?" Tsukamoto Tsutomu said with a stern face.

  "Ah, that's because when I was at sea, the ship I was on was attacked and I barely escaped with my life to return to Tokyo. I didn't even have a military uniform with me." Mu Yang replied, his face still showing a hint of fear.

  Tsukamoto nodded slightly and said, "Alright, come with me. We still need to ask you some questions."

  A group of people walked into the building, and Mu Yang was directly taken to a closed office, where he was left alone before the door was shut and they left. Mu Yang's heart skipped a beat; this clearly looked like an interrogation setup - had he been exposed?

  Muyang sat in the chair for a while before the iron door opened again, still led by Tsukamoto Ken, but this time they were holding several files and paper pens, apparently to record something.

  "Major Kōtō, I am now representing the General Staff Office and will be questioning you. You must answer my questions truthfully and without any concealment. Do you understand?" Tsukamoto said with a stern face.

  "I am a soldier of the Empire, I will unconditionally obey orders and cooperate with any investigation by the General Staff. Colonel, please proceed."

  Muyang's attitude is still very good, and Tsukamoto's expression has slightly eased.

  "Tell me about your mission when you came."

  "I received the order from General Takaeda, and I am in charge of escorting a batch of Chinese antiques to Tokyo. I am responsible for safety on the way, and after arriving in Tokyo, the Army Department will be in charge of receiving them. After completing the task, I will report back to the General Staff Office."

  "What about those antiques?"

  "When we were at sea, the cruise ship Kikusui Maru that we were on was attacked and sank. The antique has gone to the bottom of the ocean." Muyang said regretfully.

  Muyang glanced at Tsukamoto's face and found no change, so he guessed that the headquarters had already received a report and knew about the loss of Kikumaru. After all, more than 100 Imperial soldiers and officers escaped from Kikumaru, they must have contacted the Army Ministry to report the matter in the first place.

  "What happened when Kikumaru was attacked? How did you manage to escape?" Tsukamoto asked.

  Muyang knew that Xi Rou had arrived, this was the focus of their investigation after all.

  "At the time when the ship was about to sink, I jumped off and escaped with my life. Fortunately, I had a life ring in my arms as I jumped into the water. Based on my limited geographical knowledge, I estimated that the distance from the shore shouldn't be too far, so I swam towards it with all my might. Several times I was exhausted and wanted to give up, but then I thought of myself as a soldier, an imperial soldier, who must have strong willpower and indomitable spirit. In the end, I persisted and finally reached the shore, saving myself." Mu Yang said this with an expression of infinite relief.

  "In the end I returned to Tokyo and immediately came to the General Staff Office to report, hoping to make a quick report on this matter."

  Tsukamoto Ken looked at Mu Yang who had a firm expression and nodded unconsciously.

  At this time, Mu Yang asked: "I don't know how many people were rescued from that ship. There were more than 2,000 passengers on that ship."

  "Only 175 people were rescued, and most of them were soldiers of the Empire," said Tsukamoto Makoto.

  "Who exactly attacked Kikumaru?" Muyang continued to ask.

  "No one has admitted to this yet, but it's likely the Americans, because our waters have been blockaded by them and only their submarines would appear in that area."

  "Damn the Americans, didn't we have a treaty that neither side could attack each other's passenger ships? How can they openly violate the treaty?" Mu Yang said indignantly.

  "Now that we are at war with the Americans in Southeast Asia, at the most critical moment, how can the Americans possibly observe any treaty? Westerners are all a bunch of despicable and shameless people. Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Regarding those antiques, do you know any other details, such as the list of items?" asked Tsukamoto Ken.

  "There was an inventory list that came with the goods, but he put it in the cabin at the time and now it's gone down with the ship." Mu Yang replied.

  "Colonel Tsukamoto, before I came here, I received an order that I was transferred to the General Staff Office, don't know where I will be assigned yet. And this time, the escort mission failed, will I be punished?" asked Mu Yang.

  Tsukamoto thought for a moment and decided it was okay to tell him, then continued: "When I called you to the General Staff Office earlier, it was to prepare you to take on the role of 3rd class leader in the 2nd department's 3rd section. As for this mission, it actually has little to do with you, and I don't think the General Staff Office will punish you for it."

  In the end, the two people had already departed from the category of inquiry and began to have a conversation, just like chatting, occasionally Tsukamoto asked one or two questions, and Muyang would answer and then ask one or two questions he wanted to know.

  Under such an environment, the two sides communicated for more than an hour. Finally, Tsukamoto Yoshiaki closed the file and stood up to say to Muyang: "I will report your situation as soon as possible. As for the arrangement for you, after there is a result, I will send someone to notify you. Now you can go back, just take this opportunity to rest well for two days."

  "Tsukamoto, it's almost noon. You've been busy with my case all morning, I'd like to invite you and a few others out for lunch as an apology. Do you have time?" Muyang also stood up and walked over to Tsukamoto with a smile on his face.

  "This is my job, Mr. Kōtō, don't be so polite." Tsukamoto's tone had clearly improved a lot, and he was now addressing him as "Kōtō-kun".

  "I also want to ask you more about working in the General Staff Office, and if I get a job there in the future, it will be much easier. Please, Tsukamoto-san, enlighten me."

  Tsukamoto thought for a moment and said: "Ah, I see. It's too short at noon, how about we get together after work in the evening? Just to relax."

  Moyou's face lit up with joy and he hastily replied: "Of course, then I'll meet up with Tsukamoto Kacho tonight and we can have a get-together."

  Mu Yang left the headquarters, and only slightly relaxed when he walked out of the gate. At this time, his back was all sweaty, mainly due to tension. If it weren't for the fact that the weather is getting colder now and he's wearing more clothes, you would see Mu Yang's shirt completely drenched in sweat.