cicada

Chapter 1444 Oh no! Everyone's thinking the same thing.

At Shi Ming's residence, Song Minghao opened the iron cigarette box by the moonlight and found a note inside.

Upon opening the note, Song Minghao found several pieces of intelligence detailing illegal activities by X's top executives. He was furious after reading them.

But thinking of the spies from the Los Angeles station outside the courtyard, he suppressed his anger, carefully put away the iron box, and lay on the bed waiting for dawn.

After an unknown amount of time, Song Minghao vaguely heard a rooster crowing and a few coughs coming from outside. He got out of bed and went into the yard.

"How's it going?"

Upon seeing him emerge, Zheng Tingbing eagerly stepped forward and asked, while Wu Jingzhong also appeared nervous.

"See for yourselves."

Song Minghao's expression was not good. He handed the note to the two of them, and Zheng Tingbing immediately took it.

[Lai Chuan, deputy commander of the X Division, secretly manipulated the military pay disbursement accounts, embezzling 20% ​​to 50% of soldiers' monthly pay, and reporting the embezzled portion under the guise of "battlefield attrition" and "death quotas."]

In early March, Yang Xiangwen, Chief of Staff of Division X, secretly met with the Japanese side to exchange troop deployment plans for the front lines and defense maps of the Yellow River ports in exchange for the Japanese side's guarantee of the security of smuggling routes.

The warehouse director of Division X colluded with the bandit leader "Green Locust Mountain" to falsely report the damage of allocated firearms and ammunition as "accidental fire" or "misfire" and sell them in batches.

The supplies involved included 350 Chiang Kai-shek rifles, 17 Hanyang Type 052 light machine guns, military blankets, and a quantity of canned food.

[The X Division's guard battalion colluded with local tyrants to secretly traffic refugee women, falsely claiming to be resettling disaster victims, and then abducted the refugees to Kaifeng, Heze, and other places to be sold to comfort stations in enemy-occupied areas.]

[Plan to contact Volhan, the quartermaster chief of the X Division, to obtain evidence]

Zheng Tingbing's eyes blazed with fury as he read through the records: embezzling military pay, reselling supplies, selling intelligence, and trafficking people—the X Division was utterly rotten!

The deputy division commander, chief of staff, and warehouse director are all a bunch of scoundrels; there are simply no good people in Hongtong County.

Lan Hongchang, you have truly betrayed the trust of the Party, the country, and the leader, Zheng Tingbing cursed inwardly.

Although Lan Hongchang's name was not mentioned in the intelligence, as the division commander, the other party was undoubtedly responsible for such a major problem in the X Division.

The note was then handed to Wu Jingzhong. As he looked at the crimes committed by the high-ranking members of the X Division that Shi Ming had discovered, the veins on the King of Quotes' forehead bulged.

"Outrageous! They're treating the Party-state's warehouses like their own private domain, doing whatever they want!"

Wu Jingzhong hissed angrily in a low voice, wishing he could kill Lai Chuan and his men on the spot. They dared to sell even the port defense map and their compatriots; what else wouldn't these people dare to do?

According to Jun Weihui's analysis, the Japanese army is about to launch an offensive in the Henan-Hunan-Guangxi region, attempting to open up the so-called "continental transportation line".

Under such circumstances, with the X Division colluding with the Japanese army, the Yellow River defense line might not be able to hold out for even a day.

Realizing the serious consequences of this matter, Wu Jingzhong suggested, "We must report to Shancheng as soon as possible and ask the Director for a decision."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Tingbing slapped his forehead in frustration. If it weren't for his decision, they could be sending a radio message to headquarters right now.

Song Minghao nodded in agreement, and added, "Report it through the Los Angeles station, using a Class A secret code, but don't reveal the specifics."

Zheng and Wu understood each other; he was worried that the Luocheng station was not clean either. Otherwise, why didn't Shi Ming report the illegal and disorderly conduct of the X Division's high-ranking officials to the Luocheng station? This matter was worth pondering.

Of course, Shi Ming may have done this out of caution, or because he lacked solid evidence, but they couldn't afford to gamble.

After discussing the reporting arrangements, the three drafted a secret telegram and handed it over to the junior agent at the Los Angeles station under the guise of a case closure report.

Watching the little spy drive away, Zheng Tingbing sighed, "Let's go, let's say goodbye to my old friend. We might not meet again in Yancheng."

Song Minghao and Wu Jingzhong smiled. That was true. When the case came to light, Lan Hongchang would either be in prison or on his way to the execution ground.

The three of them left chatting and laughing, and made three copies of the evidence, which they kept close to their bodies in case of the worst-case scenario.

That night, the military leaders and the high-ranking officers of the X Division had another round of drinking and feasting. A fat, big-eared cook carried a plate of dishes into the restaurant, calling out the names of the dishes as he went.

"Fish Lips Spitting Pearls: This dish is made from the lips and eyeballs of one hundred mandarin fish. Please enjoy, esteemed officers."

Zheng Tingbing stared at this famous dish known for its exquisite ingredients without touching it. Although the food and drinks in the past few days were plentiful, they were not this extravagant. What was Lan Hongchang up to today?
Holding his chopsticks, Zheng Tingbing hesitated for a moment, then looked troubled: "The year of great disaster is not over yet, it's not appropriate for us to be so extravagant."

Seeing his old friend's reaction, Lan Hongchang laughed and said, "Don't misunderstand, this meal was paid for by me personally. It's fine to be a little extravagant."

"Well... okay, then I'll try it?"

"Brother Zheng, you must try it."

Zheng Tingbing reluctantly picked up a piece of fish lips with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. It was indeed incredibly delicious, so he quickly picked up two more pieces.

As everyone ate and chatted, taking advantage of the moment when they were all tipsy, Song Minghao spread false news that the case was closed in order to lull the X Division's higher-ups into a false sense of security.

Lan Hongchang smiled upon hearing this. After the banquet, he pulled Zheng Tingbing to his office and mysteriously took out a small leather suitcase.

Reeking of alcohol, Zheng Tingbing asked knowingly, "What is this?"

Lan Hongchang chuckled and opened the suitcase, which was filled with small yellow croakers. He let out a burp and explained the reason for the gift.

"I hope you'll put in a good word for me when you return to the mountain city. I really can't stand this godforsaken place anymore."

Zheng Tingbing pondered silently: was this a test, or the truth?
For those obsessed with making money, Master X is like heaven; as long as you're bold enough, the monthly income can be astronomical.

But for the timid, the front lines at Yancheng were fraught with danger, and the rear was far safer.

After thinking it over, Zheng Tingbing accepted the suitcase. Regardless of whether Lan Hongchang was involved in the case, he had to accept these small fry, otherwise he might alert the enemy.

Seeing this, Lan Hongchang smiled even more broadly, politely escorted Zheng Tingbing and the other two to their car in front of the camp, and waved goodbye reluctantly. As the car drove away on the dirt road, Fu Han walked over to Lan Hongchang, Lai Chuan, and Yang Xiangwen and quietly reported back.

"Sirs, news from Luocheng indicates that the Zheng family wants to send a telegram to Shancheng, supposedly as a case report."

Lai Chuan first said "Oh," and then asked, "What have they been doing these past two days?"

Fu Han lowered his head and replied, "Nothing special. I come to the division headquarters every morning after breakfast and have never had any private contact with strangers."

Chief of Staff Yang Xiangwen, who appeared refined, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and instructed Fu Han: "Don't be careless until the very last moment. The Military Intelligence Bureau is very cunning."

Hearing their conversation, Lan Hongchang frowned and finally let out a gasp.

"This is bad! The Military Intelligence Bureau must have found something, otherwise Zheng Tingbing wouldn't have hesitated so much when accepting the money!"

Clearly, all the high-ranking officers in the X Division have problems, and Lan Hongchang is also one of the corrupt elements in the military, or even the ringleader.

Lai Chuan and Yang Xiangwen looked grave. The former made a gesture: "Commander, should we make a move?"

Lan Hongchang nodded and said coldly, "Hesitation will only lead to more trouble. We brothers have all crawled out of piles of corpses. It's not easy for us to have the peaceful life we ​​have today. We must not let that Zheng guy ruin things."

"Once the people are dead, you should immediately report to your superiors in the name of the division headquarters, saying that Deputy Director Zheng and his party encountered a Japanese advance team and unfortunately perished. I will get the Japanese to cooperate."

The other three nodded in agreement. Fu Han, who held the lowest rank among them, volunteered to lead the men to silence them in order to prove himself.

Lan Hongchang did not object, but said insincerely, "Hey, Lao Zheng, why do you have to meddle in other people's business?"

The sound carried away by the wind. The patrol officer, who had said "good people don't get rewarded," slowly retreated into the shadows and ran away, heading straight for Yancheng.

After the three members of the Military Intelligence Bureau returned to Shi Ming's residence and checked for any listening devices, Zheng Tingbing explained the upcoming itinerary.

According to the plan, they will go to Los Angeles tomorrow, ostensibly to wait for the mountain city plane to pick them up, but in reality to await the arrival of reinforcements.

Several transport planes will arrive in Los Angeles carrying headquarters personnel. Once they land, these personnel will immediately take control of the airport and Los Angeles station to facilitate the arrival of more support.

The three chatted for a long time. Zheng Tingbing put the suitcase on the table and recounted the process of receiving the money.

Song Minghao suddenly stood up, stamped his foot and said, "Deputy Director Zheng, why didn't you say so earlier? Let's leave quickly, it's no longer safe here."

Zheng Tingbing looked puzzled, not understanding what had happened, but he soon realized what Song Minghao meant.

Wu Jingzhong strode out, turning back just before leaving to explain, "Deputy Director Zheng, if there were no problems with Division X, would you have hesitated so much to accept the money?!"

"Hiss!" Zheng Tingbing's eyes widened. So that was the flaw; he had been exposed.

Just then, the sound of pebbles falling to the ground rang out in the courtyard. Song Minghao immediately drew his gun to be on alert, and Wu Jingzhong followed the sound.

Under the bright moonlight, there was a stone wrapped in paper on the bare ground. Wu Jingzhong bent down, picked up the stone, and unfolded the paper.

[Blue is about to strike, run!]

Someone wrote six characters on a piece of paper, and it was written with their left hand, which suggests that the X Division is not a monolithic entity.

Zheng Tingbing, Song Minghao, and Wu Jingzhong immediately climbed over the wall and left, taking only some important items and evidence with them, and nothing else.

It was quite a strange story that the deputy director and section chief of the Military Intelligence Bureau fled in panic on Nationalist government territory.

Stumbling and staggering out of the city gate, Zheng Tingbing realized they couldn't all go together and had to break out separately, so he made arrangements.

"Old Song, head north to the Luocheng City Defense Command and use their radio to warn headquarters."

“Deputy Director Wu is facing west. There is a military hospital in Lushan, a hundred miles west of Yancheng. The other party should not have anything to do with Division X.”

Song Minghao replied with an "okay," but Wu Jingzhong was a little worried and immediately asked Zheng Tingbing where he was going.

Zheng Tingbing said with a serious expression, "I'll take a loss and go to the intelligence station in the Japanese-occupied area to the east. We must send out the information about Division X as soon as possible."

“You don’t need to worry about my safety. As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest. Lan Hongchang will not expect me to go east.”

Looking at Zheng Tingbing's righteous and stern words, Song Minghao and Wu Jingzhong felt a little strange, but danger was imminent, and they had no time to think too much. The three of them parted ways outside the city.

Half an hour later, three furtive figures bumped into each other in the south of Yancheng.

"Deputy Director Zheng?" ×2
"Hey? What are you guys doing here too?"

Zheng Tingbing, Song Minghao, and Wu Jingzhong looked at each other, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment.

Oh no, we're all thinking the same thing.

The most dangerous place is the safest. Lan Hongchang and his gang are colluding with the Japanese. If they know they've escaped, they'll definitely inform the Japanese. Going to the Japanese-occupied area is tantamount to suicide.

There are mountainous areas southwest of Yancheng, making it safer to travel that way. Zheng Tingbing clearly intended to use his companions to distract others while he made his escape.

However, Song Minghao and Wu Jingzhong were not fools either. They also thought of the southwest as a way out. On the surface, they obeyed orders, but in private, they were also making their own plans.

None of the three people present were easy to deal with. Deputy Director Zheng coughed twice and looked up to admire the moonlight.

"Alright, let's decide our destination ourselves, and no one should reveal where we're going." Song Minghao spoke with a dark expression the entire time, and then stepped into the darkness.

Damn it, even at a time like this, they're still scheming against each other! No wonder the Party-state's situation has deteriorated to this extent.

Feeling indignant, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and thought of a good place to hide. His steps became lighter without him even realizing it.