cicada

Chapter 1455 Heroine
The story goes back to the night Ban Jun first visited the bookstore. The girl with the oval face gently clinked her wine glasses with him, and the two drank it all in one gulp.

After finishing his drink, Ban Jun casually asked, "May I ask your name, young lady, and where you are from?"

Perhaps it was the alcohol, but her oval face was flushed, like a fiery sunset. She swallowed her drink and softly told her name and then a place name.

"You can just call me Yuqin. I dare not call myself Sangzi. My hometown is Xiangfu in Henan Province. Have you heard of it, Mr. Ban?"

"Xiangfu?"

Ban Jun first joined the army and later engaged in underground work. He was knowledgeable and, after a little thought, recalled the stories and famous people related to Xiangfu, muttering to himself.

"Of course I've heard of it. It's the hometown of Zhu Hai, a righteous man from the State of Wei during the Warring States period. Yue Fei once led his troops here to defeat Jin Wuzhu. It's a good place."

Yuqin was somewhat surprised. This Mr. Ban had previously introduced himself as a soldier, and she had assumed he was a rough man, but she hadn't expected him to be so learned.

She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's right, not only Zhu Hai, but also Lord Shi Zhongjing was from Xiangfu."

Ban Jun's smile became somewhat unnatural. Shi Zhongjing Gong was the posthumous title of Shi Kefa, who was a famous loyal minister who refused to surrender to the Qing army even at the cost of his life.

Mentioning Shi Kefa in front of a traitor is an understatement; it's practically an insult directed at a bald monk.

Yuqin seemed unaware that there was something wrong with what she said. Taking advantage of her drunken state, she picked up the pipa and began to sing the Suzhou storytelling piece "Serving the Country with Utmost Loyalty" with light strumming of her fingers.

This is a new piece written by the Suzhou Pingtan community based on the theme of Yue Fei. It focuses on Yue Fei's resistance against the Jin dynasty, but actually implies resistance against the Japanese.

Faced with repeated mockery, Ban Jun actually let loose.

He leaned back in his chair, taking sips of wine from time to time with one hand, and tapping the table with the other, looking quite carefree.

When the song ended, Yuqin put down her pipa and asked with a double meaning, "Mr. Ban, how was my performance?"

Ban Jun tilted his head back and drank the wine in one gulp. Instead of answering, he asked, "Do you know that based on what you just sang, I could kill you on the spot?"

Faced with the threat, Yuqin blinked, showing no fear on her face, and covered her mouth with a soft laugh.

"I only sang a song, why are you so angry, Mr. Ban? I'll just have a few more drinks with you."

"Furthermore, someone as important as you would surely not make things difficult for a poor woman like me."

Her tone was both reproachful and scornful, and she swayed her slender waist as she poured wine for Ban Jun again. With this movement, a faint fragrance wafted over.

Ban Jun gave the other woman a deep look. She was a woman who knew how to speak; although her words were barbed, you couldn't find any fault with them.

The clock in the house struck a few times. Ban Jun glanced at the neighboring yard, got up, and yawned.

"It's getting late, we should rest."

Yuqin paused for a moment, hesitated, then called the waiter to clean up the leftovers and asked someone to prepare hot water for washing up. She was busy for quite a while.

Ban Jun thoroughly enjoyed himself, applying a hot towel to his face and washing his feet in water sprinkled with flower petals.

After washing up, Yuqin brought over a teapot and poured two cups of hot tea, one for herself and one for Banjun, indicating that it would help her sober up.

Ban Jun ignored him, turned on the gramophone on the table, pulled Yuqin's hand and led her into the inner room, whispering something in her ear.

“Miss Yuqin, I believe I have not offended you. Why do you serve me a Nine-Bend Mandarin Duck Pot?”

The Nine-Bend Mandarin Duck Kettle is a type of mechanical kettle with two chambers inside, which can be used to hold different liquids.

Users can freely choose which liquid to pour by simply pressing the air hole on the handle. This pot was often used for assassinations in ancient palaces.

Yuqin's body stiffened, and just as she was about to explain, Banjun next to her began to shake the bed, and creaking sounds filled the room.

"Don't be afraid, I know you gave me sleeping pills, right?"

Hearing Ban Jun deliberately lower his voice, Yuqin quickly nodded. She only wanted to get rid of the "traitor" in this way, and had no intention of harming anyone.

At the same time, she also realized that Mr. Ban in front of her was probably not a real traitor, otherwise he wouldn't have shaken the bed to put on a show for the Japanese. In any case, she had never seen such a polite traitor.

Yuqin's eyes darted around, and she made a sound in sync with Banjun's movements, taking the opportunity to calmly ask a question.

"Why me? Aren't you afraid I'll report you to the Japanese?"

Ban Jun took off his coat and threw it on the hanger, then shook his head almost imperceptibly, signaling the other person to speak quietly.

"No, the first time you saw me, your eyes were filled with hatred, and that can't be faked."

"As for why I chose you, the answer is simple: you have the means and you're smart enough."

Under Japanese surveillance, Ban Jun found it difficult to contact his superiors or send out intelligence, so he had to find help.

This helper should first be someone you can meet frequently, secondly, someone who can't arouse the suspicion of the Japanese, and ideally, someone you can have long conversations with in enclosed spaces.

Therefore, Ban Jun's pool of potential targets was very small, consisting either of his traitors or women.

Ban Jun was not at ease, even if some of them were just like him, merely feigning compliance with the Japanese.

Taking everything into consideration, only a woman is the most suitable. It is perfectly normal for a traitor to be greedy and lustful, and doing so can also increase the credibility of his defection to the enemy.

But Lin Miaoyin is not an option. Her identity is somewhat suspicious, and she is also nominally a prisoner, so her movements are restricted.

Ban Jun had been struggling to find someone, but the Japanese soldiers brought him to the brothel to test him. Even more unexpectedly, the first girl he met was such a perfect match. Yu Qin was silent for a moment, then asked curiously, "May I ask your identity?"

“No.” Ban Jun shook his head: “This is for your own good. You just need to know that everything you do is for the cause of resisting Japan.”

"If you are unfortunately arrested, you can tell the Japanese everything I have said. Don't feel embarrassed. It is my duty to be loyal to the country, but you are innocent."

An untrained woman cannot withstand brutal torture for long; the less she knows, the safer she is.

"I promise you, but I won't betray you!"

Yuqin's expression was defiant: "With our country in such a state of ruin, is there really anyone who can stand aside? Mr. Ban, what you can do, I can do too!"

Her gaze drifted away, as if she were recalling something, and her voice gradually lowered.

“I was sold to Nanjing when I was very young. Because of my stubborn temper, I was almost beaten to death by my mother several times. I was only saved by the help of my sisters.”

"When the Japanese invaded Nanjing, we hid everywhere, but we were still discovered by the Japanese."

"I was the youngest, and to save me, the others went out and lured the Japanese away."

The story ended there, and she said through gritted teeth, "As long as it kills the Japanese devils, Mr. Ban, I'll do anything you ask! Even if it means death, I'll have no complaints."

Ban Jun remained silent. Compared to the corrupt officials of the puppet government who talked about the country and their own lives all the time, Yuqin, though from a scholarly background, knew better what loyalty and righteousness meant, and her character was much nobler.

Finally, Ban Jun introduced Yu Qin to her future mission—to serve as a courier and deliver messages.

In the next room, a Japanese agent, listening to the creaking sounds and other noises, picked up a pen and recorded the time in his surveillance log.
-
At the nightclub, Yuqin looked directly at Xing Hanliang and nervously revealed the purpose of their meeting.

"Mr. Ban asked me to tell you that from now on, you should contact me through the dead mailbox. Before you send the letter, call the bookstore to find me, but do not go there in person. This is the code word, the address and number of the dead mailbox."

As she spoke, she placed a note on the table and pushed it in front of Xing Hanliang.

After writing it down, Xing Hanliang wrapped the cigarette in a piece of paper and lit it. Ban Jun's network of connections was under the surveillance of the Japanese, so it was indeed inconvenient for him to contact Yuqin directly.

The meeting ended there. Yuqin got up and left gracefully. Xing Hanliang returned to Shanghai the next day and reported these matters to Zuo Zhong.

For example, verifying Lin Miaoyin's identity, Du Ziteng being threatened, and Ban Jun's related situation, etc.

Zuo Zhong looked at the coded telegram with surprise. It was normal for Ban Jun to feign surrender, and it was not surprising that Du Ziteng was an underground party member, but the appearance of the threatening letter was beyond his expectations.

The person who sent this letter must have been connected to a spy within the underground Communist Party, but they were definitely not Japanese.

If the Japanese knew Du Ziteng's true identity, they should have arrested him or followed the clues to find him; there was no need to threaten him into becoming a double agent.

After all, Du Ziteng was an undercover agent, not the head of any underground party organization, so the intelligence he could obtain was quite limited.

It is easy to deduce from the fact that the sender was a double agent that not only had information about Ban Jun's intelligence group, but also had intelligence needs from the Japanese puppet regime and even the underground party.

Huh? Zuo Zhong was stunned. After analyzing it this way, the sender seemed to be someone from the National Government.

But he was certain that the Military Intelligence Bureau had no related missions in the near future, and that Lao Dai had been keeping a low profile lately, staying in his office and home all day without going out.

Could this be the work of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS)?
Zuo Chong thought for a moment and then shook his head decisively. After the Miss Hua case, Xu Enzeng had completely lost his fighting spirit, and Zhu Liuxian was even more of a hands-off manager.

The actual person in charge of the Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics (CBIS) is Shen Dongxin, who is currently investigating unstable elements within the Kuomintang (KMT) and has neither the time nor the energy to target the Northwest.

So, was the sender an American, British, Russian, or some Allied intelligence agency?

After pondering for a long time, Zuo Zhong scratched his head in distress. There were too few clues at the moment, and he couldn't draw any useful conclusions.

However, we could test Lao Dai. Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance that the sender is Dai Chunfeng, we should still rule it out.

Twenty minutes later, Dai Chunfeng listened to the report while scribbling on a piece of paper, and finally confirmed it with Zuo Zhong again in a serious manner.

"Shen Zhong, do you mean there's a high-ranking mole within the underground party?"

"Yes, teacher."

Zuo Zhong quietly observed Lao Dai's reaction. For safety's sake, he did not reveal that Ban Jun's surrender was fake, but only gave a general overview of the situation.

Upon receiving the reply, Dai Chunfeng remained calm and, after a few seconds of contemplation, offered his proposed solution.

"Alright, just keep an eye on this matter, no need to put too much effort into it. Let the Japanese and Northwest Fighters handle it."

This answer was very much in line with Dai Chunfeng's style, and Zuo Zhong was not surprised at all. He casually said a few words and was about to leave when, unexpectedly, Dai Chunfeng started mocking Ban Jun.

"Is this the same person who rescued underground party prisoners in Jiujiawei and nearly killed me by planting landmines? I thought he had such firm beliefs, but it turns out he became a traitor."

“Investigate his concubine, that woman named Lin Miaoyin, later.”

"If the other party is one of our people, immediately order her to monitor Ban Jun; if not, try our best to win her over."

“People from Quzhou should be reliable. With Lin Miaoyin as our inside man, Ban Jun’s every move will be under our watchful eyes.”

Zuo Chong responded respectfully and took his leave. After leaving the house, he prepared to go to the archives to see if there was any information about Lin Miaoyin. However, after taking only two steps, his raised foot stopped in mid-air.

How did Dai Chunfeng know that Lin Miaoyin was from Quzhou? He didn't mention her place of origin when he reported!

In an instant, Zuo Zhong broke out in a cold sweat. What role did Lao Dai play in Ban Jun's arrest?
Without a second thought, Zuo Zhong immediately turned around and returned to Dai Chunfeng's office. That old fox might have just misspoke, or he might have been... testing him!
(End of this chapter)