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Chapter 1533 Tianjin Station (Happy New Year)

In October 1945, with the ink barely dry on the Peace and National Reconstruction Agreement, the Kuomintang, with the support of the US military, transferred a large number of elite Kuomintang troops to Northeast China via sea and air transport.

This move provoked strong protests in the Northwest, and coupled with the aggressive actions of the Kuomintang army in North China and the Central Plains, clashes broke out between the two sides in multiple locations. For a time, war clouds loomed over the land of China, and war could break out at any moment.

In order to curb the expansion of Red Russia in East Asia and also to buy time, the US government specially dispatched retired General Marshall to the Republic of China to mediate the military conflict between the two parties.

In January 1946, Northwest China and Chongqing signed a ceasefire agreement, and a military mediation executive department composed of personnel from the US, the underground Communist Party, and the Kuomintang was formed to mediate the war and supervise the implementation of the peace and nation-building agreement.

According to the initial plan, the representatives of the three parties will have equal voting rights, with the US representative serving as the head. The executive department will set up 36 executive teams to be dispatched to various conflict sites.

When a military intelligence team passed through Tianjin, the Kuomintang held a grand welcoming banquet. The Tianjin station of the Military Intelligence Bureau sent several agents to the banquet to keep watch and monitor the situation. One of the agents was surnamed Yu.

After the banquet, the spy surnamed Yu, disguised as a reporter, returned home. Upon entering, he gestured for his wife to be quiet, and she tacitly put on her coat and followed him out. The couple spoke quietly on the noisy street.

"Old Yu, have you found out the list of spies that Wu Jingzhong sent to the military investigation team's hotel?" Mrs. Yu asked her husband in a low voice.

The agent surnamed Yu shook his head: "No, Wu Jingzhong is very careful. The list is in the confidential room and is very difficult to obtain."

The streetlights shone on the two of them. Mrs. Yu looked up at her husband's profile, hesitated for a moment, and said nothing. But the spy surnamed Yu took the initiative to comfort him.

"Don't worry, I've already come up with a plan. Sigh, if only the mediation could succeed, the country can't afford to fall into chaos any longer."

Hearing his lament, Mrs. Yu sighed and shared her analysis.

"Old Yu, stop having illusions about the Kuomintang. The United States, for its own interests, hopes to buy the Nationalist government time to prepare for civil war through military mediation. The Kuomintang will not honor the agreement."

"Did you know that the Northeast Military Mediation Group went to Shenyang to supervise the ceasefire, but they were detained by the Kuomintang as soon as they got off the plane, who claimed that the Northeast was not within the scope of the ceasefire?"

"At this very moment, the KMT is still deploying troops and supplies to the conflict zone. We must prepare for the worst. Peace cannot be achieved by waiting or by relying on others' charity; it can only be created by the people."

Upon hearing this, the spy surnamed Yu solemnly nodded, his heart filled with mixed emotions, his memory returning to a certain day after he had successfully assassinated Ni Ni.

At that time, the puppet Political Security Administration arrested a Kuomintang agent, and he was responsible for taking notes during the interrogation of this person.

Under torture, the arrested agent revealed that someone had been in contact with the Japanese and that the two had even colluded to smuggle opium.

Upon hearing this news, the spy surnamed Yu felt a wave of dizziness. He couldn't imagine that the leader who always talked about fighting the Japanese to the end would do such a thing. What was the point of his trip to Nanjing?

What was the meaning of the sacrifices of those Kuomintang brothers who died under the guns of the Japanese and their collaborators?
This incident left him utterly disillusioned with the KMT and the Three Ministries, and he was also lost, unsure of where the country's future lay.

After the Japanese surrendered, the spy surnamed Yu returned to the mountain city and met his wife. He poured out his pent-up frustrations, and she gave him a huge "surprise".

Even now, when he recalls his wife calmly saying, "I am a member of the underground Communist Party," the spy surnamed Yu is still a little dazed. How could his wife be a member of the underground Communist Party?
The other party was a top student from the Central Public School, had worked in several Kuomintang agencies, and had even passed the Military Intelligence Bureau's family background check; otherwise, the Vice-President would not have given them special permission to get married.

Regardless of how shocked he was, the spy surnamed Yu eventually joined the organization, preparing to use this method to realize his ideal of saving the country, even if it meant sacrificing himself.

Everyone who has experienced the fall of their country and the destruction of their home does not want to see the country fall again. Since a certain person and the Kuomintang cannot save the Republic of China, then let's find someone or an organization that can.

"Old Yu? Old Yu?"

Hearing his wife's voice calling in his ear, the spy surnamed Yu pulled himself out of his memories, smiled at his wife, and gave her a serious reply.

"Okay, I've got it. Peace can only be created by the people!"

Suddenly he frowned again and said another piece of news: "By the way, Dai Chunfeng and Zuo Zhong will be coming to Tianjin in a couple of days. It is said to be related to punishing corruption in the takeover process."

Mrs. Yu frowned: "Investigating corruption doesn't require the director and deputy director of the Military Intelligence Bureau to appear together. I suspect these two top spies have another secret mission in Tianjin."

"Especially Zuo Zhong, who is in charge of all the secret operations of the Military Intelligence Bureau. He has been staying overseas for a long time recently and rarely pays attention to domestic affairs. There must be a reason for his sudden return to China this time."

When Zuo Zhong was mentioned, both Mrs. Yu and the spy surnamed Yu had serious expressions. Zuo Zhong was the most dangerous enemy in the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Since the establishment of the Military Intelligence Bureau, this person has been in charge of the intelligence department. He is cunning and extremely cruel, making him a very difficult opponent to deal with.

Fortunately, when the War of Resistance against Japan ended last year, Zuo Chong led the core members of the Military Intelligence Bureau abroad, leaving the Bureau as an empty shell with no fighting capacity as it had during the war. Otherwise, intelligence work in the Northwest would have been even more difficult.

The spy surnamed Yu squinted his small eyes. If he hadn't applied to stay in China on the grounds that his parents were unable to travel far, he probably would have been sent overseas.

Seeing her husband deep in thought, Mrs. Yu tightened her grip on his arm slightly, and the two slowly walked away along the Haihe River. In contrast to the relaxed demeanor of the Yu-surname spy, Wu Jingzhong was extremely nervous, pacing back and forth in the living room with his hands behind his back, making Mrs. Wu dizzy.

"Old Wu, what are you afraid of? Deputy Director Zuo is your former superior. Do you think he can investigate you?" Mrs. Wu lay on the sofa, cracking sunflower seeds, her tone nonchalant.

These words enraged Wu Jingzhong, who immediately turned around and rebuked him: "What do you know! The Director and the Deputy Director have come to Tianjin to handle a major case!"

Mrs. Wu was startled and hurriedly got up from the sofa to ask her husband, "Should I send the gold bars in the house away?"

Wu Jingzhong's face turned ashen. He was such a fool that he could be put on display in a museum. At this moment, countless people were secretly watching him. By transferring his valuables now, wasn't he just admitting his guilt?

He's worked for decades, so it's normal for him to have a small amount of gold bars at home. As long as the money in foreign banks isn't discovered, his superiors have no reason to touch him.

Thinking of this, Wu Jingzhong lowered his voice and asked, "Is that Left Bank reliable?"

Mrs. Wu nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, I've already inquired. This bank has branches in the United States and Europe, so we can withdraw money no matter where we go."

Wu Jingzhong breathed a sigh of relief, wiped away his cold sweat, and felt extremely regretful. Why hadn't he been more discreet when he took over the Japanese and puppet regime's assets?

But he was also a little unconvinced. He wasn't the only one doing this; all the personnel taking over the occupied area were doing the same thing, and those people were even bolder than him.

The amount of Japanese and puppet supplies received in Beiping was less than one-fifth of the registered quantity. The director of the Shanghai Party Headquarters embezzled more than 1000 Japanese and puppet properties, more than 800 cars, and more than 1 large yellow croakers.

Compared to these people, Wu Jingzhong was at most just a smooth talker; the real benefits were all taken by the important personnel of the Tianjin Party branch and the garrison. It's truly unfair of God.

He clenched his right fist and slammed it against his left palm, sighing under his breath. He should have sent some local specialties to the Director and Deputy Director; he really couldn't keep it all to himself.

Mrs. Wu then asked, "Old Wu, do you need me to go with you to the airport tomorrow to pick up Director Dai and Deputy Director Zuo? I haven't seen Yi Jun in a long time, and I miss her quite a bit."

When they were in Chongqing, Mrs. Wu often went shopping and played mahjong with He Yijun, and the two had a good relationship.

Wu Jingzhong was furious and scolded again: "How dare you call Director He by his name? Besides, Director He didn't come with us this time. You can go back to Shancheng sometime in the future."

"You must not cause any trouble. Before leaving, the co-pilot sent a secret telegram, instructing local stations not to welcome or send off guests, and to keep the entire trip confidential."

Mrs. Wu pursed her lips and rolled her eyes, but didn't say much. She made up her mind to go to Chongqing to see He Yijun soon and ask her to put in a good word for her husband.

Two days later.

The secret agents of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Tianjin station stood in a row in the conference room, with Wu Jingzhong at the head. They were all dressed in smart Zhongshan suits and military uniforms, and looked quite spirited.

A moment later, the Tianjin station's action team leader, nicknamed "Mr. Clumsy," rushed in. As he cut into the line, he whispered, "The director and deputy director are here."

As he gave his report, everyone straightened their clothes, and soon Dai Chunfeng and Zuo Zhong appeared in the meeting room one after the other.

"Hello, Director. Hello, Deputy Director."

"Yes, thank you for your hard work."

Old Dai and Zuo Zhong shook hands with the heads of various departments at Jinmen Station one by one. Everyone reacted differently. Wu Jingzhong was experienced and steady, the head of the intelligence department bowed slightly to show respect, and Mr. Zhuoli clasped his hands tightly and excitedly called out "Director Dai".

Dai Chunfeng, however, was not interested and didn't bother to say a word. But when it came to the spy surnamed Yu, Old Dai looked thoughtful and turned around to ask knowingly, "Shen Zhong, is this the person who assassinated Ni?"

Zuo Zhong nodded in agreement, then looked at the agent surnamed Yu and said with a smile, "Yes, Director, young Yu is from the Qingpu class, a veteran from the Special Service Bureau era."

He knew in his heart that Lao Dai had just awarded a medal to the Yu-surname spy not long ago, so how could he not remember? Asking this question was just to emphasize the other party's achievements and take the opportunity to win people's hearts.

Dai Chunfeng's tense face finally broke into a smile as he grasped the hand of the Yu-surname agent and said, "The Qingpu class are all brave warriors, but you are the hero."

The spy surnamed Yu quickly lowered his head and replied respectfully, "Thank you for your guidance, Director and Vice Director. I will strive to make new contributions."

As a member of the Qingpu class, it's not presumptuous of him to refer to himself as a student in front of the class teacher and deputy director; many people would say he's not qualified yet.

The people present had different expressions. Wu Jingzhong remained calm and composed, while the head of the intelligence section and Mr. Zhuoli wished they could push the man surnamed Yu aside and take the place of the two bureau chiefs to receive their praise.

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