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Chapter 1539 Extra (Beiping Station 2, Part 1)

In October 1945, the ancient city of Beiping was revitalized.

Although the officials in charge of taking over still held considerable power, life was still much better than during the occupation. At least ordinary people no longer had to worry about being beaten to death in the street or being taken to the outskirts to practice bayonet fighting with new Japanese recruits.

That morning, Zuo Chong was sitting in the temporary office of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Beiping Station, reading the newspaper, when there was a sudden knock on the door.

He took a sip of hot tea and slowly uttered a single word: "Enter."

It wasn't that Zuo Zhong was deliberately being presumptuous; rather, everyone at the Beiping station was under investigation. Otherwise, as the deputy director of the Military Intelligence Bureau, he wouldn't have needed to personally oversee operations in Beiping.

With his permission, the person outside gently pushed open the door, walked to the desk, stood still, and saluted.

"My lord, I would like to ask for leave."

"reason?"

Zuo Zhong didn't look up, his eyes still fixed on the newspaper in his hand. The person who came was Zhang Wu, the captain of the action team at Beiping Station, who had just been transferred from Jiangcheng Station.

Although Zhang Wu wasn't a long-time employee of Beiping Station, Zuo Zhong had to find out the reason why he was taking leave at such a sensitive time.

Knowing he had aroused suspicion, Zhang Wu quickly and honestly replied, "Reporting to the Vice-Sir, I am from Beiping. I am requesting leave to go back and see my mother."

Zuo Zhong finally raised his head and grunted, "Filial piety is a good thing. Where does your mother live? If I remember correctly, the ancestral home in your file was bombed by the Japanese, right?"

He had only asked casually, but Zhang Wu unexpectedly gave him an address that was famous throughout the myriad worlds.

"Reporting to the Vice-Commander, many people in Beiping know that I have joined the Kuomintang army. For my mother's safety, before I left, I arranged for her to stay in the main house in the backyard of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang. I told everyone that her surname is Long."

No. 95 Nanluoguxiang?
The main house in the backyard?

Surname Long?

Zuo Zhong was stunned. Wasn't this a traditional courtyard house? Could it be that Zhang Wu's mother was a deaf old woman with sharp hearing and eyesight?

Come to think of it, it makes sense. For a bound-foot old woman to survive the chaos of war and still live so comfortably, she must have some connections. And Zhang Wu was quite a figure in Beiping back then. This discovery piqued Zuo Zhong's interest. He immediately approved Zhang Wu's application and then called Wu Chunyang over for a whispered conversation.

Wu Chunyang was stunned after hearing this, and even doubted whether there was something wrong with his ears. He couldn't help but confirm with Zuo Zhong again.

"Vice-Sir, do you mean to establish a second station in Beiping? And to recruit a group of ordinary people into the Military Intelligence Bureau?"

Zuo Zhong nodded naturally: "That's right. I think the deaf old lady is perfectly capable of being the colonel stationmaster of the Second Station in Beiping. Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure."

"As for Yi Zhonghai, he will be appointed as the lieutenant colonel head of the intelligence section. Liu Haizhong will serve as the lieutenant colonel action team leader, Xu Wude will serve as the head of the telecommunications section, and Yan Bugui will serve as the head of the general affairs section."

"That cook named Daqing, and Zhang Xiaohua from the Jia family can't be idle either. Let one of them be the internal affairs inspector and the other the chief secretary."

Wu Chunyang stared in disbelief, his mouth agape, unsure what to say. What could a cook possibly monitor? Was there no salt in the dish?

After a long pause, he finally managed to ask with difficulty, "Vice-Sir, what is your purpose in doing this?"

"Purpose? Don't you understand?" Zuo Zhong retorted, then lectured the other party in a tone of disappointment.

"Even you think it's absurd, so how would anyone else have imagined that the Second Station of Beiping was hidden in a hutong? Chunyang, Chunyang, you still need to use your brain more!"

"Intelligence work must be done one or two steps ahead. If Beiping falls into the hands of the Northwest, the Second Station in Beiping will be our trump card."

These words successfully intimidated Wu Chunyang. He felt that what the deputy said made some sense, but there was still a problem to solve, so he could only ask for instructions again.

"Secondary Sergeant, what if these people don't agree?"

Zuo Zhong was even angrier. He slammed his fist on the table and said, "Are your guns just for show?! Hurry up and recruit people, start training immediately!"

"Yes!"

Wu Chunyang's reply resounded through the roof tiles, and the main characters at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang all shivered as if some unfortunate event was about to befall them.