My spy diary

Chapter 588 A Night of Excursion in Brocade Robes (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

It was late at night, and Zhang Yi was preparing to rest when the phone suddenly rang.

He thought for a moment, then walked over and answered the call, but remained silent, waiting for the person on the other end to speak first.

A moment later, Mao Qiwu's deep voice came through the phone: "Director Zhang, it's me, Mao Qiwu. A car will be here to pick you up in ten minutes."

Zhang Yi paused for a moment, then asked, "Where to?"

It was the middle of the night when Mao Qiwu called again, and Zhang Yi dared not relax for a moment.

Mao Qiwu said nothing and hung up the phone directly.

This sudden news caught Zhang Yi off guard. Where was he going in the middle of the night?
A temporary mission? Or...?
After thinking for a long time without finding a solution, Zhang Yi felt a little tired, but not sleepy at all.

He gently lifted the covers and got out of bed, groping his way to the living room. Without turning on the lights, he slowly walked to the window.

The night outside the window was dark and gloomy, and he couldn't see anything. He didn't know if the phone call was Mao Qiwu's personal act or Dai Chunfeng's arrangement. Today, although he had gained the upper hand in his battle of wits with He Shangyou, how long could his good fortune last? What awaited him in a little while?

"Even if Mount Tai collapses before him, he remains unmoved; even if a deer runs past on his left, he does not blink."

This saying comes from Su Xun's "The Art of the Mind," and it refers to maintaining an unwavering expression and gaze when facing a sudden crisis or major change.

Zhang Yi took a deep breath, returned to the living room, and made himself a cup of tea. As the scalding hot tea went down his throat, he calmed down.

Then, he got up and went to the bedroom to check the guns and ammunition.

A few minutes later, a car horn sounded downstairs. Zhang Yi quietly went to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and saw a black sedan parked not far away.

Early summer has arrived, and the wind carries a hint of dryness. The streets, bustling with traffic during the day, are now eerily quiet. Under the dim streetlights, the occasional sycamore leaf, lifted by the wind, twirls and dances in the air before being tossed onto the road, its soft rustling sounding all the more desolate.

As soon as we reached the roadside, a plainclothes officer in a Zhongshan suit got out of the passenger seat. He was Dai Chunfeng's bodyguard. He opened the car door and said expressionlessly:
"Director Zhang, please!"

Zhang Yi didn't say anything, and lowered his head to get into the back seat.

Seeing him get into the car, the plainclothes officer closed the door, got into the passenger seat, and the car started moving.

"Where?"

"You'll see when we get there," the plainclothes officer said without turning his head.

Seeing this, Zhang Yi stopped asking questions and decided to wait and see.

He closed his eyes, pretending to rest, but his hand gripped the pistol tightly in his pocket. Where the car would take him, and whether he would return alive, were all unknowns.

The car drove through the main street, made a few turns, and finally got onto the main road.

Years of experience as a secret agent have cultivated many special habits that are as natural as eating and sleeping. Even with his eyes closed, he can draw a route in his mind by relying on his sense of touch and hearing.

This is the route out of the city.

What are you going to do outside the city in the middle of the night?
Zhang Yi was completely baffled.

With a slight bump, the car drove out of the city and continued forward until it reached a side road next to Coral Dam Airport, where the driver slowly brought the car to a stop.

The plainclothes officer in the passenger seat jumped out of the car first. He went around to the back, opened the car door for Zhang Yi, and said respectfully:

"Director Zhang, thank you for your hard work."

Zhang Yi didn't move, his eyes fixed ahead, and said, "So after all this time, we're at the airport. Where are we going?"

"Mr. Dai is waiting for you on the plane," the plainclothes officer said, maintaining a composed demeanor.

Zhang Yi's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at him calmly, then got out of the car and looked intently. He saw a military aircraft on the tarmac suddenly start spinning its propellers, making a series of roaring sounds.

He glanced at it a few times, then strode inside.

Once he entered the iron gate, he was back in his car and sped away.

"Director Zhang, Zhang Yi, this way."

Lieutenant Jia stood at the cabin door, calling out to Zhang Yi. Zhang Yi quickly walked over, boarded the plane, and glanced around to see that there were about a dozen people on board.

Dai Chunfeng sat in the middle by the window, with Director Gong from the Personnel Department behind him, and two guards, Cao Jihua and He Qiyi, sitting to his left.

Behind them were Li Qi, the communications officer of Room A, and Zhou Zaihong, the dedicated cipher clerk.

Next were pilots Feng Zhenzhong, Zhang Yuanren, and Xiong Chong, and chief engineer Li Kaici.

These people were all old acquaintances of Dai Chunfeng. Zhang Yi glanced at them and then looked away, before his gaze lingered on the two people in the last row.

The two were a married couple, Mr. Dai's cousins. The woman had an ordinary appearance and was staring out the window with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

Zhang Yi's focus was on the man, Mao Quan, who looked remarkably like Dai Chunfeng. He was kept by Zhang Yi's side as a stand-in and was rarely seen. Zhang Yi wondered why Mao Quan was on the plane at this moment.

"Director Zhang, please sit down, the plane is about to take off." Deputy Officer Jia guided Zhang Yi to sit down behind Director Gong. As the cabin door closed, the plane began to taxi.

Zhang Yi glanced at Dai Chunfeng, who was resting with his eyes closed, and whispered to Director Gong:

"Director Gong, where are we going?"

Director Gong glanced at Boss Dai, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.

Jiangshan County.

Dai Chunfeng spoke up, leaning back in his chair and saying in a heavy tone, "The Plum Blossom spy case has caused quite a stir. Some people say that our Military Intelligence Bureau is making baseless accusations, using torture to extract confessions, and arresting people indiscriminately. When Jin Handing, the head of the First Inspection Team of Military Discipline of the Military Commission, heard about it, he went to Jiangshan to review the files, but was turned away by the garrison."

This man, unwilling to accept defeat, went directly to the Chairman through Chen Tumu. Furthermore, the *Southeast Daily*, controlled by the CC Clique, fueled the fire, creating public opinion against it. The Chen brothers also fanned the flames. The Chairman was furious and ordered a thorough investigation to provide an explanation to the public. This matter had to be resolved. A few days ago, I sent Inspector Lian Ying from the Inspectorate to investigate, but we haven't found any valuable leads. You're quite adept at catching Japanese spies; what do you think of this?"

This topic surprised Zhang Yi greatly. He thought for a moment and asked:
"Since it's a case involving Japanese espionage, what evidence do you have?"

Dai Chunfeng remained silent, and Deputy Jia explained on his behalf: "Director Zhang, this is what happened."

"Twelve celluloid plum blossom needles?" Upon hearing that the case was triggered by the discovery of plum blossom needles in the residence of a Suzhou female college student named Liu Lianfang, who had fallen on hard times, Zhang Yi couldn't help but frown. The Japanese weren't stupid fools who only knew how to say "baka." A spy probably wasn't well hidden; how could he possibly keep such things in his residence?

Furthermore, Jiangshan County has a population of over 100,000. There were no prior reports or leads; it was just a routine check. Yet, they found something in Liu Lianfang's house. Isn't that too much of a coincidence?

Finally, Zhang Yi had arrested many Japanese spies, including those from the Mei Agency. He had never heard of Mei Agency agents using plum blossom needles as their identifiers. The idea of ​​plum blossom tattoos on wrists or cuffs was just ignorant misinformation.

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Yi asked, "What does Liu Lianfang's confession say?"

According to the woman's confession, she was captured by Li Shijun's men while fleeing Suzhou. Li Shijun took a liking to her and forcibly took her as a concubine. Later, he gave her to Qingqi Qingyin of the Mei Agency. Qingqi felt that she had the talent to be a spy, so he specially recruited her into the Mei Agency. After a short period of special training, she was sent to Jiangshan County to lie low.

"Besides that, what else was found at her residence? And who were her accomplices?"

"Three Nambu Type 14 pistols were seized from her safe house, and that was all. As for her accomplices, they were all Chinese."

"No radio station?"

"No."

“That’s not right.” Zhang Yi shook his head. “The Japanese don’t even trust a major traitor like Li Shijun. They use him while monitoring him. How could they trust an unknown little woman so much? Even if she’s just a pawn that Qingqi Qingyin planted on a whim, logically they would send a trusted Japanese person to monitor her secretly. Also, all her accomplices are Chinese. That’s even more unbelievable. Did she recruit them all? If that’s the case, then it’s not talent. Even geniuses wouldn’t be this good.”

At this moment, Zhang Yi was basically convinced that the so-called Plum Blossom Spy Case was probably a miscarriage of justice. It was probably not that Li Shijun was lustful, but rather that the investigators of the case—the director of the investigation office, Major General Yao Zechong of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and the head of the Jiangshan County action group of the investigation office, Major Wei Zheqiu of the Military Intelligence Bureau—were lustful and joined forces to frame Liu Lianfang and others.

This is absolutely outrageous and utterly inhuman!
Dai Chunfeng rubbed his temples, his eyes slightly closed, and asked:
"You mean this is a miscarriage of justice?"

"It's hard to say, but based on the current evidence, this case is quite strange."

"What kind of story do you think this will be?" Dai Chunfeng asked, opening his eyes.

"Perhaps only by meeting the person involved can we know."

Dai Chunfeng sighed, rubbing his temples, as if talking to himself: "This makes the problem more serious."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present understood that since the old man had intervened, the case had to be explained to everyone.

If it is indeed a miscarriage of justice, then how should Yao Zechong and Wei Zheqiu be dealt with?
Wei Zheqiu was just a major, but Yao Zechong was a graduate of the fourth class of the Whampoa Military Academy and was highly regarded by Dai Chunfeng. Not only was he promoted to major general, but he was also specially appointed as the director of the investigation office of the 25th Army Group. Would he be willing to take action against him?

Amidst the pleasantries and conversations, the plane had unknowingly arrived at the temporary airfield of the 25th Army Group stationed outside Jiangshan City.

Dai Chunfeng declined the welcome banquet arranged by Li Jue, the army group commander. After a short rest, he changed into his military uniform and even pinned on his medals. Under the protection of several borrowed cars and a fully armed guard company specially arranged by Li Jue, he marched in a grand procession toward Jiangshan County.

Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, once said: "Wealth and honor without returning home are like wearing embroidered clothes at night; who will know of them!"

This is the origin of the phrase "wearing fine clothes at night," and Dai Chunfeng had the same idea.

Not long after the convoy entered Jiangshan County, Dai Chunfeng excused himself to go to the restroom and had the convoy temporarily stop in front of a farmhouse.

He jumped out of the car, looking around the place where he was born and raised with great pride, feeling a sense of pride that he had completely conquered his homeland.

Returning home in wealth and honor, Mao Quan was also very excited and went up to knock on the door in a fawning manner.

A moment later, the gate of the farmhouse opened, and a thin, bony old man came out. Seeing the grand procession, he assumed a high-ranking official had arrived and hurriedly told his family to move a table and pour tea. As he gave instructions, he boasted a little about the hospitality of the people of Jiangshan.

Hearing his hometown dialect made Dai Chunfeng even happier. To show his closeness, he also switched to his hometown dialect and greeted the old man in the same way:

"What's your surname? How are you doing?"

The old man was taken aback, not expecting this long-faced, dark-skinned man to speak Jiangshan dialect. Instead of answering, he asked:

"May I ask your surname, sir?"

Dai Chunfeng smiled smugly: "My surname is Dai, and I am the son of Dai Guanying from our Jiangshan."

He spoke with great pride, assuming the old man knew his secrets and would at least fawn over him, showing some flattery and ingratiation. But to his surprise, the old man's expression changed immediately, and he coldly snorted:
"Who do we have here? It's Dai Chunfeng." Saying this, he turned to his family and said loudly, "Stop making tea! Move all the tables and chairs inside, quickly!"

The old man's family looked at each other, but dared not disobey him. They could only apologize to Dai Chunfeng while nervously taking away the tables and chairs.

Seeing Dai Chunfeng's face darken, Mao Quan exploded. He waved for the agents to surround the old man and shouted angrily, "Old man, how dare you speak like that? Do you know who he is? He is the famous General Dai, the renowned boss of the Military Intelligence Bureau. You must have a death wish to be so disrespectful to Boss Dai!"

The old man looked at him disdainfully, stroking his sparse goatee as he slowly said:

“I know who he is. I’m willing to entertain other people, but not Dai Chunfeng. People should know their own limitations. He knows perfectly well what he did in our Jiangshan when he was young. Humph, he’s been a scoundrel since he was a child. Who in our hometown doesn’t hate him to the bone? And his brother and son, they’re all birds of a feather.”

Dai Chunfeng's younger brother was named Dai Chunbang. He was uneducated and incompetent. After his brother became successful, he served as the county magistrate of Jingtai County, Gansu Province. Later, in order to take care of his mother, he resigned and returned to his hometown. He then held the rank of major general and received a salary in the Loyal and Patriotic Army.

"You old bastard, are you looking for death?" Mao Quan was furious. He stepped forward, grabbed the old man by the collar, and made a move to hit him.

"Go ahead and hit me if you dare. Humph, his old mother still lives here, does he dare hit me? Does he even care about his mother?" The old man remained nonchalant, struggling free from Mao Quan's grasp, flicking his collar as if afraid of getting himself dirty. After saying this, he turned and left without looking back, slamming the door shut.

Dai Chunfeng's face was ashen, and his hands, which were clasped behind his back, trembled slightly. The old man's words were like a punch to the heart, almost making him vomit blood from anger.

At this moment, he wished he could kill the old man's entire family, but he couldn't. Just as the old man said, he was a filial son, and his elderly mother was still alive in the country, so he couldn't do anything to the villagers, otherwise he would only make himself look more shameful.

So, he could only get into the car with a gloomy face and without saying a word.

Faced with this scene, Zhang Yi, Director Gong, Deputy Officer Jia, and others looked at each other, too embarrassed to say anything.

(Emm, I'm too weak, I have all sorts of health problems, sigh.)
(End of this chapter)