My spy diary

Chapter 625 Telegram (Seeking monthly votes)

"Don't worry, Deputy Director Zhang, I guarantee I'll bring them here unharmed!"

Station Chief Tong hung up the phone with a solemn expression, waved to his secretary and said, "Assemble the men immediately, target the garrison command headquarters."

The secretary was taken aback and quickly said, "Station Chief, if I may say something, now is not the time to clash with Commander Li Jue."

"How could I not know that!" Station Chief Tong laughed self-deprecatingly. Influenced by the Confucian doctrine of the mean, the evaluation and selection criteria for officials emphasize both virtue and talent, which in reality is equivalent to being stable and inactive. To put it bluntly, it means being a mediocre, nice guy. Although they lack the ability to do great things or accomplish anything, they often gain a good reputation because of their so-called low profile and humility, and they never offend people easily. Everyone is happy, and officials protect each other, so they naturally rise to the top.

Conversely, many officials who want to do things, are capable of doing things, and get things done end up in a relatively tragic situation because they offend people by doing things, are ostracized and attacked, or are retaliated against for their misdeeds, thus gaining a bad reputation.

"But isn't our job one that offends people? A carrying pole can't be pointed at both ends. If we don't offend Mr. Li, we'll offend Boss Dai and Director Zhang. That would be like Pigsy looking in the mirror, pleasing neither side."

"Understood, I will notify the action team immediately."

Just as Station Chief Tong, along with his secretary and action team, arrived at the entrance of the garrison command building, several cars pulled up, and Li Jue arrived with his adjutant and secretary. Taking advantage of a moment when the guards were moving the fence, Station Chief Tong got out of his car and called Li Jue to a stop:

"Commander Li, may I speak to you in private?"

Li Jue frowned as he looked at the menacing agents behind him.

"Tong Xiang, what do you mean by this?"

"I'm sorry, Commander Li!" Station Chief Tong said with a forced smile, "We received a tip that your brother-in-law, Gu Mingyuan, has arrested a policeman named Lu Shuer. This man is not only a field agent for our Military Intelligence Bureau, but also a promising young talent favored by Director Zhang and Boss Dai. He made significant contributions in the operation to snipe Japanese spies the night before last, so we must bring him back."

Li Jue's face darkened. He knew all too well what kind of person his brother-in-law was—using his name to swagger around and do whatever he pleased.

In the past, as long as it wasn't too excessive, he wouldn't bother to interfere, at most giving a few reprimands. But now it's different. He never dreamed that the Japanese invaders would dare to openly airdrop dozens of soldiers into his territory, causing Dai Chunfeng's life to hang by a thread, almost being captured alive by the enemy. He couldn't escape the blame for poor defense.

After the incident, he reluctantly approached Dai Chunfeng to try and reconcile, but was turned away.

Dai Chunfeng only had his adjutant Jia deliver a single, somewhat literary message:

"It is now the 30th year of the Republic of China, not the 34th year of the Jiajing reign."

Li Jue was completely confused, but on the way back, his secretary reminded him, and he suddenly understood.

On June 7, 1555, 53 Japanese pirates landed in Yu County, Zhejiang Province, and plundered the three provinces of Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangsu. They attacked and looted more than 20 counties and prefectures, including Hangzhou, Yan, Hui, Ning and Taiping, and went straight to the gates of Nanjing. They ran rampant for more than 80 days, killing and wounding four or five thousand government soldiers, including a Ming Dynasty censor, a county magistrate, two commanders and two captains.

The reason why Japanese pirates were able to wreak havoc in the southeast was a combination of factors: the collapse of the Ming Dynasty's own coastal defenses, inappropriate policies, and the exploitation of external forces. To put it bluntly, the Ming Dynasty's coastal defenses were extremely lax, the garrison system had disintegrated, desertion among soldiers was rampant, and weapons were in disrepair, often resulting in a swift defeat against the pirates. Furthermore, the maritime ban exacerbated existing tensions, disrupting normal trade and production among coastal residents. Many people, driven by the need for survival, colluded with the pirates, creating a situation of "Chinese among the pirates, and vice versa," which strengthened the pirates' power.

In addition, Japan was in the Warring States period at that time, and a large number of defeated samurai and ronin lost their livelihoods and became pirates. They were familiar with naval warfare and were fierce and warlike. After combining with unscrupulous merchants and pirates along the Chinese coast, they were more likely to break through the Ming Dynasty's weak coastal defenses.

Dai Chunfeng's words, "using the past to satirize the present," were clearly meant to imply that Li Jue's troops were lax in discipline and negligent in defense, making him a useless figure. Li Jue was filled with a mix of anger, frustration, frustration, and fear, but having been caught red-handed, he was helpless. He could only quickly seek help from Commander Gu of the Third War Zone, asking him to mediate and suppress the matter, turning a major issue into a minor one and a minor one into nothing. As long as it didn't reach Chiang Kai-shek, everything would be fine.

When the Japanese invaders launched a fierce attack on Zhejiang, they even occupied Fenghua and Xikou. When Chiang Kai-shek learned of this, he was filled with grief and indignation (that night he wrote in his diary, "Fenghua has fallen to the enemy, I am deeply saddened"), and worried about the safety of his mother's tomb. He specially telegraphed the front-line command to find out and protect it.

After receiving the telegram, Li Jue was in a state of panic and at a loss for what to do.

Upon hearing this news, some traitors in the Wang Jingwei regime in Nanjing were overjoyed and strongly urged the Japanese to bomb the Chang family's ancestral graves, especially the grave of Chang's mother. However, for reasons unknown, the Wang Jingwei regime's ZJ provincial governor, Fu, did everything he could to protect the graves of Chang's mother and the Chang family's ancestral graves. The Japanese army, for political reasons, considered that bombing the Chang family's ancestral graves would not fundamentally solve the problem and might even backfire, strengthening Chang's determination to resist Japan. Therefore, they rejected the traitors' suggestion. Not only did they fail to destroy the graves, but they even sent someone to clean them up, take photos, and send them to Chang.

Upon receiving the photos, Chang wrote in his diary, "I am relieved to hear that my late mother's grave is still safe." Although he emphasized that "this revenge must be taken," he no longer sent a telegram every day urging the front lines to reclaim the lost territory at all costs, as he had done before. Li Jue breathed a sigh of relief.

It's unbelievable that this happened so recently, and now this has happened again.

Although he was furious, he calmly asked his secretary:
"Is this happening?"

The secretary quickly chimed in, "It seems so, but I heard that Young Master Mingyuan only caught a petty thief. When did a petty thief become a field agent for the Military Intelligence Bureau?"

Li Jue shrugged: "Station Chief Tong, is that so?"

Station Chief Tong snorted coldly: "He was specially recruited into the Military Intelligence Bureau by Director Zhang and Boss Dai."

Li Jue clearly didn't want to hear Dai Chunfeng's name, and he waved his hand rudely at Station Chief Tong:

"I thought it was someone important, but it turns out to be just a petty thief. Your Military Intelligence Bureau really takes anyone. Humph, let's go and see!"

When Station Chief Tong and Li Jue entered the garrison command building, the guards who were making a fuss and watching the commotion quickly separated and stood in their proper positions.

Li Jue glared at them fiercely a few times, then saw two burly thugs standing at the door of an office. Recognizing them as his brother-in-law's men, he snorted coldly:
Where is Gu Mingyuan?

One of the henchmen said, "Commander, Mr. Gu is resting inside. He asked us to watch the door for him here." As he spoke, he quietly knocked on the door behind him a few times.

Li Jue roughly guessed what was going on, and his heart skipped a beat. Regardless of whether this Lu Shuer was a thief or a Kuomintang agent, the Garrison Command had arrested him. Even if they used torture, it was official business. As long as they got a confession, no one could find fault with it.

But his brother-in-law held no official position, yet he had arrested people here and tortured them privately—clearly an abuse of public power and giving his brother-in-law a handle against him. He cursed him under his breath as a "fool" and whispered:

"Have him open the door."

The thugs quickly knocked on the door and shouted, "Mr. Gu, the commander is here, and the Military Intelligence Bureau people are here too! Please open the door."

After a moment, the door opened.

Gu Mingyuan appeared at the door, covered in sweat. He was only wearing a vest, which was soaked through, making him look like he had just finished a cross-country training exercise. The only difference was that there was blood on his vest.

Gu Mingyuan looked completely innocent: "Brother-in-law, what brings you here?"

Li Jue snorted, pushed him aside, and strode inside, with Station Chief Tong following calmly behind.

In the shabby office, Lu Shu'er struggled to his feet, his nose bruised and his face covered in blood. He stubbornly leaned against the wall, wiped the blood from his nose, straightened his filthy police uniform, and silently watched the two men. Although he had run away that night, he couldn't hide forever. He had revealed his identity, and within a few hours, Gu Mingyuan and his men had found him.

Station Master Tong looked at him with suspicion. Was this really Lu Shu'er, whom he had met once before?
The plainclothes officers from the Military Intelligence Bureau's action team were too pitiful to look at; it was just too gruesome.

Li Jue, realizing he was in the wrong, quietly reprimanded Gu Mingyuan:

"What are you up to? Did you do this?"

Gu Mingyuan rubbed his swollen fist and said nonchalantly, "A thief, but he's got a big mouth. I just couldn't resist giving him a few pointers."

"Get out of my way!" Li Jue glared at him, then turned to Station Chief Tong and said, "Station Chief Tong, I'm so sorry! I really didn't expect this kid to be so presumptuous. It's my fault for not disciplining him properly. I'll definitely deal with him later."

Station Chief Tong remained noncommittal, only turning to Lu Shu'er and asking, "Officer Lu, is that so?"

Lu Shuer said calmly, "I'm not a thief."

"Oh, that's good." Station Master Tong already knew from Zhang Yi that the accident was caused by the motorcycle. As for the rest, he didn't bother to ask, only saying:

"Alright, since there's nothing else, come with me to see Director Zhang." With that, he turned and left.

Lu Shu'er remained silent for a while, then followed in a muffled voice.

Only Li Jue and Gu Mingyuan remained in the office. Bloodstains were visible everywhere on the floor.

Li Jue was both annoyed and somewhat helpless: "Idiot, who gave you permission to take such drastic measures against him?"

Gu Mingyuan said indignantly, "Brother-in-law, it's just a thief, is it really that big of a deal? This kid colluded with others to steal my motorcycle. If I didn't want to force him to reveal the mastermind, I would have killed him long ago."

Li Jue snorted coldly: "Just a thief? He's a member of the Military Intelligence Bureau now, he's wearing a mask, he should use his brain more when he does things."

Gu Mingyuan sneered: "I already found out. This little punk must have done something really good to catch the eye of some Director Zhang from the Military Intelligence Bureau and turned into a policeman. Hmph, although this kid hasn't said anything, I think this matter is inseparable from that Zhang guy. Maybe he's the one who stole my motorcycle. Brother-in-law, this matter can't be left like this. You must stand up for me."

Li Jue turned to leave, but stopped upon hearing these words. He turned his head and asked:
"How do we make the decision?"

“Of course, we should confront him face to face, make him return my car, and apologize.” He looked at Li Jue. “Brother-in-law, even someone surnamed Dai gives you face, let alone a section chief like him.”

Snapped!
Li Jue slapped Gu Mingyuan across the face and roared:

"If you dare to mess around in my name again, I'll make you regret it."

Gu Mingyuan was stunned by the beating and howled like a pig being slaughtered:
"Brother-in-law, how dare you hit me? You actually hit me? I'm going to tell my sister."

Upon hearing this, Li Jue became even more furious: "Get out! Take that bitch back to your hometown in Shandong."

Li Jue, though old in years, was still young at heart. He was the kind of person who believed that "even if one dies under the flowers, one's spirit will be free." During his march to Jiangzhe, he had already taken two concubines. On the march, he first took a fancy to a female opera singer who played Mu Guiying on stage, and then casually took a street performer as well.

In his words, this was called "beauties singing and dancing under the tent, while half the soldiers on the front lines are dead or wounded."

His first wife was only twenty years old. She was tall with an oval face, big, bright eyes, and thin, slightly upturned lips. She was fair-skinned and beautiful, and gave the impression of being both charming and shrewish, which was a stark contrast to the lifeless, sallow-faced wives in his family.

It turns out that she was the most favored, simply because she disliked Li Jue's heavy smoking habit and foul breath. When they were intimate, she would always turn her face away and refuse to let Li Jue kiss her. Over time, Li Jue grew tired of her.

Gu Mingyuan's older sister, the second concubine, had a bronze complexion from years of street performances and living a life of hardship. She was also skilled in martial arts and had a voluptuous figure, exuding a captivating charm that made Li Jue unable to resist her. As a result, Gu Mingyuan's status also rose accordingly.

But Li Jue was in a terrible predicament and had no time to spare. He couldn't tolerate his brother-in-law's threats and immediately beat him up.

Seeing his brother-in-law's true rage, Gu Mingyuan was terrified and turned to run out the door. In his panic, he tripped on the threshold and nearly fell. Luckily, his men waiting at the door reacted quickly and caught him, preventing him from falling flat on his face. He then fled like a dog with its tail between its legs.

Meanwhile, Lu Shuer, who had just finished receiving her medication at the hospital, was brought before Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi gestured for Shen Ruozhu and the others to leave, leaving only him and Lu Shuer in the ward.

Did you think about the consequences when you were arrested?

Zhang Yi was also taken aback when he saw Lu Shu'er's face swollen like a pig's head. It seemed that every time he met Lu Shu'er, he got beaten up pretty badly.

"I've thought about it." Lu Shu'er lowered her head, wishing she could hide her face, which was swollen like a pig's head.

"Oh, then why are you so stubborn? What's wrong with betraying me?"

“I’m not a thief anymore, I’m a policeman. I don’t want to betray this uniform, and I certainly can’t betray you.” Lu Shu’er raised his head, forcing a smile with his bruised and swollen face. “Director Zhang, even thieves have their code of honor. I’ve said before that I’m willing to follow in your footsteps and serve you faithfully. A man’s word is his bond. You are my benefactor, and I would never betray you.”

Zhang Yi was somewhat surprised and sized him up a few times: "Want revenge?"

"I want to, I dream about it!" Lu Shu'er nodded, then shook his head: "But I want to take revenge myself."

Zhang Yi was even more surprised, and his gaze became more serious as he looked at him. After thinking for a moment, he said:

"I'll give you a few days off to recover from your injury, settle things at home, and then we'll go on a long trip."

Lu Shu'er asked, "Where are we going?"

"You'll find out when the time comes," Zhang Yi said abruptly, waving him out.

Meanwhile, in Dai Chunfeng's room, he sat quietly on the sofa, staring intently at a telegram on the table. Under the dim light, his face was half in light and half in shadow, a stark contrast to when he visited Zhang Yi.

(End of this chapter)