My spy diary

Chapter 630 Cunning (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Dai Chunfeng's meaningful words sent chills down Zhang Yi's spine.

Fortunately, a phone call came in at that moment, and it sounded like it was from Station Chief Tong. While Dai Chunfeng was on the phone, Deputy Jia took the opportunity to go to the restroom, and Zhang Yi also slipped out into the corridor alone. He was genuinely worried that if he stayed any longer, Dai Chunfeng might say something embarrassing.

The current conversation, though started by a recent reunion with old friends, discussing success and gratitude, has gradually seeped back to my own situation. Like a spreading river, it chases after me, impossible to avoid.

Zhang Yi pondered that Dai Chunfeng's comments about the secretary were naturally directed at him, serving as both a reprimand and a warning.

The scorching summer sun streamed in from outside, shining brightly and intensely on his face, yet Zhang Yi felt a strange sense of melancholy.

"Useless trash! What good is it to just drag out a few junior officers!" Dai Chunfeng's angry voice came from behind. He was probably drunk earlier, because his voice was a bit loud.

Seeing that Deputy Officer Jia had returned, Zhang Yi followed him into the office.

Dai Chunfeng had just hung up the phone, hands on his hips, brows furrowed.

Seeing this, Zhang Yi had a sudden inspiration, and looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Dai Chunfeng noticed his expression and gestured to him, "Speak, tell me everything you know."

After a while, Zhang Yicai said, "Station Chief Tong just talked to me about something that might be helpful for the current situation. Also, he gave me a check, and I don't know what to do with it, so I'm reporting it to the Director."

Dai Chunfeng looked surprised: "That's all?"

Zhang Yi nodded: "That's it."

Dai Chunfeng seemed a little surprised and chuckled, "Making it so mysterious, I thought it was something serious. If he dares to give it to you, then just take it."

To be honest, in the past, a check for tens of thousands of yuan wouldn't have bothered him at all, nor would it have caused him so much trouble. But times have changed. If he didn't tell Dai Chunfeng, he might misunderstand and think he was secretly colluding with Station Chief Tong if he found out later. But if he did tell him, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to explain himself clearly. The current arrangement was a perfect solution, wrapping one matter within another, making it less abrupt and conspicuous.

Dai Chunfeng paced back and forth, while Zhang Yi sat quietly, waiting for his gaze to turn to him. After a moment, he seemed to realize something, suddenly stopped, and then looked at Zhang Yi, asking:
"Yunyi, you mentioned something earlier, what exactly was it?"

"Commander, are you really preparing to take action against the Third War Zone?"

Dai Chunfeng snorted: "Isn't that obvious? Everyone else is sharpening their knives, and you expect me to be all tender and affectionate?"

In his view, "politics must be backed by military force; otherwise, it's just selling quack medicine and won't be taken seriously." Therefore, he had always wanted to control his own armed force. Unfortunately, the old man had always been extremely wary of his troops and refused to let anyone easily seize control. It wasn't until the Battle of Shanghai that he finally saw an opportunity and formed the Shanghai Special Operations Unit, later renamed the Loyal and Patriotic Army. But now this armed force had become a thorn in the side of the Third War Zone; if handled improperly, his hard-earned wealth of several years would be destroyed.

Having understood Dai Chunfeng's attitude, Zhang Yi immediately gave a brief retelling of his previous conversation with Station Chief Tong, inevitably simplifying some parts due to the unavoidable circumstances.

Dai Chunfeng's heart skipped a beat: "You mean Li Jue kept the embezzled gold in his wife's restaurant, some place called Xuan?"

“Jiyaxuan!” Zhang Yi nodded and added, “They say a cunning rabbit has three burrows. It’s hard to say whether there’s hidden gold elsewhere, but this Jiyaxuan is probably the most likely place.”

"Almost certainly?" Dai Chunfeng asked, half-believing, "Is the gossip of a few women after dinner believable?"

"Whether it exists or not, we'll find out by sending someone to check."

"How do you plan to proceed?"

"The one who tied the knot must untie it, and that's what Lu Shu'er does."

“Wasn’t he injured?” Dai Chunfeng pondered for a moment, then said, “Call Station Chief Tong over again and have him send a few men to provide cover.”

Lu Shuer's father, Old Man Lu, was humming a song while lying on a bamboo chair drinking tea when he heard the door open and saw his son had returned.

"Off duty? Is the police station that busy? You haven't been home for days."

When Lu Shuer looked up, Old Man Lu was so startled that he almost dropped the purple clay teapot in his hand, spilling tea all over the ground.

"Hey!"

Hearing the scream, Lu's mother rushed out of the inner room. Lu Shu'er tried to hide, but it was too late. His parents stared at each other, dumbfounded.

Lu's mother's voice trembled: "You old fool, I never agreed to let him go to the police station in the first place, and now look at this!"

Old Man Lu: What do you know?

Lu's mother cried out, "I don't understand, but look at my son, what suffering he has endured!"

Lu Shu'er quickly explained, "Mom, I fell by accident."

Lu's mother cried out in anguish, "What do you mean by 'fallen,' he was clearly beaten! Oh dear, it's one thing to be beaten as a thief, but now even as a policeman he gets beaten! What kind of world is this! To be bullied like this, and not even dare to tell anyone when he gets home, my poor son!"

“You didn’t say that a few days ago.”

"What did I say?"

"Don't think I didn't hear you. You were so proud of yourself when you were chatting with those women." Old Man Lu exposed her directly.

In the alleyways, neighbors live side by side, and everyone knows each other's backgrounds. Fortunately, people don't harm their own neighbors, and Lu Shu's son, following in his father's footsteps, has never targeted a neighbor. They see each other all the time, and the neighbors generally maintain a respectable relationship. But as soon as they heard that Lu Shu'er had transformed into a policeman, looking triumphant, their expressions immediately changed, and they started saying all sorts of things.

"Alright, go cook." Old Man Lu pushed his wife into the inner room and took his son outside.

"You were beaten up?"

Lu Shu'er nodded.

Old Man Lu: "Were they beaten up by the police?"

Lu Shuer shook her head: "It was a work injury while on a mission."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Old Lu rolled his eyes, pondered for a while, and looked at his son. "Tell me honestly, did you want to become a policeman, or were you forced into it?"

"Dad, didn't you say you wanted to give up your life of crime? Being a thief is nothing compared to the prestige of being a policeman."

"Where's your bravado? You got beaten up like this! You said you helped the Military Intelligence Bureau catch a Japanese spy, that's why Director Zhang and Boss Dai sent you to the police station. It's not as simple as just being a cop, is it? Tell your old man the truth." Of course, it wasn't that simple, but Lu Shu'er wasn't going to tell the truth. He smiled slyly and replied:

"Dad, what are you thinking? Even if I wanted to be a spy, I wouldn't have the ability!"

Since there was half the truth in it, Old Man Lu stopped pressing the matter and changed the subject: "Although your old man is good for nothing, I did some business in the underworld in my younger days, working for Mr. Wang Yaqiao, so I have some experience. Back then, the Axe Gang had a large and powerful force. Not only did ordinary vagrants not dare to mess with them, but even vagrant tycoons like Mr. Huang and Mr. Du were somewhat afraid of them. But what happened in the end? Because he got involved in politics, he ended up dead and his followers scattered. Now, how many people still remember him, or the Axe Gang?"

Lu Shu'er was stunned. In all his decades of life, this was the first time he'd ever heard his father mention the Axe Gang. It took him a long time to recover, and he pulled his father aside to ask:
"Dad, were you really from the Axe Gang? How did you end up becoming a thief?"

"Is this fake? You brat, what do you mean by 'thief'? You're from the Rong family." Old Man Lu raised his arm as if to hit him, but Lu Shu'er dodged it with a grin.

"Father, what happened next?"

“A hero doesn’t dwell on past glories.” Old Man Lu sighed, his face turning serious. “Do you know who killed Mr. Wang? It was that Boss Dai you mentioned. Now that you’re a policeman, I’m both happy and uneasy. Remember, we can be policemen, but never join the Communist Party or any of those Kuomintang factions, and absolutely don’t get involved in politics. Just honestly earn a salary, preferably in a place like the household registration department.”

“Dad,” Lu Shu’er immediately interrupted her father, “Your son being able to get into the police station is already a stroke of good luck. How dare I be picky? The household registration department? Do you think the police station is our family’s property? Besides, how can the household registration officers have the same prestige as the patrol officers?”

"You don't know anything!" Old Man Lu said, exasperated. "Wasn't Mr. Wang more powerful than you back then? We're just ordinary people. Stop thinking about getting promoted, making money, and standing out from the crowd. In chaotic times, peace and safety are the greatest blessings."

"Dad, it's someone checking household registrations."

"Shut up, you bastard!" Old Man Lu interrupted him, glancing warily into the room before lowering his voice. "You should know all the police officers here, right? While Director Zhang and Boss Dai are still around, you can use their influence to ask them for a transfer. Of course, you still have to give them the gifts you need; your dad has some savings of his own."

"Where did you put it? I can borrow it."

"Don't you dare try to steal my life savings." Old Man Lu slapped him across the face. "We're talking business. This is a national war of resistance against the Japanese devils. What if we drive them out?"

Lu Shu'er blurted out, "The world is at peace."

"You ignorant fool, you don't even know how to read the newspaper? If only things were that simple." Old Man Lu glared and puffed out his beard. "If I weren't your father, and I wasn't counting on you to bring honor to the family, I wouldn't bother saying a word. Just you wait and see, once the Japanese devils are driven out, the Red Party and the Kuomintang will definitely fight for control."

Lu Shuer paused, then said, "Father, you can't say things like that."

"What are you afraid of? Can't you talk about it in your own home? Think about it, no matter who wins the country in the future, what will happen to the police officers?"

"What will happen?"

"There are only two possible outcomes. If the Red Party wins, some people will be replaced by their own people, while others will remain in their positions. If the KMT wins, things will remain the same."

"Dad, what exactly are you trying to say?" Lu Shu'er asked, confused.

"I'm sending you to the household registration office. Every dynasty needs someone to manage household registration, right? The Qing government, the Beiyang government, the Republic of China—no matter who was in power, they all needed someone to handle these things. Jiangshan County has tens of thousands of people; we need to know their names, where they live, and what they do for a living—we need to know all of that clearly, right?"

Remember that old bastard Liu Xiaoyong? Back then, to get your household registration sorted, I had to grovel and beg, extorting two silver dollars from me to get it done. That son of a bitch, now he's retired, drinking tea and listening to the radio every day, living the life of the best. So, in the police force, it's not about how powerful you look on the surface, it's about safety and security, understand?

"Lu Shuer! Is Lu Shuer home? Come out and answer the phone!" Old Man Lu was talking excitedly when suddenly a shout came from outside the door.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yi was assigning tasks to Station Chief Tong. Hearing that Dai Chunfeng had indeed set his sights on Li Jue, Station Chief Tong's mood grew increasingly heavy.

"Deputy Director Zhang, has Boss Dai really thought this through? Hasn't he considered the consequences?"

Zhang Yi sized him up. This old man was becoming increasingly cunning with age; even now, he was still trying to find room for maneuver between Li Jue and Dai Chunfeng—a typical opportunist. Zhang Yi didn't give him a friendly look.
"'Everyone else is sharpening their knives, and you still want to be all warm and gentle'—that's what Boss Dai said. Old Tong, now is the time for swords to flash and the true colors to be revealed. Do you still want to avoid offending anyone? How can you do things without offending anyone? As for the aftermath, even if the sky falls, Boss Dai will take care of it. We're just pawns. Why worry unnecessarily?"

"It's easy to talk when you're sitting there; it's not like you're the one leading the charge," Station Chief Tong thought to himself, but maintained a serious expression on his face.
"Brother, your words are like a wake-up call. I've been deceiving myself before. Don't worry, I will resolutely carry out orders. In this matter, I have always had only one stance: the interests of the Military Intelligence Bureau are above all else."

Zhang Yi could tell that he was being hypocritical, but he didn't point it out.

"Of course I believe that. Let's go see Director Dai."

When I arrived at Dai Chunfeng's office, he was looking at documents. Without looking up, he asked:

"Did Deputy Director Zhang tell you everything?"

"Yes."

"Is there an action plan?"

"After some thought, I've decided that we should sneak in under cover of darkness to find out if there's any gold in Jiyaxuan, and how much." At this point, Station Chief Tong suddenly looked up, his expression worried, and asked, "Chief, shouldn't we be more cautious? Dealing with Li Jue isn't a big deal, but what about his father-in-law?"

Li Jue's father-in-law was a man surnamed He, the former chairman of the Hunan Provincial Government. He was originally a close associate of Tang Sheng and Zhi, but after Tang stepped down, he joined the New Guangxi Clique. In 29, when Chang Li and the Guangxi Clique went to war, he again joined Chang Li, leading his troops to coerce the Guangxi Clique leaders Li and Bai into resigning. After achieving great merit, he was appointed chairman of Hunan Province, and his power gradually grew, forming his own faction known as the He faction of the Hunan Army. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, he was transferred to the position of Minister of the Interior of the Nationalist Government. In 39, he became the director of the Military Commission's Relief Committee.

Dai Chunfeng had wanted to hear his specific plan, but seeing him hesitant and giving advice, she suddenly had a thought: "Former Director of the Investigation Office Yao Zechong had shady dealings with Li Jue and received a lot of benefits from him. Could Tong Xiang have also received benefits from Li Jue? Otherwise, why would he be speaking up for Li Jue?"

Suspicion arose within him, and he subtly winked at Lieutenant Jia and Zhang Yi, then sat up straight and said:

"Go on."

Station Chief Tong looked up and, seeing no anger on Dai Chunfeng's face, said directly, "As the saying goes, killing a thousand enemies results in eight hundred casualties on your own. In my humble opinion, perhaps we should reconsider?"

"How should we weigh the options?" Dai Chunfeng stared at him with the sharp gaze of a hawk and said, "You are not familiar with Li Jue. You have only been the director of the investigation office for a few days and you are just nodding acquaintances with him. So why are you speaking up for him?"

Dai Chunfeng pressed him urgently, his questions aggressive. Station Chief Tong blinked and said innocently, "Director, you misunderstand. I didn't speak up for him. I just think this matter needs to be handled carefully and discussed at length."

"Bullshit! I think you're just looking out for yourself." Dai Chunfeng was furious, poking his nose with her finger and demanding, "Tell me honestly, did you also receive benefits from him?"

"Director."

Station Chief Tong called out but then fell silent. Seeing the sudden change in his expression, Dai Chunfeng realized his bluff had worked. He decided to go all the way, rushing over to grab a document from the table and waving it in front of Station Chief Tong, scoffing:
“I have received the accusation letter. You’d better tell me the truth.”

Station Chief Tong, genuinely believing there was a letter of accusation, broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, "Sir, I wouldn't dare lie to you. Li Jue did indeed have his brother-in-law deliver ten small yellow croakers, telling me not to dwell on the soldier's misconduct."

"You accepted it?"

"Your subordinate has accepted it."

(End of this chapter)