My spy diary

Chapter 638 Triumphant (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

After Dai Chunfeng showed Li Jue the scene of his deathly pale face, she launched into a series of angry accusations:

"Do you dare say that the smuggling, trafficking, and extortion in the Third War Zone have nothing to do with you? Do you dare say that you did not protect Yao Zechong in the Plum Blossom spy case? If you hadn't protected him, how could he have dared to act recklessly and let the case escalate to the point of getting out of control?"
Gu Mingyuan isn't your brother-in-law? Wasn't the ten thousand taels of gold he smuggled out last night yours? Don't think that by staging a grand robbery, killing a few people in the know, and transferring the stolen goods, the Party and the State can't punish you.
You underestimate me and the Military Intelligence Bureau! You still have the nerve to argue, wanting to see Commander Gu, wanting to see the Chairman! I, Dai, hereby solemnly warn you, you are under arrest, to be directly escorted to Chongqing, and sent to a military court! I now ask you—” Dai Chunfeng pulled Li Jue up, “Where exactly did Gu Mingyuan go? And where did you move the gold?”

Then, he pointed to the group of disarmed soldiers outside the window and said, "What were you trying to do just now? Openly defying the Military Commission's orders, trying to rebel? Commander Li, today there's a major smuggling and corruption case, a blatant bribery case, and a treason case. You're involved in all of them. You could be killed for any of them, even three times over!"

Li Jue stared blankly at the unfamiliar Dai Chunfeng, knowing it was all over. Sweat poured down his face, and his voice trembled:
"I want to see Commander Gu! I want to see the Chairman!"

Dai Chunfeng sneered: "Save those words for a military court. Cuff him!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than two fierce-looking plainclothes agents from the Military Intelligence Bureau rushed onto the plane, swiftly handcuffed Li Jue, and then took out a black cloth hood, about to put it on him.

Dai Chunfeng saw a car speeding into the airport through the plane window, then noticed Station Master Tong staring intently at it for a few moments before walking over. He immediately changed his mind:

"No need for now, let him die knowing why."

The man who arrived was none other than Captain Chen of the Military Intelligence Station, who had acted with Lu Shuer the previous night. Led by Station Chief Tong, he boarded the plane, panting and looking somewhat disheveled.

Dai Chunfeng: "Still no news about Gu Mingyuan?"

Captain Chen: "It's been found."

Dai Chunfeng's eyes lit up: "Where is he? And the stolen money has been found too?"

Captain Chen stammered, "He's dead. The people from the Garrison Command's Inspection Department found him first. At the time, his men were fighting with another group. Only after interrogation did we learn that the other group were employees of Jiyaxuan, and they had a fight because of a dispute over the division of the spoils."

Dai Chunfeng was instantly enraged: "Are they all good-for-nothings? Who killed him? Where's the gold? Has it been found?"

"Found it. Two thousand taels were seized from a warehouse in the suburbs. As for the rest..."

Dai Chunfeng's expression immediately changed:
"What about the rest of the gold?"

Captain Chen looked helpless: "We haven't found it yet."

Station Chief Tong hurriedly asked Captain Chen, "What's going on? Didn't that guy give any details?"

Upon hearing this, Dai Chunfeng pushed aside Li Jue and the plainclothes guards escorting him, and strode over to Captain Chen:
"What did the guy say?"

Captain Chen stammered, "He...he was shot and is being treated."

Zhang Yi asked in a low voice, "Aren't there any other survivors?"

Captain Chen explained with a bitter face: "The firefight between the two sides was very intense at the time, and the casualties were heavy. Our buddy is the only survivor."

Enraged, Dai Chunfeng turned and grabbed Li Jue by the collar: "Tell me, where did the rest of the gold go?"

He lowered his voice, but you could still hear the anxiety in his voice.

Li Jue gritted his teeth: "How would I know?" He said this, but in reality, he was already suspicious and stared at Dai Chunfeng with a sinister look in his eyes.

He strongly suspected that Gu Mingyuan's gold robbery was actually carried out under duress by the Military Intelligence Bureau. After all, Gu Mingyuan had been with him for two years, and he knew Gu Mingyuan's character all too well.

Although people die for wealth and birds die for food, he is still interdependent with his own interests, so even if he is blinded by greed, he would not dare to take anything that belongs to him.

Therefore, he suspected that the man surnamed Dai was putting on an act with him.

However, judging from Dai Chunfeng's exasperated appearance, it didn't seem like it. But then he thought, the more impossible something seems, the more likely it is to be true. Wasn't he just fooled by him?

Why did he do that?

Did they intend to embezzle the gold?
"That son of a bitch! He truly lives up to his reputation as a fraud! He used two thousand taels of gold to kill me while keeping the remaining eight thousand for himself—a double kill! Ruthless and cruel! He's really addicted to acting, treating me like a fool, fooling me over and over again!" Li Jue trembled with rage, bursting into a tirade.
"Dai Chunfeng, don't think I don't know you hit him."

Dai Chunfeng stopped him: "What?"

"Gold, you want to keep the remaining eight thousand taels of gold for yourself!"

"So you're admitting you have ten thousand taels of gold now?"

Li Jue was speechless. After a pause, he stared intently at Dai Chunfeng, forcing a twisted smile:

"You surnamed Dai, if you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place."

Before he could finish speaking, Dai Chunfeng interrupted him with a sneer, his face full of disdain:
"Judging others by your own petty standards, how could I, Dai, be such a corrupt party and state official who abuses his power for personal gain?"

At this moment, Captain Chen asked anxiously, "Director Dai, what should we do next?"

Dai Chunfeng, who was already holding back his anger, suddenly felt a surge of rage. He slapped Captain Chen across the face and roared:
"What do you think? That eight thousand taels of gold can grow wings and fly away? Keep investigating!"

Captain Chen was beaten but dared not utter a sound.

Zhang Yi quickly stepped in to mediate: "Director, please calm down. Judging from the current situation, Gu Mingyuan's looting of gold was obviously a spur-of-the-moment decision. He certainly couldn't have transported that much gold far. As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. I reckon he probably buried it somewhere."

The most urgent task is to provide emergency medical treatment to the injured man and get the full story from him.

Second, immediately conduct a thorough search of Gu Mingyuan's house and the surrounding area of ​​the suburban warehouse.

Upon hearing this, Dai Chunfeng immediately asked Captain Chen, "Has the area around the warehouse been thoroughly searched?"

Captain Chen: "The people from the inspection department are already searching."

Dai Chunfeng frowned and pondered for a moment: "Drive back immediately and notify the action team and the police station to assist the investigation department in conducting a thorough search of the area within one kilometer of the warehouse."

"Yes, sir." Captain Chen saluted and immediately left in a hurry.

As soon as he left, Dai Chunfeng turned his attention to Li Jue: "You'd better be glad you found all the gold, or you'll be in big trouble. Handcuff him to the side!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the plainclothes officers put a hood over Li Jue's head and dragged him aside.

Seeing this, Dai Chunfeng, Zhang Yi, and Director Tong exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.

After getting off the plane, Deputy Officer Jia, Director Gong, and Lu Dawei greeted him, all with undisguised smiles on their faces.

Dai Chunfeng smiled too. Today's operation was perfect, and a small sense of pride welled up inside him. So he put his hands behind his back and said:

"No matter how clever he is, he still has to drink my mother's foot bath water."

This statement made everyone laugh.

Lieutenant Jia asked, "Mr. Dai, what should we do with Li Jue's guards?"

"Detain him for now, let his successor have a headache." Dai Chunfeng waved his hand dismissively, then changed the subject:
Have any of you read the National Government Gazette?

Hearing this, Zhang Yi and the others were puzzled and looked at each other blankly.

The so-called "National Government Gazette" was founded in 27 and edited by the Secretariat of the National Government. It published official documents such as laws, orders, regulations, personnel appointments, and foreign exchanges. After the War of Resistance against Japan, it was renamed the "Luoyang" and "Yuzhou" editions and was only distributed domestically. It can be said to be a niche newspaper. I don't know why Dai Chunfeng would suddenly mention it.

"On April 2, 1935, the National Government Gazette announced the names of eight first-class senior generals. Among them, the 'King of Southern Guangdong,' Mr. Chen, was banished overseas by me; the 'King of the Northeast,' Mr. Zhang, was placed under my control by order of the Principal." Dai Chunfeng paused for a moment, and seeing that he had stirred up everyone's emotions, he became even more smug and continued.

"The next day, April 3, the National Government Gazette announced another 20 second-level senior generals. Among them, the 'King of Shaanxi' Yang was detained by me; the 'King of Sichuan' Liu Xiang was imprisoned by me in the International Hospital and eventually died of illness; plus the 'King of Shandong' Han who was arrested after the War of Resistance, that makes 'Five Kings,' or 'Five Tigers on the X.' But as long as they dare to oppose the Principal, they will not escape my control."

Everyone sensed his smugness and knew it was best not to say anything more, so they smiled in agreement.

Dai Chunfeng was clearly not satisfied and continued, "This time it's Li Jue, who will be next, Gu or Chen?"

Seeing Dai Chunfeng becoming increasingly boastful, Zhang Yi, out of a sense of duty, quickly coughed to interrupt him.

Dai Chunfeng snapped out of his daze and made a helpless expression: "Oh well, let's get down to business."

He glanced around and saw Captain Chen standing respectfully in the distance, looking somewhat reserved, so he waved to him in a friendly manner:
"Are you Captain Chen?"

Captain Chen jogged over, flattered and saluted: "Yes, sir!"

"You've worked hard today. That slap was just an act, please don't take it to heart."

"You flatter me, Director!" Captain Chen exclaimed, even more excitedly. "It's my duty, my responsibility, my duty!"

Dai Chunfeng smiled with satisfaction, patted him on the shoulder, and asked:
How's the task I assigned you going?

"Rest assured, everything will proceed according to your orders, ten thousand taels of gold."

“I understand, well done.” Dai Chunfeng interrupted him, his face full of approval. “You are indeed a capable person.”

Upon hearing this, Station Chief Tong immediately understood: "Captain Chen is a veteran of this station, and he has always been conscientious and diligent. I am preparing to promote him to the position of deputy captain."

“This is within your authority, so I won’t interfere,” Dai Chunfeng said with a smile and a double entendre.

Upon hearing this, Captain Chen was overjoyed, never expecting to be promoted two ranks with just one slap. He quickly saluted:
"Thank you for your guidance, Commander and Station Chief. I will certainly continue to work hard and serve my country!"

"Thank you, Director!" Station Chief Tong was secretly pleased, knowing that he had regained his boss's trust thanks to what happened last night.

Dai Chunfeng nodded, then called Lu Dawei over and whispered, "I won't say more. Although Li Jue has been arrested, there will be a lot of trouble to come. You two immediately split into two groups. One group will escort the gold back, remember to be discreet. The other group will go to Li Jue's and Gu Mingyuan's houses to search and seize all their property."

"Yes." Station Chief Tong and Lu Dawei exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly.

After the others left, Dai Chunfeng's expression suddenly turned serious. He called over Zhang Yi, Deputy Officer Jia, and Director Gong and asked, "Has Commander Gu sent a reply?"

Deputy Jia shook his head.

Dai Chunfeng snorted and glanced at his watch: 10:30. He looked at the group, then seemed to be talking to himself:

"He's probably in a terrible predicament right now, unsure of what to do or not. In that case, why not give him a little push?"

Before the others could speak, he continued, “When setting up a stage for a performance, promotion is crucial! Jin Nan, immediately send a telegram to headquarters, instructing them to mobilize all the newspapers we control to start building momentum right away. They must spare no space to report extensively on Li Jue and the Third War Zone’s smuggling, trafficking, and extortion scandals. Their attacks should be as swift and decisive as autumn leaves sweeping away fallen leaves, reaching the very heart of the matter. I want them to be as anxious as ants on a hot tin roof, as desperate as stray dogs.”

"Yes." Lieutenant Jia replied, and was about to go down to draft the document when he saw Dai Chunfeng slap his forehead:
"Oh right, I almost forgot about my brother Zongbei and brother Enbo. We need to get them to support each other from afar."

Following his train of thought, Zhang Yi said, "How about we find a way to get Chen Tumu involved as well?"

Dai Chunfeng said with a mocking smile, "Don't worry, he's always been arrogant and aloof. He thinks he's exceptionally talented, and with his wife as his godmother and backing him up, his style is unique. Apart from being loyal to the principal, he adopts a strategy of exclusion and attacking all other powerful figures—he won't let go of this opportunity to kick a dog when it's down."

Dai Chunfeng's tone was full of sarcasm, especially when he deliberately dragged out the word "loyalty," his voice dripping with contempt at the end. This scene made Zhang Yi thoughtful.

Meanwhile, in Shangrao, Jiangxi.

In the Third War Zone Command Headquarters, the atmosphere in Commander Gu's office was tense. Commander Gu stood by the window, gazing outside without speaking. Since he didn't sit down, his trusted subordinates didn't dare to either, and instead stood and passed around a telegram.

"Li Jue colluded with unscrupulous merchants, levying exorbitant taxes and engaging in smuggling through checkpoints. His example spread to his subordinates, military operations collapsed, and public resentment boiled over. As a result, when the Japanese invaded, the officers and soldiers lacked fighting spirit and crumbled at the slightest contact. This man truly deserves to be executed as a warning to others, to maintain morale."

Commander Gu turned around and said angrily, "Listen to this, these are the exact words of the telegram Dai Chunfeng sent to the Chairman. Kill one to warn a hundred, kill the chicken to scare the monkey. This is a warning to us."

An officer's face turned ugly: "A petty man has gotten his way! That little scoundrel surnamed Dai has been currying favor with the old man by spying, eavesdropping, and making false accusations. Can you really believe what he says? Commander, you're too lenient with him. If you hadn't stopped me, I would have disarmed those crab soldiers and generals of the Loyal and Patriotic Army long ago."

Commander Gu's thin face twitched slightly, and he sneered:
"The old man is probably waiting for my call right now. While you're cursing, he's probably cursing us too."

Another subordinate cautiously asked, "Commander, what did Chiang Kai-shek say?"

(Proceeding to the next volume)
(End of this chapter)