Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 408 Perfect
"what?
"Jin, Jin Xiaoyu is dead?"

"Is the news...confirmed?"

Gao Bin felt as if the sky had fallen, and asked in disbelief.

Jin Xiaoyu is one of the few top technical talents in the Special Affairs Section. He is loyal, hardworking, and has made outstanding contributions in solving one major case after another.

Such a sharp knife, and it's broken just like that.

That's truly unbelievable.

Li Songquan was also visibly shocked.

He never expected to receive such a big surprise as soon as he arrived in Harbin.

“Let’s go take a look,” Gao Bin said.

"Section Chief Gao, I'll have someone bring you the codebook later. I'd better go to the military police station first." Li Songquan panicked, a chill running down his spine.

"Alright, thank you for your hard work."

Gao Bin nodded, then turned and instructed his subordinates:
"Call Liu Kui and go check on Squad Leader Jin's house."

……

We arrived at Jin Xiaoyu's house.

Looking at the corpse that had been shot in the head, Gao Bin squinted and clicked his tongue in pain.

He listened to the statement from the police officer standing nearby.

Gao Bin patted his gloves and turned to ask Liu Kui, who was standing next to him, "Section Chief Liu, what do you think?"

“That’s normal, it’s obviously a Kuomintang tactic,” Liu Kui said.

"Why?" Gao Bin asked.

"Red tickets will not extort women or children."

"Furthermore, only the big shots in the Military Intelligence Bureau have bullets for 'Gun Brand' pistols; the red-tickets usually use Mauser pistols," Liu Kui analyzed with his experience.

"Ah."

Gao Bin nodded, then suddenly changed the subject:
Where is Captain Zhou?

"Call him and let him know."

"We called. The guys at the checkpoint ahead said they saw Section Chief Hong and Captain Zhou drive out together," Liu Kui said.

"Oh, never mind then, no need to call him." Gao Bin's cold glint vanished, and he waved his hand.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

Zhou Yi stamped his feet to shake off the snow and walked into a breakfast shop.

"Captain Zhou, please come in and take a seat." The waiter hurriedly greeted him.

"A bowl of tofu pudding, please."

Zhou Yi went straight up to the second floor and walked to a table in the corner.

Old Wei was slurping up his mutton soup.

"There's been a lot of news today," Zhou Yi said, sitting down.

“Go ahead, I’m listening,” Old Wei said shrewdly.

"The first thing is that Yuejian has returned to Fengtian, and Lao Wang has been executed by Lu Ming. So everything is safe for now."

"The failure of this operation was most likely due to betrayal by a traitor."

"The target is women, and the area is on the periphery between Harbin and Fengtian. They are probably not core members."

"The second thing is that Xiao Dong has made some progress with the medicine."

"By the way, do you have a batch of mountain products stuck in stock?"

Zhou Yi spoke in a low, rapid voice.

"Yes, there are quite a few people in the city who do leather goods business. Wealthy families all recognize those few old brands, so it's not easy to sell them."

"Those inside the Great Wall are scrambling to buy it, but the problematic goods can't get out; the Japanese are being too strict."

"Without strong connections, even the Heavenly King himself wouldn't be able to leave the pass."

"Oh, I'm just wondering how to explain this to Political Commissar Zhou."

"How come you have connections?"

Old Wei's eyes lit up, and he asked with delight.

"Well, I have a friend who can give it a try, but he's not 100% sure, so I wanted to ask for your opinion." Zhou Yi didn't make any absolute statements.

Just then, the waiter brought over the tofu pudding.

"Their mutton soup is pretty good, are you sure you don't want to try it?" Old Wei asked with a smile after the waiter came downstairs.

"No.

"I try not to eat meat unless it is absolutely necessary."

"I've gotten used to it over the years."

Zhou Yi gave a calm and composed answer, as always.

"Well, you really are an ascetic," Old Wei said admiringly.

He handed Zhou Yi a cigarette, lit one for himself, and exhaled a cloud of smoke, saying:
"I can ship the goods, where should I deliver them to?"

“No. 93, Forest Street, Daoli District, Lao Meng’s Leather Goods Shop,” Zhou Yi said.

"it is good.

"Where's the money?" Old Wei asked.

"It's a waste for you to keep this stuff; just deliver it now."

"As long as he can find the medicine, this shipment will be given to him as a gift."

"You know, given the current situation, finding these sulfonamide antibiotics is no longer just a matter of money."

"In business, you can't always be thinking about getting a bargain, otherwise the business won't last long."

Zhou Yi took a few sips of tofu pudding and said.

"clear.

"We haven't received any news from the mountain. The news that the Japanese are going to besiege the Qixinglazi arsenal can't get through. I'm really worried," Old Wei said, taking a drag on his cigarette.

"Don't worry, I have a solution."

"The communications squad leader in the hall was assassinated last night."

"I'll probably be very busy these next few days."

"When you arrive at the area around the south bank of the Songhua River at 10:30, a car with license plate number 35 will come by and give you a basket covered with a black cloth."

There is a carrier pigeon inside.

"Once you're out of the city and at the foot of the mountain, tie the message to a pigeon's leg and release it."

Zhou Yi gave the instructions in a low voice.

"Very good.

"I never expected you to have this special skill," Old Wei said happily.

"A pigeon is not a person after all."

“It’s not necessarily reliable. I wouldn’t rely on such important intelligence unless I was desperate.” Zhou Yi shook his head.

"In other words, you can't drink alcohol. Otherwise, we could drink a whole pot of wine with Pigeon and that guy surnamed Jin," Old Wei said happily.

"By the way, I have already reported Gu Qiuyan's matter to the organization."

"The organization really can't send a second telegraph operator, so please bear with it a little longer."

"Isn't she pregnant?"
"When she's close to giving birth, I'll find a way to transfer her to Jiamusi."

Old Wei said.

"It can only be the.

"You can pay the money later."

After finishing his tofu pudding, Zhou Yi picked up his hat, got up, and went downstairs.

……

The next few days.

Jin Xiaoyu's death was a heavy blow to the Special Service Section.

Deputy squad leader Xia Zhian temporarily took on the heavy responsibility.

However, it was clear that he had not yet mastered many technical tasks, and the entire communications team was not as efficient as before.

Ten o'clock in the morning.

"Section Chief, I've basically finished taking over the work here. Please give me your instructions," Xia Zhian said as he entered the office.

"Not urgent.

"This Li Songquan is cunning."

"He knew he was waiting for the right price, so he kept the codebook to himself, hoping to catch a big fish in one fell swoop."

"Since he's willing to drag it out, let's leave it for now."

Gao Bin said.

Action team office.

Hong Zhiyou walked in.

"I've already had the goods you requested delivered to Old Meng's Leather Shop. Is there any news about the medicine?" Zhou Yi asked bluntly.

"have.

"I have found out that Xiao Dong transported the medicine to the mountain, but unfortunately it was intercepted by Guo Sanjiang."

"According to reliable sources, a small portion of this batch of medicine has now ended up in the hands of Commander Guan."

Hong Zhiyou took out a medicine bottle from his pocket and handed it over.

Zhou Yi inspected the area and said, "It seems we have to get rid of this Commander Guan."

"However, this person has a powerful background, so it might not be easy to deal with."

“Don’t remove him. He’s far more useful alive than dead. If you’re going to kill him, it can’t be now,” Hong Zhi said.

"What are your plans?" Zhou Yi asked.

Judging from these incidents, although Hong Zhiyou is young, he is very shrewd and experienced in handling matters.

I want to give you a helping hand.

"You are like this..."

Hong Zhiyou whispered in his ear.

“Shibuya Saburo will not see me. Japanese people have a strong sense of hierarchy. If I go through two levels, the section chief and the department head, to submit a report, Shibuya will not only refuse to see me, but he may also hand me over to the department for punishment.”

There must be someone in the hall who is related to the Marshal.

"The plan will be leaked then."

Zhou Yi said very cautiously.

“I’ll call him first. With Chief Doi-Yuan’s connections, he’ll agree to see you,” Hong Zhiyou said.

“You should go see him in person,” Zhou Yi said.

"You are a very upright person."

"But I am just a businessman."

“I am not familiar with Shibuya Saburo, and he is not particularly greedy. As the head of the economics section, I do not have the authority to investigate cases, so it is not appropriate for me to meet with him.”

Hong Zhi shook his head.

“Alright, I can go see him,” Zhou Yi said.

"While Li Songquan hasn't handed over the codebook yet, and my uncle isn't focused on catching the Military Intelligence Bureau, let's get this done quickly," Hong Zhiyou said.

"How much are you selling that batch of goods? I really hope you make money soon," Zhou Yi asked.

"It sounds like you have connections?" Hong Zhiyou asked with a smile.

“I have connections inside the pass.”

"As you know, I have been behind enemy lines. We have an underground communication station in Beiping, and we have people in Chongqing and Shanghai, including many high-ranking Kuomintang officials we know."

"We can help you ship the goods, but only if you have someone to do the accounting and collect the money."

"You know, our problem is that we can't get through the level."

"Of course, you can also sell it to Ding Mocun and his group."

Zhou Yi said.

“You’re right, I do need a reliable ‘manager.’ Once I’ve settled things with Commander Guan, I’ll go to Tianjin and Shanghai to finalize the routes before shipping the goods.” Hong Zhiyou wasn’t in a hurry.

Not only in Shanghai and Chongqing, but he also plans to ship his goods to Hong Kong in the future.

"it is good."

"I'm going to see Section Chief Gao now."

Zhou Yi twirled the small medicine bottle, then got up and left.

He's more anxious than Hong Zhi right now.

Without elevating Hong Zhiyou, everything else is just empty talk.

The more the merrier.

Zhou Yi is a man of action; if he thinks something is worthwhile, he will act decisively and swiftly.

Hong Zhi felt that this investment was very profitable.

Compared to Yu Zecheng, Zhou Yi has advantages in some aspects.

Yu Zecheng was a self-taught practitioner; although he received personal instruction from Master Ke, the training period was extremely short.

This made his growth a tortuous process, during which he even made many mistakes, and workplace interpersonal skills played a significant role.

Zhou Yi was an elite member of the underground Communist Party, and he became a king as soon as he emerged from seclusion.

He was still the kind of person with near-mechanical precision.

They are decisive and efficient in their actions.

He could even command the suppression of bandits and fight battles, making him a true all-rounder.

In Manchukuo, where social niceties were less prevalent, only people like this were qualified to sit at the card table and play together.

This will undoubtedly save Hong Zhi a lot of trouble.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it's like adding wings to a tiger.

……

Zhou Yi arrived at the section chief's office.

Gao Bin was leaning back on the sofa, resting with his eyes closed.

"Section Chief," Zhou Yi greeted him.

"Captain Zhou, what's your opinion on Jin Xiaoyu's death?" Gao Bin asked, opening his eyes.

"It's obvious that someone leaked the information and found out that Li Songquan was coming to Harbin."

"Moreover, this person knows that Jin Xiaoyu is good at portrait sketching."

"Unable to assassinate Li Songquan, they chose to eliminate Jin Xiaoyu first."

"Without a doubt, this is a good move, a brilliant move."

Zhou Yi said with a serious expression.

“You are quite right.

"oops."

Gao Bin rubbed his arms as if he were feeling cold, and then said:

"I've been feeling uneasy lately, like there's a ghost hiding in the living room. I get chills down my spine every now and then, as if the enemy knows about our operations."

"Do you think there's something fishy going on among us?" he asked, pointing at Zhou Yi.

"I haven't been back to the hall for two years. To be honest, there are too many new people, and I don't know them all. It's hard to say about some aspects," Zhou Yi said calmly.

Gao Bin looked away and nodded, saying, "I'll call Chen Jingyu tomorrow and have him go through the department's files again."

"The security bureau staff have really slipped up now."

"Many times, I find it too troublesome and just finish the investigation halfway through."

"For example, your wife's file says she graduated from a certain school in Fengtian, but you can find several versions of it if you check."

"These people are really unreliable now."

"Just to give you an example, please don't mind."

He waved his hand and smiled.

On the surface, he always manages to maintain a serious demeanor while maintaining a friendly liveliness, which, combined with his slightly round face, gives people a harmless feeling.

“Yeah, just this one thing at school, I have to make seven or eight phone calls a day, it’s driving me crazy,” Zhou Yi chuckled in agreement.

He continued, "However, Director, I don't think it necessarily has to be someone from within the department."

"It's also possible that something went wrong in the Qiqihar area."

"The news of Li Songquan's arrest may have been leaked long ago."

"As for Jin Xiaoyu's skill in painting, with Captain Murakami's meddling and Lu Ming's big mouth, anyone with a little ability can find out by asking around."

"So, I was wondering if you've caught a cold recently?"
“I know a traditional Chinese medicine clinic. You can go there for cupping when you have some free time. It should be quite effective.”

Zhou Yi laughed humorously.

"Well, that makes sense.

“As people get older, all sorts of strange illnesses can come knocking on their door. It’s settled then, we’ll go together another day.” Gao Bin said calmly as he took the bundle.

"I heard from Zhiyou that you went to his house a few nights ago."

"To be honest, I'm very happy."

“This kid and Xiao Li and the others practically ransacked your house. I was worried you might be upset, so I was thinking of having him come over and apologize to you,” Gao Bin said.

"Section Chief, I was worried that Zhiyou would feel bad about it, so I took the initiative to visit him first."

"We're all colleagues, so let's just do things officially."

"I understand," Zhou Yi said calmly.

"Have you met his girlfriend?" Gao Bin asked.

"I've seen it."

"He's alright looking, but he seems quite a bit older than I am. I don't think he's a good match for Zhiyou."

"However, he is clearly aware of this."

He dismissed the woman and personally saw him off on the train to Fengtian.

“I was in the car at the time, there’s no mistake.”

Zhou Yi knew that Gao Bin wanted to know his whereabouts that night, so he simply told him directly.

"What time is the train?" Gao Bin asked.

"Around seven o'clock?"

"I don't remember exactly, but it was around 7:40 when Zhiyou dropped me off at home," Zhou Yi replied after thinking for a moment.

Upon hearing this, Gao Bin felt slightly relieved.

Jin Xiaoyu was shot at around 7:30 p.m.

In other words, Zhou Yi was in the car with Zhi at that time, ruling out the possibility of him being a masked murderer.

This matter is to be investigated by Lu Ming.

Lu Ming didn't dare to ask Zhou Yi directly, so he could only try to get the information indirectly.

"Why.

"Let me tell you, Dai Li sent a veteran of the Military Intelligence Bureau to Harbin to set up the Northeast District. Li Songquan has met this person before; his code name is Boss Feng."

"We were hoping that Jin Xiaoyu could draw it and we could do a surprise attack."

"Now look what happened. We searched all the painters in Harbin, but none of them could draw a likeness. We missed a great opportunity."

"Why are there so many intricacies to painting?"

Gao Bin was quite troubled.

"Art is a mysterious thing, and geniuses like Squad Leader Jin are rare in the world."

"His death is indeed a huge loss to our police department."

Zhou Yi said with a sorrowful expression.

"Now look what's happened, someone slapped me in the face, and I can't even slap them back."

"I'm so angry."

Gao Bin got up and walked to the sofa, taking a sip of warm tea.

"Section Chief, this is nothing, the really infuriating part is yet to come."

"Look at this."

Zhou Yi took out a bottle of sulfonamide antibiotics from his pocket.

"Where did this come from?" Gao Bin asked, quite surprised, as he took it.

"My informant got it from one of Guan Dashuai's men on the black market."

"I checked the production batch number. It was produced by a pharmaceutical factory in Fengtian. I learned this from the red-ticket spy who was arrested by the South Manchuria Railway Company."

"He was dealing with this batch of medicine, and he also arranged for that Mitsubishi truck."

"In other words, this batch of medicine was the very medicine that the Red Tickets were used to transport up the mountain to the Anti-Japanese Alliance."

"According to the information from the informant."

"This batch of medicine most likely fell into the hands of a bandit named 'Guo Sanjiang' on the west peak of Laotuo Mountain."

"The goods that Guan Dashuai usually plundered were smuggled through this Guan Dashuai."

Zhou Yi followed Hong Zhi's instructions.

"How dare they steal even the Anti-Japanese Alliance's stuff?" Gao Bin found it unbelievable.

"Normally I wouldn't dare to do that."

"The large-scale mopping-up operation in the Zhuhe area has crippled the Eighth Army of the Anti-Japanese United Army. There are only four battalions left on Laotuo Mountain now, and the number of personnel has been severely reduced."

"Guo Sanjiang had more than two hundred men under his command, and they ate and drank well."

"In the past, these people could use the pretense of surrender to argue with the Anti-Japanese United Army."

"Now, they probably don't even take the Fourth Brigade seriously anymore."

"Antibiotics are more expensive than gold at this time, how could bandits not be tempted?"

Zhou Yi smiled.

"Bandits are easy to deal with; the Kwantung Army has long wanted to wipe out these scourges."

"But this General Guan is the local tyrant of Harbin's docks. There's a saying that goes, 'The Japanese call the shots in Harbin during the day, but General Guan calls the shots at night.'"

"This person has been tyrannical for many years and has a very powerful background."

"Old birds like these are usually very cunning and won't personally get involved with these stolen goods."

"If we don't have solid evidence and can't find any fault with him, we'll be in a very passive and troublesome situation."

Gao Bin is not a reckless man like Liu Kui; a reckless man could not have reached this position.

"In that case, call Lu Ming and Liu Kui over and hear their opinions."

Gao Bin wanted to make a contribution but didn't want to take the blame, so he rolled his eyes and gave the order.

"Should we call Section Chief Hong?"
“He knows the village head, so it’s easier to talk to him if the military police need to be used,” Zhou Yi said.

“Okay, let’s invite them all.” Gao Bin nodded.

A moment later, the three arrived at the office.

Gao Bin pointed to the small medicine bottle on the table and recounted Zhou Yi's investigation.

Lu Ming glanced at the medicine bottle with a somewhat uneasy feeling.

Damn it, such a crucial clue, how did it end up in Zhou Yi's hands?

Section Chief.

"This Commander Guan is from the same hometown as the high-ranking official Wei Huanzhang, and he has connections with the village team leader, as well as many police chiefs from Daoli, Fujiadian and other places."

"It is said that nine out of ten bureau chiefs in Harbin are his sworn brothers."

Even Mayor Wang Ji'an was a guest of honor at his banquet.

"It's not easy."

Seeing that he had lost the opportunity to make a contribution, Lu Ming was reluctant to get involved in something that might offend people.

"What's so difficult about it? He's just a local bully. Whoever provided the medicine, arrest him."

"If we trace the clues upwards, how can we not find him?"

Liu Kui glared at him and said unhappily.

"You're oversimplifying things."

"So what if we find him? Colluding with bandits isn't a serious crime. He can just betray his men and say he didn't know anything. Who can touch him then?"

"He has been able to dominate Harbin for so many years, holding a bunch of titles such as president of a chamber of commerce and ambassador for Sino-Japanese friendship. There must be a lot of people protecting him behind the scenes."

“If we’re going to investigate this as collusion with bandits, I don’t think we need to do anything.”

Gao Bin waved his hand and said frankly.

Zhou Yi wanted to speak, but he knew that Hong Zhi's words carried more weight, so he glanced at the latter.

Hong Zhi understood and interjected:
"Section Chief, since we can't find him to be colluding with the bandits, what about transporting medicine to the Anti-Japanese Alliance?"

"As long as we insist that Commander Guan secretly supplied medicine to the Anti-Japanese Alliance on the mountain, not only Wei Huanzhang, but even Zhang Jinghui and Puyi would not dare to protect him."

"Well, the key is still the evidence. Where is the medicine?" Gao Bin clapped his hands.

“My men said the medicine is up in the mountain,” Zhou Yi said.

"Section Chief, in my opinion, this matter cannot be left undone."

"Smuggling medicines privately is a major taboo for the Japanese."

"General Guan dares to act so recklessly right under our noses. Isn't this like defecating and pissing on the head of the police department?"

"If we don't deal with him, what's the point of having us?"

"Wouldn't it be better if they all went to work at the docks?"

Liu Kui slammed his fist on the table, enraged.

"Okay, then you guys go check it out. Try it out with a gourd first, see if you can press it down."

"If you guys are too weak and float up, don't blame me for not giving you a chance."

Seeing that his nephew was taking the initiative, Gao Bin softened his tone slightly.

“I’ll lead the team to do this. If anything goes wrong… Section Chief Gao will take the blame,” Zhou Yi said with a smile.

"Do not.

"It's the higher-ups who are backing me up. I'll report to Director Bai later." Gao Bin chuckled dryly, ignoring his comment.

"I suggest we raid his teahouse and casino first, arrest those drug dealers, and then invite some reporters to link this to the Anti-Japanese United Army and the underground Red Ticket organization."

"The bigger the commotion, the better."

"This will make those who protect him even more wary."

Hong Zhi made a suggestion.

“That’s a good suggestion,” Lu Ming was the first to agree.

"agree.

"Lu Ming, Liu Kui, put down what you're doing and fully cooperate with Zhi You to settle this matter concerning Commander Guan first."

Gao Bin waved his hand and immediately made the decision.

Lu Ming and Liu Kui both looked at Zhou Yi, both feeling indignant.

That section chief is so biased!

As soon as Captain Zhou said he would lead the team, the section chief waved his hand and handed over command to his nephew, and the way he did it was all done in such a grand and respectable way.

"Is there a problem?" Gao Bin asked, his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the group.

"no problem.

“You’re the section chief, we’ll all follow your orders.” A hint of displeasure flashed across Zhou Yi’s face.

"Section Chief, let me cooperate with Captain Zhou instead."

I'm not familiar with Harbin.

"Besides, I can't control these guys. I don't want them to turn around and beat me up."

Hong Zhi smiled humorously and handed command back to Zhou Yi.

"Alright.

"Then let's listen to Captain Zhou and get to work," Gao Bin said with a smile.

He did it on purpose.

Firstly, it was a direct message to Lu Ming and the others that Zhi held a place in their hearts, prompting them to open their eyes wider.

Especially that idiot Liu Kui, don't criticize him whenever you see him, it will affect your nephew's prestige and be detrimental to his future promotion.

Furthermore, it would also allow Zhi to sell Zhou Yi a good deal.

Of course, the prerequisite for such an unrehearsed impromptu performance is that one must be intelligent and capable of handling it.

Clearly, Zhi's response was seamless and did not disappoint him.

……

(End of this chapter)