Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 431 We are best friends
"Captain Zhou?"

"He didn't go in at all. He and Hong Zhi were chatting at the entrance. There were a lot of people going in at the time, so maybe Captain Zhou didn't want to steal Li Songquan's thunder," Liu Kui recalled.

"In other words, if someone tampered with the process or tipped someone off during this time."

"Or rather, you made a mistake by accident."

"This person must not be Zhou Yi or Hong Zhiyou?"

Gao Bin followed up on his words.

"Definitely not, I can guarantee that," Liu Kui said matter-of-factly.

"You still suspect that something went wrong with Lu Ming?" Gao Bin asked.

"As you said, suspicion is a virtue. Only Lu Ming went into Han Fei's bedroom, and he was the last one to come out."

"Of course, everyone, including myself, is a suspect in making a mistake."

“The Military Intelligence Bureau is very professional in this area. Is it possible that he left a hair or something on a drawer or doorknob, and they noticed it as soon as we made a move?”

Liu Kui frowned and said.

“That’s possible. You should call Lu Ming in.” Gao Bin didn’t press further.

Soon, Lu Ming walked in, closed the door, and took a telegram from his suit jacket, handing it to Gao Bin:
"Section Chief, this is the telegram we intercepted last night. Please take a look."

Gao Bin took it, glanced at it with a gloomy expression, and said, "Hmph, they even tried to take credit for it."

“Yes, Section Chief, didn’t you see the problem?” Lu Ming glanced at him sideways.

"What's the problem?" Gao Bin liked to pretend he didn't know.

"Look."

"This telegram is a reply from Beiping, conveying Dai Li's commendation and congratulations on the Manchurian Station operation."

"Dai Li was not in Beiping. Harbin Radio generally only received signals from Beiping and Tianjin.

"Dai Li in the mountain city."

"His timely response only shows that this incident did not involve an internal traitor or a mistake on our part."

"Instead, it was a premeditated scheme between Dai Li and the Manchurian Station from the very beginning."

"That means they may have been preparing for it for many days."

"We've just fallen into a trap."

Lu Ming snorted, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

“That makes sense. The other side planted the bombs, and the detonation device was modified very professionally. They must have put in a lot of effort,” Gao Bin nodded.

"So, what nonsense about wiping out the Military Intelligence Bureau in one fell swoop? I think they're more likely trying to wipe us all out."

"Section Chief, think about it."

"If we go in last night, the Harbin Police Department can be disbanded."

Lu Ming said this in a rather alarmist tone.

"Yes, we escaped a disaster, but it's a pity about Section Chief Wu and Captain Kozuka," Gao Bin said.

Section Chief.

"There's something I want to say, but I'm not sure if I should," Lu Ming said, looking at Gao Bin and pausing for a moment.

“If you shouldn’t say something, then don’t say it,” Gao Bin said.

"I think you and Captain Murakami overestimate Li Songquan."

Is it possible that he was faking his surrender?

According to Captain Cui from Jiamusi, Li Songquan confessed before they even tortured him when they arrested him.

"Based on our past experience in handling cases involving Kuomintang secret police and 'red tickets' (illegible documents),"

"They usually have to be fed up with something before they might defect."

"Was Li Songquan's surrender too eager?"

Lu Ming pretended not to hear Gao Bin's words and continued to pin the blame on Li Songquan.

Gao Bin crossed his arms and fell into deep thought.

"Section Chief, someone absolutely needs to take responsibility for this now."

“If you continue to protect Li Songquan, I’m afraid the brothers will be disheartened,” Lu Ming continued, trying to persuade them.

“What you said makes sense. Here’s what we’ll do: you write up a statement, and I’ll talk to the village head when I have the chance,” Gao Bin said, tapping the table lightly.

"It's already written." Lu Ming took out the materials he had written overnight from his pocket and handed them over.

"You're very proactive," Gao Bin said with a smile, glancing at Lu Ming.

Lu Ming gave an awkward laugh: "Section Chief, please don't laugh at me. I'm doing this all for the sake of the department and the section."

"Is that so?" Gao Bin looked at him coldly.

Lu Ming's throat went dry, and his expression became more fearful: "Section Chief, I swear to Heaven and Earth, I swear to His Majesty the Emperor, I, I really did it for you and the brothers of the Special Service Section."

"Alright, you can leave now. Call Section Chief Hong over here." Gao Bin waved his hand coldly.

"Yes."

Lu Ming strode out of the office, letting out a sigh of relief; his entire back was soaked with sweat.

He knew Section Chief Gao.

Section Chief Gao likes scoundrels and is wary of gentlemen.

If Zhou Yi had entered the bedroom this time and was the last to come out, there would probably have been endless trouble.

But for me, I've already overcome this hurdle.

Even if he were to be implicated in this incident, a mere section chief would be far from enough to quell the Japanese anger.

The only ones who can take the blame are Gao Bin and Li Songquan.

Clearly, for the sake of his future and life, Gao Bin would pretend to be deaf and dumb, even if he had evidence that he had secretly tampered with "Han Fei's" things.

Having followed Gao Bin for so many years, Lu Ming had long since figured out the "butcher's" nature.

He went directly to Hong Zhiyou's office.

Hong Zhiyou was leaning back in his chair, resting.

He went to see Huizi again last night.

"Brother."

"You were busy again last night. How was the taste of Harbin's number one beauty?"

Lu Ming walked in, a mischievous grin on his face.

He also frequented brothels, but he usually only patronized concubines he had connections with or prostitutes from establishments like Huaichunlou and Black Swan.

Even a beauty like Huizi has desires, but she lacks the courage, and others look down on her.

"If you're not capable enough, those women will laugh at you behind your back."

"They always have it in the right."

Lu Ming picked up Hong Zhiyou's cigarette case, took one out, and said while smoking it.

"It still has to be my Brother Lu." Hong Zhi felt that this guy was actually a talent.

"You're too kind, it's just some advice from my experience."

"Women are not worth it."

Lu Ming smiled and got down to business: "I submitted some materials to Section Chief Gao, reporting Li Songquan. Brother, in these times of trouble, we must stand together as brothers."

"Captain Zhou is a saint, so I won't go out in the wind."

"Section Chief Gao values ​​you highly; your words carry more weight than mine."

"The entire burden of the police department's seven sections and thirty-two divisions rests on your shoulders."

Nima!

That sounds familiar.

Those who praised Lao Lu to the point of ruin are now getting their comeuppance.

"Don't worry, I know what to say," Hong Zhiyou said, standing up.

Holding Hong Zhiyou's gold-plated cigarette case, Lu Ming chuckled dryly and said, "Last night at the cement factory, I saw that Captain Zhou had also changed to a gold-plated cigarette case."

"Wow, it looks really stylish, it makes my mouth water."

"I gave it to him."

"Take it if you like."

"This is for you too."

Hong Zhi took out a gold-plated lighter and tossed it to him.

"Brother, this, this is too much trouble."

"You've been at the police station for so long, and I haven't been able to help you at all. I really feel ashamed."

Lu Ming said this, but his hand grabbed the lighter and cigarette case and put them directly into his pocket.

"See, you're being too polite again, aren't you?"
We're brothers!

"Let's go."

Hong Zhi patted him on the shoulder.

In my previous life, I gave Lao Lu a lot of things. It seemed like I was losing a lot of money, but in fact, I made up for it all in one go with the Long Er incident.

Moreover, this earned him a line that was widely acknowledged by Lao Lu, Li Ya, and others: "Hong Zhiyou is definitely not a red vote!"

This is enough.

Hong Zhiyou is never afraid of suffering losses.

To him, it didn't matter whether it was Liu Zhenwen or anyone else.

He's bound to reap even greater profits from any amount of money he invests.

This benefit is not necessarily money.

It could be a sentence spoken at a crucial moment.

Of course, if he's unhappy, he can take everything back from the other person, including the bowl and the pot.

Therefore, he didn't care at all about Lu Ming's petty appetite.

I'm not afraid he'll want it.

I'm just afraid they won't accept it.

"Yes, yes, we're good brothers, best friends." Lu Ming nodded gratefully.

"Then you go ahead and get busy. Call the office if you need anything."

He turned and walked to the other side, taking out a gold-plated cigarette case and a lighter and holding them in his hands as if afraid no one would see them.

Arrived at the office.

Liu Kui is looking through the materials.

Lu Ming deliberately walked over to Liu Kui's desk, leaned against it, and slowly showed him his cigarette case, taking out a cigarette and tossing it to him.

Regardless of whether Liu Kui smoked or not, he lit a gold-plated lighter and brought it closer.

"Why are you being so generous today? Did you go begging again?" Liu Kui said with his usual sharp tongue, casually pulling out his lighter and lighting it.

"Can't you speak properly anymore?"

"Section Chief Hong gave it to me, and Zhou Yi got one too. That's what they call treating everyone equally." Lu Ming closed the hood smugly.

"Why.

"You know, Captain Zhou usually seems quite upright, but I never expected him to accept things from Hong Zhi."

Lu Ming made a gossipy remark.

"It's a friendship between gentlemen, so don't be so sour."

"I'm going to check on the interrogation room. The section chief said we have to keep that Xiao Dong alive, lest Lao Tu and Chen Liang's gang kill him."

Liu Kui tidied up the documents on the table, locked them in the drawer, and walked out.

"What use is it for the section chief to keep that red ticket?" Lu Ming caught up with him, his eyes darting around as he pondered.

"You'll have to ask Section Chief Gao about that."

Liu Kui ignored him and walked away quickly.

Xiao Dong, red ticket!
Lu Ming stood there, seemingly lost in thought.

……

Hong Zhiyou arrived at the section chief's office.

Gao Bin was standing by the window with his hands behind his back.

“Uncle, you were looking for me,” Hong Zhi said.

"Yes.

"Director Liu and Director Bai are both out attending meetings. At this juncture, they don't want to get involved in our affairs."

"I suspect that there might be some information coming from Saburo Shibuya at the headquarters."

"This is a bit troublesome."

Gao Bin, whose intuition was always sharp, turned around and frowned. “Actually, it’s not troublesome. Lu Ming said he gave you some materials. Give them to me, and I’ll go see Captain Murakami and Shibuya Saburo,” Hong Zhiyou said.

"Are you confident?" Gao Bin asked.

"have.

“When I was in Tokyo, I did some research on the Japanese, so I do know a bit about them,” Hong Zhi nodded.

"That's okay.

"Here's the material for you. Go see them."

"I'm now in a bind."

“If I were to speak to them directly, the Japanese, who are always suspicious, would only deepen their doubts about me.”

"You're more suitable to negotiate than me."

Gao Bin said.

"Yes.

"However, the most urgent thing is for Uncle to keep an eye on Li Songquan and not give him the opportunity to speak to the Japanese, including by phone."

Hong Zhi thought for a moment and said.

"Don't worry, he won't leave the police station." Gao Bin nodded coldly.

……

Military Police Office.

the phone is ringing.

Murakami, who was rubbing his temples in worry, suddenly felt a pang of anxiety.

Since the explosion last night, Saburo Shibuya and General Kato of the Military Police Headquarters have been unusually silent, not even making a single phone call.

Murakami understood Saburo Shibuya; he was an upright, cold-blooded fellow.

He must be plotting something.

That was most likely targeted at him.

The phone rang several times.

Murakami then dared to pick it up: "What is it?"

"Okay, let him in."

"These fools, even a god couldn't save you, what's the use of pleading for them now?" Murakami muttered.

moment.

Hong Zhiyou walked in, took off his shoes, and sat cross-legged opposite the village.

“I know what you want to say.

“Li Songquan is one of Commander Shibuya’s men. They are brewing a grand plan. Commander Shibuya will not abandon him. No matter how much money you give me, I cannot exonerate you,” Murakami said bluntly.

"Captain Murakami."

"I have no interest in your grand plans."

“I’m just worried about whether Li Songquan is qualified to do this.”

"This is a telegram intercepted last night."

"You can take a look at the commendation personally given by Dai Li to someone in Harbin."

Hong Zhi handed over the telegram.

After reading it, Murakami frowned: "You mean, this was sent to Li Songquan?"

"This is a report document from Agent Kolumin."

"He is a shrewd old spy, as you probably know. I think these things still have some reference value."

"It will help your judgment."

Hong Zhiyou then handed over the materials that Lu Ming had stayed up all night to write.

"You suspect that Li Songquan's surrender was a ruse?" Murakami asked.

"That's not important."

"The problem is, your grand plan cannot afford to fail. Is it appropriate to entrust it to someone who is a prime suspect?"

"The current situation is that someone has to take responsibility."

"My uncle is still Li Songquan!"

"You also know that my uncle has a close relationship with your superior, Commander Kato. If he takes responsibility, it will be a huge loss to your military police headquarters."

"At the same time, you also need to continue investigating where the mistake was. Can you investigate so many people clearly?"
"On the contrary, Li Songquan took responsibility."

"Isn't it perfectly reasonable that a member of the Kuomintang's Military Intelligence Bureau, feigning surrender, orchestrated this bombing?"

Hong Zhi stood upright and spoke solemnly.

"Of course I know that Gao Binjun is reliable, and he is also your uncle."

"The problem now is how to persuade the Shibuya Chief Administrator."

"He trusted Li Songquan a lot."

Murakami was perplexed.

"Are you afraid that if you plead for my uncle, Shibuya Saburo will suspect you of protecting him?"

"wrong.

"You just need to report the truth, and he will praise your honesty and integrity."

"Because Shibuya himself is a meticulous and suspicious person."

"One was the former butcher of Fengtian, and the other was Jin Xiaoyu, the most elite technical squad leader of the police department, who had just surrendered. He lost his life, and then the bombing happened."

"What qualifications does someone like that have to carry out Commander Shibuya's secret plan?"

Hong Zhi countered with a question.

"Perhaps Commander Shibuya is waiting for your honesty right now," he said with a smile.

"A single conversation with you is worth more than ten years of study; I understand now."

"I will go and meet with Commander Shibuya now."

"Thank you, Hong Sang."

Murakami bowed deeply.

"Captain Murakami, do you believe in fate?" Hong Zhiyou asked with a smile.

“I don’t believe it. That’s just something you Chinese people use to fool ghosts,” Murakami said.

“I think you will be promoted soon, and may even replace Mr. Shibuya as the Chief of Police of Binjiang Province in the future,” Hong Zhiyou said.

"If that's the case, I'll take your good wishes to heart."

"I have to go see Commander Shibuya right away, so I won't keep you any longer."

Murakami drank tea instead of wine, raising his cup in one gulp.

Hong Zhiyou also raised his glass in tribute to him.

The two men got up, put on their shoes, and walked outside, saying, "Why did you kill Zhang Anqing?"

“He’s a member of the Military Intelligence Bureau,” Hong Zhiyou said.

“Then you should take him down and point out Li Songquan; that would be more advantageous for you.” Murakami expressed his confusion.

"But he said he knows you and that you are his protector."

"So I had no choice but to kill him on the spot."

"As you know, the Security Bureau has been keeping a close eye on the police department's cases and wants to get involved in everything."

"Director Miao of the Security Bureau is a former subordinate of Lieutenant General Cheng Cang."

"Zhang Anqing is going to be taken away by them..."

Did Hong Zhi elaborate further?

"Understood.

"Thank you, Mr. Hong. You were wounded for the sake of the Great Japanese Empire. I will repay you." Murakami bowed to him again before raising his hand in invitation.

"I have already registered some of the items found in Zhang Anqing's house."

"I have already had the rest sent to your wife's VIP room at the club."

"Captain Murakami."

"I hope we can be more than just working partners; I hope we can be friends."

"My best friend!"

"A friend who sincerely hopes you will become the director-general."

Hong Zhiyou lowered his voice.

“Hong Sang”.

We are already friends.

"I believe we will definitely become best friends."

Murakami nodded.

"Farewell."

Hong Zhiyou left the military police headquarters and drove away.

Murakami stood on the steps and watched him leave, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

Soga.

I haven't met such an interesting person in a long time.

friend?

interesting.

……

Back at the police station, Hong Zhi immediately met with Gao Bin: "Uncle, I went to see Shibuya Saburo in the village."

"You didn't go?" Gao Bin asked.

"I originally wanted to go, but after thinking about it carefully, I think it's more appropriate for Japanese people to talk to each other."

"Actually, even if we don't talk about it, the outcome is already predetermined."

"If Commander Shibuya really wants to protect Li Songquan, even if he doesn't interrogate you immediately, he should at least take Li Songquan away for protection, or make him submit a formal report."

"But it doesn't seem so now."

"This shows that Shibuya Saburo does not trust Li Songquan, or at least he is hesitant."

“At this point, all it would take is for the village to say a few words, along with Lu Ming’s materials, to basically sentence Li Songquan to death.”

Hong Zhiyou calmly analyzed the situation.

"You're very smart; your time studying in Japan wasn't wasted."

"Then let's wait for their news."

Gao Bin's mood brightened instantly, and he laughed heartily.

……

office.

Li Songquan stood by the window, staring intently at the parking lot outside.

From here he could see everyone entering and leaving the police station.

Logically, given the major incident that occurred during this operation, Gao Bin should have gone out to find people, whether to report the incident or to plead for leniency.

But he stared at it for almost three hours.

Gao Bin remained silent.

This guy is too calm.

This made Li Songquan feel vaguely uneasy.

He presented that ruthless and brilliant plan to Saburo Shibuya, and earned Shibuya's respect and praise.

But this doesn't necessarily mean you're immune from death.

No.

Got to move.

He picked up the phone, intending to dial the number for Saburo Shibuya's official residence.

There is no signal when the call is connected.

Li Songquan had a bad feeling and shouted outside, "Someone come here!"

"coming."

Zhou Yi walked in slowly.

……

(End of this chapter)