Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 457 Isotani Rensuke
After leaving the fur shop, Hong Zhi went directly to his uncle's house.

Aunt Liao Chunxiang served up a pot of warm pork tripe soup.

As soon as he sat down, Liao Chunxiang served him soup, her gaze fixed on him with a pained yet reproachful expression:
"You look much worse than when you first came back. You're a grown adult, and you don't even know how to take care of yourself. You don't even want to go home."

Hong Zhi took a sip of soup and praised it, saying, "Auntie, there's been a lot going on at the hall lately, I'm always working overtime and even going to the mountains. That's why I'm so tired. You can ask my uncle if you don't believe me."

Liao Chunxiang rolled her eyes at Gao Bin, who was silently reading his newspaper beside her.

"Him? When he gets home, he either reads the newspaper or just stares blankly, like a silent gourd, as if I were some kind of plague woman," she complained, pouting.

Gao Bin put down his newspaper, looking somewhat embarrassed: "We've been an old married couple for so long, and you're out playing cards and dancing all day long, haven't you said enough?"

"When you talk to outsiders, you're just spouting nonsense. All you hear are flattery. How many of them are truly sincere?"
"I wanted to say a few words from the heart, but neither of you cares to listen," Liao Chunxiang snorted.

Hong Zhiyou forced a shameful smile: "Auntie, it's my fault. I promise, I'll come over to pay my respects to you every night from now on. No matter how big the world is, coming home to have dinner and chat with you is the most important thing."

"That's more like it!" Liao Chunxiang laughed.

"Ahem!" Gao Bin gave his wife a look.

"I'm a little tired, I'll go upstairs and rest first." He stood up and slowly went upstairs.

Only the aunt and nephew remained in the living room. Liao Chunxiang then took Hong Zhiyou's hand and lowered her voice:
“Zhiyou, everything must be done in moderation.”

"Your uncle and aunt are eager to have a grandson, but you have to have a clear sense of right and wrong."

Her eyes were full of worry.

There are three things in this world that you should never touch.

"First, a widow who brings misfortune to her husband; second, a woman who cuts off someone's source of income; and third, a married woman."

"The practice of cutting off someone's livelihood is no longer a rule, so we won't mention it. As for you and that Japanese widow named Keiko, your uncle said you were doing it to make a lot of money, and your aunt won't stop you."

"But this married woman is truly untouchable!"

At this point, Liao Chunxiang's tone became more serious, "What is a woman? She is a man's face! If you steal someone else's wife, it's no different from taking their life. How could they not fight you to the death?"

She then shifted her focus, getting straight to the heart of the matter.

“You and that Zhou Yi are always calling each other brothers, but behind his back you're stealing his girlfriend. That's not a very nice thing to do.”

"That Gu Qiuyan, I don't think she's a good woman."

"A pregnant woman who's always flirting with other men—that kind of woman is bound to cause big trouble sooner or later!"

"Captain Zhou is a man who cares about his reputation."

"If he finds out about this, he definitely won't let it go!"

"Don't let his gentle and upright demeanor fool you. The more mild-mannered and seemingly honest a person is, the more unfathomable their thoughts become. What if he shoots you in the back while on duty one day? You wouldn't even know how you died!"

Liao Chunxiang looked worried as she spoke, and then served him another large bowl of soup.

Hong Zhi knew exactly what was going on.

These words, ostensibly advice from the aunt, were actually the uncle's intention.

Since the uncle couldn't say it directly, he asked the aunt to act as the mediator.

"Auntie, I know I was wrong."

Hong Zhiyou put his hand on her shoulder and said sincerely, "I was just confused about her for a moment. I promise I will break up with her as soon as possible."

Liao Chunxiang wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and glared at him irritably:
"You! There are so many nice girls in Harbin, why do you have to like one of them? I don't know where you picked up this bad habit, you need to change it!"

Hong Zhi awkwardly touched his nose: "Auntie, don't worry, I will definitely change."

……

When Zhou Yi returned home, Gu Qiuyan was already there to greet him and helped him take off his coat.

The servant, Liu Ma, brought the last dish to the table and said demurely, "Sir, Madam, dinner is ready. Please enjoy your meal. I'll head back to my room now if there's nothing else. Please call me if you need anything."

After saying that, she quietly retreated, her footsteps as light as a cat's.

Gu Qiuyan watched her go downstairs and asked softly, "Did Aunt Liu... find out something?"

“Even when you live under the same roof every day, there will always be times when you make a mistake.” Zhou Yi sat down at the dining table and rolled up his sleeves.

"The smartest thing about Aunt Liu is that she knows how to avoid suspicion."

"Gao Bin must have sent someone to the vegetable market to inquire about her and ask about what happened that night."

"Judging from the result, her answer should be quite good, otherwise Gao Bin wouldn't have sent someone to inquire, but would have come directly to her door." He picked up his chopsticks and said calmly.

"Then...should we replace her?" Gu Qiuyan was a little worried.

Zhou Yi shook his head: "Changing people now will only arouse more suspicion. Besides, the new one might not be as useful as Aunt Liu. Forget it."

He picked up a piece of food and chewed it slowly.

“Go get a bottle of red wine, let’s have a drink tonight,” Zhou Yi suddenly said.

Gu Qiuyan was somewhat surprised; it was rare to see him in such a good mood.

She brought him red wine and a glass, poured it for him, and smiled slightly.
"Any good news? You always look so gloomy, but today I finally see a bit of joy."

Zhou Yi picked up his wine glass and gently clinked it against hers: "The Far East Radio broadcast a news item today."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an irrepressible excitement.

"Georgian border guards killed three assassins lying in wait on the Sochi border, while four others escaped. One of the dead is very likely to be Lyusikov."

"In other words, we successfully prevented the Japanese and remnants of Tsarist Russia from assassinating Comrade Stalin."

"That's great!" Gu Qiuyan exclaimed with delight.

But then, her expression darkened again:
"Unfortunately, only half of my telegram was sent."

“No.” Zhou Yi interrupted her. “Although the final intelligence was sent out by the Military Intelligence Bureau, your half of the telegram is equally important.”

"It provided a second confirmation of the intelligence's authenticity. Only intelligence confirmed by both the Kuomintang and the Communist Party would receive the highest level of attention from the Soviet Union. Your contribution is equally important."

Zhou Yi's tone was very certain.

"The Far East Radio Station even paid special tribute and commendation to the intelligence agent of Manchukuo, namely you, in its broadcasts." This sentence was fabricated by him.

"really?"

Gu Qiuyan's eyes immediately reddened, and her voice choked with sobs.

"That's great...really...that's great..."

She was a little incoherent.

"To be honest, I've been eating and drinking here for free every day. I failed to send a telegram up the mountain, and my secret actions even implicated Pingjun... I... I always felt like I was a burden to you all, but I never expected..."

Tears streamed down her cheeks, a complex mix of grievance, self-blame, and relief.

"No one is born to do this job. Every qualified soldier is tempered in blood and fire to grow into a capable soldier."

“Aren’t you becoming more and more like a warrior?” Zhou Yi swirled his wine glass and laughed.

"Thank you, you've finally said something good about me." Gu Qiuyan nodded vigorously, her tears turning into a smile.

Receiving affirmation and encouragement swept away all the pent-up frustration in her heart.

She poured herself a small glass of red wine as well.

Zhou Yi frowned: "You're pregnant, don't drink it."

"It's okay, I'll just have a little bit, I'm happy."

The two drank quietly, enjoying this rare moment of peace and joy.

After a moment, Zhou Yi put down his wine glass: "There's something I need to tell you. Starting tomorrow, try to meet up with Hong Zhiyou when you have some free time."

"You can go to a hotel, but try not to come to my home and don't be too ostentatious."

"It's like a secret affair, all done secretly."

Gu Qiuyan froze, her cup hanging in mid-air.

"You want me to have an affair with him?" she asked in surprise.

"To cover up the lie." Zhou Yi briefly explained Gao Bin's probing and how Hong Zhi had helped to get you out of the predicament. "Also, last time at Wolf Head Cliff, it was he who found someone to rescue you."

Gu Qiuyan was quick-witted and immediately grasped the key point: "Hong Zhiyou...is one of our people?"

“No. Strictly speaking, he is a businessman with a money-oriented mindset,” Zhou Yi replied crisply.

He didn't know much about Hong Zhiyou's background, but protection was necessary.

“I paid him ten gold bars to save you,” Zhou Yi said.

"So expensive!" Gu Qiuyan exclaimed, her face full of pain.

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "What? Is your life not even worth ten gold bars? You are the young lady of the Gu family."

Gu Qiuyan was amused by him and gave him a playful glare.
"That's definitely worth it. Thanks, I'll owe you the money for now. Luckily your family is well-off, otherwise I would really be dead." Zhou Yi's smile carried a hint of dry humor: "Your Gu family is much richer than me, this amount of money is nothing to your family. Put it on the tab, remember to pay me back later."

"I won't pay it back. Have you ever seen a married couple have to pay each other back?" Gu Qiuyan said slyly, trying to be unreasonable.

……

Three days later, in Xinjing.

Hong Zhiyou entered a Japanese-style room in a high-end private club and bowed slightly to the soldier sitting cross-legged on the tatami.

This man was none other than Isogai Rensuke, Chief of Staff of the Kwantung Army.

“Hong Sang, please sit down.”

Rensuke Isogai raised his hand, a formulaic smile on his face.

"Last time in Harbin, Hong Sang braved dangers for the sake of the empire's plans, and his courage is admirable."

After exchanging pleasantries, the two sat facing each other.

Isogai Rensuke was a very punctual person. He glanced at his watch and got straight to the point: "Hong-san, you came all the way from Harbin today, you must have something important to discuss?"

Hong Zhi leaned forward slightly and said sincerely, "General, I have to thank you and Vice Commander Yano for saving me during the last bacteriological warfare incident. Otherwise, I'm afraid Director Shibuya would have disposed of me as a consumable long ago."

Isogai Rensuke's eyebrows twitched, and he immediately felt a sense of goodwill towards Hong Zhiyou's tact.

In fact, the General Staff's initial decision was to eliminate all non-core personnel who knew about the bacteriological warfare plan, and Hong Zhiyou was naturally on the list.

Everyone here is a smart person. If Hong Zhiyou is able to turn the page on this matter, the rest of the conversation will be much easier.

He continued, "The General Staff has already severely reprimanded Chief Shibuya for his foolish behavior."

"We will always regard our friends who are loyal to the Great Japanese Empire as brothers and brethren, and as an indispensable part of the prosperity of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere."

"Thank you, General, but Chief Shibuya is still determined to kill me. You can save me once, but you may not be able to save me again."

Hong Zhiyou got straight to the point.

Rensuke Isogai picked up his teacup, unconvinced: "Hong-san is overthinking it. Director Shibuya is an excellent Imperial soldier and would not target anyone loyal to the Empire without reason."

He didn't want to get involved.

Hong Zhiyou has Kenji Doihara backing him, and they're not in the same faction. It's completely unnecessary to offend Kanji Ishihara for his sake.

"But he's targeting me."

Hong Zhiyou insisted.

Rensuke Isogai smiled, said nothing, and slowly sipped his tea.

"The general must have heard some of the rumors as well."

Hong Zhiyou continued.

"I've only taken on some business, but I'm not just making money for myself."

"It's for you, General."

"Oh? For me?"

Rensuke Isogai's lips curled into a contemptuous laugh.

"of course."

Hong Zhi sat up straight, his demeanor suddenly changing.

"Now, Ishihara Kanji, through people like Shibuya Saburo, is wantonly interfering with the normal operations of the Kwantung Army and the Military Police, attempting to continue to control Manchukuo."

"In my opinion, this is blatant contempt for you, Chief of Staff!"

Rensuke Isogai's expression softened: "The Imperial Army is a united front. Whoever does the right thing, we will give them our full support."

"It's clear that most of the time, Director Shibuya was just doing his job."

He felt that Hong Zhi wasn't as clever as he had imagined, and that this divisive tactic was utterly foolish.

"General."

"According to the information I received from Tokyo, Ishihara Kanji secretly received the support of Army Minister Itagaki Seishiro. Everything Shibuya Saburo does in the Kanto region will be regarded as a badge of honor for Ishihara Kanji to flaunt. Conversely, if he messes up, everyone will think that it is your mistake as Chief of Staff in command and overall strategy."

"For example, this plan to assassinate Stalin."

Hong Zhiyou's voice was low, but every word was like a needle.

Isogai Rensuke frowned slightly. This incident was entirely Shibuya Saburo's doing, and he had only recently learned of it.

"Now that Commander-in-Chief Hideki Tojo has been excluded from the Army and has gone to the General Staff Office of Aviation, the situation is very unfavorable for him."

"But as far as I know, Itagaki Seishiro also thinks highly of Tojo, and wavers between supporting him and his old friend Ishihara Kanji."

"I ask you, if Hideki Tojo were to fail, would you, as his personally appointed chief of staff who replaced Kanji Ishihara, be spared?"

Hong Zhiyou sneered.

Rensuke Isogai's hand, holding the teacup, froze in mid-air. He sipped his tea calmly, but something else flickered in his eyes:
"You know a lot."

"No wonder he knows the prince and the chief guard."

"I also know that the military and the royal family require a lot of funding to operate."

"The soldiers of the Empire are not a monolithic entity, nor are they all made of steel. They need to eat and they need money."

"I just want to relieve some of the pressure on military supplies for you, General! Those conglomerates like Mitsubishi and Mitsui have powerful backers and many influential figures behind them. No matter how much they earn, what ends up in your hands is just a drop in the ocean!"
"And what about me?"
"My only backers are the Prince, the Chief of the Guard, and you, General!"

As Hong Zhiyou spoke, he placed a leather suitcase he had brought with him on the low table.

With a "click", the box opened.

One hundred neatly stacked gold bars and one hundred thousand brand-new Kangde coins gleamed under the lights, dazzling the eyes.

Rensuke Isogai's pupils flashed with a sharp light, which he then skillfully concealed: "Your patron... is Kenji Doihara."

"That's right, Chief Doihara is technically my senior brother."

Hong Zhiyou readily admitted it.

"But distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. In Manchukuo, only you, General, can protect me."

"Mitsubishi's money belongs to the zaibatsu, while my money belongs to you, General."

"Now that Commander Tojo is at a disadvantage, you should join forces with Vice Commander Yano to deal with the Ishihara faction and give him your strongest support!"
"Don't forget, this foundation of Manchukuo was built by Commander Tojo himself. Only when you establish a firm foothold here can he establish a firm foothold in Tokyo!"

“I know you have difficulties, but this is a choice in itself.”

Hong Zhiyou pressed on relentlessly.

"You either sit idly by and watch Shibuya Saburo and the Ishihara faction continue to grow in power, and then Ishihara Kanji comes back to take revenge on you when he gains power."

"Either you express your loyalty to the officer who recommended you, Tojo, take concrete actions to purge the Ishihara faction, and give him your full support!"
"General, you know better than I how brutal and intense the factional struggles within the Army Department are."

"Who doesn't know that Manchukuo is fertile land, a treasure trove? You think you can just coast along here? No way! Either clear away all obstacles, stay as steady as Mount Tai, and make a fortune, or drift aimlessly and wait to be purged one day!"

His tone became increasingly intense and impassioned.

Rensuke Isogai stroked his teacup, remaining silent.

Hong Zhiyou continued to press the issue: "General, we're talking about business and livelihood today."

"I hope you can be more honest so I can know how big your appetite is and how much food you want to eat."

He reached into the box, picked up a gold bar, weighed it in his hand, and then casually tossed it back.

"clang!"

The crisp sound of gold bars striking each other was both jarring and alluring.

Rensuke Isogai's gaze gradually sharpened and hardened.

"We all know that Saburo Shibuya is disgusting."

"His fanatical Nichiren followers can't stand seeing others get promoted, make money, and enjoy wealth and honor. But I want to ask, isn't the essence of war the plunder of wealth? General, you're not willing to just waste your energy, strength, and even your life, only to end up with nothing but empty fame, are you?"

Rensuke Isogai finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse: "What brilliant idea do you have?"

Hong Zhiyou's eyes instantly turned fierce: "We must take him down! Take down all the people in Ishihara's faction, even Mitsubishi! Let's make sure all the money is in our own pockets!"
"Otherwise, why do you think His Highness would protect me?"

Upon hearing this, Isogai Rensuke was jolted awake and understood completely.

Hong Zhiyou didn't come here today to discuss cooperation.

He came to ask for my cooperation.

There are truly powerful figures who want to reshuffle the cards on the lucrative piece of Manchukuo.

If I don't agree, I won't even get a share of the pie, and I probably won't be able to hold onto my position as chief of staff for long.

……

(End of this chapter)