Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 478: Turning Passive into Active
Zhou Yi pushed a cup of hot tea in front of Hong Zhiyou. The tea steam rose up and gave off the refreshing aroma of Longjing tea.

"I don't know much about economic matters."

He slowly began, “However, in order to raise money, the South Manchuria Railway Company separated its administrative power a couple of years ago. The purpose was very clear: to concentrate its efforts on controlling the economic lifeline of the entire Manchukuo.”

After a pause, Zhou Yi continued his analysis: "What the Japanese want most right now is nothing more than oil, gold, coal, and various minerals. They probably wouldn't send someone specifically to target your small fur trade."

"That's right." Hong Zhi nodded and took a sip of tea.

"I swallowed up a lot of Guan Dashuai's assets, but compared to the size of the South Manchuria Railway Company, this stuff is nothing."

He slammed the teacup down, making a loud "clang".

"Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that some blind fools might try to steal the fruits of others' labor."

Hong Zhi leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and said, word by word, "Old Zhou, is it possible that they came for both me and the minerals on the mountain?"

Zhou Yi's brows furrowed immediately: "What are Chief of Staff Isogai and the others thinking?"

"Just ask," Hong Zhiyou smiled, showing no sign of nervousness.

He reached for the phone on his desk and expertly dialed a number.

The call was answered quickly.

"Your Excellency Chief of Staff, I am Hong Zhiyou."

I don't know what they said on the other end of the phone.

“Okay, okay,” Hong Zhiyou replied repeatedly, but the smile on his face slowly disappeared.

"Goodbye."

He hung up the phone decisively and slammed the receiver back onto the base.

“This is troublesome.” Hong Zhiyou uttered three words, his face darkening. “Chief of Staff Isogai is speaking very vaguely.”

He lightly slapped his thigh, his face full of disdain and sneer: "Damn it, that old guy, Rensuke Isogai, is such a good-for-nothing! He's indecisive and always looking back and forth. He'll never amount to anything!"
"I've promised him so many benefits, but in the end he's still this hesitant and indecisive coward. I'd rather not have this kind of good-for-nothing!"

Zhou Yi looked at him, almost thinking he had misheard:
"You don't need it anyway, brother. He's the King of Guandong!"

"Wang my ass!" Hong Zhi scoffed. "If he were on my side, he might be able to stay peacefully until the restoration before going to the guillotine. But now, getting rid of him isn't difficult at all."

Zhou Yi remained silent.

He knew Hong Zhiyou wasn't just bragging.

He stood up and walked to the window, looking at the pedestrians coming and going downstairs, and slowly said, "Don't be careless. Takuichi Omura, who just took office last year as the president of the South Manchuria Railway Company, is a very powerful figure."

"Moreover, he had a close relationship with Ueda Kenkichi, the commander of the Kwantung Army Headquarters."

"This duo gained popularity among militarists by frantically praising the Japanese army's combat capabilities and belittling the Soviet Union."

"One held a gun in one hand and money in the other; they were always able to do whatever they wanted in Manchukuo."

"Isoya Rensuke has only been in the Tohoku region for a short time and his position is not stable. He has control over both the military and finances, and Tojo Hideki has lost power in Tokyo. It is normal that he cannot exert his full strength."

"Denigrating the Soviet Union?"

Hong Zhiyou rubbed his nose, the gloom on his face vanished, and he suddenly laughed silently.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhou Yi's tone was filled with astonishment. "Do you know what you're facing right now? A pack of tigers! If Omura Takuya and Ma Wendong really want to do something to you, no one can protect you!"

“Takuichi Ōmura and Kenkichi Ueda are indeed a good team,” Hong Zhiyou said slowly. “They say the Soviet Union is shit, well, I agree with them.”

Zhou Yi was completely bewildered: "Your remarks are making me very uneasy."

He was a staunch communist fighter, and Hong Zhi's words made him instinctively feel uneasy and absurd.

“Isn’t Ma Wendong here?” Hong Zhiyou completely ignored his emotions and said to himself, “If he’s here for me, it doesn’t matter. Give him whatever he wants.”

He spread his hands, looking completely unconcerned.

"I reckon he's probably after the gold mine that Commander Guan has on the mountain."

"Sure, give them all to him."

"Including my fur business, everything is fine as long as he wants it."

Zhou Yi was completely puzzled. He quickly walked back to the table, placed his hands on the tabletop, and leaned over to stare at Hong Zhiyou.

"This isn't like you! Can you really let this kind of loss slide?"
"Once you hand over all of this and run out of money, your money magic will fail, and you'll be completely at a disadvantage, essentially handing your neck to someone's knife!"

"A loss?" Hong Zhi smiled faintly, then said:

"Old Zhou, your vision is too narrow."

“Even if I offer my neck, they might not be able to cut it.”

Zhou Yi was puzzled: "I don't understand. What are you up to? What's the difference between what you're doing and suicide?"

Hong Zhiyou slowly stretched out his finger and pointed in the air: "He has the support of the people and the advantage of the location, but I have the right timing."

"What's the date today?" Hong Zhiyou suddenly asked.

Zhou Yi was taken aback by his abrupt question, but still subconsciously answered, "March 4th."

“March 4th, an auspicious day.” Hong Zhi nodded, a strange smile on his face. “A gentleman takes his revenge even in September. Remember this day, and you will witness a miracle soon.”

His voice was very low, yet it carried an undeniable force.

"Including those useless people you just mentioned, like Isogai Rensuke, Ueda Kenkichi, and Omura Takuichi, they'll all have to get out of here!"

"We don't need to do anything, we just need to wait quietly and keep them calm."

An expression of disbelief finally surfaced on Zhou Yi's perpetually composed face:

"You mean a major reshuffle of the Kwantung Army?"

"I can't think of any other possibility besides war... Are the Japanese about to officially go to war with the Soviet Union?"

“That’s right.” Hong Zhi snapped his fingers. “Before, they were having minor skirmishes with the Soviet Union on the border, but now, as early as May, with madmen like Takuichi Ōmura boasting about it, they will launch that bullshit ‘Northern Front Plan’ and can’t wait to provoke the Russian bear in the north.”

Suppressing his excitement, Zhou Yi asked, "You mean the Japanese will suffer a crushing defeat?"

“Of course.” Hong Zhi grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. “That will be the biggest nightmare of their lives, and the last glimpse of those idiots, Ma Wendong and Ueda Kenkichi.”

"Therefore, we must fully cooperate with people like Ma Wendong in advocating the theory of Soviet weakness."

Zhou Yi sat back down in his chair.

He looked at Hong Zhiyou without speaking for a long time, as if he was digesting this news that could overturn everything.

Finally, he let out a long sigh of relief: "I'm relieved that you're confident."

Hong Zhi raised an eyebrow: "You seem to trust me a lot."

“I have to believe you.” Zhou Yi gave a very faint smile. “Otherwise, Yuejian, Qiuyan, and I would have been dead many times over.”

He paused, then picked up a book from the corner of the table, titled "Far East Intelligence Station".

He flipped through it and then casually tossed it onto the table.

"Their biggest mistake was underestimating you."

"Even if they think they've figured you out completely and have praised you highly, they still greatly underestimate a wise man, a master strategist, and even..."

Zhou Yi paused for a moment, seemingly searching for a suitable word.

"The terror of a prophet."

"Having an enemy like you is the greatest tragedy for the Japanese."

"Similarly, having a friend like you is a blessing and honor that I, Zhou Yi, have accumulated over ten lifetimes."

"Hahaha!" Hong Zhi burst into hearty laughter. "I never thought that Captain Zhou would be so good at flattering people!"

Zhou Yi's expression returned to its usual calm and serene state.

"If flattery could save my life, I'd rather have my mouth stuck in a horse's ass."

As the two were talking, there was a knock on the office door.

Lu Ming pushed open the door and walked in, a smile plastered on his face: "What are you chatting about, having so much fun? I could hear Zhiyou's laughter from far away."

Hong Zhi casually made up a story: "I told Lao Zhou that the girls in Tianjin are more alluring than those in Manchuria, but Captain Zhou didn't believe me and is arguing with me about it."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming immediately perked up and eagerly approached. "I'm an expert on this!" he patted his chest, spitting as he spoke. "I'm not bragging, but which girl in Harbin's brothels haven't I slept with?"

"Next time Zhiyou takes me to Jinhai, I'll just take a look and I'll be able to tell you exactly who's tall, short, fat, and thin!"

Zhou Yi smiled and asked directly, "Is there something you need, Section Chief Lu?"

"Oh, right, it's important." Lu Ming then remembered his purpose, "Well, a big shot has recently arrived at the Binjiang Provincial Police Department, Director Ma Wendong."

"Section Chief Gao said that Director Ma is a new broom sweeping clean. He immediately joined forces with the 26th Regiment of the National Revolutionary Army and a 200-man special forces brigade of the Kwantung Army to wipe out the bandits of Laotuo Mountain."

Lu Ming paused for a moment, then continued, "The section chief wants you and Captain Zhou to go to the hall for a meeting to meet this Director Ma."

Hong Zhi nodded.

"Okay, go right away."

"Don't do it right away."

Lu Ming stopped him and lowered his voice: "Go to Section Chief Gao's office first."

When they arrived at Gao Bin's office, the door was ajar.

Hong Zhi pushed open the door and went in. His uncle was smoking a pipe, leaning back in a large leather chair, pretending to doze off. The tobacco in the pipe was flickering.

Hearing the noise, Gao Bin opened his eyes.

"sit."

Hong Zhi didn't stand on ceremony and plopped down in the chair opposite him.

Gao Bin didn't speak immediately, but slowly puffed on his pipe. The only sounds in the office were the hissing of the burning tobacco and the heavy breathing of the two men.

After a long while, Gao Bin tapped his pipe in the ashtray.

"Zhiyou, the situation is very favorable for you."

"According to my information, the Japanese are very likely targeting your bandit girlfriend this time."

Gao Bin stared at him and said, word by word, "Some time ago, a bandit leader named Wang Mazi from Feiyun Village defected to the Japanese and sold out everything about the mountain."

"He mentioned that the daughter of Sanjiang, who is your lover, has a lot of equipment belonging to the Nationalist soldiers under her command."

“Ma Wendong just arrived, he couldn’t possibly know about these old stories. Someone must have whispered something in his ear. He probably already knows about your relationship with that female bandit.”

Gao Bin leaned forward slightly.

"He's going to use you as an example."

"You've caused too much trouble in Jinhai. You killed Matsuda Shin, wiped out the Canal Gang, and even Wen Shizhen was scared out of his wits. You've really made a name for yourself."

"Ma Wendong is a notoriously ruthless man who used to help his father-in-law, Takuichi Ōmura, infight within the South Manchuria Railway Council. He wants to establish his authority, and as a new broom sweeps clean, he naturally has to step on the toughest nuts to crack."

“Once you're brought down, he'll be in Harbin, and things will be much easier.”

Gao Bin paused for a moment, then dropped another bombshell.

"And then there's that old Qiu. Ma Wendong appointed him as the head of the Security Bureau's Investigation Section as soon as he came in, filling Zhang Chunyuan's vacancy."

“He is not only making large-scale arrests of pro-Japanese sympathizers in Harbin, but I also heard that he is going to reorganize people to go up the mountain to find the Anti-Japanese United Army.”

Hong Zhi raised an eyebrow: "Uncle, you suspect that Ma Wendong has doubts about the poison plan from last time?"

"It's not doubt, it's certainty."

Gao Bin nodded, his expression growing increasingly serious.

"The poison plan is said to have killed many people, but the specifics, whether those who died were bandits or members of the Anti-Japanese United Army, are difficult for outsiders to know except for those who truly know the details."

"Now I'm afraid that Lao Qiu has gotten involved with the Anti-Japanese Alliance. The Anti-Japanese Alliance has a very mixed composition, and the conditions are tough right now, so many people are surrendering to us."

"It's hard to say how many clues Lao Qiu and his team have gathered, or whether they've uncovered a big fish."

“In the past, Shibuya Saburo was too afraid to investigate these kinds of things too deeply, for fear of pulling up a radish and bringing up the mud, and touching the wrong people.”

"But Ma Wendong is different!"

Gao Bin emphasized, "He has Ueda Kenkichi and the South Manchuria Railway Company backing him up. Shibuya Saburo is already dead, so he can use this as an excuse to overturn the whole plan and investigate it again!"

"What I'm most worried about right now is that the Anti-Japanese Alliance members are faking their deaths."

"If that's the case, you're in big trouble!"

Gao Bin's gaze was sharp as a knife: "As the person involved, Lao Qiu should have recused himself. But now he's taken the initiative to take on this task. What does that mean?"

"This shows that he and Ma Wendong were already in cahoots, and he must have revealed something crucial!"

"Ma Wendong wants to use this incident to deliver a fatal blow and nail you down!"

At this point, Gao Bin let out a long sigh, slumped down, and leaned back in his chair.

"Sigh, it's true what they say, people are afraid of becoming famous, just like pigs are afraid of getting fat. We finally got rid of Shibuya Saburo, and now an even more formidable devil has arrived."

He rubbed his temples, his face showing exhaustion.

"Alright, let's not talk about these discouraging things anymore."

Gao Bin roused himself and looked at Hong Zhiyou: "What are your thoughts? Or rather, what solutions do you have?"

Hong Zhi smiled slightly, "Uncle, I think what Ma Wendong wants is power and prestige."

"I have the connection of being a prince, and Ueda Kenkichi was personally appointed by the Emperor, so they wouldn't dare, or at least wouldn't, openly and directly target me."

"Shibuya Saburo is a cautionary tale; Ma Wendong wouldn't be that foolish."

"To some extent, they want more of my stance, or rather, they want me to give up something."

"Because they fear that my Hongsheng Company will become the second South Manchuria Railway Company."

"You think your mountain produce business is worth a second glance?" Gao Bin scoffed. "You think your fur trade would catch the eye of the South Manchuria Railway Company?"

Hong Zhi laughed: "Uncle, General Guan has more than just a fur business."

He owns a gold mine.

"The Japanese have always been obsessed with gold. This is what they really want."

“Also,” Hong Zhiyou held up two fingers, “they may have discovered that I sent equipment to Xu Yunying through Hao Guifang, and they are afraid that I will have a bandit force in my hands that will be difficult to control in the future.”

Gao Bin fell silent.

Hong Zhi's words connected all the scattered clues.

If that's the case, then it's entirely reasonable for Ma Wendong to target him.

"How do you plan to deal with this?" Gao Bin's expression was extremely serious. "Let me make this clear first, your old uncle can't help you in the slightest this time."

“Ma Wendong’s backing is too strong; I can’t reach him.”

"If something really happens, at most... at most I'll just accompany you and your son on the road."

"Uncle, it's not that bad," Hong Zhi said with a confident smile.

"I plan to take the initiative to seek refuge with Ma Wendong."

I'll give him whatever he wants.

"Turn passivity into initiative."

Gao Bin was stunned for a moment, then nodded and sighed, "That is a good idea, but all your previous efforts will have been in vain in the end."

"If you had known it would turn out like this, you would have been better off staying at home as a pampered young master and working hard to produce grandchildren for me!"

"uncle."

Hong Zhi stood up, poured him another cup of tea, and said:
"Are we the kind of people who suffer losses?"
"Just wait and see. I've never lost money in business."

"You'll find out when the time comes."

Gao Bin didn't ask any more questions: "I'm relieved if you're confident. Let's go, or Director Ma will get impatient."

The two men dressed and drove straight to the Police Headquarters.

……

(End of this chapter)