Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 498 The Deceitful Lady Jia Hui
three days later.

Hong Zhiyou changed into a sharp suit, his hair was slicked back and shiny, and he walked into the police station with a ruddy complexion.

Gao Bin was wearing reading glasses and struggling to read the newspaper.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Hong Zhiyou. He took off his glasses and teased with a smile, "You've found a gold ingot, kid? Look at that beaming face."

Hong Zhi leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, "Uncle, Yunying is pregnant."

Gao Bin was taken aback at first, then his face lit up with great joy, and he slapped his thigh.

"Good thing!"

He rubbed his hands together excitedly and asked incoherently, "Several... no, when were they discovered?"

Hong Zhi grinned: "How could it take several months? It'll only take a few days."

"Great!"

Gao Bin let out a long sigh of relief, and his whole body relaxed.

"This seed is excellent; it is a legitimate descendant of our Gao family!"

He patted Hong Zhiyou on the shoulder with deep emotion.

"Oh my, our ancestors have shown their power! They either don't come at all, or they come with two of them! The Gao family has hope of continuing its lineage!"

"Hehe, you're talking about a 2-in-1 system, there has to be at least one guy, right?"

Hong Zhiyou laughed and said, "I reckon there should be. If it's a girl, please don't be too picky."

Gao Bin waved his hand: "It's not that serious. As long as they are of the Gao family, I like them whether they are boys or girls."

Hong Zhiyou said, "Uncle, I have to go to Tokyo in a few days. It's for business, and I might be staying for a while."

"When you and your aunt have time later, we'll invite Yunying to stay at your home."

“She’s a very easygoing person, and I’m not comfortable leaving her alone at home as a pregnant woman.”

Gao Bin thumped his chest loudly:

"Go ahead without worry!"
"I'll have your aunt treat her like a princess, and I guarantee she'll raise her to be plump and healthy!"

Hong Zhiyou lowered his voice again and instructed, "She has a bad temper, especially towards Japanese people, and she hates them. You should keep a close eye on her and make sure she doesn't cause trouble outside."

"know."

Gao Bin nodded, then glared at him warningly.

"You better remember this, kid: once you get to Tokyo, you're not allowed to get involved with any Japanese women!"

He lowered his voice and spat:
"All Japanese people are... beasts."

Gao Bin sighed heavily, his eyes filled with exhaustion and disgust.
"By associating with beasts, we have already disgraced our ancestors. But once we put on this skin and enter hell, there's no turning back..."

He didn't say anything more, but just waved his hand, indicating that Hong Zhiyou could leave.

Hong Zhi nodded solemnly: "Understood, please take care."

After leaving the police station, Hong Zhiyou bid a brief farewell to Zhou Yi and embarked on his journey to Tokyo.

……

Time flies.

Early June 1939.

Harbin in summer is exceptionally refreshing, with the Songhua River flowing endlessly.

On the train.

Having been away from Harbin for nearly four months, Hong Zhiyou sat by the window, looking at the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar scenery outside, his thoughts swirling.

During his trip to Tokyo, he visited various influential figures and spent money like water.

The little wealth left by General Guan and the money he made from selling furs were almost entirely squandered.

The primary objective was to persuade Naoto Kojiyama, who had been unemployed due to being falsely accused, to rejoin the South Manchuria Railway Council.

To help him make a comeback, Hong Zhiyou spared no expense, and the two even followed the ancient custom of becoming sworn brothers.

Some members of the Army Ministry and the South Manchuria Railway Council tacitly approved the return of Naoto Kojima in the face of high "political donations."

Of course, the time is not yet ripe.

Everything was brewing beneath the surface. Kojiyama Naoto remained idle in his Tokyo mansion, waiting for the crucial moment when Hongzhi would speak.

The train has arrived at the station.

As soon as Hong Zhiyou stepped off the train, he saw the crowd waiting on the platform.

Zhou Yi, Lu Ming, and several young men in police uniforms were there to pick them up; their ranks were all quite high.

Several people stepped forward quickly.

"Section Chief Hong, you must be tired from your journey."

Zhou Yi introduced a handsome young policeman next to him, saying, "This is Zhang Tao, Li Chengxuan, and Wang Dayun. They are all elites recently assigned from the Police Academy."

"Zhang Tao is now serving under Section Chief Lu, Li Chengxuan is serving under Liu Kui, and Wang Dayun is under my command. They are all future pillars of our police department."

The three young men immediately straightened their backs and saluted Hong Zhiyou in unison.

"Hello, Section Chief Hong!"

Lu Ming patted Zhang Tao on the shoulder with a forced smile and said to the three of them, "Open your eyes wide and see clearly, this is our police department's god of wealth, the famous Little Hong in Harbin."

"If you offend him, you'll be in big trouble and starve."

Hong Zhi waved his hand dismissively, saying in an old-fashioned tone, "Section Chief Lu, don't scare the young man. We're all colleagues from the same department, so we should look out for each other in the future."

"Keep up the good work, I have faith in you guys."

"Thank you, Section Chief Hong." Zhang Tao and the other two bowed again.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Hong Zhi got into the car driven by Zhou Yi.

The car started and merged into the traffic.

Zhou Yi, driving with his eyes fixed on the road, asked, "How's the trip going?"

Hong Zhi lit a cigarette and said that everything was going well. Once the Japanese failed in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol and entered the liquidation phase, Kojima Naoto would come back to take over the South Manchuria Railway.

"That's great." Zhou Yi smiled, but his tone turned serious again:

"The situation at Nomonhan is very tense right now."

"The Soviet Union appointed General Zhukov last month and established the First Far Eastern Army, which is organizing a large-scale mechanized force to fight against Japan."

"Some time ago, Japanese Major General Kobayashi, taking advantage of his superior numbers, captured the Shertaulagai Heights on the east bank of the Khalkha River."

"With Zhukov's large-scale counter-offensive, the Japanese are now frantically reinforcing their troops in the direction of Hailar."

"The Soviet Union and the headquarters of the Yancheng organization urgently need intelligence on the next steps of the Kwantung Army's operations."

Hong Zhi thought for a moment and said, "There are no troops directly participating in the battle in Harbin, so it will probably be difficult to obtain intelligence from the front lines."

Zhou Yi said in a deep voice, "Yes."

"It's good that you're back. See if you can think of a way. As for the money, the transportation station said that we have to buy it no matter how much we have."

Hong Zhi pondered for a moment, then tapped his fingertips lightly on his knee.

"I can try."

He changed the subject abruptly, asking with a puzzled look, "How did those three people get in?"

If he remembered correctly, Zhang Tao and his two companions were specially sent by the Beiping Working Committee and Liu Wensheng. Their ostensible identities were that of red flags infiltrating Manchukuo, but in reality, they had already betrayed the regime and become bait to lure people in.

Before leaving, Hong Zhiyou reminded Zhou Yi to be careful, wondering how these three had managed to sneak into the police station so brazenly.

Zhou Yi sighed: "This is Ma Wendong's idea."

"Let them into the police station, ostensibly as police officers, but secretly disguised as corrupt officials, so they have more options to maneuver."

He paused, then said coldly, "Moreover, it's also possible that they're targeting me."

"The most troublesome thing now is that these three people are secretly trying to contact the underground organization in Harbin in the name of the Beiping Working Committee."

“If we accept the challenge, then the comrade who goes to meet with us will have jumped straight into a trap.”

"But if we don't take the bait, Gao Bin and the others will soon find out that the identities of these three decoys have been exposed."

"Liu Zhenwen had specifically contacted you before, and Gao Bin later specifically contacted me as well."

"If we're exposed, we'll both be the first suspects."

Hong Zhi nodded: "It is quite troublesome. That old fox Liu Zhenwen set a trap for me a long time ago."

A sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"But it doesn't matter. If they want to fish, we can use them to our advantage and turn the tables on them."

Zhou Yi glanced at him and nodded: "We can only take it one step at a time. Sigh, Section Chief Gao and Ma Wendong are both very experienced, so it might not be easy to deal with them."

……

After spending the day socializing at the police station, Hong Zhi went to his aunt's house that evening, carrying large bags of things.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw Xu Yunying sitting on the sofa, hugging a roast chicken and gnawing on it.

Good guy.

After not seeing her for several months, Xu Yunying had gained a lot of weight. Her once pretty face had become round and chubby, and her figure had become much fuller.

She was already tall and voluptuous, and with this extra weight, she looked even more like a formidable tomboy.

When Hong Zhiyou saw her, she was tearing off a large chicken leg and stuffing her mouth full of oil, acting as if she were no stranger to the family.

Auntie came out of the kitchen with a bowl of soup. When she saw Hong Zhiyou, she couldn't stop smiling.

"Ji-you is back!"

"Come and see, your aunt hasn't mistreated your Yunying, has she?"

"Look at this belly, it's so pointed and perky. As the old saying goes, a pointed belly means a boy and a round belly means a girl. She also loves sour foods, so this baby is definitely a big, healthy boy!"

Hong Zhi put down his things and said gratefully, "Thank you for your hard work, Auntie."

The aunt straightened her face and said, "I'm not happy when you say that!"
"What mother-in-law wouldn't let her daughter-in-law eat?"

"Besides, your uncle's meager possessions will all be left to his children in the future. Are you worried that they'll squander it all?"

Xu Yunying chimed in, saying indistinctly, "That's right, Auntie isn't like you, so stingy."

Hong Zhi was both amused and exasperated. He went over and said he wanted to take Xu Yunying home to live with him.

Before he could finish speaking, his aunt was the first to object.

"no!"

Xu Yunying shook her head vigorously, refusing to leave no matter what.

She's heavily pregnant now and very precious; she has no intention of going back to serve Hong Zhiyou.

The aunt was afraid that Hongzhi, with his reckless and impulsive nature, might accidentally kill her beloved grandson.

She knew all too well that when Gu Qiuyan was pregnant, her nephew had been dating and fooling around with other women quite a bit.

She can't control how much of a womanizer her nephew can be, but she can keep an eye on her own "eldest grandson"!

Hong Zhi was at his wit's end. Seeing the murderous look in his aunt's eyes, he had no choice but to give up.

Aunt and Xu Yunying exchanged a glance, both seeing a smug look in each other's eyes.

Clearly, during the months he was away, the old man and the young man had developed a deep revolutionary bond and formed an unbreakable united front.

Hey.

Hong Zhiyou groaned inwardly.

It seems I'll have to be a monk for quite some time again.

……

back home.

Hong Zhiyou had just lay flat on the bed, ready to enjoy his long-awaited bachelor life, when the phone on the bedside table suddenly rang.

He grabbed the receiver, his voice tinged with impatience.

"I'm."

A woman's languid yet alluring voice came from the other end of the phone.

She is Mrs. Jia Huizi.

Making plans as soon as you get back? Is this some kind of free-spirited attitude?

Following the address she gave him, Hong Zhi navigated a winding, dimly lit, dilapidated alleyway until he found an inconspicuous old house. He secretly drew his pistol and gently knocked on the door knocker.

The door creaked open from the inside, and a fragrant breeze wafted out.

Jia Huizi pulled him inside and locked the door behind her.

The house looked dilapidated from the outside, but inside it was a hidden gem.

The interior was decorated in an extremely luxurious style, with thick carpets on the floor that were so soft you could sink into them.

The Japanese-style tatami room has a delicate gramophone in the corner, playing soothing music.

It's warm and cozy, yet filled with an ambiguous atmosphere.

Before Hong Zhi could speak, Jia Huizi had already pounced into his arms like a ball of fire, stood on tiptoe, and gave him a long kiss.

Hong Zhi understood in an instant.

This is the love nest that Jia Huizi bought especially for the two of them.

The two quickly became entangled.

Two hours later, Jia Huizi exhausted her last bit of strength and lay on Hong Zhiyou's chest like a lazy cat, gently stroking the bloody scratches she had made on his back:
"Hong Sang, do you know?"

“In the days since you left, I can only fall asleep every night by holding the handkerchief you left behind.”

“Every day, I call your name countless times in my heart.”

I'm going crazy missing you, really.

Jia Huizi wrapped her arms around his neck, her breath sweet as orchids, as she spoke of her heart-wrenching longing.

Hong Zhi pinched her smooth cheek and teased with a smile, "Aren't you afraid Ma Wendong will find out you're so flirtatious?"

Jia Huizi sighed.

"To be honest, I thought I would forget you easily after last time."

"But the truth is, it's simply impossible."

"I admit, you're not the only man behind me."

"But none of them are as gentle and just as perfect as you."

"I can never forget you, and no one can replace you."

Hong Zhi smiled and asked, "So, are you pregnant?"

Jia Huizi shook her head, a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"At first, I really believed it."

"Later I realized that the prescription you gave me was just a lie."

"Me and Ma Wendong, no, to be precise, me... probably won't have children."

"But I don't hate you at all, this is my fate."

Hong Zhi stroked her hair: "You are very smart, and I like smart people."

"However, haven't you been out for a little too long?"

Jia Huizi waved her hand dismissively: "It's okay, Ma Wendong went to a meeting in Xinjing."

"Recently, the Kwantung Army suffered a great loss on the Khalkh River. The front line is in dire need of help. The staff is holding meetings every day and arguing endlessly."

"He probably won't be back until tomorrow at the earliest."

Hong Zhi had a sudden thought.

This woman really knows a lot of inside information.

He said with a forced smile, "Didn't your father think highly of the Kwantung Army?"

Jia Huizi sighed inwardly:
"That was all instigated by Ma Wendong."

"He wanted to pull off a big heist. He wanted the Kwantung Army, with the support of the South Manchuria Railway, to take over Outer Mongolia and the Soviet Far East in one fell swoop, all the way to the Lake Baikal line."

"It's the economic version of the 'Northern Advance Plan' that those crazy guys in the Army Department keep touting."

"Once he takes over that area, he can persuade the South Manchuria Railway Company to set up a branch, or simply form a new company himself to be responsible for mining the mineral resources there."

"That way, he could establish a second South Manchuria Railway and become a true local tyrant."

Hong Zhi nodded and commented, "The idea is good, and it's very ambitious."

Jia Huizi snorted.

"Yes, Father also agrees. After all, once it grows big, it will all be our family's business."

"I just didn't expect that Soviet guy named Zhukov to be such a good fighter."

"The situation on the front lines is very bad."

Hong Zhiyou feigned surprise: "Isn't the Kwantung Army very strong? They should win, right?"

Jia Huizi shook her head, a hint of fear on her face.

"Do not.

"I heard that place has now become a meat grinder."

"The Soviet tanks were like a tidal wave, impossible to stop."

"Many soldiers would rather commit suicide than go back to the battlefield."

"There are also many wounded soldiers who retreated from the front lines, and they were all terrified."

She leaned close to Hong Zhiyou's ear and lowered her voice.

"Otherwise, why would they have called over that devil Shiro Ishii this time?"

Shiro Ishii?

Are the Japanese preparing to wage bacteriological warfare in Nomonhan?

Hong Zhi was deeply shaken, but he remained outwardly calm and asked casually, "If we are defeated, your family won't be affected, will they?"

Jia Huizi said, "No."

"My father said that if the Kwantung Army really couldn't hold on, the General Headquarters would immediately draw the most elite divisions from North China and the Central Plains to come and reinforce them."

Hong Zhi hummed in agreement: "That's good."

He stood up, and Jia Huizi quickly and gently helped him get dressed.

Hong Zhi looked at her and laughed, "Looks like you're not that brave after all. You still have to be careful around Lao Ma."

Jia Huizi rolled her eyes at him, exuding charm.

A man's reputation should always be protected.

Be careful lately.

“That guy from your police department named Lu Ming, and that young man under him named Zhang Tao, have come to my house a few times.”

"It seems that Old Ma values ​​them quite a bit."

"Be careful they don't become the next Lao Qiu."

Hong Zhiyou felt a chill run down his spine, but said affectionately, "Thank you for reminding me, Madam."

Jia Huizi sighed softly.

"No need for thanks, I should be the one thanking you."

"After tonight, who knows when the next time will be."

Hong Zhi kissed her on the lips: "There's a chance."

He thought for a moment and then said, "Let me recommend a book to you."

Jia Huizi asked curiously, "What book?"

Hong Zhi leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Water Margin."

"There is a hero in there who fights a tiger, named Wu Song."

"He has a sister-in-law who is just as beautiful as you."

At this point, he kissed Jia Huizi again, his eyes filled with seriousness.

"If the situation really turns bad one day, don't panic, madam, I'm here for you."

Jia Huizi smiled and said, "Thank you. But you're overthinking it. Take care of yourself first."

Hong Zhiyou escorted her to the door, watched her get into a black car parked at the alley entrance, then straightened his collar and turned to go home with a sense of satisfaction.

People, especially young people, still need to have some fun.

……

Early in the morning.

Ma Wendong returned home ahead of schedule.

The living room was empty, except for the maid, Xiangzi, who greeted him in the front hall.

He frowned, feeling inexplicably uneasy.

He asked the maid, Xiangzi, "Where is the madam?"

Xiangzi bowed and replied, "Madam has an appointment with a friend to get her hair done tonight."

Do your hair?
Ma Wendong's temper flared up instantly.

Does getting a perm really require staying up this late?
It's already past midnight!
Seeing that his expression was off, Xiangzi added in a low voice, "Madam... she probably played mahjong with her friends and stayed out late."

“In the past, they also used to stay out very late.”

Just as Ma Wendong was about to lash out, the door opened.

Jia Huizi walked in from outside, carrying a handbag.

When she saw Ma Wendong in the living room, her heart sank, but she forced a smile onto her face.

"Ichiro, didn't you go to Xinjing for a meeting? Why did you come back early?" she asked with a smile.

Ma Wendong stared at her and asked coldly, "You came back early after the meeting was over."

"Where have you been?"

Jia Huizi was prepared and calmly replied, "I was playing cards at Mrs. Kishida's house."

"Since you weren't home, I played a little longer."

She wasn't afraid at all that Ma Wendong would investigate.

Mrs. Kishida was a military officer's wife; her husband was at the front lines, and she lived alone at home.

No matter what questions Ma Wendong asked, the lady would answer them flawlessly.

Sometimes, she would cover for other ladies.

This was already an unspoken consensus within their circle.

Ma Wendong's eyes remained sharp: "Playing cards? You don't usually play this late."

Jia Huizi's smile turned cold:

"no way.

"I'm feeling depressed because I can't get pregnant. Can't I relax a bit?"
"Ichiro, what's wrong with you today?"
“Even if the fighting on the front lines is intense, you don’t need to bring your resentment home.”

Ma Wendong's face stiffened when she hit a nerve. Not daring to really turn against her, he quickly softened his tone, stepped forward, hugged her, and apologized, saying, "Madam, I'm sorry."

"I shouldn't have brought my work-related emotions home."

He took the opportunity to secretly smell her scent, but Jia Huizi kept the car windows open the whole way, and her scent had long since dissipated with the night wind.

Seeing that there was no smell of male cigarette smoke, Ma Wendong felt slightly relieved.

Jia Huizi immediately put on a gentle expression and took off his coat for him.

"I'll run you a bath, and then we can talk."

Ma Wendong nodded: "Okay."

Just as Jia Huizi turned around...

Ma Wendong's gaze suddenly froze on the pearl bracelet on her wrist.

There was actually a slightly curled and short hair stuck in the gap between the beads.

……

(End of this chapter)