Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 499 Old Wu was arrested

Ma Wendong's heart sank instantly.

That slightly curly short hair didn't belong to Jia Huizi at all.

It looks just like a man's...

That's right.

It's a man's.

Ma Wendong felt like his heart was about to explode.

Jia Huizi did have some messy rumors in Tokyo back then, but since marrying him, the couple has always lived in harmony and mutual respect.

She takes meticulous care of herself and obeys her every word, making her an absolute virtuous wife and loving mother in the eyes of outsiders.

He never imagined that this woman was so despicable behind his back.

She cheated on me with another man!

Damn it!
Who in Harbin would dare to cuckold Ma Wendong!

Ma Wendong stood outside the door, trembling with rage, and felt like killing someone.

He vowed to find the guy and take his life.

……

The bathroom was filled with steam.

Jia Huizi gently closed the door.

She quickly jumped into the warm pool to wash away any lingering scent of Hong Jiyou on her body.

Just as she raised her hand to take off the pearl bracelet, she stopped.

A tiny hair was caught in the gap between the beads.

Damn.

That's Hong Zhiyou's.

She suddenly remembered the strange look in Ma Wendong's eyes earlier.

Jia Huizi instantly realized that she had been exposed.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

Through the screen in the bathroom painted with images of court ladies, she could see Ma Wendong standing motionless outside.

At this moment, his heart must be breaking.

Oh, Ichiro, I'm sorry.

If anyone's to blame, it's Hong Ji-yoo, that guy is just too irresistibly charming.

With a creak, Ma Wendong pushed open the door and walked in.

With a stiff smile on his face, he walked to the edge of the bathtub, picked up the bracelet that Jia Huizi had placed aside, and gently stroked it.

Did you win or lose at cards today?

Jia Huizi leaned against the pool wall, stretched, and sighed, "I lost. I've been in a bad mood lately, and my luck has been bad too."

Ma Wendong's gaze secretly swept over the string of beads, and he noticed that the unsightly hair was gone.

He then asked, "Who's playing cards? Are there any men?"

"how is this possible?"

Jia Huizi seemed to have heard a joke.

"There are never any men present at my card games with Mrs. Kishida. Ichiro, what's wrong with you?"

Ma Wendong forced a smile: "It's nothing, I was just asking casually."

He bent down and gently stroked Jia Huizi's cheek:

“I’ve been away in meetings a lot lately, leaving you alone at home and feeling bad.”

"I will stay in Harbin for the next period of time to spend with you."

A happy smile immediately bloomed on Jia Huizi's face, and she leaned in to kiss him.

"Ah."

Then, she slowly sank into the water.

Ma Wendong let out a muffled groan, a look of enjoyment on his face.

Soon, the two of them were rolling around in the not-so-large bathtub.

Time still flies.

But Ma Wendong was quite surprised.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but I can't say for sure whether it's because I've become stronger.

It's still Keiko... but how is she different from before?

Ma Wendong stood up from the bathtub, put on his pajamas without looking back, and said, "Madam, you should rest early. I have a meeting early tomorrow morning, so I'm going to sleep now."

"Okay," Jia Huizi replied.

Since Ma Wendong discovered that Jia Huizi had a habit of waking up in the middle of the night, he felt worse than if he had swallowed a fly, but for the sake of his career and future, he basically accepted his fate.

We decided to sleep in separate rooms, out of sight, out of mind.

Jia Huizi lay alone in the gradually cooling pool water, her face filled with despair.

It's not that Ichiro doesn't have a place in her heart, but he's just too incompetent, which is making her feel frustrated and stuck in a rut.

She emerged from the pool, donned a silk robe, and went into the study.

Ma Wendong enjoys reading and has a large collection of books.

Jia Huizi quickly found the book "Water Margin" that Hong Zhiyou had mentioned.

She started flipping through the catalog.

Wu Song.

She has a good sister-in-law.

She turned to the chapters related to Wu Song's sister-in-law, and after reading only a few pages, she became completely engrossed and couldn't tear herself away.

After she finished reading it, Jia Huizi was completely numb.

……

The next morning.

Ma Wendong got up early.

While Jia Huizi was preparing breakfast in the kitchen, he secretly slipped into her bedroom.

He opened the bedside table drawer and found the light blue handkerchief that Hong Zhi had left behind.

He forced himself to stay awake and stuffed the handkerchief into his briefcase.

As he prepared to leave, his gaze fell upon the open copy of "Water Margin" on the bedside table.

A woman reading this kind of book must be sick.
At the dining table, Jia Huizi had already prepared an exquisite Japanese breakfast.

"Ichiro, dinner is ready."

Ma Wendong's gaze was fixed on the pearl bracelet on her wrist.

In the morning sunlight, the string of beads shone brightly, dazzlingly bright.

Just thinking about these hands...

His stomach churned, and he felt inexplicably nauseous.

"I'm not eating anymore, there's a meeting in the hall."

He coldly tossed out a sentence, grabbed his briefcase, and strode out with a gloomy face.

As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, Ma Wendong could no longer hold back and, with a "whoosh," he leaned against the wall and began to dry heave.

Jia Huizi stood there, stunned, and ultimately did not chase after him.

She turned back to the table, picked up her chopsticks, and put a piece of sushi in her mouth.

The sushi tastes pretty good today.

Ichiro doesn't know what's good for him!

……

Ma Wendong arrived at the office.

He had his men prepare some breakfast, and while he was eating, Lu Ming walked in. "Good morning, Director."

Ma Wendong leisurely finished the last bite of his bread, wiped his mouth, and asked, "How did things go?"

Lu Ming immediately stepped forward and reported, "Director, according to my investigation, Hong Zhi has established a branch company called 'Hong Sheng' in Tianjin, which specializes in reselling leather goods from Northeast China."

"The leather goods here can fetch at least ten times the price once they're resold over there. And even then, there's no market for them."

“Some rare old ginseng can even generate profits a hundred times higher.”

"The person in charge of this transaction in Tsukai was Mrs. Keiko, the younger sister of Hideo Sakata. This woman was previously the mistress of Tomoyuki Koji."

"Oh, right, there's also a businessman named Mu Liancheng in charge of distribution."

"These two people have deep connections in the Beijing-Tianjin area and are very well-connected. It is said that their business is booming."

Ma Wendong frowned: "Fur goods are worth that much?"

"Of course!"

Lu Ming lowered his voice, adopting a concerned tone:

"Otherwise, why do you think Hong Zhiyou would be so desperate to keep Futai Leather Shop when he gave you the gold mine back then?"

"This thing is so valuable that calling it a gold mine wouldn't be an exaggeration at all."

“Now, Hong Zhiyou has almost monopolized the supply of mountain products in the entire Northeast. He can sell them for whatever price he wants.”

Lu Ming became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke.

"Inside the pass, those with old money only care about this kind of thing."

"Putting everything else aside, I've heard that Chairman Chiang, his wife, and old warlords like Long Yun have a great fondness for furs."

"That's a symbol of luxury and status!"
"Take Manchukuo for example. If His Majesty Puyi wanted any good fur, he would probably have to find someone to pull strings and get it from Hong Zhiyou."

"Of course, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but that's roughly the situation."

Lu Ming is very smart.

He knew that Lao Qiu's stupidity lay in his single-minded focus on grabbing red tickets.

But who is Ma Wendong?

They have absolutely no interest in catching a few small red tickets.

Old Qiu's attempt to flatter backfired spectacularly; how could he not get kicked?

He's different; he only talks about things related to money.

Sure enough, Ma Wendong's gaze towards him immediately became much more affectionate.

Ma Wendong stood up, rested his chin on his hand, and paced back and forth, his mind suddenly becoming active.

The South Manchuria Railway's main business was dealing in bulk commodities such as minerals and rice, and it never paid much attention to privately traded goods like furs.

Firstly, these things were obtained sporadically by the mountain dwellers and were not produced on a large scale.

Secondly, sending people to collect them one by one would be too costly in terms of manpower and resources, and would not be worth the effort.

He never expected that this seemingly insignificant business would turn out to be an inexhaustible gold mine.

After all, the endless old forests of Northeast China are an inexhaustible natural treasure trove.

It has to be said that Hong Zhi's business acumen is truly exceptional.

If they could snatch this piece of meat into their own mouths, then even if the Kwantung Army couldn't defeat the Soviets at Nomonhan and the northward advance plan failed, they wouldn't have gained nothing.

Even if I were to be expelled from the South Manchuria Railway Council in the future, I would still have an incredibly lucrative way out.

This trip to Harbin, to investigate Hongzhi's gold mine, is all about making money for the company.

But if one could take over this leather goods business, that would be real money tucked into one's own pocket.

This is an immense fortune bestowed upon me by heaven!

Haha, this trip to Harbin was definitely worthwhile!
Moreover, Ma Wendong suspects that the man who was fooling around with Jia Huizi last night is very likely Hong Zhiyou.

If that's the case, then this person deserves to die even more!

Thinking of this, a murderous glint flashed in Ma Wendong's eyes. He asked Lu Ming, "Do you know where Hong Zhiyou's goods come from?" Lu Ming replied, "I know a little."

“There was a businessman in Harbin named Zhang Guaizi. He had connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds and had built hundreds of leather purchasing points in many mountainous areas of the three provinces, specializing in trading leather.”

"He's now following Hong Zhiyou and holding a stake in the business."

"However, Director, as far as I know, Hong Zhi has goods in his possession that don't just come from Zhang Guaizi."

"It's also possible that they came from the Anti-Japanese United Army in the mountains."

Lu Ming paused, then lowered his voice even further.

"Hao Guifang, the man you dismissed from his post, had some of his men secretly sending medicine and weapons into the mountains."

“I strongly suspect that Hong Zhi is using the Nationalist soldiers to do business with the Anti-Japanese United Army in the mountains.”

Ma Wendong's eyes narrowed instantly, his aura turning icy: "You mean, Hong Zhiyou is a red ticket?"

Lu Ming quickly waved his hand, bowing deeply, his face plastered with a fawning smile:
"Director Ma, that's not what I meant."

"As everyone knows, Hong Zhi is handsome and rich, so it's unlikely he'd be a red ticket holder, but that doesn't stop him from making money by doing business with red tickets."

Lu Ming lowered his voice even further, leaned close to Ma Wendong's ear, and uttered two words slowly and deliberately.

"He is... a traitor."

After saying that, he immediately took a step back and added as if nothing had happened: "Of course, this is just my guess. You may have to investigate further to find out the specifics."

Ma Wendong smiled, picked up the teacup on the table, and gently blew on it to cool it down.

"If you want me to investigate thoroughly, then what's the point of having you all?"

"Yes, yes, I'll check!" Lu Ming quickly bowed and smiled apologetically.

Ma Wendong put down his teacup and changed the subject: "But let's put that aside for now. You've been in Harbin for a long time, so tell me, how can you get this fur trade under my control?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming's eyes lit up, realizing that he had successfully flattered the right person.

He quickly said, "Don't be like that, Director. You're from the South Manchuria Railway Company, and you've been doing some truly groundbreaking business."

“You are my ancestor in this field, how dare I show off my limited skills in front of you?”

Ma Wendong waved his hand noncommittally: "Listen to both sides and you will be enlightened. Tell me your opinion."

"Easy!" Lu Ming slapped his thigh. "Just dig up all the walls around his house!"

He held up his finger and gestured, saying, "If you poach that Zhang the Cripple, you'll have a legitimate source of goods."

"Then let's get the owner of Futai Leather Shop, I think his name is something like Feng... and open an identical leather shop on Wenxuan Street, that's all."

Lu Ming became more and more excited as he spoke, spittle flying everywhere:

"Director, please think about it."

“We have the sales channels and the talent. If Hong Zhiyou has no source of goods and no manpower, how can he do business?”

"Unless he goes and trades with the red tickets in the mountains. But wouldn't that just end up in your hands?"
"As the saying goes, a local official is more powerful than a distant one. I think that with Hong Zhi's intelligence, you only need to make a slight move and let him see that it is your method, and he should obediently hand over the leather goods business."

"Unless he wants to go head-to-head with you."

"But the problem is, he doesn't have that ability."

"After all, behind you stands Commander Kenkichi Ueda and the entire South Manchuria Railway!"

Ma Wendong nodded, a satisfied smile on his face: "You're very smart, so I'll leave this to you."

"No, Director!" Lu Ming exclaimed, his face turning pale with fright. "Please, please don't!"

"I can still offer you advice and cheer you on from the shadows."

"If I openly challenge Hong Zhiyou to a duel, I'll lose my head tomorrow! That kid's really good at playing dirty tricks!"

Ma Wendong smiled at his cowardly appearance and said, "Well, that's fine. You can lie down for now."

Seeing this, Lu Ming's eyes darted around, and he seized the opportunity to say, "Director, you see... after Lao Qiu died, the position of head of the Security Bureau's Investigation Section has remained vacant."

"Could I..."

He's got a very sharp mind.

The head of the Security Bureau's Investigation Division is a powerful department that specifically oversees the Police Department.

If he could get that position, not to mention rank, just in terms of job title, he would be one step ahead of Gao Bin, not to mention Zhou Yi, Hong Zhi and their gang.

That's what you call a true meteoric rise, a carp leaping over the dragon gate.

Ma Wendong saw through his little scheme at a glance; he was a typical selfish person.

He smiled and said gently, "It's not that I can't give you the position of section chief."

"However, now is not the right time. It won't be too late to give it to you after I take over Hong Zhiyou's leather goods shop."

"Now, I need you to keep an eye on him. You'll be even more useful in the police department."

"do you understand me?"

Lu Ming felt a pang of disappointment, but dared not show it on his face and could only nod helplessly.

"Ok."

Ma Wendong stood up, walked over to him, and patted him on the shoulder.

“I know you’re smart and a seasoned veteran with lots of informants. From now on, you’re keeping a close eye on Hong Zhiyou.”

He paused, his voice turning cold.

"Especially who he meets, especially at night. Including... the people around me."

"You know, I don't want a ticking time bomb next to me."

Lu Ming glanced at him cautiously and tentatively asked, "Director, could you please clarify... what does 'the person beside me' refer to...?"

Ma Wendong's eyes sharpened like knives: "I don't want to become the second Zhou Yi."

Lu Ming was shocked and instantly understood. He nodded heavily and said, "Understood! Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on you!"

……

After seeing Lu Ming off, Ma Wendong immediately picked up the phone and dialed a number.

Soon, the office door was pushed open, and a young man walked in.

The man was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, dressed in a well-fitting suit, with a handsome face and refined demeanor, clearly having received higher education.

Ma Wendong sized him up and asked with a smile, "Are you Zhang Chunyuan's son?"

The young man nodded, his voice steady.

"Yes, my name is Zhang Ling."

"He is Zhang Chunyuan's illegitimate son. Zhang Feng is my half-brother."

Ma Wendong then asked, "Where were you before?"

Zhang Ling replied, "I was studying in France before. After my father and older brother passed away, my mother was shocked and her health deteriorated, so I came back."

"Do you know how your father died?" Ma Wendong asked.

“I know.” Zhang Ling’s eyes revealed a coldness beyond his years. “Hong Zhiyou and Chen Jingyu.”

Ma Wendong waved his hand: "Chen Jingyu is nothing more than a dog kept by Hong Zhiyou. Your father, brothers, and even the Shibuya commander were all Hong Zhiyou's doing. This is no secret; everyone in Harbin knows it."

He looked at Zhang Ling and said slowly, "But don't worry, since I've called you here, I will naturally give you an important position."

"From now on, I will give you a group of people."

"Among them are Japanese technicians from the South Manchuria Railway and skilled retired soldiers. You are on temporary assignment as the General Affairs Assistant of the National Police Agency."

"These people are skilled at tracking, assassination, and intelligence gathering; they are a fine sword."

"You must make good use of this sword to avenge your father and brothers."

"On the surface, you are the distant nephew of Director Xu of the Binjiang Provincial Police Department. I will clean up your identity and records."

Ma Wendong pushed a document in front of Zhang Ling.

“From now on, I need you to take over Hong Zhiyou’s fur trade.”

"These are some people's files. Take them and study them to see if you can figure them out."

Zhang Ling picked up the document, his face expressionless, and simply nodded calmly.

"Thank you, Director. I will do my best."

……

That evening, Hong Zhi carried large bags and small packages to his aunt's house.

My aunt is stewing fish in the kitchen, and the aroma is wonderful.

Hong Zhi put his things down and slapped his forehead: "Auntie, the faucet in my house is broken. I'll take a bath here with you tonight."

He had his own room at his aunt's house. After taking his clothes, he gave Xu Yunying a look and went into the bathroom first.

After he had finished washing, he opened the bathroom door and called out to Xu Yunying outside, "Yunying, come and scrub my back!"

Xu Yunying knew what he wanted to do.

I wanted to prioritize the child's needs, but these shameless people have come knocking on my door, so refusing them now would be too tactless.

Xu Yunying pursed her lips and walked in with her big pregnant belly.

A moment later, my aunt came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of food, just in time to hear rustling sounds coming from the bathroom.

She shook her head and muttered a curse in annoyance.

That brat is a shameless bastard.

I don't know where this addiction comes from.

A moment later, Xu Yunying came out of the bathroom first, her pretty face flushed and steamy. She lowered her head and walked quickly back to her room.

"Auntie, I'm not hungry, I'm going to rest now."

Immediately afterwards, Hong Zhiyou came out, muttering to himself as he wiped his hair: "Ah, finally all the mud off, feels so good!"

His aunt rolled her eyes at him. "Alright, stop pretending. I'm warning you, if anything bad happens to Yingying, I'll hold you responsible."

"What's wrong with giving someone a back rub?"

Hong Zhi chuckled dryly and sat down at the table: "Auntie, where's my uncle? Hasn't he come back yet?"

My aunt said, "He went to a meeting at the military police headquarters. He said he'll be back later. You can eat first."

Hong Zhi finished his meal in a flash, wiped his mouth, and walked home contentedly.

As soon as he reached his front door, he saw a familiar figure leaning against the wall, pacing anxiously back and forth.

It's Xiao Guohua.

Old Xiao usually doesn't come to me unless something really serious has happened.

Hong Zhiyou's heart sank, and he quickly stepped forward.

"what happened?"

When Xiao Guohua saw him, it was as if he had seen a savior. He grabbed the man's arm, his voice trembling, "Station Chief... the station chief has been arrested!"

"Do you know who it is?" Hong Zhiyou asked, frowning.

"I don't know, but the other side is very powerful; they were all carrying guns."

"We didn't dare to show our weapons. The leader was a young man who took the station chief inside for a private talk, but we don't know what they talked about."

"After the station manager came out, he told us to watch the shop and then we went with him."

Xiao Guohua answered truthfully.

"That's strange. How can anyone in Harbin dare to openly enter my fur shop and arrest people?"

"Since they didn't openly reveal their identity, they're definitely not from the police department."

"Who on earth dares to be so audacious!"

Hong Zhi frowned.

“Yes, everyone knows that Futai Leather Shop belongs to you. Obviously, they’re after you,” Xiao Guohua said.

"Could it be Ma Wendong? I can't think of anyone else besides him," he asked again.

"It's most likely him."

"They're not full yet, and they've set their sights on my business."

"Don't worry, the stationmaster will be fine."

Hong Zhi gave a cold laugh and comforted him.

……

(End of this chapter)