Spy wars start with lurking Secretary Hong

Chapter 544 The Opportunity to Eliminate the Thieves Has Arrived
time flies.

November 17, 1940.

Early morning, in the mountains of Laotuo.

The biting north wind, carrying snowflakes, swept across the bare treetops, making a mournful sound.

Several men wearing thick fur coats were waiting in the mountains, leading horses and carrying pistols at their waists.

drive!
Two fast horses galloped along the winding mountain road.

"Shut up!"

Hong Zhi pulled hard on the reins, and the black horse beneath him let out a long neigh.

Xu Yunying, who was beside him, also reined in his horse at the same time.

The two men dismounted swiftly and decisively.

"Old Song, I need to say a few words to Section Chief Hong," Xu Yunying said to the man at the head of the group.

"Alright, boss." The bearded man, known as Old Song, grinned and then led a few brothers, with their horses at the ready, into the depths of the pine forest.

A mountain breeze blew by, leaving only the two of them standing facing each other.

Hong Zhiyou stepped forward and pinched Xu Yunying's cheeks, which were red from the wind.

Is there really no room for maneuver?

"The baby is waiting for you to feed him."

Xu Yunying's gaze flickered for a moment, then she met his eyes firmly again.

"I can't wait any longer."

"After General Yang sacrificed his life, the Japanese officially established Unit 731, where they captured people in the mountains to conduct live experiments. It was utterly heinous."

“The Fourth Brigade on the mountain has suffered heavy casualties. The Japanese and those traitors are causing trouble in the mountains every day. I have to organize my old brothers.”

"There are one or two hundred people, and their equipment is even better than that of the Fourth Battalion."

"The longer we delay, the fewer Japanese soldiers we will kill."

"Besides, I'm being fed so much meat and fish at home every day, I just can't take it anymore."

She grabbed Hong Zhiyou's sleeve and shook it gently.

"We made a promise before, that you would let me go after I gave birth, and I wouldn't go back on my word."

Hong Zhi took her cold hand and put it in his coat pocket to warm it, forcing a smile on his face.

"I have no regrets."

“But you’ve only had your baby a few months ago, and your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it.”

Xu Yunying puffed out her chest: "Look at me now, I'm all well-fed and glowing, as strong as a calf, what can't I handle?"

Looking into her beautiful, bright eyes, Hong Zhi felt a sharp pang in the softest part of his heart.

"Grandma, bullets don't have eyes."

"You're the mother of my child, I really don't want to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Yunying's eyes reddened.

She knew he cared about her.

"Don't worry, I will pay attention to safety."

She sniffed and forced a playful smile.

"Anyone who goes back on their word is a little dog."

"Besides, with your shrewdness, the women you find in the future will definitely be more intelligent and virtuous than the last. Even if I... my child will have many mothers to take care of him."

"No matter what, I have no regrets in this life for giving birth to Chengzong for you."

Hong Zhiyou could no longer hold back and pulled her into a tight embrace, their foreheads touching.

The mountain wind passed between the two of them, carrying a biting chill.

"Yingying, promise me."

"For my sake, for the sake of the children, you must live well," Hong Zhiyou said in a low voice.

Xu Yunying's eyes were blurry with tears:
"You too, son's father."

“I know you’re someone who’s going to do great things. The Japanese are all beasts, so you’d better watch out for them.”

Hong Zhiyou took out a triangular talisman paper strung on a red string from his pocket and hung it around her neck: "This is a peace talisman I obtained from the Dragon King Temple."

"I know you don't believe in this, but wearing it is better than not wearing it."

Xu Yunying nodded heavily.

"it is good.

"If I'm still alive after we drive the Japanese away, I'll come down the mountain and become your concubine."

Hong Zhiyou was both amused and touched by her words, and playfully flicked her nose: "I don't have any small ones, they're all big ones."

"Go."

Xu Yunying stood on tiptoe and, with all her might, kissed his lips fiercely.

The two hugged tightly, as if trying to meld each other into one another.

After a long while, Xu Yunying gently pushed him away, and without the slightest hesitation, turned around and mounted her horse.

The pure white warhorse sensed its master's intention, raised its front hooves, and let out a loud neigh.

"My son's father!"

She turned her head and shouted loudly from her horse.

"I still prefer you without a beard!"

"I'm entrusting Chengzong to you. Take care!"

drive!
With a clear shout, she rode her white horse into the forest ahead.

The blood-red cloak fluttered in the desolate forest like a burning flame, and in the blink of an eye, it completely disappeared.

Hong Zhi subconsciously opened his right hand, as if trying to grasp that receding red figure.

However, all that passed through my palm was the icy, biting wind.

In the end... it was goodbye.

He actually had a million ways to keep Xu Yunying confined in Harbin and let her live a wealthy and comfortable life as a rich lady.

But he knew that her nature was that of an eagle yearning for the sky, a wild horse longing for the grasslands.

Even her own children couldn't keep her.

Nothing, except the sky and the sound of gunfire, could truly hold her captive.

Take care.

Hong Zhiyou slowly lowered her hand, stroked her thick beard, and took a deep breath of the faint, unique fragrance that lingered in the air.

Immediately, he mounted his horse expressionlessly, turned it around, and rode back the way he came.

……

11:00 AM, Harbin Police Department.

Hong Zhiyou returned to his office.

He had just changed out of his leather jacket when Zhou Yi pushed open the door and walked in.

Since General Yang's sacrifice, the situation of the war of resistance in Manchukuo has plummeted. Old Zhou's temples have turned noticeably white, and he has become much thinner. There is always a lingering weariness between his brows.

He put his fist to his mouth and coughed softly, unable to suppress it.

"Master Xu has gone up the mountain?"

Hong Zhi lit a cigarette and smiled: "How did you know?"

Zhou Yi pulled out a chair and sat down, taking the cigarette that Hong Zhiyou offered him.

"Your aunt said it yesterday when she was playing cards with Qiuyan."

Hong Zhi nodded and exhaled a smoke ring: "Yes."

"My aunt was very dissatisfied with Xu Dangjia. She muttered about it all night, saying she had never seen such a heartless girl who didn't want her son and insisted on running back to the mountains to become a bandit."

"She couldn't understand what in this world could be more important than her own child."

Zhou Yi remained silent for a moment:
"Chief Xu is a heroine."

"Aunt Liu and your sister-in-law are experienced in taking care of children now, how about... we bring Chengzong to our house to take care of him for a while?"

Anyway, Sasha is easier to take care of now.

“Chengzong is only a few months old. It’s not good if there’s no careful person watching over him.”

He paused, then added, as if explaining.

"It just so happens that there are rumors outside that Qiu Yan and you have an unusual relationship, so it's 'reasonable' for her to take the child over to raise him."

Hong Zhi smiled.

"forget it.

“You and I both have missions to fulfill, so how can you be my wet nurses?”

"Your superiors must have something to say about this."

Zhou Yi knew his concerns, so he didn't insist any further.

"Okay, if you have any difficulties, just let me know."

Hong Zhiyou got up and poured him a cup of hot tea.

The two men smoked silently, the only sound in the office being the pouring of tea into cups.

"You've been coughing for a month or so, and it's still not better?"
"Should we go to the hospital to get checked out?" Hong Zhi asked.

Zhou Yi shook his head and flicked the cigarette ash into the ashtray.

"Don't go.

"I know my own body best; it's an old problem."

"If something is found during the examination, it will affect my mood and delay my work efficiency."

He twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile that was almost indifferent.

"In our line of work, you never know when you'll be walking down the street and a bullet will fly out from a corner and you're gone."

"I'm too lazy to treat this kind of fundamental disease."

Hong Zhi flicked his cigarette ash: "By the way, I have some news here."

"After Ishii Shiro's troops tasted the success of bacteriological warfare in Quzhou, the Japanese army planned to spread bacteria in Jinhua, Shangyu, Tangxi and other places over the next two months."

"And release some fleas infected with plague."

Zhou Yi's fingers tightened suddenly around the teacup.

"Those damned beasts!"

He forced out those words through gritted teeth, his eyes bloodshot.

"I've gotten used to using it."

Zhou Yi gulped down a mouthful of hot tea to stop coughing: "A den of iniquity like Unit 731 should be made to disappear completely."

He paused, then looked sharply at Hong Zhiyou, "Where did you get such important information?"

Hong Zhiyou said with a smile: "Ever since my Sakura Opium Den opened, the Kwantung Army and police and military officials from various provinces have liked to come to Harbin on business trips."

"So that you can legitimately smoke a couple of puffs at my place."

"Now Japanese people are desperate to be transferred to Harbin."

"Shiro Ishii also likes this kind of thing."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Yi's eyes:
"Everyone says that Shiro Ishii is mean and cold-blooded, but I never expected him to have such a hobby."

Hong Zhiyou twitched the corner of his mouth.

He didn't originally have it.

"But Commander Kozuka and his men all liked to go to the Sakura Club for meetings, and everyone smoked a bit, so he got hooked too."

"Once a person's desires are unleashed, it is very difficult to control them."

“Shiro Ishii is no exception.

"Now he's fallen in love with the women inside, the pipes, and the red wine."

"Moreover, this person doesn't have a high alcohol tolerance, and he tends to talk nonsense whenever he drinks too much."

"So I know more information."

Zhou Yi looked at him with a complicated expression.

After a long silence, he finally whispered something.

"Your intelligence-gathering ability alone is equivalent to ours and the Military Intelligence Bureau's combined."

Hong Zhi smiled faintly:
"It's just that I'm richer than you guys."

"Ninety-nine percent of the things in this world can be solved with money."

Zhou Yi took two sips of tea.

He looked at the thick stubble on Hong Zhiyou's chin and suddenly laughed.

"Shouldn't you take care of your beard?"
"To be honest, I had almost forgotten that you used to be a notorious playboy in Harbin."

Hong Zhiyou stroked his chin, his fingertips tracing the rough stubble, his eyes suddenly turning cold:
"I will not shave until Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiufeng are eliminated."

He spoke those words very slowly and with great emphasis.

The smile on Zhou Yi's face also disappeared:
"But they're hiding in Tonghua with their master, Kishitani Ryuichiro, so it's hard for us to have a chance to make a move."

His brows were furrowed tightly.

"There is also very bad news."

"According to our reliable intelligence, as the war expands, Kishitani Ryuichiro plans to take Cheng Bin to fight in the North China region."

"As you know, Cheng Bin is educated and extremely skilled at winning people's hearts. The Japanese believe he might be of great use in the guerrilla warfare and persuading people to surrender and become naturalized in the base area."

"The time is next month."

Zhou Yi's voice was filled with deep worry: "If he really goes to North China to carry out the Three Alls Campaign, it will be even more difficult to deal with him."

Hong Zhi listened, but his face showed no surprise.

"I know.

“I sent people to Tonghua to investigate before. Cheng Bin’s comings and goings are heavily guarded, and Kishitani Ryuichiro values ​​him highly. You can’t buy off the people around him with money.”

"Kishitani Ryuichiro is now the Chief of Police of Tonghua Province."

“Perfect timing. Director Yoshio Miyagawa and Ryuichiro Kishitani have a good personal relationship.”

"I asked him to invite Kishitani Ryuichiro, Cheng Bin, and Zhang Xiufeng to Harbin to give a lecture and provide guidance on our work, under the pretext of eliminating the Fourth Team of Laotuo Mountain."

Hong Zhi, observing the sudden change in Zhou Yi's expression, continued unhurriedly:
"Fortunately, Kishitani Ryuzaburo felt that this was very meaningful for striking at the Anti-Japanese United Army, and readily agreed."

He crushed the cigarette butt forcefully in the ashtray:
"Tomorrow, he will come to Harbin with Cheng Bin and Zhang Xiufeng."

"As long as he's on our turf, killing him is easy."

Zhou Yi was stunned; he hadn't expected Hong Zhiyou to have laid out such a grand scheme.

Do you already have a contingency plan?

Hong Zhi shook his head.

"No.

"No matter what, they're all going to die here."

Zhou Yi gave him a deep look: "I trust you to handle things."

"If you need any help from me, just let me know."

Hong Zhi waved his hand.

"You'd better not get involved, including Lao Wei."

"Cheng Bin was a hot commodity for the Japanese. Many people wanted him dead. He was a traitor, and everyone wanted to kill him. That's easy to explain."

"But the Japanese will definitely take crazy retaliatory actions afterward."

"If you get involved, you'll easily get caught in the crossfire."

Zhou Yi remained silent.

He knew that what Hong Zhiyou said was true.

General Yang's death severely weakened the anti-Japanese forces in Manchukuo, making them unable to withstand any major storms.

"Ok."

He stood up.

"Then I'm waiting for your good news."

……

In the evening, Hong Zhi went to his uncle's house.

As soon as I entered the door, I saw my aunt Liao Chunxiang sitting on the sofa eating sunflower seeds.

"Where is Chengzong?"

Liao Chunxiang gestured towards the inner room with her lip, "The wet nurse is feeding him inside."

She immediately started complaining.

"Hey, Zhiyou, Yunying is really heartless."

"I really don't know what's so great about that wretched mountain that she'd abandon her newborn son."

Gao Bin, who was sitting next to him reading a newspaper, sneered:
"We can't possibly hold a bandit woman like that!"
"They've helped our Gao family preserve a descendant, that's a tremendous good thing, you should be content!"

Liao Chunxiang then vented her anger on Zhiyou:

"Zhiyou, why don't you try to keep her here?"

Hong Zhi took off his coat and casually draped it on the hanger, looking helpless: "Auntie, I can't keep her here, otherwise she'll fight with me every day."

Gao Bin put down the newspaper, lit his pipe, and waved to Liao Chunxiang.

"Alright, go inside and wait."

Liao Chunxiang pursed her lips and reluctantly got up and went into the inner room.

Only the uncle and nephew remained in the living room.

Gao Bin took a deep drag on his pipe:
"Tomorrow, a delegation led by Kishitani Ryuichiro, the head of the Tonghua Provincial Police Department, will be coming over."

"Director Miyagawa specifically requested that I be fully responsible for their security."

He tapped his pipe, his tone tinged with annoyance.

"This is putting a difficult problem on my shoulders."

"This group killed a member of the Anti-Japanese Alliance surnamed Yang, and now countless eyes are watching them all over the Northeast."

He looked up at Hong Zhiyou.

"What do you suggest?"

Hong Zhi poured himself a glass of water and slowly took a sip: "I can treat them to drinks, opium, and women."

"Anything else is out of the question."

Gao Bin sighed, the embers in his pipe flickering:
"Yes, you need to keep up with them in this regard if they need it."

"Zhiyou."

His voice turned somber.

“Yoshijiro Umezu values ​​the people of Tonghua highly. If something happens to them on our territory, the consequences will be disastrous.”

Hong Zhi put down his water glass, a relaxed smile on his face as always: "Uncle, don't worry."

"Our police department and military police together have at least several hundred guns."

"Then we can impose martial law and a curfew, and who can touch a hair on their head?"

Gao Bin stared at him for a long time, as if trying to read something from his face.

In the end, he simply nodded.

"I hope so."

……

The next day.

Tonghua Provincial Police Department.

Young and slightly thin Zhang Xiufeng had just gotten out of bed when he sneezed several times in a row.

A sneeze!

Since betraying General Yang, he has risen to prominence.

Now, working alongside Cheng Bin under Kishitani Ryuichiro, he not only received a large bonus from the Japanese, but also had the funds of the Anti-Japanese Alliance entrusted to him by General Yang hidden on his person.

They were truly extremely wealthy and powerful.

A sneeze!

He sneezed again and rubbed his sore nose.

I don't know why, but my right eyelid has been twitching a lot these past two days.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xiufeng, who has always been superstitious, could no longer sit still.

He grabbed the phone on the table and dialed the police department's number.

Once the call connected, he immediately switched to a fawning tone and spoke in broken Japanese:
"Director, it's me, Zhang Xiufeng."

"I...I'm not feeling well, I can't get out of bed today."

"I think I'll skip the trip to Harbin this time."

……

(End of this chapter)