Period drama: Old Cao's carefree life

Chapter 154 I'd rather my bones rot into mincemeat
Wu Jingzhong said in a low, chilling voice, "The Japanese spies are not to be trifled with. From this moment on, everyone will maintain single-line communication! If anyone makes a mistake, don't blame me for not showing any mercy!"

ba da~
The Browning pistol sat on the table, its dark body standing out conspicuously in the room.

"Brothers, remember this: if we fall into the hands of the Japanese devils, either kill yourselves or bite the sugar pills to pieces immediately!"

"Anyone who dares to be captured alive," his gaze swept over everyone present, his voice as cold as ice, "will be treated as a traitor!"

"I'd rather your body rot into a pulp than utter a single word to me!"

"Yes, sir!" the agents straightened their backs and growled solemnly.

Those who were able to participate in this operation were basically prepared to die for their country; the goal was to capture them alive.

impossible!
Wu Jingzhong closed his eyes and waved for them to leave.

The room fell silent again, with only the creaking of the old wooden chair under Wu Jingzhong's heavy body.

He lit a cigarette, and the crackling sound of the match was unusually loud in the silent space.

The cigarette burned, making a low hissing sound. Through the exhaled smoke, his eyes were fixed on the black and white map of the three outer districts of Beiping on the wall, as if trying to see through the paper and make out the ferocious features of the Japanese soldiers.

Soon after, the heat from the cigarette butt pulled him back to reality. He tossed the cigarette butt aside, his knuckles unconsciously touching the rough chair. He leaned back, closed his eyes, and a suppressed, sorrowful theatrical voice escaped his throat:

"We hate the barbarian invaders who wreak havoc on China with their powerful army pressing in. We are willing to sacrifice ourselves to uphold our loyalty and righteous indignation, and cleverly sweep away the smoke and dust."

Just as Wu Jingzhong was filled with tragic emotions, preparing to sacrifice himself for his country, time quietly passed.

Inside a private room at the Beiping Hotel.

The atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious. Several people, their faces flushed from drinking, clinked glasses and exchanged toasts. Their large hands roamed over the bodies of a dozen or so beautiful women from various countries, filling the private room with an air of sensuality.

Cao Weida, with his keen eye, handed over several room keys. Amidst the exclamations of "Yoshi yoshi" from the Japanese soldiers, they all picked up the keys, put their arms around the beautiful girl, and walked out of the private room.

The doorman respectfully opened the door, and Cao Weida, reeking of alcohol, came out and casually tossed two silver notes as a tip.

He emerged from the doorman's house, burping from drinking, amidst the doorman's profuse thanks.

"Phew~" He let out a long sigh, waved at the rickshaws waiting for passengers not far away, and climbed on.

"Sesame Alley".

"Alright, sir, sit tight."

As the rickshaw started moving, my gaze slowly shifted backward. Cao Weida sat in the rickshaw, his eyes closed, resting.

Things went more smoothly than he had imagined. With Ono Oda and Fujita Sosuke's help, plus Cao Weida's small box of 'local specialties', and the two foreign beauties in his arms, Kato Chizuru readily agreed to let Bai Jingqi go.

As he left the private room, he enthusiastically expressed his desire to befriend Cao Weida.

Kato Chizuru was a clever man. It was no secret that Cao Weida frequently visited the military police headquarters and had a close relationship with Fujita Sōsuke, Matsui Kōji, and others.

In addition to the changes in Japanese military and political officials in Beiping during this period, as well as the vague rumors, he naturally wanted to make good relations with them.

In fact, he was under pressure when he arrested Bai Jingqi. The Bai family had a very high reputation in the pharmacy circle in Beiping. Arresting Bai Jingqi was equivalent to offending the entire pharmacy industry in Beiping.

The Japanese relied heavily on these pharmacies to sell many of their prohibited medicines. His actions led to a united effort among pharmacies in Beiping to boycott Japanese medicines.

This is something that the Japanese military medical department and finance department absolutely cannot accept.

But he was unwilling to just let Bai Jingqi go. He had just arrested Bai Jingqi, and now the pharmacy circle in Beiping had joined forces to let him go. What kind of behavior was that?

Does the Great Japanese Empire still have any dignity left?
So even if he had to grit his teeth and bear it, he had to force Bai Jingqi to become the president of the chamber of commerce and extract the prescription.

But things are different now. With Cao Wei Da stepping in to 'mediate,' he has a very suitable way to back down.

He could also take this opportunity to befriend Cao Wei, who was currently at the height of his power in Beiping. Cao Wei was very considerate and gave him local specialties, and treated him with such hospitality. So he naturally agreed.

All of this was exactly as Cao Weida had predicted. Once the matter was over, he stopped thinking about it.

What he's considering now is the next assassination attempt.

As the car slowly drove through Shajing Hutong, just as it was about to exit the alley, Cao Weida spoke up:

"Master, let's stop here."

The rickshaw driver obediently stopped without asking a single unnecessary question.

After receiving the fare and thanking him, he pulled the empty car and ran towards his dormitory.

The sun was about to set, and it wasn't long before it got dark. He had to hurry back, because once it got dark, a curfew would be in effect.

Cao Weida stretched and strolled towards Sesame Alley.

From a great distance, he could see the gate that had been erected at what used to be Tong Mazi's house.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a courtyard house diagonally across the street. "This must be the home of Yan Zhensheng, the owner of Qinfangju. Speaking of which, I killed Tong Mazi, which also eliminated a future enemy for the Yan family."

Qinfangju is a business specializing in pickled vegetables. Because of its good taste and reasonable prices, it is quite well-known among ordinary people.

In these days of scarcity, when we're eating unpalatable food every day, a plate of cheap and delicious pickled vegetables is a much better choice.

When Yan Zhensheng was mentioned, the image of Mu Chunhua would inevitably come to mind.

"This guy is quite arrogant."

Mu Chunhua's father was a businessman in his early years and supported her through junior high school.

Don't underestimate this junior high school diploma; in an era with a high illiteracy rate, it's already quite an impressive level of education.

In addition, her father had taken meticulous care of her since she was a child. Although her family was not wealthy, she had high aspirations and had been educated in the new century. At this time, she would never become someone else's concubine.

The reason she later agreed to become someone's concubine was entirely because her father was ill and needed a lot of money for treatment.

Later, upon hearing that penicillin was necessary for treatment, she even boasted that she would become a concubine to whoever could produce penicillin, which is how Yan Zhensheng managed to snag the opportunity.

Cao Weida had a very good impression of this woman who was resilient, brave, resourceful, and loyal.

He certainly didn't want to miss the opportunity to take it.

"Now is not the time to make a move. When the time is right, Old Cao will be able to take another concubine."

Thinking happily, he locked his gaze in a certain direction, turned his feet, and turned into a small alley.

He planned to go in through the back door and check out the terrain.

The back gate of the house is in a small alley, and opposite it is a small hutong (alleyway) where not many people usually walk.

Especially as the sun gradually sets, it becomes even more deserted.

But he stopped in his tracks as soon as he reached the alley behind the back gate.

"This alley is blocked, it's impassable, let's get out of here!"

Cao Weida frowned as he looked at the people blocking the alley entrance.

He naturally ignored that, thinking, "Even if the alley is blocked, what does it have to do with you?"
Judging from the other person's rough clothes and the faint fierceness on his face, he knew that this person was definitely involved in organized crime.

"Okay, got it." Cao Weida replied noncommittally, then turned and left.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that this alley, which should have been deserted at this time, now had more than a dozen people.

Something was definitely amiss. Thinking about the positions where these people were vaguely standing, he couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Damn it, isn't this the very place he originally planned to leave, near the back gate of his mansion?
Because of the situation at the Beiping Hotel that night, he wasn't wearing his police uniform, but only a decent set of clothes.

He is not short, and with his youthful face, it's easy to mistake him for a college student.

Seemingly feeling triumphant, the man blocking the road couldn't help but smile smugly and raise an eyebrow at his companion.

A burst of laughter immediately echoed through the alley, but the laughter was quickly silenced by a man with a pockmarked face and a thick beard.

"Stop laughing your mother's mouth! Everyone, keep watch at the alley entrance!"

"Yes, Boss Biao."

The underlings nodded obsequiously in agreement.

The man called Boss Biao glared at them again, then pulled aside one of his underlings and whispered, "Are you sure you saw it clearly?"

"Don't worry, Boss Biao, I saw it clearly. Several large boxes were carried in." The underling hurriedly replied, "These boxes were all brought in secretly. I know the man in charge; he's Little Ear from the Tianqiao Black Market."

Biao Ye had certainly heard of Tianqiao Xiao Erduo's reputation, especially since he was a black market boss who had transformed into a patrolman and was very well-known in the local underworld.

I heard he's working for a powerful boss, called Master Cao, who's very influential among the high-ranking officials in Beiping.

Today, his younger brother accidentally saw Little Ears leading people to transport several large boxes into this yard. After reporting this to him, he got the idea.

In the past two days, many shops in the entire outer second district and some parts of the outer third district have been sealed off, and the news of merchants being taken to the police station has caused quite a stir. Boss Biao is involved in the underworld, so he is naturally well-informed.

A little thought reveals that these boxes must contain money plundered from those merchants.

This immediately piqued his interest; with such a windfall right in front of him, how could he possibly let it slip by?

"Just make sure you see it clearly. Don't worry, if you pull this off, I'll definitely reward you handsomely!"

The younger brother was initially excited, but then his face filled with worry: "But Boss Biao, are we sure we want to do this? Boss Cao is a very influential figure in all of Beiping. What if he finds out?"

He knew that Boss Cao from the police station was no ordinary person. With his influence, if he found out that they were the ones who did it, they wouldn't be able to stay in Beiping.
(End of this chapter)