Courtyard House: A Start with Black Gold Swallowing 100,000 Silver Dollars

"Sir, the Japanese are really cunning with this trick, they're targeting our weak points! What should we do?"

Yang Yuerong was so anxious that she kept rubbing her hands together.

The first few times she delivered supplies, Li Wenguo asked her to call him "Grandpa," and she couldn't refuse, so she had to agree.

"Sigh, for now... we'll avoid it if we can, and we'll go around it if we can."

Faced with this meticulously planned tactic, Li Wenguo could only sigh.

Even if Ding Xiaoqi, A Gui, and Battalion Commander Chen Jiang managed to gather over four thousand men to fight against more than three thousand well-equipped and well-trained Japanese soldiers, their chances of winning would be pitifully low. Even if they were to win by sheer luck, they would suffer heavy losses, with their troops crippled and their organization scattered. Li Wenguo would never engage in such a losing proposition.

As soon as the news arrived, He Shuting quickly relayed Li Wenguo's deductions about the Japanese army's movements to Battalion Commander Chen Jiang. At the end of the telegram, Li Wenguo specifically requested that Sai Honglian send Xiao Guoli back to the small villa to recuperate.

People are already scattering and trying to break through, are you really going to drag a baby all over the mountain?

Li Wenguo couldn't bear to see his son suffer and wander, so he decided to bring him back home as soon as possible to raise him in peace.

As soon as Sai Honglian received the telegram, she became stubborn again—she absolutely refused to let her son go to her husband's place. She was afraid that if her child stayed with Li Wenguo for too long, he would forget who his real mother was and start calling another woman his mother instead.

After all, she was determined to abort the child back then, but now she cares about it the most.

Seeing that she wouldn't listen to reason, Li Wenguo was so angry that he almost grabbed his whip and rushed to Chenjia Village to drag her over himself. In the end, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and give a firm order, instructing Battalion Commander Chen Jiang to forcibly bring the mother and child over together.

Battalion Commander Chen Jiang couldn't withstand the landlord's pressure and had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to persuade her. Even the chief of staff personally intervened, explaining the pros and cons and appealing to her heart. After much persuasion, Sai Honglian finally relented and agreed to send the child to the villa.

But she didn't leave—she wanted to stay on the front lines to kill the Japanese.

Indeed, after Battalion Commander Chen Jiang figured out the Japanese army's intentions, he immediately deployed his troops: breaking up into smaller groups and launching attacks in batches, targeting small groups of Japanese soldiers who were isolated or too far from the main force, slowly bleeding them dry and wearing them down.

While the anti-Japanese forces outside the city were locked in a fierce struggle with the Japanese army, the secret agents and underground party members inside the city could no longer contain themselves and quietly began to move.

This time, their knives were aimed directly at the Japanese intelligence agencies.

In terms of surveillance, investigation, and gathering clues, these well-trained underground party members were far superior to the military police; the latter only knew how to arrest, interrogate, and kill people.

"Baka!!!"

"stop!!!"

In a deserted, narrow alley, three Japanese spies, accompanied by several patrolmen, were chasing two underground Communist Party members.

The patrol officers were spotted on the way and stopped by the secret agents, who ordered them to assist in the encirclement.

Although the agent had a gun in his hand, he only had two targets in mind, thinking of capturing them alive to gain merit, so he hesitated to fire.

The two turned into a dead-end alley where no one was around, stopped with their backs against the brick wall, their faces so gloomy they could drip water.

As soon as the three spies showed themselves, he immediately raised his gun and aimed, a mocking smile on his face: "Running away? Why aren't you running anymore?"

"Isn't it supposed to be quite fast?"

"Your legs are pretty nimble, why aren't you running faster?"

"Damn it! If you keep quiet after we take you back, I'll break your kneecaps first!"

Faced with the mockery, Qin Shaofeng, who had maintained a straight face, suddenly smiled and casually uttered, "Little notebook, you're awesome!"

Jiang Liang, standing to the side, also raised the corners of his mouth, his eyes shining with certainty.

—Because right behind the three agents, the "police officers" had silently raised their guns, the dark muzzles of which were firmly locked onto the back of their heads.

The spies noticed the sudden change in the two men's expressions, their hearts skipped a beat, and their brows furrowed instantly.

You're already at the gates of the King of Hell, and you can still laugh?

Has he lost his mind?

But the next second—

"Bang!!!"

"Bang!!!"

"Bang!!!"

Just before the bullet pierced their skulls, they suddenly realized that the "police officers" they had recruited along the way were all imposters; they were actually anti-Japanese resistance fighters disguised as police officers waiting for them to take the bait.

This is a setup.

I regret it so much!

If I had known, I would never have asked these "police officers" for help!

Unfortunately, there's no such thing as knowing beforehand.

Even if they don't call for help, the "police officers" will still surround them on their own.

The only targets have always been the three of them.

"Retreat immediately! The military police will rush over as soon as the gunfire starts!"

Qin Shaofeng lifted the bamboo ladder hidden by the wall, propped it up against the earthen wall, and climbed over, with Jiang Liang following closely behind.

A little over fifteen minutes later, a group of more than a dozen military police officers hurriedly arrived at the dead end.

There was only time to collect the bodies.

Back at the military police headquarters, the head of the Matsubara Special Service Agency—a middle-aged man in his early forties with a small mustache—slammed his fist on the table and sighed to Mikawa Tokuma: "Captain Mikawa! Including these three today, our special service agency has lost nearly fifty men! We're severely short-handed right now, and arresting anti-Japanese elements is practically impossible!"

This intelligence agency, at most, has only sixty or seventy people.

After all, the capital city had already fallen into the hands of the Japanese. With resident Japanese troops, military police, and patrol officers helping to keep watch and arrest people, the spies naturally dared not spread out too widely—if they were too numerous, it would disrupt the order of things and throw the plan into disarray.

"Sir, what do you think about assigning a few more military police squads to our headquarters, specifically to apprehend anti-Japanese elements?"

He bowed his head and pleaded.

He has been assassinated one after another recently, and the spies are dying one after another. If this continues, he may end up as a commander without any troops.

This isn't dereliction of duty; it's blatant incompetence!

The entire capital city is right under their noses, yet they can't even protect their own people. What kind of control do they have? What is this if not incompetence?

"Baka! Are you spies just sitting around doing nothing? Anti-Japanese fighters fall one after another with a single move, are your brains filled with straw?!"

"Useless trash! What's the point of keeping it!"

After this period of seemingly calm weather, Yu Kongdejian reverted to his usual arrogant demeanor.

But he knew very well that the anti-Japanese elements in Beijing were ruthless, accurate, and steady—nothing to be trifled with. So after berating the head of the Songyuan Special Service Agency, he gritted his teeth and assigned three military police squads to his command day and night.

To put it bluntly, it meant using the military police as the spies' tools and eyes.

After all, military police only know how to charge, search houses, and break down doors. For the more detailed tasks like investigating clues, building relationships, and setting up informants, secret agents are needed.

After sending Matsubara away, Mikuriya felt a tightness in his chest—his own military police force was also stretched thin. Last time, they were short-staffed for reinforcements, and this time they had to squeeze out three more squads to provide support. With his forces stretched thin, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask General Nobuda for more men.

However, the anti-Japanese forces outside the city frequently harassed the city, and three entire infantry battalions were transferred away in one go. The Japanese army inside the city was already under pressure, so it was highly unlikely that Shinoda would agree.

The fewer people there are, the harder things become; the harder things become, the bigger the fire gets.

"Damn anti-Japanese elements!"

"You bastard!"

"You lowly bastard!"

"Baka yarou!"

He roared, grabbed the chair behind him, and slammed it to the ground.

"Clang! Bang! Thud!"

After catching his breath, he opened the drawer and took out a photo of himself and Nanako. His fingertips traced her slightly protruding belly in the photo, and thinking of the unborn child, the fire in his chest slowly subsided.

Now, only his wife and children can keep his violent temper in check.

In order for his child to be able to stand tall in the future, he finally straightened his uniform, gritted his teeth, and went to see General Nobuda to apply for additional military police.

But he never imagined that the girl he longed for day and night, Nanako, was being pinned down by Li Wenguo, and even the flesh and blood in her womb had long since changed owners.

If he were to actually break it, he would probably vomit three liters of blood on the spot and wouldn't be able to stop it.

After seeing Nanako off, Li Wenguo turned and went into the Lou family's house next door.

Lou Zhenhua just returned from the US today and warmly invited me over the phone to host a welcome dinner at his home. He and Lou Meie are currently very much in love; why would he stand someone up?

"Brother Wenguo, you're here!"

As soon as Lou Zhenhua saw him enter, he immediately came to greet him with a warm smile, as warm as a freshly baked steamed bun.

This trip to the United States was worthwhile. It broadened my horizons, honed my skills, and made me much more composed.

What he was most proud of was that, through a few well-timed investments, he had built several solid connections—though far less influential than Li Wenguo's, they were enough to keep him grinning from ear to ear at night. Ultimately, in the United States, money is the passport, and capital is the power of discourse.

He really thought it was his outstanding personality that attracted the favor of the important person.

"Haha, Zhenhua, it hasn't been that long! You've changed so much! Indeed, reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles!"

Li Wenguo followed his lead, praising him naturally and graciously.

"What do you mean? It's all thanks to Brother Wenguo's help that I didn't stumble in the US."

He spoke modestly, but his eyebrows subtly raised slightly—he knew better than anyone how important his future brother-in-law was in the United States.

As soon as Selena's name is mentioned, many doors open with a whoosh.

Selena was Li Wenguo's lawfully wedded wife in the United States. Her connections were his connections.

"Wenguo, please have a seat! Have some tea first, then we'll start eating!"

Lou Shiqin had already heard about Li Wenguo's connections in the United States from his son. As he grew increasingly affectionate towards him, he thought to himself: I need to settle on this son-in-law as soon as possible!

So the father-in-law, son-in-law, and brother-in-law sat around, chatting and laughing, and once they started talking, they couldn't stop.

A short while later, a young maidservant dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, with a thin face, entered quietly and announced in a low voice, "Master, dinner is ready."

"Go and invite Miss Lou downstairs for dinner!"

Lou Shiqin raised his eyes and gave the order.

"Oh, no need to trouble you, I'll go up myself."

Li Wenguo immediately chimed in, his tone warm and enthusiastic.

He had already planned it out in his mind—before each meal, Lou Meie would always tidy herself up carefully, and maybe she was changing her clothes? If they bumped into each other, wouldn't that little bit of shyness and fluster add a bit more sweetness between them?

"Alright, then go upstairs with her and visit Miss Lou's room."

"Yes, sir."

The maid with the long face and narrow eyes nodded slightly, gave Li Wenguo a polite nod, and then turned to lead the way.

This was the first time Li Wenguo had been so close to her. His eyelids twitched: those eyebrows and features were exactly like Xu Damao from later generations! After a moment's thought, he remembered that Xu Damao's mother had worked as a maid in the Lou family for many years—this person in front of him was most likely her.

A toad trying to steal a swan's egg!

Staring at that elongated face, and thinking about how her son would one day marry his own niece and become related to him by marriage, Li Wenguo felt a tightness in his chest.

Now that I'm here, why not just betroth Lou Xiao'e, this beautiful and lovely future niece, to one of my sons as his wife? We have plenty of sons; pick one with decent looks and character. How is she any worse than that crooked-mouthed, slanted-eyed, and wicked Xu Damao?

Yes! Once things are settled between me and Lou Meie, we'll immediately arrange a marriage between our children and secure Lou Xiaoe's place in the family!

The moment the idea took hold, Lou Xiao'e's fate in this life was decided by him in a few quick moves.

Before long, the maid stopped in front of the door, gently knocked on the door frame, and stepped aside.

Li Wenguo waved his hand to indicate that she didn't need to wait, then pushed the door open and entered, not even bothering to say hello.