Courtyard House: Ten-year-old Master Zhu reorganizes the entire courtyard

The instructions on the note were simple, but they carried great weight.

"Take advantage of the chaos in the city and immediately execute Operation Lightning. The target is the former warehouse of the Japanese communications squad in the west of the city. Obtain the radio and repair equipment. You are responsible for leading the way and guarding the perimeter. The rendezvous point is the usual place."

He Yuzhu's pupils contracted slightly.

Radio station!

In the ensuing struggle, communication would be crucial. The shopkeeper, as expected, had already set his sights on the key factor that would determine the outcome, even while everyone else was still celebrating.

He Yuzhu's initial excitement quickly faded, and he immediately calmed down and focused intently.

He returned to the courtyard, where his mother, Chen Lanxiang, had already wiped away her tears and was holding He Yushui, looking at him with concern.

"Zhu Zi, what happened?"

"Mother, there's an urgent mission from the organization." He Yuzhu didn't hide anything. "I'm going out for a bit, I'll be right back."

As he spoke, he ran back to his room, took off his clean clothes, changed into an old gray shirt and trousers, tied the trouser legs with strips of cloth, and put on cloth shoes.

Chen Lanxiang's heart tightened at the sight of her son. She didn't know what he was going to do, but she saw determination in his eyes. She didn't ask any questions, but simply stepped forward, straightened his collar, nodded firmly, and finally said only two words: "Be careful!"

"rest assured."

He Yuzhu responded, turned around and went out through the back door, quickly disappearing into the crowd and the sound of firecrackers.

The city of Beiping has gone completely mad.

The streets were packed with people waving flags they'd found somewhere, singing off-key versions of the March of the Volunteers, and embracing each other in celebration.

Using his slender frame, He Yuzhu nimbly weaved through the crowd. He didn't take the main roads, but instead chose quiet alleyways. Even in these narrow lanes, people could be seen gathered together, sharing cigarettes and alcohol to celebrate their victory.

He circled around several times to make sure no one was following him before arriving at an abandoned dye house in the west of the city. This was their secret meeting point, codenamed "Old Place."

He pushed open the slightly ajar door, and there were already five people standing in the courtyard.

The leader was a burly man codenamed Iron Hammer, the head of the organization's action team. The other four had sharp eyes and bulging temples, clearly skilled fighters.

They were all somewhat surprised to see He Yuzhu. Although they had heard rumors about the code name "Apprentice," they were still quite astonished to see that he was just a ten-year-old child.

"Apprentice?" Hammer asked uncertainly.

"That's me." He Yuzhu nodded and said directly, "I know the situation in the warehouse best. I scouted it before. The main force of the Japanese communications squad withdrew to the headquarters yesterday, leaving only a squad to guard it. Given the current situation in the city, I estimate that they have either run away or are hiding inside and dare not come out. There's no need to worry about the few puppet troops left behind."

His words were so clear and logical that they immediately dispelled the team's doubts.

Hammer gave him an approving look and nodded vigorously: "Good! The situation is clear. Our mission is to be fast, use the chaos to grab what we need, and get out of here quickly. Everyone check your equipment, get ready to go!"

The five men immediately checked the pistols and daggers on their bodies.

Led by He Yuzhu, the six of them then mingled into the revelry. They dispersed in twos and threes, pretending to be citizens celebrating in the streets, smiling and humming tunes, but keeping a distance from each other where they could support one another, their eyes warily scanning their surroundings.

The target warehouse is located at the end of a secluded alley.

Before they even got close, He Yuzhu made a stop gesture, then quietly crept to the corner of the wall and peeked out to observe.

The situation at the warehouse entrance was exactly as he had expected.

The Japanese sentries who were supposed to be on duty were gone. Only four men in puppet army uniforms were leaning against the wall, smoking listlessly, their Type 38 rifles lying carelessly to one side.

"Captain, what are we supposed to do? The Japanese are all done for. If we don't run, are we just going to be skinned alive by the locals?" a skinny puppet soldier said anxiously.

"Run? Where to run?" The fat puppet soldier called the captain took a deep drag on his cigarette. "Without orders from above, desertion is a capital offense! Besides, the city is in such chaos. If we go out and run into those killing machines from the Military Intelligence Bureau, we'll die even faster! We might as well wait here; maybe we can even turn our lives around and redeem ourselves!"

"What a load of rubbish! I heard that yesterday in Paoju Hutong in Dongcheng, several brothers like us were beaten to death by the local people!"

The group was chattering amongst themselves, their faces filled with fear and confusion, completely unaware that several dark figures had silently flanked them from both sides of the alley.

Tiechui gestured to He Yuzhu, indicating that he should stay on the perimeter and keep watch.

He Yuzhu understood, and slipped into the shadows of a doorway, focusing all his attention on the movements inside and outside the alley.

"Don't move!"

Iron Hammer and his men pounced out from both sides at the same time, and the dark muzzles of their guns were instantly pressed against the foreheads of the four puppet soldiers.

The puppet soldiers were terrified. They dropped their cigarettes and scrambled to their feet, raising their hands and stammering, "Mercy, sir! Mercy, sir! We surrender! We surrender!"

One of the puppet soldiers reacted a little slower and instinctively tried to reach for the rifle next to him.

A murderous glint flashed in the eyes of one of the team members next to Iron Hammer. With a flick of his wrist, a dagger silently slid into his hand.

Just then, Iron Hammer shouted in a low voice, "Leave them alive!"

The soldier paused, then used the butt of his rifle to slam it hard into the back of the puppet soldier's neck. The man didn't even utter a sound before collapsing limply to the ground.

The remaining three were so terrified that they wet themselves and knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Where is it?" Iron Hammer asked coldly.

"Inside...inside! They're all inside! Good sir, we're just gatekeepers, we don't know anything!" the fat captain cried out.

Without another word, Iron Hammer waved his hand, and two team members stepped forward, gagged them with strips of cloth, tied them up, and dragged them into an empty room next door.

The task force quickly pried open the warehouse door with a steel bar.

A strong smell of engine oil and metal hit me.

Inside the warehouse, rows of wooden crates were neatly stacked. He Yuzhu had already confirmed the target through the Japanese inscriptions on the crates during his reconnaissance. He strode forward and pointed to a few rows of crates covered with tarpaulins in the corner: "These are them!"

Iron Hammer immediately ordered, "Move!"

The task force immediately split into pairs, carrying wooden crates, and headed outside. They had already prepared a handcart disguised as a junk-collecting vehicle, which they parked at the alley entrance.

The wooden crates were loaded onto a cart and then covered tightly with tattered quilts, old furniture, and other miscellaneous items.

The whole process took less than ten minutes.

Just as they were about to finish, a commotion came from the alley entrance, as if a group of people were walking towards them.

Hiding in the shadows, He Yuzhu's heart tightened, and he immediately let out two cuckoo calls, which was the pre-arranged alarm signal.

Iron Hammer and his men paused for a moment, then immediately sped up.

After loading the last box of supplies onto the truck, Tiechui whispered to He Yuzhu, "You go first! We'll handle the aftermath!"

He Yuzhu nodded, then turned and left.

He blended back into the bustling street, and several muffled thuds and a scream came from the direction of the warehouse behind him, which were quickly drowned out by the loud sound of firecrackers.

When he returned to the courtyard in Rongxian Hutong, it was already getting dark.

Chen Lanxiang was anxiously looking around at the gate of the courtyard when she finally saw her son and breathed a long sigh of relief.

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back..."

He Yuzhu smiled at his mother, but the smile was tinged with weariness.

This secret operation, amidst the celebration of victory, has come to an end, and these things will play a significant role in the near future.