Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

Faced with Li Yunlong's almost frantic request to join the battle, Lin Yang did not answer immediately.

He turned and walked to the window, looking out at the pitch-black night and the swirling snow, his eyes as deep as an abyss.

The Northwest Iron Triangle: Li Yunlong, Ding Wei, and Kong Jie.

Back on the battlefield, these three old buddies covered for each other and fought with great valor. When Lin Yang was demobilized, they even went so far as to draw their guns to support the Lin family in his family affairs.

This camaraderie, thicker than blood, is heavier than Mount Tai.

But Lin Yang knew even better that this game couldn't be played this way.

"Old Li." Lin Yang slowly turned around, the killing intent in his eyes completely hidden, replaced by an extremely cold rationality.

"If you lead your troops to seize people, do you think you can actually do it?" Lin Yang retorted directly.

"How come we can't get them out! The soldiers I led are worth ten men each! Those rebels are a bunch of spineless cowards who have never been on the battlefield. I can wipe them all out with one charge!" Li Yunlong roared, his neck stiff.

"And then?" Lin Yang's voice rose several decibels, like a bucket of ice water being poured over someone's head. "You lead your troops into the air-raid shelters in Shenyang and shoot and kill the rebels. Tomorrow, newspapers across the country will carry a headline: 'Li Yunlong, commander of the Fujian Military Region, deserted his post and led his troops in a military rebellion in Shenyang, violently resisting the mass movement!'"

Lin Yang strode up to Li Yunlong, staring at him with eyes as sharp as knives.

"At that time, not only will Ding Wei be unable to be saved, but you, Li Yunlong, will also become a counter-revolutionary! Kong Jie will also be implicated in the Northwest frontier! We veterans who survived the battlefield will be wiped out in one fell swoop with a legitimate reason! This is exactly the result that Political Commissar Ma and the big shots behind him want to see!"

Li Yunlong was speechless after Lin Yang's words. He slumped back onto the sofa, pounding his thighs with his fists.

"Then what do you suggest we do! Just watch Lao Ding suffer in that air-raid shelter? There's no heating in that shelter, and Lao Ding still has shrapnel in his leg. If this continues, he'll die in there!" Li Yunlong's eyes were completely red.

Zhao Gang also looked at Lin Yang, his tone anxious: "Yangzi, Lao Li is right. A war of words won't work. I went to the Military Commission this afternoon, hoping to use official channels to order Shenyang to release the people. But the order simply can't get through; the communication lines at the bottom have been taken over by the rebels, and they're outwardly complying with orders from above but inwardly resisting them. We must take extraordinary measures."

Lin Yang walked to his desk, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

The cigarette butt flickered in the dim room.

"Extraordinary measures are permissible. But they must be disguised under a cloak of absolute legality, one that no one can find fault with."

Lin Yang exhaled a puff of smoke and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"To save Brother Ding, we can't use the name of the army, nor can we use the name of personal feelings. We must use a political name that is higher and more unquestionable than that of the rebels."

Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang exchanged a glance, then looked at Lin Yang at the same time.

"Under what pretext?" Zhao Gang asked.

Lin Yang walked to the map and pointed to the locations of Shuangchengzi in Gansu and Jinyintan in Qinghai.

"Top Secret National Defense and Military Industry"

Lin Yang turned around, his eyes flashing with cold calculation.

"The rebels are trying to label Ding Wei, aren't they? Then let's label him with an even bigger label. A label so big that even Political Commissar Ma wouldn't dare to reach out and accept it."

Lin Yang pressed the intercom on the table: "Zhu Zi, come in."

The door was pushed open, and He Yuzhu strode in, standing at attention and waiting for orders.

"Zhu Zi, go and get that blank official letter with the top-secret seal of the Central Special Committee from my safe," Lin Yang ordered.

He Yuzhu immediately walked to the corner, entered the password to open the safe, took out a heavy envelope with a bright red five-pointed star and the words "Central Special Committee" printed on it, and handed it to Lin Yang.

Lin Yang spread the official letter out on the table and picked up his pen.

"Brother Zhao," Lin Yang said, looking at Zhao Gang, "you are now the head of the First Ministry of Machine Building, and your words carry weight in military production. Let's co-sign this, along with the seal of the deputy director of the Central Special Committee that I have here."

As Lin Yang spoke, he quickly scribbled a few lines on the official letter.

"The transfer order is as follows: The Central Special Committee has verified that Ding Wei, former commander of the Northern Frontier Military Region, is suspected of leaking top-secret deployment maps of new-generation main battle tanks and border nuclear defense positions to unidentified forces during his tenure. This case concerns the nation's top nuclear secrets, and no local organization or individual has the right to interfere. The Special Security Bureau of the Ministry of Heavy Industry is hereby ordered to immediately proceed to Shenyang and escort the suspect Ding Wei to Beijing for isolation and investigation by the Central Special Committee. Anyone who obstructs the escort will be prosecuted for leaking top-secret state information and treason!"

After Lin Yang finished writing, he signed his name heavily and then handed the pen to Zhao Gang.

Zhao Gang's eyes lit up instantly when he saw the official letter, and he couldn't help but gasp.

"Yangzi, your move... is too ruthless, too brilliant!" Zhao Gang's hands were trembling with excitement. "You snatched Lao Ding from their hands using a fabricated charge! As long as the words 'nuclear secret' are attached, not even Political Commissar Ma, let alone his backer, would dare to touch this hot potato!"

Although Li Yunlong wasn't highly educated, he understood the intricacies of the situation. He slapped his thigh and burst into laughter, his laughter filled with boundless joy.

"Good lad! I'm impressed! You've used magic to defeat magic! The rebels said Old Ding was a capitalist roader, and you directly called him a major spy who leaked nuclear secrets! That's a label you've slapped on him; those bastards, Political Commissar Ma and his gang, would probably wet their pants in fear and be eager to get rid of this plague god, Old Ding!"

Lin Yang sneered, put the official letter stamped with the top-secret seal into a kraft paper bag, and sealed it with sealing wax.

"This is just a pass. To truly carry it out, we'll have to use force. Political Commissar Ma isn't stupid; he might doubt the authenticity of this document and even delay things. Therefore, the people carrying out the escort mission must be a group of unreasonable, stubborn, and absolutely capable desperados with the ability to suppress others with force."

Lin Yang's gaze fell on He Yuzhu.

"Pillar."

"Here!" He Yuzhu straightened his chest abruptly, the scar on his left cheek looking particularly ferocious under the light.

"Select twenty brothers from the Special Operations Squadron of the Security Bureau who have seen blood and are the best marksmen." Lin Yang's tone turned icy cold. "All of them will be dressed in unmarked black training uniforms. Weaponry: Type 56 submachine guns, Soviet-made silenced pistols, tear gas, and two offensive grenades per person."

"At 3:00 AM tonight, take a military transport plane directly to Shenyang Military Airport. Once there, drive military vehicles straight to that air-raid shelter. Throw this top-secret document from the Central Special Committee in Political Commissar Ma's face. If he dares not release the person..."