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

The letter contained only a few lines of text, written in Lin Yang's familiar, sharp handwriting.

"Burn it after you've read it," Zhao Lichun said in a low voice, then lowered his voice even further, "Have you heard of Lou Xiao'e, the deputy head of the finance department at Hongxing Farm?"

Pei Yihong lit the letter in the ashtray on the table, watched it turn to ashes, and nodded.

"I've heard of her. A very capable woman. For over a year, the accounts of Hongxing Farm, which served as the main supply base for the entire Northeast heavy industry base, had been a mess. But since she became the deputy section chief, she not only sorted out the bad accounts from previous years but also prevented several batches of supplies of dubious origin from leaving the farm. She's a ruthless character."

Zhao Lichun pushed up his glasses, a deep smile playing on his lips.

"She's not only a ruthless character, she's also Minister Lin's goddaughter. She's our deepest mole in Northeast China."

Pei Yihong gasped, then suddenly realized. No wonder that female educated youth with no connections dared to conduct such a thorough audit in the complex network of relationships at Red Star Farm; it turned out that this powerful figure was standing behind her!

"Director Zhao, since we're on the same side, what do you need my cooperation with this time?" Pei Yihong keenly sensed the urgency of the situation.

Zhao Lichun's expression instantly turned icy cold.

"When Lou Xiao'e was reviewing the farm's railway transport dispatch records for the past three years, she discovered a huge black hole," Zhao Lichun said, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "There was a batch of special rebar, a full 5,000 tons, that was supposed to be used for the construction of air-raid shelters. The books showed that it had been received by Hongxing Farm and allocated to the local construction corps. But in reality, this batch of steel was never even put into storage!"

"Five thousand tons of special steel?!" Pei Yihong jumped to his feet, his eyes wide. "These bastards! That's enough armor for hundreds of tanks! Where did they put it?"

"The black market, even smuggling across the border, is used to buy gold and luxury goods from the Russians on the other side." Zhao Lichun's voice was filled with murderous intent. "According to the clues that Lou Xiao'e painstakingly uncovered, there is a deeply entrenched chain of interests behind this. It involves the deputy director of the local railway bureau and a powerful figure in the provincial revolutionary committee."

"They have now realized that Lou Xiao'e is investigating this account. Last night, Lou Xiao'e's dormitory was set on fire, but fortunately she was alert and hid in advance, sending a distress signal to Beijing using her backup radio."

Pei Yihong slammed his fist hard on the table, causing the teacup to splash water everywhere.

"This is outrageous! Daring to touch the minister's people, they're asking for death!"

Zhao Lichun stood up, walked to Pei Yihong's side, and patted him on the shoulder.

"The minister said that the boil in the Northeast must be burst completely this time. I'm here to politically cut off all their escape routes and channels for seeking help."

A glint of venomous light flashed behind Zhao Lichun's glasses. He looked at Pei Yihong, his tone carrying a hint of the seductive admiration unique to politicians.

"Yihong, the minister often says you're an incomparably sharp knife. But a knife that's too sharp is easily broken. From now on, in officialdom, feel free to do the dirty work that offends people. As for the open and covert political attacks, I, Zhao Lichun, will shield you! As long as the two of us work well together, one with literary skills and the other with martial prowess, there won't be any muddy water in this world that we can't wade through!"

Pei Yihong looked at Zhao Lichun. Although he disliked this manipulative way of speaking, he knew he needed an ally who could navigate the shadows with ease. Under Lin Yang's command, they shared the same goal.

"Fine! I, Pei Yihong, only recognize steel and a bottom line. You protect my rear, and I'll pave the way for you!" Pei Yihong stretched out his rough, large hands.

Zhao Lichun gripped his hand tightly again, and the two exchanged a smile. At this moment, two top tycoons who would later dominate their respective fields finally formed the strongest alliance in this simple office.

"Tonight, these 5,000 tons of steel that were intercepted will be secretly transported to the border through the railway marshalling yard." Zhao Lichun's smile faded, and he got straight to the point. "Lou Xiao'e has found the train number. We absolutely cannot let them succeed."

"Is Director He's men waiting outside?" Pei Yihong's eyes were filled with murderous intent.

"They're all here."

"Let's go! To the marshalling yard! I want to see who dares to smuggle the nation's lifeblood out of the country right under my nose!"

Late at night, in the northern suburbs of Fengtian, at a railway marshalling yard for heavy-haul trains.

Although the snow had stopped, the night wind still felt like a knife cutting into my face.

The marshalling yard was dimly lit, and a freight train with twelve boxcars was stopped on an abandoned siding. An old diesel locomotive was chugging and belching black smoke, preparing to be coupled into a car.

On the platform stood a dozen or so burly men wearing black cotton overcoats, holding iron bars and homemade muskets.

The person in the lead was Sun Debiao, the head of the materials department of the provincial railway bureau.

Sun Debiao anxiously checked his watch, repeatedly urging the dispatcher, "Hurry! Hurry up and get the train loaded! This train must clear customs before 2 AM; the contact person on the other side is getting impatient!"

Just as the locomotive was about to hook up with the first carriage.

boom--!

A section of iron fence on the outer wall of the marshalling yard was knocked down by a fully armored military truck that reversed.

The blinding headlights instantly tore through the darkness, illuminating the dozen or so smugglers on the platform, leaving them nowhere to hide.

"Who goes there!" Sun Debiao was so frightened that he instinctively reached for the pistol at his waist.

But he was too slow.

The tarpaulin covering the truck bed was suddenly ripped open. He Yuzhu, like a tiger pouncing on its prey in the night, was the first to leap from the two-meter-high truck bed. He performed a graceful roll in the air to dissipate the impact, and the moment he stood up, his Type 54 pistol was already locked onto Sun Debiao.

boom!

With a crisp gunshot, the gun in Sun Debiao's hand was knocked away, his hand was shattered, and he fell to the ground with a scream.

Immediately afterwards, twenty special operations team members dressed in black combat uniforms rushed out of the vehicle like wolves.

They didn't need to fire a second shot. Within ten seconds, their bayonets and rifle butts had knocked the rabble on the platform to the ground, pinning them firmly against the cold rails.

Behind the large truck, two jeeps slowly drove into the platform.

The car door opened, and Pei Yihong and Zhao Lichun stepped out of the car side by side.

The two walked to the freight cars. Pei Yihong took a large iron sledgehammer from one of the team members, and without saying a word, swung the sledgehammer and smashed it hard against the iron lock of one of the cars.

Clang! The iron lock broke.

Pei Yihong forcefully pulled open the heavy sliding door of the carriage.

By the light of the flashlights, the neatly stacked special rebar, gleaming with a dark blue metallic luster, was clearly visible to everyone in the carriage.