Southern guerrilla warfare: I led the Red Seventh Army Corps to amassed a million troops.

Li Zhiwen instinctively put his feet together and raised his hand in a standard military salute: "Greetings, Commander!"

Zhou Zeyuan waved his hand at him: "Don't be nervous, sit down."

Li Zhiwen sat down on the bench opposite him. "Commander, what important matter do you have to discuss with me?"

"There's no rush to discuss this. Won't you introduce yourself first? I know nothing about your background. Could you tell me when you joined the Party?"

Li Zhiwen steadied his breathing and began, "My real name is Li Zhiwen. I joined the Party in Shanghai in 1931. At that time, the September 18 Incident had just occurred, and many of my classmates participated in the large-scale demonstration against the civil war and in solidarity against Japan."

"I had a classmate with whom I was on good terms. To protect his safety, I also participated in the march, and that's how I came into contact with our party."

Zhou Zeyuan tilted his head slightly, as if he had become interested in a particular detail: "Hmm, your classmate, male or female?"

Li Zhiwen looked embarrassed for a moment, then it was as if something was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say anything.

Zhou Zeyuan raised his hand and said, "Never mind, that's not important. I can probably guess what will happen next."

"But I'm curious, given your situation, the underground Communist Party comrades would have preferred to infiltrate enemy intelligence agencies or government agencies. Why would they have assigned you to infiltrate the military?"

Li Zhiwen was silent for a few seconds, recalling his youthful days, before speaking:

"This was also an accident. During the January 28 Incident two years ago, a man named Wang Yaqiao organized a group of volunteers."

"He led his men, armed with axes, and went door-to-door to 'talk' to merchants who did business with the Japanese, forcing them to contribute money to support the resistance against Japan. My father, that unscrupulous merchant, was among them."

"Afterwards, someone took the lead and jointly protested to the municipal government, but the news was leaked by the newspaper. Instead of dealing with Wang Yaqiao, our family and the businessmen who came to our door were verbally attacked and cursed."

He paused here, the memory itself seeming somewhat absurd to him.

"Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Kuomintang military extorted another sum of money from our families and forced us to send our clan members to join the army to fight against the Japanese, to show our determination to be irreconcilable with the Japanese invaders."

"My father was extorted twice, and he learned a lesson from that: those who control the guns have the most power. So he simply took out his savings and used them to smooth things over for me, getting me into the Central Army."

After hearing this, Zhou Zeyuan's expression was unusually complex.

This guy has a really complicated background!

His father is suspected of being a traitor, or at least a pro-Japanese figure.

He himself joined the Kuomintang army, but in reality, he was a member of our party.

Do some of our comrades have certain fetishes, particularly enjoying developing relationships with people from complicated backgrounds?

However, this background does indeed have significant value for united front work.

Zhou Zeyuan coughed lightly, pulling himself back from his turbulent thoughts: "Let's talk about serious matters. In principle, I don't object to your return to the Nationalist army to infiltrate."

"After discussing it with the leaders of the Legion, we felt that you had cultivated this line around Xia Chuzhong for a long time and achieved remarkable results. It would be a real pity to give it up like this."

Li Zhiwen nodded: "Although I've been operating within the 98th Division for years, I've also dabbled in connections in other areas. Finding a new position won't be difficult. The 98th Division is already in this state, and Xia Chuzhong has fallen into our hands again; this line really doesn't have much value anymore!"

"It doesn't matter. Xia Chuzhong is a graduate of the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy, a top student of the principal, and a capable officer in the Civil Engineering Department. The Nationalist Army will not give up on rescuing him."

"As long as we confirm he shows no signs of defecting to us, he still has a bright future. I need you to return to the POW camp and share hardships with Xia Chu. With this experience, you'll be better able to gain his trust in the future."

Li Zhiwen nodded solemnly: "I understand, sir. I have a way to regain Xia Chuzhong's trust, but I need some intelligence, preferably substantial intelligence, as a stepping stone for my future advancement. It doesn't matter if it's slightly outdated."

Zhou Zeyuan nodded. "No problem, I'll arrange it."

Seeing that the leader was so easy to talk to, Li Zhiwen mustered up his courage and said, "There is one more thing I must report to you."

"Okay, go ahead."

My code name is The Prodigal Son.

Zhou Zeyuan paused slightly, then a smile appeared on his lips: "Hmm, not bad. A prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold. Who doesn't have a past they'd rather forget? It's good that they've changed."

Li Zhiwen didn't follow up on his words, instead showing a hesitant expression: "Actually... there was a period of time when things did change. But wouldn't that just send me back into the Kuomintang?"

"Sometimes the enemy will try to tempt me with things like wine, women, money, and power. If I don't fall for it, won't I be exposed? Also, some of the female comrades I work with are nominally my wives, and in our daily relationships, sometimes we inevitably..."

He rubbed his hands together, his tone becoming increasingly vague, "Uh, it's pretty easy. You know, there are some things I don't want to do, but I have to."

Zhou Zeyuan's expression was somewhat strange, but he had no choice but to do it. Ugh, shrimp fritters!

We're all men, we all know each other!

"Okay, let's stop here. No need to say anything more, I understand, I understand everything. I'll vouch for you on this matter."

"As long as it's not a fundamental error like betraying the Party or the country, or endangering the people, the political review of you after your status is restored will only consist of a four-word response."

Li Zhiwen subconsciously straightened his back: "Which four words?"

"excusable."

Li Zhiwen's breathing quickened a bit, but then a doubt arose in his mind: could military cadres also be in charge of political vetting?

However, he became a deputy legion commander at such a young age, so he must have a powerful background and extensive connections. Perhaps he really has such connections to dare to make such a bold statement.

He asked tentatively, half-believing, "Then... sir, do you mean what you say?"

Zhou Zeyuan leaned back in his chair: "Which commander in our Red Army goes back on their word? Should I write you a note?"

Li Zhiwen waved his hands repeatedly: "What are you saying... A real man's word is his bond, how could I not trust him..."

His hand stopped halfway through the gesture.

After a brief pause, a warm smile spread across his face: "However, it would be best if you could write a note."

Zhou Zeyuan couldn't help but laugh. It had been a long time since he had met such a quirky comrade; it was quite a novel experience.

"Little Li, my handwriting is extremely valuable, worth more than a thousand pieces of gold. With your contributions, it wouldn't be unreasonable to ask for a guarantee in return, but how can you guarantee that this note won't become a hidden danger that exposes you?"

Li Zhiwen said with great certainty, "Sir, I won't be carrying this note with me. Don't mention my name on it, just use my code name."

He knew, of course, that every additional piece of evidence that proved his identity added to the risk.

But compared to the benefits that can be gained in the future, this risk is nothing.