Courtyard House: I only wiped out 30,000 Japanese pirates

Yagyu Kazuo put down the phone and sat in the chair for a long time.

On his desk was a group photo of his son standing in the ranks of the Special Higher Police training class, wearing a student uniform and sitting up straight.

That was a photo of Liu Shengyun three years ago. Now his son is dead, suffocated to death with a towel in a dilapidated house next to a vegetable market in Beijing.

The murderer has not been caught yet.

And so it was; Yagyu Kazuo soon arrived at the steel rolling mill with two of his men.

Without notifying Sasaki in advance, he went straight into the office building and pushed open the door to Sasaki's office.

Sasaki was standing in front of the map, a cigarette between his fingers. The two men exchanged a glance, and Sasaki pointed to the chair opposite them, but Yagyu Kazuo did not sit down.

"Major Sasaki, I'd like to take a look at the scene first." Kazuo Yagyu's tone was more like a notification than a request.

Sasaki didn't say much, and personally took him to Yamaguchi.

The jeep bumped along the Jingxi Highway for nearly an hour. Yagyu Kazuo sat in the back seat without saying a word, his cane resting on his knees, his fingers tapping lightly on the tip of the cane.

After arriving at the mountain pass, he first looked at the truck wreckage on the road, then at the bombed machine gun position on the high ground to the north, and finally stood next to the bushes where He Dajun had dug the bunker. He used his toes to push aside the dead leaves, revealing the compacted mound of earth underneath.

"The attacker had been lying in wait here for a long time." Kazuo Yagyu squatted down and poked the mound of earth with his cane to test its hardness. "He scouted the area beforehand. He knew about the ambush plan. He didn't come on a whim; he came fully prepared."

After thinking for a moment, Yagyu Kazuo added, "The troops near Daxia number over a hundred."

He stood up, turned to look at Sasaki, and asked, "Major, how many people know about the ambush plan?"

Sasaki paused for a few seconds before saying that he had personally devised the plan, and only a few people knew the complete plan: himself and a few squad leaders involved in the operation.

He Dajun was only told that a convoy was coming, but not the specific ambush location or troop deployment.

"But he knew the convoy was coming." Kazuo Yagyu's voice was as cold as a blade slicing through glass. "Major, you may have been careless."

Sasaki did not refute.

He stood on the high ground to the north, the mountain wind blowing in from the ridgeline, making the collar of his military uniform flutter.

Sasaki recalled the time He Dajun used sandbags to shield himself from shrapnel after stepping on a landmine, the time He Dajun emerged unharmed after his motorcycle was blown up by a grenade, and the time He Dajun tackled him at the execution ground.

This person's luck is ridiculously good.

People who are ridiculously lucky are usually not just lucky.

"Section Chief Yagyu, what are you planning to do?" Sasaki asked.

Yagyu Kazuo pointed his cane at the distant outline of Beijing and said, "Of course, it's to interrogate him."

At 2 p.m., Suzuki had someone find He Dajun and take him to the steel rolling mill.

When He Dajun got out of the car, his expression was both tense and confused, like a subordinate who didn't know what mistake he had made.

But in his mind, he went through all the possible problems he might face next.

It was only a matter of time before the Special Higher Police intervened. It would be abnormal if Sasaki didn't suspect him after the Yamaguchi ambush.

When he arrived at Sasaki's office, he saw a middle-aged man in casual clothes wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

The middle-aged man's gaze was fixed on him from a meter away, like a knife just drawn from its sheath.

He Dajun bowed to Sasaki and nodded to Yagyu Kazuo.

Yagyu Kazuo did not return the greeting, but simply stared into his eyes.

"He Dajun," Sasaki's voice was a few degrees colder than usual, "this is Chief Yagyu of the Special Higher Police. He has some questions for you."

Kazuo Yagyu took a step forward and began posting.

His Daxia dialect was better than that of most Japanese soldiers; his pronunciation was very clear, and his tone carried the patience unique to an interrogator.

"Mr. He, where have you been all this time?"

"I drank it at home, Section Chief." He Dajun bowed, his tone both respectful and honest. "These days, after get off work I go back to the courtyard house and have dinner with my wife. I hardly go out."

Yagyu Kazuo didn't respond to his question, but continued, "Did you mention the racing team to anyone at the factory?"

He Dajun was stunned for a moment, then shook his head vigorously: "Section Chief! How could I dare to tell anyone what Major Sasaki instructed me to do! I haven't even told my wife! My loyalty to the Imperial Army and to Major Sasaki is as clear as day!"

Looking at He Dajun's face, which was filled with injustice and grievance, Yagyu Kazuo suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, like steam rising from the spout of a kettle on a winter's day when water has just boiled.

It may seem mild, but it's actually very hot to handle.

"Mr. He, you've misunderstood. I'm not interrogating you. I just want to confirm where the leak channels within the Imperial Army are." He paused, then suddenly asked, "Do you know why we're looking for you?"

He Dajun said he didn't know.

Sasaki then recounted the ambush of the Japanese soldiers.

He Dajun's eyes immediately reddened slightly, and his voice choked with emotion: "Section Chief, these Japanese soldiers were killed by the despicable resistance fighters. Although I am a citizen of Great Xia, I feel the same pain as the Imperial Army soldiers."

Sasaki watched He Dajun's desperate state, a faint smile reappearing on his lips. He didn't speak, but simply lit a cigarette and slowly smoked it.

Yagyu Kazuo put away his cane, walked up to He Dajun, and stood very close to him.

He was half a head shorter than He Dajun, but his imposing presence was in no way inferior. He looked up at He Dajun's eyes as if he were looking at a very interesting riddle.

"Mr. He, I have a favor to ask." His tone suddenly became very polite. "I would like to visit your courtyard house. I've heard that you've managed the puppet troops quite well, and I'm very interested."

He Dajun's nerves tightened even more, but he immediately put on a flattered smile and said it was his honor. He added that the courtyard house was simple and he was afraid it would be inconvenient for the section chief, so if the section chief didn't mind, he could have a simple meal at his house that evening.

Yagyu Kazuo smiled slightly and said, "Then we'll be in your way, Mr. He. Let's go over now."

"..." He Dajun.

Soon, Yagyu Kazuo, accompanied by two henchmen, arrived at the courtyard house in a jeep with He Dajun.

At this moment, He Dajun, now acting as the master of the house, quickly returned home with a wooden stick and then came out again.

He stood in the courtyard to personally greet them, bowing deeper than usual and with a wider smile than ever before.

He welcomed Yagyu Kazuo into the main room. He Daqing, who had just been instructed, nervously carried in a pot of hot tea, his hands trembling.

I don't know if it was fear or anger.