Chapter 697: Bitter Meat Strategy

The Paramount Ballroom in the former International Settlement seemed unchanged in its liveliness, still filled with the decadent atmosphere of lights and wine. The difference was that there were no foreigners in the venue, only more Japanese.

The merchant girls should know the hatred of a fallen country, but what could they do? If they didn't sing the "Hou Ting Hua" across the river, what else could they do? Women in troubled times were not easy; women who relied on their beauty and social skills to interact looked like they had abundant material, but it wasn't as easy as it looked. As the saying goes, one wrong step leads to a lifetime of mistakes; dancing for a living, dancing girls were also human; to whom could they tell the pain in their hearts...

After chatting for a long time about this and that, Liang Zhongchun leaned forward: "Brother A-Cheng, what exactly is the matter you're looking for me for today?"

"What are you saying? Given our relationship, can't I look for you, Chief Liang, to have a drink if there's nothing?" Looking at the disbelief in Liang Zhongchun's eyes, Ming Lou turned to nod and said, "There is indeed something I want to ask you about; you must not hide it from me."

"Don't worry, we've been in contact for three years; don't you know what kind of person I am? Besides, although the Japanese are winning battles everywhere now, we are working for the Japanese; don't we know what the Japanese are like now? Strong on the outside but weak on the inside, the downward trend is already apparent. And they've gone crazy, bombing the US base. You tell me, no matter how strong the Japanese are, how many more years can they fight? It's already been five years, and I don't believe the Japanese can support another five years. If this war ends, there will definitely be a reckoning. By then, won't I have to rely on Officer Ming and you for support? As far as I know, Minister Zhou is already secretly leaving a way out for himself."

"What way out?"

"Of course, it's secretly colluding with your National-headed side, building plank roads in the open while secretly crossing the Chencang. You are Military Statistics; didn't your superiors tell you? With Officer Ming's position here, his rank in Military Statistics shouldn't be low, right? You don't know?"

Ignoring the messy idioms Liang Zhongchun used, Ming Cheng frowned and said: "Do you mean he defected to Director Dai? How do you know?"

"Snakes have snake paths, rats have rat paths; you don't need to worry about this." Liang Zhongchun's red face from drinking revealed small tiger teeth, looking unfathomable; he turned and said, "Alright, Brother A-Cheng, tell me about your business; as long as I know, I definitely won't hide it from you, and if I can do it, I definitely won't refuse."

"Do you know if there have been any actions by the Special High Police recently?"

"Haven't heard of any actions; which aspect are you talking about?"

He was now the Chief of the Intelligence Division of No. 76, and the Chief of the Action Division was later inserted by Li Shiqun, but the Deputy Chief of the Action Division was still his person; in general, his power was much greater.

However, it was also because of this that his situation was not that good. Because in his position, he had to produce results. But privately, he was still in contact with Ming Lou's Military Statistics, and his contact with the Central Statistics side hadn't been broken either; he was okay with the Communist Party side, but he didn't dare to do it too ruthlessly. Just as he said, he felt that the Japanese wouldn't last long, so leaving a way out for himself meant he couldn't offend the two parties even more. It was just that his position had no results, which meant he had no ability, so he wouldn't last long.

It was also these two years that he delegated power, letting his subordinates do bad things while he secretly sold favors behind their backs. There were results, but no major results; being able to sit in his current position was already very capable. After all, a secret service agency like No. 76 was not easy to slack off in, and Li Shiqun was a mad dog, very active in fighting against the two parties. He was dragging his feet behind the scenes, not being killed or removed; he was very capable.

It was also because he was caught and couldn't withstand the torture that he defected. If he had continued to mix in Central Statistics, climbing up wouldn't have been a problem.

He, of course, had to thank Wang Yan for being ruthless, helping Ming Lou while also secretly saving him; otherwise, he would have rotted in the mud long ago. The Japanese didn't have the habit of collecting corpses for people; they would dig a pit and bury them directly after shooting. Unless there were too many people and they were afraid of an epidemic, they would concentrate on burning them. This was because his status and position were relatively high; otherwise, he would have had to dig the pit himself...

Ming Cheng thought for a while and whispered: "It's related to the Communist Party; think carefully."

"Officer Ming is the Deputy Director of the Special Committee; he should know if there are any actions, right? And why is it related to the Communist Party? Are you mixed up with the Communist Party? What exactly is the matter? If you don't say a target, how would I know what action?"

Liang Zhongchun's series of questions made his face unhappy; he really didn't like Ming Cheng hiding things like this. After all, there was something to ask, yet he was still hiding it; this was a lack of trust in him.

Ming Cheng pretended to be in a dilemma, hesitated for a long time, and then gritted his teeth, looked up, and drank a big mouthful of wine: "I'll tell you, but you must keep it secret."

"No, are you going to say it or not?"

"Sigh..." Ming Cheng sighed and said, "My Big Sister has some dealings with the Communist Party; recently, I feel the situation is not right; she might have been exposed, so I came to find out news from you, so we can have a response. Otherwise, when the Japanese come to the door, it will be too passive. You also know that quite a few things have happened in the past two years, and we have been suspected repeatedly; this cannot be careless. Otherwise, if Officer Ming really has an accident, I will definitely be finished, and you won't be much better off. Without Officer Ming in front, your industry wants to make money with Wang Yan? If he doesn't swallow you, it's because he is magnanimous."

When Ming Cheng said this, Liang Zhongchun was stunned for a moment, thought about the relationship, and shook his head and laughed: "Your family is truly amazing. The three brothers are Military Statistics, and the remaining Big Sister is involved with the Communist Party. Tsk tsk..."

"Stop talking nonsense; time waits for no one; hurry up and think. I estimate it's something in the last month or two, or even within a month."

"Let me think, let me think..."

Liang Zhongchun muttered, drinking wine mouthful by mouthful; after a long while, he suddenly raised his head, facing Ming Cheng's probing and urgent gaze, "About twenty days ago, my subordinates did catch a person, but he was not a Communist Party member, but an activist. He worked at 'Hongyu Industry.' According to his confession, that Hongyu Industry was a company controlled by the Communist Party. Later, the Special High Police took him away, and the case file was also taken away. You also know that my position is not secure. That little girl Wang Manchun has a Japanese backer, but I don't."

"Do you remember his name?"

"How long has it been? I just remember it seems to be surnamed... Lu?"

"Do you remember any features of his appearance?"

"The person was brought back, tied to a chair, and after two lashes, he confessed." Liang Zhongchun carefully recalled the situation he knew, "That person had a center-parted hairstyle, a square face, and wore glasses, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. In Hongyu Industry, it seems he was in charge of the warehouse. I only know this much; I think this is the most likely possibility. There was another Communist Party member, an editor of a newspaper, but his bones were very hard, and he didn't say anything and died from the torture."

Ming Cheng nodded and said: "Brother Liang, we are not outsiders; I'll say it first. Now the Japanese must be monitoring; later they will definitely ask what I was looking for you for; you know best how to say it. This matter is very unusual; if it's not done well, I'll report to Officer Ming, and then we will definitely not implicate you. If you are caught, don't bite us out. Don't worry about your wife and children; we will definitely take care of them."

"Threatening me?" Liang Zhongchun looked at Ming Cheng; after a moment, he smiled and touched his cup with Ming Cheng's, "I just eat this set. When I contacted you, wasn't it for this? I don't know if I can live, but I must let my wife and children live, and I must leave a seed for our Liang family. Don't worry, even if I betray Zhou Fuhai, I won't betray you."

He didn't say he wouldn't betray others; after all, he was someone who had betrayed once; he didn't even believe himself when he said his mouth was tight and he wouldn't talk about others.

Ming Cheng drank with him, went to dance with the dancing girls, indulged in debauchery, and didn't return to the Ming Tianyue Gongguan until nearly 10:00 PM.

Ming Lou and Ming Jing hadn't slept and were sitting in the study. The siblings were thinking, thinking about where the problem lay. But the result of their thinking was that everything was normal and there were no accidents.

But this was clearly wrong; he had no problems here, and Ming Jing had no problems here, so why didn't Wang Yan see him? Using the excuse of having something temporary to do, but ended up eating and drinking with his subordinates; how could there be no problems?

That night, Ming Jing, Ming Lou, and Ming Cheng didn't rest well; they were all studying where the problem lay and couldn't sleep at all. But they all looked very energetic and went out to do things.

The busy morning passed, and Ming Lou, who had gone out, returned to the government office building before lunch, then picked up Ming Lou, and went to have lunch together.

Ming Lou nodded with a smile to the people passing by outside the window, and only after Ming Cheng drove the car onto the road and increased the speed did he ask: "How is it? What did Yu Manli say?"

"Wang Yan refused to say much, just saying the problem lies with Big Sister." Ming Cheng sighed helplessly, "But yesterday we already asked Big Sister; everything is as usual recently, and there is no problem at all."

"No! It's not that there is no problem, but that there has already been a problem, and we don't know..."

"Big Brother, do you mean that there is a traitor around Big Sister?"

"Besides this point, is there any other reasonable explanation? What was Wang Yan's original words?"

"What I can tell Ming Lou is that the matter lies with Ming Jing; let them check it themselves; whether they live or die depends on how hard their lives are."

Ming Lou nodded and pondered: "As early as our first meal, Wang Yan said Big Sister had problems; later, I helped her hide it again. And then we exposed our identities to Wang Yan; Wang Yan clearly knows that our Ming family are all Communist Party members. So his meaning is that Big Sister has already been exposed, and the Japanese have already mastered that Big Sister is a Communist Party member, or at the very least have mastered evidence of communicating with the Communist Party."

"What? Mastered evidence? In that case, isn't Big Sister in danger?" Ming Cheng braked, turned his head, and spoke anxiously.

Ming Lou, caught off guard, leaned forward due to inertia; fortunately, his reaction was still fast, and he used his waist and abdomen to reach out and support the passenger seat, stabilizing his figure.

He glared at Ming Cheng unhappily: "What are you panicking about? Drive your car well and watch your road. It's not like something has happened yet. Today is different from the past; Big Sister is not Ming Tai; as long as we are fine, Big Sister will be fine."

After Ming Cheng drove back onto the road, he continued: "I think it must be that someone around Big Sister was caught and turned by the Japanese, and then released back; step by step, they figured out some of Big Sister's situation, which is why there is the current crisis."

"Li Shu has dealings with Big Sister; will he be watched? And who is this traitor? Should we report to the organization immediately and carry out a screening operation?"

"Regarding Li Shu, you go and see in the afternoon; be careful. As for reporting to the organization to carry out a screening operation, it's not necessary for the time being; otherwise, wouldn't that harm Wang Yan and ruin the organization's major affairs? However, we need to know the situation of those people around Big Sister; let's investigate secretly first. We must also pay attention to the Japanese side; you go find Liang Zhongchun and see if he knows any situation."

"Yes, Big Brother, I will make an appointment with him to drink tonight."

Ming Lou let out a long breath, smoothed his hair back with both hands, and leaned back on the seat, exhausted... ===== CHAPTER 698 =====

"Of course not, Wang Sang, please do not misunderstand. It is just that some problems have arisen in our operation, and since very few people know the true situation, this is just a routine inquiry."

Wang Yan let out a scoff. He looked at Iwai Eiichi, who was silently drinking tea as if he hadn't heard, then picked up his teacup and took a sip. Only after fully establishing his posture did he begin to speak: "Both of you are clear on Wang Mou's character; when it comes to such sensitive matters, I have always avoided them whenever possible. It is precisely to prevent a situation like today's, where one has a mouth but cannot explain things clearly. When I left at that time, I used the phone here to call Ming Lou, using an excuse to decline the appointment, and instead sought out two of my subordinates to discuss some business matters. In these past few days, I have not seen Ming Lou, Ming Cheng, or Ming Jing, nor have I called to contact them.

Oh, Ming Lou did call me to arrange a talk about the matter we didn't finish last time. On this point, I think you should be clear. As for my whereabouts and whom I have met, I believe you are even clearer, and you must certainly have a grasp on the situation with Yu Manli as well. Now that some circumstances have arisen, you come running to ask me if I leaked your intelligence? Section Chief Kitagawa, I do not feel I have received your respect."

Iwai Eiichi laughed and tried to smooth things over: "Wang Sang, don't be agitated. When problems arise, it is only right to first screen one's own people. I am aware that Kitagawa has only been in contact with you for a short time. Even so, Kitagawa-kun, you must be careful in the future not to casually interrogate our friends; damaging our friendship is a loss for us all."

"Wang Sang, I am truly sorry. I was just too anxious."

Wang Yan waved his hand, frowned, and asked: "Section Chief Kitagawa, can you tell me what kind of accident actually occurred?"

Kitagawa Kosuke let out a long, frustrated sigh: "Just three hours ago, Ming Jing, who was returning to her old home in Suzhou for some business, was arrested by people from the No. 76 Action Division. Because military radio components were discovered in the convoy accompanying her. The people guarding the checkpoint didn't know it was Ming Jing and directly detained everyone, sending them to No. 76 for confinement. After I learned of the situation, I immediately wanted to arrest the Red Party members around Ming Jing, but I was a step too late; they had already received an emergency evacuation notice in advance and had gone into hiding.

Afterward, Ming Lou ran to the prison and cursed Ming Jing roundly. A terrified Ming Jing also confessed that she was not a true Red Party member, but merely an active sympathizer. Later, Ming Lou found me and said that the business affairs had always been controlled by Ming Jing, and he was unclear about what she had been doing, but that Ming Jing had not sabotaged our operations and had only provided some financial and material support. He hoped that for his sake, we could forgive Ming Jing. After finding me, he contacted Zhou Fuhai to come here to see Mr. Iwai, and even contacted Chen Gongbo, hoping to plead for mercy from Chairman Wang."

Wang Yan nodded in realization, instantly understanding Ming Lou's intent.

This was a classic bitter-meat stratagem. Since Ming Jing had already been exposed, they would simply point it out directly. Using Ming Jing's arrest to break the current stalemate. Because they needed to protect 'Pei Min', they didn't know the situation in Suzhou or the circumstances of those around Ming Jing, so they couldn't act from the outside and had to act from the inside; Ming Jing was that opportunity.

Now that Ming Jing was exposed and arrested, the Red Party had a reason to decisively abandon Ming Jing and retreat. On this point, whether Ming Jing confessed or not, they had to retreat; this was organizational discipline. Borrowing this opportunity, they could calmly handle Ming Jing's problem, as well as the problem in Suzhou.

And since Ming Jing was the helm of the Ming family's industries, while the people at the checkpoint didn't know Ming Jing, others present must have known her. This also explained the rapid transmission of information, the Red Party's decisive judgment, and their resolute retreat, minimizing the chances of the Japanese suspecting or pursuing other leads.

The person cooperating at No. 76 didn't need to be guessed; it was Liang Zhongchun. But it happened to be people from the Action Division, and the people in the Action Division were arranged by Li Shiqun, so this also framed Li Shiqun.

But the matter clearly did not end here; this was merely a beginning, because there was still a mole who 'had not been exposed'...