Chapter 425: A Wily Rabbit Has Three Burrows

ps: Seeking monthly tickets.

Zhou Shifa walked briskly into Chen Xin's room, where Chen Xin and Liu Minyou were waiting. The inspection party had departed on schedule, but they used a carriage, so no one outside could see who was inside, to prevent Later Jin spies from discovering that Chen Jingdan was not among them.

Chen Xin had dismissed all the guards, leaving only Hai Gouzi. Only then did Zhou Shifa say, "My lord, Chen Jingdan has confessed everything."

"What did he confess?"

"His original name is Chen Yijing, a native of Pingdu. He was the one responsible for passing messages to Wu Changchun, Li Yongfang's son-in-law. Later, when Wu Changchun was captured by the Eastern Depot, Chen Yijing fled to Dengzhou, changed his name, and went into business."

Liu Minyou propped his head on both hands, feeling a slight disappointment in his heart. Chen Yijing really was a spy, and had been one for a very long time.

"Who is the head of the Jianzhou bandit spy ring in Dengzhou?"

"The most senior Han traitor… Li Yongfang."

Chen Xin froze for a moment, then slapped the table and stood up. "Huang Taiji has made a blunder. In his mind, Li Yongfang is of little use anymore, having already served his purpose as a showpiece to attract talent, so he sent him to Dengzhou to risk life and limb. But the officialdom of the Great Ming all remember Li Yongfang. To me, he is useful. Deploy and arrest him immediately."

"Yes, your subordinate has already selected the most elite personnel and will certainly capture Li Yongfang."

Liu Minyou asked from the side, "Are there any… accomplices of Chen Jingdan's within the Civil Affairs Department?"

Zhou Shifa replied respectfully, "According to Chen Jingdan's account, there are none. He said he figured no one would be willing to do this kind of work, so he never considered recruiting anyone. However, your subordinate still needs to verify this further."

Liu Minyou quickly said, "When you investigate, do not cast a wide net. I do not want everyone in the Civil Affairs Department feeling endangered. That would harm their work more than a single internal traitor."

"Your subordinate understands."

Chen Xin paced two circles and chuckled coldly. "Chen Yijing confessed without making any demands?"

"He made two requests. First, that his family not be implicated. Second, that his life be spared. Your subordinate agreed after hearing his intelligence."

"What capital does he have to trade?"

"Because Li Yongfang wanted rolled cigarettes, Chen Yijing knew Wantong's address. He once surveilled the place in disguise. According to his account, Li Yongfang is likely not inside that courtyard of Wantong, because he never saw him there. Furthermore, there should be a tunnel inside Wantong leading to another concealed location. He once saw a carriage leave the city from Wantong, followed it, and found several piles of fresh earth near where the carriage returned."

Chen Xin frowned and asked, "If there's a tunnel, how do we find it?"

"Chen Yijing discovered the digging over a month ago. That means the property was rented or purchased within the last two months. The preparations were likely made when Wantong's address was disclosed to Chen Yijing. It won't be too far from Wantong. Your subordinate will limit the search radius to within fifty paces and send scouts familiar with Chaotianmen to inquire. We should be able to identify it by tomorrow."

Chen Xin nodded. "Tell Chen Yijing that if we can capture Li Yongfang, his life will be spared. When the time comes, I will mobilize troops to seal off the nearby roads. If the tunnel is not found, we will search house by house. Tomorrow, I want to meet this Imperial Son-in-Law."

…

"Within fifty paces of the Wantong shop, there are seven properties recently rented or bought." Wu Jianzhong spread out the map and pointed for Zhou Shifa. Zhang Dong also gathered around, along with the deputy captain of the Internal Operations Team.

"Three of them are couples running small businesses, operating in the city market, living with their children and parents. They can basically be ruled out. Another is a tofu workshop with many people coming and going, unsuitable for digging a tunnel. There is also a large courtyard belonging to a traveling merchant from Jinan Prefecture. We've verified his purchases and bulk transactions with the trading company; he should also be clear. The remaining two are the most suspicious, both normally having very few people entering or leaving…"

Zhou Shifa nodded as he listened. Wu Jianzhong also explained very earnestly. This was one of the reasons he liked Dengzhou Town the most. Even if there was some personal friction between them, when it came to work, there was rarely any bickering due to personal reasons.

Zhang Dong interjected, "In that cover Jianzhou bandit calligraphy and painting stall, only one person stays there at night. Should we leave him this time? In the future, when new Jianzhou bandits arrive, we could detect them through this stall."

Zhou Shifa thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, we cannot afford a single slip-up this time. What if that shop has a back door or a tunnel? If he escapes and warns Li Yongfang, the loss would outweigh the gain. We move to arrest tonight. Tunnel entrances are narrow; they won't be in places like gardens. They must be in the room of the most important person. If Li Yongfang is staying elsewhere, then the most important person inside Wantong must know the location; otherwise, they would have no way to communicate. We'll wait in the rooms of those few properties and catch him at the exit. After capturing that person, interrogate him under torture. We must get the location before dawn and surround Li Yongfang's hiding place before the city gates open."

"Lord Chen has placed the Special Service Team and the 1st Guard Division on standby to assist us in cordoning off the designated area. Recently, some in the military have proposed establishing a Military Intelligence Bureau, wanting to carve out a piece from the Intelligence Bureau. Lord Chen has suppressed that for now. This time we are capturing the number one Han traitor. Lord Chen will personally oversee the operation. The military people are also watching. Everyone, be sharp. The operation must be swift and quiet. Do not disgrace the Intelligence Bureau."

The several men nodded simultaneously, each rubbing their fists and wiping their palms. Wu Jianzhong said coldly, "Li Yongfang lost Fushun, surrendered to the barbarians as a Mobile Corps Commander, and pioneered the path of the Han traitor. During Sarhu, he advised the old chieftain. After occupying Liaodong, his evil deeds were countless. This time, he is fated to die in Dengzhou."

"Well said." Zhou Shifa clapped his hands and addressed the men. "Now I will assign tasks. Within the city, I will personally command, taking charge of controlling the perimeter of Chaotianmen Street and coordinating with the regular army officers."

After speaking, Zhou Shifa said to Zhang Dong, "Tonight's operation requires simultaneous action at multiple locations. The few individuals from the Chen family outside the city will be handled by the Internal Service's Third Action Squad. You are responsible for the direct assault on the Wantong shop, the calligraphy and painting stall, and the several suspected tunnel exit points."

Zhang Dong nodded slightly, but his expression showed no particular delight. His original intention had been to capture Li Yongfang, but Zhou Shifa had not assigned him that task.

Zhou Shifa turned to Wu Jianzhong. "You followed Liu Xingzuo for a long time and are most familiar with Li Yongfang. You will be responsible for capturing Li Yongfang himself. Take two External Service squads and stand by on both flanks of Chaotianmen. My estimate is that Li Yongfang's location is not too far from Chaotianmen; otherwise, sending messages back and forth would be inconvenient, and he would have no way to know in time whether Wantong was safe."

Zhang Dong pointed at the sketch. "My plan is to deploy the Internal Service's First, Second, and Third Action Squads to assault the Wantong shop. Once the operation begins, the Guard Division will control the roads around Chaotianmen Street, strictly forbidding anyone from going out. Although those two properties are the most likely tunnel exits, we must also post men to watch the other properties. If we come up empty, we must immediately enter those other properties. Our people must be at every intersection, ready to blow whistles in an emergency."

Zhou Shifa interrupted to ask, "When approaching at night, it's easy to alert the dogs in civilian homes. How have you arranged for that? Also, how will you send the signal for all points to act simultaneously?"

"My arrangement is as follows…"

…

Under the night sky, Dengzhou was utterly silent. A column of over a hundred men marched along the empty Chaotianmen Street. The city guard at Chaotianmen changed shifts before the third watch, at this exact time every day. The sound of orderly footsteps echoed down the main street. As the troops marched, the barking of dogs rose in waves from the surrounding houses.

A night watchman happened to be passing by. He moved to the roadside to let the marching troops pass and rhythmically sounded the watch. Amidst the sound of the watch, over thirty dark figures darted out from a back street. The barking they provoked, blending with the barking already on the main street, did not sound jarring.

They listened quietly for a moment, then, as per routine, used ropes to hook over the outer wall and tossed in poisoned pork. After waiting a short while, they leaned cloth-wrapped short ladders against the wall. Shielded by the sound of the army's orderly footsteps, they slipped silently over the wall one by one.

This location was a part of the third courtyard that had no side rooms. Inside, there was one main hall, one main room, and four side rooms. All were pitch black at this moment. The team members, having already studied the courtyard map, split into groups and reached the doors of their target rooms. Another group entered the second and first courtyards.

Zhang Dong, dressed in black, crouched in the courtyard observing. The main room had no windows, only a single door, which seemed very peculiar. Where there was peculiarity, there was the most suspicion. Zhang Dong estimated the tunnel should be there. Once everyone was in position, Zhang Dong emitted a squeaking sound like mice. A figure on the outer wall immediately withdrew. He came to the main street and waved the lit matchcord in his hand toward the night watchman.

The night watchman turned to look down the main street. Several dark figures had already reached the entrance of the calligraphy and painting stall and also waved their matchcords. The watchman then waved his lantern toward the distant bell tower. The south face of Dengzhou's bell tower directly faced Chaotianmen and could see the lantern signal. Then came a moment of waiting. The sound of the army's footsteps was fading into the distance.

"Dang." The bell of the third watch rang out. The clear, resonant sound spread throughout the city, audible even outside the city walls. The action teams waiting at every location launched simultaneously. The troops that had just passed by immediately dispersed to various intersections. A new contingent of men also appeared from the direction of Chaotianmen.

In the courtyard of the Wantong shop, the sound of doors being smashed open rang out. Each squad swiftly broke down the doors, groups of several men rushing into the rooms. A few startled cries came from three of the side rooms, then were abruptly cut off. At the main door, a burly man rammed the door with force. The door bolt snapped with a crack, and the team members behind swarmed in. Only then did the second chime of the bell sound.

Zhang Dong was at the rear of the team. He heard low, angry shouts from inside. It turned out an extra wall had been built inside, and the door was extremely sturdy. Even the strongest man on the action team hadn't been able to break it down in one charge. A team member behind was now using a sledgehammer to smash the door.

The sound of furniture being overturned came from behind that door. The door panels shattered piece by piece under the hammer blows. The burly man stopped hammering and kicked wildly with his feet. Wooden splinters fell away, and the piled bookshelves and wardrobe inside were also pushed aside by the burly man. By the time they charged in, the eighteen chimes of the bell had just finished sounding.

When Zhang Dong entered that room, two team members had already lifted two wooden planks under the bed, revealing the tunnel entrance. One of them, holding a short Japanese sword and a torch, jumped in, followed by two more. Zhang Dong stopped the others and jumped down himself for a look. The tunnel was very narrow, but one could stand and walk upright. Torchlight flickered within the tunnel. Zhang Dong judged the direction: it led southeast, exactly where the most suspicious house was located. A cold sneer floated onto Zhang Dong's face.

…

Inside the civilian house southeast of the Wantong shop, various odds and ends were scattered about. Several mice squeaked and scurried wildly through the room. A wooden plank on the floor was suddenly pushed up, revealing a hole. The mice fled in all directions.

Then a head emerged. Without taking time to observe his surroundings, the man scrambled out in a fluster. But he did not rush to flee. Instead, he swiftly grabbed a thick wooden pole nearby, braced it under a stone roller, and pushed forward with all his might using his shoulder. The roller slowly turned, moving toward the hole. Faint torchlight was already visible from the hole. The man gritted his teeth, making strained grunts as he desperately pushed the roller. Just as a torch appeared at the hole's opening, the man let out a great shout and shoved with all his strength. The roller pressed down exactly over the hole, covering the torch beneath it.

An angry roar came from the hole. Light flickered at the bottom of the roller as the person below pushed upward with force, but the roller did not budge.

The man who had escaped gasped for breath several times, looked around the room, ran to open a cabinet, and took out a bundle from inside. After listening quietly at the door for a moment, he opened it. Outside was an ordinary single-courtyard residence. He stepped out with one foot, and just as he sensed something was wrong, two dark figures from either side lunged fiercely at him, pinning him firmly to the ground. A hand also clamped over his mouth.

A torch was quickly lit. There were several other people around. One man climbed over the courtyard wall to report the news. Another came over and pulled up the man on the ground by his hair. A cold voice rang out, "This man is not Li Yongfang."

Old Jiang bit his lip, determined not to speak. He only heard another voice say, "Use torture. We must get Li Yongfang's location out of him before dawn."

Old Jiang knew this would be hard to endure. He watched these people's movements, originally expecting them to bring out knives and forks, but instead saw them take out several pieces of cotton cloth. Another man brought over a bucket of water.

"This is what you call torture?" Old Jiang wondered to himself. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian to cast votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to read.)