Chapter 207: Father-in-law and son-in-law conspire

"Hong!"

Anderson chased out.

"Anything else?" Hong Hong Zhiyou asked with a smile.

"Go to my room and have two drinks."

Anderson hooked his shoulder and went to the barracks on the side.

This is a single room.

There were still women's intimate clothing left on the bed.

Wine bottles, high heels.

A complete mess, in total disarray.

"Sorry, I had two girls over last night and haven't had a chance to clean up yet," Anderson said with a shrug and an apologetic look.

"Go on."

Hong Hong Zhiyou kicked a wine bottle aside, pulled up a chair, and sat down.

Anderson opened a bottle of fine wine from the cabinet, took a glass, poured one for Hong Hong Zhiyou, then leaned against the desk opposite him, tilted his head, and smiled as he raised his glass:

"Hong, there are some things the General finds inconvenient to speak of plainly.

"Let me say them instead.

"You know our system; both of our factions have their own financial backers behind them.

"These forces, from the White House down to the individual states, have been constantly entangling and undermining each other.

"Including the military.

"Arms exports, military aid, and the output of supplies are the interests of General Pherson's faction.

"But now, rivals within the military want to take advantage of Truman's passive attitude toward you all to reshuffle the General and even the entire faction.

"And you are the perfect entry point.

"The upper echelons of the Nationalist Army are plagued by corruption, poor combat effectiveness, low morale, inflation, and a lack of resources.

"Everything is extremely unfavorable for the General's faction.

"Do you know who that James is?

"Behind him is the Royal Family; the British Royal Family has deep roots in our North America.

"Once James's report is submitted to the British Parliament,

"North America will simultaneously launch an investigation into the corruption of military aid, and General Pherson will be the first to bear the brunt.

"If he falls,

"Neither I nor you will be able to escape.

"You know, that will be major international news, and your superiors will definitely have to find someone to take the fall.

"You.

"No, your stature is still a bit small; the one publicly implicated and dealt with will definitely be your Station Chief Wu.

"Even if he wasn't involved at all.

"But because you aren't qualified, he is the only one who can take the blame.

"Therefore, James must die!

"This is your stance, and it is also our stance in counterattacking our rivals.

"Aid to the Nationalist Army must never be cut off!"

As Anderson spoke, he downed the wine in one gulp and flashed the glass at Hong Hong Zhiyou.

"You don't need to scare me.

"And there's no need to use Old Wu to pressure me.

"Good luck to you."

Hong Hong Zhiyou gave a cold smile, turned, and walked away.

"Hong, I didn't mean it like that.

"I also know you have many businesses, but think about it: once General Pherson is interrogated and names you, no matter how extensive your connections are,

"Even if you can escape to Xiangdao,

"Is there anyone in Xiangdao who would dare to protect you?

"The British, us, Jiang—no matter where you run, they will be able to find you.

"You have no choice now.

"We are brothers; you saved me, and now I just want to continue fighting alongside you, nothing more."

Anderson called out to stop him.

"Why don't you do it yourselves?" Hong Hong Zhiyou countered.

"We can't afford to take that risk.

"If an assassination like this is found out to be our doing, our rivals and the British Royal Family will definitely blow it out of proportion, and I... we will collapse, and it might even implicate people inside the White House.

"The risk is too great.

"But you are very suitable; you can have a hundred reasons.

"For example, if he was killed because of gambling, alcoholism, assault, or perhaps a crime of passion, wouldn't that be perfectly normal?

"At most, it would just be a diplomatic incident.

"When the time comes, we will provide you with some data and a defense.

"You can bite back at them in the international court, accusing them of slander and deliberately smearing military aid.

"Therefore, this matter can only be done by you."

Anderson explained as thoroughly as possible.

"Understood.

"I will consider it carefully when I go back and give you an answer then."

After listening patiently, Hong Hong Zhiyou did not rush to answer him.

"Good, I'll wait for your good news," Anderson said.

Hong Hong Zhiyou returned to the station.

Wu Wu Jingzhong was drinking tea.

"What were you doing last night?

"That woman is bad luck; Boss Dai's fortune was so strong and he still went down, are you trying to follow in the boss's footsteps?"

Seeing Hong Hong Zhiyou, he frowned and said with displeasure.

"Teacher, I had to go.

"Ma Ma Hansan has a premonition that Li Li Zongren might not be able to hold on and wants to run; he sent Liu Liu Yuzhu to sound me out about the situation in Xiangdao.

"I know this woman.

"She is very greedy and has great ambition.

"I spent the whole night persuading her last night, talking about deploying assets in Xiangdao.

"Once Ma Ma Hansan believes her, his assets will be shipped to the island we bought.

"When the time comes, we just need to trip them up and keep those two in Beiping.

"That money in Xiangdao will become ours.

"Ma Ma Hansan, after all.

"He's wealthy enough to rival a nation; even if he doesn't trust Liu Liu Yuzhu and only ships one-tenth of his wealth over, it'll be enough for our children to live on for a lifetime."

Hong Hong Zhiyou laughed.

Hearing that it was about making money—and big money at that—sleeping with a woman became trivial, and Wu Wu Jingzhong beamed with joy again:

"Indeed.

"I'm afraid the money Ma Ma Hansan has embezzled is more than the family fortune of the Chairman himself.

"This man knows too much; I don't think he has a chance of walking out of Beiping alive.

"That is all ill-gotten wealth, the blood and sweat of the common people.

"If we don't take it, it's bound to be shipped to North America by the Jiang, Song, Kong, and Chen families; if it falls into our hands, no matter how we spend it, it's just circulating among our own people.

"This is a good deed that earns great merit."

"Yes, yes, the student thinks so too.

"Ma Ma Hansan's money—it would be a waste not to take it.

"If we were even a little slow in acting, we'd be letting down our own conscience."

Hong Hong Zhiyou nodded solemnly, looking as if he had been taught a lesson.

Don't look at how he's grown wings now; he has always been humble and respectful in front of Old Wu.

"Hmm.

"Teacher, there is one more thing I want to report to you."

Hong Hong Zhiyou looked at him; he had reported the good news, now it was time for the bad.

He told him about the matter entrusted by Pherson.

Unexpectedly, Wu Wu Jingzhong did not feel shocked or uneasy; on the contrary, he was very calm.

"Dealing with Americans—this was bound to happen sooner or later.

"The struggle within one party is already like this, let alone the struggle between two parties.

"At least half of the military aid the Americans give us every year is embezzled and resold by their own officers.

"And the arms dealers? They are counting on us to keep fighting so they can sell arms.

"If military aid is cut off, the arms dealers and the military will lose their source of wealth.

"They will definitely clash over this.

"You've gotten too deeply involved with them; this day was bound to come."

Wu Wu Jingzhong said, having anticipated it long ago.

"Teacher, now this James is coming with ill intent; once this fuse is lit, Pherson will likely end up in prison, and I will be in big trouble then.

"He doesn't dare to do it himself and hopes we can resolve this matter; what do you think?"

Hong Hong Zhiyou asked for advice piously.

Having an elder in the house is like having a treasure.

Wu Wu Jingzhong was undoubtedly an expert at playing schemes and tricks.

"This matter isn't difficult, but it isn't easy either.

"Cutting off military aid—the Jiang family is more anxious than we are; isn't Madam Jiang lobbying in North America right now?

"I heard she might even go to give a speech at their Congress.

"This James must definitely be killed.

"The key now is: who will do the killing?"

Wu Wu Jingzhong keenly grasped the core issue.

He paused, pointed at Hong Hong Zhiyou, and frowned:

"This person absolutely cannot be you; you are the father of the child, the reliance for Wu Ruirui's future, so you must remain 'completely unaware.'

"Forget about the Americans talking to you.

"I will call Pherson and take this job over."

"Teacher..." Hong Hong Zhiyou felt inexplicably moved.

"If you take the lead and something goes wrong, I'll lose my head too.

"It's better to keep you out of it.

"Anyway, Wu Ruirui has a child, and at my age, I have no more worries for the future.

"You just watch from the sidelines for this one."

Wu Wu Jingzhong smiled with his eyes narrowed.

"Yes, Teacher!" Hong Hong Zhiyou's mood became inexplicably heavy.

In the past, he had been on guard against Old Wu everywhere.

Now that he thought about it, from the moment Wu Ruirui became pregnant, they had long since become a family.

Truly sharing honor and disgrace, living and dying together.

"Teacher.

"Do you know who James's girlfriend is?" Hong Hong Zhiyou asked after regaining his composure.

"Who?" Wu Wu Jingzhong asked.

"Mei Mei Yingxue!

"She has another identity: an external operative for the British MI6, and it is highly likely that she is the signatory James is looking for this time.

"She will sign that forged report on the corruption of the Nationalist Army and the scarcity of domestic resources in the capacity of a Secret Service colonel's wife to increase its persuasiveness.

"Of course, the Ministry of National Defense will definitely also have high-ranking officials bought off by the British signing it.

"So I suspect she is probably more anxious to get married than Li Ya right now."

Hong Hong Zhiyou said.

"Good heavens, even I was almost deceived.

"I thought she came back to pick on Yu Zecheng and incite Li Ya to take revenge on you and me.

"I didn't expect her to be hiding so deep.

"She is digging her own grave!"

Wu Wu Jingzhong raised his eyebrows and said in a booming voice with his hands behind his back.

"Perhaps this is our opportunity," Hong Hong Zhiyou said.

"Hand the leadership of this matter over to Jiang Jianfeng.

"Li Ya's girlfriend is an operative betraying national interests; no matter what, he has to be the one to take the fall for this.

"I'll call Jiang Jianfeng first to sound him out."

Wu Wu Jingzhong got up, walked to the telephone, and dialed the headquarters' number:

"Connect me to the Number Two Residence.

"Old classmate, it's Wu Jingzhong.

"It's like this: my station has just uncovered a major international espionage case; someone is attempting to create false data domestically to destroy and stop military aid through the British Parliament and the North American Congress.

"The situation is extremely urgent, and the landscape is very unfavorable for our Party and our Army.

"General Pherson..."

After stating the facts, he listened carefully to Jiang Jianfeng's instructions: "Yes, yes.

"I will fly to Jingling immediately to report to you and the Chairman in person."

"Very well.

"Goodbye."

Hanging up the phone, Wu Wu Jingzhong pointed at the desk and said, "Jiang Jianfeng was very shocked after hearing it and told me to fly to Jingling immediately to discuss countermeasures.

"Hong Zhiyou.

"If this matter is handled well, it might just be a miraculous achievement.

"Fortune depends on misfortune, and misfortune hides in fortune."

"Call Li Ya and Zecheng over."

"Yes, Teacher," Hong Hong Zhiyou said.

Even having lived two lifetimes, no matter how much intelligence or information he possessed, in true political struggle—especially in front of a master like Old Wu—he could still only be a novice.

And Old Wu was the anchor for the entire station and the entire family.

Soon, Hong and Yu walked in.

"In view of the current war situation, I have been summoned to attend a meeting; while I am away, the station's affairs will be fully managed by Deputy Station Chief Yu," Wu Wu Jingzhong ordered.

In fact, with a deputy station chief, he could have left without saying a word.

The reason he was so solemn was to let Li Ya know that there would be traps waiting for him later.

Hong Hong Zhiyou personally saw Wu Wu Jingzhong downstairs.

"Once I get clear instructions from Jiang Jianfeng in Jingling, I will contact Pherson.

"Stay away from people and matters as much as possible for these two days.

"We'll discuss the specifics together when I return.

"Also, the matter of Ma Ma Hansan shipping money must be expedited; he is a thousand-year-old fox, and if you miss this village, you won't find this shop."

Wu Wu Jingzhong instructed him in detail.

"Yes, Teacher," Hong Hong Zhiyou nodded.

Just back in the office.

Li Ya, dressed in a Zhongshan suit with his hair slicked back, knocked twice on the door and walked in:

"Brother, not busy, are you?"

"Not busy.

"I was just looking for someone to play chess with," Hong Hong Zhiyou laughed.

"I don't know how to play chess.

"Just here to chat with you," Li Ya laughed.

"Coffee or tea?" Hong Hong Zhiyou asked.

"Tea!"

Li Ya answered without a second thought.

"Captain Li, why are you dressed so formally today? I still think a suit and green socks suit you better; they make you look younger.

"Uniforms, after all, are always a bit old-fashioned."

Hong Hong Zhiyou laughed.

"Work, after all, is better when it's formal.

"The money—has Secretary Liu collected it all?"

Li Ya asked.

"Collected it all; rest assured, Ma Ma Hansan has taken the money and definitely won't talk nonsense.

"I called to ask, and Song Fei and the others have already been released.

"Wait half a month.

"Even if he brings it up, this wind will have passed long ago; if you deny it flatly, he won't be able to do anything."

Hong Hong Zhiyou said.

"With you vouching for me, I'm still at ease.

"Sigh.

"Back to square one again.

"Brother, let me ask you something: I see you have quite a few women around you, like the Station Chief's daughter and Miss Mu; they are all from prominent families, proud and arrogant.

"How did you make them so devoted to you?"

Li Ya raised his eyebrows, quite puzzled.

Think of him, a dignified colonel, first abandoned by Xiao Little Yunxian, and now being played around by Mei Mei Yingxue.

Look at Hong Hong Zhiyou again.

The women at home are all loyal, and he can pick wild flowers outside whenever he wants.

And his businesses are flying high.

Compared to him, he is simply on the ground while the other is in the sky.

"Brother, it's not as good as you think.

"I have more worries than you.

"Women burn money.

"You see me looking quite glorious, but my pockets are always empty.

"There's one more thing.

"If you want to keep a woman's heart, the key is to..."

Hong Hong Zhiyou leaned into his ear and whispered with a laugh.

"I want to too, but she believes in some religion; won't she be with you?" Li Ya raised his eyebrows and sighed with a sidelong glance.

"Bullshit!

"How come I've never heard of such a religious rule?

"This is just an act; look at her chest—does it look like she's never touched a man?

"She's just playing you.

"Besides, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

"Men, just take her down hard."

Hong Hong Zhiyou said.

"Alright, I'll listen to you," Li Ya nodded.

He wasn't someone who ate for free.

Not to say he only took advantage of others, but he definitely wasn't someone who let others take advantage of him easily.

He thought he had found true love, so he accommodated Mei Mei Yingxue in every way.

Now, though.

A bowl of spicy intestine noodles, and everything became clear.

Naturally, there was no need to spoil her anymore.

"Thanks for the advice."

Li Ya patted his backside, got up, and left.

"Walk slowly, Captain Li."

A faint smile appeared on the corner of Hong Hong Zhiyou's mouth.

Next, the showdown between Li Ya and Mei Mei Yingxue would be very exciting.

He wasn't worried about Li Ya's acting skills.

His only thought was to help Li Ya create an illusion of loving Mei Mei Yingxue even more.

Only then would Mei Mei Yingxue become increasingly bold and greedy.

Once she wanted to use Li Ya to commit treason.

Given Li Ya's temperament, it was entirely possible he would assassinate James.

Hong Hong Zhiyou believed that with the wisdom of the Station Chief and Jiang Jianfeng, they would definitely come up with a perfect counter-strategy.

Wu Wu Jingzhong returned at seven that evening.

He called Hong Hong Zhiyou directly to his home.

"Hong Zhiyou, this matter is very troublesome to handle," Wu Wu Jingzhong said.

"Teacher, please speak," Hong Hong Zhiyou said.

"Jiang Jianfeng and the Chairman's meaning is very clear: James must disappear to thwart the attempt to sabotage military aid.

"But this order is not easy to give.

"If the Chairman gives it and James doesn't die, or if the British make a big scene.

"Right now, there's already a headache over the constitutional government.

"Li Li Zongren could very well use this matter to collude with the British and the forces behind North America to threaten the Chairman's position.

"Furthermore, I can't take it openly.

"If I take it, given the Chairman's suspicious nature, he will definitely silence me afterward.

"To protect me, Jiang Jianfeng didn't give the order either.

"Now that they are silent, we have to solve it ourselves.

"However, before leaving, Jiang Jianfeng gave me a hint: he allowed me to set up an inspection division under the Jinhai Agricultural and Mining Bureau in the name of anti-corruption.

"Do you understand what this means?"

Wu Wu Jingzhong asked with a smile.

"Understood.

"Bait the hook.

"It seems you and Jiang Jianfeng have tacitly agreed on Captain Li," Hong Hong Zhiyou understood in a second.

"Indeed.

"Jiang Jianfeng still values Li Ya highly.

"Li Ya's girlfriend is betraying the country; if he doesn't eliminate this woman himself, he won't be able to answer for it.

"And Li Ya's reason is the most sufficient and suitable.

"If the Americans are capable and can protect him and keep the military aid, then Li Ya is a hero of the Party and State, and Jiang Jianfeng will have glory on his face.

"If they can't protect him, he still has room to maneuver.

"Girlfriend cheating, acting in a fit of rage, killing in anger.

"Isn't that quite good too?

"It won't involve major national affairs or diplomatic incidents.

"What you need to do is find a way to get photos of that woman having an affair with the foreigner to help Li Ya.

"And give him some motivation for killing in a fit of rage."

Wu Wu Jingzhong pointed out with a smile, his brows knitted.

"Teacher's insight is brilliant; the student will definitely arrange it properly," Hong Hong Zhiyou nodded and said.

"As for Pherson, I already called him in Jingling.

"I told him not to look for you; I have taken full responsibility for this matter.

"Sigh, I've been tired all day.

"Your teacher's wife is going to North America tomorrow to take care of Wu Ruirui, and they will be back soon.

"I'll be able to hold my grandson too.

"It's getting late; go get some rest."

Wu Wu Jingzhong ordered with a smile.

He was in a pretty good mood; Jiang Jianfeng was able to think about protecting him at a time like this.

This old classmate was worth the friendship.

"Very well, thank you, Teacher; you get some rest early too," Hong Hong Zhiyou bowed and retreated.

The next day.

Wu Wu Jingzhong called all the generals to the conference room.

"Just received instructions from Jiang Jianfeng and headquarters: in response to anti-corruption inspections of the Ministry of Industry, our Jinhai Agricultural and Mining Bureau is to set up an inspection department, a division-level unit.

"In the past, external division-level positions were usually held by Lu Qiaoshan.

"Now that he is gone, Zecheng has to assist me in managing station affairs.

"I think it would be more appropriate for Captain Li to hold this position; Deputy Station Chief Yu, what do you think?"

Wu Wu Jingzhong looked at Yu Zecheng with a smile.

"I have no objections.

"Since it is Jiang Jianfeng's instruction, it couldn't be more appropriate for Captain Li to hold it," Yu Zecheng expressed his agreement.

"Good, then Captain Li shall hold it," Wu Wu Jingzhong said.

"Many thanks to the Station Chief and Deputy Station Chief Yu for your trust; I will definitely keep a tight watch on the Agricultural and Mining Bureau," Li Ya accepted the order happily.

It was certainly related to Jiang Jianfeng's instruction.

More importantly, the Agricultural and Mining Bureau was a lucrative department, and he was tight on cash, so he could just happen to scrape up some oil and water.

Killing two birds with one stone.

The meeting adjourned.

Li Ya first took the headquarters' documents and went to the Agricultural and Mining Bureau to arrange the inspection team.

Busy until the afternoon, Li Ya finally returned to his office.

He drank a cup of tea, rubbed his brows to relax, picked up the phone on the desk, and dialed a number:

"Hello, Mr. Old Xie?

"It's Li Ya; is it convenient to meet?

"Good, the usual place."

Li Ya had tried investigating Mei Mei Yingxue, but it was too slow, and besides, his overseas connections weren't extensive, making it hard to find information on Mei Mei Yingxue's past.

But Old Xie Old Xie Ruolin shouldn't be a problem.

This man knew many intelligence peddlers in high-end circles.

He could even get his hands on Marshall's telegrams from abroad.

He figured inquiring about Mei Mei Yingxue's past shouldn't be a problem.

(End of chapter)