Chapter 277: One Pit, Two Burials

Beiping Inspection Office.

Lu Qiao strode into Wang Puchen's office.

"Inspector Wang, I heard you caught one of Hu Zongnan's men?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"Ah, Section Chief Lu.

"Please, sit."

Wang Puchen flicked his cigarette ash, as calm and unruffled as ever.

"Inspector Wang, hand the man over to me," Lu Qiao said.

"Section Chief Lu, you may have misunderstood. The Inspection Division hasn't taken any action these past two days, let alone caught any of General Hu's men.

"Besides.

"I only hold the position of inspector; catching people is the responsibility of Station Chief Qiao."

Wang Puchen poured tea while laying out the facts.

"Inspector Wang, when you came to Jinhai in the past, I hosted you.

"We aren't strangers.

"Don't beat around the bush with me. I'm talking about Li Ya.

"Someone saw him bring a man into your inspection station this morning. Is this true or not?"

Lu Qiao leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and asked in a deep voice.

"You mean Captain Li.

"Yes.

"The man is being held in the station's interrogation room.

"However, Section Chief Lu, isn't there a bit of a misunderstanding? Captain Li told me this person is a Red agent suspected of trafficking in civilian supplies.

"The confession and testimony are all complete.

"We also seized the stolen goods on the scene.

"Two full truckloads of white sugar, and over a dozen tons of flour and rice."

Wang Puchen said, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"Inspector Wang!

"What Red agent? Let me tell you, this man is a military supply purchaser for Hu Zongnan named Ye Tianhua.

"General Hu is about to attack Yancheng.

"If you arrest his supply officer now and a mutiny breaks out, will you be the one fighting this battle, or will I?"

Lu Qiao said, his temper flaring.

"Section Chief Lu.

"I don't understand military affairs.

"I only know that trafficking in military supplies is a grave crime.

"Of course, Captain Li is the one investigating this case, and I haven't participated at all. Whether this man is a Red or a Hu, whether he is released or interrogated, you two can negotiate.

"I have no opinion whatsoever."

Wang Puchen said coldly, distancing himself completely.

"Fine.

"With those words from you, I can rest easy."

Lu Qiao stood up and said.

Walking out of the office, he felt incredibly annoyed.

Wang Puchen, that old fox.

If he truly had no opinion, he should have called him the moment it happened last night.

Now it's too late; they've already interrogated him as a Red agent.

Who knows what kind of trouble Li Ya will stir up next.

He arrived at the interrogation room.

Li Ya had his legs propped up on the interrogation table, sleeping against his chair.

"Captain Li, didn't sleep all night, I see." Lu Qiao walked in and sneered.

"Oh.

"Section Chief Lu is here.

"You've come at the right time. Last night, the Third Section uncovered a major case of supply trafficking and caught three people on the spot, the leader of whom is named Huang Bin.

"He personally confessed to being from the Border Region's Material Security Section.

"Here is the inventory of the supplies, take a look."

Li Ya put his legs down, took some materials from the drawer, and handed them to Lu Qiao.

Lu Qiao glanced at them and said only two words: "Release him."

"Release him?

"Did I hear that right?" Li Ya picked at his ear and asked with a frown.

"You caught the wrong person.

"His name isn't Huang Bin; it's Ye Tianhua, and he is General Hu Zongnan's military supply purchaser."

Lu Qiao felt nauseated talking to him and tried to be as direct as possible.

"Is that so?

"Is your name Ye Tianhua?" Li Ya turned to look at Ye Tianhua, who had been fed a bowl of millet porridge earlier.

"Yes, yes!

"Section Chief Lu, save me.

"I am not Huang Bin, I am Ye Tianhua, and my cousin is Lady Hu.

"I am not a Red agent."

Ye Tianhua cried out loudly, claiming his innocence.

"Did you hear that?" Lu Qiao asked.

"Are you really one of General Hu's men?" Li Ya asked again.

"Yes, yes!

"If you don't believe me, you can call the First Division's staff department," Ye Tianhua said.

"Fine."

Once he gave the number, Li Ya dialed the phone on the spot.

After hanging up, he smiled:

"You really are one of General Hu's men."

"Li Ya, release him. General Hu is not someone you can afford to offend," Lu Qiao said.

"That makes it even stranger.

"General Hu's supplies are all provided by the military supply department at the highest level; why would he send someone to Beiping to purchase these supplies?" Li Ya asked.

"According to this man's confession, he was purchasing them for the Red agents.

"In other words, can I interpret it this way?

"This man used General Hu's name as a cover to collude with the Red agents?"

He analyzed further.

"You, you forced a confession through torture," Ye Tianhua shouted.

"Forced a confession?

"Oh, so you weren't buying them for the Red agents—could it be you were buying them for General Hu?

"General Hu's supplies are all provided by the military supply department.

"White sugar is a controlled commodity.

"Rice and flour are now all distributed by the Civil Affairs Committee.

"What would General Hu need him for?

"Are you trying to frame General Hu for secretly trafficking supplies to make a fortune?

"You have some nerve.

"In my opinion, you are a Red spy lurking by General Hu's side!"

Li Ya's tone became severe.

As he spoke, he threw another stack of materials onto the interrogation table in front of Ye Tianhua:

"Look closely.

"Here is the record of your past thirteen instances of trafficking supplies.

"Eight of those times, the goods were sent into the border region.

"A habitual offender!

"And you still dare to deny you aren't a Red agent!"

Faced with Li Ya's "ironclad evidence" and aggressive demeanor, the already guilty Ye Tianhua panicked instantly: "I, I..."

He was truly stunned.

If he admitted to using the First Division and General Hu as a cover, it would mean General Hu and the First Division were trafficking supplies, which would surely become a case that would shock the entire nation.

To admit to being a Red agent would be a dead end.

Lu Qiao stood to the side, silently calling it a disaster.

If this continued and the idiot really dragged Hu Zongnan into this, the matter would become huge.

He hurriedly raised a hand to stop Ye Tianhua and said to Li Ya:

"Captain Li, in my opinion, that's enough."

Li Ya raised an eyebrow and began to laugh:

"When it comes to anti-corruption, you personally swore an oath of zero tolerance in public, saying that no matter who it is, you must investigate to the end.

"Now that we have caught them red-handed, you tell me that's enough?

"Come, please tell me, what the hell is 'enough'!"

"I'm not going to argue with you. I am now ordering you to release the person immediately in my capacity as the head of the inspection team." Lu Qiao put on his official airs.

"Can I interpret this as:

"Because he is one of Commander Hu Zongnan's men, he can resell military supplies, and he cannot be arrested or interrogated?" Li Ya paced around Lu Qiao with his hands behind his back.

"You can interpret it that way.

"Right now, Commander Hu is..."

Before Lu Qiao could finish his sentence, Li Ya raised a hand to stop him.

Then, he tightened his right cheek, squinted, and snapped his fingers with satisfaction: "That's the line I was waiting for!"

He turned around and took a miniature tape recorder from under the table nearby.

Then, he skillfully adjusted the tape backward.

The conversation between the two immediately played from it:

"Because he is Hu..."

"You can interpret it that way!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Qiao's face twitched, and he stuttered in his anger: "You, you villain, you shameless wretch, you, you recorded it again."

"Can't help it, this trick works well.

"Lu Qiao, can I say that you are framing Commander Hu for reselling military supplies?"

Li Ya smiled triumphantly.

"Li Ya, don't you dare pin such a dirty label on me. Believe it or not, I'll tear your mouth apart." Lu Qiao gritted his teeth and said angrily.

"Old Lu, you're getting anxious.

"Your performance this time is far worse than last time. Last time, the station chief had a gun to your head, and I didn't see you get anxious then.

"It seems that after following Commander Zheng in Jingling for so long, you haven't made any progress."

Li Ya had been on pins and needles for some time, so now that he had succeeded, he naturally couldn't pass up the chance to mock him and vent his frustration.

"You!" Lu Qiao was about to die of anger.

"How about this.

"Let's put it another way: the dignified head of the Ministry of National Defense's Second Department inspection team, who was just pledging loyalty to the people and the party-state in the newspapers a few days ago.

"Turns around and pulls strings for Commander Hu's supply officer to resell materials.

"Is this your 'pledge written in blood' to never coexist with corruption?

"Believe it or not, the people of Beiping will swallow you alive!"

Li Ya said.

"Hah!"

Lu Qiao was rendered speechless by the retort. After letting out a long sigh, he said calmly:

"Li Ya, do you know you are playing with fire?

"If this affects Commander Hu's troop morale at this moment, once the attack on Yancheng fails, the Generalissimo and Jiang Jianfeng will be the first to demand your head." Lu Qiao said sternly.

"It doesn't matter.

"I only know that certain people in Beiping are clamoring to take my life, Li Ya.

"Heh.

"Back during the Battle of Jinshanwei, I crawled out of a pile of corpses myself. Isn't it just risking one life for another?

"Since I have to die, I'll drag someone down with me.

"Even if Commander Hu is furious, your inspection team will be the first to bear the brunt, right?

"If anyone is going to die, you'll die first.

"It's worth it."

Li Ya shrugged and smiled.

"Li Ya, you... you really are a villain to the core." Lu Qiao pointed at him and cursed.

"Team Leader Lu, I won't be handing the person over to you.

"There are people from major newspapers coming to interview later; I can't let this recording go to waste."

Li Ya said.

"You!

"You just wait."

Lu Qiao's face was gloomy as he turned and walked away.

Ye Tianhua shouted from behind: "Team Leader Lu, you, you can't leave. What am I supposed to do if you leave?"

"You?

"Explain your own problems clearly first.

"Red, or one of Commander Hu's men."

Li Ya said.

"I am one of Commander Hu's men, I am not a Red agent." Ye Tianhua gritted his teeth and said.

"Very good!

"Don't worry, Commander Hu will come to bail you out."

Li Ya smiled and walked out.

He immediately made a copy of the recording to prevent Lu Qiao from turning around and denying everything later.

Arresting Hu Zongnan's men this time was an inherently risky move.

But he had to do it.

Li Ya understood Jiang Jianfeng; as long as one was sincere in their work and carried out Jiang Jianfeng's instructions and priorities, it didn't matter if mistakes were made, but the attitude and determination had to be shown.

Now he was turning his blade inward, daring to draw his sword against Hu Zongnan to fight military corruption.

The Generalissimo might be very angry.

But Jiang Jianfeng would certainly support him in his heart.

As long as he could get past this hurdle, he would certainly be able to reshape his image in Jiang Jianfeng's mind.

And one more thing... the Generalissimo was an old man after all, and Jiang Jianfeng's rise to power was only a matter of time.

As long as he clung to Jiang Jianfeng.

Once the old man was gone, would he still have to worry about his future?

"Yucheng, release one of the people caught last night."

Li Ya said as he walked.

"Yes." Yucheng took the order.

Li Ya's plan was very simple.

Make the matter as big as possible, force Hu Zongnan to get anxious and take real action.

Otherwise, how could he pressure Zheng Jiemin to sanction and deal with Lu Qiao?

Lu Qiao returned to his office.

Slap!

He gave himself a fierce slap:

"Dog brain, why don't you ever learn!"

Damn it, he had fallen for the dog thief Li Ya's recording trap again.

He believed that with Li Ya's shamelessness, he would soon make the recording public, and the students and workers in Beiping would definitely storm the inspection team.

No.

He had to hurry and discuss this with Hong Zhiyou.

Lu Qiao went downstairs and drove to the Four Nations Hotel.

Hong Zhiyou had just finished playing tennis with a pretty female receptionist and was walking into the lobby with a towel draped over his shoulders.

"Zhiyou." Lu Qiao said.

"Brother Shan, what's wrong? Why is your face swollen?" Hong Zhiyou asked.

Lu Qiao touched it and smiled awkwardly: "I'm allergic to yams.

"Let's step aside to talk."

He pulled Hong Zhiyou to a corner sofa in the hotel and sat down, saying: "I've gotten myself into big trouble."

"No way."

"You are a section chief of the inspection team and a favorite of Deputy Director Zheng; there isn't a soul in the Peiping-Tianjin area you can't handle, so how did you end up in such a mess?" Hong Zhiyou asked, looking puzzled.

"Brother, stop mocking me."

"Li Ya set a trap for me."

Lu Qiaoshan told him everything about Ye Tianhua and the recording.

"Old Lu, oh Old Lu, what am I supposed to say to you?"

"You are a veteran of the Juntong Bureau, how could you fall into the same pit twice?"

Hong Zhiyou said, feigning speechlessness.

"How was I supposed to know this guy carries a tape recorder everywhere he goes?"

"You need to watch out for this trick in the future; be careful when you speak in front of Li Ya."

Lu Qiaoshan shook his head and sighed, already filled with regret.

"Brother, given Li Ya's current stance, he won't stop until he kills me."

"You have a good relationship with him."

"Can you help me smooth things over, or come up with a plan to help me survive this disaster?"

The arrogance of yesterday was gone from his eyes; he was utterly servile.

"The stench of this affair will soon spread across the country; the Generalissimo and Hu Zongnan will catch a whiff of it soon."

"You have two paths to take now."

"First, send money frantically to Ke Shufen."

"The Peiping affair was botched, but Ke Shufen got the money, so Zheng Jiemin won't lose out on this trip; he will speak up for you."

"If nothing else, at least he will save your life."

"Second, send some money to Li Ya."

"Li Ya botched the assassination of Lin Tai last time, the station punished him, and they even took the cold storage warehouse and Delong Inn back into the General Affairs Section."

"His pockets are cleaner than his face right now."

"If you can scrape up some money for him, he might just downplay the matter."

"Don't forget, he has the recording in his hands."

"If he happens to hand it over to Li Zongren or Fu Zuoyi—who are already dissatisfied with Hu Zongnan—and they use this opportunity to stir up trouble, not even the King of Heaven could save you."

"In a word, you have to throw money at it, throw a lot of money."

Hong Zhiyou said.

"Brother, don't you know me by now?"

"To become this Deputy Chief of the Sixth Section, and to get my son a post in Suzhou, I've already handed over my family fortune to Ke Shufen."

"To tell you the truth, I can't even satisfy Li Ya right now."

"Let alone that woman."

Lu Qiaoshan was so worried he hammered his own forehead.

"Isn't it simple to get money?"

"Don't you have a large amount of ready cash on hand?" Hong Zhiyou laughed.

"Ready cash?" Lu Qiaoshan didn't understand.

"Ma Hansan."

"He is the number one profiteer in Peiping; if he just lets a little leak through his fingers, it would be enough to satisfy Ke Shufen."

"Go and beg him."

"It just so happens he wants to get out too; isn't this a perfect opportunity?"

Hong Zhiyou hinted.

"That won't work."

"I even suspect this is a trap Ma Hansan set for me."

"He keeps insisting he doesn't know Ye Tianhua's identity; he's trying to fool a ghost."

Lu Qiaoshan hurriedly waved his hand.

"Old Lu, there are no eternal enemies, only absolute interests."

"Never mind what tricks Li Ya or Ma Hansan are playing."

"You have already lost; that is a fact."

"Now, only by joining forces can you and Ma Hansan weather this storm together; it just depends on how you phrase it."

"As for this bit of face, what is it worth compared to your life?"

"Ma Hansan isn't an unreasonable man; he wouldn't go so far as to use this joke to hold you hostage."

Hong Zhiyou advised.

"Fine, I'll try."

"And Li Ya..." Lu Qiaoshan said.

"Li Ya is easier to deal with."

"He hasn't seen much of the world, and large sums of money burn his hands; don't you have a mansion in Jinhai?"

"Give it to him."

"Make him withhold the recording."

"Don't set your expectations too high, or his stubborn nature will make him fight you to the death; just get that one thing."

"Without the recording, you can push all the blame onto your subordinates."

"Set a trap for your deputy and let him take the fall."

"When the students, workers, and citizens start protesting and Hu Zongnan comes after you, you can push it all onto them."

"Claim you knew nothing."

"With Director Zheng protecting you, at most you'll get an internal warning from the Ministry of National Defense; once the heat dies down, you might still have a chance to rise again."

Hong Zhiyou said.

"Alright."

"That's the only way; I'll go beg Ma Hansan, and I'll leave Li Ya to you."

Lu Qiaoshan pondered for a long while; having no other options, he could only smile bitterly and say.

"Don't worry," Hong Zhiyou said.

Lu Qiaoshan left, looking dejected.

Hong Zhiyou also sighed.

That is how it is when experts clash; one careless move and the whole game is lost.

A single Hu Zongnan and the weight of public opinion had trapped Lu Qiaoshan.

Hong Zhiyou didn't feel much sympathy.

It was impossible for him to become "brothers" with a fickle, petty man like Lu Qiaoshan.

Compared to Lu Qiaoshan.

He would rather deal with people like Ma Hansan and Yin Zhuoran.

At least he could get real money and silver from them.

With this move, Old Ma was off the hook.

His mission for coming to Peiping was more than half complete; all that remained was to brew some tea and watch the show.

That evening.

Li Ya brought a bag of pig's head meat to the Four Nations Hotel.

Because Lu Qiaoshan had a favor to ask.

He could openly come here to find Hong Zhiyou.

Hong Zhiyou had ordered Western food.

Li Ya asked for a plate, portioned out the pig's head meat, and set it on the table: "Brother, have you met him?"

"You didn't bring a tape recorder, did you?" Hong Zhiyou asked with a smile.

"You."

"I wouldn't record anyone else, let alone you; we are friends."

"Recordings are for dealing with petty people and enemies."

Li Ya nodded, stood up, and put his hands in his pockets to show he was clean.

"Thanks, just a joke, don't take it seriously." Hong Zhiyou raised his hand to signal him to sit.

"Old Lu wants to beg you to show mercy," Li Ya said.

"Impossible."

"I've already made a copy of the recording; I can send it to Fu Zuoyi and Li Zongren at any time."

"Once the newspapers and the recording are made public tomorrow, Li and Fu—who are always short on grain and artillery—will inevitably stir up trouble, claiming Lu Qiaoshan openly protected Hu Zongnan's people in reselling military supplies."

"The students and commoners in Peiping could drown him with a single spit each."

"Once it alarms the Generalissimo, let alone Zheng Jiemin, not even the King of Heaven could save him."

Li Ya said coldly.

"Maybe you shouldn't release the recording."

"Aren't this steak and pig's head meat delicious?"

"Once Fu and Li start causing trouble, this matter won't be able to be pulled back, and by then, you might really end up being buried with Lu Qiao."

"Actually, Lu Qiao has already been severely wounded in his vitality."

"It will be very difficult for him to rise again."

"It is impossible for him to have another chance to return to Jinmen."

"Rather than that, everyone should take a step back, and he can keep his life."

"Lu Qiao has entrusted me to intercede for him."

"He is willing to give you the mansion on Guilin Road; if you are afraid of the repercussions, I will find someone to handle it for you and convert it into equivalent gold or silver dollars."

"How about it?"

Hong Zhiyou asked with a smile.

(End of chapter)