Chapter 283: He is the Red Agent Mole

Hong Zhiyou had never underestimated Lu Qiao.

Although this man was selfish and self-interested, his intelligence was always on point.

Clearly, old Lu hadn't spent his time in Jingling in vain; he had gathered quite a bit of intelligence.

"Brother, we are brothers.

"As for old Yu, him being pushed into this position is my problem; even if the Station Chief is biased, I can understand that.

"After all, he is the Station Chief's student and was personally handpicked by him.

"But Li Ya, I just can't accept it.

"He was a Juntong man in his early years; sending him to Yancheng was Boss Dai's arrangement, intended for him to perform great feats during the war.

"In the end, he betrayed Juntong early on and joined the Iron Blood Youth Corps.

"Isn't this a classic case of a two-faced servant?

"Relying on that recording, he undermined me twice in a row, forcing me to flee to Jingling, penniless and destitute.

"If I don't take revenge for this, I've lived this life in vain."

Lu Qiao said through gritted teeth.

"Brother, what about Li Ya?

"I didn't see him at the welcome banquet for Shengxiang tonight, nor at the Station Chief's family banquet.

"Where is he?"

As he spoke, he asked with concern.

"Li Ya is lucky; he went to transport medicine for Hu Zongnan, dozens of boxes of penicillin, a deal worth over a hundred thousand US dollars.

"Once it reaches Xi'an, it will surely be a monumental achievement.

"Sigh, I have to say, comparing people just makes you want to die of frustration!"

Hong Zhiyou shook his head and sighed with a smile.

"That's a sweet gig, why didn't you take it?" Lu Qiao asked with a frown.

"He is one of Jianfeng's people.

"Didn't he have a falling out with Hu Zongnan last time?

"Jianfeng intends for him to use this operation to ease his relationship with Commander Hu.

"If I were to go up and snatch it, I'd be too tactless, and the Station Chief wouldn't allow it either."

Hong Zhiyou said with a look of disappointment.

"Brother, then are we... are we just going to watch him rise to fame?

"We have to do something.

"Oh, I risked getting hit by a car to go down with him, and we both ended up with a 'criminal record' at Hu Zongnan's place.

"If he and Hu Zongnan bury the hatchet over a batch of medicine, wouldn't my collision have been for nothing?"

Lu Qiao became a bit anxious upon hearing this.

Hong Zhiyou pondered that the Station Chief letting Li Ya transport the medicine likely had these considerations as well.

It was highly probable that Jianfeng had passed word secretly.

Li Ya must have joined the Iron Blood Youth Corps quite early; Jianfeng was a man who valued sentiment, and furthermore, Li Ya's resume and skills must have been verified in the past.

At least Jianfeng knew his capabilities.

Therefore, while dissatisfied with Li Ya on the surface, he had been giving him opportunities in secret.

"I heard the trains have stopped running.

"I think it's possible that people from Fu Zuoyi or Sun Lianzhong have caught the scent and are about to make a move.

"I advised Captain Li to request a military police escort.

"But he and Hu Zongnan's adjutant were very confident, thinking no one would dare touch the Northwest King's goods, so they chose to travel light.

"Wish him luck."

It was impossible for Hong Zhiyou to say it explicitly; that would leave evidence.

If one day Lu Qiao and Li Ya were to collude, he would be exposed, and Li Ya would surely kill him.

Lu Qiao bit his lip and pondered:

"I know Li Ya; he has sticky fingers, and as long as something is gold-colored, he'll try to get a piece of it.

"This is penicillin, can he really keep his hands clean?"

Hong Zhiyou shrugged and smiled: "I don't know about that; he's in charge of the whole thing, and besides, since it involves Hu Zongnan, I'm too lazy to get involved."

"Fine, I'll have people check the black market.

"If I find this batch of medicine, the guy surnamed Li had better pray the transport goes smoothly.

"If something goes wrong.

"I will definitely nail him this time!"

Lu Qiao said with a fierce look in his eyes.

After seeing Lu Qiao off, Hong Zhiyou returned to the hall.

"How did the chat go?" Wu Jingzhong asked.

"Lu Qiao still wants to come back.

"He brought up a very constructive idea.

"Zheng Jiemin is very close to the Americans.

"Ambassador Smith often invites him to banquets at the embassy.

"I think we should add some fuel to the fire and prop him up.

"He might just become the second Boss Dai.

"Additionally, he wants to bring Tang Zong's police and security forces under the Ministry of National Defense and rebuild them with a military structure.

"Tang Zong is very dissatisfied with this.

"If we give him a push and Tang Zong blows some cold wind,

"as news of Hu Zongnan's defeat spreads, the Chairman must be at his most suspicious right now, and Zheng Jiemin will inevitably have trouble.

"Once he's in trouble, Ke Shufen won't be able to keep clinging to Jinhai to make money."

Hong Zhiyou analyzed.

"Hmm, this is a very good proposal.

"Lu Qiao still has some tricks up his sleeve.

"To tell you the truth, Jianfeng called me, asking me to give Li Ya more support.

"He also mentioned the matter of Yu Zecheng at Yang Family Village again.

"Both explicitly and implicitly, he is dissatisfied with Zecheng being the Deputy Station Chief.

"He still doesn't trust Zecheng.

"Letting Li Ya transport the medicine this time was his idea.

"I feel he still values Li Ya.

"Li Ya's rank of Colonel will be restored sooner or later; by then, I'm afraid he won't be the Deputy Station Chief, but the Station Chief."

Wu Jingzhong said with deep worry.

"Indeed.

"Using the familiar is not as good as using the loyal, and using the loyal is not as good as using the foolish.

"You are classmates with Jianfeng; there are many instructions he might not find convenient to give, and you might not necessarily carry them out one hundred percent.

"But Li Ya is different; he is a follower of Jianfeng.

"He must be easier for him to use than you, Master."

Hong Zhiyou said.

"I had been thinking about giving Li Ya all sorts of trouble.

"Now it seems that no matter how much dirt we throw on him, I'm afraid it will be hard to shake Jianfeng's determination to use him.

"Letting Lu Qiao come back is a good choice.

"Jianfeng is hindered by me, so there are some things he finds inconvenient to say; but is it convenient for him to say them if he's hindered by Zheng Jiemin?

"I won't offend him; let him go and spar with Zheng Jiemin."

Wu Jingzhong was very dissatisfied with both of his old classmates.

One thought he was old and not diligent in his work, wanting to squeeze him out of his position.

The other thought he was greedy and couldn't wait to squeeze every bit of his retirement money out of his pockets.

Neither one was reliable.

"Master.

"Zheng Jiemin might not let him go," Hong Zhiyou said.

"This matter must be approached gradually.

"Isn't Ke Shufen coming to Jinhai to take charge?

"Send her some good things.

"Give her that coral tree, and send some antiques, calligraphy, and paintings.

"Especially the calligraphy and paintings; Zheng Jiemin likes those.

"But I find them hard to maintain, so no matter how expensive or rare they are, give them all to her."

"Once he gets a taste of the sweetness."

"Even if I don't want Lu Qiao, he will still shove Lu Qiao into Jinhai."

Wu Jing said.

"Teacher, I'm just afraid that the more Ke Shufen is fed, the bigger her appetite will grow, and she will watch us even more closely," Hong Zhiyou said worriedly.

"Therefore, we must put some effort into the Americans and Tang Zong.

"You go find Ke'er and see if you can get him to organize some kind of sightseeing meeting to invite Zheng Jiemin to visit the U. . military base.

"I understand this man Tang Zong.

"He will definitely snitch, and when the time comes, if Zheng Jiemin has trouble, Ke Shufen will have to leave.

"Give things to Ke Shufen slowly.

"Use the sweetness to hook her; when she has no choice but to go back, that will be the time for Lu Qiao to return."

Wu Jing shook his fingers and said.

"Understood.

"I will go to the Dahewan to pick some things later.

"For things like porcelain and calligraphy that are not easy to preserve, I'll pick some valuable ones for her."

Hong Zhiyou said.

"Smart.

"In addition, we must speed up the transport of goods to Xiangdao.

"I am not very optimistic about our war.

"In case Jinhai City is captured and enters a state of martial law.

"Where will we find so many planes and ships to transport things then?"

Wu Jing said worriedly.

"Teacher is right.

"Ma Hansan thinks the same way."

The father-in-law and son-in-law looked at each other and both laughed heartily.

Lu Qiao returned to his residence.

Hong Zhiyou was indeed decent.

The bedding in the cabinet was still there, and after the housekeeper tidied it up, it was bright and clean, just as if he had never left.

He knew very well.

This time might be his last hope of returning.

Only by returning and facing Li Ya in the ring could he regain his lost dignity and vent the pent-up anger in his heart.

Because he knew very well.

With the experience from last time, it would be difficult for Zheng Jiemin to give him the "imperial envoy" privilege again.

He picked up the phone, originally wanting to dial Sheng Xiang.

After thinking about it, he called Lu Yu instead: "Xizi, it's me.

"You, what's wrong with you? Can't you recognize your brother Shan's voice?

"Your brother is back again.

"Bring a set of monitoring and eavesdropping equipment to my villa immediately.

"I have important matters to discuss with you.

"Yes, very important.

"Now, come immediately!"

Hanging up the phone, Lu Qiao muttered excitedly in his mouth:

"God bless.

"Li Ya must be robbed."

Qingfeng Mountain.

Li Ya's motorcade was driving majestically along the mountain road.

Dong dong!

Only a burst of conch shells was heard.

Immediately after, the shouts of bandits filled the mountains and plains.

Countless dense torches whistled and crackled with the wind.

"Boss, we've caught a big fish."

A small thug shouted.

After a burst of shouting, hundreds of bandits carrying guns and cannons surrounded them.

"Captain Li, Deputy Officer Zhou, it's bad, it's bandits."

Soldiers immediately came to report.

"How many people?" Li Ya asked.

"At least a hundred," the soldier said.

"Damn it, how could we run into bandits?

"Captain Li, didn't you say that taking this road could avoid Fu Zuoyi's eyes and ears?

"What do you say now?

"You led us straight into a bandit den."

Deputy Officer Zhou accused and shouted.

Li Ya frowned and said: "That shouldn't be."

This road used to be a traffic line for the Reds.

After it was destroyed, the nearby mountain peaks and Mobile Corps Commander strongholds were all cleared out by the Security Brigade, and it had long been abandoned.

Where did these bandits pop out from?

You must know that before setting off, he had specifically consulted with acquaintances in the local Security Brigade, and there were no bandits or guerrillas in this vicinity.

"What shouldn't be.

"What do we do now?"

Deputy Officer Zhou shouted.

"What are you afraid of?

"We have more people than them.

"You are all elites under Commander Hu, just fight them."

Li Ya drew his sidearm, preparing to fire.

"Are you crazy?

"Use our brothers' lives to trade for these lowly bandits?

"Look at what that is?"

Deputy Officer Zhou pointed to the front.

Only to see two old cannons being pushed up.

The leading bandit shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Surrender your guns and you won't be killed.

"Those who don't want to die, put down your guns for me and obediently line up and squat down."

"What do we do?

"If they fire the cannons and these medicines are destroyed, how will we go back and report?"

Deputy Officer Zhou panicked.

He usually stayed by Hu Zongnan's side and was also a person of high status, accustomed to being pampered.

Plus, it was late at night, so it was inevitable that he would be frightened.

For a moment, he didn't know what to do.

"That's true.

"I'll go down and talk to them."

Li Ya thought for a moment and said.

He jumped out of the car, placed his gun on the ground, raised his hands and said: "Boss, we are Commander Hu's men. This is some tea money for the brothers to have a drink, please let us pass."

As he spoke, he took out dozens of U. . dollars and silver dollars from his pocket and handed them over with both hands.

"Is this little money enough to dismiss a beggar?

"I don't care about your Commander Hu or Commander Qin, I'm the one who calls the shots in this neck of the woods.

"Take their guns."

The bandit leader knocked away the banknotes Li Ya handed over.

Shameless... Li Ya gritted his teeth, ready to fight it out.

"Deputy Officer Zhou..."

He looked back.

Deputy Officer Zhou and the others had long since put down their guns and were squatting with their heads in their hands.

Damn it!

How could this bunch be called the elite of the Nationalist Army?

Deputy Officer Zhou was not stupid.

They had been robbed by bandits.

At least the medicine could be saved; it was nothing more than being extorted for some money.

If the cannons started firing, the medicine would be destroyed.

Penicillin was hard to come by these days, and most of it had to be imported from abroad; he wouldn't have enough heads to lose if it were ruined.

The crucial point was that Li Ya had chosen this route.

If something went wrong, it was Li Ya's responsibility.

What did it have to do with him?

To open fire at a time like this would be the height of stupidity.

"What's the matter?" The bandit leader poked Li Ya's chest with the muzzle of his gun.

The next second, Li Ya obediently dropped his gun, raised his hands, and squatted on the ground.

"Unload the stuff."

A group of bandits climbed onto the trucks with great efficiency and moved all several dozen large crates of medicine down.

"Be careful, damn it."

The bandit called out.

Soon, the group had baskets and handcarts all ready, and with a clear division of labor, they hauled the medicine away.

These people didn't make things difficult for Li Ya.

They took the medicine.

Following a horse whistle from their leader, they scattered in all directions and vanished into the mountain forest.

"You... are you still soldiers?"

Li Ya pointed at Deputy Officer Zhou and the others, his whole body trembling with rage.

"You weren't exactly slow to squat down yourself."

"Li Ya, I am returning to Yancheng immediately; we shall meet at the military tribunal."

Deputy Officer Zhou gave him a cold look, turned to get into his vehicle, and led his men away.

"You!"

Li Ya clenched his fists, watching this bunch of scum leave.

He used his flashlight to pick up the U. . banknotes and silver dollars from the ground, carefully blew the dirt off them, and put them into his pocket.

Suddenly, Li Ya frowned slightly, sensing that something was wrong.

This group didn't look like bandits.

Ordinary bandits would inventory the goods and take hostages to demand a ransom.

This group neither took hostages nor inventoried the goods.

Moreover, they had transport tools fully prepared.

When the leader was unloading the goods, he seemed to have said: "Be careful!"

Furthermore, this group was extremely careful while unloading and transporting.

This meant they likely knew that what was inside were medicines.

Oh no!

This group was very likely a Mobile Corps Commander unit of the Red Faction!

Li Ya's heart instantly turned cold.

If they were bandits, he could have ransomed the goods back.

If they were guerrillas, the medicine would surely be rushed toward Yancheng by now.

"Damn it!

"Heaven, you are trying to destroy me!"

Li Ya leaned against the car door, his vision going black.

Inside the vehicle.

Deputy Officer Zhou was puffing on a cigarette, his expression unusually calm.

"Brother Li, the medicine is lost, are we... finished? If we go back, Officer Hu will surely execute us." The soldier driving the car sounded shaky.

"What are you panicking about!

"Watch the road.

"Rest assured, if anyone is finished, it's that man surnamed Li; who knows, we might even be credited with a great achievement."

Zhou Li sneered.

"Brother Li, what, what do you mean?" The soldier was bewildered.

"Didn't you notice?

"Li Ya deliberately chose this route, and the bandits just happened to appear here; isn't that too much of a coincidence?

"What's even more bizarre is, don't you think this group of people is very strange?"

Zhou Li exhaled a puff of smoke and said.

"Strange?

"I didn't feel that way." The soldier shook his head, confused.

Zhou Li's body swayed slightly with the motion of the car as he continued:

"What kind of bandits don't take hostages?

"And did you notice, they didn't verify the goods at all.

"They didn't even know what was in the crates, yet look, they handled them with such well-trained care; how is that like crude bandits?

"There is only one possibility.

"They knew long ago that these contained medicine.

"These people aren't bandits at all, but the Red Faction!

"Li Ya colluded with them on purpose to have the medicine, worth nearly 200, 00 U. . dollars, snatched away."

Zhou Li analyzed with a sneer.

"You, you mean Li Ya is with the Red Faction?" The soldier asked in surprise.

"What's so strange about that?

"The Red Faction is everywhere.

"I have acquaintances in Jinmen, and I've inquired; this Li Ya once secretly sabotaged the Nationalist Army's grain transport plan and deliberately created friction between Sun Lianzhong and Fu Zuoyi.

"Combine that with his behavior in this incident... Heh.

"The train didn't break down early or late, but stopped just when it was supposed to transport medicine.

"Add in what happened tonight.

"If he isn't a mole for the Red Faction, then I'll be damned."

Zhou Li laughed contemptuously.

"Now that you mention it, it really is true.

"If Li Ya is Red Faction, then we were just deceived by him, and we'll have an explanation when we see Officer Hu.

"Brother Li, you are always so steady."

The soldier's heartstrings instantly relaxed, and he offered some flattery.

Guilin Road Villa.

Lu Yuxi, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, got out of the car and headed straight for Lu Qiaoshan's courtyard.

After being beaten up by Li Ya, Lu Yuxi not only didn't receive any punishment from the Inspection Team, but on the contrary, the newly appointed head of the Garrison Command's Inspection Division, Bai Shiwei, praised him highly.

After all, not everyone had the guts to snatch food from the mouth of the Secret Service.

Lu Yuxi was no longer just a captain of the Seventh Detachment.

He was now the deputy captain of the Inspection Brigade.

To be honest, Lu Yuxi didn't really want to see Lu Qiaoshan.

What fellow townsman?

That had all been burned away during the last hotpot gold bar incident.

Moreover, Lu Qiaoshan had stumbled again during his last inspection in Beiping, so Lu Yuxi looked down on him even more.

He was willing to play the fool only to test the waters.

If Lu Qiaoshan still had value.

If he could continue to obtain intelligence, then he could still acknowledge this brother.

If he had fallen on hard times and returned to Jinmen to be a nobody, tonight would be the last time they would ever meet or speak.

"Brother Shan, I'm here."

Lu Yu walked in empty-handed, followed by a team member carrying equipment.

"Long time no see."

"Brother Shan is still as vigorous as a dragon and fierce as a tiger; last time in Beiping, I wanted to go see you, but unfortunately, I was tied up with work for Department Chief Bai."

"How are things, Brother Shan? Everything well?"

Lu Yu asked with a smile.

Can't even bring a fruit basket, you dog, is this how you miss your Brother Shan... Lu Qiao felt very unhappy inside, but his face remained plastered with a smile:

"Xizi, sit."

"Go, help Brother Shan search the house from top to bottom; if there are any listening devices, tear them out immediately." Lu Yu shoved his hands into his pockets and ordered his subordinate with an arrogant air right in front of Lu Qiao.

"Tsk tsk."

"Xizi, the airs you put on after becoming a deputy captain are certainly different." Lu Qiao laughed.

"Heh."

"I owe everything I have today to you, Brother Shan."

"Last time I got beaten up by Li Ya."

"Department Chief Bai acknowledged that, and that's how I got promoted."

Lu Yu said with a hint of grievance.

As he spoke, he sat down, crossing his legs with even more swagger than Lu Qiao.

Lu Qiao saw this and grew even more annoyed; his smile couldn't help but turn gloomy:

"Xizi, when I came to Beiping last time, the next stop was supposed to be Jinhai, including your Garrison Headquarters and the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics—all of them were to be inspected."

"Sigh, if not for that car accident, I would be drinking tea with Commander Chen right now."

"Hehe, that's true, who is my Brother Shan." Lu Yu gave a dry laugh and propped his leather shoe even higher.

Just some trivial matters from the Beiping inspection team.

If not for the car accident, he'd probably be squatting in jail right now.

It seems Brother Shan really isn't doing well; this is all he has left to brag about.

Still trying to scare him? Not a chance.

You dog, Lu Qiao was furious, and he said in a deep voice:

"Xizi, I have an errand here; help Brother Shan run it."

"Brother Shan, you're here in Jinhai for an inspection, right?"

"Are you attached to the Garrison Headquarters or the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics?"

Lu Yu didn't take the bait; he leaned back on the sofa, shaking his leg as he asked with a smile.

"Does it matter where I'm attached?"

"What, if I'm not inspecting or holding a post, I can't ask you to handle a little matter?"

Lu Qiao was displeased.

"Not at all."

"Wasn't that just a casual question?"

"Oh, it's getting late, I forgot to mention, I got married—to the daughter of Section Chief Ma of the City Defense Bureau."

"My wife at home has strict family discipline."

"Brother Shan, with a fierce wife at home, I can't stay long; I'll come to pay a formal visit another day."

Once Lu Yu heard his tone, he lost all interest in chatting.

If someone from the Second Department comes down to the provinces and isn't holding an inspection post, aren't they just a fart?

"Sigh."

"The world is fickle, and people's hearts are not what they used to be."

Lu Qiao sighed leisurely.

Lu Yu acted as if he hadn't heard and turned to leave.

"Xizi."

"Brother might be returning to the Intelligence Division of the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics in a while."

Behind him, Lu Qiao's voice suddenly drifted over.

Lu Yu's eyes lit up, and he stopped in his tracks instantly.

The Intelligence Division.

The place with the most well-informed news in all of Jinhai.

Back then, didn't he rise through the ranks by basking in Lu Qiao's glory?

Right now, the Generalissimo and the Ministry of National Defense have issued instructions to the Garrison Headquarters: first, to investigate the resale of military supplies, and second, to purge the Red agents.

Bai Shiwei is currently worrying about this very matter.

If he could have Lu Qiao's help to share his superior's burdens, would the position of captain of the Inspection Team be far off?

(End of chapter)