Chapter 292: Two Burdens on One Shoulder

Once Li Ya left, Wu Jingzhong narrowed his eyes, let out a cold laugh, and sighed:

"Sheng Xiang, oh Sheng Xiang, I gave you a chance and you failed to use it; you have no one to blame but yourself."

"It was a bit too hasty; who starts skimming money the moment they take office?" Hong Zhiyou also shook his head and chuckled.

"That is called seeking quick success and instant benefits; the temperament of a petty person."

"Lu Qiaoshan's position is likely secure now."

"Zheng Jiemin has high hopes for him, so we must help him fire the first shot."

Wu Jingzhong sat down on the sofa, held his teacup, and said.

"Teacher, in my opinion, why not make an issue out of the Okamura Yasuji affair?"

"Right now, our countrymen hate traitors and the Japanese devils to the bone."

"Once the photo of Captain Li in the same frame as Okamura is leaked, the students might even burn his house down."

Hong Zhiyou thought for a moment and said.

"Hmm, that is a good idea."

"But this is difficult to execute."

"First of all, this matter concerns the face of the Old Man and the Nationalist Government; if it leaks in Jinhai, I will certainly be held accountable."

"It is very troublesome."

Wu Jingzhong frowned and said.

"Teacher, the leak of Captain Li's photo is not necessarily a bad thing for you."

"There are quite a few stations along the route to Xuzhou."

"Why did it have to leak at the Jinhai Station, and why was it Jianfeng's people who were exposed?"

"The current situation is treacherous and unpredictable; the Generalissimo is likely sitting on pins and needles, without a moment of peace."

"When people's hearts are unsettled, there is bound to be suspicion."

"Right now, there are many who covet Jinhai and want to smear Jianfeng."

"Teacher, as long as you insist that your own security work is flawless, and that it was a Red spy lurking on the train or that another station had a problem,"

"that someone wanted to frame you, the Generalissimo and Jianfeng will believe it."

"Crucially, this is also a matter that puts Jianfeng and the Generalissimo at a disadvantage, so they will view you as being on the same side, and perhaps they will become closer to you."

Hong Zhiyou analyzed.

"We must still be cautious."

"Since we want to do a favor for Zheng Jiemin and Lu Qiaoshan, the matter of Okamura Yasuji going to Xuzhou must be leaked by Lu Qiaoshan."

"Doesn't Zheng Jiemin still have to get on the train?"

"Let them discuss how to handle it."

Wu Jingzhong thought about it, still feeling it was not secure enough.

At his age, he was too lazy to ponder the Generalissimo's thoughts; he just wanted to skim for a few years, land safely, go home, wait for Wu Rui to give birth to a grandson, and hold the baby—that would be enough.

"That works too."

"Then let Lu Qiaoshan and Zheng Jiemin handle it," Hong Zhiyou said.

In the original drama, it was Yu Zecheng who probed this matter.

Actually, the effect of Lu Qiaoshan taking action is the same.

Because Sheng Xiang also knows Xie Ruo and that group of scalpers, he can likewise obtain news about Okamura Yasuji.

Given Lu Qiaoshan's nature, it is impossible for him to miss this opportunity.

In this way, Yu Zecheng is not only safe, but can also save the intelligence fee of one gold bar.

The lobby of the Secret Service Bureau.

A military vehicle drove in.

Anderson took off his sunglasses, grabbed his handbag, and walked up the steps.

Li Ya was already waiting.

"Hello, I am Li Ya from the Action Team."

He used the broken English he had learned while pursuing Mei Yingxue to greet him.

"I know you, Action Team Captain Li Ya."

Anderson gave a cold laugh and walked inside.

Li Ya could not help but be stunned.

Is this foreign devil a fake? He actually speaks authentic local Jinhai dialect.

"Station Chief Wu asked me to coordinate with you," Li Ya said as he walked.

"Hmm."

"I have brought the price list; you all talk first."

"After you finish talking, give me a reply."

Anderson knew that the locals were rather dawdling, so he sat on the sofa in Li Ya's office and handed over the materials.

Li Ya opened it, took a look, and could not help but frown.

Damn it, it is all in English; I cannot understand it.

"Please wait a moment."

Li Ya gave an instruction and turned to go to the Station Chief's office.

Anderson was not in a hurry.

He also did not look for Hong Zhiyou.

As his understanding of Chinese culture deepened, he knew that during work hours, in places with many eyes and ears, one should try to keep a distance from Hong Zhiyou.

After all, Hong is engaged in secret work.

There is no need to bring criticism and trouble to Hong.

Li Ya walked quickly to the Station Chief's office:

"Station Chief, Secretary Hong, the American has brought their price list, as well as the manifest of those who took bribes."

He handed the list to Wu Jingzhong.

Wu Jingzhong picked it up, took one look, glared at him, and passed it to Hong Zhiyou:

"Take a look."

"The price is this high? Teacher, how much did Sheng Xiang report to the station?" Hong Zhiyou frowned and said.

"Forty-six thousand five hundred and thirty-three... US dollars." Li Ya's memory was still quite good.

"The American side actually received thirty-two thousand US dollars."

"Sheng Xiang kept two sets of books."

Hong Zhiyou said.

"Good technique, he made over ten thousand US dollars in one turn!" Li Ya sneered.

"Then what are you still waiting for?" Wu Jingzhong raised his eyebrows and looked at him coldly.

"Yes!"

Li Ya walked quickly back to the Action Team, waved his hand, and led his men to the Intelligence Division.

Inside the office.

Sheng Xiang was lecturing the heads of several sections in the Intelligence Division:

"I don't care who you followed in the past."

"From today on, the Intelligence Division belongs to Sheng; you must follow my rules. Whoever doesn't want to work can submit their resignation report now."

"Section Chief Sheng, what a great display of power; come with us for a trip!" Li Ya walked in with his hands in his pockets, leading his men.

With a wave of his hand, several staff members stepped forward and apprehended Sheng Xiang.

"Captain Li, you, what is the meaning of this?"

"I am the Intelligence Section Chief!"

Sheng Xiang panicked.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"You will naturally know once you get to the interrogation room."

Li Ya sneered.

"Take him away!"

Once they reached the interrogation room, before any torture was even applied, Sheng Xiang confessed the moment he saw the list.

"Just this?"

"You are also fit to be an Intelligence Section Chief? Bah!"

Li Ya spat at him, took the confession materials, and went to the Station Chief's office:

"Station Chief, Sheng Xiang has confessed."

"To have embezzled so much, this dog deserves to die!"

"Li Ya, report this to the headquarters inspection office immediately and deal with it strictly," Wu Jingzhong said in a fit of rage.

"Yes!"

Just as Li Ya was about to step out, Hong Zhiyou hurriedly stopped him: "Captain Li, wait a moment."

"Master, Captain Li, don't be in such a hurry."

"I have two points to make."

"Embezzling public property is certainly hateful."

"But handing Sheng Xiang over to the Headquarters Inspection Office—once he falls into the hands of Mao Renfeng, wouldn't that be handing them a weapon to use against us?"

"If word gets out, it won't look good for the reputation of our Jinhai Station."

"Furthermore, Sheng Xiang once followed Secretary-General Kuang."

"Secretary-General Kuang is extremely close to Jiang Jianfeng; if not for the monk's sake, consider the Buddha's—making a big scene of this would be unseemly."

"The key is, what if Mao Renfeng decides to make an issue of it and sends people to Jinhai Station to conduct an internal audit?"

"Who can guarantee that our books are absolutely clean?"

"Captain Li, don't you agree?"

After Hong Zhiyou finished speaking, he looked at Li Ya with a beaming smile.

Under his gaze, Li Ya felt his scalp tingle.

During the time he had been in charge of the Intelligence Division, he had brought in plenty of goods and kept dual-entry books.

Once the Headquarters and the Second Department started investigating, many of those accounts wouldn't hold up.

"Who isn't clean?"

"Just report it to the Inspection Office and let them investigate."

"I want to see which monsters and demons dare to stir up trouble right under my nose."

Wu Jingzhong, however, was relentless.

Li Ya felt even more panicked; who would have thought that for a simple investigation into Sheng Xiang, the Station Chief would insist on taking it to Headquarters?

Thinking of this, he reached out to touch his nose and said:

"Station Chief, I think Secretary Hong is right; taking this to Headquarters would damage the face of our Jinhai Station."

"Sheng Xiang is an old hand from the Luojiawan days, and he performed meritorious service during the Juntong era."

"We shouldn't just strike him down with one blow."

"Besides, he was sent here by Officer Zheng. If we hand him over to Mao Renfeng for prosecution before his seat is even warm, Officer Zheng will think Jinhai Station is targeting him."

"How about we just handle it with an internal disciplinary action? Relieve him of his post, fine him, or something like that."

Li Ya took the initiative to start making excuses for Sheng Xiang.

"So what if Zheng Jiemin sent him?"

"Just because he sent him, does that mean he can engage in corruption and break the law?"

"If it were up to my temper, I'd execute Sheng Xiang on the spot; what could he do to me!"

Wu Jingzhong's residual anger was still hard to quell.

"Yes, yes."

"Master, let's listen to Captain Li and handle it with internal discipline." Hong Zhiyou said, speaking in a conciliatory tone.

"Lock him up first."

"I'll decide tomorrow, depending on my mood."

"Dog thing!"

Wu Jingzhong cursed irritably.

"Understood."

"Master, then I'll head out first."

Li Ya knew that old Wu had always been merciful; once his anger subsided, Sheng Xiang would be safe.

Heh heh.

Clean up, clean up.

The Intelligence Division is mine again... Li Ya shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling extremely pleased.

"Oh, right."

"Secretary Hong, your old classmate is still in my office."

"Since Sheng Xiang has already confessed, you go and communicate with him."

Walking to the door, Li Ya turned his head to give one more instruction.

"Very well, Captain Li."

Hong Zhiyou went to the Action Team, handed over the confession materials for Sheng Xiang, and then saw Anderson out of the station gate.

"Hong, there is a batch of high-quality, low-cost Japanese equipment—surplus products left over from the enemy's military factories. General MacArthur has ordered that they must be disposed of within a month."

"Take a look; if you have any need for them, we can bundle them all up for you."

Anderson leaned against the car, adjusted his sunglasses onto the bridge of his nose, and said in a low voice.

"Is it really cheap, or is it junk?" Hong Zhiyou asked.

"It's all good stuff."

"Tanks, mortars, submachine guns, helmets, and so on."

"If it weren't for General Randall being in a hurry to move the stock, this good fortune wouldn't have fallen to you."

"Everything at half price."

Anderson made a gesture and said.

"Too expensive."

"Right now, the Zhongyang Army has your fine American-made weapons."

"People like Fu Zuoyi and Li Zongren are indeed short of weapons and medicine, but the Defense Force won't grant them funds; even if they have the heart, they have no money, so it's all in vain."

"The only ones who lack equipment but have money are the Red Tickets."

"But no matter how capable your observation group is, bringing in medicine is one thing, but you can't bring in tanks and artillery, can you?"

"In the end, don't I still have to spend money to break through the transport lines?"

"Back and forth, you're the ones making money, and I'm the one losing it."

"Fifty percent—I really can't afford that."

Hong Zhiyou smiled and refused.

He was speaking from the bottom of his heart.

He hadn't made any money buying medicine; if he were to lose money on arms dealing too, who could stand that?

"How about this: if it really doesn't work, you take them to Southeast Asia. It's turbulent there, and the separatist forces are fighting fiercely." Hong Zhiyou offered a strategy.

"If we take them there, there are too few people who can produce gold or US dollars."

"The arms company might be interested in trading for mineral resources."

"But people like Fiersen and General Randall only recognize cash. Besides, the quantity of this batch of arms is truly significant; in those tiny, bird-sized places, with only those few people fighting back and forth, how many bullets can they consume?"

"Large-scale armies and large-scale consumption—that still requires you."

"You have to help move this; this is also the General's intention."

Anderson pulled him aside, his face full of urgency.

General MacArthur had always been a man of his word; in order to cooperate with the Tokyo Trial and completely sever the enemy's Nazi militarist fantasies, these military supplies had to be destroyed by the end of the month.

Randall was currently frantic.

If they couldn't offload them, wouldn't they just be turned into molten iron?

This wasn't destroying equipment; it was destroying greenbacks.

As soon as Hong Zhiyou saw his demeanor, he knew what was going on—the other party was desperate to find a buyer.

He had to play this carefully.

"Anderson, I really can't buy at fifty percent off."

"You know as well as I do that with your aid to the National Government, apart from the Red Tickets, no one is willing to spend money on military supplies now."

"If you are really in a hurry to sell..."

Before Hong Zhiyou could finish, Anderson interrupted him: "Hong, I'm not in a hurry to sell; it's just that you are my best brother, and I wanted to prioritize you. I just don't want to see you miss out on a massive fortune."

Heh, what a "good brother" I have.

Damn foreign devil.

"Forget it."

"After thinking it over, I still feel the risk is too high."

"For this kind of head-lopping work, you'd better find someone else."

"You know, I have a child now, so I inevitably have to consider things more carefully. We are brothers, you have to understand."

Hong Zhiyou shrugged, indicating he was unable to help.

He turned and walked toward the station.

Anderson took two quick steps: "Hong, Hong, OK, I can't out-act you. Let's not talk business; can we just talk about helping a friend in need?"

"You are the timely rain."

"You are my brother, my big brother!"

"If I can't complete this deal, I'll be thrown into the sea to feed the fish by those guys."

He followed by Hong Zhiyou's side, gesturing and chattering incessantly.

"Wouldn't it have been better if you'd said that earlier?"

"We've been brothers for a long time; I even dared to dismantle landmines to save you back then, how could I not help you?"

Hong Zhiyou gave him a nudge, whether intentional or not.

Anderson is an old hand at China.

There are benefits, and there are drawbacks.

The benefit is that he understands a bit of human nature and worldly wisdom.

The drawback is that people become slick, especially under the current atmosphere of officialdom and the business world; it is hard to avoid being blinded by greed, losing a bit of the sincerity they once had.

Hong Zhiyou has always operated on a "one-nine" split when making friends and doing business.

But he is afraid that Anderson might not even want to give him that "one."

Therefore, an occasional Qiaoda is absolutely necessary.

"Yes."

"Hong, I will not forget that it was you who gave me a second life."

"How about this, you name a price, and I will go talk to the General."

Anderson put away his mercenary smile, his eyes becoming a bit more sincere.

"Ten percent!"

"I can only give you ten percent at most!"

"If you can sell it, I'll take the whole lot."

"If not..."

Hong Zhiyou spread his hands apologetically, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Ten percent!"

"Hong, you..." Anderson was speechless.

"Go talk."

"The Japanese stuff, selling it is profit."

"If you don't sell it, it's just a pile of scrap metal."

"Sell it early and earn early; tell General Philson that the longer you wait, the more people there will be to share this piece of the pie."

"By then, I'm afraid you won't even be able to sell it for ten percent."

After Hong Zhiyou finished speaking, he stopped paying attention to him and walked into the station.

"Hong..."

Anderson shook his head and got into the car, feeling depressed.

Back at the camp.

Anderson told Philson about Hong Zhiyou's requirements.

"He wants to be paid in Red Notes?" Philson asked, frowning while puffing on a cigar.

"He is right; currently, only the Red Notes have money, and they are in urgent need of armaments," Anderson said.

"Ten percent, give it to him!"

"Give him the guns and artillery, but only sell one-third of the shells and bullets."

Philson pondered for a moment and said.

"General, I, I don't understand." Anderson was bewildered.

"Idiot!"

"What is the use of having guns and artillery without bullets?"

"When they finish fighting and are in urgent need of bullets, we will raise the price of the bullets by three or five times; there is no other place that produces this Japanese-style ammunition."

"They will either have to treat the weapons as scrap metal or accept our conditions."

"Moreover, bullets are easy to store and take up little space."

"Isn't Randall worried about how to handle them?"

"Give him the money for the firearms, and have him gift the bullets to us; that way, we still make the lion's share."

"Anderson, do you understand now?"

Philson poured a glass of red wine, swirled it lightly, and smiled.

"General, your wisdom is as vast as the sea; your subordinate is impressed." Anderson offered some flattery.

"Read more books when you have nothing to do."

"Doing business is just like marching and fighting; you keep reading *Water Margin*, that is a book for losers, not suitable for us high-and-mighty Americans."

"You need to read this."

Philson pulled open a drawer and tossed a book over.

Anderson took a look: "*The Art of War*?"

"That's right."

"This is the essence of their thousands of years of culture."

"Read it, and you will find that this will be more useful than before."

"Go talk to Hong; I'll wait for your good news."

Philson pointed to his temple and casually picked up the armament inventory and tossed it to Anderson.

"Yes, General." Anderson accepted the order happily and tucked the copy of *The Art of War* into his pocket.

The next day.

Wu Jingzhong arrived at the station.

He immediately summoned Hong, Li, and Yu.

"The three of you, I've called you here for two matters."

"The first matter: how should we handle Sheng Xiang?"

"Li Ya, you were the one who caught him and interrogated him, you speak first."

Wu Jingzhong sat in the center of the sofa and pointed at Li Ya.

"Station Chief."

"I still stand by my view from yesterday; Sheng Xiang kept dual accounts, that is an internal matter for our station, it doesn't need to be reported to headquarters."

"How about we just remove him from the position of Intelligence Section Chief."

"Wasn't he the Chief of the Archives Division before?"

"Let him go back to the Archives Division."

Li Ya suggested.

"Zecheng, you are the Deputy Station Chief, what is your opinion?" Wu Jingzhong asked.

"I heard that Team Leader Li is cleaning up the Intelligence Section, even the desks have been replaced?"

"It seems you still want to concurrently hold the position of Intelligence Section Chief."

"That's fine; Sheng Xiang's hands are not clean, if we let him manage intelligence, we might not truly be at ease."

"Then let's go with Team Leader Li's suggestion."

Yu Zecheng looked at Li Ya and said with a smile.

"Deputy Station Chief Yu, look at what you're saying."

"I really don't want to hold the position concurrently, it's just that this Intelligence Section is the eyes of our station; if I don't polish it, I'm afraid I won't be able to see some dirty things clearly," Li Ya said with a smile, not giving an inch.

"Alright."

"Since everyone is of this opinion, out of respect for Secretary-General Kuang, we will temporarily not hand him over to the Headquarters Inspection Office; deduct one year's salary, and he will remain in the Archives Office as internal staff."

Wu Jingzhong made the final decision.

"Station Chief, what about the second matter?" Yu Zecheng asked.

"The second matter: Lu Qiaoshan is returning to the Jinhai Station to serve as the Intelligence Section Chief; the official appointment will come down in three days."

"Team Leader Li, you'll have to work hard."

"Clean up the office again."

Wu Jingzhong ordered.

"Station Chief, you, what did you say?"

"Lu Qiaoshan is coming back to be the Intelligence Section Chief?"

Li Ya could hardly believe his ears.

He had spent so much effort, was almost executed by Hu Zongnan, and had finally managed to trip Lu Qiaoshan up.

He never expected the man to storm right back into the station.

Who is Lu Qiaoshan?

That is the old fox from the Nanchang Investigation Section.

With two recordings, the two of them have a blood feud; now that he's back, there's bound to be bloodshed.

"That's right."

"Not only is he coming back to serve as Intelligence Section Chief."

"He will also concurrently serve as the Chief of the Garrison Command Inspection Section, holding both posts."

"The power is so great, it's rare within the intelligence system."

Wu Jingzhong sighed as if he were worried about the world.

"Zecheng, you go ahead and book a private room at the hotel, and we'll hold a welcome banquet for Lu Qiaoshan when the time comes," he ordered again.

Carrying the burden of both sides on one shoulder!

Li Ya suddenly felt a dull ache in his chest and pressed his lips tightly together:

"Even a petty person like Lu Qiao who bites the hand that feeds him can be entrusted with such heavy responsibilities.

"I am deeply worried about the future of the Party and the State!"

(End of chapter)