Chapter 297: There is a problem with Tongyuan Bookstore

"Why? Secretary Hong promised me..." Liu Shan was very confused.

"You shouldn't have tried to ride three horses at once."

"Especially since you shouldn't have asked Li Ya for money after reaching a cooperation agreement with Secretary Hong," Zhou Yan said coldly.

"But I still chose Secretary Hong.

"Big... Big Brother, my heart is truly with Secretary Hong; I am his man."

Liu Shan explained in a panic, his voice hurried.

"That is only because they didn't give you enough."

Zhou Yan stopped wasting words; the short axe in his hand flew from his grip.

Swish!

The axe struck Liu Shan square in the Adam's apple, sinking in more than two inches.

"Ugh... ugh!"

Liu Shan's eyes bulged wide.

Clink, clatter.

Gold bars and silver dollars fell onto the deck of the boat, emitting a series of crisp sounds.

Zhou Yan pulled out the axe and wiped the blood off on Liu Shan's clothes.

He picked up the gold bars, US banknotes, and silver dollars, stacked them neatly, and stuffed them, down to the last cent, into Liu Shan's pockets.

Then, he took an iron weight from the boat, tied it to Liu Shan, and sank the body along with it into the river.

He then poured gasoline over the boat.

Snap!

Zhou Yan leaped onto the shore, pulled out a lighter, and rubbed the wheel.

Sizzle.

A flame sprang up.

He flicked it casually into the cabin and, with a stretch of his frame, quickly vanished into the darkness.

The next day.

Eight o'clock in the morning.

Yu Zecheng and Hong Zhiyou walked side by side into the grand lobby of the Jinhai Station.

"Professor Qian has already been transferred to Xibaipo.

"My friends in Beiping say that the letter Professor Qian left behind was published in the Beiping newspapers, cursing the Nationalist Government and Lu Qiaoshan to high heaven. The news probably hasn't reached Jinhai yet, but it will soon."

Yu Zecheng said as they walked, a smile hanging at the corners of his mouth.

"It's not just Lu Qiaoshan; Li Ya is also half-dead with rage, searching the world like a madman for Qian Siming and Liu Shan," Hong Zhiyou said.

"Has Liu Shan been dealt with?

"That kid has too many tricks up his sleeve; once caught, he definitely won't be able to withstand an interrogation, and he'll surely implicate you," Yu Zecheng asked.

"Mm," Hong Zhiyou nodded.

As the two were speaking, Lu Qiaoshan walked toward them with a light step, clearly having slept well the night before and not yet having had the chance to pay attention to the affairs in Beiping.

This was indeed the case.

Lu Qiaoshan had suffered from chronic insomnia, and especially after Lu Ming's death, his body and mind had been completely exhausted.

Last night, Li Guifen had secretly increased the dosage of his sleeping pills.

It had allowed him to get a rare good night's sleep, finally restoring a bit of his spirit.

"You two, care to have a cup of coffee at my place?" Lu Qiaoshan greeted them.

"No thanks.

"I had soy milk for breakfast, and there's no room left in my stomach," Hong Zhiyou said with a smile.

"Old Lu, your complexion doesn't look too good; why don't you take a few days off?" Yu Zecheng said, looking worried.

"No.

"It's even more painful looking at Lu Ming's belongings at home.

"Coming to work and fighting with certain people is a good way to refresh the mind, isn't it?"

Lu Qiaoshan said in a tone of finding joy in suffering.

"That's true.

"I wonder if Captain Li has found any leads yet; it's been quite a few days in the blink of an eye," Hong Zhiyou said.

"It's just a thief crying 'stop thief.'

"Just wait; there will be a day when the truth comes to light," Lu Qiaoshan gave a cold laugh and walked away quickly.

Hong Zhiyou arrived at the Station Chief's office.

Wu Jingzhong was sitting with his eyes closed, resting his mind.

As he wiped the desk, he asked, "Teacher, did you not sleep well last night?"

"No.

"Resting the mind can calm the spirit and condense the Qi; I am preparing to be scolded.

"Qian Siming has escaped after all."

Wu Jingzhong glanced at Hong Zhiyou, opened his eyes, and said slowly.

"Have you been a bit too biased lately? This doesn't fit your consistent stance.

"I don't know if I'm getting old.

"Or if your capabilities have grown."

He looked at Hong Zhiyou, sounding quite dissatisfied.

Given Hong Zhiyou's past principles of conduct, it would have been impossible for him to be so extreme regarding the recent pile of events.

Killing Lu Ming.

Transferring Qian Siming.

Hong Zhiyou had personally participated in both, which was almost openly working against Lu Qiaoshan.

This behavior was extremely foolish.

At least in Wu Jingzhong's view, Lu Qiaoshan still had some utility value at the moment.

"Teacher.

"We are about to enter March; there isn't much time left for us, and we must consider the matter of transferring," Hong Zhiyou did not answer directly.

"You still have no confidence in the Nationalist Government?" Wu Jingzhong said.

"Your old classmates and friends, these high-ranking officials of the Nationalist Government, have all started hoarding grain; the morale of the army and the hearts of the people are scattered. Do you think we can still fight, Teacher?" Hong Zhiyou smiled.

"We can certainly fight.

"Let me tell you, John Leighton Stuart had a secret talk with Li Zongren in Jingling not long ago.

"Truman proposed that once the Nationalist Government loses the Northeast and North China, the Americans will negotiate with the Soviet Union to divide the territory in two and rule by the river.

"North of the Yangtze will be the Red-occupied area, and south will be the Nationalist-ruled area.

"With my connections and the merit of holding down the fort in Jinhai, plus your relationship with the Americans, our next stop could easily be Shanghai, Yuezhou, Wuhan, or even Xiangdao.

"Therefore, put the idea of transferring aside for now; unite with Li Ya and Lu Qiaoshan to earn more merit and strive for political capital for the next stop."

Wu Jingzhong looked at him and said earnestly.

My dear father-in-law, you really dare to dream.

With the sordid ideas of the Soviet Union and the Americans to thoroughly divide the five-thousand-year-old unified Chinese civilization and control it separately, only the wisdom of the Generalissimo could be fooled; Xibaipo would absolutely never agree.

No wonder Old Wu has been hesitating, harboring the thought of clinging to his position and carrying on.

It turns out he was holding onto the expectation of changing nests once Jinhai was lost.

In the final analysis, he just hadn't been an official long enough.

Most Nationalist officials like Old Wu, who harbor such fantasies, are the same.

"I understand."

Hong Zhiyou did not argue with him.

When people teach people, ten thousand words are useless.

When events teach people, once is enough.

When the armies of Zheng Dongguo and Fan Hanjie collapse like a receding tide at the end of the year, and the Red flag rolls in from Tanggu next year, Wu Jingzhong will naturally know he was wrong.

"Ruirui and the others have arrived; go to the airport to pick them up.

"By the way, call Lu Qiaoshan in," Wu Jingzhong instructed.

Hong Zhiyou accepted the order and left.

"Old Lu, the Station Chief wants to see you," he said, knocking on the door of the Intelligence Section.

"Good," Lu Qiaoshan stood up.

Hong Zhiyou did not linger; he quickly went downstairs and drove to the airport.

Lu Qiaoshan arrived at the office.

Wu Jingzhong was standing in front of the desk with his hands behind his back, his expression gloomy and serious.

"Station Chief, is something the matter?" Lu Qiaoshan asked with a smile.

"Lu Qiaoshan, you spent the whole morning yesterday making a ruckus; where is Qian Siming?" Wu Jingzhong asked coldly.

"He should have arrived in Wandao by now.

"If things went smoothly, he should be drinking morning tea in Taipei right now," Lu Qiaoshan replied.

"Drinking morning tea in Taipei?

"Take your head out of your heels and think carefully before you answer," Wu Jingzhong pointed at him and said sternly.

"Station Chief, what... what do you mean?" Lu Qiaoshan's expression changed.

"What do I mean?

"Let me tell you, Qian Siming is currently in Xibaipo studying how to build an atomic bomb.

"What's lying in that coffin is a pile of bricks."

Wu Jingzhong slapped the table and cursed angrily.

"This... how is this possible?

"I clearly put Qian Siming into the coffin and even had Liu Shan mark it; it's impossible for someone to have swapped it."

Lu Qiaoshan opened his mouth, explaining in disbelief.

"You still dare to be stubborn!

"The Beiping newspapers are full of it; it's a shame you're in intelligence. Prick up your ears and listen more, look more.

"It's not just the Qian Siming affair; you have even more serious problems."

Wu Jingzhong pointed at him angrily.

"What problems?" Lu Qiaoshan asked.

"The matter of you and Philson and Lin Sufang trafficking in opium has already been poked to Commander Fu by someone; they are taking the opportunity to fix you. You've occupied both headlines on the front page all by yourself.

"Just wait; the stench of this matter will soon drift to Jingling."

Wu Jingzhong snorted coldly.

"Station Chief.

"Regarding Philson and Lin Sufang, I was only responsible for smoothing over relations on the periphery; it didn't even total a few thousand US dollars.

"This... this is someone deliberately targeting me.

"You... you must be discerning."

Lu Qiaoshan panicked slightly.

"Suppressing students.

"Smuggling opium.

"Privately detaining a patriotic professor.

"Your reputation is now a hundred times worse than Li Ya's.

"Qiaoshan, you are a veteran; how could you commit such an absurd mistake?"

Wu Jingzhong shook his head and sighed.

"Station Chief, I..." Lu Qiaoshan was so depressed he didn't know how to answer.

As they were talking, the phone rang, and Wu Jingzhong picked up the receiver:

"Hello, it's me.

"Oh, it's Director Mao.

"The Qian Siming affair is being handled by Director Hou of the Inspection Group.

"The situation at the time was very complex; the Dangtong Bureau, the Police Bureau, students, and the Red-ticket faction were all involved.

"This Qian Siming is very valuable.

"Who knows who might have transferred him away in the chaos, or perhaps at the hospital.

"Lu Qiaoshan?

"No, impossible.

"To transfer Qian Siming, he even sacrificed his own son; how could he possibly collude with the Red-ticket faction to deliberately let him go? The cost would be too high.

"Yes, we must investigate strictly and find out who swapped Qian Siming."

"Colluding to traffic opium?

"That possibility is not high; Qiaoshan captured a teacher of Commander Fu's daughter some time ago.

"Yes, that Beiping professor.

"Director Mao, whether she is Blue or Red, Wang Puchen should know better than I do.

"This is clearly baseless retaliation.

"Yes, yes.

"Investigate to the end, never tolerate it.

"Goodbye."

Bang!

He slammed the phone down: "Qiaoshan, you heard it too; I've blocked everything I could for you.

"Director Mao still wants to investigate.

"The matter of transferring Qian Siming, including your participation in the opium trade.

"Director Mao has ordered you to immediately head to Headquarters Inspection Office to accept interrogation."

"No, isn't it the Second Department?" Lu Qiaoshan asked with a trembling voice.

The Second Department was managed by Zheng Jiemin; although the Secret Service Bureau was also under the jurisdiction of the Second Department, it possessed great autonomy. Getting into the Inspection Office was trouble.

"It's very clear in the newspapers: Lu Qiaoshan, Chief of the Intelligence Section of the Secret Service Bureau.

"This matter naturally has to be handled by Director Mao.

"Pack your things and go to Jingling."

Wu Jingzhong waved his hand.

"Station Chief, please point me in the right direction," Lu Qiaoshan's face was as pale as paper, and his lips were trembling.

"Colluding with Philson to traffic opium.

"The Americans also have accounts; they can find out as soon as they investigate.

"This matter cannot be smoothed over.

"You can only pray that Deputy Minister Zheng will pull you out."

Wu Jingzhong shook his head and sighed.

Seeing that he couldn't get any useful advice, Lu Qiaoshan didn't even bother to say goodbye and turned to walk out.

Back at the office.

He raised his hand and gave himself two hard slaps.

If he had just been careful yesterday and checked the coffin, this ghost of a mess wouldn't have happened.

And that animal Li Ya.

He had just suffered the pain of losing his son.

For him to stab him in the back at this time, it was truly murderous and heart-wrenching.

Lu Qiaoshan knew very well.

With these two matters combined, he was ruined; given the nature of Zheng Jiemin and Ke Shufen, they would surely not save him, as they would be too busy avoiding him.

Sigh.

Misfortunes never come singly.

This time, he had truly messed up.

However, before leaving, he had to find Liu Shan; he couldn't vent the hatred in his heart until he hacked that dog to pieces.

"Zhang Li, go call Sheng Xiang here," Lu Qiaoshan said.

"Sheng Xiang just went out," Zhang Li said.

"Not out early, not out late, he goes out at this time?"

Lu Qiaoshan waved his hand angrily, signaling her to leave.

He picked up the phone and dialed a few numbers: "Old Peng, help me find Liu Shan at any cost; I want to see the person if alive, or the corpse if dead.

"Once found, detain him at the Garrison Headquarters first, and wait for me to return to deal with him."

He hung up the phone.

He called Li Guifen again, asking her to pack his clothes and send them over.

Then, he drove to the airport.

As soon as Lu Qiaoshan arrived at Headquarters, he was detained by Mao Renfeng.

The following months.

The situation changed drastically.

In early May, Li Zongren was successfully elected Vice President.

John Leighton Stuart and Albert Wedemeyer praised him highly, which made the Jiang father and son extremely furious.

At the same time, on the Northeast and East China battlefields, the Red-ticket armies were like a hot knife through butter, having already formed a situation of "shutting the door to beat the dog," and the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for the Nationalist Army.

Meanwhile.

The economy of the Nationalist Government further collapsed, the people were living in misery, military vehicles were moving everywhere in the city, and a repressive, sorrowful atmosphere permeated everywhere.

At the same time, the student movement in the Ping-Jin area was also rising, injecting a rare glimmer of vitality and hope into the dark Jinhai city.

June 26th, 8:32 AM.

Hong Zhiyou walked into the Station Chief's office with hurried steps.

"Zhiyou, have all the antiques in the Hexi vault been moved?" Wu Jingzhong asked impatiently.

"They have been moved; the last batch was shipped to the island yesterday.

"In addition, the last batch was also shipped from Ma Hansan's side.

"Director Ma is truly wealthy; according to the Madam, his things are even more numerous than yours, Teacher.

"According to Liu Yuzhu, this is only half of what Ma Hansan has stored."

Hong Zhiyou replied in a low voice.

"Sigh, I miscalculated after all.

"You should have let that woman blow more wind to strive for Ma Hansan to ship more over.

"What he has in his hands are all good things, many of which flowed out of the Imperial Palace.

"What are the Red-tickets?

"They are just a bunch of bumpkins; if Beiping falls in the future, wouldn't everything fall into their hands and be ruined?"

Wu Jingzhong slapped his palm and sighed heavily.

"Teacher.

"A wily rabbit has three burrows; it's already quite good that Ma Hansan was able to ship half.

"His sons and relatives are not simple characters either; they are all watching."

Hong Zhiyou said.

"Yes, it's too late to say anything now.

"I just received news that Ma Hansan is coming to Jinhai in person tomorrow to allocate supplies; coming at this time, you must be careful," Wu Jingzhong said.

"This Ma Hansan, waving flags and shouting for Li Zongren, has made the Generalissimo very dissatisfied.

"I heard Wang Puchen has collected a lot of black material on him.

"I have a premonition that Mao Renfeng is going to take action against him; you must be careful when dealing with him, and if necessary, you can assist Mao Renfeng in sending him on his way," Wu Jingzhong reminded him.

"Don't worry, Teacher.

"I have a sense of proportion," Hong Zhiyou said.

"The Dai Li affair has always been a mine; it's best to be able to finish off Ma Hansan, as it will be very troublesome if he is captured and interrogated," Wu Jingzhong said.

"Ma Hansan probably won't confess.

"Liu Yuzhu is pregnant.

"I want to protect her; Ma Hansan is a smart man, and since he's going to die anyway, I can at least help him protect Liu Yuzhu," Hong Zhiyou said.

If he remembered correctly, Ma Hansan was secretly arrested by Mao Renfeng on July 1st and executed by firing squad in Jingling at the end of September.

That is to say, Mao Renfeng would take action in a few days.

Ma Hansan wanting to come to Jinhai at this time was mostly to beg him to help him run away.

It seemed he had to find a way.

He had to agree to Ma Hansan openly while also leaving him with no choice but to return to Beiping.

"As long as you have a plan in mind," Wu Jingzhong nodded.

As they were speaking, the door rang.

"Station Chief, are you in?" Li Ya's voice came from outside the door.

Wu Jingzhong tilted his head, and Hong Zhiyou stepped forward to open the door.

Li Ya, with his hair slicked back and a face full of smug satisfaction, walked in:

"Station Chief..."

"You two are busy," Hong Zhiyou nodded and walked out.

"Station Chief, our people destroyed a traffic station in Langfang and found a book list at the scene; take a look," Li Ya said, taking a piece of paper from his pocket.

"Collected Works of Shi Tuo; what does this prove?" Wu Jingzhong glanced at it and asked with a smile.

"These characters look very familiar to me.

"The book title sign hanging at the entrance of the bookstore that Director Yu often visited is very similar to these characters.

"I asked Liu Yunchen to authenticate it.

"He is very certain that this is highly likely to have come from the same person's hand," Li Ya said.

"Liu Yunchen is just a swindler who uses the title of a master.

"Such a person will say anything to empty your pockets; it cannot be taken seriously.

"Of course, if it is true, what can it prove?"

Wu Jingzhong smiled and asked.

"Yu... that would mean the owner of this bookstore is highly likely to be a Red-ticket underground party member."

Li Ya originally wanted to say Yu was a suspect, but changed his words when they reached his lips.

He knew that without evidence, he couldn't convince Wu Jingzhong, and would only be asking for trouble.

"Mm.

"That is possible.

"I agree to secret surveillance, but remember not to startle the snake," Wu Jingzhong said.

"Yes," Li Ya nodded happily.

"It's just that the Intelligence Section and the Equipment Room are currently in Secretary Hong's hands, and there are many things that are inconvenient for me to handle," Li Ya said, rubbing his nose.

"You can negotiate privately; you're not outsiders," Wu Jingzhong simply wouldn't let go and give him the Intelligence Section.

"Fine.

"Then I'll go ask Zhiyou.

"By the way, Teacher, Lu Qiaoshan shouldn't be able to come back, right? I heard he's still detained; he shouldn't be able to get out, right?" Li Ya asked.

"Yes.

"Your move was ruthless enough, attacking from two sides; Lu Qiaoshan will never be able to turn things around," Wu Jingzhong said.

"Teacher.

"I only attacked from one side.

"Qian Siming was indeed snatched away by the Red-tickets.

"I investigated the shop where Lu Qiaoshan ordered the coffin; the owner ran away the day the incident happened.

"It's very clear that this was a trap.

"Both Lu Qiaoshan and I were played by Liu Shan and the Red-tickets together," Li Ya said.

"You mean this Liu Shan is a Red-ticket?" Wu Jingzhong asked.

"Yes.

"Other than being a Red-ticket, I can't think of why he would do this.

"Whether with me or Lu Qiaoshan, he had a good future.

"It makes no sense.

"Unless someone gave him a temptation even harder to refuse.

"He finished the job and ran away with the money?"

Li Ya bit his lip and analyzed with a frown.

"No need to think about it.

"This person must be a Red-ticket; he previously did housekeeping for Zhou Yunyi and Lin Tao; who knows, he might have been brainwashed back then," Wu Jingzhong said quickly, fearing he would suspect Hong Zhiyou.

"That can only be the case.

"However, please take a look at this trouble."

Li Ya took another photo out of his pocket.

On it was a thin young man in a yellow shirt with a slightly pointed head and squinting eyes.

"Who is this?" Wu Jingzhong asked.

"Luo Bing, a clerk at Tongyuan Bookstore," Li Ya said.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 298 =====

"Luo Bing, a clerk at the Tongyuan Bookstore," Li Ya said.

(End of chapter)