Chapter 33: Wu Jingzhong Makes the Call

Long Er was disarmed and brought in, covered in blood.

"A common thug from the underworld, knowing nothing of the immensity of heaven and earth."

"What intelligence could you possibly have that concerns my very life and death?"

Wu Jingzhong took two sips of clear tea, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he spoke.

He was very angry tonight.

He even wanted to kill.

He wanted to kill both Long Er and Hong Zhiyou!

As a veteran intelligence agent, he was accustomed to laying out plans and manipulating from behind the scenes, not being led by the nose by others.

Hong Zhiyou had crossed the line.

Unless there was an absolute reason.

Otherwise, Wu Jingzhong would never use this man again.

A fool without a bottom line does not live long.

"Long Er, don't you have important intelligence?"

"Take it out and hand it to the Station Chief."

Hong Zhiyou said calmly from the side.

He was gambling with his life tonight.

Gambling with his own, and with Wu Jingzhong's as well.

If he won, the Canal Gang would be uprooted, and a major threat would be eliminated.

If he lost.

He would completely lose Wu Jingzhong's trust, Long Er would be handed over to the Canal Gang, and he himself would die on the street.

However, Hong Zhiyou had absolute confidence in winning this game.

He had laid out a series of plans beforehand.

Whether it was Ma Kui or Lu Qiaoshan's "confession," everything was meant to ignite the bomb that was Wu Jingzhong.

Now the timing was ripe.

Long Er took a small tape recorder out of his pocket:

"Station Chief Wu, this is the wiretap recording the Americans asked me to install at Fourth Master Zhang's house."

"Listen to this."

After saying this, he pressed the play button:

"Fourth Master, you really hold Wu Jingzhong in too high regard."

"You've pointed your gun at the wrong person."

"Right now, the Reds are very active in Jinhai; if the man surnamed Wu were to disappear, one could easily say the Reds did it, and what could the man surnamed Dai do about it?"

"Director Lu, do you know why..."

"Because Wu Jingzhong fears me; he is just putting on an act."

"He thinks I will show him some respect?"

"Heh, no, I will only make him recognize reality and spit out everything he has swallowed."

Snap!

The recording cut off.

The voices of Yang Wenquan, Fourth Master Zhang, and the others were like slaps to the face, striking Wu Jingzhong hard.

This high-ranking Juntong official's face was like frost, his eyes filled with monstrous killing intent.

The recording was real.

He had never met Fourth Master Zhang or his son.

But Yang Wenquan's unique duck-like voice and Lu Qiaoshan's voice could not be mistaken.

"Presumptuous!"

"Arrogant!"

"What incredible gall!"

Wu Jingzhong stood up with a jerk, grabbed his teacup, and smashed it hard on the ground.

He had always prioritized wealth and harmony, avoiding the Canal Gang at every turn.

He never expected that his good intentions would be treated as a soft target by this bunch of scum.

What was worse, Yang Wenquan was smuggling arms.

The Jinhai Station was a thorn in their side.

Yang Wenquan and Fourth Master Zhang had to get rid of him.

This was a game of chess to the death; from the moment he stepped into Jinhai, there was destined to be only one winner.

Had he underestimated the wolfish hearts of these people?

Or was he just too merciful.

"Why did you only report this today!"

"By having Long Er come to me openly, aren't you trying to force me to break with the Canal Gang publicly?"

"Secretary Hong, what kind of scheme are you plotting?"

"I think you are the one with the gall to defy heaven!"

Wu Jingzhong pointed at Hong Zhiyou and scolded him fiercely.

"Station Chief."

"You are a Bodhisattva, but I am not."

"I am just a petty man chasing profit, and you are the only one I can rely on."

"But you have been slow to reveal your divine power."

Hong Zhiyou replied with a bitter smile.

Immediately, he pointed at Long Er:

"He, I, and the Americans have all pinned our hopes on you."

"This matter is a trap laid by Colonel Philson."

"I am just a pawn; I had no choice at all."

"But that is not important."

"What is important is that you must be the one to control this game; you are the only one who can suppress the political, military, and police circles simultaneously."

"If you move, the sky will clear and the earth will be bright."

"If you do not move, the Canal Gang, Yang Wenquan, and the Americans are all ticking time bombs; no matter who explodes first, you will surely suffer the consequences."

Having said this, Hong Zhiyou bowed ninety degrees:

"A wise master is like a mountain; no matter how many thoughts the student has, in the end, I only wish for your longevity."

Wu Jingzhong looked up at the ceiling, pondered for a long time, and then let out a cold, mocking laugh:

"Longevity?"

"Yes, who doesn't want to live."

"You want to live, and so do I."

Suddenly, his gaze became stern, and he issued a formal order:

"Someone come in!"

"Detain Lu Qiaoshan and his wife on the spot, keep them under twenty-four-hour guard, and do not allow any contact with the outside world."

"Anyone who leaks a word will be executed by firing squad."

"Yes!" Xiao Guohua accepted the order.

"Speak, my Mr. Zhuge Liang, what is your next step?" Wu Jingzhong sat back down and asked coldly.

"Colonel Philson's intention is for you to ask Commander Chen Zhangjie to step in and use the pretext of a city defense exercise to seal off the Tanggu area where the Canal Gang is located."

"At the same time, have Commander Chen keep Mou Tingfang and Yang Wenquan steady."

"Three days from now, at eight o'clock in the evening."

"The Marine Corps will clear the docks, and Long Er will cooperate with the Americans to execute the Zhang father and son."

Hong Zhiyou said truthfully.

"Are you certain?" Wu Jingzhong asked.

"Yes, even if the 94th Army is mobilized, the Americans will not stop."

"Stealing military supplies—even if the Generalissimo himself came, he would have nothing to say."

"The Zhang father and son must die!" Hong Zhiyou's words were as firm as iron.

"I am very curious; I can understand you hating the Canal Gang, but with the military mediation imminent and major newspapers already stationed in Jinhai, what are the Americans hoping to gain by taking this risk?" Wu Jingzhong asked, puzzled.

"Because the Americans want to smuggle the opium left behind by the Japanese."

"The Canal Gang controls the distribution of the opium dens."

"Without a complete reshuffle, the Americans cannot sell their opium," Hong Zhiyou said.

"All things in the world are nothing more than a matter of profit."

"That is no longer strange."

Wu Jingzhong sighed coldly and nodded.

"Station Chief, let's act," Hong Zhiyou said.

"You have found a good backer.

"The Americans are now the gods of Jiang, Song, Kong, and Chen; I can neither refuse nor resist.

"Do it!"

Wu Jingzhong slapped the armrest and made up his mind.

"Thank you, Station Chief," Hong Zhiyou said.

"Someone, take this Mr. Long down to treat his wounds."

Long Er was not lightly injured, his face as white as paper, and a large pool of blood had already seeped onto the floor before Wu Jingzhong spoke.

"Thanks."

Long Er replied coldly and was helped away.

"That man is quite a tough guy.

"I don't like seeing blood; let's go to the balcony to talk."

After such a scene, Wu Jingzhong no longer felt sleepy.

They arrived at the balcony.

He returned to his gentle demeanor:

"Secretary Hong, Zhang Si and Mu Liancheng are sworn brothers.

"Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, it has been rumored that the Cao Gang family is the wealthiest in the world; after they are wiped out, the property of the party and state must be redistributed.

"What are the Americans' thoughts?"

Wu Jingzhong rubbed his fingers together, signaling to Hong Zhiyou.

"Of course.

"There are seven big shares in total.

"The Americans, Commander Chen, Army Commander Mou, and you will each take one of the four big shares.

"The rest—Li Hanyuan, the commander of the Tanggu blockade, Long Er, Zhang Tinge, and others—will share one portion, and another portion will be set aside for the veterans of the Cao Gang to stabilize the docks.

"The last portion will be turned over to the national treasury to satisfy the requirements."

Talking about money is good.

Talking about money means he is still a good foster father.

Hong Zhiyou felt a secret sense of relief in his heart and answered hurriedly.

"This way of dividing it is too unreliable.

"Zhang Si must have many treasures; wouldn't it be a waste of precious things if they fell into the hands of those who don't understand collecting?" Wu Jingzhong slapped his palm and frowned in displeasure.

"Station Chief, rest assured, the ones moving the goods into the warehouse are all Cao Gang disciples.

"You are Long Er's savior; since we are all our own people, those valuable old things will naturally only appear in your share."

Hong Zhiyou smiled, perfectly in tune with his intentions.

"Hmm! I can still rest easy with you handling things." Wu Jingzhong's mood improved greatly.

"Teacher.

"The student was reckless and caused you alarm; I beg for Teacher's punishment."

Hong Zhiyou stood at attention, bowed solemnly, and apologized.

"It's fine, your original intention was good.

"If the Cao Gang is not removed, neither you nor I will be at peace.

"However, let this not happen again.

"It is a good thing for a young man to be smart, but be careful not to be too smart for your own good."

Wu Jingzhong patted his shoulder with a kind smile, but his eyes were terrifyingly sinister.

"The student will keep Teacher's advice in mind," Hong Zhiyou said with his head lowered.

Wu Jingzhong's anger, suspicion, and wariness were already within his expectations.

He was a running dog, a bootlicker, but not a stupid dog.

What is worldly wisdom? Nothing more than wealth and status.

So-called loyalty is worthless.

In Wu Jingzhong's eyes, whether one can earn money for him is the standard for measuring everything.

The Cao Gang was a fatal threat to Hong Zhiyou.

Life is greater than heaven; for this, he would not hesitate to sacrifice everything, including Wu Jingzhong's pathetic, meager trust.

"Give this to that injured righteous man as an intelligence reward.

"Also, he is your person, not mine, understand?"

Wu Jingzhong took out two gold bars and stuffed them into Hong Zhiyou's hand.

"Understood, Long Er has never seen the Station Chief," Hong Zhiyou nodded.

"You haven't been assigned housing yet, have you?" Wu Jingzhong asked suddenly.

"No."

"You said last time that Lu Qiaoshan was extorting you.

"You are my person, so I must vent this anger for you.

"Department Head Lu previously served in Yuezhou, a lucrative place, and he hasn't taken little money from Zhang Si since coming to Jinhai; his pockets must be full of silver.

"For such an unfaithful person, you don't need to be merciful.

"Do you understand what I mean?"

Wu Jingzhong leaned to his ear and personally imparted his strategy.

He would eat the big fish like Zhang Si and Mu Liancheng.

Wu Jingzhong had no interest in small fry like Lu Qiaoshan and was happy to bestow him upon Hong Zhiyou.

"Understood," Hong Zhiyou said.

"Department Head Lu's mansion on Guilin Road is not bad; go stay there for a few days," Wu Jingzhong waved his hand and smiled affably.

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, Teacher."

Hong Zhiyou feigned delight and drove straight toward Lu Qiaoshan's mansion.

(End of chapter)