Chapter 510: Killing the Chicken to Warn the Monkey

Set off.

Still with three small teams.

Safety first. Never sloppy.

From Tianjinwei to Kailuan Coal Mine, the distance is not far.

About 100 kilometers.

It takes almost three hours by train to get there.

'It's just ahead.'

'Oh...'

Zhang Yong silently monitored the map.

The map showed that there was actually a small red dot at the platform location in front of them.

In other words, there was a Japanese person.

Amazing.

The Japanese invaders had actually infiltrated the platform?

It looked like they were still standing in the middle of the welcoming group? Or were they in the front row?

No wonder the British couldn't find the Japanese spy themselves. It was because the Japanese spy had already infiltrated the British high-level ranks. Reporting news at any time. How could they investigate then?

"Clang clang...'

'Clang, clang...'

The train slowly slowed down.

Zhang Yong raised his binoculars. Searching for a target.

He quickly locked onto a Chinese-looking man. He was the hidden Japanese spy.

He handed the binoculars to Mei Lu. Pointing to the target.

'His name is Chen Hongyu, he is the translator in the general manager's office. This person has a lot of connections...'

'He is Japanese.'

'What?'

Mei Lu was suddenly stunned.

Chen Hongyu is actually Japanese? How is that possible?

'He...'

'Is good-looking?'

'Er...'

Mei Lu was at a loss for words.

Was Zhang Yong jealous? Fine. Let's pretend so.

In fact, this Chen Hongyu did look like a person of talent. Elegant and refined. Fair and clean-cut. Clearly not from an ordinary background.

'Who is behind him?'

'His father is Chen Gongyu of the Tianjin Chamber of Commerce. He is a well-known anti-Japanese.'

'Really?'

Zhang Yong remained calm.

He had heard of Chen Gongyu's name. He was indeed a key anti-Japanese figure.

He had donated some supplies to the 29th Army. He also had a good relationship with Zhang Kexia. Zhang Yong had also come into close contact with this person.

So, the question is, the map does not indicate that Chen Gongyu is a Japanese invader. However, his son Chen Hongyu is a Japanese invader.

What is the secret behind this?

Is Chen Gongyu an undercover agent? Is he a hidden traitor?

Anyway, the Japanese actually played this kind of trick very well.

It was the same in Shanghai.

They sent people in disguise to fight against the Japanese, and then attracted the real anti-Japanese fighters to them, and then rounded them up.

The plan was very vicious.

The effect was very good.

Who would suspect that Chen Gongyu was actually a traitor?

Even if something happened to the anti-Japanese cadres gathered around him, no one would suspect that it was Chen Gongyu's doing.

Such hidden traitors are actually the most dangerous.

'He...'

'Pretend you don't know anything,'

'Yes,'

Mei Lu cautiously agreed.

She was secretly terrified. She had never imagined that Chen Hongyu was such a deep cover spy.

To be honest, she had previously had some kind of feeling for Chen Hongyu. She had once eaten dinner with him. Fortunately, she had not succumbed at that time. Otherwise, she might have suffered greatly.

'Who is that Englishman?'

'Bob. He is the deputy general manager of Kailuan Coal Mine.'

'Oh...'

Zhang Yong remained expressionless. He did not give any special reminders.

It was clear that this Englishman called Bob was looking forward to Zhang Yong's arrival.

Stop the car.

Get out.

'Mr. Bob.'

'Mr. Zhang.'

'Please!'

'Please!'

'This is...'

'He is our translator, Mr. Chen Hongyu.'

'Mr. Chen, is your father Mr. Chen Gongyu?'

'That's right. Captain Zhang knows my father?'

'I have heard of your name for a long time. We have never met.'

'I see. Please!'

'Please!'

Zhang Yong and Chen Hongyu exchanged polite greetings.

It must be admitted that the Japanese invader was very good at disguising himself. There was not the slightest flaw.

If it hadn't been for the system prompts, Zhang Yong would never have guessed that he was a Japanese spy.

The British would be even less likely to have guessed.

'Mr Zhang, here is the situation...'

'Please go on!'

Right there on the platform, Bob gave Zhang Yong the rundown.

The British are direct in their approach. There was no such thing as a welcome home. They got straight to the point. Right to the heart of the matter.

Bob was in charge of the introduction. Mei Lu was responsible for translation.

Then there were some details, which Chen Hongyu supplemented. Obviously, as an interpreter, he had access to a lot of intelligence information. The British trusted him very much.

'You have already locked down mining area 3?'

'Yes. We believe that the missing gold and the suspect are both in mining area 3. We have already isolated it.'

'In that case, let's go and have a look at mining area 3!'

'Please!'

'Please!'

The group rode in a car. They arrived at mining area 3.

It's grey and desolate. The ground is covered in dark coal dust. But the wind doesn't stir it. It's obviously been there for a long time.

Zhang Yong deliberately stomps his foot, but no coal dust flies up. It's very sturdy.

It is said that this No. 3 mining area has been almost completely mined. There is not much output. It is equivalent to being abandoned. Most of the time, it is used to dispose of mine residue. Therefore, it is not well guarded. This gives some small fry an opportunity. Chen Hongyu said they suspected that there were thieves entering the No. 3 mining area. So they arranged an armed mining protection team to seal off the area.

Just now on the way here, Zhang Yong did see the mining protection team. There were quite a few of them. They were all heavily armed.

They were all equipped with British 77 rifles.

'Mr. Bob, where does your gold come from?' Zhang Yong asked casually.

'We refine it ourselves,' Bob replied.

'Oh? There are gold mines here?'

'A little.'

'Oh...'

Zhang Yong nodded thoughtfully.

Bob had obviously not told the truth. He had never heard of any gold mines in this area.

Even if there were gold mines, the gold content was probably very low and not worth mining. It would definitely not be easy to refine more than 100 catties of gold.

The reason he had asked Mei Lu about the bandits before was actually intentional.

Since the British did not refine gold themselves, where did the gold come from? Of course it was confiscated from the bandits, and it was very likely stolen goods looted by the bandits.

The bandits were also happy to sell the gold they had stolen to the British. They got cash straight away. And it was safe.

Once the gold was in the hands of the British, it would never reappear.

And no one would ever try to trace it.

The British and the Japanese were both robbers. No one was nobler than the other.

Their fight in North China was just like dogs fighting with each other.

Unfortunately, as the master of the country, China could only watch the fight between the wolves while being unable to expel them.

What a tragedy...

But what can be done?

That was the social reality at the time. Even a great man could not change it in the short term.

What could a small man like him do?

After a moment's thought, Zhang Yong turned to Chen Hongyu and asked, 'Why was there gold stored in Mine No. 3?'

'Because...' Chen Hongyu replied slowly, 'it hasn't been transported yet.'

Zhang Yong nodded and turned to Bob and asked, "When was the gold traded?'

'At the end of last month..." Bob answered subconsciously.

Then he realised he had let slip something.

He frowned immediately. He was beginning to dislike Zhang Yong.

I asked you to investigate the case, not ask questions and find out everything. There are some things you don't need to know.

If you're smart, you'll just get yourself into trouble.

'One transaction?' Zhang Yong ignored the other person and continued to ask questions.

He noticed Bob's face change, but didn't care.

Since you asked me to come, I have to ask for information.

If you don't want to answer, that's fine. I won't do it.

I'm busy right now. I have a lot of work to do. Working for you Brits isn't profitable. It's better to catch spies.

Look, the three spies we caught by accident had so much contraband with them. If we catch a few more like them, we'll make a fortune, won't we?

Last time Zhang Yong took the train to Beiping, he discovered that it was actually possible to go there and back in one day.

In the morning, he took the train to Beiping to catch Japanese spies, and once he had caught them, he immediately returned. If he was quick, he could even be back in Tianjin for dinner.

It's true.

It's completely a one-day circle of life!

Although the higher-ups don't let me go to Beiping and mess around, I can go quietly on my own!

I can go in the morning and be back in the evening, no problem.

As long as there's a reward, I'm not afraid of the hard work.

'Three times,' Bob answered reluctantly, "but the deal is over. There's no one here anymore.'

'Really?" Zhang Yong pointed to a mine shaft, "Is there anyone in there?'

'Of course not," Bob answered, "this mine shaft has been abandoned.'

Zhang Yong turned to Chen Hongyu and asked again, "Are you sure there's no one?'

'We've checked everywhere. There's no one,' Chen Hongyu answered affirmatively.

'Are you sure there's no one?'

'There's really no one,'

Chen Hongyu answered resentfully. His face showed some dissatisfaction.

This Zhang Yong, what's wrong with his brain? Repeating the same question over and over again. I said there's no one, so there's no one.

We've already sent people to check several times before.

How can they just appear out of thin air? This is ridiculous!

'In that case...' Zhang Yong nodded, waved his hand at Wu Liuqi, and said, "Rush over there as fast as you can and throw a grenade inside. Hurry!'

'Yes!" Wu Liuqi immediately took action.

He took a few men with him. Following Zhang Yong's orders, they ran forward at full speed.

The key was speed.

Wu Liuji understood Zhang Yong's orders perfectly. There were people inside.

If they moved, the people inside would immediately notice. Therefore, they had to sprint. At the same time, they quickly used grenades to control the enemy.

How?

Kill them!

Or injure them!

Screech!

Screech...

They ran as fast as they could!

approaching the mouth of the mine.

'Throw!'

Wu Liuqi yelled.

Everyone quickly took out their grenades and threw them into the mine.

There were five grenades in total. They were all thrown in.

'Boom...'

'Boom...'

The grenades exploded.

The sound of the explosions continued.

Bob's face changed. 'What are you doing?'

'Nothing,' Zhang Yong answered casually, 'There are a few people inside. I'll see who it is.'

'There are people inside?' Bob couldn't believe it.

Chen Hongyu's face also changed, and he reflexively shouted, 'Impossible!'

'Let's go take a look!' Zhang Yong said calmly, 'Whether there's anyone there or not, we'll just find out. Maybe there really is someone there?'

Bob wanted to say something, but he couldn't.

Chen Hongyu also wanted to say something, but he couldn't. Their eyes flickered.

Zhang Yong walked forward slowly.

At this moment, Wu Liuqi and the others had already crawled into the mine shaft to search.

Soon, they dragged several bodies out.

Two of them had been killed by the explosion. But the other three were still alive. They were temporarily unconscious.

Bob's face suddenly turned ugly.

'What's going on? Who are they?' he yelled angrily.

No one answered for a long time.

Bob's face became even more gloomy.

Suddenly, he turned his head and stared at Chen Hongyu.

Chen Hongyu's face suddenly turned pale.

His lips moved. He couldn't explain.

These people had nothing to do with him. He really didn't know where they came from.

Obviously, several searches have been arranged. How can there still be people hiding? What are these guys hiding here for? Just who are they?

"Mr Manager, it seems that they are under the command of Tu Bai Lang...'

'Tu Bai Lang...'

Bob's face suddenly turned even more gloomy.

The people around him quietly moved away from him. They were obviously worried that he would lose his temper and lash out.

Chen Hongyu hid even more quietly behind Bob. This position was safe and out of reach.

Only Zhang Yong remained unperturbed.

A bandit? From the name, it must be a bandit.

It turns out that the people hiding in the mine were bandits. These grenades were not wasted. Most bandits deserve to die.

Unfortunately, although the people were killed or stunned by the explosions, there was no gain.

The only effect was to set an example to others and show off in front of Bob. He will never dare to speak nonsense again.

The Japanese spy Chen Hongyu also seems to have shut up.

However, such bravado is useless. There are no substantial benefits.

Cao Mengqi led the men in to search the mine again, but found nothing.

There was only some rubbish inside. There was also waste, and there was nothing of value.

'They...' Bob paused.

'Mr. Bob, I think the missing gold may not be in Mine 3,' Zhang Yong said.

Bob was silent for a moment, and finally said helplessly, 'Okay. Let's go back to headquarters first. If we have to search the entire mining area, it may take a long time. I had thought that the results would be available in a week.'

Zhang Yong nodded and said bluntly, "Mr. Bob, people's enthusiasm is linked to money. The young men I brought with me are all very capable. If you can pay one pound per person per day...'

'Impossible!" Bob shook his head decisively.

One pound per person per day? There are more than 50 people. That's more than 50 pounds per day?

No way. Absolutely not. He doesn't have the right to do that.

'That's a pity,' Zhang Yong said without feeling embarrassed.

I work for you, you pay me. It's only natural.

If others are embarrassed to say it, I'll say it.

If you can't even spare a pound, that's really stingy. To be honest, I'm not happy working for such a boss.

'Mr. General Manager!'

'Mr. Pearson!'

Suddenly, someone next to him said hello in a loud voice.

Zhang Yong looked back. He saw another Englishman arrive. It was easy to recognise him. He had a red nose from drinking.

Pearson?

General Manager?

So he was the biggest boss at Kailuan Coal Mine?

Good. A direct conversation with the big boss.

'I'll give you 500 pounds,' said Pearson, "as an investigation fee. No more, no less.'

'Deal!" Zhang Yong agreed readily.

Five hundred is better than nothing. This way, I won't go home empty-handed.

Bob was about to speak, but then stopped.

Pearson immediately sent someone to bring 500 pounds.

The bills were all 1 pound notes. There were 500 in total, divided into ten stacks of 50.

'Thank you!'

Zhang Yong took all the pounds.

Then he took out three stacks and unwrapped them. He gave everyone two pounds each.

Before marching off to war, you need to provide for your troops. Giving everyone two pounds as a start will give them the motivation they need!

Mei Lu frowned slightly as she accepted the two pounds.

She felt that Zhang Yong had gone a bit too far. Giving money out on the spot was a bit too high-profile.

However, that was just Zhang Yong's personality.

Don't try to pull the wool over my eyes. I just want the money.

As long as the money is in place, even an emperor can do nothing. Who said that? Me, Zhang Yong!

So...

Boys, get ready to shout 'hurrah'!

'Then you start!' Pearson is obviously not someone to be trifled with. 'I hope to hear good news soon...'

'Wait a minute! Mr. Pearson, I'll go catch some Japanese spies...'

'What?'

Pearson is taken aback.

Japanese spies?

Japanese?

Where?

Why didn't he notice them?

Bob: ???

Chen Hongyu: ???

The two of them also look at each other in confusion. Where are the Japanese spies?

Chen Hongyu was even more confused inside. He didn't know that there were other Japanese spies hiding around him. Really.

He had infiltrated alone. He was only responsible for passing on information. He wasn't responsible for operations.

There must be other Japanese spies in the huge Kailuan coal mine. But Chen Hongyu thought that they should be quite far away from him.

Who knew that Zhang Yong's tone seemed to suggest that there were Japanese spies nearby?

Weird...

It couldn't be that it was me?

It's impossible that they know about me.

Zhang Yong pointed to a worker some 30 metres away and shouted, 'Are you going to come over here yourself, or do I have to come and get you?'

The worker didn't seem to react.

A moment later, he looked around suspiciously. Confused.

Zhang Yong sneered.

Pretend!

I'll let you pretend!

Pretend you didn't hear me? Pretend you didn't think it was you I was calling?

Haha. It was you I was calling! And you're the one I'm going to catch! First I'll catch the little ones. Then I'll catch Chen Hongyu!

He waved his hand, letting Wu Liuqi and the others rush over.

At the same time, he continued, 'Hey, where's your hometown? Is it Sapporo in Hokkaido, or Shizuoka in Kyushu...'

Suddenly, the worker turned around and ran. He disappeared in an instant.

But he turned into the corner next to him. He disappeared without a trace.

Pearson: ?

Bob: ?

What's going on? Why did he turn around and run?

Then he reacted.

Fack!

That guy is Japanese!

He was identified by Zhang Yongzhen. He was scared. That's why he ran away.

Fack!

'Catch him!'

'Catch him!'

Pearson and Bob shouted in unison.