Chapter 606: Xu En once again barged in

and returned to Jiang Guohu's side.

At this moment, Jiang Guohu was once again on the verge of death.

He was cold and hungry.

Tired and sleepy.

If he wasn't frozen stiff, he might have fallen asleep right away.

But his reason told him that if he fell asleep, he would definitely not wake up. He would die quietly like this.

He was a professional. He knew very well that Zhang Yong's wild methods would kill people.

Perhaps Zhang Yong thought that people would not die from the cold.

But in fact, they would.

'Let's talk about the deer work!' Zhang Yong smiled kindly.

'No way!' Jiang Guohu refused with his last ounce of strength.

Zhang Yong then fell silent.

Then he closed his eyes to rest.

No surrender? Fine. We'll just take our time.

The weather in Hangzhou is not as cold as in Tianjin, but...

'I said...'

Finally, Jiang Guohu couldn't hold back any longer.

He had to give another address.

Zhang Yong was unmoved.

The guy was squeezing toothpaste. No rush.

Let's wait until he's squeezed some more. It'll save us running around.

Ten thousand taels each time, like paying a beggar!

Nudge, nudge.

Tell Lao Bai to give the other guy some ginger soup.

Lao Bai boiled some ginger soup in the kitchen. This was a very big temptation for Jiang Guohu.

Life and death.

Warmth and cold.

At this moment, it seemed particularly clear.

If he drank the ginger soup, he would live. If he didn't, he would die.

It was as simple as that.

Zhang Yong didn't even bother using those cruel punishments.

Those who are willing to confess will always confess. If they are not willing to confess, they will all be sent to meet the great god Amaterasu.

After drinking the ginger soup, Jiang Guohu's energy and spirit returned somewhat.

At least, he felt that there was still hope that he could survive.

The prerequisite was...

'You want to subvert Wang Zhaoming?'

'What?'

'Is the deer job to subvert Wang Zhaoming? Our Executive President?'

'No.'

Jiang Guohu answered very firmly.

Zhang Yong judged that the other party was not lying. The other party did not have the qualifications to do so either.

Who was Wang Zhaoming? He was the number two in the Guomindang.

A real number two. Not a pretend number two.

President of the Executive Yuan. Vice President. All real power.

The only flaw was that he did not control the army.

However, within the Guomindang, apart from Chiang Kai-shek, no one else controlled the army either! So he was a veritable number two.

What was Jiang Guohu?

A petty businessman. He was completely unimportant in the eyes of Wang Jingwei.

Therefore, Lu's work could not have been directed at Wang Jingwei. Then, who was it directed at? It must have been someone from Hangzhou. Even Xuan Tiewu could be ruled out.

In the eyes of Xuan Tiewu, Jiang Guohu was completely unimportant.

'Who did you just send a telegram to?'

'...'

'What was the content?'

'...'

'Where is the code book?'

'...'

Jiang Guohu refused to answer.

Zhang Yong's eyebrows slowly rose. His face began to darken.

Three noes to a question?

Fine. Then enjoy the greetings of winter slowly!

'43 Jade Street.'

Jiang Guohu coughed out a few words with difficulty.

Of course he knew that Zhang Yong was determined to kill him. He could die at any time.

If he was of no value, Zhang Yong would really drown him in the well. Then perhaps no one would ever find out.

Until he became a pile of bones.

There must be at least 80 Japanese spies who have died at Zhang Yong's hands.

This guy is nicknamed 'Moneybags'. The nickname is indeed appropriate. But there is a prerequisite, and that is that you must have money. Otherwise...

In order to survive, Jiang Guohu had to do some difficult calculations. In a critical moment, he immediately used money to save his life.

Zhang Yong took out a small notebook and recorded the remaining addresses one by one.

The contents of the addresses may not necessarily be dug up all at once. Some are kept...

No.

He suddenly remembered a previous lesson.

Before, Wang Zhulin had given him so many addresses, but he hadn't used any of them. Then he was called away.

He hoped that the next time he went back to Tianjin, the things in those addresses would still be there. Otherwise, he would have lost a lot. From this perspective, he still had to dig them out as soon as possible. It's safe when it's in your pocket. Only what falls into your own pocket can be considered truly yours.

'Do you want to live?' Zhang Yong asked directly.

'I will never betray the Empire of Japan,' Jiang Guohu retorted.

'Don't worry. I only want your money.'

'What?'

'I only want your money. I don't want you to betray any information. And I don't want you to betray your accomplices.'

'You...'

Jiang Guohu's eyes wandered.

His subconscious told him that Zhang Yong might be lying to him. Tricking him.

However, the feeling of being frozen told him that this was the only chance. If he wanted to survive, he had to hold on tight.

'You can pay in instalments.'

'What?'

'If you confess and pay 100,000 taels of silver, I'll let you go.'

'No way.'

'No way for anyone else, of course. But I'm Zhang Yong.'

'You...'

Jiang Guohu's eyes wandered again.

He had to admit, the temptation was terrible. So terrible that he simply couldn't refuse.

Just 100,000 taels and he could be free?

No one could refuse that.

'What do you want me to do?'

'100,000 taels of silver.'

'And then?'

'And then what?'

'You don't want me to leave any loose ends?'

'Do I need to?'

'You!'

Jiang Guohu was suddenly at a loss for words.

He was stumped by Zhang Yong's words. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

The other party was so arrogant. Really.

He didn't take him at all seriously. It was downright annoying.

As if he could control himself at any time after being released. He really thought he was the king of heaven and the father of all!

Hmph, when he regained his freedom, he would definitely show the other party!

"Deal!'

Jiang Guohu said resentfully.

Then he gave a few addresses. Zhang Yong took down each one.

Then Zhang Yong told Lao Bai to untie his ropes. Let him move freely. Jiang Guohu, who felt like he had been pardoned, hurriedly ran upstairs to change his clothes.

Finally, he was alive.

Thank you, Amaterasu. Finally, he was free.

He hurriedly changed into dry clothes. He wrapped himself in the quilt. For the first time, he felt that life was so precious.

Although it was bought back with 100,000 silver dollars,

it was worth it. It was very worth it.

Only Zhang Yong would be so stupid...

'Creak!'

'Creak!'

The stairs creaked. Someone was coming up.

Jiang Guohu's face suddenly turned pale. He thought that he was going to be killed again.

Zhang Yong might want to kill him to keep him quiet.

Damn...

He should never have trusted the other party.

The other party tricked him into revealing the address where he had hidden the money, and then got rid of him.

In this way...

'It seems that you are also afraid of death.'

'You're talking nonsense! I'm an agent of the Japanese Empire...'

'I know, you're a professional.'

'What?'

'You're very good.'

'Huh?'

'You professional agents are all very good.'

'Huh?'

Jiang Guohu felt that something was wrong.

Was Zhang Yong praising him? Or was he mocking him?

Was he saying that he was a professional?

Yes, he was a professional. But...

Something just didn't feel right.

'You memorised the password?'

'What?'

'You don't have a password book. You memorised the password in your head. That's really impressive. I couldn't do that.'

'Hm...'

Jiang Guohu was about to speak, but then stopped.

He felt that Zhang Yong was setting him up again. It was very insidious.

First, he gave him a high compliment. That made him let his guard down. Then he changed the subject and tried to trick him into revealing his secrets?

Haha, he was thinking too much.

He was a professional spy. How could he make such a low-level mistake?

'Project 226, what do you know about it?'

'What?'

'Don't tell me you don't know about Project 226.'

'I know. You told me.'

'No. You must have known before I told you.'

'I didn't,'

Jiang Guohu answered frankly.

No means no. He had no need to lie.

He had never even heard of the 226 plan. Perhaps Zhang Yong had made it all up.

Espionage agents were masters of deception.

You deceive me. I deceive you. It just depends on who is deceiving whom. Whoever makes more mistakes.

'Wang Jichang was in your team?'

'No.'

'You knew he was Japanese?'

'I didn't.'

'But you just said you knew.'

'What?'

Jiang Guohu frowned. He thought he had contradicted himself.

But on second thought, no. He had said he didn't know that Wang Jichang was Japanese. And he really didn't know.

This Zhang Yong was trying to trap him with words. Really.

He was a professional spy. Where was the other person trying to trap him?

"Xu Sheng is also Japanese.'

'Er...'

'Sure enough, you know that Xu Sheng is Japanese.'

'I don't.'

'Come on. If you really didn't know, what would you have said? But you said 'uh', which means you were surprised. You didn't think I knew that Xu Sheng was Japanese.'

'You're being smart.'

'You and Xu Sheng must have been in the same spy agency, right?'

'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'Have you rested?'

'What?'

'Then let's continue. Take a bath. It's still early. You can take a bath for a few hours.'

'Zhang Yong, you broke your promise. You just said that you would not ask me to betray information or my comrades. You went back on your word!'

'Did I?'

'Of course you did.'

'Okay. Then I take back what I said. But you'd better make sure that there are enough 100,000 taels of silver in the address you gave me, otherwise I'll go back on my word again.'

'There's 200,000! More than 100,000!'

'That's good!'

Zhang Yong's face lit up.

Two hundred thousand?

That's great.

What more do I need to know? Get lost. First, get the money, then have a fat year!

Two hundred thousand silver dollars! I'll keep at least half for myself.

Wait.

'It can't all be silver dollars, can it?'

'There are silver notes.'

'That's good!'

Zhang Yong is completely relieved.

Silver notes can be kept for yourself. They don't take up space.

If it was all silver dollars, that would be tragic. You'd just have to look at it.

'We're leaving.'

'See you later.'

Zhang Yong walked downstairs with style. Then he left with Lao Bai.

Of course, they took all the submachine guns and radios with them. Lao Bai was responsible for disposing of these things. He handed them over to the underground party.

'You really let him go?'

'He's a Japanese spy. He could strike back at any time.'

Lao Bai was a little worried.

He felt that Zhang Yong was too focused on money.

Letting Jiang Guohu go back for 200,000 taels of silver could lead to serious consequences.

'It'll be fine.'

'Zhang Yong, I'm still worried.'

'After he goes back, the most important thing is for him to protect himself. He won't be able to look after us for the time being.'

'Why?'

'He was in charge of the deer work. Among the Japanese spies, he should have some status. The most important thing for him now is to prevent anyone from knowing that he was captured. Otherwise, he will never be able to clear his name. His life will be over.'

'You mean, the other Japanese spies won't believe that he just confessed and paid 100,000 taels of silver?'

'Would you believe it?'

'No.'

Lao Bai nodded.

Indeed, according to normal thinking, it was impossible.

Any spy who had been captured before and returned would not be able to be reused.

They would definitely be screened. They would be sent to the cold storage.

They might even be arrested directly. They would be treated as traitors.

Underground struggles are so cruel.

The Japanese spies are especially sensitive about prisoners. Once it is known that he has been captured, his life is over.

Jiang Guohu certainly would not allow such a thing to happen.

Fortunately, only Zhang Yong and Lao Bai knew about his capture. He still had a chance to muddle through.

'So...' Zhang Yong's mouth curled up in a sneer, 'he will surrender.'

After a slight pause, Zhang Yong continued slowly, 'The next target is Wang Jichang. Once he is arrested, Jiang Guohu will be completely at a loss.'

Lao Bai didn't say anything. He was secretly moved.

You say Zhang Yong doesn't understand?

No. He actually understands.

No Japanese spy he has targeted has been able to turn over a new leaf.

Jiang Guohu is no exception.

Once Wang Jichang is arrested, Jiang Guohu will be unable to sit still.

What will people think?

They will definitely think that it was him, Jiang Guohu, who leaked the information.

At that time, Jiang Guohu, with no way out, will have to come to Zhang Yong to discuss how to deal with the aftermath.

At that time...

It will depend on what valuable information he can provide.

One wrong step leads to another.

Since Jiang Guohu has chosen to save his own life, there will be no turning back.

'Goodbye.'

'Goodbye.'

Say goodbye to Lao Bai.

Lao Bai also has his own matters to attend to.

Zhang Yong returned to the Huaqiao Hotel. He found Yang Lichu on the phone.

So he walked over quietly. He gently put his arms around her from behind.

Yang Lichu hurriedly turned around. She signalled to him with her eyes not to say a word. She was on the phone with her family.

The content of the phone call was of course very simple. She was telling her family that she would not go back for the New Year.

Like Gu Bafeng, she did not want to go back for the New Year either. There were too many family members and too many rules, and she could not stand it. It was better to be free and at liberty outside.

'Boom!'

'Boom!'

Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside.

Zhang Yong instinctively crouched down. Yang Lichu hurriedly followed suit.

They thought it was gunfire.

They were caught off guard. For a moment, they didn't dare to be careless.

Then, Zhang Yong reacted. It wasn't gunfire. It was firecrackers. Someone was setting off firecrackers.

Alas, it was said before that there was no atmosphere at the New Year. I didn't expect that someone would set off firecrackers right away. As a result, I was startled. It's really an occupational disease. I thought someone had fired a gun.

Zhang Yong let Yang Lichu go. He went outside to check what was going on.

It was finally determined that someone had set off firecrackers.

So it was fine.

Monitoring the map. He discovered that Li Jingqian was still there.

Oh, I wonder if she is spending the New Year in Hangzhou? By the way, what kind of programs do the underground party have for the New Year?

Finding an excuse, he went to Li Jingqian's room.

Her injuries have recovered well. The wound has become inflamed, but it is under control with amoxicillin.

In this day and age, amoxicillin is a miracle drug.

But Zhang Yong did not tell the other party what the drug was called. He could not explain it. He simply pretended to be mysterious.

'Are you going back to find them?'

'Not for now.'

'Then what are you going to Jinling for?'

'Soon.'

'Be careful on the road.'

'Thank you!'

'You...'

Zhang Yong was about to speak when suddenly the map prompted that a large group of weapons were approaching the Huaqiao Hotel.

There were a lot of people. There were seventy or eighty of them. All of them were armed.

A sudden sense of foreboding rose in his heart.

Who was it? What were they doing here?

They weren't Japanese. Could it be Xuan Tiegu?

Could it be that Xuan Tiegu had sent someone to surround the Huaqiao Hotel? Otherwise, why would there be so many armed men?

He hurriedly took his leave. Quietly, he returned to the Huaqiao Hotel.

They discovered that the troops that had arrived were not Xuan Tie'e's troops. They were from the Party Affairs Investigation Department.

Ye Wansheng was among them.

However, he was not the focus of attention.

The focus of attention was...

Well, here comes trouble. The leader was Xu Enzeng.

Oh, no!

Xu Enzeng actually came here!

He came directly to the door!

Isn't that like a collision between the sun and the earth, a mutual destruction?

The head of the Second Division of the Military Affairs Bureau came to the Huaqiao Hotel without a sound, and no idiot with an IQ of 0.99 would believe that there is no conspiracy.

Well, this year is not going to be easy.

However, now that it has come to this, there is no way he can back down.

If he backed down in front of the Party Affairs Investigation Department, it would not be his face that would be lost. It would be the face of the Special Services Department of the Restoration Society.

He held his head high.

He came to Xu Enzeng's front.

'Director Xu,

Zhang Yong greets you of his own accord. But there is no salute.

The other person is not a soldier. There is no need to salute. The Central Government Political Committee is involved in party affairs. It has no authority to interfere in the military world.

This is also the biggest drawback of the Central Government Political Committee. From the moment of its establishment, it was doomed to be unable to compete with the Military Government Political Committee.

Xu Enzeng looked at him, his face gloomy, and shouted in a single sentence:

'Zhang Yong, how dare you!'