Chapter 701: Fooled Again

Late at night. Cold wind and rain.

Hangzhou seems to be particularly rainy.

The West Lake in later generations is said to be the three months of spring.

Very beautiful...

Poetic...

However, for Zhang Yong, his memories are only of the cold wind and rain. And the annoying mud.

There was mud and water everywhere. Or mud. You could hardly walk in it.

Many places were impassable.

If the wheels got stuck, no amount of pushing would get them out.

So the car always had to be prepared with some straw. Or stones. In case it got stuck.

'Team leader, it's just up ahead,'

'Okay,'

Zhang Yong raised his binoculars and silently observed in the darkness.

He had been woken up from his bed. He braved the cold wind and rain and hurried to the countryside. He was told that traces of Sun Dingyuan had been found here.

It was said that some foreigners had also been seen. They could be the five British.

Who had actually found them was unclear. Anyway, the information had been passed on to Zhang Yong.

So Zhang Yong hurried here overnight.

He crouched in the cold wind and rain.

The map showed many white dots in a high-walled compound 300 metres away. All of them had weapons symbols. And gold symbols too.

But there were no red dots. This meant there were no Japanese invaders here.

It was indeed possible that it was Sun Dingyuan's gang.

It was possible that Sun Dingyuan was here. But it was also possible that it was an impostor.

In the end, Zhang Yong believed Qu Tie's words.

Sun Dingyuan was cunning and had three dens, so it was really not surprising that he had seven or eight impostors.

In theory, Sun Dingyuan should be controlling the five British people. After all, they are the best hostages.

Those British people are probably not to be trifled with. MI7. Can they be good guys?

If they fight among themselves, that would be best.

The Chairman is worried that if the foreigners die, the foreign ministers will lodge a protest. Zhang Yong, however, doesn't care.

If he dies, he dies. You people are running around China, engaging in illegal activities. If you get killed, it's not our fault.

Before, Qu Tie pretended to kill Takashita Takashi, but it turned out to be a fake. Obviously, he doesn't have good intentions.

For the British, it's best to let the Chinese hold off the Japanese. That way, the Japanese won't have time to encroach on British interests.

If Takashi Takeshita was really killed, the Sino-Japanese conflict would intensify, and the Japanese would be fully occupied invading China, so they would definitely not be able to interfere with the British.

The British appeasement policy has always been like this.

It's all about sacrificing others to preserve their own interests.

So how could Chiang Kai-shek expect the British and Americans to mediate? Everyone else is just waiting for you to fight to the death with the Japanese....

digression.

The international situation has nothing to do with him.

He just wants to catch Sun Dingyuan now. And then squeeze him for all he's worth.

A stand-in gets 3,000 US dollars. And the main man? At least 30,000 US dollars. Full of longing...

However, the map shows that those white dots are all clustered together.

Someone is on guard.

Very vigilant.

It's quiet all around. The terrain is open in the vicinity. No one can approach in hiding.

This is the suburbs again. The sky is vast. He can retreat at any time. And then disperse into the wilderness. And then disappear without a trace.

The reason Sun Dingyuan did not immediately flee was because he had not given up on his goal.

He was going to the United States. His goal was the United States.

Unless he was forced to, he would not hide in the countryside.

It's so miserable...

Other people may be warm and cozy inside. They are out here in the wind and rain.

Fortunately, there were many empty houses nearby. Zhang Yong picked a few and took people to live in them. That made them feel a little better.

He discovered by accident that one of the houses actually had a telephone. He picked it up and found that the telephone line actually worked.

What a pleasant surprise.

He immediately dialed the number that Qu Tie had provided.

He got through.

But there was no answer.

Looking at the time, it was just after 3am.

Hey, hey.

It's just after 3am...

Get up, everyone! Hey!

I, Zhang Yong, am busy outside, so none of you are going to sleep!

"Dudu...'

'Dudu...'

Let the phone keep ringing.

If it hangs up automatically, keep calling.

Keep calling...

Three times...

Four times...

Zhang Yong is in no hurry. He's using the phone as a nuisance call.

On the other end of the line is a British person. Haha. Get up.

Finally...

'Who is it?'

Someone answers the phone.

The Chinese is quite standard. But there is a serious sense of irritation.

Understandable. Who wouldn't be furious if their phone rang at 3am? And it was a nuisance call, no less. But that was exactly the effect Zhang Yong was going for!

'It's me,' Zhang Yong said loudly.

'Who is this?' the other person asked impatiently.

'We had a deal,' Zhang Yong replied coldly.

'What deal?' The other person's tone of voice gradually began to slow.

Zhang Yong was silent.

What deal?

Oh no...

I didn't think this through.

But he soon had something.

'Project Zeus, do you want to know?' Zhang Yong said slowly.

'What project?' The other party was confused.

'The Japanese want to build the world's largest battleship, did you know?'

'Who the hell are you?'

'Crow.'

Zhang Yong temporarily came up with a code name for himself.

As soon as the words came out, he immediately regretted it. What a crow. Unlucky. Why did he think of such a tasteless nickname.

Alas, illiteracy is really deadly...

'I don't know who you are.'

'But I know who you are. Go tell the people at MI7 that I have very important information that your First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr Churchill, needs very badly. If you miss this, Mr Churchill will kick your ass.'

'Who the hell are you?'

The other person was a little annoyed. And a little puzzled.

They had thought it was a prank. But then the other person had mentioned Churchill's name.

Churchill is currently the British Secretary of State for the Royal Navy. He is in charge of the Royal Navy. The Japanese want to build the world's largest battleship? Who said that?

Oh, Project Zeus...

The other person was actually trying to sell information.

'Displacement.'

'Much larger than your King George V-class battleships.'

'Main gun calibre?'

'Also much larger than your King George V-class battleships.'

'Speed?'

'More than 30 knots.'

'You're talking utter nonsense.'

'You don't believe me?'

'No one's battleship can be better than ours in the Royal Navy!'

'But...'

'Click!'

The other person hung up the phone.

Zhang Yong was not angry. He took the receiver. A slight sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

What a big mouth.

The Empire of the Rising Sun.

They think they're number one in the world!

No one's battleship can be better than ours in the Royal Navy. Haha.

What is the displacement of your Prince of Wales? 40,000 tons. The displacement of the Yamato is 70,000 tons. It is almost twice as large as yours.

The main gun of the Yamato is 460 millimetres in calibre. The main gun of your Prince of Wales is only 356 millimetres.

It is 100 millimetres smaller than the other!

The speed also differs.

But Zhang Yong fully understands the pride of this Englishman.

After all, the British can only see some of their former glory in the ocean at the moment.

Battleships are the pride of the British.

They will continue to build them even if they have to sell their iron and steel to do so. They want to ensure their dominance on the seas.

Especially after the German navy's shipbuilding plan came out, Churchill was even more afraid of being underestimated. His basic principle was three to one. Three to one.

That is, for every German battleship built, the British would build three.

However, Churchill's gaze always overlooked the East. He overlooked the Japanese. He never imagined that the Japanese would be so crazy.

Technically speaking, the Yamato's specifications were superior to those of British and American battleships.

Objectively speaking, the Japanese invaders were indeed quite skilled.

He silently put the receiver down. He waited ten seconds. Then he picked it up and dialed the number again.

No one answered?

No one wanted to answer?

That's fine. It was a long night, and he had no desire to sleep...

The result...

was just a busy signal.

Damn, so the other person had picked up the receiver. He couldn't get through.

Damn it. Zhang Yong cursed under his breath.

When I catch this damned foreigner, I'll smash his hand with a hammer...

He doesn't believe a word I say!

Suddenly, there was movement in the compound.

A person came out of the compound. Alone. With a weapon emblem. But no gold emblem.

Sneaky.

Shiny and shimmering.

Zhang Yong's eyes narrowed. What is this guy up to? Trying to escape alone?

He's definitely up to no good, sneaking out all by himself like that!

Most likely he's trying to escape on his own.

Good, he's come to us.

Keep a close eye on things.

Gradually, the telescope finally allows a little bit of detail to be seen. It's a man with long hair. Judging by the appearance, it's a man. The kind of man that would be an artistic master in later generations. Unkempt. A beard. A full beard. To put it nicely, he's rugged. To put it bluntly, he's scruffy.

Instead of heading out into the fields, he tries to return to the city.

This is interesting. Perfect for a capture.

Arrangements can be made immediately.

The target cautiously feels his way forward. In the darkness, he moves very slowly.

In contrast, Zhang Yong has a map to help him avoid all dangers. He runs quickly. He doesn't feel as cold anymore. He successfully gets in front of the target.

However, since the surrounding terrain is relatively open, it is impossible to attack from behind and hit him over the head.

The only way is to get there first and block the target.

What if the target shoots? There's nothing you can do about that. You have to shoot back and kill him.

Will the gunfire alert the other criminals in the compound?

You can't worry about that. If they're alarmed, so be it.

Just get rid of this guy first. Maybe you don't need to use the gun?

When the target enters an open area, Zhang Yong waves his hand.

Immediately, people appear from behind and to the sides.

The bearded man hears footsteps and turns around hastily. He then realises that he is surrounded.

In the faint light, he sees dark muzzles.

'Friend, don't move,' Zhang Yong says, emerging half his head from behind the broken wall, "we just want the money, not your life.'

'Which gang are you from?" The bearded man pauses for a moment and slowly opens his hand.

This action indicates that he has no intention of drawing his gun. Don't get me wrong.

Clearly, he knows the rules of the underworld. If he risks drawing his gun, he will be in for a world of hurt.

The other party will shoot him full of holes with a hail of bullets.

'Gator Gang,' Zhang Yong said with a swagger.

'You?' The man with the beard looked very strange. Confused. Unbelieving. Ridiculous.

'Yes. We're from the Gator Gang.'

'So am I.'

'Bullshit. How dare you pretend?'

'I am the leader of the Crocodile Gang. My name is Wu Baishun.'

'Oh?'

Zhang Yong: ...

The other party is actually the leader of the Crocodile Gang?

Damn. How dare he impersonate the leader? The world is really small!

But...

It doesn't matter. It's all trivial.

Zhang Yong said coldly, 'Since you are the leader of the Crocodile Gang, what are you doing hanging out with Sun Dingyuan?'

'What Sun Dingyuan?' Wu Baishun shook his head, 'You may have misunderstood.'

'I'm not mistaken. You must be in cahoots with Sun Dingyuan. The compound you just left is full of Sun Dingyuan's men.'

'No. They're under Chu Jingliang.'

'Huh?'

Zhang Yong felt something was wrong.

Could it be a mistake? He was after Sun Dingyuan, but had instead captured Chu Jingliang?

Damn it!

Who gave him the information?

Could it be that someone took the opportunity to divert attention and lure the tiger away from the mountain?

Or perhaps, it was Sun Dingyuan who was behind it all?

Did Sun Dingyuan lure him to the suburbs and then escape?

Shit!

I've fallen for it!

These old guys are really crafty!

I've wasted several hours here in the suburbs. Maybe by now, Sun Dingyuan has already escaped from Hangzhou.

Sigh...

I really can't compete with these old pros!

It's probably too late to go back now.

Forget it...

Next time.

If I really can't catch him, then forget it. Don't force yourself. After all, there are limits to one's abilities. It's impossible to do everything perfectly.

Do as much as you can.

Get as much as you can.

Be content with what you have.

Be happy with what you have.

'What is Chu Jingliang's man doing in there?'

'Discussing transporting grain.'

'What transporting grain.'

'They're going to transport 100,000 tons of grain to Tianjin.'

'What do they need you for?'

'To help escort the ships.'

'By canal or by sea?'

'By sea.'

'Does he have that many ships?'

'They're from Haichang Shipping.'

'Wen Zhenping?'

'Yes.'

'I see.'

Zhang Yong nodded thoughtfully.

Indeed, a closed loop had formed within the Japanese spy ring.

If they needed grain, they went to Chu Jingliang.

If they needed shipping, they went to Wen Zhenping.

None of them needed to go through anyone else. They were able to transport grain safely and smoothly to Tianjinwei.

In fact, the fact that they dared to go by sea fully demonstrated that Wen Zhenping was no ordinary person.

Out there in the sea, there were Japanese warships. They could intercept and inspect at any time. If they didn't cooperate, they would be sunk.

The Japanese invaders have many destroyers patrolling the coast of China. They are specifically there to block the coastline. No foreign ships, or ships licensed by the Japanese, are allowed to pass.

Don't look at those destroyers as old-fashioned with a displacement of about 1,000 tons. However, in the face of civilian ships, they are still like the stars in the sky. They don't even need to use the 127-mm main gun, they just use the small-calibre machine gun to sink them. So no one dares to take the risk.

The Liao family's ships only dared to follow the coastline from Hangzhou to Shanghai. Once they left this route, they were in danger.

Most merchant ships that travelled from Hangzhou to Guangzhou, or elsewhere, had some kind of official backing. Or some kind of foreign backing.

Alas, it's all a sad story. This is what happens when you are weak and can be bullied.

Does Hangzhou have 100,000 tons of grain?

Of course it does.

Suzhou and Hangzhou have always been known as places of plenty.

There is a saying that when the land around Suzhou and Hangzhou is fertile, the world will have enough food. Hangzhou is included in that.

'Who else is inside?'

'There are a lot of people I don't know.'

'Then what are you doing here alone?'

'I...'

Wu Baishun was silent.

Obviously, this was a difficult question to answer.

He didn't want to tell the truth. But lying to Zhang Yong was hard.

If he was found out, the situation would be very bad.

'I want to report a crime...' Wu Baishun said slowly at last.

'Whom?' Zhang Yong's expression did not change.

'I don't know.'

'You haven't thought about it?'

'Yes.'

'Why do you want to inform on him?'

'I have a feeling that this Chu Jingliang seems to have a problem...'

'What kind of problem?'

'He might be a Japanese stooge.'

'How do you know?'

'One hundred thousand tons of grain transported from Hangzhou to Tianjinwei must be sold to the Japanese!'

'Not necessarily,'

Zhang Yong said slowly.

Before, Zhang Yong also felt this way.

The Japanese were short of food and had to seize it by force from within China.

However, the northern part of China already had insufficient grain production. There was no surplus to sell to the Japanese.

Food had to be transported from the south.

'By the way, there is someone who came from Manchuria. I suspect he was sent by the puppet state of Manchukuo.'

'What's his name?'

'He introduced himself as Wang Shen.'

'Wang Shen.'

Zhang Yong remembered the name.

Manchukuo was awash with riches. He liked it.

Last time he caught Kawashima Yoshiko, he had wanted to extort a fortune from her, but someone from above had let her go.

What a shame...

Now someone else had come to him, he would take what he could get.

This nest of Japanese spies, including Chu Jingliang and Wang Jichang, were all big fish. Just tapping them would be a rich harvest.

'The consignee of the grain is Wang Shen.'

'Go on.'

'He's asking a pretty high price.'

'How high?'

'Eighteen taels of silver per stone. Payment is to be made at the port of Tianjin.'

'Is that high?'

'In Hangzhou, a stone of good rice only costs nine taels of silver. That's double the price!'

'Cash on delivery?'

'Of course.'

'Hm...'

Zhang Yong still didn't feel quite right about it.

Coming from the future, he was very sensitive to scams. He immediately thought of all kinds of tricks.

The price of transporting grain from Hangzhou northwards doubles. It does sound very attractive. And the price is payable in full. I guess all merchants would be willing to do it.

Including Liao Panxi. She is also a merchant. Merchants are also profit-driven.

But what if the grain is transported to Tianjin and the other party doesn't want it? And then they hold it back?

That would be a disaster. It would be like throwing a large quantity of goods away for nothing.

One hundred thousand tons of grain, when it arrives there, is three million six hundred thousand taels of silver! Does Wang Shen have that kind of money?

However, Zhang Yong doesn't have a lot of experience in economics. He can't figure out the cost-profit relationship in a short period of time.

Scam or not, let's just catch Wang Shen first.

'You can go!'

'Thank you.'

Wu Baishun turned around and left.

Zhang Yong led his men to the courtyard.

Since they are not Sun Dingyuan's men, he will not be polite.

Chu Jingliang...

I'm looking for you.

He led his troops over there.

The sentry outside the door immediately noticed. 'Who are you? What do you want?'

'I'm from the Secret Service of the Fuxing Society. My name is Zhang Yong. Tell Wang Shen to come out.' Zhang Yong named him. He was looking for someone from the puppet state of Manchukuo.

Soon afterwards, a middle-aged man appeared. He had an unremarkable appearance.

When he saw Zhang Yong, he remained calm. It was obvious that he didn't take it seriously.

'Boss Wang,' Zhang Yong said with a forced smile.

'Team Leader Zhang, what brings you here so late at night?' Wang Shen asked slowly.

'I need to speak to Boss Wang. Please come with me.'

'What do you want? Tell me here.'

'Let's find somewhere else to talk. It's not convenient here.'

'You can tell me here.'

'Wang Shen, don't make things difficult for yourself.'

'Team Leader Zhang, I've heard of your reputation. But I'm not afraid.'

'Really?'

Zhang Yong sneered at the corner of his mouth.

Suddenly, he felt something was wrong.

A red dot appeared at the edge of the map. It was blinking.

In an instant, Zhang Yong felt a chill run down his spine.

There was danger.

A sniper!

Without thinking, Zhang Yong immediately dove down.

His movements were swift.

His conscious told him very clearly that he was being ambushed. It was a Japanese sniper!

This is a trap.

He has fallen for it again.

The so-called intelligence was definitely arranged by the Japanese. The purpose was to lure him over here.

This side of the terrain is open and very suitable for sniping.

Then...

He felt something pass by.

It felt like something brushed against the back of his left shoulder.

He didn't feel anything.

It was just a little touch.

Perhaps the bullet was flying too fast, and his body, as well as his brain, had not yet had time to judge the severity of the wound.

Damn...

Sniped...

For the second time...

Shit...

I didn't catch the other guy last time, and he got away, but now he's back for a second time.

I was so eager to capture Sun Dingyuan that I fell into the trap set by the Japanese invaders.

Shit...

I almost died.

But I didn't.

There's still a chance.

Grit your teeth. Swear. I must kill this Japanese sniper today.