Team Leader Dai's Ambition

Everyone else on the field turned their attention to Bai Haoyue. Team Leader Dai must have handled the recruitment perfectly, so how could Commander Du know about it? Could it be related to Bai Haoyue?

Under the scorching sun, Commander Du didn't give Team Leader Dai much time to catch his breath and think. He touched the gold plum blossom button on Team Leader Dai's lapel—a button that reflected sunlight—and smiled meaningfully.

It turned out that Chen was stubbornly insisting that he wasn't a bandit, but was sent by his superiors. When asked which superiors he was, he fell silent.

Furthermore, he had no identification on him, only a gold plum blossom buckle, exactly the same as the one that Team Leader Dai wore on his clothes. Could he be one of Team Leader Dai's men?

Team Leader Dai would never admit to something based solely on a plum blossom button. He vehemently denied it, calling it far-fetched. He considered himself of lowly status and always followed the president's will as his work principle; how could he possibly do anything against the president's orders? He didn't know where Commander Du got his information and was worried about arresting the wrong person.

“I don’t care whether he’s a good person or not, Team Leader Dai, the person you’ve chosen is indeed quite good. Xiao Bai is very capable, so capable that I can temporarily overlook his petty nature.” Du Ying whispered in Team Leader Dai’s ear, “Also, our Chairman Han hates warlords who come to seize territory the most, especially Chiang Kai-shek.”

Gao Junxiao was close by, so he could hear their hushed discussion clearly. Chairman Han was an old warlord who truly hated others taking over his territory. President Chiang Kai-shek had tried to intervene in Shandong affairs many times, but Chairman Han had always given him the cold shoulder.

In contrast, Chairman Han sent Du Ying to occupy the position of commander of Xuzhou first, thus gaining actual control and effectively making Xuzhou his own territory.

To avoid being betrayed in the Central Plains War, President Chiang had no choice but to tacitly allow Chairman Han to quietly expand his territory, though he must have been extremely unwilling.

Therefore, Team Leader Dai has precisely stepped on a landmine in this incident, and coupled with the stampede just now, Commander Du has already defined it as disturbing public order. With these two incidents combined, it's no wonder that Chairman Han is furious.

Warlords always only care about interests, not personal relationships. A high-ranking official like Chairman Han would certainly not be bothered by the same spy; he would only cause trouble for President Chiang.

It seems that Commander Du intends to pin the blame for recruiting soldiers on Principal Chiang.

After all, it's not reasonable for a spy to recruit soldiers on his own, but for a warlord to secretly send a spy to recruit soldiers. Gao Junxiao took off his gloves and fanned himself, looking like he was watching a show. Things were getting bigger and bigger.

Even though he was being put on the spot, Team Leader Dai still pretended to be polite and said that capturing the bandits was within Commander Du's authority, and he, Dai, felt that it was perfectly justifiable.

"So you're disowning your own brothers? It seems I can only conclude that Chen Ding is a bandit." Du Ying's expression suddenly changed, and he loudly proclaimed, "Bandits dare to brazenly recruit soldiers on my territory! This is intolerable! Lieutenant Shen, inform Chairman Han that someone is trying to seize territory. Send Chen Ding to Jinan immediately."

"I won't admit to something I didn't do. If you want to give it to me, then give it to me." Team Leader Dai stubbornly refused to admit it.

"Good, good, good." Commander Du clapped his hands and said "good" three times in a row. "Team Leader Dai is truly a man of principle. Your subordinates must all be loyal and devoted. Bring him in!"

He was supposed to be interrogating himself, but now it's turned into an interrogation of Team Leader Dai. This sudden reversal of roles left Gao Junxiao wide-eyed, eagerly awaiting the next show. After receiving orders, Deputy Officer Shen dragged in a man covered in blood—Chen Ding, the man Commander Du had mentioned.

Several agents present seemed to recognize this man, and all looked towards Team Leader Dai, waiting for him to handle the situation. Gao Junxiao understood that this was a dilemma Du Ying had presented to Team Leader Dai. He, Dai, could run away, deny everything, or even silence him, but Principal Jiang would be in trouble.

"Chen Ding, is this person your superior?" Deputy Officer Shen grabbed Chen Ding's hair and asked sternly.

Annoying flies kept buzzing around Chen Ding, as if he were already a corpse. Chen Ding barely opened his swollen eyes, but did not immediately admit it.

Commander Du squatted down and tempted him, saying, "Think it over before you speak. If you die as a scapegoat, your wife will remarry, your child will be bullied without a father, and if your parents are still alive, it will be a tragedy for them to outlive their child. How miserable would that be?"

"You think you're acting out of brotherly loyalty, but he treats you like an idiot. Have you heard him say a single word of pleading for you? He's been trying to distance himself from the situation because what Chiang Kai-shek hates most is subordinates who have the idea of ​​starting their own faction. But if he admits it, he'll only be out of favor for six months at most. With his abilities, he can come back after six months."

"But what about you? The grass on your grave is already half a person tall. Who will remember you, a scapegoat who died with a bandit's name on you? Although spies are prepared to die, do you think your death was meaningful? The culprit might shed a couple of tears at your funeral, just for show, and then forget about you. You're nothing but a piece of shit!"

"To kill someone, you must first destroy their spirit." Gao Junxiao felt that Commander Du was definitely a master in his field. Some of his words were not just for Chen Ding, but for all the agents present, to make them open their eyes and see what kind of person their superior was. In Du Ying's words, Team Leader Dai was irresponsible, loved to shirk responsibility, and was just trying to gain fame. Every word he said was like a knife to the heart.

Now that relations had completely broken down, Team Leader Dai abandoned all pretense of modesty and shouted, "Enough! He's my subordinate!"

Team Leader Dai probably realized that if he ran away, Principal Jiang would be in trouble. Therefore, he chose to admit his guilt, which would at least help win back people's hearts. As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn.

"Du Ying! No matter how much you try to sow discord among my subordinates, you can't change their beliefs. We are all fighting for the great cause of the unification of the Party and the country." Team Leader Dai was forced into this situation, so he still had to say a few nice words.

Commander Du wasn't angry after hearing this. He patted Team Leader Dai's shoulder heavily and said something extremely hurtful: don't bring up any of that bullshit faith to him.

Did Team Leader Dai possess the revolutionary vision of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, or did he have the same fearless awareness as the Communist Party? He knew that Team Leader Dai was Chiang Kai-shek's lackey, and Chiang Kai-shek was Team Leader Dai's idol.

Even with Chief Dai's unwavering loyalty, it was all for naught. Don't think Chiang Kai-shek would turn against Chairman Han for a mere dog. Especially since this dog had harbored disloyal intentions, plotting to seize military power and become the master himself.

Could Chiang Kai-shek tolerate such petty behavior? He had many dogs like Team Leader Dai, so of course he would choose the most obedient and easiest to control to train.

The implication is that Team Leader Dai is not irreplaceable. The ten-man team is just a newly emerging force within the principal's vast intelligence network, and in terms of numbers, strength, and connections, it cannot compete with the Chen brothers' CC Clique.

Or perhaps the rise of the ten-person group was precisely to restrain the increasingly powerful CC faction. With Group Leader Dai gone, Principal Jiang will naturally cultivate other teams to maintain balance, and it is very likely that he will simply find someone else to replace him as the leader of the ten-person group.

These words struck a nerve with Team Leader Dai. He pursed his lips and remained silent, his face filled with resentment.

Du Ying said confidently, "Then let's go back to the question of Inspector Gao. You claim that the Communist Party has infiltrated Xuzhou City, and as the commander, I am to blame. But as the head of the investigation team specifically tasked with suppressing the Communists, what responsibility do you bear? How come the people who came the day before yesterday only found out today that the Communist Party had infiltrated the city? Wasn't Xuzhou City surrounded like an iron barrel by your brothers and spies?"

Seeing that Team Leader Dai remained silent, Du Ying's tone became even harsher: "Even if I assume your intelligence is completely accurate, do you think that when people come to Xuzhou, they don't rush to make contact, but instead eat, drink, have fun, and take a bath, waiting for your informant to leak information before they make contact, all the while waiting for you to catch them? The problem is, you didn't even catch them, and you're blaming others for your own dereliction of duty. Team Leader Dai, you really have a lot of responsibility!"

"They're here to collect weapons; they can't just openly take them out of the city. Right now, the weapons that Inspector Gao has are the most likely to be taken out of the city," Team Leader Dai said truthfully, having caught his breath a little.

"Bullshit. The weapons of the bandit suppression team are all for the needs of bandit suppression operations. We don't even have enough for ourselves. If you don't believe me, go and look at the weapons records registered this morning. My troops and Zexiu's troops combined don't even have 50 bullets per person. Do you think we've all practiced the Golden Bell Shield? Giving them to others? Only someone with ten years of dementia could say something like that." Qin Qulu spoke first.

"Team Leader Dai, this isn't the first time our anti-bandit squad has been fighting bandits in Xuzhou. Before the Communist Party came, they had already wiped out two major bandit strongholds. Why did they stop fighting the bandits now that the Communist Party is here? Use your brain and think about it. If they didn't fight the bandits, would the military let them off the hook? Or are they just tired of having too many military achievements and don't want to be promoted?" Du Ying retorted.

These words won the favor of almost all the officers and soldiers. Few of them joined the army voluntarily. They only risked their lives to suppress bandits for the reward money and military rank, so that they could return to their hometowns in glory. Without weapons, they were just waiting to die.

"I have a question for Team Leader Dai. Did your informant explicitly tell you that the Communist Party was exchanging money for goods in the city?" Gao Junxiao asked immediately afterward.

"Just because it wasn't explicitly stated doesn't mean it isn't true." Team Leader Dai gave a vague answer with a stern face.

“You’ve been arresting and killing people non-stop these past few days, causing panic in Xuzhou. If people see that things aren’t going their way, they might just meet in the city and then deliver the goods outside the city later. Nobody’s going to be stupid enough to commit a crime against the wind.” Gao Junxiao stated a fact with a frown.

"Is Inspector Gao trying to distance himself? What you're saying is only one possibility. There's another possibility: the weapons you're supposed to provide are mixed in with your original weapons. So, Inspector Gao, where did you go at noon?" Team Leader Dai pressed Gao Junxiao again.

Before Gao Junxiao could speak, Qin Qulu said on his behalf, "Team Leader Dai still doesn't learn his lesson. Zexiu was too embarrassed to answer, so I'll answer for him. Our Inspector Gao went to buy books and apples for his girlfriend. He wasn't just slacking off; he already told me to temporarily manage things for half a day. If you need anything, go to Wu Ji Fruit Shop at No. 21A, West Market."

"Commander Qin, why didn't you say so sooner? I've been looking for you for ages," Bai Haoyue said with dissatisfaction.

"You didn't ask me, so why should I tell you?" Qin Qulu said irritably.

After hearing this, Commander Du turned to Team Leader Dai and said, "Team Leader Dai, you may not know this, but Wu Ji Fruit Shop is Chairman Han's property. Ever since Chairman Han heard that Governor Gao's wife loves Shandong apples, he specially opened a direct supply channel from the orchard for him, so that he can buy the best Shandong apples in Xuzhou City. Could it be that Chairman Han is also a member of the Communist Party?"

"Chairman Han is certainly not a member of the Communist Party. As for the bookstore, you work in the old East Gate area, yet you go to the north of the city to buy books. Based on my years of experience, bookstores are the most suitable places for making contact," Team Leader Dai said leisurely.

"Team Leader Dai insists I'm a member of the Communist Party, right? My girlfriend just finished reading 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' and I'm planning to send her a copy of 'Book of Jin.' Aside from the Guyun Bookstore in the north of the city, I really don't know where else I can buy 'Book of Jin.'" Gao Junxiao spread his hands, his eyes showing helplessness.

“Shanghai has everything, why would you need to send her books from Xuzhou?” Team Leader Dai clearly didn’t believe it.

“I promised to buy her the Twenty-Four Histories, and I will. It has nothing to do with whether she can buy it or not. A man should keep his word,” Gao Junxiao said firmly.

Team Leader Dai was already somewhat in the wrong, and after being argued with by the three of them in turn, he was sweating profusely. He let out a long breath to relieve the heat of the sweltering summer.

Everyone stood frozen in place, no one daring to move. Gao Junxiao guessed that the man surnamed Dai was weighing the pros and cons. If he went all out and tied himself up, even Commander Du wouldn't be able to do anything about it, but he might not be able to bear the consequences.

Perhaps fearing the negative impact of a prolonged standoff, Du Ying once again acted as a peacemaker. He knew very well that the man surnamed Dai wanted to use this as an excuse to suppress him, so that he could continue to stir up trouble in Xuzhou City without restraint.

So he wanted to make a deal with Team Leader Dai: he would temporarily not expose Chen Ding's affair to Jinan, and he would ask Team Leader Dai to be lenient, allowing the ten-man group to continue purging the Communist Party in the city while the anti-bandit team went out to suppress bandits. This would be good for everyone, and it all depended on whether Team Leader Dai would agree.

Upon hearing this, Team Leader Dai seemed somewhat tempted, but did not immediately respond.

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, a black-clad agent waved his arm in the encirclement, announcing the arrival of a top-level encrypted telegram that required Team Leader Dai's personal decryption.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Team Leader Dai straightened his sleeves and went to retrieve the secret report from his subordinates as if no one else was there. He didn't even use a codebook, as if he had directly calculated the contents of the telegram in his mind.

Du Ying gave Gao Junxiao and Qin Qulu a look, signaling them to calm down. Gao Junxiao, however, was not in a hurry. Team Leader Dai was just trying to extract more benefits. He could leave the city after sitting down to negotiate for a while longer.

Unexpectedly, after deciphering the coded message, Team Leader Dai stormed up to Bai Haoyue and slapped him across the face in a fit of rage: "Bai Haoyue! You've not just eaten from three families, you've eaten from a hundred! I underestimated you. Take him away; I want to interrogate this Soviet spy and international secret party member myself."

This unexpected turn of events shocked everyone present. Gao Junxiao subconsciously looked at Bai Haoyue beside him, who was already terrified and collapsed to the ground, crying out that he knew nothing and that someone must have framed him.

Team Leader Dai ignored his pleas for mercy and ordered his men to drag the man away. Before leaving, he even invited Commander Du to come to Fankeju that evening for a detailed discussion.

Commander Du had no intention of giving in to him. He blocked his way and warned him sternly, "Since Team Leader Dai has caught a big fish, don't even think about catching any shrimp. Either release him now, or wait until Chairman Han gets involved, and then you'll have no choice but to release him!"

"Hmph, Chairman Han wouldn't bother with such a trivial matter. He's just helping out and giving Commander Xiong some face." Team Leader Dai was always greedy, and he clearly wanted it all.

"Team Leader Dai can look it up himself. Chairman Han and the bandit Liu Shengqi have been fighting for years. When Liu Shengqi couldn't win, he even dug up Chairman Han's ancestral graves in his hometown in Hebei. So our Chairman Han hates Liu Shengqi to the bone. Whoever goes to fight Liu Shengqi is his half-brother. Chairman Han has even borrowed troops. Who do you think Chairman Han will help?" Du Ying's lips curled up, looking like he was determined to win.

Xuzhou is now Chairman Han's territory. Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Team Leader Dai should understand this principle as well. After holding his breath and thinking for a moment, he finally compromised.

Today the bandit suppression team can leave the city.