Interrogation in progress
The overhead light was dim, and it felt like it might go out at any moment. A burning panic rose in his stomach, and Commander Zeng tried to struggle, but the rough hemp rope immediately dug into his flesh, scraping and rubbing from side to side, leaving a bloody mark.
"This is slander! I want to see the president! I want to see the president!" Commander Zeng's shrill shouts echoed throughout the room.
The young man ignored Commander Zeng's rage and continued, "Alright, then let's go to the president and check the names on the list one by one."
The young man raised a smug smile, slowly opened the booklet, and asked Commander Zeng to carefully recall if there was any familiar mosquito, codenamed Parrot, whose public identity was lieutenant colonel and commander of the regiment. He had returned from overseas in 1925 and his organizational affiliation was transferred to Qingtian.
In 1927, he joined the Fengtian clique, and six months later he transferred to the Whampoa clique and participated in the Northern Expedition. In 1928, to avoid the purge of the party, he joined the Kuomintang under organizational arrangements...
The more he listened, the more something seemed off. It was clearly aimed at him. Commander Zeng steadied himself and retorted, "Why do you think I'm a parrot? Zhejiang has always been a land of outstanding talents. Every year, at least ten thousand or eight thousand students who have studied abroad return to China. Even the CEO is a returnee from Japan. Does that mean all students who have studied abroad are members of the Communist Party?"
“You don’t need to beat around the bush. We know you’re related to the royal family.” The young man smiled knowingly. “It’s just that the president can’t protect you from this mistake. We found out that your regiment scrapped three telegraph machines in April this year, one of which was a transmitter. In the same month, you met with Li Sheng carrying a heavy box and handed over this military radio.”
"Absurd! I'm not a member of the Communist Party, how can you use the word 'handover'?" Commander Zeng rebuked sharply. "The radios I scrapped were all inspected by a specialist, and the scrapping forms were only signed after confirming that they were unusable. The process was crystal clear. I remember that specialist was from your Party Affairs Investigation Department, right? It's not just my responsibility that's to be held accountable."
The young man chuckled as if he had heard a huge joke, and casually pulled a simple drawing from his pocket, asking if he was familiar with it.
Upon seeing the contents of the picture, Commander Zeng felt a lump in his throat, unable to move forward or backward. Countless images of torture flashed through his mind, and this time, he himself was the one being tortured.
The young man continued, "It shows detailed instructions on how to convert a civilian coil to a military coil, how to convert a radio antenna to a telegraph antenna, and... well, there are several more. It's so technical, it's giving me a headache. But you were an electrical engineer, so drawing a diagram must be a piece of cake for you."
"I didn't draw it, you're talking nonsense." Commander Zeng's heart was pounding, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Seemingly sensing Commander Zeng's fear, the young man said, "Don't worry, we won't wrong an innocent person. We've already compared it with the drawings you made before, and it's confirmed to be your work. Everything is in file folders. If you don't confess, we'll have no choice but to pack it up and send it to the Presidential Palace for the President to decide."
When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Commander Zeng softened his tone: "Young man, I really don't know anything about this map. I'm just a small commander. At most, I might lie about a few heads and collect some salary without actually working. How could I dare to... to be a member of the Communist Party? Besides, those Communists are all very honest. They certainly wouldn't be like me, reselling military rations. They wouldn't do that."
"You're making a fuss over nothing. Who says you can't do it? I've even seen opium sellers. They're so desperate for money, there's nothing they wouldn't sell." The young man glared at him, his eyes full of contempt.
Commander Zeng forced an awkward laugh: "That's right, you must be very knowledgeable, the nemesis of the Communist Party. Hey, didn't you detain Li Sheng from the Shanghai-Songjiang Command? Investigate Li Sheng thoroughly. The things he handled are countless. Who knows where all those things ended up?"
"Oh dear, it must have been tough for you G Party members. With both of you exposed at the same time, you had to protect one of them, right? Indeed, your chances of surviving are much higher. No wonder Li Sheng dared to be so stubborn and wouldn't utter a single word about your deal." The young man said with a sigh.
Upon hearing this, Commander Zeng was stunned. Something was wrong. Manager Xu had clearly said that Li Sheng was about to collapse and that if he didn't surrender soon, he would easily be considered an accomplice. He should strike first, or suffer the consequences. That was why he was in a hurry to see the president.
With a quick glance, Commander Zeng changed the subject: "I've been asking for ages, but I still don't know how to address you, sir."
"My surname is Zhang, and my given name is Chong," the young man blurted out.
"Bullshit! When he met Zhang Chong, the kid across from us was still wearing open-crotch pants!" Commander Zeng looked at the young men warily: "You're not from the Party Affairs Investigation Section. I know Section Chief Zhang. Who are you, anyway?"
With a whoosh, the big guy pulled out his sidearm, moving as fast as a hunting leopard.
With a sizzle, Commander Zeng's body trembled, and he dragged his chair back half an inch.
But seeing the arrogant look on the other side, Commander Zeng was so angry that he shouted at the top of his lungs, "My loyalty to the Party and the country is as clear as day! I am going to meet the President tomorrow. If the President does not see me tomorrow, he will definitely send someone to look for me. While I do not know which department you are from, release me immediately and I will pretend that I have never met you."
Perhaps realizing he'd been exposed and there was no point in trying to explain, the young man quickly turned around and pinned the big man down. He whispered something to the menacing-looking man, who then put away his sidearm and gave him a vicious glare before leaving the hut.
Only the two of them remained in the room. The young man turned around again, his tone suddenly serious: "Commander Zeng, eliminating the Communist Party is a strategic policy personally formulated by the President. Everyone has the right to kill them. You can't get away with saying you don't know the blueprints. Do you want to teach Li Sheng how to repair the broken radio?"
The Nationalist government's intelligence system was vast and complex; it was not just the CC Clique that was purging the Communist Party. The agents could arrest people anytime, anywhere on the grounds of "suspected traitors."
Commander Zeng inwardly groaned. If he admitted that the drawing was intended for Li Sheng, they would both be finished. However, he confidently asserted that he really didn't know anything about the drawing.
Because he studied electrical engineering in college, he drew a lot of blueprints. It is possible that he drew them when he was improving the radio transmission system for the Young Marshal in the Fengtian clique. In the early years, without foreign aid, the radios used in the warlord troops were all converted from civilian to military equipment. If you don't believe me, you can check in Northeast China. They haven't completely replaced them yet.
"Oh! Why was this blueprint found in an electrical engineering book at Li Sheng's house?" the young man pressed.
Based on the evidence he had gathered, Zeng Tuan realized he was far more suspicious than Li Sheng, and he was determined to deny it to the end: "That makes sense. I was wondering where the blueprints came from. It turned out they were hidden in the professional books I gave Li Sheng. My wife must have slipped them in without checking. The box I gave Li Sheng that day was full of books, not the so-called radio station."
The young man couldn't help but sneer: "Heh, a book? Do you even believe that yourself? If it were really a book, why would you be afraid of the rickshaw driver taking it?"
It's a book! The rickshaw puller is clumsy and careless; if he were to break the reference book he brought back from America, he wouldn't be able to afford to pay for it even if he lost his underwear.
Commander Zeng stuck to the crucial point—there was no radio in the box. He and Li Sheng both enjoyed studying, so they often exchanged books. Li Sheng had mentioned that his radio was broken and buying a new one was too expensive, so he borrowed some electrical books from Li Sheng to learn how to repair radios. What was the problem?
Heaven and earth know, as long as Li Sheng doesn't say anything, and neither does he, no one will know what's in the box.
"What makes Li Sheng that he can't afford a new radio? If you're going to make up an excuse, at least come up with a plausible one," the young man said disdainfully.
"Having money doesn't mean spending it recklessly. People like us who enjoy hands-on work find it more fulfilling to accomplish big things with little money." Seeing that the other party remained silent, Commander Zeng raised his chin and scolded, "You guys are making baseless accusations to catch the CCP, but you're not as reliable as Old Li. Li Sheng is your colleague, and he has blood on his hands. You shouldn't suspect him."
"Hey, you were just trying to shift all the blame onto them, but now you're all all brotherly and respectful. Commander Zeng is really fickle," the young man teased.
Bringing up a sore spot, Commander Zeng's face flushed, and he turned away in embarrassment: "Do you have any new evidence? If not, let me go."
“Alright, even if you manage to escape this time, we’ll keep an eye on you until you slip up.” The young man straightened his clothes, revealing a gleaming gold plum blossom clasp. “After I leave, my brothers will help you untie the ropes. I’ll trouble Commander Zeng to wait another quarter of an hour.”
"You..." Commander Zeng was so angry that he couldn't speak. The door closed again, giving him no chance to curse.
The bare walls on all four sides were like a cage, trapping Commander Zeng in place, unable to move. Ah—a few roars vented his anger. Not a single spy is good!
When his anger reached its peak, he suddenly realized that simply venting would not help. Commander Zeng looked around. The walls were badly peeling, revealing mottled blue bricks, and the ground was covered with a thick layer of dust, as if no one had lived there for many years.
The only piece of furniture was the chair that bound him, but there seemed to be a rusty nail under the broken window. He had learned to cut the rope with a sharp tool during training. Calm down, he tried to twist his body, and the chair slowly moved toward the window with his movements.
Suddenly a dark shadow appeared outside the window.
With a thud, Commander Zeng fell to the ground, chair and all. His back was instantly soaked with cold sweat. "It's over, it's over," he thought, "I'm definitely going to die."
However, the next second, the rope on his leg came loose, and he saw clearly that the person who was calling out "Commander" was his adjutant, Xiao Wu. Those bastards didn't even spare the driver. He had been hoping that Xiao Wu would go to the Presidential Palace to report the news.
"Commander, I escaped from the cowshed and found this to be an abandoned farmhouse. The spies are all in the side rooms..." Lieutenant Wu looked anxious, as if he were telling the truth.
Shh! Commander Zeng quickly covered Xiao Wu's mouth to prevent him from making a sound. He looked at the door in horror. The peeling brown wooden door emitted a blue light, and he wondered when it would open.
Commander Zeng tiptoed to the door, pressed his ear against it, and listened carefully to any sounds outside. After waiting for a while, there was still no movement outside, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Commander, I just heard them preparing a confession for you and forcing you to sign it. Let's hurry up and leave, or they'll be here soon," Lieutenant Wu said in a low voice, his voice trembling slightly.
Commander Zeng nodded repeatedly, not daring to waste a second. The two stood in front of the broken window where Deputy Wu had come from. Deputy Wu cautiously poked his head out, and after confirming that there was no danger, he waved to Commander Zeng, signaling him to follow.
Lights were on in the side courtyard, and the faint sound of a man's whisper could be heard. Commander Zeng crouched down, trying to minimize his breathing, and crept out of the courtyard, close to the corner of the wall.
The soft mud had turned into hard flagstones. Commander Zeng slowed his pace, carefully discerning the direction of the flagstone path by the moonlight. The path ahead wound its way downhill; they must be on the mountain. Based on his experience, he figured that if they just followed the flagstone path, they would reach the main road, or even the highway.
The path down the mountain was difficult to walk, and Commander Zeng stumbled along, soon his back and waist ached. Lieutenant Wu kindly helped Commander Zeng continue.
A few minutes later, a series of hurried footsteps came from the southwest. Commander Zeng's expression changed drastically. He pulled his adjutant, Wu, to crawl behind a clump of bushes and held his breath, peering through the gaps to observe the movements outside.
"Commander Zeng, I know you're a smart man. If you don't want to die, cooperate with us. You don't want anything to happen to your family, do you?" The young man's voice came from above the bushes.
The scent of death drew ever closer. At its closest, he was only an arm's length away from the agents. But the darkness provided Commander Zeng with the best cover. The agents searched the hillside, the soft patter of their footsteps on the leaves fading into the distance.
"Commander, there's another path here." Lieutenant Wu made a quick decision, pulling the nearly exhausted Commander Zeng along the muddier path as they ran desperately. Crack! The tree branch broke under their feet with a crisp sound.
"They're there! Go after them!"
Bang, bang...
Gunshots and panting sounds from behind, mixed with the chaotic footsteps of the kidnappers in hot pursuit, left Commander Zeng's mind blank. He had only one thought left: escape!
Bang!
A spark grazed his ear, and Commander Zeng felt a chill at first, but soon a burning pain pierced his nerves. He staggered a few steps, clutching his injured ear, and lost his balance. Instantly, all the blood in his body rushed to his chest, and he tumbled down the mountainside.
"Commander, Commander!" Wu's desperate cries sounded somewhat indistinct, as if they were coming from behind a thin film.
Sizzle—
A white light enveloped Commander Zeng. He barely opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself lying in front of a jeep with a military license plate. He hoarsely reached out his hand and cried out, "Help...help me!"
The car door opened, and a soldier-looking man ran over and helped him up: "What's wrong? Hang in there, I'll take you to the hospital."
"And me, my adjutant." Commander Zeng's lips moved as he pointed to the hillside.
The gunfire continued, but the soldiers ignored it and used both hands to drag Commander Zeng into the car. There was a young man who looked like an officer in the back seat. Commander Zeng glanced at his colonel rank and felt that he looked familiar. He was trying hard to search his memory for a useful name.
The car sped off with a roar, and Commander Zeng was jolted so hard he felt dizzy and his head was buzzing.
"Slow down." The colonel spoke in a standard Beiping accent, instantly igniting the memories of Regiment Commander Zeng. Oh, it was Gao Junxiao from the Southern Hawks and Northern Skies!
"Counselor Gao, it's me, Old Zeng from the Ningbo Command. We met at the victory celebration banquet at the Hangzhou Command." Regiment Commander Zeng couldn't wait to establish their connection.
"You... Commander Zeng, what happened to you?" Councilor Gao asked, his face full of surprise.
Thinking of what had happened tonight, Commander Zeng couldn't help but cry. He raised his blood-stained hand to wipe away his tears and choked out, "My adjutant and I have been kidnapped. Please help me save him."
Gao Junxiao turned his head to look back, hesitated for a long time, and replied: "Now, I'm afraid we can't go back. How about we go to the nearest town, Zhenjiang, and you go to report it to the police yourself? We should be there in about twenty minutes."
“Zhenjiang? I was originally in Nanjing, how did I end up so far away?” Commander Zeng was stunned and muttered to himself.
"You should be asking yourself, how were you attacked? Do you know who kidnapped you?" Gao Junxiao asked suspiciously.
Commander Zeng's eyes welled up with tears again as he tearfully accused the damned spies of tying him up in a farmhouse and forcing him to sign a document admitting he was a member of the Communist Party, or they would kill him.
"Huh? Which intelligence agency is so audacious as to kidnap high-ranking military and political officials?" Gao Junxiao's face showed a strange expression. "Unless they have evidence."
Commander Zeng was speechless for a moment. He didn't know how to clear up the radio incident and portray his suspicion by the secret agents as a normal kidnapping case.
"It's alright, you can talk to the police yourself later. Keep this money safe, go get your injuries treated, and find a hotel to get a good night's sleep. I have official business to attend to, so I can't keep you company." Gao Junxiao smiled and stuffed a stack of silver dollars into his hand.
"Oh, thank you." Commander Zeng gripped the silver dollar tightly and changed the subject, "Hey, how's Li Sheng from your headquarters doing? Could you please give him my regards?"
"Don't mention him. Li Sheng was inexplicably framed as a member of the Communist Party. CC insists there's a witness, and if the witness speaks, he'll be executed. We all want to help him, but he just won't say a word. I don't know who he's trying to protect. Isn't that frustrating?" Gao Junxiao said helplessly.
Commander Zeng was surprised by Li Sheng's loyalty. A feeling of shame welled up inside him. Li Sheng had kindly helped him dispose of stolen goods, and Li Sheng had taken the money and then turned around and kicked him.
He bluntly stated, "How could Li Sheng possibly be a member of the Communist Party? Old Li played a crucial role in the purge of the Communist Party; his hands are stained with the blood of the Communist Party. It's probably just professional rivalry."
“That’s possible, but I have absolutely no clue how to prove that Li Sheng isn’t a member of the Communist Party,” Gao Junxiao sighed with a bitter face. “This is a life-or-death situation.”
"Actually, I know there's one thing the G Party would never buy or sell," Commander Zeng said guiltily, lowering his head.
"What is it?" Gao Junxiao's eyes lit up.
"Li Sheng often helps others resell military rations. There are some surplus military rations that can't be eaten and would rot in the warehouse, so he helps others dispose of them," Commander Zeng said hesitantly.
“Earning a salary without working, huh? What’s that?” Gao Junxiao’s tone was tinged with disappointment. “I also know that Li Sheng is involved in arms and medicine trafficking. What’s the use? CC said he sold something he shouldn’t have, and fragments of that thing were found next to a Communist Party member’s corpse.”
"The more I hear, the more I want to frame him. Putting aside what he's selling, even just fragments can be used as a pretext. If I put a red bellyband next to a G Party member's corpse, does that mean the G Party member is stealing people?" Commander Zeng retorted.
Gao Junxiao snorted coldly: "Why do you always speak up for him? Be careful what you say, or the spies will find fault with you. They dared to kidnap you in Nanjing this time, and they'll dare to kidnap you at your doorstep next time."
Commander Zeng said angrily, "These spies are lawless and have messed with me. How could I possibly be a member of the Communist Party?"
“Just receiving military pay doesn’t prove you’re not a member of the Communist Party. You should find another reason.” Gao Junxiao kindly suggested.
"I...I have solid reasons." Commander Zeng pursed his lips, but he couldn't easily reveal his final trump card.
"Alright, prepare your own explanation, and no one can do anything to you." As soon as Gao Junxiao finished speaking, the car began to slow down.
"Counselor Gao, there's a roadblock ahead, we can't get through," a soldier reported loudly.
"Who is it, setting up a roadblock in the middle of the night?" Gao Junxiao complained, but still took out his military officer's ID and rolled down the car window. Seeing this, Regiment Commander Zeng also reached into his inner pocket, thankfully he was used to carrying his military officer's ID close to his body.
There were no cars ahead, and the people who had set up the roadblock walked straight toward them: "Please show your identification."
When he took the driver's documents, a flash of gold appeared, and Commander Zeng clearly saw that the man had a plum blossom-shaped clip on his lapel.
It's them, it's them who caught up!
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