Qing Qingzheng stepped forward, patted Li Zhiqun on the shoulder with a smile, and said, "Mr. Li, you don't need to worry too much. Actually, you've already gained a lot this time. You should report the results of this operation to Mr. Wang as soon as possible. I have already asked him to appoint you as the Deputy Minister of Police, and he has agreed. Taking advantage of this opportunity to make meritorious contributions, I will implement it with him as soon as possible and try to announce it in the next day or two. At the same time, I will also approve another sum of money for you to reward your outstanding performance. Please rest assured, I will always support you from behind."
Li Zhiqun was overjoyed upon hearing this. He knew that his foundation in the new government was too shallow, and those old Kuomintang members did not recognize him at all. His greatest reliance was the support of the Shadow Agency, or more accurately, the support of Qing Qingzhengliang. He quickly bowed and said, "Colonel, thank you for your trust. Everything depends on your care!"
Qing Qingzhengliang nodded slightly and continued, "There's another piece of good news. Wang Hanmin's family has arrived safely in Wuhan. Tomorrow, Wuhan will send a special plane to bring them back. You go and arrange for them to be picked up. Wang Hanmin is a very valuable person. I believe he will be of great help to us. You need to put more effort into him!"
Upon hearing this, Li Zhiqun quickly and happily replied, "That's wonderful! This is really good news. I was worried that something might go wrong and I wouldn't be able to explain it to him. I will personally pick him up at the airport tomorrow and convey your regards."
In the western suburbs of Shanghai, outside a pacification army camp, a patrol of soldiers walked by. In a corner of the camp, Xu Yongchang was in his barracks, watching the patrolling soldiers through a narrow window.
His face was ashen, his forehead was wrapped in a wound, and his shoulder was in a sling, clearly indicating that he was seriously injured.
This barracks is very large, accommodating nearly fifty soldiers, all of whom were members of the National Salvation Army who had been captured by the Japanese in the Battle of Jingze a few days earlier.
In the Battle of Jingze, under the encirclement and surprise attack of the superior Japanese forces, two battalions of the National Salvation Army were almost completely wiped out, with nearly half of them killed on the spot, and the remaining more than 400 were all captured by the Japanese.
Xu Yongchang was wounded and fell into a coma during the battle. When he woke up, he had already been brought to this military camp.
This is the camp of the Pacification Army, which was recently incorporated into the puppet government. The full name of the Pacification Army is the Pacification and National Construction Army. It is an armed force established by the puppet government with the help of the Japanese. Most of them are scattered Nationalist soldiers captured by the Japanese on the battlefield, as well as local miscellaneous troops who surrendered from various places. At present, due to the fact that the puppet government is newly established, the scale is still small, with a total of only a few thousand people. They have almost no combat power. At present, they are all gathered in the camp in the suburbs of Shanghai.
"Stop looking, Captain! Take a break if you have time, or you'll be dragged out to listen to the radio soon. Damn it, you're like a ghost being summoned back to life every day!"
Beside Xu Yongchang was his comrade-in-arms Yin Liangjun. These remnants of the National Salvation Army were sent to this military camp as prisoners of war. Every day, they were herded to the parade ground to listen to Wang Tianhai's broadcasts, which were nothing more than the so-called theory of saving the country through indirect means. After a period of time, these people would be dispersed and incorporated into the Pacification Army. Most of the Pacification Army was incorporated in this way.
Xu Yongchang turned to look at Yin Liangjun and his other comrades and said in a low voice, "I've been observing for a few days now. The security here isn't tight. With a little planning, we should be able to escape."
Upon hearing this, several comrades who were nearby sprang into action and quickly gathered around. One of them whispered, "I think it's a bit risky, Captain. You were still unconscious when you brought us here. We saw at least a regiment of Japanese troops stationed nearby, and there were several layers of barbed wire around the area. With so many people, there's no way you can escape."
"Yes, let's wait a bit longer. Even if we really want to escape, now is not the time. Many of our brothers are still injured and can't get far at all."
"Where do we go if we escape? How far is it from here to Taihu Lake? There are checkpoints all along the way, I don't think our chances are high."
Yin Liangjun looked around and whispered, "Keep your voice down. We don't know what others are thinking. I think a few of them have actually believed that nonsense on the radio these past few days and are planning to stay here and use it as a roundabout way to save the country! These guys are really rich, giving them double pay..."
Xu Yongchang frowned. The composition of the National Salvation Army was complex. Apart from the officers and core members who were Kuomintang agents, most of the ordinary soldiers were gang members, farmers, refugees and other people from the lower class. Their cohesion and loyalty were much lower. Hearing the instigation of the puppet government and being coerced by force, many of them were still wavering.
However, the men around Xu Yongchang were all his trusted brothers. Xu Yongchang said coldly, "We don't care about others. Anyway, I will not work with that Wang guy. He's a traitor who sold out his country to the Japanese!"
The others nodded in agreement. They knew that although their captain came from a gang, he was fearless and brave in battle, no less so than those officers from legitimate backgrounds, and in fact, even better. Everyone trusted him.
Just then, the iron gate of the barracks opened, and a pacification army officer walked in, shouting loudly, "Get up, get up! Hurry up! All you do is lie around all day. Go to the parade ground and assemble to listen to Chairman Wang's speech broadcast."
Hearing his shout, the soldiers lying in the room slowly stood up and walked outside.
Seeing the men's listless appearance, the officer couldn't help but shout impatiently, "Hurry up! Let me tell you, joining our Pacification Army means at least you'll have a full stomach and double your pay. Where else in the world can you find such a good deal? There are plenty of homeless people out there who want to come but can't! Don't look like you've lost your mothers, cheer up!"
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