Black Flag Army

Chapter 179: Attacking Beiling Province

Di Xiong said to Xian Yuji: "Bomb it again? Don't you think we don't have enough trouble? Last time we attacked Zhaxi, we once again turned from a legitimate government into a gang of bandits. After several months of preparation, yesterday the Northeast King Zhang Yuting dispatched five elite divisions to attack Hailanpao, and Kolchak also sent 70,000 troops to attack the Iron Gate Pass in the Greater Khingan Range. Beiling Province was attacked from both north and south. The Chief of the General Staff and the Army Commander Feng Anbang divided their troops to resist, and the battle was fierce. At this time, we have to tolerate the assassination, otherwise Beiling Province will face attacks from three sides."

Wu Zhong said: "Boss, you brought too few guards with you when you went out. There were only four people, including a driver and a secretary. The captured Japanese agents confessed that you and Leng Hanbing were both the first targets, but Leng Hanbing went out with at least a dozen members of the Cheetah Column, so they had to give up."

Di Xiong said: "Four guards are not a small number. Leng Hanbing brought so many people because of work needs. These four people are experts picked from hundreds. Didn't the Japanese fail this time when they sent out eighteen gunmen? Only Liu Zhennan on our side was seriously injured."

Lan Jinping asked, "Isn't Sun Liechen, the governor of Heilongjiang, on good terms with the chief of the general staff? Why did he send troops anyway?"

Di Xiong said: "Because Zhang Yuting has the final say in the three provinces of Northeast China, he transferred Sun Liechen to Jilin Province as the governor, and made Wu Junsheng the governor of Heilongjiang. He made his brother Tang Erhu the commander-in-chief of the front line, Yang Yuting the deputy commander-in-chief, and Li Jinglin the chief of staff. These three people are pro-Japanese and hate us. The Japanese dispatched more than 100 planes to help. The Northeast Army's offensive was fierce, so we had to transfer most of the air force planes in Beihai Province. The army also transferred two divisions. Now the Second Army has nine divisions stationed in Beiling Province. If it can't hold, I'm ready to go to the front at any time."

Wu Zhong said solemnly: "Boss, in my opinion, we have to strengthen security! You see, the Japanese are simply crazy! They have raised the reward for your assassination to 8 million yen, which is equivalent to 2 million dollars! Such a high reward will definitely attract more desperate criminals to take risks. So, they will definitely send a new round of assassins to attack next. We must prepare countermeasures and cannot take it lightly!"

Di Xiong said: "Now Beitang City has Leng Hanbing's Cheetah Column and Police Chief Li Fei's police force patrolling together. The Japanese will not have any chance for the time being. However, Zhang Yuting's attack supported by Japanese aircraft is very troublesome. The battlefield on the southern front of Beiling Province has suffered more than 5,000 casualties."

Lan Jinchun was very angry, veins popped out on her forehead. She widened her eyes, clenched her teeth, and said angrily: "Zhang Yuting, this despicable and shameless man, was willing to be a running dog of the Japanese! He colluded with those hateful invaders and cruelly hurt his compatriots! Such evil deeds are countless and outrageous! When we become stronger in the future, we must not let this man off easily! Starting tomorrow, I will start to collect all the information and materials about him, and write a detailed article to be published in the "Justice Daily". I will make this article like a sharp sword, piercing his dirty and ugly soul, and nailing him to the pillar of shame in history forever!"

Wu Zhong was immediately delighted when he heard this. He said excitedly, "Great! Principal Lan hasn't written an article for a long time? But then again, your articles are always very impressive! Every time I read them, I feel refreshed and have endless aftertastes! I'm really looking forward to what kind of surprises and touches this masterpiece will bring us! When this article comes out, I will definitely grab it and read it as soon as possible to appreciate its elegance and charm."

Lan Jinchun frowned and said, "Do you know how much time and energy it takes to take care of these three children every day? I'm so busy all day that I have no time to concentrate on writing articles! How about this, you try to take care of these children for a few days and experience the hardships firsthand?" There was a hint of helplessness and fatigue in her voice, as if she had been overwhelmed by the trivialities of life.

Everyone laughed when they heard it.

At nine o'clock the next morning, Leng Hanbing walked into Di Xiong's office on the third floor of the Justice Party Building and saw Tian Mengxue talking to Di Xiong in the office. Leng Hanbing consciously waited in the outer hall. After Tian Mengxue left, Leng Hanbing walked in and asked, "The boss is looking for me?"

Most of the Justice Party's top brass called Di Xiong "Di Juzi" or "Big Brother Di". Only Leng Hanbing, like Wu Zhong, habitually called him "Boss". He would only call him "Big Brother" when he was emotional.

Di Xiong smiled and said, "Haven't you been looking for a fat sheep to slaughter in Beijing to increase the income for Beihai Province's treasury? Now is your chance."

Leng Hanbing's expression remained unchanged as he calmly asked, "Who is the target?"

Di Xiong said, "Zhang Jingyao, the former Hunan governor, made more than 100 million dollars in Hunan. Although most of it was seized by the Southern Army, he still brought tens of millions of dollars to Beijing. He is using this money to bribe people and try to get another governor position. It's a pity for him to spend the money on those Beiyang politicians. It should be used on the refugees in Beihai Province. Now that the casinos and brothels are closed, our income has also decreased. We can't rely entirely on those hundreds of tons of gold. If there is a nationwide drought next year, the money will be gone."

Leng Hanbing said: "It's fine for me to go to Beijing, but I have to take Min Kailong's assistants with me. What about your safety after we leave?"

Di Xiong said, "My safety is fine. After Liu Zhennan was injured, I followed Wu Zhong's advice and added four more guards. Now there are seven guards, and I have been protecting him tightly. I have also practiced martial arts over the years. After the Japanese failed in their assassination attempt, they will not come again so soon. The next time they come, they will need at least a month to prepare. By then, you will definitely be back from Beijing. Besides, the Kulun Intelligence Station has received news that the leader of the next round of Japanese operations is Ono Ryunosuke. This guy is very pessimistic about this operation. When he arrives in Beitang City, the Supervision Office and the Police Department will have no problem keeping an eye on him."

Leng Hanbing's eyes were cold and he said in a firm tone: "Okay! Since you have decided, I will set off for the capital tomorrow. This trip will not only put the corrupt and evil Zhang Jingyao to death, but also make those unscrupulous parliamentarians who are close to the Japanese pay the price! Anyway, we have long been regarded as thorns in the eyes and bones in the flesh by these bastards, so why should we show mercy to them? We might as well let go and do a big thing, and let these lackeys learn the real methods of us 'bandits'!" There was a hint of determination and ruthlessness in his voice, as if he was looking forward to the next action.

Di Xiong said: "Since the Beiyang Congress has torn its face with us, there is really no need to be polite to them. You can kill a few pro-Japanese congressmen, but you can't kill them indiscriminately. I will give you a list, and you can only kill those on the list."

Leng Hanbing returned to the Supervisory Office and just sat down in the office when he saw Cha Jingfeng, the deputy director of the Intelligence Department and the anti-malfeasance section chief, walk in and said to Leng Hanbing, "Director Leng! We are going to take your section chief Gu Xingzhi away for investigation today. Please cooperate with us."

Leng Hanbing was surprised and asked, "What crime did Gu Xingzhi commit?"

Cha Jingfeng said: "After preliminary investigation, Gu Mingfeng, the invisible inspector general of the Li Jingcheng Guard Division who forced Shakshahu to rebel a few months ago, is Gu Xingzhi's cousin. Gu Xingzhi knew that Gu Mingfeng was arrogant and cowardly, but he still recommended him to be the inspector general of the division. As a result, the Black Flag Army suffered a loss of tens of thousands of people. This is a serious dereliction of duty. Many prisoners sued Gu Xingzhi for abuse of torture after they were released from prison!"

Cha Jingfeng handed the detention certificate to Leng Hanbing. Leng Hanbing saw Di Xiong's signature on the detention certificate, so he returned it to Cha Jingfeng and said, "Since Di Juzi has agreed, you can take the person away!"

Cha Jingfeng waved her hand, and several tall anti-malfeasance law enforcement officers entered Gu Xingzhi's office. After a while, the yelling Gu Xingzhi was escorted out, handcuffed, and dragged into the prison van. The people in the Supervision Department looked at the first colleague who was arrested in surprise, because Leng Hanbing had already asked someone to say hello, and no one stopped the anti-malfeasance department from handling the case.

Gu Xingzhi was so excited that her voice was deafening. She roared, "You ungrateful people are simply killing the donkey after it has done its work! Back then, I fought for the Justice Party, solved cases and eliminated enemies, and made so many glorious military achievements. But now you want to treat me like this. Aren't you afraid that justice will not tolerate it? Di Juzi, I have always regarded you as my confidant and leader, but I didn't expect you to be so cruel and heartless! You will regret it in the future if you treat me like this today!"

His eyes were filled with anger and despair, as if they were about to spit out fire. He clenched his fists, his whole body trembling, and the grievances and unwillingness in his heart surged into his heart like a tide. However, facing the indifferent eyes of the crowd, she seemed so helpless and insignificant.

At noon on this sunny day, a restaurant called Changji, located next to the Peking University campus, is bustling with activity. There are four wooden tables and chairs in the spacious hall, and each table is occupied by customers who come to taste the delicious food.

At this time, two middle-aged men in long gowns slowly approached the restaurant entrance. They walked steadily and calmly, but when they saw the crowded scene in the restaurant, they stopped at the same time. After they stopped, they looked around, as if looking for an empty seat. However, the scene in front of them obviously disappointed them - there were no more seats in the restaurant.

A well-mannered middle-aged man wearing a pair of black-framed glasses said with a smile to the man with a bald forehead next to him: "Brother Qingtong! From what you said, this restaurant called 'Chang Ji' seems to have excellent food, otherwise how could it attract so many customers to dine here? It's a pity that the restaurant is full now. I'm afraid I won't be able to taste such delicious food today." As he spoke, a look of regret appeared on his face.

Before Brother Qingtong could respond, a waiter with a kind face and a big smile came up to him and said, "Oh my! Two university professors have come to our shop! What a great honor! Look, the hall downstairs is already full, but our upstairs box still has some space ~ but you have to pay an extra five copper coins." After that, he pointed in the direction of upstairs, indicating that he could take them upstairs to have a look.

The middle-aged man wearing glasses and being gentle and polite smiled faintly: "Hey! I have to say, this restaurant really has a way of doing business! A bowl of ordinary shredded pork noodles they sell is only ten copper coins, but as long as customers want to take a break in the private room, they have to pay an extra five copper coins! The price is really smart!" As he spoke, he pushed his glasses on the bridge of his nose, and a hint of teasing flashed in his eyes. It seems that he is both surprised and amused by this business method.

Brother Qingtong said softly, "Brother Shouchang! It's just five copper coins! I'll pay for it today anyway, so let's go in together." His voice was gentle and kind, as if it had an irresistible charm. After saying that, he gently patted Brother Shouchang on the shoulder, his eyes revealing sincerity and friendliness.

The two men were led into a private room by the waiter. As soon as they sat down, they heard someone in the next room shouting, "This article is well written. It's very well written. Zhang Yuting, that bastard, has a bad reputation."

Another person was heard saying, "Zhang Yuting was born a bandit, and he didn't have a good reputation. However, the Black Flag Army recovered lost territory for the country and made great contributions. The generals of the Black Flag Army are all national heroes. However, he took advantage of the Black Flag Army's fight against the White Guard Army and led the Fengtian Army to stab them in the back. He did something that hurt his relatives and pleased his enemies. He is such a bastard."

Brother Qingtong couldn't help but ask the waiter: "What are the guests next door talking about?"

The waiter said, "They are talking about an article in the Justice Daily, called 'The True Face of the Horse Bandit Zhang Yuting', which details Zhang Yuting's transformation from a horse bandit to a military governor, and contains many brilliant comments. The author is called Shengdangzuo Renjie."

Brother Shouchang was pleasantly surprised when he heard this: "Another article about Shengdang being a hero has been published? Can we see this newspaper?"

The waiter said, "If you two professors want to read it, of course you can. I can secretly get you a copy of the newspaper, but it will cost you two copper coins. And you must not tell anyone else."

Brother Qing Tong took out two copper coins from his pocket and handed them to the waiter. The waiter took the coins and quickly walked out of the room. Not long after, he came back and handed Brother Qing Tong a pirated copy of "Justice Daily".

After the two looked at each other, they immediately turned their eyes to the newspaper. They read the article written by Lan Jinchun on the front page word by word. When they finished reading the last word, Brother Qing Tong couldn't help but sighed: "This Lan Jinchun is indeed worthy of being the elite cultivated by my Peking University. This article is extraordinary and wonderful! Every word is as sharp as a blade, which makes people shudder! Once this article is published, Zhang Yuting, who is known as the 'King of the Northeast', will become a historical sinner who will be condemned by thousands of people and will never have a chance to turn over."